《The New Chimera》 Prologue: A Beginning Vithi paced inside of her prison, as always. It wasn¡¯t actually a prison as such, but to her it might as well have been. She didn¡¯t look like anything special, barely over five feet tall, shoulder length red hair kept into a ponytail, wearing just a t-shirt and jeans. Of course, appearances can be deceiving, and Vithi was happy to keep it that way. She was a djinn, and she was tired of doing everything according to expectations. And, for the last thousand or so years, she hadn¡¯t needed to. She¡¯d been sitting inside of her lamp, waiting. Her current master, Tunem, was an old mage, and one of the leaders of the Protectorate. He was one of the leaders of the magical world, and, as such, had a large collection of magical items, including her lamp. In his defense, he wasn¡¯t just a hoarder, he oversaw the Protectorate¡¯s magical armory, but he was still keeping her here for an indeterminate amount of time. He told her that he was never going to make wishes, never going to do any of that, that he would let her free when the threat had passed, whenever that would be. At the very least, he provided some sort of entertainment for her. He let her work on her own hobbies, but you can only do so much within the confines of a lamp. The TV was a particularly generous allowance. She wasn¡¯t able to get any sort of internet or cable in here, but DVD players worked, and she had a rather large collection of movies and shows to watch. She was considering taking up video games too, but she wanted to finish up her current projects before she opened that can of worms. Her reverie was interrupted by Tunem¡¯s voice, made slightly echoey by the transition into the lamp. ¡°Vithi, are you decent? We need to talk.¡± She frowned. He often came to talk with her, but this felt¡­different. His voice lacked its normal casual, confident tone, a nervous edge uncharacteristic to the man creeping into his voice. This couldn¡¯t possibly mean anything good. ¡°Yeah, be out in a moment.¡± She said, mentally willing herself out of the lamp, another one of the small freedoms allowed to her. She couldn¡¯t venture outside of a small radius around the lamp itself, but it allowed for easier conversation, at the least. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s cut to the chase. What¡¯s going on?¡± She asked, folding her arms impatiently. Tunem sighed, the briefest of frowns flashing across his face. ¡°I¡¯m going to be honest, Vithi, the Protectorate¡¯s going through a tough time. We¡¯re already struggling to keep the cities of Haven secure, and the Society¡¯s getting more and more active every year. We¡¯ve lost several important artifacts in the recent decades, and we¡¯re starting to run out of options.¡± Vithi dropped down into the chair next to her lamp. She wasn¡¯t stupid, she knew where this was going. He may have promised not to make any wishes, but that had been just words. There had been no actual bindings done to enforce that, no contract, nothing. ¡°And so, you need to make a wish.¡± She said flatly. Tunem shook his head. ¡°I won¡¯t be making any wishes. I told you I wouldn¡¯t.¡± Vithi rolled her eyes. ¡°Even if you do keep your word, you could just have someone else do it for you. It¡¯s all the same in the end.¡± Tunem¡¯s gaze remained steady, but the way his finger was tapping against his leg gave away his anxiety. ¡°I¡­well, I want to say that¡¯s not what¡¯s going to happen, but technically, it is. I¡¯ve been looking through the timelines, and I found someone that I think will make both of our lives better.¡± ¡°Not interested.¡± Vithi said, moving to return to her lamp. ¡°Stop.¡± Tunem ordered, and Vithi found her re-entry blocked. He grimaced. ¡°Sorry, but you need to hear this. This man would not only make some wishes that are favorable to the Protectorate as a whole, but over 99 percent of the time it ends with your freedom.¡± This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Vithi¡¯s heart raced as she heard that, but something was nagging at the back of her mind. ¡°And the remaining possibilities?¡± For the first time in their conversation, Tunem looked away from her. ¡°Both of you are captured and enslaved by the Society. It¡¯s only one or two of the thousands of possible outcomes, but the fact remains that the chance exists.¡± Vithi was silent as she weighed her choices. On the one hand, it was nearly a sure-fire shot at freedom. But, the other¡­she didn¡¯t want to think about it. She had had enough of being passed around like an object, cruel master after cruel master using her however they wished. ¡°Yeah, not going to happen, sorry. I¡¯m content enough with this life, and I¡¯m not willing to take that risk.¡± She said. It hurt to deny this tantalizing chance at freedom, but the alternatives were too horrible to even consider. ¡°I¡¯m¡­sorry.¡± Tunem said. ¡°But this wasn¡¯t a choice. I was merely informing you of what would happen. I thought you would react this way, but that doesn¡¯t mean I shouldn¡¯t tell you. I¡¯ve been passive for too long, merely guiding people away from the worst outcomes. No, it¡¯s time I actively set out to make things better.¡± Vithi tried to glare at him, but she was sure that any effect it had was negated by the tears she could already feel coming. ¡°Please¡­don¡¯t make me.¡± She whimpered. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry.¡± Tunem replied. ¡°Please, give him a chance. I promise you¡¯ll thank me for this later.¡± He cleared his throat, straightening up as he spoke. ¡°I, Tunem, of my own free will, officially renounce my position as master of the djinn Vithi.¡± And with those words, the ties binding the two were severed, and Vithi found herself pulled into the lamp once again.
¡°Yes, mom, I¡¯m working on being more assertive.¡± Lucas said. ¡°I know, I know, I¡¯m always saying that, but I mean it this time! But, I gotta get going, it¡¯s really starting to come down and my phone¡¯s getting wet. Love you!¡± ¡°Call us when you get home then, we can talk about this later. Love you, sweetie.¡± His mom said, then hung up. Lucas huddled into his jacket as he put his phone away, trying to keep it from getting wetter than it already was. It had been a long day, up early to work at a local fast food place, then going straight from there to the college it paid for, and now he walking back home and getting rained on. The weather forecast hadn¡¯t called for rain in the morning, but it was fall and the weather was in a constant state of flux anyway, so it wasn¡¯t too out of the norm. So, he was stuck walking home without an umbrella. Still, he wasn¡¯t one to complain ¨C a lot of people had it a lot worse than he did. He had a job, had a roof over his head, and the future was looking promising. Long days and rain were minor complaints, really. ¡°Sir, do you have any change?¡± A man asked, snapping Lucas out of his trance. Lucas looked around the street for anyone else the man might have been referring to, but the streets were empty. ¡°Me?¡± He asked hesitantly. The man, haggard and dirty, nodded. ¡°Yes. I¡­just need something to buy food with. Even a dollar or two would be plenty.¡± This struck Lucas as odd. To begin with, he lived in a small college town, so beggars tended to steer clear of the area, favoring some of the larger cities nearby. Beyond that, nothing about Lucas indicated that he¡¯d have much of anything to spare. He still had his backpack on, so most people would assume he was in college, and his clothes were pretty cheap, so he wasn¡¯t exactly the picture of wealth. But he was the only person around, and there was a chance that the beggar was just in town on his way over to the city. So, Lucas put it out of his mind and reached into his wallet, pulling out the couple of dollars he had made from tips that day, handing them to the man. ¡°It¡¯s not much, but it¡¯s all the cash I have on me. It should be enough for something quick to eat while you wait for the rain to stop.¡± The man broke into a toothy grin, taking the money. ¡°Thank you very much, sir!¡± He crouched down, reaching into an overflowing backpack on the ground. He rummaged around a second before taking out a grimy lamp ¨C an oil lamp, by the looks of it ¨C and an equally grimy book. He presented them to Lucas. ¡°Here, take these. I¡¯ve been looking for a good home for them, and I think you¡¯re a perfect fit.¡± Lucas shook his head. ¡°I really can¡¯t take those! You could get something for that at a pawn shop or something, so if you¡¯re going to give them away, at least get some more money for food from them!¡± The man gave Lucas a small smile. ¡°They have a lot of sentimental value to me, and I would really prefer they end up with a good person.¡± ¡°Then why me? You don¡¯t even know me!¡± ¡°I know enough about you. Someone who¡¯s willing to give to others even when they don¡¯t have much to give can¡¯t be that bad of a person. It¡¯s better than letting them end up with someone completely random. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll take good care of them.¡± He placed the items on a relatively dry spot of ground and put on the backpack, turning away from Lucas. ¡°Wait!¡± Lucas cried, but the man didn¡¯t listen, turning down a side street and vanishing from sight. Lucas sighed, tucked the lamp and book into his backpack, and hurried home. Chapter 1: Wishes Three Lucas hurriedly opened the door to his house and stepped inside, setting down his backpack. He was living alone, renting from his aunt Judy at an outrageously small price. He was uncomfortable with just how much money he was potentially losing her, but she wouldn¡¯t take no for an answer. ¡°Think of it as an investment.¡± She had said. ¡°You live here, fix things up if you can, and let me know what needs work, that way it¡¯s a better sell once I do get it on the market.¡± He changed into his pajamas, and returned to the entry, where he fished the lamp and book out of his bag. They were, strangely, bone dry despite how wet everything else was. Leaving the bag to dry in the front entry, he made his way to the kitchen, momentarily setting the items down so he could wet a rag. Rag in hand, he picked up the lamp and began to clean it. Suddenly, the lamp began to emit smoke, causing Lucas to nearly drop it in surprise. The smoke didn¡¯t behave like normal, instead staying low to the floor in a mass, which eventually coalesced into the form of a woman wearing a t-shirt and shorts, rubbing her eyes and yawning. ¡°Tunem, why¡­?¡± She muttered groggily, before blinking and straightening up, seemingly realizing where she was. ¡°Oh, right.¡± She said in a noticeably more hostile tone. ¡°Name¡¯s Vithi, this lamp¡¯s djinn.¡± She looked him up and down and then raised an eyebrow. ¡°Really? You couldn¡¯t at least put some proper clothes on before summoning me? Classy.¡± Lucas was frozen in shock, staring at Vithi with a stunned expression. ¡°You know the drill. Hurry and make your wishes so I can get back to my nap. I didn¡¯t get much sleep last night and I¡¯m tired.¡± Lucas took a step back, reflexively clutching the lamp to his chest. ¡°W-what?!¡± He stammered, eyes darting around the room, trying to find somewhere this woman could have come from, before he remembered the odd smoke that had come from the lamp. It must have been holding some hazardous chemical which he set loose with his cleaning and then inhaled, causing hallucinations. He gingerly put the lamp down, pointedly ignoring this ¡°Vithi¡±, then rushed into the living room, pulling out his cell phone and dialing 911. ¡°911, what¡¯s your ¨C ¡± The phone cut off as the hallucination followed him into the room, looking annoyed. ¡°Really? You summon me and just ignore me? Seriously?¡± Lucas looked at his phone, which was now off. He placed it back into his pocket and considered his options. His grasp on what was real was obviously starting to slip, and that wasn¡¯t a good sign. He needed to get out of the house, into fresh air. Hopefully that¡¯d help flush whatever this was from his system, and at least if he collapsed there someone would call the police for him. Probably. But the door was blocked by the hallucination. He¡­really didn¡¯t want to interact with it, but he didn¡¯t have much of a choice. He marched forward, intent on slipping by or walking through the hallucination, and it shied back, seemingly frightened. He squeezed through the gap between it and the wall, careful not to touch it, and made his way to the front door. He was about to open it when the hallucination grabbed his hand, preventing him from doing so. ¡°Look, I don¡¯t know what kind of power move you¡¯re trying to pull, but it¡¯s not going to work. Seriously, just make your wishes and we can both move on with our lives.¡± Plan B, then. He looked it straight in the eyes and mustered up his disbelief. ¡°You¡¯re not real.¡± He said, less convincing than he would have liked. ¡°You¡¯re just a product of whatever chemical was in that lamp.¡± The hallucination froze. ¡°What?¡± It was working. Lucas smiled, pressing his advantage. ¡°A construct of the mind. A hallucination. Just go away so I can move on with my life.¡± ¡°Oh, for the love of¡­¡± The hallucination let go and began muttering under its breath. He quickly went back to opening the door, but halfway through reaching to the handle his vision began to swim, and everything went dark.
Lucas groaned as he woke up, listening to the TV running in the background. He had¡­collapsed? No, that couldn¡¯t be right. He was on the living room couch, and he had ¡°collapsed¡± in the entryway. He must have just fallen asleep while watching TV, and it was all a bizarre dream. Suddenly, a game¡¯s pause menu popped up on the TV. ¡°Finally.¡± Vithi said, setting down the controller. ¡°Have you calmed down?¡± Lucas swallowed, staring at her. There was a chance he was still dreaming, but¡­ ¡°You¡¯re¡­real?¡± He asked tentatively. Vithi rolled her eyes. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m real.¡± She picked up a pristine-looking book from the coffee table and tossed it at him. ¡°Here, read this. Tunem must¡¯ve made it for you, because I can¡¯t open it.¡± Lucas fumbled, failing to catch the book as it landed on him. He sat up, grabbing the book that was simply titled ¡°Lucas¡±. ¡°Tunem? Do you mean that hobo who gave me this stuff?¡± Vithi snorted, obviously amused. ¡°That wasn¡¯t a hobo, kid. That was the world¡¯s foremost expert in divination magic, one of the leaders of the Protectorate, and one of the most powerful people in existence. You¡¯re in way over your head.¡± Well, another point in favor of being a dream. Still, it couldn¡¯t hurt to play along, just in case. ¡°Why me?¡± He asked. ¡°You¡¯re asking the wrong person, kid. It¡¯s pretty baffling from my perspective, too. Anyway, go read that book. If he gave it to you, chances are there¡¯s some important information in it, and this whole disaster will work out better for both of us if you know whatever¡¯s inside.¡± The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Lucas nodded. ¡°Uh, sure. I¡¯ll go to my room then, you¡­just keep doing what you¡¯re doing, I guess? If you¡¯re hungry, food¡¯s in the pantry, so¡­let me know if you need any help or anything?¡± Vithi didn¡¯t reply, instead choosing to unpause the game. Lucas scampered off into his room, closing the door behind him as he did. He looked at his hands, counting the fingers, looked away, then looked back. Still the normal amount. Then, he plugged his nose, shut his mouth, and tried to breath in. As would be expected, he wasn¡¯t able to breathe. That was troubling. Those two reality checks usually would tell him right away if he was dreaming, and the fact that they were coming back negative was not a reassuring sign. Still¡­a part of him wanted it to be real. He hadn¡¯t grown up a skeptic ¨C his mother was a staunch believer in all things paranormal, but his father had taught him the tricks behind most ¡°paranormal¡± phenomenon, shattering any belief he may have had. If this was real¡­that meant a whole new world had opened up. One of excitement and wonder, something different. So, he opened the book, the crisp scent of new paper filling his nostrils. Lucas, it read, I am making this book to help guide you in making wise wishes. I have given Vithi to you in hopes that you will be able to make a difference. I must warn you that she has had many harsh masters in the past, myself excluded, and has become rather jaded as a result. But this does not mean that she will be completely unreliable. In this book, I¡¯ve included knowledge on the nature of djinn, how wishes work, and some tips for making wise wishes. In return, I only ask that you treat her kindly, and to keep my words in mind while wishing. As promised, the rest of the 30 or so pages contained exactly that. Lucas read and reread them until he was sure he had understood everything within, and then set to work choosing his wishes.
About thirty minutes later, he had decided. He shut the book and made his way towards the living room. He found the game already paused, Vithi turned to face him. ¡°Decided?¡± She asked curtly. Lucas licked his lips nervously and sat in an armchair. ¡°I¡¯d like to make a contract.¡± Vithi eyed him warily. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll bite. What terms?¡± ¡°You grant my wishes according to my intent, and in return I use my last wish to grant you freedom.¡± Vithi, obviously trying to force down a hopeful look, spoke. ¡°Alright, on the condition that, aside from the wish granting my freedom, your wishes cannot affect me in any way, and you must make all three wishes at the same time.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± The moment he assented, he felt something¡­tingly. Like the air was filled with static. Djinn contracts were magically binding, with horrific backlash if one didn¡¯t abide by the terms. The magic would direct your thoughts to try and avoid anything that would violate the contract, but it was possible to circumvent that with enough focus. Lucas had no intention of doing so, and as such he just jumped straight to his wishes. ¡°I wish to be able to fluently use and understand any language or other form of communication, to become a powerful mage, and to free the djinn Vithi.¡± Vithi jumped up in undisguised delight, pointing a finger. ¡°Granted!¡± She squealed. The tingly feeling intensified, feeling like lightning in his veins for a few moments before, blessedly, subsiding. He gripped the armrests, forcing himself up. Vithi¡­didn¡¯t look so good. Her hand was on the wall, and she was swaying dangerously. He rushed over, barely making it in time to catch her as she fell unconscious. He took her to the spare room, tucking her into the bed. The book had warned him about this; when a djinn is freed from a lamp, the backlash is immense, usually stripping them of their magic for anywhere up to a year. He quietly left the room, heading back to the kitchen and grabbing a couple of potatoes. While he heated them up in the microwave, he began to write a note. ¡°Vithi, I thought you might be hungry when you woke up, so here¡¯s some food. It¡¯s probably cold, so just heat it up for 30 seconds in the microwave after you take the tinfoil off. Butter¡¯s in the fridge and salt is in the cabinet directly left of the microwave. I¡¯ll probably be at school or work when you wake up, so if I am please stay here until I get back, I¡¯d like to talk to you again. There¡¯s more food in the fridge if you get hungry, and you¡¯re more than welcome to use the TV again. ¨C Lucas¡± Once the note was written and the potatoes were finished, he wrapped the potatoes in tinfoil, put them on a plate, and delivered them and the note to the room she was staying in. After that, he started preparing for bed himself. It was only around nine, but he felt oddly drained as well, like he had been awake for hours longer than he actually had been. He was asleep almost as soon as he crawled into bed.
The next day, Lucas was completely unable to relax. He ended up ditching class, coming straight home from work. To his relief, he was greeted by the sounds of the TV, a clear sign that Vithi hadn¡¯t left. Or at least wasn¡¯t courteous enough to turn off the TV before doing so but given he could also hear someone using a controller, he doubted that was the case. He put his stuff down in the entryway, moving towards the living room. Vithi didn¡¯t notice him sitting down on the couch, completely absorbed in the game as she was. After a minute or so of silence, he tentatively spoke. ¡°Vithi?¡± ¡°What?¡± She asked, not taking her attention away from the TV. ¡°So¡­what are you planning to do now?¡± ¡°Dunno. Wander around, see the world? Does it matter to you?¡± Lucas scratched the back of his neck nervously. ¡°Isn¡¯t that going to be a little difficult now that your magic is gone?¡± Vithi paused the game and turned to face him. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You know, from the backlash from being freed?¡± Vithi narrowed her eyes. ¡°Right, that. What of it?¡± ¡°Well, if you want to travel, you¡¯ll need money, papers, an identity, that sort of thing, and you don¡¯t have those, right?¡± ¡°Tunem could have set me up with something.¡± Vithi said warily. ¡°R-right. Did he?¡± Vithi paused. ¡°No.¡± she admitted. Lucas looked down, embarrassed. ¡°So, I was thinking, since you can¡¯t get anywhere without money or ID, and can¡¯t really get an ID, or even get a job without papers, you could just stay here until your magic comes back or we find a way to contact Tunem or something.¡± ¡°No!¡± Vithi blurted out. Lucas slumped down a little. ¡°Right, I understand, you¡¯re a free djinn, you¡¯ve got a right to stay wherever you want. Just thought I¡¯d offer.¡± Vithi shook her head. ¡°I¡­wasn¡¯t saying no to staying.¡± She said cautiously. ¡°I was saying no to trying to contact Tunem. He¡¯s nice enough, but at the end of the day he¡¯s still a very important person. I don¡¯t trust him to not try to re-imprison me if he got the opportunity.¡± ¡°So¡­you¡¯ll stay?¡± ¡°For a while, at least. We¡¯ll see how it pans out.¡± Lucas let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Good. There was¡­one other thing I wanted to talk to you about, though.¡± ¡°Make it quick, I¡¯m in the middle of a boss fight.¡± Vithi replied, gesturing to the TV. ¡°So, the languages wish worked out perfectly, but I can¡¯t use magic.¡± ¡°Do you know how?¡± ¡°No, but¡­¡± Vithi rolled her eyes. ¡°Look, kid, you made a wish. You can use magic, it should even be pretty easy for you. If I teach you a simple spell, will you leave me alone?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll teach you how to summon a small fire over your hand. Repeat after me and concentrate on making the fire.¡± She said, then chanted a short phrase. He understood the meaning, but it wasn¡¯t easy to put into another language. Whenever he tried, the phrase would always end up stilted or slightly different, like there just wasn¡¯t as accurate a way of conveying that meaning. But that wasn¡¯t important. He focused, hard, and repeated the phrase. Nothing happened. He tried it again, to the same result. He looked up at Vithi, frowning. ¡°Am I doing something wrong?¡± Vithi frowned as well. ¡°No, I don¡¯t¡­think so. I¡¯ll look into it later if I¡¯m bored. Now, will you leave me be? I did technically teach you the spell.¡± Lucas sighed, but did as asked. Chapter 2: Home Visit And so a week and a half passed, each day turning out to be roughly the same as the one before. Lucas would go to work and school, come back to find Vithi playing games in the living room, and ask for her help with magic. And, every time, she would have him try a spell, see that it didn¡¯t work, and say she didn¡¯t know what was going on and to ask again later. From there he¡¯d retreat to his room to do homework, come out to cook dinner for himself and a standoffish Vithi, and then go back to his room for the rest of the night. And then, suddenly, a wrench was thrown in things. In all the excitement over the past week, Lucas had entirely forgotten that he had his monthly dinner with his aunt that day. It was both a way for her to make sure the house didn¡¯t have any problems and a way for the two to stay in more regular contact. It was something Lucas was rather fond of, but it also happened to come at a rather inopportune time this month. So, it was with apprehension that Lucas braced himself and approached Vithi. ¡°H-hey, Vithi, we uh, need to talk.¡± He said nervously. ¡°Sure, give me a second.¡± She replied, taking a moment to pause her game before turning around. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± She asked, smiling. Well, so far it was going better than expected, so he soldiered on. ¡°So, uh, my aunt Judy is coming over later today.¡± He chuckled nervously. ¡°I¡­sorta forgot, what with all that¡¯s been going on.¡± ¡°Understandable.¡± She said, and, contrary to his expectations, she looked like she was being sincere. There was no trace of the borderline hostility that she had been showing just the day before. ¡°So, what are we going to do?¡± Lucas paused. He wasn¡¯t quite sure what to say now, he had been preparing for this to be a much bigger deal, and it was going so smoothly that it was throwing him off. ¡°Um¡­I would just have you hole up in your room for a bit, but there¡¯s no way Judy won¡¯t notice that I¡¯m not the only one living here, she¡¯s too perceptive. So, I was hoping that we could introduce you to her, explain a bit of the situation. We could say you¡¯re a friend who doesn¡¯t have anywhere to go and is just staying with me until you get back on your feet.¡± Vithi raised an eyebrow. ¡°And she¡¯ll just accept that you and a woman are living together all alone?¡± Lucas blushed. ¡°My family doesn¡¯t really care about that kind of stuff. A-anyway, we¡¯ll just have dinner, chat for a bit, and then she¡¯ll head home. If you don¡¯t want to bother then I can give some sort of excuse as to why you can¡¯t see her, so¨C¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ll be fine.¡± She said, cutting him off before he could begin rambling even more, ¡°When will she be here?¡± He took his phone out and checked it. ¡°Um, thirty minutes. She just texted me, which is why I remembered in the first place.¡± ¡°Sounds good. Need any help getting things set up?¡± She offered. ¡°N-no.¡± He stuttered, taken aback. ¡°I just have to make dinner. It¡¯s nothing fancy, so having more than one person make it would be overkill. You can just go back to your game.¡± Something about the conversation was beginning to make him uncomfortable, so, he quickly retreated into the kitchen only faintly catching Vithi¡¯s amused chuckle as the game was unpaused.
When Judy got to her nephew¡¯s house, an unfamiliar woman answered the door. She was probably just over five and a half feet tall, with fiery red hair that reached to her shoulders and a set of piercing golden eyes. She kept her hair up in a ponytail and was dressed in a t-shirt and shorts. ¡°Ah, you must be Judy!¡± She said warmly, sticking out a hand. ¡°My name¡¯s Vithi, nice to meet you!¡± Judy was instantly on guard. Lucas hadn¡¯t told her anything about this strange woman, and here she was acting like nothing was out of the ordinary. There was no way Lucas had just randomly picked up some woman and brought her to their dinner, and Judy doubted she was one of Lucas¡¯s friends; she hadn¡¯t known that he was close enough friends with any women to bring them to an event like this, and she liked to think that she was fairly caught up on his friend group. ¡°I suppose that¡¯s me.¡± Judy said, tentatively taking the offered hand and shaking, scrutinizing Vithi¡¯s face. It was¡­completely unreadable. Oh, there was the look of warm hospitality, but Judy didn¡¯t trust that. It was too perfect, too completely and utterly devoid of anything but said hospitality for her to trust it. ¡°Come on in!¡± Vithi said. Judy stepped inside and hung her coat on the coatrack, while Vithi poked her head into the kitchen. ¡°Judy¡¯s here!¡± She chirped. ¡°Oh, good! Dinner will be done in ten minutes, so why don¡¯t you two chat until then? Sorry I didn¡¯t explain, Judy, it¡¯s been a crazy couple of weeks! I¡¯ll explain over dinner, though!¡± Lucas called out. Couple of weeks, not day or even couple of days? Something was definitely going on, and the more she heard the more worried she got. Vithi walked up close to Judy, her face suddenly serious. ¡°Hey, I know this is weird to ask of someone I just met, but can we talk, privately? It¡¯s about Lucas. Well, kind of. At this point he¡¯s caught up in it whether he likes it or not.¡± ¡°Explain.¡± Judy hissed, not bothering to conceal her hostility. Whoever this was had caught Lucas up in something dangerous, and she wasn¡¯t about to take that lying down. Vithi glanced back at the kitchen. ¡°Not here.¡± She whispered. ¡°Can we talk in the guest room?¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Judy said, allowing herself to be led into the guest room. Vithi entered in front of her, and once Judy shut the door it locked itself behind her. She whirled around to face the door, instantly regretting not getting something, anything to defend herself. Unfortunately, she doubted anything in the house or in her car would be of much use. She wasn¡¯t expecting to just stumble across a supernatural entity here, not when she hadn¡¯t touched the occult for years. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. And she certainly didn¡¯t expect it to be so corporeal. The most she¡¯d ever encountered was a poltergeist, nothing actually physical. ¡°What are you?¡± She asked warily. The thing smirked. ¡°You don¡¯t seem too surprised. Lucas was convinced he had inhaled a noxious gas and was hallucinating.¡± Lucas knew she wasn¡¯t human? What had he gotten himself into? ¡°My sister and I dabbled in the occult when we were younger. You see enough that you¡¯d be a fool to think that the paranormal isn¡¯t real. So, let me repeat myself ¨C what are you?! This is my house, and I know how to eject spirits, so you better give me a good reason to let you stay.¡± She didn¡¯t have anything on hand to back that threat up, though. And the thing probably wasn¡¯t a spirit that her methods could handle, given the fact that it was able to physically interact with the world, so the threat was basically empty. Still, it was important to maintain a fa?ade of control. It shrugged. ¡°Feel free to try, but I¡¯m djinn, not a spirit. It won¡¯t work. But rest assured, I have a very good reason.¡± Judy¡¯s heart sank. ¡°He¡¯s not thinking about making wishes, is he?¡± ¡°Already did. But, before you panic, I didn¡¯t twist them at all. We made a contract; he sets me free with a wish, I don¡¯t twist any of them.¡± That would have been reassuring if Judy could trust anything she said. ¡°Assuming this is all true, why even bother telling me? I¡¯m of half a mind to kick you out of the house because of all this, and I see no upside for you.¡± Vithi walked to the window, motioning Judy over. ¡°Peek through. Don¡¯t open the blinds, though.¡± Judy complied, suspicious. ¡°You see that car with tinted windows?¡± Vithi asked. ¡°Yeah. What about it?¡± ¡°It showed up shortly after Lucas freed me. It hasn¡¯t moved since, and I can detect traces of magic coming from it. I¡¯m pretty sure they sensed the rather large amount of magic that was used when the wishes were made and came to investigate. And, unfortunately, they¡¯re not good news. What you might call the magic police already know about me being here. Heck, the highest government office sent me here. That only leaves what you could call the magic terrorists.¡± Judy gingerly removed herself from the blinds and wheeled on Vithi, hands on her hips. ¡°So, why are you still putting my nephew in danger, then?!¡± She accused. ¡°Because even if I leave, he¡¯ll probably get captured anyway because he made wishes. Right now, the only thing saving the both of us is the fact that they¡¯re not sure exactly which house in the area the wishes were made in. It¡¯s only a matter of time until the residual magic fades and they can pinpoint it, and if I try to leave now, they¡¯ll get me almost immediately. I can¡¯t drive a car, teleportation can be traced, and they¡¯ll be able to track my magic ¡°scent¡± once I¡¯m out of this general area. I have a bit of a crazy plan that could get the both of us out of this, but I¡¯ll need your help to pull it off.¡± Judy crossed her arms. ¡°Fine. I¡¯m listening. Convince me.¡± Vithi reached into a pocked and pulled out a small metallic sphere. ¡°Think of this thing sort of like a gas can filled with my magic. This,¡± She said, pointing to a button on one side, ¡°will slowly start to lay a trail using the magic. It¡¯ll be faint at first, but once I send a bit of my magic through the trail it¡¯ll light up like a beacon, hopefully looking like I had run through the area using magic. I¡¯ve got a way to very temporarily mask my magical trail, and Lucas doesn¡¯t leave enough of one to be noticeable, so that should allow us to get away and lose them completely. Following so far?¡± Judy nodded. ¡°Let me guess, you want me to lay this trail?¡± ¡°You got it.¡± Vithi pulled out a map that appeared to have been pulled from the internet and printed off. ¡°I¡¯ve outlined the trail here. I¡¯m going to teleport the two of us to the place marked start, and hopefully they¡¯ll follow it all the way through. The ¡°can¡± has enough in it to last for about six hours of constant emission, so it¡¯ll be a lengthy process, but it might be the only thing that will stop both Lucas and I from being enslaved or worse.¡± Judy took the sphere, taking a while to examine it. She couldn¡¯t¡­feel anything untoward from it, so it wasn¡¯t outright harmful. ¡°I¡¯ll have to take this home and look at it, but if I determine you¡¯re telling the truth, I¡¯ll help. But I have two conditions,¡± Judy said, looking Vithi directly in the eyes, ¡°first, I get to pick the route. I know this area better than you and can probably waste more of their time, provided you don¡¯t need it to start or end anywhere in particular. Second, I need you to promise me you¡¯ll protect Lucas. Even if he¡¯s a burden, you can¡¯t leave him behind. I have your trail here, if I find out that you left him out to dry, I will hunt you down and do everything in my power to make your life miserable.¡± Vithi visibly sagged in relief. ¡°I¡¯m really hoping to start it in that park, kind of banking on it, actually. I¡¯m hoping to lose them in the brush. But, other than that you¡¯re free to make it go wherever. And I won¡¯t leave Lucas behind, he¡¯s the crux of my plan. For some reason I can¡¯t fathom, he¡¯s got no trace of magic in him whatsoever, it¡¯s like looking at a rock. I¡¯m hoping to be able to use that to throw my pursuers off completely, since they¡¯re going to be tracking my magic signature, not actual physical tracking. ¡°That being said, due to some¡­extenuating circumstances, he thinks I don¡¯t have magic right now and doesn¡¯t know about all this. I don¡¯t want him to start worrying and doing something stupid before the time comes, so when I feel like the time is right, I¡¯ll give him a warning, and we¡¯ll leave soon after.¡± Judy thought about that for a moment, then sighed. ¡°Yeah, he probably would do something stupid. I won¡¯t tell him.¡± ¡°Thanks. I was originally going to have him do all this, so your cooperation will make this whole thing run smoother. Before we head back, though, and I realize this is a huge swerve in the conversation, but I¡¯ve been wondering. How does Lucas afford this place? Given he¡¯s paying for college, is working at minimum wage, and doesn¡¯t share this place with anyone, I doubt he¡¯s got enough excess income to be able to pay for this.¡± Judy sighed again. ¡°Long story short, he doesn¡¯t. I¡¯m renting this place to him at way below its normal value. I wanted to let him stay for free, but he wouldn¡¯t accept that, so this was our compromise.¡± ¡°I figured it¡¯d be something like that. Mind if I ask why? It seems a little much to be giving a nephew.¡± Judy frowned. ¡°If you¡¯re staying here, I suppose you deserve to know. Back around the time he was born, I was married, and expecting. Then, my husband and I got into a car crash. I was¡­the only one that made it out. Having lost my kid and my husband in one day, I was crushed. I ended up selling the contract on our apartment and moved in with Lucas¡¯ parents. He was about a month old then, and I started to look after him while his parents worked. ¡°And doing that really pulled me out of my slump. Slowly over time, I began to be less and less depressed, and loved him more and more, to the point where he became like a son to me. Eventually, I worked up the courage to start using the life insurance money that had been rotting away in the bank. I invested in property, and while it was hard, I ended up pretty successful. This house is just one of the many I rent out, and even if the kid didn¡¯t mean to do it, he deserves it for how much he¡¯s helped me. Yeah, he does technically pay me rent, but I¡¯m secretly saving that up for if he ever really needs it.¡± She shrugged. ¡°But that¡¯s enough of that. Let¡¯s go see if Lucas is finished, I¡¯m starving. After dinner we can hash things out more, alright?¡± Chapter 3: Magic Dinner went...well. A lot better than Lucas expected, actually. Vithi and Judy seemed to get along well, even going so far as to share a brief hug as Judy left. ¡°So, um¡­what¡¯d you think? Of Judy, I mean.¡± ¡°She was nice. I liked her a lot.¡± Vithi replied, shrugging. ¡°Hey, tomorrow, skip school if you can. We need to talk, and I would rather we had a bit more time than we do at the moment.¡± Lucas frowned. ¡°I can¡­probably manage that. We have an hour or two before I need to go to sleep, though, are you sure we can¡¯t do it now?¡± Vithi shook her head. ¡°You¡¯re going to want more than that, trust me.¡± She sat down in a chair and booted up a game console, tossing Lucas a controller. ¡°You want to play? I¡¯ve been needing a partner for some endgame content in one of the games I play and don¡¯t trust random people from the internet so you¡¯re basically the only option.¡± She went into the game in question, loading up the character select screen. Her character was a warrior that looked remarkably similar to Vithi herself, and it was decently high level already. ¡°You do have a character, right? It¡¯s your game so I just assumed.¡± Lucas nodded, sitting down. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve got a character.¡± He opened his account, selecting his wizard. He had made it into the stereotypical wizened old man and had him all decked out in the best gear he found. He soon started playing with Vithi and found that she was a surprisingly good teammate. He had expected her to be as¡­combative as she was outside of the game, but she shared resources, tanked when needed, and was generally just¡­a team player. Lucas had played with far worse people before, so it was a breath of fresh air. And so, he found himself starting to truly relax for the first time since Vithi had started staying with him. There was always something, school was crazy, work was awful, and trying to get magic to work and failing was really frustrating. And Vithi¡¯s rather standoffish disposition hadn¡¯t helped matters in the slightest, that was for sure. ¡°So, uh, what do you usually do for fun?¡± Vithi asked, snapping Lucas out of his reverie. ¡°I would usually play games out here or watch TV or something.¡± He said, shrugging. ¡°But now I¡¯m mostly just in my room catching up on homework, trying to do magic, or watching videos on my phone.¡± ¡°Oh. Guess I¡­kinda took control of the living room and locked you out. Sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I needed to catch up on some projects anyway, so it¡¯s whatever. Why do you want to know?¡± ¡°Just curious.¡± Vithi said, moving her character to intercept a monster on its way to attack Lucas¡¯s, ¡°This is fun. We should do it more often.¡± Lucas gave a slight smile but didn¡¯t say anything more.
The next morning, Lucas awoke to the smell of something cooking. Confused, he made his way to the kitchen only to find Vithi making breakfast. ¡°Morning.¡± She said, giving him a small smile. ¡°I¡¯m making bacon and eggs, want some?¡± Lucas frowned. ¡°Yeah, I guess. Look, I¡¯ve been meaning to ask, these past couple of days you¡¯ve been acting different. Are you feeling alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Vithi replied, flipping a piece of bacon, ¡°But I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯re not going to be if you don¡¯t hurry up. I think you¡¯re going to be late.¡± Lucas pulled out has phone and to his astonishment, found that he was, indeed, running late. He glanced at the stovetop timer, which was all zeros and blinking. ¡°There was a power outage this morning.¡± Vithi explained. ¡°Go get dressed, this should be done by the time you¡¯re finished.¡± Lucas nodded hurriedly, not wanting to waste time with any more questions when his boss would have much more pointed questions to ask him if he was even the littlest bit late. He went back to his room, confirmed that his alarm clock had also been reset by the power outage, and began to change into his work clothes. He made his way back into the kitchen, where Vithi had a plate of eggs and a couple pieces of bacon waiting for him. He scarfed down the eggs, grabbed the bacon, and bade a quick goodbye to Vithi before beginning his walk to work. Work really wasn¡¯t great, but it never was. People didn¡¯t tend to be kind to fast food workers, and he had a couple of his worst coworkers working with him today, so it was just¡­draining. But he wasn¡¯t working a full shift because he would normally have school, so he was back home in just over four hours. ¡°I¡¯m home!¡± He called. ¡°Alright.¡± Vithi responded, ¡°Go get changed or whatever, then we can talk.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± He replied, heading back to his room to change into something more comfortable, then coming back to the living room to talk with Vithi. ¡°So, what¡¯s up? Why do you need all this time?¡± Vithi paused her game, then walked over to the window, though she stayed to its side. ¡°Take a look through here.¡± She said. As Lucas walked up and did, she continued. ¡°Do you see that car?¡± She asked, pointing at a nondescript red car. ¡°Yeah, what about it?¡± ¡°There are people inside, right?¡± ¡°Just a guy on his phone, from what I can tell.¡± Lucas said. The windows were somewhat tinted, but he could barely make the man out. ¡°Your point?¡± ¡°He¡¯s been sitting there for hours every day, just watching. I¡¯ve even seen him come out and poke the house with magic, I¡¯m pretty sure he¡¯s from the Society.¡± Lucas frowned. ¡°The what?¡± If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Vithi started. ¡°Right, forgot, you wouldn¡¯t know. The Society of the Light is an organization supposedly dedicated to revealing magic to Earth, but in reality, they¡¯re just terrorists, plain and simple.¡± ¡°And why isn¡¯t it revealed? It seems like it would be something that would make life nicer for a lot of people.¡± Vithi sighed. ¡°It¡¯s a long and complicated story. The general gist of it is that it¡¯s for the safety of non-humans like me, and while some in the magical community agree with you, most would prefer to keep things secret.¡± She walked back to her seat and unpaused the game. ¡°I¡¯m working on some contingency plans to deal with things if the Society does make a move, but you can¡¯t confront them right now. They don¡¯t know exactly which house we¡¯re in and they¡¯re narrowing it down. I can¡¯t do anything until they¡¯ve made their move, so you can¡¯t let them know you¡¯re onto them, alright? ¡°And make no mistake, you won¡¯t be able to do anything about them alone. You¡¯re just not equipped to deal with it, but I wanted you to be at least somewhat in the know, since I¡¯m anticipating having to do something soon. But that¡¯s not all of why I wanted all this time. The other, more important, thing I was wanting to talk about is how magic works.¡± ¡°You¡­already did, though? You focus, say some words, maybe do some gestures or anything, and poof, magic.¡± Vithi snickered. ¡°That¡¯s how you do magic, I want to tell you how it works.¡± She motioned to a seat and Lucas sat, looking at her intently. Vithi smiled, turning to her game and opening up the skill tree. ¡°There are three main types of magic,¡± she began, ¡°Two of those combine to form the fourth, flashier type of magic that you probably think of when you think ¡®magic¡¯. The first and debatably most important is the Domain, which you can think of like the racial benefits games will give your characters. ¡°Much like this skill tree, each Domain has a set number of abilities contained within and is the same for every member of a particular race. The abilities, called Traits are unlocked basically whenever you do things related whatever part of the Domain you¡¯re trying to unlock. It¡¯s not something that always happens, and you¡¯re not notified whenever you do unlock something, so you kinda have to rely on identification spells to figure it out. It¡¯s a huge pain, to tell you the truth. ¡°Second is Skills. They¡¯re¡­strange and pop up seemingly at random. No one¡¯s really sure what exactly triggers you to get one, except that they tend to appear more during times of crisis. And, again, like with Traits, you don¡¯t get notified when you get one, they just sorta¡­come out and all of a sudden, you¡¯ve done something you couldn¡¯t before and have no clue what you just did. ¡°And that leads us to the magic we¡¯ve been trying to get you to learn. It¡¯s not strictly a category like the other two, it¡¯s just sort of¡­everything else. And it¡¯s important to understand how that works if we want to know why you can¡¯t do anything. Any questions before we continue?¡± Lucas wasn¡¯t sure where to start, really. It was a lot of information being dumped on him all at once. Yet, at the same time, it all felt oddly¡­familiar. Like he was remembering something he had known before, not learning something entirely new. Perhaps it was an effect of the wish he had made, helping him learn it faster? Well, actually, now that he was thinking a little deeper on it, one question stuck out to him more than all the others. ¡°Uh, what¡¯s the human Domain, then? We¡­have one, right?¡± Something about Domains was really triggering that remembering something feeling stronger than anything else, and he figured it wouldn¡¯t lead him astray. Vithi laughed. ¡°Yes, humans have Domains. It¡¯s pretty odd, as far as Domains go, in that it¡¯s really¡­general. Most Domains specialize you in some aspect of magic, and humans just get a bit of everything. And they get it a lot faster than other races, too. As a tradeoff, however, eternal youth is a lot harder to get than in other Domains, but it¡¯s still plenty doable. Anything else?¡± Eternal youth? That was an attractive idea, and something he intended on getting as soon as possible. Well, once he knew how, anyway. ¡°Some other stuff but that can wait until after you explain the other type of magic.¡± Vithi nodded. ¡°So, the important part is that all magic draws on your Domain when being cast. And I got frustrated and did some investigation, and you don¡¯t have a Domain, or any Skills. Or, well, if you do, not any that can be detected normally. As far as that goes, you¡¯ve got less magic than the trees out back.¡± Lucas frowned. ¡°How did you find that out? Is there an easy way you can teach me?¡± Vithi paused briefly. ¡°It¡¯s a matter of being able to feel the magic.¡± She said. ¡°You have to learn how to feel magic first and you¡¯ve got none of that feel. It¡¯d be faster to teach you regular magic first.¡± That didn¡¯t sound right, as she had just mentioned that you needed an identification spell, but he didn¡¯t want to sour her mood and make her stop talking, so he didn¡¯t question her. ¡°So, is¡­not having a Domain or Skills normal?¡± Lucas asked, though he was pretty sure he already knew the answer. ¡°No. In fact, it¡¯s so far from normal I¡¯ve never heard of anything remotely similar. Everyone has a Domain, period, end of sentence. Humans born here on Earth have theirs restricted due to some old and extremely powerful magic, but they do have one.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t? What does that mean? Did the wish backfire?¡± Vithi shrugged. ¡°Honestly, I have no clue what it means, but the wish didn¡¯t backfire. Backfires result in nothing happening, not¡­this. I¡¯m really not an expert on this sort of thing and I don¡¯t think even an expert would know what to make of it. But I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s why you¡¯re unable to use magic normally. Magic is trying to access your Domain to see if it should have any bonuses and since you don¡¯t have one it just fails entirely. This is all just conjecture, but I¡¯m pretty sure that the way we¡¯ve been going at teaching you magic just won¡¯t work.¡± Lucas frowned. That was really disappointing to hear, since it made his life a whole lot more difficult. ¡°So, what now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I have a couple of ideas, but I¡¯m not sure how they¡¯ll help. And then I have one last-resort method, but that¡¯s going to be¡­less than ideal, so I¡¯m trying to avoid it if at all possible. We can start running down the list of my ideas tomorrow and see where we get.¡± From there the conversation turned to the finer details of how magic worked, and after another hour or two of talking about the details of magic, Lucas felt like he had an oddly solid grasp on how everything worked. And, if what Vithi was saying was true and he didn¡¯t have a Domain, then he really was in a pickle when it came to doing any kind of magic. But, as the conversation began to wind down, there was one more thing that had been on his mind as he had been conversing with Vithi. ¡°Hey, these past couple of days you¡¯ve been acting really differently, are you OK?¡± Vithi paused for a moment before replying. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I basically realized I was throwing a tantrum and being rude to you when you really didn¡¯t deserve it. I was taking out frustration at being imprisoned on the person who freed me, I was being a child. So, I decided to actually start acting my age and try and make up for my behavior.¡± There was another pause as she seemed to struggle on what to say next. ¡°Um¡­sorry, I guess.¡± She eventually said. Lucas shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s whatever. You were in a stressful situation, it¡¯s acceptable to let out some steam once in a while.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not.¡± Vithi said flatly. ¡°Not when it¡¯s directly making someone else who had nothing to do with it feel worse. So, what I¡¯m getting at is that I¡¯m fine. Behavioral changes are just because I started to listen to my conscience.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s a relief.¡± And it was. It was good to hear that she wasn¡¯t having some sort of mental breakdown or anything. The conversation just sort of awkwardly died there, and eventually Lucas made an excuse about doing homework and went back to his room. And then¡­days passed. When Lucas got home, he and Vithi would try and figure out what was going on with his Domain. And nothing would happen, and he would fall asleep, and then the next day they would try something else. And every day the threat of the Society grew larger in Lucas¡¯s mind. Whenever he asked Vithi about it, she just said it was under control and to wait until she told him to do something. So, he did, waiting both for his magic to get worked out and for the Society to make their move. And, if he was being honest, he didn¡¯t care which happened first. He just wanted something to change. Chapter 4: Flight ¡°Get up, we gotta go!¡± Lucas was forced awake by Vithi shaking him urgently. ¡°What time is it?¡± He groaned, sitting up. ¡°Three in the morning, but there¡¯s no time for that, the Society¡¯s coming!¡± There was a click from somewhere else in the house, and suddenly Lucas was feeling a lot more awake than he had been just a moment before. ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡± He hissed. Vithi tossed him his slippers. ¡°Put these on and get your phone, I¡¯m going to teleport us out.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to what?! You don¡¯t have any magic, remember?!¡± He objected, putting his slippers on anyway and grabbing his phone. ¡°Later!¡± She said, bringing out a small piece of paper with some sort of symbol that Lucas couldn¡¯t quite make out on it. She muttered a few words, there was a sudden wrenching sensation, and then Lucas could feel cool air on his face. Looking around, he was in¡­some sort of forest, Vithi standing nearby. ¡°Where are we?!¡± He asked, panic beginning to set in as the reality of the situation hit him. ¡°National park just outside of the city.¡± She took a moment to bend down and there was a spark from her fingertips, then she straightened back up and grabbed Lucas¡¯s arm. ¡°They¡¯re going to be tracing the teleport, but that takes five or so minutes and I had Judy lay a decoy trail for us. That being said, I have a crazy plan, but I need your help and I¡¯m going to need to make another contract with you first.¡± ¡°Uh, um, yeah, what are the terms?¡± ¡°Just that you won¡¯t treat my any differently after this.¡± ¡°What? That¡¯s it? Yeah, deal.¡± Lucas felt a small spark that he assumed meant the contract had been made. Vithi seemed to struggle with something for a moment before she looked Lucas in the eyes and began to speak. ¡°I will to Lucas be true and faithful and love all which he loves and shun all which he shuns, according to the order of the world. Nor will I ever with will or action, through word or deed, do anything which is unpleasing to him, on condition that he will hold to me as I shall deserve it, and that he will perform everything as it was in our agreement when I submitted myself to him and chose his will.¡± ¡°What are you ¨C ¡± ¡°No time, just accept, please!¡± She begged, tears beginning to form in her eyes. ¡°This won¡¯t work if you don¡¯t!¡± ¡°I¡­fine. I accept.¡± The moment he said those words there was another shock, similar to the one he felt when the contract was made, but much, much more intense. It lasted for a few moments, a strange sensation rolling over him before it stopped as suddenly as it started, leaving Lucas feeling no different. ¡°What¡­happened?¡± He asked, swaying unsteadily as he recovered from the sensation. ¡°I bound myself to you like I would a lamp. And, now that I have, I would like your permission to use you as I would a lamp, as a gateway to my lair.¡± ¡°What!?¡± Lucas exclaimed, shocked. She had just been freed, so why had she immediately gone back into submission?! ¡°Long story short it¡¯s to hide my magic. You don¡¯t have any magical trail, so we can completely throw them off if I¡¯m inside of you. Please? I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s the only way we both get out of this as free people.¡± ¡°Uh, yeah, fine. But you need to explain properly later, alright?¡± ¡°I will on our way out.¡± And then Vithi¡¯s form shimmered, turning into a mist that drifted towards him. And instead of entering him through his mouth and nose like he expected, it just continued onwards, gliding through his skin like it wasn¡¯t even there. Alright, I¡¯m in, everything¡¯s fine. I¡¯ve never tried this before, how does it feel on your end? Vithi¡¯s voice entered his mind as clear as if she had been next to him. ¡°Didn¡¯t feel like anything. But, how are you talking to me? Aren¡¯t you in your lair or whatever? Can you read my thoughts?¡± It¡¯s because of the master/servant connection. I can¡¯t read your thoughts, but I can share your senses unless you specifically disallow me, and I can hear any thoughts you direct towards me. For Vithi. Can you hear this? Lucas directed his thoughts to her the best he could, but there wasn¡¯t any feedback to let him know if it worked. And then Vithi snickered mentally. Yes, and you don¡¯t have to add ¡®for Vithi¡¯, just intending it for me is enough. Experiment later, though, we have to go. Just start going through the underbrush, they shouldn¡¯t track us through there. I texted Judy, she¡¯s waiting to pick us up at the end of a different trail, and we¡¯re going to cut across the vegetation directly to our left to get there. Lucas did as instructed, and was soon picking his way through the forest as fast as he could. Judy¡¯s waiting for us? She knows about all of this? And you texted her? How, you don¡¯t have a phone?! I used yours. I know the password for reasons I¡¯ll get into later, and yes, Judy knows. I explained everything to her when she was over for dinner and she agreed to help. She¡¯s going to take us to her house, since they shouldn¡¯t know where that is. And, as long as I¡¯m inside you, my magic signature is completely hidden by your lack of one, so they can¡¯t trace us that way. Anyway, take a left here, we need to go around a little cliff. Lucas turned to the left. How do you know this? I can barely see a foot in front of my face right now, and you¡¯re using my senses, right? I¡¯ve got a wayfinding spell from Tunem that I¡¯m using. Think GPS but less reliant on how much signal you have. Anyway, explanations. So¡­magic. I¡¯ve kind of had it the whole time. Tunem lied to you when he said djinn lose their magic when they¡¯re freed. I¡¯m not completely sure why, but I¡¯m sure he had some plan. He always does. Anyway, I¡¯m competent enough without my lamp, so we should be able to make something happen. Oh, we can start going right again. Lucas turned to the right, hopping over a fallen log as he did. Why does the lamp matter? It has to do with that oath I swore. Those started a long time ago as an extension of the contracts we made. Humans eventually co-opted it into their oaths of fealty, so you can kind of think of it like that. Now that I¡¯ve made this oath, I can¡¯t knowingly act against your interests. I don¡¯t have to obey every little command you give or anything, I just can¡¯t do anything I think would harm you unless you tell me to. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. It¡¯s something that¡¯s mostly done exclusively with other djinn or people we trust, to ensure loyalty and provide the convenience of a lair access point. Occasionally you¡¯ll even see two djinn swear to each other, usually in a marriage situation. But, somewhere along the line, someone had the bright idea to use a magic ritual to hijack this system and force the djinn to bond with an object like a lamp made with the express purpose of being a battery of sorts. Since the purpose of the object is to store mana, and we can¡¯t go against its ¡®interests¡¯, we¡¯re forced to constantly dump all our mana into it. Well-crafted lamps can store an incredibly high amount of mana so long as the djinn is constantly connected to it. The moment we stop storing mana the majority of it is lost, leaked out into the surrounding area. The result is¡­not pleasant. Anyway, storing up all this mana lets the user perform great feats of magic, what people call wishes. And it¡¯s also why I fainted after being freed. I¡¯d been in that lamp for a long time, and there was a lot of mana stored up. And that all had to go somewhere, likely fueled into your wishes. And the act of suddenly using all that mana and then being separated from the bond really took a toll. Anyway, I think I might have the solution to our Domain problem. I¡­uh, have a bit of a confession to make. I¡­might have invaded your mind a while back. Lucas stopped in his tracks. You what?! I didn¡¯t do anything bad, I swear! Vithi said quickly. I was only in there for as short a time as possible so I could see what was happening when you used magic. I, uh, kinda felt your feelings when I did, though, and that was what made me realize how awful I was being. But, yeah, that¡¯s how I checked your Domain and stuff. But, there¡¯s kind of an even bigger hint as to what¡¯s happening. In my lair there¡¯s this¡­thing that I don¡¯t recognize, protected by a forcefield of my magic, stamped with a label indicating it¡¯s for you. I¡¯m almost completely sure that it¡¯s a direct result of your wish, and I think if you come get it, we¡¯ll be able to start making progress. Lucas frowned. Why didn¡¯t you tell me about this before? Because it¡¯s not exactly easy to get you in here. The only feasible way to do that is to make the bond we just made, and I think you can understand why I wanted to avoid that if at all possible. I¡¯ve been prodding at it and trying to get it out another way, so that¡¯s why I didn¡¯t tell you about it. Once we¡¯re safe at Judy¡¯s, though, I¡¯ll bring you inside and we¡¯ll take a look at it and see what we can do. Alright, that sounds good, I guess. And with that, the conversation died down, Vithi just giving directions and Lucas following them until he got to another trail. From there, he began down the trail to the area where Vithi said Judy was parked. When he finally came into sight of the dirt area, he was able to barely make out the shape of a car with its lights off, one which he assumed was Judy¡¯s. Go ahead and give her a call so she knows it¡¯s you. She¡¯s probably a little on edge right now. Vithi said. He took out his phone and took a moment to look at the texts with Judy to find that Vithi had indeed sent a terse ¡°This is Vithi. It¡¯s time.¡± Followed by an acknowledgement from Judy. He hit the call button, and she immediately picked up. ¡°Lucas, are you OK?! Where are you?!¡± She asked, worried. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m in the woods outside the place where Vithi¡¯s told me we were meeting up. I see a car with its lights off, is that you?¡± ¡°Let me turn on my car and we¡¯ll find out.¡± There was a pause, then the sound of a car¡¯s engine coming to life came from in front of him. ¡°Yeah, the car just turned on.¡± ¡°Perfect. Don¡¯t come yet, let me turn on the lights so you can see better.¡± Before he could protest. the car¡¯s lights turned on, temporarily blinding him and causing him to raise his arm over his eyes to block out the light until it flicked off. ¡°Sorry!¡± Judy exclaimed. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize you had been walking without a light, I probably should have. Just use your phone light and get inside, I¡¯ve unlocked the doors.¡± Lucas flicked on his phone¡¯s flashlight and made his way to the passenger door, opening it and collapsing into the seat. After taking a moment to buckle his seatbelt, he groaned, leaning as far back into the seat as he could, the night¡¯s travel suddenly catching up to him. He was covered in small cuts and bruises, there were tears in his clothes, his slippers were completely torn up and he was just generally a mess. I can deal with stuff of this level no problem. Vithi said. Don¡¯t worry about it, I¡¯ll take care of it once we¡¯re out of the danger zone. Judy wasn¡¯t looking, she was already driving away, eyes locked onto the road. ¡°We¡¯re heading to a hotel a couple of cities over.¡± She said, tone indicating there was no room for argument. ¡°We¡¯re going to get you cleaned up and then you and Vithi are going to explain, alright? For now, just sleep.¡± As much as she sounded insistent, though, he couldn¡¯t just sit and do nothing while they were in danger. ¡°I¡­what if someone starts chasing us or something?¡± ¡°Then you won¡¯t be able to do anything.¡± Judy said bluntly. ¡°I¡¯m driving, Vithi has magic, you don¡¯t have anything yet. If things get really hairy, there¡¯s a machete under your seat, but that really shouldn¡¯t have to come into play. Sleep. You need it.¡± A machete? Where did she even get that? ¡°Well, I can keep watch or something.¡± ¡°Vithi, he¡¯s not going to stop arguing the point. Please put him to sleep for me, we have a few long days ahead of us.¡± ¡°But wait, the magic will be traceable, we should be care ¨C¡± Lucas was woken up by Judy shaking him. They were in the parking lot of some sort of hotel, and Judy was giving him a worried smile. ¡°You up?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m up.¡± Lucas groaned, sitting up straighter. ¡°But I thought we were trying to be stealthy, why¡¯d you magic me?¡± ¡°Vithi assured me her magic would be much more muted if it was cast from inside of you and targeted only you, so we should be fine. Now, let¡¯s get you inside. Vithi¡¯s going to mend your clothes and you¡¯re going to shower, understand?¡± ¡°I¡­yeah, I understand.¡± They weren¡¯t in immediate danger, or at least not any that couldn¡¯t wait for half an hour, so he did as he was told, unbuckling himself and slowly getting out of the car. Judy guided him to their room, which was up on the second floor. Once inside, Vithi exited from her lair, hopping onto one of the beds. ¡°Just pass the clothes through the bathroom door and knock when it¡¯s closed again. Neither of us will look until you do.¡± Judy instructed. ¡°Leave the bathroom door unlocked, make sure the shower curtain is drawn, and when we¡¯re done, I¡¯ll slip them back in. Take your time in there and once you¡¯re ready you can come out and we¡¯ll talk about what our plan is, OK?¡± Lucas nodded. ¡°Yeah, I got it.¡± The shower was nice, and it allowed him time to finally calm down from the nerves. It felt odd, knowing that he had been on the run from some sort of terrorist cell, and he hadn¡¯t even seen the people¡¯s faces. Honestly, he was mostly just taking Vithi¡¯s word for it, but that car had been acting as Vithi had described, and there had been those noises in the house. Those thoughts filled his mind until he got out of the shower, a pair of pajamas looking as new as the day they were bought waiting for him on the floor outside. He slipped them on and left the bathroom to find Judy and Vithi watching some sort of documentary. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re out!¡± Vithi said, hopping off the bed and motioning to it. ¡°Before we do anything else, we¡¯re going to figure out what the deal with the thing in my lair is. So, get on the bed and I¡¯ll bring you into my lair with me. Your physical body is going to stay here, which is why you should be laying down, but your consciousness is going to be in a copy of you that¡¯s in the lair.¡± Lucas laid down on the bed. ¡°So, how do I do this?¡± Vithi grabbed his hand. ¡°Just focus on coming in with me and it¡¯ll just happen. We¡¯ll be entering right in front of the thing, so we shouldn¡¯t need to wander too much. I¡¯ll count down, three¡­two¡­one¡­now.¡± And suddenly he was standing in some sort of cluttered room. Directly in front of him was a display case with an odd pulsing black mass on it. It looked slimy and disgusting, but at the same time it was¡­familiar, comforting. There was some air to it that he couldn¡¯t place, one that almost felt¡­nostalgic. And he had to have it. He could dimly make out Vithi saying something, but that wasn¡¯t important. He reached over and grabbed the mass, and from there he suddenly knew exactly what to do. He turned, moving past Vithi and following his instincts as he navigated the rows of shelves of magical-looking things. He reached a door and passed through it, idly noting that this must be where Vithi watched his senses, as there was a screen that showed what his eyes saw, the room smelled like what he could smell, and the sound of what he was hearing, in this case the documentary on the TV, was audible in the room. He didn¡¯t take long to examine it more, there was a door on the far end that was his destination. Still ignoring Vithi, he walked over to the door, opened it, and stepped inside. There was a large black wall in front of him that he instinctively knew to be his magic. He smiled, thrust the mass inside, and lost consciousness. Chapter 5: Changes Lucas rolled over in bed, trying to get into a more comfortable position. Something was poking him, and it really wasn¡¯t comfortable. But no matter which way he turned, there was always something that was just making things frustrating. So, in the end, he chose to sit up, yawning hugely as he rubbed his eyes. ¡°How long was I out?¡± He asked. His voice sounded a little different, but he wrote it off as just being some sort of morning voice. ¡°Lucas?!¡± Judy exclaimed, pausing the TV. ¡°Are you OK?!¡± ¡°Yeah. Actually, I feel great, better than I have in years. But, seriously, how long was I asleep?¡± ¡°Three hours. But, um¡­¡± Judy floundered, not looking Lucas in the eyes. ¡°I¡­um, I really don¡¯t know how to tell you this. You should¡­probably go look in the mirror. Be careful on your way in, though.¡± Lucas frowned. ¡°I¡¯m¡­OK, right?¡± ¡°You¡¯re fine. You¡¯re more than fine.¡± Vithi said. ¡°Just¡­different.¡± Lucas made his way to the bathroom, instinctively tucking his wings in so as not to hit them on the door as he made his way through. His reflection¡­was not his own. Instead there was a girl who looked a lot like him. She had black hair that reached down to her lower back, bright blue eyes, and he could see bits of his mother in her face. But that was a side note, the real eye-catching things were the wings and tail; she had a set of angel¡¯s wings and a devil¡¯s spade-tipped tail. Hesitantly, he reached back and touched the tail, only to feel both his hand and the smooth surface of the tail. The girl in the mirror, of course, mirrored his movement. She gingerly left the bathroom, walking back to the bad she had woken up on and sitting down. ¡°This is¡­really bad.¡± She said. ¡°How am I going to hide this?!¡± She nearly jumped off the bed as a window appeared in the air in front of her.
Suppression Skill Suppression allows the user to suppress or release their Domains at will, leaving them Domainless until the suppression is released.
That made things easier, but¡­why did she just get a window? She wasn¡¯t supposed to be able to see her abilities without an identification spell, right?
Instinct (Knowledge) Trait Perfect Chimera Domain Grants the user the ability to see their Traits and Skills at will. Notifies user when new Traits or Skills are gained.
¡°Lucas, are you listening?!¡± Judy was waving her hand in front of Lucas¡¯s face. ¡°You zoned out; you¡¯re really worrying me!¡± Lucas shook her head, snapping herself out of it. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I apparently have an ability that lets me see all of my abilities at any time? It gave me like this¡­window in front of me that I was reading. Apparently, I got a Skill that lets me suppress my Domains, so if I¡­¡± She briefly focused on using Suppression, and she felt her wings and tail suddenly vanish. She also felt¡­weak, physically. Like she had instantly gone from a body that had been working out daily to one that hadn¡¯t in months. ¡°Handy, I suppose. Though, I feel kinda iffy now that I¡¯ve done it. Don¡¯t have as much energy and I feel like I¡¯ve lost strength or something.¡± She said, undoing the suppression and smiling as she felt...normal again. ¡°Well, if you have any Traits that affect your physical strength then suppressing your Domains is going to do that. I don¡¯t know how you would have any right now, but this whole situation is way out of the ordinary so I can¡¯t say for sure.¡± Vithi leaned back in the chair she was in, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. ¡°Anyway, you said you have a Trait that lets you look at your abilities? I¡¯ve¡­never heard of something like that, does it tell you what Domain it¡¯s from?¡± ¡°One called Perfect Chimera, if you¡¯ve heard of it.¡± Vithi lost her balance, falling to the floor as the chair toppled over. ¡°Did you just say Perfect Chimera?!¡± ¡°Yeah, is that a big deal or something?¡± ¡°It¡¯s kind of the biggest of all deals.¡± Vithi said, standing up and dusting herself off. ¡°There are four Perfect Chimeras in all of recorded history, and they¡¯re far and away the most powerful beings on the face of the planet. Perfect Chimeras have every Domain at once. Even ones that directly conflict with each other. As a result, they have the ability to gain a lot more power than anyone else and are¡­well, really important.¡± ¡°And¡­I¡¯m one?¡± ¡°I¡­give me a moment.¡± She recited some sort of spell, presumably an identification spell from the chant. She waited, paling as she processed the information the spell fed her. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re a Perfect Chimera alright. We need to go. Now.¡± Judy began packing things into a suitcase that Lucas hadn¡¯t noticed earlier. ¡°On it, but¡­why?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m pretty sure the making of a Perfect Chimera outputs enough raw magic to be traceable from a long way away. The Society probably already knows where we are and is on their way, so we need to leave. Perfect Chimera or not, Lucas isn¡¯t going to be able to stand against them at this point, she¡¯s too new to everything.¡± Lucas was about to protest to the use of ¡®she¡¯, but found that, to her surprise, she just¡­didn¡¯t care. In fact, she already seemed to be considering herself a girl, and she wasn¡¯t sure she liked that feeling. She should care, right? She shouldn¡¯t just¡­accept a huge change like this immediately, right? She pondered that for a while until she was snapped out of it by Judy talking. ¡°Vithi, can you mend Lucas¡¯s clothes?¡± Judy said distractedly. ¡°We want as little information about our whereabouts as possible leaking out and given that we could see that tail and those wings I¡¯m assuming they¡¯ve got some conspicuous holes.¡± Vithi opened her mouth to speak, but Lucas, who had been checking the back of her clothes, beat her to it. ¡°They¡¯re¡­perfectly fine, actually. No holes or anything. Dunno how that happened but¡­¡± Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.
Clothes Make the Man Trait Perfect Chimera, Chimera, Vampire, Werewolf, (See more) Domains Clothes worn during transformation alter themselves to fit the user¡¯s new form, unless the user does not wish them to.
¡°Oh, I have a Trait for it. Never mind.¡± ¡°Yeah, most magic transformation accounts for clothing.¡± Vithi said. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be a big deal.¡± ¡°Handy, that.¡± Judy grunted, zipping up the suitcase. ¡°Well, fortunately, this doesn¡¯t change the plan too much. We were leaving this morning anyway and I¡¯ve already gone through check-out, so we just need to get in the car and go. I¡¯ve got a safe house we can go to.¡± ¡°You do?!¡± Lucas asked, shocked. ¡°Since when?¡± ¡°We can talk in the car. I don¡¯t want us to be overheard or caught on camera or something somehow.¡± Judy said. ¡°Now, let¡¯s go.¡± Vithi went back into her lair, and Lucas and Judy went back to the car. Once they were on the road again, Judy began explaining. ¡°It¡¯s not exactly the kind of safehouse you¡¯re thinking of, it¡¯s just our cabin. I went ahead and stocked it up so we can lay low there for a while. We¡¯ll need to find a way to get you to practice magic without being found, though. Vithi, what kind of place would we need to escape the Society¡¯s notice?¡± Repeat this to her for me, would you? Vithi asked. Basically, the answer is¡­I have no idea. I¡¯ve been cooped up in that lamp for a long time, and I¡¯m not privy to what the Society¡¯s information network is like or what range they would be able to detect you from. The more in the middle of nothing we are, the better. Lucas repeated the information, and Judy nodded. ¡°Well, the cabin¡¯s in the middle of the woods like three hundred miles from the next major town, so I think it¡¯s as good as we can get on such short notice.¡± The conversation ended there, and a tense silence filled the car for the next hour, Lucas and Judy keeping a close eye out for any suspicious activity from the cars around them. And then, when they were on a particularly empty stretch of road, Vithi came out from her lair, materializing in the back seat of the car. ¡°So¡­what are we going to call you now that you¡¯re like this?¡± She asked. Lucas paused. ¡°Do we¡­have to change what you call me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Vithi said firmly. ¡°They almost certainly know your name now and having someone so feminine-looking insist they be called Lucas is going to draw the attention of anyone looking for us right to you.¡± Lucas frowned. Unfortunately, she made something of a good point, but she wasn¡¯t quite convinced yet. ¡°Aren¡¯t we just going to be in the cabin all the time? Does it matter?¡± ¡°Eventually we¡¯re going to have to leave, I think it¡¯s best to get into the habit now. How does Lilith sound?¡± ¡°Look, Vithi, if he doesn¡¯t want to ¨C¡± Judy began to protest, but Lucas cut her off with a raised hand. Now that she was thinking about it, she¡­really wouldn¡¯t mind being called Lilith. It was much better than ¡°Lucy¡± or other similar alternatives, which all felt too similar to Lucas for her liking. ¡°I think¡­Lilith is acceptable.¡± She said. ¡°And while we¡¯re at it, you can use she and her for me, I suppose. I honestly¡­don¡¯t mind as much as I thought I would, which I think is a little weird. Like¡­I dunno, the wings and tail all felt completely natural, and this sorta does too? I know I should be freaking out but I really just¡­don¡¯t care.¡± ¡°Might be a result of your transformation?¡± Vithi ventured. ¡°A lot of standard transformation spells have in them ways to make the transformed body feel normal, so you can actually, you know, use the new body parts instead of having to learn how on the fly. I don¡¯t have the foggiest idea how what happened to you works, but that¡¯s a possibility.¡± ¡°That makes sense.¡± Lilith agreed. ¡°And I suppose it¡¯s better than having dysphoria so¡­whatever, I guess.¡± ¡°That reminds me,¡± Judy said, ¡°we¡¯re going to need to get you a new wardrobe. I had Vithi grab some of your clothes before she left, but those¡­probably aren¡¯t going to fit you now.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be that much of an issue, actually.¡± Vithi said. ¡°she should be able to unsuppress her Domains and then suppress them again and the clothes should resize themselves to fit her. Might need to get her some bras, though.¡± ¡°Oh. That¡¯s¡­good to hear.¡± Judy said. ¡°We¡¯ll get you measured at some point so I can get some.¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± Lilith began sheepishly, scratching the back of her neck. She had just taken a look, and, to her surprise, she was wearing a bra. ¡°I think they come with the transformation too? I mean, I¡¯m wearing one right now and well, it matches the design of my underwear, so I¡¯m only left to assume that¡¯s where it came from.¡± There was an awkward pause before Judy spoke. ¡°Oh. That¡¯s¡­convenient.¡± Vithi shrugged. ¡°Magic often is. Anyway, that¡¯s all I wanted to say, and I didn¡¯t want to have to burden Lucas with being the go-between for this particular thing, so I¡¯m heading back to my lair now. I¡¯m going to get some stuff ready that should hopefully help secure the home. It¡¯s not going to help against someone looking directly at us, but it should at least keep us from getting immediately spotted by wide-area searches if Lilith doesn¡¯t have her Domains suppressed.¡± With that she once again entered her lair, leaving Lilith and Judy alone in the car. There was another minute or so of silence before Judy broke it. ¡°So¡­how are you feeling? About all of this, I mean? You¡¯ve got to be pretty overwhelmed, right?¡± Lilith nodded. ¡°A bit, yeah. I mean, I knew people were tailing us, but it didn¡¯t really¡­click until last night, and even then, I never expected it would end like¡­well, this.¡± She said, motioning to herself. ¡°I mean, I¡¯m not¡­human anymore, I don¡¯t think.¡± Actually, you are. Vithi interrupted. You¡¯re a human, but you¡¯re also literally everything else too. Not like half-breed type everything else, you are a full blown¡­everything. Including mixed races. No, it doesn¡¯t make sense, but Perfect Chimeras don¡¯t really make sense anyway. So, proportionally speaking, you¡¯re less human, I guess, but it¡¯s not like your humanity has been erased. You just have a ton of other stuff, too. ¡°Um¡­Vithi says I¡¯m still a full human, I¡¯m just¡­a full everything else too.¡± Lilith said. ¡°So that¡¯s comforting, I think.¡± Judy smiled shakily. ¡°Human or not, you¡¯re still my precious little nephew¡­err, niece.¡± She sighed, shaking her head. ¡°How are we going to tell your parents about this? Jessica will probably take it about as well as I am, but Mike¡­¡± She trailed off. Lilith knew exactly what she meant. Her mother, Jessica, had always believed in the supernatural and told Lilith to keep an open mind, but her father, Mike, had insisted it was all make-believe. He would likely freak out when he learned what had happened to Lilith, as it would handily disprove his skepticism. But that would have to wait. ¡°They could be being watched or our phones could be bugged or something.¡± Lilith said. ¡°We¡¯ll just have to wait to talk to them until we know it¡¯s safe.¡± ¡°You have a point.¡± Judy admitted. ¡°Hopefully that won¡¯t be too long, but I¡¯m prepared to wait this out however long it takes.¡± ¡°I just have to get strong enough to protect us, right?¡± Lilith said. ¡°I¡¯m supposedly going to be one of the most powerful things alive given some time, so we should be able to come out of hiding once I am.¡± That¡¯s right, but I don¡¯t know how long it¡¯ll take. Vithi said. There¡¯s not really a lot of documentation on Perfect Chimeras, so I just don¡¯t know enough to say. ¡°Vithi says that¡¯s right but she doesn¡¯t know how long it¡¯ll take.¡± Judy nodded. ¡°In the meantime, I¡¯ll see if I can¡¯t get some other hiding places set up in case this one gets compromised. I would really rather it didn¡¯t, but you can never be too careful, right?¡± Nothing else of importance happened on the car ride, and after twelve hours they made it to the cabin. It was a cozy little place in the woods, secluded from just about everything else. Judy had bought it using the money she had made from her properties and had often taken Lilith on vacations there during their youth. Inside Lilith found that it had recently been heavily stocked with food, firewood, and fuel for the generator in case the solar power wasn¡¯t able to cut it, like if it was snowing. They took a few minutes to unpack Judy¡¯s trunk, and then Judy forced Lilith to go to sleep. ¡°First thing tomorrow you¡¯re going to work on magic, and I don¡¯t want you so tired you can¡¯t focus.¡± Judy said. ¡°So, sleep. Grab a snack if you need to, but sleep.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± She wasn¡¯t about to argue. The day had been long and low-key stressful, so grabbed a snack, went to bed, and prepared herself for the day to come. Chapter 6: Fight When Lilith woke up, everyone else was already awake. Judy was in the living room, sipping a cup of water while she read a book. ¡°Morning, Lu- err, Lilith.¡± She said. ¡°Grab some breakfast and then come back here, Vithi wanted to do something or other involving magic.¡± Lilith nodded, heading into the kitchen. Inside she found Vithi, who was in the middle of eating a sandwich. ¡°Ah, Lilith. Good timing.¡± Vithi said.¡± Could you do me a favor and undo your suppression? I want to take a look at your Domains and see what¡¯s going on, since you mentioned you were feeling weaker after you suppressed yourself and I honestly don¡¯t see how you could have gotten any Traits already, so I think it might be Perfect Chimera stuff and I¡¯m curious.¡± Lilith shrugged, undoing her suppression. There was an immediate rush of power and energy as her Domains reasserted herself, and she just felt more¡­right. ¡°Perfect, thank you. Go ahead and eat your breakfast, I¡¯ll sift through the results while you do.¡± Vithi said, finishing off her sandwich and beginning an identification spell. It took Lilith roughly ten minutes to finish breakfast, and by that time Vithi had already finished whatever she was doing with the identification spell and had gone back into the living room. So, Lilith put away the dishes she had dirtied and made her way into the living room, where Judy and Vithi were waiting for her. Vithi waited for Lilith to sit down before speaking. ¡°So, I figured out why you were feeling weakened when you suppressed yourself. Well, by ¡®why¡¯ I suppose I mean what was causing that feeling of weakness, I have no idea why you have all this stuff. As it turns out, you have the entirety of the succubus Domain unlocked, as well as a couple of other random abilities from other Domains.¡± Lilith frowned. ¡°That seems a kind of random Domain to get all of, don¡¯t you think?¡± Vithi shrugged. ¡°You¡¯re telling me. It¡¯s probably why you¡¯re a girl right now, though, seeing as how that¡¯s a female-only Domain. Again, I don¡¯t even have the foggiest idea why you have anything from that Domain, but it gives you at least something in terms of raw power in case we get attacked, so I¡¯m not going to complain.¡± Vithi sat up a little straighter. ¡°Now, let¡¯s see you try some magic. I want to see if it works now that you actually have a Domain. Same spell as we¡¯ve always been practicing on, if you would.¡± Lilith nodded, holding out a palm. She focused, said the incantation¡­and watched as a flame flickered to life in her outstretched hand. Judy shook her head in amazement. ¡°Just like that? Just say the words and it¡¯s done? Can you teach me?¡± She asked. ¡°Not quite.¡± Vithi answered. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯ve been freed from the spell that keeps humans from Earth from using magic. I¡­¡± She trailed off, tapping a finger to her chin thoughtfully. ¡°Perhaps that¡¯s why Lilith¡¯s Domain was removed? To circumvent the spell before she was made a Perfect Chimera? That would make some sort of sense, I suppose. Anyway, as I was saying ¨C¡± She was cut off by the front door flying open, a man stepping into the room as he finished casting a spell that immobilized the occupants. He surveyed them briefly, then sighed. ¡°Well, I was hoping you would turn out to be a bit more of a fight, but the boss was right, you¡¯d all be ripe for the taking if I came in at this time. Nothing personal, you understand, it was you or me and I can¡¯t really be blamed for looking out for number one.¡± He walked over to Lilith, squatting so that his eyes were right in front of his own. ¡°Let¡¯s just get this over with. Just listen to my voice and look into my eyes, and we¡¯ll be done with this momentarily.¡± His voice was deep and powerful, and Lilith felt that she really should be listening to what he said. She stared into his eyes, listening to his soothing words as she began to feel fuzzier and fuzzier. It would be better if she let this man deal with things for her. All she had to do was listen to whatever he said, and life would become so much easier. No. A voice bubbled up from the deepest recesses of her mind. No, we¡¯re not going to sit here and take this. It said, becoming clearer and clearer to Lilith as it continued to talk. You just relax, dear. You¡¯re not really equipped to handle this sort of thing. Just sit back and let me deal with this, alright? She supposed that was acceptable. Lilith really just didn¡¯t feel like making an effort to do anything right now, so the voice could do whatever she wanted. Thanks, sweetie. Sit tight, I¡¯ll have us out of this in a flash. And, suddenly, Lilith was¡­not in control. Or, at least, not in control the way she had been before. She was like a passenger in her own body, not able to control it as the voice began her work. The man, apparently satisfied, stopped the spell that was holding Lilith in place. ¡°Very good. Now, why don¡¯t you stop the djinn from doing anything? She is bound to you, right?¡± The voice nodded Lilith¡¯s head, opened her mouth¡­then raised a hand and uttered a quick word. The man was lifted into the air and forced back into the center of the room, giving Lilith¡¯s body space to stand up. The spell keeping Vithi and Judy in place dropped, leaving them free to move as Lilith¡¯s body sashayed over to the struggling man. ¡°Now what do we have here?¡± The voice purred, a malicious glint in her eye as she gently stroked the man¡¯s arm. ¡°You thought you could take over my little Lilith that easily?¡± ¡°What?!¡± Judy shouted. ¡°You are Lucas! Get a hold of yourself!¡± The voice turned Lilith¡¯s head to Judy, giving her a wink. ¡°Not now, dear. We¡¯ll talk about this later, alright?¡± ¡°No, we¡¯re talking about this no¨C¡± Judy was cut off as the voice waved Lilith¡¯s hand, clamping Judy¡¯s mouth shut with a spell. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. The voice turned back to the man, smiling slightly. ¡°You poor fool, they didn¡¯t give you enough instructions, did they? But, I¡¯m a generous victor, so what say you we play a little game? You resist my magic, I let you go. You fail, I get to do whatever I want with you. Sounds like a bargain, right?¡± ¡°Y¡­you¡¯re scaring me, Lilith.¡± Vithi said quietly. ¡°Can you¡­I dunno, do this in a way that looks less¡­¡± ¡°Menacing?¡± The voice offered. ¡°Sadistic? Evil? Probably. But, honestly, this man was about to take the three of us captive and make us slaves, and I¡¯m not about to let him get away lightly. You can shut up and let me do my work now, and if you don¡¯t, I¡¯m going to silence you like I did Judy. The both of you are powerless to stop me, so don¡¯t even try.¡± She directed that last remark at Judy, who was sneaking around to behind Lilith¡¯s body. ¡°I love you, Judy, and really don¡¯t want to get more physical with this. Let me have my fun, then I¡¯ll take care of the situation and return Lilith. Don¡¯t get in my way.¡± Judy hesitated, but pressed on closer to Lilith¡¯s body anyway. The voice sighed, waving another hand. Judy was lifted into the air and then gently placed back down in the chair she had been sitting in before. Judy struggled in her seat, but, try as she might, found herself stuck, held in place by the voice¡¯s magic. The voice, satisfied, turned back to the man. ¡°So, what say you? Do you agree to my little game? Just remember, saying no means I just get to do whatever I want to you anyway, so there¡¯s really only one option, right?¡± The man, terror visible in his eyes, made some sort of muffled sound, prompting the voice to smack her head in faux-embarrassment. ¡°Sorry about that, let me let you speak again¡­¡± With another wave of the hand the man was free to speak again. ¡°Y-yes¡­¡± He stuttered. ¡°Perfect.¡± The voice said, grinning malevolently. ¡°It¡¯s not a very difficult game. Just listen to my voice and look into my eyes and we¡¯ll be done with this momentarily.¡± The man gasped, ineffectually trying to turn his head, but found himself restrained by the voice¡¯s magic. And, after a moment, he was forced to lock eyes with the voice. ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± She cooed. ¡°Just keep looking. You know, it really wasn¡¯t very nice to attack us completely unprompted. You think so too, right?¡± The man nodded. The motion started jerkily, as if his head was being moved by an outside force, but it became more fluid as he finished. He mumbled something under his breath, causing the voice to theatrically cup Lilith¡¯s hand to her ear. ¡°What was that, dear?¡± ¡°No. It was not very nice.¡± He said robotically. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± The voice agreed. ¡°You¡¯re from the society, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°How did you find out we were here?¡± ¡°The boss told me you would be here. She said to let you escape initially, and then break in and hypnotize you in the morning when you all thought you were safe.¡± The man¡¯s voiced regained a little emotion, focusing just a little bit more as he continued to speak. ¡°How did you break free from my control?¡± The voice frowned. ¡°Resisting a little, are we? Well, we can¡¯t have that. But, since I¡¯m such a good sport, I¡¯ll tell you if you do one teeny tiny thing for me. But first, do you really want to know?¡± The man nodded dreamily. ¡°Are you sure?¡± The voice teased. ¡°Yes.¡± The voice was back to the monotone it was before. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Steven.¡± Lilith idly noted Vithi and Judy shrink back as the atmosphere in the room completely changed. Though it was mid-morning and room was well-lit by several large windows, it was somehow dark, the shadows seeming to deepen and choke out the light as the voice continued her speech. ¡°Repeat after me: I, Steven¡­¡± ¡°I, Steven¡­¡± Steven repeated. ¡°Give myself completely¡­¡± ¡°Give myself completely¡­¡± ¡°To Lilith¡­¡± ¡°To Lilith¡­¡± It was at this point that Vithi stood up, a frantic look on her face. ¡°What are you doing?!¡± She shouted. Her voice seemed muffled, less important than what was currently going on. ¡°Stop it! Get a hold of ¨C¡± Vithi was cut off as the voice waved dismissively, forcing Vithi¡¯s mouth shut as she was levitated back into her chair. Undeterred, the voice continued. ¡°Her will is mine¡­¡± ¡°Her will is mine¡­¡± Steven¡¯s eyes were wide with panic, but he couldn¡¯t seem to stop his mouth from working. ¡°She is free to do with me as she pleases¡­¡± ¡°She is free to do with me as she pleases¡­¡± ¡°Until the day I die.¡± ¡°Until the day I die.¡± As he said those last words, there was a snap as a sort of staticky tension discharged, much like it had when Vithi had sworn herself to Lilith. Steven let out a short scream and the voice ended the spell holding him up, causing him to collapse to the floor. The voice knelt down beside him, stroking his cheek gently. ¡°Almost done, sweetheart. Let¡¯s take care of that pesky little resentment, shall we?¡± Steven weakly nodded, staggering to his feet. ¡°Yes, mistress.¡± He said. The monotone in his voice was gone, traded for downcast resignation. ¡°As sweet as the schadenfreude from watching you suffer as you¡¯re forced to serve me against your wishes would be, I know Lilith would be incredibly uncomfortable with that, and I do hate it when she¡¯s unhappy. Instead, nothing makes you happier than serving me, understand?¡± Steven nodded, then broke out into a smile. ¡°Thank you, mistress! What else may I do to help?¡± The voice smiled back. ¡°Excellent. Now, I know Lilith¡¯s first action is going to be to set you free, so you¡¯re to ignore any commands to do that. This contract can¡¯t be voluntarily ended by any party.¡± ¡°Excellent idea!¡± The voice stroked Lilith¡¯s chin, looking Steven over. ¡°But you know what, I don¡¯t want a middle-aged man as a servant, so what say you we make you a cute catgirl? I¡¯m sure that¡¯d be fun to have around.¡± Steven beamed. ¡°Sounds fun, yeah! Let¡¯s do it!¡± The voice raised Lilith¡¯s hands, a tingle of powerful magic going through them as she began rubbing them over Steven¡¯s body. And, as she did, Steven slowly changed, his hair lengthening and bleeding to an orange as two furry ears of the same color poked out from the top of his head. A tail covered with that same orange fur popped out from behind, flicking contentedly from side to side as Steven patiently waited for the voice to finish. The voice hummed quietly as she worked, kneading and molding as she saw fit. And, after a few more minutes, she stepped back to examine her handiwork. In front of her was a petite woman of around five feet. Her dark green eyes were contrasted by the bright red shirt and shorts she wore, which themselves only sort of worked with the orange hair. ¡°Perfect!¡± The voice squealed, clapping her hands. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± ¡°Uncomfortable in this body, but happy I am in a form mistress likes.¡± Steven replied. ¡°Nope.¡± The voice said. ¡°That falls under the ¡®Lilith is going to hate it¡¯ category. Actually, you love your new form even more than your old one, and you never want to go back.¡± Steven beamed again, launching herself at the voice and rubbing her cheek on the voice¡¯s. ¡°Thank you! May I make a suggestion?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°How about a new name? Steven doesn¡¯t fit a cute girl like me.¡± The voice smirked. ¡°Of course. Do you have any suggestions?¡± Steven momentarily stopped rubbing against the voice to think. ¡°How about Alexandria, or Alex for short?¡± ¡°Sounds good to me.¡± Alex grinned. ¡°Awesome! Now, will you tell me how you shook off my control? I¡¯m dying to know.¡± The voice sat back down in her chair, motioning for Alex to take a place at her feet. Alex rushed over, happily sitting down where she was told, and the voice looked out at Judy and Vithi. ¡°Well, this ties into what you two were wondering, so this works out.¡± She reached down, idly scratching Alex¡¯s ears. ¡°So, let¡¯s have a talk, shall we?¡± Chapter 7: Complications Lilith sat passively inside of her own head, watching the voice that had come from within her talk with Judy and Vithi. She was still conscious, to an extent, but she was also¡­out of it, just beyond caring at this point. So, she was content to let the voice do whatever she wanted for now. ¡°I¡¯m not Lilith, not¡­exactly.¡± The voice said. ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡± she frowned, searching for the right words, ¡°I¡¯m an alternate personality of sorts. I¡¯ve been lying dormant for a long time, and when Lilith really started being in danger, I came out.¡± She stopped, waiting for the other two to reply. There was a silence, and then the voice realized that she had yet to release the spells that were binding them in place. She did so, and Vithi immediately stomped over. ¡°That was an awful thing to do!¡± She accused, pointing a finger at the voice. ¡°You can¡¯t just¡­just enslave people and change them like that!¡± The voice frowned, tilting her head in what seemed to Lilith to be genuine puzzlement. ¡°Why not? She was going to enslave us, and I made sure she¡¯d like her new form. So, it all works out, right?¡± ¡°No!¡± ¡°This was the logical solution. We get all the info she has, and she doesn¡¯t enslave us. You don¡¯t want to be put in a lamp again, right?¡± ¡°Absolutely not! But my point is that you essentially killed him and replaced him with a new person!¡± The voice laughed. ¡°Did not. She¡¯s still got all her memories, habits, feelings, likes, dislikes, everything, she just has a new body and a love of serving me. Aside from those two quirks she¡¯s the same person, right, Alex?¡± Alex nodded happily, pressing her head up into the voice¡¯s hands. ¡°Yup! I was pretty unhappy before, but now I¡¯m way happier, so I count this as a win!¡± ¡°Besides, if Lilith doesn¡¯t like it, she can remove the mental effects. And if she wants to change Alex back to how she was before, then she¡¯ll have to learn transformation magic, and that¡¯s one step closer to restoring her old form, so win-win there.¡± Vithi pinched the bridge of her nose. ¡°Look, that¡¯s not¡­Judy, back me up here.¡± Judy was staring at the voice intently, then shook her head, sighing. ¡°I¡¯m going to level with you here. I really don¡¯t care what happens to Alex if it doesn¡¯t directly affect our safety. Yeah, what was done to her was messed up, but she was also trying to do messed up stuff to us. What I care about is this alternate personality. Will we be getting the regular Lilith back?¡± The voice nodded. ¡°Yup, as soon as she¡¯s ready to take over again I¡¯m going to hand over the reins. She¡¯s kind of out of it right now, she¡¯s still under the effect of Alex¡¯s magic.¡± Alex¡¯s hands flew to her mouth. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, mistress, I¡¯ll cancel it right now!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± The voice said. ¡°I still need to talk, so hold off on that for a bit.¡± ¡°Of course, mistress.¡± The voice leaned back in her chair. ¡°So, let me pre-emptively answer a couple of questions you might have.¡± She held up her hand, counting off on her fingers as she spoke. ¡°No, I have no clue what that pact I made was. It was instinctual and a lot of improv, mostly demonic but I tried to throw in elements of the djinn pact and whatever else felt right. And no, I don¡¯t know how to break it. ¡°And, since I¡¯m sure you were wondering, all the magic I just did was instinct too. Honestly, magic¡¯s all seemed kinda¡­weirdly familiar to me, so I just sorta did what I felt would work and it did so no, I don¡¯t really know exactly what I did either.¡± She shrugged. ¡°And, Alex, you¡¯re to listen to Vithi and Judy just like you listen to me, got it?¡± Seeing Alex nod, she looked back to Judy and Vithi. ¡°Any other questions?¡± Judy frowned. ¡°Since you don¡¯t seem to consider yourself to be Lilith, what should we call you?¡± The voice thought about that for a second. ¡°Carmen seems good. Anything else?¡± ¡°Will you be coming back regularly?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t plan on it, not unless we¡¯re in another situation like we are now. I¡¯m content to just stay inside of Lilith and live through her until she needs my help. Vithi, any more thoughts?¡± Vithi sighed. ¡°I suppose not. Just¡­go, bring Lilith back.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t have to tell me twice.¡± Carmen said, winking. ¡°Alex, do your thing, please.¡± ¡°On it!¡± Alex said a few words and Lilith felt the fog that was over her mind begin to clear. Alright, I¡¯m out. Carmen told Lilith mentally. I¡¯m going to sleep now, but I¡¯ll be here when you need me. Just give me a call. And then Lilith was back in full control. She shook her head, dispelling the last of the fog that remained, then looked at the room around her, idly dismissing some annoying ability window as she did. And then the full weight of what she¡¯d done hit her. Yes, it wasn¡¯t exactly her, but it was her body, her magic, and, therefore, her responsibility. She gingerly extracted herself from Alex, standing up and backing away slightly. ¡°I am so, so sorry.¡± She said. ¡°Let me fix this, I really shouldn¡¯t have done this to you.¡± Alex tilted her head. ¡°I was planning to do pretty much the same to you. Don¡¯t feel bad, mistress.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call me mistress.¡± Lilith said flatly. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± Lilith groaned. ¡°You know what I mean. Just talk to me like you would anyone else.¡± ¡°Alright. So¡­what are going to do?¡± Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Lilith frowned. ¡°Well, to start with, I can put you back to normal mentally. Then I can try to fix your body, though¡­I might need some time to figure that one out. I¡¯ll have to practice on myself, I don¡¯t think I can immediately recreate what Carmen did, especially because I don¡¯t know what she did.¡± ¡°Nope, vetoed.¡± Judy said. ¡°You¡¯re not practicing on yourself. We can find you like a rat or something to work with, that¡¯s way too dangerous to try on a person. We have no clue what the consequences might be.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± Alex said. ¡°Besides, why change me back mentally anyway? I¡¯m super happy right now, and I¡¯m going to be your servant anyway, so really you¡¯re just going to make me unhappy by trying to ¡®fix¡¯ me.¡± Lilith faltered. ¡°Well, I¡­no, it doesn¡¯t count, you¡¯re not you right now. If the original you wants to go back, then fine, but as is this just isn¡¯t right.¡± ¡°I am the original me!¡± Alex argued. ¡°I just have a couple extra likes, and what¡¯s wrong with liking more things? Just makes you a happier person!¡± ¡°No, no, no. Alex, go back to your original state of mind.¡± Lilith said, exasperated. ¡°We¡¯re not going to argue about this.¡± Alex shuddered briefly, then the smile vanished. ¡°I¡¯m back to normal¡­thanks, I guess.¡± ¡°How¡­do you feel?¡± Lilith asked. ¡°How do you think I feel?¡± Alex responded, standing up. ¡°I¡¯m in a body I hate, and I¡¯m forced into servitude.¡± Lilith looked down apologetically. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, I don¡¯t want this.¡± Alex drew in a long breath. ¡°I get it, I heard. But¡­can you at least make me comfortable with my body again? I don¡¯t think anyone here aside from Carmen knows high-grade transformation magic and she seemed unwilling to change me back, so, since I¡¯m stuck like this, I might as well like it while I am.¡± Lilith blinked in surprise. ¡°Like, as much as before or¡­?¡± Alex shrugged. ¡°Yeah, I guess.¡± ¡°Then¡­go back to liking your body as much as before, I guess?¡± Alex¡¯s face brightened instantly. ¡°That¡¯s much better. Don¡¯t know why I was so attached to my old body anyway, this one¡¯s much better. Younger, too, so that¡¯s a plus.¡± ¡°You¡­like it more? I didn¡¯t¡­realize that you would¡­um, you want me to¡­turn that down or something?¡± Lilith laughed nervously. ¡°I¡¯m talking about you like you¡¯re some sort of robot or something.¡± ¡°Absolutely not. I happen to like how I¡¯m feeling right now.¡± Alex said, putting her hands on her hips, and leaning forward. ¡°And I knew exactly what I was getting into when I said to put me back to how much I liked this body. So, don¡¯t give me anything about ¡®unaltered state of mind¡¯, I¡¯d make the exact same choice and it¡¯d just be a waste of our time.¡± ¡°Fine, fine.¡± Lilith replied, raising her hands in surrender. Alex collapsed into the chair Lilith was sitting in before, sighing heavily. ¡°So, what are you going to do with me?¡± Lilith floundered for a moment. ¡°Um¡­well, I¡¯m going to need you to tell me about the Society¡¯s plans, and then¡­nothing, I guess. You¡¯re just gonna¡­stay here until we figure out how to fix you.¡± Alex raised an eyebrow. ¡°That¡¯s all? You have a servant who unconditionally has to do anything you tell her to with no resistance and you¡¯re going to do¡­nothing?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°Whatever dude, not gonna complain.¡± ¡°But, first, we need details on the Society. Now.¡± Judy said. ¡°Don¡¯t know what to tell you. It was just me on this mission, you¡¯ve probably got a few days before they figure out I¡¯ve failed and send someone else after you. Not sure you can really run, though, they have some people who are really good at figuring out where people will be. Still, I¡¯d like to be as far from here as possible by then, so might wanna get packing.¡± ¡°You¡¯d like to be as far from here as possible?¡± Vithi said. ¡°I figure you would want to, you know, get rescued or whatever.¡± Alex snorted. ¡°You¡¯re joking, right? Do you have any idea how the Society treats its grunts? It¡¯s awful and I¡¯ve been looking for a way out for a while now, but again, they have people who are good at figuring out where people will be. I joined the Society because I wanted to make a difference and get Earth¡¯s magic back, not to perform acts of terrorism.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Who knows, if I play my cards right, I may be able to get asylum by staying under Lilith¡¯s thumb. I doubt Haven¡¯s going to be eager to mess too much with a Perfect Chimera¡¯s personal attendants, so¡­yeah. Honestly, the more I think about this, the better this is turning out for me. We just need to not get captured long enough to get to Haven.¡± ¡°Haven?¡± Lilith asked. ¡°You don¡¯t know? Guess you are from Earth, so it¡¯s not too surprising. Haven¡¯s a sort of¡­parallel dimension connected to Earth.¡± Alex explained. ¡°I was born there, and most people involved with magic were too. A long time ago there was a big war on Earth over resources, and to make a really long story short it ended up being humans versus most other species. ¡°The humans lost, and the other side ended up making an entirely new dimension, escaped to it, and stripped the humans of magic and all memory of magic. Honestly, I think it was a hugely disproportional punishment and has long since outlived what is reasonable, especially given the amount of space on Haven, which is why I¨C¡± Her explanation was cut off by heavy knocking on the door, causing her and everyone else in the room to jump in surprise. ¡°It¡¯s not the Society, not as far as I know.¡± Alex said, standing up. ¡°But I¡¯m still hiding. If it¡¯s someone from Earth, they can¡¯t see me like this, and if it¡¯s someone from Haven I¡¯d rather not have this conversation just yet.¡± She bolted into the next room, and Lilith hesitated for a moment before following. If it was just a regular person, then she didn¡¯t want to be out there while looking non-human, but if it was dangerous, she didn¡¯t want to suppress herself, so leaving the room seemed a decent choice. She made sure to leave the door open, though. That way she¡¯d be able to hear and, to a lesser extent, see what was going on. The knocking repeated itself, and Lilith heard Vithi and Judy talk briefly amongst themselves and then Vithi walked towards the door, presumably to peer out the peephole. There was silence for a moment before Vithi spoke up. ¡°It¡¯s¡­Tunem?! He¡¯s safe, he¡¯s the one who gave my lamp to Lilith in the first place. Come back.¡± Lilith began walking back into the living room, but Alex hesitated. She stood there for a moment as if debating something, then sighed and followed. As she did, though, she made a point of staying behind Lilith, almost as if she was hiding from Tunem. Vithi opened the door and Tunem smiled. He wasn¡¯t the old, raggedy looking hobo Lilith had original seen; instead he was tall, thin, and well-dressed, his nice suit and neatly arranged black hair giving him a general air of professionalism. ¡°Ah, Vithi, good to see you.¡± He said, flashing a smile. ¡°How are things going with you and Lucas? Things work out well for you?¡± ¡°You know full well how things worked out.¡± Vithi said, exasperated. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°You¡¯d be surprised.¡± He replied, still smiling. ¡°I have a particularly hard time foreseeing things around these events.¡± ¡°Fine, whatever. I¡¯m free¡­for a given value of free, so that¡¯s nice, I suppose.¡± Tunem raised an eyebrow. ¡°Given value?¡± ¡°Long story short I hid from the Society by making a pact with Lucas and hiding inside of him to mask my magical signature.¡± Understanding dawned on Tunem¡¯s face. ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s what he ended up wishing for. Good to know.¡± ¡°You¡¯re such a know-it-all.¡± Vithi said. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Tunem waved a hand dismissively. ¡°Generally, a complication happens about now, so I figured I¡¯d drop by and check on you and offer what assistance I can.¡± ¡°Complication¡¯s one word for it.¡± Vithi muttered. ¡°So, there was one.¡± Tunem said. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Got jumped by a Society goon. It¡¯s dealt with, he¡­well, she now, is under control.¡± ¡°Did you happen to catch his name?¡± Tunem replied, a strange eagerness to his voice as he stepped forward. ¡°Steven, though she¡¯s going by Alex now. Why?¡± Tunem¡¯s smile grew. ¡°I have unfinished business with him. May I come in?¡± Vithi sighed. ¡°Not like we can stop you.¡± Tunem practically pushed his way past Vithi, ignoring Judy¡¯s protest as he rushed over to Lilith, ignoring her too as he reached Alex. And then, contrary to all of Lilith¡¯s expression, he scooped Alex into a big hug. ¡°Oh, Steven, my boy, I¡¯ve missed you!¡± Chapter 8: Familial Spat ¡°Dad, I¡¯m a girl now!¡± Alex tried to extract herself from her father¡¯s embrace, but Tunem just held on tighter. ¡°Wait, are you crying?!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve missed you so much! Are you hurt? Can I help?¡± Tunem said in a quavering voice. ¡°We can get Yamato to put you back to how you were before, no problem.¡± ¡°No!¡± Alex blurted out, finally managing to extricate herself from her father¡¯s grip. ¡°I mean, no thanks. I like how I am now.¡± Tunem frowned, wiping his eyes. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to go back to normal?¡± Lilith looked down, ashamed. ¡°That¡¯s¡­my fault.¡± She said. Alex moved over to Lilith, and clamped her hand over Lilith¡¯s mouth. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, dad. Besides, wouldn¡¯t Yamato be forced to take me away and interrogate me or something? It¡¯s far and away the safest option to have me stay like this.¡± Tunem thought about that for a moment, then sighed. ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right, you¡­are a known traitor. But what¡¯s this Lucas was saying? It¡¯s his fault? Not something some sick Society member did to you for their amusement?¡± ¡°Tunem, shouldn¡¯t you know all this already?¡± Vithi said, confused. ¡°This isn¡¯t like you, normally you¡¯re way more prepared.¡± ¡°It¡¯s really hard to perform divination around Perfect Chimeras.¡± Tunem said. ¡°And that means I had to do a lot of guesswork. But¡­Lucas did this? Where did he learn the spells to do this? This is¡­permanent, not an enchantment.¡± Lilith gently removed Alex¡¯s hand from her mouth. ¡°I¡­didn¡¯t. It just¡­felt like something I could do. I¡¯m sorry, I offered to try and change her back, but she doesn¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not really her fault.¡± Judy said defensively. ¡°Alex tried to mind control her and unleashed some sort of weird alternate personality that knew how. Lilith couldn¡¯t do it again right now if she tried.¡± Tunem sighed. ¡°Well, I suppose I can¡¯t expect a Perfect Chimera to abide by the normal rules. Anything else I should know?¡± ¡°I put her under some sort of¡­contract of sorts.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°I don¡¯t know the details of it, but I made sure it couldn¡¯t be removed by just¡­saying words. I would have gotten rid of it already if I could.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll look into it later.¡± Tunem said, waving a hand dismissively. ¡°I have an offer for the four of you. If I understand correctly, you¡¯re on the run, yes?¡± ¡°We are, what about it?¡± Judy said, giving Tunem a suspicious look. ¡°You¡¯re not going to find peace here on Earth.¡± Tunem said flatly. ¡°The Society is going to keep hounding you and hounding you and you¡¯re going to get caught eventually. So, I¡¯m offering sanctuary; you can come to my demiplane. There you¡¯ll be safe from the Society and you can properly learn magic. What do you say?¡± Judy turned to Vithi. ¡°Is this above board? Can we trust him?¡± Vithi sighed defeatedly. ¡°As much as I hate to say it, it¡¯s probably the best shot we have at being safe. I don¡¯t think we can stay on the run indefinitely. He¡¯s high up in Haven¡¯s government, so it¡¯s¡­probably fine. At the least it¡¯d be much better than whatever the Society would do.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Judy said. ¡°But on one condition; you have to let me come with. I¡¯m not leaving her alone while she¡¯s still getting used to everything.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Tunem said smoothly. ¡°We¡¯ll even remove the limiter from you so you can properly learn magic as well. What do you say, Lilith?¡± ¡°Um, yeah, I think that¡¯s acceptable.¡± Lilith said. ¡°What do we need to do?¡± Tunem smiled. ¡°Not much. Gather your things and I¡¯ll open a portal to my demiplane, and then that¡¯s all that will need to happen. We¡¯ll take care of everything else.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Lilith replied, turning to Judy. ¡°I¡¯m going to go get our suitcases, you grab whatever else is loose.¡± Judy nodded, and Lilith left to grab their suitcases. A few minutes later they were back in the main room, where Tunem had drawn out a large circle. ¡°Just stand in here and we¡¯ll be on our way. First, though, Lilith, stay still for a moment, I need to cast an illusion spell. There¡¯s some¡­we¡¯ll say racial tension between angels and demons, and as a result¡­well half angel half demons are very rare, and we don¡¯t want you to stick out any more than you already will.¡± Tunem bean to speak an incantation, and Lilith was only able to catch words along the lines of ¡®disguise¡¯ and ¡®human¡¯ before the spell finished. Lilith looked behind her to find that her wings and tail had seemingly vanished, though she was still able to feel them when she tried. ¡°So¡­what if someone feels them? I¡¯ll be careful but it¡¯s bound to happen.¡± Lilith said, poking at her invisible wings. ¡°If someone feels them, they¡¯ll just ignore them.¡± Tunem said. ¡°We¡¯re ready now, so if everyone would just step into the circle we can be on our way.¡± Everyone got into the magic circle and Tunem stepped in, bent down, and the circle began to glow. Lilith felt a lurching feeling in her stomach, her surroundings blurred, and then she found herself on a stone path in a lush garden. Tunem began walking purposefully down the path, and the rest of the group followed. Soon they were in front of the gates to a large complex, which slid open after a wave from Tunem. He brought the group to a large mansion near the gates, one of several that Lilith could see. He stopped at the front door, turning to face the group. ¡°This is going to be your place of residence for the time of your studies. Would you like to go straight to our examinations, or would you prefer to see your rooms first?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t say anything about exams!¡± Lilith said nervously. Tunem chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it too much. They¡¯re just a few tests to see where you¡¯re at physically and magically. It¡¯s so we can figure out what your curriculum should actually be.¡± ¡°I¡­see. Um, can we see our rooms so we can put away our stuff first?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Tunem replied, opening the door. ¡°You, Judy, and Vithi will be staying in one of our dorms, though I¡¯m sure Vithi would prefer to be in her lair most of the time, and Alex will, of course, be staying in her old room in my house.¡± ¡°Absolutely not!¡± Alex said quickly. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Dad, I know you¡¯re excited to have me back, but you have to think this through more! What will people say if some random girl starts staying in the room your son used to be in? People are going to get suspicious!¡± Tunem sighed. ¡°Fine, you can room with them, but you have to spend time with me. If I think you¡¯re avoiding me, you¡¯re moving right back to your room, understand?¡± ¡°I suppose I ¨C¡± Alex was cut off by the doors in front of them opening, a young human man in robes stepping out. ¡°Ah, master Tunem, I thought I heard a disturbance. Who are these people?¡± He asked. ¡°This young lady,¡± Tunem said, indicating Lilith, ¡°is Lilith. She¡¯s going to be under our tutelage for a while.¡± The man gave Lilith an appraising look, raising an eyebrow as he took her in. ¡°Really? She seems a little¡­old to just be starting an apprenticeship, and there are no transfers scheduled for quite a while.¡± Tunem waved a hand. ¡°Extenuating circumstances. I¡¯ll explain in a meeting later.¡± ¡°And the others?¡± ¡°Attendants of sorts. Yes, I know servants aren¡¯t allowed, the circumstances are extremely extenuating. The four of them will need a dorm for themselves, I believe we should have one reserved?¡± ¡°Uh, yes, that¡¯s¡­109, I believe.¡± ¡°Perfect. I¡¯ll handle showing them their new room, you go update the registers and then let everyone know we¡¯ll be having a meeting at five.¡± The man opened his mouth as if to protest, then apparently thought better of it, closing his mouth again and scampering off. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°That was Alexei, if you have any issues with your new accommodations, you¡¯ll talk to him.¡± Tunem explained. ¡°109 is just down the hall to our left, if you would follow me¡­¡± He led the group down the hall until they reached a door marked 109, where he fiddled with some sort of placard to the right of the door. After a moment he stepped away, the placard now showing the group¡¯s names. He took out a key and unlocked the door before opening it and ushering them in. ¡°There¡¯s a set of keys on a hook to your left, make sure to grab them before we leave to test you. Go ahead and pick your rooms, put your bags down, and take a quick look around, then we¡¯ll head off.¡± Lilith entered the apartment, taking a moment to take the keys before continuing further into the dorm. It was¡­well, normal looking. There was a clean and tidy kitchen, a small dining room, and a living room that had a few couches and a TV. Further down a hallway there were a couple of bathrooms, four bedrooms, and a small laundry room. The rooms all seemed pretty similar, each of them containing a closet, bed, a couple of empty bookshelves, and a desk with a computer. Seeing no difference between any individual room, she just put her suitcase down in the last one she inspected, the one at the furthest end of the hallway, and returned to Tunem. ¡°Ready to go.¡± She said. ¡°Perfect, let¡¯s just wait until everyone else finishes looking around and we¡¯ll be on our way.¡± And, a couple of minutes later, everyone filtered back into the entrance. ¡°So, we need to go administer tests to Lilith now. The rest of you are free to watch the testing or stay here, whichever is your preference.¡± ¡°Are you kidding? There¡¯s no way I¡¯m going to let her take some unknown series of tests alone. I¡¯m coming to watch.¡± Judy said firmly. ¡°Don¡¯t try anything funny.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you intend to do if he does.¡± Alex said. ¡°Not like any of us here except maybe Lilith could stop him if he really wanted to do something. Still, I¡¯d rather not be alone right now, so I¡¯m going to tag along too.¡± Vithi was silent for a moment before she let out a sigh. ¡°And I guess it¡¯s in my best interests to make sure Lilith stays unharmed, so I might as well come.¡± Tunem nodded. ¡°Of course, that¡¯s perfectly understandable. We¡¯re going to be doing this in another building and then I need to go to that meeting I set up, so try and remember the way back.¡± He opened the door and strode out, leading the group back out of the building and into the wider complex. From there they walked past several other large buildings, and Lilith was able to make out what appeared to be students in classrooms in a few of them. Those were¡­potentially her classmates now, though she noted with some discomfort that they all seemed much younger than she was, the oldest of the ones she observed appearing to be in their mid to late teens. But they were soon beyond that series of buildings and were led to a much smaller building on the outskirts of the complex as a whole. ¡°Give me a moment, there are quite a few locks here and it takes a bit to unlock them.¡± Tunem said, pulling out a keyring. He began to insert keys into locks and mutter incantations, the door glowing faintly as he did. ¡°This seems a little excessive for a testing area, don¡¯t you think?¡± Judy said cautiously. ¡°Those locks hardly seem necessary.¡± ¡°My apologies.¡± Tunem replied. ¡°This is our high-concentration magic building, it houses several rare and dangerous artifacts, as well as chambers capable of withstanding severe magical energy. Normally we test students in a regular building, but as Lilith is a Perfect Chimera with little control over her magic and unpredictable reactions to spells, this is the safest place for all us in case something goes wrong. Please don¡¯t take it personally.¡± ¡°He¡¯s right.¡± Vithi said. ¡°We have no way of knowing what Lilith¡¯s true capabilities are, and I don¡¯t think you understand just how dangerous Perfect Chimeras are. They¡¯re like¡­like¡­I dunno, like a living nuclear weapon.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s Lilith!¡± Judy protested. ¡°She¡¯s harmless!¡± ¡°I thought the same thing.¡± Alex said wryly. ¡°And look how that ended up.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Tunem said, finishing with the locks and opening the door. ¡°She may have the best of intentions, but things can happen that are out of her control. Best to be safe about it.¡± ¡°They¡¯re right, Judy.¡± Lilith soothed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be fine.¡± Judy grumbled a bit but didn¡¯t object further as they were led through a series of rooms and into a large, circular chamber with a series of glass booths along the walls. ¡°If you all would please step into the nearest booth, that would be for the best.¡± Tunem said, motioning for Lilith to go to the center of the room. Once everyone else was in a booth, Tunem walked over to where Lilith was and conjured up a chair. ¡°Sit here please, I¡¯m going to do some deep identification spells.¡± Lilith complied. And Tunem began to draw out some sort of array on the floor. It took a few minutes for him to finish, but once he did, he began to chant, and the array flared into life before suddenly vanishing. Tunem stared at the space in front of him for a while, occasionally nodding as he processed the data he had collected. Finally, he turned back to Lilith. ¡°I would like to talk to your other personality, if that¡¯s acceptable. Are you able to call her out yourself?¡± ¡°Um¡­I don¡¯t know. Let me try?¡± Lilith responded. She couldn¡¯t really think of how to communicate with Carmen, so she tried to send out a mental message for her like she would Vithi. Carmen, are you there? Tunem wants to talk with you. Yeah, I¡¯m here. Carmen¡¯s reply came. Would you rather relay my answers or have me temporarily control the body? Um¡­just use the body, it¡¯ll be easier. Roger that. Lilith felt control of the body leave her, but unlike the last time Carmen had been in control, she had full consciousness and was able to properly comprehend everything that was going on. ¡°Right, this is Carmen.¡± Carmen said, crossing her legs and leaning back in the chair. ¡°What did you need to talk to me about?¡± ¡°I would like to know exactly what sort of contract you made with my s¡­daughter and how to free her.¡± Tunem said, noticeably colder than he had been previously. Carmen, unfazed, shrugged. ¡°Beats me. Demonic, mostly, bit of fae, bit of djinn, bit of whatever else that I¡¯m not really sure of. And, as I told the others, I have no clue how to remove it now that I¡¯ve gotten rid of the easy out. Though, to tell you the truth, she got what was coming to her. Turnabout is fair play and all that.¡± ¡°Then repeat your attempt on me.¡± Tunem said icily. ¡°I would to know firsthand what it¡¯s like so I can figure out how to remove it.¡± Carmen gave another shrug. ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t see the point. The mixtures aren¡¯t going to be exactly the same, I was just feeling my way along.¡± ¡°Try.¡± Tunem growled. Carmen raised her hands in surrender. ¡°Sheesh. Fine, fine, I¡¯ll give it a go, but no promises I can even get something on that level out right now. I¡¯m sure my mana¡¯s running low and all my instincts feel just that little bit duller now that I¡¯m not in a life or death situation.¡± She stood up, looking Tunem right in the eyes. ¡°Just look into my eyes and listen to my voice, OK?¡± She went through much the same process she had with Alex, except Tunem wasn¡¯t responding in the slightest, and he didn¡¯t repeat anything Carmen told him to say. Eventually, he sighed. ¡°That¡¯s enough. This isn¡¯t going to help. I¡¯ll need to have Kali come in and take a look at her if I really want to get to the bottom of this.¡± ¡°No!¡± Alex yelled. She was, surprisingly, not at all muffled by the barrier between them. ¡°I¡¯m perfectly fine as is, I don¡¯t need people who are duty-bound to throw me in jail to come look at me right now!¡± Tunem turned to face Alex. ¡°Kali wouldn¡¯t throw you in jail and you know it!¡± He argued. ¡°She¡¯s always been the most supportive of the proposal to give Earth¡¯s magic back, she understands!¡± ¡°Not risking it! If you call her here, I¡¯m not going to cooperate!¡± ¡°You¡¯re being ridiculous!¡± Tunem said, starting to raise his voice. ¡°Can¡¯t you see I¡¯m trying to help you! All of this,¡± he motioned at Vithi and then at Lilith, ¡°was for you! Can¡¯t you just let me try and help get you out of the awful situation you put yourself in!¡± ¡°Maybe I wouldn¡¯t have gotten into this awful situation if you weren¡¯t constantly trying to do everything for me!¡± Alex shouted. ¡°You¡¯re smothering me! I¡¯m happy with where I am right now and would rather you don¡¯t interfere!¡± ¡°You¡¯re not even human anymore, and you¡¯re under some sort of mind-altering affect!¡± Tunem yelled back. ¡°You can¡¯t tell me you¡¯re handling this well enough on your own!¡± ¡°I chose that effect!¡± Alex shouted, face red as she opened the door to the glass booth and walked out. ¡°Dad, being able to sometimes see the future right doesn¡¯t give you the right to choose what people do! You have to think about my feelings!¡± ¡°What do you think I¡¯ve been doing this entire time?! I just want you to be happy!¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯d like that happiness to be the results of my efforts, not something I got from following a script you gave me!¡± Alex rebutted. ¡°If I did everything the way you wanted, I would barely even be living! I¡¯d be just some puppet dancing to whatever tune you play! I know I¡¯ve made mistakes, but at least they¡¯re my mistakes! Please, just let me try and figure this out on my own!¡± Tunem fell silent, looking at the other people in the room. ¡°We¡­can have this discussion later, when we don¡¯t have company.¡± He said. ¡°But I¡¯ll think about what you¡¯ve said.¡± He turned back to Carmen, schooling his expression back into one of neutrality. ¡°You can go now, Carmen. We just have a few physical tests to run now, and Lilith can handle those on her own.¡± Carmen nodded. ¡°Alright, but just know that if you hurt Lilith in any way, I will come out, and I will seek my vengeance.¡± The shadows once again deepened, and Lilith got the distinct impression that she was looming over Tunem, despite the fact that she was sitting, and he was standing. ¡°And trust me, it¡¯ll be much worse than whatever you¡¯re imagining.¡± For the first time since she had met him, a flash of uncertainty showed on Tunem¡¯s face, but just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished, leaving only the certainty that it had been there. ¡°I won¡¯t do anything to her.¡± He promised. ¡°She¡¯ll be safe while she¡¯s under my care.¡± Carmen glared. ¡°I caught that bit of wiggle room you put there. I¡¯m going to hold you to the spirit of this, not the letter, do not try this with me.¡± Carmen, that¡¯s enough. Lilith said. I can take care of myself. No, you can¡¯t. Carmen said flatly. If you could, I wouldn¡¯t have had to come out in the first place. But I¡¯ve said my piece, you can have control back. And, suddenly, Lilith was back in control of the body. ¡°I¡¯m back.¡± She said quickly. ¡°So, let¡¯s put this all behind us and just¡­move on to the physical tests, OK?¡± Tunem sighed. ¡°Yes. Tensions are running high, let¡¯s just¡­move on for now and we¡¯ll come back to this with more level heads. Stand up and we¡¯ll get started.¡± The rests of the tests were uneventful, simple things like measuring how much Lilith could lift, the force her wings and tail could produce, and how fast she could run. And soon an awkward group, minus Tunem, was headed back to the dorms, nobody quite sure what to say. ¡°Hey¡­Lilith, can I¡­talk to you tomorrow?¡± Alex asked once they got back. ¡°Alone, that is. I¡­well, I think I¡¯m going to have some questions, but I need some time to sort my feelings out first.¡± ¡°Yeah, of course.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°Just let me know and we can talk whenever.¡± Alex smiled. ¡°Thanks.¡± And with that she scampered off to her room, and Lilith went to her own. She flopped down on her bed and pulled out her phone; it had been a long few hours, and she needed to just¡­decompress and process everything that had happened. So, she booted up a game, hoping that, against all odds, it would be able to take her mind off of things. She wasn¡¯t holding her breath. Chapter 9: An Eventful Sleep Wake up. Lilith rolled over, not quite registering the strange voice in her hazy half-sleep. It had been a long evening and between the day¡¯s events and not really getting great sleep the previous night, she was pretty tired and out of it. Wake up, child. A small shock ran through Lilith, causing her to bolt upright. She was¡­no longer in her room; instead, she was in a seemingly endless expanse, nothing but pure, undifferentiated white in all directions. Vithi, can you hear me?! Get up, we¡¯re in danger again! She cannot hear you, child. It is just us in here. ¡°Who are you?¡± Lilith asked. Her earlier panic had suddenly been quashed, an odd, comforting feeling beginning to wash over her. It was like the magic that was dampening her emotions was a song she had heard before but couldn¡¯t recall the lyrics or what it was named. Despite the alarming situation she had found herself in, that magic made her feel safe, like everything would turn out fine. The strange voice chuckled, causing waves of bright gray tinged with red to roll across the blank void around her. A being of great power and influence, much like yourself. Your kind has called us many things. Perhaps the most popular of our names is ¡°Elder Gods¡±, and, like it or not, you¡¯re one of us now. Despite the magic suppressing her emotions, Lilith shuddered. ¡°What do you want with me?¡± A tide of amused pink washed over the area. Bold words, for one who does not understand the situation. Fear not, for I have come to deliver a gift as a celebration of your entry into our world. A weight pressed against Lilith¡¯s palm, and she looked down to find herself holding a book bound in red leather, titled The King in Yellow. She frowned, tilting her head slightly as she studied it. I see you are unfamiliar with your gift, child. You will hear many things, but do not worry, for it cannot harm you. You are one of us now, and such things hold no power over you. Consider it a fast track to power, should you desire it. Lilith frowned, running a hand over the book¡¯s cover. ¡°And why would you give this to me? Surely it wouldn¡¯t be in your best interest to make a potential rival.¡± The atmosphere changed immediately, color shifting to the black of a storm cloud ready to burst, streaks of white flashing across it. There are those that seek to use your power for themselves, to harness something which should never be harnessed. I will not let them get away with this. ¡°But¡­it¡¯s OK for me to harness.¡± Lilith replied flatly. The edges of the endless expanse became pink once again as the being chuckled. You are amusing, little one. Is the river harnessed by its water? No. The river and the water are one and the same. You are the source of much power, and whether you choose to dam that source or let it flow is up to you and you alone. I would consider the book, my child. And remember, there is no evil power or good power, just power and how you choose to use it. Do not let yourself be swayed by the thoughts of others. And then Lilith woke up in her bed, clutching the book to her chest. Vithi, wake up, now. Lilith? Vithi groaned. What time is it? Not important. Get out here. There was some grumbling, but Vithi was soon physically in Lilith¡¯s room. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± She asked, frowning as she looked over Lilith. ¡°Are you OK? You look like you¡¯ve seen a ghost. And¡­what¡¯s that book you¡¯re holding?¡± Lilith wordlessly handed it over. Vithi looked at it for only a moment before she hissed, throwing the book on the ground and lighting it on fire with a spell. The fire crackled for a moment before extinguishing, leaving behind a completely unharmed book. Vithi stomped over, bent down to grab it, and then found her fingers closing over empty air as the tome reappeared in Lilith¡¯s hands. Vithi paused for a moment, looking at the book fearfully. ¡°We¡¯re going to see Tunem. Now.¡± She practically towed Lilith over to Alex¡¯s room, knocking hard on the door. A moment later, a sleepy-looking Alex answered the door, looking none too pleased about her sudden awakening. That changed the moment she saw the book Lilith was holding. ¡°Let me guess, you need me to take you to my dad¡¯s room?¡± ¡°Yeah. We need to deal with this.¡± Vithi confirmed. ¡°I can¡¯t get rid of it, I tried.¡± ¡°On it. Let me get some slippers and we¡¯ll be on our way.¡± She disappeared into her room and Lilith took the opportunity to grab her own pair of slippers. She headed back to Vithi, and, after waiting another few seconds for Alex, the three began their walk through the dark courtyards to what Alex told them was Tunem¡¯s personal house. They only slowed down briefly as Alex provided some sort of magic-signature identification to unlock the doors to the house, and then it was only a couple more minutes until they were at Tunem¡¯s door. Lilith stepped up and gave the door a few hard knocks, then stepped back as the group waited for Tunem to get up and come to the door. They were about to knock again when Tunem finally answered, rubbing his eyes sleepily. ¡°What do you need at this time of night? Can¡¯t it wait until morning?¡± He stopped in his tracks when he saw what Lilith was holding. ¡°Oh. Let¡¯s head to the living room, we can discuss this more there.¡± Alex took them to a room with several large couches, and everyone sat down. ¡°Alright, what¡¯s the deal with this book? Everyone seems to be freaking out about it and I¡¯m not exactly sure what the issue is.¡± ¡°The King in Yellow drives all those who read it mad.¡± Tunem explained. ¡°And all known copies are currently locked up in incredibly high-security areas. Where did you get this?¡± Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Lilith explained her dream, and as she did, she could see Tunem growing increasingly uncomfortable. ¡°Did you not foresee this?¡± She asked once she had finished. ¡°Aren¡¯t you like¡­the best at divination in the world?¡± Tunem shook his head. ¡°That may be, but even the weakest Great Old Ones are notoriously hard to predict with divination magic, and the strong ones are effectively impossible. They¡¯re just too alien for magic to properly predict them. ¡°But that also means you can¡¯t really trust what they say. When they said that the book could do you no harm, it might mean that they don¡¯t view driving you insane as harm. But, at the same time, it might well mean that no harm would come to you by our definition of harm.¡± That¡­didn¡¯t seem right to Lilith. While she admitted her encounter was odd, it certainly didn¡¯t feel alien. The being she had talked to had that strange aura of familiarity about it, and something deep down in her gut told her that when it said the book couldn¡¯t harm her, it meant her definition of harm. ¡°Your encounter nearly confirms an interesting theory, though. We know little about the contents of the book, as those who have read it are rarely in a state to relay the information to us, but many have postulated that the knowledge therein could be of use if someone was able to stay sane enough to use it. And if one of the Great Old Ones is saying reading the book would give you power, that¡¯s strong evidence in favor of that theory.¡± He sighed, holding a hand out. ¡°Still, that¡¯s not something we can risk. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m going to have to confiscate the book.¡± Lilith obediently handed the book over, and the moment Tunem had hold of it and she let go, the book reappeared in her hands. ¡°That¡¯s¡­not a standard trait of the book.¡± Tunem said slowly. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re going to be able to take this from you. In this case, I think we¡¯re going to need to destroy the book.¡± ¡°Already tried.¡± Vithi interrupted. ¡°It doesn¡¯t burn.¡± Tunem frowned deeply. ¡°That¡¯s not normal either. I¡¯m¡­going to have to consult with the Counsel on this. For now, just leave it alone, and we¡¯ll give you further instructions tomorrow. Just¡­try to get some rest, alright? We¡¯ll figure something out, so don¡¯t worry.¡± With that, Tunem stood up and walked out of the room, leaving the three people to begin the walk back to their dorm. ¡°What¡¯s this Council?¡± Lilith asked. ¡°Some sort of group of important mages?¡± ¡°Kind of, yeah.¡± Vithi replied. ¡°It¡¯s the Protectorate¡¯s governing body, and the people on it are usually some of the best, if not the best, in their respective fields of magic. If anyone can figure out what to do in this situation, it¡¯s them.¡± Alex grimaced. ¡°Hopefully they won¡¯t just send me straight to jail when they see me.¡± She said. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure they¡¯ll figure out who I am.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t let that happen.¡± Lilith said firmly. ¡°I have¡­some sort of bargaining power as a Perfect Chimera, right? I can flex that a bit if I need to.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Alex replied, looking relieved. ¡°Hopefully that¡¯ll be enough.¡± The rest of their walk was quiet as they each thought about the ramifications of the book. But, eventually, they made it back to their dorm and Lilith climbed back into bed, where she tried her best to fall asleep.
Lilith blearily shut off her alarm, stumbling off of her bed. Despite her best efforts, she hadn¡¯t been able to sleep well after the night¡¯s events. She forced herself to get dressed anyway and stumbled out of her room and into the dorm¡¯s main area. Instantly, she was hit with a wave of nostalgia. There was something in the air that she had known well at some point, a certain heaviness that she couldn¡¯t quite put her finger on. That was enough to momentarily distract her from the fact that Judy, Alex, and a bunch of rather important-looking people in her living room looking at her. There was Tunem, of course, but there were also two angels, an elf, a dwarf, a kitsune, and, finally, a demon that Lilith could somehow tell was a succubus. Her attention lingered on that last one the longest; there was something about her that really just¡­didn¡¯t feel the same as everyone else. She had that same odd familiarity about her, but there was also a sense of¡­weight to her that none of the others really had. Perhaps the familiarity was because Lilith had her own succubus Domain completely unlocked, but what was that odd weight? ¡°Ah, good, you¡¯re up.¡± Tunem said, snapping Lilith out of her trance. ¡°These are the other leaders of the Protectorate. Please go ahead and wake up Vithi, we¡¯re going to be doing some¡­hands on testing today, and we¡¯d like everyone to be ready in case something goes wrong. We don¡¯t have infinite time, so we have to be moving, please follow me.¡± Not waiting for a reply, he got up and strode out of the room, followed by the six council members. ¡°How long have they been here?¡± Lilith asked Judy and Alex as they began to move. ¡°Like¡­half an hour.¡± Alex replied. ¡°It was really awkward, let me tell you that. I think Kali, the demon, recognized me, but no one else did, so we¡¯re in the clear regarding that for now. We didn¡¯t wake you because they thought you needed as much rest as possible today.¡± Lilith frowned. ¡°That doesn¡¯t bode well, I don¡¯t think. Let me wake up Vithi real quick and we can talk more.¡± Lilith gave Vithi a mental nudge, trying to get her awake. Sorry to bother you, but we need you to wake up. What? Vithi said sleepily. Well¨C Oh goodness all seven of them are here. Hold on, I¡¯ll be out in a moment. Vithi materialized a moment later, slightly pale. ¡°Why are all of them here?!¡± She whispered. ¡°No clue. Just woke up and they were here.¡± Lilith responded. ¡°It¡¯s about The King in Yellow.¡± Judy said. ¡°They were talking about the book and watching you carefully.¡± Vithi was silent for a moment before gasping, any remaining color draining from her face. ¡°They¡¯re going to make her read it.¡± And, before Lilith, Judy, or Alex could respond, she sprinted up to Tunem, presumably to protest. After a short while, she returned to Lilith and Judy, shaking her head. ¡°He said it was a majority decision by the Council. He was dissenting, but he said he has a lot less influence in eldritch matters, because he¡¯s not able to see the future with regards to them. He also said he wants the three of us to watch Lilith closely to make sure she¡¯s acting fine after she reads the book, since we¡¯ll be around her the most.¡± An uneasy silence filled the air as they walked, eventually reaching the high-concentration magic building. Once inside Tunem led the group to a large, intimidating metal door, which swung open to reveal a long hallway lined with more metal doors. As they proceeded down the hall, Vithi stopped, staring at one door in particular, a strange expression on her face. ¡°What?¡± Lilith asked, nudging Vithi back into motion. ¡°This place is the vault.¡± She explained. ¡°That room was where they kept my lamp. I spent centuries in there, so it¡¯s a little weird to be on the outside looking in.¡± Lilith didn¡¯t know how to respond to that, but she didn¡¯t have to, as the group all stopped shortly afterward. They were at another large metal door, but this one was inscribed with a dizzyingly complex array of lines and runes. Tunem took a minute or two to recite some incantation and the door opened. Once the group was through the runes on the door blazed to life and it slammed shut, locking them inside. The room was large and circular, the floor covered in an even more complex array of magic formations. Tunem ushered Judy, Alex, and Vithi to an incongruously placed set of armchairs within an intricate magic circle and motioned for Lilith to sit in a similar armchair at the dead center of the circle. Each of the Protectorate leaders sat in a similar armchair at circles spaced along the edge of the formation, and a series of lights rushed out from the chairs, spreading throughout the magic formation and causing it to glow brightly before the lights completed their trip and the glow dimmed to a more manageable level. ¡°Lilith, the Council has decided to have you read The King in Yellow.¡± One of the angels said. ¡°During this procedure, you are to answer any and all questions directed at you by anyone outside of your circle immediately. You are not to read aloud passages from the book under any circumstances, and should we determine that things are going awry, we will activate the array and you will be forcibly stopped from reading the book. Do you understand?¡± Lilith gulped, nodding. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then you may begin.¡± Chapter 10: The King in Yellow Lilith opened the book and began to read. The second she did, Judy saw her eyes glaze over as she entered some sort of trance. ¡°How are you doing, Lilith?¡± Tunem asked. There was a long pause, and when it became clear Lilith wasn¡¯t going to answer, Tunem¡¯s eyes hardened. ¡°We¡¯re aborting this test.¡± He said, slamming his fist against his chair. A series of glowing lines spiraled out from his chair and towards Lilith, but, in response, a series of lines spread out from the book, down Lilith¡¯s arms, and into the circle. They weren¡¯t like the glowing lines that filled the circle before. Instead they sucked in the light, a sort of bubble of darkness growing around them as they moved and intercepted Tunem¡¯s lines. There was a brilliant flash of light and then Tunem¡¯s lines were overwhelmed, the book¡¯s lines rapidly beginning to take over more and more of the circle.
Along the shore the cloud waves break, The twin suns sink behind the lake, The shadows lengthen In Carcosa.
Assimilation Xshbgip Prerequisite: YPRSAU The user is able to absorb any non-living biological entity, or any parts completely severed from a biological entity and gain all abilities the entity had or has. User must Assimilate at least half of the entity to gain this effect. If the user fully consumes a creature, the user is able to transform into a perfect duplicate of that creature, costing a small amount of Mana. User may also transform into a ¡°personal¡± form of a race they have previously consumed. User is considered to have consumed their base form for the purpose of transformation and transforming into base form does not cost Mana. This effect is not magical in origin.
Another one of the council members, the angel who had given Lilith instructions, began to chant. A soft white light began to fill the room, and the progress of the lines¡¯ conversion was slowed¡­until the white suddenly shifted to darkness with streaks of light resembling lightning bolts running through it, speeding the conversion of the lines even more. Do not interrupt. We welcome another into our circle.
Strange is the night where black stars rise, And strange moons circle through the skies, But stranger still is Lost Carcosa.
The woman quickly ceased her chant, and the darkness it had created faded. Two other Council members stood up, one unleashing a barrage of uncountable magical bullets towards Lilith while the other began to chant a spell. The bullets were stopped in their tracks as the lines, which had finished corrupting the circle, sprung up and intercepted, swallowing the bullets whole before wrapping themselves around Lilith, writhing and lashing out against any stray shot. Space seemed to distort as the other Council member finished his chant, and several of the lines that were intercepting bullets were cut off, teleported out of sight. Seconds later, they oozed down from the ceiling and in through the walls and door, having grown in number. I believe we instructed you to stop. We do not wish to interfere with our new sibling¡¯s playthings, but we will if we must.
¡°You, sir, should unmask.¡± ¡°Indeed?¡± ¡°Indeed it¡¯s time. We have all laid aside disguise but you.¡± ¡°I wear no mask.¡± ¡°No mask? No mask!¡±
The Mask Xshbgip Prerequisite: ZPR The user is able to freely adopt any alternate personalities that they have been subject to. The user may specify a duration for the alternate personality to be in effect and will revert to the original personality after the duration is over. This effect is not magical in origin.
Vithi shared a hug with Judy, uttering words of assurance which were more for herself than for Judy. Alex, however, was focused on Tunem, who was focusing incredibly hard if the beads of sweat running down his temple were any indication. As one, all the seated Council members stood and began to channel nauseatingly thick waves of magic into one of their fellows, an elvish woman who was reciting a banishment spell. While amusing, it won¡¯t work. Sleep now and pray our new sibling will be lenient. And then the magical energy they were pooling went haywire, and, one by one, the Council members collapsed back into their chairs, unconscious.
Songs that the Hyades shall sing, Where flap the tatters of the King, Must die unheard in Dim Carcosa
Avatar Xshbgip Prerequisite: IMYR The user is able to create a separate body with 10% of the magic capacity of the original. An amount of Mana equal to the avatar¡¯s maximum capacity is spent upon creating the avatar, and any Mana remaining in the avatar upon destruction or dismissal is returned to the user, discarding any that would cause the user to go over maximum capacity. While Avatar is active, the user¡¯s Mana capacity is capped at 90%. The avatar replenishes its Mana at a rate equal to 10% of the user¡¯s rate. The body may be operated at any distance, but while operated the user is unable to move their main body. The user is aware of the location of the avatar if they are currently in the main body and are aware of the location of the main body if in the avatar. The user is forcibly pulled back into the main body if the main body is attacked. This effect is not magical in origin. This Skill(?) cannot be stripped from the user. The Mask and Avatar have combined, forming My Other Self. My other self Skill??? Prerequisite: ??? The user is able to instill an avatar with one or more of the user¡¯s alternate personalities upon creation. The user¡¯s alternate personality will control the avatar, essentially granting the personality autonomy. If the avatar has multiple personalities within it, it may benefit from The Mask. The user cannot manually control an Avatar controlled by a personality. The avatar will sync memories with the main consciousness upon being dismissed, or whenever the avatar deems necessary, and the main consciousness can sync memories with the avatar whenever the main consciousness deems necessary. The avatar or main consciousness can choose to only sync certain memories with the other, although when the Avatar disappears all memories are always synced. Avatars piloted by an alternate personality may contain 20% of the magic capacity of the original and regain Mana at 20% the speed of the original. The user¡¯s Mana cap remains at 90% while Avatar is active, and avatars are created using 10% of the user¡¯s maximum Mana. Avatars with a personality will start with half the avatar¡¯s capacity of Mana already stored unless the user chooses to use more Mana to create the avatar. The user may not access personalities currently in an Avatar. This effect is not magical in nature
Judy, Alex, and Vithi huddled together in terror, watching as Lilith robotically flipped the pages of the book. All sound save for the book¡¯s pages was gone, and the lights had faded to the point where they could barely see, further stimulating the group¡¯s anxieties. Fear not, young ones. Should you not interfere, we will not harm you. We wish to be on good terms with our new sibling and harming you would ruin that.
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Unknowable Entity Xshbgip Prerequisite: WJ Attempting to read the mind of the user will result in weak-willed entities going insane. The type of insanity varies depending on the strength of will of the entity. The user may forcefully suppress this ability temporarily. The user is able to communicate telepathically with any being within sensory perception of the user or the user¡¯s avatar. When communicating in this manner, the user may apply the same maddening effect to the entity being communicated with. User cannot go mindlessly insane but is still susceptible to other forms of insanity. This effect is not magical in origin. This skill(?) cannot be stripped from the user.
Song of my soul, my voice is dead, Die thou, unsung, as tears unshed Shall dry and die in Lost Carcosa
King¡¯s Knowledge Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.Xshbgip Prerequisite: RLPVWJ May combine with parts of the host and grant additional effects. Upon losing King¡¯s Knowledge (due to fusing with another skill or being stripped by any sort of effect or magic), the user is instantly granted another copy of King¡¯s Knowledge. If the user ever would have more than one copy of King¡¯s Knowledge at once, extra copies are discarded. This effect is not magical in origin. This Skill(?) cannot be stripped from the user. King¡¯s Knowledge and Instinct (Knowledge) have combined to form Help Yourself Help Yourself Combination Origin: Eldritch Grants the ability to read a ¡°help¡± screen about a concept or object. The more the user knows about the subject, the more detailed the text in the help is. This ability will update information given by Instinct on abilities outside of Instinct¡¯s magical system, letting it provide better information. This ability and all components cannot be stripped from the user. Help: Combined Skills Certain abilities originating from outside the ¡°conventional¡± system of magic, such as those gained from an elder god ¡°Domain¡± (for why the user has access to these sorts of ¡°Domains¡± see the relevant section of Perfect Chimera opened below) can provoke changes in Skills or Traits the user already has. The ability triggering the change and any affected abilities are combined into one ability, retaining all previous effects of the abilities unless stated otherwise. As Instinct (Knowledge) is unable to properly categorize these abilities, King¡¯s Knowledge will overwrite the category as ¡°Combination¡±. Although Combinations have an ¡°Origin¡±, each of their component portions retain their own Origin, and those may be interacted with as with other abilities of that Origin. Help: Perfect Chimera A Perfect Chimera is, by nature, a creature that should not exist. They are, in essence, beings that are every single type of being in the current dimension simultaneously. The system usually treats this Domain as a sort of archive of all beings that are in or have once been in the current plane. As the system cannot have a tag that is inaccurate, if a being that is not part of the Perfect Chimera ¡°tag¡± enters the current dimension in any form, that being is added to the ¡°tag¡±. If a being somehow manages to obtain this Domain, the system takes information about all the beings within this archive and applies it to the one with the Domain. As this contains information from outside the current plane, the owner of this Domain has access to systems that are not within the current plane¡¯s native system of magic. When using the system to view these types of abilities, it attempts to fit it into its own system, resulting in odd information. It is unknown what would happen if a being with the Perfect Chimera Domain would travel outside of a plane governed by the current system of magic. Suppression and King¡¯s Knowledge have combined to form Advanced Suppression. Advanced Suppression Combination Origin: Eldritch User may choose to suppress any individual ability, even if the origin is not magical. Once activated, one such suppression may be maintained without any conscious effort, and further suppressions may be done if the user focuses. This skill and all components cannot be stripped from the user. Assimilation, Vessel, and King¡¯s Knowledge have combined to form Ruler¡¯s Right. For notes on abilities the user had but might have missed, see the bottom of the window. Ruler¡¯s Right Combination Origin: Eldritch The user permanently gains all abilities that their subordinates possess. The races of all subordinates are considered known and may be transformed into using Assimilation. This skill and all components cannot be stripped from the user. Help Yourself and Effect: Omniglot have combined to form Decipher. Decipher Combination Origin: Eldritch The user can, at a glance, understand any magic formation or written spell, and can flawlessly reproduce them (If it is a chanted spell being reproduced, the user will know the words perfectly. Errors may still be made in the process of chanting). Formations and spells are stored in a database (can be viewed via help menu) and may be used to improve upon each other or fix flaws found in formations or spells. When casting a spell with a chant, this skill may be used to alter components of the spell that usually would be altered with chantless casting. This skill and all components cannot be stripped from the user. Decipher and Effect: Powerful Mage have combined to form Innate Spellcaster. Innate Spellcaster Combination Origin: Eldritch The user can cast spells without a chant for a 50% increase in Mana consumption. If the user would otherwise be able to chantlessly cast the spell, there is no increase in Mana consumption for doing so, and alterations may be made without an additional cost. User can apply the effects of any targeted Eldritch ability to a spell for an increase in Mana consumption equal to the cost of using the original effect. This ability and all components cannot be stripped from the user. Help: Unknown Abilities The user gained several abilities when they subjugated Alex, and due to the foggy nature of the user¡¯s consciousness at the time, they waved away the ability descriptions. The relevant ability, Vessel, allows the user to hold part of their subject¡¯s mana within themselves with no ill effects. The user has gained the Mask ¡°Carmen¡±.
Lilith snapped back into focus, feeling¡­refreshed and full of energy, like she¡¯d just had a good night¡¯s sleep. She dismissed the notifications, as she already knew full well what they contained. And then she stopped, looking at her surroundings; the room was in complete disarray, with the Council members passed out on the floor. She quickly whirled to face the circle where Alex, Judy, and Vithi were, and breathed a sigh of relief as she saw that they were safe. The inhabitants of the circle didn¡¯t seem to share that relief, however. All of them save for Judy shied away from Lilith¡¯s gaze, fear visible in their eyes. ¡°Is that¡­still you in there?¡± Judy squeaked. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s still me. What happened?¡± Lilith asked. ¡°Um¡­before we get into that, do you feel any different? Any new urges or impulses or anything?¡± Lilith shrugged. ¡°I feel perfectly normal. I got a bunch of new abilities and stuff, but other than that I feel fine. Of course, I guess if I was insidiously insane instead of crazy insane, I¡¯d say the same thing so¡­watch me carefully, I suppose. Not sure what more I can say, though, so¡­yeah.¡± Judy sighed. ¡°Good enough for now, I suppose. Well, what happened is that the moment you opened the book you stopped responding to us, and the Council tried to activate the circle, but something stopped them. The thing said something about welcoming a new sibling and not wanting to interfere with the new sibling¡¯s playthings, and it put the Council to sleep. The three of us have been here for about an hour after that, just¡­watching you read.¡± Lilith frowned. ¡°That¡¯s just¡­great. Let¡¯s get the Council woken up, and we¡¯ll figure out what to do from there, alright?¡± The other three seemed to be in agreement, so they got to work waking up the Council, in hopes that they would know what to do. Once everyone was awake, the angel who had originally given Lilith instructions began to speak. ¡°We¡¯re going to have Kali, our information specialist, subject you to a deep mental search. Until we¡¯re convinced that you¡¯re safe, you¡¯re to stay in here, understand?¡± Lilith nodded. ¡°That sounds fair. Can the others leave?¡± ¡°No.¡± The woman replied. ¡°As they were conscious while we weren¡¯t, we can¡¯t be sure they haven¡¯t been compromised in some way. They¡¯re going to get searched as well after your search is finished. Kali, do you need anything to perform this search?¡± The succubus Lilith had taken note of earlier began to speak. ¡°Nope!¡± She chirped. ¡°Just some time.¡± She walked over to Lilith, smiling brightly. ¡°My name¡¯s Kali, I¡¯m a succubus and chief of intelligence for the Protectorate.¡± Lilith¡¯s heart sped up as Kali approached. She couldn¡¯t quite put her finger on why, either; Kali didn¡¯t look particularly alluring or threatening or anything. She had long black hair, brown eyes, and was wearing a long-sleeved shirt and pants. Aside from the bat wings and spade tail, she looked like your average girl-next-door, nothing special. Seeing Lilith¡¯s expression, she winked. ¡°The reputation of succubi on Earth is greatly overblown. We¡¯re not in go mode all the time, you know. You¡¯ve got as much of the succubus Domain unlocked as me, so if we were, you¡¯d have known by now. Anyway, you ready?¡± Lilith blushed, looking away. ¡°Yeah, but um¡­for what it¡¯s worth, I just got an ability that makes ¡®weak-minded¡¯ people go insane upon reading my mind.¡± Lilith informed. ¡°I can turn it off for you if you want, but I figured I¡¯d let you know and give you the option first in case you want to examine me with it on.¡± Kali laughed. ¡°No problem there, I¡¯m not head of intelligence for nothing. I¡¯ll back out if I feel it¡¯s too much but go ahead and leave it on for now.¡± Lilith nodded. ¡°Ready when you are, then.¡± Kali nodded, stepping up close to Lilith and putting a finger on her forehead. ¡°Ooh, you really weren¡¯t kidding, that¡¯s some nasty stuff. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m perfectly fine, this is just gonna take a bit, feel free to talk with everyone else while I look through this.¡± She removed her finger, sitting down on the floor next to Lilith. Noticing Lilith¡¯s confused expression, she gave her a wink. ¡°What, expecting more? Well, if you¡¯re a good girl, I wouldn¡¯t be opposed to giving you a kiss later.¡± Lilith blushed even more. ¡°No, I, um¡­just thought you would stay in contact the entire time, so I was surprised, that¡¯s all.¡± Kali laughed. ¡°I¡¯m just messing with you. Offer¡¯s open, though. Anyway, I¡¯m going to have to focus on this, so don¡¯t expect me to do any more talking until I¡¯m done.¡± As she fell silent, Tunem stepped up. ¡°I¡¯m going to do some identification spells and see if I can find anything malicious.¡± He said, then began to chant a spell. After he finished chanting, he withdrew and began to talk with the other Council members, presumably reporting his findings to them. About ten minutes after that, Kali seemed to come out of her trance, walking over to the Council and reporting her findings. While she did, Judy approached Lilith, giving her a hug. ¡°How are you holding up?¡± She asked. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°How about you, though? Are you sure you should be trusting me, though? I mean, I feel fine, but that¡¯s just taking my word for it.¡± Judy shrugged. ¡°They¡¯ve finished their analysis and haven¡¯t immediately come to get rid of you or stopped me from talking to you. As far as I¡¯m concerned, that means you¡¯re safe enough for the time being.¡± The two chatted a little more before Tunem cleared his throat, interrupting them. ¡°I have good news and bad news. The good news is that, as far as we can tell, Lilith is clean. The bad news is that we¡¯re going to be putting all four of you under house arrest. We won¡¯t let you leave this demiplane until we can be absolutely sure Lilith isn¡¯t going to start causing trouble once she leaves.¡± Chapter 11: House Arrest Judy huffed, breaking away from the hug. ¡°If Lilith¡¯s clean, why are we under house arrest?!¡± She protested. ¡°That seems incredibly unfair!¡± Tunem sighed. ¡°Unfortunately, it¡¯s only as far as we can tell that Lilith is clean. We¡¯re not foolproof, especially when it comes to the eldritch, and it¡¯s far too dangerous to release an unknown element into the world. So, we¡¯re going to be keeping an incredibly close eye on her to make sure there are no personality changes she¡¯s hiding. During this time there will be no outside contact, either, to reduce risks of Lilith influencing people that way.¡± Kali walked over, grabbing Lilith¡¯s hands. ¡°We¡¯re honestly really sorry about this. But we don¡¯t expect you to just do this uncompensated, so we¡¯ve gone ahead and taken a few liberties. The first is that you, Judy, and your parents will all receive sizeable financial compensation every month you¡¯re in here. Judy¡¯s businesses will be managed by some of the best we can find as well, so she doesn¡¯t need to worry about them going under while she¡¯s unable to manage them. ¡°We¡¯re even going to give her some property in Saga, capital of the Protectorate. It¡¯s pretty highly-valued stuff, so that should put her well on her way to having a place in the magical world. ¡° Kali smiled brightly as she continued. ¡°And I¡¯ll be personally staying here to monitor you. I¡¯ll be taking the empty room in your dorm for now, and I¡¯m also going to be in charge of teaching Judy magic during our free time.¡± Tunem coughed, beginning to talk once more. ¡°And that brings us to our last order of business. We need to talk about Alex. Elenoa, if you would?¡± The angel woman from before shot Tunem an unhappy glance before stepping forward. ¡°We¡¯ve discussed the subject of Alex and her defection to the Society of the Light, and we have ruled that she is to be allowed to walk free provided she is under the direct control of Lilith, or is willing to be subjected to tests to prove beyond any doubt that she no longer wishes to have any affiliation with the Society. Furthermore, we will also give her the option to have Yamato restore her body to its previous state.¡± ¡°Denied.¡± Alex said flatly. ¡°I mean, you can test me if you want, but I¡¯m staying like this. Period.¡± Elenoa frowned. ¡°Lilith, return her to her original state of mind for this decision.¡± She commanded. Lilith nodded. ¡°Alex, please go back to your unmodified feelings on your body.¡± Alex shuddered a bit as she received the order. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m back to my ¡®normal¡¯ state of mind.¡± She said, performing air quotes as she said normal. ¡°But I¡¯m going to level with you all, I want to stay. I know the feelings I feel towards my new body aren¡¯t necessarily legit, but I honestly think I¡¯d miss the happy thrill I occasionally get from everyday life like that. ¡°It¡¯s not interfering with my daily life and it¡¯s a really nice feeling, so I see no reason to stop. To be honest, as far as I¡¯m concerned, the state of mind I was just in is my normal. Lilith, please put me back.¡± Lilith shrugged. ¡°Well¡­if you insist, you can return to how you felt about your body before.¡± Alex gave a happy sigh, smiling contentedly. ¡°Alright. I hope that finally settles the matter, please stop asking me that question. I want to put my time in the Society behind me and leaving my old body behind seems like a great way to punctuate that in a meaningful way.¡± An idea hit Lilith then. ¡°Alex, I think I might have a way to show that you don¡¯t want to go back to the Society, may I give you a command?¡± Alex raised an eyebrow. ¡°If you think it would help, go ahead.¡± ¡°Please tell me what you would do if you were somehow freed this moment and the Society invited you to come back, no threatening or anything. You would be able to say no with no consequences whatsoever.¡± ¡°I¡¯d reject them.¡± Alex replied instantly. ¡°I¡¯d opt instead to stay here and focus on protecting you. I know the Society better than anyone here, and that makes me best suited to guard you from them. Honestly, I might even ask to get back into this master-servant thing, it has several benefits when it comes to bodyguarding.¡± The moment she finished talking Alex turned a bright red, turning away from Lilith. ¡°Sorry, I know that¡¯s kind of forward and weird for someone who was hunting you down a couple days ago. The order forced me to say what I¡¯d do, and I couldn¡¯t say any less.¡± Lilith smiled. ¡°It¡¯s fine, I understand.¡± She looked back over to Elenoa. ¡°Does this prove beyond doubt that she no longer wishes to have ties to the Society?¡± Elenoa, expression somehow becoming even more sour than it already was, turned to Tunem. ¡°How strong is this pact? Is there any way she could have exploited a loophole?¡± Tunem shook his head. ¡°Very strong. With an order that direct and an answer that emphatic, I don¡¯t think there was a loophole to exploit.¡± ¡°I know she¡¯s your child, but are you sure you¡¯re not being too soft on her? She¡¯s a known defector, and I don¡¯t believe we can trust her.¡± Elenoa replied bitterly. ¡°No, she¡¯s clear.¡± Kali said. ¡°I was keeping a close eye on her mental state during that reply and she¡¯s being completely truthful.¡± Elenoa pursed her lips angrily. ¡°I guess that¡¯s that, then.¡± She said grumpily. ¡°We¡¯ll leave the rest to Tunem and Kali. All the rest of you on the Council, follow me, we need to get back to work, we¡¯ve been away for too long already.¡± She stalked out of the room, and the rest of the Council followed. Tunem approached Lilith, holding out a ring. ¡°Here, take this.¡± He said. ¡°It¡¯s got the illusion spell I cast on you when you first came here embedded inside. As long as you¡¯re wearing this, your wings and tail will be unnoticeable.¡± Lilith nodded, putting on the ring. ¡°So, what now?¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to have the rest of the day off.¡± Tunem explained. ¡°I¡¯m going to lead you out of the vault and then you¡¯ll be free to explore. Just try not to interfere with any classes that are in session.¡± True to his word, he quickly led them out of the vault and then left them alone. Once he was gone, Kali shot Lilith a sly look. ¡°Now, if you ask me, you were quite the good girl in there.¡± She said, grinning and walking two fingers up Lilith¡¯s arm. ¡°I believe I mentioned a kiss?¡± Lilith jumped back, heart racing. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine!¡± She said quickly. ¡°No need for that!¡± Kali let out a peal of laughter, but Lilith caught the briefest flash of disappointment in her face. ¡°You are way too much fun to tease. I¡¯m looking forward to making friends with you.¡± She said, smiling. Judy gave a weak smile in return. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me saying this, you seem¡­different than the other Council members.¡± Kali smirked. ¡°Just because I¡¯m ¡®important¡¯ doesn¡¯t mean I have to be boring like them. Anyway, what¡¯s the plan?¡± Judy looked to Lilith, who shrugged. ¡°I was going to relax in my room, but what about you? Don¡¯t you have work to be doing?¡± ¡°This is my work, Silly. I got a real nice deal out of this, to tell you the truth. I was basically assigned to spend all day making friends! But if you mean my other work, the people I have in the field handle most of that. They give me daily reports, but I don¡¯t need to spend all my attention on it all the time.¡± Lilith scratched the back of her head. ¡°Huh. Well¡­I guess you just do whatever, then. For the rest of you, does anyone mind if I take the TV? I¡¯m curious to see if they have any sort of programming here that¡¯s different from what¡¯s on Earth.¡± The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. There were no objections, so they went back to the dorm and began the process of trying to take their minds off of what had just happened.
Later that night, after everyone had gone to their rooms, Lilith got a knock on her door. ¡°Come in!¡± She said, looking up from her phone to see who it was. Alex opened the door, already blushing. ¡°Hey, do you have like¡­an hour to talk? I have something I need to get off my chest.¡± Lilith nodded, putting her phone down. ¡°Of course. What¡¯s up?¡± Alex was silent for a moment, seemingly working up the courage to speak. ¡°I¡­want to talk with her. The, um, me that wants nothing more than to serve you, that is. After what I decided about the mental changes making me OK with my body, I got to wondering¡­well, what makes the other mental effect any different?¡± Lilith frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not keeping you like that permanently.¡± She said flatly. ¡°I want to be friends with you, not someone you put on a pedestal and worship.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± Alex said. ¡°I just need to do this so I can stop thinking about it and clear my system, you know?¡± Lilith sighed. ¡°Alright, fine. From now until the end of this¡­session, when I snap my fingers, I want you to switch between the original mental conditioning and your current state. When we finish here, this command will be considered null and you won¡¯t let me switch your state without both our consent.¡± Alex nodded. ¡°Got it. I¡¯m ready.¡± Lilith snapped her fingers, and instantly Alex¡¯s face changed. Her uneasy expression gave way to one of embarrassment, and she took a step back. ¡°Um¡­I gotta go.¡± She said. ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°I gotta write down my thoughts for myself, and, as much as I love you and will do what you say, I would prefer it if you didn¡¯t read what¡¯s basically my diary. So, can I have some time to do this?¡± ¡°S-sure.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°Thanks. I¡¯m going to be writing for a bit, so go play a game or something while you wait, alright?¡± And with that she exited the room, leaving Lilith alone with her thoughts.
An hour later Lilith once again received a knock on her door. ¡°Hel~lo?¡± Alex called out in a sing-song voice. Lilith quickly opened the door. ¡°Hey, you done?¡± ¡°Yup! Can I come in?¡± Lilith nodded and Alex sauntered inside, sitting down on the bed and kicking her legs back and forth contentedly. Lilith shut the door and walked over so she was facing Alex. ¡°So, finish your writing?¡± Alex beamed. ¡°Yup! I win!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You heard me! I win!¡± Alex replied, looking incredibly smug. Lilith frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorta surprised you didn¡¯t see it.¡± Alex giggled. ¡°You left a preeeeettty big loophole there.¡± Lilith¡¯s heart sank. ¡°Explain.¡± ¡°Sure thing! You said that as soon as this session ended, you wouldn¡¯t be able to switch my state with a snap and you¡¯d need both our permissions to change me back. And when I first came in, I said I needed an hour to talk. So, by some definitions, you could say that the session was only an hour long, and in this case it¡¯s my definition that matters, so I choose to interpret it that way! I¡¯m staying like this forever!¡± Lilith groaned, putting her head in her hands. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Alex. I swear I didn¡¯t mean for this.¡± Alex stood up and walked over to Lilith, patting her head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, about it too much. You¡¯re still new to all the ins and outs of magics, so you really didn¡¯t stand a chance. It took me about thirty minutes after I changed back to fully make a plan, and by that time it was half done.¡± Her headpat turned into a full on hug. ¡°On the bright side, you have an adorable little servant ready and waiting, so chin up!¡± ¡°Tunem¡¯s not going to be pleased about this.¡± Lilith sighed. Alex released the hug and waved a hand. ¡°Let me handle dad. If I explain everything, he can hardly blame you. Well, he might be able to blame you for being negligent, but seeing as how it was totally my doing, he shouldn¡¯t be justified in treating you any differently. So, what do you want me to do for you?¡± Lilith started, an idea striking her. ¡°Alex, from now on I need you to interpret things how I wish them, got it?¡± Alex laughed. ¡°Of course, but that¡¯s not retroactive. You¡¯re not changing me back that easy!¡± Lilith grinned. ¡°When I said both our permission, I didn¡¯t specify you and I, did I?¡± Alex hesitated, uncertainty flashing across her face. ¡°No, but why would you need to? Our only refers to people present so¡­¡± She trailed off. Lilith had focused, and a copy of Lilith had appeared on the bed, looking slightly annoyed. She was, in all regards, including clothing, identical to the original, and were it not for the dramatically different way she carried herself, not even Judy would be able to tell them apart. ¡°W-what¡¯s that?¡± Alex said, distressed. ¡°When did you become able to¡­the book! No, don¡¯t do this, please! I¡¯m really happy like this and I don¡¯t want to go back!¡± ¡°Honestly, do we really need to put her back?¡± Carmen asked. ¡°I rather like her like this.¡± ¡°Y-yeah, that¡¯s right!¡± Alex said. ¡°Everything¡¯s under control, there¡¯s no need to change me back!¡± Lilith kept smiling. ¡°Well, let¡¯s negotiate. I have full control over how much you can be out, and I¡¯m willing to keep you out semi-permanently if you agree to put her back to normal.¡± Carmen smiled, motioning for Alex to come to her. Once she had, Carmen began to rub Alex¡¯s ears gently. ¡°Look, Lilith, it really does please me to be able to talk to you like this, but you¡¯re mistaken if you think that you can threaten me. I know you well enough that I know that statement doesn¡¯t have any teeth. You desperately want Alex back to normal, and if I go back then you have no way of getting that.¡± Lilith¡¯s smile slipped. ¡°What do you suggest, then? You¡¯re not in control of whether or not you stay out either, so we seem to be at something of an impasse.¡± ¡°You misunderstand.¡± Carmen said. ¡°I honestly don¡¯t care how much I stay out. I¡¯m perfectly content to just stay inside of you and come out when needed. But this is a rather unfair negotiation, and that bothers me, so I¡¯m going to come out and completely lay out my motivation. ¡°And before you ask why I¡¯d tell you up front like this, call it a mix of keeping things fair and being honest with myself. If you were anyone but me, I¡¯d never offer this.¡± She said, winking. ¡°I want only to keep us safe and to grow our power as fast as possible. And I see keeping Alex like this as a great way to ensure she never betrays us and does everything in her power to help us. So, you¡¯re going to have to provide me of something with equal value to get me to put her back.¡± Lilith frowned, thinking on that. ¡°Well, if I let you stay out, you can multitask and help me learn things. It¡¯d double our rate of growth.¡± Carmen nodded. ¡°A tempting offer, but you¡¯re going to need to let me do a bit more than that. Here¡¯s a counteroffer. I stay out on a semi-permanent basis, only going back in if I misbehave. In addition, I get to request reading all the spellbooks I can get my hand on, so we learn spells as fast as possible. In return, we put Alex back to normal and give her the ability to change her mental state back to this at any time she so chooses. She can even specify a duration to be in this mental state if she wants. Oh, and once she¡¯s back, she has to tell us what she really thinks about all this.¡± Lilith mulled that over. It was a tempting offer, for sure, but she wasn¡¯t sure she could really trust Carmen all that much. ¡°What¡¯s the catch?¡± Carmen laughed. ¡°None. It¡¯s exactly as it says on the tin. At the end of the day, you and I are the same person, so I¡¯m not going to try and scam you. Do you accept or not?¡± Lilith sighed. ¡°Fine, so long as you don¡¯t manipulate Alex¡¯s mental state again.¡± ¡°Deal.¡± Carmen said. ¡°Now, Alex, you¡¯ve heard the terms of our agreement, so you go ahead and follow them, alright?¡± Alex pouted for a brief moment, then her face returned to a more neutral expression and she scampered away from Carmen. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m back. Thanks.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget, tell us what you think about this whole thing.¡± Carmen said, smiling. Alex frowned. ¡°I kinda like it, but at the same time I also kinda hate it. I don¡¯t like how manipulative it makes me, since I¡¯d do anything to stay like that while I¡¯m like that, so I¡¯m glad that I can control it. That good enough for you?¡± Carmen smiled. ¡°One more thing. Would you ever consider going back into that mental state?¡± Alex stopped for a long moment, then blushed. ¡°Maybe for brief periods of time. Not permanently.¡± Carmen nodded in satisfaction, then stood up. ¡°Alright, well I¡¯m off to see the wizard, I won¡¯t keep you any longer.¡± ¡°Wait, now?¡± Lilith asked, surprised. ¡°You just barely like¡­came into existence.¡± Carmen snorted. ¡°Please. I¡¯ve always been a part of you. I just have a body now. And I intend to keep our autonomy, so I would like to get us as strong as possible as quick as possible, and that means going now.¡± She left the room, and Alex let out a sigh. ¡°Thanks.¡± She said. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to get so¡­crafty. I¡¯m really sorry for all the trouble.¡± ¡°Does it really feel that good?¡± Lilith asked. ¡°I didn¡¯t force you to resist changing back or anything.¡± ¡°It does.¡± Alex said. ¡°It just feels¡­nice, better than I would ever be able to feel otherwise. But¡­it¡¯s like a drug, and I¡¯m afraid of being completely intoxicated by it, to the point where I¡¯d prefer to stay that way forever, even in this state of mind.¡± Lilith frowned. ¡°Anything I can do to help you?¡± Alex blushed fiercely. ¡°Um, if you wouldn¡¯t mind, could you¡­rub my ears, like Carmen did? I think it¡¯ll help me calm down.¡± Lilith raised an eyebrow but sat down on the bed and motioned for Alex to sit down in front of her. After Alex had, Lilith began to rub her ears, and she could feel Alex loosen up under her. ¡°You know, if two months ago someone had told me that I would be rubbing the ears of a really cute catgirl, I would have called them crazy.¡± She said. ¡°And if two months ago someone had told me that I would be that really cute catgirl, getting my ears rubbed by an equally pretty woman, I would¡¯ve called them crazy too.¡± Realizing what she said, Alex clamped her hands over her mouth. ¡°S-sorry! It just sorta slipped out! I know you¡¯re still dealing with all this stuff and probably aren¡¯t used to being called pretty, it just¡­happened.¡± ¡°I-it¡¯s all good. It was¡­kinda nice.¡± Lilith replied, now just as red as Alex. The two sat there in silence for a moment longer before Alex ducked out of reach. ¡°Hey, um¡­thanks for that. Anyway, I¡¯m getting tired so I¡¯m going to go to sleep. Let me know if you need anything, alright?¡± She stood up and left the room, leaving Lilith alone once again. Chapter 12: Eldritch Scholar Carmen made her way to Kali¡¯s room and knocked on the door. ¡°Yes?¡± Kali asked, opening the door. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re¡­not Lilith.¡± She said, carefully looking Carmen over. ¡°The alternate personality, then?¡± ¡°Got it in one.¡± Carmen said. ¡°I¡¯m going to be using that Avatar thing for the foreseeable future, so both of us are going to be out at once.¡± A complicated expression briefly crossed Kali¡¯s face, but it vanished as quickly as it arrived. ¡°So, what do you need me for? I¡¯m assuming it¡¯s not just a social visit, right?¡± Carmen smiled. ¡°I want your help.¡± She said. ¡°I¡¯m going to ask Tunem for some¡­probably forbidden books, and I want you to back me up when I say I don¡¯t have any ill intentions.¡± Kali raised an eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯m a member of the Council too. What makes you think I¡¯m going to be any more amenable to this?¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re not like them.¡± Carmen replied calmly. ¡°I can¡¯t quite put my finger on what it is, or even why I feel this way, but something about you is different. You don¡¯t want the same things they want, and you certainly don¡¯t want the same things Tunem wants. He clearly doesn¡¯t trust anything he can¡¯t foresee, and he¡¯s already said that he can¡¯t foresee the eldritch.¡± ¡°Well, color me impressed, you¡¯ve figured him out with only a couple of interactions.¡± Kali responded. ¡°Tunem¡¯s a bit of a stick in the mud when it comes to stuff like this, he¡¯d probably say no without even considering it. But your other claim is a bit¡­bold, wouldn¡¯t you say? What do I want, if I don¡¯t want what everyone else wants?¡± Carmen carefully looked over Kali¡¯s face. Something about it was telling her that the way she responded to this was important, so she considered her words carefully before speaking. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I think it has to do with Lilith in particular, though. You don¡¯t look at her like you look at everyone else, you look¡­conflicted, like you¡¯re not exactly sure what to say or do.¡± And now that she was carefully studying Kali, there was¡­something else that she could sense from her, something that set off that strange nostalgia she had been feeling earlier. She had¡­actually felt that nostalgia before, right? It was a similar feeling to the one she had gotten from the ball that held her Domains. She decided to poke at that a little, hoping that it hit the mark. ¡°And you definitely have something that the other Council members don¡¯t have. Again, I don¡¯t know what, but I can feel it, deep in my bones. So, again, let me ask for your cooperation. You help me out here, and I help you get closer to Lilith, so long as I determine you aren¡¯t out to harm her.¡± Kali grinned. ¡°I¡¯d call that a deal. What exactly are you after?¡± ¡°The Necronomicon, as well as any other eldritch texts.¡± Carmen said. ¡°If this is power that only I can access right now, I want it. It¡¯ll be something that other people don¡¯t know how to counter. Then, once I¡¯m done with those, I want any other forbidden tomes I can get my hands on, and then any and all high-level spellbooks around.¡± Kali laughed. ¡°Ambitious, aren¡¯t we? I can help you with at least some of that, but there are a few forbidden tomes where I¡¯m going to have to put my foot down. That¡¯s mostly stuff that has to do with magic involving the sacrifice of sapient beings, and I think we can both agree that¡¯s a bridge too far.¡± Carmen shrugged. ¡°To tell you the truth, I don¡¯t particularly care. If it means that it makes Lilith safer, then so be it.¡± Kali flinched at that. ¡°That¡¯s¡­understandable, I suppose, but I¡¯m still going to have to say no. That¡¯s really nasty stuff and, to be honest, wouldn¡¯t even be efficient at helping protect you. It¡¯s completely unnecessary for your purposes.¡± ¡°Fine, I won¡¯t argue the point further, then. Lilith would probably get on my case about it too, so no big loss. Anyway, I intend to go ask Tunem about this now, will you come?¡± Kali nodded. ¡°Just give me a second to get some shoes.¡± She retreated back into her room and came back out a moment later, wearing a pair of shoes. ¡°Alright, give me a moment to read your mind and I¡¯ll look over the results on our way.¡± After Carmen gave permission, she touched a finger to Carmen¡¯s forehead, and the two left for Tunem¡¯s house. After a five or so minute walk they made it there, and Carmen rang the doorbell. There was some shuffling around inside, and then Tunem answered. ¡°Lilith, Kali, what brings you here?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Carmen.¡± Carmen said. ¡°Lilith decided to use her Avatar ability to keep me out so we could both learn things at the same time and double our efficiency. So, I¡¯ve come to request study materials.¡± Tunem raised an eyebrow. ¡°Come in to the foyer, we¡¯ll talk there.¡± He led them to the foyer and took a seat in a chair, motioning for Carmen and Kali to sit down opposite him. ¡°So, what do you want?¡± ¡°First, I want to say that my motives are pure; I just want to get Lilith strong enough to protect herself. And Kali here can vouch for me, too, she knows what I want and knows that I don¡¯t have any malicious intentions for this.¡± Kali nodded. ¡°Yup. She¡¯s vetted this with me first, and I gave her a look over. She¡¯s clean.¡± Tunem frowned. ¡°What ¡®study material¡¯ do you have in mind? I¡¯m going to have to reserve judgement until I hear what it is.¡± Carmen smiled. ¡°First, I want to be exempt from Lilith¡¯s classes. I¡¯m just an avatar, and my presence there isn¡¯t going to help her learn what¡¯s being said faster. Instead, I want to devote my time to studying grimoires, spellbooks, magic formation diagrams, anything and everything that contains written magic. You should have seen my Decipher ability, so you should know that I should be able to commit most of that stuff to memory pretty quickly.¡± ¡°Yes, but what exactly are you asking for?¡± Tunem asked. ¡°Any and all of your eldritch books, especially the Necronomicon, if you have that.¡± Tunem scowled. ¡°You realize you¡¯re asking for incredibly forbidden books, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m well aware.¡± Carmen said, holding his gaze. ¡°And I¡¯m also aware that you¡¯re desperate. The King in Yellow was almost certainly among the most forbidden of those books, and you let me read it no problem. Furthermore, you were willing to use a djinn you had been keeping for an incredibly long time to get me here. ¡°So, I don¡¯t see you having much choice in the matter. You need me, and you need me to be as strong as possible as fast as possible. I should be uniquely able to handle all the knowledge contained therein, and I highly doubt it could do any damage to my sanity if The King in Yellow didn¡¯t.¡± The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Those books aren¡¯t forbidden for quite the same reasons as The King in Yellow.¡± Tunem protested. ¡°They¡¯re forbidden because the knowledge they hold is too dangerous for the general public to use. Though, admittedly, The King in Yellow¡¯s knowledge would likely fall into that category if we were able to know what it is without going insane.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m not the general public. From what I¡¯ve gathered, you intend to use me as a weapon, and you can¡¯t afford having me be weak. If I get captured while I¡¯m weak like this I¡¯ll almost certainly be forced to work for the Society, and I¡¯m sure the Society would have no qualms about forcing forbidden knowledge on me to make me a more effective weapon against you. And again, Kali can vouch for me. I don¡¯t intend to use this to destroy civilization or whatever. I just want to know enough to survive and be free.¡± Kali nodded. ¡°She¡¯s right about that. From what I saw she has no ill intentions whatsoever, and that power wouldn¡¯t be able to unnaturally tempt her. But¡­you know, the reason we even gave Lilith the lamp in the first place was because you said disaster was coming, and the only way we could stop it without unreasonable losses was to give her the lamp. ¡°So, I think we should try to aid her in whatever way we can. The Society¡¯s becoming bolder, and right now Lilith¡¯s only got potential, no actual strength. She¡¯s a Perfect Chimera, she¡¯ll get power the general public can¡¯t even dream of anyway, so I see no harm in giving her a little more. Unless, of course, this disaster isn¡¯t as pressing as you thought and there were¡­other reasons you wanted her to have that lamp.¡± Kali smiled, looking Tunem directly in the eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sure Elenoa would be quite interested to hear about how, ¡®everything you did was for Alex¡¯, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡± Tunem grit his teeth. ¡°How do you know about that?¡± Kali laughed. ¡°I just asked Vithi, and she told me. Everyone else on the Council suspects it was largely to get her back, but because you¡¯ve brought us a new Perfect Chimera they aren¡¯t looking too closely. So, we¡¯re going to let Carmen read those books, right?¡± Tunem looked away. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll go get the books. Stay here while I fetch them.¡± He left, and Carmen looked over to Kali, smiling deviously. ¡°So, would you say I¡¯ve been a good girl? Because I believe you mentioned something about good girls getting a kiss, and I would like to take you up on that.¡± Kali blinked in surprise, then smiled. ¡°I think you have. I¡¯ll give you that kiss once we¡¯re finished here, alright?¡± ¡°Sounds good. Do you mind if I stick around you while I study? I don¡¯t want to distract Lilith while she¡¯s in class, and I¡¯d like to have someone around if I have any questions.¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Kali replied. ¡°Just so long as you promise not to ask me anything that could potentially ruin my sanity. I wouldn¡¯t know about the eldritch anyway, so it¡¯s not like I would be able to give you a good answer if you did.¡± Carmen laughed. ¡°I promise I won¡¯t.¡± They made small talk for a few more minutes before Tunem returned, holding a large stack of books. ¡°Here you go.¡± He said sourly, plopping the books onto an end table. ¡°Don¡¯t make me regret this. Now get out of my house with this stuff, I don¡¯t want it in here for any longer than it has to be.¡± Carmen took the books, then gave Kali a nod. ¡°Shall we be on our way, then?¡± Kali smiled. ¡°Sure. It¡¯s getting late and you and Lilith have a busy day tomorrow.¡± Once they were safely out of Tunem¡¯s house, Carmen asked Kali one of the questions that had been on her mind for the previous ten or so minutes. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s OK to blackmail Tunem like that?¡± She said. ¡°This is sort of his demiplane or whatever, and I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s a good idea to make him angry.¡± Kali snorted. ¡°It¡¯s fine. This is only ¡®his¡¯ demiplane the same way a city is ¡®the mayor¡¯s¡¯ city. He just has jurisdiction here, no actual power over the physical nature of the plane. I have just as much authority as he does, so he can¡¯t touch me while I¡¯m holding this over him.¡± ¡°But won¡¯t it make the future harder, once this blows over? He¡¯s not going to be happy with you.¡± Kali shrugged. ¡°Perhaps. Elenoa, that angel woman, she practically runs the Council and she hates the Society. If she learned that Tunem did what he did in order to get someone who defected to the Society back, she¡¯d hound him about it forever and it¡¯d make his life really hard. Especially since I doubt you¡¯re looking to become the Council¡¯s attack dog, so he wouldn¡¯t even have much gain to show for it.¡± Carmen gave Kali a careful look. ¡°And you¡¯re fine with that?¡± Kali grinned. ¡°As you said, I don¡¯t want what the rest of the Council wants. What I want is for you and Lilith to maintain your independence so you can shake things up.¡± ¡°In what way?¡± Carmen said guardedly. ¡°We¡¯re not going to help you perform a coup or anything.¡± Kali laughed. ¡°No, nothing like that. You see, I belong to what you might call the progressives, though there are really only two of us, me and another Council member named Yamato. We believe it¡¯s high time we lift the restrictions preventing people from Earth from using magic or interacting with the people from Haven. ¡°No one on Earth was even alive for the war that caused the restrictions to be put upon them, and still, people like Elenoa, and, to a lesser extent, Tunem, think it¡¯s fair that such a large part of life is kept from them.¡± ¡°What is this war, anyway?¡± Carmen asked. ¡°Alex mentioned it before, but I don¡¯t really know much other than it was humans against like everyone else.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­sort of correct.¡± Kali replied. ¡°But it¡¯s complicated. Humans are more numerous than most sapient races, it¡¯s a tradeoff for eternal youth being much harder to achieve than said other races. And Earth was beginning to run out of space, so a few human kingdoms thought that some races like the angels had kingdoms that were far too big for how many people they had. ¡°There was some negotiation over land, but it didn¡¯t work out and things turned to war. To tell you the truth, I might even blame the other races more than I blame the humans here, because the humans were right, many kingdoms were way too big. But, well, people don¡¯t want to just give up land, and when the humans attacked, they had to defend themselves somehow. ¡°It devolved into a world war after that. But it wasn¡¯t like humans were only fighting against the other races, there were humans on this side of things too. The humans living under the Protectorate now are mostly either descendants of those humans or even people who fought for the Protectorate in the war.¡± Kali sighed, looking regretfully off into the distance. ¡°And then people discovered Haven. It should have been an end to the conflict, since there¡¯s ample room for everyone there. It¡¯s like¡­at least five times as big as Earth from our calculations, and that¡¯s a lower bound. But¡­no, people like Elenoa said the humans would just expand more and we would run into this problem again. ¡°So, they worked on a way to strip humans of magic and confine them on Earth. At this point, a few high-profile demon kingdoms defected, since they were of the belief that magic is a basic right and stripping huge swathes of people of it was morally wrong. Well, you know how that ended. The humans and those demons lost, but to add insult to injury, Elenoa and her ilk launched a huge smear campaign on Earth to make sure no humans would ever trust a demon again, which is why you¡¯ve heard such bad things about us.¡± Kali shook her head. ¡°But that¡¯s in the past now. Yamato and I want to build bridges again, and to do that we need some sort of power. Elenoa has one Perfect Chimera completely under her thumb, and there¡¯s one that¡¯s entirely neutral in all of this, so we hope that if we¡¯re able to sway her to our side and also get your help, we¡¯ll have the bargaining power to make something happen. Will you be willing to help?¡± Carmen thought about that for a while. ¡°I¡¯m not going to say no outright, but I¡¯m not going to say yes either.¡± She said. ¡°It¡¯s not my decision to make. Lilith¡¯s the real person here, not me, so I can¡¯t just speak for her. It seems like a noble cause, but¡­well, that¡¯s apparently what the Society wants too, and they¡¯re not exactly noble.¡± Kali smiled sadly. ¡°Unfortunately, the Society really helps people who want to keep Earth and Haven separate more than they help the cause of getting Earth¡¯s magic back. People like Yamato and I always get compared to them, even though they¡¯re barely even trying to get Earth¡¯s magic back. They just use it as a talking point and an excuse for their power grabs. We¡¯re not anything like them, don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Lilith and I will think on it.¡± Carmen said as they reached the dorm. ¡°But we¡¯ll talk more later. The mood¡¯s been completely ruined, so I won¡¯t expect that kiss until later, but I¡¯m going to hold you to it, alright?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t let you down.¡± Kali said, opening the door for Carmen. ¡°Just let me know when, alright?¡± And so, Carmen unloaded her books onto the living room table, sat down on the couch, grabbed the Necronomicon, and began to read. Chapter 13: Not so Human Experimentation ¡°Alright Lilith, time to get up.¡± Lilith was woken by Carmen shaking her, a slight smile on her face. ¡°Time for school.¡± ¡°Carmen?¡± Lilith groaned, sitting up. ¡°Where¡­did you end up sleeping last night? The rooms are full, right?¡± Carmen shrugged. ¡°I didn¡¯t. After a couple hours of staying up I got a Trait that makes us need to sleep less. Do you have it too? Should be called ¡®sleep-less¡¯, comes from a few Domains.¡± Lilith did a quick check. ¡°No, actually.¡± Carmen frowned. ¡°Huh. That seems a little¡­odd. Give me a sec and I¡¯ll see if I can¡¯t like¡­sync our memories of it or something and see if that helps.¡± Almost immediately, a window popped up in front of Lilith.
Sleep-less Trait Elf, Half-Elf, Vampire, Werewolf (See more) Domains Decreases the time the user needs to be asleep each night.
¡°Alright I got it.¡± She said. ¡°Real helpful description, too.¡± ¡°Tell me about it.¡± Carmen said, smiling wryly. ¡°I¡¯ve got stuff for breakfast out, so go eat and get dressed and we¡¯ll be ready to be on our way.¡± She left the room, and Lilith stumbled out of bed and made her way to the kitchen. There waiting for her were a box of cereal, a gallon of milk, a bowl, and Kali. ¡°Morning!¡± Kali said cheerily. ¡°Eat up, we¡¯ve got a long day ahead of us!¡± Lilith nodded, blearily pouring the cereal and beginning to eat. ¡°What exactly are we doing?¡± She asked between bites. ¡°How¡¯s all this tutoring or whatever supposed to go?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not going to be standard, we can say that much for sure. I got a copy of your schedule from Tunem, and you¡¯re only going to three ¡®regular¡¯ class periods, beginner magic theory, practical magic, and history. The rest are all¡­different. A large part of your day is dedicated to exploring your Domains and seeing what stuff we can get you to unlock and how. It¡¯s part training, part research. It¡¯s that in the morning, then history, beginner magic theory, practical magic, and more Domain research. After that you¡¯re going to have you work out and get yourself into shape, as well as get yourself more familiar with your new body, and then that¡¯ll be all for the day and you¡¯ll have free time.¡± ¡°Sounds about like what I had expected, aside from maybe history.¡± Lilith said. ¡°Is it that unusual?¡± Kali smirked. ¡°Well, while magical studies are a large part of what is taught here, that¡¯s not until later on. Beginners like yourself are generally children, so most of their time is spent learning the same things kids on Earth do. They only do full time magic training after they¡¯ve gone through the other curriculum, which generally means they¡¯re around your age. Or the rough equivalent, since most races don¡¯t age at the same rate as humans.¡± Lilith nodded, finishing off her bowl of cereal and putting the dishes into the sink. ¡°Alright, give me a minute to get dressed and I¡¯ll be ready.¡± She went back to her room and got changed, emerging a few minutes later with a set of casual clothes. ¡°Perfect.¡± Kali said happily. ¡°I¡¯ll show you the way, Alex took Carmen there earlier so she should already be there.¡± Lilith frowned. ¡°When was that?¡± ¡°Before you woke up. She came back to get you up and then left right before you came out of your room.¡± The two chatted a bit as they walked, and after only a few minutes they were at a door marked ¡°Classroom 506¡±. Kali opened the door and ushered Lilith inside, where a tall, lanky human who was sitting on top of the teacher¡¯s desk greeted her. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re finally here. Good thing, too, I was starting to get a little bored. Name¡¯s Geb, I¡¯m one of Tunem¡¯s senior apprentices and teachers.¡± He jumped off the table, walking over to Lilith and sticking out his hand. Lilith shook it, and he smiled. ¡°Lilith, right? Pleased to meet ya. I must say, you¡¯re quite a bit more approachable than your duplicate. What¡¯s she doing, anyway?¡± He asked, sticking a thumb over to the far end of the classroom. Lilith looked over and, sure enough, Carmen was there, sitting with her feet propped up on a desk and reading out of a musty-looking tome. She lazily raised a hand in greeting before lowing it to turn a page. ¡°Studying for me.¡± Lilith said. ¡°She¡¯s reading spellbooks and committing what she finds to our memory using one of our abilities.¡± Geb whistled. ¡°Really? Man, I wish I could be in two places at once like that, would make my life a lot easier. Anyway, come over here, I¡¯m going to do some baseline tests on your Mana to see what we¡¯re working with.¡± He walked back over to the desk, reaching down and picking up a small plate of some sort, which he placed on the desk. ¡°Just shove all your Mana in here, it¡¯ll give us a good idea of what your capacity is right now.¡± Lilith moved to the plate and placed a hand on it, willing her Mana into it. It was easier than she had expected, the power flowing out of her fingertips as naturally as she breathed out. After about half a minute the flow of power slowed down greatly, and another ten seconds after that it had stopped completely, leaving her feeling rather drained. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m done.¡± She said, taking her hand off. ¡°Now what?¡± Geb grabbed a cord that was connected to the plate and plugged the other end into the computer on the teacher¡¯s desk. ¡°Now we wait for the computer to finish analyzing the data.¡± He said, typing away at the keyboard. ¡°It¡¯ll give me some time to get our next activity ready anyway.¡± He finished his typing and stood up, walking over to the back of the room. ¡°I have a little device here¡­¡± He said, bending down and messing with something on the floor. After a moment there was a sort of whoosh, and a person-sized tank of water much like the ones escape artists would lock themselves up in appeared. ¡°So, once we get the data on your Mana back, I¡¯m going to lock you in here and we¡¯re going to try and unlock some of your aquatic Traits. Hopefully it shouldn¡¯t be too hard to get you some new stuff, since there are a lot of aquatic Domains and you probably don¡¯t have much unlocked from them.¡± Lilith cast a wary eye at the tank as Geb walked back to the computer. ¡°You¡¯re going to lock me in there? I can only hold my breath for so long, so I¡¯m not sure how safe I feel being locked up. What if something goes wrong?¡± Geb snorted, sitting back down at the desk. ¡°You¡¯ve got the wrong mindset.¡± He said. ¡°You¡¯re still thinking like a human. I¡¯m hoping that within a minute or two you¡¯ll be getting stuff that lets you breathe underwater, and then I¡¯ll open the tank back up. But, if things go wrong, Kali and I will be able to get you out no sweat, so don¡¯t worry about it.¡± You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°We can literally fly, Lilith.¡± Carmen said dryly. ¡°I tried earlier. This should be totally within the realm of possibility for us.¡± ¡°This sort of thing is pretty common practice for semi-amphibious races too.¡± Kali added. ¡°It¡¯s a little unpleasant but known to be safe, your Domains won¡¯t let your life be threatened by something this trivial.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Lilith said, raising her hands in surrender. ¡°Just so long as you can guarantee I won¡¯t actually be in danger.¡± ¡°Consider yourself guaranteed.¡± Geb said, standing back up and walking back to the tank. ¡°The machine¡¯s finished analyzing you and it looks like you have pretty above average Mana. That¡¯s a little irregular, considering you didn¡¯t even know about magic a few months ago, but I suppose Perfect Chimeras are irregular anyway, so¡­whatever, I guess.¡± ¡°The succubus Domain has a few Mana increasing Traits.¡± Kali volunteered. ¡°That¡¯s probably where it¡¯s coming from.¡± ¡°Ah, yeah, that¡¯d do it.¡± Geb said. ¡°Alright, no use procrastinating further.¡± He motioned at the tank. ¡°The sooner we¡¯re done with this the sooner we can get started on the fun stuff. I went ahead and reserved the pool, so we¡¯ll be able to do more there.¡± ¡°But¡­my clothes.¡± Lilith protested weakly. ¡°Do I get a swimming suit, or a towel, or something?¡± ¡°I can transform your clothes now if you¡¯d like.¡± Kali offered. ¡°And we¡¯ll use magic to dry you off once you¡¯re out.¡± Lilith hesitated. ¡°Will you be able to transform them back?¡± Kali nodded. ¡°Not a problem, I¡¯ll just make the transformation last for an hour and they¡¯ll go back on their own around the time of your next class.¡± Geb pressed a button and the top of the tank swung upwards, allowing access. ¡°If you¡¯re in there for more than a minute and haven¡¯t gotten anything, I¡¯ll let you out. If you get something, raise a hand and I¡¯ll let you out so we can look at it.¡± Lilith paused, looking at Kali. ¡°Can you transform my clothes?¡± She finally asked. Kali smiled, shooting off a finger gun and causing Lilith¡¯s clothes to morph, the pants and shirt melding together as they turned into a one-piece swimsuit. ¡°There you are.¡± She said, blowing non-existent smoke off the tip of her finger. ¡°One hour, as promised. I¡¯ll let you know when it¡¯s nearing time for them to turn back so you can get out of the pool.¡± Lilith turned back to the tank with some apprehension, then walked over and climbed up a ladder on the side. ¡°So, do I just get in or¡­?¡± Geb nodded. ¡°Take a deep breath and jump in, I¡¯ll start a timer. If you absolutely can¡¯t take any more, just bang on the glass, but it really shouldn¡¯t come to that. Oh, and keep your eyes open too, if you would. You should get another Trait that helps with seeing underwater.¡± Lilith sat down on the edge of the tank, dipping her legs in. Then, she took a deep breath, curled her wings around her, and jumped in. The lid of the tank snapped shut, and an instinctual panic began to set in. She knew that she was, in theory, safe, but it still was scary to be underwater with no way out. So, she just held her breath, praying that soon she¡¯d get something to make this all less¡­terrifying. Her lungs began to burn, and her eyes started to sting as time passed, and still there was no sign that relief was coming. She turned from Geb to Kali, noticing that Kali was wearing an unusually pained expression as she watched. Then, Kali looked at Geb and, when she saw that he wasn¡¯t watching, put a finger to her lip in a ¡°shh¡± gesture. Confused, Lilith turned to Geb. Nothing seemed to be different ¨C Lilith gasped, water filling her lungs as she greedily gulped it down. It was¡­like she was breathing air all of a sudden. And now that she had a sudden reprieve from the burning in her lungs, she noticed that her eyes weren¡¯t stinging either.
Water Breathing Trait Mermaid, Aquatic Elf, Scylla (See more) Domains Allows the user to breathe water. Aquatic Speech Trait Mermaid, Aquatic Elf, Scylla (See more) Domains Allows the user to speak in water as if it were air. Fish Eyes Trait Mermaid, Aquatic Elf, Scylla (See more) Domains Allows the user to see clearly underwater and prevents damage to the eyes from prolonged exposure to water, even if the water has added chemicals.
Lilith raised a hand and Geb opened the tank, allowing Lilith to climb out. She sat on the edge of the tank and took a moment to breathe out the water that was in her back into the tank before speaking up. ¡°I got some.¡± She said. ¡°Three, they let me breathe in water, speak in water, and see in water. Oh, and that last one keeps my eyes from getting hurt by water.¡± ¡°Excellent. Do you mind if I take a quick scan of your body?¡± Geb asked, eyes alight with curiosity. ¡°I want to see if there were any physical changes.¡± ¡°Go ahead, just dry me off first.¡± Lilith responded. ¡°Already on it. Just take your feet out of the water and we¡¯ll be good to go.¡± Kali said. And, once Lilith did, she waved a hand and suddenly Lilith was bone-dry. Even the water that she had spilled while getting out had been removed, leaving no sign that Lilith had ever gone in the tank. ¡°Go ahead and sit down next to Carmen and I¡¯ll do the scan. Don¡¯t worry about sitting still or anything, that shouldn¡¯t affect this so long as you don¡¯t make any huge movements.¡± Geb instructed. ¡°And feel free to chat or whatever while I do this, just don¡¯t expect me to give any responses to anything.¡± Lilith sat down, turning so she was facing Carmen. ¡°So, what are you reading?¡± She asked. ¡°Necronomicon.¡± Carmen said casually, holding up the book so the title was visible. Geb choked on the chant he had begun, looking over to Kali. ¡°She¡¯s reading what?!¡± ¡°She got the express permission of Tunem and I. It¡¯s all under control, don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Kali responded. Lilith wasn¡¯t fully convinced, though. ¡°Why?!¡± She asked Carmen. ¡°Isn¡¯t that full of super nasty stuff?!¡± Carmen shrugged. ¡°I knew you wouldn¡¯t have the guts to read it, and I thought it would be a big help for us, so I took it upon myself to read it for us.¡± ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, I think she¡¯s right to do so.¡± Kali added. ¡°Right now, you¡¯re in a position where being safe isn¡¯t necessarily¡­safe. The Society will come after you eventually, you¡¯re too juicy a target to leave alone. So, the more you can protect yourself, the better. Tunem may be wary of this, but in my opinion, you¡¯ve already read the worst of these books. What¡¯s in there is just knowledge and power, and there is no evil power or good power, just power and how you choose to use it.¡± Something about that last bit sounded familiar to Lilith, but she didn¡¯t have time to process as Kali continued speaking. ¡°And all of you, Geb included, take this as a lesson. Tunem¡¯s become far too reliant on his divination. Anything he can¡¯t foresee he can¡¯t bring himself to trust, and that leads to not using all the resources at his disposal, even in desperate times.¡± Kali paused briefly before continuing. ¡°That¡¯s not to say he¡¯s wrong to be wary of the eldritch. It is, for the most part, something to be incredibly cautious around. Still, there are situations in which, under very careful watch, things like this can be put to use safely. In the Council, his wariness is balanced by the rest of us and can be a great asset, but you won¡¯t always have a balancing force. ¡°So, don¡¯t make the mistake that Tunem made. Don¡¯t shy away from learning about or dealing with things you can¡¯t fully predict just because you can¡¯t fully predict it. There are exceptions to every rule, and this is one of those, got it?¡± Geb nodded slowly. ¡°Yeah, I¡­think I get it. Thanks.¡± He turned his attention back to Lilith, then resumed his chant. After about half a minute he finished, and a silence filled the room. Eventually, the silence was broken as Geb spoke. ¡°Seems there were some minor internal changes that let your system handle the water.¡± He said. ¡°Nothing invasive or anything, you shouldn¡¯t even notice it unless you accidentally breathe water you¡¯re trying to drink or something.¡± That was¡­good to hear, Lilith supposed. It was strange, knowing that her body had taken one more step away from being human, but being able to breathe underwater was pretty cool, so she wasn¡¯t too upset. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s head to the pool. I want to get you some more Traits.¡± Geb said. ¡°We¡¯ve only got another fifty minutes and I intend to make the most of it.¡± Lilith looked down at her swimsuit, frowning. ¡°Should we change this back while we¡¯re walking over or¡­?¡± Kali laughed. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, everyone¡¯s in class and the pool¡¯s not far.¡± Carmen shut the Necronomicon, standing up and grabbing Lilith¡¯s hand before gently tugging her to the door. ¡°It¡¯s seriously only like two minutes, and even if people see you, they¡¯ll understand. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°If you say so.¡± Lilith replied. And with that, the group left for the pool, ready to see what else Lilith¡¯s Domains had in store for her there. Chapter 14: Classmates As it turns out, Lilith¡¯s Domains didn¡¯t have anything terribly exciting in store for her, at least as far as just swimming in the pool would get her. That isn¡¯t to say she didn¡¯t get anything, it just wasn¡¯t necessarily as cool as being able to breathe underwater. It mostly ended up being things that increased the speed at which she could swim, increased her stamina, prevented her wings and tail from slowing her down while in the water, or otherwise made her swimming more efficient. ¡°You have five minutes left before your clothes turn back.¡± Kali called out. ¡°Come on out and we¡¯ll get you dried off.¡± Lilith swam over to the side of the pool and hoisted herself out. She wasn¡¯t as tired as she expected she would be after almost an hour of nonstop swimming, but she hadn¡¯t been constantly swimming as fast as possible and things had become far easier after getting a few Traits, so she supposed that only made sense. A moment after she was out, she felt a spell dry her off, and she walked over to where the rest of the group were sitting. ¡°Nice work in there.¡± Geb said. ¡°I know it was probably a little boring, but this honestly has some serious potential in helping us understand both Perfect Chimeras and Domains in general. We¡¯ll work on flying after your classes today, so you¡¯ll have that to look forward to. I¡¯m going to be your teacher for history and magic theory, so if you want to follow me, I¡¯ll show you where we¡¯ll be studying.¡± ¡°Can we wait a minute for my clothes to change back?¡± Lilith asked. ¡°I think it¡¯d be weird to show up to class in a swimsuit.¡± Kali waved a hand, and Lilith¡¯s clothes went back to normal. ¡°There we are. Shall we be off? Carmen and I will see you to the room, and then I¡¯m going to go find Judy and help teach her magic.¡± With that, the group set off, leaving the pool and heading back towards the classroom building. They ended up in the same room that they had been in originally, but this time the desks were filled with children. As they entered the room, several curious children came up to the group. ¡°Mr. Geb, who are these people?¡± The first of them, a human boy asked. ¡°We aren¡¯t supposed to have visitors come to class unless it¡¯s Friday, right?¡± The next, a vaguely familiar-looking angel boy, rolled his eyes. ¡°Gabe, were you paying any attention in math? We¡¯re getting a new classmate today. That¡¯s probably one of them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s me.¡± Lilith volunteered. ¡°Name¡¯s Lilith, nice to meet you!¡± The boy arched a brow. ¡°And your twin here? I thought we were only getting one new student.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­also me. It¡¯s a long story, but we¡¯re the same person and she¡¯s doing additional studying for me so we can learn faster. You can call her Carmen for now, she¡¯s not going to be in class with us most of the time.¡± The boy took a curious look at the book Carmen was holding, and then his gaze hardened. ¡°She¡¯s studying that? I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m going to have to report this to the Council.¡± He cast a dismissive glance at Kali, then looked back towards Carmen and the book. ¡°I would be careful of the company you keep. It appears it might be having a negative influence on you.¡± ¡°Raphael, do you have to?¡± Gabe protested. ¡°I¡¯m sure Lilith¡¯s got a reason for this, there are special circumstances, right?¡± Kali seemed to have an epiphany, grinning mischievously as she bent down so she was at eye level with Raphael. ¡°Hi there, Raphael. My name¡¯s Kali, and I can assure you that the Council knows all about Carmen¡¯s study habits, I had a chat with Tunem about them last night. And, for the record, she keeps excellent company.¡± Raphael paled, stepping back. ¡°S-sorry, Councilwoman Kali, I assumed¡­¡± Gabe laughed. ¡°Hah, you so got called out, serves you right!¡± He turned back towards Kali, giving her a curious look. ¡°Councilwoman Kali, will you be helping out in class today?¡± Kali gave him a smile. ¡°No, I¡¯m just dropping Lilith off. I have some other duties today, so Carmen and I will be leaving in a few moments.¡± Raphael composed himself, and bean to speak again. ¡°Why bother? It¡¯s just one woman who¡¯s not even that important. I¡¯ve never heard of her before, and I know all about everyone in all the major families.¡± Kali put on a look of faux innocence before replying. ¡°Oh, is that so? I think that just means you¡¯re not important enough to know about her. I¡¯m sure Elenoa would have told you all about her if you were.¡± Raphael recoiled. ¡°I¡¯m sure Grandma was going to get around to it, she¡¯s just been really busy lately!¡± But, despite his bluster, he scurried off towards a group of children who were somewhat separated from the others, a look of hurt on his face. ¡°That was a little harsh, don¡¯t you think?¡± Lilith asked. Kali looked away guiltily. ¡°Perhaps, I just really didn¡¯t like his attitude. That and Elenoa told me to see if I couldn¡¯t curb some of his ego while I was here. Didn¡¯t think it would be this bad, but¡­well, Elenoa isn¡¯t exactly the greatest role model in that department.¡± ¡°So¡­this means Lilith¡¯s really important, right?¡± Gabe asked. ¡°Can you tell us why?¡± Kali shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s not up to me. You¡¯ll have to ask Lilith, it¡¯s her choice if she wants to let people know.¡± ¡°I¡¯d be happy to let you know if you swear servitude to Lilith.¡± Carmen said, smiling impishly. ¡°Nope. Vetoing that right now. Don¡¯t listen to her, she¡¯s trying to trick you. Maybe I¡¯ll tell you later on.¡± Carmen pouted. ¡°You¡¯re no fun.¡± ¡°Well, we gotta get going now, we¡¯re going to be late.¡± Kali said. ¡°It was nice talking to you, Gabe. Come say hi if you see me around and I¡¯m not busy, I¡¯m always open to talk!¡± She grabbed Carmen¡¯s hand, and the two of them left. Geb scratched the back of his neck. ¡°Well, um, guess we should start class, then. Gabe get back to your seat, Lilith, you take an empty one anywhere in the room.¡± He walked over to the teacher¡¯s desk, leaving Lilith to scan the room for an open seat. Most of the kids were grouped up already, and she felt a little awkward just barging into those groups, so she took a seat alone in the back of the class. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Class was, as she had suspected, boring. Geb had Lilith briefly introduce herself, and then they got into the day¡¯s lesson. It was mostly about politics in Haven as of about five hundred years prior, and even though it was all new information to her, it was still dry. The biggest thing she learned was that the Council was almost entirely the same back then as it was currently. The only difference was that Kali wasn¡¯t on it, some other demon was in her place instead. After the class was over, Geb gave everyone a ten-minute break before it was time for magic theory. Many of the students went to grab a drink or go to the bathroom, but Lilith went up to ask Geb a couple more questions. ¡°How long has the Council been almost the same as it is now? And is it a coincidence that the person who was there before Kali was also a demon?¡± She asked. ¡°Since the war, actually. The only change is when Kali came in. Abraham quit, and so we needed someone else to fill the position. It¡¯s not a coincidence that he was a demon, either. The Council tries to balance the races that are on it, so we needed a demon representative. The only exception to this rule is the angels, since they played one of the largest parts in the war, so they have two representatives. It¡¯s a bit archaic if you ask me, but we¡¯re not in too much of a position to change things now.¡± Lilith frowned. ¡°Why not? Democracy seems like it shouldn¡¯t be that much of a problem. People on Earth have been using it for a long time now.¡± Geb shook his head sheepishly. ¡°A lot of people don¡¯t like it for that reason. Quite a few of the most influential people alive have been alive since the war, and a sizeable portion of the regular populace have been as well. And people are still somewhat in survival mode, so this is something that works, and they aren¡¯t being too fussy.¡± ¡°What do you mean they¡¯re still in survival mode? You¡¯ve been on Haven for like¡­a thousand or more years, right?¡± ¡°Haven isn¡¯t as¡­safe as the name implies.¡± Geb explained. ¡°I¡¯ll schedule a full lesson on this later, but the gist is that the magical wildlife is far, far more dangerous than what was once on Earth. We relocated all the magical wildlife from Earth as well, and so now we basically have three strongholds that we are very slowly expanding by clearing the surrounding area of dangerous creatures. ¡°At this point they¡¯re each about the size of some of the bigger states in the United States. We¡¯re hoping to eventually connect them so we have something approximating a large country set up, and then people will be able to finally start feeling safe. But, until that time comes, the vast majority of people are in the three main cities, and all of the other land is for farming.¡± ¡°But¡­you¡¯ve got all the other civilizations that were on Earth and you were running out of room then, how do you have enough now?¡± Geb shrugged. ¡°Humans were always the ones who took the most room, and there was a lot of unused space in the non-human countries anyway. Cohabitating was rough at first, but now everyone¡¯s used to it. And we have almost no unused space at the moment, and between that, advances in farming thanks to people from Earth and from a few magical methods, we¡¯ve got enough to go around.¡± Lilith nodded. ¡°I suppose that makes sense. Thanks, Geb.¡± With that, she retreated back to her seat and waited for the next class to start. Magic theory was¡­also boring. She was hoping it would be at least a little exciting, but it really just didn¡¯t catch her attention. Thanks to Decipher and Innate Spellcaster, she flew through the day¡¯s work at a breakneck pace. They were supposed to be practicing chantless casting, which was something of a necessity for any sort of on the fly spellcasting, as it allowed spells to be cast faster with an easy way to change parameters of the spell such as where it was aimed. That usually required knowing the spell well enough that the focus that was the words weren¡¯t required, but that process was almost completely negated for Lilith. Since Decipher gave her perfect recall of the words of the spell, and her ability to understand every language gave her a perfect understanding of what those words meant, she was able to grasp the basics of easy spells quick enough that she was able to cast them chantless in only a couple of minutes. Innate spellcaster let her do that anyway, but that required extra Mana and she wasn¡¯t really doing anything else with her time, so she went ahead and learned all the spells they were working on that day. When she told Geb she was done, he was incredulous at first. It had only been about ten minutes, and he had explained that these sorts of things were supposed to take hours to master even one spell. But, after an explanation and a demonstration, he understood and had her get to work on the spells the class had already finished studying. She spent the rest of the class studying those spells, and soon class was over. ¡°Lilith, can I speak with you?¡± Geb asked. Once Lilith had walked up, he continued. ¡°I¡¯m going to walk you to your next class, so you can find where it is. Kali and Carmen will be joining you for that one, just in case they¡¯re necessary, things there can get a little¡­heated.¡± ¡°Heated?¡± ¡°Sometimes there¡¯s actual combat training. As I said earlier, Haven¡¯s not nearly as safe as Earth, so there¡¯s a decent chance people will find themselves in a life-or-death confrontation with a monster. So, we like to make sure people can handle themselves in a fight, just in case.¡± ¡°I¡­see.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°You¡¯ll be fine.¡± Geb assured. ¡°You¡¯re smart and you¡¯re going to grow faster than anyone else here, and your opponents will be children, at least at first. You might lose a few times, but don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Lilith rolled her eyes. ¡°Great, I¡¯m going to eventually be able to beat schoolchildren, but only after a period of time where I lose to them. How reassuring.¡± Geb laughed, patting her back. ¡°Seriously, don¡¯t feel bad. These kids have a lot of training on you. You¡¯ll get to that level in time, but until then you can just bowl over everything in your path with raw power. You won¡¯t be lacking in that, trust me.¡± Geb led her to a large area outside, where the other students had gathered. Kali and Carmen were already there, along with a large, muscled human woman. ¡°Ah, there you are.¡± She said, walking over to the two. ¡°Name¡¯s Agathe, I¡¯m gonna be your practical magic instructor and impromptu physical trainer.¡± ¡°Um, nice to meet you, I¡¯m Lilith.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°Alright, Agathe, you have her from here.¡± Geb said. ¡°I gotta go get back before my next class starts, so I¡¯ll catch you later, alright?¡± ¡°Later.¡± She replied, giving him a wave as he left. ¡°Now, we have a couple minutes before class, I want to have a quick spar with you to see what level you¡¯re at right now. Nothing serious, just you and Carmen coming at me while I focus on defense. Is that okay with you?¡± Lilith sighed. ¡°Yeah, I suppose that¡¯s fine. Carmen, you down?¡± ¡°Absolutely.¡± Carmen replied, snapping her book shut and standing up. ¡°I¡¯ve been sitting still all day and I¡¯m aching to move around a bit.¡± Agathe walked a short distance away, then whirled to face them, planting her feet firmly on the ground. ¡°Whenever you¡¯re ready just come attack me. I can take it.¡± Carmen gave Lilith a nod. Alright, I¡¯m going to bind her legs then try and distract her with my hypnosis. She said, communicating mentally via Unknowable Entity. I don¡¯t expect it to work and I can¡¯t do anything like I could with Alex, since I don¡¯t have anywhere near the Mana required in this avatar. Just run up and punch her while she¡¯s distracted. Carmen looked to Agathe and began to speak. ¡°Just look into my eyes.¡± She said. ¡°Trust me, everything¡¯s going to be way easier if you do¡­¡± In response to her words, Agathe raised her hands to cover her face, and Lilith seized the opportunity to run forward, lashing out with a punch to Agathe¡¯s gut. Only when she was close was she able to hear Agathe finish a chant, but it was too late, her fist was already impacting Agathe. She was rewarded with the sensation of the wind leaving her as an impact struck her stomach, and then, suddenly, Agathe burst into motion, grabbing Lilith¡¯s neck with a hand and throwing her onto the ground. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough.¡± She said, reaching down and offering her hand. ¡°I have a pretty good idea what to do with the two of you now.¡± Lilith took the hand, and Agathe hauled her up. ¡°Give me a second.¡± She wheezed. ¡°Whatever you did really knocked the wind out of me.¡± ¡°I reflected your attack back at you.¡± Agathe explained. ¡°Basic trick, but a very effective one if you know you have the Mana to pull it off.¡± She reached into a bag around her waist and pulled out a small vial of liquid, which she handed to Lilith. ¡°Drink this, it¡¯ll help you feel better.¡± Lilith took the vial, popping open a small cap on the top and downing the contents. As she drank the sweet liquid, a sense of relief washed over her, and she could feel her aches melt away. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°Minor healing potion. Does wonders for simple cuts and bruises. I always keep a few on hand for this class just for situations like these.¡± ¡°Can I go back to reading now?¡± Carmen interrupted. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re good.¡± Agathe confirmed. ¡°Now, it¡¯s time for class, so go ahead and sit with the other students and we¡¯ll get started, okay?¡± Chapter 15: Training ¡°Alright everybody, settle down, it¡¯s time for class.¡± Agathe said, addressing the assembled people. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve all already been introduced, but we need to talk about your new classmate, Lilith. We have one very important rule that you need to follow for the couple of months she¡¯ll be studying with us. ¡°You are not, under any circumstances, to read her mind, even if you¡¯re sparring with her. This is not because it¡¯s rude, this is because she has an ability that makes it extremely dangerous to do so. We can¡¯t guarantee we¡¯ll be able to put you back together if you try, so don¡¯t. With that out of the way, though, does anyone have any questions?¡± Gabe rose his hand and, after he was called on, spoke. ¡°What ability? And why wouldn¡¯t you be able to put us back together? Agathe frowned. ¡°Um, so, the thing is we, um¡­¡± She trailed off, glancing to the side. Lilith followed her gaze to see Kali stepping up to where Agathe was standing. Once Kali reached Agathe, she gave everyone a friendly wave. ¡°Hello everyone! I¡¯m Kali, the Council¡¯s information specialist. There are a couple of¡­unique circumstances around Lilith, and that ability is one of them. Even though I¡¯m the best mind-reader in the Protectorate, that ability still gives me some trouble, so please, please don¡¯t test it.¡± She gave Lilith a quick wink, then continued. ¡°I¡¯m here to watch over this class while Lilith¡¯s here, so I¡¯m going to be around a lot. If you see me in the halls or something, feel free to talk to me, I¡¯m always up to make new friends! Just don¡¯t talk to me when I look busy or during class, alright?¡± She turned around, said a few words to a relieved-looking Agathe, then went back to Carmen. ¡°Um, right. So, any¡­other questions?¡± Agathe asked. She looked out over the assembled kids, then pointed a finger. ¡°Raphael?¡± ¡°Yeah, so¡­I saw that fight you had. Why is she here? She¡¯s worse than a beginner, even someone who¡¯s never been in a fight before would know not to try what she tried.¡± Raphael said condescendingly. ¡°She¡¯s just going to slow us all down.¡± Agathe raised an eyebrow. ¡°Do tell me, then, what did she try?¡± ¡°She had her clone try to distract you and then went to punch you. She should have known you¡¯d use a reflector for something like that.¡± ¡°And how did she try to distract me?¡± Agathe prompted. ¡°Simple hypnosis, I think.¡± Raphael replied, waving a hand dismissively. ¡°Anyone with half a brain would be able to shrug off something like that.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you try, then? If it¡¯s so easy, you shouldn¡¯t have any problem.¡± ¡°Fine, I will.¡± Raphael replied, growing red and standing up. ¡°And, just to prove my point, I¡¯m not even going to try to block line of sight like you, I¡¯m just going to listen and show you.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± Agathe said, then turned to Carmen. ¡°Carmen, would you do the honors?¡± She called. Carmen grinned, closing her book and walking over, Kali close behind. ¡°Raphael, right?¡± She asked. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s me.¡± Raphael said proudly. ¡°Do your worst. You¡¯re an amateur, I can tell. I¡¯ve had training, I won¡¯t be hypnotized that easily.¡± ¡°If you insist. Just look into my eyes and listen to my voice, and we¡¯ll see.¡± Carmen said. Raphael¡¯s eyes glazed over, and carmen continued. ¡°Now, just repeat after me. I, Raphael¡­¡± ¡°I, Raphael¡­¡± Carmen snapped her fingers, and Raphael snapped back into focus. ¡°What was that?!¡± He yelled. ¡°That¡¯s not normal!¡± ¡°Well, she¡¯s not normal either.¡± Kali snickered. ¡°She¡¯s a very powerful hypnotist, so that little trick is much harder to deal with than you might think. You can¡¯t ever let yourself underestimate your opponent, or else you¡¯re going to be in a world of hurt. Anyway, Carmen, let¡¯s not interrupt their class any further, come back with me.¡± Carmen nodded, and the two left. ¡°I had prior knowledge of how dangerous her hypnotism is.¡± Agathe explained. ¡°So, I was being very conscious about it. I also knew that she had a few rather large knowledge gaps, so I exploited that to create that opening. And that brings us to today¡¯s material, reflector spells. I have a handout that¡¯ll refresh you all about them, so if you would just come grab one and look it over as we talk¡­¡± Lilith went and grabbed the handout, beginning to skim it as she listened to Agathe. Reflector spells were always one of two varieties; the first reflected things that were physical in nature, such as punches, kicks, or even things like lightning, provided it wasn¡¯t magically generated lightning. The other reflected things that were magical in origin, which was apparently defined by anything that had a high enough concentration of Mana to it. There wasn¡¯t a single known spell that reflected both, and people had been trying to make one for millennia. After Agathe finished her brief talk on reflectors, she gave the students time to analyze the spell in the handout then tested each of them on how well they had learned it. ¡°Excellent work.¡± Agathe told Lilith. ¡°Keep looking through the stuff Geb gave you in his class, we want to get you caught up as soon as possible.¡± So, the class ended up being rather similar to magic theory, just¡­outside. And, an hour or so later, class was finished, and the rest of the students left. Agathe instructed Lilith to head back to Geb¡¯s classroom for more Domain research. From there, Geb took her ten or so minutes out away from the main complex so they were out of sight from the students, and then began to teach her how to fly. Well, Geb wasn¡¯t the one teaching her how to fly, as he didn¡¯t know how. Instead, Kali showed her the ropes. There¡­wasn¡¯t a lot of progress, though. While she was fine in wide-open areas, sudden turns or other similar maneuvers more often than not made her crash. So, most of their allotted time ended up being used just getting Lilith to learn the basics. ¡°Honestly, for a beginner, you did a great job!¡± Kali said once they landed, a huge smile on her face. ¡°You really started to pick up some of that pretty fast!¡± Lilith scratched the back of her neck, embarrassed. ¡°I mean, I still crash a bunch, it¡¯s not that great.¡± ¡°You kidding?¡± Kali replied. ¡°Most people take months or years to get to where you are now. It¡¯s like you already knew and were just picking it back up!¡± It had kind of felt like that, though Lilith wasn¡¯t sure why. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s a result of my transformation? I find myself subconsciously adjusting for the wings and tail already, so perhaps some of that carries over to flight?¡± Kali shrugged. ¡°You¡¯d know better than I. Perfect Chimeras are still a big mystery in a lot of ways.¡± From there, they went back to the classrooms where they met up with Agathe again. Geb left to do some preparation for class the next day, and Agathe took Lilith to a gym of sorts. There were the familiar exercise machines she had known from Earth, but there were all sorts of others that she didn¡¯t recognize. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°So, during this time the gym is ours and ours alone.¡± Agathe explained. ¡°I¡¯m going to need you to take off that ring so I can see what¡¯s going on while you exercise. I need to make sure you have the proper form, you know?¡± Lilith nodded, taking off the ring. Agathe gave a low whistle. ¡°That¡¯s¡­something unique, I can¡¯t say I¡¯ve seen anything quite like it before.¡± She said. ¡°Looks good, though. I¡¯m assuming you have no clue how to properly work out the wings or tail, so just listen to my instructions and I¡¯ll walk you through it, alright?¡± Seeing Lilith¡¯s expression, she continued. ¡°I have to help all sorts of kids exercise. I know what to have you do, don¡¯t worry.¡± Agathe had Lilith go through a series of tests to help gauge where she was at, physically, and then began assigning Lilith exercises to do. She had been right about knowing what to have Lilith do to work out her wings and tail too; she could tell just by the feeling she got that they were working. And by the end of her workout, Lilith was feeling more worn out than she had in a long time. ¡°Good job out there.¡± Agathe said encouragingly. ¡°The first days are going to be the hardest. You¡¯re not going to have as many stamina boosting Traits, and your body won¡¯t be used to things yet. Fortunately, it seems that your new parts came with a fair degree of built-up muscle already, so we¡¯re going to focus more on getting the rest of you up to snuff before we start really ramping things up. Sound good?¡± ¡°I¡­suppose so.¡± Lilith said, wiping her brow. ¡°How far are we planning to take this? I mean, after a certain point wouldn¡¯t my time be better spent learning magic?¡± Agathe snorted. ¡°We¡¯re ¡®taking this¡¯ a long way. Longer than you would ever think possible. That body of yours has more potential than anything you could have imagined. Give it a few years and you¡¯ll be stronger than most heavy machinery and faster than most cars. A few years after that? To be honest, we don¡¯t even know what the proper upper bound for a Perfect Chimera¡¯s physical strength is. Trust me, you¡¯ll really be missing out if you don¡¯t train your body to its utmost.¡± ¡°I get it, I get it.¡± Lilith replied, raising her hands in surrender. ¡°I¡¯ll be serious about this. I was just thinking that surely magic would be more effective if it came to a fight, right?¡± ¡°Not always. And even in cases where magic is more effective, if you come across a similarly-skilled magician, a lot of the time the outcome of the fight comes down to the one with the better trained body. And, even outside of combat, being physically fit has a lot of benefits. So, even if we spend less time working out than learning magic, it isn¡¯t less important. Understand?¡± Lilith blinked, surprised by the sudden lecture. ¡°I understand. Sorry, I honestly just didn¡¯t realize and was wondering.¡± Agathe nodded. ¡°I get it. It¡¯s just something that my students tend to think a lot, and I¡¯ve come to find the sooner they realize how important being fit is, the better.¡± ¡°I see. Well, um¡­do we have anything else to do or¡­?¡± ¡°Nah, that¡¯s all for today. You go do whatever, and we¡¯ll get back to it tomorrow. Have a nice night, and don¡¯t forget to put your ring back on!¡± And, like that, the days passed. Mornings spent exploring all her Domains, the afternoons spent learning history and magic, and then more Domain exploration and working out. In the evenings she would relax with the others, and then she¡¯d go to sleep, ready to do it all again the next day.
The first sort of break in her routine came a few weeks later, when Geb ended a testing session with a request. ¡°Hey, Lilith can I ask you a favor?¡± ¡°Yeah, what¡¯s up?¡± ¡°So, in today¡¯s history class we¡¯re going to be discussing Perfect Chimeras. This is, obviously, a bit more of a¡­personal topic for you than it is for most people, so I wanted to sit down and discuss it with you, first, and¡­maybe get your opinion on what I¡¯m going to be teaching, to see if it¡¯s¡­you know, accurate?¡± He asked, an embarrassed look on his face. ¡°I know you¡¯re still relatively new to all this, but I was hoping your Help Yourself thing might have something to say on the matter. It seems decently accurate and, to be honest, it¡¯s probably a better source of information than most scholars, since a lot of what we know is just conjecture. I mean, it¡¯s informed conjecture, but it¡¯s still conjecture, you know?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s cool.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°Give me a moment to pull it up¡­I¡¯m assuming you don¡¯t want the¡­looks like a thousand-ish pages that are just a list of all known Domains encompassed by Perfect Chimera?¡± ¡°No, we don¡¯t need those.¡± Geb said. ¡°Just anything you think is helpful here.¡± Lilith read off the relevant section, which turned out to be the bit she had gotten shortly after reading The King in Yellow. ¡°Interesting.¡± Geb mused. ¡°That¡¯s a theory that¡¯s been brought up, but it¡¯s definitely not one of the popular ones. I¡¯m going to open discussion of theories for the class, would you mind brining that up?¡± ¡°Sure, I can do that.¡± ¡°Awesome. The other thing I wanted to let you know, and I guess this is purely a heads-up since Tunem¡¯s already decided and I can¡¯t actually do anything about it, but Tunem¡¯s already changed our curriculum to include you among the number of known Perfect Chimeras. He¡¯s not having us say who you are or anything, but he said we should at least give the updated number since all the important people know anyway, and you¡¯ll go public as soon as you¡¯re done here so¡­yeah. Go ahead and leave, I¡¯ll meet you in class, alright?¡± Lilith nodded, and made her way to the classroom. A few minutes later, Geb walked in, and started class. ¡°Alright everybody, we¡¯ve got a bit of a different lesson for you all today.¡± He said. ¡°So, we¡¯ve been talking about Domains recently, and we stopped just before talking about exceptions to the rules. Can anyone tell me about those exceptions?¡± Raphael raised his hand excitedly and began to rapidly run his mouth once he was called on. ¡°Anyone with more than the normal maximum number of Domains is a Chimera, and then if someone has all the Domains that¡¯s a Perfect Chimera.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Geb said. ¡°Now, there are five recorded Perfect Chimeras ¨C¡± ¡°I think you misspoke, teacher.¡± Raphael interrupted. ¡°There are only four, Isa Longshot, Errus the Wise, Mother Mai, and Winston the Render.¡± Geb frowned, shaking his head. ¡°That is incorrect, actually. As of a few months ago, a fifth has surfaced. At the moment their identity is confidential, so as to better protect them from the Society, but the Council has recently notified the relevant parties of the situation. You should be seeing them in the news soon.¡± The class broke into a murmur at this, the kids talking excitedly among themselves. Geb let them talk for a minute or so, then cleared his throat, silencing them. ¡°Speculation is fine and all, but that can be done after class. For now, we need to continue with our lesson. Who can tell me more about Perfect Chimeras?¡± Without even waiting to be called on, Raphael spoke up. ¡°I¡¯ve met Winston and Isa a few times, and I¡¯ve watched them fight.¡± He said proudly. ¡°They¡¯re way stronger than anything you could imagine. They¡¯re able to take out the monsters around the cities like they¡¯re nothing, and I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything else around that can even come close to them.¡± ¡°Raphael, I understand this is a subject you¡¯re passionate about, but please wait until you¡¯re called on.¡± Geb said. ¡°Can anyone tell us why Perfect Chimeras are so strong?¡± He called on another student, who spoke up. ¡°It¡¯s¡­because they have all the Domains, right? And that means they have way, way more Traits than anything else?¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly it.¡± Geb confirmed. ¡°So, the obvious question is, how exactly do Perfect Chimeras have all the Domains? Many of them are mutually exclusive, so it shouldn¡¯t be possible, right?¡± There was silence before, eventually, Raphael raised his hand. ¡°The most common theory is that Perfect Chimeras don¡¯t actually have all the domains, and instead the Perfect Chimera Domain has every Trait from every other Domain inside of it and just mimics having those other Domains.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good theory.¡± Geb responded. ¡°But there are still issues with that. If that¡¯s the case, why is the Perfect Chimera Domain not passed down from parent to child? Theoretically, if it was a single Domain like you mention, it should be genetic like everything else.¡± Raphael shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s not perfect, but it¡¯s better than anything else we have.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Lilith began, speaking hesitantly. ¡°What if Perfect Chimera isn¡¯t just a Domain, but a sort of¡­aggregate tag that magic uses to keep track of all the Domains it has?¡± ¡°That¡¯s stupid.¡± Raphael said derisively. ¡°Why would magic need to keep track of all that? Why would having that tag or whatever give someone all this stuff? You don¡¯t know much about magic for someone your age, so you really should stay quiet and let people like me who¡¯ve actually studied this subject do the talking.¡± ¡°Raphael, this is a place for discussion. We should hear everyone out.¡± Geb said. ¡°Are you kidding? I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve noticed, but she¡¯s clueless about things a four year old would know! I, on the other hand, have been studying this sort of thing since I first met Winston, and I know all the theories. Most scholars have already dismissed that, so I don¡¯t think bringing it up now is helpful to the discussion.¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough, Raphael.¡± Geb said firmly. ¡°Most scholars don¡¯t know enough about Perfect Chimeras to give a reasonable explanation. In a lot of situations, we only have guesswork, so you can¡¯t just say that something like that is unbelievable. It makes just as much sense as anything else.¡± He paused, scanning the class carefully. ¡°But it seems no one else has anything productive to add, so we¡¯re going to leave this subject behind us and talk about the history of Perfect Chimeras. The first known Perfect Chimera was Mother Mai¡­¡± Chapter 16: Letting Loose Raphael lounged in his dorm after class, waiting for the last of his friends to get there. ¡°Would you like more tea, master?¡± An elven girl standing behind him asked. She was tall for her age, with short brown hair and green eyes. And, of course, she was wearing her maid¡¯s uniform; she was the maid that Raphael¡¯s grandma had assigned him, after all. She came from the Windkeeper family, a long and prestigious line of servants-for-hire and was currently working under Raphael as a form of tutelage before a permanent master would be assigned to her. Raphael waved his hand dismissively. ¡°Sure, Emily, but make it quick. I need you here for the discussion we¡¯ll be having.¡± Emily gave a curtsey and disappeared into the kitchen, returning a few minutes later with a cup of tea. Raphael grabbed it, taking a sip. It wasn¡¯t as good as what the servants at home made, but it was passable enough. ¡°Right, is everyone here?¡± He asked, setting the cup down on the coffee table in front of him. He glanced out over the assembled students, then nodded to himself. ¡°Seems like it. So, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re all wondering why I called you here today.¡± Not waiting for a response, he continued. ¡°I¡¯ve been doing some investigative work on my own, and I¡¯ve come to the conclusion that Lilith isn¡¯t who we¡¯ve been told she is.¡± He took a moment to relish the look of surprise on everyone¡¯s face. ¡°I mean, you all surely knew that there¡¯s something¡­off about her, but I think it runs deeper than that. She¡¯s way older than any of us, but knew way less about magic, and picked things up far too quickly. So, with that in mind, I had Emily do some digging. ¡°There are no Clements families under the umbrella of the important human families, so she¡¯s not some scion of those. But what was even more suspicious was that we couldn¡¯t find any record of a Lilith Clements anywhere, and the company she keeps isn¡¯t much better. Kali is the Kali from the Council, yes, but everyone else is an enigma. ¡°We can¡¯t even find a last name for Alex, and she spends most of her time under careful watch of a teacher, often Tunem himself. Vithi¡¯s some djinn that disappeared a long time ago, and Judy is apparently Lilith¡¯s aunt, though she doesn¡¯t have any records either.¡± ¡°That¡¯s weird, but what¡¯s your point?¡± A dwarven boy asked. ¡°My point is that some completely and utterly unknown woman has entered school here and been put into the beginner magical classes with us, despite the fact that she seems more like she¡¯s putting on an act of not knowing magic than anything. But, more importantly, she spends most of her time here in private lessons, which I think is pretty odd. ¡°And then Kali said that I wasn¡¯t important enough to know who Lilith was, which is an obvious fabrication. This is made more suspicious by the fact that Lilith doesn¡¯t seem to realize who I am, and anyone with any sort of importance at least knows my name and what I mean to my grandma.¡± Raphael smiled slightly as he began to edge closer to his conclusion. ¡°So, I had Emily read the minds of Lilith¡¯s companions. But, before she could, Kali stopped her, which I think means that the story we¡¯ve been fed about there being some dangerous ability protecting Lilith¡¯s mind is a lie. ¡°So, I¡¯ve been left to draw the conclusion that there is some grand, treasonous, conspiracy that Kali is perpetuating, and she and Lilith are here trying to undermine¡­something that I¡¯m not sure of yet, perhaps my education? Grandma always told me not to trust Kali, and I¡¯m starting to see why.¡± Raphael stood up in excitement, banging his fist on the coffee table. ¡°I think we should go teach her a lesson. She¡¯s not a good actor when it comes to not knowing stuff, and we¡¯ve all fought her once or twice; we know we can take her on. We¡¯ll give her a kicking, make her spill everything, then take her to Tunem and be heroes!¡± ¡°Are you¡­sure about this?¡± One of the kids asked, looking uncertain. ¡°Treason is a serious accusation, and I don¡¯t know if someone so high-profile could be so discreet about it for so long.¡± ¡°Kali¡¯s a mastermind at manipulation.¡± Raphael said dismissively. ¡°If anyone could hide it, she could. Besides, what¡¯s the worst case scenario here? We beat her up, the adults don¡¯t listen, and we get in a bit of trouble. But we at least let her know that we won¡¯t let her get away with this. ¡°That being said, if you don¡¯t come with me for this, consider yourself out of our little friend group.¡± Raphael said, smirking as he delivered his ultimatum. ¡°I don¡¯t need to be friends with cowards.¡± The rest of the children shared uncertain looks, but eventually they all agreed to help Raphael out. ¡°Perfect.¡± Raphael said, clapping. ¡°We¡¯re doing this tomorrow, I¡¯ll give you more information then. You¡¯re all dismissed.¡±
¡°¡­And that is what happened.¡± Emily said, watching Kali¡¯s expression carefully. To her surprise, Kali smiled. ¡°I was wondering what Raphael was scheming.¡± Kali said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re not planning anything like that. Would you like to know the truth?¡± Emily hesitated, but before she could answer Kali spoke again. ¡°The answer is yes.¡± She said. ¡°When someone offers to tell you information and you don¡¯t think there are any ulterior motives, always say yes.¡± She instructed. Kali was, unbeknownst to most, in charge of the Windkeeper family. The Windkeepers made up an integral part of her information network, keeping her updated on what all the most important families were doing. In return she helped fund them and protect them if they ever got into trouble. So, when Raphael had ordered Emily to investigate Lilith, she had immediately informed Kali of everything that had been happening. Occasionally they would meet under the guise of detention for the ¡®invasions of privacy¡¯ she had made in her investigation, and Emily would update her on how things were going. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Understood.¡± Emily replied. ¡°Then, yes, I would like to hear the truth.¡± Kali grinned. ¡°Lilith is actually the fifth Perfect Chimera. She was made into one after a magical accident of sorts. The reason why she doesn¡¯t know anything about magic is because she¡¯s from Earth, and she¡¯s picking things up faster than normal because she¡¯s a Perfect Chimera.¡± That¡­made sense, now that Emily was thinking about it. If she framed everything that way, all the odd behavior seemed to slot in perfectly. ¡°So, Carmen,¡± Kali said, grinning at Lilith¡¯s double, ¡°you¡¯ve been an awfully good girl, I think you deserve a chance to show what you can do, don¡¯t you?¡± Carmen returned her grin. ¡°I happen to agree. Lilith¡¯s too soft-hearted to properly deal with this, so why don¡¯t we let her have a bit of a nap while I do some cleanup?¡± Kali raised an eyebrow. ¡°And how do you intend to make that happen?¡± Carmen shrugged. ¡°Well, I haven¡¯t actually shared any of the memories of my studies with her, so I¡¯m hoping that dropping them on her all at once will be enough of a shock to briefly knock her out. After that it should only take a moment to deal with a few rambunctious kids.¡± Kali nodded. ¡°Sounds like a plan.¡± She paused, then a mischievous smile crossed her face. ¡°Say¡­do you think Lilith could do with a maid? I think it¡¯d be good to always have an agent close to you two after you graduate, that way we can get in touch with you if need be.¡± Carmen gave her a wary look. ¡°What do you have in mind?¡± Kali laughed. ¡°I think we should reassign Emily. Raphael needs to be taken down a few pegs and making him do all his own housework would be a good start.¡± She turned to Emily. ¡°What do you think?¡± Emily shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m ambivalent. She can¡¯t be worse than Raphael, I hardly have any time to study because of him.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Carmen said. ¡°But only so long as I¡¯m able to put a contract on her to ensure she won¡¯t try and backstab us.¡± ¡°Done.¡± Kali said. ¡°Just clear it with me first, and then we¡¯ll take care of it after everything tomorrow.¡±
The next day, Raphael gathered all his friends and intercepted Lilith on her way from class to one of her private lessons. ¡°The jig¡¯s up, Lilith!¡± He said, pointing an accusatory finger. ¡°You¡¯ve got one chance to come quietly and confess everything, or we¡¯re going to take you by force.¡± ¡°What?¡± Lilith asked, faking being taken aback. ¡°I honestly have no idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°You know exactly what I¡¯m talking about.¡± Raphael said, grinning madly. ¡°And that was your one chance! Come on, let¡¯s get her!¡± All of a sudden Lilith fainted, and Raphael turned to face the other kids. ¡°See!¡± He gloated. ¡°I told you it would be fine!¡± But the other kids didn¡¯t seem to notice. Instead, they were looking behind Raphael with fearful faces. He slowly turned to find Lilith standing upright, an unhinged grin on her face and her arms folded underneath her chest. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that you¡¯ve been spreading some horrible rumors about Lilith.¡± Carmen drawled. ¡°And I¡¯ve been told that you could do with some punishment. I¡¯ve been dying to have some fun lately, and fortunately, you¡¯ve all been very naughty. So, I¡¯ll play your little game.¡± She spread her arms, grin growing wider. ¡°Come, ¡®take me by force¡¯, and then we¡¯ll go talk with the grownups, okay?¡± A pit formed in Raphael¡¯s stomach, but he shook his head. Carmen may have caught him off guard once, but she wouldn¡¯t do so again. ¡°She can¡¯t take all of us at once! Let¡¯s go!¡± There was a pause as the assembled kids gave Carmen a wary look, so Raphael decided to spur them into action. ¡°Remember what I said yesterday about cowards?! Go!¡± Most of the other kids cast spells at Carmen, but she simply smiled and raised a hand, a barrier comprised of what appeared to be an infinite number of impossible shapes appearing in front of her. The shapes danced in the air, swirling around and overlapping each other, appearing and disappearing at random, their strange movements captivating Raphael. He barely even registered as the spells the kids cast hit the barrier, reflecting and striking their casters. Then the barrier dropped, and Raphael snapped back to attention. All of the children who had cast spells were unconscious, leaving only Raphael, Emily, and one other kid standing. ¡°F-fine, no spells!¡± Raphael yelled. ¡°I¡¯ll take the left, you two take the right!¡± He began to run but was distracted by a thud from behind him. He whirled around to find Emily standing over the kid, hand outstretched as if she had just cast a spell. She knelt down and quickly checked him for injuries before standing back up. ¡°He¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll go check on the others. Carmen, I assume you can handle Raphael?¡± Not waiting for an answer, she moved on to the other children and began looking them over. ¡°I can indeed.¡± Carmen said, causing Raphael to look back at her. He could focus on the betrayal later, he had to deal with Carmen now, even if his confidence was rapidly fading. He hadn¡¯t ever seen anything like that barrier she had just made, and he was beginning to think that perhaps he had greatly underestimated her. He jumped to the side as a tentacle lashed out from Carmen¡¯s hand and struck the ground next to him, oozing with some sort of pungent fluid. ¡°You¡­monster!¡± Raphael yelled, watching in a sort of revolted fascination as the tentacle retracted, eventually morphing back into Carmen¡¯s hand. ¡°What¡­are you?!¡± Carmen smirked, fiddling with a ring on her other hand. After a moment she had the ring off, and a devil¡¯s tail and angel wings appeared behind her. She gingerly placed the ring on the ground and then turned to Emily. ¡°Emily, would you please be a dear and make sure this ring doesn¡¯t get too banged up? I¡¯ll have to have Lilith remake me or get another one from Tunem if that one gets destroyed, and that sounds like a hassle.¡± She turned back to Raphael, flashing him a smile. ¡°Well, since you asked so kindly, I figure I might as well let you know. I am Lilith¡¯s alternate personality, the¡­aggressiveness to her passiveness. We¡¯re the fifth Perfect Chimera, and I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re in way over your head.¡± Raphael¡¯s stomach lurched. ¡°Don¡¯t lie!¡± He yelled. ¡°Grandma would tell me if you were!¡± Carmen laughed. ¡°Don¡¯t put so much stock in your grandmother. She clearly doesn¡¯t think as highly of you as you think she does; she¡¯s known about us for a long time, and clearly hasn¡¯t told you yet. You weren¡¯t even aware there was a fifth when Geb brought it up in class.¡± ¡°T-that¡¯s¡­¡± Raphael trailed off, then shook his head. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to accept that, not when so much of what he believed was based on it. ¡°Look around you, Raphael.¡± Carmen said. ¡°Your friends are all hurt because you thought you were more than you were. But¡­honestly, can you even call them your friends? They clearly didn¡¯t want to do this, and I¡¯d be willing to bet they only hang around you because their parents tell them to, or because you provide them with some sort of influence.¡± She gave Raphael an infuriatingly pitying look. ¡°It¡¯s not too late to change, though. You¡¯re just a kid, so there¡¯s plenty of time to learn from your mistakes and grow up. So, I¡¯ll give you a chance. Apologize, and we¡¯ll let this slide. Don¡¯t, and we¡¯ll be forced to take more seriously measures.¡± Raphael glared at her. ¡°Fine.¡± He spat. ¡°I suppose I can let you off of the hook this time. But don¡¯t expect such mercy next time!¡± He turned and began to march away. Fleeing like this made his stomach turn, but he couldn¡¯t afford to try and fight her on his own. If what she said was true, he¡¯d need more than just himself and a few kids to expose her. Suddenly, Carmen was right in front of his face. ¡°Wrong answer.¡± She said, grabbing his shirt and effortlessly lifting him into the air. ¡°The hard way it is.¡± ¡°I said I¡¯d let you off!¡± He protested, struggling ineffectually against her grip. ¡°I said apologize and we¡¯d let this slide. I think you need to be taught a lesson, and I know just the thing. Nighty-night!¡± Carmen¡¯s other hand metamorphosed into a tentacle dripping that pungent substance, and she grabbed Raphael¡¯s arm with it. There was a sensation like ice flooding his veins, and then everything went black. Chapter 17: Raided Raphael was woken by someone vigorously shaking him, and, after a moment, he realized he was in the infirmary. ¡°Get up, master.¡± Emily said, her shaking growing in intensity as he looked at her. ¡°Enough, Emily.¡± He growled. ¡°Remember who¡¯s employing you.¡± ¡°Not you.¡± She said smugly. ¡°I got a transfer, and none too soon, let me tell you. My grades were really starting to dip thanks to your little schemes.¡± ¡°Those aren¡¯t important, you have a practically guaranteed job working for me. Trust me, you¡¯ll come crawling back to me once things start going wrong.¡± Emily snorted. ¡°As if.¡± She straightened up, then walked towards the door. ¡°She¡¯s awake, Kali!¡± She called. She? Raphael looked down and¡­yes, she was a girl now. That wasn¡¯t really a big deal to her, angels weren¡¯t fussy about sex and gender, but what was a problem was her clothing. Her sharply tailored shirt and pants had been traded out for a rather loose, ill-fitting pink dress. She looked ridiculous, and that simply wouldn¡¯t do. She¡¯d have to have her grandmother get her a new wardrobe. ¡°So, sleeping beauty finally woke up.¡± Kali said, entering the room, Emily close behind. ¡°Let¡¯s talk, there are going to be some¡­changes for you.¡± Raphael opened her mouth to speak, but Kali held up a hand. ¡°And before you say anything, your grandmother is aware of what I¡¯m doing here. In fact, she¡¯s given me express permission to discipline you as I see fit. She said you need to have your ego taken down a few notches.¡± Kali smirked. ¡°Can¡¯t imagine where you learned it from.¡± Raphael grit her teeth but said nothing. She wasn¡¯t about to just believe that, but she was wise enough to realize that now wasn¡¯t the time to start talking back. She had enough experience to know that being disrespectful to people above her station would only end in pain. But she would talk to her grandmother later and get this sorted out, she wouldn¡¯t let herself be pushed around like this. Kali gave her a sad look. ¡°She¡¯s messed you up more than I thought.¡± She said softly, then shook her head. ¡°But now¡¯s not the time for that. We need to talk about consequences. The first is that Emily is being transferred, and you will be left without a servant until I deem that you¡¯ve learned your lesson about misuse of your power over people. Should we find that you attempt to coerce or bribe people into doing the work of a servant for you, you will receive additional punishment, understood?¡± Raphael nodded slowly, and Kali continued. ¡°And, as I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve noticed, the second is that we¡¯ve turned you into a girl for the time being. Carmen has decided that it would be fitting if you had to experience what she¡¯s going through.¡± Raphael raised an eyebrow. ¡°And what exactly is that?¡± ¡°Carmen¡¯s given me permission to tell you and Emily, but you two aren¡¯t to tell anyone else, understood? She and Lilith used to be male before Lilith became a Perfect Chimera. And, although Carmen is great at transforming others, their body is¡­abnormal, so she can¡¯t work with it the same way she can with normal people. Anyway, Carmen wanted me to let you know that, if you have any trouble adjusting, you can go to Lilith, she¡¯ll probably help you out.¡± Kali smiled slightly. ¡°I took the liberty of changing your wardrobe for you, too. It should fit you much better than your old clothes would have. And no, you¡¯re not getting new stuff. You¡¯re going to be like everyone else and live with what you have. Your clothes aren¡¯t all dresses, don¡¯t worry, I still left you stuff you can move around in. Oh, and if you find that you outgrow any or even if they¡¯re too big, I can do size adjustments, that¡¯s not a big deal. Just no replacements. ¡°Oh, and, before I forget, how old are you?¡± ¡°Eight. Why?¡± ¡°Just wanting to make sure you wouldn¡¯t get caught up in puberty during this. If you¡¯re good, you should be done with this by then, but if you¡¯re not, and you still want to change back, come talk to me, I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯re whatever sex you would prefer for that. It¡¯s hard enough without an added complication like this, you know?¡± Kali gave her an infuriating smile and a wave before turning to the door. ¡°Anyway, I gotta go check on Lilith, I¡¯ll leave you to think about things.¡± With those words, Kali made her way out of the room and Emily followed, shutting the door and leaving Raphael alone with her thoughts.
Lilith woke in a bed, a series of messages blocking her vision. No one seemed to be in the immediate area, so she took the time to read through them and make sure they matched up with the memories Carmen gave her.
Escape Artist Ability Origin: Eldritch The user may swap places with an active avatar at any time, costing 100 Mana from either the avatar or main body. This cost increases based on the distance between the two bodies. An avatar instilled with a personality may request a swap with the main body, and the swap is automatically accepted if the main body is physically unable to accept. Knowledge: Zoan Chant, Innate Spellcaster, and King¡¯s Knowledge have combined to form Zoan¡¯s Barrier! Zoan¡¯s Barrier Combination Origin: Eldritch A more perfect version of the Zoan Chant, a spell used to reflect harmful spells. This version may be used as a continuous barrier, consuming Mana while active. Upon activation, the user may choose to absorb or reflect harmful spells ¨C absorbing harmful spells will replenish the user¡¯s Mana, but if a spell would cause the user to go over their maximum Mana, the barrier is destroyed, and the spell continues unhindered. Spells striking the barrier while it is absorbing spells, whether the absorption is successful or not, are added to the user¡¯s known spells. If a spell is reflected, a cost in Mana equal to ?th the energy originally used to cast the spell is subtracted from the user, and the spell is reflected back towards the caster at 150% power. The barrier automatically reflects hostile physical actions directed at the user at 150% intensity, subtracting Mana proportional to the force of the action. Upon activation, any of the user¡¯s abilities that are Eldritch in origin may be applied to reflected spells or the barrier itself at no additional cost. Only one ability each may be added to the barrier or spells this way, but the ability applied to the barrier and the ability applied to spells may be different. Horrid Fascination Ability Origin: Eldritch Entities with a weak mind will be entranced by the user, unable to look away or do anything. Prolonged contact with the user will lead to unquestioning loyalty and worship, even when not in the presence of the user. This ability may be freely activated and deactivated, although mental effects resulting from prolonged contact remain even if the ability is deactivated. This ability defaults to deactivated unless the user is in an Eldritch form, in which case it defaults to activated. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Telepathy Ability Origin: Eldritch User has the ability to communicate telepathically with creatures within 100 feet. Horrid Fascination and Unknowable Entity may be applied to any creature being communicated with telepathically if the user so chooses. Unknowable Entity, Horrid Fascination, Telepathy, and King¡¯s Knowledge have combined to form Seeker of Knowledge! Seeker of Knowledge Combination Origin: Eldritch The user may read the mind of any entity they can communicate with telepathically. This process cannot be felt by the target unless the user wishes it, but it can be blocked should the target be skilled enough in protecting their mind. Ruler¡¯s Right has been incorporated into Seeker of Knowledge, adding the following effect: The user may communicate telepathically with any creature that is in servitude to them, provided they are on the same plane of existence as the user. The user may act as a ¡°host¡± of telepathic communication, allowing any servant to telepathically communicate with any other servant the user can communicate with. The user knows when any such communication takes place and may choose to listen in on it. Telepathic messages may be sent to any number of servants at once. The user has gained an enormous amount of knowledge on eldritch entities! Seeker of Knowledge has completed Knowledge: Eldritch (Superior), forming Knowledge: Eldritch (Complete)! Knowledge: Eldritch Substances (Complete) and Decipher have combined to form Eldritch Alchemist! Eldritch Alchemist Combination Origin: Eldritch Great knowledge on various eldritch substances and deep understanding of how magic works allow the user to create eldritch substances using magic. Ruler¡¯s Right, Seeker of Knowledge, Eldritch Alchemist, and Knowledge: Eldritch (Complete) have combined to form Eldritch Abomination! Eldritch Abomination Combination Origin: Eldritch The user may alter any portion of their body as they wish, subject only to limitations provided by the user¡¯s knowledge of other entities, eldritch or otherwise. User may create 6 extra appendages from any part of their body. The user may not create an appendage that would cause the user to exceed the user¡¯s base mass, which is the mass of the current form plus the mass of Assimilated material. The mass of severed appendages is lost, although it may be regained by Assimilating the appendage. If an appendage is disintegrated or otherwise destroyed, the mass is lost. The user may choose to secrete any poison, enzyme, or other body fluid they have detailed knowledge of from any portion of their body. If a being is Assimilated and it has a compound compatible with this ability, the compound is automatically considered known for the purpose of secretions. See Knowledge: Secretions for materials that currently can be secreted, relevant portion opened below. Furthermore, all beings under the user¡¯s rule are far more susceptible to charm effects from the user. This ability is considered a fundamental property of the user¡¯s being and cannot be stripped from the user or suppressed by ordinary means.
Lilith waved the windows away, still mentally taking stock of everything. She had apparently learned a great deal of eldritch ¡°spells¡± and other abilities, of which those were the most important. She also remembered everything Carmen had experienced, from her kiss with Kali to her plan to deal with Raphael. And¡­she wasn¡¯t pleased. She should have been kept in the loop on Raphael, and she should have had some input on the decision. The emotion surprised her, to an extent; she didn¡¯t recall ever feeling this strongly when it came to people doing things without her permission before, not even when Carmen had changed Alex, but for some inexplicable reason she didn¡¯t like it now. The door opened and Kali stepped in. ¡°How are you feeling? Sorry we were so¡­forceful like that.¡± Lilith sighed. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I just¡­¡± ¡°Just?¡± Kali prompted. ¡°I really just wish you two had talked to me about this first. I should have had agency in this, because at the end of the day it¡¯s my life and my problems, you know?¡± A brief look of shock crossed Kali¡¯s face, transitioned into what looked like barely contained glee, and then vanished as she schooled her expression. ¡°Sorry about that. As you know, Carmen assured me that you would be fine with it, and I deferred to her judgement of your character. Do you have any disagreements with our punishment?¡± Lilith frowned. ¡°I dunno. It seems kinda¡­irrelevant to what it¡¯s supposed to be a punishment for, you know?¡± Kali shrugged. ¡°Kinda right, kinda wrong.¡± She replied, taking a seat on a nearby chair. ¡°I¡¯m going to level with you here, this isn¡¯t as much about punishing Raphael as you might think. It¡¯s more¡­removing her from the circumstances she found herself in. I¡¯m sure that, through Carmen¡¯s memories, you¡¯ve picked up that I have no love lost for Elenoa.¡± Lilith nodded, and Kali continued. ¡°And to be frank, I think most of Raphael¡¯s behavioral problems stem from her. She¡¯s¡­well, she¡¯s not exactly the best guardian, I¡¯ll give you that much. Raphael¡¯s parents died a few years ago in a Society raid, Elenoa¡¯s been ¡®raising¡¯ her even since. ¡°And by that, I mean she¡¯s mostly given Raphael anything she wanted in order to get her to leave her alone and left the actual work to other people. I mean, she even told me to help, and she doesn¡¯t even like me. And between that and the fact that she was, for political reasons, the most important student in her class, she¡¯s grown up¡­well, unhealthily, as you can see. ¡°So, I¡¯m hoping some distance from all of that will help correct her behavior. I¡¯m hoping to illustrate to her classmates that she can¡¯t just get anything she wants from her grandmother, and this is a very visible reminder of that. And then we can slowly start to work on fixing all the damage Elenoa did on the poor thing.¡± Lilith sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know, I ¨C¡± She was interrupted as the door flew open, revealing a heavily panting Tunem. ¡°Kali, get Lilith and her friends out of here, now. The Society¡¯s going to be raiding this place in a few minutes.¡± Lilith leapt out of the bed, giving Tunem a surprised look. ¡°What?! I thought we were safe!¡± ¡°They had a tracking spell on Alex. We dispelled it when we first took you in, but they must have gotten enough information to brute-force their way past the seals. They¡¯ve been using extremely advanced counter-divination magic, too, and I¡¯d been picking at it for a while but only just broke through. We¡¯re already getting all the other students safe, and we¡¯ve had someone draw you up a portal in the office here¨C¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡± Raphael demanded, stepping inside. She was wearing a loose t-shirt and a pair of shorts and was looking like she was edging on panic. ¡°I went back to my room and when I came back everyone was gone! You¡¯re the only ones I could find in here, even the other kids were moved!¡± Tunem froze, staring at Raphael, then snapped out of it, shaking his head. ¡°No time. Raphael, stick with Kali and Lilith, the Society¡¯s raiding and we don¡¯t have time to get you with the other kids.¡± Raphael stopped in her tracks, terror filling her face. ¡°What?! But ¨C¡± ¡°I got this.¡± Carmen stepped into the room, picking Raphael up under one arm. ¡°Come on, we have to move. I got everyone else, they¡¯re just outside.¡± ¡°Put me down!¡± Raphael yelled, ineffectually kicking and punching against Carmen. ¡°No can do.¡± Carmen said stoically. ¡°We¡¯re in an emergency situation. Settle down or I¡¯ll knock you out again.¡± Kali grabbed Lilith¡¯s hand and towed her out of the room. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure nothing happens to her.¡± She assured Tunem. ¡°You focus on making sure nobody here gets hurt.¡± Lilith didn¡¯t get to see Tunem¡¯s response, as Kali broke out into a run and pulled Lilith with her. ¡°Where are the others?¡± She asked, looking behind to make sure Carmen was following. ¡°Down the hall to the left.¡± Carmen responded. ¡°In the main office with the portal.¡± Kali nodded. ¡°Got it.¡± ¡°Wait, what are you guys doing?!¡± Raphael yelled. She had stopped struggling, but she didn¡¯t seem to have any intention of being quiet about it either. ¡°Where are we going?!¡± ¡°There¡¯s a portal in the main office that¡¯s taking us¡­somewhere, probably one of the other demi-planes. I don¡¯t know, Tunem just said he had someone draw it up, so I don¡¯t know any more details than that.¡± The ground shook, causing Lilith to stumble as the floor in front of her suddenly broke and rose upward slightly. Kali didn¡¯t miss a beat, yanking Lilith up off the ground and into her arms as they burst into the office, where a shimmering portal and a few people were waiting. ¡°In, now.¡± Kali commanded, not even sparing a glance to see who exactly was in the room as she leapt through the portal, carrying Lilith with her as she did. Chapter 18: 404 Destination Not Found When Lilith¡¯s vision cleared, she found herself on a hill on some heavily wooded area. Kali set her down, and, a moment later, everyone else appeared beside them. ¡°This¡­is not one of the other demiplanes.¡± Kali said slowly, looking around them. ¡°We must be somewhere in Haven.¡± ¡°What do you mean it¡¯s not one of the other demiplanes?!¡± Raphael yelled. ¡°I thought that was where we were going!¡± Kali frowned. ¡°It was, something must have gone wrong.¡± ¡°Well, get us back, then!¡± Raphael demanded. ¡°Can¡¯t.¡± Kali said flatly. ¡°I don¡¯t know teleportation magic advanced enough to let us do that. All the teleportation magic I know requires that you know where you are in addition to where your destination is, and I¡¯m afraid I have no idea where we are. I¡¯ll have to try and figure that out using some other magic, but it¡¯s going to take potentially up to a few weeks.¡± ¡°Can you just¡­call someone magically?¡± Judy asked. ¡°Theoretically yes, realistically no.¡± Kali replied. ¡°Haven¡¯s big. Like, it makes Earth look like it¡¯s a demiplane big. If we¡¯re close enough to civilization, I¡¯ll be able to easily, but the chances of that are slim to none. I know some magic that doesn¡¯t care about distance that¡¯ll let me get a one-way message, but the issue with that is that Haven also has a lot of background magic that¡¯ll mess that message up.¡± ¡°So¡­now what?¡± Vithi asked. ¡°How are we gonna protect ourselves? I admit I¡¯m not too familiar with Haven, I spent too much time trapped in my lamp for that, but it¡¯s super dangerous, right?¡± ¡°Extremely.¡± Kali said. ¡°Normally this would be a death sentence, but I think we¡¯ll be able to make it through thanks to Lilith and Carmen.¡± ¡°Me?¡± Lilith replied. ¡°I can¡¯t¡­really fight.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t necessarily have to.¡± Kali said. ¡°At this point you¡¯re tough enough that you should be able to use raw power to defeat anything that comes your way. Plus, thanks to your abilities, as soon as you¡¯ve killed something you have access to all its power. You should be fine.¡± Carmen nodded. ¡°Judy, Raphael, Kali, I¡¯d like to make a contract with you. Nothing too binding, just something that says that I am in charge of you. No magical coercion to do what I say or anything, just something to let Ruler¡¯s Right and Seeker of Knowledge do their work.¡± ¡°Sensible.¡± Kali agreed. ¡°Let¡¯s do that now, then.¡± Carmen walked over, placing a hand on Kali¡¯s forehead. ¡°The two of you, do you agree to the terms I just laid out?¡± She said, her words dripping with some sort of magic. ¡°Yup!¡± Kali said. ¡°I¡­no, I don¡¯t!¡± Raphael squealed, finally working herself free from Carmen¡¯s arms. ¡°Why should I have to be under you?!¡± Carmen gave her an unamused look. ¡°Do you want to die or not? Those Skills I mentioned let me access your abilities and provide telepathic communication between all of us at all times. Seeing as how we¡¯re relying on me for protection, and the fact that constant contact is important, I think this greatly increases our survival odds.¡± Raphael looked back at Carmen, a conflicted expression on her face. ¡°Fine.¡± She said after a few moments of hesitation. ¡°I suppose I do.¡± Carmen nodded. ¡°Good.¡± She walked over to Judy, placing a hand on her forehead as well. ¡°How about you, Judy?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s done.¡± Lilith felt a sort of electric snap, and then she got a bunch of windows detailing her acquisitions. Most of them weren¡¯t really impressive, which struck her as a little odd, seeing as how Kali was apparently one of the best in the field of espionage. There was, however, one ability she got that did look useful.
Patron Combination Origin: Eldritch User can bestow abilities to those they rule. Abilities cannot be ones the user does not possess, and granting an ability drains a portion of the user¡¯s Mana proportional to how powerful the granted ability is. Abilities granted may be of a weaker variety than the original ability possessed by the user and may be strengthened or removed by the user after being granted. Every ability given to a being renders it more susceptible to the user¡¯s Horrid Fascination. People under the rule of the user can choose to share Mana with each other without the user¡¯s help, but it is slower than the user doing it. Every ability bestowed by the user to any of the participants speeds up this process.
¡°Kali, why didn¡¯t I get that much from you?¡± She asked. Kali shrugged. ¡°You already had the entirety of the succubus Domain unlocked, that accounts for most of it. Don¡¯t know what else to tell you, it¡¯s not like I really understand how that Skill works myself.¡± ¡°Oh, that makes sense.¡± She said. Carmen didn¡¯t seem totally convinced, but she apparently decided it was good enough, as she changed the subject. ¡°So, we need shelter. Shelter, food, and water. How are we gonna go about that?¡± ¡°Probably easiest and safest to excavate some sort of burrow.¡± Alex said. ¡°We don¡¯t know what¡¯s out here, so I think we should just seal ourselves underground until Kali can figure out where we are and teleport us out.¡± ¡°But that doesn¡¯t solve food and water.¡± Judy protested. ¡°We¡¯ll have to leave eventually.¡± ¡°There are spells for that.¡± Kali said. ¡°We¡¯ll just need to ventilate it properly so that we have air. I think that¡¯s a good enough plan for now, Carmen and Lilith should be able to use Eldritch Abomination to dig into the soil and rocks around here no problem, and can create material to reinforce the walls so we don¡¯t need to worry about cave-ins.¡± ¡°On it.¡± Carmen replied, six long, flat, and sharp appendages sprouting from her back and spearing into the ground around her. A moment later they flexed, bringing up large chunks of the ground as they contracted, then flung them to the side. Carmen looked over to Lilith, frowning. ¡°What are you waiting for? We¡¯ve got work to do.¡± Lilith shook her head, then dug into the memories Carmen had given her. Once she had a handle on how to do what Carmen just did, she mimicked her, the two swiftly beginning to carve out a hole in the surrounding terrain.
Siph yawned, a small puff of flame escaping her mouth as she woke. Why had she awakened? She had just returned from a long hunt, and after gorging herself she had been content to sleep for a day or two. She paused, then stood up, shaking herself off. She turned around, quickly cleaning herself with a couple blasts of acid, handily removing the dirt from her scales. She wasn¡¯t exactly sure, but there was something in her domain, something dangerous. She could feel its magic, doing¡­something. She wasn¡¯t sure what it was, she hadn¡¯t felt anything quite like it before, but something deep within her told her that this was something she had to deal with. She couldn¡¯t call herself a dragon if she let challenges to her go unanswered. She left her lair, flying off to close in on¡­whatever it was. It was strange, she could tell that much. There was an odd familiarity to it, but at the same time it felt alien, like something that shouldn¡¯t be. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. After a few minutes of mounting tension, she closed in on the source, a small hill on the outskirts of her domain. She gave a roar, landing on top of the hill as she stared down at the creature.
The ground reverberated as a roar split the silence, causing Lilith and Carmen to stop their digging. They hadn¡¯t even gotten that far, just a few feet into the ground, and already they were being interrupted. ¡°Everyone in.¡± Lilith said. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with this. Carmen, you stay with them and make sure they¡¯re safe.¡± Carmen nodded and helped the others into the hole. ¡°Come out!¡± The thing roared again, though this one must have had meaning, as Lilith¡¯s translation ability activated for it. ¡°I¡¯m out!¡± Lilith said, stepping outside of the burrow and putting her appendages away. ¡°What do you want?¡± She looked up to see what could only be a dragon. It was large, almost as big as the hill it was on, and had bright green scales. There was a sleek, dangerous feeling about it, one that said that the dragon was a predator, one that she did not want to mess with. The dragon flinched when it saw Lilith. It stood there for a moment before it shook its head, giving Lilith a careful look. ¡°Explain yourself,¡± it growled, ¡°what are you and what are you doing in my land?¡± Lilith raised her hands in surrender. She would rather this didn¡¯t come to a fight if at all possible, and the dragon was at least intelligent enough to talk, so hopefully she could convince it that they didn¡¯t mean any offense. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± She said. ¡°There was a teleporter accident and we ended up here, we were just trying to carve out a space for us to live while we figured out our way back. We didn¡¯t know this was your territory, we¡¯ll put everything back and leave if you would like.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t answer my question. What are you? You¡¯re not normal, I can tell that much, and I would rather not keep an unknown element so close to myself.¡± ¡°It¡¯s uh¡­well, it¡¯s complicated, I don¡¯t know if you¡¯d believe me.¡± ¡°No excuses!¡± The dragon roared. ¡°Tell me or I roast you here and now!¡± ¡°I¡¯m a Perfect Chimera.¡± Lilith said. ¡°And I¡¯ve read all the books on eldritch knowledge I could find, so I have several abilities that are kinda out there.¡± The dragon chuckled. ¡°Do you really expect me to believe that? I¡¯ve met a couple before, you¡¯re nothing compared to them.¡± ¡°I¡­just became one. Look, do you know a lie detector spell or something? I swear I¡¯m telling you the truth, it just sounds really far-fetched.¡± The dragon paused, eyeing Lilith warily. ¡°I suppose I do. Very well, repeat your story to me again, we¡¯ll see how truthful you are.¡± ¡°My name is Lilith Clements. I became a Perfect Chimera a month or so ago, and after I got caught up in a teleporter accident, the others and I ended up here. I honestly don¡¯t mean any offense, I didn¡¯t even know you were here until now. I just want me and the people I care about to be safe.¡± There was a long silence, Lilith growing more and more nervous as it continued. She couldn¡¯t read the dragon¡¯s expression at all, and it kept its eyes glued on Lilith the entire time. ¡°I¡­suppose you¡¯re telling the truth.¡± It eventually admitted. ¡°Who are these others?¡± ¡°My aunt, and a couple of people who got caught up with me. A terrorist group, the Society of Light, raided the place we were staying in an effort to get at me, and while we were fleeing there was some sort of problem with the portal and we ended up here.¡± ¡°Of course, they did.¡± The dragon said, snorting derisively. ¡°They never knew how to keep to themselves.¡± ¡°You know of them?¡± ¡°I keep in touch with some of the other dragons I knew since before I was forced out here. The Society¡¯s tried enslaving some of them for use in their crusade, so, as you can imagine, I¡¯m not particularly fond.¡± There was a flash of light and the dragon was gone, replaced by a tall woman wearing a plain white dress. She had long hair the color of the dragon¡¯s scales, with eyes to match, and she was looking at Lilith with a somewhat pitying expression. ¡°Forgive my rudeness.¡± She said. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve had any company. Your story has convinced me, I¡¯ll offer my protection until the time comes that you can leave this place.¡± Lilith blinked in surprise. ¡°Just like that?¡± ¡°I have no desire to send the Society a weapon they could use to control me later. Besides, I need to do some home renovation, so having some more manpower around would be helpful.¡± She paused, looking down. ¡°And I suppose she would want me to at least do this much.¡± She muttered in some other language. ¡°I¡­thank you.¡± The dragon whipped her head up. ¡°Where did you learn that?¡± She demanded. Lilith started. She had, unconsciously, responded in the language that the dragon had just spoken. ¡°I made a wish with a djinn that lets me perfectly speak any language. It¡¯s also where I became a Perfect Chimera. Why?¡± The dragon sighed. ¡°It¡¯s a private language for me and my family. Many dragons have them. But I suppose that¡¯s not important. Bring these others out, I¡¯ll take you out to my lair.¡± Carmen, it¡¯s clear. Lilith informed her, sharing her memories of the conversation. Lilith looked back at the dragon. ¡°They¡¯ll be out in a moment. What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Siph.¡± The dragon said. ¡°How long do you expect to be here?¡± ¡°A couple of weeks. We just need to figure out our exact location and we can teleport back.¡± ¡°It¡¯s safe?¡± Kali asked, walking out of the hole. ¡°For the time being.¡± Siph said, eyeing Kali carefully. ¡°How many more of you are there?¡± ¡°Four and a halfish.¡± Kali replied. ¡°Lilith¡¯s got an alternate personality that has her own body.¡± Siph frowned, looking between Lilith and Kali. ¡°Very well. We¡¯ll have everyone introduce themselves and then I¡¯m going to fly you all back to my lair, understand?¡±
About half an hour later, Siph landed outside of a cave. ¡°Everybody off.¡± She said. ¡°I¡¯ll show you where you¡¯re staying. I¡¯ve been meaning to expand for a bit, so in your free time I¡¯ll have you dig out a new place, but until then you¡¯re going to use a spare room. The inside of the cave wasn¡¯t what Lilith had been expecting. The floor was as smooth as any stone floor she¡¯d seen in a building, and the walls were much the same. Siph turned into her human form and led the group through the cave to a hallway of sorts, ending in a large room. ¡°You¡¯re in here for the time being.¡± She said. ¡°I want there to be another room about the size of this one, make the entrance on either side of the hallway here. Get to it.¡± Lilith nodded, letting out her digging appendages again. ¡°Not you.¡± Siph said. ¡°You¡¯re coming with me, I need you to explain, in detail what happened to bring you here.¡± She grabbed Lilith¡¯s collar, pulling her closer. ¡°Come on, we don¡¯t have all day.¡±
A few hours later, Carmen had made good progress on the new room. Lilith had returned a couple of hours before, and between the two of them they were able to dig out around a fourth of the required area. Removing the debris had turned out to be troublesome, since they had to haul it out of the cave every so often, but other than that everything went smoothly. And, finally, everyone else had gone to sleep. Once she was sure she was the only one of her group awake, she left, searching for Siph. She found her in the largest room of the cave, lying down in her dragon form. ¡°What do you want?¡± Siph asked, eyeing Carmen warily. ¡°Oh, nothing much.¡± Carmen said. ¡°I just have a proposal that I think will be mutually beneficial.¡± ¡°Explain.¡± ¡°I have a few abilities that strengthen anyone magically bound to me, and I think having you in on them would be for the best. It doesn¡¯t need much, just a simple contract that says you¡¯re ¡®under me¡¯, not magically binding whatsoever and you can back out whenever you please. After that I can grant you some of my more unusual abilities, though I might have to borrow some of your Mana to be able to give something that would be worth it to someone as tough as you. So, what do you say?¡± Siph gave Carmen a suspicious look. ¡°Lilith told me all about you and gave me the full details on her abilities, you know. Don¡¯t think you can try and pull one over on me.¡± Carmen opened her mouth to speak, but Siph cut her off. ¡°Be that as it may, I¡¯m not fully opposed to entering into this agreement, provided I am allowed to amend it. First, I need some more details on all the other people with you. Particularly that Kali woman, she seems¡­off, and I don¡¯t like that. Second, if you¡¯re to be getting my abilities, I need to personally train you in how to use them. I can¡¯t stand to have my gifts go to waste. Finally, I want a guarantee that there are no purposeful attempts to charm me or use abilities that could affect my mental state in my presence, unless I specifically say so. Understood?¡± Carmen frowned. ¡°And you¡¯re fine with me just getting access to everything you have?¡± Siph opened her mouth in a grin. ¡°If I wasn¡¯t, I would have killed you earlier. You¡¯d be getting this stuff anyway, and I happen to like the idea of having a Perfect Chimera in my debt. So, do you accept my terms?¡± Carmen thought about that for a moment. ¡°I suppose I do. I¡¯ll perform the contract now, but I¡¯ll have to touch you for it, is that alright?¡± ¡°Very well.¡± Carmen stepped forward and placed a hand on Siph, channeling some magic into her. ¡°This contract just states that ¡®I¡¯m in charge¡¯ in name only. No coercion to do whatever I say or anything. Do you accept?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± There was a strong magical snap, much like the one she had experienced when she contracted the others earlier. ¡°There, we¡¯re done. I¡¯m going to get back to digging now.¡± Carmen turned to leave but was blocked by one of Siph¡¯s claws. ¡°No.¡± She said sternly. ¡°You¡¯re not going back to digging. You¡¯re going to tell me everything now, and then you¡¯re going to bed. My training is going to be harsh, and I¡¯m not letting you nor Lilith wear yourself out beforehand. I don¡¯t care what Traits you have, sleep helps. Now, spit everything out.¡± Carmen raised her hands in surrender. ¡°Fine, fine.¡± She took a seat on the floor and began to tell Siph what she considered to be the relevant details about everyone else. Siph listened, an unreadable expression on her face as she did. Once Carmen finished, she sighed and lifted her claw. ¡°I¡¯ll be in to check on you in thirty minutes. You better be trying to sleep by then. Now go.¡± Siph nudged Carmen out of the room with her claw, and Carmen left, smiling wryly. Lilith was going to freak out when she woke up, and Carmen was quite looking forward to it. Chapter 19: Familial Bond Lilith woke to a large series of windows detailing abilities she had, apparently, gained from putting Siph into her servitude. She mentally nudged them to the side so she could look over them later, putting her effort instead into dealing with the source of this. Carmen, what did you do?! I offered Siph a mutually-beneficial arrangement and she chose to accept, is there a problem with that? Lilith groaned mentally. Yes, there¡¯s a problem with that! I don¡¯t appreciate you trying to take advantage of people like this! Please. Siph knew exactly what she was getting into and agreed to it. She¡¯s in our mental link now, go ask her about it yourself, I¡¯m busy digging. Lilith sighed, choosing to let the subject drop. She¡¯d talk to Siph in a bit, she needed to see what she had gained first. It was mostly various physical enhancements and a couple of massive increases to her fire and acid resistance, but there were a few other, more interesting, additions on top of those.
Overflowing Strength Trait Dragon Domain Origin: Magical While the user is in a non-dragon form, they gain access to 25% of their dragon form¡¯s strength. Eye of the Dragon Trait Dragon Domain Origin: Magical Greatly enhances the user¡¯s eyesight, allowing them to pick out prey from far away even while flying at high speeds. Breath Weapon Trait Dragon Domain Origin: Magical The user can expel a cone of a number of substances based on their race. Intensity, length, and other properties are dependent on the Mana used to activate this trait, as well as the user¡¯s age. Fine control becomes possible with practice. Currently available elements: Fire Acid Breath Weapon has been folded into Eldritch Abomination, gaining the following effect: Breath Weapon may be activated from any of the user¡¯s orifices, including those made on an appendage. Breath Weapon can only be activated from one orifice at a time. User can use Breath Weapon with any secretions they know and can secrete any element they can use Breath Weapon with. Intimidating Presence Skill Origin: Magical User appears more frightening to other beings. The more damage the user deals to an enemy, the more powerful this effect becomes. This Skill may be toggled on and off at will. Intimidating Presence has been folded into Horrifying Fascination, gaining the following effect: The more afraid of the user a target is, the more powerful Horrid Fascination¡¯s charm effect becomes. Humanoid Transformation has been transformed into Dragon Mantle, which has been folded into Eldritch Abomination. The following effect is added: User can turn themselves partially into a dragon. This manifests as growing a layer of scales across all exposed skin, hands and feet gaining claws, teeth sharpening, and the growth of wings and a tail if the user does not currently have them. Mana is drained while Dragon Mantle is active, and the effect of Overflowing Strength is quadrupled. Dragon teeth, claws, and scales may be grown with Eldritch Abomination.
Curious, Lilith activated Dragon Mantle, and a feeling of pure strength washed over her. She flexed her fingers, marveling at the wicked-looking claws coming from her fingertips. Satisfied, she let out a small gout of flame, watching in astonishment as the flame came from her throat and she didn¡¯t feel in the least bit injured by it. ¡°Woah.¡± Raphael breathed. ¡°When did you learn how to do that?¡± Lilith¡¯s whirled to face Raphael, letting Dragon Mantle deactivate. She had forgotten that other people might have been in the room, and she felt more than a little embarrassed about her little display. ¡°Um, this morning. Uh¡­¡± Raphael looked at Lilith in wonder. ¡°You¡¯re¡­really one of them.¡± She said. ¡°You¡¯re actually a Perfect Chimera!¡± ¡°Um, yeah, I guess? I thought you knew that.¡± Raphael waved a hand dismissively. ¡°It just didn¡¯t¡­feel real. You were using all these weird eldritch abilities, those didn¡¯t feel like real Perfect Chimera stuff. But quick adaptation like that? That¡¯s like¡­classic Perfect Chimera! How does it feel?!¡± Lilith blinked, overwhelmed by the girl¡¯s sudden enthusiasm. ¡°Uh¡­same as yesterday? I mean, not actually the same but like¡­I¡¯ve kinda grown numb to getting all these new abilities and stuff.¡± ¡°Come on, you were a kid once! You must have fantasized about being a Perfect Chimera before!¡± Lilith shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know if anyone¡¯s told you, but I was born and raised on Earth. I didn¡¯t even know Perfect Chimeras existed before I became one.¡± Raphael stared dumbly at Lilith. ¡°You¡­what? You¡¯re from Earth?!¡± Lilith nodded. ¡°Yeah, but that¡¯s not really¡­important? I¡¯m more concerned about you, to be honest. Are you¡­okay? I mean, I think you¡¯ve been given a pretty harsh punishment, and we kinda just got stranded out somewhere dangerous.¡± Raphael frowned, giving Lilith a baffled look. ¡°I¡­am, I guess, I feel a lot safer now that a dragon¡¯s protecting us, but¡­why do you care? You¡¯re¡­we¡¯re enemies.¡± Raphael had an odd look on her face as she said that, like she herself had forgotten her animosity towards Lilith in her excitement. Lilith shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s in the past, and, well, everyone makes mistakes. I made plenty of them when I was your age, so it wouldn¡¯t be fair if I judged you too harshly. All I really want from you is to learn from your mistakes and use them to help become a better person. Besides, we¡¯re both stranded out here, so we might as well work together, at least until we¡¯re back to civilization.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Raphael said softly, a troubled look on her face. ¡°You said you didn¡¯t like my punishment.¡± ¡°What does that have to do with anything?¡± ¡°You said you want me to learn, but you also said you thought my punishment was too harsh, and I thought my punishment was pretty light.¡± Lilith frowned. ¡°I¡­don¡¯t necessarily see how those two things are connected. And this is what you think a light punishment is? What kind of punishments do you usually get?¡± ¡°Grandma likes to lock me in an empty room and give me only bread and water for a few days when I misbehave this bad. She says I should take the time to think about what I did so I won¡¯t bug her with it again.¡± Lilith gasped, fury boiling up within her. ¡°That¡¯s not okay!¡± She exclaimed. ¡°That¡¯s never okay! That¡¯s like¡­literally torture!¡± This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°No, it¡¯s not, it¡¯s just being alone for a bit.¡± Raphael said, tilting her head in confusion. ¡°That¡¯s not torture.¡± Lilith took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. ¡°Look, I don¡¯t know how things work on Haven, but where I¡¯m from that sort of thing is banned and would probably get you taken away from your grandma, or maybe even get her put in jail. It¡¯s called cruel and unusual punishment.¡± Alright Lilith, I know you¡¯re up, come meet with me in the main room, now. Siph commanded. ¡°Um, Siph¡¯s telling me I have to go talk to her.¡± Lilith said, glad for the excuse to get away from the awkward topic. ¡°Sorry, I know we were talking, but I don¡¯t want to make Siph upset as she¡¯s kind of our lifeline here. We can finish later on, if you¡¯d like, just¡­think about what I said.¡± She hurriedly exited the room, making her way to the main room. ¡°Good, you¡¯re here.¡± Siph said. She was in her humanoid form and was sitting down on a large rock. ¡°Take a seat, we need to have a talk.¡± She motioned to a rock across from her, and Lilith sat down on it. ¡°Um, I couldn¡¯t help but notice that Carmen made some sort of contract with you.¡± Lilith said. ¡°I thought I told you about her, but, um, I can try and release you, if you¡¯d like?¡± Siph snorted. ¡°I knew exactly what I was getting into.¡± She said. ¡°And we¡¯re going to talk about the conditions I laid out to Carmen last night. First, you are not allowed to use any abilities that might affect my mind.¡± She held up a hand, forestalling the question Lilith was about to ask. ¡°Yes, even your Patron ability. Second, starting today, I¡¯m going to train you in how to use my gifts. I¡¯m not going to let you squander something I gave.¡± Lilith frowned. ¡°If I can¡¯t use Patron, what are you getting out of all of this, then? This seems like an awfully poor deal for you.¡± Siph grinned. ¡°Simple. You¡¯re even further in my debt now. I rather like the idea of having a Perfect Chimera owe me a few favors, even if right now you¡¯re too weak to be able to get anything done that I couldn¡¯t do myself.¡± ¡°I¡­see.¡± Lilith said. ¡°I won¡¯t do things that I consider immoral, though. If you¡¯re expecting that, then I¡¯ll take my leave now. We¡¯ll figure out some way to survive on our own.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk back to me!¡± Siph snapped. ¡°Learn some respect for your mother!¡± Siph¡¯s hands flew to her mouth as if she was going to cover it, but she stopped halfway, face growing incredibly red. There was a long, drawn-out silence after that, and eventually, Lilith spoke up. ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°Y¡­you heard me!¡± Siph said, flustered but apparently not willing to go back on what she said. ¡°The way I see it, you just got access to your dragon side from me. And I¡¯m currently watching over you and everyone, and I¡¯m going to teach you how to be a dragon. So¡­let¡¯s just check the boxes. ¡°Gave you life? Check. Feeding you in your infancy? Check. Teaching you how to fend for yourself? Working on it. That¡­sounds like a mom to me!¡± ¡°But you didn¡¯t give life to me and I¡¯m not an infant!¡± Lilith protested, bewildered. ¡°Y¡­your life before doesn¡¯t count! You don¡¯t really know living until you¡¯ve been a dragon! And besides, you¡¯re what¡­forty?¡± ¡°Twenty-five!¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t make a difference.¡± Siph said. ¡°You¡¯re not even considered a child until you¡¯re one hundred, and not a proper adult until one thousand.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be dead by then! That timeframe doesn¡¯t apply to me.¡± This time, Siph gave her the bewildered look. ¡°You¡¯re joking, right? You have everything I have as well as a bunch of other stuff, the capacity to get so much more in the future, and to top it all off you¡¯re apparently some sort of eldritch abomination. I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯re going to far outlive one thousand.¡± ¡°Look, I¡¯m¡­flattered, I¡­think, but I¡¯ve already got a mother.¡± Siph, growing ever redder, was silent for just a moment. ¡°You can¡­have two. Please? Even if it¡¯s just in name only, it¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Why does it matter?¡± ¡°You were human before, so I imagine you don¡¯t really¡­get it. Do you know when the last dragon was born? Over five hundred years ago. As creatures with theoretically infinite lifespans, it¡¯s very hard for dragons to have kids. And now that we¡¯re all scattered in this much, much larger world, I don¡¯t have high hopes for meeting another dragon willing to have kids with me. ¡°And¡­look, I¡¯ve always wanted a kid, and here you are, someone who, at the least, has a dragon form that¡¯s liable to look just like me. I¡¯m not going to let this opportunity slip by. I¡¯m going to be totally honest. I want to use those favors you owe me to, at the very least, let me have this and to have you take me back with you. You don¡¯t know how lonely it is here.¡± Lilith gave that some thought. ¡°I¡­guess that¡¯s fine.¡± She said. It was a pretty small thing to ask, and she would rather not test Siph while she was protecting them. And it¡¯s not like Siph could do that much harm if she was taken back with them; they¡¯d have the Protectorate¡¯s forces there to deal with her. ¡°If that¡¯s all, I can do this for at least a little while. I can bring you back too, though no promises we¡¯ll keep this relationship then.¡± Lilith was hit with a sudden headache that vanished as soon as it appeared, leaving only a window behind.
Siph has been recognized as your mother. Dragon Mantle has been upgraded to Dragonborn, drastically reducing its Mana cost. King¡¯s Knowledge has detected a contract between the user and Siph. Contract has been updated and fused with Dragonborn to form Familial Bond. King¡¯s Knowledge has detected a contract between the user and Judy. Contract has been updated and added to Familial Bond. Familial Bond (Root) Combination Origin: Magical All attributes are increased while working with a family member and increase further based on the number of members working together. All family members can ascertain the position of any other family member on the same plane and can mentally communicate with those on the same plane. Family members added to Familial Bond (¡°Branches¡±) see all other people in Familial Bond as family, their exact nature of their relationship depending on how they relate to the user (¡°Root¡±). For example, the Root¡¯s aunt would consider the Root¡¯s mother her sister. Family members are added to Familial Bond when the Root considers them family. The family member must accept being added to Familial Bond, at which point they are entered into Familial Bond and their perception of the rest of the family is updated, as well as the family¡¯s perception of them.
Lilith paused, processing the new information. One thing immediately stood out to her ¨C she had used a mind-altering effect on her mother, right after she had been told not to. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, mom!¡± Lilith said quickly. ¡°I swear I didn¡¯t know I was going to get that! It just happened when I agreed to treat you like my mom!¡± Siph shook her head, walking over to Lilith and pulling her into a huge hug. ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± She whispered, stroking the back of Lilith¡¯s head. ¡°I would have asked for this, you don¡¯t know how happy this makes me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­a relief.¡± Lilith said, returning the hug. She was surprised by just how much affection she felt for Siph now; it was exactly the same as how she felt about her other mother. After a few moments, Siph broke off the hug, wiping her slightly teary eyes. ¡°Sorry.¡± She said. ¡°I¡¯m just¡­a bit overcome right now.¡± There was a bit of an awkward silence which was, thankfully, broken when Judy entered the room. ¡°Lilith, why are Siph and I sisters now?¡± She asked, a confused but not unhappy look on her face. ¡°New Skill I got, um, well,¡± Lilith looked to Siph, uncertain about how much she should say, ¡°Mom can tell you more if she wants, one thing sort of led to another and¡­well, here we are.¡± Siph walked over, giving Judy a side-hug. ¡°I¡¯ve wanted a kid for a long time, and I called in the favors Lilith owed me to have her treat me as her mom for a bit and to take me back with you guys. Then, apparently, magic decided to make it official. I wasn¡¯t expecting anything like this, but I can¡¯t say I¡¯m mad, I¡¯ve wanted a sister for a long time too.¡± Judy blinked. ¡°Oh. Um, what are we gonna do about Lilith¡¯s other parents?¡± Siph frowned. ¡°Don¡¯t know. I¡¯m¡­assuming we can just add them to the Skill, right? That should resolve any problems.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re fine with the fact that it¡¯s going to change your perception of them?¡± Lilith asked. ¡°You just said you didn¡¯t want that.¡± Siph withdrew her arm from Judy¡¯s shoulder, shrugging. ¡°It¡¯s a little uncomfortable, but I think it¡¯s totally worth it. I know that whatever I feel about things now, just leaving them out of the loop would make things way harder on you, and I¡¯m not going to stand for that. And I won¡¯t be hearing objections from you about it, understood?¡± ¡°And¡­if they don¡¯t want to?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll cross that bridge when we come to it.¡± Siph said confidently. ¡°But if they feel half as strongly about you as I do, they¡¯ll join.¡± Judy and Lilith shared a look. ¡°I¡­don¡¯t know.¡± Lilith said. ¡°They¡¯re¡­well, they don¡¯t even know about magic right now. They don¡¯t even know I¡¯m a girl, I wasn¡¯t one before I became a Perfect Chimera.¡± Siph stared at Lilith. ¡°You guys are from Earth?! Alright, sit down. You¡¯re going to explain to me exactly what led up to you becoming a Perfect Chimera. And when we get back, I¡¯m going to need pictures of you from before, too. I want to know everything about you that I can.¡± Siph turned to Judy. ¡°Oh, and could you tell Carmen to stop digging? I¡¯m not making my daughter do manual labor for me. And¡­well, since Lilith agreed to take me back with you, I won¡¯t be using it anyway.¡± Judy nodded, leaving as Lilith obediently took a seat on the rock floor and began to tell her mother about everything that had happened to her. Chapter 20: Hunting Once Lilith finished her story, Siph stood up, stretching a little. ¡°Well, that¡¯s¡­certainly something.¡± She said. ¡°But I suppose the circumstances around a new Perfect Chimera can¡¯t be anything but unusual. Really though, all this does is strengthen my conviction; we¡¯re going to have to train you up more. You¡¯re a target right now, and I won¡¯t stand for that. On your feet, we¡¯re starting now.¡± Lilith stood, giving her mother a curious glance. ¡°So, what are we doing, then?¡± ¡°Hunting.¡± Siph replied. ¡°Shift into your dragon form, I want to teach you everything I can about how to handle yourself like that. I may not know how to fight as a humanoid, but I can at least train you in this regard.¡± Lilith focused, and after a moment found herself on all fours. While she couldn¡¯t see most of her body, she could see that her legs were covered in lustrous green scales the same shade as Siph¡¯s. ¡°Aww, you¡¯re so cute!¡± Siph squealed, throwing her arms around Lilith¡¯s neck. ¡°You¡¯re like¡­like¡­the cutest thing I¡¯ve ever seen!¡± That was another thing Lilith noticed ¨C Siph¡¯s dragon form was the size of a large house, but Lilith¡¯s clearly wasn¡¯t, she was¡­probably about the size of a horse from what she was able to tell. ¡°This is¡­different.¡± Lilith said, shaking a leg experimentally. ¡°I¡¯ll be honest, I never expected to know what it¡¯s like to be a quadruped, but¡­well, it¡¯s not as odd as I was expecting.¡± ¡°That¡¯s magic for you, I felt the same way when I first took a humanoid form.¡± Siph said, letting go of Lilith and stepping back. A moment later two large wings burst from her back, and she gave Lilith a smile. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going to take you out hunting now.¡± She said. ¡°I would use my dragon from, but in this environment it¡¯s a lot harder to chase things down if they decide to hide, so being humanoid sends less things running.¡± ¡°But what about me?¡± Lilith asked. ¡°I¡¯m kind of a dragon too right now.¡± Siph laughed. ¡°A baby dragon. You¡¯re smaller than a bunch of other stuff that flies around out here. You¡¯re not going to make things too scared of you, even though they probably should be. It¡¯s mostly size that gets things running.¡± She paused. ¡°Well, gets anything worth catching running, that is.¡± She led Lilith to the entrance of the cave, turning around right before they reached the exit. ¡°Go ahead and take off, I¡¯ll catch up and help you look for something, alright?¡± Lilith nodded, taking a moment to flex her wings and make sure they worked like her usual pair before taking off into the sky. A few moments later Siph was beside her, smiling hugely. This is great! She said telepathically. I¡¯ve always wanted to take my kid out hunting! Let me know if you see anything big, I¡¯ll be keeping an eye out as well, but it never hurts to have another person looking. It took them another fifteen minutes or so before Siph stopped Lilith. Down there, to your left. You see that big cat? Lilith tried her best to slow down, but her body wasn¡¯t built for hovering in place, so she ended up circling around instead, looking for the cat. Eventually, she found it. Alright, I see it, what now? Swoop down, melt it with some acid, and then if it¡¯s still moving fly back up and wait for it to die. These things can cover themselves with electricity and shoot bolts of lightning, so don¡¯t engage for too long. Just go down and then immediately come back up. Don¡¯t worry if you don¡¯t get it on the first try, I¡¯ll be right here to make sure it can¡¯t hurt you. Got it. Lilith took a moment to psyche herself up, then shot down towards the cat, letting out a stream of acid as she descended. The cat looked up at her as the acid rained down¡­several feet to its left. Lilith didn¡¯t waste time, immediately heading back up as electricity crackled along some protrusions on its back and a bolt of lightning speared out into the sky just behind Lilith. It didn¡¯t have much time to do anything else, though, as a focused lance of fire speared through its skull, Siph landing next to it and cleanly slicing its head off with a partially-transformed hand. Alright, it¡¯s safe to land. She said. It¡¯s dead. Oh, uh, right, in the future, don¡¯t land until I say it¡¯s safe. Things out here don¡¯t¡­die like you¡¯re used to. A lot of the time they have abilities that let them play dead and try to hurt you if you¡¯re not careful. Lilith landed next to her, giving a dejected look at the acid that was starting to eat into the ground beside them. ¡°I¡­really messed that up.¡± She said. ¡°Sorry.¡± Siph laughed, reaching up and patting Lilith¡¯s head reassuringly. ¡°Don¡¯t be. You did better than me when I first tried to hit something at that speed. It¡¯s not easy to do, and I didn¡¯t expect you to hit the thing on your first try.¡± Lilith reached out with a claw to pick the cat up, but Siph swatted it was a hand, causing Lilith to take the claw back. ¡°Aren¡¯t we going to like¡­bring this back for food?¡± ¡°No.¡± Siph said. ¡°You¡¯re going to use Assimilate on this one. We¡¯ll catch another to eat, but the focus right now is on getting you stronger.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Lilith said, using Eldritch Abomination to sprout a fleshy appendage from a foreleg, spearing it out towards the corpse and activating Assimilate. She had never used it before, so she wasn¡¯t quite sure what to expect, but the whole process was relatively clean and painless. The corpse just sort of¡­flowed into her with a sensation sort of like being hit by running water. And then it was over, and there was a window in front of her. There were the standard physical enhancements she had come to expect from getting new abilities and some stuff that helped her sneak around, but the only really interesting thing was the cat¡¯s electric ability.
Electric Spines Trait Large Cat (Electric, Unnamed) Domain Origin: Magical User can discharge electricity from the spines growing on their back. Intensity and range of the electricity is proportional to the amount of Mana put into activation. Electric ability detected. King¡¯s Knowledge has analyzed the ability and added electricity to the substances usable with Breath Weapon Electric Spines has been folded into Eldritch Abomination, allowing for the growth of Electric Spines.
Siph nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Good. Now, go on and fly back up, we¡¯re going to keep going until I¡¯m satisfied. And, unless I tell you something is food, I want you to assimilate it right away, alright? I want you to pack away as much mass as you can, since that¡¯s directly tied to how much you can do with Eldritch Abomination.¡± Siph blasted off back into the sky, leaving Lilith to follow. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. After a few more hours they had caught twelve more animals, most of which were of an enormous moose-like species that seemed to be relatively common, though they also caught two more of the cats and a huge bird the size of Lilith¡¯s dragon form. Everything save for one moose was assimilated, and soon they were headed back for the cave. When they got there, Carmen was waiting at the entrance, a slight smile on her face. ¡°Have fun?¡± she asked. Siph, who had shifted to her dragon form to carry the moose, dropped the moose on the floor and changed back into her humanoid form, running over and giving Carmen a big hug. ¡°A lot! What have you been doing?¡± Carmen returned the hug. ¡°Not much, just making sure everyone¡¯s alright and nothing tries to come in and attack us while you¡¯re gone.¡± Siph laughed, releasing the hug. ¡°Nothing around here¡¯s that dumb. They know this cave houses something way more dangerous than they are. You¡¯re perfectly safe in there.¡± Carmen shrugged. ¡°Well, it¡¯s something to do.¡± Lilith turned back to her human form as well, and, with a bit of effort, lifted the moose. ¡°I¡¯m going to go take this inside and¡­I dunno, skin it or something? I¡¯m not totally sure how to prepare wild animals.¡± ¡°No.¡± Siph said. ¡°We¡¯re not done yet. I still need to teach you how to fight.¡± Lilith frowned. ¡°Isn¡¯t that why we were hunting?¡± Siph smiled. ¡°Partially, but that was all against opponents you outclassed. I want to try and teach you how to fight against something you can¡¯t overpower with raw differences in your abilities.¡± ¡°But I ¨C¡± ¡°Have all my abilities? Yes.¡± Siph said. ¡°But I¡¯ve been alive a lot longer than you. If you think you can use raw strength to beat me, you have another thing coming.¡± She grabbed the moose Lilith was holding and, with a grunt, took it from her. ¡°I¡¯m going to take this to the others to prepare. You wait in the main room and I¡¯ll be there in a sec, alright?¡± ¡°Mind if I watch?¡± Carmen asked. ¡°Just out of curiosity.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t even need to ask, sweetie, of course you can.¡± Siph said, giving the two one last smile before taking the corpse into the cave. With that, Lilith made her way to the main room of the cave, Carmen following close behind.
Carmen lounged against the wall as Siph did her best to train Lilith. It was harsh, and Carmen wasn¡¯t totally convinced of the efficacy of it, but she could tell that Siph was trying, and that was all that mattered, she supposed. ¡°What¡¯s going on in here?!¡± Carmen turned to find Raphael standing in one of the ¡°doorways¡± to the main room, mouth open. ¡°Siph¡¯s training Lilith, don¡¯t worry about it too much. No one¡¯s actually fighting.¡± Carmen replied, walking over to her. ¡°But¡­¡± Raphael trailed off, watching as Lilith and Siph tussled. ¡°We¡¯re family now.¡± Carmen said lazily. ¡°She wouldn¡¯t hurt Lilith in a million years.¡± After a moment, Lilith and Siph ceased their latest bout, both changing back into their humanoid forms. Siph gave Lilith a hug, then walked over to Carmen and Raphael. ¡°Do you need something, child? I¡¯m busy, so if you don¡¯t have anything you need, then leave, you could get hurt.¡± ¡°N-no, ma¡¯am.¡± Raphael replied. ¡°I just was wondering what all the noise was. I thought¡­well, I thought we were being attacked and I could come help.¡± Siph snorted. ¡°Brave, but if there was an intruder that Carmen and I couldn¡¯t handle, you would only be getting in the way.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Lilith protested, ¡°I can fight too!¡± ¡°Absolutely not.¡± Siph said, giving Lilith a glance. ¡°If there¡¯s a real life or death conflict, you¡¯re not going to be a part of it. If Carmen dies, you can just remake her, but if you die, you both die. There¡¯s no way I¡¯m putting my only daughter in harm¡¯s way, so if the time comes that we need to seriously fight, you¡¯re going to be hiding with everyone else.¡± ¡°Just think of it as protecting all of them in case of a sneak attack.¡± Carmen volunteered. ¡°Besides, mom¡¯s right, there¡¯s no permanence to my death. This just makes sense.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Lilith growled. ¡°I suppose I can live with that.¡± ¡°Now, if that¡¯s all, you need to go.¡± Siph said. ¡°This could seriously be dangerous.¡± ¡°Wait a second.¡± Carmen replied. ¡°Let her watch the training, I¡¯ll make sure she¡¯s safe.¡± Siph was silent for a moment. ¡°If you say so. But if she starts bothering us or things get too intense, you have to take her away, understood?¡± ¡°No, wait, I can ¨C¡± Raphael was cut off as Carmen dragged her away, back towards where Carmen had been watching Lilith and Siph from earlier. ¡°Listen,¡± Carmen whispered, ¡°you¡¯ve always really looked up to Perfect Chimeras, I could tell from the way you talked about them in class. So, I¡¯m giving you the once in a lifetime opportunity of watching a Perfect Chimera develop her fighting. Be grateful.¡± ¡°Wait, how do you know how I talked about them?¡± Raphael whispered indignantly. ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t believe this is all you want. What¡¯s your angle here?¡± ¡°You¡¯re certainly a cynical kid.¡± Carmen said. ¡°Can¡¯t say it¡¯s a bad thing, though, that sort of attitude could serve you well later. Well, if you figure out when to be cynical, that is. Look, Lilith and I share memories about our day before bed, so I know everything she does. And as for what I want, I just want Lilith to make more friends.¡± And she wanted to help better Raphael by helping teach her that not everything was about power. Raphael was still a kid, and it hurt Carmen to see a kid suffering without even knowing they were suffering. Hopefully this would be the first step in removing her from the situation she was in. But Carmen wasn¡¯t about to let anyone else, even Lilith, know about that. She had an image to maintain and being softhearted wasn¡¯t part of it. ¡°Besides, you¡¯re pretty much guaranteed that we¡¯re not in cahoots with the Society. If we were, then we would have just taken you and everyone else to them immediately instead of trying to run into the portal." Raphael stopped, staring at Carmen silently for a moment. ¡°I¡­suppose you¡¯re right.¡± She said eventually. ¡°But that being the case, I can¡¯t exactly bury the hatchet just like that. I attacked her, we¡¯re in too deep for that!¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Carmen said. ¡°She¡¯s already forgiven you for what you¡¯ve done. In fact, she¡¯s of half a mind to apologize to you. She¡¯s not a big fan of the way we transformed you.¡± ¡°But you can¡¯t just be forgiven like that!¡± Raphael protested. ¡°You¡­you¡­¡± ¡°You what?¡± Carmen prompted. ¡°I dunno, that¡¯s just not how it works!¡± Raphael said, frustrated. ¡°Who told you that? You can totally just bury the hatchet. She¡¯s over it, so if you want you can just¡­move on. I mean, yeah, you should still apologize, but Lilith is a very forgiving person, it won¡¯t be a big deal.¡± ¡°Grandma told me that, and she¡¯s never wrong.¡± Carmen raised an eyebrow. ¡°No one¡¯s never wrong. If your grandma was never wrong, why is the Society still a problem?¡± ¡°Because¡­other people won¡¯t listen to her and cooperate.¡± Raphael said. ¡°She says that if they all just did as they were told then we wouldn¡¯t have these issues.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure about that.¡± Carmen replied. ¡°If I were you, I would seriously think about anyone who says they¡¯re never wrong. I¡¯ve never met a single person who¡¯s said that and was right about it. But we¡¯re getting off topic, my point is that Lilith¡¯s a sweetheart. She¡¯s already forgiven you, so you¡¯ve got that once in a lifetime opportunity to make friends with one of the Perfect Chimeras you idolize.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Raphael said, shaking her head. ¡°But, again, why do you care about Lilith making friends? What do you get from this?¡± Carmen laughed. ¡°I think you misunderstand. I am Lilith. We are the same person, just with different bodies and personalities. Anything that benefits her benefits me, at least indirectly. So, I¡¯ve taken it upon myself to do what she¡¯s too afraid to, and I¡¯ll reap the rewards whenever we share memories or whenever she decides to put me away.¡± ¡°Put¡­you away?¡± Carmen shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m just another personality manifesting in an artificial body. She can get rid of my body and then I¡¯m back to sleeping in her head.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re¡­okay with that?¡± Raphael asked, frowning. Carmen paused. ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal. Eventually I¡¯ll come back out, so I just want to make my time inside her as comfortable as possible.¡± They both fell silent, Raphael¡¯s expression showing that she was thinking hard. Eventually, when it looked like things were winding down in Siph and Lilith¡¯s latest bout, Carmen stood up. ¡°Hey, mom, when you and Lilith finish your next round, swap me out for her!¡± She called. ¡°She¡¯s going to be getting tired and I¡¯d like to get some exercise!¡± Siph swapped back to her humanoid form, and Lilith followed suit. ¡°Alright, sounds good!¡± Siph said. ¡°Lilith, you go take a rest over where Carmen was, alright?¡± ¡°Yes, mom.¡± Lilith said. Carmen gave Raphael a wink, then strode off, ready to finally get some action. Chapter 21: Myself and I Lilith sat down next to Raphael, giving the girl a worried look. ¡°Hey, you alright? Carmen didn¡¯t do anything weird, did she?¡± Raphael started, as if she hadn¡¯t noticed that Lilith was there. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I was just wondering if Carmen said or did anything weird and making sure you¡¯re fine.¡± Raphael gave Lilith a conflicted sort of look. ¡°No, I¡¯m fine.¡± She was silent for a long moment, clearly struggling with herself over what to say. ¡°Um¡­I¡¯m¡­sorry.¡± She finally said. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have attacked you, I guess I was just¡­I dunno, too caught up in wanting to be a hero to really pay attention.¡± Lilith shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s fine, I get it. If I thought there was something fishy going on, I would want to take care of it too. More importantly, how are you doing? Do you need me to try and get you changed back? We¡¯re in a stressful situation and I don¡¯t want anything unnecessarily adding to that.¡± Raphael shook her head. ¡°Didn¡¯t I already say I don¡¯t care? Angels really don¡¯t care about that sort of thing, so it¡¯s not adding stress. Besides, if this is a punishment, then I¡­guess riding it out is the responsible thing to do.¡± Lilith smiled weakly. ¡°Perhaps, I just¡­worry. You¡¯re just a kid, and I don¡¯t want you to end up traumatized because of me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Raphael stopped talking, giving Lilith that same sort of conflicted look. ¡°I know.¡± Lilith replied sadly. ¡°I probably already traumatized you, getting you dragged out here with me, I ¨C¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it!¡± Raphael said quickly. ¡°Honestly, it¡¯s not that big a deal, Kali will get us back in a couple of weeks and we¡¯ll be safe until then. It was scary at first but now it¡¯s fine, boring even. I just¡­¡± She trailed off then shook her head. ¡°Look, can we talk about Carmen?¡± A small knot formed in Lilith¡¯s stomach. ¡°So, she did do something.¡± ¡°No. Look¡­is it true that you¡¯re going to end up ¡®putting Carmen away¡¯ like Carmen said you would?¡± Lilith frowned. ¡°I¡¯ll be honest, I kind of want to, but I really just can¡¯t bring myself to, not unless she does something really bad. It¡­well, it feels like she¡¯s her own person now, and I don¡¯t want to just take that away from her.¡± ¡°Carmen doesn¡¯t seem to think the same, she says you two are the same person at the end of the day.¡± ¡°I¡­well, I dunno. I guess that¡¯s up to her if she wants to think that, but personally I don¡¯t, we¡¯re just too¡­different. And now that she has her own body, I think she might as well be able to just¡­go off and live her own life if she wants to. I¡¯ve sorta been keeping those thoughts to myself when we share memories since I don¡¯t want to influence her, but I¡¯ve been thinking it for a while now.¡± ¡°Have you¡­talked to her about it?¡± Raphael asked. ¡°No, things have been sorta crazy and¡­well, there just hasn¡¯t been a good time.¡± ¡°Maybe you should.¡± Raphael suggested. ¡°You two seem to be of differing opinions on the matter and I think that it¡¯s probably important to be on the same page about it.¡± Lilith sighed. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. I¡¯ll do it after we finish up here, whenever that ends up being.¡± There was an awkward silence after that, eventually ended when Raphael spoke up again. ¡°One¡­one more thing.¡± She said nervously. ¡°Why are you being so¡­nice? I attacked you and was always rude to you so I¡­well, I just don¡¯t get it.¡± Lilith shrugged. ¡°You¡¯re what, ten? You were probably just trying to look cool in front of your friends, and I get that. You thought you saw a problem and you tried to fix it. Sure, it probably could have been done better if you just went to the teachers, but I can get why you didn¡¯t. It¡¯s really not a big deal.¡± ¡°I¡¯m actually eight.¡± Raphael corrected. ¡°Come to think of it, how old are you? It¡¯s hard to tell with Perfect Chimeras.¡± ¡°Twenty-five, so¡­still in my prime, I guess.¡± To Lilith¡¯s surprise, Raphael snorted, causing her to give her a confused look. ¡°What? Did I say something funny?¡± ¡°Yeah, that bit about being in your prime. I mean, your prime is kind of a super long time. Like, I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s literally forever, you have access to every single anti-aging ability in existence.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Lilith¡­hadn¡¯t really thought of it in that way before, and it made her sad in a weird sort of way. She was probably going to outlive her friends and family, and that just felt¡­lonely. After a moment of reflection, she shook her head to clear her thoughts. ¡°Why are you still here, anyway? It can¡¯t be that exciting watching mom beat me in a fight over and over again.¡± Raphael shrugged. ¡°Well¡­Carmen was right. I¡¯ve always wanted to know more about Perfect Chimeras, so this is a good opportunity to get more knowledge. Not everyone has this sort of opportunity, you know?¡± She paused, studied Lilith¡¯s face for a moment, then, apparently satisfied, continued. ¡°You can do some weird stuff, you know that?¡± Lilith laughed. ¡°You¡¯re preaching to the choir, kid. You¡¯ve got no idea how weird the past few months have been for me.¡±
¡°What¡¯s up? Is it about Raphael?¡± Carmen asked, sitting down across from Lilith. She wasn¡¯t sure why Lilith had asked her to meet so suddenly, so she was more than a little curious to find out what was going on. ¡°N-no,¡± Lilith stuttered, looking away, ¡°it¡¯s¡­about us.¡± Carmen raised an eyebrow. ¡°Just share your memories with me and we¡¯ll talk about it, it¡¯ll be faster that way.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the problem!¡± Lilith said, almost wailing. ¡°I can¡¯t just keep going on like this!¡± Carmen stood up and walked over to Lilith, putting a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Get a grip! If I¡¯m that troublesome, just put me away when I¡¯m not doing other things. We¡¯re not in a situation where I¡¯m terribly useful, so if I¡¯m causing you stress then just don¡¯t deal with me. It¡¯s not exactly rocket science.¡± ¡°No! No, no, no!¡± Lilith shouted. ¡°I can¡¯t just treat you like¡­like you¡¯re a thing! You¡¯re a living, breathing person with emotions and everything. You think, therefore you are! I can¡¯t just ¡®put you away¡¯, that¡¯s awful! You¡¯re not just a tool for me to exploit!¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Carmen stopped, staring at Lilith. She hadn¡¯t been expecting something quite like this but¡­well, knowing her other half, it made sense. ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s it. Let me guess, you don¡¯t want to share your thoughts about this because you don¡¯t want to influence how I think about it. Well I don¡¯t have any hang-ups like that, so let me just put it like this. I am you.¡± She said, punctuating those last three words with a spike of her emotions. ¡°Like it or not, I will eventually return to you. As such, it¡¯s ridiculous for you to resist communicating your emotions to me like this when it¡¯ll happen eventually. At some point in the future something¡¯s going to happen to this body and I¡¯m going to, however temporarily, end up sleeping inside you again. Look, I¡¯m thrilled to be ¡®out¡¯ more and would love to stay out more permanently, but all you¡¯re doing by agonizing over this is¨C¡± She was cut off, a window appearing in front of her. And, through another set of eyes, she could see as Lilith got the same one.
You and an alternate personality have decided you both wish to coexist, unlocking Parallel Processing! Parallel Processing Trait Hydra, Cerberus, Scylla, Ogre, Troll (See more) Domains Origin: Magical Some of the user¡¯s alternate personalities retain consciousness while they are not actively being used. In order for this to be the case, the user and all ¡°Parallel¡± personalities must agree to let another become a Parallel. Control of any part of the body defaults to the main personality in case of a dispute, but control may be manually assigned and reassigned by the main personality. Should the user wish to remove a Parallel personality, the main personality must mentally quell the Parallel. Other Parallels may choose to join the mental battle, but the main personality must ¡°let them in¡±. If the main personality fails to quell the Parallel, they are rendered unconscious for a period of time relative to how badly they failed. If a personality is stricken with a mental effect, Parallels may attempt to remove the effect, pooling their effective resistance. Should this not be enough to remove the effect, the effect is spread to all personalities involved. If the user is in a form with multiple heads, control of the heads is split evenly between all Parallels, with any extra going to the main personality. In this case, all senses are shared between personalities. The main personality may manually disconnect the senses of any one head from the rest. Should a head be severed, the personality in charge of the head is rendered unconscious for a period of 24 hours. Parallel Processing has been folded into the Avatar skill, gaining the following effect: Avatars are considered ¡°heads¡± for the purpose of Parallel Processing. All senses are, by default, shared between personalities at all times, but may be disconnected, resulting in Avatar¡¯s old functionality. Avatars piloted by a Parallel have their maximum Mana storage and regeneration raised to 50% of the main body¡¯s. Avatars piloted by a Parallel do not detract from the main body¡¯s maximum Mana, and do not count as having an avatar active for the purpose of creating a new avatar. Mana storage and regeneration rate is shared equally between all avatars piloted by a Parallel. If the user has two active avatars, each has 25% of the main body¡¯s Mana storage and regeneration, three active results in 16.6%, and so on. User cannot use a mask that is made into a Parallel personality. Should a Parallel knowingly choose to betray the main personality, it is instantly subject to the effects of the main body¡¯s Unknowable Entity and Horrid Fascination, effective until it chooses to become loyal to the main personality again. Should the main personality¡¯s body be destroyed, the oldest active avatar (whether piloted by a Parallel or not) becomes the new main body. If this happens, the new main body is limited to the Mana capacity and regeneration rate it had as an avatar for a period of two weeks, at which point it returns to normal. During this period of time, all avatar¡¯s capabilities are decreased proportionally.
Carmen groaned, clutching her head and closing her eyes. Her brain was not built to process two sets of senses at once, and it was already beginning to hurt. Fortunately, Lilith was on the same wavelength, swiftly disconnecting their senses. ¡°Thanks.¡± Carmen said, opening her eyes again. ¡°I¡¯m assuming that was hurting you too?¡± Lilith nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡± The two were silent for a long moment, and then Lilith spoke up. ¡°So¡­I guess that solves that, then. You¡¯re going to be able to be out as long as you want, you¡¯re your own person. When we get back, you can go¡­well, do whatever you want, I guess. You don¡¯t have to stick around me just because.¡± Carmen raised an eyebrow. ¡°Really? We¡¯re still doing this? Look, if I wanted to leave you, I would have been making an effort to this whole time. And it¡¯s not like I¡¯m magically some completely independent person now. We¡¯re still connected, if something happens to either one of us, we¡¯re going to end up right back in the head of the other. You¡¯re still the ¡®main personality¡¯ here.¡± ¡°I just¡­I¡¯m not sure what to do, you know? What if you change your mind?¡± Carmen sighed. ¡°Fine. Look here, this is what I¡¯m saying, talking like this is inefficient. Your belief that we are, fundamentally, separate is getting in the way of things. We can¡¯t act like we are, not without ignoring reality. I know you, and you seem to have become fixated on this, so I know words aren¡¯t going to satisfy you. So, I¡¯m just¡­going to share everything. Words are inefficient. Feelings aren¡¯t.¡± Before Lilith could protest, Carmen let loose, sharing her full range of thoughts and feelings on this subject with Lilith through their link. ¡°There, does that convince you? That¡¯s everything I feel. If I change my mind later, we can talk about it then, but for now I think it¡¯s silly to not use something like this when it¡¯s so¡­useful.¡± Lilith nodded slowly. ¡°Alright, I¡­I understand.¡± ¡°Good. Now, let¡¯s go tell mom about this, I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll want to be informed.¡± ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. Let¡¯s go.¡± The two walked to the main room, where Siph was lounging in her dragon form. ¡°Mom, we have some news for you.¡± Lilith said, prompting Siph to change back into her humanoid form and give her a curious look. ¡°What news? Did Kali figure out a way back already?¡± Siph asked hopefully. Lilith shook her head. ¡°No, nothing like that. Um, we just got a new ability, it¡­well, it effectively lets Carmen stay out forever. It¡¯s from stuff like hydras and trolls that have multiple heads and personalities. And it raises Carmen¡¯s capabilities and lets us make a new avatar and stuff too. Oh, and if my body dies, I automatically get sent into an avatar too, just with some temporary penalties.¡± Siph¡¯s eyes sparkled, and she scooped the two up into a huge hug. ¡°Score!¡± She cheered. ¡°Two daughters for the price of one! This is great news, it makes you way safer! Create another avatar ASAP and store it somewhere out of the way, that way if anything happens you have a fallback, alright?¡± Lilith nodded. ¡°Does that mean I get to fight with you and Carmen if something happens?¡± ¡°Nope!¡± Siph said. ¡°Still way too risky. You said you get penalties for dying, right? I don¡¯t want to risk those, so unless it¡¯s absolutely necessary, I would rather you stay out of combat.¡± ¡°She¡¯s right.¡± Carmen said. ¡°But I¡¯ll be sure to let you know if it becomes a problem and we need your help.¡± Siph maintained their hug for a few moments longer before she separated from the two. ¡°Now, as overjoyed as I am about this news, I need to make sure you¡¯re taking care of yourselves.¡± She said firmly. ¡°You two rushed off as soon as training was over, so you¡¯re coming with me now.¡± She grabbed both of their hands and began to tow them further into the cave. ¡°Where are we going?¡± Lilith asked. ¡°To eat. I¡¯m going to sit there and watch the both of you to make sure you get enough food, and then you¡¯re going to bathe and go to sleep, understood?¡± ¡°You have a bath?¡± Carmen said. ¡°Since when?¡± ¡°Since earlier today. I used some acid to dig out a rough hole in the part of the room you dug out for me, and then I had Kali, Alex, and Vithi help me fill it with water.¡± As they progressed, the smell of cooked meat became stronger and stronger. Eventually they reached a room where the moose they had brought back earlier was hanging on some sort of hook, having been skinned and then cooked by Siph¡¯s breath, if the scorch marks on the wall were any indicator. Siph turned one of her hands into a claw and reached over, slicing off a huge chunk of meat from one of the beast¡¯s flanks, which she then cut in two, handing a piece to Lilith and Carmen. ¡°Eat.¡± She said. ¡°There will be no malnutrition on my watch.¡± Carmen smiled and dug in. This certainly hadn¡¯t been how she was expecting her day to end, but now she wouldn¡¯t have it any other way. Chapter 22: Safe Again And so, a couple of weeks passed. Lilith¡¯s daily routine became one of going out early to hunt with Siph, training with Siph and Carmen for the rest of the day, and then eating and going to bed. Often during her training people would come in and watch, mostly Raphael, but occasionally the others would stop by for a bit. This routine was broken one evening by Emily coming in and respectfully waiting for Siph and Lilith to finish their training. Lilith could never quite get a handle on Emily ¨C she was young, barely older than Raphael, but she carried herself like she was an adult, the picture of professionalism. When asked, Emily simply said that it was her responsibility as one of the Windkeepers, and refused to say anything more. So, when Lilith noticed her, she stopped Siph at the next relatively convenient stopping point; Emily would likely just stand there until Lilith stopped what she was doing, so Lilith had made a point of keeping an eye out for her in times like these. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Lilith asked when they were finished. ¡°Do you need something?¡± Emily nodded. ¡°Kali has finally been able to properly discern our position, and is currently constructing a portal back. She will be taking you to Councilwoman Elenoa¡¯s demiplane for the time being, as we are uncertain of the status of Councilman Tunem¡¯s demiplane. She anticipates that things will be ready within the hour.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Siph said, pumping a fist. ¡°That¡¯s great news, right, Lilith, Carmen?¡± ¡°Sure is.¡± Carmen said. ¡°It¡¯ll be nice to sleep in a proper bed again.¡± ¡°Alright, I have to grab a few of my things, then.¡± Siph said. ¡°Just a couple of sentimental objects I would like to take with me. I don¡¯t think you brought much with you, but go make sure you¡¯re not leaving anything behind, either.¡± She turned to Emily. ¡°Does everyone else know?¡± Emily nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Siph replied, looking back to her daughters. ¡°I¡¯ll meet you two back here when you¡¯re finished, alright?¡± With that, the group dispersed, and Lilith and Carmen left to make sure they had everything. That¡­mostly just meant Lilith¡¯s phone, because her pockets didn¡¯t have anything else in them at the time of their flight. And soon, everyone was gathered in front of a portal in one of the side rooms, Kali standing between them and it. ¡°I¡¯m going to go in first to explain the situation.¡± Kali said. ¡°Don¡¯t come through until I come back, alright?¡± She stepped through, and there was a tense silence as everyone waited. It dragged on for a couple of minutes and then the portal shimmered, and Kali stepped through. ¡°We¡¯re clear.¡± She said, waving at the portal. ¡°I had a bit of trouble getting her to accept Siph, but as long as we leave fast, we¡¯re fine. She¡¯s having someone set up a portal to Tunem¡¯s place, it¡¯s safe.¡± ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go, then.¡± Carmen said, and stepped through the portal. Everyone else followed shortly after, and Lilith soon found herself in a large ornamental garden. Standing just to the side of the portal was a very-displeased looking Elenoa, as well as a tall, lean human man. ¡°The portal is to your left.¡± Elenoa said tersely. ¡°Everyone who¡¯s not Lilith, Kali, or Raphael is leaving. Now. Yes, you too, Carmen. Winston, show them out.¡± The human nodded, and walked over to the group. ¡°Follow me.¡± He said, tone indicating that there was no room for argument. ¡°Look here, I ¨C¡± Siph began, but she was cut off by Alex, who hurriedly whispered something into her ear. After a moment, Siph gave him an unhappy look. ¡°Fine,¡± She said, ¡°but I will be less than pleased if I find my daughter¡¯s been treated unfairly.¡± Elenoa ignored her, instead focusing her attention on Lilith, giving her a rather displeased look. Once everyone else was gone, she began to speak. ¡°Raphael, go to the house, we¡¯re going to get you fixed.¡± Raphael didn¡¯t move, instead staying rooted to the spot as she looked between Lilith and Elenoa. ¡°I said go.¡± Elenoa said. ¡°Did you not hear me?¡± ¡°I¡­heard you.¡± Raphael said. ¡°But I¡¯m not going.¡± Elenoa wheeled, face going from displeasure to anger as she looked at her granddaughter. ¡°Excuse me? Are you talking back to me?¡± Raphael quavered, but held Elenoa¡¯s gaze. ¡°I will go back to the house, but I don¡¯t think I should be ¡®fixed¡¯. This was a punishment for my behavior, and I need to see it through to the end.¡± Elenoa snorted. ¡°Kali, this is not what I meant when I talked about fixing his ego.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Kali responded, exasperated. ¡°She¡¯s owning up to her punishment, I see that as a large step in the right direction.¡± Elenoa turned to Kali, pure, undisguised disgust on her face. ¡°You know what I meant.¡± Kali didn¡¯t seem the least bit fazed by this, returning Elenoa¡¯s baleful glare with a perfectly calm and measured look. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t. If taking responsibility for your actions was not something I was supposed to teach, then I don¡¯t know what was. I stand by this.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Elenoa spat. ¡°Raphael, we¡¯ll talk about this later after I¡¯ve talked sense into Kali. Leave us.¡± Raphael left, only looking back for a moment as she reached the part of the path that had the portal. Then, apparently convinced of something, she quickly altered course, sprinting into the portal and out of sight. ¡°I¡¯ll have to have a talk with him later.¡± Elenoa growled. ¡°But for now, we need to talk about your punishment.¡± She said, looking at Lilith. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Kali said angrily. ¡°Lilith¡¯s done nothing wrong.¡± ¡°She changed my grandson without my permission, and I say that¡¯s plenty.¡± Elenoa said icily. ¡°I don¡¯t take kindly to an affront like that.¡± ¡°I gave her express permission, Tunem passed it off, and you gave me permission to discipline Raphael as I see fit. You know this, so stop trying to pull some sort of power move over her.¡± Kali snapped. ¡°I¡¯m not going to stand for this, I will push the issue in the Council if you try to do this, unspoken agreements or not.¡± Elenoa¡¯s expression soured even more, something Lilith hadn¡¯t even considered as being possible before. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t dare.¡± ¡°I would.¡± Kali said. ¡°You know I would. Lilith, go into the portal, now. You don¡¯t have to put up with this.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°But nothing.¡± Kali said firmly, more firmly than Lilith had ever heard Kali tell her to do anything. ¡°The Council has directly put me and Tunem in charge of you. My authority supersedes Elenoa¡¯s here. Leave, immediately.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Lilith said, breaking away from the group and moving towards the portal. ¡°Do not.¡± She heard Elenoa say. ¡°I will have Winston drag you back here if necessary.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t listen to her.¡± Kali said. ¡°She can¡¯t actually do that. If she does, she¡¯ll have to actually face repercussions, unlike usual.¡± Elenoa gasped in fury. ¡°You did not just say that. I will have you removed from your seat if you don¡¯t correct your attitude right now.¡± ¡°Oh, yes, and start a civil war? Not everyone¡¯s happy with the position you¡¯ve been putting yourself in and the policies you push. You can¡¯t just bully me down from this. Lilith, go. This isn¡¯t going to be pretty.¡± Lilith took that opportunity to dash towards the portal. Winston looked for a moment like he was about to pursue, but was stopped with a wave from Elenoa. And so, she was soon out of the situation and back in a room in Tunem¡¯s demiplane. It was¡­surprisingly empty, the only inhabitants being Carmen and Raphael, the latter of which was sitting on the floor, looking¡­for lack of a better word, panicked. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Raphael, are you going to be okay?¡± Lilith asked. ¡°That was¡­really brave of you.¡± Lilith gave a nod to Carmen, quickly catching her up by sharing her memories of the short time they were apart before turning back to Raphael. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you just¡­disobeyed your grandma like that.¡± Raphael shook her head slowly. ¡°Well¡­I realized she was wrong.¡± She said. ¡°And¡­I want to own up to my mistakes. I don¡¯t get to just¡­skip out on the consequences like that. That¡¯s¡­wrong.¡± Carmen walked over and patted the girl¡¯s head. ¡°I¡¯m proud of you.¡± She said, smiling slightly. Raphael immediately ducked away. ¡°I¨CI didn¡¯t say you could do that!¡± She protested. ¡°I¡­that feels weird, so don¡¯t.¡± Carmen smirked. ¡°Why not? It¡¯s normal to tell someone when they did a good job. Not used to it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant!¡± Raphael whined. ¡°Come on!¡± Further conversation was interrupted as the door opened, and Tunem walked in. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again.¡± He said. ¡°Lilith, I have some news for you.¡± Lilith raised an eyebrow. ¡°And what would that be?¡± ¡°After the raid we decided it was too risky to let your parents just be out in the open like they were. So, we relocated them here and they¡¯ve been¡­more or less caught up on the broad strokes of things, though we¡¯ve chosen to let you tell them the specifics. Judy¡¯s having a quick talk with them in the other room, and then we¡¯re going to have you see them.¡± ¡°And¡­Siph?¡± Lilith asked. ¡°Is waiting just outside their room. She¡¯s planning to see them after you talk with them.¡± Tunem replied, then turned to Raphael. ¡°Raphael, you¡¯re free to go back to your room if you would like.¡± Raphael shook her head again, moving so she was slightly behind Lilith. ¡°Um¡­I¡¯m going to stay here with them.¡± She said. ¡°I¡­need some time to think and I kinda want to be away from there.¡± ¡°Very well. Lilith, if she¡¯s bothering you, feel free to send her away if you¡¯d like.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a problem.¡± Lilith said, placing a hand on Raphael¡¯s shoulder. ¡°She can stay with us if she wants to.¡± Raphael gave Lilith a grateful look. ¡°T¨Cthanks.¡± She said in a small voice. Tunem nodded. ¡°Is Kali still talking with Elenoa?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Lilith confirmed. ¡°It¡¯s¡­it¡¯s getting ugly. They looked like they were ready to get into a shouting match.¡± Tunem sighed. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be the first time. I¡¯ll leave the portal open; she can close it when she¡¯s done.¡± Tunem surveyed the room one last time, then left. Raphael came out from behind Lilith, walking over to a chair and sitting down. ¡°I¡­um, I think I said this before, but¡­I¡¯m sorry. Um¡­I didn¡¯t¡­¡± She struggled with her words, a conflicted expression on her face. ¡°I just¡­I don¡¯t know. I did a lot of thinking these last couple of weeks. And¡­well¡­I guess I just realized Grandma isn¡¯t as good as I thought she was.¡± She said. ¡°And I saw how Siph treated you and¡­I dunno, I just¡­¡± She sighed, putting her head in her hands. ¡°I just thought that things should be¡­better. If Grandma is as awesome as she says she is, then¡­why does she treat people like she does?¡± Though Lilith couldn¡¯t see her face, she could tell from Raphael¡¯s voice that she was on the edge of tears. ¡°No, not even that.¡± Raphael continued. ¡°Why does she treat me like she does? She¡¯s supposed to be¡­I dunno, be there. Right now, she just¡­ignores me or tells me to go away, that she¡¯s busy with important things. She doesn¡¯t even care that I was out in the wilderness for weeks, she just wanted to ¡®fix¡¯ me like I¡¯m some sort of thing!¡± She removed a hand from her face, wiping her now-streaming eyes with a sleeve. ¡°I just¡­just¡­¡± ¡°Shhh.¡± Carmen said gently, walking over and kneeling down so she was at an even level with Raphael before she pulled the girl into a hug. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Carmen stroked Raphael¡¯s hair soothingly, pulling her in even closer. ¡°Just let it all out. We¡¯re not going to judge you for this.¡± The door opened again, and Judy walked in. ¡°I¡­think they¡¯re ready for you now, Lilith. Carmen you probably should¡­¡± She trailed off, looking at Carmen and the sobbing Raphael. ¡°We¡¯ll just let them be.¡± Lilith said, standing up. ¡°She¡¯s had a hard night. Show me where they are, we might as well get this over with.¡± ¡°Alright, if you say so.¡± Judy replied. ¡°This way.¡± She led Lilith down a couple of hallways to an unassuming room. And, like Tunem had said, Siph was sitting just outside, looking worried. ¡°Hey.¡± She said. ¡°Um¡­you don¡¯t have to tell them about¡­us now if you don¡¯t want to. Whatever makes you the most comfortable, alright?¡± Lilith smiled weakly. ¡°Well, I might as well.¡± She said. ¡°Since I¡¯m dropping all these other bombs on them and all.¡± ¡°Tunem gave me this for you.¡± Judy said, handing Lilith a ring. ¡°It¡¯s one of the ones that keep you and Carmen¡¯s other parts hidden. He figured you might want it for this talk. Lilith nodded, putting the ring on. ¡°Alright. Um¡­wish me luck.¡± She said, then opened the door and stepped into the room, making sure to share senses with Carmen so Carmen knew what was going on. Waiting inside were her parents, sitting on a bed and looking rather worried. Her dad, Mike, was a short man with dark blue eyes and a stern face. His hair had long since given up its brown color and had turned to a dull grey. Her mother, Jessica, was slightly taller than her husband, with short black hair and brown eyes. Both of them were in their mid-40s and were wearing their pajamas, having been awoken from sleep for this, if the messy hair and sheets were any indication. ¡°Hey, mom, dad.¡± Lilith said. ¡°Um¡­long time no see.¡± Her dad stood up shakily. ¡°L¨CLucas¡­?¡± He whispered. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s me.¡± The two rushed over, embracing Lilith tightly. ¡°Sorry.¡± Lilith said quietly. ¡°I know this is a lot for you to take in.¡± She returned their hug for a moment before gently pushing them away. ¡°We¡­have to talk about me. I¡¯ve changed. A lot.¡± Her mom snorted. ¡°You¡¯re still our kid, girl or not.¡± Lilith moved away a little, so they had a better view of her. ¡°I¡­don¡¯t know how much they told you, but¡­I¡¯m not human anymore. I mean, technically I am, but¡­not really.¡± She took off the ring, prompting a gasp from her father. ¡°This is what I look like without magic affecting me.¡± She said, scanning their faces intently. ¡°I¡­think I get it.¡± Her mom said. ¡°They were talking about you being¡­everything at once? I guess we can just be glad that you¡¯re still¡­humanoid.¡± Lilith gave her a shaky smile. ¡°Yeah.¡± Her mom sighed, eyeing Lilith carefully. ¡°What else?¡± She said. ¡°Judy specifically said not to freak out, and you¡¯re acting weird.¡± Mike gave his wife an odd look. ¡°Isn¡¯t this plenty to freak out over? There can¡¯t be more¡­right?¡± Jessica shrugged. ¡°You know Judy and I messed with the occult when we were younger, and we¡¯ve seen weird stuff. She knows this isn¡¯t enough to really freak me out given what we¡¯ve learned recently.¡± ¡°Are you¡­sure you want to see?¡± Lilith said. ¡°It¡¯s not pretty.¡± Her dad sighed. ¡°It¡¯s best to rip the bandage off quickly, I guess.¡± Lilith looked to her mom, who nodded in agreement. ¡°Alright, just¡­sit down first, okay? This is going to be shocking.¡± Once her parents were back on the bed, Lilith focused. A mass of squirming tentacles erupted from her back, dripping in toxin. A moment later, they were chitinous scythes, the next insectoid wings. As they continued to shift between unnatural appearances, eyes and mouths surfaced along Lilith¡¯s body and the appendages, shifting locations wildly. After a few seconds of this, Lilith retracted everything, leaving her in her base form. ¡°There¡¯s¡­a possibility that I¡¯ve become an eldritch abomination of sorts. I can just sort of¡­do that now.¡± Her dad was looking pale, gripping the sheets tightly. Her mom, on the other hand, stroked her husband¡¯s arm soothingly, giving Lilith a reassuring look. ¡°I¡¯m not going to lie and say that wasn¡¯t a little frightening. But¡­horror from the beyond or not, you¡¯re still our kid. This is all going to take some getting used to, but I¡¯m sure we can figure things out.¡± Lilith nodded hesitantly. ¡°There¡¯s¡­more.¡± She said. ¡°Not anything like that, but¡­¡± Her dad gave a hollow laugh. ¡°I thought the bandage was off, but¡­I guess not. Lay it on us.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not nearly as scary or anything!¡± Lilith said quickly. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­well, along the way some things happened, and I sort of¡­got an alternate personality. She has her own body now, so¡­don¡¯t be surprised when there¡¯s more than one of me.¡± The door opened and Carmen walked in, shirt damp from where Raphael had been crying on it. ¡°Hey, name¡¯s Carmen. And the bundle of nervous energy over there forgot to mention that she¡¯s going by Lilith now. Anyway, it¡¯s a long story, but, for all intents and purposes, we¡¯re the same person. Tell something to one of us and the other is going to know.¡± Carmen winked conspiratorially. ¡°Well, unless you want us to keep it a secret from the other. It¡¯ll get out eventually, but I reckon we could keep a secret for a few months.¡± She flashed them a smile. ¡°Want us to keep ripping?¡± ¡°Y¨Cyeah.¡± Her dad replied. ¡°G¨Cgo on.¡± Carmen smiled, then opened the door. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you all to it, then. I have to get back to Raphael, you all have fun.¡± She stepped out, and looked to the side. ¡°Go on in.¡± She instructed, then left. Siph walked in, closing the door behind her awkwardly. ¡°Um¡­hi.¡± She said. ¡°I¡¯m Siph. And¡­um¡­I¡­¡± ¡°I got an ability that connects members of our family. It lets us share Mana, communicate with telepathy, makes us stronger when we¡¯re near each other, that sort of thing.¡± Lilith said, hesitating slightly. ¡°But there¡¯s another feature. All people in the ability see each other as family, depending on how they¡¯re related to me, and¡­¡± Lilith trailed off and Siph placed a hand on her shoulder. ¡°The ability activated automatically.¡± Siph explained. ¡°I¡­wanted to treat her as a daughter out of my own selfish desires, and when she agreed she got the ability and it changed how she and Judy feel about me. We¡­well, we feel like real family now. We want to let you in on it, but if we do, you¡¯re going to be affected as well, and we don¡¯t know what that will be like. If¡­if you don¡¯t want to, I can leave. I know I¡¯m not¡­really her parent in the same way you two are, so if you feel like I¡¯m getting in the way¡­¡± Jessica studied Lilith and Siph¡¯s faces carefully. ¡°Can we¡­have some time to discuss?¡± She said. ¡°Just a bit.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Siph replied. ¡°We¡¯ll be outside.¡± Lilith and Siph left, and were outside for about five minutes before the door opened again and they were let back in. ¡°We¡¯ll do it.¡± Mike said. ¡°What do we do?¡±
Permission granted, adding Jessica and Mike Clements to Familial Bond¡­
A lewd smile spread across Jessica¡¯s face as she turned to Mike. ¡°Well, dear, it looks like we got a new wife to play with.¡± Mike turned to his wife, smiling. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were into girls.¡± Jessica licked her lips. ¡°I wasn¡¯t. Not until now, anyway.¡± Siph let out a joyful laugh. ¡°Well, I wasn¡¯t expecting something quite like this.¡± She said. ¡°I think I¡¯m going to enjoy this.¡± She walked over, scooping Jessica and Mike up into a big hug. ¡°Well, that¡¯s¡­everything really important, I guess. I¡¯ll just¡­leave you two to get acquainted with Siph. I¡¯m going to go make sure everyone else is okay.¡± Lilith said, blushing. Jessica smiled. ¡°Thanks, dear. Come see us when you¡¯re finished, alright?¡± Lilith nodded, and left the room. Her parents¡¯ sudden display of affection was embarrassing her to no end, but it was certainly a lot better than the alternatives. So, heart significantly lighter now that that worry was resolved, she set out to find everyone else. Chapter 23: A Change of Plans Lilith returned to the room in which they had arrived to find Carmen with a still-sniffling Raphael. Raphael was somewhat curled up in Carmen¡¯s lap, eyes closed and looking like she was half of the way to falling asleep. I¡¯ve got this here. Carmen said, raising a finger to her lips as she communicated mentally. You go find everyone else, I think they were going to go back to the dorm. Lilith nodded, quietly withdrawing and making her way back into the halls. She wasn¡¯t quite sure what building she was in, so she couldn¡¯t just directly make her way back to her dorm. But, after a few minutes of wandering about, she was able to find the building¡¯s exit and from there it didn¡¯t take long to figure out where she needed to go. So, she was soon knocking on the door to her dorm. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s me.¡± She said. ¡°Can I come in?¡± The door quickly opened, and Judy pulled her inside. ¡°How did things go with your parents?¡± She asked. ¡°I mean, I know they were let into Familial Bond, but beyond that¡­well, they seemed kinda overwhelmed when I talked to them.¡± Lilith shrugged. ¡°They definitely were, but they were accepting. Dad was having a harder time of it, but they both seemed to get over it pretty quick once they got into Familial Bond. They, uh¡­got a little¡­excited after that, so I left them to get to know each other.¡± Judy gave her a relieved smile. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. I suppose if they¡¯re feeling up to that then they can¡¯t be too out of sorts.¡± ¡°Did¡­you tell them she was a dragon?¡± Lilith asked. ¡°I just realized that I didn¡¯t mention it, and if you didn¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t mention her at all, at least not directly.¡± Judy said. ¡°We should¡­probably let them know.¡± ¡°On it.¡± Lilith replied. She cast her attention outwards, mentally reaching out to Siph. Um¡­we just realized that my other parents don¡¯t know you¡¯re a dragon yet. You should¡­probably tell them. Already done! Siph replied happily. They were surprised, but they¡¯re fine with it. Oh. That¡¯s¡­good. Lilith said. Just, uh¡­figured I would let you know. Thanks for bringing it up, though, I¡¯m happy you¡¯re thinking of us! Of course, mom. Just let me know if you need help understanding something, alright? Lilith replied. I¡¯m sure I can figure everything out, that¡¯s going to be part of the fun! Siph said confidently. Oh, and, by the way, your other mom and I were talking, calling both her and me ¡°mom¡± is going to get confusing. So why don¡¯t you call me ¡°mama¡± and your other mom ¡°mom¡±? That way it¡¯s always going to be clear who you¡¯re talking to. That¡¯s a good idea, mama. I¡¯ll do that. Good. I¡¯ll let you go now so you can get back to what you were doing. And don¡¯t forget to come see us when you¡¯re done, alright? Yes, mama. Lilith turned her attention back to Judy. ¡°They know. Mama says they¡¯re fine with it.¡± ¡°Mama? Oh, you must mean Siph, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, she said that she and Mom got together and decided it would be confusing if I called them both mom and so they decided it would be best if I called her Mama.¡± ¡°Sensible. It seems like they¡¯re already figuring stuff out, which I think is a good sign.¡± Judy said. ¡°Right, so¡­how¡¯s everyone else?¡± ¡°Alex went to bed for the night, and Vithi¡¯s taking a shower. They seem¡­at least as fine as they have been these last couple of weeks. They¡¯re not breaking down now that they¡¯re back here, if you were worrying about that.¡± Lilith shrugged. ¡°I think it¡¯s worth checking on them anyway. Raphael really broke down, though she was in sort of a different situation.¡± ¡°What did Elenoa want with you three?¡± Judy asked. ¡°Well, to start, she wanted Raphael to go back into their house so she could be ¡®fixed¡¯, and Raphael said no. She wants to ride out her punishment until she feels like she¡¯s properly taken it all, not just skip out early.¡± Lilith frowned as she recalled the next bit. ¡°Raphael sort of escaped into the portal instead of going to the house like Elenoa instructed, and then things got¡­ugly. Elenoa talked about punishing me for being complicit in Raphael¡¯s punishment, and Kali said no. They ended up getting into a shouting match, it sounded pretty serious.¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t try to have that Winston do anything to you, right?¡± Judy asked, worry visible on her face. ¡°No, but she threatened to. Who is he, by the way? Mama seemed to back down after Alex said something to her and¡­well, he just doesn¡¯t seem normal.¡± ¡°Good eye. Apparently, he¡¯s one of the other Perfect Chimeras, so he could probably have taken all of us if it came down to a fight. At least, that¡¯s what Alex and Vithi said, I can¡¯t really say anything either way.¡± Judy responded. ¡°How are you feeling after all that? Do you want to talk about it?¡± Lilith shook her head. ¡°No, I¡¯m fine. It was a bit sudden and listening to people argue is never fun, but it was directed away from me pretty quickly.¡± Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of a door opening, followed soon after by Vithi walking down the hall towards them. ¡°I thought I heard talking.¡± She said. ¡°Everything alright?¡± ¡°Yeah, fine.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°How are you holding up?¡± Vithi blinked. ¡°Fine? Like¡­not much different from yesterday, really. I¡¯m not really that fussed by all of this, I¡¯ve always wanted to see more of the world, so it was fun, in a kind of weird way. Well, fun after Siph took us in and we were safe, that is.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Lilith replied, slightly taken aback. ¡°Uh¡­that¡¯s good to hear, I guess.¡± ¡°Yup. How are things on your end? I haven¡¯t interacted much with Elenoa, but she seems like a real piece of work. She didn¡¯t do anything too crazy, did she?¡± Lilith shrugged. ¡°Yelled a bit, threatened to sic Winston on me, but other than that it was nothing I couldn¡¯t handle.¡± ¡°If you say so.¡± Vithi replied, clearly unconvinced. ¡°How did things go with your parents?¡± ¡°They seem to be settling into everything just fine.¡± ¡°Right, right.¡± Vithi said, still sounding like she didn¡¯t fully believe Lilith. ¡°Well, I¡¯m gonna go crash and watch some TV, just¡­let me know if you need anything, I guess.¡± Vithi turned and walked into the living room, and shortly after Lilith heard the sound of the TV turning on. ¡°Well¡­um, I guess I¡¯m gonna go talk to my parents now?¡± Lilith said. ¡°They wanted me to check in on them after I finished talking with everyone here so¡­¡± Judy nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll let you know if anything comes up or if people start acting funny.¡± Lilith gave her a somewhat relieved smile. ¡°Thanks. I shouldn¡¯t be gone for too long, so hopefully nothing will fall apart while I¡¯m away.¡± Judy nodded, and Lilith left, beginning the five or so minute walk back to where her parents were staying. When she got there, she knocked on the door, and after a few moments of frantic shuffling, the door opened to reveal a disheveled-looking Siph. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re back earlier than we expected.¡± She said, panting slightly. ¡°How¡¯s everyone doing?¡± ¡°Fine. I mean, I still need to check back in on Carmen and Raphael, and Alex is sleeping, but Judy and Vithi seem to be none the worse for wear. I¡¯m gonna go see Carmen and Raphael, and then¡­well, we¡¯re probably going to go back to the dorm for the night?¡± Siph nodded. ¡°Good. Um¡­how are you? Are you doing alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯m doing pretty well, to be honest. I¡¯ve been lowkey worrying about telling my other parents about¡­everything for a while, so having that off my chest feels good. And now that we¡¯re back here, we¡¯re all pretty safe, so I really don¡¯t have that much I¡¯m worried about.¡± Siph smiled, giving her a quick hug. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. Would you like our help with anything?¡± Lilith shook her head. ¡°No, I¡¯ll let you uh¡­¡± She paused, glancing once again at Siph¡¯s clearly hastily put on clothes. ¡°Get back to it, I guess?¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Siph replied, giving her an embarrassed look. ¡°We¡¯ll talk in the morning, alright?¡± The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Lilith nodded, shutting the door. She hadn¡¯t been expecting them to immediately¡­get down to business like that, and she wasn¡¯t entirely sure how to feel about it. Yes, it was good that her parents were getting along, but practically walking in on that certainly wasn¡¯t something she had ever wanted to do. So, it was with a red face that she went back to Carmen and Raphael. By now, Raphael had completely fallen asleep, and Carmen still had her on her lap, an unusually gentle expression on her face as she looked at the sleeping girl. Once Lilith entered, though, Carmen quickly wiped that look off of her face and gave Lilith a curious look. What happened? She asked. I think our parents are¡­getting busy in their room. Lilith replied. But I really don¡¯t want to talk about that right now. How¡¯s Raphael? Fine. Tired, emotionally shaken, but I think she¡¯ll get over it. I think she¡¯s known for a while that Elenoa isn¡¯t perfect, but didn¡¯t want to admit it. This is probably for the best. So, what are we gonna do with her? I¡¯m gonna wait here until she wakes up. Carmen said. If it ends up being more than a couple of hours, I¡¯ll carry her to my bed and then we¡¯ll figure out what to do then. Alright, sounds good. Um, I ¨C Lilith was cut off by the portal flaring to life, Kali stepping through with a less-than pleased look on her face. She took a second to look around the room, spotted Raphael, nodded to herself, and then bent down, messing with the magic circle around the portal. After a moment the portal vanished, and Kali turned to face Lilith and Carmen. Carmen raised a finger to her lips, but Kali shook her head. ¡°I cast a spell that¡¯s going to keep Raphael asleep, don¡¯t worry about that.¡± She waved a hand and the door shut. ¡°We need to talk.¡± The air in the room changed instantly. All of a sudden, Lilith felt that same weight she had felt when she first saw Kali, but multiplied tenfold. Yet, with that weight was an overwhelming wave of what was almost nostalgia, a comforting feeling exactly like the one she had felt around the elder gods and the object that had first made her into a Perfect Chimera. ¡°I didn¡¯t really want to come out this early.¡± Kali said. ¡°But Elenoa¡¯s forcing my hand. Look, I¡¯m not who I say I am.¡± Carmen snorted, gingerly removing Raphael from her lap and placing the girl on a chair nearby. ¡°Yeah, I knew that much already.¡± Lilith gave Carmen a confused look. ¡°Since when? You never told me about this.¡± Carmen shrugged. ¡°You¡¯d do something stupid if you knew, so I chose not to share my memories of my conversations with her about this. So, who are you, then?¡± Kali tapped her chin thoughtfully. ¡°How best to put this¡­well, I¡¯m one of several beings who deal with creation, maintenance, and expansion of universes, and we call ourselves Administrators. Earth, Haven, and a few demiplanes collectively make up my universe. It¡¯s pretty small by Administrator standards, but I¡¯m still relatively new to all of this.¡± Though it sounded outlandish, it also felt¡­right to Lilith. Something about it just made sense on a fundamental level that she just couldn¡¯t bring herself to disagree with. Like, deep in her gut, she knew that this information was true, no matter how much her logical mind protested. Carmen seemed to be feeling much the same, if her expression was any indicator. ¡°Alright, but¡­why are you coming out now?¡± Lilith asked. ¡°What does that have to do with Elenoa?¡± Kali blinked. ¡°You¡¯re¡­not going to question me on that?¡± She looked over to Carmen, an odd expression on her face. ¡°Not even you?¡± Carmen shook her head. ¡°No. I don¡¯t know, on some sort of¡­instinctual level I know what you¡¯re saying is true. Couldn¡¯t tell you why; it sounds outlandish, but I can¡¯t bring myself to disagree.¡± A brief, joyful, look crossed Kali¡¯s face before she managed to school her expression. ¡°That¡­makes things a lot easier. Like, way easier. Um¡­it¡¯s kind of thrown me off of my rhythm, to tell you the truth. I¡¯ve been thinking about this for a while and I didn¡¯t expect this.¡± She giggled nervously, much of the previous tension that was visible on her face having been blown away. ¡°Well, basically, Elenoa¡¯s gearing up to try and get as much power over you as she can. It¡¯s not going to be safe for you here, not if we want you to keep your freedom. And I do want you to keep your freedom, that¡¯s vitally important to the plans I have.¡± She waved her hand, and suddenly everyone in the room was transported to what looked to be a bedroom of sorts. It was fairly spacious for a bedroom, decorated liberally with all kinds of stuffed animals and cushions. To one side, there was a bookshelf next to a desk with a computer. Directly across from the bed was an entertainment center filled with gaming consoles and games, situated directly below a TV mounted on the wall. That weight Lilith had been feeling vanished, Kali letting out a sigh of relief as she collapsed into a beanbag chair on the floor. ¡°I know you¡¯re not asking, but I can¡¯t really give you satisfactory proof that I am who I say I am. I mean, this might all be an illusion I¡¯ve somehow put on you, despite your growing resistances.¡± She twirled a finger and her outfit changed into pajamas, something Lilith found odd considering the subject matter. ¡°I just like being comfy in my own home, not like there are any guests here or anything.¡± Kali said, not even attempting to hide the fact that she was reading Lilith¡¯s mind. ¡°Yeah, I know, it¡¯s super rude, but right now it¡¯s really important for me to know what you¡¯re thinking, I don¡¯t want to overload you. Anyway, go ahead and sit down, we don¡¯t need to stand on ceremony here.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Lilith protested weakly. ¡°Aren¡¯t you¡­like¡­god?¡± Kali shrugged. ¡°I mean, you could say that, but in my opinion you¡¯d be wrong. I¡¯m not omnipotent, and I¡¯m definitely not omniscient, or we wouldn¡¯t even be here. What¡¯s important is that I¡¯m the same person I¡¯ve always been, I haven¡¯t been putting up any fronts or playing any characters around you, so nothing¡¯s actually changed.¡± Lilith tentatively sat down in a beanbag chair across from Kali, Carmen taking a seat next to her. Raphael, she noted, was sleeping on a small cushion to their side, face having relaxed a great deal. ¡°That¡¯s better.¡± Kali said, beaming. ¡°We need to talk about why I¡¯ve brought you here, though.¡± She took a breath before continuing, a hint of apprehension visible on her face. ¡°You¡¯re here because I need your help.¡± She paused, studying Lilith and Carmen¡¯s faces. ¡°No, don¡¯t look at me like that, it¡¯s true. I don¡¯t know if you noticed, but I kinda royally messed up. Most of the universe¡¯s population lives in complete ignorance regarding magic, and that was not my intent.¡± Kali sighed. ¡°Part of it was that I let the population grow far too fast, but part of it is also that I made a really bad magic system. Magic systems require a sort of¡­upkeep to maintain, a currency that we Administrators call Worship. Think of it like Mana, just¡­for Administrator things. We gain Worship from¡­well, acts of Worship, pleas to a higher power, that sort of thing. ¡°Before I was the Administrator here, I was born as a regular person in an entirely different universe. To make a long story short, I ended up becoming a ¡®sub-Administrator¡¯, basically an assistant to the Administrator, and from there I graduated to being a full Administrator. I thought I was hot stuff, so I tried to design my own magic system that had a lower maintenance cost while providing similar if not better results.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I failed. I mean, it does cost less, but it¡¯s way more of a headache to work with and it¡¯s nowhere near as strong. Because of that, I couldn¡¯t really acquire more planes like I should have been able to, and between that and the whole ¡®let the population rise too quickly¡¯ thing, that nasty old war broke out. ¡°I had to beggar a plane from one of my colleagues, which is where Haven came from. But, being a much larger plane, the magical concentration on it is a lot higher, leading to more powerful native inhabitants, which people using my magic system really aren¡¯t equipped to handle.¡± She alternated her gaze between Lilith and Carmen, looking them both in the eyes. ¡°So, I¡¯m changing the magic system. It¡¯s going to end up being something much more like the one I had in the universe I was born in, minus a few of the gripes I had with it. At the same time, I¡¯m reintroducing magic to Earth. They¡¯ve been without for far too long, and this is going to be a good opportunity to give back to them. ¡°But¡­I need someone to help oversee that process. The moment I make this public, Elenoa¡¯s going to try and use her superior power and influence to annex a lot of Earth, and I can¡¯t let that happen. So, I want an enforcer of sorts to keep people from doing really bad things, and that¡¯s where you come in.¡± ¡°So¡­you want us to act as an interdimensional peacekeeper.¡± Carmen said slowly. ¡°Why us?¡± ¡°I wanted someone from Earth so that they had a vested interest in making sure Earth stayed free.¡± Kali replied. ¡°Not what I meant. Why us, specifically? There were surely people who were far more qualified for the position. People with power and influence, not some random nobody who was still in school.¡± Kali looked to the side. ¡°I¡­liked your personality.¡± She said. ¡°And you were¡­well, you were in a very convenient place for me. So, I pulled some strings, messed with Tunem¡¯s divination, made sure I would order Alex to get sent to you so Tunem focused on you, and¡­here we are.¡± ¡°Back up. You said you were the one that ordered Alex to get sent to us?¡± Lilith asked. ¡°Does that mean you¡¯re part of the Society?¡± Kali shrugged. ¡°One of the higher-ups, actually. Same reason I¡¯m part of the Council, I wanted to be able to influence affairs directly.¡± ¡°Then the raid¡­¡± Carmen began. ¡°I helped them pull it off, but I also made sure it would be effectively harmless. To tell you the truth, they¡¯re not that dangerous without me. They¡¯re a little dangerous, yes, but not nearly to the extent they have been these last couple of years.¡± Lilith frowned. ¡°Why the raid, though? What was the point of that?¡± Kali shrugged. ¡°I wanted to give you some time to develop without them knowing everything you¡¯re capable of. I was planning to slowly try and wean you off of their influence, but thanks to Elenoa I would like to move the schedule for that up a little. The schedule for everything up a little.¡± Kali struggled for a moment, apparently trying to keep her apprehension off of her face and failing. ¡°So¡­what do you think? Will you help me? I¡¯m not going to make you if you don¡¯t want to, you can feel free to refuse. I¡¯ll have to wipe your memory of this little encounter, of course, but other than that it won¡¯t change how I feel about you or anything.¡± Lilith turned to Carmen, who just shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not making this choice for you.¡± Carmen said. ¡°But, for the record, I¡­don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything fishy about it. It all feels above board to me, even though logically there are probably a bunch of things that normally wouldn¡¯t¡­quite feel right. And I checked for magic, if there¡¯s any in play then it¡¯s so subtle that I can¡¯t find it. Just¡­do what feels like the right thing.¡± And Lilith knew what the right thing was. Somewhere, deep inside her, she knew this was something she had to do. It felt like if she declined, she¡¯d not only be letting Kali down, she¡¯d be letting herself down. Even the idea of declining felt like anathema to her very core of her being. ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± She said. ¡°What now?¡± Kali broke out into a relieved grin. ¡°I was really hoping you¡¯d say that.¡± She said. ¡°I¡¯m going to send you back, go ahead and pack up your stuff, then meet me back in the room where the portal was when you¡¯re ready. I¡¯ll explain everything then, alright?¡± Lilith nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± Kali waved a hand, and suddenly her, Carmen, and Lilith were standing in the portal room. ¡°Wait, what about Raphael?¡± Lilith asked. ¡°I¡¯ll let her sleep there for now, we¡¯ll deal with her after I finish explaining everything later.¡± Kali replied. ¡°I want your opinion on the matter before we decide anything.¡± Carmen raised an eyebrow. ¡°I suppose that¡¯s fine.¡± She grabbed Lilith¡¯s hand, gently pulling her towards the door before stopping and turning back to Kali. ¡°What are we going to say if anyone else catches us packing?¡± ¡°They¡¯re asleep too. Everyone in this demiplane is but us. Well, uh, almost everyone. Your parents aren¡¯t, since interrupting them like that would be¡­awkward and super rude, but I cast a spell that¡¯ll prevent them from even thinking about leaving their room for a while.¡± Carmen looked back to Lilith, snorting when she saw her face. ¡°Sounds good. We¡¯ll be back in¡­let¡¯s say half an hour, we don¡¯t have much.¡± Kali nodded. ¡°See you then.¡± Chapter 24: A New System After forty or so minutes, Lilith and Carmen had finished their packing and met back up with Kali. ¡°Sorry for the delay.¡± Lilith said. ¡°Things ended up being a bit more scattered than we thought they would be.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Kali replied. ¡°Not like we¡¯re really on a time limit here.¡± She waved a hand, and they were back in the room where Raphael was sleeping. ¡°So, I want to explain a bit about what¡¯s going on, and how we¡¯re going to do things. I can¡¯t just¡­willy-nilly change the magic system, not in any way that is cheap enough to do or even easy enough to do. The last time I tried, we ended up with the eldritch, and the whole ¡®driving people insane¡¯ thing was not intended. So, I¡¯ve had to figure out another way to do things. ¡°Fortunately, I¡¯ve figured out a way around that. You see, I made yet another mistake when I was designing Perfect Chimeras. They¡¯re supposed to encapsulate everything the magic system has to offer, but¡­that street goes both ways. If I start giving a Perfect Chimera abilities from outside the system, the system¡¯s going to do its best to integrate those abilities into itself. I can hijack that process to change the system in a much more¡­natural way. ¡°I consulted my old Administrator about this, and she helped me figure out what to do. I did a test run when I gave you The King in Yellow, and I¡¯m happy to say it¡¯s worked perfectly; the eldritch should no longer be driving people insane. At least, not by accident, I¡¯ve retroactively added that as a ¡®feature¡¯. ¡°I knew it wouldn¡¯t hurt you, though, I made very sure of that before I even thought about testing it on you.¡± She said hurriedly. ¡°This process is totally safe on your end. When I was designing Perfect Chimeras, I made a point of making sure they were way more resilient than most things to stuff that¡¯s not normally in the system.¡± ¡°So¡­you¡¯re going to give us this new system first, and then you¡¯re going to use that to spread it to the rest of the world?¡± Lilith asked. ¡°Seems simple enough.¡± ¡°Broadly speaking, yes.¡± Kali said. ¡°I¡¯m going to make sure there¡¯s a couple months where only you have the system so you can get a head start on everyone. Once the system switches over, everyone has to start from square one, albeit with increased growth rates until they reach the point they were at before. I want to cement the idea of you being much stronger than them in their heads, so they don¡¯t get any funny ideas.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all well and good,¡± Carmen said, ¡°but what¡¯s everyone else going to think? If we just vanish for no reason for a couple of months, people are going to panic.¡± ¡°Right. So, I was thinking of a sort of¡­compromise. I want you to stay at Tunem¡¯s academy and pretend you¡¯re Lilith. I¡¯ll cast a spell that prevents other people from remembering you, so they should just see you as Lilith. Furthermore, since I know things would get lonely here for Lilith, I was planning to bring Siph here as well, both to keep her company and to help us out in our endeavor. She should be able to greatly increase the efficiency of what we¡¯re doing.¡± Carmen nodded. ¡°I can handle that.¡± ¡°Good. After we¡¯re done talking here, I¡¯ll duplicate your stuff so no one thinks anything is up in that regard.¡± Kali paused, looking over to Raphael. ¡°That just leaves the matter of Raphael.¡± ¡°What about her?¡± Lilith asked. ¡°I want to keep her here with us.¡± Kali said, somewhat nervously. ¡°I don¡¯t like how she¡¯s been treated by Elenoa, and I thought¡­well, I can¡¯t really stand for that sort of abuse. I can¡¯t just put a blanket stop to it without greatly reducing people¡¯s agency, but I¡¯m personally involved with Raphael, so I don¡¯t want to just let it go.¡± Carmen nodded. ¡°I agree. Though, the final decision is up to Lilith, of course.¡± Lilith thought about that for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m fine with it, but what¡¯s everyone else going to think? Will Raphael be blocked from their memory like Carmen?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Kali said. ¡°Siph too, for that matter. That block will be lifted after the system gets officially implemented, of course, but until then no one will come looking.¡± She paused, tapping her chin thoughtfully. ¡°I think that¡¯s everything I need to explain right now¡­wait, no, one last thing. I¡¯m going to have to temporarily disconnect you two from each other, I don¡¯t want Carmen automatically getting the new system when Lilith does, it¡¯ll make keeping her cover hard.¡± Carmen nodded. ¡°Sensible. When are we doing this?¡± ¡°As soon as you¡¯re ready.¡± Kali replied. ¡°Just let me know when you are, and I¡¯ll knock the both of you out while I tinker with things. I don¡¯t want any unnecessary complications arising during the process, so this should be easier for everyone involved.¡± ¡°Alright, I guess I¡¯m ready, then.¡± Lilith said. ¡°I as well.¡± Carmen agreed. Kali smiled. ¡°Perfect. I¡¯ll see you in a few hours, then!¡± She snapped her fingers, and everything went black.
¡°Hey, you, you¡¯re finally awake. You were trying to cross the border, right? Walked into that Society ambush. Same as me, and that angel over there.¡± Kali said, jerking a finger at the still-sleeping Raphael. Lilith blinked, sitting up. ¡°What?¡± Kali giggled. ¡°You heard me.¡± ¡°So¡­I wake up, ready to help in this massive, world-changing plan, and the first thing you say is a meme?¡± Lilith said. She took a moment to look around, noting the absence of Carmen. ¡°Where¡¯s Carmen?¡± ¡°Already gone. I woke her up a few minutes ago. And as for the meme, I wanted to get us off on the right foot. We¡¯re doing serious work, yes, but that doesn¡¯t mean we need to be serious all the time. Seeing as how you¡¯re going to be rooming here for a bit, if we were all seriousness all the time, I think we¡¯d actually end up with decreased productivity rather than increased. So, rule one, try to keep work and life separate. It¡¯s gonna be a little harder than normal since we¡¯re going to be working in the same place we live, but you have to make time to relax, or your mental state is going to get bad pretty quickly.¡± Lilith nodded. ¡°Seems fair enough. When¡¯s Raphael going to wake up?¡± ¡°Whenever she feels like it. She¡¯s not under a spell anymore, just regular sleep. Anyway, how are you feeling?¡± Lilith paused, moving a little experimentally. ¡°Like garbage.¡± She said after a bit. ¡°I feel tired and weak.¡± ¡°That¡¯s to be expected.¡± Kali said. ¡°I had to set all of your attributes to what I want the ¡®average¡¯ value to be, so you¡¯re a fair bit weaker than you used to be. I¡¯ve gone ahead and given you a Skill that¡¯ll expedite the process of getting you back to your old stats, but it¡¯s gonna take a couple of levels. If you want to check, go ahead and focus on viewing your status, you should get a pop-up window. Ignore all the sealed stuff, that was part of setting the average, it¡¯s temporary.¡± Lilith focused and was greeted with a pop-up window, similar to the ones she would receive upon getting abilities before.
Warning: Due to the sheer number of racial classes possessed, information about racial classes has been relegated to its section, appended to the bottom of the status. Experience has been collapsed into a percentage next to level, exact experience will be shown in the information on for each racial class. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.Warning: Due to the sheer number of racial classes possessed, racial classes have been merged where applicable to reduce clutter. Merged classes level up as one class, and have shared abilities merged. There is no difference between a fully advanced merged class and fully advanced separate classes. Name: Lilith Race: Perfect Chimera Current Class: Progenitor Class Level: 1 Other Classes: None Total Level: 1 EXP: 0/100 HP: 100/100 (+.1/s) Mana: 100/100 (+.1/s) Stamina: 100/100 (+.1/s) Power: 10 Defense: 10 Magic: 10 Magic Defense: 10 Agility: 10 Luck: 10 (Sealed Bonuses from Titles and Achievements Hidden) Attribute Affinity: None (Sealed Affinities Hidden) Attribute Resistance: None (Sealed Resistances Hidden) Titles: Arbiter of Envy and Kindness Arbiter of Gluttony and Abstinence Arbiter of Greed and Liberality Arbiter of Lust and Chastity Arbiter of Sloth and Diligence Arbiter of Pride and Humility Arbiter of Wrath and Patience Benevolent Leader Conflicted One Eldritch Abomination Independent Dungeon Keeper of Knowledge Origin of Abstinence Origin of Chastity Origin of Diligence Origin of Envy Origin of Gluttony Origin of Greed Origin of Humility Origin of Kindness Origin of Liberality Origin of Lust Origin of Patience Origin of Pride Origin of Sloth Origin of Wrath Patron Progenitor Seeker of Knowledge Sin: Envy Sin: Gluttony Sin: Greed Sin: Lust Sin: Pride Sin: Sloth Sin: Wrath Sinful One Skill Engineer System¡¯s Chosen Tyrant Vessel Virtue: Abstinence Virtue: Chastity Virtue: Diligence Virtue: Humility Virtue: Kindness Virtue: Liberality Virtue: Patience Virtuous One Achievements: Original Sin Original Sin: Envy Original Sin: Gluttony Original Sin: Greed Original Sin: Lust Original Sin: Pride Original Sin: Sloth Original Sin: Wrath Original Virtue Original Virtue: Abstinence Original Virtue: Chastity Original Virtue: Diligence Original Virtue: Humility Original Virtue: Kindness Original Virtue: Liberality Original Virtue: Patience One and Only Progenitor (Benefits from Titles sealed) Active Skills: None (Sealed Skills Hidden) Passive Skills: Weighted Training Body (Lv. Max) Accelerated Growth (Temporary) (Lv. Max) Identification Obfuscation (Lv. Max) King¡¯s Knowledge (Lv. Err) (Sealed Skills Hidden) Racial Classes: Humanoid (Sapient) (Perfect): Lv. 1, (0%) Non-Humanoid (Sapient) (Perfect): Lv. 1 (0%) Animal (Terrestrial) (Perfect): Lv. 1 (0%) Animal (Aquatic) (Perfect): Lv. 1 (0%) Animal (Volant) (Perfect): Lv. 1 (0%) Plant (Perfect): Lv. 1 (0%) Monster (Humanoid) (Perfect): Lv. 1 (0%) Monster (Terrestrial) (Perfect): Lv. 1 (0%) Monster (Aquatic) (Perfect): Lv. 1 (0%) Monster (Volant) (Perfect): Lv. 1 (0%) Monster (Plant) (Perfect): Lv. 1 (0%) Undead (Perfect): Lv. 1 (0%) Dungeon Core (Perfect): Lv. 1 (0%) Other: Lv. 1 (0%) Special Racial Class: Chimera (Perfect): Lv. 1 (0%)
Lilith stared at Kali, trying to figure out where to even start. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Kali smirked. ¡°Questions, I¡¯m guessing?¡± ¡°Yeah, um¡­a lot. First off, what¡¯s this whole ¡®Original Sin¡¯ business? I don¡¯t seem to recall doing anything particularly sinful, but also¡­how do I have both Pride and Humility? Aren¡¯t those kind of opposites? And what¡¯s with the level and Class stuff?¡± ¡°Yeah those are opposites, but do you mind if we talk about those last? It ties into some later plans, so it¡¯ll probably make more sense if we talk about it after you know a bit more.¡± ¡°Fine by me, I suppose.¡± Kali motioned for Lilith to take a seat on the bed next to her, and Lilith fully stood up and walked over to do so, wincing as she realized just how¡­vulnerable she felt. Kali gave her a gentle smile. ¡°You know, your body¡¯s actually in slightly better condition than it was before you became a Perfect Chimera. You used to live like this all the time.¡± Lilith stared at her, shocked. ¡°Really? That seems¡­wrong. I hardly noticed a difference after I became a Perfect Chimera, so for it to be this bad¡­¡± ¡°You acclimatize to power gained from new stuff fast, but losing it doesn¡¯t give the same sort of¡­auto-adjustment that gaining new things does. So, you would hardly have noticed as you just got stronger and stronger.¡± Kali explained. ¡°Give it some time, you¡¯ll be back to normal in a few days. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s start from the top. Fortunately for you, you¡¯re getting the information straight from the source instead of the pop-up window everyone else is going to get, so if you get confused feel free to stop me and ask questions whenever.¡± She paused, looking at Lilith¡¯s face carefully. Apparently satisfied, she continued. ¡°So, this works kinda like a game. You get experience for both your Class and Racial Class when you either do tasks related to them, or you ¡®defeat an enemy¡¯. That can be anything from killing them to convincing them to stand down, to beating them in a cooking contest. So long as it can be reasonably called a ¡®victory¡¯ and both sides are trying, it counts. Though, some things are only going to count for certain Classes, a cooking contest isn¡¯t going to give experience to a Soldier Class. ¡°So, you level up, and as you do, you get some new Skills and better stats. Aside from Racial Classes, Classes have a maximum level of one-hundred, and once you hit that you have a couple of options. You see, all Classes have a modifier that affects how much more experience the next level up will take, and you can have multiple Classes at once, but all those modifiers stack. ¡°So, you can choose to reset a Class. Doing so lets you keep any Skills you got from it, as well as any unlocked other Classes, but removes all the stat points you gained from leveling it up and removes it from your list. You only get experience in one Class at a time¡­¡± Kali paused, frowning. ¡°Well, aside from Racial Classes, but those are a little different. Anyway, you have one ¡®main¡¯ Class you can gain experience in, and you can switch that main Class at any time you want. ¡°You¡¯ll lose any experience you have towards the next level, though, so¡­don¡¯t just do that all the time. Honestly, I don¡¯t recommend having more than one Class that isn¡¯t at maximum level, since you¡¯re unnecessarily increasing the experience it takes to get you to the next level while that¡¯s the case. Just focus on leveling up one at a time. ¡°Racial Classes are what became of Domains. Each time you level one up you get a ¡°Skill Point¡± that you can use to pick what ability you want from them, so they should be a lot more user friendly than Domains were. ¡°As for Progenitor, it¡¯s a special Class I¡¯ve made for you. It effectively has no cost for experience scaling, so it should level up super fast, provide a bunch of stats, and won¡¯t really count against you in the long run, so you can just¡­leave it on if you would like. If you want to know more go ahead and focus on pulling up its information. Usually people can only see what will be unlocked next, but you¡¯ve got King¡¯s Knowledge, so you should be able to see everything.¡± ¡°Alright, give me a sec here.¡±
Class: Progenitor Rank: Unique Bonuses: +5 all stats EXP Scaling: .01% A class given to the first being to have the system. Skills: Level 5: Growth Up (Minor) Level 10: Class Experience Up (Minor) Level 15: Racial Class Experience Up (Minor) Level 20: Skill Experience Up (Minor) Level 30: First Come, First Serve Level 40: The Early Bird Gets the Worm Level 50: First and Foremost Level 75: Journey of 1000 Miles Level 100: Alpha and Omega
¡°What¡¯s the rank and bonuses?¡± Lilith asked. ¡°Bonuses are how much your stats will increase when you level the Class up. Rank is an indicator of how rare something is. From most common to least common you have Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Legendary, Mythical, and Unique. Unique means that there can only be one of those at any given time, and of course, Progenitor is Unique.¡± ¡°Right, I think I get the gist.¡± Lilith said. ¡°So, what was this about the Sin stuff?¡± Kali straightened. ¡°Right. So, basically, the Sins and Virtues give super powerful Skills. You get a Sin title if you¡¯re the person that fits the most of¡­something. For instance, Pride is having the most followers, Greed is having stolen the most things from other people¡¯s statuses, Gluttony is having earned the most amount of experience in a short period of time, that sort of thing. ¡°Virtue titles are¡­more complex, though. They¡¯re based on merit and analysis of a person¡¯s psyche instead of a simple checklist, and being a Sin doesn¡¯t actually weigh in on that at all. And¡­well, right now you¡¯re the only one in the system, therefore you¡¯re the only applicable target and must have those Sins and Virtues. Pretty neat, right?¡± Lilith frowned. ¡°Won¡¯t I just lose them immediately when we give everyone the system?¡± Kali winked. ¡°I have a plan for that, but that¡¯ll have to wait until just a little bit later. I need to make absolutely sure everything¡¯s stable before we go there.¡± She crawled over to the other side of the bed from Lilith, grabbing something Lilith couldn¡¯t quite see from a nearby nightstand. She turned around, pressed a button on a small remote, and the TV flared to life. ¡°But we can talk about that later. We still have a couple of hours before I need to go pick up Siph, and we can¡¯t really start until then, so¡­wanna watch a movie?¡± Lilith shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t see why not.¡± ¡°Perfect!¡± Kali said, crawling back over to Lilith and handing her the remote. ¡°Go ahead and pick something, we have¡­literally everything, so go nuts!¡± Chapter 25: An Awkward Explanation Lilith woke up with a start, a moment of panic gripping her as she stared at the unfamiliar ceiling. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re finally awake.¡± Raphael said, pausing the TV. ¡°Not this again.¡± Lilith groaned. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Raphael asked, giving her a frown. ¡°Anyway, do you know where we are or why we¡¯re here?¡± ¡°Yeah, but¡­your reaction to waking in an unknown place was to just start watching TV?¡± Lilith asked, a little taken aback. Raphael shrugged. ¡°Why not? All the doors are locked, and we wouldn¡¯t be given this stuff if we weren¡¯t allowed to use it.¡± ¡°I¡­suppose that makes sense¡± Lilith admitted. ¡°Still¡­¡± She trailed off as she heard one of the doors open, a sound that was followed by Kali stepping into the room. ¡°Hey there, good to see you¡¯re awake.¡± She said. ¡°Means we can finally get started with this.¡± She paused, giving Raphael a look. ¡°Um¡­look, long story short, Lilith and I are working on a big project. I¡¯m sort of¡­uh¡­an overseer for the universe, and I¡¯m working towards reunifying the people of Haven and Earth, as well as overhauling magic.¡± Raphael gave her an incredulous look. ¡°You expect me to believe that?¡± Kali gave Raphael an oddly relieved look in return. ¡°No, actually. I can prove it to you in detail later, I want to brief Lilith on what exactly we¡¯re going to be doing today first.¡± She turned back to Lilith. ¡°I¡¯ve done a bit of finagling and got the system to accept you and Siph as being in a party together. Think of those as like¡­well, as easy ways to share effects between a group of people, as well as a way to share experience. You can turn off the experience sharing if you want, but only once this thing is really live. When experience is shared, everyone in a party gets an equal share, and since Siph can¡¯t receive any right now, you¡¯re going to get all of it.¡± ¡°So¡­where is mama?¡± Lilith asked. ¡°Out gathering up a bunch of monsters to kill and get you a bunch of experience.¡± Kali explained. ¡°We need to get you to level one hundred once before your stats and Skills get properly unlocked, so that¡¯s the priority for now. Fortunately, with the caliber of things Siph is killing, it shouldn¡¯t take more than a couple of minutes once she starts in earnest.¡± ¡°And¡­what do I do? Just sit here while she does the work?¡± ¡°Pretty much.¡± Kali said. ¡°I have to teach you some things, so all the level stuff is going to be happening in the background. Well¡­and I had another idea as well, but I would also prefer to wait on that until I¡¯ve verified the stability of the new system. I should be able to have enough data for that once you hit level one hundred, though.¡± ¡°So, we just waiting for Siph, then?¡± Kali nodded. ¡°Yeah. I have a kitchen where you can get breakfast, if you¡¯d like.¡± ¡°That¡¯d be good, I guess.¡± Raphael said. ¡°I still want to see this proof you¡¯re talking about, though.¡± Kali smiled. ¡°After breakfast, okay? ¡° ¡°And besides, what am I doing here, anyway? I¡¯m completely unnecessary for this plan.¡± Raphael asked. ¡°Why bother kidnapping me like this? Do you want some sort of ransom from my grandma?¡± Kali shook her head vigorously. ¡°Nothing of the sort!¡± She said. ¡°We¡¯re¡­well, um¡­¡± She floundered a bit. ¡°How to put this¡­¡± ¡°You remember what I said a couple weeks back about the way your grandma treats you being awful?¡± Lilith said. ¡°Well, we decided that we couldn¡¯t stand it anymore, so we¡¯re¡­well, for the time being we¡¯re taking you away from her. Back on Earth we have something called ¡®child protective services¡¯, and that¡¯s what we¡¯re doing, since no one else would be able to.¡± Raphael frowned. ¡°And if I said I wanted to go back, what would you do?¡± Lilith paused. ¡°Well, this is only for a month or two, I think we would make you wait it out here. If you really hate it, then we¡¯ll let you go, but we¡¯ll have to wipe your memory.¡± A conflicted look crossed Raphael¡¯s face. ¡°You know Grandma¡¯s gonna freak out, right?¡± ¡°We¡¯re blocking everyone¡¯s memories of you. Same with Siph, and kind of the same for Carmen, everyone¡¯s just gonna think she¡¯s Lilith.¡± Kali replied, having composed herself a little more. ¡°If you would like, I can let you check in on Elenoa from time to time, see how things are going. Probably won¡¯t be anything too interesting happening, but that¡¯s just how things are.¡± ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s just go eat.¡± Raphael said, moving towards the door. ¡°Ah, not that way, that¡¯s somewhere entirely different.¡± Kali said. ¡°I¡¯ll take you there when I¡¯m proving things, but the kitchen is through that door.¡± She motioned to the door on the other end of the room. ¡°This place is kind of a maze if you¡¯re not used to it, since I occasionally change the room layouts to make things more convenient for me and that doesn¡¯t always end up with the most logical floor plan.¡± Lilith raised an eyebrow, waiting for Kali to go over to the door and open it before following her into the space beyond. They went through some sort of room with a large window looking out on blackness before going through another door and entering what looked to be a kitchen. ¡°What do you two want?¡± Kali asked, opening up a door to what appeared to be a pantry of sorts before pulling out a box of cereal. ¡°We¡¯ve got most breakfast-y type stuff, so don¡¯t feel shy about asking for something.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have some cereal, I guess.¡± Lilith said. Kali stepped to the side. ¡°Third shelf, I¡¯ll get you a bowl and a spoon. What about you, Raphael?¡± ¡°Uh, I dunno. Toast?¡± Raphael responded. Lilith pulled out a box of cereal that looked good, pausing for a moment to scan the pantry for bread. When she located it, she took it out and passed it to Raphael. ¡°You want jam or something? Looks like there¡¯s some in here.¡± ¡°Yeah, give me strawberry.¡± Lilith grabbed a jar of strawberry jam and passed it to Raphael before shutting the pantry. ¡°Toaster¡¯s over there.¡± Kali said, pointing at the toaster. ¡°Let me get you a knife.¡± A few minutes later, everyone had prepared their breakfast, and were sitting down to eat at a small table when Kali perked up. ¡°Siph¡¯s ready.¡± She said. ¡°Just give her the okay and we can get started.¡± Lilith nodded, putting down her spoon. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll do that now.¡± She took a moment to focus, reaching out for her mother mentally. Alright, mama, I¡¯m ready. Go ahead! Sure thing, sweetie! Siph replied. Let me know if anything starts feeling weird and I¡¯ll stop, alright? Immediately, her vision began to fill with windows, which she hastily moved to the side so she could focus on one at a time.
Your party member Siph has killed a Juvenile Wall-Breaker Worm! You gain 2480 EXP! Your party member Siph has killed a Young Wall-Breaker Worm! You gain 1394 EXP! Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡­ Your party member Siph has killed a Wall-Breaker Worm! You gain 3869 EXP!
Finally, after a few moments, the experience windows stopped popping up, and she was able to deal with all the other windows that she had received.
Congratulations, your Class has leveled up! (x99) Congratulations, you have gained a Racial Class level! (x150) Because you reached the level the system judged you would have been at were you born into this system, Accelerated Growth (Temporary) has been removed. Congratulations, you have obtained Growth Up (Minor)! Growth Up (Minor): Level 1 261/100 EXP (Experience gained by increasing your stats by leveling up a Class) Rank: Uncommon Each stat has an additional 1% chance to gain a point upon leveling up any Class. Get stronger, faster. Congratulations, Growth Up (Minor) has leveled up! (x2) Congratulations, you have gained Class Experience Up (Minor)! Class Experience Up (Minor): Level 1 435/100 EXP (Experience gained by gaining Class levels. Rate of gain dependent on Rank of Class.) Rank: Rare Increases Class experience gained by 1%. Gotta grow fast! Congratulations, Class Experience Up (Minor) has leveled up! (x4) Congratulations, you have obtained Racial Class Experience Up (Minor)! Racial Class Experience Up (Minor): Level 1 900/100 EXP (Experience gained by gaining Racial Class levels) Rank: Rare Increases Racial Class Experience gained by 1% Your progress will surely race forward now! Congratulations, Racial Class Experience Up (Minor) has leveled up! (x7) Congratulations, you have gained Skill Experience Up (Minor)! Skill Experience Up (Minor): Level 1 31/100 EXP (Experience gained by leveling up Skills. Rate of gain dependent on Rank of Skill.) Rank: Rare Increases Skill Experience gained by 1%. Skills to pay the bills. Congratulations, you have gained the Skill First Come, First Serve! First Come, First Serve: Level 1 927/100 EXP (Gain EXP by gaining stats from Classes you were first to have. Experience gained is dependent on the Rank of the Class.) Rank: Unique If you are the first to obtain a Class, growth rates in that class are increased by 5%. Nature doesn¡¯t discriminate. I do. Congratulations, First Come, First Serve has leveled up! (x6) Congratulations, you have gained the Skill The Early Bird Gets the Worm! The Early Bird Gets the Worm: Level 1 1,500/100 EXP (Gain EXP by leveling up Classes you were first to have. Experience gained is dependent on the Rank of the Class.) Rank: Unique If you are the first to obtain a Class, experience gained towards leveling that Class up is increased by 5%. I suppose you¡¯re early like the person robbing the store a night before opening is early. Congratulations, The Early Bird Gets the Worm has leveled up! (x9) Congratulations, The Early Bird Gets the Worm has reached maximum level! Please inspect the Skill to see evolution options! First and Foremost: Level 1 3,300/100 EXP (Gain EXP by leveling up Racial Classes) Rank: Unique If you were the first to possess your Racial Class, experience gained towards leveling that Class up is increased by 5% The oldest is the one most skilled at staying alive. You¡¯re only technically the oldest, but technicalities work anyway. Congratulations, First and Foremost has leveled up! (x9) Congratulations, First and Foremost has reached maximum level! Please inspect the Skill to see evolution options! Journey of 1000 Miles: Level 1 3,700/100 EXP (Gain EXP by obtaining new Skills. Experience gained is dependent on the Rank of the Skill.) Rank: Unique All experienced gained by ¡°introductory¡± level Skills is increased by 5%. Begins with a single step. Unless you¡¯re flying. Or swimming. Or burrowing. Or taking public transportation. Or, in this case, eating breakfast. Congratulations, Journey of 1,000 miles has leveled up! (x9) Congratulations, Journey of 1,000 miles has reached maximum level! Please inspect the Skill to see evolution options! Alpha and Omega 1,390/100 EXP (Gain EXP by leveling up Unique Skills or Classes, as well as by obtaining Unique Achievements, Titles, Skills, or Classes.) Rank: Unique All effects of Unique Achievements, Titles, and Skills are increased by 5%. Unique Rank Achievements, Titles, Skills, and Classes cannot be stolen from you by any means. You were the first, and you will be the last. I¡¯ll make sure no one can ever take that from you. Congratulations, Alpha and Omega has leveled up! (x9) Congratulations, Alpha and Omega has reached maximum level! Please inspect the Skill to see evolution options! Congratulations, Class Experience Up (Minor) has leveled up! (x6) Congratulations, Class Experience Up (Minor) has evolved into Class Experience Up (Moderate)! Congratulations, Growth Up (Minor) has leveled up! (x5) Congratulations, Racial Class Experience Up (Minor) has leveled up! (x3) Congratulations, Racial Class Experience Up (Minor) has evolved into Racial Class Experience Up (Moderate)! Congratulations, Racial Class Experience Up (Moderate) has leveled up! (x7) Congratulations, Skill Experience Up (Minor) has leveled up! Increases Class experience gained by 1%. Gotta grow fast! Congratulations, Class Experience Up (Minor) has leveled up! (x3) Congratulations! Racial Class Experience Up (Minor) has leveled up! (x6) You have reached level 100 in Progenitor! Please pick a new Class! You have reached level 100 in a Class for the first time! Experience earned while your main Class is at maximum level is lost until you set another class as your main Class. This message will not be shown again. You have leveled up 100 times! Weighted Training Body has been upgraded to Weights Lifted! Weighted Training Body: Level Max Rank: Unique Your stats were reset by the system. All non-level bonuses to affinities, resistances, and stats are sealed. Weights Lifted: Level 1 0/100 EXP (Gain EXP by performing actions while under the effects of Weights Lifted) Rank: Unique You leveled up 100 times while the system actively sealed your true ability. You have figured out how to overcome this restriction, removing the seal. Furthermore, this knowledge allows you to temporarily increase bonuses to stats, resistances, and affinities granted by Titles, Achievements and Skills. Doing so places great stress on your body, however, and Weighted Training Body is reactivated after the effects of Weights Lifted ends. The length of the reactivation is dependent on the time spent in this state and the amount by which stats were increased. You may not be under the effects of Weights Lifted for more than 24 hours at a time. You may reactivate Weights Lifted while Weighted Training Body is active but doing so will exponentially lengthen the recovery period. If anyone asks, you can say that yes, you do lift. Congratulations, by leveling up you have unlocked your previously sealed Skills! As all Sin and Virtue Skills have been obtained and you have received sponsorship from the Administrator, you have become eligible for the Class High Arbiter!
Lilith stared at the window, trying to take everything in. After a few minutes, she figured she about had the gist of it. ¡°That was¡­fast.¡± She said. ¡°Of course it was!¡± Kali giggled. ¡°We don¡¯t have time to do things the slow way right now! More importantly, though, how are you feeling?¡± Lilith paused, taking stock of herself. ¡°Great, actually.¡± She said. ¡°A lot better than I was a few minutes ago, anyway. I feel¡­normal again.¡± ¡°Nothing feels out of sorts? No¡­aches or your head hurting or anything?¡± Lilith shook her head. ¡°Nope. I feel totally fine.¡± Kali pumped a fist. ¡°Sweet! That means we can actually start some of the other stuff I have planned. Um¡­in a bit, though, it¡¯d be kind of awkward to start that now.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Lilith asked, raising an eyebrow. ¡°Umm¡­it kind of entails you being knocked out for a bit again?¡± Kali said, scratching her cheek embarrassedly. ¡°Like¡­I know we just had you knocked out while we tinkered with the system, but this is more of the same sorta thing.¡± Lilith shrugged. ¡°Eh, that¡¯s not really a big deal to me.¡± She said. ¡°I don¡¯t really mind being out for a bit while this sort of thing is happening. I¡¯m assuming this has to do with that High Arbiter thing the window mentioned?¡± Kali nodded. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s something I¡¯ve designed that will let you keep the Sin and Virtue Skills, and it¡¯ll also give you a few more tools to help in enforcing order. It¡¯s a concept I¡¯m pretty proud of, if I do say so myself.¡± How are you feeling, Lilith? Siph asked. Should I keep going? I¡¯m fine, mama. Hold off for a bit, though, I¡¯m discussing some things with Kali right now. That¡¯s fine, just let me know when you¡¯re finished! ¡°Siph talking to you?¡± Kali asked. ¡°Yeah, sorry.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°She was wondering if she should keep going and I told her to hold off for a second until we finished talking here.¡± ¡°Right. So¡­do you want to go ahead with that now, then? Or, well, after you finish breakfast.¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s do that.¡± Lilith said. ¡°What should I tell mama?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± Kali replied. ¡°You just eat for now. Raphael, once you¡¯re finished, head back to my room. I can offer you proof once I¡¯ve put Lilith under, alright?¡± Raphael frowned, finishing her bite of toast. ¡°I suppose.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Kali said, tone indicating that she was trying to psych herself up. ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡± Chapter 26: Past and Present Raphael waited impatiently as Kali put Lilith to sleep. She was going to reserve her judgement on this whole situation until she saw Kali¡¯s ¡°proof¡±, whatever that might be. Yes, she had come to realize that her grandmother was not the greatest person and treated her poorly, but that didn¡¯t mean she was going to blindly believe these outrageous claims. She was shocked that Lilith, and, more importantly, Carmen had believed it. It all sounded so¡­impossible. ¡°Thanks for waiting.¡± Kali said, straightening up. ¡°What would you like to see first? My surveillance room or my library?¡± Raphael frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t care. Whatever proves it best.¡± ¡°Library it is.¡± Kali said. ¡°Follow me.¡± She led Raphael down a series of halls, before eventually opening the door to a dry, musty-seeming room. ¡°This contains a copy of every significant text ever written. Name anything, I¡¯ll fetch it for you.¡± Raphael thought about that for a moment. ¡°One of Grandma¡¯s letters to Grandpa during the war, specifically about their plan for the removal of magic from the humans, and when the ritual would take place. Or is that not significant enough?¡± ¡°No, that¡­probably counts. Let me see if I have it.¡± Kali replied, walking over to a large book and opening it. After a moment, the area in front of her sort of¡­fuzzed, and a letter dropped into it. She brought it over to Raphael, who opened it and began to read. It¡­fit everything she had remembered and then some. Kali could have been reading her mind, but that wouldn¡¯t give this level of accuracy, not when Raphael¡¯s memory of it had been so fuzzy in the first place. Raphael frowned, handing the letter back to Kali. She requested a few more, similar things, and eventually she was, at the least, convinced that the library was real. ¡°Fine. I guess this at least checks out, but that doesn¡¯t prove anything, you could have just¡­found this.¡± ¡°I suppose that¡¯s fair.¡± She paused for a moment, then continued. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you¡¯d be similarly unconvinced by my surveillance room. I¡­didn¡¯t really want to do this, since it¡¯ll cost some of my resources, but I can give you undeniable proof.¡± ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± Raphael replied, folding her arms. ¡°Don¡¯t freak out, okay?¡± Kali said, walking over and placing a hand on Raphael¡¯s forehead. Then a sort of warm, pleasant feeling washed over Raphael before concentrating in her lower back. After a moment, she felt what could only be a tail slither out from the area, and Kali removed her hand, taking a step back. ¡°You know an identification spell, right?¡± She asked. ¡°Go ahead and take a look at your Domain.¡± Raphael twisted around and, to her shock, found a demon¡¯s spade tail moving behind her. ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°Spell first, please.¡± Kali replied. Raphael grit her teeth and cast the spell. She¡­had two Domains now, angel and succubus. That was not something that should have been possible, not in the slightest. Domains couldn¡¯t just¡­be gained after birth, outside of certain incredibly rare circumstances. So, she looked up at Kali in wonder. ¡°I¡­what? It¡¯s¡­true?¡± Kali nodded. ¡°Yup. I can remove that Domain from you if you¡¯d like, but if you choose to leave it, you¡¯ll get the benefits of having two Domains forever.¡± Raphael gingerly touched the tail, flinching as she felt it flick away from her. ¡°This is¡­weird.¡± She said. ¡°Can you like¡­just get rid of the tail?¡± Kali nodded. ¡°Yeah, I can do that.¡± She knelt down and grabbed the tail, and Raphael felt it shrink away to nothingness. ¡°There you go, good as new.¡± Kali said. ¡°Now, do you still want to see the surveillance room? I can show you what Elenoa¡¯s doing right now if you¡¯d like.¡± Raphael gave a hesitant nod, still in shock over her new Domain. ¡°Yeah, sure, but¡­um, why succubus?¡± Kali shrugged. ¡°Because that¡¯s what I¡¯m most familiar with. It¡¯s easier for me to just¡­pop on someone. It¡¯s not like it¡¯s any different from any other Domain, so I just picked it for simplicity¡¯s sake.¡± She gently grabbed Raphael¡¯s hand, leading the girl out of the library and into a room just across the hall. It was a small, roundish room, the walls made mostly of some sort of glass-like material that peered out into nothingness. There was a circular couch surrounding some sort of¡­console with a blinking light on it. Kali frowned, letting go of Raphael¡¯s hand. ¡°Sit on the couch, I¡¯ll get this started up. Looks like something¡¯s met some conditions I set up that would cause things to be recorded, and I¡¯m gonna have to give it a look.¡± Raphael sat as Kali hopped onto the couch, grabbing some sort of orb from the console. She was silent for a moment, then shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s¡­well, unsurprisingly, it has to do with Elenoa. I gave it a quick look through, and I can show it to you if you would like.¡± Raphael raised an eyebrow. ¡°Unsurprisingly?¡± ¡°A lot of my conditions right now have to do with Lilith, and Elenoa has been hitting a lot of those lately. So¡­do you want to see it? It¡¯s¡­not exactly a flattering look for her, though, so just be warned.¡± ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s see it, then.¡± Kali put the orb back, and the door they had entered through vanished, becoming more of the same glass-like material. Then, the nothingness surrounding them was replaced with a room that Raphael was very familiar with, her grandmother¡¯s study. Inside, her grandmother was pacing back and forth, Winston standing to one side. ¡°Winston, we have to figure out a way to rein her in.¡± Elenoa growled. ¡°I don¡¯t want another situation like we have with Isa. We need to get her used to doing whatever I say, and for that we need some way to control her.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Winston said. ¡°I believe it would be in our best interest to act soon, then. From the quick look I got at her, she was much more powerful than I was that shortly after becoming a Perfect Chimera. If she continues to grow at this rate, we won¡¯t be able to do anything drastic without taking risks, much like with Isa.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Elenoa said. ¡°But we need to separate her from Tunem. Right now, we can¡¯t do anything big without potentially alienating him further. So, we need to get her transferred to Gabriel¡¯s tutelage. Can you work on that?¡± This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°Of course. May I ask what you have in mind for after? I can begin laying the groundwork for that as well.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll need leverage. We can use her family as hostages of sorts until we can get her to swear a magical oath. So, get to it.¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± Winston replied, leaving the room. The recording then shut off, the door returning as the nothingness past the walls returned. There was a long silence as Raphael processed what she had just seen. ¡°Did¡­that really happen?¡± She asked quietly. ¡°I¡¯m afraid so.¡± Kali responded. ¡°Why? What¡¯s wrong with how things are now? Isa¡¯s been a huge help to everyone, and Lilith hasn¡¯t done anything that would make her dangerous.¡± Kali shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s¡­just how she is. She grabs for power and tries to justify it by making people scared. She even tries it with the rest of us on the Council, and unfortunately, she has enough important people on her side to make it work. This is how she acts when she¡¯s not putting up that front.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Raphael said. ¡°That¡¯s so¡­different from how she usually acts around me.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Kali said kindly. ¡°And I know this is sudden for you. So, I¡¯m going to give you special permission to use this room while we¡¯re keeping you here, but only to look at Elenoa. You can observe her behavior and decide for yourself what you think. I¡¯ve made it so that whenever you in particular grab the control orb, the room will automatically focus in on her. Mess around with it a bit and get used to it, if you have any questions just come ask, okay?¡± Kali stood up, stretching slightly. ¡°Now, I really do have to go deal with Lilith¡¯s stuff, do you need anything else from me?¡± Raphael frowned, but shook her head. ¡°No, it¡¯s¡­it¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll just watch Grandma from here.¡± Kali gave her a smile. ¡°Alright. Don¡¯t be shy about asking if you do decide that you need something though, I¡¯m happy to help.¡± She left the room, and Raphael reached up, grabbing the orb. The room once again morphed, this time showing one of the rooms in Haven¡¯s capital, where Elenoa was doing paperwork. Raphael settled down in the couch, and prepared herself to watch. It probably wasn¡¯t going to be exciting, but she had to see for herself if things with her grandmother were really as bad as she was starting to think they were.
A few hours later, Raphael deactivated the viewer and stood up. Her grandmother was still doing paperwork, and it didn¡¯t¡­seem like anything nefarious. She had found out that she could sort of¡­zoom in and look at individual things of note in the area, and none of the paperwork was anything other than what would normally be involved in running a country. So, she had decided it was time to leave and get a snack. Important as deciding for herself was, her grandmother was boring. She¡¯d have to ask Kali if there was any way she could¡­look through the past or something with this, because she didn¡¯t think she could sit through more of¡­this. She exited the room, making her way through the hallways until she reached the kitchen. She opened the pantry and began to look through it, taking stock of its contents. Unfortunately, she was in one of those moods where, despite there being plenty of food in the pantry, there was nothing that she really wanted to eat. But she would have to force herself to. She knew it wasn¡¯t good for her to just¡­not eat, so she would have to decide on something. ¡°Oh, Raphael!¡± Kali called out, causing Raphael to jump. ¡°Do you need something?¡± Raphael turned to the open door from where she heard Kali¡¯s voice. She looked through, and from the doorway she could see what she now recognized as another viewing room, and through a door there, Kali¡¯s room. Inside, Kali and Siph were standing, and Raphael thought she could make out the silhouette of Lilith on the bed. ¡°Um¡­yeah, I guess? How¡¯d you know I was here?¡± ¡°We¡¯re in my personal realm, I have a pretty good idea of where people in here are.¡± Kali replied. ¡°So, what do you need?¡± ¡°We¡¯re not done talking about this!¡± Siph said firmly. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving until you give me a straight answer.¡± Kali gave a sigh. ¡°Well, it was worth a shot. Fine, I¡¯ll give you your answers, but not right now. This information is a bit too¡­sensitive for anyone else to hear.¡± ¡°I can keep a secret!¡± Raphael protested, moving towards the two. ¡°I want to know!¡± Her curiosity had been piqued by this sudden mystery that had been placed in front of her Kali shook her head. ¡°No can do. Siph is one thing, since she¡¯s already tied up in all this, but you and Lilith don¡¯t need to be for the time being. You¡¯ll find out eventually, so just¡­wait, alright? It¡¯s not exactly a pleasant story, so you¡¯re really not missing out on much.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± Raphael said, pouting slightly, ¡°but I¡¯m not happy about it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t expect you to be.¡± Kali replied. ¡°Anyway, what did you need?¡± ¡°I was getting some food, and then I heard you two talking. Oh, and I also wanted to know if that viewer can look into the past. I¡¯m glad I can check in on Grandma and all, but I don¡¯t want to have to sit there all day looking at her doing boring stuff if I can just¡­look through time and see if she¡¯s always like she acted in that recording.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡­guess I can allow you that.¡± Kali said hesitantly. ¡°But that¡¯ll have to wait until tomorrow, I¡¯m going to have to make some slight modifications to limit you a bit more. I haven¡¯t really put safeguards on that function, I can¡¯t let you invade other people¡¯s privacy too much.¡± She paused briefly before continuing. ¡°Well, aside from Elenoa, but she¡¯s the only reason I¡¯m letting you use that anyway, so she doesn¡¯t count.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± She took a moment to look around, and found that Lilith was indeed sleeping peacefully on the bed, so watching TV while she waited was out of the question. ¡°When¡¯s Lilith going to wake up?¡± ¡°Soon.¡± Kali replied. ¡°I was going to finish having this talk with Siph and was planning to wake her up then.¡± ¡°I can wait.¡± Siph said, sitting down in one of the beanbag chairs. ¡°I¡¯m going to have a lot of questions, and I¡¯m sure Lilith would like to be up as soon as possible. I¡¯ve waited this long for answers, so a few hours more is nothing.¡± ¡°Right. I¡¯ll wake her up then, it should only take a couple of minutes. She¡¯ll have a lot of questions, though, so we¡¯ll have to take some time to answer those, and that¡¯s going to take a bit.¡± She turned back to Raphael, giving her a smile. ¡°Is there anything in particular you wanted to eat? The stuff in the pantry is more¡­well, more like a suggestion. I can get anything else you want.¡± Raphael paused, thinking about that for a moment. ¡°Dunno, I was just sorta browsing.¡± ¡°Well, if you think of anything just let me know.¡± Kali replied, moving back over to the bed where Lilith was resting. ¡°After this, of course. I need to focus while I¡¯m waking her up so there aren¡¯t any complications. In these next few hours after she wakes up, though, feel free to interrupt if it looks like we¡¯re not in the middle of something important.¡± ¡°Umm¡­alright.¡± Raphael responded. ¡°Do I have like¡­a room here or something? I don¡¯t imagine I¡¯m going to be sleeping in yours all the time, right?¡± Kali nodded. ¡°Yes. Give me one second¡­¡± She stopped for a moment, then continued. ¡°Alright. You should see a new door in the kitchen when you get back. Go through there, your room will be the second door on the right. Bathroom¡¯s the door at the end of the hall.¡± Raphael blinked. ¡°You didn¡¯t¡­just make it, did you?¡± ¡°Maybe. Again, this is my person realm, I have a lot of control here. Something like making a few more rooms is not an issue. Anyway, go get your snack, I gotta get to this.¡± ¡°Alright. Um¡­thanks, I guess.¡± Raphael said, leaving the room and heading back to the pantry. She absentmindedly took out stuff for a sandwich, noting that there was indeed a door that hadn¡¯t been there before. She made the sandwich, grabbed a plate, and then opened the door, peering in to find a decently long hallway. She took the second door on the right as instructed, and found a room not dissimilar to the one she had back at Tunem¡¯s academy, though it had a couple of changes, namely the addition of a TV and the fact that the computer, desk, and¡­well, most of the other furniture looked much nicer than the ones Tunem had. A small note was attached to the computer, which Raphael took and began to read. You should have access to all the TV channels you did on Haven and then some. The note read. I have some clothes in the dresser for you, and your computer should get pretty nice internet. Let me know if there¡¯s any trouble with anything, I¡¯ll get it fixed for you. Consider this¡­well, consider this an impromptu break of sorts in your schooling. So, feel free to take a load off and just relax for a bit, you look like you could use it. ¨C Kali Raphael put the note in the wastebasket near the desk before flopping onto the bed, briefly looking around for a remote before turning on the TV. She would take the time to relax as soon as she had figured her grandmother out, and then¡­well, she had never had the opportunity to try lazing about all day, so she figured she would give it a go. Some of her classmates swore by it, so it couldn¡¯t be that bad, right? Chapter 27: Higher Being Carmen opened her eyes to find herself in a different place than she had been when she fell asleep. She was sitting in a plush armchair in a rather inviting living room¡­or, at least, that¡¯s what it looked like. The edges were fuzzy and the details of the pictures indistinct. Not that she was really paying much attention to that; more concerning was the gaping hole where one of the walls should have been, a pitch-black void covering the space beyond. As she stared, tendrils of nothing speared out from within towards her, only to be blocked by some sort of unseen force. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that too much.¡± Kali said, causing Carmen to force her attention away from the wall and in on the woman who was suddenly sitting on a chair across from her. ¡°It¡¯s a sort of¡­representation of the separation I have you and Lilith under. We¡¯re inside your¡­well, mind, for lack of a better word, so things are a little¡­abstract.¡± ¡°I¡­see.¡± Carmen said slowly. ¡°How are Lilith and Mama?¡± ¡°Holding up well.¡± Kali replied. ¡°The new system appears to be completely stable, so we¡¯re moving on with the next phase of the plan. It¡¯s going to entail some¡­changes for the two of you, and I want to get your opinion on the matter while Lilith¡¯s under.¡± Carmen raised an eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯ve got Lilith under, but want my opinion? I assume she already gave you her answer, right?¡± Kali hesitated. ¡°Well, yes, but¡­you know how she is. She¡¯d say yes to just about anything, so I wanted to pass it off to the part of her that¡¯s more¡­assertive.¡± Carmen shook her head. ¡°No. She¡¯s in charge, what she says goes. In the end, this is her life, and I¡¯m just¡­an extra.¡± Kali gave Carmen an odd look, then sighed. ¡°You¡¯re not even going to hear me out?¡± ¡°I trust you.¡± Carmen replied. And she did; she had no reason to, but something within herself insisted that Kali was someone she could trust unconditionally. That bugged her, in a way, but she also couldn¡¯t bring herself to shake the notion. It didn¡¯t¡­feel like her emotions were being influenced by magic, it felt more, well, like it was intrinsic to her very being. ¡°I¡­thanks.¡± Kali said. ¡°I won¡¯t let you down, I promise. Um¡­I do need your input on another matter, though. I was¡­well, I was thinking of giving Lilith another Parallel, and as you know, both of you have to sign off on it for that to work.¡± Carmen leaned forward. ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± Kali smiled weakly. ¡°Well, it¡¯s like this¡­¡±
Lilith awoke to a couple of windows in front of her face. The first was incredibly large, bigger than most she had seen before, while the other was small, practically nonexistent compared to the first. So, she took a moment to read that one to get it out of the way before she tackled the big one.
You have gained the Mask ¡°Computer¡±! Carmen has accepted the Mask ¡°Computer¡± as a Parallel! Consciousnesses yet to vote: Lilith
Lilith frowned. When had that happened? ¡°I see you¡¯re looking a little confused.¡± Kali said. ¡°While you were under, I used some magic to give you another Mask that we think you should make into a Parallel. I¡¯ve run it by Carmen already and she¡¯s fine with it, so I just need to tell you about it. Now, I know the name sounds¡­inhumane, but think of it more like¡­¡®one who computes¡¯ instead of an actual computer, so it¡¯s ¨C ¡± Kali trailed off as Lilith accepted the new Mask as a Parallel, and a voice rang out in all of their minds. Hello, she said, I am the computation Parallel, you may call me Mae. Mistress, may I have an avatar? Lilith was silent for a moment as she formed an avatar for Mae. As soon as it was done, Mae transferred into it and began to move, testing it out. Lilith cut the sensory connection they had, then spoke. ¡°Why are you calling me mistress?¡± She asked. ¡°We¡¯re the same person. Equals.¡± Incorrect. Mae replied, still using telepathy. Kali designed me to be completely loyal to you, and, as such, I cannot in good conscience view you as my equal. Lilith frowned. ¡°Can you at least treat me normally then? And why are you using telepathy?¡± Physical speech is inefficient. I believe I can handle treating you ¡°normally¡±, but I will still do my utmost to do obey your orders. Lilith grit her teeth. ¡°Fine, if you want to play that game, here¡¯s a standing order for you. You are not allowed to listen to my orders, and are to act as you wish in all situations.¡± Understood. As per the standing order, the standing order has been ignored. I await further orders. Mae replied, smirking. ¡°No, you know what I mean!¡± Lilith protested. ¡°Come on!¡± I am well aware of what you wish. However, understand that my desire to obey is built into my very being. This is one subject I refuse to budge on; if you wish for a compromise, however, I will offer you a deal. I will work on my own initiative towards what I feel is best for you, which, may I remind you, is also what is best for Carmen and I. But you will have the final say over all of my actions, and any instructions you give me will be top priority. Lilith gave Mae an unamused look, but Mae held her gaze evenly, expression not changing an inch. Eventually, Lilith looked away. ¡°Fine. If that¡¯s what makes you happy.¡± It does, thank you. Mae replied. I will begin my work immediately. She gave a small bow, and then left the room. Lilith gave Kali an angry look. ¡°What was that?¡± She asked. ¡°I was going to warn you.¡± Kali said. ¡°But you accepted before I could finish talking. We could have worked to tone things down a little, but you jumped the gun.¡± She adopted a more serious tone as she continued. ¡°You have to stop being so eager to please, it¡¯s going to cause serious problems down the line. This only affects you, but the decisions you make in the future might affect the course of history, so you can¡¯t just blindly listen to what other people say. ¡°In fact, it¡¯s what I plan to spend most of our time here working on. We¡¯re going to iron this bad habit out of you, one way or the other. That¡¯s part of why I wanted to introduce Mae in the first place ¨C she¡¯ll be taking care of most of the level and Skill stuff for the time being.¡± She sat down on the bed next to Lilith, gaze softening. ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to stop trying to be kind to people or anything, I just¡­need you to think about the potential consequences of your actions before you make your choices. But, that¡¯s enough about that for now, we¡¯ll talk about duty some other day. For now, I need to explain everything else I just gave you. Go ahead and read that other window, and when you¡¯re done, I¡¯ll go into a bit more detail, alright?¡± Lilith gave a hesitant nod, turning her attention back to the remaining window.
For gaining the High Arbiter Class, you have gained the special Racial Class Higher Being! For gaining the High Arbiter Class, you have gained the following Skills: Arbiter¡¯s Arsenal Level Max Rank: Unique As the High Arbiter, you have unrestricted access to the Sin and Virtue Skills, as well as their evolutions. In addition, you are immune to all non-positive effects (including damage) from Sin and Virtue Skills possessed by others unless you choose not to be. Skill effects: Absent Alarm: You are able to temporarily spread your presence on this plane so thin that you are unable to be noticed by any form of perception. You may hold this state for up to 10 minutes, and after doing so cannot do so for a period of 1 hour. As one that has mastered Gluttony and Abstinence, you may instead choose to reverse this effect, making yourself such a center of attention that others cannot be sensed while you are present. Charitable Contribution: You may choose to not earn any experience towards your Class or Racial Class while in a party. If you do, your party members gain 500% more experience. As one that has mastered Greed and Charity, you may choose to activate this effect and gain EXP. If you do, party members only gain 50% more EXP. Chastity¡¯s Clarity: You may spend 100 Mana to cleanse yourself or a party member of any mental effect. If you are affected by a mental effect, Chastity¡¯s Clarity will automatically activate after 5 seconds. As one that has mastered Lust and Chastity, you may instead choose to spend 1,000 Mana and reflect the mental effect cleansed back to the source. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Envious Elevation: Spend 1,000 Mana to steal one Title, Achievement, or Skill of your choice from a target within visual range. Anything rank Legendary or below is automatically stolen, Mythic Rank things have a 90% chance to be stolen, Exclusive Rank things have a 60% chance to be stolen, and Unique Rank things have a 30% chance to be stolen. As one that has mastered Envy and Kindness, you may choose to instead copy any non-Exclusive or Unique thing. If you do this, you may take two things instead of one, and there is no chance of failure. This may be used once per day. Glutton¡¯s Gullet: If you reach the maximum level in a Class or Skill, experience gained for that Class or Skill is no longer lost. Instead, it is stored until you select a new Class or evolve the Skill. All experience put into the storage is increased by 500%. As one that has mastered Gluttony and Abstinence, you may choose to sacrifice all experience in your storage, permanently increasing the storage¡¯s experience bonus by 1% for every 1,000 EXP sacrificed. At 1,000% bonus, the cost to gain 1% bonus increases to 10,000 EXP, then to 100,000 EXP at 10,000% and so on. Greedy Gallop: Increases experience earned in Exclusive or Unique Classes or Skills by 500%. As one that has mastered Greed and Charity, you may choose to apply this bonus to any number of party members, increasing their experienced earned in Exclusive or Unique Classes or Skills by 50%. Humble Abode: Increases the stats of allies in your current place of residence (be it the night¡¯s campsite or your actual house) by 100%. As one that has mastered Pride and Humility, you have learned how to make this effect apply to yourself as well. Kindness¡¯ Kiss: You may spend up to 1,000 Mana to restore health to a target within visual range. For every point of Mana spent, the target recovers 10 HP, with a further 10 being restored over the next six seconds. As one that has mastered Envy and Kindness, you can instead spend up to 1,000 Mana to drain HP from a target within visual range, at the rate of 1 HP per Mana. Lustful Look: You may spend up to 1,000 Mana to attempt to charm a target. Your Magic is tripled for the purposes of this effect. Targets charmed by this effect will follow any commands given, including those that would kill themselves or their closest friends, or otherwise be otherwise greatly out of character. This effect lasts for 24 hours. As one that has mastered Lust and Chastity, you may spend an additional 1,000 Mana to make this effect undetectable by any spell cast with a Magic Defense less than triple your Magic. Patience¡¯s Payoff: Every 1% of experience scaled in Classes increases experience earned by Skills and Racial Classes by 1%, and every 10% of experience scaled in Skills or Racial Classes increases experience earned by Classes by 1%. Extra experience gain from this Skill is capped at 1,000%. As one that has mastered Wrath and Patience, you may choose to hamper the growth of a target within visual range by sacrificing extra experience from this Skill. Experience decrease compounds every percent. This effect ends whenever you wish or whenever the target dies, and the extra experience sacrificed is returned to you. Pride¡¯s Palace: Increase your stats by 1,000% while in the place regarded as your seat of power. As one that has mastered Pride and Humility, you may increase the stats of subordinates within this area by 100%. Sloth¡¯s Supper/Diligence¡¯s Dinner: As one that has mastered Sloth and Diligence, you have Managed to fuse their Skills, providing a constant experience increase of 250%. Should you gain experience from the actions of someone else, experience is instead increased by 500%. Wrath¡¯s Will: After killing an enemy, gain a 40% bonus to all stats for ten minutes. Killing another enemy will add another 40% to your stats and refresh the timer. There is no maximum status increase. As one that has mastered Wrath and Patience, the bonus lasts for 1 hour instead, and if you are engaged in combat where you are the only ally, your stats increase 40% every minute you are the only ally participating in your current fight. This bonus is separate from the one gained by killing enemies and resets after an ally joins your fight or the fight is over. The law is always prepared. Judge, Jury, Executioner Level Max Rank: Unique You can place a Geas on a target that can understand you, compelling them to follow a command or suffer penalty. When using this ability, you sacrifice as much HP, Mana, and Stamina as you wish. If the target breaks the Geas, they instantly lose that much HP, Mana, and Stamina. If they would die from this ability, you can instead choose to leave them at one HP. A Geas may be removed by fulfilling conditions you choose or whenever you please. A Geas may activate ten times before being dispelled. If any Worship is used to power this ability, the HP, Mana, and Stamina penalty of the punishment are provided at the rate of 10,000 HP, Mana, and Stamina per point of Worship, and the Geas may activate any number of times. Guilty. Arbiter¡¯s Manacles Level Max Rank: Unique Once a day, you may spend Mana to lock a target¡¯s Skills. Every 50 Mana spent will lock 1 level of a Skill. Levels may be unlocked by fulfilling conditions you choose, whenever you please, or by earning the EXP needed to gain that level. If a Skill would hit 0 this way, you may spend an extra 100 Mana to devolve the Skill if it has been evolved. Devolution cannot be undone. If any Worship is used to power this ability, levels are locked at the rate of 0.05 Worship to 1 level, and the lock cannot be undone by earning EXP. This ability may be used as additional punishment for a Geas, in which case all costs are halved. Ordinary manacles shackle the body. Yours shackle the soul. Fall from Grace Level Max Rank: Unique You may spend Mana to lock levels of a target¡¯s Racial Class, at the rate of 100 Mana/level. If the target has multiple Racial Classes, levels are locked equally across all Racial Classes with no extra cost to you. Levels may be unlocked by fulfilling conditions you choose, whenever you please, or by earning the EXP needed to gain that level. If any Worship is used to power this ability, Racial Class levels are locked at the rate of 0.1 Worship per level, and the level locking cannot be undone by earning EXP. This ability may be used as an additional punishment for a Geas, in which case all costs are halved. Those who falter and those who fall must pay the price Smite 0/1000 EXP (Gain EXP by passing judgement on a person) Rank: Unique You may smite a target, sealing a portion of their stats. For every 10 Mana spent in using this Skill, 1 point is sealed in each of the main six stats, and 10 points are sealed in HP, Mana, and Stamina. Seals may be lifted by fulfilling conditions you choose, leveling up 100 times, or whenever you please. Stats reduced in this way may not fall below 1. If any Worship is used to power this ability, stats are sealed at a rate of 0.01 Worship to 1 point in each stat (and 10 HP, Mana, and Stamina), and the seal is permanent. This ability may be used as an additional punishment for a Geas, in which case all costs are halved. Prayer won¡¯t help you here.
¡°Alright, I¡¯ve¡­read it all.¡± Lilith said. ¡°It¡¯s¡­well, a lot. Um, what¡¯s all this about Worship?¡± Kali nodded. ¡°So, to explain that, I¡¯m going to have to talk about what a Higher Being is.¡± She said. ¡°Think of them like¡­a step between Administrators and normal people. Where I¡¯m from, those were the gods, but here¡­well, you¡¯re the first one aside from me, so there isn¡¯t really a good analogue. ¡°The important bit is that Higher Beings don¡¯t follow all the same rules that normal people do. Most notably, if a Higher Being dies and they have enough Worship, it¡¯s automatically used, and they get revived back in their Administrator¡¯s rooms. Otherwise, they just sort of¡­get knocked unconscious until they have enough Worship to be revived, which is generally about two thousand, give or take some depending on how powerful the Higher Being in question is. ¡°Umm¡­let¡¯s see, Higher Beings don¡¯t age, but you didn¡¯t age before so that¡¯s not really a change¡­you can¡¯t be affected by mind-altering effects from normal people unless you want to be, which is a big one, and¡­honestly that¡¯s about it, aside from Worship.¡± She stopped for a moment, studying Lilith¡¯s face. ¡°Any questions so far? Aside from Worship, that is, I¡¯ll get into the exact details on that later.¡± ¡°Are you a Higher Being, or are Administrators entirely separate?¡± Lilith asked. ¡°Good question.¡± Kali said, tapping her chin thoughtfully. ¡°Um¡­yes and no. Administrators are like¡­buffed up Higher Beings. We use Worship too, we can just do a lot more with it. We still follow most of the same rules, we just¡­have more options.¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s it, then.¡± Kali nodded. ¡°Good. So, Worship is generated by¡­well, as a Higher Being, you have a sort of¡­Dominion, something you¡¯re in charge of. For you, that¡¯s Justice and Law. When people act in continued devotion to those fields, or if they perform extraordinary acts in them, you gain a small amount of Worship. The same goes for if people are directly¡­well, Worshipping you. ¡°That¡¯s the important bit for the ones you¡¯re in charge of. There are Dominions where the actions of the Higher Beings in charge of them can directly earn them Worship, but that¡¯s not important right now. Basically, just think of Worship as another resource like Mana, just much, much harder to come by.¡± ¡°I think I get it.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°So, something to use sparingly?¡± ¡°Exactly. If you can avoid it, try not to use Worship. Right now, I¡¯ve restricted you to only using Worship on the Skills you just got, but once you¡¯re more comfortable with it and know, in general, how fast you¡¯re going to be getting Worship, I¡¯ll open up more of the general-purpose abilities to you. Stuff like teleporting or scrying anywhere, granting people powerful Skills, that sort of stuff.¡± Lilith nodded. ¡°Is it just going to be on my status or¡­?¡± ¡°Yeah, it should show up under your Mana and Stamina. Only you and I can see it, though, so don¡¯t worry about it being found out.¡± Lilith paused, checking her status. ¡°Looks like I¡¯ve got¡­a hundredth of a point?¡± ¡°Sounds about right. The amount of Worship generated is closely related to the number of people in the universe, and this universe is still small. That and, as Administrator, I get a small cut of all Worship generated, whether I want to or not.¡± Kali said. ¡°I would love to do something about the population thing, but I¡¯ve kinda been stuck sitting on my hands while I waited for more Worship to come in so I could give people enough of a powerup to safely let them resume growing in number.¡± ¡°Right, the new system.¡± Lilith said. ¡°Exactly. People grow in number, give us more Worship, which then lets us make them stronger, get them more planes, make their lives better, and let them grow in number again. It¡¯s a cycle that benefits everyone. There¡¯s¡­well, there¡¯s one important bit to that I¡¯m leaving out, but we¡¯ll get to that later, I¡¯ve put enough on your plate for now.¡± ¡°Alright then.¡± Lilith replied, moving to get out of the bed she was in. ¡°What now?¡± ¡°Now we get started on some of your¡­etiquette training.¡± Kali said. ¡°Go ahead and sit wherever, we¡¯re going to start with some lessons on politics. Boring, yes, but essential to know since you¡¯re going to be dealing with a lot of politicians in the future.¡± Lilith got up and moved over to one of the beanbag chairs. ¡°Ready.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Kali said, grabbing the TV remote and turning it on. Displayed on the screen was some sort of slideshow with a bunch of text on it. ¡°Don¡¯t worry if you don¡¯t remember it all right away.¡± She said. ¡°I¡¯ll show you some magic to help enhance your memory later. For now, just pay attention, and it¡¯ll be fine. Now, if you¡¯ll look at the screen¡­¡± Chapter 28: Computation Mae assimilated the pile of corpses in front of her, mentally going over the list of acquisitions as she did. Her mother had been gathering them up for her, and she was pretty sure this marked enough for her to truly begin what she had been planning. But that would come later, for now she had to finish what she was doing. So, she turned back to the desk, and began working her way through the math problems on the computer in front of her. After all, the workings of the world could mostly be boiled down to math, and what was math but a way of communicating those concepts clearly? And, of course, from there her biggest asset showed itself; her Omniglot ability. It was being incredibly underutilized as it was, and she intended to remedy that. She had done some quick testing and found that the ability caught a frankly absurd number of things under its umbrella; the meanings of slang, technical jargon, musical notes, cyphers, and yes, even mathematical formulas were all instantly transmitted to her by the ability. If it was used by people to communicate a concept, emotion, or anything else to other people, it was fair game. The ability went both ways, too. If she tried to find, say, a formula describing the velocity of an object she was looking at, Omniglot would dutifully give it to her. And¡­well, the ability was being used as nothing more than an automatic translator at the moment. It was technically a perfectly valid use, but¡­it was like using a supercomputer to perform the duties of a regular calculator, a huge waste. So, she was working her way through the various mathematician Classes, aiming to, eventually, max out the various Skills that let her intuit properties of the world around her just by sight. Things like how fast an object was moving, the force that was being applied, angles between it and other surfaces, and the like were all covered by these, and, once she had all of those, she would be able to fuse them into Eye of Laplace, a Skill that let her do all of that as fast as her brain was capable of processing it. Which wasn¡¯t fast enough. It was fast, yes, but not nearly to the point where it could be of any use in a combat situation, she just didn¡¯t have the hardware for it. Which was where the bodies came in. She was going to figure out a way to modify her body to force it to have more processing power, and she was going to need to be more experienced in biology before she felt comfortable attempting that. And that was where the bodies she had assimilated came into play. She was going to transform the spare avatar into the forms she gained from the assimilation process, and then repeatedly dissect it to rapidly gain experience in biology Skills. She took the spare avatar and brought it into the room, transforming it into a rabbit and laying it on the table. She then used Eldritch Abomination to transform her fingers into facsimiles of surgeon¡¯s tools, and began her work.
A few hours later, she stepped away from the table, eying the corpse in front of her frustratedly. She had worked her way through most of the relevant Classes already, and she wasn¡¯t anywhere close to where she would need to be if she wanted to make this work. She had taken a short break to try and figure out if there wasn¡¯t some way she could make it so sharing senses between Parallels didn¡¯t cause any strain, but that hadn¡¯t led anywhere either. She had been trying to reverse engineer the way Eldritch Abomination integrated things like extra eyes without causing stress, but when she looked at the clusters of nerves and brain tissue it made, she just couldn¡¯t figure out what exactly they did, even with the help of the Skills she had received. And if she couldn¡¯t figure out something like that, there was no way she¡¯d be able to mod her body in the way she was hoping she could. So, she sat down on a chair nearby, closed her eyes, and began to think, going through all of her options one by one. ¡°Yo, you seem to be having a bit of trouble, can I help?¡± Kali asked. Mae snapped out of her trance. She wasn¡¯t sure how long she had been sitting there and thinking, but however long it had been, it hadn¡¯t brought her any closer to an answer. I cannot figure out how to rewire nerves and brain matter. Mae said. I¡¯ve tried, but just poking at it isn¡¯t getting me anywhere. ¡°Ah, yeah, that¡¯s not exactly something you can easily learn by doing.¡± Kali said, nodding. ¡°Fortunately for you, I happen to be an expert in this field. I¡¯m assuming you¡¯re trying to figure out a way to make sharing your senses at all times viable?¡± Yes. Once I have that working, I have a few more¡­extreme things I want to try. ¡°Well, instead of just poking around by yourself, why don¡¯t I just give you a copy of all my notes? I had to make a bunch of stuff that interacted with the brain, so I know how it works inside and out. If you use my stuff as a reference, you should be able to pull off everything you¡¯re thinking of.¡± Really?! Mae asked, barely able to keep the excitement out of her tone. That would be extremely helpful, thank you! Kali laughed. ¡°Yes, really. Give me a couple minutes, I¡¯ll bring it in a form that should be easy for you to reference on the fly.¡± She left the room and returned a few minutes later, holding a small white orb. ¡°Just put your hand on it and you should be able to mentally browse the contents. If you have any questions, just hit me up and I¡¯ll answer, so go wild, alright?¡± Mae nodded, taking the orb. Thank you. She said, and, not waiting for a reply, began to pour through the orb.
Mae stifled a yawn as she finished her work. She had worked through the night, but it had been entirely worth it; using her new abilities and Kali¡¯s notes, which were more like¡­an instruction manual than actual notes, she had been able to finish her modifications. She flexed an arm experimentally, then began a series of stretches. Once she was convinced that everything was working as intended, she opened the door and made her way to where Lilith had slept. That turned out to be Kali¡¯s room. It seems that, after¡­whatever she had been doing, she had fallen asleep on Kali¡¯s bed. And, oddly enough, Kali had fallen asleep next to her, and at some point in the night had begun to cling tightly to Lilith, an extraordinarily contented look on her face. Well, she could wait. Rest was important too, so she wasn¡¯t about to interrupt that rest for the sake of speeding things up by an hour or two. So, she closed her eyes and prepared to ¨C ¡°Oh, Mae, you¡¯re, um¡­here.¡± Kali said. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Mae opened her eyes again and looked back at the bed. Kali had separated from Lilith, and was blushing furiously. ¡°Look, I¡­sorry, I get a bit touchy in my sleep. It¡¯s um¡­instincts, you know? As a succubus. We tend to get rather¡­touchy, and I¡¯ve been kind of affection starved for a while so¡­yeah.¡± She said. Mae frowned. I do not believe I know. My succubus side came out particularly strongly, and I never had any instincts like that. ¡°Yeah, but you¡¯re a Perfect Chimera.¡± Kali replied. ¡°You don¡¯t really have the instincts of every single thing in existence, that would be a gigantic mess. So, seriously, don¡¯t worry about it too much, it¡¯s harmless, but a bit embarrassing on my side.¡± Mae thought about that for a moment. I suppose. I must thank you for the notes, thanks to them I was able to complete my modification. Once mistress gets up, I¡¯m planning to ask her to let me implement them on her body. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Lilith groaned, sitting up. ¡°I was watching some TV and then¡­¡± She trailed off, looking around her. ¡°Oh crap, I fell asleep in your bed. Um¡­sorry about that, Kali, it didn¡¯t cause any trouble, did it?¡± ¡°Not at all!¡± Kali said quickly. ¡°I can sleep in just about any situation so¡­¡± ¡°Wait, did you sleep here too?¡± Lilith asked, looking at Kali. ¡°Just get me up next time, I¡¯ll head back to my own room, uh¡­assuming I have one, anyway.¡± ¡°Yeah, um, I can whip that up for you.¡± Kali replied, though Mae couldn¡¯t help but notice a slight look of disappointment on her face. ¡°Um, Mae has just finished a project and wanted to run the results by you. Why don¡¯t you two talk, and I¡¯ll go get breakfast started?¡± She hurriedly got out of the bed and left the room, leaving Lilith and Mae alone. ¡°O¡­kay then.¡± Lilith said, turning to Mae. ¡°What¡¯s this project?¡± I was looking for a way to increase my processing power, as well as to allow us to share our senses all the time. I have succeeded, but I will need permission to alter your body. Lilith frowned, thinking about that for a moment. ¡°What kind of alterations?¡± She asked. ¡°And what do you mean ¡®increasing processing power¡¯?¡± I have obtained several Skills that will let us rapidly ascertain conditions of any battlefield, but a human brain is simply too inefficient to perform at full capacity. Mae explained. So, I¡¯ve used Eldritch Abomination to transform this body in such a way that I can take advantage of that. It¡¯s perfectly safe, and should increase our efficiency exponentially. Lilith paused. ¡°Fine, then. What do I need to do?¡± Mae laid the avatar down on the floor and retreated to the main body. May I pilot this for a moment? I¡¯d like to move us into a better position for this. ¡°Yeah, go ahead.¡± Mae stood the body up and moved it next to the avatar before switching off the pain receptors and lying down. I¡¯ve gone ahead and turned off your sense of pain. While what I¡¯m doing should theoretically be painless, I found it best not to risk it. Just lie there and don¡¯t resist and I¡¯ll have this done in a short time. She then retreated to her own body, which she disengaged from the spare avatar. The avatar¡¯s chest opened, and Mae carefully extracted her body, which had taken the place of most of the avatar¡¯s innards, from within, eventually ending up with it being a sort of¡­pile of flesh on the floor. She quickly hopped from her own body into the avatar and regrew the organs and other miscellaneous tissue she had replaced, then returned to her body, which she moved over to Lilith. Apologies about the messy transition, mistress. Mae said, noting Lilith¡¯s horrified expression. I¡¯ve modified my body into one that replaces unnecessary parts of an avatar with something useful. That something useful being mostly brain matter to expand my processing power, but also a couple of other functions that should generally improve the efficiency of the body. It¡¯s perfectly harmless for us, so don¡¯t panic. Lilith hesitantly nodded, eyeing Mae warily as Mae inched her way onto Lilith¡¯s chest. Then, Mae hopped back into the main body and began integrating it and her own. She opened up the chest cavity, began the process of eliminating the useless material, and then moved back to her body once again and started the work from that side. I¡¯m replacing most of our digestive system and reproductive system. She explained. I¡¯ve found that we can easily get our nutrients by just consuming mass we¡¯ve assimilated, and it¡¯s more efficient than normal digestion to boot. I¡¯ve set up two sort of pseudo-organs that will automatically assimilate anything we eat, as well as keep the body well stocked with the results of assimilation. You¡¯ll still feel a sort of analogue of hungriness when the body starts consuming mass that¡¯s older than your last meal, but we can turn that off if you like. Oh, and, as a bonus, you won¡¯t have to use the bathroom anymore, so that¡¯s nice. I tried to do something similar for breathing, but alas, getting oxygen from assimilated mass is far less efficient than just getting it from the air, so I¡¯ve left it be. As for the reproductive system, since it¡¯s not¡­doing anything right now, I¡¯ve gone ahead and converted it almost wholesale. I¡¯ve left you still able to¡­receive pleasure, if that¡¯s something you want, and cosmetically it should all look and feel the same, but if you want the other functions, I can put them back when you want to use them. Mae finished working with the organs, and began working on replacing the other useless tissue that was in the body. I¡¯ve also gone ahead and replaced some other things that don¡¯t really serve a function to us anymore and packed in more brain matter for me. The larger deposits of fat are the big one, since they serve little function now that we can subsist on assimilated mass, and brain matter has enough fat in it to fulfill its other functions. And¡­aside from that, I¡¯ve increased our height by a few inches, so we¡¯re about five-eight, as well as increased the size of our chest and rear. By doing so I¡¯ve created more room to pack in some additional mass without making us look weird. She finished her ministrations, and sealed Lilith¡¯s chest cavity back up and reactivated her pain receptors. I can move this body too, if I wish, but I¡¯ve made it so that anything you do would take priority, and I would get locked out if we try to do different things. I don¡¯t plan to move us around much, only if it is a matter of our safety, so it¡¯s an emergency feature more than anything. I¡¯m done now, so you¡¯re free to move around now. Lilith stood up, and began testing her body in much the same way as Mae had moments earlier. ¡°This is¡­well, honestly I feel the same, which seems a little weird, but it¡¯s nice, I guess.¡± Yes, I worked to make sure you would notice no difference. When you have time, may I talk about Skill Points and Racial Classes? I have some ideas, but I would like to pass them off with you first. ¡°Um, sure? I wasn¡¯t sure what to use them on, so if you¡¯ve got an idea then please, tell me.¡± As things are now, I am technically a parasite. So, I wish to unlock a bunch of abilities related to symbiosis. With what we have now, I¡¯ll be able to make it so when either of us gains experience, the other will gain that much, as well as allow me to add twenty-five percent of my stats to yours and boost your HP and Stamina restoration by an amount equal to mine. As we share roughly the same stats, just think of it like a flat increase to your stats instead. Do I have permission to do this? It should just about double our Racial Class growth rate, so we should see dividends soon. ¡°Yeah, that sounds great.¡± Lilith said. ¡°Like I said, I wasn¡¯t sure what to use them on, so I was waiting to see if Kali had some input.¡± Excellent, I¡¯ll do that in a moment. I have some other ideas as well, but I¡¯d like to hold off on those until we have a bit more of a buffer. And, as the last item on my agenda, I don¡¯t have any particular need for Classes anymore, since we share Skills and my stats will only really apply as buffs to you, so is there anything in particular you would like me to work on, or should I continue as I have been? ¡°Not for now.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°Just keep doing what you¡¯re doing.¡± Understood. Until we are done training here, I will be piloting the spare avatar for the purpose of gaining levels, but once we are finished, I will reside within you at all times. In the meantime, if you ever need me, give me a call and I will come to help. That is all I have for you, so I will take my leave now, thank you. Mae took over the spare avatar, stood up, gave a small bow, and left for the room she had been doing her experimentation in. She¡¯d work until Lilith went to bed again, and only then would she let this body rest. There was just so much to do, and so little time to do it all in. But she was confident she would manage. So, it was with a smile that she got back to work, trying to better herself however she could. Chapter 29: Phase Two Carmen sat down, eyeing the man in front of her warily. He was pretty average looking, if you ignored the fox ears and tail. Brown hair, brown eyes, a little short, the most notable thing about him was the sharply tailored clothing he was wearing. But the effect was ruined by his friendly smile and general demeanor; he had the feel of someone who was ready to make friends with you if you showed even the slightest of openings. His name was Yamato, and he was one of the Council members, their specialist on transformation magic, if she was recalling correctly. ¡°Hi there, I¡¯m Yamato!¡± He said, sticking out a hand. ¡°Thanks for agreeing to meet with me, I know you¡¯re probably not¡­really favorably disposed to any of us Council members, given how much interaction you¡¯ve had with Elenoa, but I can assure you we¡¯re not all like that.¡± Carmen shook the proffered hand, trying to get a feel for him from it. ¡°And I¡¯m Carmen, pleasure to meet you.¡± As the handshake ended, Carmen became certain ¨C she didn¡¯t trust this man as far as she could throw him. Actually¡­that was pretty far now, so that was probably not the best metaphor. Regardless of that, no one gets into positions in government without some skeletons in the closet, and there was no chance he was as friendly and open as he was trying to project himself. Everything was just¡­too flawless an act for that. Ignorant of Carmen¡¯s inner monologue, he continued. ¡°I know we¡¯ve technically met before, but we didn¡¯t really have a chance to talk, and then Elenoa sort of¡­did her thing, so I don¡¯t think it really counts. Anyway, I was hoping to see if we couldn¡¯t figure out why you can¡¯t seem to transform yourself like you can other people, maybe even get you transformed back into a man if you would like.¡± Carmen shrugged. ¡°I suppose we¡¯ll see what happens.¡± She said. She wasn¡¯t particularly worried about becoming a guy again; in fact, should she ever figure out how, she would probably stay a woman. It was the form she was¡­for lack of a better word, born in, and she felt quite comfortable. ¡°Of course.¡± He said, then motioned to a large machine at the side of the room. ¡°This is¡­well, think of it like a kind of x-ray, but for magic. It¡¯s something I¡¯ve put together to help figure out how people¡¯s bodies react to magic. I understand you may not be comfortable hopping in some foreign machine, so we don¡¯t have to use it if you don¡¯t like. I can do everything it does by myself, it¡¯ll just be slower. Your call.¡± Carmen eyed it warily. ¡°I suppose we can use it.¡± She said. ¡°But if I feel things are getting¡­dangerous, I reserve the right to break out any time I wish.¡± ¡°Naturally.¡± Yamato replied. ¡°I would prefer it if you let me know first so I can shut it off, but I won¡¯t blame you if you don¡¯t.¡± Carmen nodded, walking over to the machine and laying down on the bed next to it. Yamato moved over to a terminal at its side, pressed a few buttons, and then the bed retracted, bringing Carmen into the machine. Several metallic arms ending in some sort of soft padding came down from inside and began gently placing themselves on various parts of Carmen¡¯s body, and she could feel currents of magic begin running through them. ¡°Can you hear me alright?¡± Yamato said, his voice coming in through a speaker some ways behind her head. ¡°There¡¯s a microphone in here, so just talk back normally, I¡¯ll be able to hear.¡± ¡°Yeah, I can hear you fine.¡± Carmen replied. ¡°Good. Right now, I¡¯m having the little arm things run some tests through you to determine how resistant your body is to change. Everyone is slightly different in this regard, so I¡¯m just getting a feel for it. While we wait, though, I thought it might be nice if I gave you a bit more context on the Council. Is that acceptable?¡± Carmen raised an eyebrow, though she didn¡¯t know if he could see that. ¡°I suppose, but why now?¡± ¡°Because I think it¡¯s unfair that some of us are trying to use you while leaving you completely in the dark.¡± ¡°Some of us?¡± Carmen said. ¡°Are you saying that you¡¯re trying to use me as well?¡± ¡°As much as I would like to say no, I¡¯m not, that¡¯d be a lie. Unfortunately, you¡¯re in a position where just about any important person you meet is going to want to use you. You¡¯re the magical equivalent of a nuclear weapon, and everyone wants to be the person with the codes, so to speak.¡± He gave a sigh as he continued. ¡°And, well, I¡¯m going to be totally honest, I really, really don¡¯t want that person to be Elenoa. But, even more than that, I think our interests align.¡± The magic stopped flowing through the machine¡¯s arms, and the sound of typing came in through the microphone. After a moment, Yamato spoke up again. ¡°Please change your right arm using Eldritch Abomination, I¡¯d like to see what that looks like, magically speaking.¡± Carmen did, and the flow of magic returned. ¡°You see, there are three main¡­let¡¯s call them factions within the Council, all formed around how they feel about Earth. The largest one is, unfortunately, the¡­well, we don¡¯t really have names, but think of them as¡­not quite anti-Earth, but they don¡¯t like it. ¡°That¡¯s Elenoa, the other angel, Gabriel, and the dwarf, Baern. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve picked up on the fact that Elenoa is trying to keep you on a very tight leash, to be used as a personal weapon, and that sorta ties into her philosophy on Earth. She wants to keep it completely in the dark about magic, and then just¡­steal all of its technological growth while giving nothing in return. ¡°She wants to use things for her own gain and for nothing else, and Baern isn¡¯t much better. He doesn¡¯t really care about Earth or Haven, he¡¯s¡­to be blunt, he just hates humans. Most of the people he knew were killed by humans during the war, and he¡¯s held onto a huge grudge ever since. If it were up to him, he¡¯d exile humans from Haven entirely, and he¡¯s made no bones about the fact that he doesn¡¯t like how you were originally human. ¡°And then there¡¯s Gabriel. He¡¯s actually a great guy, and tends to agree with me on most subjects, but he¡¯s¡­a puppet, essentially. Elenoa¡¯s got a tight grip on the hierarchy of the angels, and since two Council seats have to go to the angels, she basically picks who¡¯s in that other seat. So, he has to toe the line and do as she says or get replaced, and he would prefer to keep things as is, so he can counterbalance her in whatever ways he can.¡± This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. The magic flowing into her right arm stopped, and she once again could make out typing. ¡°You can go ahead and change your arm back.¡± Yamato said. ¡°Next, I¡¯m going to try a few minor transformations of increasing power, see how strong something has to be before it can affect you. Don¡¯t be alarmed if you transform a bit, okay?¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Carmen replied, changing her arm back as instructed. All the arms resumed their flow of magic, though it was a bit stronger this time. ¡°I think you get the picture with them, though. Next would be Tunem and Enna, they¡¯re neutral on most issues, Tunem because he¡¯s just¡­generally neutral, and Enna because she¡¯s in charge of the defense of the cities and that eats up almost all of her time. She doesn¡¯t really have it in her to care about Earth right now. ¡°So, you don¡¯t really have to worry about them too much. That only leaves Kali and I, we¡¯re the¡­progressives, you might say. We believe that re-integrating Haven and Earth is long overdue, and that right now we¡¯re essentially punishing people for what their ancestors did, and that¡¯s not fair or acceptable. ¡°Of course, seeing as you¡¯re a Perfect Chimera who was originally from Earth, we¡¯re hoping that we can use you as a tool to get people to realize that humans from Earth aren¡¯t monsters, and that peaceful coexistence is possible. We shouldn¡¯t have to cut people off from such a huge part of life for essentially no reason, you know?¡± The magic stopped, the arms retreated, and then the bed slid back out. ¡°But that¡¯s enough of politics for now.¡± Yamato said. ¡°I do hope you¡¯ll consider working with Kali and I on re-integrating Haven and Earth, but I¡¯m not going to force you either way.¡± He stood up, walking over to Carmen and helping her up off of the bed. ¡°You can take a seat in the chair over there, would you like to hear what I found?¡± ¡°I suppose.¡± Carmen said, walking to the chair and sitting down. ¡°Great. So, as it turns out, you have an extraordinarily large resistance to effects that change your body. That¡¯s probably why you can¡¯t use your normal magic to change yourself. Eldritch Abomination¡­well, the eldritch works strangely, but it seems that it¡¯s just¡­even stronger than your resistance, as far as I can tell.¡± ¡°That sounds about right. So¡­what now?¡± ¡°Now I¡¯d like to do a few more personalized tests.¡± Yamato said. ¡°Hopefully we can find a workaround for you. And, as a matter of course, I¡¯ll teach you about what I¡¯m doing, too. Consider it payment for helping satisfy my curiosity. Sound good?¡± Carmen nodded. ¡°That¡¯s acceptable.¡± ¡°Perfect. Let¡¯s get going, then!¡±
¡°Right, so, I think we¡¯re ready to move onto phase two.¡± Kali said, leaning back in her chair. It was a couple of weeks after Lilith had begun her ¡°training¡±, and she had begun to settle into a rhythm of sorts, but it looked like that was about to change. ¡°What¡¯s phase two?¡± Lilith asked. ¡°Well, it¡¯s¡­not as much something that you¡¯re going to be doing as much as Mae is, but there¡¯s one more thing we need to get up and running before we can start rolling the new system out to the world. You see, I¡¯m taking a page from my old administrator and I¡¯m adding dungeons to the world. And, dungeons are going to be¡­sort of living beings, and that means they have a Racial Class. ¡°And, of course, that means you have that Racial Class, and because you do, you have access to everything dungeons can do. And that¡¯s something you can definitely abuse to become stronger, so I want to get that ball rolling.¡± Lilith nodded. ¡°Alright, so, what do we do?¡± ¡°We need to establish a core, and then we need the dungeon to be babysat for a bit while it gets started. Go ahead and call Mae if she¡¯s not already paying attention, we¡¯re probably going to need the spare avatar for this.¡± I¡¯m listening. Mae said. Should I bring it here now or would you prefer to explain first? Kali nodded. ¡°We¡¯re going to move to a different room later, so might as well wait until everything¡¯s explained, that way we don¡¯t have to move the avatar twice.¡± Understood. ¡°Right, so¡­like I was saying, we need to set up a core. And, as things stand now, that has to be the spare avatar. Cores can¡¯t leave their dungeon until they get much, much further into their abilities, and we just don¡¯t have time for that. ¡°Furthermore, if someone lays their hands on your core, and it doesn¡¯t already have a master, they can become the master of the dungeon and, essentially, master of you. That is obviously not ideal, but I have a couple of solutions.¡± Kali held up a finger as she continued. ¡°The first is to make another Parallel dedicated to running the dungeon, make her avatar the core, and do a little trickery to make the system think that you¡¯re separate people for long enough to make you the dungeon master.¡± Kali held up another finger. ¡°Second, we just use the spare avatar as the core and do the same trickery, but that¡¯s not preferable either, since the dungeon¡¯s going to be crippled because the spare avatar just doesn¡¯t have the Mana production a Parallel¡¯s avatar would. And, finally,¡± she said, holding up yet one more finger, ¡°we make the spare avatar the core and have Siph or I be the dungeon master. That has basically no upsides compared to you being your own master, though, so I don¡¯t recommend it. So, what are your thoughts?¡± Lilith frowned, tapping her chin as she thought about that. She didn¡¯t really want someone else to be her dungeon master or whatever if she could do it herself, so option three was out. Option one sounded nice, but creating another Parallel for the sole purpose of having it be a slave to the dungeon seemed¡­unethical. So, option two seemed like the best one, but she wanted to hear what everyone else had to say first. ¡°Mae, Kali, what do you two think I should do?¡± She asked. ¡°I¡¯m leaning towards option two, but I want your feedback.¡± The first option. Mae said instantly. The more Parallels we have, the stronger we are. I cannot think of any reason we wouldn¡¯t go with that. Frankly, I don¡¯t see the draw of option two or three myself. ¡°I would agree there.¡± Kali added. ¡°Option one is far and away the best in terms of sheer efficiency. So¡­out of curiosity, what¡¯s drawing you towards option two?¡± Lilith shifted uncomfortably. ¡°Well¡­creating a person for the sole purpose of doing one thing for their entire life sounds¡­wrong. Like, slavery or something.¡± I¡¯m right here. Mae said. And, for what it¡¯s worth, I¡¯m completely content with my life. ¡°But you were designed that way!¡± Lilith protested. ¡°That¡¯s practically an artificial feeling.¡± Excuse me? Mae replied incredulously. Your biology ¡°designed¡± plenty of things about you. For instance, the fact that you¡¯re attracted to women. Is that artificial? ¡°That¡¯s different!¡± How? I fail to see any meaningful difference; they¡¯re both things that greatly affect your life that you have no control over. ¡°It¡­it just is.¡± Lilith said weakly. ¡°You¡¯re not really creating a person.¡± Kali soothed. ¡°You¡¯re just giving any of your desires to design a dungeon a wider set of emotions. It¡¯d be like creating a mouse for the sole purpose of eating cheese all day. It gets to do what it loves, and the person who presumably has too much cheese gets rid of some cheese, so it¡¯s a win-win. Plus, no one said the Parallel has to spend all her time doing dungeon stuff. It doesn¡¯t need to be a full-time job by any means.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Lilith faltered. Their arguments made sense, but something in her was still resisting. It couldn¡¯t be that simple, right? This was basically a whole new person they were talking about. I would also like to say that I much prefer this existence to no existence. Mae said. I would prefer this existence over any other anyway, but that¡¯s irrelevant to my point. Even if I was no fonder of this sort of thing than you, I would rather be alive than¡­nothing. Lilith sighed. ¡°Alright, fine. But if I feel that this is becoming too cruel, then I reserve the right to bail her out of this.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Kali said. ¡°I¡¯ve got a few ideas for what I want her to be like, but I want to go over them with you first. You deserve to have input in how she is, after all.¡± She moved over to a computer desk and opened up some sort of document. ¡°If you¡¯d come read this with me¡­¡± Chapter 30: Dungeons, Dragons, and DP ¡°So, think that sounds about right?¡± Kali asked, spinning her chair so she was facing Lilith. ¡°Yeah, I think that¡¯s good.¡± Lilith replied. It had taken some back and forth, but she had finally gotten to a point where she felt like she wouldn¡¯t be, essentially, creating a slave. ¡°What now?¡± ¡°Now, you go take a nap¡­again.¡± Kali said. ¡°While that¡¯s happening, I¡¯ll create the new Parallel and get Carmen¡¯s permission. Shouldn¡¯t take longer than an hour or so.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°Wanna do it here, or¡­?¡± ¡°Yeah, just lie down on the bed, we¡¯ll have this done in a jiffy.¡± Kali said. I¡¯ll excuse myself and continue my work with mama. Mae said. Just inform me when my input is required to make the new Parallel. Kali nodded. ¡°Will do.¡± Lilith got out of the chair she was sitting in and walked over to Kali¡¯s bed, where she laid down and got comfortable. Though, at this point¡­it really didn¡¯t feel like it was just Kali¡¯s bed. Somehow, circumstances always seemed to end up with Lilith taking a nap there, or just getting tired while hanging out with Kali and falling asleep, where she would stay for the night. For some reason, it just felt¡­natural to do so, there were none of the inhibitions she would normally feel about falling asleep on someone else¡¯s bed. And more than once she had awoken to a sleeping Kali clinging to her tightly, a look of unbridled happiness on her face as she did. Kali had always explained it away as ¡®instincts¡¯, which Lilith couldn¡¯t help but feel wasn¡¯t totally the case, but she wasn¡¯t about to question her on it. Kali knew a lot better than she did, and she never complained about how her room had, in essence, become Lilith¡¯s as well, so Lilith wasn¡¯t going to interrogate her on it. ¡°You ready?¡± Kali asked, wheeling her chair over to the side of the bed. ¡°Yeah.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°Feel free to start whenever.¡± ¡°Perfect.¡± Kali said, and then everything faded, Lilith losing consciousness as Kali¡¯s spell took hold.
The new Parallel opened her eyes¡­no, that was the wrong term? Her eyes were already open, since she was currently inhabiting the main body, so it was more like she¡­came into awareness? Whatever the term, she quickly created a new avatar, hopping into that and giving the assembled people a look. ¡°Call me Nuwa.¡± She said. ¡°I¡¯m rather looking forward to getting started on the dungeon, so let¡¯s get this show on the road.¡± Lilith blinked. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want a bit more time to¡­orient yourself first?¡± Nuwa shook her head. ¡°No need. May I remind you that I remember everything you do, save for the last¡­however long it took you to accept me as a new Parallel? I would really like to get started on this as soon as possible, I¡¯m sure every second of production is going to count.¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­not so sure, but that¡¯s fine, I suppose.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°Where are we going?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got a whole room set up for it.¡± Kali said. ¡°Follow me, I¡¯ll explain on the way.¡± She took the group out of the room and began leading them down a series of hallways. ¡°So, your dungeon is actually going to mostly be in an entirely separate plane.¡± She explained. ¡°This one is just too restrictive when it comes to expansion. ¡°So, I picked up one of the dime-a-dozen planes no one really wants. There¡¯s only some plant life and a few types of small animals, and it¡¯s no more than¡­probably two hundred miles wide. Those have a tendency to pop up pretty often and there¡¯s not enough demand for there to be conflict over them like there is over larger planes.¡± ¡°Conflict?¡± Lilith asked. ¡°Ah, right, haven¡¯t told you about that yet. Um¡­we¡¯ll get into it more later, and there are all sorts of complicated rules we¡¯ve made for ourselves, but the long and the short of it is that planes sort of¡­just pop into existence out in the ether, and Administrators have to fight over who gets what. Then, the winner gets to choose what happens with the plane. Usually that¡¯s just adding it to their universe, so people don¡¯t run into resource depletion issues, but occasionally they get gifted, like Haven was.¡± She stopped in front of a door and messed around with the handle for a bit. ¡°Sorry, locked this in case Raphael got inquisitive and started poking around.¡± She said. ¡°This should only take a moment.¡± A couple of second later, there was a click and the door opened. ¡°So, this is where we¡¯re going to keep the core. And by that, I mean Nuwa¡¯s avatar. So, there¡¯s gonna be a pedestal of sorts, just go sit on that and we¡¯ll be able to start.¡± Nuwa nodded, and walked into the room. Sure enough, there was a large pedestal in the center of the room, made out of some sort of stone. It was large, intricately carved, and any semblance of seriousness to it was obliterated by the large heart with ¡°K + L forever¡± inside of it that had been carved into the front. ¡°Kali.¡± Nuwa said flatly. ¡°What is this?¡± Kali laughed nervously, face growing red. ¡°Oh, I¡­forgot about that. Carmen had just given me a kiss and I was way excited so I¡­yeah. I¡¯ll get rid of that later, for now we¡¯ll¡­just pretend it¡¯s not there, I guess.¡± Nuwa sighed, but climbed onto the pedestal anyway. As far as she was concerned, it wasn¡¯t her problem that Kali clearly had some sort of crush on Lilith. She was just going to bury herself in the management of the dungeon, and then she wouldn¡¯t have to deal with anything social. Hopefully. She¡¯d probably still deal with it by proxy thanks to the whole sense-sharing thing, but she didn¡¯t have to put in the mental effort to respond. ¡°So, where¡¯s this other dimension or whatever?¡± Nuwa asked. ¡°We¡¯re not in it now, right?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Kali replied. ¡°After you establish the dungeon, I¡¯m going to open a permanent portal to it. I want this here, so you have an easy way to come back to this plane without my help, though. You¡¯ll get a teleport that brings you to the room your core is in once Lilith becomes the dungeon master.¡± ¡°Cool, I guess. How do I make this dungeon?¡± ¡°So, in a moment here I¡¯m going to sever the connection between the two of you.¡± Kali said. ¡°Once that¡¯s done, just concentrate on making a dungeon and a window will pop up. Confirm and it¡¯s done. Do it fast, though, since severing the two of you as completely as I can is really going to be hard on Nuwa. Oh, and I¡¯m going to be sponsoring your dungeon, which will make your purchases cheaper, but it also means I technically get naming rights. So¡­what do you want it to be named?¡± ¡°Umm¡­¡± Lilith said, frowning. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°The Hall of Judgement.¡± Nuwa said immediately. ¡°Isn¡¯t that¡­a little edgy?¡± Lilith asked. ¡°You sure? I mean, this is your thing so I¡¯m willing to go with whatever, just making sure.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Positive.¡± Nuwa replied. ¡°A little edge never hurt anyone, and if we get visitors, we need them to know what they¡¯re getting into.¡± ¡°The Hall of Judgement it is, then.¡± Kali said. ¡°Once the dungeon¡¯s made, Lilith will just need to touch the core, in this case Nuwa¡¯s avatar, and then she¡¯ll be able to become the dungeon master. Once that¡¯s done, I¡¯ll be able to reconnect you two and then we can really get started. Ready?¡± Nuwa and Lilith nodded, and there was a sudden¡­disconnect. Nuwa felt weak, like she had just finished running a marathon, and the feeling was starting to get worse. She quickly focused on making the dungeon and, sure enough, a window popped up.
Would you like to make a dungeon? Yes/No
Nuwa mentally confirmed, and her body sort of¡­locked up. It curled up into the fetal position on its own, and then began to levitate a foot or two off of the pedestal.
You have created The Hall of Judgement! Kali Sarlienne has sponsored your dungeon, making all purchases 10% cheaper.
Her senses expanded outwards, and she suddenly had sight on everything in the room at once. It was a little disorienting at first, but she quickly adapted, and watched as Lilith ran up and touched her core.
Lilith Clements has become your dungeon master!
And then that disconnect ended, taking the exhaustion with it. ¡°Should we be worried about the whole¡­floating body thing?¡± Lilith asked, concern in her voice. I¡¯m fine. Nuwa responded. It¡¯s not¡­well, it doesn¡¯t feel like I can¡¯t move. It almost feels more like that body is a decoration, my real body is¡­this room? I don¡¯t know, kinda like how you don¡¯t think of your brain as your body? ¡°If she so desires, she can become mobile again once she advances the dungeon enough.¡± Kali said. ¡°But, now that we¡¯ve got things going, let me explain how this works while we wait for resources to accumulate. ¡°Basically, you¡¯re running off of two main resources, Mana and DP. Mana is just like the Mana you¡¯re used to using, so nothing really to explain there. DP, short for Dungeon Points, is a sort of processed Mana, gained whenever anything but the core spends Mana inside the dungeon, or whenever anything dies within. ¡°This includes any monsters you make. You¡¯re not going to get back as much DP as you spent on them, and if you buy a monster that respawns or a monster generator, you don¡¯t get DP from those deaths. And the core and dungeon master don¡¯t get experience from those deaths either, but if someone in your party just so happens to kill one of your monsters¡­well, you didn¡¯t kill it, so experience is awarded as normal.¡± She moved back a little and a large case suddenly appeared in her arms. She flew up and carefully slotted the case over the pedestal Nuwa¡¯s core was on, then gave it a few taps. ¡°Just a safety precaution.¡± She said. ¡°It¡¯s made of some really tough stuff. If, somehow, something gets in here and we don¡¯t know about it until it¡¯s in this room, this will give us at least a little time to react. And if you want it gone you can remove it from the inside pretty easily. ¡°Anyway, on the subject of monsters, dungeons usually have a specialty, but that¡¯s tied to their Racial Class, so¡­you specialize in everything. And don¡¯t worry about the monsters being sapient, either, even ones that have a degree of intelligence only mimic sapience, they¡¯re closer to a really mediocre AI than they are to a living being. Well, until later on when you get the capability to make certain monsters sapient. But it¡¯s very much a choice thing, point is, don¡¯t feel bad about killing them.¡± Lilith frowned. ¡°It kinda seems like there are a lot of loopholes to this. Should we be worried about it?¡± ¡°No, they¡¯re purposeful.¡± Kali replied. ¡°Most people don¡¯t have the capability to be their own dungeon master, and most dungeons aren¡¯t going to be particularly keen to have one at all if they can avoid it. The benefits are minimal compared to the downside of essentially being forced into a slave relationship. If they have someone they can trust, it¡¯s great for broadening their horizons, but otherwise they just need to defend themselves.¡± ¡°If you say so.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°Anything else we need to know?¡± ¡°Ah, there is one thing that I¡¯m going to tell you about now, since it¡¯ll probably be relevant sooner rather than later. There are these things called ¡®effects¡¯ that you can place over individual rooms, floors, or the whole dungeon. I¡¯ve given you one called ¡®Deathless¡¯ to start with, which makes anyone who dies inside the area get sent back to a safe place elsewhere in the dungeon. I figured it would be handy if you were to use the place as a training ground.¡± What¡¯s the benefit of such an effect normally? Nuwa asked. It seems rather counter-productive to give your attackers another shot at you. ¡°It¡¯s intended for really big dungeons to put at the beginning to be a bit more beginner friendly. You see, the things that die still give you DP, just a slightly reduced amount. So, you can place it in the early areas and the people who wouldn¡¯t be able to get through the later ones anyway just get fed into you again and again and generate more and more DP.¡± I see. Anything else you need to tell me before I begin? ¡°No, you should be able to figure everything else out yourself. Just let me know if you have any questions and I¡¯ll be more than happy to explain.¡± Kali walked over to the far wall and gave it a tap. A moment later a door appeared, and she turned back to face Lilith. ¡°This is the portal to the other plane.¡± She explained. ¡°It currently only allows people I¡¯ve allowed into this plane to come through. It should be a foolproof defense but¡­well, the system might automatically unlock it and lock the door to my house if an intruder comes?¡± She frowned. ¡°Sorry about that, dungeons usually require some way for assailants to get to the core, and I don¡¯t know how that¡¯ll interact with the door. Hopefully the restrictions I personally placed take precedence, but it¡¯s hard to say. It shouldn¡¯t come to that in the first place, though, so I guess we¡¯ll cross that bridge if we get to it.¡± Understood. I will take precautions, then. And with that, Nuwa turned her attention away from the two, and began to experiment with the new tools she had been given.
A few days later, Nuwa had gotten a pretty good handle on things. Aside from being able to claim territory, she had also found a handy little feature that allowed her to absorb a physical item and begin producing replicas for a small amount of Mana. She had started getting into monster creation, too. There were a lot of options for her, but most were far too expensive to afford. For now. She had gotten together with Mae, and the two of them had worked out a magic formation that would automatically drain Mana and discharge it, converting it into small amounts of DP as it did. She had attached this to a bunch of beds, and she was planning to have anyone who was willing sleep there. The formations would tune themselves so they drained slightly lower than the sleeping person¡¯s regeneration, and all that extra Mana would be put to use enriching the dungeon. She had a similar one on her core that she could turn on and off, and she kept it on unless she really needed the extra Mana regeneration; she had more than enough Mana to go around and DP was something she was always in need of. And she had found another substance she was tentatively calling ¡°mana battery¡±. It came in the form of a Mana potion, something new that the new system made possible. She was still experimenting with it, but after dipping into the Alchemist Class and messing around, she found that evaporating the material released all the mana within¡­and almost all of it went back to DP. It was over three times more efficient than just spending Mana doing basically nothing. If she could, she would be salivating over the possibilities. The evaporated liquid could be condensed back into a form that would accept Mana that was poured into it, which she could then evaporate for more DP, and so on. Her only problem was getting enough DP to get enough of the substance to actually make use of it. She had drafted up plans for a turbine of sorts that would process the mana battery, but that would eat up a ton of DP to create, and she didn¡¯t have nearly enough laying about to even begin working on either problem. So, she shelved the issue and turned her attention to other things. She was working on expanding the structure of the dungeon to accommodate her needs and the needs of her family. That meant living quarters, places that would eventually become training rooms, and a grand hall where she could hold official meetings. And defenses, of course. They were mostly in the form of traps, and she had made sure those traps would only spring if the person triggering them wasn¡¯t on a list that she made. But that was about everything. Progress had slowed and it had become a matter of waiting to get enough DP to do the things she actually wanted to do. Kali had assured her that things would speed up once more people were in the dungeon and Mana was been spent there more often, so Nuwa sat back, mentally pulled up a book that she had absorbed into the dungeon¡¯s knowledge repository, and began to read while she waited. Chapter 31: Final Preparations aphael sighed, turning off the viewing room¡¯s projection. She had spent much of her time extensively pouring over her grandmother¡¯s history, and she had finally come to a conclusion. Her grandmother was¡­not a good person. She was, once, but that was a long time ago, before the war, before Raphael¡¯s grandfather died. It was certainly a long time before Raphael was born. And the death of Raphael¡¯s parents certainly had sent her spiraling even more. She blamed everyone else for all her problems, even ones that had been directly caused by her actions. She treated the people around her like they were objects, and Raphael was beginning to realize just how close she had come to becoming like her. Raphael didn¡¯t want that, not anymore. Even she could tell that her grandmother didn¡¯t live a particularly happy life. But¡­she held hope, hope that maybe she could turn her grandmother¡¯s life around. She¡­just had to remind her of who she once was, of the woman Raphael¡¯s grandfather had fallen in love with. It was a frail hope, though. Her grandmother¡¯s life seemed entirely unaffected by Raphael¡¯s absence. Yes, she couldn¡¯t remember Raphael, but even so Raphael had expected her to have some difference in how she acted. That made her¡­lonely. She hadn¡¯t realized what she was missing until she saw how her grandmother had treated her father while her grandfather was still alive. She wished that she had been treated like that, not like¡­like a possession. She sighed again, leaving the room. She just wished she had someone to talk to, someone who would understand what she was going through. Lilith was a pleasant conversation partner, sure, but her life had been¡­good. She had a very loving family, she just¡­wouldn¡¯t get it. And she didn¡¯t know much about Siph or Kali¡¯s situations, but she felt too intimidated to talk to Siph, and she was still working through the vague distrust of demons that her grandmother had instilled in her. Her hand strayed to her tailbone, idly rubbing the spot that her tail had been in. She was technically a demon now. That alone disproved many of the bad things her grandmother had said about demons, but the things she had held as truth for so long refused to die that easily. She gave one last sigh as she reached her room. She didn¡¯t want to think about it anymore, and her train of thought was starting to run in circles. She was going to sit down, watch some TV, and hopefully forget about it, at least for a little bit. She didn¡¯t have high hopes, but it was better than nothing.
¡°It¡¯s about time we really solidify your combat style.¡± Kali said. ¡°The raw stat difference will work for a bit, but people, especially the other Perfect Chimeras, will eventually get to the point where they¡¯ll be able to overcome a status difference. So, I¡¯d like you to start thinking about what your main method of combat will be so we can start getting those Classes and Skills.¡± I have a few things I would like to review before we continue. Mae supplied. I do not believe mistress has ever fully checked out the Skills we got from High Arbiter. I also evolved several Skills, and have compiled a list of notable changes. If you would like to review them, may I suggest we start with the High Arbiter Skills? Those are all in one place so it would be simpler just to pull up a window with all of them. Lilith nodded. ¡°Do you mind?¡± She asked Kali. ¡°By all means, go ahead.¡± Kali replied. ¡°It would be best if we were all on the same page here.¡±
Aura of the Arbiter Level 0: 0/0 EXP (Skill does not level up) Rank: Unique You may choose to emit an intense aura, affecting creatures with a stat total less than 2 times your own, paralyzing them and rendering them completely unable to act without your permission. Regardless of if a creature is affected by the paralysis or not, they are left with an unshakable impression that you are the High Arbiter. Order in the court! Contract Control Level 0: 0/0 EXP (Skill does not level up) Rank: Unique You may alter any form of contract or agreement as you will, including annulling it, and any and all documentation will change to match. If the contract is magical in nature, such an action costs an amount of Worship dependent on the nature of the contract in question. Magical contracts involving you do not require any worship to alter. This ability may also be used to make a magical contract, costing Worship dependent on the nature of the contract Words may hold power, but you hold power over words. Judge of Character Level 0: 0/0 EXP (Skill does not level up) Rank: Unique You may look into a person, seeing any major crimes they have committed within the last year, or if they have gone against your direct orders. This may be done for free once per day but will cost 1 Worship for each subsequent use. Nothing can hide from the law. Righteous Indignation Level 0: 0/0 EXP (Skill does not level up) Rank: Unique Your stats are doubled against those who have committed a major crime or gone against your direct order within the past year. Unlawfulness will not be tolerated. Watchwoman Level 0: 0/0 EXP (Skill does not level up) Rank: Unique You may spend 10 Worship to place a Watch on someone. You may freely scry any person you have placed a watch on, and if they commit a major crime (including acting against your direct orders), you are notified. You may end this effect whenever you wish. It¡¯s you. You watch the watchmen.
Lilith nodded. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve finished reading the High Arbiter Skills.¡± She said. ¡°What¡¯s next?¡± Next, I explain the highlights of what I did. Mae said. I¡¯ve taken our Class Experience Up Skill and got it to as high as it can go, giving us a bonus of five hundred percent more experience in our Classes, same for Racial Classes. I also maximized the general Growth Up Skill, which nets us an additional two hundred percent experience for everything. I wasn¡¯t able to max out Skill Experience Up, though, I got it to about halfway through the Major version of the Skill, which is giving us about one hundred and twenty percent more experience. Those aside, I was able to get us a Skill that¡¯ll let us scan through a target¡¯s Skill list and get a rough idea of their HP, Mana, and Stamina. I haven¡¯t been able to level it too much since I haven¡¯t done too much direct combat, but it should be passable for now. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. And that brings me to the last two big ones. First is a Skill that combines Parallel Processing and Eldritch Abomination into one called Hivemind. It improves our stats when we all work together on something, makes Parallels have no stat downsides compared to the original, and makes sharing memories in bulk slightly less taxing. Finally, I obtained the Eye of Laplace Skill. This allows me to accurately obtain information on almost any natural property, including things like how fast something is going, how much force is behind it, its mass, its angle, basically anything like that. It¡¯s all dependent on how fast my brain can process it, but with all this extra brain matter I¡¯ve packed in and repurposed to work just on calculation, I can muster enough processing power to make most supercomputers look like non-scientific calculators. Basically, I can near-instantly calculate where almost anything around us will be in the next few seconds. It¡¯s like a limited form of future sight, but only if no unexpected movements happen. Which, unfortunately, includes a lot of muscle movements and the influence of magic. So, it doesn¡¯t work nearly as well on things like weapons held by people, spells that adjust course, or the claws of a monster. It¡¯s phenomenal for aiming our attacks and for dodging projectile attacks, though. Lilith blinked. ¡°That¡¯s¡­really good. I already had an idea of what I wanted, but I think that just cemented it.¡± Siph raised an eyebrow. ¡°Really? I¡¯m curious to hear it, then.¡± ¡°Guns.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°I¡¯ve checked and there are a bunch of Classes that deal with guns, so with what would amount to near-perfect aim, I think they would be really effective.¡± ¡°An excellent choice.¡± Kali said. ¡°Have you put any thought into where you¡¯d get your guns, though?¡± Lilith shrugged. ¡°I was playing around with using Eldritch Abomination to make parts of me into a gun, and I think I have a way to do it. There are some eldritch creatures that can consume and mimic tools, so I figured if I got a few different types of guns, then I could start modifying things myself. And to get those, I thought I would just ask you, surely, you¡¯ve got ways to get guns, right?¡± Kali chuckled. ¡°You better believe I have ways to get guns. I¡¯ll get a bunch of stuff for you to play around with.¡± ¡°And ammo would come from the dungeon, so that shouldn¡¯t be an issue either. Oh, and I also want to get more used to using magic in a combat situation, could you teach me a few things?¡± Kali scratched her cheek in embarrassment. ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve never been good at fighting. I have something I¡¯m currently putting together, but it¡¯s not going to be ready until about the time I want to get the new system rolled out in about a month. Fortunately, said raw stat difference should hold until you¡¯ve been decently trained, so it shouldn¡¯t be that big an issue.¡± ¡°I¡­see. Then, I¡¯ll start taking gun related Classes, and¡­then what?¡± ¡°And then we¡¯re going to allocate more time to getting your level up. I¡¯ve still got a few last lessons I want to teach you, but we¡¯re getting really close to ready. I¡¯ve finished most of the preparations on my end, so we just have to wait for me to get those last stubborn bits all done and then we¡¯ll be off to the races.¡± Siph shot her a worried look. ¡°Are you sure we need to be so¡­hasty?¡± She asked. ¡°Can¡¯t we just delay this until that other thing you¡¯ve mentioned is done and she has some more time to get used to things?¡± Kali shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ve been on something of a timer ever since I stuck that new system onto her. Maintaining two systems is pretty taxing, and I don¡¯t have the Worship to keep it up for that long. Hopefully, once I reveal myself to the public, I¡¯ll start getting more Worship than I have been, and I¡¯ll be able to recuperate the losses.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the maximum amount of time you can hold out for?¡± Siph asked. ¡°I would like it if Lilith was as prepared as possible before we do this.¡± ¡°A month and a half if I spend everything I have on it.¡± Kali said. ¡°But that¡¯s probably not ideal, I¡¯d like to have a safety cushion to fall back on if things go bad. A couple shows of force would probably go a long way in making sure people don¡¯t want to mess with us.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, mama.¡± Lilith said. ¡°All their abilities will be reset, and, if it comes down to it, Nuwa¡¯s installed a lot of traps in the main hall. No one should be able to touch me for a while.¡± ¡°I¡­fine.¡± Siph said. ¡°If you¡¯re sure about this.¡± Lilith nodded. ¡°I am. It¡­well, it feels like I was born to do this. I¡¯m ready.¡± Siph gave her an oddly melancholic look, then shook her head slowly. ¡°I suppose you are, then. I¡¯m not going to stop you, if you¡¯re so sure about this.¡± ¡°Thanks, mama. I won¡¯t let you down¡± Siph smiled weakly and rubbed Lilith¡¯s head affectionately. ¡°I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t. I¡¯m going to go round up some more monsters so we can get you leveled up, you just¡­keep at it, alright?¡± Lilith smiled. ¡°I will, thanks mama.¡± Siph made a somewhat awkward exit, prompting Mae to speak up. I¡¯m going to hop into the main body and take care of the levels and Class stuff for you. You shouldn¡¯t notice a difference, just keep focusing on learning, okay? ¡°Alright, sounds good.¡± Lilith said, turning back to Kali. ¡°So, more lessons now, or¡­?¡± Kali nodded. ¡°Yeah. Get comfortable, we¡¯re going into cram mode.¡± Lilith jumped onto her bed, leaning back against the headboard. By this point she had given up trying to call it anything else; it might have been Kali¡¯s originally, but Lilith never slept in ¡°her¡± room, and Kali seemed weirdly pleased by the arrangement, so she had chosen to let it be. She took a further moment to get herself a little more comfortable, then focused back in on Kali. ¡°Ready when you are.¡±
Roughly a month later, Carmen fell asleep and once again found herself in that inviting-looking living room that she had come to associate with Kali giving her a nighttime visit. ¡°So, what¡¯s on the agenda today?¡± She asked. ¡°Another new Parallel?¡± Kali shook her head, smiling. ¡°No, though I do have another in mind. She¡¯ll have to wait until things are a little more settled, though. You see, tomorrow¡¯s the big day, we¡¯re going public.¡± ¡°Finally.¡± Carmen said, pumping a fist. ¡°I was starting to get a little impatient.¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± Kali said, scratching the back of her neck, ¡°I had to make sure everything was perfect before we began. Anyway, I wanted to talk a bit more about how tomorrow¡¯s going to be, because it¡¯s going to get hectic.¡± ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± ¡°So, as soon as I¡¯m done here, I¡¯m going to call an emergency meeting of the Council and give my resignation. Then I¡¯m going to go to¡­pretty much everyone important and let them know there¡¯s going to be a sort of press conference I¡¯m holding tomorrow where Lilith is going to help explain everything and answer questions. ¡°Of course, the first thing Elenoa¡¯s going to do is try and kidnap you lot to use as leverage against Lilith. My guess is that she¡¯s going to send someone, probably Gabriel, to do it for her. If she does, Yamato will probably try and get him to instead bring you guys to Lilith so Elenoa doesn¡¯t have that kind of power over you. ¡°Knowing him, I think he¡¯ll do it. I¡¯m going to be keeping a careful eye on the situation in case something unexpected happens, but if it all goes according to plan, then you just accept Gabriel¡¯s offer, and you¡¯ll all be set. If it doesn¡¯t go according to plan¡­well, I¡¯ll contact you and let you know, we¡¯ll figure something out. Worst case scenario I just teleport you guys back to my place using some Worship and she can do literally nothing to stop me. ¡°Once you¡¯re safe I¡¯m gonna knock you out while I reconnect you with Lilith. And then you¡¯ll have access to all their memories from while you were away, and we¡¯ll be ready to start everything for reals. Any questions?¡± Carmen paused. ¡°Can I assume we¡¯re going to be staying with you for a while, then?¡± ¡°Sort of. They¡¯re¡­going to be more like neighbors.¡± Carmen raised an eyebrow. ¡°They¡¯re?¡± Kali blushed. ¡°Um, well, you¡¯ll get what I mean once you get the memories. Long story short Lilith and¡­maybe you, depending on what you feel like, will be a bit closer to me.¡± ¡°Alright then.¡± Carmen said. ¡°I think that¡¯s about everything I was wondering.¡± ¡°Good. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow, then.¡± Carmen nodded. ¡°Until then.¡± And, with that, the room faded, and she slipped back into sleep. Chapter 32: Life Will Change Elenoa tapped the desk in front of her impatiently. Kali had called an emergency meeting, and now everyone was waiting for her to show up so they could start. She was of half a mind to just start the meeting now, but the issue was that the airhead hadn¡¯t actually told any of them what it was about. Finally, the door opened, and Kali walked in, taking her seat. ¡°Sorry!¡± She said. ¡°I was prepping for this and it took longer than I expected.¡± ¡°And would you care to tell us what is so important that you tore us aware from our work? Some of us are busy.¡± Elenoa said, not bothering to hide the distaste in her voice. ¡°Of course.¡± Kali replied, standing up. ¡°I¡¯m here to announce a large change in the way things will be going from here on out. You see¨C¡± ¡°And what right do you have to make this change?¡± Baern interrupted. ¡°We¡¯ll listen, and then vote, as always. Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself.¡± Kali smirked. ¡°You misunderstand. The Council has no choice in this matter.¡± Elenoa moved to speak but was silenced by an overwhelming pressure coming from Kali. It was as if she had suddenly been transported to the bottom of the sea ¨C it was a struggle to move a muscle, let alone speak. So, she did the only thing she could do, and stared daggers at Kali as the woman spoke. ¡°I am what you might call the system administrator for this universe. I¡¯m the one in charge of magic and how it all works. Since the system I designed was awful, I¡¯ve made a much improved one, which will be rolling out¡­¡± She raised her hand and poked the air. ¡°Now.¡± A window popped up in front of Elenoa, showing her a status screen, which she began to read. ¡°For a couple of months, you¡¯re going to be weaker than you were before all this. I¡¯ve made sure everyone¡¯s growth is accelerated until they reach the level they were previously at, and by that time you should actually be significantly stronger than you were. For most people, I¡¯ve given them a simple window explaining everything, but for the world leaders I¡¯m holding a special conference tomorrow.¡± She dropped a piece of paper on the table in front of here. ¡°Here¡¯s the details. Lilith will be my enforcer and mouthpiece, so to get you used to dealing with her, she¡¯ll be running everything tomorrow. If you have anything you want to say, then you can say it then. Oh, and you can take this as my official resignation. So, have fun!¡± She vanished, and Elenoa was once again able to move. As she read off the paper with the details, she thought. Lilith. She had completely forgotten about the girl, no doubt thanks to Kali. But, better her than anyone else. After all, she had hostages. ¡°I¡¯m declaring a state of emergency.¡± Elenoa said. ¡°Baern, get Isa and Winston immediately. We¡¯ll be taking them to the meeting tomorrow. Gabriel, gather Carmen, her family, and her friends. We need leverage, so take them somewhere safe.¡± ¡°As soon as you¡¯re all done, focus on getting your level up. We need to be as tough as possible going into this. Dismissed.¡± Elenoa didn¡¯t wait to get a response from the others. They¡¯d probably drag their feet, but there was nothing they could really do. The angels had the right to declare a state of emergency should something come up, and by exercising that the other¡¯s hands were tied. There was finally a chance to break the deadlock she was in, and she wasn¡¯t going to waste it.
Yamato grabbed Gabriel on his way out. ¡°Gabriel.¡± He said, looking the angel in the eyes. ¡°I know you don¡¯t like how Elenoa runs things.¡± Gabriel looked around conspiratorially before nodding. ¡°Do you want to get the Council out from under her thumb?¡± Gabriel gave another hesitant nod. ¡°This is our chance. Given how turbulent the next while is going to be, I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll be willing to remove you from the Council. It would just make an already difficult time worse.¡± Gabriel perked up at this. ¡°You think?¡± ¡°Absolutely. Now, Elenoa wasn¡¯t specific enough with how she told you to move the hostages.¡± He spat the last word, trying to make his disdain for the practice evident. ¡°She just wants them somewhere ¡°safe¡±. And, what¡¯s safer than the presence of all the Council members and both of our Perfect Chimeras?¡± Gabriel¡¯s face broke into a smile. ¡°Take her pieces off of the board, I like it. Alright, I¡¯ll do it. Make sure to put a good word in for me with Kali, alright?¡± Yamato clapped the man on the back. ¡°Good. If we can get the backing of Kali and Lilith, we¡¯ll have a strong case for making a change. And I¡¯m sure Kali will be more than happy with your help.¡±
Carmen was jolted from her sleep by Alex slamming the door open. ¡°I remember!¡± She panted. ¡°Everyone remembers! When we got the message about the new system, the seal on our memories came undone! You remember too, right!¡± ¡°Ah, good. That¡¯ll make explaining things easier, then.¡± Carmen said, standing up. Alex stopped. ¡°Wait¡­you know about this?! For how long?! Why didn¡¯t you tell us?!¡± Carmen shrugged. ¡°Yes, the whole time, and we agreed there was less chance of things getting out this way.¡± ¡°What? Less chance of what getting out? This new system or whatever?¡± ¡°Go gather everyone in the living room, it¡¯ll be easier to explain all at once.¡± Carmen said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to have to repeat things.¡± Alex hesitated, then nodded and left. Carmen took a moment to get dressed before walking out into the living room, where her parents, Judy, Alex, and Vithi were waiting. ¡°You know something about this?¡± Vithi said, narrowing her eyes. ¡°Explain yourself.¡± ¡°Simple.¡± Carmen said. ¡°Kali wanted our help getting this new system up and running. And, at the same time, we¡¯re reintroducing Earth to magic. So, we¡¯re acting as enforcers to make sure no one like Elenoa tries to make huge power grabs.¡± She shot a look at her parents. ¡°And Siph¡¯s with them, don¡¯t worry. They¡¯re all perfectly safe.¡± Jessica let out a sigh of relief. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± She said. ¡°We were getting really worried. I¨C¡± She was cut off by the door opening, and Gabriel striding in, Emily in tow. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about this,¡± he said, ¡°but I¡¯m going to have to take all of you into,¡± he grimaced, ¡°protective custody.¡± He held up a hand, forestalling any comments. ¡°I know, it¡¯s awful, but Elenoa wants you all as hostages. But I¡¯m not going to stand for it. So, I¡¯m taking you to the safest place I can think of; later today we¡¯ll be at a meeting with Lilith, Kali, the entire Council, and both the other Perfect Chimeras that are with the Protectorate.¡± Gabriel waved a hand. ¡°I¡¯ve got a pocket space that I can keep you guys in that¡¯s anchored on me. It¡¯s not very large, but it should do the trick.¡± He reached into his pocket and pulled out a scroll, which he handed to Carmen. ¡°Go ahead and read this. This is the array you use to open the portal to it, I¡¯ll let you handle transport in and out, so you know I¡¯m not trying to trick you.¡± Carmen quickly memorized the Array using Decipher, then turned her attention back to Gabriel. ¡°What¡¯s your assurance that this¡¯ll work from inside of your little area?¡± Kali hadn¡¯t contacted her about a change in the plans, so she assumed this was probably fine, but it couldn¡¯t hurt to make sure. This time, Alex spoke up. ¡°It doesn¡¯t work like that. I¡­think. It didn¡¯t used to. Everything worked the same everywhere, and you would have to use some sort of anti-magic field to prevent it. He¡¯d have to ward the entire space against magic to prevent an array, and if he did that the space would collapse, so we should be safe.¡± Good enough. She trusted Kali would have said something if this was something she should avoid, so she drew and activated the array. ¡°Alright, everyone in, we can talk more in there.¡± Gabriel shot her a grateful look. ¡°Thanks. I know it¡¯s sketchy, but it¡¯s the best I can do for you right now. I hope this will help to patch up the negative image of my race that you surely had, given how¡­poorly Elenoa treated you.¡± Carmen raised an eyebrow. ¡°We¡¯ll see. If you can get me to Lilith, then you¡¯ll have something going. If you¡¯re lying to me¡­You can kiss any promise of future cooperation goodbye.¡± Gabriel nodded. ¡°I understand. I won¡¯t disappoint you.¡±
Elenoa stood with the five other members of the Council and the two Perfect Chimeras, waiting for the teleport. They had been instructed to convene again in their regular meeting place at noon, and they would be teleported to where they would actually be holding the meeting. She was insulted that they wouldn¡¯t just hold it in the Council¡¯s meeting room, but unfortunately there wasn¡¯t much she could do about it. The teleport came at exactly noon, and the eight people found themselves in a wide area made to look like a courtroom. They were at a row of desks that had been set up towards the front of the room, in front of the benches. There were other people around, but Elenoa was too busy reading the window in front of her to pay much attention.
You have entered The Hall of Judgement! The High Arbiter¡¯s personal dungeon. Here, law and order reign supreme.
Elenoa snorted. The airhead was getting pretentious, and she wasn¡¯t very good at it. ¡°Take a seat.¡± Lilith said, causing all eyes in the room to turn towards her. She was sitting where a judge would usually sit, and behind her was Kali, smiling faintly. Lilith waited as most of the assembled guests sat. Elenoa didn¡¯t bother. She wasn¡¯t going to take orders from the child in front of her. Looking around, she saw that several others were of the same mindset. She wasn¡¯t surprised to see Winston standing ¨C she doubted he¡¯d sit if she wasn¡¯t. Among the others she recognized a few from the governments of Earth, and even a confirmed leader of the Society. ¡°I will ask you once more to sit.¡± Lilith said coldly, glaring at those who remained standing. ¡°Give me one reason I should.¡± Elenoa replied defiantly. ¡°Because if you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll make you sit.¡± Elenoa rolled her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t know why I bothered with this charade. Winston, we don¡¯t need to go through her, just take her out. We don¡¯t need to talk with a middleman.¡± Ever the loyal follower, Winston nodded, and the air in front of him rippled. A wave of spatial distortion rocketed out from his position, slicing Lilith clean in two. Well, that should have happened. Instead, the gathered people watched in horror as large chunks of Lilith¡¯s flesh sloughed off of her body, and new flesh nearly instantly regrew, as did a tentacle which absorbed the discarded flesh before disappearing. She glared at Winston, and Elenoa gaped as his face paled and he instantly sat down, no, collapsed onto his chair. ¡°Any other objections? I¡¯m trying to be diplomatic here.¡± Lilith said calmly. Everyone else sat down. Elenoa would have remained standing out of the principle of the thing, but Isa grabbed her shoulder and forced her down. ¡°Don¡¯t be an idiot.¡± She hissed. ¡°We have no idea what she did to Winston, and you¡¯re just being needlessly stubborn.¡± Elenoa grimaced. She¡¯d have to have words with Isa later, but now wasn¡¯t the time. Lilith gazed out over the audience. ¡°I may be a ¡®middleman¡¯, but that¡¯s just something you¡¯re going to have to deal with. My job is to oversee you all as everyone gets settled in and make sure no one abuses their power. Attempts to bribe, blackmail, or otherwise unethically influence me will be met with immediate retribution, so don¡¯t even think about it.¡± Her focus lingered on Elenoa for a moment longer than it did everyone else, and then continued on. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°From this point until ten years in the future, the countries of Earth and the countries of Haven are to remain separate entities unless both parties agree to an equal merger. Should I find evidence that either party has coerced or threatened the other with any form of military action within these ten years, whether that action would take place now or in the future, I will personally deal with the offending party.¡± She said, gaze hardening as she continued. ¡°Ever since the war, administrator Kali has chosen to keep magic out of the hands of the people from Earth to allow their technology time to develop, and provided Haven to give refugees a place to live. As far as anyone knew, what was done was a desperate ritual that allowed magic to be stripped and a portal to Haven to be opened, but I will inform you now that that was a farce Kali let happen to hide her existence while she worked to fix things. ¡°I tell you this now so that everyone knows not to attempt to remove magic from the people of Earth again. If you attempt to do so, not only will it fail, but those responsible will be sentenced to death, with no room for argument.¡± She rested her gaze on Enna, face softening. ¡°Kali would also like to apologize for the state of Haven. It ended up being more dangerous than people could handle, and she did not intend for it to force the people to imprison themselves for their own safety.¡± Enna looked smug, and Elenoa could already hear her gloating about how she was right, the job was too difficult for one person to reasonably handle. ¡°That being said, it is our belief that this new system will allow people to break out of their self-imposed prison and fully explore the world beyond the three cities. To aid in this endeavor, we will be permanently linking Earth and Haven via a new network of portals. Travel between the two planes will be made far easier, and we will be constructing portals in every major city or settlement. Intentional interference with the portals or attempts to restrict their use is forbidden, and any attempts to do so will be dealt with accordingly. ¡°The portals will require some Mana from the users to operate, of course, and services that would provide extra Mana to those who cannot do it themselves are legal. The environment of Earth itself will not immediately change, but it is important to know that with this connection, it will eventually begin to adopt some of the same conditions that Haven has now. Our current estimate gives it 15 years before monsters and dungeons begin appearing, so I would advise preparing well. ¡°Before I open the floor for questions, I would like to give some background on myself, so as to prevent any of those questions from being asked. Should you want to know even more about me, you are free to stay after the meeting is officially dismissed, and I will be more than willing to talk with you. ¡°My name is Lilith Clements. I was born on Earth, a human boy by the name of Lucas Clements. I was a college student who was studying computer science before I was turned into a Perfect Chimera, at which point I briefly studied under Councilman Tunem before I agreed to help Kali make this transition as smooth as possible. Now it is my job to act as the defender of the weak and upholder of order, making sure that all are treated fairly.¡± She took a breath. ¡°And now I will answer any questions you may have. Please raise your hand, and I will call on you in the order they came up.¡± The moment she fell silent, Elenoa opened her mouth to speak, but was instantly paralyzed by a wave of displeasure radiating off of Lilith. ¡°I did not call on you, Councilwoman Elenoa. If you attempt to disobey me further, I will be forced to remove you from the premises.¡± She said icily. The pressure dissipated, and Elenoa grit her teeth and raised her hand. ¡°Yes, Councilwoman Elenoa?¡± ¡°What reparations will be made to the Protectorate, as we lose the most from this?¡± ¡°None whatsoever. You lose only an unfair hold over billions of people and stand to improve the quality of life for your citizens. As such, no reparations are necessary.¡± Elenoa kept her hand up, and Lilith motioned for her to continue. She couldn¡¯t help but give a small smirk as she continued to speak, happy to finally have something she could hang over Lilith. ¡°Need I remind you that your family and friends are currently under our protection? Surely something could be done to make them¡­more comfortable.¡± For the first time, Lilith tensed, and her eyes briefly flickered towards Gabriel before returning to Elenoa. ¡°Is that a threat?¡± She asked stiffly. Elenoa didn¡¯t miss the lapse in attention, and nodded towards Winston, who stared intently at Gabriel. ¡°It does not need to be a threat if you care enough about them.¡± Elenoa said, ignoring Winston. ¡°That is extortion.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°Do not try that with me.¡± ¡°Bold words coming from someone who kidnapped my grandson.¡± Elenoa snarled. ¡°Speaking of which, I¡¯ll be taking him back, thank you very much.¡± Lilith shook her head. ¡°I heard some things from Raphael and did some digging on how you treated her. I determined that you have abused her, and as such, have taken her away for her own safety. I¨C¡± Their talk was interrupted as Winston slashed out at the air near Gabriel. Reality was torn asunder again, and seven people poured out of the rift. Lilith smiled slightly. ¡°Councilman Gabriel, thank you for bringing these people here. Come meet me afterwards.¡± She waved a hand, and before any of the seven had time to say anything, they vanished. She turned back to Elenoa, a scowl on her face. ¡°I would advise you don¡¯t try anything like this again. I¡¯m granting you leniency now, as I have given you a lot to process and you were not aware of the rules when you took them into custody. If you want to talk more about Raphael, that can happen another day. For now, just know that she is safe.¡± She turned her attention away from Elenoa and back to everyone else. ¡°Next question, President Davidson?¡±
As Gabriel walked up towards the podium, he reflected on the meeting. The questions and answers weren¡¯t anything special, the whole thing basically boiled down to Lilith confirming that she wouldn¡¯t involve herself with existing political relationships and was there only to ensure that people from the two worlds would get along. The highlight of the session was probably one of the Society members asked what would be done to their organization. The answer was nothing, unless they made a power grab. Gabriel assumed that meant they¡¯d be visited real soon; he¡¯d never known them to do anything but make power grabs. But he was distracting himself from what was to come. He had to admit that he was nervous about meeting with Lilith. She hadn¡¯t exactly been treated well by Elenoa, and it was no secret that he was essentially her underling. He finally made it to Lilith, who motioned for him to take a seat on a chair next to her. He sat down apprehensively, looking at her uncertainly. Lilith smiled. ¡°Really, thanks. We were keeping an eye on things after Kali met with the Council, so we heard your conversation with Yamato. I appreciate that this was a huge risk for you, so I really can¡¯t think of how I can properly repay you.¡± Gabriel thought about that for a moment. He¡­didn¡¯t really want Lilith in his debt. That seemed like a lot of trouble, given his position. Elenoa would probably try to leverage that in some way, and he did not want to deal with that. ¡°In that case, do you mind if I ask a few questions, and we¡¯ll call it even?¡± ¡°Ask away.¡± Lilith said, crossing her legs in a businesslike manner. ¡°I can¡¯t guarantee that I¡¯ll be at liberty to answer all of them, but I¡¯ll answer as many as I can.¡± She paused, apparently thinking. ¡°For up to an hour, anyway. I¡¯m afraid that, as much as I would like to, I can¡¯t talk with you forever, I have some other appointments.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯ll be plenty.¡± Gabriel replied, slightly taken aback. ¡°Um, alright. First off¡­why? Why the change in magic?¡± Lilith sighed and looked over to Kali, who nodded. ¡°Simply put, the old system was crap. Society was stagnating and something had to be done to change that. We needed to give people a power boost, so we did.¡± Gabriel paused, glancing back at the assembled people. ¡°And I¡¯m guessing you can¡¯t selectively choose not to give bad people this new power, thus the need for you?¡± ¡°Got it in one. What¡¯s your next question?¡± ¡°What do you plan to do with your time? Just sit here until you¡¯re needed?¡± Lilith shrugged. ¡°We¡¯ll see. For the next while I¡¯ll be thinning out the powerful monsters around the areas with portals so people will have an easier adjustment period. After that I don¡¯t know. We¡¯ll see how things are then.¡± Gabriel nodded in understanding. ¡°Alright, last question, will we ever see Kali again?¡± Lilith hesitated, and Kali stepped forward. ¡°I¡¯ll come say hi to my friends from time to time. I won¡¯t just suddenly cut ties with everyone, don¡¯t worry.¡± Gabriel nodded, slightly relieved. He had built up something resembling a friendship with Kali over the hundreds of years he had been working with her. He could only ever get so far in it, with Elenoa constantly on his back, but things would hopefully be different now. ¡°Alright, thanks. You don¡¯t owe me anymore, got it?¡± Gabriel said, standing up. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Lilith said, raising an eyebrow. ¡°I must say that I don¡¯t think this was an equal trade.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sure.¡± Gabriel said. ¡°I really don¡¯t want Elenoa to have this sort of leverage. She¡¯ll be constantly trying to find a way to hold it over me, and I just don¡¯t want that. Other than that, friendly relationships are all I really need.¡± ¡°Very well then.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°You may be on your way.¡± She turned back to the people waiting for her. ¡°Next?¡±
Carmen groaned as she woke up. She was¡­connected with Lilith again. And she could see a lot of windows in front of her, almost completely obscuring her vision. ¡°Good, everyone¡¯s awake.¡± Lilith said, clapping her hands. Carmen dismissed the windows, and took a look around. She was on a bed in a large room, surrounded by beds which held her companions. And¡­actually, she could see from Lilith¡¯s eyes too, now that she was paying more attention. Mae must have fixed her up so that she could share senses with them. Which reminded her, she had memories from Lilith, Mae, and Nuwa to go through. So, she paid half attention to what Lilith was saying, and began to sort through the memories. ¡°Is everyone feeling OK? No one hurt you, right?¡± Lilith continued, scanning the assembled people. ¡°Because, if they did, I¡¯m going to have to teach them a lesson they won¡¯t soon forget.¡± ¡°We¡¯re all fine.¡± Judy said. ¡°But ¡­how are you? Carmen said you were fine, but we¡¯ve all been kind of worried, as I¡¯m sure you can imagine.¡± Lilith gave her a smile. ¡°Perfectly fine. Better than ever, in fact. Now, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re wondering where we are, and for now, I¡¯ve got you all safe inside my dungeon. It¡¯s going to be our base of operations for the time being, as it¡¯s safer than just about anywhere else.¡± Lilith began to look apprehensive as she scanned the assembled people. ¡°Of course, if any of you want to leave, you¡¯re more than happy to do so. I¡¯m not going to hold you prisoner here.¡± ¡°With all due respect, mistress,¡± Emily said, ¡°We don¡¯t have much of a choice. The Council would work on capturing us immediately once word gets out that we¡¯re not with you.¡± Lilith tapped her chin thoughtfully. ¡°I could set you up with some minor cosmetic changes and new identities, you could live your lives in one of Earth¡¯s countries and no one would be the wiser.¡± Judy rolled her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t think most of us would want to go through that trouble just to live away from you. Emily excepted, we¡¯ve been living together for the past few months so it¡¯s not that big a change.¡± ¡°And I don¡¯t want to leave you again, not with everything that¡¯s been going on.¡± Mike said. ¡°You¡¯re my daughter, and I¡¯d rather stay here with you than uproot our lives any further than they already have been.¡± Jessica squeezed her husband¡¯s hand. ¡°I agree.¡± Vithi shrugged. ¡°I¡¯d love to go see the world, but Emily¡¯s right. I can¡¯t afford to go be out and about when people are hunting me down.¡± ¡°Again, I can set you up with a brand new identity, no one will have to know it¡¯s you.¡± Vithi raised an eyebrow. ¡°Not really worth it.¡± She said. ¡°I¡¯d rather just wait out this whole business with the Council and then go out as¡­me.¡± ¡°If you say so.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°Alex, what do you think?¡± Alex shrugged. ¡°Sure beats anything I can think of. I¡¯m in that contract with you anyway, so might as well ride it out.¡± Lilith nodded. ¡°Ah, yes, I nearly forgot.¡± She said, then raised a hand. In response, Alex lurched forward, gripping the sides of her bed. ¡°W¡­what was that?¡± She panted. ¡°I broke the contract Carmen forced you into and undid all commands, including their residual influence on you. So, now that you are truly in an unmodified state of mind, free from even the ghost of the contract¡¯s influence, would you like to stay the way you are now? ¡° ¡°Yes.¡± Alex said instantly, not a trace of doubt in her voice. ¡°I want to turn over a new leaf, put the past behind me, and I think a change like this is a great way to mark that. New body, new me. Plus¡­¡± she blushed, turning to the side slightly. ¡°Well, never mind that. At the least, allow me to enter into the same contract that Raphael, and Emily are in. I don¡¯t want to be the only one left out.¡± Lilith nodded. ¡°That¡¯s acceptable. How about the rest of you? Do you want to stay?¡± ¡°I was going to be moving out soon anyway, mistress.¡± Emily said. ¡°As soon as my apprenticeship was over, I would have been assigned to some family, so it doesn¡¯t really matter to me. At least you¡¯ve been nice to me and haven¡¯t made me do anything ridiculous.¡± ¡°Are you kidding me?!¡± Carmen exclaimed. ¡°What?¡± Lilith replied, taken aback. ¡°You seriously haven¡¯t gotten into a relationship with Kali yet? You clearly want it, she very clearly wants it, you¡¯ve been sleeping in the same bed for over a month! Just get on with it!¡± ¡°But¡­those are just her instincts, she¡¯s just¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s an excuse and you know it. If she had a problem with what was happening, she would have said so a long time ago. You¡¯re just using this excuse because you¡¯re scared to actually start dating. Get a grip!¡± Lilith scratched the back of her head. ¡°Fine, fine.¡± ¡°That aside, you going to, you know, introduce us? We should really get that out of the way.¡± Judy frowned. ¡°What do you mean? There¡¯s no one else here.¡± ¡°I was getting to it, I swear!¡± Lilith said defensively. Hello, everyone. Mae said. My name is Mae, and I¡¯m one of Lilith¡¯s new Parallels. I¡¯ve fused my body with Lilith¡¯s so as to increase her capabilities, so I do not have one of my own, unlike Carmen. I look forward to interacting with you all in the future. And I¡¯m Nuwa, I¡¯m in charge of the dungeon in these parts. If you have any questions regarding it, please ask Mae, I¡¯m probably going to be busy doing other things. ¡°And by other things, she probably means reading or something.¡± Carmen said. ¡°Right now she¡¯s mostly just stockpiling resources, so she doesn¡¯t have a ton to do.¡± Hey! Nuwa whined. You didn¡¯t have to tell them that! ¡°Anyway,¡± Lilith said, clearing her throat, ¡°Mae¡¯s helped make it so we can share senses at all times now. Just talk to one of us and any of us will hear.¡± She paused briefly, thinking about that a bit more. ¡°Well, if you talk to Nuwa she¡¯ll have to relay things telepathically. We haven¡¯t quite been able to get dungeon senses to our bodies yet, but it works perfectly fine in reverse. ¡°But I think that¡¯s enough for now. Take some time to look around and get used to this place, and tomorrow we¡¯ll talk about what things are going to be like from now on. I apparently have to have a talk with Kali, so I¡¯ll be back once that¡¯s done. In the meantime, Carmen should be more than equipped to answer any questions.¡± Carmen nodded in satisfaction. ¡°That¡¯s right. I, for one, am looking forward to being in a relationship, and I know you are too, deep down, so hop to it.¡± ¡°I got it, I got it!¡± Lilith said, leaving the room. Carmen looked around. ¡°If you were all wondering, she¡¯s fine, nothing¡¯s been done to her. She¡¯s just had to learn how to stick up for herself. Now, let me show you all around, there¡¯s some pretty cool stuff in here!¡± Chapter 33: Changing Lives Lilith sighed in relief as she finished the last of her preparations. It was only around fifteen minutes before her meeting with the world leaders, and to say she was nervous would be an understatement. As much as Kali tried to drill into her that she was someone really important now, it had never quite sunk in, and the prospect of basically telling so many powerful people what to do was daunting. She settled into the chair she had made, and Mae began to snake tendrils of flesh down through it and into the floor. The room was designed on top of a large, empty space meant for storing her considerable extra mass with Eldritch Abomination, with small channels reaching through the whole room to make sure just about anything was within a couple of feet of her flesh at all times. It was grotesque, but it was effective. It allowed her to take advantage of the massive amount of extra HP she would get from her mass, while mitigating the downside of having all that mass out, namely the fact that it would hamper movement to an extreme degree. She was basically tethered to the chair, but she shouldn¡¯t actually need to even stand up to deal with any of problems that might arise. For this meeting, anyway. With everyone as weak as they were at the moment, she should be able to handle them even if they all rushed her at once. The only real threats at the meeting would be the other Perfect Chimeras in attendance. Kali had informed her that the system¡¯s ¡®catch up¡¯ experience boost scaled according to how strong one was previously, and the other Perfect Chimeras were strong. Still, Lilith had a month¡¯s head start and several rather unfair abilities on them, so she should be fine. Probably. It took roughly ten minutes to finish getting all her mass out. Getting the large chamber filled was the fast part. She had left a lot of wiggle room for when her stock of mass would inevitably grow further, so putting all of the few thousand kilograms she had into the chamber wasn¡¯t a big deal. The main time-sink was filling all of the small tunnels with tendrils in a way that wasn¡¯t massively uncomfortable. Once that was done, she nodded at satisfaction at her nearly tripled HP, and settled down to wait. After a tense few minutes, the mass teleport Kali set up went off, transporting a large variety of the world¡¯s most powerful people right in front of her. And, it was at this point, that Kali began her broadcast, sending a live video of the meeting to anyone and everyone not in this room, translated into their native language. And, for those that were asleep or busy, she arranged for the video to be available once they were done. Apparently, she also intended to upload it to the internet by the end of the day. Kali wanted to make sure this was seen, that everyone knew what went down here. Lilith gave them a few moments to read the prompt they would have been given upon entering her dungeon and told them to take a seat. She wasn¡¯t particularly surprised when several people refused, so she put on her best displeased voice and asked again for them to sit. Elenoa, of course, sassed her, asking for a reason. Kali had instructed her to not take any of this sort of thing from anyone, So Lilith tried making a slight threat. This time, Elenoa jumped straight to violence, instructing Winston to ¡°take her out¡±. Kali had briefly explained the temperaments of Winston and Isa to her before the meeting, and Winston seemed particularly troublesome; Kali had chosen him as a Perfect Chimera for his strong sense of loyalty and duty. Unfortunately, Elenoa had saved his life after a particularly nasty injury in the war, and that same sense of duty led him to devote himself to helping her and her faction out. And the attack he let off hurt. Mae immediately clamped down control of the nerves, preventing her from flinching, and the attack hit. Even with her defensive stats (which were over twenty thousand with the bonus from Pride¡¯s Palace), the attack did almost one hundred damage, and Winston still had a sizeable chunk of Mana left. Of course, defense had diminishing returns the larger it was than the incoming attack, but it was still impressive. Mae let a chunk of her body be blown off, and then shifted some of the mass away from the lump below them and reabsorbed the pieces that fell. It wasn¡¯t necessary to have any of her body be blown off like that, but Mae apparently figured it would be good as an intimidation tactic, so Lilith let her do as she pleased. Lilith then let a non-lethal Geas loose on Winston, fueling it with her own stats instead of Worship, as she wasn¡¯t hurting for any of them. She had some limited control over the message given as well, so he ended up receiving something like this:
The High Arbiter has commanded you sit and cease all hostile action for the duration of the meeting. If you do not, you will take 5,000 non-lethal damage, leaving you at 1 HP if it would otherwise kill you. You will also lose 5,000 Mana and Stamina.
At this point, his maximum HP was around three thousand, so it was overkill, but she felt that a show of force here was warranted. Winston, likely thinking she was using some sort of magic to trick him, chose to remain standing. The moment he did, nearly all of his HP vanished, and he received another Geas.
The High Arbiter once again commands you to sit and cease all hostile action for the duration of the meeting. If you do not do so, you will be dealt 5,000 lethal damage.
Winston sat. Elenoa looked like she was going to try something, but Isa wisely made her sit as well. Isa was, apparently, only loosely aligned with the Protectorate; she was always looking after her wants first, and her number one desire just so happened to align with the Protectorate¡¯s needs. And for her, that desire was to fight. The defenses around Haven were weak in the beginning, so Kali had made a Perfect Chimera out of someone that would be suitable for near-constant fighting. And, it had worked. Isa was half the reason the cities of Haven hadn¡¯t simply fallen apart by now. And so, the meeting continued. Elenoa, of course, tried to make trouble the moment she opened the floor for questions. It was nothing too upsetting or even anything that bad or unreasonable until she tried to threaten Lilith. Kali had already told Lilith what Elenoa¡¯s plans were, but that didn¡¯t make it hurt any less. Still, this was an opportunity for her. She let her eyes rest on Gabriel for a moment and let some of the rage she was feeling show in her disposition. And, to her slight surprise, she was furious. She hadn¡¯t been truly angry in¡­a long time, but this did the trick. She hated the fact that her loved ones were being used against her, people who were uninvolved in all of this until Elenoa decided that their rights were invalid, simply because they were close to Lilith. As expected, Elenoa picked up on her movement and had Winston look into it. Winston had the ability to rip open just about anything, so opening up Gabriel¡¯s pocket dimension was well within his abilities. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. And, just as she¡¯d hoped, Winston forced Gabriel¡¯s space open, depositing the hostages unceremoniously on the ground. Lilith waved her hand for effect, activating a teleporter trap she had designed for the occasion. It was connected to one of her flesh tendrils, and she was able to manipulate it to catch only the people she wanted. It deposited them in a room deep within the dungeon, where a powerful sleep trap instantly activated, putting them out of commission for the next few hours, giving her more than enough time to deal with the situation at hand. The rest of the meeting went as smoothly as Lilith could have hoped for. She made sure to place a Watch on any potential troublemakers, including Elenoa, Baern, Winston, anyone from the Society, and a few of the less scrupulous leaders from Earth. When the meeting was over, Lilith opened the floor for questions. She had a rather pleasant talk with Gabriel, and met with a few world leaders, but the most interesting bit came later. Isa had been hovering about the area, and once Lilith had finished talking with everyone, approached. She was a tall woman, approaching nearly eight feet tall, and every inch of her seemed as packed with muscle as it could get. Her skin was tanned, and she kept her black hair short. Lilith couldn¡¯t quite place what species she was originally, but that didn¡¯t really matter anyway. ¡°Hey, newbie.¡± Isa said casually. ¡°Name¡¯s Isa, heard of me?¡± Lilith nodded. ¡°Of course.¡± Isa looked past Lilith, locking eyes with Kali. ¡°And I suppose you were the old lady who changed me, right?¡± She said. ¡°I¡¯d been meaning to thank you if I ever saw you again. Funny to think that you¡¯ve been right there all this time and I didn¡¯t even know.¡± Kali gave her a smile. ¡°Couldn¡¯t let it get out until now, sorry. I¡¯m glad to hear you¡¯re happy about it, though. I figured as much, but it¡¯s good to hear from the person herself.¡± Isa nodded, then focused on Lilith again. ¡°I¡¯m going to cut to the chase. I want a fight. Nothing major, just a friendly bout to test your mettle. Not now, though, I want some time to get back up to full strength.¡± Lilith frowned. ¡°How long are you thinking?¡± Isa shrugged. ¡°I dunno. Month or two? I don¡¯t know how long this is going to take.¡± Lilith looked to Kali, who nodded, then looked back to Isa. ¡°That¡¯s acceptable.¡± ¡°Good. How can I contact you?¡± ¡°Here, put in your phone number.¡± Kali said, handing her phone over to Isa. ¡°Give me a text and I¡¯ll get the two of you in contact. Oh, and feel free to just text me whenever. I¡¯m always up for a chat.¡± Isa raised an eyebrow but entered her number anyway. ¡°Alright then. Don¡¯t expect much random chatting, though.¡± ¡°Yeah, I figured, just thought I¡¯d put that out there.¡± Kali said, taking her phone back. ¡°Anyway, you need anything else or can we send you home now?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m good. I¡¯m itching to go level up anyway, so go ahead. Later!¡± Lilith and Kali said goodbye, and then Kali sent Isa back, before turning to Lilith. ¡°Alright, you wanna go wake everyone up?¡± Lilith nodded. ¡°Yup. What are you going to do?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to go keep watch over things. Come say hi when you¡¯re done, alright?¡± ¡°Can do.¡± Lilith replied, then turned to the gathered people. ¡°I¡¯m sending you all back now.¡± She said. ¡°Remember what I said earlier.¡± She waved a hand and the room emptied, then she went to go reunite with her family and friends.
Lilith waited anxiously in the room as the occupants started to stir. Kali had taken the opportunity to reconnect Lilith and Carmen, as the latter would have fallen unconscious during the process anyway, so she felt it was best to get it out of the way when during a time she was already asleep. Everyone woke up at close to the same time, and she clapped her hands in relief. ¡°Good, everyone¡¯s awake.¡± She took the opportunity to look over everyone, checking their statuses to make sure they weren¡¯t damaged. That didn¡¯t seem to be the case, but Lilith decided to ask them anyway, only for Judy to near-instantly flip it back on her. That was to be expected, even with Carmen¡¯s assurances, she had essentially vanished for a month or two, so Lilith made sure they knew that she was fine before continuing. Carmen seemed to be processing their memories, so Lilith continued catching up with everyone else. She made sure that they were all fine with staying with her, and it seemed like they were all content with that for the time being. She was also finally able to undo the contract Carmen had forced Alex into, and scrub any lingering effects of it from her. She was a bit surprised at how readily Alex chose to stay as she was, though. And¡­what was she going to say? Ah well, Alex would probably tell her when she was ready. ¡°Are you kidding me?!¡± Carmen exclaimed, interrupting Lilith¡¯s train of thought. Lilith wasn¡¯t sure what Carmen was talking about, and it turned out to be about getting into a relationship with Kali. Lilith was afraid that something like this was probably going to be coming ¨C Carmen was always¡­opinionated when it came to Lilith dragging her feet about¡­anything, really. And she wanted Lilith to introduce everyone to Mae and Nuwa. She had been getting around to it, but Lilith figured she¡¯d check up on everyone first. Once that was out of the way, Lilith left Carmen to show everyone around, and went to go find Kali. On her way back to the Core room, she stopped by the room where Siph was currently training and let her know that everyone had woken up. Her mother had chosen to use the time she was waiting to level up, as opposed to just sitting around and doing nothing. Lilith didn¡¯t actually have to go down in person, due to her mental link, but she just preferred talking in-person. It was like calling the phone of someone who was in the same house as you ¨C it just felt better to go find them. Siph happily left to reunite with her spouses, and Lilith was soon back inside her Core room. She opened the door to Kali¡¯s house, and began making her way back to her room. Inside, she found Kali sitting in their bed, watching TV. ¡°Oh, Lilith,¡± Kali said, pausing the TV, ¡°did you finish showing everyone around already?¡± She patted the bed next to her, motioning for Lilith to sit. Lilith sat. ¡°Carmen¡¯s doing it. But¡­I thought you were busy making sure there weren¡¯t any problems?¡± Lilith asked. ¡°Yes, but that¡¯s basically just sitting there staring into space. I might as well have some background noise.¡± Lilith frowned, looking at the TV. ¡°Why a nature documentary, though? I don¡¯t think there¡¯s much they could teach you.¡± Kali held up a finger. ¡°A cryptozoology documentary, thank you very much. I think it¡¯s entertaining to watch them freak out over ¡°evidence¡± that half the time isn¡¯t even real.¡± ¡°So, the other half is?¡± ¡°Oh yeah. Blocking magic from Earth had some weird side-effects, and one of those was the appearance of Cryptids. It wasn¡¯t realistic for the Protectorate to scrub all evidence of them, so they left some of the least convincing stuff behind. The problem was getting worse and worse as Earth¡¯s population grew, too. Man, I wish you could have been at some of those meetings. Elenoa and Baern were freaking out, and it was hilarious.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Lilith said awkwardly. ¡°So, uh, we need to talk.¡± Kali grew serious. ¡°Alright, what about? ¡° Lilith blushed. ¡°Us. Um, I think¡­that it¡¯d be alright if we, uh, officially start going out, you know? That is, if you want to.¡± Kali froze briefly and then squealed in excitement, throwing her arms around Lilith. ¡°Yes! Yes yes yes!¡± She quickly released the hug, grasping Lilith¡¯s hands and placing them between the two of them. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s decide on some boundaries, so I know what not to do. I¡¯m fine with just about anything, so don¡¯t worry about me. We¡¯ll take it as slow as you need, alright?¡± I¡¯m ready for whatever mistress is ready for. Don¡¯t worry about me. Mae said. ¡°Uh, right.¡± Lilith said, face growing even more red. ¡°Um, you¡¯ll have to check with Carmen and Nuwa for what they¡¯re ready for, but I¡¯m not prepared to¡­go all the way, but I think other than that I¡¯m ready for most things. Like holding hands or¡­¡± She trailed off, working up her courage. ¡°Kissing.¡± Kali grinned impishly. ¡°Like this?¡± She said, darting in and giving Lilith a quick peck on the lips before withdrawing. ¡°Sorry, I couldn¡¯t resist. You¡¯re just so adorable when you¡¯re like this.¡± Lilith, who was at this point blushing about as hard as she could, nodded. ¡°Y-yeah, like that. That¡­was my first, you know?¡± ¡°But I kissed Carmen before, surely you remember that.¡± Kali argued. ¡°Well, yeah, but¡­that wasn¡¯t exactly me, you know? Anyway, that¡¯s¡­all I really needed to talk about. I should get back ¨C¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t!¡± Kali said, cutting her off and pulling her closer. ¡°I¡¯m sure Carmen¡¯s got it covered. You can¡¯t just enter into a relationship like that and waltz off, you¡¯re going to spend a little quality time with your girlfriend, alright?¡± Chapter 34: Dungeon Tour After Lilith left, Carmen walked over to Lilith¡¯s old seat and sat in it, allowing her to see everyone. ¡°Before I show you everything, what questions do you have?¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Siph?¡± Mike asked anxiously. ¡°She¡¯s on her way.¡± Carmen replied. ¡°She¡¯s been with Lilith for moral support and help training this past month, and she was leveling up while waiting for us. Lilith¡¯s going to let her know everyone¡¯s awake while she¡¯s on her way to see Kali.¡± ¡°Speaking of,¡± Jessica said, ¡°what was all that about Lilith and Kali? She¡¯s going to try and get into a relationship with her?¡± Carmen nodded. ¡°Not going to try, she will. All she has to do is ask and it¡¯s official. Believe me, mom, it¡¯s a sure thing.¡± ¡°And¡­you said they were sleeping in the same bed, right? What¡¯s the story behind that? Did they¡­¡± ¡°No, nothing like that.¡± Carmen said quickly. ¡°It¡¯s¡­weird, it just felt¡­natural to do it, and then one thing led to another and that was just where she ended up sleeping the whole time.¡± The door opened and Siph walked in. ¡°Are you talking about Lilith and Kali?¡± She asked. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right.¡± Carmen said, smirking. ¡°I wasn¡¯t about to let something that frustrating continue, so I forced Lilith to go make things official.¡± ¡°Thank goodness. I¡¯ve been telling her she should just go for it, but she would never listen.¡± Siph said, walking over to her spouses and giving each a hug and a kiss. ¡°I¡¯ve missed you two.¡± She purred. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking up some ideas this whole time and I can¡¯t wait to put them into action.¡± ¡°Later, mom.¡± Carmen said sharply. As fun as it was to tease Lilith with this sort of stuff, she was busy at the moment and Carmen didn¡¯t really want to see that either. ¡°Any other questions that aren¡¯t about my relationship status?¡± ¡°Are you sure she¡¯s fine?¡± Vithi asked. ¡°I think that¡¯s pretty important.¡± Carmen nodded. ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s perfectly OK. No mind alterations have been made to her, well, save for the ones needed to make Mae and Nuwa, but other than that it¡¯s all basically been etiquette lessons.¡± ¡°I was there the whole time.¡± Siph soothed. ¡°We just had to teach her to be more assertive so she wouldn¡¯t get taken advantage of.¡± ¡°And it worked? In just a couple of months?¡± Vithi replied dubiously. Carmen shrugged. ¡°For strangers, yes. If any of you want something, she¡¯ll probably still bend over backwards to get it, and then make it look like that was just a side goal of something else she was doing. She¡¯s not very good at it, though.¡± Siph shook her head. ¡°Good grief, you wouldn¡¯t believe some of the excuses she¡¯s given me. I mentioned being chilly once and she kitted out the entire dungeon with an advanced temperature manipulation system under the guise of ¡°training for extreme environments¡±. I don¡¯t think she¡¯s used it for that purpose once.¡± A small smile crept onto her face as she recounted the incident. ¡°I¡¯ll have to show you all how to use it. It¡¯s pretty nice.¡± Carmen nodded. ¡°Anything else before we go?¡± ¡°Should we pick up Raphael?¡± Siph asked. ¡°I believe she was in her room, mentioned wanting some time alone, but that was a few hours ago.¡± Carmen thought about that for a moment. ¡°No, when she comes out of her room, she can find us. She¡¯s probably thinking about Elenoa.¡± Carmen paused, before turning to Alex. ¡°Actually, could you talk to her? I feel like she¡¯s been needing someone to talk to and Lilith, Siph, and Kali weren¡¯t the greatest people for the job.¡± ¡°Why me?¡± Alex asked, taken aback. ¡°You two have a lot of similarities.¡± Carmen replied. ¡°But mainly because this is about her relationship with Elenoa, and I think you¡¯re the one with the closest approximation to what she has going on.¡± ¡°Oh. I¡­yeah, I can do that.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Carmen said, hopping off of her chair and stretching. ¡°Alright, what do you want to see first? The training stuff or the living quarters?¡± ¡°I say we see the training stuff first.¡± Siph said. ¡°That way they can take some time to get settled in the living quarters without having to walk back.¡± Carmen nodded. ¡°You make a good point.¡± She turned back to the rest of the group. ¡°While you all get up, this is the medical bay. It¡¯s got an effect that enhances the regeneration of your HP, Mana, and Stamina while inside, as well as the ability to put the occupants into a deep sleep in case unpleasant operations need to be done on someone before we can apply healing magic. ¡°And be careful with healing magic, too. It¡¯s always best to get things treated properly before applying it, as otherwise it could lead to incorrect healing. The only real exception to that is if the magic is super high level stuff, like what Lilith and I can toss out. We¡¯ve got literally the best healing ability out there, so we don¡¯t have to worry about any of that.¡± She winked, walking over to the door and waiting for everyone. Once everyone was ready, she opened the door and ushered everyone into a large circular room, bare save for the doors lining the outer edge of the room. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°This is our hub of sorts. Aside from the door to the medical bay and the door to the teleporter to the living quarters, each door leads to a hallway with further rooms for training based on your needs. For the time being, I¡¯ll show you one of our low-level halls, most of the others will look fairly similar, so there¡¯s really no need to look through them all.¡± Hey, mom. She said to Siph. Will you go kill something for me? I¡¯ve sent you a party invite, I just want to have my stats as high as possible for a demonstration and I¡¯ll need some levels for that. Of course, sweetie! Siph replied. I¡¯ll only be a moment! She hurriedly made her way down one of the medium level halls, into the room she was training in before. ¡°She¡¯s just helping me get ready for some stuff.¡± Carmen said. ¡°She¡¯s already pretty familiar with this place anyway, so she¡¯s not missing anything.¡± She paused to open the door to the hall she had been leading the group towards. After everyone was inside, she continued her speech. ¡°There are two rooms here for every major type of element, status, or other kind of attack, one for monsters that are weak to that, and one for those that are resistant. In addition, we have a few rooms filled with traps designed to help train your reflexes, and a few that are under construction. We¡¯re hoping to make them a place where you can make a customizable fight, but we don¡¯t quite have the resources to do that yet.¡± Each room had a large window next to the door, often showing a monster or set of monsters, standing completely immobile. Carmen stopped by one, nodding as she saw that Siph had already defeated a few enemies, raising her level. She¡¯d made sure to set her Class to High Arbiter earlier, so as to get the most out of the levels she was going to get. Between the Skills in Arbiter¡¯s Arsenal and her Racial Class levels more stats were probably overkill, but more could never hurt, and she¡¯d have to gain those levels sometime soon anyway, so she decided to go for it. She created a rock using the dungeon and tossed it to her dad. ¡°Go ahead and squeeze that, if you would.¡± He nodded and squeezed the rock. Nothing happened. Carmen went over and took the rock, before moving back to her position at the front of the group. ¡°Just a rock, right? Didn¡¯t feel soft or anything?¡± She asked. ¡°Yeah.¡± Mike replied, ¡°Why?¡± She held up the rock in a single hand and squeezed, turning it to powder. She smirked, watching everyone¡¯s stunned faces. ¡°Believe it or not, Lilith¡¯s almost twice as strong as I am right now. But, that¡¯s not the point.¡± She turned to the window and threw a punch at it, causing a very loud thud as she hit. She turned back around. ¡°The point is,¡± she motioned at the undamaged window, ¡°That these windows and the walls are near indestructible, so you can feel free to go as wild as you want, it won¡¯t affect anything not in the room. The monsters inside are going to stay completely still until you take hostile action towards them, and if it looks like you¡¯re going to retreat, they¡¯re set to disengage from combat. That doesn¡¯t mean that they won¡¯t try their best to kill you while fighting, though. If you do happen to die, you¡¯ll just come back in the medical bay, so there¡¯s absolutely no risk to any of this, aside from any pain you¡¯ll feel while fighting.¡± Alright mom, that¡¯s good enough. Meet us back in the main room after you finish off whatever¡¯s left in there, I want to talk about the party before we move on. After receiving an acknowledgement from Siph, she showed everyone a few more of the rooms, and then led them all back to the hub room. Once everyone was together again, she began to talk again. ¡°Alright, so, does anyone here have questions about parties?¡± ¡°I was getting a little curious about how experience is shared.¡± Vithi asked. ¡°Is it everyone gets full, or¡­?¡± Carmen nodded. ¡°Valid question. Unless someone has a Skill that changes things, experience is split evenly between all party members who currently want to share experience. You can choose to stop sharing experience, but if you do that then you won¡¯t get any of the experience earned by people who are sharing experience. ¡°More importantly, some Skills only work on your party, and being in a party lets you view the Health, Mana, and Stamina of all the other party members, allowing you to work together better. Keeping this in mind, right now we¡¯re going to put everyone into here in one big party with me and have you all share experience. ¡°Another one of the Skills Lilith picked up lets us forfeit our experience earned to boost the amount of experience you all gain by five hundred percent, meaning instead of the experience being split seven ways and everyone getting fourteen percent experience, it¡¯s now split six ways and everyone else gets¡­full experience, actually.¡± She held up a hand to forestall the complaint she could already see Alex and her parents getting ready to make. ¡°Lilith, Mae, and I will be fine. We can make up that much experience in a snap, and it¡¯ll only be for a couple of days. Once we¡¯re comfortable with where everyone is at, we¡¯ll be splitting everyone into two parties of four, with Lilith, Mae, and myself switching between the two as we see fit.¡± She paused. ¡°Oh, and if you were wondering, we all count as one person for the purpose of parties, so it¡¯s all of us or nothing. Anyway, we¡¯ll let you all decide who groups with who, but we might change things around if we feel a party doesn¡¯t have enough strength. In case of disputes, Lilith has the final say,¡± she paused again, thinking, ¡°well, theoretically Lilith always has the final say in everything now, but that¡¯s semantics. Anyway, we¡¯ll set that up later tonight when Lilith is back. For now, just follow me and I¡¯ll show you the living quarters.¡± As she had expected, everyone was pretty shocked with just how much Lilith had put in their new home. Since much of it was either just making new rooms or replacing materials, there was little in the way of DP costs, provided she could get the materials from somewhere. And, as it turns out, Kali has a pretty large pile of wealth that she was more than happy to spend for things like this. She practically forced it on Lilith, finally winning her over by pointing out just how much it would improve the quality of life of everyone, Kali included. Most of what was purchased ended up being raw materials, as once her Dungeon had absorbed something, it was able to reconstruct it from its components. And, as it turned out, buying the raw material in bulk was cheaper. So, Kali had got in touch with some companies she knew, and suddenly Lilith had anything she could ever want to get her residence made. And so, no expense ended up being spared. There was a pool, a shooting gallery (made to accommodate bows, guns, spells, and any other ranged weapon Lilith could think of), several rooms with movie-theater size screens, a gym, an indoor garden/greenhouse, a room filled with all sorts of instruments, a library, a recreational room with tables for games like pool, ping-pong, and cards¡­the list just went on and on. Beyond that, she made sure everyone had their own room and bathroom (save for her parents, who would share an extra-large room), put in a couple of extra-large kitchens (kept stocked with food via the dungeon), and made a large living room where everyone could gather if it was necessary. It even had a few rooms designed with Siph¡¯s dragon form in mind, for if she ever felt like she wanted to return to her base form for a while. It was the most luxurious place most of them had ever seen, and Carmen could tell that everyone was feeling considerably better about being basically forced into staying there now that they had seen it. So, she had everyone pick a room, and let everyone begin to settle in. Chapter 35: Feelings on Family Raphael watched the TV, trying her best to take her mind off of the day¡¯s events. She hadn¡¯t been having much luck; her grandma had¡­well, Raphael was an afterthought. She was being used as a tool to try and further her grandma¡¯s political agenda. She had almost come to hope that maybe her grandma would make some huge gesture, try anything to get Raphael back, but¡­she didn¡¯t. On the contrary, she gave up rather easily. Her grandma really didn¡¯t care about her, and she hated that. There was a sudden knocking on her door, causing her to jump as she scrambled for the remote and turned off the TV. ¡°Um, come in!¡± She said. The door opened and, to her surprise, Alex came in. ¡°Hey.¡± She said. ¡°Um¡­can we talk for a bit?¡± Raphael blinked. ¡°Yeah, I guess. What about?¡± Alex shut the door behind her, and moved over to a chair, sitting down. ¡°I¡­well, I¡¯ve heard you¡¯ve been having a pretty rough go of it, coming to grips with¡­well, Elenoa. To tell you the truth, Carmen asked if I could talk to you, since¡­well, I don¡¯t have the greatest relationship with my dad, and she thought maybe we would have some common ground.¡± Raphael paused. ¡°So¡­it isn¡¯t you that wants to talk with me?¡± ¡°Of course I do!¡± Alex replied firmly. ¡°If I didn¡¯t want to talk with you, I wouldn¡¯t be here. I just wanted to be up front about why I know about this and I wanted you to know that people know you¡¯re having troubles and want to help, but didn¡¯t know how. I know what it feels like to have troubles with your family and I want to be there for you. If you don¡¯t want to talk, I understand, but I really would like to talk if you¡¯re willing to.¡± Raphael nodded hesitantly. ¡°Um, yeah. In that case¡­may I ask what you think about Grandma?¡± Alex sighed, playing around with her tail and twirling it between her fingers like one would a lock of hair. ¡°I¡¯m going to be completely honest with you here, I think she¡¯s a bad person. She¡¯s not the worst person I¡¯ve met, that would go to some of the people from the Society, but she¡¯s definitely up there. She¡¯s selfish, she abuses everyone around her, and she¡¯s made a lot of people¡¯s lives worse. She¡¯s just¡­not pleasant to be around.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Raphael replied, taking a moment to take that all in. ¡°I¡­had kind of figured as much myself, but it¡­I don¡¯t know. I just¡­I don¡¯t know. Over these past couple of months, I realized that¡­she did abuse me, yeah. And she made me think she was right to abuse me, that I was just being a huge pain if I didn¡¯t always do exactly what she said. And it¡¯s been hard coming to terms with that, like¡­even if she did, and I know she did, deep down I think I still love her a little. ¡°I saw what she used to be like, Alex. She was a good person, she was happy. And I want her to be like that again, but I¡­don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible. She¡¯s just¡­I just¡­¡± Raphael tried to hold back the tears, but she could feel them leaking out anyway. She reached up to wipe her eyes, and, while her vision was blocked, she suddenly was scooped up into a hug from Alex. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± She whispered, pulling Raphael closer to her. ¡°You¡¯re allowed to make mistakes, you¡¯re just eight. And I get it, really, I do. I¡­well, I kind of thought something similar about my dad. He¡¯s a controlling guy, and he always wanted things done exactly the way he had foreseen them happening. ¡°And then¡­well, in the same attack where your parents died, my mom died. And I realized that my dad wasn¡¯t infallible. If he could let monsters get into the city like that, if his own wife could be killed by those monsters, then what he was doing wasn¡¯t working. I thought it would be best if we got Earth exposed to magic, and then we would have enough people to begin fighting back.¡± She laughed bitterly. ¡°I suppose, in a way, I got what I wanted, but I think what I¡¯m getting at is that, even if Elenoa is controlling your life, I think that, deep down, she still loves you too. Perhaps it¡¯s really deep, but if you want to rehabilitate her, I think you might be the person for it.¡± Raphael stopped trying to hold back her tears and buried her head in Alex¡¯s chest. ¡°I just¡­it¡¯s not fair, Alex. What did I do to deserve this? I never did anything but try to make Grandma proud, and, and¡­¡± She broke down, unable to do more than sob into Alex¡¯s chest. In response, Alex squeezed Raphael a little tighter. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± She soothed, stroking the girl¡¯s hair. ¡°You did your best. You made some mistakes, but that¡¯s okay. You¡¯re eight, you¡¯re allowed to make mistakes. You don¡¯t have to try and fix everything by yourself, and you don¡¯t have to fix everything right now, either.¡± Raphael sobbed for a while more before she was finally able to pull herself together, the sobs returning to just sniffles. ¡°R-really?¡± She asked, looking up into Alex¡¯s face. ¡°You won¡¯t hate me?¡± An odd, but overwhelmingly gentle expression filled Alex¡¯s face. ¡°No. I¡¯m not going to hate you. What kind of adult would I be if I hated a kid who¡¯s just doing her best?¡± ¡°Can I¡­tell you something?¡± Raphael said. ¡°I haven¡¯t told anyone else yet, but¡­¡± ¡°Of course. Tell me anything you want, I promise I won¡¯t feel different for it.¡± Alex replied. Raphael, almost unconsciously, reached back and felt at her tailbone. It had become a habit of sorts when she thought about this topic, and no matter how she tried she couldn¡¯t shake it. ¡°I¡¯m not an angel anymore.¡± She whispered. ¡°I¡¯m a demon, too. Kali made me one as a way to prove she was who she said she was. Do you know what Grandma would say if she knew?¡± Alex hesitated, then shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t. And you don¡¯t have to say it if you don¡¯t want to, it doesn¡¯t matter. You¡¯re you.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Raphael paused. ¡°She¡¯d call me a fallen angel, she says that angels who fall in love with demons are betrayers and the worst of the worst.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡± Alex objected. ¡°Demons are people too. They¡¯re just the same as anyone else, they just were on the other side of a conflict. History is written by the victors Raphael, and that means that, unfortunately, a lot of the time the losers don¡¯t get to say their side of things. Your grandma has put a lot of effort towards making demons look bad, but they aren¡¯t any better or worse than angels. If she said you were a betrayer or the worst, then I¡¯d deck her myself. You¡¯re no different now than you were before.¡± The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Raphael rubbed her tailbone again. ¡°I¡­um¡­is it okay to like being a demon?¡± She asked. ¡°I feel¡­stronger, magic works better, it¡¯s just¡­it feels like I¡¯m suddenly more.¡± Alex chuckled. ¡°Who do you think you¡¯re talking to? I chose to stay like this, so of course I¡¯m going to say it¡¯s fine to like being a demon.¡± ¡°Um¡­if you¡­don¡¯t mind my asking, Lilith said she was gonna take away any residual feelings you had from the contract. Why did you decide to stay as you are?¡± ¡°Where¡¯s this coming from?¡± Alex asked. ¡°Well, I just¡­you were also a guy before and I know humans aren¡¯t like angels and maybe I was just wondering about it myself, you know?¡± Alex smiled, ruffling Raphael¡¯s hair. ¡°It¡¯s fine if you want to stay like you are.¡± She said. ¡°No one¡¯s going to judge you for it, we¡¯re not your grandma.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­I still want to hear.¡± Alex blushed, glancing over to the door. ¡°I¡­wouldn¡¯t tell anyone else this, but you¡¯ve shared a bunch of things with me, so I¡¯m willing as long as you keep it a secret.¡± Raphael nodded. ¡°I promise. I¡¯m good at keeping secrets.¡± Alex fidgeted slightly. ¡°I think I like Lilith. Like like her. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s love, but¡­Lilith doesn¡¯t like boys. And¡­well, after a while I got used to it, and now I just don¡¯t really care what sex I am. Actually, I¡¯m used to liking being a girl, but now I just don¡¯t care. I remember liking being a girl, I remember liking being a boy. I guess it just all feels the same, and this way I at least have a shot if Lilith and Kali break up.¡± She cracked a small smile, obviously trying to lighten the mood somewhat. ¡°Although that might change once I get my first period after removing that mental alteration. Might be worth asking for the mental alteration back, if only so I don¡¯t have to deal with probably hating every second of that.¡± Raphael was silent, unsure how to process that. Eventually, she spoke up. ¡°Why does it matter if they¡¯ve broken up?¡± ¡°Oh, right. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a big deal, but on Earth it¡¯s weird to have more than one lover. So, I don¡¯t think Lilith would be OK with it.¡± Raphael paused again. ¡°But she¡¯s fine with her parents.¡± Alex paused. ¡°Right. But¡­she¡¯s apparently nervous about having even one girlfriend, so two is a stretch, at least for now. We¡¯re not here to talk about me, though. What do you feel about being a girl?¡± Raphael frowned. ¡°Well¡­I mean¡­angels don¡¯t really care.¡± She said. ¡°But what about you? Just because you¡¯re not experiencing any discomfort in your body doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re not allowed to have a preference.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Raphael whispered. ¡°I¡­I like what my life has become, I think. It¡¯s been better than it has been in a long time. But I¡¯m worried I¡¯m getting that mixed up with what I feel about me. Like, I¡¯m supposed to be a boy, like Grandma says, but I also feel like I¡¯d be returning to who I was when I was a boy so¨C¡± ¡°Not true.¡± Alex said sharply. ¡°You¡¯re not supposed to be anything. If your Grandma says you¡¯re supposed to be a boy, then she¡¯s wrong. It¡¯s your choice to be whatever you want, for whatever reason you want. And, I hate to break this to you, but you¡¯re still who you were when you were a boy.¡± Raphael recoiled a little, and opened her mouth to speak, but was once again cut off by Alex. ¡°You¡¯re a lovely kid, is what you are. That doesn¡¯t change because you¡¯re a boy or because you¡¯re a girl. You¡¯re you. You were a bit of a bully, but you¡¯ve realized why that¡¯s wrong, and you¡¯re better for it.¡± Alex squeezed Raphael a little closer. ¡°You¡¯re completely free to do whatever you want, to be whoever you want. I think, if you like what your life¡¯s become, and if you¡¯re unsure if that¡¯s messing with your feelings on being a boy or a girl, try being a boy again for a bit. Or don¡¯t. Just keep on enjoying your life as is. There¡¯s no reason to feel any sort of guilt.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Raphael whispered, shutting her eyes and once again resting her head on Alex¡¯s chest. ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± Alex replied, stroking her hair. They were silent for a minute or two more, and then Alex released the hug. ¡°I think I need to go get changed and ready for bed.¡± She said. ¡°But you¡¯re more than welcome to come talk to me any time you want. I¡¯ll always be here for you, okay?¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± Raphael began to speak but trailed off, too embarrassed to continue. ¡°Yes?¡± Alex asked. ¡°Can I¡­keep hugging you for a bit? I haven¡¯t had a hug like this since¡­¡± She trailed off, giving Alex a meaningful look. That strange, gentle look appeared on Alex¡¯s face once again. ¡°Of course.¡± She paused for a moment as if debating something, then spoke up. ¡°Actually, I can probably delay bed for a bit if you¡¯d like to¡­I don¡¯t know, watch a show together or something.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Raphael asked hopefully. ¡°Really.¡± Alex confirmed. ¡°Let me go get changed, and then I¡¯ll come back, and we can finish that hug and watch something, okay?¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± Raphael said, looking at the very damp spot on Alex¡¯s chest. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to¡­¡± Alex laughed, giving Raphael another quick hug. ¡°I don¡¯t care. Everyone deserves to have a good cry every once in a while. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± She released the hug and then stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡± She left the room, and Raphael¡¯s thoughts turned back to their conversation. She was embarrassed about just how much she had let loose there, but¡­it felt good. She felt¡­like Alex understood her, and¡­ A few moments of thought later and the door opened, and Alex walked in. She was wearing a set of pajamas now, and she gave Raphael a smile as she sat down on the bed next to her. ¡°Come here.¡± She said, and held out her arms. Raphael hesitated for a moment. Now that she had calmed down slightly, it was much more embarrassing to just¡­give in like that. Alex, seeing the girl¡¯s hesitation, picked her up and deposited her in her lap. ¡°There¡¯s no need to hold back.¡± She whispered. ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± Raphael paused for a moment before once again burying her face in Alex¡¯s chest and wrapping her arms around her. In return, Alex wrapped her arms around Raphael and began to stroke her hair. They remained that way for a few minutes before Raphael disentangled herself, blushing slightly. ¡°Thanks.¡± She whispered. ¡°What do you want to watch?¡± Alex smiled. ¡°Whatever you want. I¡¯m not picky.¡± Raphael nodded. ¡°Let me um¡­go change into my pajamas, and then we¡¯ll watch, okay?¡± ¡°Of course.¡±
A few hours later, Alex turned off the TV. Raphael had fallen asleep, and it was time for her to get back to her own room. But¡­something about the younger girl had awakened some sort of instinct Alex hadn¡¯t known she had. It was like when she wanted to protect Lilith from the Society, but¡­stronger. She wanted to see Raphael happy, wanted her childhood to be different from how Alex¡¯s own had been. And¡­well, she was pretty sure she knew how to start with that. She blushed slightly, shaking her head to clear her thoughts. The atmosphere of the evening must have been getting to her, she usually didn¡¯t have such sappy thoughts, but¡­ She shook her head once again. She¡¯d let Raphael know she was always willing to help, but anything more would be up to Raphael herself. It was her life, and Alex didn¡¯t have any right to step in uninvited. It was with these thoughts that she left the room, careful not to wake the sleeping Raphael up. Her room was only a few doors down, began to walk down the hall. ¡°Hey.¡± Carmen said, coming out from a door on the other end of the hall. ¡°How¡¯d it go?¡± Alex jumped, turning around. ¡°She¡¯s feeling better now, I think. How¡¯d you hear me? I thought I was pretty quiet when opening and shutting the door, I didn¡¯t want to wake her up.¡± ¡°Nuwa¡¯s got vision on all the halls. She let me know once you came out of the room.¡± Right. Alex had forgotten about that. ¡°She¡¯s not looking into our rooms, right?¡± ¡°No. She can, but that¡¯s only for if, somehow, an intruder gets in and we can¡¯t find them. We¡¯re not invading your privacy, don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Ah, um, good. Anyway, um, Raphael¡¯s fine for now.¡± Carmen nodded. ¡°Thanks. I really don¡¯t think it would have been the same coming from someone like me, so I really appreciate you taking the time to do this.¡± ¡°Yeah, no problem. Um¡­I¡¯m getting sleepy, though, so I¡¯m going to turn in for the night.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Carmen replied. ¡°Have a good night.¡± ¡°You as well.¡± And, with that, Alex went into her room, walked over to the bed, and collapsed into it. It had been an eventful day, and she was more than ready to get some well-deserved sleep. Chapter 36: An Old Friend Lilith walked down the street, letting the nostalgia completely overtake her as she did. She was back in the neighborhood where she grew up, heading back to her parent¡¯s house to pick up their stuff and take it to the dungeon. Carmen had volunteered for the job, but Kali had shut her down, claiming that Carmen also had to spend some time with her new girlfriend. Lilith took a moment to check in on them and found they were¡­out mini-golfing? She wasn¡¯t always paying attention to what was happening with Carmen, so she was surprised by the unexpected development. Carmen says they are in Oregon. Mae supplied. They¡¯re under the effects of the same spell we¡¯re using. The spell in question was one that filtered the awareness of other people, essentially making the target the least interesting person around to anyone who didn¡¯t know them well. It was a step up from pure invisibility in Lilith¡¯s opinion, as with this people would still acknowledge their presence, they just¡­wouldn¡¯t think anything of it. You could rob a bank using it, and the guard would hold the door for you on the way out. Provided they didn¡¯t know you well, anyway. ¡°Kali, it seems that Mae and Lilith have finally noticed what we¡¯re doing.¡± Carmen said absentmindedly, hitting the ball, bouncing it off the side of the course, and completely missing the hole. ¡°Ah, thanks!¡± Kali said, turning to face Carmen. ¡°You¡¯re next, Mae!¡± She said, smirking. ¡°I¡¯m sure Carmen or Lilith would be willing to spend some time in the spare avatar so you can use a body.¡± She took her shot without looking and the ball went completely the wrong direction, causing Carmen to burst into laughter. ¡°I¡¯d be more than happy to volunteer.¡± Carmen said between breaths. ¡°You might not want to do mini-golf if you want to win, though. I doubt Mae would take it easy on you.¡± Kali grinned. ¡°I¡¯m sure she wouldn¡¯t. Now, the two of you have things to be doing, so get back to it, because the two of us also have things to be doing.¡± She said, punctuating the sentence by giving Carmen a kiss. Carmen playfully pushed her away. ¡°Stop it!¡± She teased, ¡°You¡¯re just going to distract them even more! And don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t see you move your ball!¡± Lilith stopped paying attention at that point, focusing back on her task. She was only a few streets away from her house, having chosen to teleport just outside of her neighborhood rather than in front of her house, so as to enjoy the nostalgia a little more. She¡­doubted she would be coming back here any time soon, so she intended to make the most of it. ¡°Yo, Lucas!¡± A jovial voice called out. ¡°Woah. You¡­are Lucas, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s me.¡± Lilith said, turning around. ¡°How¡¯d you know?¡± The owner of the voice, a tall man with short brown hair, rubbed the back of his neck. ¡°Dunno. Just got a real ¡°Lucas¡± vibe from you, you know? Anyway, what happened to you? It¡¯s been, like, a day.¡± As he said that, a look of understanding dawned and he broke into a smirk. ¡°No, wait, I got it. Some faerie thought it would be funny to make you look exactly like the chick from the broadcast because of your names. I understand, this sorta thing is happening all over if the internet¡¯s to be believed. Hey, look on the bright side, though. She may look a little edgy, but at least she¡¯s hot.¡± Lilith made a mental note to go have a ¡°talk¡± with the fae. She¡¯d have to have Kali introduce her to¡­whoever passed for a ruler. ¡°Actually, no.¡± She said. ¡°I am the ¡°chick from the broadcast¡±. And, I¡­guess it¡¯s flattering that you think I¡¯m hot, but also, ew. It¡¯s weird to be told that by you.¡± The man, Jameson, was an old friend from all the way back in elementary school. Growing up, he and his now-girlfriend, Anna, were so close with Lilith that they were practically siblings, so hearing that from him was just¡­weird. Jameson laughed, walking up and clapping Lilith on the shoulder. ¡°Man, they really did a number on you. Can¡¯t even properly talk about what happened, right? And no worries, man, I wasn¡¯t saying you¡¯re attractive, just that the girl was. I¡¯ve got no interest in you, would be weird to go out with you like that, given you¡¯re, you know, a dude at heart, if not in body.¡± Lilith sighed. ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing like that, Jameson. The fae haven¡¯t done anything like that to me, I can talk just fine.¡± She looked him dead in the eyes and, in her most serious voice, said, ¡°My name is Lucas Clements and a faerie turned me into a copy of the girl from the broadcast.¡± Jameson gave a nervous laugh. ¡°Alright, why not just say that, then?¡± ¡°Because I actually am the broadcast girl, dude. It¡¯s the truth.¡± Jameson shook his head nervously. ¡°Man, you don¡¯t expect me to buy that, right? It¡¯s only been, like, a semester since we¡¯ve last seen each other, so I can hardly believe you became some interdimensional peacekeeper. The name thing¡¯s weird, but there have got to be hundreds of other Lucas Clements out there.¡± Lilith looked around, confirming that the street was empty save for the two of them. Satisfied, she activated Aura of the Arbiter, and watched as Jameson froze in place, completely unable to move. After about five seconds, she released it. ¡°There, happy?¡± She asked. ¡°I can prove it to you in other ways, if you want.¡± Jameson let out the breath he had been holding. He was silent for a long moment, looking Lilith over. ¡°¡­Really?¡± He asked in a small voice. ¡°Really.¡± Lilith replied, nodding. ¡°Anyway, what are you here for? I thought you wouldn¡¯t be back until Thanksgiving break.¡± ¡°Nononono,¡± He stuttered, ¡°You¡¯re not just going to gloss that over. You need to explain, mister.¡± Lilith rolled her eyes. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll explain. But, in return you¡¯ll help me get stuff from my parent¡¯s house. I¡¯ve got a lot to move.¡± ¡°Fine, fine. Let me go let my parents know. I¡¯ll meet you at your house.¡± He shrugged once he noticed the questioning look Lilith gave him. ¡°We¡¯re trying to keep each other in the know when it comes to where we are. Everyone¡¯s a bit on edge since the Shift.¡± ¡°The Shift?¡± Lilith said, slightly amused. ¡°That¡¯s what people are calling it?¡± ¡°We have to call it something. It¡¯s kind of a significant event.¡± He replied, walking off. ¡°See you in a few minutes.¡± ¡°Got it, I¡¯ll leave the door unlocked, make sure you lock it when you come in.¡± Lilith unlocked the house and made her way into the living room. She cleared large area in the middle of the room and laid out an array that would transfer items back to Kali¡¯s house. She would have preferred to send the stuff straight to her dungeon, but apparently teleporting into a dungeon just wasn¡¯t possible outside of Higher Being shenanigans, but that would require Worship that neither Lilith nor Kali were willing to spare at the moment. Once the items were in the dungeon, moving them would be trivial, so teleporting them one room over was good enough. After this she would be emptying out Judy¡¯s house, as well as the one that she used to rent from Judy. Most of what she would be keeping was stuff that couldn¡¯t be easily reproduced by the dungeon (such as electronics with data on them), or items with sentimental value. The rest would be absorbed into the dungeon for a slight increase in DP and variety of items it could produce. ¡°Yo, I¡¯m here!¡± Jameson said, walking in and locking the door behind him. ¡°How are we going to do this? I don¡¯t see any trucks or anything.¡± He walked into the living room and then stopped, noticing the large array on the floor. ¡°Or¡­that, I guess? How¡¯s it work?¡± ¡°We put stuff on it, when it¡¯s full I¡¯ll activate it and the stuff will be sent away. Simple as that.¡± ¡°Handy. Any chance you could teach me?¡± Jameson asked. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Lilith shrugged. ¡°I mean, there¡¯s no reason you couldn¡¯t learn it, but you¡¯d kind of be skipping a lot of steps and making it harder than it needs to be. Gotta learn to crawl before you can sprint. Not to mention the fact that I doubt you have enough Mana to really use this thing. You¡¯d probably need to store some somewhere and draw on reserves.¡± ¡°Yikes. How much does it take?¡± ¡°About a thousand per go.¡± Lilith said casually, picking up the couch with one hand, moving it onto the circle, and activating it with no apparent effort. She put on a look of faux innocence as she looked at his shocked face. ¡°What? It was going to be annoying, so I got it out of the way.¡± ¡°Show-off.¡± He mumbled. ¡°Isn¡¯t that kind of wasteful?¡± Lilith grinned. ¡°That much will be back in barely over a minu- scratch that, it¡¯ll be thirty seconds.¡± She said, updating her estimate as Mae transferred over five hundred Mana so they both were regenerating. ¡°Oh, lay off it. Do I even want to know what your Mana pool is?¡± He half joked, moving an end-table over to the circle. Lilith smiled wider ¡°If we¡¯re talking easy-access Mana, that¡¯s around sixty-eight thousand. If I pull into some reserves that I like to keep untouched I can probably crack eighty thousand.¡± ¡°That¡¯s nuts. I specced into magic and I¡¯ve got one hundred and fifty two. What kind of steroids are you taking, and where can I get them?¡± Lilith activated the circle immediately once the end table was in, thoroughly enjoying showing off to her friend. He was always more athletic than her, so it was nice to have the tables turned in magic. And, come to think of it, she was also probably far stronger than him too, now. She wouldn¡¯t tease him for that, though. No reason to lord her stats over him more than she already was. ¡°Well, for one, if you include my Racial Classes, my total level is almost eleven hundred. So, you know, that¡¯s slightly higher than what I¡¯m imagining you¡¯ve got.¡± ¡°I¡¯m level four.¡± He chuckled. ¡°You¡¯ve got me there.¡± ¡°Hey, if your magic growth held up and you hit my level, your total would be bigger than mine.¡± ¡°Uh, earth to Lucas, I think your math is off. I¡¯ve been growing like, fifteen to twenty every level, and that wouldn¡¯t add up to anywhere near sixty eight thousand, let alone eighty.¡± He said, rolling his eyes. ¡°You might want to double check your work.¡± ¡°Alright then.¡± Lilith said, sending the other end table through the array. ¡°You have one hundred and fifty two Mana. Assuming you started at one hundred and got three level ups, including taking your Class, that¡¯s fifty two Mana from levels, or an average of seventeen point 3 repeating per level.¡± She continued, parroting the numbers Mae was feeding her, ¡°Multiply by eleven hundred and you get nineteen thousand and sixty six point six repeating, add one hundred and that¡¯s nineteen thousand and sixty six point six repeating. Which, yes, does not reach sixty eight thousand, but I¡¯ve also got four separate Mana pools, with another as a backup if I really need it. If you count against just one of those pools you win, they¡¯re only around seventeen thousand each.¡± ¡°Wow, only around seventeen thousand.¡± Jameson said sarcastically. ¡°I feel so much better. That¡¯s only a bit over one hundred times my pool, so I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll make it past that in a couple of weeks. How¡¯d you get that many levels, anyway?¡± So, Lilith began to tell Jameson her story while they worked. She wasn¡¯t rushing the cleaning, so by the time she was done, they still had a few rooms left. Jameson rubbed his forehead. ¡°Wow. I can¡¯t believe it. You got a girlfriend.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what you feel the need to point out?¡± Lilith retorted, playfully throwing a cushion at him. ¡°Rude.¡± He watched the cushion soar through the air and made no attempt to dodge or catch it, letting it hit his chest and fall down. ¡°It¡¯s the only thing I think I can point out right now. I¡¯ve been preparing to tease you about this for ten years, man. I¡¯m in shock over everything else. I mean, that¡¯s not even getting into who your girlfriend is.¡± Mae nudged Lilith into paying attention to Carmen as the latter leaned over to Kali. ¡°They¡¯re talking about you and our relationship.¡± She whispered. ¡°Jameson¡¯s having a hard time processing.¡± Kali grinned impishly. ¡°Oooh. Alright, mind if I step away for like, five minutes? I¡¯ve got something I¡¯ve always wanted to try.¡± She said, clearly delighted. Carmen grinned back. ¡°By all means. I¡¯m looking forward to whatever it is.¡± A beam of light shone around Lilith, a figure descending majestically from it¡­before landing so she was sitting on Lilith¡¯s shoulders. ¡°I am the great goddess Kali Clements!¡± She said imperiously. ¡°Bow down before me, puny mortal, and I will spare your life.¡± The image was ruined, as much as it could be ruined further, by Kali kicking her feet back and forth, bouncing them gently off of Lilith¡¯s chest. ¡°Stop that.¡± Lilith said, swatting at Kali¡¯s foot. ¡°You¡¯re not fooling anyone. Get down from there, you¡¯re hunched like, all the way over.¡± It was true. While on top of Lilith, she was too tall to fit in the room, so she was leaning over to keep herself from hitting her head. Lilith wasn¡¯t done, though. ¡°And what do you mean Kali Clements? We¡¯ve been dating for like a day.¡± ¡°I just wanted to say it.¡± Kali giggled, jumping backwards off of Lilith and then flapping her wings, sending her right back towards her. She latched onto Lilith in a piggyback pose and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. ¡°There. Now I¡¯m not hunched over.¡± Lilith rolled her eyes. ¡°Whatever. Anyway, Jameson, this is my girlfriend Kali. You can ignore the whole bowing down thing, she¡¯s just messing with you.¡± ¡°Hi there!¡± Kali waved energetically. ¡°Nice to meet you! Any friend of Lilith¡¯s is a friend of mine!¡± Jameson stood there mutely, observing the situation with an unmoving face. He slowly pinched himself and then, when that apparently didn¡¯t work, croaked out a greeting. ¡°Hi.¡± He said, voice betraying no emotion. ¡°I think we broke him.¡± Kali giggled, playfully biting Lilith¡¯s ear. ¡°Should I get the duct tape?¡± ¡°We?¡± Lilith said incredulously. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure ninety percent of everything leading up to this situation is your fault.¡± Kali giggled again. ¡°Guilty as charged. Take me away, officer.¡± Jameson, finally seeming to come to terms with the situation, spoke again. ¡°Um, I¡¯m flattered that you came to say hi¡­¡± He floundered for a moment, obviously trying to figure out how to address Kali. ¡°Your holiness, but¡­aren¡¯t you kind of busy right now? What with changing the world and everything?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Kali said, fidgeting as she tried to straighten her posture without making her hold on Lilith any looser. Not finding a way, she gave up and just tightened her grip instead. ¡°I was in the middle of some very important work.¡± ¡°She was playing mini-golf with Carmen.¡± Lilith said flatly. ¡°Right! Like I said, very important work. It¡¯s research!¡± ¡°For what?¡± Lilith replied, unimpressed. ¡°The Mini Golfer Class, of course.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a thing¡­right?¡± ¡°It will be!¡± Kali said proudly, thumping Lilith¡¯s chest in place of her own. ¡°The system will probably add one once people have played enough mini-golf.¡± ¡°So, you don¡¯t even need to be doing research, right?¡± Lilith pointed out. ¡°The system should just do it itself.¡± ¡°I¡¯m doing my part in making it get done that much faster!¡± Kali said proudly. ¡°That¡¯s¡­well, I suppose that¡¯s true. So¡­shouldn¡¯t you be getting back to it, then?¡± Kali squeezed Lilith¡¯s waist. ¡°Or what, mommy?¡± She purred. ¡°Will you discipline me?¡± Lilith blushed fiercely, embarrassment not at all helped by Carmen cracking up in the background. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough.¡± She said. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say earlier that we should focus on our work so you could focus on your date?¡± Kali laughed. ¡°Fair enough. I was just stopping by for a minute.¡± She waved at Jameson again. ¡°By the way, just call me Kali, ¡°Your holiness¡± really doesn¡¯t suit me, I¡¯m not really a god. Later!¡± She said, and vanished, reappearing next to Carmen without any of the fanfare that had accompanied her when she had gone to Lilith. Jameson breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Wow.¡± He said. ¡°That was a trip. She always like that?¡± ¡°Lately, pretty much.¡± Lilith said, picking up a box. ¡°It¡¯s not that bad, though.¡± Jameson grinned, elbowing Lilith in the ribs. ¡°Seems like you like it, eh?¡± Lilith blushed even harder. ¡°Maybe a little. It¡¯s kind of cute.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll have to go on a double date with me sometime. I¡¯d love to see the look on Anna¡¯s face when she finds out what you¡¯ve been up to.¡± I¡¯m down for it! Kali said in Lilith¡¯s mind. Ask him if Friday at seven PM works! I mean, I¡¯m free any time, really, but I want to set up a concrete time so it doesn¡¯t get delayed forever. ¡°Um¡­Kali wants to know if Friday at seven PM works for you. She says she¡¯s free at any time, she just wants to nail down a time.¡± For a brief moment, Jameson had his ¡°idea¡± face, but he quickly masked it. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Alright, spit it out, what¡¯d you think of?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing, not a big deal.¡± He replied sheepishly. ¡°Nuh-uh, that face never means nothing. Say it.¡± ¡°I was¡­thinking it would be funny if we pushed it back a day and told Anna it was because we didn¡¯t want to interrupt her night out with her family. She usually goes out with her sisters then, but none of them really care if someone has to schedule a date then. But then I figured I shouldn¡¯t push back the schedule of someone like Kali for a dumb joke.¡± He said, moving for the stairs with box in hand. That sounds hilarious. Tell him it¡¯s a deal and that we¡¯ll show up at his house on at seven o¡¯clock on Saturday. ¡°She says that sounds hilarious and that we¡¯ll be there at seven on Saturday.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± He said, blinking. ¡°Sounds like a plan, I guess.¡± Lilith began packing the contents of a bookshelf into a box, waiting for Jameson to return. And¡­after several minutes, he didn¡¯t. Getting slightly worried, Lilith made the trip down the stairs to find the living room occupied by two people. The first was an extraordinarily beautiful woman. Her reddish-brown hair fell down to her waist, coiled in an intricate fashion. She was tall, too ¨C Lilith would have put her at just over six feet, but her height was hard to judge, as she was bent over, inspecting the other person carefully. The other person was¡­a catgirl, oddly enough. She stood stock still, staring ahead stoically, like there was nothing of interest whatsoever in the room. Her long brown hair draped messily over clothes that Lilith realized, after a moment, were the same ones Jameson had been wearing minutes ago. The woman gave Lilith a radiant smile, standing up straight and bowing. ¡°Hello. My name is Titania.¡± Chapter 37: Meeting the Queen The faerie queen stood up from her bow, still smiling. ¡°Do you like my gift?¡± She said, motioning to the transformed Jameson. ¡°Some of my best work, if I do say so myself. I took some¡­inspiration from your previous work, I was figuring I¡¯d save you the trouble of doing it yourself.¡± ¡°Change him back.¡± Lilith growled. ¡°I don¡¯t want this.¡± In the back of her mind she was vaguely aware of Kali holding a struggling Carmen down. ¡°She needs to deal with this on her own.¡± Kali said sadly. ¡°I¡¯ll let you go when it looks like things are heating up, but for now going in guns blazing is just going to make things worse. We can¡¯t protect her from everything.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Carmen growled. ¡°But I decide when that is.¡± ¡°What, you don¡¯t like it?¡± Titania said, the innocent tone clashing with the sadistic look in her eyes. ¡°You seemed so eager to do that other boy, I figured this would be no different.¡± Lilith was beyond angry. ¡°Don¡¯t play innocent with me.¡± She said in a soft, cold voice. ¡°If you were watching me, you would know that was a completely different circumstance. You¡¯re just trying to get to me.¡± ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right.¡± She said nonchalantly, not seeming to care that she had been seen through. ¡°Though not fully true. I was bored, and he happened to be there, it¡¯s really not a big deal. No, let¡¯s get to why I¡¯m really here. You see¨C¡± ¡°No.¡± Lilith said, cutting her off. ¡°You will turn him back. In fact, I¡¯d been planning to come talk to you anyway, so this is a good opportunity. Your people have apparently been running rampant, changing defenseless humans for their own amusement.¡± She leveled a baleful gaze at Titania. ¡°I can see why, if this is how their queen acts. I expect you to stop them and undo the damage they¡¯ve done. This is non-negotiable.¡± Titania rolled her eyes. ¡°Or what?¡± She said, dropping her polite fa?ade. ¡°You may have been able to stop Winston, but you¡¯re severely mistaken if you think I¡¯ll be as easy to deal with.¡± Before she did anything, Lilith set a Watch on Titania. It was clear that she¡¯d be trouble in the future. She took a moment to scan Titania¡¯s HP, then used some Worship to place a Geas on her with roughly twice her maximum health as a penalty, to make sure it couldn¡¯t just be ignored.
The High Arbiter demands you undo what you did to Jameson, and for you to personally ensure that those from Earth transformed by the fae after the Shift are changed back as soon as possible. If you do not, you will take 10,000 lethal damage. Be advised that no wordplay will be allowed ¨C the intent of this order must be carried out, or else it will activate.
Titania gasped, face turning red in fury. ¡°Insolent whelp!¡± She spat, glaring at Lilith. ¡°I suppose I¡¯ll have to do this the hard way.¡± The shadows in the room grew deeper, Titania seeming to loom over the room. The air chilled, frost forming on the window as the temperature plummeted. She pointed a thin, elegant finger at Lilith. ¡°As queen of the faeries, I demand loyalty from my subject. KNEEL AND SWEAR FEALTY.¡± Lilith knelt, her body screaming at her to obey this woman¡¯s orders. She placed a palm on the ground and looked up at Titania with a pained expression. ¡°No!¡± Jameson yelled. Lilith hadn¡¯t noticed him coming back to his senses. The poor guy was in way over his head, she¡¯d have to treat him to something when this was over. She raised her hand and shot Titania in the forehead, the gun she had finished transmuting her palm into doing its work. Titania stumbled backwards, wound already sealing up¡­and fell into the waiting arms of Carmen. Carmen tossed her to the ground furiously, placing a foot over her prone form. ¡°Nice try.¡± She snarled. ¡°That would probably have worked on any of the other Perfect Chimeras, but you¡¯re a little out of your weight class. Consider yourself lucky it was Lilith here, and not me. Since she¡¯s already done her bit, I¡¯ll let you off with just this.¡± Ignoring Lilith¡¯s mental protests, Carmen placed another Geas on Titania.
The High Arbiter demands you immediately kneel and swear loyalty for as long as you both live. If you do not, you will take 6,000 lethal damage.
She lifted her foot and glared at Titania. ¡°I¡¯m waiting.¡± Titania grit her teeth but got to her knees. ¡°I, Titania, queen of the faeries, hereby swear loyalty to Lilith, the High Arbiter, for as long as we both live.¡± There was a spark of magic, and a dialogue box popped up informing Lilith of all she had gained from this, but she ignored it. Carmen smiled. ¡°Good.¡± She immediately annulled the bond that had been created, the magical whiplash knocking Titania down onto her palms, and Carmen crouched down so she was barely above Titania¡¯s face. ¡°Lilith wouldn¡¯t allow it for longer than that,¡± she whispered, ¡°but I wanted to hear you say it anyway. I will give you one warning, don¡¯t mess with my family or my friends. I¡¯ll know the instant you do, and when that happens, I will hunt you down and gut you like a fish. ¡°And I¡¯m not making this a Geas because I don¡¯t want to ruin the joy of the hunt, something I¡¯m sure you¡¯re well acquainted with. Now, fix your mess and get out of my sight. I won¡¯t be this merciful next time.¡± Tears of humiliation streaming down her face, Titania waved her hand, and Jameson began to shift, returning to his old shape. Once the process was done, Titania spit on the ground in front of Lilith before giving them both one last glare. ¡°I won¡¯t forget this.¡± She hissed. ¡°Watch your backs.¡± And with that she vanished, leaving the three alone. Carmen pulled Jameson into a hug. ¡°Sorry you had to see that.¡± She said. ¡°Kali insisted that Lilith should deal with it alone until things got violent. I would have preferred to come in and put her in her place the moment I realized what was happening, but¡­¡± She trailed off, then shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll come after you, Jameson, but if you want, I can relocate you and your family to somewhere she won¡¯t be able to find you.¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°I¡­think we¡¯ll be fine.¡± Jameson replied. ¡°Moving¡¯s the last thing we need right now, what with all that¡¯s been going on. We¡¯re stressed enough as is. Just keep an eye on us, alright?¡± Carmen nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure one of us drops by every week.¡± She released the hug and looked over the two, making sure they were OK. ¡°Alright, I gotta get back to my date. Think about if you want me to come with Lilith and Kali on your double date, and just send us a text if you need anything. Our number¡¯s still the same.¡± She smiled weakly before quickly drawing a transport array using multiple appendages and vanishing. Lilith sat down hard on the floor, rubbing her temple. ¡°I feel like there are going to be times when I really hate my job.¡± She groaned. ¡°I feel like no one is ever going to want to just talk.¡± Jameson sat down next to her, throwing an arm around her shoulder. ¡°Hey man, I¡¯m not going to even try and pretend I understand what you¡¯re going through, but I¡¯m ready to listen if you need to talk. So, c¡¯mon, tell me about your childhood.¡± Lilith smiled. ¡°You were there for it, doofus. And I should be asking you that question. So¡­uh, how are you doing after that?¡± He withdrew his arm and playfully punched her shoulder. ¡°Hey, it had to be said. I don¡¯t make the rules, I just follow them. And I¡¯m fine. I was as good as unconscious for most of it, and there was a bit of a scare when she made you kneel, but then it was immediately fixed, so it¡¯s whatever. Besides, between the two of us you¡¯ve always been the sensitive one, so seeing you have to do something like that got me worried.¡± Lilith rolled her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t be. Sure, I was griping, but I don¡¯t actually want to change what I¡¯m doing. It¡¯s just good to say it, you know? Anyway, what can I do to help you out right now? Do you have any concerns or anything?¡± Jameson hesitated, thinking that over for a moment. ¡°Well, about those portals you said you were going to open¡­nothing¡¯s going to¡­come through, right?¡± ¡°No, no monsters or anything will come through those. It¡¯s more an issue of wildlife over here getting more dangerous as time goes on, though. Still, you should have at least a few years before anything really threatening to even a level one starts showing up with any sort of regularity. By that time everyone should be more than capable of defending themselves, at least in terms of raw stats. Don¡¯t worry, if things go bad, I¡¯ll take care of it. I can always work on getting shelters ready for people to evacuate into or something. It really shouldn¡¯t come to that, though.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all, really. Just as long as nothing¡¯s going to come and eat me in my sleep.¡± ¡°Nah, don¡¯t even worry about that. Things shouldn¡¯t be able to break into houses of this quality for a long time.¡± She stood up, stretching as she did. ¡°Speaking of, let¡¯s finish off this house. I still have to hit my place and Judy¡¯s place by the end of the day, so I can¡¯t afford to laze around forever.¡± The rest of the house cleaning was awkward. Titania¡¯s visit had ruined the atmosphere, and Lilith felt like she was walking on eggshells. She tried a couple more times to get Jameson to open up about what just happened, but each time he firmly rebuffed her. So, she turned her attention to the slew of messages she had received after Carmen forced Titania into submission.
You have failed to steal the Skill Faerie Queen¡¯s Command! Titania has become your retainer! Congratulations, you have fully unlocked the growth potential of the ¡°Faerie Queen¡± Racial Class! This grants an additional 10 HP, 20 Mana, 10 Stamina, 1 Power, 1 Defense, 2 Magic Power, 2 Magic Defense, 1 Speed, and 4 Charm per Racial Class level, and has been applied retroactively!
She skimmed over the uninteresting Skills. They were mostly bonuses to certain types of spells, stat bonuses, or generally just not useful to her at the moment. There were, however, a couple of real gems in there.
Royal Glamour Level 4: 0/532 EXP (Gain EXP by fooling others with your glamour) Rank: Legendary You may activate a glamour, allowing you to assume the form of any humanoid creature you can imagine. As one of the fae royalty, your glamour is able to fool any sort of sensor and cannot be seen through without active effort. Those putting in an active effort to see through your glamour must have either Charm or Magic Defense equal to your Charm in order to do so. Glamours made using this skill are 40% more accurate when imitating things that you are imagining or otherwise do not have full knowledge of. This glamour does not cost any Mana or Stamina to maintain but is less effective if you are in an emotionally unstable state. Now all you need is the glitz. All That Glitters Level 4: 0/532 EXP (Gain EXP by seeing through glamours) Rank: Mythic You passively see through all glamours, illusions, or other sense-altering spells made using a stat that is less than 40% of your Charm. Active attempts to see through such things are 1.4 times more effective. You may choose to turn this Skill off. Is not gold.
They appeared to be from the Faerie Queen Racial Class, and Lilith could already see them coming in handy. The glamour could fool any form of sensor? Did that mean it included things like DNA tests? Well, she probably couldn¡¯t get enough knowledge of something to reliably imitate its DNA, so that was a moot point. Probably. Still¡­she had to try something. ¡°Jameson?¡± She asked, wincing at how strange her voice sounded. ¡°How do I look?¡± He spun around, eyes wide. ¡°Lucas?!¡± He exclaimed. ¡°How did you¡­I mean, you look and sound just like you used to. Why didn¡¯t you do this while you were walking around?¡± ¡°A few reasons. One, I couldn¡¯t. I just¡­well, for lack of a better term stole that Skill from Titania. I get a permanent copy of all my subordinate¡¯s Skills, and she was briefly my subordinate. Two, I was under a spell anyway. Only people like you who know me really well would have recognized me anyway. And three¡­it feels weird. I¡¯m used to this by now, and suddenly having a different voice is strange. It doesn¡¯t even sound like normal to me, anyway. It¡¯s like I¡¯m listening to a recording of myself. Plus, I feel when things touch the glamour.¡± She said, touching her chest to emphasize her point, ¡°It feels really weird to be able to touch somewhere and feel both nothing and something at the same time. I would not recommend it.¡± She dropped the glamour, breathing a sigh of relief as the weird double-sensation vanished. ¡°It¡¯s just not comfortable. Not something I would want to keep up for a long period of time.¡± Jameson got that mischievous expression again. ¡°But¡­it¡¯s fine for a little bit?¡± I also feel significantly more comfortable using it than you do. Carmen chimed in. Probably has to do with my personality? ¡°Yeah, a little bit¡¯s fine. Carmen says she¡¯s pretty comfortable with it, so whatever you¡¯re planning would probably be better done with her, rather than me.¡± ¡°It works.¡± He grinned wolfishly. ¡°It¡¯s about the date. I¡¯ve got an idea.¡±
Once the house was empty Lilith said her goodbyes to Jameson and emptied the other two houses. Once those were empty, she was finally able to get back to her home. When the transfer finished, she found herself tackled to the ground, her head forced onto Kali¡¯s lap. ¡°Sorry.¡± Kali whispered, stroking her hair. ¡°It was best to talk things out first. I know that was awful, but I can¡¯t protect you from everything.¡± Siph dusted herself off and nodded in satisfaction, then left the room. ¡°Enjoy yourselves!¡± Kali gave Lilith a weak smile. ¡°How can I make it up to you?¡± Lilith shifted slightly. ¡°No, it¡¯s¡­fine. I get it. But if you insist¡­could we move this to the couch or the bed or something? It¡¯ll be more comfortable there.¡± The ground itself moved, gently depositing the two on their bed. ¡°There. Anything else?¡± Lilith closed her eyes. She felt so¡­at ease there, almost like she had just returned home after a long absence. ¡°Let¡¯s just¡­stay like this a while.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Chapter 38: Family Feud? Lilith gripped Siph¡¯s hand nervously as the two stood in front of the cave. They were out deep in the wilds of Havens, where Siph¡¯s parents had made their home. She was looking for relatively safe places to put up the portals connecting Haven and Earth, and the area around a dragon¡¯s home was just such a place. Any truly dangerous monsters would have long since been driven away, if not by the dragons themselves, then by the lack of suitable prey for them to eat. Siph squeezed Lilith¡¯s hand gently. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine.¡± She reassured. ¡°Dad may give you a bit of trouble, but he should settle down once he realizes how strong you are. And I¡¯m sure mom will love you, so it¡¯s fine.¡± She faced forward and called out in her family¡¯s private language. ¡°Mom, dad, it¡¯s me! And I¡¯ve brought a guest!¡± There was the sound of shuffling from the cave, and then two young-looking people walked out. The woman rushed over to Siph and caught her in a hug. She was the spitting image of Siph, and the two looked like they could be sisters. Benefits of not aging, Lilith assumed. ¡°It¡¯s been so long!¡± The woman said, clearly delighted. ¡°What have you been up to? And who¡¯s this?¡± She let go of the hug and turned to face Lilith, then stopped in her tracks, tilting her head in confusion. ¡°Lilith?¡± She asked. ¡°Yes, mom, this is Lilith, the daughter I was telling you about.¡± Siph said hurriedly, giving the woman a meaningful look. The woman paused for a moment as she appraised Lilith. She frowned deeply, taking a step or two closer to Lilith. ¡°As I thought.¡± She said gravely. ¡°You¡¯re adorable.¡± She reached up and pinched Lilith¡¯s cheek, frown morphing into a huge smile. Letting go of Lilith¡¯s cheek, she turned to her daughter. ¡°And I thought the day would never come. Who¡¯s the father? What¡¯s his race? Obviously, he¡¯s a hybrid of some sort, but I¡¯m dying to know who produced a cutie like this.¡± Siph smiled happily. ¡°His name¡¯s Mike, and he¡¯s a human. He¡¯s the sweetest thing, though, and¨C¡± She was cut off as her father forcefully dragged her away, and Lilith was only able to hear the beginning of what he said, a hushed ¡°What daughter?!¡± Lilith¡¯s grandmother looked back to Lilith, raising an eyebrow. ¡°Oh?¡± She said inquisitively. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, does that mean that Siph didn¡¯t give birth to you?¡± ¡°No. She¡¯s still my mom, though. It¡¯s¡­complicated.¡± Her grandmother snorted derisively. ¡°It¡¯s really not. You say she¡¯s your mom, she says you¡¯re her daughter, case closed. I¡¯m really happy she taught you our language, though. It means she¡¯s serious about this. What happened to your birth mother?¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t teach me the language. And my birth mother is married to Siph and my dad. Again, it¡¯s a bit of a long story.¡± Her grandmother threw a glance at her husband and Siph, who were clearly beginning to have a fight. ¡°They¡¯ll be a bit, we have time.¡± She pulled Lilith into the cave, leading her into a small room that had some simple furniture in it. She dragged a couple of chairs around so that they faced each other and sat in one, prompting Lilith to sit in the other. ¡°I haven¡¯t really introduced myself, sorry. My name¡¯s Tiamat, but you can call me Grandma!¡± Tiamat? That was, by her recollection, the name of a very old and very powerful dragon, perhaps the most famous of her kind. Slightly more nervous now, Lilith spoke. ¡°And I¡¯m Lilith Clements. Nice to meet you.¡± Seeing Lilith¡¯s expression, Tiamat laughed. ¡°I¡¯m not that Tiamat, it¡¯s just a common name among dragons.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°That¡¯s¡­good to know. Um¡­so, how¡¯d you know my name? Mama¡¯s dad seemed pretty confused about this, and I thought mama hadn¡¯t talked to you in a bit, but she also said she told you about me?¡± ¡°You can just call him Grandpa, it¡¯s fine.¡± Tiamat reassured. She paused for a moment longer before continuing. ¡°And as for talking with Siph, I reached out to her a while ago and she mentioned something about having a daughter named Lilith.¡± She looked a Lilith for a moment longer, eyes lingering on her wings. Then, understanding of a sort dawned on her face. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s where I had seen you before, you¡¯re the one from the broadcast, right?¡± Lilith nodded. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s me.¡± Tiamat gave her a smile. ¡°In that case, tell me everything. I believe in the broadcast you said you were a human living on Earth, right? Start from there.¡± And she did. They talked for upwards of an hour before Lilith actually reached meeting Siph, as Tiamat was very interested in what her life on Earth was like before she was introduced to magic. Several times Lilith had to explain what something was, usually leading into tangents as she explained other things. Eventually, though, they did reach meeting Siph and the circumstances surrounding Siph¡¯s entry into Lilith¡¯s family. ¡°That¡¯s a wonderful Skill you picked up, dear.¡± Tiamat said once she found out about Familial Bond. ¡°Could you add me too? I don¡¯t want to be left out.¡± Lilith nodded. ¡°Yeah, as long as Grandpa agrees to come in too. I don¡¯t want to cause a fight between you two.¡± Tiamat rolled her eyes. ¡°He¡¯ll agree, but he¡¯ll probably complain about it first.¡± She paused, then gave Lilith a worried look. ¡°He¡¯ll probably want to fight you. Can you handle that? I know you seemed pretty strong during the broadcast, but he¡¯s no slouch either.¡± Lilith laughed. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. Let me get through the rest of the story and you¡¯ll see.¡± And so, they kept talking for another hour. They finished Lilith¡¯s story after another thirty or so minutes, briefly discussed what to do about Tiamat¡¯s husband, and after that was done, they just talked to get to know each other better. They would have talked even longer if Tiamat¡¯s husband didn¡¯t storm in furiously. ¡°You.¡± He barked, pointing at Lilith. ¡°Outside. Now.¡± Tiamat stood up and walked over, placing her hand on his arm. ¡°Kirdin, honey, shouldn¡¯t you talk to her first? She¡¯s a lovely young lady and I think if you listened¡­¡± He brushed her hand off. ¡°No, Tia. Siph¡¯s gone too far this time. I want that girl out of my house, and then I want her to watch and see as I beat some sense into our daughter. After that, I¡¯ll make her understand that Siph is not her mother, no matter what the two of them might think.¡± Lilith stood up and walked over, giving Kirdin a cold look. She didn¡¯t want to greet her grandfather like this, but it had been her grandmother¡¯s suggestion, so she went along with it. Besides, he was threatening to beat her mother, and she couldn¡¯t let that slide. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°I won¡¯t accept that.¡± She said frostily. ¡°Mama has done nothing wrong. If you want to fight anyone, you¡¯re going to fight me, understood?¡± Kirdin glared at her. ¡°Watch your tone, missy. I don¡¯t want to have to beat a child, but I will if you keep acting like this. Siph¡¯s clearly been too soft on you.¡± Lilith snorted. ¡°As if. You couldn¡¯t beat me if you tried, old man.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you one chance to take that back, and then I really will beat you.¡± He growled. ¡°You can keep that chance, you don¡¯t scare me.¡± Lilith replied levelly, locking eyes with Kirdin. ¡°Fine. Have it your way. Don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you. Tia, make sure she comes outside.¡± He said, turning and stomping out of the room. Tiamat smirked and patted Lilith¡¯s arm. ¡°Told you he¡¯d be like this. Go teach him some humility, will you? He hasn¡¯t lost in far too long.¡± Lilith followed her outside, to where Kirdin and Siph were staring daggers at each other. Kirdin pointed to the entrance of the cave. ¡°Siph, go stand next to your mother. You¡¯re going to watch while I discipline this kid for you.¡± ¡°Make me.¡± Siph retorted. ¡°I¡¯m not letting you lay a finger on her, got it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, mama.¡± Lilith called out. ¡°I was the one who wanted to fight him.¡± Siph shot her a look. ¡°Are you sure?¡± She asked, concerned. ¡°You really don¡¯t have to, this is between me and him.¡± Lilith smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. This is, in a real way, my fault, and I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯ll have an easier time of it than you.¡± ¡°Trust me, she¡¯s a lot stronger than he is.¡± Tiamat soothed. ¡°The only one getting hurt here will be him.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Siph conceded. ¡°I¡¯m going to step in if it looks even a little dangerous, though.¡± With that, she stepped over to Tiamat, and the two began a hushed conversation while Lilith walked over to Kirdin. For his part, Kirdin took a step back and shifted into his dragon form. Unsurprisingly, he was even bigger than Siph, and absolutely towered above Lilith, who didn¡¯t even flinch as she stared into an eye that was as big as she was. In response, she sent him a Geas.
Lilith demands you admit you¡¯re wrong and apologize. If you do not, you will take 10 nonlethal damage, and lose 10 Mana and Stamina.
There was a low, gravely rumble as Kirdin chuckled. ¡°That the best you can do? No chance.¡± Lilith smiled as she saw his HP tick down, confirming that he had ignored the Geas. ¡°Not even close.¡± She said. ¡°I just wanted to make it that much more convincing.¡± A Geas counted as a direct order from her, and disobeying it meant that her stats were now doubled for the purposes of fighting him. So, she strode confidently towards Kirdin, who lashed out with a claw. Lilith raised a hand, shifting her palm into a set of scales as she caught the claw, stopping Kirdin¡¯s momentum entirely. She looked up, flashing Kirdin a smile as she let go of the claw. ¡°Are you sure you want to go through with this?¡± She asked. ¡°I¡¯ll give you one more chance before I get serious.¡± In response Kirdin jumped back and let loose his acid breath, which Lilith absorbed with Zoan¡¯s Barrier. ¡°The hard way it is, I suppose.¡± She responded, flexing her wings and taking off into the sky. And, in a flash, she was up in his face, sprouting tentacles which entangled Kirdin¡¯s legs, wings, tail, and neck, then unceremoniously flipped him onto his back. Lilith flapped above him lazily, watching as he thrashed in a vain attempt to free himself. ¡°Give up.¡± She said. ¡°I haven¡¯t even used most of my Skills and you still can¡¯t do anything to me. This isn¡¯t going to get you anywhere.¡± He didn¡¯t respond, choosing instead to continue to struggle. Lilith tightened her grip, immobilizing him. ¡°It¡¯s rude to ignore people.¡± She said. ¡°What are you?!¡± He panted. ¡°Oh, did mama not tell you?¡± Lilith said sweetly. ¡°I¡¯m a Perfect Chimera, and also probably the strongest thing alive at the moment. Did you not watch the broadcast?¡± ¡°Why bother?¡± He retorted. ¡°That¡¯s just politics, and I can figure this new system out myself.¡± He shifted back to a humanoid form in an attempt to break free of Lilith¡¯s grip, but she was ready, tentacles constricting around him. She began to squeeze as she landed and walked towards him, changing a hand into a razor-sharp scythe on the way. When she reached him, she put the limb at his throat, giving him her best smug smile. ¡°Don¡¯t make me try any more than this.¡± She warned. ¡°I can¡¯t guarantee I won¡¯t hurt you.¡± Kirdin began to shift to his dragon from again and Lilith let him, letting go of him as he leered down at her. In response she simply raised the scythe and swung it down, neatly severing one of his claws before she stepped in closer and swung once more, this time taking off a thick sheet of his scales. ¡°I can do this all day.¡± She said. ¡°Let me know when you¡¯re done.¡± Kirdin stopped, then shifted back into his human form, clutching a large wound that had appeared on his forearm, the skin having been peeled off. ¡°Fine. I can recognize when I¡¯m beat.¡± He said. ¡°You¡¯re strong, I¡¯ll admit that.¡± Lilith smiled, healing him up with Kindness¡¯s Kiss. ¡°Good. I really didn¡¯t want to hurt you any more than that.¡± Tiamat and Siph reached them at about this time. Siph was smirking triumphantly, and Tiamat just rolled her eyes. ¡°I told you to listen.¡± She scolded. ¡°Now, are you going to come listen to our granddaughter¡¯s story or not?¡±
¡°Sorry.¡± Kirdin mumbled. ¡°I was being overprotective again.¡± They had just finished explaining everything to him, and he was sitting in his chair looking rather sheepish. ¡°I just¡­it¡¯s never, um, not usually a good idea for dragons to fall in love with humanoids. They¡¯re almost always looking for something from us and even if they¡¯re not, our lifestyles aren¡¯t really compatible. So, when I heard my baby was with a human I got upset.¡± Tiamat raised an eyebrow. ¡°Really? I¡¯ve got several friends who are happily married with humanoids, and there haven¡¯t been any issues there. Are you sure it¡¯s not just personal bias?¡± Kirdin huffed. ¡°I just don¡¯t want her making the same mistakes I did. That¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Alright, so, you¡¯re going to let Lilith add you to Familial Bond, right?¡± ¡°Yes, dear.¡± He replied, looking down. Lilith let Familial Bond prompt the two, and they accepted. Kirdin scratched the back of his neck and slowly began to speak. ¡°Uh, I really am sorry, kiddo. You¡¯re a good kid, you know that? I¡¯m really happy that you wanted to protect your mama. Will you forgive me?¡± ¡°Yes, Grandpa.¡± Lilith replied. Kirdin brightened immediately, reaching over and rubbing her head affectionately. ¡°Good to hear. I don¡¯t want to be on bad terms with my only grandkid. Now, is there a reason you two came over or are you just introducing yourself? And why do you lo¨C¡± ¡°A twist of fate.¡± Tiamat said quickly. ¡°No real reason she looks like she¡¯s a hybrid between an angel and a demon, just a quirk of her transformation.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not ¨C¡± ¡°Anyway, what are you doing here?¡± Tiamat asked. ¡°I really appreciate the visit and all, but I don¡¯t think you ever got around to telling me exactly why.¡± ¡°Ah, right.¡± Lilith said, straightening. ¡°I was kind of hoping you two would let us put one of our transfer gates here.¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Tiamat said, giving her a happy smile. ¡°That sounds like a wonderful idea.¡± ¡°What?¡± Kirdin asked, confused. ¡°What gates?¡± ¡°I told you, you should have watched the broadcast.¡± Tiamat said, giving him an exasperated look. ¡°She talks about it there. She wants to make some permanent gates between Earth and Haven.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Lilith said. ¡°We¡¯re putting one where mama used to live, and we¡¯re going to ask some other dragons too, as well as clearing out some hostile, equally powerful monsters and placing ones there. Since strong things tend to avoid places where much stronger things live, it makes those places perfect for the starts of new settlements.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure I want a bunch of humanoids living near me.¡± Kirdin said slowly. ¡°That¡¯s begging for trouble, especially if they¡¯re from Earth and aren¡¯t familiar with dragons.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got a point.¡± Lilith said. ¡°Um¡­you could come live with us, if you wanted. It¡¯s mostly humanoids there, too, but we¡¯re all used to this sort of stuff so no one should give you any trouble.¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t live somewhere my grandkid made for me.¡± Kirdin replied. ¡°I like to feel like it¡¯s a place I earned myself, you know?¡± While Lilith thought this over, Tiamat started to talk with her husband. ¡°Are you sure you can¡¯t give this whole gate thing a try? If we have any issues, we can always have Lilith be a mediator for us and the people. It¡¯ll be nice to be able to have access to more things again, and I¡¯m dying to try some of the stuff Lilith¡¯s been telling me about. Come on, if worst comes to worst, we can just move somewhere else. It¡¯s not like this place was hard to make.¡± Kirdin sighed. ¡°Fine, we¡¯ll let you put a gate. Just make sure people know not to mess with us, alright?¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± Lilith said brightly. ¡°I really appreciate it! I have to leave soon since it¡¯s been longer than I expected, but do you two want to come see the place? I¡¯d love to introduce you to everyone!¡± ¡°Of course, dear!¡± Tiamat said. ¡°Lead the way!¡± Chapter 39: Nice to Meet Goo As the group made preparations to teleport, Lilith had Carmen bring their parents to the destination. She figured it would be best to get their inevitable meeting over with, and this way her grandfather would be guaranteed to be under the supervision of everyone. Once the circle was drawn and everyone was inside, Lilith activated it, transporting them all to the living quarters. ¡°Hey.¡± Carmen said nonchalantly. ¡°Lilith already told you, but I¡¯m Carmen. Nice kind of meeting you all.¡± Kirdin glanced at Lilith, confused. ¡°You have a twin?¡± Carmen rolled her eyes. ¡°No. We¡¯re the same person. Lilith already told you about this, remember?¡± Kirdin furled his brow. ¡°I thought that was like¡­a voice in your head.¡± That too. Mae said. There are four of us. ¡°And we¡¯re constantly sharing senses and whatever, so you don¡¯t have to get me up to speed. Anyway, this is mom and dad. Mom and dad, this is grandma and grandpa.¡± Kirdin snapped to attention, strutting over to Mike and looking him up and down. He sniffed disapprovingly, glaring at him. ¡°I don¡¯t see what¡¯s so great about you. Break up with my daughter or I¡¯ll snap your neck here and now.¡± Lilith moved to intervene, but Tiamat grabbed her shoulder, shaking her head. ¡°Let him deal with it.¡± She whispered. Mike maintained eye contact and spoke. ¡°No. Regardless of what I feel, though, that isn¡¯t something for you to decide. If she loves me and I love her, then you have no business telling us we can or can¡¯t be together.¡± Kirdin narrowed his eyes and looked at Jessica. ¡°And you?¡± She snorted. ¡°Please. There¡¯s no chance of that. Besides, that threat¡¯s empty and you know it. Siph or Lilith would stop you before you could even try.¡± Kirdin laughed uproariously. ¡°You got me, well done. Both of you pass.¡± He turned serious again as he looked at the two of them. ¡°This really won¡¯t do, though. I can tell that neither of you have picked up any sort of eternal youth, and have no experience fighting. If this keeps up, you¡¯re just going to end up making my girl sad. Come on.¡± He grabbed each of them and started to drag them away, before stopping suddenly. ¡°Lilith? Where¡¯s the training room?¡± ¡°Right behind us. There¡¯ll be a teleporter that¡¯ll take you straight to it.¡± Carmen answered. ¡°Much appreciated.¡± He said, turning around and dragging a bewildered Mike and Jessica into the teleporter. Siph smiled warmly. ¡°Dad¡¯ll get them whipped into shape in no time. It¡¯ll be hard, but I think it¡¯s for the best. They need to be stronger, he needs to bond with them, it¡¯s a win-win. Despite how he acts, he¡¯s a remarkably good teacher. Still, I¡¯m going to go make sure he¡¯s not too harsh on them. I¡¯m not sure he knows just how fragile humans can be.¡± She said, stepping into the teleporter with a wink. Tiamat sighed. ¡°That musclebrain never changes. You were going to show me around?¡± So, they began to show her the place. Everyone else was out training, so they didn¡¯t have to worry about interrupting everyone as they did their little house tour. Which isn¡¯t to say they weren¡¯t interrupted. Around halfway through, Kali contacted Lilith mentally. Hey, can you come over to our room? I need you for a bit. ¡°I¡¯ll keep showing her around, you go see what she needs.¡± Carmen said. ¡°I¡¯d like to talk with Grandma a bit more anyway.¡± Tiamat tilted her head. ¡°What¡¯s this all of a sudden?¡± ¡°Kali just called us in for something.¡± Carmen explained. ¡°And, since there¡¯s no real need for both of us to be in the same place, I figured I¡¯d keep showing you around so you could get to know me better. Well, better than you already do, since a lot of what you know about Lilith applies to me too.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s fine. Make sure to come introduce her to me when you finish, though. I want to meet my granddaughter¡¯s girlfriend.¡± Tiamat said, smiling. ¡°Right. Sorry about this, Grandma, but it¡¯s probably important.¡± Lilith apologized. ¡°Don¡¯t be. You¡¯ll still be right here, so I don¡¯t mind at all.¡± Carmen smirked. ¡°See? Grandma gets it. Now shoo.¡± Lilith sighed, but left for Kali¡¯s house anyway. She made her way through the core room and the halls of Kali¡¯s house before finally entering their room. ¡°I¡¯m here!¡± She called out. The moment Lilith had, she found her arm engulfed between two soft and squishy¡­things. ¡°Ara ara, you look so cute I could just eat you up.¡± Lilith looked over to find that she was gripped by two gooey green hands connected to a tall woman made entirely out of the same slimy material. She noted, with some surprise, that she could see through her ever so slightly, like a frosted window. The woman looked over to Kali, who was snickering on the bed. ¡°Did I say that right?¡± She asked, an air of faux innocence about her. Kali stopped snicker and sighed. ¡°Yeah, you got it, but the effect¡¯s ruined if you ask whether or not you did it.¡± ¡°I know.¡± The woman teased, sticking her tongue out. ¡°Not fair if she¡¯s the only one I get to poke fun at.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. Anyway, Lilith, this is my old Administrator Amy. Amy, this is my first real Higher Being and, more importantly, my girlfriend, Lilith.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you!¡± Amy said, moving over to the front of Lilith and sticking out her hand. ¡°I¡¯m a slime but, like, the person kind.¡± Lilith shook the proffered hand, noting that, despite the goo, it was rather solid and not at all sticky. ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Amy let go of Lilith¡¯s hand and moved over to the couch, sitting down. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t stain the couch or anything.¡± She said, waving Lilith over. ¡°Come talk with us. I was just about to help Kali lay out what¡¯ll happen next, and you¡¯re going to be part of that, so we figured you should know. That and I just wanted to meet you. So, come take a seat.¡± Lilith sat down next to Kali, who immediately snuggled up to her. Amy gave the two a gentle smile, then began to speak. ¡°Alright, first things first, how much Worship are you making a day on average?¡± ¡°It¡¯s only been a couple of days, but around a couple hundred.¡± Kali replied. ¡°Not a lot, then.¡± Amy said, tapping her chin. ¡°In that case, you¡¯ll be better off building strength here for a while. I would have recommended that anyway, but we¡¯ll just do it for longer. It¡¯ll still be shorter than most people would take, since you already have a foundation and are catching up, but it¡¯ll be a few years at least. ¡°So, we need to talk strategy to do that. The key here is that people need conflict. Without conflict, people don¡¯t have a motivation to get stronger. War is a pretty simple one, but the people who already know how to use magic don¡¯t seem to be the type to start an internal conflict, at least not now, and you¡¯ve rightly prevented conflict between them and the people who don¡¯t know magic, so it¡¯s got to be something else. She frowned, drumming her fingers on the armrest. ¡°I would recommend a monster lord of some sort.¡± She said. ¡°It can be a little difficult to control if you¡¯re not careful, but I¡¯m pretty sure we can hack the system here.¡± She looked at Lilith. ¡°You¡¯ve got a multiple personality thing going on, right? It¡¯d probably be easiest to have it be one of those. Kali won¡¯t have to spend too much Worship, either. Just enough to give you the required abilities to be a monster lord and you¡¯ll be set. It¡¯d be way cheaper than making one from scratch.¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± Lilith began, ¡°is this all really¡­necessary? Why do we need to be in such a hurry to get stronger? I mean, obviously Haven¡¯s more dangerous than Earth, but that should be enough to get people to adapt, right?¡± Amy looked back to Kali. ¡°Has she been fully briefed on the planar conflicts yet?¡± Kali shook her head. ¡°Not in any sort of detail. I¡¯ve had more important things to teach her.¡± ¡°Right. So, here¡¯s the long and the short of it.¡± Amy said. ¡°New planes just pop out of nowhere, and us Administrators have to decide who gets what. For that, we hold a¡­battle of sorts. We¡¯ve codified a long list of rules to minimize the damage to all sides, but the gist is that each interested Administrator fields and army of sorts, which clash, and the victor gets the plane. ¡°Or, rather, their group gets the plane. I¡¯m the leader of the largest of the three main groups, and Kali¡¯s a member. We usually pool all our forces together when working to get the plane. I won¡¯t bore you with the politics, but the reason we all need these planes is to prevent the exact thing that happened here on Earth so long ago.¡± She frowned, shaking her head slightly. ¡°And, technically, we also need these planes to keep the balance of power. The three big groups try to make sure that no one gains too much of an advantage over anyone else, in case they start thinking about directly attacking other Administrators and trying to take their planes. ¡°And for the most part it works, we make it known that anyone who tries to invade another Administrator¡¯s planes will be mercilessly set upon by all other Administrators, and after we made a few examples, it worked. We haven¡¯t had any real wars in a long time, but¡­it can¡¯t hurt to be prepared.¡± Amy¡¯s expression softened. ¡°And to do that, we need to have controlled conflict on our planes to get people as strong as possible. I know it seems callous, but it¡¯s for the best. If we don¡¯t get stronger, we won¡¯t be able to get new planes, and if we don¡¯t get new planes, people will run out of room and conflict is just going to get worse and worse, both among Administrators and regular people. ¡°But, it¡¯s not like you¡¯ll be just killing defenseless people. An important part of being the monster lord is judging how much strength to use to give people a fighting chance. The idea is to not raze villages full of civilians, and instead¡­be threatening without really actually being much of a threat to the civilians. For example, it¡¯s common to make big shows of bringing monster armies to take over towns to give people time to evacuate.¡± Kali squeezed Lilith¡¯s hand. ¡°And if it¡¯s you, we can exactly control the damage. I think I¡¯ll be making one anyway, so it would be really comforting if it was you. But, I won¡¯t force you. I know it¡¯s a big ask.¡± ¡°Can I¡­have some time to think about this?¡± ¡°Of course. Take all the time you need.¡± Amy nodded. ¡°Right. It¡¯s a big responsibility, so don¡¯t feel pressured. You¡¯ve already got a lot on your plate, so it¡¯s understandable if you decide not to.¡± She turned to Kali. ¡°That being said, the next task is to start getting a team set up. A lot of people make the mistake of just throwing all their most powerful people into the team, but that¡¯s often sub-optimal. See, the thing about battling for a plane is that it¡¯s all about Worship management. Whoever you send out can¡¯t act normally without a stream of Worship, so you have to make the most out of the time they have there. More powerful people have a higher Worship cost associated with keeping them out, since they¡¯re receiving more of your support to keep them at their normal strength. And, if someone forgets the rules and accidentally kills them, they cost more Worship to revive.¡± Her face clouded. ¡°It¡¯s important to float people the Worship needed to revive their people if they accidentally die to one of yours. It¡¯s just one of those rules that makes the whole thing tolerable for all of us. However, some people won¡¯t do that, especially if they¡¯re from an opposing faction. They¡¯ll try and weasel out of it in whatever way they can. So, it¡¯s important to take videos of your people fighting and interactions with enemy Administrators when at all possible. If someone refuses to give you Worship after one of your people is killed, come talk to me and we¡¯ll work on getting everything disseminated. ¡°If the proof is strong enough, the other Administrator will be ¡°blacklisted¡±, which just means that most people won¡¯t refund them any Worship, and a lot of factions will close their doors to them. And, if by chance you can¡¯t afford the Worship cost, or someone else can¡¯t afford the Worship cost for you, we have a tool that will verify it for both parties; I¡¯ll show you how to use it later.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m getting distracted. You need to start thinking about team composition. A lot of people who use monster lords will use the teams of heroes that rise to defeat the monster lord, granting them immortality and sequestering them away once the demon monster is defeated, training them further to work with the other heroes and keep their skills strong. A lot of them will even explain the truth behind monster lords and have them work with the monster lord.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s just a suggestion. Personally, I¡¯d suggest making sure all your Perfect Chimeras make it to the field each time regardless of how you set your team up. They¡¯re all big hitters, and, given how closely tied they are to your system, actually won¡¯t be that expensive. From my understanding they already require a hefty one-off sum of Worship to make, so they¡¯re going to be partially fueled by that in other planes. Their stats will probably drain over time if you don¡¯t feed them a stream of Worship like you do others, but that¡¯ll fix itself after a bit of rest back on one of your planes. ¡°And, honestly, Lilith could potentially be free. She should be able to sustain herself off of her own Worship, but I¡¯m not exactly sure how the logistics will play out, as I haven¡¯t ever seen someone as closely tied to an Administrator¡¯s system as she is. So, with that in mind, what are your thoughts on what your team will be like?¡± At this point, Lilith¡¯s attention was drawn away from Amy and over to Carmen, who was talking with Tiamat. ¡°So, it looks like it¡¯ll be a few hours? In that case I think I¡¯m about ready to go home, dear.¡± Tiamat said, giving Carmen a hug. ¡°Your grandfather wants to stay and train your parents some more, so you should probably prepare one of those guest rooms. He might be here for quite a while.¡± Carmen nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll do that after I send you off.¡± Tiamat smiled, hugging Carmen. ¡°I¡¯ll probably want to come over every few days, is that alright with you?¡± ¡°Of course! Just let us know when you want to, and we¡¯ll come pick you up.¡± Carmen said, releasing the hug and beginning to draw a circle. A short time later, Tiamat had left, and Lilith returned her attention to Amy and Kali. They were still deep in conversation, and Lilith would have assumed the two had forgotten about her completely were it not for the fact that Kali had begun to play with Lilith¡¯s hair. Not sure how to ask if her presence was still necessary, Lilith didn¡¯t, instead choosing to settle in and listen to the conversation between Amy and Kali. Chapter 40: A Date to Remember ¡°Jameson, when did you say Lucas was going to get here, again?¡± Anna asked, checking her phone. It was 6:40, and he still hadn¡¯t shown up. ¡°Relax, he said he¡¯d be here at 6:45. Are you really that eager to see him? You¡¯ll make me jealous.¡± Jameson teased. Anna rolled her eyes. ¡°Come on, you know you¡¯d be the same if you were in my situation.¡± Like Jameson, she and Lucas had been childhood friends. The two had known each other practically since they were born, as their parents were friends and had regularly visited each other, bringing the kids with them. And, like Jameson she hadn¡¯t had any contact with Lucas in months. He had sent a vague message about being away for a while, and that was the last anyone had heard of him. His parents hadn¡¯t been any help, either. They were just as clueless as he was, and his aunt had vanished at nearly the same time he had, so she was a dead end too. To make matters worse, his parents disappeared shortly thereafter, so, needless to say, Anna was worried. She and Jameson had tried going to the police after Lucas¡¯ parents vanished, but they always gave vague non-answers and said they¡¯d ¡°look into it¡±. No progress was ever made, though, so the two had given up on the police for the time being. And then the Shift happened and that had been put on the backburner. The first few days had been kind of rocky, but society sprung back remarkably quickly, thanks in part to the Class system incentivizing keeping businesses operational. Anna had even started to entertain the notion of the High Arbiter being the Lucas she knew, but that had been proved to be wrong when, just a few days after the Shift, Jameson just ran into Lucas on the street. And, to Anna¡¯s bafflement, he had somehow managed to pick up a girlfriend in the intervening time. She had a lot of questions, and she was dying to know what had happened to him. Then, once she¡¯d learned everything, she¡¯d make sure to wring his neck. Whatever reason he had, she was sure that it wasn¡¯t good enough to warrant no contact when he had the liberty to be just walking around near his house. The doorbell rang, and Jameson hurried off to go get it. Anna prepared herself to chew out Lucas, but the words failed to leave her mouth when she saw his date. It was the High Arbiter. And there was no question that it was really her, either. She had apparently forced the queen of the fae to make her subjects turn back everyone they messed with, and, if the internet was to be believed, the system had some sort of built-in punishment for people who tried to impersonate her. And somehow that oblivious idiot had managed to land her as a date. ¡°Um, Anna, right?¡± The High Arbiter asked. ¡°I¡¯m Lilith. Nice to meet you.¡± Anna had to admit she wasn¡¯t as petrified as she would have assumed she would be if she was meeting someone this important. There was something familiar about the woman in front of her; she didn¡¯t act at all like she had in the video everyone got. She seemed¡­awkward. ¡°R-right. Nice to meet you.¡± Anna stammered, belatedly realizing she was supposed to say something. Then it hit her. Jameson had, in passing, mentioned that the date had been rescheduled because Lucas¡¯ date originally wanted to do it on girl¡¯s night, so he¡¯d asked Lucas to see if she was available later. Had he known who Lucas¡¯ date was? There was no way, right? Lucas just probably didn¡¯t mention it for some reason. She¡¯d really have to give it to him later. Fortunately for her, Jameson and Lucas walked in then, saving her from the need to say anything more. Jameson looked as composed as ever, but he had to be freaking out too, right? ¡°Good, I see you two have met.¡± Lucas said, an uncharacteristic smirk on his face. ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡± He asked, turning to Jameson. ¡°Soon as your girlfriend gets here, we¡¯re going to head out to that one Italian place you like, and then we¡¯ll go catch a movie or something.¡± Jameson responded. Wait, what? ¡°Uh, isn¡¯t she already here?¡± Anna asked, motioning to the High Arbiter. Lucas gave her a disinterested glance. ¡°Her? No, she¡¯s not my girlfriend. She¡¯s coming with us, though.¡± That was even more confusing. The High Arbiter herself was just¡­tagging along, like a third wheel? Anna floundered, looking for a response. ¡°Alright! That¡¯s enough!¡± The High Arbiter suddenly said. ¡°We¡¯ve given her enough of a heart attack, let¡¯s drop the charade.¡± Right. That was the only logical conclusion. It was all an act, they were just¡­ The High Arbiter was approaching her. She gently took Anna¡¯s hand and sat her down in a chair. ¡°Don¡¯t freak out, OK?¡± To Anna¡¯s shock, Lucas was¡­no longer Lucas. He looked almost identical to the High Arbiter; there were a couple of small differences, but Anna was confident she wouldn¡¯t be able to tell who was who if they left the room and reentered. ¡°Um, I don¡¯t know a good way to phrase this, so I¡¯m just going to come out and say it.¡± The High Arbiter said hesitantly. ¡°I¡¯m Lucas. She,¡± the High Arbiter motioned to her clone, ¡°is sort of an alternate personality. Goes by Carmen. It¡¯s a long story, but we are, for all intents and purposes, the same person. Jameson just wanted to pull your leg a little.¡± Anna stared at her blankly, then stood up, pointing an accusatory finger at Jameson. ¡°I told you this might have happened!¡± She proclaimed. ¡°Hah, I was right!¡± Then, realizing what she had done, turned to the High Arbiter ¨C Lucas ¨C frantically. ¡°Uh, sorry about that. I brought up the possibility while we were looking for you and he said there was no way that could be true. Um¡­you really are Lucas, right?¡± Lucas nodded. ¡°I go by Lilith now, but yes. If you need some more proof, this one time in third grade we were on a field trip down to the river and ¨C¡± ¡°Right, right, that¡¯s enough, I believe you!¡± Anna said, cutting her off. ¡°No need to bring that up again!¡± Lilith smiled in relief. ¡°Good. It¡¯s really good to see you again. The past few months have been so crazy that it¡¯s just¡­nice to hang out with my old friends, you know?¡± Anna looked her up and down. ¡°I¡¯ll bet.¡± She paused while looking at Lilith¡¯s chest, then frowned. ¡°That¡¯s¡­not fair. You¡¯re bigger than me.¡± Lilith blushed. ¡°Hey, that wasn¡¯t my choice!¡± ¡°Well, technically¨C¡± Carmen began. ¡°Shush!¡± Lilith said, silencing her clone. ¡°That¡¯s unrelated and you know it!¡± If she wasn¡¯t convinced that this was Lucas before, she was now. That was the exact same flustered look he used to get whenever anyone would tease him. ¡°Wait,¡± Anna said, realizing something, ¡°if you¡¯re not¡­your own date, then who is?¡± ¡°Tis I!¡± a voice proclaimed from behind Anna, ¡°The great goddess Kali Clements! Bow be¨C¡± This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°We¡¯ve already been through this.¡± Lilith said, exasperated. ¡°You¡¯re not going to introduce yourself like this to everyone I know, right? And you called yourself Kali Clements again. It¡¯s still only been like a week and a half.¡± Anna whirled around to face the voice. She¡­recognized her. It was the woman that had been standing behind Lilith in the broadcast. The Administrator, she had called herself. So, taking stock of the situation, Anna had somehow ended up in her boyfriend¡¯s living room with the two most important people on the face of the planet. One was a friend so old they were practically like siblings, and the other was, apparently, that friend¡¯s date. ¡°I¡¯m just teasing.¡± Kali said, walking over to Lilith and giving her a hug. ¡°I¡¯m not dropping the Clements unless it¡¯s actually making you upset, though. Saying it just makes me so happy that I can¡¯t help myself!¡± Lilith sighed. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll allow it, so long as you don¡¯t try and introduce yourself like that to any world leaders or anything.¡± ¡°I can live with that.¡± Kali said, giving Lilith a quick kiss. ¡°You guys, uh, weren¡¯t inconvenienced by the rescheduling, right?¡± Anna blurted out. Kali frowned. ¡°I had to move back a couple of important meetings, yeah.¡± ¡°What she means is that she¡¯s moving back just lazing around at home. Her schedule¡¯s almost completely free, she just wanted to help Jameson pull your leg. And before you get too mad at him, he didn¡¯t want to bring the idea up when he had it, but I made him, and then Kali thought it would be funny, so we did it.¡± Lilith corrected. That was¡­awfully childish for someone who was in charge of the known universe. Wait, didn¡¯t that make her god? She hadn¡¯t thought about it before, but that was almost exactly what Kali was. She¡¯d have to make a note to keep an eye on the religious climate in the future. There was probably going to be an upheaval soon. She wasn¡¯t religious, but it never hurt to keep an eye on current events. All the same, she gave Jameson a look that said they¡¯d have words about this later, then turned her attention back to the girls. ¡°That¡¯s a relief. Girl¡¯s night really isn¡¯t worth changing any plans for, much less important ones.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we know.¡± Lilith soothed. ¡°If it was a hassle, we wouldn¡¯t have done this. Anyway, knowing you, you¡¯re probably lowkey panicking about who we are, but you shouldn¡¯t be. I¡¯m still the same person you grew up with, and she¡¯s just my girlfriend. And we¡¯ve got a couple of spells up that¡¯ll hide our more¡­conspicuous parts to anyone that doesn¡¯t know us well, as well as a bit of recognition scrambling, so as far as everyone else is concerned we¡¯re just another couple.¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Kali added cheerfully. ¡°And, despite what I said earlier, I¡¯m not actually a god. That¡¯s just a little joke I like to play. I was never one for standing on ceremony, so please don¡¯t.¡± She detached herself from Lilith and walked over to Anna, proffering a hand. ¡°Nice to meet you!¡± Anna took the hand a little gingerly and shook. ¡°So,¡± Kali said, ¡°I believe Italian food was mentioned?¡±
They made it to the restaurant around 20 minutes later, and, seeing as they had no reservation, they had to wait for a further 20 before they were actually seated. They had mostly made small talk during the intervening time; Anna really wanted to ask Lilith more about what had happened, but she figured that a public setting was, perhaps, not the greatest place for it. Fortunately for her, that changed once they sat down at the table. ¡°So,¡± Kali said, ¡°I¡¯ve set up a barrier, anyone else won¡¯t hear what we¡¯re saying, they¡¯ll just think we¡¯re talking about¡­something not important. What exactly they hear will depend on what they would expect a bunch of friends at a restaurant to be talking about. I¡¯m sure you both have a million questions, so fire away!¡± ¡°So¡­¡± Ana began hesitantly, ¡°Judy and your parents are fine, right? They all just sorta¡­disappeared.¡± ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re fine. Remember the blurred out people in the video? That was them, plus a few friends.¡± ¡°Oh, that makes sense. You wouldn¡¯t believe what the people on the internet have come up with in regard to their identity. Your family came up on the list, of course, but so did the family of every other Lucas Clements people could find.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fun to read the theories!¡± Kali added. ¡°Especially the crack theories. People just seem to like throwing random names out there and you get some funny stuff as a result.¡± ¡°Wait, why haven¡¯t you told me about this?¡± Lilith asked. ¡°Because it hasn¡¯t been important.¡± Kali responded. ¡°You¡¯ve had a busy few days.¡± ¡°But, yes, Judy¡¯s fine, and my parents are fine.¡± Carmen said, then gave Anna and Jameson a smirk. ¡°All three of them.¡± ¡°Uh, what?¡± Jameson replied. Lilith sighed. ¡°That¡¯s another long story. The important thing is that everyone¡¯s safe. You¡¯ll¡­probably not have a lot of contact with them, though. They¡¯re living with me, because the magical government wants to use them as hostages. That¡¯s why I was picking up all our stuff.¡± Anna tilted her head. ¡°What? Is that what you were doing when Jameson found you? He wouldn¡¯t tell me.¡± Lilith nodded. ¡°Yeah. Some¡­stuff happened, so I don¡¯t blame him for not wanting to talk about it.¡± Jameson scratched his neck. ¡°No, that¡¯s not it, I just didn¡¯t want to worry her. Or give her any hints on what you¡¯ve been up to.¡± Anna rolled her eyes. ¡°Should I be concerned about this stuff?¡± Carmen shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s all under control. I¡¯ll let you know at the first sign of any danger. Of course, by then I¡¯ll probably have beheaded that¡­woman myself, so there¡¯s really nothing to worry about.¡± Anna was instantly worried. She knew Carmen was supposed to be an alternate personality, but¡­she couldn¡¯t even grasp the Lucas she knew giving a death threat, let alone one so serious. And Lilith didn¡¯t look to be objecting, either. Wasn¡¯t she supposed to be the original Lucas? He wouldn¡¯t have let that slide¡­right? ¡°Um¡­are you OK?¡± Anna asked. ¡°That seems¡­harsh.¡± Lilith sighed again. ¡°She¡¯ll come back. I mean, even if she didn¡¯t, we would probably still severely injure her, but she¡­deserves it.¡± Anna swallowed hard. ¡°Who are we talking about?¡± ¡°Titania, the faerie queen. She showed up while Jameson and I were moving stuff away. There was a fight, and¡­here we are. I¡¯ve told her not to attack you guys, and I¡¯ve got a surveillance ability that¡¯ll tell me as soon as she tries. As long as we¡¯re not in the middle of a fight that somehow needs our undivided attention, which we shouldn¡¯t be, one of us will teleport in and stop her then and there. The chances she actually tries anything are pretty low, though, at least for the time being. She¡¯s a bit too busy to plot that.¡± So, she had forced the queen of the fae into reversing things. And, presumably, Jameson was there for it. He weathered her gaze admirably, glancing off to the side as if to pass her withering stare elsewhere. So, that was another thing to add to the list of ¡°things to chew Jameson out about later¡±. That was way too important to hide for a prank. But she could tell Lilith didn¡¯t want to talk about it right now, so she didn¡¯t press the issue. Instead, she listened, fascinated, to the story of how this all happened. They were interrupted, briefly, by the server coming to take their orders (Lilith and Carmen both ordered the same pasta Lucas would always get, and Kali got a soup), and again when the food got there, but for they were able to get through the story in the hour or so they were there. Kali insisted on paying for their meals, as she apparently had saved enough money to buy a small country. Espionage paid well and she didn¡¯t have anything to spend it on, she had told Anna, so it was just sitting there doing nothing. They then left for the movies. Once again, Kali insisted on paying for everything, and soon they were watching a zombie flick. Kali was clearly enjoying pretending to be scared and snuggling up to Lilith, while Carmen and Lilith seemed mostly unimpressed. ¡°Horror movies not do it for you anymore?¡± Jameson teased once the movie was over. ¡°I remember they used to keep you up all night.¡± Carmen shrugged. ¡°They¡¯re a lot less scary when you not only have the ability to beat any of the monsters into the dirt but are also basically the monster yourself. I¡¯ll have to show you when we get back to the house, it¡¯s wild.¡± ¡°Come to think of it, are zombies real?¡± Anna asked. Yes. In fact, you are technically talking to one. Mae replied. She had been silent most of the night, save for when Lilith had introduced her. She apparently hadn¡¯t had much to add to the conversation, so had chosen to remain silent. I am the most knowledgeable about our biology. Mae explained in response to the unasked question. So, I figured I should be the one to explain. After that, they went back to Jameson¡¯s house. Lilith showed off her Eldritch Abomination Skill, and then they played cards. Lilith had ensured her that all sensory links had been temporarily broken and that mind magic was disallowed to keep things fair, but Carmen won most of the time anyway. Her poker face was too good, and she knew everyone else¡¯s tells, so it wasn¡¯t exactly a fair contest. She chose to sit out after a while, and the games quickly became a lot closer. Another hour or so after that, and the double date was over. ¡°That was fun!¡± Kali said. ¡°We should do this again!¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Anna muttered idly. It had been fun, but it had also been draining. Try as she might, she still wasn¡¯t completely comfortable around the Administrator. Not because of the person herself, she was super friendly, but because of her station. Regardless of her claims otherwise, she was still functionally god, at least in Anna¡¯s eyes. Well, either way, she probably wouldn¡¯t have to worry about it for another couple of weeks. ¡°Perfect! Does same time next week work?¡± Or not. She took a deep breath. Only way to get comfortable was to be around her more. ¡°Sure, why not?¡± Chapter 41: Introspection A week or so later, Alex¡¯s evening reading was interrupted by a knock on her door. ¡°Come in!¡± She called, placing her bookmark and closing the book. Raphael gingerly stepped through the door, taking care not to show her back to Alex as she closed the door. She was holding her arms behind her back too, and Alex was pretty sure she knew what was going on. Still, it was important to let Raphael take things at her own pace, so she pretended she didn¡¯t notice. ¡°Raphael!¡± She said warmly. ¡°Are you here to watch TV again?¡± ¡°N-no.¡± Raphael stammered. ¡°Um¡­I have something to show you, promise you won¡¯t freak out?¡± ¡°I promise I won¡¯t freak out.¡± Alex said, setting down her book. ¡°What do you want to show me?¡± Raphael took her hands away, and a small spade tail sprung out from behind her back. ¡°I, um¡­I asked Kali for it back.¡± She said. ¡°I thought¡­I thought if I was going to enjoy being a demon, I should commit.¡± Alex gave her a reassuring smile. ¡°Well, I think it looks cute.¡± She said. ¡°It¡¯s your body and your life, so you should get to choose what goes on with it. Have you showed anyone else yet?¡± Raphael shook her head, blushing. ¡°N-no. I thought I would come show you first because we had already¡­you know, talked about this. Um¡­do you think anyone else is going to freak out?¡± Alex chuckled, patting the bed next to her. ¡°Come take a seat.¡± She said. Raphael sat, looking up at Alex nervously. ¡°So¡­¡± ¡°No, no one¡¯s going to freak out.¡± Alex replied. ¡°They¡¯re probably gonna be a little surprised about you being a demon now, but they¡¯re not gonna suddenly hate you or anything just because you look a little different. I mean, look at Lilith, she¡¯s got the whole angel and demon look going on and no one bats an eye at that.¡± ¡°Yeah, but¡­she¡¯s a Perfect Chimera, that¡¯s different.¡± Raphael said. ¡°How?¡± ¡°They¡¯re¡­they¡¯re exceptions!¡± Alex raised an eyebrow. ¡°To what?¡± Raphael froze. ¡°I¡­right. I¡­forgot.¡± Alex smiled, throwing an arm around the younger girl. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± She said. ¡°Everyone here will accept you without a second thought.¡± ¡°How can you be so sure?¡± Raphael asked in a small voice. ¡°I¡¯ve seen people who I thought were good be¡­really nasty about this sort of thing.¡± Alex pulled Raphael a little closer. ¡°This is different. The people here are¡­well, they accepted me readily enough, and I attacked them. And I¡¯d say they¡¯re pretty fine with demons, too, Lilith¡¯s even dating one! Honestly, I would be more worried about your angel side, were it not for the fact that we know they¡¯re fine with it.¡± ¡°I¡­okay.¡± ¡°Would it make you feel better if I came with you when you show everyone?¡± Raphael looked up hopefully. ¡°Really?! You would do that?¡± ¡°Of course I would! What else are friends for?¡± Raphael stood up. ¡°Um, can we do it now, then?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Alex replied, standing up and grabbing Raphael¡¯s hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The two left the room and made their way to one of the living rooms. Usually, if people weren¡¯t doing anything specific and didn¡¯t want to be alone, they would gather in a living room, where they would watch TV or chat with the others. It looked like that night Carmen, Lilith, and Siph were the only ones in the room, which wasn¡¯t too surprising. Siph¡¯s father had been training Lilith¡¯s parents hard, so they usually went to bed early, Vithi liked to keep to herself, and Emily spent most of her evenings studying. ¡°Ah, you two.¡± Siph said. ¡°We were looking for a couple more people to play cards, are you interested?¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± Raphael began. ¡°I¡­have an announcement.¡± She was hiding her tail behind her back again, trying to keep it as out of sight as possible using her free hand. Lilith put her phone away, looking up curiously. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± She asked. ¡°Um¡­¡± Raphael trailed off, and Alex gave her hand a gentle squeeze. ¡°Um¡­I¡­I¡¯m kind of not just an angel anymore.¡± She began. ¡°I¡­when I asked Kali to prove who she was, she made me a demon too.¡± Raphael nervously took her hand away and let her tail come into full view. ¡°I¡¯m a succubus too. I, um¡­I decided I didn¡¯t want to hide it anymore, since I was liking how having the two Dom- I mean, Racial Classes made me feel. I wanted to¡­commit.¡± Carmen gave her a smile. ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad to hear you¡¯re feeling up to sharing with us.¡± She said. ¡°If you¡¯re ever wondering about anything, feel free to ask me or Lilith about it, we know a thing or two about adapting to becoming a demon.¡± ¡°She¡¯s exactly right.¡± Lilith said. ¡°Is there anything else?¡± ¡°No, I¡­that¡¯s all.¡± Raphael said. ¡°I just wanted to get it out there.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m proud of you.¡± Carmen said. ¡°It¡¯s brave of you to do so, really.¡± Raphael giggled bashfully. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°Hey, Alex, that reminds me.¡± Carmen said. ¡°Do you want the Catkin Racial Class? I had Kali teach me how to give Racial Classes to people who have already been transformed, and I can spare the Worship for it. I figured that, if you¡¯re going to be one, you might as well¡­be one, you know?¡± Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Alex blinked in surprise. ¡°I¡­yeah. That would be good, actually.¡± Carmen nodded. ¡°Awesome, give me a moment here.¡± She closed the book she was reading before standing up and walking over to Alex. She placed a finger on Alex¡¯s forehead, and then¡­
The High Arbiter has granted you the Catkin Racial Class!
¡°All done.¡± Carmen said. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Alex asked, a little taken aback by how casually her very essence had been altered. ¡°That¡¯s it. It¡¯s not a particularly complicated Racial Class, so it¡¯s not a big deal. So, you two up for cards?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll play.¡± Raphael volunteered. ¡°And I suppose I will as well.¡± ¡°Perfect.¡± Siph replied. ¡°Come over to the table, I have the deck shuffled already, we just need to deal.¡±
Elenoa followed Baern into his workshop, eager to see what he had made. Apparently, the last couple weeks had already helped to get him past a couple of things that had previously been blocking the progress of his research. They passed through several different security checks Baern had set up, and after a solid five minutes they were finally in the cavernous area he used to store things he wasn¡¯t actively working on. The first thing he had her look at was the one that he had been working on for the longest, a weapon that, originally, would have been used to finally push back the monsters arounds the cities of Haven, clearing more land for people to use and allowing them to finally escape the tight confines they had become accustomed to. It was a large, spherical object made of a sleek, black metal. She wasn¡¯t sure which metal, and the detail didn¡¯t really bother her. She trusted Baern to choose the most suitable one for the job, so what it actually was mattered little in the grand scheme of things. It was floating a couple of feet off of the ground, staying perfectly still in the air. ¡°Watch this.¡± Baern said gruffly, hefting a small chunk of metal and tossing it at the sphere. Elenoa watched in fascination as the metal approached the sphere and then, when it was about a foot away, emerged from the opposite side of the sphere, continuing its trajectory like nothing had happened. ¡°We¡¯ve managed to set up a permanent exclusion field around the whole thing.¡± Baern said proudly. ¡°Anything that comes close, even magic, will exit out the other side. Unlike most enchantments, it takes Mana to keep it running, but it makes whatever¡¯s inside practically invulnerable as long as it¡¯s up.¡± ¡°Excellent work.¡± Elenoa said. ¡°What¡¯s providing the Mana?¡± ¡°That leads me to my next leap.¡± Baern replied, an uncharacteristic look of excitement on his face. ¡°You¡¯re familiar with how djinn lamps work, right?¡± ¡°Yes. The djinn is forced into a contract with an inanimate object, and then forced to store Mana inside it constantly. Correct?¡± ¡°Correct. We¡¯ve been trying for years to replicate it under different circumstances, but it never quite worked out. Usually, without a constant connection to the person providing Mana, the Mana would just leak out over time.¡± He reached into a pouch and pulled out a flask of purple liquid. ¡°After the Shift, alchemists found they were able to create potions that would restore Mana to whoever drank it.¡± ¡°Your point?¡± He walked to another part of the room, motioning for her to follow. He interacted with a terminal, and soon the floor in front of him opened up, a stand holding a large block of purple ice rising up from below. ¡°This is frozen Mana potion.¡± He said, rapping a knuckle against it. ¡°And, unlike other materials, when you put mana in here, it stays in here. And, also unlike other materials, it seems to have a maximum capacity. I¡¯ll spare you the exact details since they¡¯re not important, just know that if you put too much Mana in the thing shatters and becomes useless.¡± He punched in a command to the terminal again, and the block of ice went back into the floor, replaced by another block of ice, this one pierced by several wires which hooked up to a display. ¡°This gadget will tell us roughly how full the block is, and in our little tank we¡¯ve hooked it up so that it¡¯ll cut off access to the reserve before it gets to a dangerous level of Mana.¡± Another set of inputs, another pedestal. ¡°And this is how we get the Mana out of the ice.¡± He said, picking up the beaker contained within. ¡°When Mana potion evaporates, the Mana stored within is dispersed into the surrounding area. And, when condensed, the gas retains the property that allows it to store Mana without retaining any of the Mana it used to hold. So, you evaporate the potion, get the mana, and then turn it back into the potion.¡± ¡°We found that, when storing Mana, it¡¯s not evenly concentrated, instead gathering towards the bottom of the material. It¡¯s why you have to drink most of the potion if you want it to have any significant effect. So, we have a sort of conveyor belt linked up, bringing ¡°empty¡± liquid to the bottom of the main tank, freezing it while it¡¯s in contact with the tank and connecting the two, and then unfreezing that portion and taking it away to be evaporated once it¡¯s full. We even managed to set it up so that it only brings in a new set of liquid to be evaporated when needed, improving the mana efficiency greatly.¡± Elenoa rubbed her hands together. ¡°Well done.¡± Baern, glowing with pride, put the beaker back and lowered the pedestal, then moved back towards the prototype tank. ¡°You may be wondering how we get into the tank, and how we shoot out of it.¡± He said, prompting a nod from Elenoa. He tossed her a small remote, containing a single button and a square chunk of ice below it. It was cold to the touch, and she looked at it curiously. ¡°This was a little tricky to put together, but it works wonders. You put your finger on the ice and charge it up with Mana. When it¡¯s full, the ice will retract into the remote, and then you press the button and it¡¯ll teleport you to the inside of the tank. You have to be within 10 yards for it to work, and to get out we¡¯ve got a similar button inside the tank that¡¯ll let you out exactly 5 feet in front of it. This is the only way to teleport inside the tank while the exclusion field is operational. Each remote is keyed to the individual tank, and any other attempts to teleport objects in will be blocked by the exclusion field at the expense of Mana equivalent to however much the teleport cost. But the tank can hold about fifty thousand Mana, so unless it¡¯s been running for a while it should be effectively immune to attempts to get inside.¡± ¡°Now, the hard part was getting the firing mechanism to work. We eventually ended up placing another field inside the guns that would teleport whatever¡¯s fired directly in front of the exclusion field, which is a bit of a mana drain but the only thing we could really do. We¡¯ve got a few regular guns set up, but we also have another tube the operator can fire spells into, and they¡¯ll come out of the front just like gunfire would.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you a look inside later, but don¡¯t worry. The cockpit is stabilized, and the ¡°front¡± of the tank can be rotated around at will. There¡¯s no openings when firing, so no one should be able to tell what way the tank is ¡°facing¡±. We¡¯ve still got a few bugs to work out but expect it to be operational within the month.¡± Elenoa grinned. ¡°And the other matter?¡± Baern led her back to his terminal, which he used to bring up another pedestal. This one contained a silvery sword, which he reverently took off of the stand and handed to Elenoa. ¡°This, by all rights, shouldn¡¯t have worked.¡± He said, slightly awed. ¡°But I did it. You¡¯ll have to test it on Winston, but¡­it should be effective.¡± It was long with an almost wood-like grain on the blade that, on closer inspection, was actually a multitude of tiny carved magic arrays. She went to rub a finger down its length, but withdrew the moment she made contact, the tip of her finger burnt horribly. Cold Iron. Alchemical Silver. Regular silver. Devil¡¯s Copper. She could have spent probably ten minutes just listing all the materials that went into this one little sword. They all had one thing in common ¨C they all were the weakness of something. Baern had, somehow, managed to make a weapon that would be especially effective on just about anything that had a material weakness. So, what would it do to something that, however miniscule the effects were, however much they were counterbalanced by other races¡¯ strengths, had all those weaknesses? She couldn¡¯t wait to find out. Soon, very soon, she would have the tools needed to begin her fight. Chapter 42: That Persons Name Is...! Roughly a week later, everyone had gathered in a large meeting room that Lilith had set up. She had reluctantly agreed to becoming the monster lord, and everyone save Siph was curious about the process of making a new Parallel. Siph, having already seen the process, was just there to support Lilith and meet her new personality. ¡°Ready?¡± Kali asked, squeezing Lilith¡¯s hand. Lilith nodded, then laid down on a large couch brought in for the occasion. ¡°Alright. I¡¯m going to put her to sleep now.¡± Kali said, and Lilith let the magic wash over her. ¡°It should only take about ten¡­¡± And that was all she heard before she fell asleep. She blinked. Kali was holding her hand and smiling. ¡°All done.¡± She said. ¡°All that¡¯s left is for you to accept her.¡±
You have gained the Mask ¡°Monster Lord¡±! Carmen, Nuwa, and Mae have accepted the Mask ¡°Monster Lord¡± as a Parallel! Consciousnesses yet to vote: Lilith
Lilith accepted the Mask as a Parallel, and instantly the new addition to their crew began to speak. So, this is how it¡¯s going to go down. She said. I¡¯ve made my body out in another room in the dungeon. Mae¡¯s going to go help me make the necessary modifications using Eldritch Abomination, and then I¡¯ll introduce myself, kay? Later. And then she was gone. Kali stood up from where she was crouched, eyes sparkling. ¡°I¡¯m going to go help. This shouldn¡¯t take too long with me, Mae, and the new girl all working on it.¡± And then she left as well, leaving behind a somewhat bewildered group. Mistress, do I have your permission to go help? Mae asked. Sure. I¡¯m looking forward to what you three come up with. I won¡¯t let you down, mistress. ¡°So¡­how are you feeling?¡± Mike asked, worry in his voice. ¡°Any side-effects, or anything?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°Perfectly fine. Kali may not look it at times, but she¡¯s really good at her job. Between that and my Skills, there¡¯s no way something¡¯s wrong.¡± Siph gave Mike a quick kiss, then spoke. ¡°She¡¯s right. Trust me, it¡¯s fine. I was there the last two times, and it was the same. No muss, no fuss, just one more side to our adorable little daughter.¡± Seeing their display of affection, Kirdin rolled his eyes. ¡°Keep flirting and you¡¯ll be getting an extra rep on each of our routines when we get back to training.¡± He turned his attention back to Lilith, then continued. ¡°Any idea what the new you will be like?¡± There was a loud, unidentifiable noise from somewhere off in the distance. Hey, don¡¯t destroy the furniture! Nuwa complained. That stuff costs DP, you know! ¡°Feisty, apparently.¡± Carmen said. ¡°Making and remodeling her body shouldn¡¯t involve any noise. Or broken furniture, for that matter¡± Lilith gave a shrug. ¡°Aside from that, I don¡¯t know exactly in depth. She¡¯s still loyal to me, though not as much as Mae, and she¡¯s otherwise apparently supposed to be made so performing her job will be easier on her. Oh, and she¡¯s still supposed to feel just as strongly as I do about you all, so she shouldn¡¯t be too much trouble.¡± She paused, as another loud noise, followed by Nuwa¡¯s complaints, echoed through the dungeon. ¡°Theoretically.¡± The reactions to this were mixed. Vithi narrowed her eyes and turned her attention to the door, tensing as she readied herself. Alex, Emily, Mike, Jessica, and Judy all looked somewhat worried, but didn¡¯t seem to be especially on guard. Raphael and Siph seemed completely at ease, and Kirdin¡­well, Lilith couldn¡¯t really read him well yet, but he didn¡¯t seem particularly perturbed. And then the door burst open, slamming against the doorstop as someone barreled through it. ¡°Tis I!¡± The girl shouted, ¡°Eve, Queen of Monsters! Engrave that name upon your hearts, and bless your good fortune at my mercy, for I have decided that you all are worthy of being my loyal minions. Come! Let us prepare, for soon we shall¨C¡± She sputtered to a stop, glancing back behind her and then bounding forward with all her strength, hitting the opposite wall and kicking off of it, causing another loud thud before she scurried up behind Lilith, grabbing her waist and attempting to hide behind her. Lilith wasn¡¯t sure where to start with what was wrong with this picture. For one, Eve¡¯s body didn¡¯t look to be more than ten, and even then, she was on the short side, barely reaching half of Lilith¡¯s height. Second, save her long, blood-red hair, there wasn¡¯t a hint of menace to her. She looked, quite literally, like an angel, with just the feathery white wings and no other inhuman parts. She had a sweet, innocent face, the effect only barely impacted by her mismatched blue and orange eyes. Still, were you to meet her on the street, you¡¯d never expect her to be anything close to a ¡°Queen of Monsters¡±. And finally, she was wearing a dress. Lilith had never done that, nor had Carmen or Mae. It was an ornate thing the same blood red as her hair and was quite¡­frilly towards the bottom. Stranger still, she didn¡¯t seem impeded by it at all, and during her jump, neither Lilith nor Carmen had managed to catch even a glimpse of what was underneath, despite having two different angles that both would have been in excellent position to do so. Which Lilith assumed meant that the dress was likely enchanted in some way, probably to help with both of the previous issues. ¡°Pervert!¡± Eve exclaimed, pointing a shaking finger at Kali, who had just entered the room. For her part, Kali was wearing a wide smile and gave a look to Lilith that told her Kali wouldn¡¯t be letting her live this down any time soon. ¡°What, me?¡± Kali asked innocently. ¡°I was a perfect gentlewoman. I¡¯m innocent, your honor!¡± ¡°Lies!¡± Eve proclaimed. ¡°I saw you dressing me up with your eyes! Don¡¯t pretend you weren¡¯t!¡± ¡°And isn¡¯t that infinitely better than undressing you with those eyes? That¡¯s hardly grounds to be called a pervert.¡± ¡°You¡­you had this dress with you! You knew! You were taking advantage of me!¡± Eve accused, glaring at Kali. ¡°I just so happened to have attire appropriate for your predicted mental state on hand. Besides, I gave you knowledge equivalent to years of experience wearing dresses, and what¡¯s more you¡¯re still wearing the dress. You could have easily made yourself new clothes with the dungeon.¡± ¡°It¡¯s comfy and I was busy getting away from you!¡± Kali grinned. ¡°So, getting away from me is only an afterthought to the comfort of the dress? I told you I had made sure it was nice.¡± Eve, beet red, buried her face in Lilith¡¯s waist. ¡°T-that¡¯s not it! You¡¯ve just got me flustered and I¡¯m talking weird, that¡¯s all!¡± ¡°Eve!¡± Jessica barked, a strange look on her face. Eve let out a little ¡°eep¡±, peeking out from behind Lilith. ¡°Y¡­yes, mom?¡± ¡°Come here, right now!¡± She commanded, pointing to her feet. ¡°I-I¡¯m the Queen of Monsters! You can¡¯t just order me around li¨C¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Do not make me start counting, young lady!¡± Eve yelped and scurried over to her mother. The moment she was within arm¡¯s reach, Jessica surged forward, quick as a snake. She trapped Eve in her arms, hoisting the girl up with a dangerous glint in her eyes. Eve was struggling, squirming and kicking (but never actually hitting Jessica), but Lilith was increasingly sure it was just theatrics. She easily had high enough stats to dodge Jessica and had plenty of ways to get out of her mom¡¯s embrace without harming either of them. ¡°Siph?¡± Jessica asked. ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Are you thinking what I¡¯m thinking?¡± Siph grinned. ¡°If you¡¯re thinking that she¡¯s perfect and we¡¯re keeping her, yes.¡± Jessica returned the grin. ¡°I¡¯m glad you agree. Now, would you be so kind as to help me take this one to her room, I¡¯m going to see if Kali just so happens to have any more clothes on hand.¡± Kali, who hadn¡¯t stopped grinning, nodded. ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve got clothes alright. Most of them, like that dress there, are enchanted to change size to fit the wearer along with other practical enchantments.¡± ¡°Hey, Lilith, Carmen, Mae, help me out here!¡± Eve protested. ¡°You too, dad! I¡¯m not just some doll to be dressed up! I am the one that will one day flay the land, a personage that all will know to fear!¡± Mike shook his head. ¡°Sorry, sweetie. I can¡¯t stop your moms when they get like this. You¡¯re going to have to live with it.¡± ¡°Um¡­you all do seem to be going a little far.¡± Lilith mumbled, trying to keep abreast of things. ¡°Could you please let Eve down?¡± ¡°Nope!¡± Jessica said in a sing-song voice. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to go try on clothes with a daughter or a niece or something, so I¡¯m not going to let the chance slip by me with this cutie.¡± ¡°Oh¡­um¡­¡± Lilith glanced to Carmen, who seemed intent on sitting back and enjoying the show. I¡¯ll only act if mistress tells me to. Mae said. I¡¯m not involved in this. Nuwa added. ¡°Useless, all of you!¡± Eve shouted. ¡°Come help now or I will make sure my senses are being shared with you when they¡¯re forcing me into whatever they plan on making me wear! And if you block me, I¡¯ll just share those memories with you in real time. Got it? If I go down, the four of you are coming with me!¡± Carmen frowned and walked over to Jessica, laying a hand on her arm. ¡°Alright, give her some breathing room. She just manifested like five minutes ago. Let her have some time to settle down, and then you can try and talk her into it. No forcing things, got it?¡± ¡°But¡­look at her!¡± Jessica protested. ¡°Doesn¡¯t she make you want to scoop her up and protect her and never let anything happen to her ever?!¡± ¡°Mom, she¡¯s still, technically, me.¡± Carmen said. ¡°So, no, not really? That¡¯d be weird.¡± Jessica blinked. ¡°Right, right.¡± She set Eve down, and the girl scurried back to her place behind Lilith, glaring warily at her mothers and girlfriend. ¡°Sorry, I got carried away with how precious she was and forgot.¡± Jessica replied. ¡°Still getting used to the whole Parallel thing.¡± ¡°I am not precious!¡± Eve said, tightly clinging to Lilith. ¡°I am the enemy of the world! My name will be cursed by millions!¡± Lilith tried unsuccessfully to pry Eve off of her. Unlike with her mother, Eve didn¡¯t seem to be holding back at all, fully determined to stay anchored to that spot. ¡°Look, you don¡¯t need to keep the act up around us, alright? Everyone here knows what¡¯s up, so don¡¯t even worry about it!¡± Eve glanced around nervously. ¡°I-it¡¯s not an act!¡± She stuttered. ¡°This is just who I am, so you all better get used to it! I¡¯m not going to be all buddy buddy just because you all are really important to me, and I¡¯m certainly not going to be the girlfriend of a pervert like that!¡± Carmen, sensing weakness, struck. ¡°So, you admit we¡¯re all really important to you?¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Eve replied, burying her face in Lilith¡¯s back and preventing anyone from seeing it. ¡°It was a slip of the tongue, that¡¯s all!¡± ¡°You¡¯re not denying it.¡± Eve just tried to sink into Lilith¡¯s back even further. Kali gave Lilith a wink and put on her best hurt expression. ¡°D-don¡¯t you love me? I¡­I thought I made sure that your feelings for me were the same as Lilith, Carmen, Mae, and Nuwa! D-does that mean that none of you love me?¡± She said, sniffing theatrically. ¡°N-no, that¡¯s not true! They love you! I-I just have a lot of work to do! I can¡¯t waste time humoring a pervert, no matter how cute she is!¡± ¡°Even if I promise not to dress you up and to always listen to you when you¡¯re frustrated and make sure you¡¯re doing OK?¡± Eve peeked her head out from behind Lilith and cleared her throat. ¡°O-on second thought, it is rather important that I keep my mental health from deteriorating while I do my work. It wouldn¡¯t do for me to be unable to adequately perform because I am unstable. So, for the time being, I will allow the relationship to stand, provided that promise is kept.¡± She said. Kali beamed. ¡°Understood!¡± Lilith chose to refrain from mentioning that the promise didn¡¯t prevent Kali from being there while Eve¡¯s mothers dressed her up, but if it was going to happen anyway Lilith didn¡¯t see any reason to deprive Kali of the happiness she¡¯d get by watching. Provided she wasn¡¯t actively contributing to or encouraging any ¡°fashion shows¡±, that is. Things seemed to have calmed down at this point (Carmen was even texting Anna), so Lilith decided it was time for some answers. ¡°So, uh, a few questions.¡± She began. ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll answer your questions just this once, so ask them all now.¡± Eve said imperiously. But she was still clinging to Lilith¡¯s waist like her life depended on it, so Lilith was having a hard time taking her seriously. ¡°First off, why are you holding onto me so tightly? It¡¯s kinda ruining whatever image you¡¯re going for.¡± ¡°I-it¡¯s the safest place in the room! It was a tactical decision, that¡¯s all! Nothing more to it!¡± Lilith was unconvinced but let it drop. ¡°Whatever. So, elephant in the room, why do you look like a little girl?¡± ¡°Evil overlord list number¡­I forget but it¡¯s on there! It¡¯s to confuse my enemies when they eventually reach me! The do-gooders will surely hesitate to strike a child! And, my strength isn¡¯t tied to my physical shape, so this is a smaller target! It¡¯s optimal!¡± ¡°Uh-huh. Alright, why look like an angel, then?¡± Eve perked up a little. ¡°I chose an angel specifically so Elenoa will know what it feels like to have your race at least somewhat associated with being the enemy of all things. It¡¯s petty, but it¡¯d be like this with whatever race I chose, and I really want to stay humanoid, so I decided that at least this way the blame is shifted onto people who¡¯ve been doing the same. Karmic justice.¡± Raphael winced. ¡°Sorry.¡± She mumbled. Alex laid a comforting hand on Raphael¡¯s shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. You weren¡¯t even born until well after their smear campaign had finished, and you have no need to answer for Elenoa¡¯s mistakes.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true!¡± Eve agreed. ¡°You can¡¯t be held responsible for the actions of another, only for what you do yourself. And, as such, you have no need to apologize. Chin up! Your grandma might be kind of awful, but that has no bearing on you whatsoever.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Raphael began. ¡°If she¡¯s not going to take responsibility, who will? Do we just let what she¡¯s done slide?¡± Eve paused, then took a tentative step out from behind Lilith. When no one moved to grab her, she walked over and grabbed Raphael¡¯s hand. ¡°That¡¯s my job.¡± She said. ¡°Well, Lilith¡¯s, not mine, but you get the point. Eventually, when things are more stable, we will make her pay for what she¡¯s done. Neither Lilith nor I will let those injustices stand, not when they¡¯re still being perpetrated. You¡¯re still a kid, you don¡¯t need to worry about that.¡± Raphael gave her a surprised look. ¡°I¡­didn¡¯t expect you to feel so strongly about that.¡± She said. Eve let go of Raphael¡¯s hand and turned around so only Lilith could see her blush. ¡°I-I¡¯m the Queen of Monsters, and a good queen has to know how to properly discipline her subjects. I cannot be one who would punish her soldiers for their commander¡¯s mistakes, that would make for a dysfunctional army.¡± There was silence for a moment, before it was broken by the sound of Carmen coming back into the room. Wait, when did she leave? Why? Lilith hadn¡¯t been paying attention, but apparently while Eve had been talking to Raphael, she had slipped out. ¡°No.¡± Anna said in an awed tone. ¡°No way. You weren¡¯t kidding, huh? She¡¯s adorable.¡± She paused in the doorway, looking out on the scene. ¡°Oh, um right, I need to introduce myself, sorry ¡®bout that. My name¡¯s Anna, I¡¯m an old friend of Lilith¡¯s.¡± Raphael brightened. ¡°Oh, the one she and Kali have started going on double dates with, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s me. Carmen was letting me know about Eve and I had to come see her. Jameson would have come too, but he¡¯s having a family meeting right now, so it¡¯s just me.¡± ¡°My name¡¯s Raphael, nice to meet you!¡± So, the people who hadn¡¯t met Anna yet introduced themselves, ending with Eve. ¡°I am Eve, Queen of Monsters, reaper of souls, scourge of ¨C ack!¡± She cut off, sensing danger, and scurried back to behind Lilith. ¡°Not you too!¡± She wailed. Anna stopped slowly inching her closer to Eve. ¡°Look, can you blame me? You¡¯re such a cutie I can hardly believe you¡¯re one of my best friends!¡± ¡°In third grade, when we were learning about fish, we took a trip down to the river¨C¡± ¡°I said hardly believe, not don¡¯t believe!¡± Anna said frantically. ¡°There¡¯s really no need to bring it up around people I just met!¡± Eve stuck her tongue out. ¡°And there¡¯s really no need to treat me like a dress-up doll! Come on, no one did this when they found out I had turned into a girl, so why is it happening now?!¡± There was some light-hearted bickering, but Lilith was suddenly too distracted to pay much attention. Eve had made quite the large change to her body using Eldritch Abomination, and Mae had completely reconstructed hers, so¡­what was stopping Lilith from using it to become a guy again? It wouldn¡¯t technically be permanent, but no one living should be able to dispel it, and it wouldn¡¯t go away on its own. She¡­hadn¡¯t really even thought about turning back. Was that something she even wanted? If so, why hadn¡¯t she thought about it? It wasn¡¯t even that much effort, if Mae helped. She could even, theoretically, do it herself, but Mae just felt¡­better at it, despite the two of them sharing all their experiences. ¡°Lilith, you OK?¡± Anna asked, waving a hand in front of Lilith¡¯s face. Lilith blinked, refocusing. ¡°Yeah, sorry. I was lost in thought. What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°We were just talking about what the plan was with Eve and you were totally spacing so I was just making sure everything¡¯s cool.¡± ¡°Uh, sorry.¡± Lilith said, scratching the back of her neck. ¡°I¡¯ll try to focus.¡± She wasn¡¯t sure she could. Chapter 43: Who Am I? The meeting was going by agonizingly slow for Lilith. She honestly felt bad for how little attention she was paying; no matter what, she couldn¡¯t get her mind off of the thought she had. At some point during everything, Eve had started permanently sharing her senses with Carmen and Lilith, but Lilith barely noticed when she did. She was barely paying attention to what her own body was sensing at the moment, so Eve¡¯s senses just quietly slid into place. That was the downside of having multiple sets of senses; you got used to ignoring everything that wasn¡¯t important from most of them, and apparently when you got really distracted that ¡°most¡± changed to ¡°all¡±. Hey, seriously, what¡¯s up? I can tell it¡¯s Mae talking, not you, so¡­out with it. I¡¯ll read your mind if I have to. I¡¯m getting seriously worried. Kali¡¯s mental message came with a certain amount of force, smashing through Lilith¡¯s thoughts and forcing her to pay attention. Sorry about that. Kali said, apparently having noticed Lilith was now listening. You weren¡¯t responding. Um¡­I realized I could potentially turn back into a guy using Eldritch Abomination. Oh. Yeah, that¡¯d do it. I¡¯ll help break this up and get you some time. Give me a few minutes. Lilith wasn¡¯t exactly sure how Kali did it, but soon everyone save her Parallels and Kali was out of the room. ¡°Alright, do you guys know the situation?¡± Mistress is currently thinking about becoming a man again. Mae responded. Kali nodded. ¡°That¡¯s the long and the short of it. And¡­well, I guess I¡¯m really just here to help if it¡¯s necessary, and to keep people out, but I¡¯m more than willing to answer any questions or help walk you through things. All you need to do is ask.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Carmen said. ¡°Also, let it be known that, no matter what Lilith decides, I¡¯m staying a woman. In a sense I was born like this, and I happen to be rather attached to this form.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be staying a girl too. Um¡­shock value and all that.¡± Eve said, rather unconvincingly. I¡¯m completely ambivalent. Mae added. Whatever mistress¡­master? Whatever my liege chooses is what I¡¯ll be. And I¡¯m ambivalent as well. Nuwa said. Hardly matters to me regardless. Hearing Mae call her master made Lilith feel strange. Why was that so weird? It wasn¡¯t like she¡¯d even been a woman all that long, but it had already grown comfortable to her. And¡­deep, deep down, as much as she wanted to say otherwise, it felt right. Right in a way that couldn¡¯t have just come from magic making transformations feel comfortable. Even so¡­ Lilith shot Kali a pleading look. ¡°C-can you take off the magic that¡¯s making me alright with being a woman? The one that¡¯s with all transformations? I feel like it¡¯s confusing me, and I think I need a clearer head to try and deal with this.¡± Kali fidgeted in place. ¡°Um¡­I¡­kind of can¡¯t. There¡­isn¡¯t any. Never has been, either.¡± Lilith felt like she¡¯d been punched in the gut. It¡­wasn¡¯t magic that was making her fine with this? That was letting her be happy like this? And¡­she was happy. Happier than she had been in a long while. Before everything had happened, she was listless, floundering about without a clear goal or direction other than survival. But now, there was something for her to do. People needed her, and she was actively making a difference in the world. But¡­this wasn¡¯t her original body, the one her parents had given her. Was it alright to just throw that away? She wasn¡¯t supposed to be like this, right? It was just¡­a quirk of transformation, random chance. The magic was gone. No, there never was magic. Why had she just let it be for so long? Why did it feel right like it did? Things had just stopped making sense, and it was really, really tempting to just¡­go back to being Lucas and put everything in a box. But, on the other hand, it¡¯d be such a pain to go back now. The entire world knew her as a woman, and she¡¯d have to make another announcement just to let everyone know. That or just live a double life, being a woman in public and a man in private. That¡­didn¡¯t sit right with her. If she was going to do it, she¡¯d have to commit. All or nothing. But it was such a big decision to make. What would her friends and family think? Carmen laid a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re not alone here. Let¡¯s think this through, OK? What¡¯s your motivation for going back?¡± ¡°I was born that way?¡± Carmen nodded. ¡°Alright, what else?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­easier to just forget about all of this?¡± Carmen gave her a sharp look. ¡°Not happening.¡± She said. ¡°If you do that, it¡¯s going to eat away at you for the rest of our very, very long life. Think, is there anything else?¡± Lilith sighed. She didn¡¯t think Carmen would allow that, but it had been worth a try. She thought, and thought hard, but¡­that¡­that was it. Lilith¡­didn¡¯t have any strong feelings, other than that. ¡°Um, I guess that¡¯s it.¡± ¡°And why would you want to stay as you are?¡± Carmen prompted. ¡°Um¡­I get to keep being in a relationship with Kali?¡± Lilith replied. She was shocked to realize just how much the prospect of losing that relationship hurt. They had been dating for barely two weeks, but¡­it didn¡¯t feel like that. It felt like they had been dating for a very, very long time, and the thought of willingly abandoning that tore at her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that.¡± Kali said. ¡°I swing both ways. I¡¯m after the person, not the body.¡± Lilith gave a sigh of relief. ¡°Then¡­it would be an enormous pain to let everyone know I¡¯ve gone back to my old body.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s ignore that one for a bit.¡± Carmen said. ¡°This decision should not be based on what others think. But¡­old body? Not just your body?¡± Lilith froze. ¡°You¡¯re¡­right. I¡­think of this as my body. Not¡­how I used to be. And, um¡­I¡­think I¡¯m happy like this? It¡­doesn¡¯t really matter to me so¡­I guess¡­why go through the effort?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Eve proclaimed. ¡°If it requires extra effort for no benefit, then you shouldn¡¯t do it!¡± Hearing someone else (for a given value of someone else) say that struck something in Lilith. If it didn¡¯t matter to her, why was she bothering? And, she shouldn¡¯t be basing this on what others thought, or even what she herself thought she should be, provided what she was felt right. Why did it matter what she was born as? This was who she is, and she was happy. And that was enough. Perhaps, in the future, she may decide to go back, temporarily or permanently, but right now she was a woman. And¡­that was OK. ¡°You¡¯re¡­right!¡± She said brightly. ¡°If I¡¯m happy, I¡¯m happy, and that¡¯s all that matters! I don¡¯t see myself being any happier as a guy, so why bother? Extra work for no benefit!¡± Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Kali gave her a hug. ¡°That¡¯s right. And, if in the future, you think you¡¯d be happier as a guy, then I¡¯ll support you completely. Do you¡­want to tell everyone or would you rather just go on as if this never happened?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s tell everyone.¡± Lilith said firmly. ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be glad to know, too. Some of them are probably worrying about me in the back of their mind.¡± ¡°Got it, I¡¯ll call everyone in.¡± She left the room, and Lilith turned back to Eve and Carmen. ¡°Come here, you two.¡± She said, opening her arms. ¡°I¡­well, thanks. You¡­really helped me figure things out there.¡± Carmen came in obediently, but Eve huffed slightly. ¡°It-it¡¯s only natural. If you get depressed because of this and something bad happens, it¡¯ll affect us too, so of course we¡¯d help you with whatever you need.¡± She let herself into the hug anyway. They kept themselves like that in silence until, about a minute later, everyone filed back in. ¡°Honey, are you alright?¡± Jessica asked. ¡°Kali said you needed a bit of space after what happened, and Siph said you didn¡¯t need it last time, so I¡¯m just worried.¡± Lilith gave her a smile. ¡°I am. I¡­realized that I could potentially be a guy again using Eldritch Abomination, and I had to take some time to work through that. But, I did, and I realized that¡­I don¡¯t need to. I¡¯m happy as I am, so changing is pointless for the time being. Things might change later, and I know this is¡­not exactly the body you gave me when you had me, but I think I¡¯m going to be a woman for now. As my choice, not because it¡¯s forced on me.¡± Mike smiled back. ¡°Kid, it doesn¡¯t matter if we ¡°gave¡± you that body or not, you¡¯re still our child, and that¡¯s all that matters. If you want to be a girl, be a girl. No big deal.¡± Siph nodded. ¡°We love you, no matter what. C¡¯mere.¡± She held out her arms, and Lilith stepped into them, giving her a hug as well. ¡°Seriously, don¡¯t worry about it. Just be yourself, alright?¡± Siph said, giving Lilith a kiss on the forehead. Lilith let herself be held for a few moments longer before letting go of the hug and facing everyone else. ¡°Hey, birdbrain,¡± Anna said, walking over to Lilith and giving her a noogie. ¡°It¡¯s none of our business what you decide to be, so stop looking like you need our approval. But, I¡¯m gonna support you with this come what may. I¡¯m sure everyone else feels the same.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t even sweat it.¡± Alex added. ¡°It¡¯s not like you¡¯re the first one here to decide this, so stop being so worried. No one thinks less of you for it.¡± There were some approving nods from everyone else, and it felt like a weight that Lilith hadn¡¯t really realized she was carrying had been lifted from her shoulders. She felt giddy, drunk on everyone¡¯s goodwill. ¡°Thanks!¡± She said brightly, ¡°You all have no idea how much this means to me.¡± Kali laughed. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you think it¡¯d turn out any other way.¡± Lilith nodded happily. And, for the first time since she picked up Vithi¡¯s lamp, she felt truly at peace. She was surrounded by people she loved and trusted, and she had finally put to rest the thing that had been looming in the back of her mind these past few months. Really, life couldn¡¯t get much better.
Winston¡¯s heart hammered in his chest as he stared at the blade in Elenoa¡¯s hand. The first time she had struck him, it hurt more than anything he had ever felt in his long, long life. And then, he had dutifully described to her the sensation, and even suggested ways to improve the weapon. The thought made him sick. The second time she had struck him it hurt even worse than it did the first time. But¡­it also cleared the fog in his head that he hadn¡¯t even realized was there. He wasn¡¯t sure why it did that; perhaps the pain was enough to blow it away. But most likely she had some sort of magic absorbing material forged into the sword. He¡­seemed to recall suggesting that, but the past few days were a bit fuzzy. There was a constant buzzing in the back of his mind; it ebbed over time, but the moment she hit him with the sword again it was back at full force. Even her healing hadn¡¯t done much to alleviate it, despite his HP showing up as ¡°full¡±. Now that he could think clearly¡­well, clearer, he was becoming more and more certain. This Elenoa was not the same person he had pledged his life to, metaphorically speaking. She was still physically the same person, but her personality had¡­changed. The Elenoa he knew would never perform human experimentation, much less for some petty grudge. Still¡­when had things gone wrong? He couldn¡¯t really pinpoint it, but his best guess would have to be sometime near the end of the war or the period following it. That was around when his memory started getting fuzzier, which he could only assume was her doing. She had to have been planting small bits of spells here and there over time, gradually eroding at his ability to realize what was happening and magnifying his loyalty further than it should reasonably go. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t have a way out. He was still new to being a Perfect Chimera when he had sworn allegiance to her, and like an idiot he¡¯d pledged on his status as a Perfect Chimera. He hadn¡¯t properly grasped what his nature as a fae could do, especially when entering into a magical contract. He wasn¡¯t sure if leaving now would strip him of his status as a Perfect Chimera, but that wasn¡¯t a risk he was willing to take. If it came down to it and Elenoa tried something really stupid using him, he¡¯d disobey, but until then he could only wait and pray. There was hope, though. The High Arbiter, apparently, was able to annul contracts of any variety. Which meant that, were she somehow able to know of his predicament, she could help. It was too bad that he couldn¡¯t contact her. Not only did he not have a way to do so, he was pretty sure asking her to remove him from the contract would count as breaking it. He¡¯d have to figure out some way to let her know, but¡­how? The blade came down again. Searing, white-hot pain lanced through Winston and he could feel his arm come clean off. There wasn¡¯t even any resistance; the blade just swept through like his arm was made of water. For a while, his world was nothing but pain. Elenoa said something, but he couldn¡¯t make it out. There was some shuffling, the vague sensation of magic, some sound he couldn¡¯t bring himself to care about, and then nothing. Nothing but him and the pain. So, he sat there. Praying to¡­well, nothing in particular. Just praying that the pain would go away, that it would all be over, that he would be done. The pain didn¡¯t go away. Not immediately. Eventually, it began to settle back into that all too familiar buzzing, and he was once again able to actually pay attention to what was happening around him. Kali was sitting in a chair in the corner of the room, casually thumbing through a book. When she noticed his gaze, she slipped a bookmark into the book and closed it. ¡°You rang?¡± ¡°What?¡± He croaked. His mouth was raw. Had he been screaming? ¡°You were praying to nothing, and all prayer with an invalid address is redirected to me. So, you want it to stop? Want to leave and be free again?¡± He looked around, hesitant to say anything for fear of breaking his contract. ¡°Heard you loud and clear. Alright, you want out, you just have to follow my instructions. Listen closely, OK?¡± He¡­hadn¡¯t said anything, so she must be reading his mind. Best just to let his thoughts wander, then. It wasn¡¯t his fault if his inner monologue so happened to be read by an outside party. So long as he wasn¡¯t actively trying to communicate, there was no problem, surely. ¡°Kay, so, Elenoa¡¯s got you on some pretty nasty stuff. That spell you¡¯re under is recursive, meaning each time that nasty sword of hers wipes it out, it just comes right back a few days later. That¡¯s the buzzing you¡¯re so unhappy about. She¡¯s been working on entwining the spell with your contract, and right now it¡¯s close enough that it¡¯s practically baked into the thing. Unfortunately, my hands are kinda tied at the moment. I can¡¯t remove it without removing the contract as well, and if we did that, she¡¯d raise a huge stink and Lilith and I¡¯s reputation would plummet. I¡­can¡¯t really afford that at the moment, given we¡¯ve just revealed ourselves, which leaves us in a bit of a sticky situation.¡± Winston frowned. Did that mean there really wasn¡¯t a way out for him? ¡°Chin up, Winnie.¡± Kali said. ¡°I didn¡¯t say it was an impossible situation, just sticky. All we need to do is gather enough evidence to prove her gross misconduct, and then have an unbiased third party get it out there so we can break you free. I¡¯ve got a plan, but I¡¯m gonna need your consent for it to work. Otherwise the whole thing goes up in flames.¡± He once again refrained from any commentary. It would be nice, sure, but that would also be breaking his contract. So, much as he would like to, he really couldn¡¯t just up and say yes. Kali nodded sagely. ¡°I got you. Don¡¯t worry about it, a vastly superior entity is attacking you in a weakened state. You couldn¡¯t put up enough resistance if you tried. It¡¯s completely out of your hands.¡± She walked over, placing a hand on his chest. There was a white light, then¡­nothing. ¡°We¡¯ve got about two minutes before your memory of our little conversation here is wiped, so I¡¯ll make it brief. I¡¯ve embedded a spell within your heart. It¡¯s technically not cast on you, but on a small bead of mana I put into you. If you even get nicked by that sword again, it¡¯s gonna lap up that bead of mana, and the switch I put into the spell¡¯s gonna activate, transmitting a recording of everything that¡¯s happened to you since I cast that spell to all of the other Perfect Chimeras save for Lilith, as well as the Council and several leaders from Earth. All you have to do is not put up a futile resistance against a vastly superior power. Just conserve your strength so it¡¯s better spent in service of your master, got it?¡± He was puzzled as to why the High Arbiter wasn¡¯t on the list. She seemed like an important person to have in the know. But, far be it from him to know the whims of a being so far above him. ¡°Knowing her, she¡¯d want to jump in and annul everything the moment she got it, and that¡¯d ruin things. We have to give it time for everyone to process first. Now, memory wipe¡¯s gonna kick in soon, so I gotta jet. That particular spell is linked to your obedience spell, so just don¡¯t try and remember after she hits you again. Just let it go, it¡¯ll come back once you¡¯re free. Later!¡± And with that, she was gone. Winston winced as the buzzing briefly intensified. He really hated the aftermath of these little testing sessions with Elenoa. But he didn¡¯t have a way out, so he just had to bear with it, and hope that eventually Elenoa came to her senses. He wasn¡¯t holding his breath. Chapter 44: Making Plans Lilith let herself enjoy the moment for a few minutes more before she got back to business. During that time, Emily and Vithi wandered off, seemingly uninterested in further discussion, while Kirdin dragged Lilith¡¯s parents off for more training, Judy trailing behind them. Siph gave Lilith a wink and a mental Fill us in later as she left, leaving Lilith and the Parallels with Kali, Anna, Alex, and Raphael. ¡°Alright, before I sorta derailed everything, we were talking about what we were going to do with Eve?¡± Lilith said. ¡°Yeah!¡± Eve said, puffing up her cheeks. ¡°Way to steal my thunder!¡± ¡°Can it, pipsqueak.¡± Carmen replied. ¡°Don¡¯t even try to pretend you weren¡¯t worried.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a pipsqueak, I¡¯m just as old as you!¡± Eve protested. ¡°Sorry, Eve, that was rude of me. I should have been able to keep my feelings in check a little more.¡± Lilith said, looking Eve in the eyes. Eve glanced to the side. ¡°I-it¡¯s fine. As my boss, I suppose it is only natural you are allowed to dictate the progression of work-related meetings. Anyway, as I had been saying, I need to create a base of operations, and for that I¡¯ll need to make some sort of sub-dungeon, or get help building a castle or something.¡± She looked to Kali. ¡°Is there a way I can make a sub-dungeon or something similar?¡± Kali nodded. ¡°Yeah. But your dungeon isn¡¯t nearly developed enough to get there. That comes much further down the line.¡± I¡¯ve checked it out. Nuwa confirmed. At this rate, I believe I can get that in¡­a year or so. More if people keep bugging me and distracting me. ¡°Yes, distracting you from sitting around and watching your numbers slowly tick up.¡± Carmen drawled. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re not just trying to avoid socializing?¡± N-nothing of the sort. I just¡­don¡¯t see a point to it, that¡¯s all. Anna coughed. ¡°Alright, so, since that¡¯s going to take a while, what¡¯s your plan until your lair is constructed? If you don¡¯t have one, you¡¯re more than welcome to come crash with me, I¡¯m sure I can find something for you to do.¡± In a rush of air, Eve was back behind Lilith. ¡°Absolutely not! I know what you¡¯re trying to do, and you¡¯re not going to get to dress me up!¡± Anna sighed. ¡°Well, it was worth a shot. But, really, what is your plan?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to stay here and work on my fighting style. I can¡¯t fight the same way as Lilith does, so I have to figure something out.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Anna asked, frowning. ¡°The whole point of choosing a different appearance is to keep people from figuring out that we¡¯re related. We have a number of extremely rare or completely unique Skills, so if we fought the same way it¡¯d be a dead giveaway, duh. Sheesh, you¡¯d think I¡¯m the only one putting any thought into this.¡± ¡°Ooh, can Jameson and I train with you!?¡± Anna said, eyes sparkling. ¡°It¡¯ll be just the three of us, like it used to be!¡± Eve seemed to struggle with that for a moment. ¡°I-it would be best if you didn¡¯t get too used to my presence. The life of the Queen of Monsters is a lonely one, and I cannot have companions amongst normal people, for fear of allowing spies into my midst.¡± Anna thought about it, then smiled impishly. ¡°But, what if we¡¯re not your companions?¡± ¡°Elaborate, mortal.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be incognito as a mysterious loner that was roped into a group, infiltrating the ranks of the mortals to gather information. Sometimes you¡¯ll just vanish for long periods of time while you attend to your business as Queen of Monsters. You¡¯ll appear in the nick of time, saving us when all else seems lost! Then, at the critical moment, as we are coming to assault your castle and are backed into a corner, you¡¯ll reveal yourself and take off, crushing us with your sudden act of betrayal!¡± Eve perked up, and then sagged. ¡°Your plan has merit, but now that you know about it I cannot in good faith implement it, nor can I implement it with people who know I am Queen of Monsters.¡± Anna sighed, disappointed. ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right. I¡¯ll be real, though, I just wanted us to be able to spend a bit more time together now that we¡¯re all in contact again.¡± ¡°No, the plan still works.¡± Kali said. ¡°They just need to defect with you. You can just make them your Champions and put them in a contract that prevents them from leaking your secrets. They already know the biggest secret of all, that you and Lilith are the same person, so you can¡¯t afford to leave them alone.¡± Eve brightened considerably. ¡°O-of course! I¡¯m not sure why I didn¡¯t think of that before!¡± She cleared her throat, then pointed a finger at Anna. ¡°Heed my words! Now that you know my secrets, you¡¯ll never be able to escape me! I¡¯ll dog you to the ends of the earth if I must!¡± ¡°What if they go to Haven? Will you just leave them alone then?¡± Carmen snarked. ¡°It¡¯s a figure of speech!¡± Anna giggled. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll be your loyal subject, your majesty.¡± ¡°What?¡± Eve asked, momentarily taken aback. ¡°I¡­I mean, I¡¯m glad someone is going to treat me with the respect I deserve. As a reward, I will allow you the rare pleasure of referring to me by name whilst we are in private. You will have to do so whilst we are in the lands of people anyway, so you best accustom yourself to it now.¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°By that she means she feels weird when you call her that.¡± Carmen translated, shooting Eve a smug look. ¡°S-shut up, no one asked you!¡± Eve whined. ¡°I¡¯ve got an image to maintain!¡± ¡°And, like Lilith said, you don¡¯t have to maintain it in front of us. No one¡¯s going to judge you for it here.¡± Alex soothed. ¡°This should be where you can relax.¡± ¡°No! Unless I am forced to do so to disguise myself, I cannot risk letting myself get into the habit of dropping my guard. If it happens in public then no one will be able to take me seriously and everything will be over.¡± ¡°Whatever. You do you, I guess.¡± Alex replied. ¡°That¡¯s not something you could stop me from doing. The only one with the authority to do that is Lilith.¡± Eve huffed. ¡°But¡­won¡¯t it get tiring to pretend like this all the time?¡± Raphael asked. ¡°For your mental health or whatever, wouldn¡¯t it be better to try and drop your guard, at least around the other Parallels?¡± Eve looked almost convinced for a moment, then shook her head. ¡°No, it¡¯s still too great a risk.¡± Carmen raised an eyebrow. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying you¡¯re not cut out for this whole business, that you¡¯re not good enough to just switch between two personas at will? Besides, if you¡¯re going out ¡®in the lands of people¡¯, won¡¯t you need to drop the act anyway?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°She makes a valid point, you know.¡± Anna pointed out. ¡°If you just go around acting like this in public, you¡¯re going to draw a huge amount of attention.¡± Eve groaned. ¡°Fine. I just wanted to act cool while I made my debut.¡± She said. ¡°Can¡¯t you let me have that?!¡± She paused, frowning. ¡°But don¡¯t get me wrong, that¡¯s only about the whole ¡®mortal¡¯ and ¡®lands of people¡¯ and that kind of stuff. I meant everything else I said.¡± ¡°Including the bit where you said we were all really important to you?¡± Carmen teased. Eve, face rapidly beginning to turn as red as her hair groaned again. ¡°You guys are the worst!¡± Anna chuckled. ¡°Fine, fine, I¡¯ll stop teasing you. So, how exactly are we going to go about this?¡± ¡°Until we get this whole¡­¡®the government of Haven doesn¡¯t like us¡¯ thing worked out, we¡¯re going to train here in the dungeon. I¡¯ll drop by and pick up you and Jameson every morning, and then maybe from time to time we can head out into Haven and I¡¯ll teach you all how everything works. They¡¯ll be dangerous missions, of course, but I¡¯m sure you can handle it.¡± Anna opened her mouth like she was going to make a retort, then apparently decided against it. ¡°Sounds good.¡± ¡°Can I come with you guys too?!¡± Raphael asked excitedly. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to fight alongside a Perfect Chimera, so it¡¯d be super cool to be in your party full-time!¡± Eve hesitated, then shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re under a sort of house arrest, like everyone else living here, except for Grandpa. If someone comes to take you while we¡¯re out, then I¡¯ll have to reveal myself and blow my cover, and I can¡¯t afford that.¡± ¡°But I can learn how to make myself look like other people! If I can do that, then can I come?!¡± Alex ruffled Raphael¡¯s hair. ¡°What about when you have to get magically scanned by someone or something? Then what?¡± Raphael pouted. ¡°Who say¡¯s that¡¯ll happen?¡± ¡°If you all head to any healers or any Haven governmental buildings you¡¯ll have to. For that matter, won¡¯t Eve also have problems with this? I¡¯m sure dad scanned you.¡± ¡°Already scrubbed it from the records!¡± Kali said proudly. ¡°That aside, her magical signature is going to be different now that she¡¯s a Higher Being. There¡¯ll still be some similarities, but it¡¯s different enough that most software wouldn¡¯t flag it anyway, so there¡¯s nothing to worry about.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you just scrub the rest of our signatures?¡± Raphael asked. ¡°Elenoa would make a fuss about it. It¡¯d basically turn into an international incident and would make trying to be a peacekeeper really hard for Lilith.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Raphael said, disappointed. ¡°I guess that makes sense.¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Lilith told her. ¡°It¡¯s not like we¡¯re never going to have the chance to be teammates. Once everything¡¯s settled down a bit, I¡¯m going to turn my attention to making sure you all won¡¯t have to be cooped up here anymore. And in the meantime, as long as you¡¯re not in any cities, we can let you guys visit other places if you want.¡± ¡°And if Tunem has been looking into it and knows where we¡¯re going to pop out?¡± Carmen asked warily. ¡°What do we do then?¡± ¡°That¡¯s under control.¡± Kali said. ¡°As long as we let me do the teleporting, it shouldn¡¯t be an issue. It¡¯s built into the system that you can¡¯t scry or otherwise look into any details of the admin functionalities, so if we just head to my place and let me use my personal teleport on you all, then he won¡¯t be able to pin down any exact details about the transit. And divination isn¡¯t exactly foolproof in the first place, so unless he¡¯s putting a lot of effort into it, he won¡¯t be able to get any useful information so long as you don¡¯t stay in one place for a while. It¡¯ll cost a bit of Worship, but it¡¯ll be worth it.¡± ¡°But if he is putting in that effort, we¡¯re still out of luck, that right?¡± Carmen said, raising an eyebrow. ¡°Aside from Alex, he hasn¡¯t made any attempts to look for any of you.¡± ¡°He¡¯s looking for me? Doesn¡¯t he know I¡¯m safe?¡± Alex asked. Kali frowned. ¡°Yeah, he does. Unfortunately, he doesn¡¯t really care about that. What¡¯s he does care about is getting you back to him. That was his aim ever since you left for the Society, and it was one of the biggest incentives I used to get him to pick Lilith as the recipient of Vithi¡¯s lamp. So, having you whisked away again so soon doesn¡¯t really sit right with him. I¡¯m pretty sure he¡¯s willing to bring you into Council custody against your will if it meant getting you back in his life.¡± ¡°So, what? Do I just have to sit around here doing nothing until this all blows over?¡± ¡°Well¡­I don¡¯t know.¡± Lilith admitted. ¡°I was hoping we wouldn¡¯t get to this point. At worst, we just have you keep training here, and hopefully we have this resolved in a year or two.¡± ¡°Actually,¡± Carmen began, ¡°do we know if they¡¯re even going to make moves? I¡¯ll admit I¡¯ve been a bit too distracted to check on all of our Watches all the time.¡± I flick through them from time to time. Nuwa said. Elenoa¡¯s definitely gearing up for a confrontation of sorts, but I can¡¯t tell for what. The Society¡¯s kinda in shambles after losing Kali, but they¡¯re pulling themselves together, and everyone on Earth is still too busy trying to figure out how to reorganize things to worry about attacking us. ¡°Hmm.¡± Carmen said. ¡°Not promising, but¡­well, we can worry about it after we¡¯ve made all the warp gates. Speaking of¡­¡± While Carmen was speaking, Eve made her way out from behind Lilith and grabbed Anna¡¯s hand, tugging her hand somewhat forcefully and leading her out of the room. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go start training. We¡¯ll pick up Jameson when his meeting finishes.¡± Anna blinked. ¡°Now?¡± Eve rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not letting my minions go out into the world without any knowledge of how to defend themselves. And, since the two of you are going to be some of my closest accomplices, I¡¯m going to personally make sure you¡¯re capable enough to support me on the battlefield. That means that you¡¯ll need to get as strong as possible as fast as possible, so we won¡¯t have a moment to waste. Carmen¡¯s told Jameson to let us know the moment he¡¯s free, and one of us will pick him up when that happens. Until then, it¡¯s just the two of us.¡± She narrowed her eyes and gave Anna a wary look. ¡°And if you even think about dressing me up, I¡¯m going to make you run laps.¡± Chapter 45: First Subjects Eve led Anna down to a side room and had her sit down on a couch. ¡°Alright, before we get to any actual training, what¡¯s your Class? I cannot allow myself to be ignorant of my subordinates¡¯ abilities, especially when we are going to be fighting alongside each other.¡± She flopped down on the couch next to Anna, lying down and stretching herself out to her full length, which didn¡¯t quite fill the available space. Eve had to admit that was one perk of being smaller that she hadn¡¯t considered; it had been a while since she was able to fit herself all the way onto a couch without some part of her hanging over. The wings were a little uncomfortable, but so long as she didn¡¯t lay on her back, they weren¡¯t too much of an issue. She propped her head up on her hands and started to bounce her feet gently off of the cushion, looking up at Anna, who was just watching Eve, transfixed. ¡°Well? Out with it! We don¡¯t have all day.¡± They did, technically, have all day. But she had to be firm here; if Anna was to be her subordinate, she was going to have to learn that things operated on Eve¡¯s timetable, and Eve¡¯s timetable only. It definitely wasn¡¯t because she was getting embarrassed. ¡°R-right.¡± Anna said, blushing slightly. ¡°I was distracted with how cute you are, sorry. I was still barely processing the fact that Lilith is Lucas, and it¡¯s even harder to reconcile a cutie like you being him.¡± Eve resisted the urge to get away from Anna and hide behind a piece of furniture. Even if her mind was screaming at her that her dignity was in danger, she wouldn¡¯t always be in a position where she could make a retreat. Better to practice now than to be caught off guard in a more precarious situation. ¡°So, I chose to be a Beast Tamer.¡± Anna continued, unaware of Eve¡¯s inner struggle. ¡°I¡¯ve always liked animals, so I thought it¡¯d be really cool to be able to get even closer with them.¡± Eve nodded. ¡°What have you got tamed, then?¡± Anna scratched the back of her neck. ¡°Only Fluffy for now, but I don¡¯t want to actually bring him into combat. He¡¯s getting on in years and I thought maybe I could help him if I advance in the Class more.¡± Eve had to agree with that. Fluffy was Anna¡¯s dog, a golden retriever, and age aside, he didn¡¯t have an aggressive bone in his body, so she didn¡¯t think he¡¯d be all that helpful outside of an emergency situation. ¡°I¡¯ll look into providing you with some, then.¡± Eve offered. ¡°What are your limitations on what you can tame?¡± ¡°Um, if it willingly submits, I don¡¯t have any, other than the fact that it can¡¯t be a person. Otherwise, it can¡¯t be more than 5 levels higher than me if it¡¯s trying to resist. I think there¡¯s some sort of battle of will, but I haven¡¯t actually tried it with anything other than Fluffy and he submitted right away. And then, until I level up the Skill some more, I can¡¯t have more than two tamed creatures that haven¡¯t willingly submitted.¡± ¡°Sounds good. I¡¯ll bring them to you tomorrow. Any preferences?¡± ¡°Maybe just some wild dogs for now? I¡¯m not sure I could handle anything scarier. I¡¯ll work my way up eventually, but even just regular dogs should be helpful with my Class buffing them.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll get you some dogs you can tame tomorrow. Give me a second to let people know so we can get the process going.¡± Without waiting for a response, she contacted Siph. Mama, I need you to do something for me. Of course, pumpkin! Eve chose to let the ¡°pumpkin¡± slide. Before tomorrow, get five of the strongest dog monsters you can think of. Like, Fenrirs or something if those exist. If you can find a variety that are similarly powerful, that¡¯d be preferable, but if they all are the same kind that works too. Oh, and they need to have some sort of intelligence, enough to listen to what I say. Anyway, just subdue them and bring them here, I need to give them to Anna so she can actually use her Class. On it! Love you! ¡°OK, done. But, even if you¡¯ve got a bunch of dogs to help you, you¡¯re going to need to know how to fight. You¡¯re going to end up in a situation where something¡¯s all up in your grill, and if you don¡¯t know how to deal with it, you¡¯re going to get seriously hurt.¡± ¡°So¡­what? Are you going to teach me martial arts or how to use a weapon? I know you¡¯ve been training, but it¡¯s only been a couple of months. You can¡¯t possibly be good enough to be a teacher yet.¡± Eve froze. ¡°Oh, right. Um, we¡¯ll figure something out. We can at least get your level up in the meantime. It¡¯ll make you capable of taking the hits until someone can help you.¡± ¡°Um, sure.¡± Anna said. ¡°What¡¯ll you be fighting with? Lilith said she uses guns, but you wanted to distance yourself from her, so you probably won¡¯t be using them, right?¡± ¡°Unlike some people, I don¡¯t have a built in aimbot, so I¡¯m going to stick with melee combat for now. I¡¯m going to be a magic swordswoman, except instead of being middling in both magic and swordplay I get to be great at both of them.¡± Anna raised an eyebrow. ¡°And where are you going to learn swordplay? The internet?¡± ¡°I said I¡¯ll figure it out! Now, before I take you to the actual training room, I¡¯m going to officially make you one of my subordinates. If you accept this, there¡¯s no turning back, you hear?¡± ¡°Yeah, I got it, go ahead.¡± Eve checked her Worship. She was at just under two thousand, which wasn¡¯t bad considering it¡¯d only been a couple of weeks since she¡¯d blown it all. She hadn¡¯t actually created a Champion yet, but hopefully it wouldn¡¯t cost too much to just make one without giving them any special abilities. So, she went to give it a go. Immediately, a window popped up with all sorts of options. There was a message customizer, as well as a huge list of potential blessings she could give. She ignored the blessings, choosing instead to make a message and then send the request to Anna. Even without the blessings, though, it still took 500 Worship just to make the appointment. Still, it wasn¡¯t like it was being used anywhere, so Eve was sure Lilith would forgive her for making their best friends Champions. Oddly enough, Eve was able to see the window that Anna was looking at. Come to think of it, she could see windows made when giving someone a Geas, too. Was it because the source was her? Could Kali see everyone¡¯s windows? However it worked, it was nice to see that the message was delivered as she intended.
You¡¯re going to become the Queen of Monster¡¯s subordinate, right? Yes / I¡¯m a Liar
Anna looked over to Eve and raised an eyebrow but pressed yes anyway. The moment she did, Eve got to work on the next part of the process. It obviously wouldn¡¯t be good if someone appraised Anna and found that she was under the command of the enemy of all sentient life, so she needed a way to hide that from others. Fortunately, that was well within Eve¡¯s capabilities. Patron allowed her to bestow a degraded version of one of her Skills upon a subordinate, and she just so happened to have the best appraisal-blocking Skill out there. She set to work granting the Skill to Anna, but it wasn¡¯t quite as simple as she was hoping. Apparently, Patron gave a randomly degraded version of the Skill by default. If she wanted to give a more specific version, she had to pay more Mana and take more time. Well, nothing to do about it except get started, really. As she worked on gathering the Mana, a strange purple light began to seep out from underneath her feet, bathing the room in in an eerie glow. ¡°Uh, is everything OK? What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Shush! I¡¯m concentrating!¡± The Skill lapped up almost 10,000 Mana and took another 10 seconds before it finished, causing another window to pop up in front of Anna.
Nothing to See Here Level 0: 0/0 EXP (Skill does not level up) Rank: Legendary Hides any Titles, Achievements, and Skills related to the Queen of Monsters from any form of appraisal. Can be turned off and on at will. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.Now you just need to practice whistling badly and your disguise will be perfect!
¡°Oh, right, thanks. That¡¯ll probably be handy.¡± Anna said, somewhat startled. ¡°I didn¡¯t even think about that.¡± Eve stuck out her chest proudly. ¡°Of course it will! I can¡¯t just let my followers be exposed the first time anyone tries to identify them, so I took measures! Now, come with me, it¡¯s time we really started to get your level up. Trust me, whatever you were doing before isn¡¯t going to be nearly as good as what we¡¯re going to be doing now.¡±
Jameson hit send on the message, letting Carmen know that the meeting was over, and he was ready to be picked up. About a minute later, there was a knock on the front door, and he stood to go get it, but his mom tried to stop him. ¡°I got it, honey.¡± She said, already moving towards the front entry. ¡°It¡¯s just one of my friends, here to pick me up, mom.¡± He said hurriedly. ¡°There¡¯s really no need for that!¡± ¡°Nonsense, I¡¯m always happy to say hi to your friends. Just stay on the couch and I¡¯ll invite them in.¡± Jameson was following close behind but wasn¡¯t fast enough to stop her from opening the door. His mom let out a confused yelp when she saw Carmen waiting on the porch. ¡°Y-you¡­¡± She stammered nervously. ¡°Hey Mrs. Myers.¡± Carmen said jovially. ¡°Long time no see!¡± Jameson¡¯s mother sent Jameson a look that was clearly requesting help, causing Jameson to sigh. ¡°I told you, you didn¡¯t need to get the door. This is Carmen, mom. It¡¯s a bit complicated, but she¡¯s an alternate personality of Lilith, the High Arbiter, who was Lucas Clements.¡± Carmen nodded. ¡°That¡¯s me! I¡¯m the same kid that used to come over all the time and get into all sorts of trouble with Jameson and Anna, just a little different now.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong, honey?¡± Jameson¡¯s father asked, walking into the entrance. He froze upon seeing Carmen, looking between her, Jameson, and Jameson¡¯s mother. ¡°Hi Mr. Myers!¡± Carmen said, waving. ¡°I¡¯m just coming to pick Jameson up and then I¡¯ll be out of your hair!¡± Jameson¡¯s father gave Jameson a look not dissimilar to the one Jameson¡¯s mother gave. ¡°If you remember the broadcast, dad, the High Arbiter was our Lucas Clements. This is Carmen, one of her alternate personalities, and she¡¯s taking me to meet up with her and Anna.¡± Jameson¡¯s father chuckled nervously. ¡°You¡¯re¡­not going to be doing anything dangerous, right?¡± Carmen shook her head. ¡°Just helping them level up. It¡¯s perfectly safe, so don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Jameson could hear his siblings and cousins starting to whisper from behind them, so he quickly cut off any further questioning. ¡°I¡¯ll explain more when I get back. I don¡¯t want to make any more of a scene, so I think it¡¯s best if we leave now.¡± He said, stepping outside and giving Carmen a pointed look. His parents looked like they were going to protest, so he quickly shut the screen door and grabbed Carmen¡¯s hand, leading her out of view of the door. ¡°You enjoyed that way too much.¡± Carmen giggled. ¡°I can¡¯t wait until I get to introduce them to Kali.¡± He rounded the side of the house and stopped. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get out of here.¡± ¡°Got it. Step back a bit.¡± Once he did, Carmen swiftly began to draw a circle on the ground using her appendages. By the time it was about half completed, he could hear the screen door open and shut, and just as it finished his parents came into view. He quickly stepped into the circle, felt a tugging sensation, and then he was staring at a door that read ¡°Lilith¡¯s Dungeon¡±. A moment later, Carmen was behind him. ¡°Alright, follow me. I can give you the tour later, but Eve¡¯s impatient so you¡¯ll have to go without for now.¡± ¡°Is she the new Parallel you were talking about?¡± ¡°Yeah. Not going to say any more, though, that¡¯d spoilers.¡± She said with a wink. They walked down a hallway to another teleporter, which took them to a large circular room with a bunch of doors. She led him through one of them, stopping before a room about a quarter of the way down the hall. ¡°Alright, here¡¯s your stop. Don¡¯t get too overwhelmed, alright?¡± Before he could ask what she meant, she took off, leaving him alone. He tentatively knocked at the door. ¡°You may enter.¡± The voice was quite a bit younger than he expected, but he opened the door and stepped inside. Immediately, he was grabbed from the side. ¡°I have captured him, mistress.¡± Anna monotoned. ¡°Would you like me to restrain him while you work?¡± ¡°That would be wonderful, minion.¡± A small girl said, walking up to Jameson. For his part, Jameson struggled in Anna¡¯s grip, but she was far stronger than he remembered. He didn¡¯t want to hurt her, and this girl was probably Lilith¡¯s new Parallel, so he decided to just go with it for now. ¡°Who are you, and what have you done with my girlfriend?!¡± He asked theatrically. The girl gave her best approximation of an evil laugh, but despite her efforts it wasn¡¯t very threatening. ¡°I am Eve, Queen of Monsters! Say goodbye to your free will, for I am about to enslave you forever, just like I have your girlfriend!¡± ¡°Do not resist. Your fate is inevitable.¡± Anna said in that same monotone voice. Just then, he got a window.
Become the Queen of Monster¡¯s slave! Yes / No
Jameson grinned. ¡°What if I say no?¡± Eve froze. ¡°D-do not even attempt it, mortal!¡± She managed. ¡°That option is merely a shortcoming of the system. While I have managed to disable its functionality, the system keeps it visible in the messages.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re saying it¡¯s fine if I say no, because nothing will happen.¡± Eve shook her head vigorously. ¡°It would be a waste of time, and my patience is thin. Just say yes already!¡± ¡°I¡¯m feeling like if it was truly inevitable, the system wouldn¡¯t present this option, instead just letting me know that I have become your slave.¡± Eve floundered, and Anna came to her rescue. She let go of Jameson, giving him a swat on the arm. ¡°Stop teasing her.¡± She said, emotion once again present in her voice. ¡°It costs some of her Worship to do this, so it¡¯d be a bunch of trouble if you really said no. It¡¯s actually a request to be her Champion, it¡¯s perfectly harmless.¡± ¡°Anna!¡± Eve whined, dragging out the name. ¡°I thought you were going to play along!¡± ¡°You weren¡¯t going to get anywhere going on like that, so I decided enough was enough. If he actually said no, joke or not, that would have been a huge waste of Worship.¡± Jameson accepted, and Eve brightened. ¡°Excellent! Now, hold still while I give you my dark blessing!¡± She screwed up her face in concentration and began emitting a sort of purple aura. Once she was finished, Jameson read over the Skill and nodded, looking back to Eve. ¡°Alright, so, what¡¯s this all about, anyway?¡± ¡°You are to be one of my minions!¡± Eve said haughtily. ¡°We will infiltrate the world of people together, sowing chaos from inside their ranks!¡± ¡°The three of us are going to be a party.¡± Anna translated. ¡°Think of the Queen of Monsters as like a demon lord or something. Her goal is to give people an enemy to fight against and use to get stronger. But, since she won¡¯t need to constantly be at her main base, she¡¯s going to spend the rest of her time with us.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Prepare yourself to cast off your human selves, for you will be reborn as the loyal servants of the Queen of Monsters!¡± She said, dead serious as far as Jameson could tell. ¡°Wait, are you going to actually change us into something non-human?¡± He asked, taken aback. Eve looked to the side. ¡°N-no, not really. Not unless you want me to.¡± Anna crept a couple of fingers up Jameson¡¯s chest. ¡°I could have her turn me into a sheep girl for you.¡± She said seductively. ¡°I know you¡¯ve always had a thing for them.¡± Jameson swallowed. The offer was far more tempting than he cared to admit. He frantically studied Anna¡¯s face, trying to tell whether she was serious or just teasing him. She was apparently serious, as she gave him an appraising look, then turned to Eve. ¡°Yeah, do it. You can always turn me back if I don¡¯t like it, right?¡± ¡°Wait, seriously?!¡± Eve replied, her haughty fa?ade shattered by the shock in her voice. ¡°Yeah, seriously. As long as it doesn¡¯t hurt, anyway.¡± ¡°Um¡­no, it doesn¡¯t hurt. Are you sure, though? It¡¯ll be kind of hard to explain to people.¡± Anna shrugged. ¡°If the internet¡¯s to be believed, people who liked what the fae transformed them into were able to stay as they were, so I can just say one of the fae did it. I wouldn¡¯t technically be wrong.¡± ¡°What about your family?¡± Jameson asked cautiously. ¡°It¡¯s kind of a lot of trouble to go through just for me.¡± ¡°The family will understand if I just say I asked Lilith to do it. You know they¡¯re pretty accepting about this sorta stuff. As for it being trouble just for you, I think it sounds pretty like a pretty cool experience myself, so it¡¯s not just for you. And besides, even if it was just for you, it¡¯d be worth it.¡± She punctuated the sentence by giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. Eve seemed to catch a sort of second wind at this. ¡°That aside, it¡¯ll also make her stronger! She¡¯ll get two Racial Classes instead of just one!¡± Anna grinned. ¡°See! It¡¯s a good choice!¡± ¡°W-why are you so passionate about this?¡± Jameson asked, bewildered. ¡°Because it sounds fun and I get to do something nice for you! It¡¯s a win-win! Besides, it¡¯s not like there¡¯s anything stopping me from just going back if I don¡¯t like it, so it¡¯s not even a commitment. Now, we doing this or what?¡± They were interrupted by Carmen opening the door and stepping into the room. She walked over to Anna and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m not going to stop you from doing this if you really want to, but you should think this through first. It can¡¯t be spur of the moment, OK? I know it¡¯s something new and exciting, but it can wait until tomorrow.¡± ¡°Oh¡­right.¡± Anna said sheepishly. ¡°I got a little ahead of myself there, sorry.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Carmen told her. ¡°Trust me, of everyone here I probably get you the most; change is fun. But I¡¯ve also learned that doing this sort of think without thinking is probably going to cause trouble in the future, especially with something this visible. So, just take a night to think about it.¡± ¡°I get it, I get it.¡± Anna said, scratching the back of her neck. Then almost as an afterthought, gave a mumbled ¡°Thanks.¡± Carmen nodded. ¡°Text me about it tomorrow, OK? If you decide you still want to go through with it, I¡¯ll make it happen.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, now shoo!¡± Eve said impatiently. ¡°We¡¯ve got leveling to do!¡± Carmen gave a lazy salute and left the room. Eve turned her attention back to Anna and Jameson, adopting an imperious posture. ¡°Since we¡¯re all here, it¡¯s time to get serious! Now that you¡¯re officially working under me, the more Skills you get, the more Skills Lilith and I have, so you¡¯re not just working for yourselves anymore! Get those rears in gear!¡± Jameson frowned. ¡°You mean the more Skills you have at your disposal, right?¡± Eve smirked. ¡°Nope. I have a Skill that gives me a copy of all my subordinate¡¯s non-Exclusive or Unique Skills. Anything you can do, I can do better.¡± ¡°What kind of unfair Skill is that?!¡± Jameson complained. ¡°You get to benefit from all our hard work just because you¡¯re our ¡°boss¡±?!¡± ¡°Hey, I¡¯m supposed to act as a deterrent for entire nations! If I didn¡¯t have unfair Skills, then I couldn¡¯t exactly do that! Now, less whining, more working!¡± Chapter 46: Puppy Mill Eve stood in front of the entrance to a cave, staring into the darkness. There was a rather impressive rumbling coming from within, as two large beasts slumbered. This was the last stop on the monster-collecting errand, and it required she come personally. While Siph and Kirdin were enough to tackle any one of the monsters they had in mind, two at once would be dangerous. Locating them all had been easier than expected. She had, admittedly, underestimated how powerful something ¡°as strong as a Fenrir¡± would be. It would appear that there was only one Fenrir in existence, and he reigned as king of all lupine beings. That meant that something that strong would likely end up being the ¡°ruler¡± of another type of creature. And those were the types of things that Kali liked to keep track of. So, three outings later and they had ended up with three wildly different types of monsters back in the dungeon, and even after she got these last two there would be only one that even vaguely resembled a dog. That was fine. She was planning to have Carmen and Mae give the monsters some¡­cosmetic surgery to make whatever she brought back look like puppies anyway, so really this only meant a bit more effort was required. She was sure Mae could figure something out to make their Skills still function, and hopefully even implement a switch that could let them turn the monsters back with minimal effort. But that was for later. Right now, she had to get these last two monsters. One of them was Fenrir himself, and the other was his mate, Sekhmet. Ironically, Sekhmet was a cat-like monster; according to Kali, the two had met by accident whilst searching for a place to live, and it had been love at first fight. They had apparently fought each other to a standstill, and when they realized they couldn¡¯t kill the other, got to talking it out. One thing led to another, and they¡¯d been together ever since. There was a slight shift in the rhythm of the rumbling. Taking that as her cue, Eve stepped into the cave. ¡°Up and at ¡®em!¡± She yelled, leaning forward and putting her hands on her hips. ¡°I don¡¯t have all day, so let¡¯s get this over with!¡± The rumbling stopped. Eve waited impatiently, and she was soon greeted by the sight of two large figures, easily twice the size of a person, moving silently towards her. ¡°You¡¯ve got a lot of nerve, little one.¡± The one on the right said in a deep, masculine voice. ¡°Do you know who you¡¯re dealing with?¡± Eve looked at her nails. ¡°Fenrir and Sekhmet. Look, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. Easy way you just do whatever I say, I take you home, nobody has to get hurt. Hard way, I beat the snot out of you, and then you do whatever I say.¡± The one on the left chuckled. ¡°Can we keep her as a pet, dear? She amuses me.¡± Her voice was smooth and melodious, calming in a way. ¡°Anything for you, darling.¡± Fenrir replied, nuzzling Sekhmet affectionately. Eve sighed. ¡°Fine, the hard way it is. Before we do battle, let me introduce myself; I am Eve, Queen of Monsters! Now, prepare yourselves!¡± Fenrir took a step forward. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of this. Forgive me for being rough, child, but I can see you won¡¯t come quietly.¡± He opened his mouth and let loose a cone of icy wind, which completely enveloped Eve. She just activated Zoan¡¯s Barrier and reflected the attack back at him. Unsurprisingly, it didn¡¯t do much. Eve responded with a breath attack of her own, an inordinately large amount of lightning coming from her small mouth and arcing towards Fenrir. In a flash of motion, Sekhmet was in front of Fenrir, taking the brunt of the attack. ¡°Are you OK, honey? That one would have been dangerous.¡± Fenrir grunted. ¡°I¡¯m fine, thanks to you.¡± He cautiously moved out from behind her, regarding Eve curiously. ¡°It appears we¡¯ll have to go all out.¡± The fight was short and one-sided. Eve just kept Zoan¡¯s Barrier up the entire time and physically beat the two into submission. It drained over fifty thousand mana, but it was a lot easier and faster than trying to fight them normally, and Eve just didn¡¯t feel like doing that. ¡°H-how are you so strong?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°You¡¯re just a little girl!¡± ¡°Appearances are deceiving.¡± Eve told him, drawing a large circle on the ground. ¡°Now, get in.¡± ¡°B-but¡­¡± Sekhmet began. ¡°No buts.¡± Eve said flatly. ¡°Get in, or I drag you in.¡± The two obediently got into the circle, and Eve activated it. Carmen was waiting for them, a service-industry smile on her face. ¡°Ah, Fenrir and Sekhmet, was it? We¡¯ve been waiting for you.¡± She opened the door that was their entry to the dungeon and motioned inside. ¡°Follow me.¡± They hesitated, and Eve prodded them forward. ¡°Come on, I want to go to bed, and I can¡¯t until we finish here.¡± Their short trip was silent. Fenrir and Sekhmet were either too afraid to talk or just didn¡¯t want to, Eve saw no reason to say anything, and Carmen was committed to her hostess act. Soon, they were in a large room containing Lilith, Siph, Kirdin, and three enormous beasts. Upon entering, Fenrir turned to Sekhmet and gave a small nod, then leapt towards Eve, while Sekhmet dove at Carmen. ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there!¡± Sekhmet yelled. ¡°If all of us fight there¡¯s no way they can take us!¡± The assembled beasts apparently decided that just standing there sheepishly was the correct option, and soon both Fenrir and Sekhmet were pinned to the ground, staring daggers at the other animals. ¡°We already tried that.¡± One of them, a large boar, said. ¡°When the one who led you here left. The dragons didn¡¯t even need to get involved; the other one was able to deal with all three of us without even breaking a sweat. And, apparently, the two with you are her other bodies and just as strong as she is, so there really wasn¡¯t a chance.¡± ¡°Right, right, whatever. Doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Eve said dismissively. ¡°Now that you¡¯re all here, it¡¯s time for introductions and instructions. I¡¯m Eve, Queen of Monsters. While I haven¡¯t received any of the official abilities or anything yet, I¡¯m going to be your boss. From this point forward, I will tolerate no dissent, got it? Your first infraction I¡¯ll just take one of your limbs. I¡¯ll be putting it back afterwards, but that¡¯s not important. What is important is that it¡¯ll hurt. Further infractions I¡¯ll start taking off more limbs, and if I eventually decide you¡¯re more trouble than you¡¯re worth¡­¡± She trailed off, looking at each of the assembled monsters to make sure they got the message. ¡°Any questions?¡± She paused for a moment, then added. ¡°And no, questions do not count as dissent. You are fully welcome to question my decisions, so long as you don¡¯t disobey me. If I¡¯m being stupid, I expect you to tell me. That being said, you need to be respectful about it. I¡¯m not going to allow any verbal abuse disguised as criticism.¡± There was silence, so she continued. ¡°The one pinning down the cat is named Carmen, and the one who beat up the three of you,¡± she motioned to the still-standing beasts, ¡°is Lilith. Carmen and I are her alternate personalities, and she¡¯s the one who¡¯s actually in charge around here. If she tells you to do something, you do it, even if it contradicts something I told you to do. And don¡¯t even think about lying about her giving you an order, because we share senses at all times, so it¡¯ll be found out immediately.¡± She let Fenrir up, and Carmen did the same for Sekhmet. ¡°You¡¯ll see other people around here, and I expect you to listen to them as well. You¡¯re the bottom of the pecking order around here, so get used to it.¡± She patted Fenrir¡¯s back, earning an unhappy look. ¡°In case you don¡¯t know, this guy¡¯s named Fenrir, and the cat over there is his mate, Sekhmet.¡± She pointed to the other three. ¡°The boar¡¯s Erymanthos, the bird¡¯s Fenghuang, and the stag¡¯s Cernunnos. Got it?¡± There was, once again, silence. ¡°So, now that everyone¡¯s been introduced, it¡¯s time to get to the reason you¡¯re all here. One of my friends has recently become a Beast Tamer, and she¡¯s in need of some beasts that can fight.¡± ¡°I see no reason we should have to be under the thumb of¨C¡± Cernunnos began but was silenced as Eve was suddenly right in front of him, holding one of his legs. He toppled over unceremoniously, groaning. ¡°Any other objections?¡± Eve asked, jamming the leg back onto its stump and applying Kindness¡¯ Kiss to get it back into working order. Once none of the others spoke up, she continued. ¡°As I was saying, she needs beasts that can fight. But, she¡¯s also pretty new to this and unable to handle anything scarier than dogs. Unfortunately, Fenrir over here was the only doggish monster that was strong enough to meet my approval, so I¡¯ve rounded up you all as well. In a few moments here, Carmen, Lilith, and I will work on making you all look like cute little puppies so she won¡¯t freak out.¡± ¡°Absolutely not!¡± Fenghuang exclaimed. She was soon missing a wing. ¡°Look, I can do this all night.¡± Eve said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to, but I can. And if you keep me from getting sleep because you¡¯re too stubborn to realize you don¡¯t have any choice but to do what I say, then I¡¯m going to get annoyed. And I don¡¯t think any of you really want me to be annoyed. Besides, it¡¯s not like any of you will have any real differences to how strong you are. You¡¯ll get to keep all your old abilities, and for Fenghuang we¡¯ll work out an alternate form of flight. This just means that people will be underestimating you more, and that¡¯s an advantage, got it?¡± Eve stopped talking momentarily to reattach the wing before resuming her speech. ¡°Not that you¡¯re allowed to use any of those outside of emergency situations. You have to limit yourself to what a normal adolescent monster wolf thing would be able to do. Otherwise, your cover would be blown almost immediately and that¡¯s my hard work down the drain. Before any of that, though, you all have to officially become my subordinates. I¡¯m going to be giving you a benefits package that¡¯ll help keep your true nature under wraps. So, line up, and don¡¯t make me take any more of your limbs.¡± Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. A short couple of contracts later and Eve was ready to begin handing out her ¡°benefits packages¡±. They each took a hefty sum of Mana, but Eve took the excuse to draw Mana from the beasts themselves to fuel it. She hadn¡¯t used any of her subordinate¡¯s Mana in¡­ever, really, as she had never needed to, but she preferred to keep as much of her Mana as possible dedicated to DP, so she figured she might as well use their own Mana for this. Ruminations on Mana aside, she was rather proud of the little Skill she had been able to put together. Aside from the identification obscuring effects, she was able to put some extras in there. And those extras came courtesy of Fluffy; it seemed that the dog Racial Class got a lot of Skills that increased the comfort of its life as a pet, and Fluffy apparently had chosen quite a few of those.
Eve¡¯s Perfect Pet Pack Level Max Rank: Legendary Makes your Racial Class show up as dog. Hides any Skills not obtained from the dog Racial Class or from your master¡¯s guidance. Makes stats appear reduced to be in line with that of a dog. This effect can only be disabled by your master. Additionally, this Skill has several effects that are hidden until they have been discovered. Discovered Effects: None Trust me, you¡¯ll learn to like this Skill a lot.
After she had given all the animals that Skill, she set to work making them look like puppies. She had to remove a few more limbs before they all got the point and let it happen, but aside from that it went smoothly. Erymanthos and Cernunnos both ended up with golden coats, Fenghuang got a brown one, and Sekhmet received a black to compliment Fenrir¡¯s white. After everyone else left, Eve surveyed the humiliated beasts. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going to bed. You all stay here; if you leave, I¡¯ll have to give you an extra harsh punishment for waking me up. So, take some time to perfect your act, because if any of you end up scaring Anna, you¡¯ll be due for some¡­re-education. And if you thought what I did now was bad, just you wait.¡± And with that she too left the room, leaving the animals alone.
Anna wasn¡¯t sure quite what to expect when she got back to Lilith¡¯s place, but five completely harmless-looking puppies certainly wasn¡¯t it. They were just¡­sitting obediently in a line, regarding her with a curious expression. Still, she wasn¡¯t going to let her guard down yet; Fluffy was shaking, hiding behind her legs as best he could, and that could only really mean that these weren¡¯t normal puppies. ¡°Let me introduce you to your new minions!¡± Eve said happily, walking over to the puppies. They all stiffened slightly at her approach, but she didn¡¯t seem to take notice. ¡°They¡¯re weak monsters, yes, but they¡¯re smart ones and I¡¯ve made sure they know not to give you any trouble. If they do, tell me and I¡¯ll make sure they¡¯re properly disciplined.¡± One of the puppies visibly flinched at that. Did she want to know why? Eve continued, either pretending not to notice the dog¡¯s distress or just ignoring it. ¡°They¡¯re smart enough to understand whatever you say, and once you get to a high enough level, you¡¯ll probably be able to communicate telepathically with them, and they¡¯ll be able to hold full conversations with you. The downside of this is that they already have names, so you can¡¯t pick new ones, but that¡¯s a minor thing.¡± She patted a golden dog at the end of the line. ¡°This is Erymanthos, and the guy next to him is Cernunnos. The pretty little lady with the brown fur is Fenghuang, and the tough guy in white is Fenrir. Finally, the classy girl in black is Sekhmet. She and Fenrir are a couple and this species mates for life, so don¡¯t let Fluffy get any ideas about her.¡± Anna doubted he would. He seemed too scared out of his mind to be romantically interested in any of these ¡°dogs¡±. Also, what was up with those names? That really wasn¡¯t a point in favor of them being ¡°weak¡± monsters, but she supposed monster naming culture wouldn¡¯t adhere to her expectations. ¡°So, go ahead and contract them!¡± Eve said. ¡°They won¡¯t try to fight back at all, so you shouldn¡¯t have to worry about your two-monster limit. Heck, just go ahead and contract them all at once. Won¡¯t make a difference.¡± Anna hesitantly walked over to the puppies and activated her Skill. Almost immediately, even faster than it had been with Fluffy, she was notified that the five of them were under her control. And then she hit max level in her Class. And her Skill hit max level too. Fluffy had given her maybe 30 experience in the Skill, and barely 70 in the Class. These were definitely not ¡°weak¡± monsters. ¡°Eve.¡± She said flatly. ¡°Y-yes?¡± Eve asked nervously. ¡°Why did I get so much experience when I tamed them?¡± ¡°Uh¡­they¡¯re higher level than you, and you did a bunch at once?¡± ¡°I had a total level of 52, Eve. Are you saying that ¡°weak¡± monsters are that strong?¡± Eve¡¯s eyes darted around. ¡°Well, monster levels are different than people levels, since they don¡¯t have Classes or anything¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not buying it, Eve.¡± Eve groaned. ¡°Ok, fine, they¡¯re actually a little tougher than you. I just wanted to make sure you were safe if you ran into any other monsters. But they won¡¯t cause any trouble, right, Fenrir?¡± She glared at Fenrir, who paused, then rolled onto his back in a pose of submission. Anna absentmindedly bent down and started scratching his belly, and he nearly melted underneath her touch, a blissful expression creeping across his face. ¡°No need to be so harsh with them, Eve. They didn¡¯t do anything.¡± Sekhmet was giving Fenrir a very disapproving look. Was she upset that he was getting attention when she wasn¡¯t? Anna started scratching behind Sekhmet¡¯s ears as well, and the disapproving expression went away, replaced with one of pure pleasure. She shouldn¡¯t be able to get such clear readings on the expressions of dogs she just met, right? Did that also have to do with her Class? ¡°Well, at least you can talk with them now.¡± Eve said, obviously trying to change the subject. ¡°What?¡± Anna asked, turning to look at Eve. ¡°I told you you¡¯d get the ability to do so once you leveled up, and I just got that Skill out of nowhere, so it must¡¯ve been from you.¡± Anna checked and, sure enough, she had just gotten a Skill that would allow her to communicate telepathically with tamed beasts that were within 50 feet of her. Fluffy? She ventured, looking at the dog. Mistress! Scary! Help! Poor guy. She¡¯d have to properly introduce him to the other ¡°dogs¡± later and see if she couldn¡¯t get him to calm down. Can the rest of you hear me? Loud and clear, boss. Erymanthos said. She wasn¡¯t sure how she knew it was Erymanthos, but she had to guess that was the Skill doing its work. No problems here. Fenghuang added. Yeah, I hear you. Cernunnos replied. A-a little to the left, mistress! Fenrir cried. No, not my left, your left! Y-yeah, that¡¯s the spot. His leg started kicking wildly as she scratched the indicated area. And all she got from Sekhmet was a contented sigh. ¡°Excellent work, you¡¯ll get the hang of them in no time!¡± Eve said, ¡°Now, as their master, you should be able to view their status, so go try that out.¡± When Anna did, there were a couple of things she wanted to comment on. First, the animals just had the ¡°dog¡± Racial Class, which she didn¡¯t buy for a second. Then, the ¡°dogs¡± were all lower-leveled than her, which was obviously false considering Eve had already told Anna otherwise. And to top it all off, their stats were roughly similar to Fluffy¡¯s, despite being, apparently, tougher than she was. But she chose to let it go. She probably wouldn¡¯t get more from Eve, and more importantly, she wasn¡¯t sure she wanted to know more. ¡°Alright, done.¡± ¡°So, um, that¡¯s all I need you for right this second.¡± Eve said, awkwardly glancing around. ¡°Carmen wants to see you in her room, though, so just leave the dogs with me. I¡¯ll make sure to get Fluffy all introduced.¡± That¡­would be fine, right? Ah well, if things got out of hand, she was sure Lilith would step in. Well, Eve was Lilith, so didn¡¯t that mean she had already stepped in to help? The rest of her short walk was spent trying to puzzle out that little conundrum, and the conclusion she came to was that it would be more akin to paying only partial attention to something and then choosing to give full attention to it than it would be to stepping in to help someone else. She hesitated a moment before knocking on Carmen¡¯s door. ¡°Come in!¡± Carmen said. Anna let herself in and closed the door behind her. ¡°So, I¡¯m assuming this is about the whole sheep girl thing?¡± Carmen nodded. ¡°Now that you¡¯ve had some time to think about it, what are you going to do?¡± Anna gulped. ¡°I¡­I¡¯m going to go through with it. I feel like with all the crazy things going on that if I want it to be overlooked, now would be the best time. Some people might make a bit of a fuss, but I think overall it¡¯ll just sorta fade into the background.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fair enough. What requests do you have for your appearance? Even aside from sheep girl traits, you¡¯ve basically got free, riskless cosmetic surgery at your disposal right now.¡± ¡°Not going to lie, that¡¯s pretty tempting, but I think I prefer to keep the rest of me as-is. It doesn¡¯t really sit right ¨C like I¡¯m cheating or something. But, um, I think I¡¯d like wool around my ankles and wrists, and then decently long, curly horns. Oh, and the tail too, I guess. White if possible, because that¡¯s¡­I dunno, the most iconic?¡± ¡°Got it. Now, come over here. I¡¯ll do your tail and then let you sit while I do the rest.¡± Anna complied. It felt¡­tingly. But not in a bad way; the areas Carmen passed over felt energized, like just those parts had received a good night¡¯s rest. And, when Carmen finished, the effect spread out to the rest of her body. She was surprised with how fast the process had been, having taken at most five minutes. Carmen offered a hand to Anna, helping pull her off the bed. ¡°How do you feel?¡± She asked, giving Anna an appraising look. Seemingly satisfied, she nodded to herself. ¡°Great, actually.¡± Anna said. ¡°Better than before I started, anyway. Is there a mirror or something around? I want to see my new look.¡± Carmen snapped her fingers, and a mirror with a sheet covering it appeared in front of them. ¡°Two reasons for that.¡± She said, swatting Anna¡¯s hand when she reached to take off the sheet. ¡°First, getting a second Racial Class bumped your stats slightly. Second, when I finished the transformation, your cells were reinvigorated as a side-effect of adjusting to fit the new you. Perk of the process.¡± Anna withdrew her hand, pouting. ¡°Why all the theatrics? You didn¡¯t have to snap to make the mirror either, did you? You¡¯re just having fun teasing me, aren¡¯t you!¡± Carmen chuckled, raising her hands. ¡°Guilty as charged.¡± Then, before Anna could move to take the sheet off, Carmen yanked it off herself, leaving Anna to look at the new her. And she had to admit, Carmen did a fantastic job. There was enough wool to be noticeable, but not enough to really get in the way of her clothes, and even her regular hair had been made ever so slightly fluffier. The horns, too, were big enough to be eye catching, but small enough that they wouldn¡¯t get in the way of her day-to-day life. In short, it was everything she had hoped for. ¡°Wow.¡± She breathed, looking herself over again in the mirror. ¡°Just¡­wow.¡± Carmen smirked. ¡°Another satisfied customer. You want to check yourself out longer or go back to the dogs? Eve¡¯s finished getting them introduced to Fluffy, so she¡¯s ready whenever.¡± Well, at least everything seemed to have gone fine on that end. Probably. There was still a chance Fluffy had some permanent mental scars after the encounter. ¡°Yeah, I better go check in on that. Thanks a million, Carmen!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. Have fun with your new pets.¡± And with that, Anna left Carmen to do¡­whatever Carmen had been doing before Anna came up. She made sure to be as speedy as possible on her way back; she had to tell herself that if anything really bad had happened, Carmen probably would have mentioned it. But there was always the ¡°what if¡±. When she got back, she saw Fluffy interacting with the dogs like he¡¯d never been afraid of them. And, for their part, the dogs seemed to do whatever Fluffy wanted. At this point, Fluffy noticed her and bounded over, licking her new wool happily. But¡­was that blood on the floor? Eve stepped over it, cutting off her line of sight. ¡°You look like a proper minion of the Queen of Monsters now!¡± She said, eyes twinkling. ¡°I approve wholeheartedly!¡± She had paused for a moment before continuing on towards Anna, leaving behind a completely clean spot. Yeah, there had totally been blood there. It was¡­probably best not to comment. ¡°So¡­what now?¡± She asked, tearing her eyes away from the clean floor. ¡°Until Jameson¡¯s ready to come over, it¡¯s just going to be bonding time with the dogs. Might as well make sure everyone¡¯s all nice and used to each other before we get into any fights together.¡± And so, they spent a relatively peaceful half-hour just playing with the dogs. Perhaps this wouldn¡¯t be too bad after all. Chapter 47: Turning Wyrm Later that night, Carmen heard a knock on her door. ¡°Come in!¡± She yelled, not looking up from her phone. She was texting Anna about how everything had gone once Anna got home, and she was savoring every word. They could have done it over telepathy, but it just felt¡­better doing it over text. More real, in a weird way. It might not have been as good as seeing the chaos with her own eyes, but this was the best she was likely to get at the moment; Anna had forbid Carmen or Lilith from coming home with her, not wanting to give her family two huge shocks in one day. She had said Eve was fine, but Eve had sensed the danger present in being in Anna¡¯s home without Lilith or Carmen and declined the offer. ¡°Hey, kiddo.¡± Kirdin said, shutting the door behind him and just sort of awkwardly standing near the door. ¡°I, uh, have a request for you.¡± Carmen had Lilith shoot Anna a text saying that Carmen would be busy for a moment and turned her attention to her grandfather. ¡°Oh?¡± She said, raising an eyebrow. ¡°That¡¯s a first. Do tell.¡± He fidgeted, not looking her directly in the eyes. ¡°Well, I saw what you did to those beasts, and then to that girl, um, excellent work, by the way, and I was sort of wondering that maybe if you were able to turn things that powerful into those little puppies if maybe it would also work the other way around?¡± Carmen frowned, tapping her chin thoughtfully. ¡°I see no reason it wouldn¡¯t work, but I can¡¯t make an army that way, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re thinking. Well, not immediately. Think of it like just giving them the Racial Class and altering their appearances to match. Eve tried to do something like that to Fluffy, but it looks like he¡¯s going to have to go through the normal growth period of his species before he shows any signs of being altered.¡± ¡°What race did she make him into?¡± Kirdin asked curiously. ¡°We ended up going with an advanced form of monster wolf called Plague Wolf. He¡¯ll eventually become immune to disease and poison and will be able to suck it out of others. Then he¡¯ll incubate it inside his body, letting him mix and match traits of those diseases or poisons at will, and secrete them through his claws and fangs. Honestly, it was less about the combat utility and more about making Fluffy live way longer and making his life and Anna¡¯s life better by removing sickness from it.¡± Kirdin nodded approvingly. ¡°We¡¯ll have to start keeping a few around the place, they sound handy. But I don¡¯t want you to make an army or anything.¡± He scratched the back of his neck nervously, once again failing to look her in the eye. ¡°I was wondering if¡­if was, uh, possible to¡­um, turn your human parents into dragons?¡± Carmen froze, working that over in her head. ¡°I¡¯m¡­don¡¯t see why it wouldn¡¯t be. Why?¡± ¡°Well, I was thinking that training your parents would be a lot easier if they had a better base to start with. A-and they¡¯d also be able to bond with Siph a little better because they¡¯d be able to share that side of her life as well.¡± It was a compelling point, but¡­¡°Is this about the race difference again?¡± Carmen asked, narrowing her eyes. Kirdin waved his hands in front of him frantically. ¡°No, no. Well, alright, it¡¯s a little bit about that, but only a little. I just think it would make things way easier on them.¡± She scrutinized his face, trying to decide how truthful he was being. She hadn¡¯t known him long enough to get a really good read, but she was coming to learn that she really didn¡¯t have to try that hard to know what he was thinking. He was an awful actor, and an even worse liar. And so, she was pretty confident that he was telling the truth. ¡°And you¡¯re fine with the fact that you¡¯ll basically have to raise their dragon sides yourself? They¡¯re not going to know how to do anything like that.¡± He paused. ¡°It¡­should be fine. And I¡¯m sure Siph will pitch in too.¡± ¡°Do any of them know about you asking me this?¡± He shook his head. ¡°I wanted to make sure it was possible before I brought it up to them.¡± Carmen thought about that for a moment longer. ¡°It¡¯ll probably take a ton of Mana, but I don¡¯t see why it wouldn¡¯t work. Although, I¡¯m going to give the condition that they¡¯ll have to be able to learn humanization within a month. Otherwise it¡¯s going to be too big of an impact to their daily lives for it to be a good idea right now.¡± Kirdin frowned. ¡°Usually we take about 10 years to learn that but¡­they¡¯ve already got the minds of adults and this new system should speed things up dramatically. I¡­think it¡¯s doable.¡± Carmen sighed. ¡°Alright. If you get their permission, I¡¯ll do it.¡± Kirdin let loose a sigh of relief. ¡°I appreciate it, kid. I¡¯ll go talk to Siph now.¡± He quickly fled the room, leaving Carmen alone with her phone once again. She let Anna know that she was back and immersed herself in the beautiful mess that was Anna¡¯s current situation once again.
Siph gave her father a skeptical look as he knelt before her. ¡°Stop buttering me up. What do you want?¡± ¡°I was¡­maybe hoping that you would help me persuade your spouses to let your daughter turn them into dragons.¡± ¡°No. They¡¯re perfectly fine as humans. Stop letting your racism get in the way of my relationship.¡± She said, glaring. ¡°It¡¯s not that!¡± He protested, then, seeing her face, amended that statement. ¡°Mostly not that. I was thinking that this would make their training a lot easier, and it would help the three of you bond, because you can share a new aspect of your lives together. Plus, they¡¯ll get the added bonus of our non-finite lifespan right away, so they¡¯d go back to the prime of their youth now instead of having to wait until whenever humans get their longevity increases.¡± Siph clicked her tongue in annoyance. He was right, and she hated that. She was sure this all came from not wanting his daughter to be in love with humans, but she couldn¡¯t deny any of his points. And now that she was thinking about it, there were¡­other¡­benefits. Apparently, Familial Bond had made the two of them just as attracted to her dragon form as they were to her human form, but they couldn¡¯t figure out how to do anything meaningful when they had such drastically different sizes. But it was the prospect of making them young again that was the real attractive part of it all. She felt guilty about having a body that hadn¡¯t aged a day since she hit her prime while her spouses were stuck with bodies that were already showing their age. She contemplated that for a full minute, drawing out the awkward silence for as long as possible. Then, she sighed. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll talk to them. Go to bed, I¡¯ll let you know when they¡¯ve made a decision.¡± He gave her a smile. ¡°Thanks, sweetie.¡± She left the room and went back to her own. When she opened the door, she was ambushed by Jessica, who sidled up to Siph. ¡°Where have you been?¡± She whispered seductively. ¡°We¡¯ve been waiting for you, you know.¡± You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Siph smiled and gently pushed her wife off of her. ¡°I¡¯d love to play, but we have to take care of some business first.¡± Jessica shrunk away, instantly back in serious mode. Siph really loved that about her wife; while her wife loved to romp around, she never let it get in the way of anything. If there was something that needed to be done while she was relaxing, Jessica would get that done without any fuss and only then go back to what she was doing. ¡°Of course. Do you need Mike as well or is this something that just needs me?¡± Jessica asked. ¡°Well, it concerns the both of you, so yeah, we¡¯ll need him.¡± ¡°Hear that, honey? You don¡¯t have to be kicked out of our room until we finish!¡± Jessica teased, walking to the bed and giving her husband a kiss. Mike rolled his eyes. ¡°So, what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Well, dad just asked me to come talk to him, and he wants me to convince you two to let Carmen turn you into dragons.¡± There was a brief pause as the two digested that. Then, Mike spoke up. ¡°What¡¯d you tell him?¡± Siph sighed. ¡°I told him I¡¯d try. Not because I¡¯m unhappy with you or anything, these past few months have been some of the happiest of my life, but because I think it¡¯ll make you guys happier.¡± Jessica nodded, grabbing her husband¡¯s hand. ¡°I feel confident saying that we both trust you on this, but is it alright if I hear your reasons first?¡± ¡°Of course it¡¯s alright.¡± Siph replied. ¡°The biggest reason is that it¡¯d make you two young immediately, instead of having to wait. I think that you two deserve that, perhaps even more than me, and I don¡¯t like being the only one able to enjoy a youthful body.¡± Mike smiled. ¡°It¡¯s fine to be patient about this sort of thing. If that¡¯s the only reason then you don¡¯t need to worry, we can wait.¡± Siph paced back and forth in front of the bed, agitated. ¡°But what if something happens while you wait?¡± She asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know much about aging, but I know that your bodies break down and sometimes will just give out with little warning. There¡¯s only so much Lilith can do if she can¡¯t get to you in time.¡± ¡°Hey, it¡¯s OK.¡± Jessica soothed. ¡°Both of us are perfectly healthy. It¡¯s not until we¡¯re older than we are now that something like that really becomes a danger.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s still a risk I don¡¯t like taking, and there are other reasons. Mike, I know you don¡¯t like not having the power to protect our daughter, and this¡¯ll help stop that. Dragons get stronger faster than humans, so you could probably be powerful enough to actually help within a couple of years.¡± Mike sighed. ¡°You got me there.¡± Siph blushed but continued. ¡°And I know the both of you were frustrated that the difference between my dragon form and you two was too big to do anything, and that wouldn¡¯t be an issue anymore. And, I could show you two how fun flying by yourself is, and we¡¯d be able to go hunting together and¡­¡± She trailed off, watching as Jessica shared a nod with Mike, then walked over and placed a hand on Siph¡¯s arm. ¡°We¡¯ll do it. We¡¯ll be able to look human like you anyway, so I¡¯m honestly having a hard time seeing a downside.¡± ¡°Well¡­that could take a little bit to learn, but yeah, you will.¡± Jessica gave Siph a quick kiss. ¡°That¡¯s fine. Now, with that settled, are you up for some fun?¡± Siph smiled. ¡°I¡¯m game as long as Mike is.¡± ¡°You know you two can do it without me, right?¡± Mike chuckled. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying you don¡¯t want in?¡± Jessica asked. ¡°Let¡¯s not get hasty.¡± Siph laughed. It may have come from a Skill, at least at first, but she couldn¡¯t deny that she well and truly loved these two. And, for what seemed like the millionth time, she gave silent thanks to Kali that she was able to meet them.
Jessica gripped her spouses¡¯ hands tightly, emotions a turbulent mix of excitement and apprehension. She had said yes to Siph¡¯s proposal last night, and while she was confident then, she was less confident now that the time had come. She was, in a sense, discarding her humanity. That was a big leap, but¡­it was for the best. What kind of mother would she be if she couldn¡¯t even begin to help keep her daughter safe? What kind of wife was she if she was unable to truly understand her wife? And she had to admit that a part of her was really looking forward to this. The past couple of months had been a dream come true for her; she was finally able to prove the existence of something more to her husband, and then explore it together with him. And when Siph had come along, things had just got even better. Now, she was diving further into the supernatural and drawing closer to her spouses at the same time. It was everything she could have wished for and much, much more. Those thoughts helped keep the anxiety at bay. She gave Mike¡¯s hand a reassuring squeeze, leaning over and giving him a peck on the cheek. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine.¡± She told him, smiling slightly to try and appear confident. ¡°They said it¡¯ll be a month tops before we learn humanization. As long as we work hard, we can be back to these forms in no time.¡± ¡°I know¡­it just feels weird, you know? Like I¡¯ll be¡­different after this, but not in a normal way.¡± Jessica squeezed his hand again. ¡°Lilith went through an even bigger change and she¡¯s still the same as ever. It¡¯s just your nerves talking.¡± Siph hugged the both of them tightly. ¡°As much as it pains me to admit it, it makes me really happy that the two of you are willing to do this. I have so many things I want to do with you now that you guys will have bodies capable of doing them. Not that I haven¡¯t enjoyed the past few months more than I ever dreamed possible, I just¡­¡± Mike pulled her a little closer. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we understand. We¡¯re excited to try things with you too.¡± The hug lasted a moment longer before Carmen cleared her throat and the three separated. ¡°Do you have any requests as to what type of dragon you want to be? Mama¡¯s acidic, but that doesn¡¯t mean you two have to be.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve always liked the snow, so is there some sort of ice option?¡± Jessica asked. ¡°Yeah, I can handle that. Dad?¡± ¡°Um¡­if I say earth or ground would I still get wings?¡± Carmen laughed. ¡°Yes, you will. I take it that¡¯s what you want?¡± Mike nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡± Carmen motioned to the large empty space in the middle of the room. ¡°Whoever¡¯s first, please step up.¡± Jessica looked to her husband. ¡°I¡¯m fine going first or second.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ll find it easier if you go first.¡± ¡°If you want, I could put you both to sleep right now, and wake you up when it¡¯s done.¡± Carmen offered. ¡°It would be quick and easy, and you wouldn¡¯t have to worry about waiting.¡± ¡°That sounds nice.¡± Mike said. ¡°Agreed.¡± Carmen snapped her fingers, and everything went black.
When she awoke, she felt better than she had in years. Her body responded just a touch faster and moved like it weighed almost nothing. There were none of the residual aches or pains she had grown used to ignoring, and she felt like she had enough energy to run for miles. She stretched her legs and yawned, a small puff of cold air escaping her jaws. She stood, giving her wings room to air out and enjoying the breeze they caused. And it was around then that she remembered what had just happened. There was a moment of surprise as she realized that she was able to move like she¡¯d been born in this body, but that was quickly written off as just a perk of Carmen¡¯s magic. She twisted her head and gave her new body a look; she was just slightly smaller than Siph¡¯s dragon form and covered in beautiful white scales that twinkled in the light, much like fresh snow did. Shuffling to her side drew her attention, and she glanced over to see a handsome brown dragon looking her over. He was, if she had to estimate, barely larger than Siph¡¯s dragon form, and his scales had a luster to them that reminded her of polished rock. There was a cracking sound as a drop of ice hit the floor, and she realized a moment too late that she had started drooling at the sight of him. Her mind was racing, thinking of all the new avenues that this opened up for their night life, but she forcibly stopped herself. She couldn¡¯t pounce on him yet ¨C her daughter was here, and she had work to get to. They could have fun times after the day was over. ¡°You two look great.¡± Siph breathed, entering the room from a dragon-sized door behind them. She was already in her dragon form and was followed by Kirdin, also in his dragon form. Jessica wasn¡¯t exactly sure how, but even ignoring the two¡¯s size difference, she was easily able to tell them apart. Was it the face, or the slight color difference with their scales or¡­? She was interrupted by Kirdin letting loose a happy laugh. ¡°Nice work, Carmen. Alright, you two come with me, I told Carmen we¡¯d get you to learn humanization before the month was through and I intend to stick to my word. That means we¡¯re going to have a bit of a boot camp to get you up to snuff, so there¡¯s no time to waste!¡± He turned and marched back through the door, not giving them any time to react. Carmen, looking much smaller than Jessica expected, motioned for them to follow him. ¡°It¡¯s best you get started. Nuwa¡¯s whipped up some training areas on the surface, and the faster you get used to your new bodies, the better. You¡¯re kinda freezing the area around you, mom.¡± She hadn¡¯t even noticed, but Carmen was right. Frost was forming on any surfaces near her, including Carmen¡¯s clothes. If she was capable of it, she was sure she¡¯d be blushing, but fortunately it didn¡¯t look like dragons could blush. ¡°Sorry, sweetie. I¡¯ll get it under control.¡± Carmen gave a dismissive wave. ¡°Need I remind you that I¡¯m more resistant to cold than you are? If it doesn¡¯t bother you, there¡¯s no way it could bother me. I can just change clothes as soon as we¡¯re done.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not¡­doing anything, right?¡± Mike asked nervously. Carmen laughed. ¡°You¡¯re fine. But, seriously, you better hurry if you want to catch up to grandpa. He¡¯ll probably give you a earful if you¡¯re late.¡± Chapter 48: Bad News Elenoa hummed happily as she put the sword away in Baern¡¯s workshop. She had just finished the final test, and it was exceeding her expectations. After all the feedback Winston had given her, the thing had been able to make him pass out after just a couple of nicks, so the new girl certainly wouldn¡¯t be able to stand up to it. The whole multiple bodies thing would be troublesome, but Elenoa was confident there would be a way around that. Winston could probably temporarily sever their connection, and then once the main body was alone, that was it. All she¡¯d have to do was get a couple of grazes in and she¡¯d have free reign to deliver a coup de grace. She would have to array enough sufficiently powerful subordinates to make Lilith waste those¡­command things, but that wasn¡¯t a problem. The girl likely only knew how to brute-force her way past things and given some time Elenoa would be able to procure some people who wouldn¡¯t go down so easily. The main issue was the unknowns about her abilities. She had asked Tunem to present all knowledge of her abilities to the Council, but he was constantly giving some excuse as to why he couldn¡¯t do that. First it was that she seemed immune to normal methods to check someone¡¯s Skills, and then it was that it would take time to compile records on what she had while she attended his little school. That was fine. He couldn¡¯t stall forever, and she was sure that with a few promises, likely to about that child of his, he¡¯d come around. If they couldn¡¯t figure out a workaround to her ¡°immunity¡± then they¡¯d just have to leave room in the plan for unknowns. If she had to, she could probably get Isa to help, though that might require giving the woman concessions she didn¡¯t really want to give. And Baern had already begun to get started on another tank. He gave an estimation of about two months for each if he worked on them on the side. Surely with two Perfect Chimeras, four or five tanks, and whatever other assorted forces Elenoa could find, Lilith wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything. If she intended to lord herself over everyone using brute force, Elenoa would just have to teach her why that would never work. The door opened and a servant came in, walking over to Baern and whispering something to him. Baern¡¯s face hardened. ¡°We¡¯ve got company.¡± He said. ¡°I might be needing your help if this goes sour.¡± Elenoa frowned. While Baern had been focusing his efforts on making things lately, he was still an incredibly competent warrior. ¡°Who¡¯s here?¡± ¡°Titania herself.¡± Elenoa¡¯s frown deepened. That never meant anything good. The queen of the faeries didn¡¯t just drop by for a visit, and she was particularly difficult to work with. Elenoa and Baern made their way down to the guest room, where they were greeted by the sight of a beautiful woman lounging on one of the couches, drinking what appeared to be tea. She set down her cup and gave the two a radiant smile. ¡°Thank you ever so much for allowing me into your abode. How has your day been? Made any great strides in technology lately?¡± Elenoa crossed her arms. ¡°Enough with the fake friendliness.¡± She said. ¡°What do you know and, more importantly, what do you want?¡± Titania laughed and crossed her legs, leaning forward and adopting a more businesslike posture. ¡°I do have to keep up appearances, but it is nice to let my guard down around¡­kindred spirits.¡± Baern frowned and opened his mouth, but Elenoa silenced him with a wave of her hand. He was never very good with diplomacy, and Titania was clearly trying to get at something. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t quite understand what you mean.¡± Elenoa replied, putting on her best poker face. ¡°It flatters me to hear that you think we are similar, but I don¡¯t know what I¡¯ve done to deserve the honor.¡± It hurt to debase herself like that, but that sort of speech was necessary when dealing with Titania. Even if Titania probably knew that it was only lip service, it still never hurt to butter her up. ¡°Well, it would seem that word of leaps in technology spreads fast. Why, I do believe that most people in power have received a report on the clinical trials of some of the cutting edge tools being developed here.¡± Elenoa grit her teeth. She was hoping the airhead and her little minion would have been too busy to pay attention to her over the last while, but it would appear that her hopes were in vain. It didn¡¯t matter too much, though; the fact still remained that the weapon would decimate either of the two in a confrontation, and there was little they could do about it, as protected as they were. She still didn¡¯t fully buy this ¡°administrator¡± nonsense, and she had yet to be completely proven wrong. Yes, it was a fact that the nature of the world had changed, but that didn¡¯t mean that the airhead couldn¡¯t have found out about it somehow and made plans for the change. That felt far more likely than her being some sort of a god. What self-respecting deity would allow themselves to be any less than the highest authority in whatever circles they moved in? Why bother with all the subtlety of taking a position on the Council? Why not just enact the changes right away and force everyone to fall in line using divine power? If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. But she was getting distracted from the topic at hand. ¡°It appears that there are eyes everywhere.¡± She said, carefully watching Titania¡¯s response. Titania nodded. ¡°Why, I myself have been feeling like I¡¯m being constantly watched, lately. Might I ask if Baern has been experiencing a similar phenomenon?¡± Elenoa silenced him again. ¡°I¡¯m afraid he has. We¡¯ve been unable to rid ourselves of the sensation, but I am reasonably confident that we have several¡­uncompromised employees.¡± ¡°Wonderful.¡± Titania said, smiling darkly. ¡°Why don¡¯t you have a trusted attendant meet with one of my subordinates? I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a lot we could help each other with. I think that we¡¯ve been dealing with a rather similar pest problem, and my understanding is that you¡¯ve made a rather powerful pesticide. I believe I might be able to help see that it is safely deployed.¡± Elenoa gave a smile back. ¡°A wonderful idea. Let¡¯s set something up, shall we?¡±
Lilith felled the latest monster and made sure it was dead before moving on. Sure, the EXP message said it was dead, but she had encountered Skills that let a monster play possum, even going so far as to alter the EXP message. ¡°Not bad, newbie.¡± Isa said, clapping Lilith on the shoulder. ¡°But you¡¯ve got to pay more attention after a kill. If I was trying to hurt you, I could have gotten a real nasty shot in right there.¡± Sorry, mistress, that¡¯s my fault. Mae said. I was busy scanning it for potential uses as a dungeon monster. Nuwa asked me to do it, and I should have been more conscious of the surroundings while doing so. It¡¯s fine, don¡¯t worry about it too much. Lilith replied. She turned around to face Isa, nodding. ¡°Consider my lesson learned. What do you need from me?¡± It wasn¡¯t too surprising to see Isa here; Isa was still keeping up her patrol of Haven¡¯s cities, so they met from time to time. ¡°Take a wild guess.¡± Isa replied. Lilith frowned. She couldn¡¯t really think of anything so¡­ ¡°You want that fight, right?¡± Isa returned her frown. ¡°Well, yes, but that¡¯s not why. You got the broadcast, right?¡± Lilith shook her head. ¡°No, what broadcast?¡± Isa frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not sure why you didn¡¯t get it. You should have been pretty high on the list of people who should know. So, it¡¯s like this¡­¡± Isa said, then gave her a brief rundown of the contents of the broadcast, something about a sword and Winston being tortured and experimented on. ¡°I¡¯ll have to ask Kali about that, it seems like a bit of an oversight, and I feel like she wouldn¡¯t have made a mistake like that.¡± ¡°Later. Right now, we have to figure out what we¡¯re going to do. It¡¯s pretty clear that Elenoa is going to try and bait you into a trap, and I want to help you out.¡± Lilith gave her a careful look. ¡°I won¡¯t say no to your help, but may I ask why you¡¯re offering? I won¡¯t be giving favors for this, it¡¯s too much like bribery.¡± Isa laughed. ¡°I don¡¯t expect any. Honestly, I just want to square off against that sword of hers and whatever else she¡¯s got cooked up. It sounds like a good fight.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s my guarantee that you¡¯re not going to be leaking information to Elenoa right after we finish here?¡± She shrugged. ¡°Technically none, but that¡¯s not my style, you can ask Kali, she¡¯ll back me up. Besides, I won¡¯t go out of my way to help Elenoa if I don¡¯t have to. If I do that even once, she¡¯ll never stop trying to exploit me. And even if she would just let it slide, I wouldn¡¯t help. She¡¯s just an awful person and deserves anything that comes her way, if you ask me.¡± Lilith thought on that for a moment. ¡°Alright, but let me double check with Kali before we make any plans, I want to be as safe as possible.¡± Isa nodded. ¡°I can respect that. I¡¯ll meet you around this city in three days¡¯ time. We can talk then.¡± And with that she melted back into the surrounding foliage, leaving Lilith to finish her rounds.
Lilith knocked on Kali¡¯s door and opened it after she got a ¡°come in¡± in response. Kali was on her bed, watching TV with Nuwa. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Kali asked, pausing the TV. ¡°Why didn¡¯t I get this broadcast Isa was telling me about? It seems kind of important.¡± Kali sighed. ¡°Couple of reasons, really. First, I didn¡¯t want you worrying about it or trying to do anything about it right away. We can¡¯t move until she breaks one of our rules, or else people are going to call it a miscarriage of justice and an abuse of power. It¡¯s unfortunate, but that¡¯s politics. Our job will be a lot easier if governments aren¡¯t actively resisting us.¡± She shifted to get a better look at Lilith. ¡°Second, it¡¯s a lesson. You had all the tools necessary to get the information yourself and didn¡¯t use them. Yes, you¡¯re busy, but that¡¯s not an excuse for neglecting your safety. I¡¯m not always going to be available; I¡¯ve got a leave from my duties with my faction due to the big changes I¡¯ve been making, but that¡¯s only for a year. You need to learn to be independent, because there¡¯s a real possibility I¡¯ll be gone for long periods of time. I can¡¯t always bail you out, so I¡¯m not going to when I¡¯m here, not unless it¡¯s absolutely necessary.¡± She stood up and walked over to Lilith, giving her a hug. ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m not concerned or anything, I really am, I just believe that you can handle this, and it¡¯ll be good for your growth. Please don¡¯t take it the wrong way.¡± Lilith paused. ¡°I guess that¡¯s understandable. Mind if I ask if Isa¡¯s working with Elenoa, or can I trust her?¡± ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s fine. She and Elenoa have butted heads quite a bit in the past, and I¡¯m pretty sure the only way she¡¯d willingly assist Elenoa with something like this is if she was being blackmailed, and there¡¯s nothing Elenoa could use to blackmail her. She was a street urchin with no connections, and she hasn¡¯t been looking to make friends, so there¡¯s no hostages Elenoa could take, and she doesn¡¯t have any secrets that need keeping. It¡¯s not like Elenoa could intimidate her either, so feel free to include her in your plans.¡± Nuwa frowned. ¡°What¡¯s all this?¡± A short explanation later, and a very alarmed Nuwa was back off to managing the dungeon and making contingency plans, muttering about how she should have been more careful and how there really wasn¡¯t time for a break right now. Lilith shot Kali a glance. ¡°She was just waiting on DP and making vague plans. There was plenty of time for a break.¡± Kali said defensively. ¡°Plus, I haven¡¯t really had much time with her, so it was a good opportunity.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine, then. I¡¯m going to go talk with everyone about this. Do you want to come?¡± ¡°Yeah, I can help you make plans.¡± After a moment of hesitation, she grabbed Lilith¡¯s hand, and the two went to gather everyone. She was going to have to walk into this trap if she wanted to perform her duty as the High Arbiter, but that didn¡¯t mean she had to go in blind. It was time to prepare. Chapter 49: Making Monsters Nuwa sat the spare avatar back in the chair in her core room before returning to her body, cursing her own stupidity. She had gotten complacent, and allowed herself to be blindsided. Most of the time, Elenoa was just sitting in her office doing paperwork, and she hadn¡¯t set off any triggers that would pull attention to her in a long time. Actually¡­that was weird, now that Nuwa was thinking about it. Preparations to kill Lilith should have tripped all sorts of Watch alarms, but they hadn¡¯t. She had tripped a bunch right at the very start, and then¡­ Oh. Elenoa could feel the Watch. It was the only logical explanation; Kali had told her that people, when they get used to the presence of Worship, become able to pick up on it, just like they would with normal magic. Right, no more solely relying on the alarms, she¡¯d have to manually check in much more often. At random times, too, just in case Elenoa could somehow tell if she was being directly observed, or if it was just the triggers waiting to go off. A quick check showed that, yes, Elenoa was just doing paperwork and Baern was hammering away at something in his workshop. Winston was asleep and looking rather worse for wear, and Titania was holding court. Nothing directly hostile to her, though Nuwa couldn¡¯t help but worry that they were using proxies to do most of the nasty stuff so she couldn¡¯t see. She tore her attention away and hopped back into the spare avatar, wheeling its chair around and turning on the computer she had next to it. In her off time, she had been working on trying to hook the computer up into the dungeon, trying to see if she could mesh the two to the point where others would be able to interface with a computer to change things in the dungeon. She hadn¡¯t had much luck, so the computer sat in the corner, aside from when she was using to play games or something. She pulled up her favorite code editor, and took a moment to whip out a quick program that would set off an alarm at random times, so she would have a reminder to check her Watches. She really had to thank Omniglot for that; she hadn¡¯t coded in a while, but it was still as fresh in her mind as it had been when she stopped attending school. Fresher, even; she didn¡¯t have to look up anything to know what to do, Omniglot just¡­supplied the code for her; it was almost insulting how easy it made the job. Satisfied, she ran the program and returned to her core. It was time to take those ¡®vague plans¡¯ she had been making and turn them into concrete plans. And those plans were about her monsters. She had finally completed work on her mana turbine project, giving her both a very efficient DP generator and a way to store vast quantities of Mana if it was ever necessary. Though, she would prefer it if those stores never had to be touched. Converting from mana battery directly to Mana was extremely inefficient if the liquid wasn¡¯t directly ingested, so she could only access about a tenth of what was stored if she had to take it out all at once. It wasn¡¯t ideal, but she could store a lot of Mana that way, and it was better to have an inefficient contingency than no contingency. She mentally chided herself for getting distracted, and turned her focus back to the project at hand. For quite a while, she had been ignoring dungeon monsters as anything other than glorified punching bags for people to train on, and she needed to fix that. She had potential to make an army of sorts, and she was going to use it. The problem was she hadn¡¯t figured out what she was going to make. She wanted them to be something Lilith could deploy as extra muscle if it became necessary, so her first monsters would need to fit the High Arbiter theme, at least somewhat. They should be something people were glad to see, so anything overtly horrific was right out. They should also be able to at least hold basic conversation, which meant that humanoid was probably the way to go. So, a humanoid that didn¡¯t look monstrous and fit the theme of judgement, in some sense. In that case, Valkyries were probably her best bet for a base design; she didn¡¯t want to be showing any favoritism to any specific race, and as far as she was able to tell, Valkyries weren¡¯t a race, or even a group of people that existed. Well, existed currently, anyway. They might have existed in the past, she wasn¡¯t sure. She wouldn¡¯t just be making straight-up Valkyries, though. It was more that she¡¯d be taking inspiration from how they looked. The main issue was that, traditionally, Valkyries were only women. She was trying not to show favoritism, so having her army be made of only women wouldn¡¯t exactly cut it. Which meant she¡¯d just need to make another set of monsters that were based off of something else. She was leaning towards theming them based off of the afterlives in Egyptian and Greek mythology, though those brought their own issues. Egyptian mythology came with heavy focuses on animals and people with heads of animals, and the Greek underworld didn¡¯t really have anything truly iconic aside from maybe Cerberus. In the end she decided to make them mostly beast users, using beasts from those mythologies. Cerberi, Jackals, the like. She was hoping she could pretty closely link the beast and the humanoid, perhaps even to the point where they were the same entity. Yeah, that¡¯d be pretty neat. She could give them a far degraded Parallel Processing and make it so that they could choose to put away one of the bodies, and maybe even give them a form that¡¯s a hybrid of their animal and humanoid sides. Animal-headed, perhaps? So, what roles would she need filled? Just thinking about combat applications, she needed at least a damage dealer, a tank, a healer, and support if she wanted a balanced team. Outside of combat she¡¯d want scouts, socialites, and tinkers, and that brought her up to seven. Seven broad categories, anyway. She¡¯d play around with them later and make further specialized monsters and ones that blurred the lines between those categories. Hopefully, by the time it was needed, she¡¯d have a highly versatile force that could be tailored to suit whatever situation was at hand. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. She decided to tackle the tanks first, as she already had decided what they were going to be. The ¡°base¡± tank would be one of the male monsters, with hippopotami as their other form. They were based partially off Ammit, a goddess in ancient Egyptian culture. Ammit was part lion, part hippo, and part crocodile, and she ate the hearts of those that were judged unworthy. She loaded the monster up with all the regeneration, damage reducing, and attention-drawing Skills she could think of, and then set to work designing equipment for its humanoid form. She decked them out with heavy armor and a tower shield, and for the weapon she eventually decided to give them a one-handed spear. The issue was what to make that stuff out of. Regular steel would be pretty ineffective against anything tough, so that wasn¡¯t going to happen. She thought about it for a moment, then decided to table the issue and pick something suitable from the materials she knew with Eldritch Abomination later, figuring she could build the equipment into the monster itself instead of needing to make new equipment for each new monster. When she set to work making the damage dealers, she briefly considered splitting the category into physical and magical damager dealers, but eventually decided against it. There was no real reason to do that when she was going to be further specializing categories anyway, and this way she could keep the main categories at seven. Much like the tanks, she based her first damager dealer off of Ammit, this time choosing to go with the lion part of her. She chose to somewhat sacrifice its defenses in favor of raw strength and speed. To that end she would give its human form light armor and a singular, massive sword. She figured that normally game-like buster swords would be completely impractical, but she was designing the monster around it, so it would probably work out. She tinkered with the Skills for a moment then gave a mental nod of satisfaction and moved on. She decided to make the healers and support both the Valkyrie type. The healer got heavy armor and a shield for increased survivability, as well as a simple sword in case anything got too close. The plan wasn¡¯t really for any of the healers to be actively engaging in melee combat, so they really just needed to be able to fend off a few attacks while they waited for backup. The support was a bit trickier, as it was a very broad category. But, like the damage dealers, it wasn¡¯t like all supports would be like the first, so she just decided to make what she felt like. In this case, she gave it buffs, debuffs, and a bunch of mobility increasing Skills. As for the equipment, she gave it light armor and two long whips that were actually just tentacles sprouting from the wrist that were designed to look like whips. When not in use they would retract into the monster and hide seamlessly underneath the skin. She gave the ¡°whips¡± vicious barbs that dripped with a particularly nasty paralytic agent she whipped up by combining several different toxins and called it good for the support. The scouts would be of the male variety, this time with jackals as their animal form. Their Skills were mostly based around perception, be it divination, identification, or just straight up sense enhancement. They were given light armor and a bow for equipment, but no arrows. Those would be the tinkers¡¯ jobs. The tinkers would be the ¡°non-combat¡± supports, built to make things to fit the situation. To that end, they were given a far-degraded Assimilation and Eldritch Abomination combo. It would allow them to take the portions of the solid food they ate that would normally become waste and Assimilate it. Then, they would be able to spit it out in one of several different material types from Eldritch Abomination. Liquids were Assimilated separately and could be turned into different useful secretions. The monster was given a lot of Skills that would be useful in manufacturing or demolition, light armor, a toolbelt, and a large war hammer. Last up were the socialites, which would also be Valkyrie-type. They didn¡¯t have any built-in armor to allow them to better blend in if they needed to go undercover, and for weapons they only had a couple of small daggers. But, like the combat supports, they had a few tricks up their sleeves. Their fingernails could be morphed into a sharpened point, and they were given the ability to secrete several poisons and toxins through them. And, finally, she would need a commander, someone who would be able to organize the groups effectively and serve as a face for the whole group. That one would take¡­well, everything she had thought of for the others, everything and more. She wanted the commander to be something that no one short of a Perfect Chimera could match, and she definitely had the capabilities to make it happen. She paused, hesitating before she began to truly dive into the commander¡¯s abilities. She¡­had been avoiding looking at the costs for the monsters out of a desire to not constrain her idea by a budget, and this commander was going to cost far, far more than any of them. She needed to know if anything close to this was viable for the situation at hand before she continued. She stalled for a few moments longer before sneaking a peek at the resource costs for the scouts. and, to her horror, she found that just one took almost a tenth of her accumulated DP. Sure, she didn¡¯t have too much, having just spent it on the turbine, but that was not a good sign. The scouts should have been the cheapest of the monsters, as she had made them with low stats and no offensive abilities, at least not without the support of the tinkers. They probably would be able to be beaten out by someone with a combined one hundred or two hundred levels, which was¡­not boding well for everything else. And, to top it all off, granting sapience to a monster would then cost something in the realm of five to ten times the original cost investment, though the ability to leave the dungeon was included in that. Nuwa let out an internal sigh. What that meant was that she wasn¡¯t going to be able to field anything remotely strong enough to actually help Lilith in a combat situation, not for a while. And, that being the case, she had no option but to turn to looking into ways to gain more DP. Lilith was killing a lot of monsters, so¡­why not teleport them to the dungeon instead? She could finish them off with the spare avatar to get DP and experience for it, and it wouldn¡¯t be that much harder than just killing whatever it was outright. Or¡­she didn¡¯t have to kill them right away. The whole plane the dungeon was on was empty, so it wouldn¡¯t hurt anyone to take over most of the underground. She hadn¡¯t done so since there was no need to and it would be a waste of DP, but¡­she could set up a whole ecosystem down there. Monsters living, breeding, fighting, and dying, all the while generating DP for her use. The monsters would¡­probably end up getting strong, much stronger than what she originally put in, but that was fine. Worst case scenario, she or Lilith dealt with them if they came up. Best case scenario, Eve would be able to use them for her whole ¡®Queen of Monsters¡¯ business. She didn¡¯t have the abilities yet due to Kali running low on Worship, but eventually she would be able to take absolute dominion over monsters weaker than her. Which just meant Nuwa had to make sure the monsters never got stronger than her. She¡¯d have Eve cull the strong ones from time to time, and that would be that. Actually¡­if she played her cards right, she might be able to make some of those strong monsters into the peacekeeping forces she was thinking about earlier. There were abilities that would let her change the makeup of an existing monster, so it was entirely in the realm of possibility. But all that hinged on her getting that set up, daydreaming wasn¡¯t going to do her any good. So, with an internal smile Nuwa got to work. Chapter 50: Emergency Meeting ¡°We¡¯re helping too.¡± Mike said, glancing down at everyone else. All of the adults had gathered for a strategy meeting, and they looked so¡­small. He wasn¡¯t quite used to his new stature yet, but this meeting was just solidifying his reasons for accepting the transformation. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Jessica agreed. ¡°We¡¯re not powerless anymore.¡± ¡°Absolutely not.¡± Siph said forcefully, putting a hand on one of Mike¡¯s front legs. ¡°You¡¯re still new to your bodies, and you¡¯re overestimating your strength because you¡¯ve never had any real fights. You¡¯ll be more a hinderance than a help. Furthermore, I doubt we¡¯ll be fighting an army, we¡¯re most likely going to be contending with a small group of the best of the best. I saw Winston fight once, you wouldn¡¯t last a minute. I wouldn¡¯t last a minute. His raw specs are higher than ours, so the only one that could reasonably brute force him is Lilith.¡± Kirdin nodded. ¡°And if our hunch is right and Titania is going to somehow use this opportunity Elenoa¡¯s made for her, that¡¯s another person you really can¡¯t deal with.¡± ¡°The idea is that we hopefully won¡¯t have to fight Winston.¡± Carmen interjected. ¡°He is being mind controlled, and if he runs into Lilith or I we can just wipe that away, and he¡¯ll probably stop attacking, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Kali said. ¡°When he isn¡¯t under the spell, he doesn¡¯t exactly agree with the way Elenoa¡¯s doing things right now. He wants out and is counting on Lilith to help. I can¡¯t guarantee that he won¡¯t be knocked out by the backlash of such a long-running, deeply imbedded contract being broken, but at the least he won¡¯t be an issue if Lilith and Carmen have a couple of seconds to concentrate on breaking his contract.¡± ¡°But we can¡¯t be sure that we¡¯d be able to do that before he could do damage to any of you.¡± Lilith said soothingly. ¡°Sorry, this really isn¡¯t something that anyone else is equipped to handle. Only other Perfect Chimeras really have a shot without extensively planning an ambush, huge numbers, or something else to even the odds and we don¡¯t have the luxury of any of those.¡± ¡°Trust me, none of you all would help.¡± Eve said. ¡°You¡¯d just get in our way more than anything.¡± Carmen smirked. ¡°She means that she¡¯s too afraid of you getting hurt to take you along. Especially since she won¡¯t be able to be there herself.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Eve protested. ¡°I thought you were going to stop that!¡± ¡°That was only until you had introduced yourself to everyone properly.¡± Carmen replied smugly. ¡°For now, I¡¯m just going to make sure everyone knows what you really mean until they learn how to translate for themselves.¡± Mike hadn¡¯t spent much time with this new facet of his daughter. He was still grappling with the whole ¡°Perfect Chimera¡± thing and ¡°my son is now my daughter¡± bit, not to mention what Siph had told him and Jessica. It really wasn¡¯t easy remembering that his daughter was now some near-mythical creature that could likely slaughter everyone present with a thought. Even if her appearance was different, her personality had remained the same as it had ever been, so his thinking kept settling back into the ¡°she¡¯s my daughter and it¡¯s my job to protect her¡± mode he had always had. Well, it had been his son, earlier in Lilith¡¯s life, but that wasn¡¯t the point. The point was that his daughter was changing rapidly as a person (as people?) and he wasn¡¯t sure how to handle that. He longed to just step in and pull her out of this situation that she had been thrust into through no fault of her own, but he couldn¡¯t. So, the best he could do, at least until his wife and father-in-law had deemed him ready, was to give advice. ¡°She makes a point.¡± He told Lilith. ¡°I¡¯m not exactly sure how the whole dungeon thing works, but if you can make disposable backups then you should go for it.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t do that, dad. I can¡¯t respond to any intimidation or my position is ruined. I have to go about business as usual.¡± He sighed. ¡°I know, but I would still feel better if you did. At the very least, can you put that Mana to work while you¡¯re here?¡± She nodded. ¡°Yeah, I can.¡± ¡°Look, all that¡¯s not really the problem here.¡± Vithi said. ¡°The problem is that sword of hers. You all saw what it did to Winston, if she gets nicked by that the fight¡¯s over. All the Parallels go poof, her combat abilities are greatly reduced, and she¡¯s probably going to be knocked out. And if anyone else gets hit by it, the same applies. Anyone with a material weakness is going to be badly injured, and even if you don¡¯t have one it¡¯s probably going to cut just as well as a regular sword.¡± Right, that. Kali had shown them all the video that had been sent when Winston had been hit by the sword, and it hadn¡¯t been pretty. ¡°She can just disable any of the sword¡¯s wielders with a Geas, right?¡± He asked. ¡°Make them throw it away or give it to her or something.¡± ¡°Yeah, but that¡¯s gotta be plan B.¡± Kali replied. ¡°They know about that trick, so they¡¯re for sure going to try and waste her usages of it. It works as a contingency, but even with the experience she¡¯s gained in it since the Shift, she can only use it four times a day. To add to that problem, it drains her resources, and she¡¯s only got enough Worship for one or two fight-enders. The rest would have to come straight out of her HP. She¡¯ll probably have to burn at least one of those shots on getting Winston to hold still long enough to free him, and possibly more depending on what else Elenoa¡¯s lined up.¡± Kali pulled Lilith closer to her. ¡°On the bright side, the blade isn¡¯t quite as effective on Lilith as Elenoa wants to believe. Don¡¯t get me wrong, it¡¯ll still do a lot of damage and maybe knock her out, but it won¡¯t do anything to the Parallels. Those abilities are mostly eldritch in nature, and that blade really only works on ¡°normal¡± magic. So, even if she does die, she¡¯ll just be shunted to another avatar, and so long as not all of the avatars are sent away from here, there¡¯s basically nothing Elenoa could do to permanently get rid of Lilith. Even if she did kill all the avatars, Lilith¡¯s a Higher Being, so she¡¯ll just come back eventually.¡± ¡°But the goal¡¯s not to die.¡± Carmen said. ¡°Not even one of us. We¡¯ve got an image to maintain, and we can¡¯t afford to lose at this stage of the game.¡± ¡°Well, even if your parents aren¡¯t ready yet, you¡¯re not lacking for firepower with the rest of us.¡± Kirdin said. ¡°With me, Tia, and Siph, as well as Anna¡¯s dogs, we could probably handle anything that¡¯s not Winston or that sword.¡± ¡°Why are my dogs on that list?¡± Anna asked, putting her hands on her hips and giving Eve a meaningful look. ¡°I know they¡¯re tougher than Eve let on, but surely they¡¯re not that strong, right?¡± ¡°They¡¯re just the next most powerful thing here.¡± Eve said hurriedly. ¡°That¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Riiight.¡± ¡°A-anyway,¡± Eve said, coughing into her hand. ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary. Lilith, Carmen, Mae, and Isa should be plenty to deal with whatever they¡¯re cooking up. If they¡¯re not, then we¡¯ve got bigger problems. I would help, but we¡¯re keeping me in reserve. Sending more than two visibly distinct versions of us would let people know that there are more than two of us. So, Nuwa and I are going to hold down the fort here.¡± ¡°Look, this is all well and good,¡± Jameson interjected. ¡°but I think our main issue is the fact that Lilith still doesn¡¯t really know how to fight outside of brute forcing things. If I¡¯m understanding the situation correctly, we¡¯ve got time before the trap is put into motion, so surely we can find some way to get her more experience. Mae mentioned she got most of her knowledge on tinkering with the body from Kali, so couldn¡¯t we do the same with fighting techniques?¡± Kali tapped her chin. ¡°Theoretically yes, but I¡¯m not sure how helpful it would be in practice. She¡¯d be all stiff, since she hasn¡¯t put that into practice. Plus, her fighting style is going to be different than whatever she¡¯d learn, since she¡¯s rather unique. Still, your idea has merit, I can work on putting together a sort of manual for traditional fighting styles and techniques that she can use as reference.¡± Her face lit up, seemingly having thought of something. ¡°Actually, scratch what I said before, since this isn¡¯t knowledge that only I have like with the body modification, I can probably make a sort of virtual reality teaching thing. I¡¯ve got several souls kicking around in my makeshift afterlife that would be thrilled to get some action after so long.¡± Mike couldn¡¯t just let that go; that was kind of a big thing to casually mention. ¡°There¡¯s an afterlife?¡± ¡°Yes and no.¡± Kali said with a shrug. ¡°For the most part people are just reincarnated when they die. The more exceptional souls are kept in your classic heaven type place and get some more choice when they¡¯re reincarnated.¡± For a moment so brief he could have sworn he missed it, Kali¡¯s eyes flicked towards Lilith. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Mike made a mental note to talk with her about that later. ¡°So, what you¡¯re saying is you¡¯ve got history¡¯s finest just sitting around doing nothing, so you¡¯re going to put them to work.¡± ¡°Basically. I keep them around for things like this. Only good people, of course. Bad eggs are thrown straight back into a new body with their memories wiped and are rehabilitated. If I do end up reincarnating one of the good ones, I¡¯m as soft as possible on their personality and try and skew luck in their favor. Once I have more Worship, I¡¯m going to implement a better afterlife, so it¡¯s just a holdover for now.¡± ¡°We¡¯re getting off-topic.¡± Alex said. ¡°It really isn¡¯t sitting right with me just sitting here and doing nothing while Lilith is out working. Surely there¡¯s something we can do to help, right?¡± ¡°You all could be mission control.¡± Carmen offered. ¡°I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a way we could broadcast what¡¯s going on to you, and you could just respond via telepathy.¡± ¡°I can handle the broadcast.¡± Kali said. ¡°And, if you all don¡¯t mind taking a detour from your regular Class progression, I can point you towards Classes that have long-lasting buff effects that could help Lilith out.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t feel pressured.¡± Lilith said. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of effort to go through, and you don¡¯t have to do that, just the thought is enough, really. You all haven¡¯t been preparing like I have, so don¡¯t feel bad. This is outside of what you could reasonably be expected to handle.¡± ¡°Look,¡± Judy said, ¡°academically, we get that. That doesn¡¯t stop it from feeling bad. You know you¡¯d be wanting to help in this situation too.¡± Lilith scratched the back of her head. ¡°Yeah, I know it¡¯s frustrating, but I really feel like putting in all that effort just for something you¡¯re not planning to use long-term is a huge waste. In the long-run, you¡¯ll be more helpful if you properly take the time to train yourself.¡± The conversation didn¡¯t really go anywhere after that. Without knowledge of what exactly Elenoa was planning, there wasn¡¯t much planning they could do. The extent of the preparations they made was the training they talked about before and the promise that someone would constantly be monitoring Elenoa, with regular checkups on Titania as well. He wanted to ask Kali about the eye movement he had notices as soon as the meeting finished, but his wives and Kirdin dragged him away for a training session as soon as they finished, so he was out of luck. But that could wait. He was just as eager as they to train, not only to regain his human form, but to attain the strength necessary to be helpful to his family. And, as he had recently grown fond of telling himself, that took time; time he wished wasn¡¯t feeling more and more like a precious commodity.
After the meeting, Judy pulled Kali aside. ¡°Hey, can I ask a presumptuous question?¡± ¡°Presume away!¡± ¡°Could I¡­learn from you? Like an apprentice? Not for any administrator stuff, but magic. I realize I¡¯m probably never going to be a fighting force that could stand up to the dragons or Lilith, but I thought that maybe I could be helpful in other ways, like starting an information network.¡± Kali gave her a gentle smile. ¡°I¡¯d be more than happy to teach you. Most of my time nowadays is spent just watching the big players of the world and making sure nothing drastic is happening, and that doesn¡¯t take too much attention, so it¡¯s no big deal.¡± Judy gave a small sigh of relief. ¡°One other question, while I¡¯m being all bold.¡± Kali smirked. ¡°I like bold. Keep going.¡± ¡°Do you really think Lilith can handle this on her own? She¡¯s knowingly walking into a trap.¡± Kali nodded. ¡°Yes, I do. While I¡¯m not going to spill details, since Lilith is more than capable of finding those out herself, I highly doubt the forces they¡¯ve assembled will be sufficient. She has the unique advantage of having been able to tailor her abilities to suit her needs and work together as well as possible, something that they don¡¯t have. Winston in particular is still retroactively paying for all the Skills he received from his Racial Class before the Shift, so while he has many more than Lilith, they¡¯re not as cohesive. And, Lilith¡¯s got raw stats that¡¯s he¡¯s only barely starting to catch up to.¡± She shrugged. ¡°I could go on, but I won¡¯t. It¡¯s a waste of both of our time. Suffice it to say that I believe in her. Any other questions while you¡¯re being all forward?¡± ¡°Nothing yet. The beginnings of a few questions, sure, but I¡¯ll ask those when I know what to ask.¡± ¡°Alright then. Come with me, we¡¯re going to start your training now.¡± Kali said, suddenly all business. ¡°I¡¯m not going to make it easy on you. You want to be able to help Lilith as much as possible, and I want her to have a good support network. It benefits no one if I¡¯m soft on you, so I won¡¯t be, at least not while we¡¯re interacting for training. Follow me.¡± She turned on her heel and strode off, Judy following close behind. ¡°Where to? Don¡¯t you need to make that thing for Lilith?¡± ¡°Yes, but I¡¯m going to be giving you your first homework assignment before I start.¡± Kali led her to the core room of Lilith¡¯s dungeon, and then through that portal and into Kali¡¯s own house. Judy had only been in there once or twice, as she had never really had a reason to. Kali had allowed the portal to let everyone in, but Kali¡¯s house was treated much the same way everyone else¡¯s private rooms were treated, so the only people who were in there regularly were Kali and the Parallels. Kali led Judy down a hallway Judy was sure wasn¡¯t there the last time she was in the place, walking past row after row of doors, finally stopping at one that looked identical to the rest. She opened the door and ushered Judy inside, quietly closing the door behind them. In front of them was a spacious library, easily as big as any Judy had ever seen. The ceiling was at least 20 feet, each bookshelf spanning that entire height. It had no discernable lighting source but was ever so slightly dim. Not enough to make it too dark to navigate, but enough to make it feel as if the bookshelves were pressing in, each aisle its own little world. And, to top it all off, there was a barely perceptible hint of dustiness to the place. A whiff of it here and there, the occasional particle flitting around at the edge of her vision. ¡°Welcome to my room of knowledge.¡± Kali said grandly. ¡°This here is where I keep all administrative records, as well as books that catch my personal interest. I don¡¯t have the time to manually make any of the records or put any of what¡¯s in here away, nor do I have the time to find any specific book.¡± She walked over to a small desk near the door and patted a rather hefty tome. ¡°So, I use this bad boy. Tap a book to it or use a knowledge transference spell and it¡¯ll put the book away or add a new one to the library. Open it and think about what you want, and it¡¯ll point you to where you need to be. Or, if you feel like you need it now, it¡¯ll bring the book right to you.¡± She gestured to the bookshelves in front of them. ¡°I recommend going and finding it, though. When you get to the right shelf the book will be wherever¡¯s closest to eye level for you, and the library isn¡¯t as big as it may seem. It changes size to be however large you feel like you need at the time, so it¡¯s a nice way to stretch your legs and change up your thought process a little.¡± She began to walk into the shelves, motioning for Judy to follow. ¡°After you find the book just wander around a bit and you¡¯ll find yourself in the reading area. It¡¯ll have another copy of that book up front, for you to put away and get directions from as needed. When you feel like it¡¯s time to leave, put the book away and wander through the shelves, you¡¯ll end up at the entrance in no time.¡± They were soon in a dusty side room, where a few extremely comfortable looking couches and chairs were arranged around a small table. To the side was another desk with a large tome, although this time the tome was accompanied by a small globe. Kali placed her hand on the globe. ¡°This little guy lets you change the ambiance of the room. I¡¯ve got the library looking like this because I like the whole ¡®mystic secrets¡¯ feel, but that doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t need a change of pace from time to time.¡± The globe glowed, and the room changed. The library remained present behind them, but the other walls fell away, replaced by strong-looking glass that rose up in a dome around them, leaving them in an almost igloo-like structure. Outside the glass laid a breathtaking mountain vista, overlooking untouched nature as far as the eye could see. The orb glowed again, signaling another change. The glass igloo remained, but the surroundings warped to the middle of the jungle. Another flash, and they were in a large cavern. Kali cycled through a few more environments before settling on the beach. She noted, while they flipped through various locales, that she could vaguely hear the outside. It was just barely on the edge of her hearing, and she was confident that if she stopped paying attention it would soon just turn into soothing background noise. Kali grinned, taking in Judy¡¯s stunned expression. ¡°I haven¡¯t even shown you the good stuff yet. I¡¯ll give you a taste now, but you¡¯ve got to earn the rights to use it by impressing me with your work.¡± Kali turned her attention back to the globe, and the area outside once again changed, landing them deep in what Judy could only assume was the ocean. Although there was an odd tinge to the water that suggested it should be pitch-black, she could see clearly for quite some distance. Alien-looking fish flitted about, all swimming away from the blind spot where the entrance to the library was. Then, a large¡­thing swam over the room. It was larger than any living creature Judy had ever seen by several orders of magnitude. It dwarfed even the dragons, and she imagined that, were they to be side-by-side, a dragon next to it would look about as small as a human did next to a dragon. She wasn¡¯t able to get a good look before the room changed back to the beach, Kali flashing her a mischievous smile. ¡°And before you ask, no, that¡¯s not a projection. Those were all actual places I took you to. This thing can make you an invisible observer in all manner of places, provided they¡¯re nowhere that invades people¡¯s privacy. There¡¯s a different room for that. But you¡¯re not going to get to use it, because that¡¯s cheating and defeats the point of being my apprentice.¡± Kali thumped the tome next to her again. ¡°So, your first homework assignment is to pick out another Racial Class. They¡¯re an administrative detail and are automatically updated, so this place has every detail on every single one of them. Consider it a hands-on exercise in learning to narrow down the results you get to what you want.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to have Lilith transform me?¡± Judy asked, somewhat warily. ¡°No.¡± Kali said, smiling. ¡°I¡¯m going to do you one better and just give it to you. That means that nothing is off-limits, save umbrella Racial Classes like Perfect Chimera, or special ones like Higher Being. You¡¯ll get stronger faster with a second Racial Class, and you won¡¯t even have to get rid of your human form. It¡¯s the best of both worlds. Your job is to pick out the one that you feel is best suited to the role you want to play. Take your time, too. It¡¯s a big decision, and you¡¯ll have to defend your choice to me. To give you a sense of scale, I¡¯m ready for this to take days, maybe even a couple of weeks. I¡¯ll check in on your progress a few times a day, bring you food, and tell you when it¡¯s time to quit for the day. You¡¯ll know how to use the orb and book as soon as you touch them, and if you have to use the bathroom just wander off, you¡¯ll find it. Now, I have a thing to make, so I¡¯ll leave you to it. Happy hunting!¡± And with that, Kali left, fading into the bookshelves. Judy eyed the tome, a nervous excitement welling up within her. If knowledge was power, then she¡¯d just been handed the keys to one of the world¡¯s largest armories, and she intended to use those keys. Chapter 51: Learning from the Best Kali transported herself to her ¡°afterlife¡± plane, watching with apprehension as the sprits living there gathered. ¡°Kali, long time no see!¡± One, a male angel, said jovially. ¡°You¡¯ve been busy.¡± Kali laughed nervously. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. Sorry I haven¡¯t visited lately, I¡¯ve been dealing with the whole High Arbiter thing.¡± The angel, Raphael, nodded. ¡°So I¡¯ve seen. I¡¯m assuming you¡¯re here to look for volunteers to teach? If so, I¡¯d like to request first dibs.¡± ¡°I, uh, thought you might. If I let you, would you¡­¡± She trailed off, letting the sentence hang. After a moment of studying her expression, he nodded. ¡°No need to worry about that. I¡¯ll do my best. My granddaughter¡¯s in her care, after all. And¡­well, I feel I owe it to Lilith, after everything.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± A tall elven female added. ¡°I have much that I can help with.¡± ¡°That would be excellent, Artemis. Who else?¡± ¡°I¡¯m interested in the small one.¡± A huge, muscular human, said. ¡°She¡¯s learning swordplay and I think I can set her on the right path.¡± ¡°Alright Lancelot, I¡¯ll mark you down.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll teach her what I know of running an army, too.¡± A smaller, but still muscular, human said, clapping Lancelot on the back. ¡°I¡¯d be lonely without this guy anyway.¡± ¡°Thanks, Arthur.¡± ¡°She needs a magic tutor, yes? She knows a lot of spells but little theory, right?¡± A short, wiry demon, asked. She carried a large tome, and her hands glistened with rings. ¡°Excellent point. I¡¯ll take that to mean you¡¯re interested.¡± ¡°It is as you say.¡± The demon, Solomon, said with a bow. ¡°I can teach her how to fight while in other forms. I feel that has been sorely neglected.¡± A small, black-haired woman stated. ¡°Of course. Thanks, Tiamat.¡± There was silence as she waited for anyone else to speak up. Eventually, a small human-looking man raised his hand. ¡°S-she¡¯s dealing with my wife, right? I can¡­probably help Carmen out.¡± Kali flashed him a smile. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll prove to be a more than capable instructor, Oberon. Anyone else?¡± She waited, and when no one spoke up, continued. ¡°Alright, if you change your mind let me know. Teachers, come with me, the rest of you can go back to whatever it was you were doing.¡± She gathered the instructors together and teleported them all to another small plane she had recently picked up, next to a large spire made of smooth black stone. ¡°I¡¯m going to bind you to this obelisk, which will later be bound to Lilith. It¡¯ll allow you to manifest physical bodies within this plane, but only while Lilith¡¯s here, and the obelisk is going to have to be charged with Worship from time to time. You¡¯re not going to be able to be out as spirits like you are now, but it¡¯s the best I can do if you¡¯re going to be training her. Physical interaction is going to be kind of important.¡± Kali wrung her hands nervously. ¡°But, before I get started, I have a request to make. Lilith lacks¡­decisiveness. I¡¯ve tried to instill some into her over these past couple of months, but it hasn¡¯t really been working the way I hoped. Her and Carmen¡¯s personalities have seemed to converge to a minor extent lately, though, so all hope isn¡¯t lost. I have some theories, but¡­¡± Solomon nodded understandingly. ¡°You did your best. It¡¯s a little worrying, but she¡¯s a strong soul and it hasn¡¯t been very long yet. We¡¯ll take a look and see what we can do. Any suggestions?¡±
Lilith looked up at the spire in front of her. It had been a couple of days since their meeting, and Kali had just approached her, saying that she was finished with the training device. It was a small, metallic cube, and when she had pressed the button on the top, she had been transported to the grassy plain she was currently standing in. ¡°So,¡± she said, ¡°Just press my hand to it and put in some Worship and it¡¯ll start working?¡± Kali nodded. ¡°Yup. There are some¡­extra features in here, though. Most notably, it gives the instructors a fair bit of power over just about anything in this space, and even some control over your abilities. For instance, they can forcibly summon any or all of the Parallels here, giving temporary bodies to the ones lacking a mobile body to call their own. They can also cut your connection and keep you from contacting each other. They won¡¯t be able to dismiss any of the Parallels, of course, and they can keep your connection cut for at most a day at a time, and if anything dangerous happens outside all control is given back to you so you can deal with it. To leave, you just touch the obelisk again and activate the teleport function. You¡¯ll learn how to do everything after you charge it with Worship. Anyway, that¡¯s all for me, I¡¯ll see you after you finish the day¡¯s training, love you!¡± She gave Lilith a peck on the cheek and vanished, presumably via Administrator teleport. Lilith returned her gaze to the obelisk, and with a little apprehension, put her hand on it and put in some Worship. Ten or fifteen Worship was snatched away, and there was a flash of light from the top of the obelisk. When Lilith looked back down, there were seven people in front of her. ¡°Hey there, how¡¯s living treating you?¡± The one in front, an angel, jovially asked. ¡°Um, fine, I guess?¡± Lilith replied. He gave a smile and walked forward, giving her a pat on the back. ¡°Good to hear. The name¡¯s Raphael, and I have to thank you for taking care of my granddaughter.¡± Lilith blinked. ¡°Granddaughter? Wait, you¡¯re Raphael¡¯s grandpa?¡± He laughed. ¡°That¡¯s me! Thank you for taking care of her, I really appreciate it.¡± His face fell a little, and he sighed. ¡°And yes, Elenoa¡¯s my wife. She wasn¡¯t nearly this bad when I was alive, so please don¡¯t think my judgement is too bad. I was young and in love, and her little quirks were nothing worth ruining a relationship over. ¡°But¡­I suppose absolute power corrupts absolutely. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t do a worse job of teaching you just because you¡¯re going to use these skills to fight her. I just ask that, if at all possible, you avoid killing her. Take her to justice, make her own up to her wrongdoings, but don¡¯t kill her.¡± Lilith nodded. ¡°I wasn¡¯t planning on it.¡± He gave her a weak smile. ¡°People rarely do. Still, I¡¯m going to expect you to kill her if you have to. In battle it¡¯s going to be her or you, and you can¡¯t choose to let it be her. Whether they know it or not, a lot of people are counting on you to keep their freedoms intact. You can¡¯t fail just because you¡¯re afraid of killing.¡± He shook his head. ¡°But that¡¯s a lecture for another time. It¡¯s time for everyone to introduce themselves. Why don¡¯t you start?¡± ¡°Uh, right. I¡¯m Lilith. Um, not that Lilith, but I¡¯m sure you all knew that.¡± Lilith said, looking around at the assembled people. To her surprise, the most common reaction was a sort of¡­sad, bittersweet look. ¡°Sorry, did I say something I shouldn¡¯t have? Did you all know her or something?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± A small human-looking woman with black hair said. ¡°We¡¯re just¡­remembering friends. She was with us in the afterlife for quite a while, and we¡¯re not going to be able to see her or anyone else until we¡¯re done here.¡± She shook her head slightly, then looked back at Lilith. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it too much, we all chose this. We knew what we were getting into. My name¡¯s Tiamat,¡± she gave Lilith a smile that had an odd tinge of melancholy to it, ¡°and while you may not be that Lilith, I am that Tiamat. Rule of thumb for us instructors, or any of the other people in Kali¡¯s afterlife, if you have to ask, yes, we¡¯re that person. Anyway, I¡¯ll be teaching you combat for non-humanoids forms. It¡¯s not an area I feel you should neglect, especially since with your skillset you can potentially incorporate parts of what you learn here to your fights in a humanoid form.¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. She took a step backward, then motioned to the next person in line, a tall elf with long, blonde hair. The elf took a step forward, then spoke. ¡°I¡¯m Artemis. You may have come to realize this, but after the war a lot of famous figures were rebranded into gods of ancient religions, or otherwise changed to fit the new ¡°human only¡± history given to people from Earth. I just happened to be really good with a bow, and I distinguished myself enough during the war that I got a spot on the new mythos. I¡¯ll mostly be tutoring Mae on fighting from range, but I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll give you a lesson from time to time.¡± The next two stepped forward at the same time. The first, a large, very muscular human motioned for the second, a smaller (but still quite muscular) human to do the talking. ¡°I¡¯m Arthur, this is Lancelot.¡± The smaller once said. ¡°We¡¯re both mainly going to be teaching Eve how to use a sword and how to lead an army. Like Artemis, we¡¯ll probably give you lessons occasionally, but it¡¯ll mostly be her.¡± The second to last one, a demon woman carrying a large tome and wearing all sorts of rings, stepped forward once Arthur and Lancelot were done. ¡°I¡¯m Solomon.¡± She said. ¡°Legends paint me as a human man, but when they changed my race in the legends, they also changed my sex so as to better fit in with the times. That¡¯s not really important, though. I¡¯ll be teaching you magic theory, and if you want to get better at magic, I highly recommend paying attention.¡± That left only one. He took a meek step forward and spoke in a soft voice. ¡°I-I¡¯m Oberon. Used to be Titania¡¯s husband before she offed me for not agreeing with her methods. I¡¯ll be helping train Carmen to better use more...sneaky magic, as well as giving information on how Titania operates and how to best counter her.¡± Raphael nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Alright. I¡¯m going to give you five minutes for your Parallels to finish what they¡¯re doing, Nuwa excepted, and then I¡¯m teleporting you all here. Tell them now, if they don¡¯t already know.¡± After she did, he continued. ¡°In this realm, we¡¯ve been given the ability to boost our stats so they are ever so slightly higher than yours. The purpose of this is to force you to learn to fight properly by making you fight someone that raw stats won¡¯t let you beat down. Our boosted state is more draining on your Worship than our regular one, though, so we won¡¯t be in it all the time. Most of our other extra functions will drain that Worship too, so I have to ask, how much do you have at the moment?¡± Two-hundred and eighty seven. Mae told them. There was a sharp uptick in gain around the time of the Shift, and while we might not be earning as much as we were right after the Shift, we¡¯re still getting far more than we were before. ¡°Good. We won¡¯t have to be too sparing, then. Let me know when everyone¡¯s ready.¡± Once everyone was, she informed him, and he gave her a nod. Suddenly, Carmen, Eve, and even Mae were all standing beside her. And then, her connection to them dropped. It felt¡­wrong, all that information she got from their senses just¡­stopping. ¡°Right.¡± Raphael said cheerfully. ¡°To begin with, we¡¯ll be training you separately. It¡¯ll increase your ability to concentrate and we can¡¯t guarantee there won¡¯t ever be a circumstance in which you are somehow separated, so it¡¯s going to be important to learn how to fight by yourself. Especially you, Lilith. You should be able to share almost everything after you¡¯re hooked back up, but details might be a bit fuzzier than you¡¯re used to. Our method of severing the connection isn¡¯t nearly as polished as Kali¡¯s. That should be everything, so the teachers will grab whoever they¡¯re teaching today, and we¡¯ll get started.¡± ¡°Gotcha. Eve, you¡¯re with us.¡± Arthur said, waving. ¡°Kingdom management and swordplay one-oh-one.¡± ¡°Coming.¡± Eve said in an uncharacteristically serious tone. ¡°Which one¡¯s first?¡± ¡°Mae, follow me. We¡¯re starting.¡± Artemis said, already stalking off. Understood. ¡°Tiamat and I will be your teachers today.¡± Raphael informed Lilith. ¡°I¡¯ll be helping with unarmed combat as a humanoid and integration of magic and Skills into the aforementioned unarmed combat, Tiamat will do much the same for your other forms.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°Um, I guess that leaves just me and Solomon, then.¡± Oberon stammered. ¡°Is that alright with you?¡± ¡°Of course.¡±
¡°First things first.¡± Raphael said, looking Lilith over. ¡°I¡¯ve got to get a feel for how you fight. We¡¯ll do a quick spar, none of your instant-kill stuff, just a clean fight. We¡¯ll go twice, one time where we can both use spells, another where we can¡¯t. Got it?¡± ¡°Yeah. Are we just going to go at it right here or¡­?¡± ¡°Here¡¯s fine. Tiamat will be the judge. Let¡¯s take a few steps away from each other, and then Tiamat will tell us when to start.¡± Once they were a good distance apart, Tiamat signaled for them to begin. Lilith immediately began bombarding him with a series of attacking spells of all different elements, attempting to end the fight before they were ever in melee range. It didn¡¯t work. Each different approach she tried, Raphael seemed to have an answer to. Large swarms of small spells were negated by a barrier, slower but stronger spells were dodged or, when the spell homed in on the target, carefully deflected using a fist imbued with Mana. When she tried combining the two types of spells, he put up the barrier, dropping it only to deal with the large spells, and either dodges the small spells that came through, or let them hit him in non-vital areas. Pretty soon, they were up in melee range, and then it was all over. She tried to push him away using a spear of hard carapace she manifested from her torso, but he ducked to the side, chopping down with his hand and slicing it clean through. Taking advantage of her off-balanced state, he lashed out faster than she could react, landing a square hit on her jaw, knocking her off her feet, and sending her about a foot backwards. She was about to get up when a tingle spread from the point of impact, and her responsiveness dulled. And then, Raphael was on top of her, hand poised to chop down on her neck. He held that pose for a moment, and Tiamat called his victory. The tingling vanished. He offered her a hand, and she accepted, getting unsteadily to her feet. ¡°There are a lot of things I could say, but I¡¯m going to save that all until after the second round. I¡¯ll give you five minutes to recover and then we¡¯ll go again.¡± It went about as well as the first fight had. As soon as he was up-close, he just ended the fight with one solid blow. After helping her to her feet again, Raphael sat down on the grass, not even panting. ¡°Take a seat if you want, we¡¯ve got to discuss what happened.¡± Lilith sat, and Tiamat walked over so she was close as well, though she chose to remain standing. ¡°I¡¯ve got input as well.¡± Raphael nodded. ¡°Mind if I go first?¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± ¡°So, in the first fight, you were way too concentrated on spellcasting. You didn¡¯t use any Skills, you didn¡¯t try and fire your guns, nothing. You also just stood there, when you could have been moving backwards. If you¡¯re fighting an opponent who wants to be up close, you should make an effort to keep the distance between you. Then, when I did get up close, you didn¡¯t even activate Zoan¡¯s Barrier. You could have stalled me out for longer if you had. And, when you tried to shove me away using Eldritch Abomination, you didn¡¯t coat it with any sort of substance. Even a weak paralytic agent would be better than nothing, and I¡¯m using my fists, so it would have been more effective than on someone using traditional weapons.¡± He took a breath, then continued. ¡°And the second fight had a similar issue. You used your guns, sure, but there was no mix-up. You were too straightforward, didn¡¯t even try anything really underhanded.¡± ¡°There¡¯s only so long you can keep your status as an untouchable power up.¡± Tiamat added. ¡°And while straightforward fighting works great if you¡¯re much stronger than your opponents, it doesn¡¯t work quite as well if they¡¯re as tough as you are. When the time comes that you¡¯re fighting an opponent on nearly equal footing, and that will come, it¡¯s going to come down to who fights smarter.¡± Lilith tilted her head. ¡°How can you be so sure I¡¯ll have to fight against someone about as powerful as I am? I grow a lot faster than anyone else, so theoretically I shouldn¡¯t need to.¡± Raphael shook his head. ¡°First off, there¡¯s a high chance that you¡¯ll be fighting in those battles for planes Kali was talking about, and our planes are still on the weaker end of the spectrum. Your opponent¡¯s baseline abilities are likely to be higher than yours. But, even disregarding that, you¡¯re going to hit a point where differences of even one hundred to two hundred levels are unimportant. A difference of one hundred or two hundred points in a stat doesn¡¯t mean as much when you both have, say, four or five thousand in that stat. Levels are going to be increasingly hard to earn if you¡¯re not resetting Classes constantly, so there¡¯s almost a soft cap based on how much experience you¡¯re earning.¡± He stood up, dusting himself off. ¡°And so. it¡¯ll end up being way more efficient for you to go around picking up all sorts of different Classes and getting those Skills. But you¡¯re not using your toolkit right now, so it doesn¡¯t matter. But that¡¯s what we¡¯re here for. We¡¯re going to beat proper fighting into you, no matter how long it takes. And don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be finished after you deal with my wife, either. Your opponents have thousands of years of experience, so there¡¯s no way we¡¯ll be finished after a month.¡± Lilith stood as well. ¡°Alright, then. What should I do first?¡± Raphael grinned. ¡°Good attitude. First, we¡¯re going to go over all of your Skills, and all the spells you know. Then, we¡¯re going to figure out what works together, and what doesn¡¯t. And then we¡¯re going to be practice. A lot. Tiamat, mind taking us to that classroom Kali showed us?¡± Tiamat shifted into an enormous black dragon, easily five times the size of Kirdin, then stretched out a leg. ¡°Hop on.¡± She told them. Once they were on, she lifted them to her back, continuing to talk as she did. ¡°Kali placed it a ways away from here so that anyone inside wouldn¡¯t be interrupted by people training outside. Alright, everyone secure? Here we go!¡± She took off, and the conversation settled into silence, giving Lilith some time to think. It was certainly the strangest first day of ¡°school¡± she¡¯d had, what with the dragonback transportation and her teachers being, apparently, history¡¯s best, but not a bad one, all things considered. Yes, she had gotten beat up a bit, but that was only to be expected, given she was here to learn how to fight. She shifted a bit, finding the most comfortable position she could, and then decided to go check in on Elenoa and Titania. Nuwa was monitoring them, yes, but more eyes couldn¡¯t hurt, and she wasn¡¯t doing anything anyway, so she closed her eyes, and got to looking. Chapter 52: Be Prepared Elenoa stretched, preparing for her Visit. Most of her war preparations lately had been taken care of by her underlings due to that annoying scrying spell that girl had placed on her, but Visits were something only she could do. She had been the sole Visitor for the past few hundred years, and the religious leaders of Earth had come to know her Messenger form well, so sending someone else wouldn¡¯t have the same effect. Besides, it wasn¡¯t like anything could be done to stop her. She wasn¡¯t technically breaking any rules; no pressure was being exerted, just¡­advice from someone who knows better. She had several trusted mages making recordings of her activities, so if that annoyance did try to step in, she¡¯d have all the ammo she needed to make sure her reputation was permanently shot. And that threat alone was enough to keep her safe; even if Elenoa was killed, which she wouldn¡¯t be, the other party would lose so much that it wouldn¡¯t be worth it. She shook her head, clearing her thoughts and then shifted into her Messenger form, becoming a white, glowing cube that continuously collapsed in upon itself. It wasn¡¯t particularly well suited for combat, but what it lacked there it made up in utility and espionage. The soft light she emitted would heal those inside of it, and in return she would get a full read on their body, as well as reducing their resistance to any mind-altering spells she may choose to cast. She teleported, winking out of existence and appearing inside the office of the head of Earth¡¯s largest religion. There was a gasp, and the man in front of her, the leader whose name she never bothered to learn, fell to his knees. ¡°Your holiness¡­to what do I have the honor?¡± She spoke, well, telepathically broadcast, her words carefully and deliberately. While she was on a Visit, the other party was under the impression that she was speaking directly for whatever god they worshipped, so she had to be careful not to let her emotions leak out when it wasn¡¯t appropriate. You have done well, my child. She intoned. It is no easy feat to keep your faith in times of change such as these. A sorrowful expression appeared on the man¡¯s face. ¡°I don¡¯t deserve such praise. Despite my efforts, many have fallen away from the faith as of late.¡± It is not your fault, little one. Mortals are fickle, and easily stray from the correct path. You did the best you could. She meant that, too. After all, she herself had lost a fair bit of influence after the Shift, and if she couldn¡¯t hold on to it, there was no way this groveling sycophant would be able to. Still, he had some, and that was all that was required. However, it is of this matter that I have come to speak with you today. You must warn your flock that the so-called ¡°Administrator¡± is naught but a false idol. She seeks to take His work for herself and use it to gain worldly influence. Let them know they must not view her as one of His instruments, and to not put trust in those working for her, for it shall only bring their ruination. The man nodded. ¡°I will see to it. Is there any other way I may help deal with this matter?¡± Simply expand your flock once more. The more people know of their true colors, the less power they hold. He swallowed hard. ¡°If I may be so bold¡­may I ask a question?¡± She paused, trying to give the impressions that she was talking with someone he couldn¡¯t see. I have been given time for a single question. Ask. ¡°Why did the lord choose to make another world, and why keep it separate for so long?¡± It is forbidden for me to say anything on that topic. It has been left for the mortals to figure out themselves. It was an excuse she had prepared beforehand, having anticipated this question already. I¡¯m afraid my time is up, child. I have other works to do. Remember what you have been told and exert yourself to the utmost. Farewell. Before the man could say anything else, she teleported back to her office and let herself have some time to recover her Mana and prepare for her next Visit. She had a lot of people to get to, but hopefully, by the time she was done, the airhead would find herself with next to no influence on Earth.
Titania lounged, letting a servant feed her as she ¡°held court¡±. In reality, she was receiving telepathic reports of her minion¡¯s work, and paying only a minimal amount of attentions to the proceedings. They were just a farce anyway, something set up to look real to an observer, and indeed the issues brought up were real, just nothing consequential. Of course, she did have one or two scheduled times where she dealt with important matters, but they also served the purpose of letting her Mana recover. And the constant telepathic connection took a lot of Mana, more than she could afford to be using had her food not been laced with Mana potion, but it was worth it; no one had figured out how to read the minds of people they were scrying, so it was about as safe as she could get. The infiltrations were going well. Elenoa had provided her backdoors into the planes of all the Council members, save Elenoa¡¯s own plane, so that her minions could get into them without raising any alarms. These infiltrations were quite the challenge, but that¡¯s what made them fun. Her task was to try and get the other Council members to fall in line with Elenoa, and she wasn¡¯t allowed to use any mind control, so as not to forever poison relationships once the mind control was inevitably undone. She wouldn¡¯t have used it anyway, not with as little time as they had, but it was still a stimulating restriction. Right now, she was just working on gathering information on the Councilors. Once she had compiled enough, she would figure out what levers to pull, and then pull. Some levers were easy. Tunem cared a little too much for that child of his, and Enna was obsessed with the safety of Haven¡¯s cities. Those would be relatively simple, coming down to just finding ways to convince them that leaving those in the care of that girl would run counter to their interests. Other levers were harder. Yamato really wanted peaceful relations between Earth and Haven, and she would be hard pressed to get him to think that a dedicated peacekeeper would be a bad thing. And, to make things harder, she couldn¡¯t visit him or any of the other Councilors, and neither could her agents. But that didn¡¯t mean there was nothing they could do. It was simple enough to nudge the people around the Councilors into bringing up the necessary topics, and Elenoa had a person or two close enough to each Councilor that would allow the viewpoints they wanted to be given. Then it was a matter of finding the optimal times to do so and creating situations to highlight the failings of opposing arguments, which were all things that she excelled at. But the infiltrations weren¡¯t the only game she had going at the moment. She was also training a team specifically to counter Lilith, inasmuch as that could be done. She¡¯d been given the list of the girl¡¯s known capabilities and was directing the team¡¯s Class progression so as to counter them. She didn¡¯t believe for a second that the team would be successful in actually killing her, but they would tire her out, and that was what was really important. The team was also practicing fighting alongside those tanks Baern had built. They were to be deployed at the same time, and it wouldn¡¯t do for the two units to get in each other¡¯s way, so they had to make the teamwork was passable. But most of this was just filling time, really. They were waiting for everyone to be at full power before they sprung their trap, and, at the rate it was going, that was to take about another two weeks. And, as soon as everyone was back to being how strong they were before the Shift, they¡¯d take probably another week to prepare the trap, lay the bait, then wait for the girl to walk into it. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. They couldn¡¯t afford to take longer to prepare. As things stood, after everyone¡¯s accelerated growth was finished, the girl would grow stronger faster than anyone, save perhaps Winston. Their odds of success would decrease for every day past the time most of their forces were trained up, so time was of the essence. Titania smiled. A tight time limit, difficult manipulation, and revenge as the end result. She couldn¡¯t ask for anything better.
Judy set the last book down, sliding it into the ¡°rejected¡± pile. She sat back in the comfy armchair and let the sounds of the jungle wash over her, giving herself a couple minutes to decompress. The past few days had been a whirlwind of intense study and theory crafting, trying to find what would best fit her needs. She had started with one big pile of potential, and then had begun a long process of narrowing that pile down, and she had finally made her decision. Well, officially, anyway. She had known for a while what she wanted, but she was wanted to thoroughly explore all avenues first. ¡°Alright, you decided?¡± Kali asked, walking out of the library and into the reading room. ¡°Yeah, how¡¯d you know?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t just set you loose and leave you alone, I kept some tabs to make sure you weren¡¯t struggling unduly. Anyway, what¡¯s your choice?¡± Judy cleared her throat. ¡°First off, what¡¯s the possibility that I can get two? I¡¯ve prepared an argument for why, but if that¡¯s just completely out of the question I won¡¯t bother.¡± Kali grinned. ¡°Before I answer that, let me praise you for asking. When trying to get something from people, ask for something big, maybe even unreasonable, first. If they¡¯re open to it, then great, you got a big catch. If not, you can offer something more reasonable and people will be more open to it than if you just asked for that first. Classic sales technique, but you probably shouldn¡¯t try to use it on people who are really good if you don¡¯t actually expect there to be a chance you get the big thing. They¡¯ll know what you¡¯re getting at and it might have the opposite effect.¡± She walked over to one of the chairs and sat down, crossing her legs and giving Judy an appraising look. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m open to giving you two if you can convince me that they¡¯ll work well enough together to warrant the extra Worship. Each Racial Class I give you past the first takes increasingly more Worship, so you¡¯re going to have to justify it.¡± Judy nodded. ¡°I want Swarm Queen and Fungal Parasite.¡± Kali¡¯s smile broadened. ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± ¡°So,¡± Judy continued, ¡°I don¡¯t have any contacts, or any infrastructure required to gather information, and right now I don¡¯t have any way to get that infrastructure without leaving the dungeon for extended periods of time. That got me thinking of ways to build a network while staying here, and I eventually landed upon parasitic fungi. By implanting a parasite onto something, I can send it out and have it propagate the network by itself without doing anything. ¡°The issue with that is that I don¡¯t have any way of retrieving the information from things I¡¯ve infected, and little to no control over them. So, I thought Swarm Queen would allow me to do just that. And, as something with intelligence, I can pick up the right Skills to be able to make unobtrusive parasites, hijacking things like flies that no one pays attention to. And, because they¡¯re part of my swarm, which is technically a part of myself, traditional scrying wards won¡¯t work on it, and most magic detectors...probably won¡¯t trip. I think.¡± Kali nodded. ¡°That¡¯s a good enough reason, I¡¯d say. But, should you do this, you¡¯re still going to have to make a normal network. The one you¡¯re envisioning is only capable of getting information, not influencing anything. That¡¯s good, don¡¯t get me wrong, but if you want to be truly effective then having people in the right places is going to be essential.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. As far as I can tell, I wouldn¡¯t be able to infect people, so I figured I¡¯d need something like that.¡± ¡°You¡¯re correct, you won¡¯t be able to, not with only the three Racial Classes you¡¯ll have. You¡¯d need a lot more to make that a reality.¡± Kali stood up, rubbing her hands. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s settled, then. Shall we get started?¡±
Carmen and Oberon were taking a break, relaxing and eating some lunch. Neither of them needed to, but it still felt nice, so they did it anyway. Solomon had declined the break, instead opting to work on some sort of spell she¡¯d been constructing during the time she wasn¡¯t tutoring Carmen. It wasn¡¯t complete yet, so Decipher wasn¡¯t able to give her a full picture of what was going on, but from the pieces she was able to get, it was some sort of incredibly complex scan of the magical signature with some additional comparative functions. Considering the way Solomon was looking at her while working, Carmen assumed it had something to do with herself, but she couldn¡¯t figure out what. But these people had been vetted by Kali, so she chose to trust that it was for her benefit in some way and decided to let it go for the time being. If she got suspicious, she could just confront her about it and then, if Solomon wasn¡¯t cooperative, ask Kali. Instead, she decided to get to know Oberon a little better. ¡°So, why are you¡­here?¡± Carmen asked him, gesturing about. ¡°If you¡¯re fae royalty, shouldn¡¯t you just come back like Titania?¡± ¡°Um, yes and no.¡± He replied. ¡°In most situations, yes, but there are ways to permanently keep us down, and Titania wanted to, uh, not have to deal with me ever again.¡± ¡°I assume we¡¯ll cover those later?¡± Oberon nodded. ¡°Yeah. Um, you probably shouldn¡¯t use them, though. I, uh, think it¡¯d end up causing more problems than it solves. Fae succession wars aren¡¯t pretty.¡± ¡°Fair enough. But, while we¡¯re talking about it, how did you end up king anyway? No offense, but you don¡¯t seem particularly suited to the job, and you really don¡¯t seem like the type to choose to marry someone like Titania.¡± ¡°Y-yeah, you¡¯re right. It¡¯s, uh, because of the way fae succession works. The most powerful male and female end up taking the throne, and the male, uh, was me.¡± He scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. ¡°I-it¡¯s not like I tried for the throne, but people knew I was strong and kept challenging me as a matter of course, and it, um, just sorta ended up like that. Titania and I never saw eye to eye, and so, uh, I guess she got fed up after a few thousand years and decided it was worth taking the risk to end me.¡± ¡°For what it¡¯s worth,¡± Solomon added, ¡°it wasn¡¯t a fair fight. If they just duked it out, he would have had a shot at beating her, but she brought a lot of backup and had been preparing for a while. He was alone and caught off-guard. So, don¡¯t lose confidence in him just because he lost. Take it as a lesson on the value of preparation instead.¡± ¡°T-that¡¯s right.¡± Oberon said. ¡°I don¡¯t want someone else to suffer the same way I did, so, uh, I¡¯m going to do my best to make sure you don¡¯t end up that way.¡± He looked at Carmen¡¯s plate, then back to her. ¡°Um, are you ready to get back to work? We¡¯ve got a lot to cover so, um, I think we should finish up as soon as we can.¡± Carmen nodded, standing and stretching. ¡°I agree. Let¡¯s get back to it, then.¡±
¡°Alright, fess up.¡± Carmen said, giving Siph a serious look. ¡°I know you¡¯re all hiding something from me.¡± Siph chuckled nervously, glancing to the side. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°Please, I don¡¯t buy that whole ¡®you told Grandma about me¡¯ bit for one second, and all my new teachers have been giving me this weird look when they think I¡¯m not looking. The same weird look, in fact, that you and Grandma gave me when you first met me. Lilith may not have noticed, but I did.¡± Siph¡¯s eyes darted around the room as she looked for any sort of escape. ¡°I, um¡­¡± ¡°Look. I got my teachers to let me off early today, my senses still aren¡¯t hooked back up with Lilith. If you would like, I can keep it a secret from her, but you¡¯re not getting out of here without telling me about it.¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± Siph paused for a moment, then let out a sigh, meeting Carmen¡¯s gaze. ¡°Fine. But you have to promise not to tell Lilith, not yet.¡± Carmen nodded. ¡°That¡¯s acceptable, so let¡¯s hear it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re¡­a dead ringer for that Lilith, you know, the original. If you just swapped your wings for demon wings¡­well¡­¡± ¡°I thought it would be something like that.¡± Carmen mused. ¡°Did you know her?¡± ¡°Very well, actually.¡± Siph said. ¡°She saved my life, back before the war. I was still young and had just set out on my own after a fight with dad, and I got attacked by some opportunists looking to¡­I don¡¯t know what, honestly. Sell me into slavery, kill me and use my body as materials, I can¡¯t really say. ¡°Point is, she came across us when they were about to take me down, and she put a stop to it. She took me in for a bit after that, helped me heal for a few months, and then brought me back to my parents and helped patch up my relationship with them, too. I think she and mom would talk from time to time after that, but¡­well, she died, and that was that.¡± She reached up, wiping eyes that were beginning to water. ¡°So, you¡¯ll have to forgive me for keeping this from you. I really didn¡¯t want you to think that my thoughts on her influenced how I felt about you. They¡­well, they don¡¯t. If your teachers are looking at you funny, it¡¯s probably because you remind them of her. She was an amazing person, one of the best I¡¯ve known, so it wouldn¡¯t surprise me if she ended up in the afterlife.¡± ¡°She did.¡± Carmen confirmed. ¡°Tiamat mentioned it, said they were friends.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­good to hear.¡± Siph said. ¡°I¡¯m glad she found some sort of happiness after death. She deserved it.¡± Carmen walked up to her mother and gave her a hug. ¡°Thank you.¡± She said. ¡°I appreciate you telling me.¡± Siph returned the hug. ¡°You¡¯re welcome. Just¡­let me tell Lilith when I¡¯m ready, okay?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Chapter 53: Guidance Raphael looked around the wide plain around her in wonder. ¡°This is all in that little box?¡± She asked. Lilith laughed. ¡°No, it¡¯s another plane, just like Tunem or your grandma¡¯s place. The box is just an easy way to get here and back.¡± Raphael scanned the area, looking for¡­anything. The only point of interest she could see was a large black spire that Lilith was walking over to, but aside from that it was¡­barren. ¡°So, why did you bring me here?¡± Lilith didn¡¯t respond, instead stopping at the obelisk and putting her hand on it. Nothing happened, so Raphael got to thinking. If this was the training cube, and Lilith had brought her here for something Raphael would ¡®really like¡¯, did that mean¡­¡°Are you going to train me yourself?!¡± Raphael blurted out excitedly. Lilith turned her head to give Raphael a smirk. ¡°Sorry, but no. I promise you it¡¯s better than that, though.¡± Raphael pouted. ¡°Can¡¯t imagine what, especially with all the nothing that¡¯s going on right now.¡± Lilith looked a little puzzled herself. ¡°You¡¯re right. I checked with Kali and made sure this would work while other people were here, so I don¡¯t know why nothing¡¯s happening¡­¡± She trailed off as a figure stepped out from behind the obelisk. ¡°That was a test, and you failed. You should have been able to sense my presence, even if I was trying to hide it. You¡¯re slacking on keeping up extra senses.¡± Lilith looked down. ¡°Sorry.¡± The figure, a tall angel man with short blond hair gave a sigh. ¡°I¡¯ll let your lapse go for now, it¡¯s a special occasion.¡± There was something¡­familiar about him. Raphael couldn¡¯t quite place where, but it felt like she¡¯d seen him before. As she tried to puzzle that out, he turned and walked over to Raphael, crouching down so he was at eye level with her. ¡°Hey there, sport.¡± He said warmly. ¡°Name¡¯s Raphael.¡± It all clicked. She¡¯d seen him in a portrait her grandma kept on her desk. ¡°G¡­Grandpa?¡± He smiled broadly. ¡°Got it in one. C¡¯mere.¡± He held out his arms, and Raphael flung herself into them. He held her close for a moment, then lifted her up, swinging her around and planting her square on his shoulders. ¡°Sorry I couldn¡¯t be there for you.¡± He told her. ¡°I know you haven¡¯t exactly had the best life, so I really, really wish I could have done something but¡­¡± He trailed off, then gave a little chuckle. ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter now, though. What¡¯s important is that I finally got to meet you.¡± ¡°I understand, grandpa.¡± She said, giving his head a little pat. ¡°But you did the right thing. I¡¯m proud of you.¡± She felt¡­comfortable around him. She was sure part of it was how much he looked like her dad, but beyond that there was just something about him that put her at ease. Maybe it was because she felt like she already knew him? She had grown up hearing all these stories about him, and her parents had even named her after him, so it was amazing to finally be able to meet him. ¡°Um¡­how are you here and¡­physical, though? I thought you were dead.¡± He gave another chuckle. ¡°Sure am. Like all of Lilith¡¯s teachers, I¡¯m dead as a doornail. For some reason, Kali decided to take me to that afterlife of hers, and so I volunteered to help teach. That spire over there is powered with Worship and lets us teachers be physical while we¡¯re here.¡± Lilith smiled, and touched the obelisk again. An absolutely huge dragon, easily the biggest Raphael had ever seen, appeared behind it. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you two to catch up.¡± And with that, she flew on top of the dragon and the two flew off. ¡°Who was that?¡± ¡°That was Tiamat.¡± ¡°The Tiamat?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s her. Her reputation¡¯s been way overexaggerated, though. She¡¯s really nice once you get to know her. I can take you to meet her and the other teachers later, if you want.¡± ¡°Really!?¡± He laughed, grabbing her and putting her down in front of him and then squatting down so they were at eye level again. ¡°Yes, really. What kind of grandpa would I be if I didn¡¯t spoil you a little?¡± Raphael hesitated. ¡°Do grandpas usually spoil their grandkids?¡± He frowned. ¡°All grandparents should, if you ask me. Your grandma isn¡¯t exactly the best example. But let¡¯s not talk about her right now, let¡¯s talk about you. I want to get to know you a little better.¡± And, so she sat down, and began to tell her Grandpa all about her life.
Lilith, the Parallels, and all her teachers, were gathered in the classroom building that they had been using when they weren¡¯t training her physical or magical skills. They had sent Raphael home after a couple of hours with her grandpa (along with the assurance that, yes, she¡¯d be able to come visit again some time), and were now gathered to have a thorough discussion on the teacher¡¯s evaluations of her Skills and the plan with them going forward. Raphael senior (whom Lilith still hadn¡¯t been able to bring herself to call ¡°Raph¡±), had taken point on this discussion, and was currently writing on the whiteboard in the front of the room. ¡°So, the way I see it, your Skills are split into a few main categories. The first category is, of course, your High Arbiter Skills, and for the sake of this discussion we¡¯re going to be ignoring them. The goal is to not have to rely on them too much in combat and instead use them as punishments, so we shouldn¡¯t be trying to build a strategy around them.¡± He handed the marker to Tiamat, who stepped up to take his place. ¡°Then there¡¯s your transformation Skills, most notably Eldritch Abomination.¡± She said, writing the header ¡°Transformation¡±. ¡°This is probably the category that you utilize most often right now, but I think you¡¯re still not using them to their fullest potential, especially your secretions. We¡¯ll get into those in other lessons later, but for now we can put acquiring more transformation Skills pretty low on the priority list. Eldritch Abomination is versatile enough to cover most things, and what it can¡¯t you¡¯ve got covered with other Skills.¡± This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. She wrote a few Skills on the board then passed the marker to Arthur, who wrote ¡°Physical¡±. ¡°You are fairly lacking in Skills that enhance your body, though. Aside from very generic speed increasers and a couple of other things like your water breathing, you have precious few Skills that make you stronger or more durable, and you have the potential to get a lot of those. It¡¯s my advice that a large portion of your remaining Skill Points from your Racial Class levels goes into beefing yourself up as much as possible. You should, at the least, be able to make yourself pretty resistant or outright immune to most common elemental attacks, which will be a pretty big boost to your survivability.¡± He tossed the marker to Lancelot, who caught it effortlessly. ¡°Then you have your weapon Skills.¡± He nodded at Artemis, who was pacing restlessly near the back of the room. ¡°This is mainly Skills for guns and some for swords that Eve¡¯s managed to pick up. You seem to prefer relying more on other Skills to supplement your weapon attacks, which I can understand, but you shouldn¡¯t neglect these Skills either. It¡¯ll take some getting used to, but you need to learn to be able to adapt your fighting style quickly. As a Perfect Chimera, and especially with Skills like Ruler¡¯s Right, you¡¯ll be getting new Skills often, so it¡¯s my opinion that it¡¯s going to be important for you to know how to incorporate them into your repertoire.¡± He finished his writing and pressed the marker into Oberon¡¯s hand, and gently pushed him towards the board. ¡°Um, you¡¯ve got some pretty decent mental Skills, too. Your calculation ability is top-notch, so, uh, you should all probably learn to use that more instead of just letting Mae do everything. Y-you might not be as effective as her, but if you can manage at least some of it without getting distracted, then it¡¯ll¡­probably be helpful? And, uh, you¡¯re pretty good with illusions and stuff thanks to the Skills you got from Titania, so that¡¯s good.¡± He hurriedly finished his writing and passed the marker to Solomon who was, for some inexplicable reason, wearing glasses. She pushed them up and began to write. ¡°And you¡¯ve got a couple of the single most unfair magic Skills I¡¯ve ever seen with Decipher and King¡¯s Knowledge. Your ability to obtain information on new subjects is simply astounding. Over the course of the few weeks before the big fight I will, of course, be making you read my entire collection of spell books, but I¡¯m also going to pound some theory into your head so you know how to properly use what you¡¯re going to learn.¡± She finished what she was writing and put the marker down, pulling some sort of list out from some unseen storage space. ¡°But, it¡¯s vitally important to strengthen your body as well. You have what is so far the unique capability to choose what you want from any Racial Class, so at Arthur¡¯s request I¡¯ve gone ahead and compiled a list of things to get.¡± Despite her glasses not looking at all loose, she pushed them up again and began to read. ¡°First off, photosynthesis. It¡¯s extra recovery to everything while you¡¯re in sunlight. Recovery is much harder to come by than other stats, so grab what you can. Then, stuff from extremophiles, especially magical extremophiles. From what I can tell, that¡¯s your most cost-effective source of resistance to the elements, and the pressure resistance from things living in the deep ocean will also serve the purpose of making you tougher to blunt force. From there, we¡¯ll take a couple of skin hardeners from things with scales to better round out your physical defense, and don¡¯t worry, your skin won¡¯t actually get harder. I checked with Kali, something about magical toughness letting you keep the softness of your skin while increasing durability anyway.¡± As she listed things off, she wrote them on the board along with the projected cost in Skill Points. ¡°So, as for strength enhancers, a lot of insects are quite strong for their size, so I¡¯ve outlined a few of the most notable¡­¡±
Judy looked in awe at the beast in front of her, its massive frame taking up the entirety of the view from the reading room. ¡°What¡­is that?¡± She asked, watching as it swam after what looked to be a pod of whales, though they were dwarfed in size by the thing. ¡°I call him Levi.¡± Kali said. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I mentioned this to you, but Haven was actually a plane I begged off of one of my friends, and Levi was one of the pet projects he was working on. I was fortunate that I didn¡¯t have any sapient species that outright required to live in an ocean, because there¡¯s a good chance he could have singlehandedly wiped them out. Instead, the aquatic sapient species take residence in a lake in one of the three cities.¡± She coughed, looking to the side. ¡°As embarrassing as it is, Levi here is a serious contender for the title of strongest living thing in my planes, and he probably would be absolutely uncontested, if he wasn¡¯t content to just laze around, eating only enough to survive.¡± Levi opened his mouth, and suddenly he was a few hundred yards forward, mouth closing over the whole pack of whales. There was a rush of bubbles and turbulent water in his wake, the sudden movement having left a gap that the water was rushing to fill. ¡°The friend I mentioned chose to leave him here as a sort of insurance for me. He¡¯s got a control switch built into him for if I need to take control of him, but honestly, I¡¯m not very good with it. It¡¯s really complex, and I¡¯ve been busy enough that I haven¡¯t had the time to spend a few dozen years perfecting it.¡± Levi turned his enormous head and stared at the two. Then, he opened his mouth and rushed forward again, massive jaws closing around the invisible, intangible observation platform. There was a brief moment where all they could see was the inside of his maw, but then they were suddenly far away, likely at least a mile or two, though Levi was still easily visible in the distance. ¡°Sorry about that.¡± Kali said, placing a comforting hand on Judy¡¯s shoulder. ¡°As I said, he was one of the Administrator¡¯s pet projects, and he¡¯s got the feel for Worship. He could generally tell when that Administrator was looking, and I¡¯m a lot less subtle than he is.¡± ¡°You¡­could have warned me.¡± Judy said weakly. ¡°I uh, kind of forgot. I¡¯m pretty used to his antics, so I stopped noticing once I put in the system that automatically teleports this place once he tries to ¡°eat¡± it. I think he thinks it¡¯s some sort of game, but rest assured, there¡¯s no way for him to actually hurt us. He¡¯s harmless so long as we¡¯re in here.¡± Judy took a moment to regain her composure before speaking. ¡°So¡­what are you going to do with him?¡± She asked. ¡°I¡¯m honestly not sure.¡± Kali replied. ¡°The old Administrator was in the process of making him able to exit the sea, but I¡¯m not so sure I want that. I don¡¯t have enough control over him to make sure he won¡¯t try and eat everyone, so I¡¯ve mostly been leaving him to his devices. Now that people are going to start expanding, though, I have to figure something out. The aquatic people are for sure going to want to explore the seas, and he¡¯s for sure going to want a taste-test. Still, it would feel like a massive waste to just kill him, and not only would using Administrator cheats to do that cost more Worship than I can comfortably afford, he¡¯s probably unbeatable while he¡¯s in his home turf. None of the Perfect Chimeras are used to the sea yet, so he¡¯s got terrain advantage, and while he might not have much skill, his raw stats easily beat out Lilith¡¯s.¡± She shook her head dismissively. ¡°But that¡¯s quite enough of my rambling. Is there anywhere else you want to see before we get on with everything?¡± ¡°Can you take us somewhere relaxing before we start?¡± Kali nodded, and soon they were atop a lush mountain, a light rain pattering against the viewing area. ¡°Is the rain actually hitting us? That seems like kind of a big design flaw.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s just an effect I made because it didn¡¯t seem right for the rain to just silently pass through. It¡¯s something originating from inside the room, so don¡¯t worry. Now, go ahead and lay down, I¡¯m going to render you unconscious while I give you the Racial Classes, just to make everything a little easier for you.¡± A bed sprang up, seemingly out of nowhere, and Judy obediently laid down on it. ¡°Alright, now I¡¯m going to count backward from ten. Ten¡­¡± And she was out. Chapter 54: Springing a Trap Elenoa checked her appearance one final time, making sure she looked perfect for the press conference. It had taken about a month, but her preparations were finally complete. Titania had held up her end of the bargain and managed to convince the other Council members to stay out of this for the time being, They had produced five more battle-ready tanks and had called in some favors with some dragons they knew, as well as other powerful beings of note, and set up their trap. The one notable exception was Isa, who had seemingly vanished just a couple of days before Elenoa was ready to put everything into motion. Not that it mattered; at this point she was overkill. It was really just a matter of provoking Lilith into action, and then her fate would be all but sealed. She stepped out into the crowded room, flashing the audience a winning smile. ¡°Thank you all for gathering here.¡± She said, taking her place at the stand. ¡°I understand this is somewhat short notice, but I promise it will be worth taking time out of your busy schedules.¡± She smirked inwardly as the assembled reporters, statesmen, and other people of import waited for her announcement, hanging off of her every word. ¡°As everyone is well aware, there have been some¡­minor changes lately.¡± She let the people she had seeded start a small ripple of laughter. The joke wasn¡¯t all that funny, but it didn¡¯t need to be if everyone else was laughing. And if she could control how the reporters reacted, then that was one step towards controlling how the people reacted. ¡°The so called ¡°High Arbiter¡± that made her presence known the day of the Shift is overstepping every bound. She had no right to take it upon herself to decide what a nation can or cannot do. She has not been elected by the people, nor has she been placed in her position by people who have the knowledge and experience to be making such appointments. Instead, she is riding on the words of a self-proclaimed goddess, and nothing more.¡± She leaned forward for emphasis, gripping the stand and carefully raising the intensity of her voice. ¡°This is not preserving freedom as she claims. Instead it is a naked power grab, one that seeks to hamper the freedom of not only the governments, but the citizens themselves. As such, I am going to be the first to formally denounce her, and the first to offer her an ultimatum. ¡°She may either step down immediately and return the status quo, or she may prove that she is capable of enforcing her tyrannical laws. Should she foolishly choose the latter, we will be waiting tomorrow at noon, in the Council building. We will be broadcasting this event, to either prove her cowardice, or prove her ineptitude. Either way, we would advise those of a sensitive disposition to refrain from watching.¡± She leaned back and relaxed her stance, scanning the crowd. ¡°For the rest of the allotted time, I will be answering the questions you doubtless have¡­Yes, you in the front.¡± She pointed towards a human who had raised his hand. ¡°What makes you so sure this goddess is self-proclaimed?¡± He asked. ¡°So far I have yet to see any evidence that would rule out the possibility of her being real.¡± ¡°Those from Earth may be unaware, but Kali served on the Council for around the past eight hundred years as in information specialist. We have detailed records on her life before that, leading back to the moment she was born. Now, with this in mind, what is more likely? A goddess descending to the world of mortals to work in government for eight hundred years, or an information specialist somehow finding out about the upcoming change and taking advantage of it? Next?¡± ¡°What about the penalties the system gives to those trying to pretend they are the High Arbiter?¡± The next reporter, a half-elf woman, asked. ¡°Lilith is a Perfect Chimera and has especially advanced scrying abilities. It¡¯s entirely likely that she has some spell in place that is scanning for imposters and is taking it upon herself to punish them. Next?¡±
¡°Do you have everything ready?¡± Mike asked, laying a worried hand on Lilith¡¯s shoulder. He and Jessica had finally learned humanization a week prior, and they had been visibly enjoying their now-youthful bodies, which looked near identical to how they had before they had had Lilith, save for being more fit. Their energy was infectious and had brightened the mood at a time when it was really needed. Lilith gave him a reassuring smile. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, dad. Nuwa¡¯s whipped up some really nice potions, and that¡¯s all I really need. Once Winston¡¯s out of the picture, it¡¯ll really just be those tanks, and Isa and I can deal with those no sweat. Then we just have to make sure those dragons don¡¯t get in the way while we deal with whoever¡¯s got the sword, and once that¡¯s secured, it¡¯s in the bag.¡± He frowned. ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t worry about you. Something could still go wrong, so be careful, OK? Especially now that Mae¡¯s turned off your sense of pain. You¡¯ve got to maintain full awareness and not stupidly leave any wounds alone, alright?¡± ¡°I will.¡± She promised and stepped into the teleporter, cutting off further conversation. There was a flash, and she was in front of a large, opulent building. A couple of moments later, Carmen and Isa appeared next to her. ¡°Ready?¡± Carmen asked. ¡°I haven¡¯t been more ready in centuries, newbie.¡± Isa said, grinning manically. ¡°Let¡¯s get this show on the road!¡± Carmen and Lilith both activated Zoan¡¯s Barrier, and the three of them walked into the building. Immediately, there was a load roar as the seven tanks in front of them opened fire, shots arcing towards the three. They were, of course, immediately reflected back to their sources. They passed harmlessly through the tanks and impacted the walls behind them. There was a beat, and everyone felt a teleportation ward come into existence, blocking all teleportation into or out of the chamber. Teleportation from inside to inside was still fair game, but they were otherwise blocked off. And then, everything descended into chaos. Isa immediately split from Carmen and Lilith, a large sword that was more an enormous hunk of metal than a precision instrument appearing in her hands. She slammed it into the ground, throwing up rubble and forming a whirlwind around her, immediately and completely removing all visibility from the area. Any shots fired into the whirlwind were pulled out of their trajectory and sent careening elsewhere, more often than not hitting their allies instead of the walls, floor, ceiling, or their intended target. Lilith didn¡¯t spend long looking at Isa, instead scanning the area for Winston. She had a hard time locating him¡­until her arm fell off. The attack had gone right through Zoan¡¯s Barrier, not even affecting Lilith¡¯s Mana in any way. Mae traced the projectile back to its source while she absorbed and regrew the arm, and Lilith took off towards the balcony he was on. One of the tanks flew up in her way, firing another shot at her. She flipped Zoan¡¯s Barrier to absorb rather than reflect and used the shot to charge Mana as she barreled straight towards the tank without stopping. She hit the teleportation field, and passed through to the other side, only to be repulsed as the air in front of her completely solidified. Carmen, meanwhile, was taking care of the flight of dragons and various other beings that had cropped up to attack. They¡­did not fare well at all. Between Intimidating Presence, Horrid Fascination, and Aura of the Arbiter, most of them had a hard time moving, let alone putting up any sort of real fight. Carmen had more of a challenge knocking each of them out without really injuring them than she did fighting them. There were a couple who were able to put up a little struggle, but those were swiftly dealt with. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Lilith¡¯s arm hardened into an especially hard carapace which cleaved through the solidified air, then split open to reveal the barrel of a gun, already firing a shot at Winston. There was a blinding flare of light followed swiftly by deafening noise, and the balcony Winston was on practically disintegrated as it was peppered with a hail of bullets and shrapnel. Winston himself had escaped the brunt of the damage with a magic shield and some fast movement, but he had been nicked, and that was enough. Mae had made sure the bullets were coated with the nastiest paralytic they had been able to make, and without complete immunity to toxins he would at least be slowed down. Fortunately, he didn¡¯t seem to have acquired a complete immunity, and he began to slow slightly. That didn¡¯t stop him from firing a barrage of those waves of distortion at Lilith, but she quickly passed back through the tank¡¯s teleportation field and watched with satisfaction as the bottom of the tank was bit into, nearly sliced clean off. Mana battery flew everywhere, and the tank fell like a rock, creating a huge crater as it impacted the floor below. As the tank fell, Lilith let loose another big shot, this time catching more of Winston and slowing him down further. And with that, Lilith marked this portion of the game as ¡°over¡±. His remaining attempts to maintain a distance were easily countered, and Lilith was soon close enough to break his contract. She poured Worship into her attempt, and the work of magic greedily ate it. Finally, after over one hundred Worship had been consumed, there was an almost tangible snap, and the contract broke, followed immediately by Winston crumpling to the ground. Lilith turned to survey the rest of the battlefield. Isa and Carmen had managed to take down a majority of the tanks, with only three left standing. Lilith joined them in mopping up the remainder, overloading the teleportation field of the tank in front of her with a burst of raw Mana. Her arm, once again in the form of the barrel of a gun, let loose another shot, filling the tank with holes and causing it to spring a leak. That was the real downside of the tanks. If the field was somehow disabled or bypassed, then any sort of leakage would cause the tank to swiftly stop functioning, and they hadn¡¯t been optimized to handle the sheer Mana output Lilith was capable of. They had probably assumed that her Mana capacity couldn¡¯t have grown at the rate it did, and they had been dead wrong. Unfortunately, she couldn¡¯t be sure the people inside the tanks were still alive. She could hope, as they were just people doing their jobs and didn¡¯t really deserve to be killed for the folly of their superior, but at the end of the day they were trying to kill her, and she couldn¡¯t afford to worry about whether or not her methods would guarantee their survival. The remaining two tanks powered off in the same instant, and a voice was transmitted through the speakers on one. ¡°We surrender!¡± The pilot said. ¡°We¡¯re not stupid enough to think the two of us can take the three of you alone, not after what we just saw. Give us an assurance that you won¡¯t attack us, and we¡¯ll teleport out and run away.¡± ¡°That is acceptable.¡± Carmen said. ¡°But if you try anything funny, I won¡¯t hesitate to attack, understood?¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am!¡± The pilot replied, and soon the two pilots were out of their tanks and scrambling for the exit. Isa, Carmen, and Lilith met up in the center of the room. ¡°So, what now?¡± Lilith asked. ¡°We go deeper.¡± Isa replied. ¡°I can lead you to the Council room itself. We¡¯ll probably have to fight Titania and Elenoa in there, but they shouldn¡¯t ¨C look out!¡± Her shout came a moment too late. Lilith and Carmen had sensed it too ¨C the field preventing teleportation in and out had dropped, but the instant it had, Titania had already teleported in, wearing heavy gloves and wielding the sword. The same sword that was piercing Carmen¡¯s heart. ¡°Surprise.¡± Titania snarled. ¡°We¡¯ll call this payback for when you teleported behind me and threw me onto the ground in your house.¡± Her words fell on deaf ears. There had been a moment of blinding, brilliant pain, even with Lilith¡¯s sense of pain turned off, and then the link to Carmen was cut and her body went limp. It was¡­it was like part of herself had been obliterated, leaving only an empty hole where it had been. Carmen?! You there?! Answer me! She cried, hoping that, there would be something, but, to her horror, there was no response. Titania pulled the sword out of Carmen¡¯s body before unceremoniously kicking it across the room. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t have let your guard down. Now, what say we really get this party started, hm?¡± Mae, is the spare avatar still good to go? Lilith asked. For the first time in her life, she could feel pure, unbridled rage boiling up within her as she stared at Titania, a rage that clouded her thoughts and drowned everything else out. She was going to kill Titania, and she didn¡¯t care what it might cost. Mistress, we can¡¯t be sure Elenoa- Yes or no, Mae. Mae sighed. Yes, mistress. There was a sense of vertigo, and Lilith swapped with the spare avatar, the eldritch ability cutting right through the wards around the area. She quickly took control of it and took only a moment to confirm that it was, indeed, ready. Mae had put an enormous amount of mass into it, which she had shaped into a huge crystalline set of scales extending from behind it. Yes, a blob of raw flesh would have worked just as well, but Lilith was being recorded, and so she needed to add a certain flare to it. She pointed a shaking finger at Titania and uttered a single word. ¡°Die.¡±
The High Arbiter has commanded you to die. Cease living immediately or take 50,000 lethal damage.
Titania crumpled like a marionette with its strings cut, and the crystalline mass behind the spare body shattered into pieces, withering as the extra HP it provided was funneled into the Geas. She gathered a large strip of metal from one of the wrecked tanks, using it as a makeshift glove to pick up the sword. She then swapped back with her main body, teleporting both the spare avatar and the sword away. ¡°Take me to the Council room. Now.¡± She growled at Isa. ¡°Got it.¡± Isa replied grimly. The two walked in silence through the halls of the Council building, Lilith trying to get a response from Carmen, but failing. Ultimately, she decided it was a side effect from her body dying, and that she would be back soon. And so, they walked onward, eventually arriving at a large set of ornate double doors. Lilith kicked them in and stalked into the room, staring daggers at Elenoa, who was calmly sitting in one of the chairs. ¡°This is how this is going to go.¡± Lilith said coldly. ¡°You¡¯re going to come quietly, and I won¡¯t hurt you. Got it?¡± ¡°I¨C¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± Lilith said, cutting her off. ¡°I don¡¯t care. You have no options left. Titania¡¯s dead, Winston¡¯s out of your control, the rest of your little force has been neutralized. I know Baern¡¯s skulking around here somewhere, but there¡¯s nothing he could do against me and Isa. So, you¡¯re coming with me whether you like it or not. We can do this the easy way or the hard way, and you don¡¯t want to do it the hard way.¡± Elenoa sighed, standing up. ¡°You¡¯re right, guess I have no choice.¡± She walked up to Lilith, putting her hands out in the ¡°cuff me¡± stance. The moment Lilith moved, Elenoa lunged forward, hands closing around¡­nothing. She clearly expected to be holding some sort of weapon, but instead her empty hands just plowed ineffectually into Lilith¡¯s chest. ¡°Nice try, but I¡¯ve taken the sword somewhere you can¡¯t teleport it to you. I know about that little backdoor you built into it.¡± She grabbed Elenoa¡¯s hands roughly and began to tow her out of the building. In response, Elenoa tried to overcharge Lilith with healing magic, causing Lilith¡¯s cells to grow rapidly and form many cancerous growths. Lilith just absorbed them with Assimilation, stripped Elenoa of Mana via a Geas, and kept walking. And, the whole way out, Elenoa kicked and screamed, trying desperately to resist, but it was in vain. Lilith was much stronger than she was, and without any of her trump cards, Elenoa was powerless to stop her. Lilith stopped in the ruined antechamber the fight had taken place in and glanced up to where she could sense the recording magic. ¡°While, normally, as High Arbiter, I have the right to dole out punishment as I see fit, in light of the nature of the accusations made against me and the fact that the crime was directed to me as a person, I will instead be putting Elenoa on trial in one week¡¯s time, to be broadcast in the same fashion as the statement I made after the Shift. She will be tried before a jury of her peers, who will propose a sentence. At that time, I will choose whether or not that sentence is acceptable, and if it is not, further arrangements will be made. Good day.¡± She forcefully shut off the recording magic, grabbed Carmen¡¯s body with an appendage and Isa with her free hand, and teleported them all away. Chapter 55: Unfinished Business
When Lilith got back to the dungeon, she immediately began towing Elenoa towards the entrance to the training plane. More than one instructor had requested a crack at her if she was captured, and Lilith was more than happy to oblige. Ignoring Elenoa¡¯s incessant protesting, she opened up the portal and hopped in. ¡°Wow, what¡¯s this place?¡± Isa asked, looking around curiously. Lilith jumped. She had, in her disgruntled state, managed to completely forget the woman was there. ¡°It¡¯s where I¡¯ve been training. There are some people here who want to have a¡­conversation with Elenoa.¡± ¡°What people?!¡± Elenoa growled. ¡°If they wanted to talk with me, they should have sent an email or letter or something like a normal person!¡± ¡°Not exactly an option.¡± Lilith growled, placing her hand on the obelisk and putting on some Worship. Immediately, both Tiamat and Solomon appeared. Of course, Raphael was interested in talking with Elenoa as well, but he had said he¡¯d let the others get their say in first, for he¡¯d likely dominate Elenoa¡¯s attention once he appeared. Solomon stormed forward, an uncharacteristically angry look on her face. ¡°Well, look what the cat dragged in. Have you had fun demonizing my people? How did your devilish plot work out for you?¡± She clicked her tongue in derision. ¡°What do you have to say for yourself?¡± Elenoa, gave her a measured look. ¡°I did what was necessary to preserve the peace of the world.¡± Solomon glared back. ¡°And marginalizing and making villains of an entire species was the best answer? That was completely unnecessary, and you know it. You and your ilk were just cutting down potential power of potential rivals at the expense of millions of innocents. Disgusting.¡± ¡°Innocents who had, by and large, chosen to condone the rampant expansionism of the humans. All we did was make sure humans wouldn¡¯t listen to words of people who might try and spark war again.¡± ¡°That¡¯s misconstruing our stance and you know it!¡± Solomon shouted. ¡°We believed that there was a way to resolve the conflict without stripping a significant portion of the global population of what should be a basic right, and it was that that we were fighting for! Not to help the humans conquer all of you! The whole thing came to be because of resource issues, and when you all ¡°linked us to Haven¡±, instead of, say, leaving access open and letting people claim easier resources than ones already owned by others, you decided to not only deny people those resources, but strip whole aspects of their culture and livelihood away! Do you know how many magic practices have died because of what you¡¯ve done? Do you?!¡± ¡°No matter the size of the land they would have been given, the humans would eventually fill it all and turn to conquest again.¡± Elenoa said calmly. ¡°Doing that would have simply delayed the inevitable.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the point! You supposedly pulled off this ritual to link us to Haven, so why couldn¡¯t you just¡­do it again, as needed?! Or, you know, use the however many thousands of years it would take for it to become an issue to figure out a more permanent solution? But noooo, instead you have to try something incredibly unethical, and then, to top it all off, you basically controlled human society and used all their advancements and innovations for yourself. ¡°You¡¯re worse than the people who started the war. At least they were trying to ensure their families would have enough to live off of, instead of making naked power grabs, ruining the reputations of people who were just trying to do what was right, and then having the gall to pretend they weren¡¯t!¡± She spat on the ground in front of Elenoa, then turned around. ¡°I¡¯ve said my piece, and I know you¡¯re too deluded to listen to reason, so I¡¯m done. Maybe, just maybe you could think about what you¡¯ve done for once in your life, but I¡¯m not holding my breath. I¡¯d beat you to a pulp if I thought it¡¯d make me feel better, but unlike some people, I¡¯m someone who learns from the past and realizes that sometimes, kicking someone when they¡¯re down just makes you feel worse.¡± With that, she marched back to the obelisk and sat down with her back to it, glaring daggers over at Elenoa. ¡°Um, who was that?¡± Isa asked, a slight expression of bewilderment on her face. ¡°She seems like she really had a stake in the war, but I¡¯ve met most of the veterans at one point or another, and I¡¯m certain I¡¯d remember someone as¡­intense as her.¡± ¡°I can hear you!¡± Solomon said, voice raised slightly so it was more audible over the distance. ¡°Go ahead and tell her, though, I don¡¯t feel like explaining right now.¡± ¡°That was Solomon.¡± Lilith told Isa. ¡°And she died before you were born, so there¡¯s no way you could have met her.¡± ¡°Solomon as in the greatest mage-king to ever walk the face of the planet, Solomon?!¡± Isa replied, incredulous. ¡°And what do you mean she died?! From my understanding we¡¯ve only just discovered revival spells, and they only go back up to a day and have all sorts of side-effects!¡± ¡°We¡¯re not really alive.¡± Tiamat answered. ¡°We¡¯re souls temporarily given corporeal form at the expense of Lilith¡¯s resources, and we can only manifest in this plane. I¡¯m Tiamat, by the way.¡± ¡°Like¡­Tiamat Tiamat or¡­?¡± Tiamat smirked, then shifted into her dragon form. ¡°That¡¯s me. Perhaps you would better recognize me like this?¡± ¡°No way,¡± Isa breathed, looking Tiamat up and down hungrily. ¡°Is it true that you fought Errus to a standstill?! Will you spar with me?! That would be awesome!¡± Tiamat laughed. ¡°He was already sort of winded, but yes, I did.¡± She turned back into her human form and looked at Elenoa, expression going dark. ¡°And then Elenoa¡¯s lackeys ended me. I¡¯m not too upset about that, but what came afterward was past what I could tolerate.¡± In response Elenoa¡­went feral. Lilith wasn¡¯t exactly sure how else to describe it; her face had contorted into an expression of pure, unbridled malice, and she leapt at Tiamat, hands poised to claw at the woman¡¯s face while sputtering wildly. Tiamat grabbed Elenoa as the other woman ineffectually swung at her. ¡°Why did you have to tarnish my reputation? I may have fought with the humans, but I was dead. There was no need to go on a slander campaign.¡± She said calmly. ¡°You killed him!¡± Elenoa screamed. ¡°You killed Raphael! He was a far better person than you, and you killed him in cold blood! You deserved it!¡± ¡°We were simply soldiers on opposite sides of a conflict.¡± Tiamat replied. ¡°In my position, he would have done the same thing. He knew what he was signing up for when he offered to hold me off, and I must say he put up an incredible fight. He understood this, so why can¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Lies! There¡¯s no way he would go out to die! He said he¡¯d come back for sure! He didn¡¯t ¡°understand¡±, so stop with your nonsense!¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°I understand, Ela.¡± Raphael said, suddenly manifesting. ¡°I would appreciate it if you stopped trying to assault my friend.¡± Elenoa went rigid, head turning to look at Raphael. ¡°Raph¡­? No, you¡¯re just making illusions to get into my head.¡± She shook her head, then glared at Lilith. ¡°Have you not tormented me enough, you foul woman!? To use the likeness of my dead husband like this¡­it¡¯s unforgivable. You¡¯re the lowest of the low, you know that?¡± Raphael walked over, grabbing Elenoa¡¯s head and turning it so she was looking at him. ¡°She¡¯s not doing that, Ela. Look at my magical signature. It¡¯s me, Ela.¡± Lilith tensed as Elenoa began to cast a spell, but Solomon raised her hand. ¡°She¡¯s just reading his signature. It¡¯s harmless.¡± As Elenoa finished the spell, Tiamat dropped her. Elenoa sat up, looking at Raphael, shaking. ¡°N-no, it¡¯s¡­just they just figured some way to spoof a signature. That has to be it.¡± Raphael sighed. ¡°On our wedding night, we had just returned home. You were about to fall down the stairs and I caught you. When you mentioned how happy you were that I did, I told you that I¡¯d be there to catch you for the rest of our lives, and we both laughed at how cheesy it was. Unless you told someone else, there was no way for them to know about that without rooting around in your head specifically for things like it, which you know no one¡¯s done. Give it up, Ela.¡± Elenoa sniffed, tears running down her face. ¡°Then¡­if you really are Raphael, shouldn¡¯t you be telling that girl off for how poorly she¡¯s treated me? You¡¯re supposedly her teacher, so go scold her. Her behavior¡¯s been completely unacceptable.¡± He shook his head. ¡°No can do. I¡¯m afraid that she¡¯s in the right here. I even told her to kill you if she had no other choice. You¡¯re¡­not the same woman I fell in love with. You¡¯ve become twisted over these long millennia, and it pains me to see you like this. You¡¯re treating everyone around you like playthings, and you even emotionally abused your only grandkid. Please, Ela, come to your senses. I¡¯m begging you. Find it in yourself to change for the better and let go of your grudges.¡± Elenoa wiped her tears, face once again a mask of rage. ¡°That settles it. This is just an elaborate ploy to attack me. The Raphael I fell in love with would never even entertain the thought of me getting hurt, let alone telling someone to kill me. Get out of my sight, I won¡¯t listen to your lies.¡± Raphael sighed again. ¡°If nothing else, think about what the ¡°Raphael you fell in love with¡± would want you to do. Goodbye, Ela.¡± He turned away from Ela and vanished, although he wasn¡¯t quick enough to prevent Lilith from seeing the tears in his eyes as he did. ¡°Alright, everyone said their fill? Can I go lock her up now?¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± Solomon said. ¡°Saying more would be like bashing my head against a brick wall.¡± Tiamat shrugged. ¡°I was never as offended as Solomon was, I just wanted to hear her reasoning from her own mouth. Feel free.¡± Lilith nodded, picking Elenoa up, creating a portal, then dragging her out. ¡°She¡­forgot to officially dismiss us. And forgot Isa. Again.¡± Solomon said, looking at the space where Lilith had been. ¡°Eh, cut her some slack. She¡¯s had a traumatic day.¡± Tiamat replied. ¡°So¡­¡± Isa began, ¡°About that spar¡­¡±
After safely locking Elenoa up, Lilith¡¯s next order of business was to make sure Winston was OK. In her string of forgetfulness, she had left him lying on the floor of the Council Building¡¯s entrance hall, which was probably not in the most stable of states at the moment. Does this mean you¡¯re letting Isa have her spar, then? Mae asked. ¡°What? Oh, uh, sure, I guess.¡± Lilith replied absentmindedly. ¡°She¡¯s been a help so might as well.¡± She took a moment to open up a portal to right in front of the Council building, which was already swarming with law enforcement officers and curious civilians. ¡°Let me through.¡± She said calmly, shouldering her way through the crowd. ¡°Miss High Arbiter!¡± Someone holding a microphone cried. ¡°Could you give us a statement on what happened today?¡± ¡°No. I will be giving no further comments until the day of the trial. I am here to help treat anyone who may be injured, and I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t have any more time to waste.¡± Lilith replied, repeating the lines Mae was feeding her. She was grateful for Mae¡¯s assistance, as she doubted she would be able to be this composed if she was completely alone. The crowd, now aware of her presence, parted as she walked up to the police line. ¡°Officer,¡± She said, addressing the nearest uniformed person she saw, ¡°I trust there will be no problems letting me in?¡± The officer paled, eyes flicking around frantically. ¡°U-um¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take it from here, officer.¡± Yamato said, walking out of the building. He gave Lilith a cursory look, then smiled. ¡°Nice to see you again. I suppose I haven¡¯t really had the chance to interact with you as much, but I trust Carmen filled you in on the little visit we had while you were away?¡± He motioned inside. ¡°Come on in.¡± Lilith nodded, carefully stepping over the barricade. ¡°Mind if we save any further talk for inside? I¡¯m sure some of our conversation will enter the territory of state secrets, and I doubt you want those discussed publicly.¡± ¡°Of course. You said you were here to treat the wounded? I¡¯ll bring you to the bay where we¡¯re keeping everyone and then we can talk more after you finish.¡± He retreated back into the building, and as Lilith followed, he filled her in on the state of the injured. ¡°I must say that I appreciate how you kept your methods mostly non-lethal. Most of the injuries came as a result of falling debris or from the tank¡¯s pilots being knocked around after their tank went offline. ¡°There were a couple of deaths, but I don¡¯t think anyone¡¯s going to hold them against you; it was clear that you were making an effort to not kill anyone, and at the end of the day there was only so much you could do.¡± He ushered her through a door, closing it quietly behind them. ¡°Our healers have already taken a look at most of them, so you shouldn¡¯t have too much work.¡± He was right. She went through and healed the assembled people with Kindness¡¯ Kiss, which took around five minutes. There were only a couple dozen, and casting the Skill was instant, so it wasn¡¯t even a big effort. Just a matter of walking over, assessing injuries, healing the person, having a brief conversation, and then moving on. After she finished, she walked back over to Yamato, who was waiting patiently at the door. ¡°Where¡¯s Winston?¡± She asked. He frowned. ¡°We¡¯ve got him in a specialized ward. He was a little more heavily injured than the others thanks to¡­whatever it was you shot him with, and he still hasn¡¯t woken up, so we¡¯re monitoring him closely. Do you think you can do anything about it?¡± Lilith shrugged. ¡°Not sure. He should recover from my shots fairly quickly, but I¡¯m pretty sure he¡¯s unconscious due to the strain of such a long-held contract being broken as swiftly and forcefully as it was. Given how hardy he is, he should be back up within the day, so I wouldn¡¯t worry unless he¡¯s out for longer than that.¡± ¡°Ah, so you did break his contract. We weren¡¯t sure, since it¡¯s not exactly easy to detect a contract like that. Glad you did, though, it was appalling the state he was living in.¡± He opened the door and, once again, began to guide her through the halls. ¡°Out of curiosity, what did you shoot him with? From what we saw on the recording, the bullets didn¡¯t seem to be made of conventional materials, and no one around here can identify the make of the gun you used.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because I made them myself using Eldritch Abomination. I would advise being careful around the bullets, though, the paralytic I used probably hasn¡¯t worn off yet, and it only needs to touch the skin to take effect.¡± ¡°Yikes. I¡¯ll let them know.¡± He led Lilith to a room a few doors down from the main med bay, had a brief talk with someone on the other side of the door, then let her in. She stepped in and looked over Winston briefly. As she had guessed, he was mostly fine physically (and was healed rather quickly with Kindness¡¯ Kiss), but he was out cold from his contract being broken, much like Vithi had been when she was freed. After confirming he would be fine, she stepped back out and had Yamato lead her to a room where they could speak privately. ¡°So,¡± She began, sitting down in one of the room¡¯s chairs, ¡°did the rest of the Council know about this plot of Elenoa¡¯s?¡± Yamato sighed. ¡°Yes, we did. She managed to convince each of us to let it go. I don¡¯t know how she convinced the others, but for me, at least, she said that if you could not handle this trap, you would certainly not be up to the task of being a mediator for the entire world.¡± He gave her a smile. ¡°I am happy to say, however, that you passed, and that I wholeheartedly support the cause you are championing.¡± Lilith gave him a weak smile in return. ¡°Thank you, I appreciate the sentiment. Of course, this isn¡¯t my only reason for wanting to talk to you. I¡¯ve come to let you know that you¡¯re going to be one of the jurors in Elenoa¡¯s trial. The rest of the Council, save Baern, because he was an accomplice, will be as well. Do you have any questions?¡± There was a short conversation, and then Lilith excused herself. She had to take Isa home, and then¡­wait, really. But she had to admit that, in a sense, she was relieved. In a week, this whole mess would be over with. Her family and friends would be free to leave the dungeon for extended periods of time, and they would all be able to relax, least for a time. Chapter 56: Order in the Court The rest of the week was a tense one for Lilith, mostly due to the fact that Carmen refused to talk. Or remake a physical body. Or do anything, which worried Lilith to no end. The most Lilith got out of her was a couple of short, terse replies that amounted to ¡°later¡±. Lilith had, of course, gone to Kali, but Kali had just said that Carmen was mentally sound, and that if she didn¡¯t want to talk then they probably shouldn¡¯t force her. Elenoa took to being locked up about as well as Lilith expected. That was to say, she was constantly trying to escape, constantly spouting vitriol towards those bringing her food, occasionally attacking them, and all around being an enormous headache. Eventually, they decided to stop bringing her food in-person, and just deposited it via the dungeon right in front of her. She wasn¡¯t treated poorly, of course. The food was good enough, Elenoa had a rather decent bed, a private and fully-functional bathroom, and a TV for entertainment, not that she used it. It was probably better than she deserved, but Lilith didn¡¯t see the point in being unnecessarily cruel; she was technically just in holding until the trial, after all. Lilith had given notices to those she had chosen for the jury, mostly high-ranking politicians and religious leaders, then spent the rest of the week trying and failing to relax. Training just¡­wasn¡¯t going well with how distracted she was, and the teachers weren¡¯t going to force Carmen to come out, so Lilith ended up lying around the dungeon most of the time. She knew it wasn¡¯t good for her, but¡­well, she just couldn¡¯t help it. The other Parallels all found something to do, though. Mae seemed largely unaffected and was training as normal. Eve acted tough, but Lilith could tell that she was also bothered by Carmen¡¯s behavior, if not to the same extent Lilith was. Unlike Lilith, however, Eve chose to disappear into her training, even opting to sleep, eat, and do just about everything else in the other plane. And Nuwa continued her work with the dungeon, her pace even more frantic than it already was. From what Lilith could gather, Nuwa blamed herself to an extent, feeling guilty that she hadn¡¯t had a support force ready by the time it was needed. For their part, everyone around Lilith tried to cheer her up. Raphael tried to drag her into all sorts of games, her parents and Judy tried to talk things through with her, and Emily¡­well, she mostly just took care of Lilith¡¯s needs, fetching and cleaning the area around Lilith, constantly hovering around on the off chance Lilith wanted something. Lilith hadn¡¯t really gotten to know Emily well, and wasn¡¯t particularly in the mood to get to know her more. According to Emily, she was being so much more¡­present now because she had used the past month to finish her studies, and now she was ready to begin full-time maid duty. She had been for some time, actually, but Lilith wasn¡¯t around much, so she had chosen to devote that time to getting stronger and progressing her Class instead of standing around doing nothing. As for the others, Alex and Vithi had let Lilith know their doors were always open if she wanted to talk, and Kirdin was away for the time being, having been dragged off by Tiamat after Lilith¡¯s parents had learned humanization. Which just left Kali, who would drop by whenever she wasn¡¯t busy. She was, apparently, tutoring Judy now, so that wasn¡¯t quite as often as it used to be, but she still spent a solid chunk of time with Lilith over the week. For the most part, she tried to keep Lilith¡¯s mind on other things, but she could only do so much. And so, Lilith was actually really relieved when the day of the trial came. Her hope was that, after this, Carmen would open up and be willing to¡­do things again, so she wanted this done as soon as possible. She had Mae gather the jurors, made sure the audience hall was set up for court, brought Elenoa in, and then started the trial. ¡°To begin with,¡± she said, ¡°know that this will not be conducted in the same manner as many other trials. I will bring evidence forward, and Elenoa will respond to it how she may. She will be subject to a lie detector spell cast by one of the jurors, which will respond whenever she says anything she believes to be untrue. Should I feel the need to bring up a counter argument or clarify details, I will, but as there is irrefutable evidence for many of her crimes, proving them will not be the main focus. This hearing is simply to make sure all evidence is publicly brought to light, so that all may see what those crimes are.¡± Lilith cleared her throat, then continued. ¡°To that end, I will open with reading out a list of the crimes she has been charged with. Who among the jury is capable of casting a lie detector?¡± She waited, then motioned at Tunem, who had raised his hand. ¡°Then if you would, juror Tunem.¡± A few seconds later, a green orb appeared next to Elenoa. ¡°This will turn red and buzz when she lies.¡± ¡°Thank you, Tunem. Now, Elenoa, you are charged with attempted murder. How do you plead?¡± ¡°Not guilty.¡± Elenoa said confidently. The orb turned red and buzzed. ¡°I would advise you do not attempt to lie further, lest you be found in contempt of court. Would you care to revise that statement?¡± Elenoa grit her teeth. ¡°Guilty.¡± This time, the orb remained green. ¡°You have also been charged with unlawful use of mind altering magic. How do you plead?¡± Elenoa hesitated, then responded. ¡°Guilty.¡± ¡°Furthermore, you are charged with unethical manipulation of religion. How do you plead?¡± Elenoa raised an eyebrow. ¡°I do not believe that is a crime.¡± ¡°There is no proper term to describe the sheer scope of what you have done in this regard. To this extent, I have made it a crime for this specific situation. Now, how do you plead?¡± ¡°Not guilty.¡± The orb remained green. Lilith continued. ¡°You are charged with the unlawful disclosure of personal information. How do you plead?¡± ¡°Not guilty.¡± There was, again, no response. ¡°And, finally, you have been charged with incitement to rebel. How do you plead?¡± ¡°Guilty.¡± She replied, without even a moment¡¯s hesitation. Lilith nodded to herself. ¡°With that out of the way, we may begin in earnest. Will you please tell everyone your reason for attempting to kill me?¡± ¡°I wished to see your unreasonable restrictions lifted and to restore freedom from your tyranny to the governments of the world.¡± The orb stayed green, and Lilith frowned. ¡°And why would you wish my restrictions lifted? As far as I¡¯m aware, I have simply forbidden outright war or annexation for the period of a few years. I do not believe that should be too unreasonable.¡± ¡°I just want governments to have the freedom to choose whether or not they want that war or annexation. It is not your place to be meddling in our affairs.¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. As the orb was staying resolutely green, Lilith decided to change the way she was approaching this. ¡°And what would you have done, had those restrictions been lifted?¡± ¡°Strengthen relationships with the governments of Earth, of course.¡± ¡°Would you have attempted to seize any sort of power from them?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± The orb buzzed immediately, and Elenoa scowled. ¡°Would you have tried to annex any countries you could? And remember, if you lie, I will find you in contempt of court and you will receive extra sentencing on top of what you will be assigned.¡± Elenoa thought about it for a moment, then spoke. ¡°I believe that many would in the situation, yes, but that does not necessarily include me.¡± ¡°That was a yes or no question, Elenoa. Pick one and be concrete about it. No hypotheticals.¡± Elenoa glared at her, and eventually gave a ¡°yes¡±. ¡°Was wishing to annex those countries a factor in trying to kill me? Yes or no.¡± ¡°May I say that we have no guarantees as to the accuracy of this lie detector?¡± Elenoa said, glancing around. ¡°It could well be rigged to make me look bad.¡± ¡°That is not the case.¡± One of the jurors, the chief justice of Canada¡¯s Supreme Court, said. ¡°My Class has a lie detector and it has yet to have any inconsistencies with the spell.¡± There was a chorus of agreement from the jurors who had similar abilities. They had been among the easiest to persuade to appear on the jury ¨C as High Arbiter, all with legal Classes automatically recognized her as the highest authority (at least in terms of the law), and they had generally been pretty willing to assist with her trial. ¡°The lie detector is there for the sake of those not present in the room today, and they may take it how they will.¡± Lilith said. ¡°But everyone present knows full well it is accurate, so do not bring up the subject again. I repeat, was wishing to annex those countries a factor in trying to kill me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Elenoa responded, keeping up her glare. Lilith nodded. ¡°I believe that¡¯s all that needs to be said in this regard. Moving on, I¡¯ve called Winston here today so that we may receive his testimony.¡± Winston had woken up from unconsciousness after a day and had been more than happy to oblige when Lilith asked him to testify against Elenoa in front of the world. This part of the trial was relatively straightforward, and Elenoa had little to no room to explain away her actions. After that, they moved on to the topic of her manipulation of religion. ¡°Elenoa, have you or have you not been appearing to Earth¡¯s religious leaders under the guise of being God¡¯s messenger?¡± ¡°I have, and I still fail to see the crime in this.¡± There were cries of alarm from the religious figures among the jurors. These had been the hardest to get on the jury, thanks to Elenoa¡¯s work. She had ended up having to force most of them to come, and up until now they had been visibly discontented with being there. Now, however, she could see some of their attitudes beginning to shift. ¡°To further illustrate this point, I am ordering you to show your Messenger Form to the world.¡± ¡°That is classified information.¡± Elenoa growled. ¡°As are plans to annex other countries. Do it now or be held in contempt of court.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Elenoa shifted into the glowing cube that was her Messenger Form, prompting a round of gasps from the religious leaders. Lilith turned to the jury. ¡°I¡¯m afraid to tell you that Elenoa has been the one visiting you these past years.¡± She said gently. ¡°Most, if not all, of what she has fed you has been aimed at furthering her own goals. What you choose to do with this information is up to you, but I recommend taking a serious look at what she¡¯s said and determine whether or not it¡¯s something you should really be doing.¡± She turned back to Elenoa, face hardening. ¡°While we are on this subject, were you or were you not a major player in a slander campaign aimed towards demons?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Are demons inherently evil, as you have portrayed them in said campaign?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°To finish off, do you deny manipulating the religions of earth?¡± Elenoa frowned. ¡°No. What¡¯s your point?¡± ¡°That being said, you have also denied unethical manipulation of religion. Would you care to explain why you would consider your actions ethical?¡± She shrugged. ¡°If you ask me, most of what they were spouting was garbage anyway, so I figured I might as well put it to productive use. Public service, really.¡± There were some strangled noises of fury from the juror¡¯s benches, but they were quickly silenced. ¡°Very well then. Moving on, unlawful disclosure of personal information. Did you or did you not leak the private coordinates of the other Council member¡¯s planes, as well as information that would prove useful in manipulating them, to the Queen of the Faeries?¡± Elenoa pointedly refrained from looking at the juror¡¯s bench when she said yes. ¡°And why, may I ask, do you say that this was a lawful action?¡± ¡°The country was in a state of emergency, and I was acting for its good. In such a situation, as the de-facto head of the Council, such restrictions are relaxed on me.¡± ¡°Were you acting more for the country¡¯s sake, or your own?¡± ¡°I do not see the distinction.¡± Elenoa said calmly. ¡°As its leader in these times of emergency, what is good for me is good for the country.¡± Lilith raised an eyebrow. ¡°I disagree, and I¡¯m sure many of the jury will as well. But I won¡¯t press the issue any further than asking if you, in your private musings, were thinking in terms of the country¡¯s gain, or if you were treating it as your own first and foremost.¡± Elenoa opened her mouth, glanced at the orb, then seemed to change what she was about to say. ¡°It was in terms of my own gain.¡± ¡°Very well then. Finally, incitement to rebel. Were there any motivations in your actions aside from those we have already covered today?¡± Elenoa shook her head. ¡°No, and there doesn¡¯t need to be. I would like to remind everyone watching that you are, technically, still living under restrictions decided unilaterally by one person who has no accountability to anyone. Even if her laws seem benign now, there is no guarantee that she won¡¯t attempt to impose something malicious later. You all are willingly walking the path to your own ruin.¡± ¡°I can assure you that that situation will never come to pass.¡± Lilith said coldly. ¡°And, as a correction, I am held accountable by the Administrator herself, and I trust that, should I ever become corrupted, she will remove me from my office herself. Do you have anything further to say.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°In that case, we will give the jury an hour to deliberate, and will reconvene then to discuss punishment.¡± Lilith had Kali cut the broadcast, and stood up, walking down to the main floor. She grabbed Elenoa, then nodded towards the jury. ¡°We¡¯ll give you some privacy. Be done in an hour on the dot. If you¡¯re not, then I will take from amongst your suggested punishments the one I see most fit. Should you not have any, I will give punishment myself.¡± She then teleported Elenoa back to her cell and retreated to her own room to wait.
After an hour had passed, she once again brought Elenoa into the courtroom, and resumed the broadcast. ¡°We are ready to hear the sentence, jury. Please have a representative tell it to us.¡± Mary Davidson, president of the United States, stood up. ¡°For her many crimes, we have given her a multifaceted sentence. First, she is to issue a formal apology to the world, along with a detailed list of modifications she has made to Earth¡¯s history and culture. The government of Haven will also be providing the original history, to be published freely online. Second, Elenoa is to be removed from office, and banned from any further governmental positions of any sort. If she is found to be in violation of this ban, or is otherwise attempting to influence politics, she is to be immediately sentenced to death, with no further trial.¡± President Davidson took a breath, then continued. ¡°Finally, she is to be assigned 1,000 years of work as a healer. She will heal any and all comers free of charge, and access is not to be restricted by anyone. During this time period, she will be paid a living wage by the government of her place of residence and is not allowed to take any other work. Should she attempt to break those terms, she is again to be immediately sentenced to death. Additionally, weekly reports on her status are to be provided to the High Arbiter by the government of her place of residence. Is this satisfactory?¡± Lilith nodded. ¡°That will do. I will work with the Council and will give an announcement with more details when they have been decided.¡± She looked at Elenoa. ¡°Any words you would like to say before we dismiss the court?¡± ¡°You¡¯re all making a mistake!¡± She spat. ¡°I was your greatest choice for prosperity, not this woman. You¡¯ll live to regret this, mark my words!¡± ¡°Again, I disagree, but I suppose you are entitled to your opinion. Dismissed.¡± Once the broadcast was shut off, she turned to the assembled jurors. ¡°I will be bringing you back home now. For those of the Council, I will be leaving Elenoa in your care for the time being and will meet you in your offices tomorrow at noon to further discuss the situation. Are there any other questions?¡± There were none. Lilith sent everyone on their way, then returned once again to her room. Carmen? She asked. Tomorrow. After your meeting. And that was all the response she got. Despite any further prodding, Carmen remained resolutely silent. Lilith let out a deep sigh, then began once again to wait. Chapter 57: Mirrors Once Lilith was back from the meeting, she sat down on her bed. Alright, Carmen, time¡¯s up. What¡¯s going on? Lie down first. Carmen, you¡¯re freaking me out. Seriously, what¡¯s up? Just do it. Lilith sighed, but did as requested. The moment she was laid down, she found herself¡­transported. Mentally, anyway. She was in a black featureless void, empty save for Carmen typing away at a computer. ¡°Um, what?¡± Lilith asked, bewildered. ¡°Where are we?¡± Carmen pressed a few keys, a progress bar popped up on the screen, and then she wheeled her chair around to face Lilith. ¡°We¡¯re inside our head. Go ahead, sit down, we¡¯re going to be here a while.¡± A chair popped up next to Lilith, and she reluctantly sat down. ¡°OK, I¡¯m here, I¡¯m sitting, what do you want? You¡¯re not acting like yourself.¡± Carmen gave her an uneasy smile. ¡°That¡¯s¡­a hard question to answer. Let me tell you a story, and hopefully you¡¯ll understand better, alright?¡± Lilith frowned. ¡°Is all this really necessary? We could just¡­share mental information. It¡¯ll be faster that way.¡± Carmen gave a smirk. ¡°Oh, how the tables have turned. No, we can¡¯t. And I do mean can¡¯t, not won¡¯t.¡± Lilith shifted uneasily, a knot growing in her stomach. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°Look, just let me tell you the story, alright? You¡¯ll understand better if you keep it in mind while we talk.¡± ¡°Fine, whatever, tell me your story.¡± Carmen shifted her stance slightly, getting into a more comfortable position. ¡°Once upon a time, there was a very lonely Administrator. She had recently struck out on her own, and being new to her craft, had not yet established herself and was missing many of the comforts she had grown used to under her tutor. For a time, she kept herself separate from the world as much as she could, allowing it to progress at its own pace. ¡°But, millennia of self-imposed isolation took their toll. While she may have had occasional contact with her colleagues, she longed for daily interaction with someone, anyone. So, she decided to look to her afterlife, reasoning that it didn¡¯t matter if she interacted with them if they couldn¡¯t affect the world in any way. ¡°So, she introduced herself, and slowly began to bond with the few spirits contained in that afterlife. She grew particularly close to one of them, eventually becoming romantically involved. The spirit in question was one of the oldest in the afterlife, a fellow succubus by the name of Lilith.¡± All sorts of alarm bells went off in Lilith¡¯s head. ¡°Wait, but¡­¡± Carmen held up a hand, forestalling any further comment. ¡°And for a time, she was happy. She had companionship again, the world was at peace, and everything was going well. But, as always, disaster struck. The people of the world had quickly grown to realize that there simply wasn¡¯t enough room, not if they wanted to keep growing. ¡°War descended upon the land and, in a panic, the Administrator turned to her closest confidant. Lilith told her that, at times like these, it was perfectly understandable to seek help from her seniors. Just because she had struck out on her own did not mean she had to try and solve everything on her own as well. ¡°So, she ended up getting the gift of a plane from one of those seniors, and advice from the others. In a panic, she introduced the new plane and segregated the warring factions to give them some time to cool off. She let the spark of technological innovation burn on one side, and let magic develop on the other, in hopes that when they were eventually reintroduced, they could combine into a greater whole. ¡°But she wasn¡¯t sure how to properly combine those two without massive conflict once again occurring. She didn¡¯t want to overstep her bounds and directly intervene when the time for combination came, but she also didn¡¯t want to leave the world unattended. So, she once again turned to her lover, who gave her an idea. Raise a champion to be the arbiter for the two sides, and, while she was at it, use the combination of the sides as an excuse to fix the flaws in her system. ¡°She also encouraged the Administrator to play a role in this as well, not as a goddess, but masquerading as a regular mortal, subtly guiding the world to the path she wanted. Lilith reminded the Administrator that while it is important to allow those in her care autonomy, it is just as important to guide them towards the right path. ¡°So, the Administrator did just that. However, she ran into a particularly rough issue when it came time to actually raise this arbiter. She wanted to make sure that the arbiter would turn out to be someone she could trust, but didn¡¯t want to force someone into a role they didn¡¯t desire and didn¡¯t want to groom them for their entire life either. ¡°Eventually, it was decided. She would reincarnate one of the souls from her afterlife, whom she knew were trustworthy. Their memory would be permanently wiped, and it would be a bit of a gamble, but it would be better than just picking a random person from the crowd. So, she asked for volunteers.¡± ¡°This is¡­making me uncomfortable, Carmen. I don¡¯t like where this is heading.¡± Carmen gave her another sad smile and continued. ¡°The most insistent of the volunteers was, of course, Lilith. She begged and pleaded with the Administrator to be the one for the job. After all, who could she trust more? And, what was more, it would allow them to be physical without any of the constraints they had if they wanted to do that before. Her memory would be wiped, yes, but she was confident that, given time, they would get together again. After all, it was personality that had drawn them together in the first place, and that was what was important. ¡°Finally, the Administrator relented. She would let her lover take the job, as terrifying a prospect as that was for the Administrator. So, she began her work to reincarnate Lilith, trying her utmost to make sure as much of her personality as possible was retained. ¡°And it was that enthusiasm that led to one of her greatest mistakes. She tried too hard, and the soul fractured into two. The fragments wrestled with each other for a short period before seeming to reach some sort of an understanding, and the Administrator could only watch in horror as they reincarnated, one of the fragments seeming to go into a deep hibernation. ¡°As the Administrator observed the person her lover reincarnated into, she found that the ¡®main¡¯ fragment contained the parts of personality that the Administrator had tried most to protect; her loyalty, kindness, and willingness to do whatever she could to make those she loved happy. But¡­that was all that fragment contained, really. And, for a while, it seemed that not only had she failed to make a proper arbiter, but she had lost her love in the process. ¡°But she wasn¡¯t willing to give up. She would go through with the plan anyway, in hopes that she could eventually heal the fractured soul. She let the boy her lover had reincarnated into grow, and then, right as she was beginning to seriously start to put things in motion, there was a¡­wrinkle thrown into things. ¡°The boy was to undergo a transformation, and¡­she couldn¡¯t hold herself back. She, in a moment of longing, interfered with the transformation, giving the boy the appearance of her old lover and impressed upon those around that ¡®Lilith¡¯ would be the proper name for her new form. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°And, as if to say that she had made the right choice, she almost immediately received a ray of hope. The other fragment, long dormant, had surfaced in the ¡®main¡¯ fragment¡¯s time of need. This fragment contained the decisiveness and mischievous that the administrator loved, but little to none of what normally held a person back from acting on impulse. ¡°And, now that both fragments had been awoken, she noticed a strange phenomenon. Almost imperceptibly over time, the fragments were beginning to take aspects of their counterpart, and the soul was starting to heal.¡± Carmen leaned back in her chair, letting out a sigh. ¡°As you have no doubt figured out, this is a story about us. I don¡¯t know if you ever consciously noticed, but I¡¯m¡­different from all the other Parallels. I popped up by myself at the first possible opportunity. And, well, I¡­began to notice some oddities. ¡°I know you¡¯ve felt it, that comforting sense that comes with being around Kali. And I know that you get feelings that, though you have no reason for, you can¡¯t really¡­shake. And I thought long and hard about that, but it wasn¡¯t until we met our teachers that I really began to put things together. ¡°And, after some examination and checking with Kali, Solomon was able to figure everything out. She told me this story in bits and pieces, then helped me prep for what was to come.¡± A look of comprehension flashed across Lilith¡¯s face, followed by horror. ¡°No, you can¡¯t! We¡¯re¡­different! Just because we were originally one person doesn¡¯t mean that we have to be again!¡± Carmen shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid it does. It was going to happen anyway, so I let Titania stab me. I needed time to prepare so we could get this done on terms that would be the most favorable for us. We¡¯re going to be out for quite a while, and so it was best if it happened in a controlled environment. Otherwise it would be a ticking time bomb, threatening to go off whenever.¡± She sighed. ¡°But, even beyond that, this is for the best. Lilith, we¡¯re both caricatures, idealized traits of a person without the context that made those traits good in the first place. We¡¯re both incomplete.¡± Lilith stood up and walked over to Carmen, grabbing her. ¡°It¡¯s not too late to stop this. We can work something out. I mean¡­you¡¯ll just sort of¡­disappear after this! You can¡¯t be content with that!¡± Carmen smirked. ¡°That¡¯s just like you. Did you even think about what this potentially means for you? Look, I¡¯m not going to disappear, and you won¡¯t either. If you split a lump of clay into two pieces and then recombine them, do those split lumps disappear? No. They¡¯re just back to being whole.¡± ¡°That¡¯s clay! We¡¯re talking about people!¡± Lilith wailed. ¡°Seriously, just cut it out, and we can pretend this never happened!¡± Carmen shook her head. ¡°No can do. I¡¯ve spent this last week getting the process ready, and now that it¡¯s started there¡¯s no going back. Take a look.¡± She pushed her chair away from the desk, giving Lilith an unobstructed view of the computer.
Massive soul restructuring in progress! For safety, you will lose consciousness until the process finishes! Consciousness loss has been delayed by 10 minutes! Time remaining before total loss of consciousness: 05:52
Lilith slumped. ¡°How¡­how long will we be out?¡± Carmen drummed her fingers on the desk. ¡°We¡¯re not completely sure. Solomon and Kali ran the numbers, and they¡¯re estimating three years.¡± ¡°Three years! What will everyone else say?! We can¡¯t just disappear for three years, it¡¯ll undermine everything we¡¯re working for!¡± Lilith asked pleadingly. ¡°Mae can pretend to be you. The ¡°High Arbiter¡± persona is already enough of an act that she¡¯ll have no troubles keeping it up in public. It¡¯s not like we have to appear that often anyway.¡± ¡°But what about our friends and our family? What¡¯ll they say?¡± ¡°Kali¡¯s explaining things to them now. Look, Lilith, this was going to happen sooner or later. There¡¯s no way to stop it. Even if Kali worked her hardest to delay it, at some point or another this would have to happen. I¡¯ve made sure that it will be as smooth as possible.¡± Carmen scooped Lilith up in a hug. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Everything will be fine. It would have been worse if I wasn¡¯t preparing, but I¡¯m ready for this. I know that, deep down, you are too.¡± She gently pulled Lilith up, seat widening so they could share it. ¡°Our instructors¡­and one more, left us a video for you to watch in hopes that it would help. Do you want to see it?¡± Lilith nodded. Carmen brushed away the notification about losing consciousness and began navigating through a file system. ¡°This computer is¡­us, in a sense.¡± She said as she worked. ¡°An interface of sorts. I could have done my work just as easily without it, but it just felt¡­right to do it this way. More familiar.¡± She finally found the file she was looking for and opened it. A video popped up and began playing. Raphael was standing in the wide, open plain of the training area, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly. ¡°Um, hey there. If you¡¯re watching this, I guess that means it¡¯s time.¡± He laughed nervously. ¡°That sounds like us instructors are going to disappear. That¡¯s not happening, don¡¯t worry. But, uh, you¡­won¡¯t be able to remember this, but you helped me out a lot right after I died. I¡¯ve¡­probably told you how that happened already, but let an old man indulge in his storytelling again, will you? ¡°It was the height of the war, and I was part of the team working on the spell to strip the humans of their magic. Somehow, they caught wind of our location, and sent in Tiamat to clean the place up. I stayed behind to keep her distracted while everyone gathered what they could and ran. I was heartbroken when I died, knowing that I had left everyone behind, but you helped snap me out of my funk. And then, when Tiamat came, you helped me get over my bad blood with her. You were¡­sort of an anchor, for a lot of us.¡± He paused for a moment, then gave a sad little smile. ¡°I¡¯m¡­sorry I couldn¡¯t tell you earlier. We were under strict gag orders but¡­well, Carmen figured it out, so¡­the jig was up, I guess. I¡­I¡¯ll see you when you wake up, alright?¡± The view switched to Tiamat standing in that same field. ¡°Hey. Looks like you were that Lilith all along, eh?¡± She cracked an uneasy smile. ¡°Well, to be honest, I¡¯m not as much of a sap as some of the others, but I want you to know that I thought you were pretty cool. I¡­missed having you around. Sometime, after you wake up, the two of us should take some time to just¡­hang out, outside of training. Anyway, I¡¯ll make sure to give Mae or Nuwa the lessons you would normally get so you won¡¯t be too far behind. Take care.¡± There was another viewpoint switch, this time to Oberon, who was looking even more nervous than usual. ¡°U-um, h-hi. I, uh, w-want you to know that, um, you helped me learn to t-trust again, after w-what happened with Titania. I¡­k-know you can¡¯t remember it, b-but, um¡­t-thanks.¡± Artemis was next. ¡°I didn¡¯t interact with you much, but you went on the occasional hunt with me. I¡¯m glad I¡¯m able to teach you more now.¡± After those terse words, there was a sudden tone switch as Lancelot began to talk the moment he and Arthur were on screen. ¡°Guess the cat¡¯s out of the bag, eh?¡± He said jovially. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll have you know that you were a real joy to have around. Really livened the place up, and you were a great sparring partner.¡± He nudged Arthur, who started talking. ¡°And look at it this way. You may never be able to get those memories back, but we can just make new ones, alright? Now that you¡¯re a Higher Being, I¡¯m sure that you will be able to visit the afterlife once Kali shows you how. Everyone would love to see you again. And even before then, you can always come talk with us teachers just to chat. We¡¯re more than happy to do it. Well, maybe not Artemis, but that¡¯s just because she¡¯s not much of a talker. I don¡¯t think she¡¯d say no to target practice or something, though.¡± Next, Solomon was up. ¡°I suppose I¡¯m not really sappy either.¡± She said, looking to the side. ¡°But you always listened when I¡¯d talk to you about theory, and that¡¯s more than I can say for a lot of people. I figured that it¡¯d be the least I could do to help get you back in one piece. We¡¯ll make sure everything¡¯s taken care of, so sleep tight, OK?¡± And, finally, to Lilith¡¯s great surprise, Siph was there, tears already flowing down her face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± She said. ¡°I¡¯m so, so, so sorry. I¡­I¡¯ve known for a long time, ever since Kali revealed herself to us. I¡­I made her tell me. It was just¡­it was just too much of a coincidence. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get the full memories of my conversation with Carmen when you wake up, but¡­you, the¡­past you, you saved my life. I¡­¡± She trailed off, taking a moment to wipe her eyes, though it didn¡¯t really do any good. ¡°I owe you more than you could possibly imagine. Not just because of what the past you did, but¡­my life has been so¡­so much better since I met you again. I¡­I used to just sit in a cave all alone for¡­a long time. And these past few months have been so filled with love and happiness that now I can¡¯t even fathom how I was able to tolerate my life before. ¡°I want you to know that my love for you isn¡¯t because of who you were, but who you are. You¡¯re my precious daughter, and nothing will ever change that. I¡­I just¡­¡± She seemed to be on the verge of breaking down into sobs completely, but managed to give the camera one last smile. ¡°I¡­I¡¯ll miss you. And while you¡¯re out not a day is going to go by that I won¡¯t think of you. I¡­love you, love you so much it feels like my heart is going to burst. I¡¯ll¡­see you when you get up, alright?¡± The recording shut off, and the message Carmen had dismissed reappeared, indicating that they had twenty-one seconds left. Lilith opened her mouth to say something, but Carmen shushed her. ¡°It¡¯s not goodbye, and I won¡¯t be any more gone than you. We¡¯ll just be together.¡± She grabbed Lilith¡¯s hand and squeezed. ¡°Thanks for putting up with me.¡± Lilith moved to speak again, and Carmen pulled her into a tight hug, cutting off the words. And, like that, they let the countdown reach zero, and everything faded to black. Chapter 58: Taking Charge Raphael hesitated at the door to Kali¡¯s room. She¡­she didn¡¯t want to go through with this, but she knew that, if she didn¡¯t, it was only going to get harder. Unprompted, the door opened. ¡°Raphael?¡± Kali asked. ¡°Do you need something? You¡¯ve been out there for¡­a long time.¡± Raphael shook her head, psyching herself up. ¡°Yeah. Um¡­I want to talk to Gr¡­I mean, I want to talk to Elenoa.¡± Kali raised an eyebrow. ¡°Come on in, then.¡± Raphael gingerly entered the room. Lilith¡¯s body was lying down on the bed, looking just like it had when Kali had explained to everyone what was going on. Raphael didn¡¯t quite get the whole ¡°fractured soul¡± thing, but she understood enough to know that Lilith was healing and would be essentially in a coma for a few years. ¡°Go ahead and sit.¡± Kali said. ¡°Give me a minute to get this ready.¡± Raphael sat in one of the beanbag chairs that were scattered on the floor, and waited. Eventually, Kali turned to her. ¡°Ready?¡± Raphael nodded hesitantly. ¡°Yeah.¡± There was a brief wave of dizziness, and then a vision of Elenoa appeared in front of Raphael. She appeared to be laying down in a small room that Raphael didn¡¯t recognize, but she quickly sat upright and looked towards Raphael. ¡°Raphael? What¡¯s going on? This better not be a trick, or I will come for whoever¡¯s messing with me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a trick, I just need to have a talk with you.¡± ¡°Have you finally come to your senses, then? I see you weren¡¯t able to convince those idiots to turn you back before you left.¡± Elenoa sneered. ¡°I suppose I can find it in my heart to forgive you. Where are you? I might not have as much influence as before, but I can still arrange for someone to pick you up.¡± Hearing that only served to strengthen Raphael¡¯s resolve. ¡°No, Elenoa.¡± She said firmly. ¡°I think you¡¯re the one who needs to come to her senses. But that¡¯s not what I want to talk to you about. Instead, I¡¯m going to tell you how our future is going to be, got it?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t ¡®got it¡¯!¡± Elenoa snarled. ¡°You don¡¯t tell me what to do. I¡¯m in charge of you, if you hadn¡¯t noticed.¡± ¡°Not anymore.¡± Raphael said. ¡°I¡¯m disowning you, Elenoa. You¡¯re a nasty, spiteful narcissist who¡¯s got her head stuck so far up her behind that she¡¯s mistaken the scent of her own filth for perfume. I don¡¯t want to talk to you again until you realize why what you¡¯ve done is wrong and are ready to apologize.¡± ¡°Listen here, you brat, I¨C¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m not listening to you anymore. Oh, and for the record, my friends are more than happy to change me back any time I want. I¡¯ve just chosen to stay like this, from now on. Goodbye, Elenoa.¡± ¡°Our conversation is not over, you whelp, I raised you, and this is how you repay me?! I should come over there and drag you back myself, and then I¡¯ll¨C¡± The transmission cut. ¡°I¡­think we could both see where that was going.¡± Kali said. ¡°I can call her back if you want, but I don¡¯t think either of us needs to hear more of her bile.¡± Raphael nodded. ¡°I¡­I think I¡¯ve had enough of that for a lifetime, yeah. Thanks, Kali.¡± ¡°Any time.¡± Kali replied, giving her a smile. ¡°Anything else I can do for you while you¡¯re here?¡± Raphael shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­I¡¯ll be heading out, now.¡± Kali gave her a grin. ¡°Before you go, what was the whole ¡®mistaken the scent of her own filth for perfume¡¯ thing supposed to mean? It sounds insulting, sure, but I¡¯m not sure I quite follow the logic in that metaphor.¡± Raphael blushed. ¡°I just got caught up in the heat of the moment. I was trying to get at her thinking the wrong thing was right, and I was already going with the whole head up her behind thing so I just sorta said something.¡± Kali laughed. ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll have to write that one down. Run along, then.¡± And Raphael did. Literally. She ran all the way back to Alex¡¯s room in a state of¡­she didn¡¯t even know. Panic? Exhilaration? Both? Whatever it was, she frantically knocked on Alex¡¯s door, barely even waiting for a reply before she threw herself into the older woman¡¯s room, and then into said woman¡¯s arms. ¡°How¡¯d it go?¡± Alex asked, stroking Raphael¡¯s head soothingly. ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t even know.¡± Raphael giggled. ¡°I just¡­did it! I just went out there and said exactly how I felt!¡± Alex gave her a smile. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. How¡¯d she take it?¡± ¡°Not well. She started yelling at me and honestly, it just made me realize that I was right. I don¡¯t need her in my life, not now. Maybe someday in the future when I¡¯m older and can try and¡­help her, but I don¡¯t think that¡¯ll be for a bit.¡± ¡°Good. So¡­what are you planning to do now? Are you going to go back to Tunem¡¯s academy once you decide to move out, or what? You¡­don¡¯t exactly have anywhere to go now.¡± Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Raphael blinked. ¡°I¡­hadn¡¯t thought about that. I, um, I just figured I¡¯d stay here with you guys, forever. Um¡­do I have to move out?¡± Alex started blushing. ¡°Well¡­I¡¯ve been doing some thinking myself, and now that you¡¯re¡­free, um, if you want, I could¡­you know, officially adopt you. I already like taking care of you and we hang out all the time, so I just thought we could¡­make it official.¡± Raphael froze, thinking that through. She liked Alex, liked her a lot. Alex made her feel¡­safe, and was always there for her. She made Raphael feel¡­loved. And, that being the case, her choice was obvious. ¡°I¡­I would love that¡­mom.¡± Alex squirmed a little, blush intensifying. ¡°Then, um¡­let¡¯s go talk with Kali or Mae, I¡¯m sure they could get the paperwork taken care of.¡± Raphael nodded, hugging Alex¡­no, her mother, tighter. ¡°I love you.¡± She whispered. ¡°Love you too, sweetie.¡±
Raphael knocked on Emily¡¯s door, fidgeting nervously as she waited for an answer. ¡°Yes?¡± Emily asked, opening the door. She frowned when she saw Raphael, narrowing her eyes. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°I¡­um¡­¡± Raphael stammered, looking down. ¡°I¡­want to apologize. I treated you poorly, more poorly than you deserved. I¡­I used you like a tool, and that¡¯s not okay.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± Emily said frostily. ¡°But actions speak louder than words. If you¡¯re really sorry, then show me.¡± Raphael nodded glumly. ¡°I¡­thought you would say that, so I thought, um, I¡­could be your maid for however long you want, maybe? I won¡¯t complain no matter what you ask me to do, so you can just¡­treat me like how I treated you¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need a maid.¡± Emily said flatly. ¡°O-oh.¡± Raphael replied, face falling. ¡°I¡­um¡­I¡¯m willing to do anything else¨C¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need a maid.¡± Emily said. ¡°But I would appreciate some assistance managing my duties as Lilith¡¯s maid. To that end, you will be my coworker slash assistant, understood?¡± Raphael looked up gratefully. ¡°U-understood, ma¡¯am!¡± She said, giving a clumsy salute. Emily rolled her eyes. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go get you measured for a uniform.¡± ¡°I¡­yes, ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call me ma¡¯am. Emily works fine.¡± ¡°U-understood.¡± Emily rolled her eyes again before motioning into her room. Raphael walked inside, and Emily closed the door behind them. ¡°Sit on the bed.¡± She commanded. Raphael did as instructed, and Emily walked to her desk, grabbed some sort of tool from within, and pointed it at Raphael. There was a small beep, and then Emily turned the tool over, inspecting it. ¡°You¡¯re dismissed.¡± She said distractedly. ¡°Be here at ten A.M. sharp tomorrow.¡± ¡°Y-yes, m ¨C Emily!¡± Raphael said, leaping up from the bed and hurrying out of the room. That¡­had not gone how she had expected it to go, but she was happy with the result nonetheless. If she was truly going to put her past behind her, then she needed to be willing to make up for it, no matter what it might entail. Besides, how hard could maid work possibly be? It was just¡­cooking and cleaning¡­right?
Vithi gave her things one last check before nodding in approval and leaving her lair. She came back to the ¡®real¡¯ world in her room in the dungeon, which had been stripped bare of everything except for the furniture itself. Mae had given her a little token that allowed her to access her lair without having to go through Lilith, and that had been the final thing she needed to be ready. She gave the room a cursory glance, smiling slightly as she took it all in. She wasn¡¯t planning to be back for a while, and even if she had, essentially, become trapped in this dungeon for a time, it was far more tolerable than the lamp had ever been. She had people to talk to, things to do, and each day was at least slightly different than the last. But, all the same, it had still been a prison, at least of a sort. Vithi longed to be moving, going from place to place. It didn¡¯t matter where, just so long as it wasn¡¯t the same place it had been the day or the week before. And, finally, she was able to do so. Now that Elenoa was gone and Baern was little more than a token presence on the Council, there wasn¡¯t anything preventing those close to Lilith from being out in the world. It was a good feeling. After centuries upon centuries of being confined to a single area, she finally had freedom to roam the world. No one would tell her where to go, what to do, she would just go where her wanderlust took her. She¡¯d start with Earth, just to get back into the swing of things. She was much stronger than she had been before all of this, but she didn¡¯t feel comfortable going straight to Haven, not when she hadn¡¯t seen actual combat for so long. The borders of countries might give her some issue, but she¡¯d figure something out. Surely there would be some way for her to sneak across some of the more isolated areas; she wasn¡¯t really planning on staying around the cities all of the time. And, worst case scenario, she¡¯d just teleport back to the dungeon and have Mae teleport her into the new country. She didn¡¯t want to rely on anyone else, but if it came down to it, she would. So, she stepped out of the door, and made her way into one of the common rooms. ¡°Well, I think it¡¯s about time.¡± She said, surveying the gathered people. ¡°I¡¯m going to be on my way.¡± Eve gave her a nod. ¡°I understand. Um¡­if Lilith was here, I think she¡¯d want me to say that, if you ever need us, just call. We¡¯ll come help out, no questions asked. Uh¡­provided it¡¯s not something super sketchy, that is. Then there will be questions asked.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Vithi said. ¡°I¡¯ll try not to unless it¡¯s important or I have no other options.¡± She paused briefly, considering if she wanted to say what was on her mind, then, having made her mind up, continued. ¡°But¡­if our contract ever breaks, could¡­could you come immediately? That¡¯s not something I¡¯m ever going to do willingly, so I¡¯ll¡­probably be in trouble.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Eve said, an uncharacteristic seriousness on her face. ¡°We¡¯ll be there.¡± I would also like to thank you. Mae said. Without you, we wouldn¡¯t be where we are today. ¡°As if.¡± Vithi snorted. ¡°Kali would have got you guys here no matter what. I was just the tool she used to do that.¡± Regardless, the fact remains that you helped us get here, and for that I remain thankful. ¡°Sure, fine, I guess.¡± Vithi replied, scratching the back of her neck embarrassedly. ¡°It really wasn¡¯t a big deal, though.¡± ¡°I¡¯d¡­also like to thank you.¡± Alex said. ¡°Without you I would still be stuck in the Society, not knowing quite how to get out. And if Kali had chosen a different method to get Lilith here, then I probably would still be there too, so no excuses.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Vithi began to protest, but, seeing the look in Alex¡¯s eyes, stopped. ¡°Alright, I get it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be keeping in touch, okay?¡± Alex said. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid to just come back and hang out from time to time, either.¡± ¡°Okay, okay, I understand.¡± Vithi said, smiling slightly. ¡°I won¡¯t just up and leave forever.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Alex said. ¡°So¡­go enjoy yourself out there.¡± Vithi nodded. ¡°I will, thanks.¡± The rest of the goodbyes were pleasant, if a bit less personal. Vithi hadn¡¯t really gotten close with anyone else, so she couldn¡¯t really blame them for that. And, finally, after another ten or so minutes, it was time to go. She activated the token Mae had given her, letting it take her out of the dungeon and to the last place she had been on Earth, the cabin she had escaped to with Judy and Lilith. She was in the United States, so¡­why not start there? The land had plenty of diversity to it, and she wouldn¡¯t be stopped at borders for quite some time, so it was the perfect place to begin her journey. And with that she smiled, and stepped out of the door into her new life. Chapter 59: Family Matters For what seemed to be the thousandth time, Jameson reached into his pocket and nervously fingered the box therein. It was a couple of months after Lilith had gone to sleep, and he and Anna had been getting closer and closer the whole time. They had spent most of each day together, training, talking, and generally just¡­bonding. Their weekly double date with Kali and Lilith had been suspended for the time being for obvious reasons, so they had been having their dates alone. And, it was on one of these dates that Jameson had decided to finally go for it. They had been dating for a couple of years and had known each other for most of their lives, and Jameson was increasingly sure that he was making the right choice. So, after dinner, he had driven her up into the mountains, parking them in one of the many secluded areas just off of the main road. He killed the engine, opened up the viewport on the top of the car, and reclined his seat, laying there and staring up into the sky. ¡°You know,¡± he began, ¡°if, ten years ago, I had been told I would find the woman of my dreams and be happily dating her, I¡¯d call whoever told me that nuts. If they told me it was you, I probably would have laughed in their face.¡± Anna smirked. ¡°Well, I, for one, wouldn¡¯t have been surprised. You just needed to grow out of your awkward phase and get some confidence. Though, I probably would have laughed too if someone told me I was going to date you.¡± Anna reclined her seat as well, reaching her hand over and grabbing his. ¡°I¡¯ll be honest, I¡¯m glad we didn¡¯t start dating until recently. If it had been when we were younger, we probably would have messed it up and wouldn¡¯t be here now.¡± Jameson laughed. ¡°Let¡¯s be happy that we were too blind to see what was right in front of us, then.¡± He leaned in and the two shared a quick kiss, then separated, leaning back in their seats and just looking up for a while. Jameson let the comfortable silence stretch on for a few minutes before he took his hand from Anna¡¯s and once more put it into his pocket. ¡°I really love you, Anna, you know that?¡± ¡°Duh. It¡¯s painfully obvious by the way you act.¡± She ran a hand along one of her horns, giving him another smug look. ¡°Besides, you can¡¯t keep your eyes off of me. You really know how to make a girl feel wanted.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just making sure to express myself.¡± He replied. ¡°And apparently I¡¯m doing a good job of it. I want you to be mine, forever.¡± He extracted the box from his pocket, springing it open. Anna¡¯s hands flew to her mouth, eyes suddenly damp. ¡°Will you marry me?¡± He asked, looking her right in the eyes. She gave him a huge smile, tears starting to spill. ¡°Of course I will! I wouldn¡¯t have it any other way!¡± He took the ring from within the box and held it out. ¡°I had Nuwa make this for me.¡± He told her. ¡°It¡¯s nothing fancy, but it¡¯ll act like Familial Bond and ensure our love for each other lasts. You can give it a couple of twists and you¡¯ll teleport straight to me. And, of course, I¡¯ve got a matching one at home.¡± Anna slid her finger into the ring then held it up, letting the ring catch the moonlight. It really wasn¡¯t an ornate ring ¨C just a simple gold-colored band, but when it was on her it somehow shone, not really physically, but mentally. The eye was drawn to it, and it just felt right, like it was exactly where it belonged. With her other hand, Anna gave Jameson a light punch on the shoulder. ¡°You beat me to it.¡± She laughed, wiping her eyes. ¡°I was going to propose in a couple of weeks.¡± Jameson smirked. ¡°Well, I think that either way we would both win that particular race.¡± The two gave each other a giddy kiss, ready to spend the rest of the night enjoying the other¡¯s company.
The wedding was a quiet affair held a month later in Lilith¡¯s dungeon. Jameson and Anna had debated for a bit as to who should actually officiate, but had, in the end, decided to have Kali do it. And Kali was more than happy to oblige. So, Anna and Jameson invited their families as well as the dungeon¡¯s residents to a quick ceremony that had all the trappings that would be required to please the couple¡¯s parents. But they rushed that as much as they could so that they could get to, what was in Anna¡¯s eyes, the real event ¨C the reception. While both her family and Jameson¡¯s family had briefly met Lilith, that had been their only real exposure to the supernatural, so Anna had been looking forward to the carnage. The first ¡°skirmish¡± came when Lilith¡¯s parents went to greet Anna¡¯s. The sets of adults (Siph excepted) were good friends, going all the way back to when Anna and Lilith were growing up, so Anna made sure to surreptitiously sneak her way into earshot for the inevitable shock her parents would be getting. ¡°Edith, Carl, so good to see you again!¡± Mike said, waving them down. ¡°I can hardly believe that Anna¡¯s already getting married! It seems like just yesterday she was out making mud pies in our backyard with Lilith and Jameson.¡± Anna¡¯s father laughed. ¡°That it does, that it does.¡± He stopped for a moment, looking Mike and Jessica over, brow creasing in confusion. ¡°This may sound strange, but¡­you two are looking way younger. Did you manage to find some backdoor in the system to manage that?¡± ¡°Something like that.¡± Jessica replied, smirking. ¡°Now, before we go any further, let me introduce you to our new wife, Siph.¡± She motioned over to Siph, who gave nodded her head in acknowledgement. ¡°I¡¯m Siph, nice to meet you.¡± She said. ¡°Your daughter¡¯s been a great friend to mine, you¡¯ve done a fine job of raising her.¡± Anna¡¯s mother laughed nervously. ¡°R-right.¡± She replied shakily. ¡°I¡¯m Edith, and this is my husband Carl. Um¡­if you don¡¯t mind me asking, where are you from? I haven¡¯t seen you around town, and I¡¯m sure I would remember someone as unique as you are.¡± Siph shrugged. ¡°Lots of places, really. I doubt you¡¯re familiar with them.¡± Anna¡¯s father raised an eyebrow, rallying. ¡°I¡¯m pretty well traveled, try me.¡± ¡°Well, I lived in the wilds of¡­¡± She frowned, turning to Mike. ¡°What was it called again? I always forget what they call it now.¡± ¡°Asia.¡± He prompted. ¡°Right, that was it. I lived in Asia for a while, and then the war happened, and I had to move out into the uninhabited parts of Haven, mostly to the northwest of the three cities. And I lived there until I met Lilith, and one thing led to another and here I am.¡± Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Anna¡¯s father stared, expression a mask of confusion. ¡°But, wouldn¡¯t that mean¡­¡± ¡°That I¡¯m from the magic side of things? Yeah¡± She looked to her spouses, smiling slyly. ¡°Do you want to tell them, or should I?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± Jessica said. ¡°She¡¯s a dragon.¡± There was a moment of silence as Anna¡¯s parents digested that. ¡°And we are too, now.¡± Jessica said innocently. ¡°It¡¯s why we¡¯re looking so youthful.¡± Anna¡¯s mother gave another nervous laugh. ¡°I-is that so? Is there a¡­story behind that?¡± Mike shrugged. ¡°We wanted to be stronger to help protect Lilith, our father-in-law came up with the idea, and so we thought ¡°why not¡± and did it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not just yanking our chain, right?¡± Anna¡¯s dad asked. ¡°I know you all like to joke so¡­¡± Jessica¡¯s arm turned into a claw clad in brilliant white scales, and from the reactions she got, it didn¡¯t look like she was holding back too much with her freezing aura, either. After a few moments, the arm morphed back, and Jessica patted Anna¡¯s dad on the shoulder. ¡°Serious as the grave. But, that¡¯s neither here nor there, today¡¯s all about Anna and Jameson.¡± She turned her head to face Anna and gave her a wink. Caught red-handed, Anna blushed and turned her attention back to the people who were looking to give her well-wishes. And things went without incident until the children began grouping up to play. A large mob of assorted children ended up forming, one which, Anna noticed, contained Raphael and¡­Eve? Eve didn¡¯t seem to be there entirely out of her own volition, though. She was blustering and gesticulating wildly, but one of the kids was holding onto her and it looked like Eve was trying to avoid using brute force to get away. A few minutes later the kids scattered, leaving Raphael alone in the middle with her eyes shut, mouthing something that Anna couldn¡¯t hear. Anna wasn¡¯t going to avoid being dragged into it, though. Eve bolted straight towards her, diving behind her and Jameson while they were in the middle of talking to some of Anna¡¯s cousins. ¡°Hide me!¡± She hissed. ¡°They won¡¯t believe I¡¯m an adult and keep trying to drag me into things.¡± Anna¡¯s cousins gave her a weird look, and Anna excused herself, dragging Eve a short distance away. ¡°Just go to your room or something, then!¡± She whispered. ¡°This is your house, remember?¡± ¡°That¡¯s rude!¡± Eve shot back. ¡°I can¡¯t exactly leave in the middle of your big day!¡± Anna had to suppress a laugh. ¡°You¡¯re still technically here.¡± She said, motioning to Mae. ¡°So it¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not fine! You¡¯re going to be in my party in the future, so I can¡¯t dip out in the middle of the reception! Think about what people would say!¡± Anna rolled her eyes. ¡°No one would care, Eve. Look, you¡¯re¡­what are you all doing right now? Hide and seek?¡± Eve nodded, so Anna continued. ¡°So, just hide better than everyone else. The longer it takes them to find you, the longer you don¡¯t have to listen to them. Think of it as stealth training or something.¡± ¡°Excellent idea, minion!¡± Eve replied. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to hide so well no one will ever find me!¡± ¡°No cheating.¡± Anna said sternly. ¡°Raphael will know and complain, which means the other kids will know, and you don¡¯t want to tarnish your reputation to outsiders before you officially reveal yourself as leader of our party, right?¡± Eve visibly wilted. ¡°Fine. That¡¯s fine. It matters little. I could never be outdone here, of all places.¡± With that over, Eve scampered off purposefully, and soon vanished from sight. About half an hour later, Anna noticed a very smug Eve facing the children. She appeared to be laughing, before one of the kids said something, and her attitude once again worsened. Suddenly, the kids all ran, leaving a pouting Eve all alone. But she shut her eyes and began to count, so Anna supposed that everything was fine, at least for the time being. Aside from those events, though, the reception went¡­disappointingly smoothly. There was no more drama (aside from the occasional wary look given to some of the non-humans), so Anna just had to be content with her family (both old and new) being more open about things than she expected. Or too intimidated to do anything about their inclinations, but she would like to think positively of the situation, so she did. The reception wound down after a couple of hours and everyone went home, leaving Anna and Jameson alone in the large room that had been prepared for the reception. ¡°Well,¡± Jameson said, scooping Anna up into his arms, ¡°what say you we make things official?¡± Anna giggled. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking forward to it. I believe you mentioned something about Mae making you able to change into that catkin form Titania put you in whenever, did she not?¡± Jameson blinked in surprise. ¡°I¡­yeah, you¡¯re¡­cool with that? I mean, it¡¯s not¡­male¡­¡± ¡°You know I am.¡± She said, leaning up and giving him a quick kiss. ¡°And I want to see all sides of you tonight.¡± Jameson blushed. ¡°I suppose I shouldn¡¯t keep you waiting.¡± He carried her off into a smaller room a little ways off that had been prepared for their¡­after party, where they proceeded to further cement that day as one of the best of their lives.
¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡± Eve harrumphed, looking to the side. ¡°They¡¯re just your average, everyday wolf monsters. Haven just so happens to natively have powerful monsters living in it.¡± ¡°Fenghuang literally walked on air to take down a monster out of our reach.¡± Anna said flatly, pressing closer to Eve. She had cornered the girl in one of the training rooms, surrounding her with the ¡°dogs¡± to help cut off potential escape routes. ¡°A-anyone could learn a Skill like that.¡± Eve replied nervously. ¡°It means nothing.¡± ¡°Dog or cat monsters flee the moment they get even a sniff of Fenrir and Sekhmet, and some of the weaker ones will even offer immediate submission.¡± ¡°Ummmm¡­Well, you see¡­¡± ¡°And what¡¯s up with Fluffy?! I swear I saw him spit poison the other day! You can¡¯t tell me he just picked that up!¡± Eve was frantically looking from side to side. ¡°Uh, um, Kali just called, so I, uh, gotta go.¡± ¡°No, she didn¡¯t.¡± Anna said firmly. ¡°I made sure she wouldn¡¯t before I came here.¡± Erymanthos placed a comforting paw on Eve¡¯s knee. Just tell her, boss. He said. She was going to find out someday, there¡¯s no harm telling her now. ¡°Fine!¡± Eve snapped. ¡°They¡¯re not wolf monsters, happy?¡± Excuse me! Fenrir huffed. ¡°Except for Fenrir. Fenrir¡¯s a wolf monster.¡± Better. Anna put her hands on her hips. ¡°So, what are they, then?¡± ¡°Well, they¡¯ve got impressive sounding names, right?¡± ¡°Get to the point, Eve.¡± Anna growled. ¡°I was getting there!¡± Eve protested. ¡°They¡¯re kinda those monsters. Like, the originals.¡± Anna sighed. ¡°I thought it was something like that. What about Fluffy?¡± ¡°I miiiight have made him a Plague Wolf.¡± She panicked slightly at Anna¡¯s stare, waving her arms wildly. ¡°It was for both of your benefits, I swear! He¡¯ll live way longer even before you apply any Skills you get, he can get stronger, and he¡¯ll be able to make it so none of you ever have to get sick again! It¡¯s a win-win!¡± Anna pinched the bridge of her nose. ¡°Fine, whatever. Can we turn these guys back to how they were before? No need to keep up the fa?ade anymore.¡± No! Fenghuang blurted out. She started, then looked away, clearly embarrassed. I mean, not permanently. We won¡¯t fit in like that, so these forms are advantageous. I wouldn¡¯t mind being able to go back and forth, but¡­ You just want to stay in a form that you can get more pets and belly scratches in. Cernunnos teased, I get it, though, they are rather addicting. She has a good point, though, we are more inconspicuous as dogs, and if we just get a toggle that lets us go back and forth at will then it doesn¡¯t even matter what we are most of the time. And I like matching with Fenrir! Sekhmet said, tail wagging furiously. But our other forms are more¡­impressive, so it can¡¯t hurt to have them as options. ¡°Whatever.¡± Eve said, pouting. ¡°I can have Mae do that later. Can I go now?¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. Thanks for coming clean, Eve.¡± Eve left the room sulkily, and Erymanthos stuck his head under Anna¡¯s hand. I did a good job, right? And good boys get pats, yeah? Anna couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°Yes, you all did great. I¡¯ll give all of you all the pats you want.¡± She sat down, and the ¡°dogs¡± carefully maneuvered around her, forming a line for her affection. And¡­hey, so what if they were really big scary national emergency-level monsters? They weren¡¯t doing any harm now, and they had been more than cooperative once they had gotten a taste of the pet life, so Anna figured she could let their origin slide. And, thinking back to when she had first got the ¡°dogs¡±, she realized that she had been right; they weren¡¯t so bad after all. Chapter 60: Waking Up Lilith groaned, rolling over as she woke. There was so much light and noise and people were talking to her and ¨C it all vanished, leaving her in relative darkness and quiet. There was the sound of a chair falling over and someone standing up. ¡°Are you awake?!¡± The person asked, panting slightly. Lilith groaned again. ¡°Wish I wasn¡¯t. Can I have five more minutes?¡± ¡°Five- no, you can¡¯t have five more minutes! Everyone¡¯s been dying to see you again! Come on, get up!¡± Belatedly, Lilith realized that she didn¡¯t really recognize the voice. It was vaguely familiar, but¡­ Frankly, she was too tired to care. She rolled over again, pulling the covers up over her head. ¡°What¡¯re you talking about?¡± She mumbled. ¡°Just let me sleep.¡± ¡°No, no sleeping!¡± The observer protested. ¡°Mae, help me out here!¡± Mistress, Mae said gently, what¡¯s the last thing you remember? Lilith frowned. ¡°No fair, ganging up on me.¡± She mumbled. ¡°Thought you were on my side, Mae.¡± I am. Just bear with me for a minute. Please, try and think about what you were doing before you went to sleep. ¡°I was¡­talking with Carmen¡­no, with Lilith? I¡­¡± Lilith opened her eyes, gears beginning to turn as she thought about what had happened. ¡°Oh, we sorta¡­merged. Back to being one person? Then we¡­went to sleep.¡± Do you remember how long you were supposed to be asleep for? Lilith frowned. ¡°Um¡­I think it was three¡­years.¡± She poked her head out of the covers and sat up, rubbing her eyes. If it had really been three years, then she supposed that she had better get up and say hi to everyone, tired or no. Then, she blinked, looking at the girl at her bedside. It was¡­Raphael, who was looking much older and, for some inexplicable reason, was wearing a maid outfit. ¡°Raphael?¡± Lilith ventured. ¡°Is that you?¡± The girl beamed. ¡°Yup! Everyone just calls me Raphi, now, so you can too! You have no idea how glad I am to see you awake after so long!¡± ¡°Why the maid outfit?¡± Lilith asked, taking her feet off the bed and preparing to stand. Raphi took her hand and helped her up. ¡°I¡¯m helping Emily out as your maid to help make things up to her. I¡¯m thinking of taking up the post permanently, though, it¡¯s a lot of fun!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t normally associate maid duties with fun, but I¡¯m not going to say no if you do decide that.¡± Lilith replied, yawning. ¡°Mae, why don¡¯t I have any of the Parallel¡¯s memories from while I was out?¡± We couldn¡¯t get them to you while you were out like that. We¡¯re going to be giving them to you in chunks, one month every night while you sleep. There¡¯s a lot of memory there and we don¡¯t want to overload you so soon after getting up. ¡°Right. What time is it?¡± 9:42 AM. ¡°Well, looks like my sleep schedule shouldn¡¯t be too messed up going forward, then.¡± Lilith said, stretching and heading for the door, drowsiness gradually beginning to dissipate. ¡°Ah!¡± Raphi exclaimed, hurrying to the door. ¡°Let me go let everyone know!¡± ¡°No, don¡¯t.¡± Lilith said. ¡°I¡¯ll surprise them.¡± She left the room and went towards the closest room that had people in it. She¡­wasn¡¯t quite sure why she knew exactly where everyone was, but she assumed that Mae had figured out some way to give dungeon senses to her other bodies. And, now that she was thinking about it, she only had the one set of senses online at the moment. When she asked Mae, Mae simply responded that it was for the same reason she didn¡¯t have the memories; they didn¡¯t want to give her information overload right away, so they had held back as soon as she woke up. She made small talk with Raphael as they walked, and eventually they reached that cluster of people, which turned out to be one of the general living rooms she had made. As she opened the door, she was greeted by a small group of people, and, more noticeably, a white dog the size of a lion bounding towards her, a small girl of four or five riding on its back. ¡°Aunt Mae!¡± The girl called. ¡°What¡¯s going on?! Aunt Eve said we all needed to come here but wouldn¡¯t tell us why!¡± Aunt Mae? ¡°Um, I ¨C¡± ¡°Waah!¡± The girl cried in shock, letting go of the dog, whom Lilith could only assume was Fenrir, and falling off. Fenrir caught the girl¡¯s clothes in his mouth and placed her gently on the floor. Now that Lilith had a better look at her, she could see that the girl was¡­a sheep, just like Anna. She had the same white wool as Anna, small horns, and black hair that reached just above her shoulders. She was wearing a t-shirt and shorts, and the moment she was on the floor, she scampered off to the other people. ¡°Mom!¡± She cried. ¡°Aunt Mae just talked! With her mouth!¡± She waited for a response, then pawed at Anna¡¯s leg. ¡°Mom? Are you OK?¡± ¡°Lilith, is that you?¡± Anna asked, staring at Lilith. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s me. Who¡¯s the munchkin?¡± Anna smiled, picking up the kid. ¡°This is my daughter, Carmen. Carmen, that¡¯s Aunt Lilith, not Aunt Mae.¡± Carmen tilted her head. ¡°But she¡¯s not lying down. I thought it was only Aunt Lilith when she was lying down.¡± Anna ruffled Carmen¡¯s hair. ¡°Not anymore. Aunt Lilith woke up, so now it¡¯s always Aunt Lilith. Aunt Mae¡¯s still in there, she¡¯s just going to be quiet.¡± Correct. Mae supplied. I will be letting mistress do most of the talking from now on. ¡°Oh.¡± Carmen said. ¡°Hi!¡± She squirmed around in her mother¡¯s grip, until she was eventually put down. ¡°I gotta go grab the puppies!¡± She said excitedly. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back!¡± Without waiting for any sort of response, she dashed out of the room. Now that she had a bit more time, Lilith surveyed the assembled people. There was Anna, of course (now sporting a wedding ring, Lilith noticed), as well as Jameson (wearing a matching ring), Eve, Alex, and Emily. ¡°So, uh, I¡¯m back.¡± Lilith said awkwardly. ¡°Miss me?¡± ¡°Of course we missed you, you goof!¡± Jameson replied, coming over and slapping Lilith heartily on the back. ¡°There¡¯s so much to catch you up on!¡± ¡°Like the kid.¡± Lilith said. ¡°Yours, right?¡± Jameson grinned. ¡°Yup! The two of us got married a couple months after you went under and had her a few after that. Turns out beastkin gestate faster than humans, which was a bit of a shock to us, but it¡¯s nice in its own way.¡± Lilith nodded. ¡°And the name?¡± Anna shrugged. ¡°We thought it felt fitting, seeing as how Carmen is, in a sense, responsible for her race. And we thought it would be a nice little¡­memorial of sorts, sappy as it is.¡± Lilith scratched the back of her neck. ¡°That¡¯s¡­really sweet, but she¡¯s not gone. Not really. I know it may not seem this way because Lilith¡¯s name carried through instead of hers, but she¡¯s just as much here as Lilith. The¡­old one, I guess you could say.¡± ¡°Right, speaking of,¡± Alex said, stepping into the conversation. ¡°How are you feeling? Any troubles from merging two personalities like that or¡­¡± She trailed off, letting the sentence hang. Stolen story; please report. ¡°I¡¯ve been awake for like five minutes, but so far I feel fine. It¡¯s¡­hard to describe, but it¡¯s almost like I was two puzzle pieces that hadn¡¯t been put together yet, and didn¡¯t know I was supposed to go together, but now that I am it¡¯s obvious? That aside, I¡¯m super tired and my head vaguely hurts, but I¡¯m otherwise fine physically, too.¡± Alex nodded. ¡°That¡¯s¡­good, I guess. Eve, notice anything on your end?¡± Eve shook her head. ¡°My head is vaguely hurting too, but I¡¯m fine. I guess it¡¯s just side-effects spilling out to all of us now that she¡¯s officially up.¡± I also feel slightly uncomfortable, although not really in the same way. Nuwa added. I¡¯m a dungeon core and we don¡¯t feel pain, so it¡¯s more like¡­a mental itch? That¡¯s not entirely accurate but it¡¯s the best analogy I have. I can confirm that I have the headache as well. Mae supplied. ¡°Hopefully it¡¯ll be gone in a bit, but it¡¯s really nothing worth getting worked up over.¡± Lilith said. ¡°Where¡¯s everyone else?¡± Emily curtseyed, then responded. ¡°They¡¯re out at the moment, mistress. Your parents are hunting on Haven, Judy is managing her property and information network, and Kali is out on business with other administrators.¡± ¡°Right, Mae, please go ahead and let them know to come back now.¡± Aside from Kali it¡¯s already done, they should be arriving as soon as they finish their business. Kali has told us should be back in a week¡¯s time, but she could be delayed. ¡°So, what¡¯s everyone been up to¨C¡± Lilith began, but she was cut off by the door bursting open to reveal Carmen riding Sekhmet, leading the other dogs in. ¡°Aunt Lilith, these are my puppies!¡± She said proudly, dismounting Sekhmet. The term ¡°puppies¡± was stretching things, to say the least; like Fenrir, they were all lion-sized and would have looked fierce were it not for their wagging tails. Oblivious to this incongruity, Carmen called the dogs over and began introducing them in turn. ¡°This is Fen-Fen, and this is his wife Sekky, and this is Erry, and this is Cernny, and this is Fengy, and, finally, this is Fluffy! They may look really big and scary but they¡¯re really sweet and I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll love them a lot!¡± Carmen, Erymanthos said gently, Aunt Lilith already knows who we are. She was the one who brought us to your mom. ¡°I thought Aunt Eve did that?¡± Yes, but Aunt Lilith helped. ¡°Wasn¡¯t she asleep?¡± This was before she went to sleep. Erymanthos sighed, then turned to Lilith. Big Boss, glad to see you up again. ¡°Big Boss?¡± Lilith asked, raising an eyebrow. Anna smirked. ¡°I was playing that game a lot when Carmen was a baby and he really liked the term.¡± Right. Erymanthos confirmed. Anna¡¯s my boss, Eve¡¯s hers, and you¡¯re Eve¡¯s, so that makes you the Big Boss. The origin doesn¡¯t matter, it just fits the situation well. Big words for someone who religiously watched whenever mistress played that game. Cernunnos teased. That¡¯s rich, coming from the person who constantly pestered mistress to play that one game. What was it, Breathe the Wilderness? Fenghuang jabbed. Hey, the wild¡¯s my thing! Cernunnos protested. It just so happens that game captured the feeling really well and I liked it! That¡¯s enough, guys. Sekhmet chided. Now¡¯s not the time. Lilith laughed. ¡°You guys really got into the whole pet thing, didn¡¯t you?¡± Fenrir looked away. It¡¯s Eve¡¯s fault. He pouted. She made it feel so good that we just couldn¡¯t help ourselves. ¡°There, there.¡± Carmen said, standing on her tiptoes to pat Fenrir¡¯s head. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry, you¡¯re not alone anymore. We¡¯re going to take care of you forever, I promise.¡± Fenrir tried to look tough, but his wagging tail betrayed his real emotions. ¡°I don¡¯t think you taking care of him forever was what was worrying him.¡± Lilith said. Carmen tilted her head. ¡°Then what could it have been?¡± She asked innocently. ¡°Never mind.¡± Lilith replied. She walked over to a couch and sat down heavily, laying her head against the back of the couch, closing her eyes. ¡°Any other big changes I should know about?¡± Well, Nuwa began. There are ¨C She was cut off as another one of the doors flew open and Siph barreled into the room, followed closely by Jessica and Mike. ¡°Lilith!¡± She cried, rushing over to her daughter. ¡°Are you OK? How are you feeling, any issues? Don¡¯t lie, either, we deserve to know!¡± Lilith cracked a smile. ¡°I¡¯m fine, mama. Just tired with a bit of a headache, but it¡¯s nothing that will really affect me.¡± Mike and Jessica both took seats next to Lilith. Lilith idly noted that they had changed their hair and eye color, choosing to make them match with the scales of their dragon forms instead of the colors they were before. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Jessica said. ¡°Do you want me to grab some painkillers? It might help.¡± Lilith shook her head. ¡°To start, I don¡¯t even know if painkillers will work on me, but the headache isn¡¯t a physical thing, I think. All the other Parallels got it too as soon as I woke up, so I¡¯m assuming it¡¯s magical in nature.¡± ¡°As long as it¡¯s not too bad, we can probably deal with it when Kali gets back, if it hasn¡¯t gone away by itself, that is.¡± Mike said. ¡°Good to see you up and about again.¡± ¡°Heeeeey!¡± A voice called from outside the open door. ¡°We¡¯re out of milk again!¡± There was a moment of silence, and then the owner poked her head into the room. ¡°What¡¯s everyone doing? I thought you people were all busy, so why is everyone here?¡± Eve sighed heavily. ¡°Lilith woke up, Saria.¡± There was a crash as the girl, Saria, fell to the floor. She shakily stood up, moving into the room, giving Lilith a better look at her. She had long hair that was a bright white and dark black in equal measure, the colors intermingling flawlessly. It wasn¡¯t really dyed, it was more like half of the strands were white and the other black, with each color distributed randomly, resulting in an uneven but strangely coherent blend. She was tall, busty, and dressed in what appeared to be a sort of military uniform-styled armor, which she moved so naturally in it was as if she wasn¡¯t wearing it. She gave a clumsy salute, shaking as she did. ¡°S-Saria, All-Type Valkyrie Version Twenty Two¨C¡± ¡°Twenty three.¡± Eve corrected. ¡°Version Twenty Three, c-captain of the Adjudicators, at your service ma¡¯am.¡± She stuttered. ¡°I-it¡¯s a pleasure to finally meet you a-after all this time.¡± She¡¯s¡­not always like this, right? Lilith asked the Parallels. No. Eve said resignedly. When she¡¯s out on official business she¡¯s calm, collected, poised, and ruthlessly efficient. It¡¯s only when she¡¯s off the clock that she gets all clumsy and ditzy. It¡¯s gap moe and it¡¯s important! Nuwa said firmly. She¡¯s just so much more loveable like this! We¡¯ve already had this conversation, she¡¯s been like this ever since she was made, and she¡¯s sentient, so I¡¯m not changing things now! The two bickered in the background as Lilith snapped back into focus, realizing that Saria was waiting bashfully for a response. ¡°Pleasure to meet you as well, Saria. The others are telling me that you do very good work, thank you for your service.¡± ¡°Ehehehe,¡± Saria giggled nervously. ¡°T-thank you very much, ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°Please, don¡¯t stand on ceremony. Just call me Lilith.¡± ¡°Yes, ma-Lilith.¡± Eve cleared her throat. ¡°That aside, might I ask why you were looking through the fridge when I called everyone to meet here?¡± Saria let out a small ¡°eep¡± and looked to the side. ¡°I¡­was thirsty?¡± ¡°And that takes precedence over my orders?¡± ¡°You¡¯re¡­technically not the one in charge of me and Nuwa didn¡¯t say no so¨C¡± ¡°She shouldn¡¯t have to say no!¡± Eve snapped. ¡°Every time I call meetings it¡¯s like this! You¡¯re using the bathroom or getting a snack or a drink, why won¡¯t you just come?!¡± ¡°Umm¡­well, I figure that I¡¯m not really necessary most of the time and I¡¯m usually busy doing other things before so I take care of my needs so I can come to the meeting at full capacity?¡± Alex sighed. ¡°Here we go again. Just ignore them, they¡¯ll be at it for a few minutes. We keep telling Eve to just give up, if Saria hasn¡¯t changed yet she won¡¯t at all, but that doesn¡¯t stop Eve.¡± She gave Lilith a thoughtful look. ¡°You might be able to knock some sense into them, though. Worth a shot, right?¡± Lilith nodded. ¡°Hey, you two, cut it out!¡± Eve turned to Lilith. ¡°No, she¡¯s like this all the time, it¡¯s insufferable!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Saria mumbled, looking down. ¡°I just get sucked into things and when my attention is taken away from them, I realize just how much I was neglecting eating or drinking or using the bathroom or whatever and I have to do it really bad.¡± Lilith sighed. ¡°Look, how about this. Eve, if it¡¯s something that you need Saria here for desperately, let her know when you call the meeting. And Saria, if she does call you like that, you need to come right away. Otherwise, you just need to be a little faster than you have been, alright? That sound fair?¡± Eve harrumphed. ¡°I suppose I¡¯ll live with it for now.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try my best, ma¡¯am, uh, I mean, Lilith.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°Now, anything else or can I get some food?¡± ¡°Um,¡± Alex said hesitantly. ¡°Raphi, you tell her, it¡¯s your news.¡± ¡°Right!¡± Raphi replied brightly. ¡°I disowned Elenoa, and then I let Alex adopt me. I kept the last name Grandstar for grandpa¡¯s sake, but I don¡¯t really bother with any of what Elenoa said are ¡°family duties¡± or whatever. I¡¯m starting fresh, without any of her baggage, and it¡¯s been great.¡± Lilith gave her a big smile. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear! I think you made the right choice, excising Elenoa from your life like that. Unless she makes some big changes, she¡¯s just going to drag you down, and I¡¯m not expecting her to change any time soon.¡± ¡°That¡¯s about all then, mistress.¡± Emily said. ¡°What would you like to eat? Raphi and I will prepare it immediately.¡± Lilith blinked. She had, momentarily, forgotten that she had maids who were supposed to do all this stuff for her. ¡°Um, just cereal. We¡¯re apparently out of milk, but I figured I¡¯d just make some more.¡± I took care of restocking our food while you were chatting. Mae said. You should be fine. ¡°Understood. What type of cereal?¡± Emily asked. ¡°Surprise me.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°Can do. Raphi, come help.¡± ¡°Got it!¡± Raphi chirped, leaving with Emily to go prepare Lilith¡¯s breakfast. ¡°Is¡­cereal really a two person job?¡± Lilith asked once they left. ¡°It seems kind of wasteful to have more than one person make it.¡± ¡°We all usually eat around the same time, so they¡¯re probably preparing dishes for if the rest of us want to eat.¡± Eve answered. ¡°Suppose I might as well take the opportunity to eat too. Anyone else who wishes to eat with us is welcome to follow.¡± She strode out of the room, and a couple of people followed. As Lilith made to leave as well, Carmen tugged on her sleeve. ¡°Aunt Lilith, can I sit next to you while I eat? There¡¯s so much I want to ask you!¡± Lilith smiled. ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± Carmen grabbed Lilith¡¯s hand and began to pull. ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go!¡± As they walked, Lilith¡¯s smile remained firmly in place. Things were looking brighter than ever. Chapter 61: Catching up with Myself ¡°So, good news and bad news.¡± Eve told Lilith, ¡°The bad news is that, while you were out, our Skills and Classes were in a read-only state. Given the fact that our very being was busy healing and undergoing extensive repair, further modification in the form of the system tinkering with us was out of the question. The good news is that modifying the dungeon counted as just ¡°using¡± abilities and not changing things, so we were able to progress a fair bit in that regard, as you might have guessed from Saria¡¯s existence.¡± It was the afternoon of the day Lilith woke up, and she and the Parallels were all gathered in a room, discussing the plan of action now that Lilith was awake again. Gathered mentally, anyway, physically it was just Lilith and Eve and¡­technically Mae, but her body was just an extension of Lilith¡¯s, so it didn¡¯t really feel like it counted Eve sat back in her chair, crossing her arms. ¡°What this means is that we no longer have the edge in terms of raw firepower, not unless all of us are working together. If we were to just look at our stats, each of us is about as strong as mama is now. If you add in our Skills and other abilities, then we would be the undisputed victor, but what I¡¯m getting at is that we can¡¯t afford to just bulldoze our way past everything.¡± ¡°Where does that put us on the universal power scale?¡± Lilith asked, furrowing her brow, ¡°I never did have a good grip on that.¡± The disparity between people has narrowed quite a bit, but that puts us in the lower high reaches of it. The other four Perfect Chimeras are on top, followed by really old beings like Titania, then there¡¯s the dogs, us, and our parents, followed by most other dragons, and then it really starts opening up to other things. Mae informed. ¡°Again, all in raw stats. Adding in our abilities I would put each of us on par with Titania, and as a group we¡¯d probably barely be inching our way into the realm of the other Perfect Chimeras. Which isn¡¯t bad, considering we only had three or four months of time where we were really able to raise our abilities before you went under. Give it some more time and we¡¯ll be back on top, no sweat.¡± Eve added. More than enough to deal with our current enemies, especially if Isa helps out. And she¡¯s always willing to help if there¡¯s a good fight in it for her, even if that fight is just a spar with our teachers. Nuwa said. Speaking of enemies, right now we¡¯re in a waiting period. No one has publicly made any attempts to disobey us since Elenoa, but the Society has been amassing power the whole time. They still haven¡¯t technically done anything super wrong or even made any concrete plans to, but they¡¯ve been testing how far they can go. We had to go and give some warnings and shut down a couple of their more heinous operations a few times during the year after the Shift, but they¡¯ve been relatively quiet since. Judy¡¯s been monitoring them for us, and we¡¯ve been training the Adjudicators to deal with general terrorist scenarios, so we¡¯ll be prepared the moment they make their move. Lilith nodded. ¡°Good work. May I ask as to how many Adjudicators we have and how strong they are?¡± Lilith could feel the pride radiating off of Nuwa as she began to talk about them. I¡¯ve got two-hundred ¡°standard¡± Adjudicators and counting, each of which are individually weaker than most dragons, but their squads should each be able to take two or three dragons-class beings no sweat. Then I¡¯ve got a 14-person elite squad, each of which is sapient and dragon-class, and, while I haven¡¯t had much opportunity to test them out in high-level combat, I¡¯m confident in saying that they could hold their own for a little bit against even the four of us working together. They definitely wouldn¡¯t beat us, but they could tie us down for a while. Finally, there¡¯s Saria, and she¡¯s in a class all unto herself. She is about as strong as one of us, and I¡¯ve been throwing as many Skills as possible onto her, so she¡¯s like a Perfect-Chimera lite. Like all Adjudicators, she¡¯s unspeakably loyal, but she¡¯s also cute as a button, so I really think I¡¯ve outdone myself! Lilith smiled. ¡°Thanks, Nuwa. You mentioned that you were making more standard Adjudicators, how fast can we make them?¡± We have a passive income of five to six a month from the spawners I¡¯ve been able to afford, but if I was to dig into my resource caches then I can probably make another fifty or so immediately. Now that the elite squad is fully formed, I¡¯m aiming at making one normal Adjudicator an elite every two months and purchasing an additional spawner for the regulars once every three. I¡¯m still tinkering with Saria, so she¡¯s going to remain the only ¡°special¡± Adjudicator for the time being, but eventually I want to make a few more. ¡°Good. Eve, what¡¯s the status on the whole Queen of Monsters thing? How close are we to going public?¡± ¡°Very close.¡± Eve replied. ¡°The army and my castle are ready, it¡¯s just a matter of making me strong enough to handle things. I¡¯m estimating six months tops if I focus all of my energy into levelling up. We¡¯ll also need a way to get the other Perfect Chimeras to leave it to other people, and we¡¯ve already got half a solution that¡¯s just waiting for your approval.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hear it, then.¡± ¡°Isa¡¯s easy,¡± Eve said, ¡°All we have to do is let her in on the truth. We¡¯re confident that she won¡¯t willingly divulge secrets, and it¡¯s not like anyone could make her divulge secrets, so we just tell her a bit before we go public and have her go on a ¡°trip¡± now that she¡¯s not tied down protecting the cities. We bait her with knowledge of where to find all the good fights and if she wants to have a go at us, we just let her. ¡°Winston is also pretty easy. He already left on a trip and is out of contact with everyone but us. So long as he doesn¡¯t come back during the year or two we¡¯re expecting this campaign to take place, we¡¯re set. He seems to be setting up a cabin way out in the wilds of Haven, so we don¡¯t expect him to be back any time soon. If he does, then hopefully I¡¯ll be strong enough to take him on and make a public display of strength, put him out of commission and ¡°lock him up¡± or something. ¡°The real problem is the other two.¡± She said with a sigh, ¡°We just don¡¯t know enough about them to accurately predict their response. They vanished during the war, and thanks to Kali we¡¯ve been able to locate them, but that¡¯s about it. They¡¯re together way out there in Haven with quite a few other people, and that¡¯s all we really know about them. Any time Judy tries to get anywhere close to them with some of her spy animals, she just loses all contact with them. We haven¡¯t even been able to get flies in there. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°Kali¡¯s been cagey about them too. Says she wants to see how we handle the situation, and that she¡¯ll step in if things get too out of hand, but we need to grow too, so even now she can¡¯t hand us all the answers. Still, she has given a few hints. The first is that we can¡¯t let our guards down around them. Ever. The second is that they are completely on their own side. They don¡¯t care much what happens to Haven or Earth. The final hint is that they¡¯re strong. She said that Mai is the strongest person out there now that we¡¯re not at the top of the list, and Errus is a somewhat distant second. ¡°In addition, when we released the Sin and Virtues to the public a year back, we found that we were able to tell who has what, and Mai has five of the Sins. Envy, Gluttony, Greed, Lust, and Sloth. Errus has Charity and Abstinence, which will be extremely problematic if he tries to mess with people around us. After some testing, we realized that Absent Alarm doesn¡¯t go away. ¡°Most other stealth Skills or spells will end their effect if you do anything too big, but the only ways to stop Absent Alarm are for the user to end it, the time to run out, or for them to be hit by something that muffles Skill usage, which basically has to be a manually aimed area of effect since it¡¯s impossible to trip a trap with it on. The only marks the user makes on the world are the ones they want to make, so they don¡¯t weigh anything for the sake of pressure, they don¡¯t have a physical substance for the sake of any other sort of sensor, everything juts ignores them. And while that¡¯s useless against us, it¡¯s a massive issue if anyone else has to deal with him.¡± Lilith frowned. ¡°We¡¯ll have to figure out a safe way to get a Watch on them, then. After that we can monitor them semi-freely, even if they¡¯d be able to tell we had some way of scrying on them. That aside, who has the other Skills?¡± Yamato got both Pride and Humility. Mae said. He¡¯s the acting leader of the Council at the moment, and the Council is now the biggest player in the UN, so he¡¯s got a lot of power at the moment. And he¡¯s, well, humble about it. Turns out it¡¯s actually easier to get Humility if you have Pride and meet the requirements. To no one¡¯s surprise, Isa got Wrath, and that rounds out the Sins. Winston got Patience and Diligence, while Kindness changed hands for a while but eventually ended up settling on the pope. He made serious efforts in reforming things since Elenoa was outed and has been a major player in smoothing relations between Earth and Haven. ¡°And Chastity?¡± Ooh, let me say it! Nuwa said quickly. This one¡¯s my favorite. It ended up going to this random incubus, and the more I looked into him the better the story got. His wife got killed in the war, and he ended up swearing an oath that she would be the only woman he would ever love in that way. But he somehow ended up the director of this soup kitchen, and no matter what he tries, only women will work for him, and they¡¯re all thirsty. He¡¯s an actual honest-to-goodness harem protagonist, and he¡¯s been dodging his staff¡¯s constant advances for centuries now. And the kicker to all of this is that it¡¯s his wife that¡¯s responsible for this. Not only is she following him in ghost-form, in her will she specifically told him to move on and find happiness elsewhere, and even put her fortune into a foundation dedicated to making sure the guy gets into these situations. It¡¯s been building up its wealth for years now and based off of interest alone it¡¯s become huge. And it¡¯s always looking for ways to use its money to hook him up. For example, any time he tries to get a new male employee, the foundation will always make a far better offer to the candidate. The foundation also helps fund his life, allowing him the leisure to operate said soup kitchen, but it¡¯s just a hilarious situation all around. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure at this point he¡¯s doing it less for the vow and more as a way to remember his wife. The moment he gives in is the moment the foundation is dissolved and he gets all the money, so I think he¡¯s keeping it around as a memento.¡± Eve said, ¡°But we¡¯re getting distracted. The point is, we don¡¯t have the knowledge or capabilities to deal with those two if they start causing problems. Right now, we¡¯re banking on them keeping to themselves, but we can¡¯t rely on that.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Lilith said, ¡°We¡¯ll figure something out. Any other roadblocks?¡± ¡°None.¡± Eve confirmed. ¡°We¡¯re looking good in that regard.¡± ¡°Alright, then I think we can safely close out this meeting. Thanks for all your hard work while I was out.¡± ¡°No problem. Now, I have to go make my final preparations for my adventurer debut tomorrow, so I¡¯m going to bounce.¡± Eve replied, making a hasty exit. I¡¯ll be going back to improving the dungeon. Nuwa said. Just call if you need anything. And I¡¯ll be here as always, mistress. Mae said. If you¡¯re looking for something to do, I can show you some of the new additions we¡¯ve made in the past years. It¡¯s mostly just putting into form plans we had before, though. Lilith smiled. ¡°Sure, I¡¯d love to.¡±
Lilith stood in a viewing room and gazed down at the cavern below her, watching in fascination as the monsters below moved about. So, it might have gotten a little out of hand. Nuwa said embarrassedly. It goes about a mile underground and stretches for a few miles in every direction. And, um¡­well, the things down there are kinda silly strong? They¡¯re not as strong as us, of course, but most of them are probably stronger than anyone else in the dungeon but Saria. How¡¯d this happen? Lilith asked. So, um, well, while you were gone and we weren¡¯t able to level up, I was working on other ways to get us stronger, and I really wanted DP, so I decided to kick this into high gear. And it sort of¡­started small and then I just needed more DP and it kept getting bigger and bigger? And it would have been fine but then I kind of got the ability to make monsters grow faster? And then the monsters started to breed and basically they got exponentially stronger and¡­um¡­point is, I¡¯ve been using them as parts for new Adjudicators, and they¡¯ve been really helpful in buffing up Saria. It¡¯s¡­mostly safe, too. I have a ton of traps and stuff blocking the entrance to anything important, but hardly anything tries to go there anymore. There were a couple of incidents, but now that we¡¯re awake there¡¯s no chance anything can really threaten us. But¡­hopefully Eve can get her abilities as Queen of Monsters soon, and then we won¡¯t have to deal with any of that. But, uh¡­on the bright side, this place nets us a lot of DP, which is how I¡¯ve been able to get Saria to the point she¡¯s at. I was working towards a really big upgrade for version twenty four, and I was hoping to get that by the time you woke up, but¡­well, I couldn¡¯t quite make it in time. Lilith smiled. It¡¯s fine. Just so long as nothing here is actually going to be dangerous to anyone out in the dungeon proper, it¡¯s no big deal. There was a mental sigh of relief from Nuwa. Thanks. She said. I, uh, wasn¡¯t sure how you¡¯d take that. I trust you. Lilith replied. I¡¯m sure you would have shut it down if it was becoming a serious issue. Thanks. Anyway, um, you can look through this place if you¡¯d like, but there¡¯s really not much more of interest. It¡¯s kinda neat to see all the monsters doing their thing, though. Lilith nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll do that, thank you.¡± Chapter 62: A New Adventure Awaits
Eve shifted uncomfortably in her low-quality leather armor, fiddling with the sword at her waist. The gear was all garbage, but she was putting up with it for the time being; it was a necessary sacrifice to ensure their masquerade was as convincing as possible. They didn¡¯t want people to know that they were anything more than very talented newbies, so they couldn¡¯t waltz in with the high-end custom made equipment they normally used. Setting aside the quality of their normal gear, the materials alone would cause people to ask too many questions; it was all made from materials created with Eldritch Abomination or the dungeon, woven together in different blends that best suited the piece of gear being made. And then it was topped off with all sorts of enchantments and bonuses, making the end result Legendary ranked. Anyone worth their salt would immediately realize that that equipment wasn¡¯t something that any new adventurer would have, no matter how much money they had. ¡°Alright, everyone ready?¡± Jameson asked as he entered the room. ¡°Yes, we¡¯re ready.¡± Eve snapped. ¡°We¡¯ve been ready for ten minutes, we¡¯ve just been waiting for you!¡± ¡°Sorry, sorry.¡± Jameson replied, ¡°I had to get Carmen all settled. You know how she gets.¡± ¡°Whatever.¡± Eve harrumphed, ¡°Let¡¯s just go.¡± She drew out a specialized large teleport array, encapsulating her, Jameson, Anna, and the once again puppy sized dogs. Once it was done, she activated it, hooking into the stable trans-planar teleporter array Mae had finished setting up few months after Lilith went to sleep, and depositing them outside of the gate in one of Haven¡¯s new frontier towns. The town was obviously built quickly ¨C most of the buildings were constructed using earth magic and had the same basic design, though most had some unique flair added by the owners. There was a large wall around the town, made with sturdier earth magic, upon which guards patrolled, keeping an eye out for any monsters looking to attack the structure. And, while the wall may have been unbroken, the wall did have signs of attack. They were mostly in the form of discolored patches of stone here and there, but beyond that the guards didn¡¯t seem to have the inattentiveness that came with complacency. They had the air of people who were ready for anything. Eve tore her attention away from the town and back to their destination; the town¡¯s adventurer guild. She wasn¡¯t sure who, but someone had the idea to start an adventurer¡¯s guild, and it had caught on quickly in the frontier towns, which were always lacking for capable people to do work. She casually swatted away a bird that tried to fly in with her as she opened the door, then stepped into the guild. The inside was about what she expected; a bunch of counters with receptionists, boards for jobs, and a bunch of tough-looking people milling about. The group lined up at the shortest line they saw, letting the noise settle into an oddly rhythmic background as they talked amongst themselves. Somehow, as time progressed, everything seemed to settle into the same rhythm. Eve couldn¡¯t quite nail down what it was, but it certainly wasn¡¯t normal. She was almost positive that the people around her weren¡¯t really stepping in time to it or speaking to it or¡­She shook her head, putting in some focus and clearing her head of the rhythm, at least for the time being. Are any of you picking up on this? She telepathically hissed, glancing at her companions. On what? Anna asked, frowning. There¡¯s this weird¡­pattern things are falling into. Like¡­a bunch of frantic movements and then some more mellow ones and then back to frantic. Jameson frowned as well. No. I¡¯m not picking up on anything like that, but if you say it, I¡¯ll believe it. It might be something that your senses can sense but ours can¡¯t, or someone could be targeting you with magic or something. ¡°Next!¡± The receptionist called, and they moved forward to the front of the line. We¡¯ll talk about this after. Be on your guard. Eve said, before turning to the counter. Fortunately, it seemed to have been made with consideration to shorter races, as the counter lowered down to her height as she stepped forward. ¡°I¡¯m Eve, that¡¯s Anna, that¡¯s Jameson, we¡¯re here to register as a party.¡± She said curtly, fixing the receptionist with her best ¡°don¡¯t mess with me¡± look. For her part, the receptionist didn¡¯t bat an eye. ¡°Of course.¡± She said, reaching down and grabbing some pape- Eve felt as she pressed a button. It would have been nigh-unnoticeable to anyone using ¡°just¡± the standard human senses, but Eve wasn¡¯t using just those, and she had a good enough picture to tell that something had definitely been pushed. She went on high alert, mentally notifying Anna and Jameson but otherwise pretending not to notice. ¡°Ugh, rookies.¡± She picked out a voice from the far end of the room, quiet enough so that the conversation should have been inaudible to anyone but the intended recipient. ¡°What counter?¡± Another voice asked. ¡°5.¡± The original replied, ¡°Looks like¡­You¡¯ve got to be kidding me.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a kid. I hate kids.¡± ¡°Well, suck it up, you¡¯re on duty and I¡¯m not going to pick up your slack.¡± There was a pause, then the first voice spoke again, the hint of a smirk creeping into the tone. ¡°Actually, I think you are.¡± ¡°No, Bruce, I hate kids as much as you do.¡± ¡°You still owe me for the car, man.¡± ¡°I already cleaned up! What more do you want?!¡± ¡°Look, do you have any idea how hard the stench of vomit is to get rid of once it¡¯s soaked into the seats? Even with magic it took forever. Take care of it and we¡¯ll call things square.¡± The second voice groaned. ¡°Fine. Whatever. I¡¯ll be the adult here.¡± Eve noticed as the conversation shifted. The receptionist took the papers, tap-tap-tapping them on the desk, letting them fall together in three longer bursts, then doing three more quick taps on the desk to get them into a neat little pile. ¡°Alright, Eve, you¡¯re set, but due to their family status I¡¯ll need Anna and Jameson to come to the back with me while we do a bit more specialized paperwork for them.¡± She¡¯s trying to split us up, but I¡¯ve got things here. If you have trouble just let me know and I¡¯ll be there in a flash. There shouldn¡¯t be anyone around here capable of putting up a fight against you but better safe than sorry. Eve could feel the receptionist begin to tap her foot, an odd rhythm that changed from fast to slow at regular intervals. She shook her head, clearing it once again and the tapping fell back into a regular pace. ¡°That¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll wait in one of the chairs over there.¡± She said, motioning to a set of incongruously comfortable-looking armchairs near the wall. The receptionist gave them a smile. ¡°Thanks for your understanding. You two are with me.¡± She opened a small gate in the desk and took Anna, Jameson, and the dogs to the back with her, leaving Eve to go back to the armchair and wait. ¡°Hey there sweetie, come to make a request for your parents?¡± Someone drawled. It was voice number two, and now that Eve could spare a glance, the owner was revealed to be a tall elf woman, dressed in nicely-fitted leather armor. ¡°No, I just finished my registration and I¡¯m just waiting for the rest of my party.¡± Eve said, internally groaning at the forced politeness. She really wanted to rip into the woman, but she was aiming for the ¡°nice girl everyone loves¡± role and she couldn¡¯t break character in a first impression. ¡°Aww, that¡¯s sweet, kids playing adventurer. But, honey, you really shouldn¡¯t be so serious about things. It¡¯s dangerous work, and just because you¡¯re tougher than you used to be doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re invincible.¡± She bent down, patting Eve on the head. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Eve resisted the urge to rip her arm off. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my teachers all say I¡¯m ready. My party and I should be able to handle the things around here without much of a problem.¡± The elf rolled her eyes. ¡°Have your teachers been fighting out here?¡± ¡°No.¡± But I¡¯m pretty any of them could singlehandedly beat everyone here, my party excluded, at once. ¡°Then they don¡¯t really know what they¡¯re talking about. Look, I know you¡¯re trying to get out there and have some excitement, but you¡¯re just throwing your life away. Kids are too weak to do anything in these parts. Maybe go try clearing out some rat infestations or something then come back, kay?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not your place to say what I should be doing.¡± Eve said quietly, ¡°I know I¡¯m ready and that¡¯s all that matters.¡± The elf gave a theatrical sigh. ¡°Bruce, swords!¡± A pair of wooden training swords hurtled through the air towards the elf, who caught them and tossed one to Eve. ¡°You¡¯re using a sword, so come at me, let me show you you¡¯re not ready. I¡¯m not going to go easy on you like your teachers.¡± The crowd parted, forming a circle around the two as Eve stood, grasping the sword firmly. ¡°Then I guess I¡¯ll have to show you I am ready.¡± The clash was quick. There were three swift collisions as the two locked blades, another three beats as they took stock of the situation, and then Eve ended the fight in another three swift strokes, ending with her sword pointing at the woman¡¯s neck. ¡°See? Told you I was ready.¡± She said casually, withdrawing the sword and tossing it hilt-first at the woman. ¡°Now please leave me alone, I don¡¯t want to fight if I don¡¯t have to.¡± The crowd seemed to buy her bald-faced lie, and they dispersed. The woman looked around and, satisfied no one else was looking, looked at Eve and winked before she, too, scampered off. Further contemplation was cut off as someone barged into the guild. ¡°Alright,¡± He said, giving the room a look, ¡°Who owns this bird?¡± He held up his arm, where the bird Eve had swatted down before perched. ¡°It keeps trying to get in and¨C¡± The bird immediately flew to Eve and settled on her shoulder. ¡°Um, sorry.¡± She said, faking nervousness, ¡°He was out delivering a message for me and must have been trying to reach me. I didn¡¯t know he was there, or I would have left to go see what he had.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± The man said, ¡°Next time, instruct him to return to your home if you¡¯re going to be in town, alright?¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Eve said meekly. Once attention was off of her again, she gave the bird a glare. ¡°What do you want?!¡± She hissed. The bird looked her directly in the eye and then bent down, delivering a series of soft pecks to her shoulder, more pressing its beak against her than actually trying to cause any harm. And¡­there it was. Three quick taps, followed by three slow taps, and then three quick ones again. The bird waited, looking her in the eye, then repeated. A pit formed in Eve¡¯s stomach. She ran some quick identification spells on the bird and¡­ It was one of Judy¡¯s swarm. Judy, are you alright?! She asked, letting her Skills carry the message to her faraway recipient. Better than ever! She replied. Just tying off a couple of loose ends before I come and see Lilith. The bird repeated its message. Um, alright then. Eve said. See you then, I guess. See you then! The bird gave its message once again. Eve gently stroked it, ¡°Got it.¡± She whispered. ¡°Help¡¯s on the way.¡± The bird nodded its head, and then flew off. Eve sighed and contacted the other Parallels. There was no mistaking it now; the bird had been the source of the odd rhythm everything was falling into, Judy was desperately trying to communicate to Eve without speech. Three short taps, three long, then three short again¡­SOS.
Kali let herself into Mai¡¯s private questioning room and removed her presence, watching as the woman conversed with Judy. ¡°Judy, what¡¯s your progress?¡± Mai asked kindly. ¡°Seventy percent, mother.¡± Judy replied, ¡°I apologize, but it¡¯s rather hard to wrest control back once I¡¯ve splintered my consciousness like that. You¡¯ll have to forgive my ignorance in choosing to do so instead of accepting your advances.¡± Mai laughed. ¡°That¡¯s fine, Judy. How long do you think it¡¯ll take before you¡¯re back in full control?¡± ¡°Three days, mother.¡± ¡°Scratch that.¡± Kali said coldly, letting her presence out. ¡°We¡¯re going to move that up to now.¡± Mai raised an eyebrow. ¡°Ah, if it isn¡¯t the Administrator herself.¡± She mocked. ¡°What happened to letting your charge fight her own battles, hm?¡± ¡°When it is within acceptable limits, I do so.¡± Kali said, ¡°But I¡¯m afraid this is as far as my tolerance goes. There was only so much she could do while she was out like that and your choosing to take control of my apprentice while I was gone hasn¡¯t put me in the best of moods.¡± She glared at Mai. ¡°Judy is coming with me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid she¡¯s rather content with her new life. I think that her opinion is what¡¯s important here, yes?¡± Judy nodded. ¡°I¡¯m eternally grateful to mother for opening my eyes like this! You should really take some time to listen to her, Kali, I¡¯m sure she could help you out a ton!¡± She said enthusiastically, ¡°She¡¯d make a perfect teacher for Lilith, too!¡± Kali snapped her fingers, paralyzing Judy and teleporting her into Kali¡¯s arms. ¡°Not when her mind¡¯s been altered, no.¡± Mai spread her arms. ¡°I¡¯m just spreading my love to the world.¡± She said, ¡°And my sweet daughter has a point, I could help you a great deal! Put me in charge of your High Arbiter project and watch as things never fail again! We¡¯d have the power to do whatever we wanted, and no one could stop us!¡± ¡°No.¡± Kali replied, fury creeping into her tone. ¡°I¡¯m not stupid, Mai. I know exactly what your plans are, so stop patronizing me.¡± Mai shrugged. ¡°It was worth a shot. Now, in the spirit of fairness, why don¡¯t you go ahead and wipe that girl¡¯s mind when you do whatever your reset is? Wouldn¡¯t want your precious girlfriend getting an advantage from your meddling, hm?¡± Kali fixed her with another glare. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Not unless you¡¯re willing to, say, agree to a little wager.¡± ¡°Oh? Do tell.¡± ¡°A battle of champions. Yours against mine. If yours wins, I wipe Judy¡¯s mind about information pertaining to you and don¡¯t tell Lilith about your schemes. If mine wins, you allow Judy¡¯s network into your city. I¡¯ll heal both sides after, but, as compensation, I¡¯ll wipe the memory of the battle from the losing side. Free battle experience, if you win. Sound good?¡± Mai grinned. ¡°Sounds excellent. Errus, if you would?¡± Errus stepped forward from his place behind Mai. ¡°Of course, mother. I¡¯d be happy to represent you.¡± ¡°There you have it, then.¡± Mai said lazily. ¡°Now bring your little arbiter here and we can get this over with.¡± Kali gave her a cold smile. ¡°Who said she was going to be my champion?¡± Mai raised an eyebrow. ¡°Who else could it be? She¡¯s the strongest force you have on your side, is she not?¡± ¡°You¡¯d think.¡± Kali replied, snapping her fingers again. The four people were suddenly above the ocean, floating on air a good distance above the water¡¯s surface. She let Errus fall, watching his fall with a smile. ¡°But the thing about my apprentice¡¯s technique is that it guarantees that the most confidential secrets are locked somewhere safe.¡± She said, tapping the side of her head for emphasis. ¡°I¡¯m afraid you didn¡¯t learn quite as much as you might have hoped.¡± Errus slowed his fall with magic, scanning the dark water vigilantly. Kali waited a beat longer before proceeding. ¡°Levi!¡± She called, magically amplifying her voice, ¡°Chow time!¡± Errus shot upwards a moment before the water began churning, Levi leaping out and barely missing Errus. Errus responded with a barrage of magic, spells of all types pounding into Levi¡¯s massive frame. Most just bounced harmlessly off, but a few managed to nick the creature, sending sprays of blood out to the water around. Errus flew higher still, making sure he was well out of range of another leap. ¡°Like fish in a barrel.¡± Mai said lazily. ¡°Quite.¡± Kali agreed. The water below began to churn even more violently, crackling red lights appearing just below the surface. Then, moments later, a torrent of glowing scale-like objects flew out, the sheer number of the person-sized things momentarily blocking out the light as they passed through the viewing platform. Only one or two hit Errus, but that wasn¡¯t really the aim. They formed a wide, unbroken ring a good distance below him, which began to spin rapidly. As it did the sky darkened and Errus, sensing the danger, tried to get out of the area above the ring. It followed, matching pace with him perfectly, even when he teleported. Then, a bolt of red lightning came down from the sky, striking one of the objects. And, like a floodgate had been opened, lightning started streaking down in an ever-increasing torrent of crackling red electricity until the whole ring was constantly being struck with red lightning. Normally this would render near observers blind and deaf, and the far ones wouldn¡¯t be able to see inside, but Kali magnanimously took care of it for the three of them, her room allowing them a view into the circle. Errus looked around cautiously, then flew up. He paused, noting that the height of the circle hadn¡¯t changed, then looked up and grimaced. The clouds above him weren¡¯t really clouds any more. They were, instead, giant masses of red lightning, effectively caging him inside the circle, the only opening being the bottom. The bottom where an observant watcher could see Levi¡¯s enormous head, waiting patiently for Errus to make a move. ¡°Aaaand¡­Checkmate.¡± Kali said, watching with satisfaction as the circle began to constrict, brining Errus ever closer to the ominous wall of red lightning surrounding him. Errus tried a spell, but the moment it left him a bolt of red lightning speared out from the wall and struck it and then him, sending him into a fall before he was able to catch himself. He looked around frantically, and then down. There was only really one option left for him if he didn¡¯t want to get fried. So, awful as it was, he took it. He raced downwards towards the bottom of the circle. Levi opened his mouth lazily, ready for his next meal. The moment Errus crossed the threshold, the lightning stopped striking, the circle stopped spinning, and all the scale-things, now crackling with red lightning, pointed to Errus. There was a huge explosion, and then¡­Errus appeared in the room, a large cow appearing in his place. Levi snapped up the morsel and Kali teleported the astonished people back to the room they had come from. ¡°Next time, I won¡¯t save you.¡± Kali said, turning on her heel. ¡°Struggle if you want, it¡¯ll only make for that much better growth for Lilith.¡± She turned her head back as she walked off, a dark smile on her face. ¡°Next time, think about who you¡¯re angering, hm?¡± She snapped a final time, spending some Worship to both wipe their memories of the encounter and teleport her and Judy back home. From there, all she had to do was scrub Mai¡¯s influence from Judy, and then she could finally meet back up with her girlfriend. And that was a simple task; she¡¯d be back well before she was scheduled to be. She couldn¡¯t help but smile as she thought about the surprise she¡¯d be able to give everyone. She¡¯d even get to be the knight in shining armor, coming in right during the panic everyone was going into. Yup. Life really was looking brighter than ever.
Chapter 63: True Character Revealed Lilith paced back and forth in one of the living rooms, trying to figure out what to do about Judy. She didn¡¯t have any information on what might be going on; Mae helped her scry into Judy¡¯s last known lodging, but it was empty. If the state of it was any indication, it had been abandoned suddenly; several of Judy¡¯s personal effects were still lying around, food had been left to rot in the pantry and fridge, the place was uncleaned, none of which screamed a planned absence. But that was it. Her attempts to scry Judy herself were all thwarted, and Judy herself was saying that everything was fine, and now she wouldn¡¯t even respond to Lilith anymore. According to Mae, Judy had developed a technique that allowed her to disperse her consciousness into her swarm in times of emergency, giving her increased resistance to mind-altering effects. It wasn¡¯t perfect, however; the main consciousness in her own body was the one able to initiate the convergence of the consciousness and any resisting parts of her in the swarm could only hold on for so long. It was a defense mechanism, apparently. Much the same way Lilith¡¯s own Parallels would start to experience issues if they went against the main consciousness, so too would Judy¡¯s swarm consciousnesses. The general idea had been for those consciousnesses to only need to be separate long enough to reach out for help and prevent crucial information from leaking while help came. They hadn¡¯t counted on someone being powerful enough to thwart Lilith¡¯s attempts to find her. And that cinched things for Lilith. Effective immediately, she would be placing Watches on all her family and friends. It had seemed an unreasonably paranoid thing to do and a waste of Worship, but she was really regretting not doing it. Fortunately, she had enough Worship to spare that expense now, but it still didn¡¯t let her place one on Judy. She bolted upright, realizing a potential avenue of attack. The bird was likely still hanging around the adventurer¡¯s guild, waiting for Eve to finish. So, as soon as Eve was done, she would place a Watch on the bird and see if that counted as placing one on Judy. If it did, then she would have an unstoppable way to find Judy, and if she could find her, then she could save her. Would save her, no matter the cost. The door opened, and Kali strode in. ¡°Fear not,¡± She said imperiously, ¡°for I have come to save the day.¡± Lilith shot her a tired look. ¡°Unless you have really good news, please be serious. I¡¯m not exactly in the mood for theatrics.¡± An expression of profound relief flashed across Kali¡¯s face. ¡°It¡¯s good to hear that from you. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve got really good news. I was able to get out of my meetings early so I could put out this fire, and I picked up Judy on my way back. I¡¯ll be honest, you weren¡¯t capable of handling this one on your own. Not so soon after waking up while having your opponent knowing everything important and you knowing nothing. Judy¡¯s asleep right now, waiting for me to unbrainwash her. It¡¯s going to take a few hours, but I¡¯ll have her back to normal in no time, so let Eve know she can continue her work without worries.¡± ¡°Oh. Um¡­thanks.¡± Lilith said, then shot a quick message to Eve. Kali just said that she¡¯s taken care of the situation so¡­carry on, I guess. Everything¡¯s fine. Thanks. Eve replied, panic creeping into her tone. That¡¯s one of today¡¯s problems solved. Everything alright? Just peachy. I can take care of it, but I really wish our senses were connected. I don¡¯t want to be the only one suffering through this. I take some solace in the fact that you¡¯ll be getting this later tonight, though. Prepare yourself, for ¨C she cut off and was silent for a couple of seconds. Alright, can¡¯t talk, gotta focus, bye! Right. Well, Eve was a capable woman, so Lilith was confident she could handle whatever she was dealing with. ¡°Alright, she knows.¡± ¡°Um¡­good.¡± Kali said, suddenly awkward. She sat down on one of the couches, looking shyly at Lilith. ¡°So¡­we need to talk.¡± Lilith sat down across from her, nodding solemnly. ¡°I¡¯d say so.¡± Kali fidgeted for a moment longer. ¡°Um¡­sorry.¡± She began, ¡°I¡­didn¡¯t know how to say something. What would I say? ¡°Hey, so, you¡¯re actually the reincarnation of this super famous person who was also my girlfriend and I accidentally split you in half because I tried too hard to keep you the same when reincarnating you¡±? You can¡¯t tell me that doesn¡¯t sound like the result of some shady past life regression service or something. I thought that¡­I don¡¯t know, after we had gotten to know each other better I would bring it up. You didn¡¯t really need something like that dumped on you right after everything you went through.¡± She sighed. ¡°I mean¡­I guess I was really just scared to own up to everything. You trusted me so much and I¡­messed it up. How could I really face you if you knew that? That who you were was only half a person? That your whole life was carefully watched over and guided so as to push you towards where you are now?¡± She shook her head. ¡°No, I just¡­thought I could let things be for a time. That we didn¡¯t have to worry about it for now. And then Solomon decided that the way we were going about things wasn¡¯t helping anyone and worked with Carmen to fix things.¡± She sighed again. ¡°And she was right. I let my fear get in the way of what was best for us. Again.¡± Her breath hitched, her eyes becoming moist. ¡°I just¡­I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t have anything else to say. I¡¯ve done nothing but mess up with you over and over and over again and I couldn¡¯t even be there when you woke up and¡­¡± She sputtered out, breaking out into tears which only grew in intensity. Several times, she tried to regain control of herself and say something, but it just wasn¡¯t working. It was like a floodgate had been opened, and she wasn¡¯t capable of closing it herself. So, Lilith went over to the couch Kali was sitting on, wrapping the other girl up in a hug. For a while they just sat there, Lilith¡¯s shirt growing increasingly wet as Kali cried into it. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡± Kali eventually mumbled. ¡°Please forgive me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Lilith said, stroking Kali¡¯s hair gently. ¡°I can¡¯t say I don¡¯t wish you told me earlier, but I understand why you didn¡¯t. Old Lilith wouldn¡¯t have been receptive¡­no, wasn¡¯t receptive, and you didn¡¯t have any good opportunities to tell Carmen and not have Lilith know. You were doing your best, and that¡¯s what matters. You made a few mistakes, sure, but you were trying. I¡¯m sure the me from before would say the same thing.¡± Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Kali let out a sort of cry-laugh. ¡°She would have said exactly that.¡± ¡°There you go. Don¡¯t beat yourself up about it too much. Just learn from your mistakes and don¡¯t do it again.¡± ¡°Um¡­so¡­about us¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s carry on as we were before, I want to take some time and more fully explore my feelings before we go any further.¡± Kali sniffed, her crying beginning to slow down. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s reasonable. I¡­sorry. I¡¯m a mess right now, and I¡¯m getting you all wet and¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Sometimes you just need a good cry, and it feels better when you have a shoulder to cry on. You¡¯ve been alone and scared for years now, you deserve some emotional release.¡± They maintained the hug for another long while before Kali once again broke the silence. ¡°I love you, Lilith,¡± she murmured. ¡°Love you too.¡±
A receptionist came to get Eve a few minutes after her fight with the elf. ¡°Your party¡¯s registration is finished, please come to the back with me so we can give you some more detailed instructions on how things work around here.¡± Eve groaned inwardly. She didn¡¯t want to deal with whatever shady business was going on here, not with the Judy situation being what it was, but she had to. She couldn¡¯t just randomly leave in the middle of things. Anna and Jameson hadn¡¯t had any informed her of any trouble, so she let the receptionist lead her to the back. She was taken to a small room, where Anna and Jameson were sitting in a couple of comfortable chairs. ¡°Have a seat.¡± The receptionist told Eve. ¡°Someone will be with you in a minute.¡± Then he left, closing the door behind him. ¡°Are you all fine?¡± Eve asked, probing a chair carefully and, when she was satisfied it was safe to sit in, sitting. ¡°Yeah, it was just some paperwork.¡± Jameson said. ¡°How were things on your end?¡± ¡°Some girl took umbrage to me being a kid and picked on me, so I showed her who was boss. It was like a development out of a generic isekai anime. You¡¯d think people would know that appearance doesn¡¯t have any bearing on strength but¡­guess some people just aren¡¯t that bright.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because it was a development out of a generic isekai anime.¡± Someone said, opening the door. It was¡­Bruce, the guy who the elf lady had been talking to. ¡°I¡¯m glad that you¡¯re familiar with the culture, that makes this way easier. Long story short, the guild is run by filthy weebs, and that¡¯s one of our programs to help out newbies. If we see someone coming in who looks unprepared or like other people might discriminate against them, we have an established adventurer goad them into a fight to test their mettle. If they¡¯re weak enough that they¡¯d die out there, the adventurer won¡¯t take it easy on them. If they¡¯re not, then they throw the fight to give the newbie some credibility among people who don¡¯t know the trick. It¡¯s not exactly a secret, but we try to keep quiet about it, so it¡¯s not really widely known either.¡± ¡°Cool, I guess?¡± Eve said. ¡°That¡¯s a pain, though.¡± ¡°Are you OK? You¡¯re not hurt anywhere, right?!¡± It was the elf woman this time, rushing into the room and grabbing Eve into a close hug. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, I hate having to haze kids, but this jerk,¡± she jerked her head at Bruce, ¡°made me.¡± ¡°Hey, I hate hazing kids too! No one likes it!¡± Eve, once again trying to suppress her desire to hurt this woman, wormed her way out of the hug. ¡°I¡¯m not a kid. I just look young. Please stop treating me like one.¡± ¡°Oh really? How old are you?¡± ¡°Twenty three.¡± The woman raised an eyebrow. ¡°That¡¯s barely more than a child. But, regardless, what¡¯s your name? I¡¯m Ava!¡± ¡°It¡¯s Eve.¡± Eve said, forcefully stopping herself from snapping at the woman. ¡°And I¡¯m Bruce. You¡¯ll have to forgive the airhead over there, she gets really unreasonable when it comes to kids.¡± ¡°If she likes them so much, why make her do it?¡± Anna asked. ¡°That seems kind of mean.¡± ¡°Hey, she puked in my car!¡± He protested. ¡°It took like, five hours to scrub that out myself, and I swear there¡¯s still a lingering smell!¡± ¡°We¡¯re getting off topic,¡± Ava said. ¡°We¡¯re going to be your mentors, so let¡¯s all get along.¡± ¡°Why you?¡± Eve asked as cutely as she could, trying not to let her annoyance show. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be suspicious, given you just attacked me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine, I was playing the part of a concerned citizen, it¡¯s nothing I can¡¯t smooth over.¡± ¡°By that she means she begged and pleaded to be the one to teach you guys because she thought Eve was too cute, and the guild relented.¡± Bruce said. ¡°It¡¯s really not a big deal, though, we can deal with any problems. Now, I didn¡¯t catch the names of you two, what were they?¡± ¡°Jameson.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m Anna.¡± ¡°Cool,¡± Ava said distractedly, edging closer to Eve. ¡°Seating is kind of tight here, so why don¡¯t Eve and I share a seat while we talk? That way we can all be sitting.¡± ¡°I can stand.¡± Eve replied, edging away from Ava. ¡°Nonsense!¡± She replied. ¡°You have to rest your body whenever you can, you always have to be in tip-top shape in case something happens out here. There¡¯s no telling when a major monster attack might occur.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be fine, just a little¨C¡± She cut off as she received a transmission from Lilith. Kali just said that she¡¯s taken care of the situation so¡­carry on, I guess. Everything¡¯s fine. Eve sagged in relief. That really was good to hear. She wasn¡¯t looking forward to having to deal with whatever could take out Judy so easily. The slip in concentration provided the perfect opening for Ava to lunge towards Eve again. She narrowly dodged and began complaining to Lilith before another slip in concentration nearly got her captured. So, she cut off the communication and refocused on defense. ¡°Knock it off, Ava, she doesn¡¯t want to sit with you.¡± Bruce said, clearly exasperated. ¡°Sorry, she really likes kids. Not in that way, it¡¯s just¡­there are circumstances.¡± Ava sighed. ¡°Fine, fine. Eve, you sit, I¡¯ll stand.¡± Well, she wasn¡¯t going to pass so long as Ava didn¡¯t try anything. So, she sat down, carefully watching Ava for any sign of movement. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s begin.¡± Bruce said, sitting down in the remaining seat. ¡°What are your Classes? I want to recommend some jobs to you, but I need to know your skillsets first.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a swordswoman, Jameson¡¯s a mage, and Anna¡¯s our monster tamer.¡± Eve said. ¡°So¡­those are her dogs?¡± Anna tilted her head. ¡°Yeah, that weird?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s just¡­it¡¯s impressive seeing dog monsters so obedient to a sheepkin. Usually their instincts tend to make them more disobedient to sheepkin in particular, so¡­¡± Anna pet Fluffy¡¯s head. The dogs were currently the size of regular dogs but retained a more¡­ferocious appearance to drive home that they were monsters. ¡°It took a bit, but you just have to show them who¡¯s in charge and then show them how nice things could be if they listen. They¡¯ll fall into line no sweat.¡± ¡°Right. Well, material collection will probably be good for your team. The dogs can keep watch while you look for things. There are a number of useful plants and minerals in this area that we send new adventurers to get while they get used to the area.¡± ¡°We can come with you too, if you want!¡± Ava said hopefully. ¡°It¡¯s not uncommon, and there¡¯s strength in numbers, so it¡¯s the safest option. If you get in over your head, you can count on me and Bruce to bail you out!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be fine.¡± Eve said, eager to be away from Ava. ¡°We can take care of ourselves.¡± Bruce sighed. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so quick to dismiss the offer if I were you. I get why you wouldn¡¯t want to work with her, but the first thing you need to learn is to never take unnecessary risks. Your safety is your top priority at all times, and out here letting your guard down for a moment can get you killed. This isn¡¯t like those generic isekais you mentioned earlier, even the small fry around here are strong enough to kill people, and it only gets worse further away from the frontier towns. ¡°You have to learn to ignore any petty squabbles you might have and work together with people you might not like. It can be the difference between life and death.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll take you up on that offer.¡± Jameson said quickly. ¡°We appreciate it.¡± Ava clapped. ¡°Good, good! Let¡¯s go get you a job. Bruce will show you all the request board and how to take a job, and then we¡¯ll be on our way!¡± Eve sighed internally. It was going to be a long day, wasn¡¯t it? Chapter 64: New Information
¡°So, the guild has two different ranking systems,¡± Bruce said, leading Eve¡¯s party to the job boards, ¡°one for subjugation quests, and one for handyman quests. Your subjugation rank increases just by killing monsters, completing requests, and taking a quick combat exam, but handyman ranks require you to complete more thorough assessments from the guild. There¡¯s a party rank and an individual rank, with the party rank of course being how good your party is as a unit, and individual rank being how good you as a person are.¡± He rifled through the listings on one of the boards and grabbed it, then led them over to a line for a receptionist. ¡°Ranks start at F and go up to S, and you can¡¯t take requests above your rank. It¡¯s stifling, I know, especially given the skill Eve¡¯s already shown, but we just can¡¯t allow people to take on unnecessary risks with the danger level being this high. That might change in the future once we manage to prune the monster population, but for the time being it¡¯s just not in the cards. ¡°To accept a request, you just go to the board, take the notice, and then bring it to a receptionist.¡± He whacked the back of his hand against the sheet of paper he was holding. ¡°Some handyman requests require a subjugation rank to accept, but pure subjugation will never have a handyman requirement. This one is to pick up herbs outside of town, and because it is¡­outside of town, it requires you to have a subjugation rank, but just F. Some people do sign up just for handyman jobs, but we don¡¯t need to worry about them right now.¡± He was cut off as they reached the front of the line, and he handed the receptionist the paper. ¡°Ava and I will be taking this as mentors.¡± He told him. ¡°Mentoring Eve and her party here.¡± ¡°Ah, right.¡± The receptionist said, a knowing look on his face. He took the paper, made a couple of notes on the computer next to him, then turned back to the group. ¡°You¡¯re set.¡± He said, then looked at Eve. ¡°Good luck out there, miss. Ava¡¯s a handful but she¡¯s a good person, we wouldn¡¯t have let you mentor her if she wasn¡¯t.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make sure she doesn¡¯t get too carried away.¡± Bruce laughed. ¡°Thanks, Ahmed.¡± ¡°No problem. Have a good one!¡± ¡°You as well!¡± Bruce replied, then led the group back to room they had been waiting in before. ¡°So¡­generally speaking, how tough is each rank?¡± Anna sked while they walked. ¡°Like¡­how strong would I have to be if I wanted to get to that rank?¡± ¡°F rank is the bare minimum needed to get by outside of the frontier towns.¡± Bruce said. ¡°E is being able to be relatively safe out there, and D is being comfortable. That¡¯s really all ¡°normal¡± people have got to right now, people who don¡¯t have much prior experience or combat aptitude, but people who are talented or were soldiers or something have gotten higher.¡± He opened the door to the room, and Ava jumped out instantly, lunging for Eve. ¡°Are we ready to go?¡± She asked, recovering gracefully as Eve dodged her leap. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting!¡± ¡°Yes, but control yourself.¡± Bruce replied, positioning himself between the two. ¡°It¡¯s just your standard herb collection, so please don¡¯t get overprotective.¡± Ava pouted. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous out there!¡± She protested. ¡°It¡¯s better safe than sorry!¡± ¡°I seem to recall her handing your butt to you not half an hour ago.¡± Bruce said skeptically. ¡°I don¡¯t know how much you can do for her.¡± Eve saw Anna and Jameson sharing a knowing smirk where their mentors couldn¡¯t see. ¡°We¡¯ll be fine.¡± Jameson said. ¡°We haven¡¯t just done this on a whim, we¡¯ve prepared.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I believe you.¡± Bruce said. ¡°But as I was saying earlier, C rank is where things start getting serious.¡± ¡°Our party¡¯s C rank, almost B rank, and we¡¯re D rank, almost C rank!¡± Ava said proudly. ¡°Yes, yes, it¡¯s very impressive, and I¡¯m sure these lovely people are in awe of our strength after one of them beat you in a fight.¡± Bruce replied, rolling his eyes and starting down the hallway. Ava hurried after him. ¡°Hey, fighting people and fighting monsters is different! The skill doesn¡¯t necessarily translate!¡± He rolled his eyes again, looking back to make sure Eve¡¯s party was following. ¡°As I was saying, soldiers and people with prior combat experience find themselves in C pretty fast. C rankers start venturing further out to find new materials and places to settle. From there the gap upwards gets larger and larger, with B ranks being able to take down large game, and A ranks being the last ¡°normal¡± rank. They could theoretically handle something nasty like a hydra or a kraken or something. S rank is something that¡¯s only given out to by guild leadership when they determine someone as being worthy, and no one¡¯s there yet. There only a few dozen A rankers anyway, so we¡¯re waiting for this new system to pay even greater dividends than it already has before we officially appoint an S ranker.¡± ¡°So, theoretically, where would the world¡¯s big players fall on this scale?¡± Eve asked. ¡°Like the Perfect Chimeras or the High Arbiter or whoever else is top dog?¡± Bruce laughed. ¡°You kidding me? No way the Perfect Chimeras and the High Arbiter would be anywhere close to these ranks. They¡¯d be like¡­SSS or something stupid we haven¡¯t even thought of yet. They¡¯re exceptions among the exceptions¡¯ exceptions, any one of them could easily take on this entire town without a problem. I mean, Isa and Winston are the only reason the people on Haven didn¡¯t die hundreds of years ago.¡± ¡°He¡¯s right.¡± Ava added. ¡°You¡¯re not old enough to remember any really big monster attacks, and you wouldn¡¯t be asking those questions if you¡¯d seen one of them fight. I once saw Isa take down this building-sized monster without even breaking a sweat.¡± Hey, you two, Eve mentally told Anna and Jameson, stop with that look. If they see you, they¡¯ll get suspicious. The two tried their best to return their faces to a neutral position but were unable to completely hide all traces of amusement. Unaware of this aside, Bruce continued. ¡°Other major players¡­I guess Titania is an easy S rank, and all of the Council members are at least A rank, though I think some of them would make S. Like, say, Enna or Gabriel. Were they all to be in a party, it would definitely make S. That¡¯s all speculation, though, so take it with a grain of salt.¡± They kept the conversation up until they reached the wall, where Bruce and Ava showed them where to exit and what to show the guards in order to be let through. The herb collecting after that was fairly simple, any monsters that approached being driven off by the dogs or easily taken out by one of the team. Eve had more trouble evading Ava¡¯s constant attempts to touch her or otherwise get close to her. A few uneventful hours after that, they returned to the guild. The process to claim their reward was simple; they just went to a receptionist and handed over the gathered herbs. The receptionist looked at their account information, looked the herbs over to ensure the contents were as promised, then gave payment. ¡°Do you have a preferred method of payment?¡± She asked. ¡°We can handle credit cards if you fill in some more forms, but until then it¡¯ll have to be cash. I can give you the form now if you would like.¡± ¡°That would be great.¡± Jameson replied. The receptionist reached down, picked up some papers, and handed them to Jameson. She then opened up a register and pulled out around 125 dollars, handing them over as well. The money was ¡®Haven¡¯ dollars, money issued by the Protectorate. One was roughly worth one USD (give or take ten to twenty cents depending on what the exchange rate was at the time; the Protectorate¡¯s economy was particularly volatile at the moment), and they were generally the currency of choice in the frontier towns. The frontier towns were in an odd grey area with regards to what government controlled them, but generally speaking most residents of the frontier towns had come from the three cities of Haven, seeking an escape from what essentially had been their prison. Many expected that, when the ten years of ceasefire were up, the majority of the frontier towns would fall under the Protectorate¡¯s jurisdiction. Eve and the other Parallels weren¡¯t going to let that happen, though. The whole point of the ceasefire was to make sure the Protectorate didn¡¯t become too powerful when all the countries of Earth were acclimatizing to magic and controlling most of the access to one of the worlds would certainly count as ¡°becoming too powerful¡±. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. If more people from Earth didn¡¯t move into the frontier towns and the Protectorate¡¯s claim didn¡¯t become murkier, she¡¯d have to have a talk with the Council. Yamato would almost certainly be the most receptive of her suggestions, and Gabriel still felt like he owed her a favor, so she had options. But that was the future. Right now, she had to get home. They took the payment, and then went to the side with Bruce and Ava. ¡°We¡¯ve got to go home.¡± Eve said. ¡°It¡¯s getting late.¡± ¡°Aw, come on.¡± Ava whined. ¡°You¡¯re full-fledged adventurers. You don¡¯t need to have a curfew, you and your parents should let us show you the city.¡± ¡°They¡¯re not my parents.¡± Eve said flatly. ¡°We¡¯re just friends who decided to adventure together.¡± Ava raised an eyebrow. ¡°How did you all meet, then? Forgive me if I¡¯m wrong, but Jameson feels like someone from Earth, and I would say the same for Anna were it not for her race.¡± ¡°I was changed by the fae and decided I liked it.¡± Anna said. ¡°Both Jameson and I are from Earth. We met Eve through an MMO, and we didn¡¯t know she was an angel until the Shift.¡± ¡°That makes three of us.¡± Bruce said. ¡°I was from Earth too, met Ava through a forum, and we began dating. We had a long distance relationship going on, she had been using magic to disguise herself as human for video calls and stuff, and now¡­well, here we are.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Anna asked skeptically. ¡°You were fine with a relationship where neither of you would be able to meet face to face?¡± ¡°We both needed companionship more than anything else. I was paralyzed in the hospital, she had had some bad experiences, we clicked¡­well, it worked out. First thing after the Shift she came and personally healed me, and we¡¯ve been going strong ever since.¡± Ava looked embarrassed for the first time since Eve had met her. ¡°We don¡¯t need to talk about that right now. Eve, your parents do know you¡¯re doing this, right?¡± Eve nodded. ¡°They know and they¡¯re perfectly fine with it. They know I¡¯m strong enough to handle myself. But we really should go see our families. Anna and Jameson have a kid at home, and I¡¯m sure my parents want to hear about my day. So, sorry, but we have to leave.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Ava replied sulkily. ¡°But you have to adventure with us tomorrow, alright?¡± Eve groaned internally, but she was playing the good girl, so she had to grin and bear it. ¡°Fine, we¡¯ll come see you tomorrow.¡±
A day later, Judy was in a room with Kali and all the Parallels, ready to give her report. ¡°Sorry.¡± She said sadly. ¡°I really wish I could have been there for you when you woke up, but the moment I got word Mai made her move. I¡­didn¡¯t even know she knew who I was, much less that she was tapped into my network.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Lilith replied gently. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Eve let me know that you had woken up, and while I was preparing to make my exit she teleported through the wards on my house, pinned me down, and began to use an ability. I dispersed my consciousness at that point, but it was too late, she got the main body. She has like¡­I don¡¯t even know how to describe it. Once she breaks through your wards, your whole way of thinking is warped. She becomes your mother, and you would do anything for her. I¡­still loved you all just as much, I just thought that the best thing for you would be to be under her influence. ¡°It¡¯s not as simple as it sounds, though. It¡¯s like¡­conceptual in a way. She was taking my swarm whenever they went to spy on her, and she was somehow able to keep them from reporting to me while still hearing all my orders and just¡­ignoring them.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you how tough she actually is, though. I¡¯m not nearly strong enough to be able to make her go all out. She¡¯s got Errus under her thumb, and each of her villagers is similarly controlled. They¡¯re all tough, too. They¡¯ve been living way out in the sticks since the war, and they¡¯ve spent that entire time training and getting themselves strong enough to handle whatever may come. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if their average citizen is as strong as one of the normal Adjudicators, but again, I haven¡¯t seen enough to get a better estimate. I don¡¯t think they completely trusted my ability to keep a secret when I would be in close proximity with the world¡¯s best telepath and another Perfect Chimera.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine, you didn¡¯t really have a say in it.¡± Lilith reassured. ¡°Kali, what would be my best defense against an attack like Mai¡¯s? Don¡¯t say so as someone who knows exactly what it does if you don¡¯t feel comfortable doing that, just what your opinion would be as an expert in mental magic.¡± ¡°Actually, you¡¯re pretty much completely safe.¡± Kali said. ¡°As a Higher Being you¡¯re pretty much immune to mind-altering effects from anything that isn¡¯t a Higher Being itself. Fortunately, Mai doesn¡¯t know that. I had Judy put part of her swarm into me, and anything relating to details on Administrator functionality is in there, so that¡¯s your big edge.¡± ¡°The most important piece of information she has is that your status was frozen, and that you were knocked out these past three years.¡± Judy said. ¡°She also has a vague idea of your abilities, but nothing concrete. The other really big thing is that she knows that both she and Errus can make a dungeon, so I expect her to be making one shortly. Other than that, she knows who you¡¯re close to and who lives here, as well as their abilities, and that¡¯s about the extent of her knowledge.¡± ¡°Great.¡± Lilith groaned. ¡°Do we need to have another lockdown?¡± ¡°We should be fine for now.¡± Judy replied. ¡°She doesn¡¯t have any reliable way of getting to them yet, and until her dungeon takes off, I don¡¯t see her getting a way to stop us from just teleporting everyone back here at the first sign of danger.¡± ¡°And I have my swarm in her base now, too, though I¡¯m not sure why. I¡¯m in the process of pulling them out.¡± ¡°You¡¯re fine.¡± Kali said. ¡°That¡¯s my doing. She made a very ill-advised bet with me and lost pretty spectacularly. I¡¯ve completely removed her ability to do anything about your swarm other than try to exterminate all of them, and she knows enough to know that that¡¯s not really a feasible solution now that you¡¯ve taken root.¡± Lilith raised an eyebrow. ¡°Mind if I ask what the bet was?¡± Kali grinned. ¡°A battle of champions. Hers versus mine. If her champion won, I wiped Judy¡¯s memory of her stay, and if my champion won, Judy got to keep her network in the city. She accepted because she thought that you were the strongest thing I had at short notice, and she was confident Errus could beat you. She was dead wrong.¡± ¡°Did you¡­¡± Judy began cautiously. ¡°Yeah, I sicked Levi on him. The whole fight took like a minute and a half. It was great. I even got to wipe her memory of Levi, so now they just know they lost and don¡¯t know how.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s Levi?¡± Lilith asked. ¡°Old project of the Administrator who gave this plane to me. He came as a bonus in case I needed a panic button and boy does he fulfill that role. You might want to avoid the northmost ocean, it¡¯s kind of his territory and I¡¯m pretty sure he could take all five of you Perfect Chimeras at once. But, he¡¯s dumb as a sack of bricks and is meant to be remote-controlled by an administrator, so he¡¯s sort of just sitting there in a holding pattern, eating anything unfortunate enough to come into his awareness. Here, I saved a video of the fight, I¡¯ll give you a taste of what he can do.¡± Lilith watched the video with interest. ¡°So, you said he¡¯s really stupid, right? Is he stupid enough to just randomly accept an unprovoked offer to be my Champion?¡± Kali grinned. ¡°I like the way you think. Unfortunately, he¡¯s more likely to try and eat that offer and inadvertently reject it. But, even if he did accept, you wouldn¡¯t get much out of it. Most of his strength comes from direct alterations made by his old administrator, and you won¡¯t get copies of those. He doesn¡¯t even have a proper Racial Class for you to get benefits from, that¡¯s where most of the other Administrator¡¯s alterations are kept.¡± That reminds me, mistress, Mae said, I¡¯ve been keeping a list of important gains from everyone else just in case something like this happened. I was going to just let you learn them over time with our memory dumps, but I think it might be prudent to show you the list now that we¡¯re in a more urgent situation. ¡°After this meeting.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°We¡¯ll take it into account for the household strategy meeting.¡± ¡°Right, anyway, countermeasures.¡± Kali said. ¡°You should be able to sever any unwanted connection she has to anyone if you take them into the dungeon and then my place. Stuff like Zoan¡¯s Barrier should work fine, but she can still break through if it¡¯s not reinforced well enough. Once she has her claws in someone, though, I¡¯m the only one that can undo what she¡¯s done. ¡°If she does snag someone¡­well, I¡¯ll make sure they¡¯re not treated poorly, but I¡¯m not going to save them until you deal with Mai herself. Not unless you can mount a rescue and bring them back here. If Mai sends them back here of her own accord as spies or something, as long as you¡¯ve noticed and can keep them here, I¡¯ll fix them. Got it?¡± ¡°Yeah, I understand.¡± Lilith said. ¡°I know it¡¯s a pain, but this is all for the sake of making you more capable. I¡¯m only doing this because I believe you can do it. Otherwise I would be more than a safety net for you.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Lilith soothed. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Judy, do you have any idea what their endgame is?¡± ¡°From what I was able to gather, Mai¡¯s goal is to bring the whole world into her flock. She thinks it¡¯s the best way to solve the world¡¯s problems, make world peace, end world hunger¡­you get the drift. She really wants you under her control, because once she has you there will be three Perfect Chimeras on her side and she¡¯ll have enough force to easily take the rest of the Perfect Chimeras, and from there the world. ¡°Of course, this is just putting together stuff I overheard while under her control and things I¡¯ve heard from my swarm in the past couple of hours, but I think it¡¯s probably right. She could be trying to throw me off with misinformation, but it doesn¡¯t feel like it.¡± Lilith nodded. ¡°Thanks, Judy, glad to have you back. I¡¯m going to give you a couple of days to recuperate while I look at Mae¡¯s list and find the quickest ways to get stronger, and then we¡¯re going to have our family strategy meeting. Sound good?¡± Judy gave Lilith a hug. ¡°Sounds good. I¡¯m going to go take a nap, get me up if you need anything.¡± She left the room, leaving Lilith and the Parallels alone with Kali. ¡°I¡¯m going to go too.¡± Eve said. ¡°I, unfortunately, have to go meet up with Bruce and Ava. I¡¯m going to go get the party and take off.¡± ¡°Just us, then.¡± Kali said. ¡°Since you¡¯re¡­well, still recovering, you want to watch some TV, spend some time together? It¡¯s been ages since we¡¯ve truly been able to enjoy each other¡¯s company.¡± Lilith smiled. ¡°Sure. I can spare a few hours, so long as you don¡¯t think I¡¯ll desperately need them.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯m not going to offer if it¡¯s going to mess things up.¡± Kali shyly reached forward and grabbed for Lilith¡¯s hand. Lilith took her hand and squeezed gently. ¡°Let¡¯s go get back up to speed, then.¡±
Chapter 65: Dungeon Diving The next morning, Mae showed Lilith the list she had compiled. It mostly came down to passive benefits or things that would save Lilith the trouble of getting them herself, so her plan didn¡¯t change much. And the plan itself was simple ¨C all she had to do was get as strong as possible as fast as possible. That in and of itself wasn¡¯t as bad of a plan as it might seem, seeing as how she had, to the best of her knowledge, the most growth potential of anyone living. The problem was where she would go to get her EXP. She could just go around the area below her own dungeon, killing everything she saw, but that wasn¡¯t renewable. Eventually, far down the line, she would run out of monsters to kill. As things stood, she could most likely clear the area far faster than it repopulated, so if she was looking for a long-term training ground that wasn¡¯t it. Fortunately, Mae had thought of a solution. Apparently, after Lilith had gone to sleep, Mae had wrestled with this same problem herself and had come to a conclusion; she just needed to nurture one of the wild dungeons into becoming strong enough to be a worthwhile training ground. So, she had taken the time to find the most out of the way dungeon she could, hid the entrance even more, fed it resources, taught it growth tricks Nuwa had learned, and groomed it into becoming her own little secret powerleveling spot. It still wasn¡¯t as good as leveling in her own dungeon, but she couldn¡¯t get experience from her own monsters, so this had to suffice. So, after she was done looking at the list, she and Nuwa (in the spare avatar), made their way to this dungeon, and did one final check before going in. Eve wasn¡¯t there, being busy solidifying her status as an adventurer, but she was helping by giving any experience gains to Lilith instead of herself, as were Nuwa and Mae. At the moment they weren¡¯t really interested in the stats that came from Classes, as most of her stats came from her Racial Classes anyway, and Class growth slowed down quickly if she didn¡¯t reset her Classes when she was done with them. So, the goals of this session were to increase her Racial Class levels, obtain more Skills by progressing through Classes, and level up her Skills as much as possible. Her current Class was Magic Gunslinger, and she planned to keep going down that line, which would eventually culminate in Arch-Gun Magician and its similar offshoots, such as Arch-Fire Gun Magician and Arch-Gun Sorcerer. Wordy as the Class names were, they would be as effective as they were hard to obtain. Well, hard to obtain for other people. To get them, she¡¯d have to progress all the way through the gun Classes, the magic Classes, and the lower tiers of mixed Classes to get to those ones, meaning that, if she wanted all of them, she¡¯d have to work her way through dozens of Classes. She gave it two weeks if she went at it optimally, storing up every last drop of experience in Glutton¡¯s Gullet and then using all that stored experience to go through most of the Classes in one go. With that in mind, their little group entered the dungeon and were greeted by a window.
You have entered the Red Ruins!
Lilith waved the window away. Alright, where to first? She asked Mae. Just wait for a second. They did, and a few seconds later another window popped up.
Benefactor. Why come?
I¡¯ve come to train. You promised I could in exchange for my help, remember? Mae said.
Remember. Is acceptable. Use right rooms.
Thank you, Red. I will be coming here to train a lot from now on, should we always use the right rooms?
Yes.
Alright, I¡¯m talking to just us now. Mae said. By right rooms Red just means the rooms on the right, not any specific rooms. Sounds good. Nuwa, would you like to stick together or split up to cover more ground? Lilith asked. Splitting up seems more efficient. I should be able to handle myself, if I have any questions I¡¯ll ask. Nuwa replied, walking off. I suppose we should get started, then. Mae, if you would guide us to where we¡¯re going, that would be appreciated. Can-do, mistress. With that, Mae walked them through a few rooms, eventually stopping at a large, empty room. Monsters should start pouring in soon. She informed. I had Red make a few rooms that just throw wave after wave of minions, it should be pretty good for farming EXP. Sure enough, the walls opened, and monsters began to emerge. They were generic-looking, but they all seemed to be strong enough. So, Lilith began to slaughter them as they moved to attack her. Despite them being strong-looking, Lilith was still a Perfect Chimera and was stronger still, meaning that it really wasn¡¯t much more exciting than clearing out monsters in Haven had been. At the very least, there was a much larger variety of monsters to fight here. Some of them were even able to take multiple hits from her, even if she hadn¡¯t been putting her all into the attacks. She settled into a monotonous sort of rhythm of killing the monsters and Assimilating their remains, which she kept up for a couple of hours before the walls closed again and the monsters stopped coming.
Benefactor. Stronger than expected.
Lilith hesitated slightly. She wasn¡¯t exactly sure what the best thing to say in this situation was, so she just opted to nod.
Curious. There is dungeon of benefactor, yes?
It took her a moment to realize that Red was asking if she had a dungeon. She nodded again.
Can see Benefactor monsters?
Mae, what do you suggest? I¡¯m not privy to all your dealings or plans for Red yet. Apologies, I didn¡¯t expect Red to ask like something like this. Let¡¯s bring in Saria, I like to make sure Red knows it¡¯s dealing with someone much stronger than it, so it doesn¡¯t get any funny ideas. Lilith nodded. Alright, Red. Give me a few minutes to bring one here.
Gratitude.
Nuwa, Red wants to see one of our monsters, so I¡¯m going to fetch Saria and make sure it knows who the top dog around here is. You can take a break if you would like, or you can keep working, whatever you feel like. Lilith told Nuwa, leaving the chamber and working her way towards the exit of the dungeon. I¡¯m going to keep on working. I¡¯m not tired. Nuwa replied. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. A couple of minutes later, Lilith was outside and was about to summon Saria when she realized she didn¡¯t know the best way to go about doing that. Um, Mae, do I just go get her from the dungeon myself or¡­? She¡¯s in telepathy with the rest of us. Just ask her to come and she¡¯ll teleport straight to us, she¡¯s got an ability that lets her know our location at all times. Right, thanks. Then, directing her telepathy out towards Saria, Lilith continued. Saria, are you free? I need you for a bit. Yes ma ¨C I mean, yes Lilith. A moment later, Saria appeared in front of Lilith, panting slightly. ¡°What do you need me for?¡± ¡°Red here wants to see one of our monsters, so we thought we¡¯d give it a show.¡± Saria straightened instantly. ¡°On it.¡± She gracefully stalked into the dungeon, Lilith not far behind.
Benefactor. This not monster?
Yes, she is. Mae said. She doesn¡¯t look like it in most forms of analysis, but she is. Check using your map¡¯s identification function. It should show that she¡¯s from a different dungeon.
Oh. Is monster. Want test fight. Go straight to next room.
Lilith guided Saria into the next room, where a giant, armadillo-like monster was waiting for them.
This boss. Confident will win.
If you¡¯re so confident, you can let your boss make the first move. Lilith said, then privately told Saria not to go easy. The armadillo rolled up into a ball, its plating sticking out such that it had the appearance of spikes, then charged toward Saria. Saria grabbed one of the spikes, looking indifferently up at the beast that was more than triple her size. ¡°Is that it?¡± She asked impassively, throwing the armadillo back against the wall of the room. ¡°This isn¡¯t even going to be a challenge.¡± The armadillo uncurled, standing on its feet and shaking itself off. The act sent a barrage of spikes towards Saria, who extended two long, whip-like weapons from her hands and twirled them rapidly in front of her, staving off most of the spikes. The last one, however, she wrapped up with a whip and then hurled back at the armadillo, striking it directly between the eyes and causing it to keel over. She yawned, extended one of the the whips further, grabbed the corpse, then flung it to Lilith¡¯s feet. ¡°There you are. The spoils of war, Lilith.¡± Lilith Assimilated the corpse, waving away the new Skills she gained. Was that satisfactory, Red?
Confused. How such strength?
My dungeon is much farther ahead than yours, Red. Mae said. As such I¡¯m able to create much more powerful monsters. Furthermore, your monster was too one-dimensional. It had the roll attack and the spikes, but that¡¯s it. And even if the spikes hit, they come from the monster¡¯s armor and don¡¯t grow back for a few minutes. During that time, your monster is basically a giant pile of meat that can¡¯t protect itself very well.
How Benefactor know these things? Should not know just from fight.
I have my ways, Red. May I return to training now?
Yes.
Alright, that¡¯s all Saria, thanks. Lilith said. You can go back to whatever you were doing. ¡°Yes, Lilith.¡± Saria saluted, then left the dungeon. Lilith and Mae made their way back to the right side of the dungeon, where they once again settled into the monotony of grinding for levels.
The meeting was a bit of an odd one for Lilith, as it highlighted the changes that had occurred while she was asleep. Most notably, there was one less of her than there had been. Carmen was¡­not gone, just¡­not as independent as she used to be. But there were new additions as well. Carmen (Anna and Jameson¡¯s child) was there, even if it was mainly because there would be no one to watch her and they didn¡¯t want to leave her on her own or leave her with some random Adjudicator, as it was unclear how well they would take to babysitting. Saria was there as representative of the Adjudicators and, as Lilith was coming to find, someone who lived in the ¡°private¡± living space of the dungeon anyway. According to Nuwa, Saria was the most ¡°personality-complete¡± of the Adjudicators, and Nuwa thought she brought a certain liveliness to the place. But she couldn¡¯t reminisce forever, so she put her musings to the side and properly started the meeting. ¡°I believe most of you have been briefed already, but does anyone have any questions before we begin?¡± There was silence. ¡°Alright, in that case, I think we should open by having Judy list out the greatest risks Mai and her ¡°children¡± pose.¡± Judy stood nervously. ¡°Um, so, the obvious bad news. Mai and Errus are both Perfect Chimeras, and as it stands, they¡¯re both stronger than Lilith. I don¡¯t know by how much, but I¡¯m guessing it¡¯ll take at least a month before Lilith could take Errus in a straight fight, and longer still before she could take Mai. Uh, if we¡¯re talking raw stats, anyway. I don¡¯t know how cohesive their abilities are, so theoretically that distance could be closed much sooner if really synergistic Racial Class Skills are chosen. ¡°The big problem is Mai. If it was just Errus and the rest of the children, then this wouldn¡¯t be this much of a problem. I¡¯m about ninety percent sure that Mai has a Skill similar to Lilith¡¯s that gives her all her subordinate¡¯s Skills. And she¡¯s got an exceptionally strong way of making people her subordinates. You have to have some really good resistance to be able to bypass it, like¡­outside of the Perfect Chimeras there are probably only a handful of people who could outright stop it. ¡°You have to have multiple levels of redundancy, because she¡¯ll use the Skill she gets from Envy to strip away your resistance, and even if you do resist but are captured, she¡¯ll take them all over multiple days.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not locking down, though.¡± Lilith added. ¡°I¡¯ve taken the liberty of placing a Watch on you all so I can always find you, and I¡¯m working on getting you all an emergency escape button.¡± She paused, then turned thoughtfully to Kali. ¡°Kali, if I went out of my way to make one with Worship, would Mai be able to counteract it?¡± ¡°Not a chance.¡± Kali confirmed. ¡°Higher Being stuff trumps everything else.¡± ¡°Right. I¡¯ll do it that way, then. Nuwa, can you be in charge of that?¡± Got it. ¡°Thank you. Judy, go on.¡± ¡°Right. Our biggest strength right now is actually the Adjudicators. From what I¡¯ve been able to gather, monsters can¡¯t be taken from their dungeon¡¯s control by anything less than either a full takeover of the dungeon or the dungeon master willingly giving them away. So, the Adjudicators can freely operate. ¡°Furthermore, my swarm is still there. Kali¡¯s done¡­something, and she can¡¯t seem to properly respond to the swarm. She mostly just ignores them or kills any that get too close to her, and she keeps them out of any important meetings, but I have a pretty solid grasp on the day-to-day life of her commune, and I¡¯ll be able to see if she starts making any big moves. That¡¯s¡­pretty much the highlights reel, so¡­yeah.¡± Lilith nodded. ¡°This also isn¡¯t in the public eye yet, so we¡¯re free to handle it as we please. Any suggestions?¡± ¡°Split up Errus and Mai, deal with them separately.¡± Alex said. ¡°If it¡¯s only one of them we have to fight at a time it becomes significantly easier. Ideally, we¡¯d capture Errus and deprogram him, in which case we could have potentially four Perfect Chimeras just storm Mai¡¯s place and take her down. That being said, Isa¡¯s probably guaranteed to help if the fight¡¯s good enough, but what about Winston?¡± ¡°I think he¡¯ll help.¡± Raphi said. ¡°If I know him, he feels like he owes you for getting him out of the Elenoa situation.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good, but we have to be careful. Mai got Errus somehow, so there¡¯s a chance we¡¯d be bolstering her forces if we lost any of them in a fight.¡± Lilith countered. ¡°I think we should save them for forcing a showdown.¡± ¡°Keep your options open, though.¡± Siph said. ¡°I don¡¯t like the stakes here. She won¡¯t kill us, but¡­she¡¯ll potentially make us fight each other.¡± ¡°Not happening.¡± Lilith said flatly. ¡°I¡¯m going to make an effort to keep any of you from any battlefield where Mai or Errus is, and if you get caught by anyone else, I¡¯m taking you right back. Even if you do get brainwashed, Kali said she¡¯ll fix you if I can keep you here long enough, and they can¡¯t take you out if I keep you in Kali¡¯s house.¡± ¡°Does¡­that mean we can fight elsewhere?¡± Mike asked. ¡°Yes. If I¡¯m reasonably confident Mai or Errus won¡¯t show up. I¡¯ll need to place a Watch on them first, though, that way I can tell if they show up.¡± Lilith responded. ¡°Judy, are there any teleport protections around their home base?¡± ¡°Yes, but I know where they stop, and you can just walk right in.¡± ¡°How long would it take to get from there to where Errus and Mai usually are? I¡¯ll use Absent Alarm so I can just go full speed and they won¡¯t notice, but I only have ten minutes of that.¡± ¡°That should be plenty. The exclusion area isn¡¯t too big.¡± ¡°Let me do that.¡± Eve volunteered. ¡°It¡¯s less risky if I get captured. I can just retreat from my avatar and destroy it if need be. It¡¯s not ideal, but it¡¯s better than you getting captured.¡± ¡°Reasonable. Get it done as soon as you can. Any other ideas?¡± There was another silence. ¡°Alright, let me know if you think of anything. I¡¯m going to focus on training up and getting stronger while we get more information. So¡­meeting dismissed, I guess.¡± Carmen looked up from the tablet she was playing on. ¡°Does that mean I can go?¡± ¡°Yes, you can go, sweetie.¡± Jameson said. ¡°Yay!¡± She ran over to Fenrir, reaching up to his side. Fenrir bent lower to let her on, and, once she was on, left the room with her. Following her lead, people began to disperse or chat amongst themselves. ¡°Well, I¡¯m going to go place a couple of Watches.¡± Eve said. ¡°Judy, if you could come with me to give me the proper coordinates, that would be welcome.¡± ¡°On it.¡± ¡°I¡­guess I¡¯ll be going to level up again.¡± Lilith said. ¡°Don¡¯t hesitate to call me if you need something.¡± Absent Alarm affects all of us Parallels at once. Mae said, best wait until Eve is done. ¡°Scratch that, I¡¯m taking a short break. Kali, you up to watch a tv show or something?¡± ¡°Always!¡± Kali replied enthusiastically. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Chapter 66: The Legend of Lilith: Adventure of Eve Eve drew her circle carefully, listening to Judy¡¯s instructions as she did. ¡°These coordinates should put you about half a mile to the south of their enclave. They¡¯ve dug themselves out a place in the mountains, but the front door isn¡¯t at all disguised, so you should find it no problem.¡± She bent down, and a spider scuttled onto her palm. She stood back up and then handed the spider to Eve. ¡°Put this little lady in your pocket. I won¡¯t be able to see where you are, but I¡¯ll be able to tell where she is. Telepathy from the outside is blocked, so she¡¯ll tap the inside of your pocket to direct you. One tap is left, two is keep going straight, three is right, four is turn around. I¡¯ll lead you to Mae and Errus, they¡¯re usually in the same room, and as far as I can tell, they are now, so just get in there, slap a Watch on both of them at the same time, then teleport out ASAP. ¡°Their barrier is only one way, so you should be good. They¡¯ll probably be able to know about the Watch, though, so they may bring up some more shielding. Just use your dungeon teleports and they¡­shouldn¡¯t be able to stop you, but I can¡¯t guarantee anything.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± Eve replied, stretching a little. ¡°Nuwa¡¯s been in the lab with teleport methods, we¡¯ve got an experimental way of injecting Worship into our dungeon teleport. It¡¯s hideously inefficient and only works on us, but we¡¯ll manage.¡± ¡°Alright. Anything else you want to know before you go?¡± ¡°How many doors do I need to worry about? Can I just use an intangibility spell?¡± ¡°There are doors, but I haven¡¯t checked intangibility. The place isn¡¯t at all fortified, though, so I think it should work? If not, you can just turn into something small and go under the gaps under the doors. All the individual members of their commune are strong enough to not need to worry about safety, so they¡¯re not too on-guard. They don¡¯t know about your Higher Being and High Arbiter stuff, since that¡¯s stored in Kali when I spread out my consciousness, so they shouldn¡¯t be expecting you to come using this method.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Eve said, finishing her stretching. ¡°Be back in a few.¡± She activated Absent Alarm, activated the circle, waited for her surroundings to coalesce, then began to fly. The area around her was rather plain, in that there was nothing but grass around. No monsters, no trees, not even small things like bushes or other plants. Just grass and hills. Her flight was, fortunately, fast enough that the half-mile to the compound only took her around a minute, leaving her with nine minutes of Absent Alarm left. She touched down outside of a particularly large hill, the entrance to the compound rather obviously marked by an enormous set of wooden double doors. She used Eldritch Abomination to make several extra sensory organs, most notably heat sensors, magic sensors, and a sort of telepathy that allowed her to pinpoint things that could think. Satisfied that no one was behind the door, she activated an intangibility spell and tried to stick a hand through. It went through easily. So, she slipped in and began to follow instructions from Judy¡¯s spider. The inside of the compound was made of a sort of smooth stone, lit evenly by some sort of magical globe. As she made her way through the structure, she took note of the people she passed. They all looked¡­happy, for lack of a better word. It seemed to be business as normal, like they weren¡¯t mind controlled by some tyrant. She supposed that was to be expected, given the way Judy had told her the mind control worked, but it was still somewhat unsettling to think that these people were, in essence, nothing more than slaves to Mai¡¯s will. She also noted that there were several monsters mixed among the people, completely ignoring them or even helping them out in a couple of cases. They were almost certainly also under Mai¡¯s control, and Eve couldn¡¯t help but wonder why there weren¡¯t more of them, seeing as how they were way out in the middle of nowhere where there should be a bunch of monsters. There was probably a reason, but she wasn¡¯t about to ask. She checked her timer again. She was at six and a half minutes remaining, and no idea how much of the compound was left to traverse. Hopefully not much, she didn¡¯t want to be cutting it close if she could help it. She did, however, take a few seconds to briefly glance over the statuses of people, to get a better idea of what she was up against. Judy was right; they were tough. Any member of Eve¡¯s family could probably take one or two, but they had been training nigh-constantly in an efficient environment for three years, and there were a lot more of these people than there were members of Eve¡¯s family. Another couple of minutes and she almost stopped in her tracks. There was suddenly a huge influx of new thoughts coming from below her. Monster thoughts, if she was to judge from the strangled bits that made it through the mental din to reach her. They were tightly packed together, with gaps between them such that they formed rows that must have been divided by something. So, aside from the people she had controlled, Mai had an army of monsters. That was something Eve couldn¡¯t stomach. It was her job to make a tide of monsters sweep over the land, not this pretender¡¯s. But that presented an opportunity as well. When she took care of Mai and Errus, she would find a way to take control of whatever was left of the army, boosting her own in the process. She was snapped out of her brief trance by Judy¡¯s spider¡¯s prodding. She was still on a time limit and didn¡¯t have the luxury of sitting around and observing this base. She followed the directions, and another couple of minutes later she could tell that the other Perfect Chimeras were close. To her magic sense they were shining beacons of light the moment they came into her range, far outshining the pale candles that were everything else. She hardly needed the spider¡¯s directions at this point, weaving around the people and monsters until, with two and a half minutes left on her clock, she breached the room they were in. They were¡­normal looking, she guessed. If she was to turn off her magic sense, then they wouldn¡¯t seem that different from any of the other inhabitants of their commune. Mai was an elven woman of average height, with short brown hair and blue eyes that gave the impression that she saw through everything. Despite her relaxed posture, there was a strangely commanding aura around her, a confidence that said she was the most important person in the room, she knew she was the most important person in the room, and she knew that she was the most important person in the room. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Errus, on the other hand, was less impressive. Despite being a full head taller than Mai, he seemed small in comparison, the type of person who would just blend into the background. His posture indicated that he very much answered to Mai, and from the brief snippet of conversation Eve heard, spoke to her in an extremely respectful tone. He was a bearkin, with black hair and brown eyes, but it just¡­didn¡¯t feel like it mattered. Not with how much his attitude told the observant onlooker to look to Mai instead. Eve didn¡¯t waste much more time, placing a Watch on the both of them. They immediately perked up, and there was a change in the area¡¯s mana. Eve tried to teleport out via a regular dungeon emergency escape, and while there was a bit of resistance, she got out without a problem. That was sort of to be expected. Their base hadn¡¯t been made a dungeon yet, and Mai didn¡¯t seem to have a satisfactory answer to that form of teleportation either. Eve heaved a sigh of relief as she touched back onto her dungeon¡¯s familiar ground. Whether Mai knew it or not, they had just had their first skirmish, and Eve had come out on top.
Nuwa paced in the spare avatar, thinking about how best to handle Mai. The Watches Eve was planting were sure to be a great help, but she was confident a smart person could work around them. Titania and Elenoa had tried to do so by leaving things to their subordinates as much as possible, but they still had to give instructions somehow. Titania had done so via telepathy, and she hadn¡¯t had a way of listening in on that at the time. But, Nuwa had made a point of having Judy teach her how to break into telepathy over scrying while Lilith was asleep, so she was confident she¡¯d be able to listen in to that. That was another edge she had. Most people should still be unaware that it was possible to do so. It required use of eldritch abilities, and even with the system change most people weren¡¯t willing to experiment with those. Kali had said they were now perfectly safe, as the system wasn¡¯t actively conflicting with them anymore, but they were going to give things more time to settle before they made that public knowledge. Still, it was killing her not being able to know what was going on with Eve. Mae, when are we going to be able to hook our senses up again? I¡¯m giving it another couple of days. Mae replied. Everything¡¯s fine now but I want to be extra sure it won¡¯t adversely affect us if we do. If we get into a really dire situation then I¡¯ll go ahead and hook us up anyway, but we don¡¯t need it right now so I¡¯m just being cautious. Fine. Nuwa groaned. She checked the timer on Absent Alarm and found there were still five minutes left. If it ran out and Eve still wasn¡¯t back, then she¡¯d get really worried, but until that happened, she wasn¡¯t going to contact her and distract her. Unfortunately for her, she couldn¡¯t oversee the dungeon to take her mind off of things. Well, she could, but it wouldn¡¯t help. She had hit a point where everything she wanted required waiting an extended period of time to get, so she only had to be actively doing things for a couple of hours each day. ¡°Aunt Nuwa?¡± Carmen asked, bringing Nuwa¡¯s attention back to the physical world. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Oh, um¡­thinking.¡± Nuwa replied awkwardly, stopping in her tracks. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°I was going to take a walk with Fengy. Do you want to come with us?¡± Now that Nuwa looked more closely, Carmen was wearing shoes, something she normally didn¡¯t do unless she was going outside. She¡­didn¡¯t really want to, but she couldn¡¯t say no to Carmen. ¡°Sure, I guess. Where were you going to go?¡± ¡°I was gonna go down to the river. Do you want to go somewhere else?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s fine.¡± Nuwa replied, falling in line with Carmen and Fenghuang. ¡°Do you want to walk all the way there yourself, or ride Fengy and do your walk down there?¡± Carmen thought about that for a moment. ¡°I want to walk more down there. Can you keep up with Fengy? She¡¯s pretty fast.¡± ¡°I may not be out and about as much, but I¡¯m still just as fast as your other aunts.¡± Nuwa said smugly. ¡°I¡¯m faster than Fengy without even trying.¡± ¡°No way!¡± Carmen said. ¡°Let¡¯s race, then!¡± Um, Carmen, she¡¯s right. Fenghuang interjected. I¡¯m going to lose if we race. ¡°What? No! Believe in yourself! You can do it!¡± Carmen¡­have you ever seen one of your aunts going as fast as possible? Carmen frowned. ¡°No, but¡­they¡¯re people. They can¡¯t be that fast.¡± Nuwa smirked. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s race. I¡¯m not going easy on you, Fenghuang.¡± Fenghuang groaned mentally. Alright. Just don¡¯t be too disappoint when I lose, Carmen. They made their way to the surface, where Fenghuang (with Carmen on top) and Nuwa lined up, ready for Carmen to give the signal for them to start. Once she did, Nuwa took off, leaving Fenghuang in the dust. She reached their destination in just under a minute and waited for another two as Fenghuang caught up. During that time, Mae let her know that Eve had returned, putting her mind somewhat more at ease. Eventually, Carmen came into view, waving as she did. ¡°Aunt Nuwa!¡± She called. ¡°That was awesome!¡± Nuwa puffed out her chest. ¡°I told you I was fast!¡± She crowed. ¡°Now, let¡¯s take that walk.¡± Carmen hopped down from Fenghuang, then grabbed Nuwa¡¯s hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go that way!¡± She said, pointing with her free hand. ¡°I found some cool spots I want to show you!¡± Nuwa couldn¡¯t help but smile a little at the kid¡¯s enthusiasm. ¡°Sure.¡± She said, beginning to walk in the indicated direction. They didn¡¯t talk for a bit, Carmen just hummed happily as they walked. Eventually, Nuwa decided to break the sort-of silence. ¡°So, you¡¯re going to be three this year.¡± She said. ¡°Any plans?¡± ¡°Mom and dad were talking about sending me to school.¡± Carmen replied. ¡°They said they wanted to send me to the school they went to when they were growing up.¡± ¡°Huh. That¡¯s where your parents and I met. Not sure how they¡¯re going to deal with you, though, since you''re not...fully human.¡± Nuwa mused. ¡°I don¡¯t know what they¡¯re gonna do either. Mom and dad didn¡¯t tell me. I think it¡¯d be cool to go where you guys went, though.¡± Carmen said happily. They chatted about random things until Carmen suddenly pulled her off to the side. ¡°Look at this!¡± She said excitedly. ¡°These rocks are like stepping stones!¡± She let go of Nuwa¡¯s hand, then hopped onto a large rock on the river, then to another. Nuwa looked carefully at the rocks, then shot a sidelong look at Fenghuang. She¡¯s never going to grow if you all keep making things easy for her. Fenghuang look away guiltily. We can¡¯t bear to see her get hurt. She¡¯s too sweet and innocent. Nuwa glanced back at the rather obviously flattened and smoothed rocks. No more, alright? Keep her away from really dangerous things but let her make small mistakes. I¡¯m going to talk to Anna and Jameson, so you won¡¯t get in trouble if she does get hurt, but you have to let her make those mistakes. Fine. Fenghuang grumbled. I¡¯ll let everyone else know. Good. Nuwa said, smiling as Carmen worked her way back. ¡°Aunt Nuwa, you try this time!¡± Nuwa acquiesced, jumping from stone to stone to get across the river and then back. ¡°Any other cool places you want to show me?¡± ¡°Yeah! This way!¡± Nuwa followed Carmen around for the next hour or two, just relaxing and letting the kid¡¯s enthusiasm heal her. When they finished, she sent Carmen off and then put the spare avatar back into its storage location, then got back to work. That work at this point was mostly monitoring Mai and Errus and recording details about what their assets were. It was a dull task, but it couldn¡¯t be ignored, so she buckled down and prepared for a long, long session of spying. Chapter 67: Past and Present Lilith shifted in her seat, getting more comfortable in her seat as Emily did the same in hers. ¡°Thanks for doing this for me.¡± Lilith said, scratching her cheek embarrassedly. ¡°I know this probably takes some time out of your day, so I really appreciate it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Emily replied. ¡°I enjoy studying this sort of thing as well. Before we begin, may I ask how long until you¡¯re fully caught up with your memories?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just about halfway done, so¡­ two and a half weeks?¡± Seventeen days, to be precise. Mae added. ¡°Anyway, you said you had some findings from your studies?¡± Emily nodded, an uncharacteristic eagerness on her face. ¡°Yes. Mai and Errus are something of an enigma, but people have put together a general timeline of their lives up until they vanished, and we can fill in the gaps there from what we know. ¡°Mai was the first recorded Perfect Chimera, and we don¡¯t know much about her life before she became one. We don¡¯t know where she lived, what species she was, the date she was born, nothing. Given her preferred form is that of a human, and she first made herself known in a human country, we¡¯re guessing she was human before becoming a Perfect Chimera, but we can¡¯t be sure.¡± Emily drummed her fingers on her leg as she spoke. ¡°Interestingly enough, this isn¡¯t her first attempt at world domination. A few years after making her appearance, she seemed to realize that she was the only Perfect Chimera around, and there was no one who could really match her power. She started drumming up an army using a method quite similar to what she¡¯d doing now, just far less subtle. ¡°Around that time, Errus made his appearance, and there was a brief but intense conflict which resulted in the dissolution of her army and a sort of stalemate where both of them would prevent the other from gaining too much power. Then things were quiet until the war, aside from Winston becoming a Perfect Chimera.¡± Emily leaned forward, a look of excitement on her face that Lilith really wasn¡¯t used to seeing. ¡°The war is when things really become interesting. Mai sided with the humans and Errus with the other races, and the two would fight often throughout the war, but it was only for brief periods of time. Neither side wanted to risk their trump card being rendered useless from injury, and while the Protectorate had two Perfect Chimeras, Mai was more than capable of holding the two of them off for as long as it would take to escape. ¡°And she had taken the war as an opportunity to build her following once again. Whenever possible she would recruit from those she defeated in battle, and her following quickly swelled to an enormous size. Eventually, the Protectorate made a gutsy decision and went all in on forcing a confrontation. They knew Mai would never fight two on one, so they had Winston work on holding down some of the humans¡¯ other forces and sent in Errus. ¡°We don¡¯t know what happened during the fight, but after that the two of them vanished. All of Mai¡¯s flock seemingly came to their senses, and the war started to swing in the Protectorate¡¯s favor now that Winston was the only Perfect Chimera in play. And¡­that¡¯s basically what people know about her.¡± Emily finished. ¡°So, what do you think?¡± ¡°Well,¡± Lilith began, ¡°I think the most alarming thing is the flock she used to have. How big was it?¡± ¡°Thousands.¡± Emily replied. ¡°As far as we¡¯re able to tell, she¡¯s got a few hundred in that compound now, and even if we make the generous assumption that half of what she had in the war died in the war, that leaves a lot unaccounted for.¡± Lilith mused. ¡°I doubt her hold on them was broken, so I think we have to assume she has a bunch of sleeper agents scattered about Haven. Do you know if they kept records on who was part of the flock?¡± Emily shook her head. ¡°The books I read didn¡¯t say much about them, that would be more general war history while I was looking specifically for information on Perfect Chimeras.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll ask Kali about it later, then. She was a Council member for a while, she¡¯d probably know. What are your takeaways from all this?¡± ¡°I think Mai beat Errus in that fight.¡± Emily said confidently. Then, more uncertainly, she continued. ¡°Then, she was somehow able to make him one of her flock. She had purportedly failed to do so in the past, but maybe she found a new method or Errus was weakened enough by the fight that he couldn¡¯t resist.¡± She frowned, tapping her chin thoughtfully. ¡°I¡¯m not sure why she vanished, though. Maybe it was just to have some private time to work on converting Errus?¡± Lilith shrugged. ¡°My guess is that it was partially that, partially an opportunity to kickstart her world domination again. She probably wanted people to stop thinking about her so she could build strength peacefully for a while. That being said, I¡¯m not sure why she waited so long¡­¡± Lilith stopped, frowning as well. ¡°Unless she didn¡¯t? Maybe she¡¯s trying to be subtle this time and has her fingers in more than we thought. I¡¯ll have to look into that later.¡± She shook her head to clear it, then brightened up. ¡°Still, this has been enlightening, thanks, Emily. Any other interesting things you found?¡± Emily shrugged. ¡°There were a few books on you, but many of them seemed like they were mostly conjecture. I can fetch them for you if you¡¯re interested.¡± Lilith blinked in surprise. She hadn¡¯t consciously realized that people would be writing books on her, but she supposed it made sense. ¡°Uh, no, thank you.¡± Emily stood up and gave a small bow. ¡°If that¡¯s all, then I¡¯ll be on my way.¡± ¡°Uh, yes, thank you.¡± And with that, she was gone, leaving Lilith to ponder what she had learned.
Emily finished the very brief morning cleanup, let Raphi know they were done for the time being, then went to make her morning report. There wasn¡¯t any real need to, not in this position, but it was a habit that had been drilled into her when she was in training, and she figured there wasn¡¯t any harm in keeping a record. She wasn¡¯t sending it to the head of the Windkeeper family like she was ¡°supposed¡± to, she wasn¡¯t even sending it to anyone at all. She was just keeping a record in case it ever became useful. Security wasn¡¯t a problem either ¨C if anyone was able to break into the dungeon then they had bigger issues than a potential non-vital information leak. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Her report was short, as it usually was. Even if she reported on her morning cleanup it wouldn¡¯t be long; the dungeon was, for the most part, self-cleaning, so the only thing she had to do was put away leftover food, and put the dishes into a cleaning slot Nuwa had devised which made use of the dungeon¡¯s ability to absorb matter to clean the dishes better than any conventional method could. She was really glad she was able to get this position; it was about as cushy as it got when you were a Windkeeper, and she got to avoid all the turmoil the family went through when deciding if they wanted to be loyal to Kali or the Protectorate. The family had, eventually, decided to stay loyal to the Protectorate, while remaining on good terms with Kali. Emily was declared to be part of a unit of her own, not a part of the usual hierarchy. That worked for Emily, since she hadn¡¯t particularly been looking forward to becoming the servant of whatever random important person she would be sent out to. Being a maid wasn¡¯t what she had wanted to do with life, but she was glad things had worked out the way they did. In the incredibly low-effort position she was in, she had nothing but free time with which to pursue her hobby, magical research. Sure, she was usually out leveling up, but that presented her with opportunities to try her own custom spells. She hated to admit it, but she had died more than once doing so. The dungeon¡¯s Deathless property allowed her to be much, much more reckless than any self-respecting magical researcher normally would be, but she was also much, much faster. She finished her morning report, and made her way to the day¡¯s testing chamber, which was just a regular room in the living quarters of the house. Waiting for her was her test subject, a nondescript-looking mouse. Appearances were, of course, deceiving. This mouse was actually part of Judy¡¯s swarm, and Emily was working on a way to reliably detect that. Judy had invested as much as possible into making her influence undetectable, so finding that influence was much easier said than done. It wasn¡¯t marked as a status effect of any sort, and the creature didn¡¯t show any differences in species, name, or any other metric an identification spell would give her. But Kali had assured her that nothing in this world was perfectly undetectable, so Emily wasn¡¯t about to give up now. In other circumstances she would have come back to this project when she was more experienced, but she was willing to bet that whatever she came up with would also be applicable in trying to determine who was compromised by Mai. The first thing she tried was directly asking Judy, but that wasn¡¯t much help; Judy was actively looking for ways for new ways to find what was part of her own swarm, but that was only so she could fix anything she found. She had, however, given Emily a few pointers and helped teach her the ways she would look for those vulnerabilities. Currently, Emily was working on trying to find something using the creature¡¯s mental state, but that brought its own set of issues. The biggest was that she needed a ¡°base¡± state of mind if she wanted to have the spell scan people for her, instead of having to manually scrutinize people¡¯s minds any time she wanted to check. After a few hours of working with mice, she decided it was nonviable; she couldn¡¯t just pick any mouse and call it the base, she would have to aggregate a bunch of mice¡¯s mental states, store them in some device, make a sort of average and decide what was ¡°normal¡±, and then compare against that before she could even begin an automated check, and she rather quickly gave up on making that work. Even if she did find a way to do it for mice, it would be nigh impossible to do for people. So, she took to looking at memories. That was much more doable and would probably work even better with Mai¡¯s brand of control than with Judy¡¯s. Judy didn¡¯t have to be there herself to infect something, any member of the swarm could potentially be a vector of infection. On the other hand, from what Judy had told them, Mai needed to have direct physical contact to convert something. In that case, all she would have to do is scan memories for people resembling Mai, events that might resemble a conversion, and a few other things, then manually review those memories and make a decision. That was a good start, but there were still issues with it. The first was that Mai could have converted people from behind, while they were unconscious, while Mai was in a different form, or any one of a number of things that would mess with a simple scan looking for Mai. The second was that Mai might have been hiding how her ability worked, and in some especially important targets wasn¡¯t even present or something, and the third was that memories might be altered or removed. That last one wasn¡¯t much of an issue, though. Memory alteration or removal was a very invasive procedure and left some obvious signs to the careful observer. Or so Emily had thought, but Kali had made almost everyone forget about Lilith for a month with no one the wiser. But, as Kali had told her, nothing was perfectly undetectable. And, seeing as how Kali was the one that had pulled off that stunt, that meant that there must have been a way to detect it. She left the testing room and made her way to Kali¡¯s quarters, and after receiving permission to enter, came in and sat down on a chair opposite of Kali. ¡°You mentioned nothing is completely undetectable, but you made a huge alteration to the minds of dozens of high-profile people for a month without anyone noticing. How would I go about noticing something like that?¡± ¡°Ah, right.¡± Kali said embarrassedly. ¡°I might have cheated with that one. I used a bunch of Worship to smooth everything over, so to notice it people would have either needed to know how to sense Worship, which isn¡¯t easy, or be as connected to Lilith as Carmen was, and I can assure you none of Mai¡¯s flock is that connected to her. The whole Parallel thing is an offshoot of her¡­unique situation and it requires a bunch of eldritch abilities to work properly, so for the time being she¡¯s the only one with something like that. Any memory modification that doesn¡¯t use Worship will leave some sort of a trace, but you have to be super careful.¡± Kali leaned back in her chair, stroking her chin thoughtfully. ¡°I can train you up if you want,¡± she offered, ¡°teach you all the best ways to mess with minds. I¡¯ll even teach you how to sense Worship if you want, it¡¯ll actually be pretty easy for you. You¡¯re in close enough proximity to Lilith and I that you¡¯ll be able to pick it up in no time.¡± Emily thought about that for a moment. ¡°That would be good, thank you. I don¡¯t want to directly be your apprentice like Judy, though. I just want to know about how to more effectively read minds, not the rest of the espionage stuff.¡± Kali nodded. ¡°That¡¯s fine. Would you like to start now?¡± Emily shook her head. ¡°Tomorrow. I need to return to my duties soon, so it¡¯s not worth getting into at the moment.¡± ¡°Alright, cool. I¡¯ll leave you to it, then.¡± Emily stood up and nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡± With that, she took her leave. It had been long enough that it was time to prepare for lunch, so she mentally paged Raphi and told her to meet her in the kitchen. From there, they decided on a couple of dishes to make, and began to cook. Once they had a decent amount prepared, they called everyone in, had lunch, and cleaned up what little mess remained. Once that was all done, Emily did her daily leveling. It wasn¡¯t exciting, just killing monsters for a few hours, but she recognized the importance of learning new Skills and getting her Racial Class level up, so she made sure to set aside time for it every day. Her signal to stop was when Lilith came home from her leveling spree. Once that happened, she met up with Lilith and saw to her needs (few as they were) until dinner, after which she was dismissed for the rest of the day. So, she relaxed for the few hours she had before bed, and then went to sleep, ready to do it all again the next day. Chapter 68: Noonday Attack
Lilith was eating lunch on one of her rest days when Judy came to her, looking grim. ¡°Mai¡¯s on the move.¡± She said flatly. ¡°She made sure to sanitize the meeting room where she gave instructions, so I couldn¡¯t get details, but her whole compound, minus the monsters, are forming into five or six person groups for something.¡± I was watching. Nuwa chimed in. She¡¯s sending them out to the frontier towns. They¡¯re scouting for vulnerable people to kidnap so Mai can begin mass acquisition of new flock members. Lilith frowned. ¡°Alright, Judy, make sure to get as good a mental image as possible of the people in the flock. Make a magic picture or something so we know. Nuwa, do we know how they¡¯re teleporting in?¡± They¡¯re sending them to several different, somewhat remote, places on Earth, then they¡¯ll travel to big cities manually, after which they¡¯re going to use the portals to head to the frontier towns without drawing too much attention. Do we know where they¡¯re arriving? Eve asked. Their senses had been hooked up again a few days back, so Eve had been listening to their conversation while she was out adventuring with Anna and Jameson. They didn¡¯t specify, and Mai and Errus are making a point to not be in the same room as the circles so I can¡¯t tell from that. If Judy can get pictures, we should be able to tell, but they¡¯ll have moved on by then. Nuwa replied. ¡°Better than nothing.¡± Lilith said. ¡°I should be able to head off at least one or two groups that way, and we can put them in a holding cell in the dungeon. Nuwa, you have a place, right?¡± Yes. I had Kali get a demi-plane, and I put a sub-dungeon there specifically to hold people. That way, even if Mai has some sort of tracking on them, they¡¯re only going to be finding a random demi-plane, not the main dungeon. ¡°Excellent work. Judy, how long do you expect we have before they arrive?¡± ¡°Half an hour. It looks like they¡¯re trying to synchronize things so that they all leave at once.¡± Eve, can you be back by then? Lilith asked. Even if you have to abandon Anna and Jameson, do it. Preferably you¡¯d have them back so they can help, but if not then that¡¯s fine too. Yeah, we¡¯re just going at things slow so as not to come back suspiciously fast. We can pop back in for an hour or two then head out and go fast once we get back. ¡°Perfect. Eve will take one group, I¡¯ll take another, Anna, Jameson, and Alex a third, my parents a fourth. Judy, you watch the flock and make sure nothing unexpected happens, and Nuwa will watch Mai and Errus to make sure they don¡¯t show up in person. If they do, we¡¯ll have whatever group they¡¯re going to bail. Mae, go spread the word.¡± Yes, mistress. ¡°And the kids?¡± Judy prompted. ¡°Are going to stay here. They¡¯re not tough enough for this.¡± Lilith said firmly. It took around ten minutes to get everyone assembled, and a further five to explain the situation. While they waited for Mai¡¯s flock to be ready, Lilith drew a bunch of incomplete circles on the ground, missing only the bits that would dictate where the destination was. Finally, after another agonizing twenty minutes, it was go time. Lilith completed the circles to cut off the groups Judy recommended, and their impromptu operation commenced. Lilith sent the others on their way, while Lilith herself was sent to a patch of the German countryside. From there, she expanded the her range of senses until she locked onto the group she was after. There wasn¡¯t really much in this area, so it didn¡¯t take long and she was able to catch up with them quickly. She used a combination of Arbiter¡¯s Aura and Horrid Fascination to mostly disable the group of people, leaving them woozy and stumbling about. From there, all she had to do was hit them with an optimized sleep spell Mae had cooked up while Lilith was out. One was, surprisingly, still standing, so she just knocked him out physically. Once they were all unconscious, she was able to follow Nuwa¡¯s instructions to send them to the holding area. Eve finished her group off at about the same time, and they both asked Judy for new targets. Judy gave them a couple, but before they could finish their teleports, Nuwa gave them an alarmed message. Mai and Errus are both heading out! She yelled. Scratch those teleports, I¡¯m pretty sure they¡¯re going for the others! She didn¡¯t have to say any more. Eve, you take care of your party, I¡¯ll take care of our parents. Got it. While they redid their circles, Lilith asked after the status of the others. What are things like on your ends? If they¡¯re not looking good, then bail now! If we have a minute or two more then we¡¯ll have things done here. Mike told her. Any chance you could hold them off for a bit? They¡¯ve arrived! Mai to Eve¡¯s group and Errus to our parent¡¯s! Nuwa warned, Errus just activated Absent Alarm, too! We¡¯re done! Alex proclaimed. Warping out now! But it was too late to stop Eve from teleporting to their location, and as her party warped away, she dropped down and Mai¡¯s attention was focused all on her. Eve barely had any time to get her bearings before there was a swarm of magic bearing down on her location. She tried to fire off her own spells in return, but halfway through their trajectory they reversed direction, coming back for Eve. I¡¯m activating Absent Alarm! She warned, No one be shocked when I disappear! Without waiting for a response, she activated the Skill, and the magic that was homing in on her stopped tracking her movements. I¡¯m going to give fighting her a shot, test the waters. Eve told everyone. I¡¯ll bail when things go south. Lilith¡¯s tore her attention away from Eve as Errus sped past her. Fortunately for Lilith, Errus likewise wasn¡¯t able to sense the cannon shot she sent his way, and he was blown off of his trajectory by the surprise attack. Errus stopped for a moment, frowned, activated some sort of Skill, then continued on his way. While Lilith lined up another shot, she had Mae look into his Skills so she could find one to steal. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. This shot he tanked, but whatever Skill Mae stole made him hesitate again. Bail! Lilith instructed the group. He¡¯s faster than me and he¡¯s started ignoring my shots! But we¡¯re so close! Siph protested. They were, too ¨C most of the group was incapacitated, and there were only a couple of holdouts before everything was taken care of. So is he! Out! Lilith said. Her parents grumbled, but eventually warped out. Instead of stopping, Errus sped up, scooping up the unconscious members of the flock, grabbed the arms of the two who were awake, and then teleported out. Eve wasn¡¯t holding up much better on her end. Mai had switched to bombarding the immediate area with wide-range attacks. They were weak compared to the focused bolts she had thrown out when she could see Eve, but they hit such an enormous area that it didn¡¯t even matter. Eve was hitting Mai with attacks of her own, but every time she broke the shields Mai put up, she got in a hit or two and then the shields were back. It was clear that Mai was coming out on top of the exchange, so Eve also chose to bail and leave Mai to her own devices. She could have brought the sword Elenoa had forged, but Mai was taking care to stay mobile, and, like Errus, she was faster than Eve was. That meant that she couldn¡¯t catch Mai to use the sword. That being said, there was still time left on Absent Alarm, so Lilith had herself and Eve wear it out catching a couple more groups each. Unfortunately, that still left at least ten or twenty more. And, if Lilith wanted to keep this thing under wraps, she wouldn¡¯t be able to just waltz into a city and abduct all the members of Mai¡¯s flock. Going public would prompt Mai into doing the same, and that was something Lilith wasn¡¯t ready for yet. Not only would it cause mass panic among the populace, Lilith simply didn¡¯t have the firepower to handle it. So, it was best to let Mai believe everything was going to according to her plan. And, for the time being, everything was going according to her plan. Lilith didn¡¯t anticipate that state of things lasting for long, though; the members of the flock they detained were, perhaps, more key than Mai imagined they were. ¡°Emily, you¡¯re looking for ways to detect Mai¡¯s flock, right?¡± Lilith asked once Absent Alarm wore off. She could have done it while Absent Alarm was still going but running a meeting over telepathy wasn¡¯t something she was really interested in when she could just wait another minute or two and do it ¡°in-person¡±. ¡°That is correct, mistress.¡± Emily replied. ¡°Am I to assume you¡¯ve given me liberty to test on the prisoners?¡± Lilith nodded. ¡°Yes. In addition, Mae will be assisting you, and you¡¯re to make it your top priority to figure out a way to find out who¡¯s been brainwashed. Keep learning from Kali, but don¡¯t do your leveling. We can make up lost experience later.¡± Emily smiled. ¡°It would be my pleasure.¡± ¡°Nuwa, I need you to ramp up your observation of Mai. Whenever possible, I want you to be looking at her. We can hopefully glean more about who¡¯s been captured and how her ability works by doing so. If you get tired, let the rest of us know and we¡¯ll take over for you until you¡¯re ready again.¡± I was planning on doing that anyway. Nuwa confirmed. ¡°Judy, in your free time help Emily and Mae. Ideally by the time they¡¯ve got something we¡¯ll have a version we can cast via your swarm. That should let us do mass searches without causing panic.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Judy replied. ¡°Eve, Anna, Jameson, I need you to start being as vigilant as possible. In that time, you¡¯re taking it easy, I want you to be mobile, going on a patrol of the area so we can hopefully catch at least one or two kidnapping attempts. Also keep an eye out for the political landscape in town. I¡¯m assuming Judy will be doing that as well, but more perspectives never hurt, and you can probably get some information she can¡¯t if you¡¯re sneaky about it.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Eve said. ¡°Mama, I need you to get grandma and grandpa and bring them here. Not only for their safety, but to increase the number of people we can deploy if things get hairy. The rest of you, except for Raphi, I want to be prepared to scramble at any time, so keep training.¡± Raphi frowned. ¡°What¡¯s my place in this, then?¡± Lilith did some quick thinking and came up with a passable job. ¡°Logistics and supervision. I need you to take over all of Emily¡¯s maid duties, and I also need you to be in charge of making sure everyone¡¯s doing alright. If it looks like someone¡¯s pushing themself too hard then I need you to tell me. If there¡¯s some inefficiency in how things are working, I need you to tell me. Basically, you¡¯re the one in charge of making sure we can get our jobs done right.¡± Raphi lit up, seemingly not noticing that her position was made up on the fly. ¡°Can do!¡± ¡°Right. Any questions?¡± Lilith waited, and when no one spoke up, she dismissed them all to their various duties. ¡°Mae, what¡¯d you steal from Errus?¡± Let me show you.
Runner¡¯s High Level Max Rank: Legendary You may spend up to 100 Stamina per second to gain a percentage boost to your running speed equal to 10 times the Stamina spent per second, all while decreasing the perceived stress to your body. Actual feelings of pleasure not included. You have to earn those yourself.
It was just something to slow him down, so I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not the thing that would directly benefit us the most. Mae said apologetically. I assumed you would prefer to reduce the risk to the others rather than boosting our strength as much as possible. ¡°You assumed correctly.¡± Lilith confirmed. ¡°We can grab stuff like that later, it¡¯s not worth risking hurting people we love for. I¡¯m going to go pick the brains of our mentors, you go help Emily, alright?¡± Understood, mistress. So, Lilith made her way to the training dimension, activated the obelisk, and waited for her tutors. ¡°Ah, Lilith.¡± Raphael said. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± ¡°Fine now, I¡¯m sorry for not coming in sooner, I¡¯ve had a bit of a rough awakening.¡± Tiamat gave her a worried smile. ¡°So we¡¯ve noticed. If you would like, we could give a few pointers. I¡¯ve had a fight or two with Errus in my day, and I¡¯m sure the others have some useful advice.¡± ¡°I had a rather brief clash with Mai once or twice.¡± Raphael said. ¡°As have I.¡± Artemis added. ¡°I studied the both of them rather extensively.¡± Solomon said. ¡°I would be happy to share my results, although if Kali doesn¡¯t let me talk about what I found after I died then most of what I can tell you will already know from the books Emily found.¡± ¡°Alright, I can handle that. Nuwa, will you take care of convincing Kali to let that slide?¡± Nuwa was listening in on this conversation too; Lilith had been proud to find that, during her long sleep, Mae had figured out a way to get a decent amount of the dungeon¡¯s extra senses to her humanoid bodies, and Nuwa was able to get a reasonable analogue of the humanoid bodies¡¯ senses to her body. The main failing was that Mae wasn¡¯t able to get Nuwa¡¯s full dungeon-sight to humanoid bodies, and that the humanoid body sense to dungeon body sense conversion wasn¡¯t perfect, but Nuwa had assured her that, aside from a couple of small idiosyncrasies, it was unnoticeable. Got it. Mai and Errus aren¡¯t doing too much right now, so I should be able to spare enough of my attention to do that. ¡°Right. Arthur, Lancelot, you two have any experience with them?¡± ¡°Loaded question.¡± Arthur said darkly. ¡°She nearly usurped me, and were it not for Errus¡¯s interference, she would have succeeded. The country was a wreck for decades and I was still weeding out her plants by the time the war came about.¡± ¡°She¡¯s a real piece of work.¡± Lancelot agreed. ¡°She likes to pretend she knows what she¡¯s doing when it comes to ruling, but I¡¯m positive that her policies would quickly lead any group of appreciable size to ruin.¡± ¡°And I can almost guarantee that the world would stagnate under her leadership.¡± Kali said, coming in through the portal. ¡°But before you all go any further, I need to have a word with your teachers about what¡¯s acceptable to talk about and what¡¯s not.¡± She squeezed Lilith¡¯s shoulders gently and leaned in to give her a peck on the cheek. ¡°Mind stepping out for a bit? I need a bit of privacy.¡± Lilith turned back and pulled Kali in for another kiss, this time on the lips. ¡°Sure. Just come get me when you¡¯re done, OK?¡± ¡°Sure thing.¡± Lilith left so that Kali could have her girlfriend-teacher conference, teleporting back to the kitchen. She had been interrupted in the middle of lunch, and she figured that, if she wasn¡¯t doing anything else, finishing that off was just as viable an option as any. Mai might have made a move, but all that meant was that it was Lilith¡¯s turn now, and Mai had a much more limited view of the board than she thought she did. Chapter 69: Getting Ideas ¡°Alright, they¡¯re all yours. Thanks for waiting.¡± Kali told Lilith, grabbing her hand and giving it a squeeze. ¡°I¡¯ve been as lenient as I can without making things too easy for you. I know I¡¯ve said this before, but I¡¯m only doing this because I believe in you and want you to grow. I¡¯m not just making it hard on you for the sake of it.¡± She gave Lilith a quick kiss. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll leave you to it.¡± Lilith smiled, squeezing Kali¡¯s hand back. ¡°Thanks. Love you.¡± She slipped her hand out of Kali¡¯s and went back into the training dimension where her teachers were waiting for her. Though they mostly looked grim, there was an air of hope to them. Solomon in particular was smiling mischievously, not looking worried in the least. ¡°Good news.¡± She said. ¡°We¡¯ve been given a pretty liberal restriction. Basically, we just can¡¯t tell you who¡¯s been compromised by Mai or what her exact plans are. Other than that, we¡¯ve got free reign to help however we wish.¡± Lilith smiled. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. What have you got for me?¡± Arthur frowned. ¡°The biggest tip Lancelot and I have is to not let her find any way into your power structure, but you seem to have that covered. Still, if there¡¯s any doubt whatsoever, quarantine the person. It¡¯s just not worth the risk.¡± ¡°But that rigid control she has is also her weakness, I think.¡± Lancelot added. ¡°Once you take care of her, then the rest of her flock isn¡¯t an issue, they can be dealt with at your leisure. Even better, if you¡¯re able to somehow force Mai to rescind her orders, then the problem is immediately and totally dealt with.¡± ¡°More importantly, I can share all my findings with you.¡± Solomon interrupted. ¡°And I have quite a few.¡± She chanted a quick spell and a small notebook fell into her hands, which she flipped open. ¡°Right. So, I can¡¯t tell for sure without being able to be there in person to analyze the magic, but I¡¯m decently confident that she has no range on her conversion. She¡¯s got to be touching whoever she wants to convert. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen her do any sort of ranged conversion in the time I¡¯ve been watching her, and I¡¯ve been watching her for quite a while. But she seems to have taken this into account and given herself lots of ways to extend her reach. For most people, it takes less than a second to be fully converted, so she¡¯ll just tag them and it¡¯s over. ¡°Errus excluded, the longest I¡¯ve seen anyone hold out was around ten seconds. For Errus, she had to jump through a bunch of hoops to shut down his defenses, and then, from what I could tell, she used some sort of Skill that sacrificed her own defenses to massively boost the efficacy of her conversion Skill. The prep took a few weeks, but when it came time to actually do it, Errus only lasted a couple of seconds. He turned into a child both physically and mentally, after which she re-raised him, bringing him around to her own point of view.¡± Lilith frowned. ¡°Nasty stuff. What measures would you take to prevent that?¡± Solomon shrugged. ¡°Don¡¯t let her touch you, really. Not unless you¡¯re someone with crazy resistances or are a Perfect Chimera or something. I mean, it can¡¯t do anything to you, but the others aren¡¯t so lucky.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let her know you¡¯re immune.¡± Artemis chimed in. ¡°Surprise is a good tool for you.¡± An idea hit Lilith, and she gave Solomon a thoughtful look. ¡°You said she lowered her own defenses during Errus¡¯s conversion, right? Which kind of defenses?¡± ¡°Mental and physical both.¡± ¡°How did Errus gain his defenses back? Did he have to do it over time, or did she just immediately give them back once he was converted?¡± ¡°It was immediately.¡± Solomon confirmed. ¡°Are you thinking about reflecting her spell back on her? I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s the greatest idea. She¡¯s able to convert magic to her side too, as Eve¡¯s fight showed. I¡¯m not sure why she can do that at a distance, but I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll find out sooner or later. What I¡¯m getting at is that reflection spells probably won¡¯t work.¡± Lilith flashed her a smile. ¡°And there¡¯s the beauty of it. It¡¯s not a spell. It¡¯s eldritch in origin, while Mai¡¯s Skill should only be able to affect magic. As long as I can output more Mana than her, I can beat her. I just have to get her thinking she¡¯s in a situation where she can use it on me.¡± Solomon thought that over. ¡°You¡¯re¡­right, I think. I¡¯ll have to check to be sure.¡± Lilith turned to Raphael, Oberon, and Tiamat. ¡°Do you three have any ideas about how to trick her into thinking that she¡¯ll be able to? Preferably a way that doesn¡¯t involve sending over the spare avatar and letting her tinker on it for a few weeks.¡± ¡°U-um, you could¡­maybe hide your Skills from her? Some of them but not all of them. Enough to make her think it¡¯ll work.¡± Oberon suggested. ¡°I don¡¯t know how you¡¯d make that look natural, though, it¡¯s not my specialty.¡± Lilith gave him an understanding smile. ¡°Of course, that¡¯s plenty. I¡¯m sure Solomon, as the academic here, would be able to come up with something.¡± ¡°Sure can.¡± Solomon replied. ¡°I enjoy that kind of mental exercise.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Tiamat said. ¡°We just need to lure her into a confrontation. Should be easy if you run into her, as she thinks there¡¯s nothing you can do to stop her in a fight. Problem is getting her to come out now that her people are in position.¡± ¡°Seems simple enough.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°Just get them out of position. Problem solved.¡± ¡°You still have to find them.¡± Raphael warned. ¡°Do you have an idea?¡± Lilith nodded. ¡°I¡¯m going to establish a semi-permanent dungeon in this plane. And, given everyone¡¯s been cleared to help if they don¡¯t directly reveal who¡¯s been compromised, that means it¡¯s totally fine to have Solomon help our research time, right?¡± Solomon grinned. ¡°Sure is.¡± ¡°Good. Do you have any way to change your appearance up? I don¡¯t want Mai to realize something¡¯s going on on the off chance she can both see through her flock and knows what you look like.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s pretty easy.¡± ¡°Perfect. The rest of you are more than welcome to help, so long as you change your appearances as well.¡± ¡°Are you sure you should be using that much Worship?¡± Tiamat asked. ¡°It¡¯s fine so long as only one or two of you are out at a time.¡± Lilith said. ¡°My income¡¯s gone up a fair bit these past few years. But, before I go get that set up, I¡¯d like to hear every detail you remember about each of your fights with Mai and Errus. And, Solomon, if you could compile your notes on the two of them and give them to me to look over later, that would be great.¡± Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
By the time Lilith finished with her teachers, Siph had gotten Tiamat and Kirdin to come to the dungeon. ¡°Hi, dear.¡± Tiamat said. ¡°We haven¡¯t talked in a while, how have you been?¡± ¡°Good, Grandma.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°How about yourself?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been great!¡± She said happily. ¡°I¡¯ve gotten to meet all sorts of new people, and it¡¯s been a really new experience! It¡¯s nice to have people not constantly living in fear of you because you¡¯re stronger than them. Society¡¯s really evolved since we lost contact.¡± ¡°And you, Grandpa?¡± ¡°Fine, I guess.¡± Kirdin replied. ¡°It hasn¡¯t been all bad.¡± ¡°Says the man who spends most of his day in front of the television.¡± Tiamat teased. ¡°Hey, I still get us our food!¡± Kirdin protested. ¡°I make sure to finish my work first, and it¡¯s better than just sleeping all day.¡± Lilith smiled. ¡°Well, it¡¯s nice to hear that you two have been doing well. Sorry about forcing this on you, I just couldn¡¯t risk anything happening.¡± Tiamat patted Lilith¡¯s arm. ¡°I understand, dear. Are you sure you don¡¯t want to check over us first and make sure nothing¡¯s happened?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, Grandma. Judy¡¯s kept an eye on you with her swarm, so I know you¡¯re clean. And I know Mai didn¡¯t get at you before because you would have been in her compound, so I¡¯m not worried. Still, if it makes you feel any better, I can keep you out of any vital meetings until we properly develop a way to test for infection.¡± ¡°That would be for the best.¡± Tiamat replied. ¡°I don¡¯t want us to draw any suspicion whatsoever, and it¡¯s not too important if you just tell me what to do. You all are smart; you can figure out what to do without the two of us old-timers.¡± ¡°I appreciate the thought, Grandma.¡± Lilith said. ¡°Do you feel the same, Grandpa?¡± ¡°I suppose. Well, I¡¯m going to the training rooms, you two can catch up or whatever.¡± Kirdin split off from Tiamat and went towards the teleports. ¡°I¡¯ll see you two later.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine, honey.¡± Tiamat said, then turned back to Lilith. ¡°I must say, though. I was rather shocked when Siph told me the news about you. I¡­met the you from before once or twice. I never would have imagined you were her reincarnation.¡± Lilith scratched the back of her neck. ¡°It was news to me too. Um¡­how was I?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t have any long interactions with her, but she was...nice. Definitely didn¡¯t deserve the reputation she got. She certainly wasn¡¯t a killer flirt or anything like that. She definitely seemed like she could turn the flirt switch on if she wanted to, but also like she knew better.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­good to hear, I think. I¡¯ll be honest, I¡¯m not totally sure how to feel about having a past life like that. It¡¯s something that I think a lot of people would really like to hear, that they used to be someone important, but¡­it¡¯s also baggage in a way. Like¡­now if people know I have to worry about what they thought of the other me. That¡¯s mostly not an issue because just my family and people who generally liked the other me know, but¡­¡± She trailed off. Tiamat gave her a conciliatory pat on the shoulder. ¡°You grew up with the other you portrayed as the bad guy a lot of the time, right?¡± Lilith nodded. ¡°And here I am, using her name and face¡­I have to wonder if any gripes people have with the other me don¡¯t apply to the current me. People are saying I¡¯m mostly the same, so¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with that, dear. Anyone in any sort of spotlight will receive negative press. It¡¯s just the nature of the world. What the old you was like doesn¡¯t matter. It¡¯s only what you do now that counts, OK? Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Tiamat leaned in to give Lilith a hug. ¡°As far as I¡¯m concerned, you¡¯re doing a great job.¡± Lilith smiled, returning the hug. ¡°Thanks, Grandma.¡±
Alex was in her room preparing for bed when she heard a knock. ¡°Come in!¡± The door opened, and Raphi walked in, then carefully shut the door behind her. ¡°Um, mom, I think we need to talk.¡± Alex frowned, then sat down on the bed and patted the spot next to her. ¡°What is it, sweetie?¡± Raphi sat down. ¡°It¡¯s about you. Um¡­¡± Alex waited patiently, even as a knot formed in her stomach. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve been watching you carefully ever since Lilith woke up.¡± Raphi said slowly. ¡°I¡­think it¡¯s time you start making moves.¡± Alex stared at her daughter blankly for a moment before recovering. ¡°What makes you say that?¡± She said as neutrally as she could. ¡°Um¡­Well, you just don¡¯t seem as¡­lively as you have been. Like you¡¯re holding yourself back. I think you should stop ignoring your feelings. I feel like you¡¯re just scared to say how you feel, just like I was with grandma before everyone helped me. I think that even if it doesn¡¯t work out, you¡¯ll feel better.¡± ¡°But, it¡¯s so soon after she woke up again, I really don¡¯t feel like it¡¯s the right time for it.¡± Alex protested. ¡°We should just wait a year or two for her to settle down and get comfortable.¡± Raphi shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s an excuse, mom. You and I both know that Lilith¡¯s doing perfectly fine, better than ever, even. She¡¯s fully synched up with the Parallel¡¯s memories by now, and there have been no bad signs that I could see. At the very least, go get Kali¡¯s blessing or something. It worries me to see you down like this.¡± Alex sighed. ¡°Alright, sweetie. I¡¯ll do it tomorrow morning, alright? It¡¯s too late to do it tonight.¡± Raphi nodded. ¡°That¡¯s good, mom.¡± She leaned in, giving Alex a kiss on the cheek. ¡°Love you.¡± Alex smiled, rustling up Raphi¡¯s hair. ¡°Love you too. Now go to bed, alright?¡± ¡°Yes, mom.¡± Raphi said, getting up and leaving the room. Alex collapsed backwards onto the bed. Raphi had been right, she was scared. She had never had time for a serious relationship before, and she was afraid of what might happen. She had been on a few dates before, but not in ages. She just¡­didn¡¯t want to get rejected. That was normal, right? The rest of her bedtime prep was spent worrying, but nonetheless she was able to get to sleep relatively quickly. The next day after breakfast, she made her way to Kali¡¯s room. After knocking and being admitted, she nervously began to speak. ¡°Um, I¡­don¡¯t really know how to say this, but¡­I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯m in love with Lilith.¡± Kali smiled. ¡°I know. I suppose this means you¡¯re finally going to do something about it?¡± Alex twirled her tail in her fingers. ¡°Yeah, um¡­I just wanted to make sure everything was fine with you before I did anything. I mean, it¡¯d be rude to just go for it without you knowing or anything.¡± Kali laughed. ¡°That¡¯s true. I¡¯m not opposed to the idea, but there are some conditions to it. The first is, of course, that Lilith is also fine with having the relationship expand to include you. If she¡¯s not amenable to ceasing monogamy, then I¡¯m not going to support you either. The second is that you and I have to go on some dates and get to know each other better. If the two of us don¡¯t click, then it¡¯s not happening. It¡¯s not good if we¡¯re both dating Lilith but don¡¯t like each other. That¡¯ll only end badly for all of us.¡± Alex nodded. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine with that.¡± Kali smiled once again. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m calling in Lilith now, we¡¯re going to talk, OK?¡± Alex stiffened. ¡°Uh, we¡¯re not¡­going to wait?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no point putting it off. You¡¯ll feel way better once you just get it over with, and it¡¯ll go smoother if I¡¯m there too.¡± Kali replied. ¡°No backing down now, I¡¯ve already called her over.¡± Alex looked around nervously, but Kali just guided her to a seat and sat her down. ¡°She¡¯ll be here in a minute or two, K? I¡¯m going to go grab drinks for us, you want anything?¡± ¡°Um, just water I guess.¡± Alex replied. ¡°Got it.¡± Kali left and returned a short time later with a glass of water and two cans of soda. She gave the water to Alex and cracked open a soda for herself, sitting in a chair next to Alex. Lilith came in less than a minute later. As she came through the door, Kali threw her the soda, and Lilith caught it. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Lilith asked. Kali nudged Alex. ¡°Your turn.¡± She said. Alex put down her glass of water and hesitantly stood up. ¡°Um¡­I wanted to ask you out on a date.¡± She said, blushing furiously. ¡°I made sure Kali was fine with it, so I just¡­I dunno. Just figured I¡¯d better come out and say it instead of letting it stew. Not asking you to break off your relationship with Kali,¡± she added hurriedly. ¡°Just¡­in addition.¡± Lilith thought about that for a while. ¡°I suppose I¡¯m amenable, provided you¡¯re willing to meet a few conditions. First, if at any point Kali becomes uncomfortable with this, or if you don¡¯t like her, we stop. No matter what the two of us might feel, it¡¯s just not healthy to be in a three-person relationship if we all don¡¯t love each other. The other is that you have to go on a date with Kali alone, and that you go on a date with all three of us there.¡± Alex couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°What?¡± Lilith asked curiously. ¡°Did I say something funny?¡± Alex shook her head. ¡°No, it¡¯s just that Kali said basically the same thing. I thought it was sort of funny.¡± Lilith smiled. ¡°Well, I think that just means we both have our priorities straight. Does this Saturday work for you?¡± Alex swallowed, then nodded. ¡°Yeah, it works.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s a date!¡± Lilith proclaimed. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you to plan it out, I have to get back to work now. Feel free to ask Kali for tips if you want.¡± Lilith winked, and walked out. Kali smirked. ¡°That wasn¡¯t too bad, was it?¡± Alex hesitantly shook her head. ¡°I suppose not.¡± ¡°Good. Now, here¡¯s the first thing you should know¡­¡± Chapter 70: Sudden Conflict We¡¯re going to have to postpone the date. Nuwa told Lilith the next day. Mai¡¯s got a plan brewing, and she¡¯s planning to launch it Saturday. Fortunately, she¡¯s not aware that reading minds over scrying is a thing, so I was able to listen in. She apparently has had a couple of Council members under her control for a while, namely Enna and Baern. And, now that the members that are replacing Elenoa and Kali are officially sworn in and her infiltration of the cities is underway, she¡¯s planning to come in and take over the Council in one fell swoop, with no one being the wiser. Lilith frowned, firing a shot from her arm cannon, and killing a monster that just spawned in. Red, I¡¯m leaving early. I have some problems to take care of.
Your dungeon is under attack? Can watch your defense?
No, it¡¯s not my dungeon. Lilith told Red. Even if it was, I wouldn¡¯t let you watch. I¡¯ve already told you that it¡¯s dangerous to reveal all your secrets.
Could restrict your access to monsters.
Lilith glared at the wall. I could decide to stop helping you and start hunting for your core. I¡¯m always in need of another core or two.
Need me for levels. Can¡¯t afford to lose me.
I can find another dungeon and just use wild monsters for the month or so I really need it. You¡¯re not irreplaceable, Red. I can find other options, you can¡¯t find another life. Don¡¯t think you can threaten me. There was a long pause before Red replied.
Understood. Will not ask again.
If you would like to have one of my monsters become your Dungeon Master, I would be willing to show you and help you even more. Lilith offered. Think about it. There was yet another long pause.
Will consider it.
With that, Lilith teleported out of the dungeon and back to her own. She immediately began to make her way towards the teleporter to the dungeon outpost on the training plane, while giving instructions along the way. Nuwa, I need you to focus the dungeon on producing Mana in a form we can take out at a moment¡¯s notice. I don¡¯t care the method or how efficient the conversion is, we just need a big lump we can take out all at once if we want to reflect Mai¡¯s attack. On it. At the research outpost she found Judy, Emily, Solomon, and Mae all busily analyzing one of Mai¡¯s flock. The flock member was trapped in their own room, separated from the four by a one way mirror that had been treated with a combination of dungeon tech and eldritch knowledge to let it be one way for magic as well; people outside could probe in, but no one from inside could probe out. ¡°How much progress have you all made?¡± Lilith asked. ¡°Quite a bit, actually.¡± Solomon said. ¡°I¡¯m expecting to have a preliminary detector up tonight, and one we can cast via Judy¡¯s swarm by morning.¡± Lilith nodded. ¡°Good, we need it. Mai¡¯s going to be making a big move on Saturday, and I want her to feel as pressured as possible by then. Once you¡¯re finished here, I want Judy to find as many flock members as she can, Mae and Solomon to puzzle out an ability list that¡¯ll make me look as attractive a target as possible, and Emily to take a nap.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Emily protested. ¡°I¡¯ve helped with the spell too, I can help make sure everything goes well with Judy.¡± Lilith raised an eyebrow, taking in the bags under the girl¡¯s eyes and her overall disheveled appearance. ¡°Those three are past the point of requiring sleep to function. You¡¯re not. You¡¯re free to finish up the spell with them, but I fully expect you to get at least ten hours of sleep after. You look like you didn¡¯t get nearly enough last night.¡± Emily looked like she was going to complain some more, but a huge yawn stopped her. ¡°That¡¯s what I thought.¡± Lilith shot a glance at the adults. ¡°If you three feel she¡¯s pushing herself too hard, force her to take a break.¡± Yes, mistress. Mae replied. ¡°Alright. Judy, when you find someone, teleport them away if they¡¯re somewhere the disappearance won¡¯t be noticed, otherwise notify me and I¡¯ll determine who¡¯s a priority target.¡± Judy nodded. ¡°Will do.¡± Lilith left them to it, moving out to the general-use part of the training dimension while she contacted Eve. Eve, Nuwa¡¯s told you the news, right? Yeah. Eve replied. What do you want us to do? I need you all to take a half-week break and do your training here. Eve, I know you¡¯ve worked a bit with Elenoa¡¯s sword, but I need you to take this time to familiarize yourself with it more. Yeah, it¡¯s not the most comfortable to wield, but we need every edge we can get for this fight. Yeah, I was thinking it¡¯d be something like that. We¡¯ll pack up and be back in about an hour. Good. See you then. Lilith turned her attention away from Eve, summoning her tutors. ¡°I trust you all know why I called you here?¡± She asked. ¡°Sure do.¡± Tiamat said, smacking a fist into her palm. ¡°We¡¯ll get you ready in no time.¡± ¡°Excellent. We don¡¯t have much time anyway, so that fits the schedule.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Arthur said. ¡°Those of you with experience fighting Mai, group up with me and Lancelot. If you¡¯ve got experience with Errus, form another group. Those with both¡­pick one, I guess. We¡¯ll figure it out.¡±
Mai growled in frustration, slamming a fist down on her table. Somehow, in less than a week of having prisoners, Lilith had managed to figure out how to detect members of her flock. In the short time Judy was a member of her flock, she had assured Mai that Kali gave no unfair insider information to Lilith, even when attempts were directly made on her life, and Kali had left her be for millennia, so she was inclined to think that wasn¡¯t the case. She couldn¡¯t outright dismiss it, but it was unlikely. But she also highly doubted Lilith had the expertise necessary to discover a loophole herself. The last person who had even been close had been Solomon herself, and Mai had made sure she was taken care of in a discrete manner. Then again¡­Lilith had somehow taken out Errus in their little confrontation over Judy. Likely through use of that sword her flock had been talking so much about. Still, she was confident that, despite her tricks, she simply couldn¡¯t win out over the raw firepower Mai had, so long as Mai acted fast enough to prevent her from getting stronger. Fortunately, all she really had to do was take over the Council to deal the finishing blow, and that would be done within the day. Even she didn¡¯t have a method to remove her control, having decided that it was pointless to look for one, and the entire Council couldn¡¯t disappear without causing a mass panic, so she would be firmly entrenched in the politics of this new world. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. She let out a deep breath, calming herself. The girl was a temporary problem and would see things her way soon enough. Mai would likely have to deal with Kali after that, but she seemed incredibly reluctant to do anything without someone to do it for her, and she couldn¡¯t whip up another powerful person fast enough to stop what Mai was planning. After Lilith would, of course, be the other Perfect Chimeras. The five of them together would be an unstoppable force, and her long-held dreams would finally come to fruition. But she was getting ahead of herself. She had to see tomorrow through first. Or¡­perhaps not. It would have been convenient to wait until the Council was meeting anyway, but that wasn¡¯t strictly necessary, now that she was thinking about it. She sent out a mental message, her last safe avenue of communication now that Lilith was always watching her. Errus, what are you doing? I¡¯m just preparing, mother. Why do you ask? We¡¯re moving up the plan to tonight. Have Enna call an emergency meeting of the Council, will you? At once, mother. Might as well get it over with. No use procrastinating, right?
Lilith groaned. Of course Mai¡¯s plan had been moved to the middle of the night. Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t a complete blindside like Mai had been hoping, so she had her own time to prepare while the Council got ready for their emergency meeting. Eve was woken and was getting ready to safely wield the sword. That mostly meant lots of clothing to prevent accidentally touching it in any way, but between getting in the spare avatar to prevent being seen as herself and making sure her covering was complete, that still took a fair amount of time. Nuwa was working on activating their Mana source, a sort of¡­furnace that was able to burn Mana-laden substances, providing them with a blast of quick Mana at the expense of being much, much more inefficient than processing whatever was burned in a more normal fashion. She had basically set up a huge funnel below their main Mana Battery lake, and she would flood a bunch of these ¡®furnaces¡¯ with Mana Battery. It was hideously wasteful (only getting less than 1/100th of the actual Mana contained therein), but they couldn¡¯t really afford to care about it, not when they had tens of millions of Mana stored up. And, finally, Mae was making the modifications to their Status that she and Solomon had decided would make them look best. Or worst, or¡­whatever it was. So, when Eve was ready, she teleported them inside of the Council building. Yamato had been kind enough to give her the code to thwart the building¡¯s anti-teleportation barrier after the incident with Elenoa, so it wasn¡¯t difficult to get in. Baern and Enna were already inside, though Mai and Errus were still at their home base. The Council seemed to just be waiting on Gabriel to begin the meeting, so Lilith and Eve found a good hiding spot, tucked themselves away, and waited for Mai to spring her trap. Predictably, it happened only a short time after Gabriel showed up. Enna had begun the meeting when Mai and Errus suddenly materialized behind her. ¡°Hello everyone!¡± Mai said warmly. ¡°It¡¯s been a loooooong time since I¡¯ve seen some of you people. I¡¯ve come to inform you that you have the great honor of bettering the world in a real way by joining my flock.¡± She smirked as some of the Council members started casting magic. ¡°Oh, come now, surely you can¡¯t have forgotten that magic is useless around me, right? It¡¯s pointless to resist, so just stop and accept your fate like good kids, kay? I do so hate to damage my children, but your brother Errus doesn¡¯t have the same hang-ups I do, and he¡¯s always been a little¡­rebellious.¡± Lilith and Eve chose this moment to make their entrance, Eve going straight for Errus with the sword while Lilith fired shots at Mai. ¡°Oh, there you are darlings.¡± Mai said calmly. Errus was deftly dodging each of Eve¡¯s strikes and occasionally counterattacking with a quick but powerful spell. ¡°I was wondering when you¡¯d show up.¡± ¡°This ends here, Mai.¡± Lilith said, playing up her body language as best as possible to convince Mai she was being serious. ¡°I¡¯m going to take you out here and now. I wanted to be discreet about it, but if you¡¯re going to expose yourself in front of world leaders like this, then so am I.¡± Mai laughed. ¡°So dramatic. Please, child, you and I both know that you¡¯re not a match for me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what you think.¡± Lilith snarled, stacking gun Skills and firing off a few of her biggest shots in rapid successions. It took a large chunk out of her Stamina, but Lilith wasn¡¯t worried about running out. She was aiming to run out. The Councilors were working to escape, but it wasn¡¯t looking good. Enna was easily the best combatant among them, having remained semi-active in the military while defending Haven, and the exit was between them, Mai, and Errus, so Lilith didn¡¯t really think they would be able to do much. And, slowly but surely, Errus was whittling Eve down. He almost looked like he was toying with her, always one step ahead, always just barely too fast to be hit. But neither of those were particularly consequential. Eve wasn¡¯t going to be able to beat Errus on her own and defeating both Errus and Mai was next to an impossibility. What was important here was the performance. Eve just had to last long enough for Lilith to convince Mai that Mai could convert Lilith on the spot. There was a gut-wrenching feeling that Lilith instinctively identified as Mai trying to steal one of her Skills with Envious Elevation. Lilith chose to let it happen; she¡¯d be getting it back soon enough, and it made selling the act to Mai that much easier. ¡°What did you do?!¡± She shouted. ¡°That was mine!¡± Mai laughed. ¡°Was, dear. It¡¯s not yours anymore. That being said, you¡¯re really trying your heart out, aren¡¯t you? I can appreciate the drive behind it, but I can¡¯t say it¡¯s a particularly intelligent choice. Oh well, I¡¯ll make sure to raise you better this time around.¡± She fired off a couple of powerful blasts of magic, which Lilith chose to let hit. They hurt, hurt bad, and immobilized her, but it was necessary if she wanted to make Mai let her guard down. And let her guard down she did. She strode towards Lilith, placing a hand on her forehead and beginning to chant an incantation. Nuwa began dumping as much Mana Battery into her furnaces as possible, and Lilith stored every last ounce of it in herself, as well as Mana received from both Eve and Mae. The sheer amount of Mana she was storing made her feel like her entire body was pulling itself apart at the seams, ready to burst at a moment¡¯s notice, but she kept herself together until Mai finished her chant, practically glowing as she shouted the final piece. ¡°Infantile Regression!¡± And, as Mai did, Lilith let the hundreds of thousands of Mana she was storing out into a single, reflective use of Zoan¡¯s Barrier. There was a blinding burst of light as an uncountable number of strange, impossible-looking shapes blinked into existence, each glowing fiercely with Mana. A sudden rush of sensation hit Lilith. Fatigue, pain, and something¡­else that she couldn¡¯t quite place. It was all slamming into her like the waters of a flood, and, like a flood carrying away debris, her consciousness went with it.
¡°-m.¡± Lilith caught the end of an unfamiliar voice¡¯s sentence as she woke. Lilith groaned, blinking as her vision came back into focus. Someone was shaking her, someone small. ¡°Mom, are you awake?¡± The voice asked. Lilith waved away the windows that were completely covering her vision. There hadn¡¯t even been a sliver of free space from the sheer amount and size of them. In front of her, there was a small girl, roughly six to seven years old. She¡­looked like a miniature Lilith. Long black hair, blue eyes, angel wings and a devil tail. The girl lit up in a smile when she saw Lilith looking at her, then she rushed in to give Lilith a hug. ¡°Yay! You¡¯re up!¡± ¡°Mai?¡± Lilith asked hesitantly. Mai nodded vigorously. ¡°Yup! Thanks, mom! I don¡¯t remember things the best, but I was being a bad girl and you stopped me, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, um, you look¡­different.¡± Mai beamed. ¡°I wanted to match with you!¡± Well, the plan had worked, it seemed. Lilith sat up, looking around her. She was lying on a bed, and Eve was lying on one next to her, though she didn¡¯t seem to be awake quite yet. Even more strangely, there was another girl that looked nearly identical to Mai standing beside Eve. ¡°Who¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s Aria! I wanted a twin, so I fixed her up like you fixed me up!¡± Mai said proudly. ¡°Um¡­¡± Aria said meekly. ¡°I don¡¯t think they know me as Aria.¡± ¡°Oh, right!¡± Mai said cheerily. ¡°She was that grumpy old guy, Errus.¡± ¡°Did you¡­¡®fix¡¯ anyone else?¡± Lilith asked, a pit growing in her stomach. ¡°Of course!¡± Mai beamed. ¡°Just¡­not as much. I only want one twin, so everyone else is just sort of like an older sibling. Come on, let¡¯s wake mommy up, then we¡¯ll go say hi! They¡¯ve been waiting!¡± ¡°Mommy? Oh, Eve. Um, right, sure.¡± She gently nudged Eve awake. ¡°Time to get up.¡± She was greeted by some grumbling from Eve. On the other side of the bed, Aria wasn¡¯t saying anything, and her expression didn¡¯t change, but her tail had begun wagging furiously. It honestly looked kind of silly, given that it wasn¡¯t a tail particularly well-suited for wagging, but she was trying her hardest to make it work. Eve yawned hugely, sitting up. ¡°What happened?¡± She opened her eyes, looked around the room, then at Lilith. ¡°Um¡­¡± Lilith shared her memories of the past minute or so with Eve. ¡°Oh. Um, hi?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, mommy.¡± Aria said sadly. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have hurt you. I tried fixing you, are you still hurting?¡± Eve, taking aback, shook her head. ¡°No?¡± Aria smiled slightly, her expression changing for the first time since Lilith had woken up. ¡°Good.¡± Lilith cleared her throat, still somewhat bewildered by the road Mai had taken things while she was out. ¡°Let¡¯s go say hi, I guess.¡± ¡°Yes, mom!¡± Mai cheered. ¡°Yes, mom.¡± Aria echoed. Lilith and Eve shared a look. The plan had worked, but¡­what had happened while they were out? Hopefully it was nothing too crazy, and nothing irreversible if it was, but there was only one way to find out. Chapter 71: Settling Down
Fortunately, it looked like Mai didn¡¯t do anything too crazy. The Council members were, at the least, their correct ages. ¡°How are you all?¡± Lilith asked tentatively. ¡°Excellent, mother.¡± Tunem replied. ¡°Don¡¯t call me that.¡± Lilith said flatly. ¡°What would you like us to call you, then?¡± He asked. ¡°High Arbiter, Lilith, whatever. Just not mother or anything like that.¡± She replied. ¡°What happened while I was out?¡± ¡°Our little sister here showed us the way.¡± Yamato informed her. ¡°We were panicking, so she calmed us.¡± Lilith sighed. ¡°Mai, from now on no showing people the way or fixing them or whatever you want to call it without asking me first.¡± ¡°Yes, mom.¡± Mai said obediently. ¡°Um¡­can we still call you mom?¡± Aria asked shyly. Lilith thought that over for a moment. The girls were¡­well, they looked and acted like children. It wasn¡¯t nearly as weird feeling as having grown adults call her that. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s fine.¡± Aria smiled. ¡°Thanks.¡± Lilith turned back to the Council. ¡°You all are to keep running things as you did before, alright? Not so much as a hint of what¡¯s gone down tonight is to get out.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± The Council members chorused. ¡°You all are dismissed, then. Go back to whatever you were doing before.¡± Lilith instructed. The Council members meandered out, leaving just the Perfect Chimeras in the room. ¡°Is it alright to just¡­leave them like that?¡± Eve asked. ¡°I don¡¯t see why not.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°It¡¯s not like we¡¯re going to be constantly giving them orders or trying to rule via proxy. Having total control could come in handy down the line. The more important question is what we¡¯re going to do with these two.¡± She said, motioning at Mai and Aria. ¡°Um, if¡­it¡¯s alright with you, mom, we want in on your Skill.¡± Aria mumbled. ¡°The family one.¡±
Mai and Aria are requesting access to Familial Bond as daughters of Lilith Clements. Accept?
Lilith mulled that one over for a bit. She had been planning to raise Mai at least a little, but this would be a hard commitment to raising them both until they were actually of age. Everyone, thoughts? Lilith asked her Parallels. Well, this will almost guarantee they won¡¯t end up trying to betray us or something, even more than Mai¡¯s magic already has. Nuwa said. It seems most efficient to me. Mae concurred. I¡­guess it¡¯s fine. We can manage. Eve admitted. Nuwa, everyone at home is watching somehow, right? What do they think? Yeah, Kali¡¯s helping them scry us through the building¡¯s wards. Um¡­seems like they¡¯re generally alright with it. There¡¯s a bit of trepidation, but everyone agrees their threat is mostly mitigated now that we¡¯ve got all of their Skills too. And Kali¡¯s saying that, even after their mental reset wears off a few decades down the line, they won¡¯t bear any ill will towards us if we treat them right. She also says that she thinks we¡¯ll be able to rehabilitate them. Mai was able to convert Errus to her side when he was one of her staunchest opponents, so¡­ Lilith nodded. ¡°Alright, I got permission from the rest of the family, they say you two are allowed in.¡± Lilith officially let them into the Skill, and the girls¡¯ faces broke into smiles, Mai¡¯s huge and Aria¡¯s slight. ¡°Thanks, mom, I love you!¡± Mai said, giving Lilith a big hug. There was a brief moment of dissonance as Lilith began to feel things she had never felt before. A sort of¡­protectiveness, an intense love, and a deep-seated conviction that these two little kids were the cutest things in existence all wrapped up into one. Lilith picked Mai up. ¡°Love you too, sweetie.¡± Aria looked away shyly. ¡°Um¡­¡± Eve picked her up. ¡°You too, munchkin.¡± ¡°Alright, we¡¯re going to take you two home, and then we¡¯re going to talk a bit about things, OK?¡± Mai hugged Lilith even tighter, nodding happily. ¡°Mhm.¡± They teleported back into the dungeon and made their way to where everyone was waiting. ¡°Hey everyone, we¡¯re back. Um, plus two I guess.¡± Mai waved. ¡°Hi, um¡­¡± She squirmed around until Lilith let her down and ran over to Judy. ¡°Aunt Judy, I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have tried to take you away from your family like I did. Will you forgive me?¡± Judy nodded. ¡°So long as you never do it again.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± Mai promised. ¡°Mai, Aria, over here!¡± Jessica called. ¡°Come say hi to your grandparents!¡± Mai happily walked the few steps over, but Aria buried her face in Eve¡¯s chest. Eve put her down and gently shooed her towards her new grandparents. But, as she was hesitantly moving over, she was intercepted by Tiamat and Kirdin, who scooped her up and began doting on her. While they got to know each other more, Lilith talked with the other people living in the dungeon. Alex was eying the children warily. ¡°I can¡¯t help but feel a sense of dissonance about this whole thing.¡± She admitted. ¡°Knowing who they are, and that they were in the middle of trying to take over the world not an hour ago really ruins things.¡± Lilith shrugged. ¡°Call it a combination of karmic justice and a rehabilitation program. It¡¯ll take some time for everyone else to get used to it, but it¡¯s for the best.¡± ¡°If you say so.¡± Alex replied. ¡°But I¡¯m going to keep an eye on them just in case.¡± Lilith nodded. ¡°That¡¯s reasonable. Emily, Raphi, would you mind watching them if I¡¯m busy? I imagine Nuwa will be able to take care of them most of the time, but if all four of us happen to be doing something and they need help, I would appreciate it if you could take care of it.¡± This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Of course, mistress.¡± Emily replied. Raphi smiled hugely. ¡°I¡¯d be happy to!¡± Lilith turned back to Alex. ¡°That aside¡­do you want to have your dad deprogrammed? I¡¯m more than willing to have him be the only one on the Council not compromised if it makes you feel more comfortable.¡± Alex frowned. ¡°I¡­don¡¯t know. Give me a couple hours to think on it.¡± ¡°Just let me know.¡± Lilith said. ¡°Kali, would you be willing to do the actual work of removing the control? I mean, I¡¯m sure we can figure something out with Mai¡¯s help if you think that¡¯d be better, but this just seems fastest.¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s not a problem.¡± Kali confirmed. ¡°I can leave him none the wiser for the whole ordeal.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Alex said. ¡°I¡¯ll decide before morning.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t feel rushed.¡± Lilith soothed. ¡°It¡¯s not something you have to decide right away. Give it some more time, it¡¯s a big thing to just decide all of a sudden. And honestly, I really don¡¯t care what you pick. In the long run, it doesn¡¯t really matter that much.¡± ¡°So¡­what now?¡± Anna asked hesitantly. ¡°What do we do with Mai¡¯s flock?¡± Lilith shrugged. ¡°Just going to have them live however they want. I¡¯ll work up some backstory in case they meet people they knew from before they vanished, but otherwise I think it¡¯s high time they were put back in charge of their lives.¡± ¡°Not going to deprogram them?¡± Jameson asked. ¡°No point, really. I really don¡¯t want the whole Mai thing getting out, and if we wanted to completely wipe their minds, the flock¡¯s been gone for so long that finding any sort of reasonable excuse for themselves or others would be nearly impossible. I¡¯m not planning on making any use of them, so it¡¯s just really not worth the effort to undo Mai¡¯s control.¡± ¡°I guess.¡± Jameson admitted. ¡°I just feel bad for them, you know?¡± Lilith nodded. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a bad situation, and I don¡¯t think there are any good options. I think this is the easiest for everyone involved. Maybe we¡¯ll re-evaluate it in the future, I¡¯m not sure.¡± ¡°Mom!¡± Mai called, running back over to Lilith. ¡°Where are we going to sleep? Can we have a bunk bed?¡± ¡°Yeah, we can get you two a bunk bed, no problem.¡± Lilith replied, picking her daughter up. ¡°I think we should come back to this in the morning. It¡¯s late, and it¡¯s probably best that we make decisions with clearer heads.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Alex said, raising an eyebrow. ¡°Yeah. This all can wait until morning, it¡¯s not going anywhere.¡± ¡°Alright, if you insist.¡± I¡¯ve got a bed for them, they¡¯re sleeping in the room next to Lilith¡¯s, the one that used to be Carmen¡¯s. Nuwa said. Eve was already on her way back with a relieved-looking Aria. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m tired. It¡¯s been a long few hours. I¡¯ll take these two to bed, get changed back to my regular body, then head to bed.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not your normal body, mom?¡± Aria asked curiously. ¡°What is, then?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll show you two in the morning.¡± Eve said. ¡°For now, we really need to get you to bed.¡± ¡°Yes, mom.¡± Lilith let Mai down, and gently pushed her towards Eve. ¡°Go with your mom.¡± ¡°Yes, mommy!¡± Mai ran to Eve and Aria, grabbing Eve¡¯s hand and letting herself be led away. ¡°Alright, everyone meet back here at noon.¡± Lilith instructed. ¡°We can have a better discussion then.¡± After everyone acknowledged that, Lilith bade them good night, then left to go help Eve. Mistress, I believe we should introduce them to Nuwa and I. Mae said as they walked. I¡¯m not sure they know about us. ¡°Oh, right. Girls, did Judy tell you about Nuwa and Mae?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± Mai said cheerfully. ¡°Mama and I have matching names and that makes me happy!¡± ¡°And mother¡¯s the one making our bunk beds, right?¡± Aria asked. That¡¯s right. Nuwa replied. I¡¯m always listening, so just give me a shout if you need anything. And I¡¯m always with your mom. Mae confirmed. I don¡¯t talk much, but I¡¯m always willing to talk with you two if you want, just let me know.
The next morning, a couple of hours before everyone was due to gather, Lilith and Eve went to go question their daughters. She gently opened the door to their room, then called out to them. ¡°You two, it¡¯s time to get up.¡± She said, watching as the lumps under the covers began to stir. Mai sat up, yawning. ¡°Good morning, mom, what time is it?¡± ¡°Just after ten.¡± Lilith replied. Mai hopped down from the top bunk, gave Lilith a hug, then froze when she saw Eve. ¡°Who are you?¡± She asked, frowning. ¡°I didn¡¯t see you last night. Are you one of mom¡¯s friends?¡± ¡°You¡¯d think a kid would recognize her own mother, but I suppose I¡¯ll let it slide in this case. I do look quite different, after all.¡± Eve replied dryly, giving a slight smile. ¡°Mommy?!¡± Mai shouted, causing Aria to bolt upright. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Aria asked blearily, rubbing her eyes. Mai pointed wildly at Eve. ¡°That¡¯s mommy¡¯s actual body!¡± Aria frowned. ¡°I thought you were a grown-up, mommy.¡± ¡°I am, I just chose to look like a kid, so people underestimate me.¡± Eve said defensively. ¡°I was just in our spare body because I was out in public. People aren¡¯t supposed to know about me yet.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Aria asked. ¡°Everyone knew about Carmen.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll explain later.¡± Eve said, waving a hand. ¡°We need to talk to you two for a bit, OK?¡± ¡°OK.¡± Mai said, sitting down on Aria¡¯s bed. ¡°What do you need?¡± ¡°What happened to all the other people you ¡®fixed¡¯?¡± Lilith asked. ¡°What are they doing right now?¡± ¡°Oh, them. I made sure they knew you¡¯re the mom now, and I¡¯m just their little sister. Then I just had them go back to what they were doing. Not like¡­the kidnapping stuff, just the living in the frontier towns and stuff.¡± Mai said. ¡°Do you want anything with them?¡± Lilith shook her head. ¡°No, just make sure they all know not to call me mother, you sister, or talk about the flock or anything where anyone can hear them. Then, just let them live however they want, no obligations or anything.¡± Mai nodded. ¡°OK, mom.¡± Lilith hesitated a bit before asking her next question, trying to figure out the best way to phrase it. ¡°How much do you¡­remember? From before?¡± Mai frowned. ¡°I remember the important stuff, but it¡¯s all really fuzzy. I¡­think it¡¯ll become clearer when I grow up some more, but I¡¯m not sure. I don¡¯t¡­know if I want to, though. I did bad things, and I don¡¯t want to have to remember those.¡± Eve sighed. ¡°It¡¯s important to remember the bad things you did, otherwise you can¡¯t make up for them or learn from your mistakes. Yes, you did a lot of bad things, but there¡¯s always a chance for redemption. You¡¯ve got the potential to do a lot of good, so just make sure you listen to what we tell you so you can be as good as possible when you grow up, OK?¡± ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll be a good girl from now on.¡± Mai said. ¡°Aria, are you the same way?¡± Lilith asked. ¡°Um¡­yeah. Is it alright that I was an old man before?¡± She asked. ¡°I¡­don¡¯t know, I just¡­don¡¯t want to make anyone feel weird or anything.¡± Lilith smiled. ¡°Of course it¡¯s OK. I can look at turning you back into a boy now if you want.¡± Aria shrunk back a little. ¡°No, I don¡¯t¡­I¡¯d rather stay like this for now, mom. Maybe in a couple of years, but not now.¡± ¡°Alright, that¡¯s perfectly fine. Now, why don¡¯t we get you two some breakfast, and then we¡¯ll take you around to meet everyone. Sound good?¡± The kids voiced their assent, so Lilith and Eve took them to the kitchen, where Emily and Raphi were in the process of making breakfast. ¡°Hey you two, I want to officially introduce you to Mai and Aria. We said hi briefly last night, but I figured it wouldn¡¯t hurt to go around individually and get everyone acquainted.¡± Emily gave a curtsy. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you two. My name is Emily, and Raphi and I will be taking care of you two when your mother is busy. Feel free to ask us if you need anything.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Raphi, pleased to meet you!¡± Raphi said, flipping the bacon she was frying. ¡°Like Emily said, we¡¯re gonna help watch you two, so really, don¡¯t be afraid to talk to us.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Mai and this is Aria!¡± Mai said happily. Aria was doing her best to hide behind her sister but peeked her head out and gave a shy wave regardless. ¡°Um¡­do you two mind if I call you big sis Emily and big sis Raphi?¡± Mai asked hopefully. ¡°Whatever you wish.¡± Emily replied. ¡°I¡­um, yeah, go ahead.¡± Raphi replied awkwardly. There was a strange¡­hesitation about the way she did, and Lilith resolved to talk with her about it when the kids weren¡¯t around. But that was for later. For now, Lilith helped the kids get some food, and people slowly began to trickle into the dining area while they wait. The rest of the morning went pretty well. Lilith got the kids introduced to all of the dungeon¡¯s permanent residents, and then held the meeting. Not much of note happened during the meeting; it was mostly just confirming that what they were thinking the previous night was the course of action they wanted to take. Alex decided to hold off on making a decision about her father for about a week, and the date would come after she had done so. She wanted a clearer head before trying any romance, something Lilith approved of wholeheartedly. And¡­that was everything, really. For the first time in a while, there was no threat hanging over her head, no pressing thing to take care of. There was the whole Queen of Monsters thing they would be implementing soon, especially now that they had access to Mai¡¯s army of monsters, but that wasn¡¯t life or death and wouldn¡¯t be for another couple of months. So, Lilith mentally sat back and prepared for a well-deserved break.
Chapter 72: A Swing and a...? Alex struggled with herself in her room for a while. It had become something of a routine for the last few days, as she tried to figure out what to do about her father. It was something that she was finding herself paralyzed about. She couldn¡¯t just¡­ask him for his opinion, because his opinion would be biased. And¡­she hadn¡¯t yet figured out how she felt about it, either. One the one hand, his day to day life wouldn¡¯t be affected, and she could help ensure it would only be used for benign purposes, but on the other¡­well, was it right when she was so personally involved? Would her father¡¯s opinions of her actions be tainted by his opinions on Lilith? If that wasn¡¯t the case now, would it be the case if she and Lilith became romantically involved? Was it right to just leave him like that, completely willing to do whatever Lilith wanted without any question just because she asked? But¡­would it be worse to potentially ruin everything? Having her dad be the only one on the Council not compromised could lead to an information leak, and if it came out that Lilith secretly had control over the Council¡­everything would crumble. And so, she grappled with herself, trying to figure out what was right. There wasn¡¯t really a good answer, and it was driving her up the wall. Eventually, she picked up her phone and opened her contacts. She wasn¡¯t going to make any progress whatsoever going at it like she had been, she needed to talk to someone else, probably multiple other people. Her first ask was Vithi. She had come back to visit the dungeon a couple of days prior, and as a result had been caught up to speed on everything. Though the two hadn¡¯t started off on the best foot, they had reached something of an understanding in the past few years. Vithi might be confrontational at times, but her judgement was generally sound. She called the number, and fortunately Vithi picked up. After some small talk, Alex launched into the reason she had called. ¡°Hey,¡± She began, ¡°I want your advice on what I should do with my dad. I haven¡¯t been able to decide one way or the other, so I wanted to go get others¡¯ opinions on it.¡± Vithi paused. ¡°If it were me, I would prefer to be put back to how I was before, and I think most people would. What¡¯s the hang-up?¡± Alex gave her a quick rundown of her thought processes. ¡°I see the issue, but I still think it¡¯s best to put him back. I don¡¯t really agree with leaving everyone under Lilith¡¯s control anyway, but I didn¡¯t think it was worth making any more of a fuss over than people already had. Still, we¡¯ve got the opportunity to get one person out, so why not?¡± ¡°Mind explaining why you don¡¯t agree with that? I want to hear your perspective.¡± ¡°I just feel like no one should be forced into servitude, no matter how light the servitude or whether or not they¡¯re willing after the fact. Even if it¡¯s for ¡°the greater good¡±, whatever that is, I think the ends don¡¯t justify the means.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re fine with the whole Queen of Monsters deal? The ends justify the means in that case?¡± Alex asked, frowning. Vithi stopped for a moment. ¡°I¡­don¡¯t know. I wasn¡¯t thinking about it like that. I¡¯ll¡­need some time to think about it.¡± Alex nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you to it, then. Thanks.¡± ¡°Yeah, any time.¡± Vithi replied distractedly. Alex hung up, then got off her bed and started to make her way through the dungeon. Next on her list of people to talk to was Judy. The woman was level-headed to a fault and Alex had come to trust her judgement in most situations during the time they had been living together. Fortunately, Judy was going to stay in the dungeon for the time being. She was often out and about, laying groundwork where her swarm couldn¡¯t, but given everything that was going on she had decided that it was best to remain close to everyone until things had settled down. So, she found Judy and explained everything to her. Judy thought about it for a long moment before responding. ¡°It is a security risk, yes, but I think that¡¯s not something that should be the deciding factor. We have the means to take care of it if it becomes a problem, and it¡¯s not like he¡¯ll know for sure it¡¯s Lilith that¡¯s in charge, he could think it¡¯s Mai. ¡°But I think it¡¯s a matter of emotions. Do you feel that it¡¯s going to negatively impact your dad¡¯s life? Is it wrong to allow something like that to slide? Is it right to give your dad special treatment because he¡¯s your dad? I don¡¯t necessarily think it¡¯s wrong to treat family different like that, but I think that¡¯s something you have to decide for yourself.¡± ¡°I¡­don¡¯t know. Every time I think about this I just¡­go in circles. I think I¡¯ve decided, but then I get cold feet and I go the other way and immediately get cold feet again and¡­well, now I¡¯m here.¡± Judy frowned. ¡°Do you spend more time leaning one way? No, don¡¯t tell me which one. Are you wanting yourself to lean more one way?¡± Alex hesitated, then nodded. ¡°It kind of sounds to me like you¡¯ve already decided and don¡¯t want to admit it.¡± Judy said, patting Alex on the shoulder. ¡°At this point I don¡¯t think you¡¯re going to get any more decided, just pick whatever side you¡¯re leaning towards and go with it. If you end up regretting it afterwards, we can fix it.¡± ¡°I¡­yeah, you¡¯re right.¡± Alex said. ¡°Thanks, Judy.¡± ¡°Any time.¡± Judy replied. ¡°Need anything else?¡± Alex shook her head. ¡°No, I think that¡¯s it. Um¡­I¡¯m going to leave him as is, I think. I don¡¯t know if what we gain is worth what we potentially lose.¡± Judy smiled. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯ve decided. Go let Lilith know then get some rest, alright?¡± Alex smiled shakily back. ¡°Alright.¡±
Alex fidgeted nervously. It was a few days later, and it was finally time for her date with Lilith. Her plan wasn¡¯t anything special, just dinner and then bowling, but it was still enough to make her nervous. Fortunately, Kali had been rather kind and had given her quite a few pointers in regard to Lilith¡¯s preferences, and Alex had adjusted things accordingly. She had even opted to wear a skirt, something that she didn¡¯t do often, just to further appeal to Lilith. A knock at the door caused her to jump, ears and tail sticking straight up. ¡°Come in!¡± She called. Lilith stepped into the room, and Alex was surprised to see she was also wearing a skirt. She¡­didn¡¯t think she¡¯d seen Lilith in anything other than shorts or pants before. Lilith watched Alex¡¯s face, smirking as she saw the expression of surprise Alex was wearing. ¡°I¡¯m pretty used to it thanks to Eve, and it¡¯s not like I¡¯m trying to hold on to my masculinity anymore, so I figured it¡¯d be funny to surprise you.¡± She explained. ¡°So, what¡¯s up first?¡± The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Uh, it depends. How hungry are you?¡± Alex asked. ¡°I could go for some food.¡± ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll grab some food, then. Um¡­are you gonna transform yourself to look different or are we going while everyone can recognize you or¡­?¡± ¡°Kali taught me a neat little spell to help keep people from recognizing us unless they know us personally. We¡¯ll be fine.¡± Lilith replied, smiling faintly. ¡°Where are we eating?¡± ¡°Well, there¡¯s this nice little caf¨¦ called Mia¡¯s in your hometown, I figured we could eat there.¡± Alex replied. ¡°Oh, Mia¡¯s. Yeah, that sounds good. I can take us right out front if you¡¯d like.¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s do that.¡± Lilith extended a hand, already drawing a circle on the floor with some appendages. Alex took it, and they were soon off, the world around them going blurry before coalescing to the sidewalk out front of Mia¡¯s. There were some curious glances from passerby, but magical transportation had become relatively common on Earth in the time since the Shift, so people quickly stopped staring. It was a Thursday night, so they ended up being seated in only a couple of minutes. No one seemed to bat an eye at the two being non-human, not even something like a curious child staring, which Alex could only assume was an effect of the spell Lilith was using. The dinner itself was nice. They mostly just chatted over the food, as there wasn¡¯t really a need to get to know each other that much better, seeing as how they¡¯d been living in the same place for a few years now, but they traded stories from their childhood that they hadn¡¯t told each other before, something which Alex found herself enjoying quite a bit. They paid for dinner and began to walk to the bowling alley. Alex had purposefully chosen a restaurant close to the alley, so they didn¡¯t have far to go. They kept up their conversation through the rest of their walk and their wait at the bowling alley, but things took a turn as they were moving to their lane. ¡°Hey, Lucas!¡± A girl shouted from behind them. ¡°It¡¯s been forever, how have you¨C¡± The girl stopped mid-sentence, sliding to a halt behind them. ¡°What? You¡¯re not¡­I could have sworn¡­¡± She paled as she noticed who she was talking to. ¡°O-oh, um, m-miss High Arbiter, I¡­s-sorry, I t-thought you were s-someone else.¡± She stammered. Lilith smiled. ¡°Hey, Sarah. Good to see you again. Don¡¯t worry, you have the right person.¡± ¡°I¡­do?¡± Lilith nodded. ¡°I think most people forget I used to be a guy. I have on a spell that prevents me from being recognized except by people who know me, and a side effect is that people recognize me as¡­well, how they knew me.¡± She waved her hand and Sarah blinked, then focused in on Alex. ¡°Oh, I¡­didn¡¯t see you there. Um, I¡¯m Sarah, nice to meet you?¡± Sarah said. ¡°I¡¯m Alex, nice to meet you too.¡± Alex replied, sticking out her hand. Sarah shook it. ¡°So¡­what are you two doing here?¡± ¡°We¡¯re having a date.¡± Lilith said nonchalantly. ¡°You?¡± ¡°Just practicing for the league. Um¡­I¡¯ll¡­leave you two to it, I guess.¡± Lilith looked to Alex, who nodded. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to stay and catch up a bit? Maybe play a game or two with us? We¡¯ve got plenty of time, so you won¡¯t be intruding or anything.¡± ¡°Sure¡­I guess.¡± Sarah replied. Lilith flashed her a smile. ¡°Perfect, I¡¯ll go take care of it with the staff. We¡¯re on lane nine.¡± Without waiting for a response, she walked off to the counter, leaving Alex and Sarah alone. Alex scratched the base of her ears. ¡°So¡­how do you two know each other?¡± She asked as they walked towards the lane. ¡°School. We were both in honors classes, and Anna and I became good friends, so we ended up hanging out from time to time. Uh, do you know Anna?¡± Alex nodded. ¡°Yeah, she and Jameson are living with us, actually.¡± Sarah raised an eyebrow. ¡°Who¡¯s us?¡± ¡°Lot of people. Mostly Lilith¡¯s relatives or other people close to her, we had to hunker down while Elenoa was targeting us. Anna and Jameson moved in after they got married, since they needed a place to stay and we have more than enough room.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking, where are you all located? I haven¡¯t seen any of them around in a while, so I was sort of wondering what had happened.¡± ¡°Pocket dimension.¡± Alex replied. ¡°Just for security¡¯s sake.¡± ¡°Oh¡­cool, I guess.¡± Their conversation stopped for a bit, but it wasn¡¯t silent, at least not for Alex. Hey, mind if I let Mae help me here? I want to show off a little. Lilith asked. The tacit agreement around the dungeon was that having Mae¡¯s help in games like pool or bowling where being able to calculate angles and power with the speed and precision of a computer was cheating, so Lilith generally didn¡¯t. Yeah, go ahead. Alex told her. Perfect, thanks! I¡¯ll be over there in half a minute. ¡°Lilith says she¡¯ll be here in half a minute.¡± Alex relayed. ¡°How¡­Wait, telepathy, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s got a connection to everyone living with her, so we have easy contact if it becomes necessary. We usually prefer face-to-face talking, though. Just feels¡­better.¡± ¡°I can see that.¡± Sarah replied. They took a seat at their lane, and Sarah opened a bag she had been carrying, taking out a ball and a pair of shoes. ¡°I¡¯m going to go pick out a ball, be back in a minute.¡± Alex said, walking over to the racks of balls. She hefted a few before realizing that they were all a bit light; she had been doing enough training that the differences between each were negligible to her. She just picked the heaviest there, since she wasn¡¯t sure what difference it would make. By the time she got back, Lilith was back as well, also holding one of the heaviest balls. She appeared to be in the middle of some conversation that Alex didn¡¯t quite have the context for. ¡°Look, I¡¯m telling you, I could crush one of these like a grape, magic or no.¡± Lilith said, hefting the ball. ¡°I¡¯m way stronger than I used to be.¡± Sarah was looking skeptically at her. ¡°You¡¯ll have to forgive me if I¡¯m skeptical. I seem to recall you struggling to lift those balls before, and I find it hard to believe you would gain that much strength from a race change.¡± ¡°Believe it.¡± Alex said. ¡°Trust me, she could probably crush a car like it was nothing, the ball isn¡¯t an issue, Perfect Chimeras are nuts like that.¡± Sarah just raised an eyebrow. ¡°Fine, fine, I¡¯ll show you.¡± She tossed the ball into the air and it disappeared mid-flight. After a couple of seconds, two identical balls appeared above her, which she caught in each hand. She placed one on the ball holder and handed the other to Sarah. ¡°Alright, you can agree that¡¯s the same weight and composition of a normal sixteen-pound ball, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, seems right to me.¡± Sarah replied. Lilith took the ball back and clapped her hands while holding the ball, flattening it between them. ¡°Simple as that.¡± Sarah stared at the pancaked ball. ¡°I¡­yikes. That¡¯s really something.¡± Lilith smirked. ¡°Tell me about it. It¡¯s kinda hard to get used to at times, but I can¡¯t deny its handiness.¡± They chatted a bit more, and then got into the game, and Alex found herself almost more entertained by Sarah¡¯s growing bafflement than the game itself. Sarah was pretty good, ending up with a 189 (Alex only got a 94), but it was nothing compared to the perfect 300 that Lilith ended up with. Sarah watched the victory animation on the monitor, dumbfounded. ¡°How¡­?¡± ¡°Honestly, it was pretty close to cheating.¡± Lilith admitted. ¡°I have something vaguely like an aim assist, I was just trying to show off. We can go again without it if you would like, you¡¯ll beat the pants off of me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure an aim assist is cheating.¡± Sarah pointed out, stifling a laugh. ¡°Yes and no.¡± Alex replied. ¡°It¡¯s a lot more complicated than just ¡°aim assist¡±, and I think that were judges to pour over it, they would call it fair game. Probably. Can¡¯t really say more for security reasons, but it¡¯s more¡­a built-in thing.¡± ¡°I normally don¡¯t use it, it¡¯s just not fun for anyone involved. It¡¯s more for fighting and this is a side-effect. But¡­seriously, wanna go again, but for real?¡± They did, and this time the results were much different. Neither Alex nor Lilith broke one hundred, while Sarah managed to get over two hundred. ¡°See, told you you¡¯d destroy me.¡± Lilith laughed. ¡°Looks like you still got it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be honest, I¡¯m pretty glad I was able to beat you. Shows that at least something hasn¡¯t changed, you know? Uh, anyway, I¡¯m going to go head off and practice on my own now, I¡¯ll let the both of you have some alone time.¡± ¡°Sure thing!¡± Lilith said. ¡°Before you go, though, do you still have my number?¡± ¡°Um, let me check¡­¡± Sarah looked through her phone for a bit, then read off a number. ¡°That still it?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s still it. Let me know if you need anything, or just want to chat and hang out. I¡¯d love to show you around my place when you have the time.¡± ¡°Yeah, sure, I guess. Uh¡­See you later, then.¡± ¡°Later!¡± Lilith replied, waving. They bowled for another couple of hours, talking and laughing and just generally¡­having a good time. Once they were done, they headed back to the dungeon, where they said their ¡°goodbyes¡±. ¡°I had a lot of fun tonight.¡± Alex said. ¡°Yeah, me too. Honestly, I¡¯m down to do this again, even enter into a relationship if it keeps being this good. You¡¯ll just¡­need to have Kali feel the same, as I mentioned before.¡± Lilith replied awkwardly, rubbing her neck. ¡°So, uh, go talk with her, set up a date, I guess?¡± Alex smiled, inwardly pumping her fist. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll do that tomorrow. Um¡­night.¡± ¡°Night.¡± Lilith replied. And so, Alex went to bed, filled with hopes for the future and more than a little giddy excitement, a crush of three years finally starting to come to fulfillment. Chapter 73: Long Live the Queen ¡°Hey, Raphi, thanks for taking the time to talk with me.¡± Lilith said, motioning at one of the beanbag chairs scattered around her room. ¡°Please, take a seat.¡± Raphi sat down hesitantly. ¡°Um¡­I¡¯m not¡­in trouble, right?¡± She asked worriedly. ¡°I know I messed up some of the food yesterday, but¡­¡± Lilith laughed and sat down in one of the other chairs. ¡°Nothing of the sort. And the food was fine, it was a little burnt, but still totally edible. Believe me, I¡¯ve made worse in my time.¡± ¡°Oh, um¡­good? So¡­why did you want to talk to me, then?¡± Lilith gave her a comforting smile. ¡°I noticed that you were feeling a bit¡­uncomfortable when Mai asked to call you ¡®big sis¡¯. So, I wanted to talk that out with you. If you don¡¯t like it, you really don¡¯t have to humor her, that¡¯s totally acceptable.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not that.¡± Raphi replied. ¡°Um¡­well¡­¡± She trailed off, clearly unsure as to what exactly to say. ¡°You can say exactly what you feel.¡± Lilith said. ¡°I¡¯m not going to blame you for any of your feelings or anything. As long as you feel ready to share with me, I¡¯ll listen to whatever you have to say.¡± ¡°Ah, um¡­well, to be honest, I can¡¯t forget who Mai is. Was? I don¡¯t know, it¡¯s just so¡­confusing. On the one hand, she¡¯s sort of¡­sort of a boogeyman, someone who was always in the shadows of history as a potential threat to society if she ever¡­came back. But, on the other, she¡¯s just this¡­sweet little girl who looks just like you, and I really don¡¯t know how to feel. ¡°And¡­um, Perfect Chimeras were kinda my¡­idols for a long time. That¡¯s¡­probably the wrong word for it, but I really looked up to them, you know? They were like¡­like superheroes, and all the kids I knew wanted to be one someday. I think everyone did, at one point or another.¡± She paused, a conflicted expression on her face. ¡°And¡­I mean, I didn¡¯t look up to Mai the same way I looked up to everyone else, since she was the bad guy, but it still feels weird to have one of your childhood heroes calling you ¡®big sis¡¯. It was like¡­like she was looking up to me, and I don¡¯t know how to handle that.¡± Lilith nodded. ¡°I think I understand, I imagine I¡¯d feel the same way if I was in your shoes. What can I do to help make you feel more comfortable around her?¡± ¡°I think¡­I think I just need time.¡± Raphi said. ¡°I haven¡¯t spent much time with her yet, but the more I do, the less¡­mystic she feels. She feels like¡­well, like Carmen, just a rambunctious little kid. And then every time I start to think about her like that, I remember who she is and just¡­¡± ¡°I get it.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°But let me know if you ever think it¡¯s too much. I¡¯ll have a talk with Mai, and we¡¯ll get something figured out. How does Aria make you feel?¡± ¡°She¡¯s¡­fine actually.¡± Raphi replied, a somewhat embarrassed expression on her face. ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because she¡¯s not using her old name or because she¡¯s a lot quieter than Mai or even just because she wasn¡¯t¡­a villain, but she doesn¡¯t make me feel weird like Mai does. She¡¯s actually kind of¡­calming to be around.¡± Lilith gave her an encouraging smile. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. Anything else you¡¯d like to talk about while you¡¯re here?¡± Raphi paused, then shook her head. ¡°I¡­think that¡¯s all for now. Um¡­thanks for talking with me, though. I¡¯m glad I was able to¡­well, talk to someone about it. Sorry I¡¯m not¡­you know, totally comfortable yet, I¡¯ll do my best to adjust.¡± ¡°It¡¯s perfectly fine to feel that way.¡± Lilith said reassuringly. ¡°I know that my Skills mean that my family and I adjust way faster than is normal. I don¡¯t expect you to feel completely comfortable around Mai, not for a while. Obviously, I do hope that you will at some point, but it doesn¡¯t have to be now, it doesn¡¯t even have to be for years to come.¡± ¡°Um¡­thanks.¡± Raphi mumbled. ¡°May I go? I need to start getting dinner ready.¡± Lilith nodded. ¡°Sure thing.¡±
¡°So, what do we still need to get the whole Queen of Monsters thing off the ground?¡± Lilith asked, glancing at Eve and Kali. I need to make another dungeon core so we can get Eve¡¯s castle set up. Nuwa said. Or we need to grab one from somewhere, but I¡¯m more hesitant to go with that, it feels a bit too much like murder. ¡°I can find you one that¡¯s still forming, if it helps.¡± Kali said. ¡°They don¡¯t gain any sort of sentience until well after their dungeon¡¯s established, and they start as basically lumps of unusually dense Mana. Sometimes they¡¯ll go away on their own or something else will stop them from becoming full-fledged dungeon cores. I can swoop in and save one that¡¯s about to get destroyed and then give it to you instead.¡± There was a pause as Nuwa considered that. No, it¡¯ll be fine. She said. Now that Mai and Aria are here, my DP generation has spiked, and I¡¯ll be able to comfortably afford it in a couple of weeks. Faster if I don¡¯t choose to build up a stockpile of DP first, but I would like to be able to kit out the new sub-dungeon as soon as I make it. ¡°That¡¯s fine, then.¡± Lilith said. ¡°What else?¡± ¡°I still need my abilities as Queen of Monsters.¡± Eve volunteered. ¡°But the whole ¡®monster army¡¯ thing is already taken care of thanks to Nuwa¡¯s little breeding grounds and the monsters Mai had stocked up.¡± Lilith frowned. ¡°Those might be kind of overkill, though. I think we need some¡­weaker ones to start with. Not too, weak, of course, but those would probably be too overwhelming for everyone right now. We can start small and then gradually work up to the stronger stuff, which we¡¯ll place near your castle.¡± ¡°Those will just need to wait until I get my abilities, then.¡± Eve said. ¡°I don¡¯t have any good way of keeping perfect control of a large group of monsters that doesn¡¯t involve using the brainwashing spell we got from Mai on each one of them, and that seems hideously inefficient.¡± ¡°I can have those abilities ready by the end of the day.¡± Kali said. ¡°Then you can get started on building up your army.¡± ¡°Perfect. Then I¡¯ll just need to get those monsters and I¡¯ll be ready.¡± Lilith nodded. ¡°And we still need to pick out a group of heroes, right?¡± ¡°I have a few candidates.¡± Kali said. ¡°I want to go over them with you first before we make any decisions, though.¡± This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°And I want you to look at my invasion plans.¡± Eve added. ¡°Just to make sure everything¡¯s good.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Lilith said. ¡°Let¡¯s start picking out those heroes, and then we can use what we decide to help us figure out how we¡¯re going to do the invasion.¡± ¡°Do you wanna do that now, or¡­?¡± Kali asked. ¡°Might as well.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°No use in putting it off.¡± Kali gave her a nod and walked over to one of the room¡¯s computers before turning on the TV and connecting the two so the computer was displaying on the TV. ¡°So, I¡¯ve been looking for people that fit a couple of categories.¡± Kali began, opening up some sort of slideshow filled with pictures of people. ¡°I need people with a strong moral compass, people that work well with others, and, preferably, people who aren¡¯t particularly tied to either Earth or Haven. I¡¯m going to start with the people I think are best suited, and then go down the list. I think four or five heroes is a good number, so we can stop once we feel we¡¯ve got enough.¡± She went to the first slide, and Eve groaned. ¡°Can we¡­not?¡± She asked. The first slide had two people on it, whom Lilith recognized as Bruce and Ava, the people who had showed Eve and her party around the adventurer¡¯s guild. ¡°I know, I know, but hear me out here.¡± Kali said. ¡°They¡¯re good people who are respected in their community, they¡¯re used to working with all sorts of different people, and they¡¯re a couple from different planes. They¡¯re the perfect candidates for this sort of thing.¡± Kali paused, then smirked. ¡°Think of it this way: this will give you an excuse to actually fight Ava instead of just having to put up with her affections.¡± Eve stopped, considering that. ¡°I¡­fine.¡± She said. ¡°I suppose that¡¯s acceptable.¡± ¡°I have no problems with them either.¡± Lilith added. ¡°Let¡¯s put them down as the first two heroes.¡± Kali smiled, and they began to pour through the rest of the people. No one else was anyone that Lilith knew personally, so they eventually ended up settling on two more people. One was a demon from Haven by the name of Raesn, a former craftsman who had taken up adventuring after the Shift. He had taken it upon himself to improve the standards of living of the homeless, orphans, and downtrodden in the frontier towns, and he had earned a great deal of popularity for his deeds. The other was a human woman from Earth, Anala. She was a charismatic woman with a good eye for tactics and leadership, a self-proclaimed defender of the weak, and overall was just someone who seemed like a classic ¡°hero¡±. And those four, they decided, would make up the first party of heroes. After Eve had made her presence known to the world, they¡¯d visit the four and offer them abilities from Lilith, and then things would truly be set in motion. And that brought them to the other thing they needed to finalize, the invasion plan. ¡°So, first off, placement of my castle.¡± Eve began. ¡°I¡¯m thinking of repurposing Mai¡¯s compound. There¡¯s already space made there, and it¡¯s deep in the ¡®unexplored¡¯ regions of Haven. I want it all the way out there so that it forces people to explore and expand more. ¡°And then I was thinking of marching a really big and noticeable army towards the frontier towns. It should give people plenty of time to react and evacuate, maybe even launch a preemptive strike if they¡¯re feeling bold. And once I take a frontier town, I¡¯m going to occupy it with monsters and then march to the next. Monsters can¡¯t normally use the portals, so that gives us a great excuse for not using them to just instantly attack everywhere.¡± Lilith nodded. ¡°Sounds good so far, but when does it end? Are you thinking an arbitrary number of frontier towns taken or¡­?¡± Eve shrugged. ¡°My general plan is to bring a really big army at first, but never reinforce it. Over time, it should dwindle to the point where people can start retaking their cities, even if that¡¯s just because I need to start leaving more monsters in each city I take. ¡°I¡¯m going to build a series of fortifications between my castle and the first frontier town I take, and leave a bunch of monsters in those too, so, to get to my castle they should have to fight through roughly twice as many monsters as were in the first army. That should give them plenty of time to gain strength before challenging me.¡± Eve studied her nails. ¡°I¡¯ll go easy on them, of course. I won¡¯t use any eldritch abilities, obviously no High Arbiter stuff, and I¡¯ll tone down the rest of my kit so that they have a chance. I¡¯m thinking I¡¯m going to leave them all nearly at death¡¯s door and then let myself get taken out by whatever desperation play they try.¡± ¡°That sounds good.¡± Lilith said. ¡°Let¡¯s go over the exact composition of the armies, shall we? I¡¯ll need to make sure it¡¯s not too overwhelming.¡± Eve nodded, walking over to a computer and pulling up a document. ¡°I have everything here.¡± She said. ¡°Make whatever edits you need.¡± Lilith and Kali walked over, and the three of them spent another hour or so fine-tuning the balance of monsters in the army. When they were finished, Kali stood up and gave Eve a smile. ¡°Good work.¡± She said. ¡°Now, let¡¯s get you those abilities, shall we? I shouldn¡¯t need to put you under this time, since you¡¯re already a Higher Being, so as soon as you¡¯re ready, we start.¡± Eve grinned. ¡°I was born ready.¡± She said, spinning her chair so she was facing Kali. ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡± Kali placed her hand on Eve¡¯s forehead, and a moment later both Eve and Lilith received a window.
You have been put in charge of the domains of Monsters and War! You will receive Worship when regular people engage in acts relating to Monsters or War. You have been given the Blessing Queen of Monsters! Queen of Monsters: Monsters instinctively recognize you as their ruler. Any monster with a total level less than or equal to half of your total level will imprint upon you, causing them to obey your commands unquestioningly for the rest of their lives. If you defeat a monster that has not imprinted upon you, it imprints upon you. Monsters that have been tamed by a monster tamer cannot imprint upon you, and if a monster tamer tames an imprinted monster it is no longer imprinted. You may choose to end a monster¡¯s imprinting at any time. You may turn off and on automatic imprinting or imprinting upon defeating a monster at will. You have been given the Blessing Mask of the Queen! Mask of the Queen: You may choose to hide yourself from monsters, causing them to not recognize you as Queen of Monsters. While this effect is active, any abilities relating to being the Queen of Monsters are hidden from any form of identification.
¡°And that should be everything.¡± Kali said, stepping back. ¡°You should be able to use the rest of your kit to make up for any gaps you might have, but if there¡¯s something you need that you just can¡¯t do, let me know and I¡¯ll see if I can¡¯t give you a Blessing for it.¡± Eve stood up, still grinning hugely. ¡°Can do!¡± She said. ¡°Now, I¡¯m off to go build up my army!¡± She ran out of the room excitedly, leaving Lilith and Kali alone. Kali watched her go, a fond smile on her face. ¡°Haven¡¯t seen her that excited in quite a while.¡± She said. ¡°She has been waiting for three years.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°So¡­what should we do for the rest of the day?¡± ¡°I actually have a date with Alex.¡± Kali replied. ¡°We¡¯re leaving at five and I expect to be out for a few hours. Then I¡¯ll be back for the rest of the night, and we can just relax.¡± Lilith smiled and gave Kali a quick kiss. ¡°Sounds good.¡± She replied. ¡°I¡¯ll hold down the fort here, let me know how it goes, okay?¡± Kali nodded. ¡°Will do. I¡¯m going to go get ready, I¡¯ll see you in a few hours.¡± ¡°Until then.¡± Lilith replied, and left the room. She¡­wasn¡¯t totally sure how she wanted Kali¡¯s date to go. She had rather enjoyed her date with Alex, but a part of her was still unsure about potentially having two girlfriends. But only a part. Her parents made do just fine, and it was apparently quite normal in Haven¡¯s society, so she was willing to give it a shot. After all, it wasn¡¯t like she found Alex unattractive ¨C Carmen had made her body with Lilith¡¯s tastes in mind, and those hadn¡¯t changed dramatically since. Come to think of it, Alex was¡­rather similarly proportioned to Kali. That hadn¡¯t been done on purpose, as Lilith hadn¡¯t ¡°met¡± Kali by that point, but it was interesting to see yet another holdover from her past life. She cleared those thoughts from her head and made her way to a common room, where she found Saria playing some sort of shooter on a computer. ¡°Oh, Lilith.¡± She said, looking up. ¡°Care to play with me?¡± Lilith sat down at the computer next to her. ¡°Sure. What are you playing?¡± Saria shrugged. ¡°Whatever I feel like, really. I¡¯ve been flipping between games for a while now. Right now, I¡¯m destroying some kids in an FPS, but I¡¯m up for whatever.¡± And she was, too. Nuwa had made it so Saria flipped into ¡®serious mode¡¯ whenever she played video games, and the leaderboards really showed it. Lilith smiled, booting up the game Saria was playing. ¡°I¡¯m always down to embarrass kids online. Let¡¯s do this.¡± Chapter 74: Declaration of War Eve drummed her fingers on the arm of her throne. Try as she might, she was beginning to get a little nervous ¨C today was the day she finally made her announcement and revealed herself to the world. She checked herself over once again. She had modified her body so it was that of an adult, and she had dialed back some of her more¡­unique features, changing her hair to blond and ensuring that both her eyes were the same boring shade of blue. She was currently in the throne room of her castle, though the castle was more form than function at this point. The outside had been completely finished and so had most of the interior, but none of the traps had been put in yet. Were a visitor to come, they would likely find the castle to be disappointing, not at all living up to the intimidating air it gave off. But they wouldn¡¯t get that far. She had more than a few nasty monsters in the surrounding area, any one of which would be more than enough to deter anyone but the strongest people. In the numbers they were in? Nothing was getting through unscathed unless Eve wanted it to. Not until people got stronger. And they hadn¡¯t, not yet. They were stronger than they were before, sure, but they weren¡¯t up to snuff. The frontier towns were in much more danger than they looked, and more than once over Lilith¡¯s long sleep Eve had been forced to surreptitiously clear out incoming monsters to prevent a town from being wiped out. That wasn¡¯t sustainable, and people didn¡¯t have the drive to expand more than they had, not when it was so dangerous to do so. She forcibly brought her attention back to the manner at hand. Getting distracted now was only going to make her performance less convincing, and her pride wouldn¡¯t let her be anything but perfect. I¡¯m ready to begin recording now. Mae said. Give me the word and we¡¯ll start. Eve nodded, and began to get herself into position. She shifted so she was lounging casually in the throne, one leg dangling lazily off of the side while she propped her face up with a hand. She took a deep breath, then signaled to Mae that she was ready. Understood. Starting in three¡­two¡­one¡­go. Eve gave the camera in front of her a cold look. ¡°Hello, people.¡± She snarled, putting as much distaste as possible into the word. ¡°I am the Queen of Monsters, and I have not taken kindly to your rampant expansionism as of late. I tolerated your cities for as long as I did because you kept to yourselves and didn¡¯t attempt to push beyond your borders, but I have decided enough is enough. ¡°I have seen Earth, seen how you people brought a once-beautiful planet low. I will not sit idly by and let the same happen here. But I am not as barbaric as you are, so, I will give you an ultimatum.¡± She smiled a ruthless smile, showing off the teeth she had sharpened for the occasion. ¡°Vacate this plane, abandon your cities and return from whence you came, and I will spare you. Should you fail to do so within six weeks¡­I will force you back.¡± She paused, sweeping an arm out grandiosely. ¡°Behold my army, and weep.¡± Mae, who was using the spare avatar to control the camera, turned it to around to show a vast array of strong-looking monsters standing silently in her enormous throne room, then panned the camera back to Eve. ¡°Consider this my declaration of war. In six weeks, I will begin my march, and I won¡¯t hesitate to kill anyone who is in my path.¡± She waved and Mae shut the camera off. The moment she had, Eve let out a sigh of relief and sagged in the throne. ¡°Alright,¡± she said, more to herself than to Mae or anyone else, ¡°let¡¯s give this a look.¡± She was glad she wasn¡¯t broadcasting this live. She had considered it, but then decided there was no real benefit to doing so when she could instead just record it and keep re-recording until she had something she was satisfied with. She doubted anyone would be able to tell the difference, and it wasn¡¯t like she was on a time crunch, either. Delaying things for however long it took to get a good take wouldn¡¯t be a big deal. She watched through the video a few times before letting out a resigned sigh. It was okay, but it wasn¡¯t nearly as good as she would have liked it to be. She caught slight slips in her pronunciation, nearly imperceptible changes in her expression, and a dozen other tiny things that made it less convincing when scrutinized carefully. ¡°We¡¯re going to do another take.¡± Eve said. ¡°This one¡¯s not good enough.¡± Understood. I am ready to begin recording whenever.
Ava was relaxing in her bed with Bruce, watching the news on the TV. It had been a quiet week, with no major requests at the guild, so she and Bruce had been able to take it easy and enjoy themselves without much issue. And then, the TV fuzzed, a static noise playing for a brief moment as its display changed. Now, on the other end, there was a beautiful angel, looking down her nose at the camera like she was looking at something nasty she had just stepped in. She was lounging on a large throne, an ominous black and red thing that was covered with intimidating spikes, and the room behind her seemed to be decorated with similarly menacing furnishings. ¡°Hello, people.¡± She spat. ¡°I am the Queen of Monsters, and I have not taken kindly to your rampant expansionism as of late.¡± Ava watched the broadcast with growing horror. The woman oozed an odd sort of malevolent confidence, and Ava couldn¡¯t help but involuntarily shudder, as if some of that malevolence was aimed at her specifically. It was a silly thought, as the broadcast was probably going out to many other people, but something about the woman¡¯s gaze just felt¡­personal. Like she held a grudge against each individual person. But Ava wasn¡¯t truly intimidated until the camera panned away from the Queen of Monsters and to her army. It wasn¡¯t necessarily the largest group of monsters Ava had ever seen, but it was definitely the toughest. Even just looking at it through the screen sent a chill down her spine, her instincts telling her that it was something to run far, far away from. But¡­where was there to run? The countries of Earth had been remarkably stingy when it came to allowing immigrants from Haven, and she doubted people would be willing to take in tens of millions of refugees so suddenly. Bruce gripped her hand tightly. ¡°We¡­we need to get the civilians evacuated before the fighting begins.¡± He said. ¡°I¡¯m sure that we¡¯ll be able to find some place for all of them to go.¡± ¡°What fighting?¡± Ava whispered. ¡°You see those monsters. That¡¯s not something we can just¡­deal with.¡± ¡°Yes, it is.¡± Bruce said firmly. ¡°That has to be all of her strongest right there. We have numbers on them, and we have the Perfect Chimeras. We can wear her army down and then take the fight to her. She can¡¯t possibly take both Winston and Isa, and that¡¯s assuming the High Arbiter doesn¡¯t step in and stop this immediately. We¡¯re going to make it through, one way or the other.¡± If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Ava turned to face him. ¡°And¡­I¡¯m guessing you want to fight too.¡± Bruce nodded. ¡°Absolutely. I¡¯m not going to sit idly by and let my home be threatened. This Queen of Monsters is completely out of line; Earth may have pollution issues, but ever since we discovered magic, we¡¯ve been able to start reversing the damage we did. In a few decades, everything will be as pristine as it was before we started to mess it up. So, no, Haven¡¯s not going to end up like that, and I won¡¯t allow the town I love to be destroyed because some psycho thinks we might mess things up a second time.¡± Ava sighed. ¡°I suppose there¡¯s nothing for it, then. I¡¯ll just have to personally make sure you don¡¯t get yourself killed out there.¡± Bruce smiled, leaning in and giving Ava a kiss. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said. ¡°Now, let¡¯s go see how we can help, shall we?¡±
One day later, Lilith held a press conference in her dungeon to deal with the public¡¯s growing questions about Eve. She had gathered together reporters from most major news outlets, and gave them a short time to get set up before she began in earnest. ¡°As you all know, yesterday an individual known as the Queen of Monsters declared war on the people of Haven.¡± Lilith began, looking out at the crowd. ¡°People have, understandably, been wondering what I will be doing about the situation.¡± The assembled people looked at Lilith expectantly, and she gave them a careful look in return. ¡°I will be doing nothing.¡± Immediately, a low murmur began throughout the group. Lilith ignored it, choosing instead to continue speaking. ¡°The Queen of Monsters has not broken any of the rules I set out three years ago. She is an entity native to Haven, and is acting against the people of Haven only. ¡°She has given time to get civilians out of danger, and so far, has not committed any major war crimes or other offenses. However, should she commit major war crimes or begin to attack Earth, I will intervene, and I will stop things. ¡°My job is not to save you from any threat that comes your way. My job is to prevent tyrants from taking over the world, and to keep nations honest in war. As such, this is not under my purview. Are there any questions?¡± There multiple raised hands, and Lilith picked the first one she saw. ¡°Yes, you?¡± ¡°Is the Queen of Monsters not taking over a world?¡± A reporter argued. ¡°She is effectively locking off access to Haven, something I believe you yourself said was unacceptable.¡± Lilith shook her head. ¡°The Queen of Monsters does not fall under the same category as governments. She is a natural phenomenon, something that planes with sufficiently high Mana density create on their own. ¡°As such, I am treating her as I would treat any other large group of monsters; if you are unable to deal with her, then you are unable to deal with living on Haven. Even if she is defeated now, another Queen of Monsters will take her place in a hundred or so years. You must learn to deal with this on your own. Next question, you in the red shirt.¡± The woman Lilith was pointing to lowered her hand. ¡°Where are the civilians supposed to go?¡± She asked. ¡°Six weeks is not a lot of time to move so many people.¡± ¡°I will be leaving that up to the governments of Haven and Earth.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°But if an amenable solution is not worked out, I will place portals to parts of unused land I deem large enough to house people. These places will fall under many of the same protections as the frontier towns, and will continue to do so after the threat of the Queen of Monsters has been dealt with. ¡°Should a government not wish that to happen, I would suggest making arrangements for refugees. I will prioritize the placement of these colonies in countries that have ability to accept refugees and have chosen not to. Next?¡± The rest of the conference went about the same way, people asking questions about what would make Lilith intervene, what would happen after, and other similar things. Lilith¡¯s answers were, generally, that she would not intervene unless the Queen of Monsters began to be particularly cruel, and anything that came after was up to the people. Of course, Lilith had no intention of intervening whatsoever. Eve wasn¡¯t going to be cruel, in fact, Eve was looking to cause as little damage as possible while still remaining a real threat. Actually, in a sense, she was intervening, by helping Eve plan things out, but that was¡­a technicality more than anything. So it was that she ended her conference, sent the reporters back to where Lilith had picked them up from, and then returned to her room, letting out a sigh of relief. ¡°Good job.¡± Kali said, sneaking up behind Lilith and giving her a hug. ¡°You did good work, as usual.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°How are things on your end?¡± ¡°Everything¡¯s been going perfectly. And by everything, I mean I¡¯ve mostly just been watching you and making sure things nothing goes too out of whack. As you might have noticed, there¡¯s a lot of downtime to being an Administrator, it¡¯s mostly just planning and watching.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad you chose to watch me.¡± Lilith replied, turning around and giving Kali a kiss. ¡°What would you like to do for the rest of the evening?¡± ¡°The world is impure and must be cleansed!¡± Eve announced, throwing the door to the room open. She had reverted herself to her more childlike form shortly after she had finished recording her video, and was wearing one of the dresses she was so fond of. Lilith frowned. ¡°What¡¯s this about?¡± ¡°You were sharing my senses, you know!¡± Eve huffed, throwing herself onto the bed. ¡°I don¡¯t, actually.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°I was focused entirely on the meeting. What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°They¡¯re lewding me!¡± Eve complained, burying her face in a pillow. ¡°While you were talking with the reporters, I got curious and went to see what people online were saying, and they¡¯re lewding me! People are talking about how they¡¯d like me to dominate them and I¡¯ve even seen some art already! This is ridiculous!¡± Lilith stifled a laugh. ¡°Were you expecting anything else?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t laugh!¡± Eve wailed, muffled slightly by the pillow. ¡°And yes, I was expecting something else! I was expecting fear and dismay, not¡­not lewds!¡± Lilith barely even tried to conceal her amusement. ¡°Eve, these are the people who make memes when they¡¯re worried about world war three and then turn deadly pathogens into anime girls. Of course they¡¯re going to lewd you, it¡¯s their way of coping.¡± ¡°Yeah, but like¡­I¡¯m a person!¡± Eve insisted. ¡°I thought that¡¯d make them hesitate a little!¡± ¡°Yeah, but you¡¯ve seen what they can do to stuffy old politicians, they¡¯ll draw them shirtless with huge muscles riding a bear. You made your ¡®Queen of Monsters¡¯ form an attractive woman, they don¡¯t even have to modify your appearance to lewd you.¡± ¡°You know that we¡¯re the same person, which means they¡¯re lewding you too, right?¡± Eve said, poking her head up and peeking at Lilith. ¡°They¡¯ve been lewding us for a long time, Eve.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°You can¡¯t tell me you haven¡¯t seen it. No, wait, I know you¡¯ve seen it, I have your memories of seeing it. What¡¯s so different here?¡± ¡°It¡¯s like¡­I dunno, it¡¯s my appearance they¡¯re lewding this time. I¡¯m used to it being the default appearance that they¡¯re lewding.¡± Kali chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t let it get to you. Like Lilith said, it¡¯s just their way of coping. I¡¯m sure they¡¯re all properly terrified of you.¡± ¡°R-really?¡± Eve said. ¡°Really.¡± Kali replied. ¡°I made sure to keep an eye on most everyone important and they¡¯re all freaking out. Not as much the people from Earth, but people from Haven are super worried about your army.¡± ¡°A-as they should be!¡± Eve said, coming out from behind the pillow. ¡°By the time I¡¯m done with them, they won¡¯t make this mistake again!¡± ¡°Now, why don¡¯t we have some girlfriend time for the evening?¡± Kali asked. ¡°You two have had a long day.¡± ¡°Speaking of,¡± Lilith said, ¡°how¡¯d things go with Alex? I never got the opportunity to ask.¡± ¡°Ah, right.¡± Kali replied. ¡°Honestly, it went a lot better than I thought it was going to. I was afraid that she would only put in a token effort at getting along with me, and focus entirely on you, but that¡­just sorta didn¡¯t happen? It definitely feels like she put as much effort into my date as she did yours and I had a lot of fun, so¡­I think we should give it a go. It has potential.¡± Lilith nodded. ¡°Should we get her for girlfriend time, then?¡± Kali paused, then shook her head. ¡°Let¡¯s give it one more night.¡± She said. ¡°We¡¯ll take the rest of the evening to relax without dealing with the awkward early stage where we¡¯re figuring everything out, then starting tomorrow we¡¯ll put our all into it, alright?¡± ¡°That sounds like a plan to me.¡± Lilith replied. She hesitated for a moment, embarrassment and nervousness welling up within her as she prepared her next words. ¡°Um¡­I¡­think I¡¯m ready to finally, you know¡­go all the way with you, if you would like.¡± Kali froze, looking up at Lilith with barely concealed hope in her eyes. ¡°Really?¡± She asked in a small voice. ¡°Y-yeah.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°It¡¯s been long enough, and I¡¯ve sorted my feelings through properly. This is something that I realized I want, and I know you want it, so¡­¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Kali cheered, rushing over and catching Lilith in a hug. ¡°I am so ready for this!¡± Eve fidgeted in place, looking away. ¡°I¡­um, me too. When you¡¯re ready I¡¯ll, uh¡­get older. I¡¯m pretty sure this body is¡­less than ideal for this.¡± Lilith smiled, stroking Kali¡¯s hair and taking her to the bed. ¡°Let¡¯s start the night with some TV, and we¡¯ll see where it goes from there, alright?¡± Chapter 75: Four Heroes ¡°Where¡­am I?¡± Anala groaned. A minute ago, she had been fighting monsters on the outskirts of one of the frontier towns, desperately training in preparation for the upcoming war, and now she was¡­lying on a cold stone floor. ¡°Wondering the same.¡± A gruff voice to her right said. ¡°I¡¯m assuming you got suddenly teleported here too?¡± Anala sat up and turned to see a dwarven man climbing to his feet. ¡°Name¡¯s Raesn.¡± He said. ¡°And who are all of you?¡± All of you? Anala looked around and saw that there were indeed two more people, an elf woman and a human man. ¡°I¡¯m Anala.¡± She said. ¡°And, yeah, I was teleported here without any warning, I was fighting monsters and then¡­¡± She trailed off, seeing understanding in the remaining people¡¯s eyes. ¡°Same.¡± The human said. ¡°Ava and I were training and just¡­were here suddenly.¡± The elf, Ava, nudged him, and he started a bit. ¡°Right, I¡¯m Bruce, sorry.¡± ¡°Right, so¡­anyone have any clue why we¡¯re here?¡± Anala asked. ¡°Because I don¡¯t even know where here is, much less what I¡¯m doing here.¡± ¡°No idea.¡± Ava said. ¡°And I have no answers either.¡± Raesn added. ¡°Though, something about this place is giving me the creeps. I¡­don¡¯t know what, but it just feels¡­off.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re in my dungeon.¡± A new voice said. ¡°Everything here is made using dungeon tools, so the stonework should be much more¡­uniform than you¡¯re used to.¡± Anala whipped around to find the High Arbiter herself standing there. She hadn¡¯t been there a moment before, and Anala hadn¡¯t heard any doors open or footsteps approaching, felt any magic, or¡­anything. It was like the High Arbiter had been standing there the entire time and Anala just¡­hadn¡¯t noticed until now. ¡°Yeah, now that you mention it, that is true.¡± Raesn said. ¡°So, am I to assume you¡¯re the one that brought us here? To what do we owe the pleasure?¡± The High Arbiter nodded. ¡°That is correct. I¡¯m here to offer assistance in your fight against the Queen of Monsters.¡± Anala frowned. ¡°I thought you said you weren¡¯t doing that?¡± ¡°Publicly, no.¡± The High Arbiter said. ¡°But, as things currently stand, I don¡¯t have much confidence in the ability of the people to ward off the Queen of Monsters. I cannot give public aid without becoming a crutch on which people will lean the moment any dangerous thing comes, but I do not want to see my work with making Haven more accessible go to waste.¡± ¡°So¡­what are you going to be doing?¡± Bruce asked. ¡°And why us? Why not the other Perfect Chimeras? Surely they would be better suited for this task.¡± The High Arbiter shook her head. ¡°No. The Queen of Monsters has prepared extensively for conflict with them, so I¡¯m afraid they will not be of much assistance in this fight. Furthermore, my assistance is not something that can be easily withdrawn. Were I to help them now, I fear it would have great ramifications in the future. ¡°But, more than even that, I wish to show people that they are capable of more than just hiding in their fortified cities. Once the Queen of Monsters is defeated, monster activity will settle down for a time, and I want people to feel free to expand, not to cower in terror of the things outside their walls. ¡°So, I decided to choose people from among the general population to extend my offer to. You four were chosen for your strength of character, and as representatives of both Earth and Haven. Should you accept my aid, I will grant you a powerful ability as well as fine equipment, in return for leading the charge against the Queen of Monsters. ¡°In her arrogance, she has written off ¡®normal¡¯ people as insignificant and unable to hinder her plans. I want to show her and everyone else that that is not the case. Do you accept?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± Anala said. She barely even had to consider that; she had been planning to fight on the front lines anyway, and she would take any help she could get. ¡°Me as well.¡± Raesn said. ¡°I¡¯m not about to let my work go to waste, either.¡± ¡°We were planning on helping anyway.¡± Ava said. ¡°We¡¯ll do it.¡± The High Arbiter smiled. ¡°Very well, then.¡± She turned to the side and there were four tables there that most definitely had not been there moments before. ¡°These tables hold equipment that will help you in your quest. The moment you pick them up they will be bound to you, and no one else will be able to use them.¡± She motioned to the first table. ¡°For Ava, I have a pair of swords, one enchanted with deep cold and the other with scorching heat. In addition to dealing extra cold or fire damage, anything struck by one will take much more damage from the other for quite some time. There is also a set of leather armor, designed to aid your stealth while providing excellent protection.¡± She walked over to the next table. ¡°For Bruce, I have a set of robes and a staff. The staff vastly increases damage dealt with magic and reduces Mana consumption, while the robes increase your Mana regeneration and automatically remove the need for you to chant your spells while not increasing the Mana cost. ¡°For Raesn, I have something slightly¡­different. I have decent armor and a good spear, yes, but I also have a special set of tools. They will allow you to manifest some of my ability to create¡­otherworldly material, which can be used to great effect in many situations.¡± She stopped at the last table. ¡°And, finally, for Anala, I have plate armor and a tower shield I¡¯ve made myself. They¡¯re far stronger than anything you¡¯re liable to see for a long time and lighter, too. Furthermore, I have a sword enchanted with my justice, which deals massive damage against those who have killed another.¡± She stopped, looking carefully at the people before her. ¡°I am now going to give you Blessings. Each of you will receive a different one, but they all will share the benefit of doubling any experience you earn, allowing you to grow more rapidly than you should.¡± She walked from the tables to the group, then placed a hand on Ava¡¯s forehead. ¡°I bestow upon you the Blessing of Stealth, allowing you the ability to render yourself unnoticeable by almost anything at the cost of a large amount of your Stamina and Mana while you are doing so.¡± She placed another on Bruce¡¯s forehead. ¡°For you, the Blessing of Understanding, allowing you to intuitively know how magic you see works, and allowing you to replicate it with no extra effort involved.¡± She withdrew her hands before walking over to Anala and placing a hand on her forehead as well. ¡°For you, the Blessing of the Protector, which increases your stats while you are protecting another.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. There was the sensation of something filling Anala, a sort of electric feeling unlike anything she had felt before. And then it was gone, leaving her feeling energized and stronger than she had just a moment earlier.
You have been given the Blessing Protector! Protector: This Blessing triples your stats while you are protecting someone else. In addition, this Blessing doubles all experience gain.
The High Arbiter took her hand away and walked over to Raesn, placing a hand on his forehead. ¡°And, for you, the Blessing of the Artisan, which lets you instantly understand the properties of materials and guides you on how to make the most out of anything you make with them.¡± She stepped backwards, giving the group a smile as she surveyed them. ¡°I will leave you now. In ten minutes, you will be teleported back to where you came from, so please finish what you need to do by then.¡± She paused, expression growing serious once again. ¡°I do not think this needs to be said, but you are, under no circumstances, to tell others of my involvement. Should you do so, I will be forced to deal with this breach of information myself. And, should it be severe enough¡­¡± She trailed off, locking gaze with everyone in turn, an intense pressure pervading the room. ¡°Well, if it¡¯s that bad, I will have to take drastic measures. Do not disappoint me.¡± And with that, she was¡­gone, like she had never been there at all. Anala let out a breath she hadn¡¯t realized she was holding, and looked at the others. ¡°So¡­¡± she began, ¡°do you all want to work together? I think we¡¯ll be more effective if we work with people we don¡¯t have to explain all our new stuff to.¡± Raesn nodded. ¡°I was thinking the same myself.¡± He said, moving towards the table that held his stuff. ¡°We¡¯ll have to be careful about who we show our abilities to. If worst comes to worst, we may find ourselves hounded by people who are after our power. I don¡¯t want that to happen.¡± Ava and Bruce shared a look, then Bruce nodded. ¡°We¡¯re in.¡± He said. ¡°As you may have gathered from the things given to us, I¡¯m a mage, and Ava¡¯s a scout.¡± ¡°Tank.¡± Anala replied, walking over and inspecting the gear the High Arbiter had provided her with. ¡°Damage dealer too, but mostly a tank.¡± ¡°And I do a bit of everything.¡± Raesn said, hefting his spear experimentally. ¡°I make a lot of trinkets to help in combat, too, so I¡¯m sure with these new tools I can make some really good stuff for us. Probably not as good as this, but I wouldn¡¯t expect to be able to.¡± Anala grabbed the set of armor, and to her surprise it was no heavier than a t-shirt. It also felt¡­flexible, and a quick test revealed that it moved like it was made out of something closer to cloth than metal. She put it on, which was¡­like putting on a wetsuit, zipper and all, then gave the breastplate an experimental punch. The armor stiffened, and her blow was stopped in its tracks. She didn¡¯t hurt like she should have after punching something hard, either. The gauntlet on her hand seemed to absorb the impact, making it feel like she had done nothing more than strike a somewhat firm pillow. ¡°This is good stuff.¡± She muttered. ¡°I wonder what it¡¯s made out of.¡± ¡°Some eldritch compound, by the looks of it.¡± Raesn said. ¡°All of the gear she¡¯s given us is. That¡¯s what the Blessing is telling me, anyway, I¡¯ve never heard of or worked with anything like it, though, so I¡¯m inclined to agree.¡± ¡°Well, if that¡¯s what it takes to stop the Queen of Monsters,¡± Anala said, giving her sword a few test swings, ¡°then I¡¯m all for it. So, where do we want to meet up once we get out of here?¡± ¡°Probably one of the frontier towns.¡± Bruce said. ¡°Ava and I are in Northtown, we¡¯ll probably be about an hour outside of town once we get teleported back.¡± ¡°I was working on some parts in my workshop, so I can just head to Northtown immediately and wait for everyone at the portal.¡± Raesn said. ¡°I¡¯m not that far out of my town either.¡± Anala said. ¡°I was just getting started for the day. I¡¯ll¡­meet you all at the Northtown portal, then.¡± ¡°Sounds like a plan.¡± Ava said. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a phone, giving everyone a look. ¡°You two have phones, right? We should exchange contact info so we can coordinate.¡± Anala slipped a hand towards her pocket, realized she was wearing the armor, then slipped an arm up a sleeve so she could reach down and grab her phone. And then she realized she didn¡¯t have an easy way to get it out of the armor, so she ended up sort of slipping it through the neck hole, which, fortunately, was able to stretch and let the phone out. Blushing slightly, she nodded. ¡°Uh, yeah. Right here.¡± Raesn gave her an amused look. ¡°I have one as well.¡± Ava nodded. ¡°Alright, here¡¯s my number¡­¡±
Bruce shook his head, taking stock of his new surroundings. He was back where he had been before the High Arbiter had teleported him and Ava away. That was to say, he was in a field with Ava, the corpse of a slain beast at their feet. ¡°Shall we be going, then?¡± Ava said, giving him a nod. ¡°I think it¡¯s best we meet up with the others as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± Bruce replied, and the two began their walk back. It was uneventful for the first forty-five minutes, but they ran into a snag just a short distance from the town. ¡°Ah, Bruce, Ava, how are you two doing?¡± Anna asked, taking her eyes off of the monster her dogs were fighting and giving the two a wave. ¡°Uh, pretty well, I guess.¡± Bruce replied. ¡°Are you sure you should be talking to me and not¡­fighting the monsters?¡± Anna shrugged. ¡°Nah, the dogs have it covered.¡± She said. ¡°And Jameson and Eve have finished off everything else in the area, so it¡¯s all good.¡± ¡°Right. Well¡­we should get going, I think.¡± Bruce said. ¡°Can¡¯t be affording to waste time, what with everything that¡¯s going on.¡± Anna smiled. ¡°C¡¯mon, you can afford to chat for a couple of minutes. Is that new gear I see? Where¡¯d you get it?¡± Bruce shifted uncomfortably. ¡°A gift from a friend. She works with a bunch of armorers and hooked Ava and I up.¡± ¡°No kidding? Any chance you could introduce me? The three of us have been needing new stuff for a while, and it¡¯s been a huge problem finding equipment with how much people are preparing for this war.¡± ¡°No, she¡¯s super busy.¡± Ava said. ¡°We were only able to get this because it was already being made before the Queen of Monsters made her announcement.¡± ¡°Ah, really? That¡¯s a shame.¡± Anna replied. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Bruce and Ava, how are you two doing?¡± Jameson asked, totally ignoring the monster the dogs were fighting and walking over to the two. ¡°Is that new gear?¡± ¡°Yes, and no we can¡¯t help you get new stuff.¡± Bruce said. ¡°We were just lucky with the timing.¡± ¡°Shame.¡± Jameson replied. ¡°Anyway, the three of us are training, care to join us?¡± Ava sighed. ¡°As much as we¡¯d love to, we have an appointment back in town and need to be getting back.¡± ¡°Ah well, I suppose we shouldn¡¯t keep you ¨C¡± Jameson whirled around, the monster that the dogs had been fighting had broken through them and was leaping at Jameson, claws outstretched. He raised a hand, and a bolt of fire leapt out of his hand at the monster. It hit the monster and sent it tumbling backwards, its lifeless body hitting the ground a moment later. ¡°Ah, sorry.¡± Anna said. ¡°Seemed they didn¡¯t quite have it as handled as I thought.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Jameson replied. ¡°I thought they had it too.¡± Bruce frowned. That¡­was not low level magic. It looked like low level magic, and he would have thought it was, but his new Blessing was telling him that it was actually a very high leveled magic, compressed and altered to make it look like just a normal bolt of fire. That¡­was very strange. He had only known Jameson for a couple of months, but Jameson hadn¡¯t been more than a pretty average mage, C rank at most. But to use magic of that level without a chant indicated that his Mana pool and skill were closer to that of an A rank. ¡°Anyway,¡± Jameson continued, oblivious to Bruce¡¯s thoughts, ¡°we¡¯ll leave you to it. Have a good one!¡± Bruce and Ava bid their farewells, and once they were safely out of earshot, Bruce relayed his findings to Ava. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Ava asked, frowning. ¡°That really doesn¡¯t seem right. Why would they be hiding something like that?¡± Bruce nodded. ¡°Positive. This Blessing is telling me exactly what it was and how to do it, and that¡¯s not something a mage of the skill he¡¯s pretending to have could do. I don¡¯t know if the rest of his party knows, but he¡¯s definitely hiding something.¡± Ava sighed. ¡°I suppose we¡¯ll just need to keep an eye on him if we¡¯re around, then. It¡¯s weird, but we don¡¯t have time to be worrying about it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Bruce said, shaking his head. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­well, weird.¡± Fortunately, there were no other complications on their way to the portal. They met up with Anala and Raesn, and from there the group teleported away, off to train in the most inhospitable of the frontier towns, creatively named Westtown. They needed to get themselves strong as fast as possible, and with their new abilities they could take on the monsters there without much trouble. And¡­if they couldn¡¯t, then they wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat the Queen of Monsters. And that was something they couldn¡¯t afford. So, they began training, harder than they ever had before. Time was limited, and they were, potentially, the last hope for the people of Haven. Chapter 76: An Expedition Eve kept a careful eye on the group of heroes in the following weeks. They were progressing at a speed incomparable to their previous progress; yes, their experience gains were doubled by their Blessings, but even more than that their combat capabilities had been augmented and, most importantly, their mindset had changed. They weren¡¯t satisfied by training on monsters weaker than they were. While that was a relatively safe way of leveling up, it also wouldn¡¯t be able to get them strong enough to push back the hordes Eve would be sending their way. They had no choice but to throw themselves into danger if they wanted to have any hope of protecting their land. During that time, Eve made sure her party racked up achievement after achievement, always in close proximity to the heroes. Purposefully showing Jameson¡¯s magic had just been the start ¨C she¡¯d place her party in situations where the heroes would stumble upon them, usually when Eve¡¯s party was in the middle of fighting tough monsters or had just finished defeating them. It appeared that the heroes were beginning to assume that Eve¡¯s party was a group of heroes given Blessings by Lilith, kept secret from the others in case a hero was captured by the Queen of Monsters and forced to reveal their secrets. Eve couldn¡¯t help but smirk when she thought about it; the heroes weren¡¯t necessarily wrong about what her party was, but they were right in ways that they had no way of knowing. Things outside of the heroes were progressing according to plan, too. The general populace was growing ever more restless as Eve¡¯s deadline approached, and the governments had, predictably, turned to the other Perfect Chimeras. Winston was living in solitude still, and though he had left ways to contact him, Lilith had assured him that the situation was under control. He had been skeptical at first, but after some convincing and a fight to prove that Lilith hadn¡¯t lost her edge, he had agreed to stay out of it. Isa had, predictably, been rather easy to placate. Once she knew what was going on, she was more than happy to stand back and let it happen; after all, stronger people would eventually lead to better fights for Isa, and that was something she could really get behind. She had wanted to spar with Eve in her Queen of Monsters persona just to see what she was potentially missing, but that was to be expected. Mai and Aria were, of course, not people any of the governments thought about. Well¡­not thought about in terms of help. Many harbored suspicions that the Queen of Monsters was actually Mai in disguise, ready for another attempt at dominating the world. She had been inactive for a few thousand years, but few were of the opinion that she was dead. Perfect Chimeras didn¡¯t just die like that. Yes, she had been fighting Errus, but everyone knew that Mai had been the stronger of the two. And if Mai had died, it would be incredibly strange for Errus to flee with her body. He was someone who, apparently, had strong feelings about the war and was more than willing to lay his life down for the cause. Aria was¡­neutral on the topic. She didn¡¯t remember the war that well right now, and much of who she originally was had been lost when Mai had made her part of her flock the first time. She actually preferred to stay as far away from conflict as she could, retreating to go play with Carmen or read a book whenever it looked like things might get even a little intense, and Eve couldn¡¯t blame her for that. Aria had lived a long life, filled with responsibility and fighting. She deserved a break from it all. Eve sighed. She hadn¡¯t fully made her mind up when it came to how she felt about Aria. She loved her to bits, but that love also made her feel guilty. Aria wasn¡¯t¡­herself, really. She had been Errus before, and even though Mai had essentially erased Errus long ago, Eve couldn¡¯t help but feel like maybe she should be trying to get Errus back. She had broached the subject with Aria once, but Aria had vehemently objected. She was happy with where she was, and, more importantly, who she was. She was terrified of losing her new family, and she didn¡¯t want to go back to someone she barely even remembered being. Eve had spent many sleepless nights wrestling with the idea. Kali had said that it was theoretically doable to get the old Errus back, but it wasn¡¯t something that would be easy, even for her. But, even if they did bring the old Errus back, what would happen to Aria? As she was, she was essentially a complete person, so to bring the old Errus back felt like¡­killing Aria, and the very thought made Eve¡¯s stomach turn. In the end, it had actually been Carmen who thought of what Eve and Lilith were planning on. They had been discussing Aria with Anna and Jameson when Carmen had wandered in, looking to ask for her dad to tuck her in for bed. She had apparently listened to the conversation for longer than Eve had thought, for when she piped up, instead of requesting her father to take her to bed like she had been planning, she asked a simple question. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just do it like you guys?¡± Carmen had said, frowning. ¡°Just make this Errus guy a body and have him talk with Aria.¡± Eve was embarrassed to admit she hadn¡¯t thought about having Aria and Errus talk, not seriously. It was well within her power to grant Aria a degraded version of Parallel Processing that would allow her to speak with Errus. They just needed Kali to be able to reconstruct the old Errus, and then they could do it. When asked if that was something she would be ready for, Aria said that she wasn¡¯t sure. She wanted time to think about it, but she had promised that she would be ready within a few months. That was fine. It was an issue that could wait for a few months. Aria was still relatively mentally unstable, so it was probably for the best anyway¡­or so Eve told herself. It didn¡¯t do a lot to prevent that feeling of guilt and the desire to do what was best for her daughter, even if ¡°the best¡± was cutting ties with her so she could go back to her old life. Eve shook her head, dispelling the thoughts. She couldn¡¯t allow herself to keep worrying about it, she knew that it would just end with her thinking in circles, and she couldn¡¯t afford that right now. She was training with her party, and even if the monsters weren¡¯t anything that could threaten her, she still needed to pretend they were giving her a good fight. She allowed the weird badger-lion hybrid she was fighting to scratch her arm before shoving it back with a kick and decapitating it with her sword. She gave the body another disinterested kick, widened the wound on her arm with Eldritch Abomination, then turned back to her party. ¡°You good, Eve?¡± Jameson asked, giving her a worried look. ¡°You seem¡­distracted.¡± Eve sighed. She was hoping Anna and Jameson wouldn¡¯t notice, but they had become annoyingly perceptive when it came to her moods. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m just¡­thinking about Aria, you know.¡± Anna nodded knowingly. ¡°I understand how you feel,¡± she began, ¡°but didn¡¯t we decide this would have to wait until Aria was ready?¡± ¡°I know, I know.¡± Eve groaned. ¡°But it doesn¡¯t make it any easier. I really, really want to just¡­resolve this one way or the other, so I can stop worrying, but I know that¡¯ll just make it worse. It really doesn¡¯t help that I don¡¯t really know anything about Errus¡¯s personality, so I don¡¯t know what¡¯s gonna happen. Are his past deeds exaggerated by history to make him seem better? Is he gonna yell and scream and demand his life back? I just¡­¡± The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Jameson laid a comforting hand on Eve¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You know Kali said he¡¯s not like that.¡± He soothed. ¡°It¡¯s all going to work out, one way or the other. For now, all you can do is just love Aria and keep her safe, so you should focus on that. There¡¯s no use worrying about something you can¡¯t do anything about.¡± ¡°Logically, I know that, but I still can¡¯t help but worry. I just have to force myself to stop thinking about it whenever it comes up and wait.¡± Eve walked away from Jameson and back towards the monster she had been fighting. ¡°But we¡¯ll talk about it later. The heroes are almost here.¡± Jameson gave her a reluctant nod, and moved to begin dissecting the monster for its valuable parts such as the fangs and claws. Anna began looking over the dogs, cleaning them up and pretending to patch wounds they might have taken during the battle. For her part, Eve was keeping watch while they did these things. It wasn¡¯t safe to stay at the site of a kill like this for long periods of time; other monsters would come, drawn by the scent of blood, so any after-battle work needed to be done swiftly while also keeping an eye out for approaching threats. In this case, however, the approaching ¡°threat¡± would be the party of heroes. By Eve¡¯s estimation, they were about five minutes away, and were on track to ¡°randomly¡± stumble upon Eve¡¯s party. And, as expected, just over four minutes later, Eve heard Ava sneaking through the surrounding area. To her credit, it was pretty stealthy, but it wasn¡¯t anything Eve wouldn¡¯t be able to pick up. Eve had many different sensory organs hidden inside her body, and even more than that, she had placed a Watch on each of the heroes, and since they had her Blessing, they counted as being ¡®under Eve¡¯s rule¡¯. There was no way they could hide from Eve, no matter how they tried. ¡°Stop skulking about.¡± Eve called out. ¡°I know you¡¯re there, Ava. What do you want?¡± Ava sighed, stepping out from behind a tree thirty or so meters away from Eve. ¡°How do you always know?¡± She asked. ¡°I swear I¡¯m getting better at this, but you seem to find me earlier every time.¡± Eve shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m getting used to your antics.¡± She said. ¡°Anyone would start picking up on your presence earlier.¡± ¡°No one else seems to.¡± Ava muttered, quiet enough that most people wouldn¡¯t be able to hear it. ¡°Are you guys leveling again?¡± She asked, speaking up once more. ¡°Get anything good?¡± Eve shook her head. ¡°Just that weird badger thing.¡± She said, jerking a thumb at the monster Jameson was dismantling. ¡°Hardly worth the effort, to tell you the truth.¡± ¡°That wound on your arm tells a different story.¡± Anala said, walking up behind Ava. ¡°Looks like it got you pretty good. Raesn¡¯s made some potions that¡¯ll get you all healed up, if you¡¯d like.¡± Eve shot a disinterested glance at her arm. ¡°This? Honestly, didn¡¯t even notice, it barely touched me. Jameson will have it patched up in no time, no need to burn through your potions for me. Besides, you know as well as I that that monster is nothing compared to some of the ones the Queen of Monsters showed us. If we keep training on small fry like this, we¡¯re never going to be able to take on her army.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m pretty sure that monster would slaughter most adventuring parties with barely a thought.¡± Bruce said. ¡°And it¡¯s getting harder to find anything stronger in the wild.¡± ¡°Well, the Queen of Monsters got her army from somewhere.¡± Eve pointed out. ¡°We¡¯ll probably just need to go deeper into unexplored territory. The three of us are already heading out on a little expedition, would you care to join us? We could probably make it further if we went as a team.¡± Anala frowned. ¡°Give us a moment to talk about it.¡± She said, turning to her companions. ¡°Of course.¡± Eve said. ¡°I¡¯ll step back a bit to give you some privacy.¡± She retreated over to where Jameson was dismantling the monster, and began to listen in on the heroes¡¯ conversation via her Watch. ¡°Can we trust them?¡± Anala asked. ¡°I don¡¯t want them asking any pointed questions.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll probably be fine.¡± Raesn mused. ¡°They¡¯ve got their own share of secrets, we¡¯ve figured that much. If we don¡¯t pry into their circumstances, they probably won¡¯t pry into ours.¡± ¡°They¡¯re not the type to ask too many questions.¡± Bruce added. ¡°And Eve¡¯s right. At this rate, we¡¯re barely going to make a difference in the war. We have to go out further if we want to continue our growth.¡± ¡°They¡¯re pretty easy to work with.¡± Ava said. ¡°We barely had to look after them when they were just starting, and they¡¯re way stronger than they were back then. They¡¯re basically the only people who can keep up with us right now. I say this is an opportunity we can¡¯t afford to pass up.¡± ¡°I¡­suppose if they are other heroes, there would be no harm in tagging along with them. And if they¡¯re not, then we can keep an eye on their activities.¡± Anala mused. ¡°So¡­are we in agreement, then?¡± The group nodded, and, led by Anala, walked over to where Eve was waiting. ¡°We¡¯ll go with you.¡± Anala said. ¡°Where are we headed?¡± Eve shrugged. ¡°We¡¯re just wandering north, to tell you the truth. My impression was that this area was originally the domain of a dragon, so I¡¯m hoping we can get out of this area if we keep heading north. Hopefully we should start seeing stronger stuff as we do.¡± They would, of course, be seeing stronger stuff if they kept heading north. Eve had scouted the area, and, more importantly, had introduced several strong monsters into the area just days prior, with instructions to wait for people to come through and then attack. As much as the progress the heroes were making was incomparable to their previous progress, it still wasn¡¯t satisfactory to Eve. She was forced to admit that, perhaps, she had shown monsters a bit too strong in her video. In doing so, she had locked herself into using monsters that strong; people would begin to ask questions if she didn¡¯t use those monsters, and she couldn¡¯t afford that. And six weeks had been a rather optimistic timeframe to raise the heroes up, too. She had wanted to give a sense of urgency, but the monsters near the frontier towns just weren¡¯t strong enough to raise people up to the needed levels in time. So, she had concocted this expedition as a way to get the heroes some better training. She had been reasonably sure they would take the opportunity to go with her, but she was glad that they had accepted. It saved her the trouble of figuring out some other inconspicuous way to raise their levels. Anala, unaware of Eve¡¯s inner monologue, nodded. ¡°I suppose that makes sense. We¡¯ll need to keep our eyes peeled for any monsters that look like the ones from the declaration of war, though. We don¡¯t want the Queen of Monsters catching on to the fact that we¡¯re getting stronger.¡± Eve had to hold back a snort. She briefly wondered what Anala would say if she knew that, not only was she talking to the Queen of Monsters, but that each new ability they got was given to the Queen of Monsters as well. The poor thing was blissfully unaware that, by accepting Lilith¡¯s Blessing, she had effectively guaranteed that she would be unable to beat Eve if Eve went all out. ¡°That¡¯s a good idea.¡± Eve said. ¡°As soon as Jameson finishes dismantling the monster and Anna finishes patching up the dogs, we¡¯ll be on our way.¡± ¡°I¡¯m almost done.¡± Jameson called out. ¡°Just a couple more things to remove.¡± ¡°As am I.¡± Anna added. ¡°The dogs didn¡¯t take too much of a beating, so I¡¯m really just double checking while Jameson finishes his work.¡± ¡°You really should take one of our potions, then.¡± Ava said. ¡°It¡¯ll save a bit of time and we honestly have more than enough to go around.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Raesn confirmed. ¡°I¡¯ve been making plenty every chance I get, just for situations like this. If we¡¯re going to be working together, then we might as well pool resources.¡± Eve pretended to hesitate for a few moments, then nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± She said. ¡°Might as well.¡± Raesn handed her a potion, which Eve drank. She let it do its work, surreptitiously stitching herself back up with Eldritch Abomination as she did. A minute or so later, Jameson stood up, giving the corpse an appraising look. ¡°Do you all need extra food?¡± He said. ¡°These things are edible. Don¡¯t taste the best, but it¡¯s better than starving.¡± ¡°I can conjure food.¡± Bruce said. ¡°We should be fine.¡± Jameson raised an eyebrow. ¡°Impressive.¡± He said. ¡°You¡¯ll have to teach me how. I¡¯ve been trying to learn the technique, and haven¡¯t really gotten the hang of it as well as I¡¯d like.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll, uh¡­see what I can do.¡± Bruce said. ¡°I can¡¯t promise I¡¯ll be of much help, though. I¡¯m a bit more of an¡­instinctual learner than anything.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± Jameson replied. ¡°I can work with that. At the very least, you might be able to tell me where I¡¯m going wrong.¡± ¡°Dogs are good.¡± Anna interjected, standing up as well. ¡°Shall we be going?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Bruce said quickly. ¡°No time to waste, let¡¯s be off.¡± And so, the two parties began a trek north, preparing themselves for what would surely be some of their toughest fights yet. Chapter 77: War Eve watched in satisfaction as the heroes felled their last foe on their way back to the frontier town. It was a few days before her invasion would launch, and she was pleased to see that the heroes had grown to the point where they wouldn¡¯t instantly be overwhelmed in the initial waves of her attack. They wouldn¡¯t be able to repel the waves either, but that was all according to plan. If people were just able to¡­deal with her army without any major losses, then they would lose any sense of urgency and the whole Queen of Monsters thing would end up being a giant waste of time. It hadn¡¯t been easy, though. She had to spend a lot of time carefully micromanaging the heroes to get them to be just the right strength. It was harder than she had thought it would be, since they would start getting suspicious if she sent too many strong things at them too fast, so she had to carefully space things out. As they were now, Eve estimated that they were, as a party, roughly equivalent to one of the monsters Nuwa had been breeding. Eve had a few hundred of those, and she wouldn¡¯t be letting the heroes face them one at a time except for at the very beginning when Eve was overextending her army. She had also taken the time to prepare five stronger monsters that she would use as her generals. They were a cut above the rest, the strongest of which was roughly equivalent to Anna in terms of raw strength. Well, similar strength if you discounted all of the dogs except for Fluffy. ¡­She wasn¡¯t spoiling Anna and Jameson, she was just making sure anyone who stood by her side was strong. Yeah. That¡¯s what she¡¯d tell people if they asked. Lilith would probably call her out on it, but she was expecting that at this point, It almost made it less embarrassing, since she didn¡¯t have to say sappy things herself. Uh¡­for a given value of not herself, anyway. She¡¯d get that memory later and have to live through it that way, but it was a layer removed, and as such, not nearly as bad as just saying the thing outright. ¡°Eve, are you ready?¡± Lilith asked. Eve jumped. She had zoned out entirely and hadn¡¯t been paying enough attention to her other sets of senses to realize that Lilith had turned her attention away from the others and to Eve. ¡°O-of course I¡¯m ready!¡± Eve said. ¡°I was made to do this! There¡¯s no way I¡¯m nervous! Lilith smirked that knowing smirk that meant she was on to whatever excuse Eve was trying to spout. ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tease me!¡± Eve huffed. ¡°This is my big day, can¡¯t you leave it alone for like¡­thirty minutes?!¡± Lilith grinned, sitting down across from Eve. ¡°Not if you¡¯re looking so nervous it¡¯s going to affect your performance.¡± Her face became serious. ¡°Seriously, though, what¡¯s bugging you? We¡¯re just making a recording, so if you mess up, we can just do another take.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m worried about.¡± Eve sighed. ¡°It¡¯s how people are going to react that¡¯s worrying me.¡± A trace of a smile crossed Lilith¡¯s lips. ¡°Well, the news outlets all gave their proper doom and gloom stories, so¡­¡± ¡°You know what I¡¯m talking about.¡± Eve groaned. ¡°People have already done so much with just that little bit of footage of a calm me, I¡¯m kind of scared what they¡¯re going to do with an angry version of me.¡± Lilith wasn¡¯t bothering to hide her smile anymore. ¡°You really should stop looking up fanart of yourself. If you keep doing that, you¡¯re just going to find more and more lewds.¡± ¡°But some of it is really good!¡± Eve protested weakly. ¡°And it¡¯s important to know how the people think of me, so I can live up to their expectations!¡± Lilith snorted. ¡°What, are you gonna step on the heroes? I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the kind of thing you have to live up to.¡± ¡°Not those! The ones about me being an ice queen or super cool and aloof and stuff!¡± ¡°Then you already know what people expect you to do, you can stop looking.¡± ¡°But¡­what if they change their minds?¡± Lilith shook her head in amazement. ¡°You want to find the lewds, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Absolutely not!¡± Eve protested, face as red as her hair normally was. ¡°I just¡­¡± ¡°Then why do you keep looking on those kinds of sites? There are plenty of other places you can find more¡­respectable art. And¡­you definitely don¡¯t need to be actively keeping up with fanfiction about yourself. You like this, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I¡­I¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Lilith laughed. ¡°We¡¯re all me here. You don¡¯t have to try and hide it, none of us are going to judge you for it. Actually, why did you even think you could hide it from us? Even if you kept those memories from us, eventually everything would get shared and we would find out.¡± Eve pushed the tips of her fingers together, looking away. ¡°I thought if I kept it to times you weren¡¯t looking and snuck it into our passive nightly sharing of memories, you might not notice? Look, it¡¯s just¡­morbidly fascinating, you know? I know you¡¯ve looked at art of yourself in the past, so I know you get it.¡± Lilith paused, searching her memory. Then, apparently finding what she was looking for, she grinned and focused back in on Eve. ¡°If it¡¯s morbidly fascinating, why did you comment ¡®LOVE THIS!!!!!¡¯ on that story where you take over Earth and turn everyone into monster-person hybrids? It wasn¡¯t even that well written.¡± Eve groaned. ¡°Fine, fine, I like the attention, you happy? But I can¡¯t just say that, otherwise I sound super egotistical! And I¡¯d sound like a pervert if I admitted I like the lewds, so I can¡¯t say that either!¡± Lilith smiled. ¡°I know, I¡¯m just giving you a hard time. Feeling less nervous now?¡± Eve blinked. She had been so caught up in trying to defend herself that she had momentarily forgotten the pressure she was feeling. ¡°¡­Yeah, actually.¡± She admitted. ¡°B-but only a little, don¡¯t get me wrong!¡± ¡°Good. Go knock ¡®em dead, then.¡± Lilith said, standing up and giving her another smile. ¡°You did great on the last one, so this one is in the bag.¡± With that, she left the throne room, leaving Eve alone with Mae. Eve sighed, sitting up straight on her throne before turning to Mae. ¡°Fine. I suppose I¡¯m ready, then.¡± Mae nodded. ¡°In that case, recording begins in three¡­two¡­one.¡± Eve glared at the camera. ¡°I believe I made myself abundantly clear six weeks ago.¡± She said. ¡°I said that if you had not completely vacated this plane, I would take it back by force. I am pleased some of you had the basic intelligence required to realize you have no chance of standing up to me and fled, but an alarming number of you were deluded into thinking you stood a chance.¡± Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. She gripped the arm of her throne tight enough to crack it, then took a chunk of it off entirely as she stood up and looked down at the camera. ¡°Let me let you in on a little secret.¡± She snarled. ¡°This isn¡¯t like your stupid novels. There are no heroes from another world, no contrivances that will suddenly grant you the power to defeat me. Your precious High Arbiter isn¡¯t going to step in, and I¡¯ve already got measures in place to deal with the other Perfect Chimeras. You have no chance as you are now.¡± She crushed the stone of the throne¡¯s armrest in her hand. ¡°My army marches tonight, and will be on your lands by the end of the week. Flee, or make your peace with your gods. Anyone left in the cities will be assumed to be an enemy combatant and will be dealt with accordingly. Consider this your final warning.¡± She waved a hand and the recording stopped. ¡°Alright, bring it here.¡± She said. ¡°Let¡¯s see how this turned out.¡±
¡°Do¡­you really think we¡¯re ready?¡± Anala asked in a small voice. They had just watched the Queen of Monsters¡¯ latest¡­broadcast? Announcement? Threat? ¡°I still don¡¯t think we can take on some of the monsters she showed in her declaration of war. We¡¯ve struggled against monsters that I¡¯m pretty sure are lesser versions of them.¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to have to.¡± Raesn said grimly. ¡°But I got in touch with some people I know in the weapons industry, and they¡¯re saying that we¡¯re going to have a dozen or so of those tanks that they fought the High Arbiter with to back us up. It¡¯s the best they could do on such short notice.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t they still have a few from before?¡± Bruce asked. ¡°Surely they didn¡¯t just¡­stop producing them.¡± ¡°As far as I¡¯m aware, they did.¡± Raesn replied. ¡°The Council¡¯s been much less militant without Elenoa in charge. The tanks were considered an unnecessary expense when they were still reeling from the changes to the world and trying to make sense of everything.¡± ¡°I would have done the same, but it¡¯s really coming back to bite us in the butt.¡± Ava muttered. ¡°In their defense,¡± Anala said, ¡°there was no reason to believe that something like this would happen.¡± ¡°People have been speculating about something like this ever since the Shift.¡± Bruce countered. ¡°Though, to be fair, they¡¯re mostly people who like to think that they¡¯ve suddenly fallen into a novel now that this more¡­game-like magic system is in place. No one ever really believed them, but I guess they really are having the last laugh, huh?¡± ¡°Still¡­¡± Raesn mumbled, glancing up. ¡°Why now?¡± Anala frowned. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Why wait to do this until after we¡¯ve established ourselves as much as we have? Why give us time to gather strength? Why not attack immediately after the frontier towns were made when we were at our most vulnerable?¡± ¡°Maybe the Queen of Monsters needed time to get stronger, too?¡± Bruce suggested. ¡°Yeah, but the monsters didn¡¯t need to do that.¡± Raesn countered. ¡°Something about this just¡­isn¡¯t adding up.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ve never seen so many strong monsters in one place before her declaration of war.¡± Ava said. ¡°In fact, I hadn¡¯t really seen monsters that strong anywhere. They all seemed to be on the level of one of those ancient, calamitous monsters like Fenrir. Perhaps, now that the new system is in place, the Queen of Monsters was able to take control of monsters like that easier, and she needed time to gather them?¡± ¡°I guess.¡± Raesn replied, clearly unconvinced. ¡°I suppose the only way to find out is to make her talk once we defeat her.¡± ¡°We can think about this later.¡± Bruce said. ¡°First we have to try and figure out where she is, and where she¡¯s going to attack first.¡± Anala nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± She said. ¡°We can just use the portals to get to where we want to go, but I¡¯d like as much time as possible to prepare. Raesn, do you think you can convince the guild leaders to let you place traps outside city walls?¡± ¡°Probably, as long as I make sure they know where the traps are.¡± He said. ¡°Though that all depends on how much they think their city is going to be the one targeted. I can¡¯t imagine they¡¯d want traps that could hurt people right outside the city otherwise, even if they knew all their locations and how to disarm them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± Anala said. ¡°We just need to make a good guess, then.¡± ¡°I really wish we had satellite coverage of Haven.¡± Bruce said. ¡°It would make finding the army so much easier.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure.¡± Ava retorted. ¡°The Queen of Monsters is somehow able to take over all broadcasting when she makes announcements, so it¡¯s entirely possible she could feed us fake info if we relied on pictures from satellites. Still, I¡¯m guessing we¡¯ll have at least a little advanced warning. The cities will probably have people scouting a decent ways away from them.¡± ¡°So¡­can we assume a day¡¯s warning, then?¡± Anala asked. ¡°Seems about right.¡± Ava said. ¡°If we assume they¡¯re using people who can fly, and that they can see the army from a decent distance away.¡± ¡°I¡¯d still like more time than that if possible.¡± Raesn said. ¡°But I can whip up some quick and dirty traps in a day if necessary. Don¡¯t know how much help they¡¯ll be, but¡­every little bit counts.¡± ¡°Well, we can at least narrow our options down.¡± Anala said. ¡°I think it¡¯s safe to assume that the three main cities aren¡¯t going to be targeted first. They¡¯re too fortified, and the army would have to go near a few frontier towns to get to them anyway, so those would probably be the first to fall.¡± Anala pulled out a tablet and opened up a map of Haven. It wasn¡¯t nearly as good as the maps she was used to, and there were a lot of unknowns, but it was better than nothing. ¡°The Queen of Monsters¡¯ base probably isn¡¯t anywhere we¡¯ve mapped, since I think we would have found it by now, so I doubt we¡¯ll need to worry about attacks from all sides, just the ones with unexplored territory around them.¡± Which, admittedly, there was a lot more of than Anala would have liked. The frontier towns encompassed a roughly circular area around the three main cities of Haven, and everything in that circle was explored, but the outside was just one huge unknown. ¡°Let¡¯s pick one of the outermost towns, then.¡± Bruce said. ¡°They¡¯re the most likely to see combat first, if you ask me.¡± ¡°Westtown is probably a good starting point.¡± Raesn mused. ¡°The area around there is the deadliest, so it would be worst if the Queen of Monsters attacked there first. She could add to her forces by conscripting all the monsters as she marches her army to the town, and things would get even nastier than they already are. It¡¯s not like we have any good leads, so we might as well try and shore up the weakest point.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± Ava said. ¡°There are just too many unknowns, whatever we pick is going to be an educated guess at best. No point agonizing over it unless we get new information.¡± ¡°No complaints here.¡± Bruce said. ¡°If we¡¯re wrong, we¡¯re wrong. There¡¯s just not much else we can do now.¡± Anala sighed. ¡°Yeah, you all are right.¡± She said, closing the map. ¡°Raesn, you wanna get started asking permission for traps? The rest of us can help fortify the walls or do whatever other projects need doing, I don¡¯t think we can get any meaningful training done without going out again.¡± Raesn nodded. ¡°On it.¡± Bruce stood up, stretching a bit. ¡°Shall the three of us be off, then?¡±
¡°The army¡¯s been spotted outside of Northtown.¡± Ava said, slamming the door to their party¡¯s shared room open. ¡°They¡¯re going to be there at around dawn.¡± Anala groaned, sitting up in her bed. ¡°Great. Just¡­great. I suppose we¡¯re not getting any sleep tonight, then.¡± Raesn sighed, standing up. ¡°Well, I¡¯m going to head off and get started immediately. I¡¯ll let you all catch up. I¡¯ll be back at the portal a half hour before dawn.¡± He moved towards the door, and Ava got out of his way as he left. ¡°Right, I¡¯m going to get some energy drinks.¡± Bruce said. ¡°I¡¯ll meet you all at Northtown¡¯s portal in fifteen minutes, let me know what we¡¯re doing when I get there.¡± ¡°Thanks, love.¡± Ava said, walking over and giving him a quick kiss. ¡°Anala and I will make sure to have something for us to do.¡± Anala nodded, and the three left. Bruce parted ways with Anala and Ava after they left the building, and the two made their way to Westtown¡¯s portal before taking it to Northtown. From there they went to the adventurer¡¯s guild, and asked for any odd jobs they could do to help prepare for the army. They were assigned to help reinforce the northeastern wall, the side closest to where the monsters had been spotted. They met back up with Bruce, then left for the wall. It was a tense night of hard work, but soon Anala¡¯s party met back up and went to man the walls. And, shortly after, they were able to catch their first glimpse of the army. It was¡­big. Much bigger than the Queen of Monsters had originally showed the world. Fortunately, it seemed that the rank and file weren¡¯t anything special; they were the kind of monsters that could be found just about anywhere. In fact, many of them were weaker than most monsters normally found outside of the frontier towns. But¡­there were just so many of them. And Anala could see some of the stronger ones among the army, too. She took a deep breath, hand going to her sword. ¡°Ready?¡± She asked. ¡°No.¡± Bruce said. ¡°But I¡¯m going to have to deal with it anyway.¡± ¡°Same.¡± Ava said weakly. ¡°There¡¯s¡­so many.¡± ¡°My traps should catch a lot of the small fry.¡± Raesn said. ¡°But I¡¯m worried about those big ones.¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s our job, then.¡± Anala said. ¡°Remember, if fit looks like your life is in danger, retreat. We can¡¯t afford to lose any of us, not when there¡¯s still the threat of the Queen. There will be other cities, there won¡¯t be another us.¡± The other three nodded grimly. It seemed that, at last, their fight was upon them. Chapter 78: The Siege of Northtown Anala grunted as she batted aside a kobold with her shield before decapitating it with her sword. The small fry were¡­more troublesome than she had expected. Contrary to most groups of monsters, the army was well-ordered and worked together, and though individually, the goblins or kobolds couldn¡¯t do much, they served both as a distraction from greater threats and as a means of tiring her out. The defense of the city had gone extremely poorly, to say the least. For the first ten minutes or so, the walls stood strong and the defenders were able to whittle down the army¡¯s numbers from behind them. The tanks perched on top of the wall and attacked the grounded monsters, while most of the other defenders kept the skies clear or dealt with patches of monsters the tanks missed. But that seemed to have been expected. None of the truly strong targets showed themselves during the initial wave of monsters, and then, all of a sudden, dozens of them surged towards the wall. They aimed for the tanks in particular, managing to overwhelm about a quarter of them with strong, concentrated attacks. But still, the walls had held. The monsters weren¡¯t trying to destroy the walls, they were focused on destroying the tanks and sowing chaos among the defenders. Or so Anala had thought, right up until the walls just¡­collapsed into a sinkhole. Something had reached the base of the wall without being noticed, and had broken the wards that kept burrowing monsters from getting below. Bruce had been able to telekinetically shunt their party to safety, but many of the other defenders weren¡¯t so fortunate, and sustained heavy injuries in the fall. It was at that point that the defender¡¯s focus shifted from defending the town to getting to the portal and fleeing, where they would escape to Westtown. With the walls gone, many of the defenders injured, and no end to the horde in sight, the guild master had called for the retreat. There was no sense in losing more life than had already been lost, not over a city that was as good as taken. To make matters worse, monsters had sprung up from tunnels that had been dug under the walls and behind the defenders, neatly surrounding those that had been caught up in the collapse of the wall. There were more defenders on the other side of the city, but they were, apparently, dealing with their own issues, so it didn¡¯t seem like they could count on reinforcements. And so it was that Anala and her party were carving a path towards the portal, dealing with the monsters that had come through the tunnels and desperately trying to save as many people as they could. The tanks were focused on keeping the wave of strong monsters that had attacked from the front busy, so it was just the regular people in the rear. Fortunately, it seemed that most of the monsters that had come through the tunnels were of the weaker variety, but they were also still pouring out of the tunnels, with no end to them in sight. ¡°Somebody collapse those tunnels!¡± Anala yelled, striking a goblin that tried to knock her feet out from under from her. ¡°If we don¡¯t do something about them, we¡¯re never going to be able to get everyone back!¡± ¡°I¡¯m working on it!¡± Bruce called out. ¡°But if I¡¯m not careful, the ground is going to go down with the tunnels. Hold on just a bit more!¡± There was a rumble from the other side of the city, and Anala could see a column of dust rising from the general direction of the sound. The tunnel to Anala¡¯s left collapsed, taking with it the monsters that were coming out from inside. ¡°Nice one, Bruce!¡± Anala yelled, taking advantage of a distracted kobold by slicing it clean in two. ¡°Keep it up!¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t me!¡± Bruce said. ¡°That feels like Jameson¡¯s work!¡± Anala felt a bit of relief at that. Selfish as it was, it was nice to know that Jameson¡¯s party was on the same side of the city as her. They had proven themselves time and time again to be strong, almost as strong as Anala¡¯s party. Having them backing up the retreat would make things much safer. Anala¡¯s momentary lapse in attention was instantly punished by the monsters in front of her. Two goblins attacked her sides, and, while she was dealing with them, a large tiger¡­thing with spines of crackling electricity pounced on her and began pumping electricity through Anala¡¯s body. The tiger was nigh-instantly blasted off of her by Raesn, who was wielding a gun he had made himself using his Blessing. Anala gave him a grateful nod before running off into the thick of the monsters and activating one of her Skills, Quick Spin. Quick Spin allowed her to perform a spinning maneuver, slicing out with her sword and hitting all targets within arm¡¯s reach. If her sword made contact with anything, it sort of¡­passed through after causing a wound, allowing her spin to complete without her sword getting stuck. The technique, while powerful, had its downsides ¨C the spinning strike was very one-dimensional, and anything with fast enough reflexes would be able to dodge without too much issue. Furthermore, the blows weren¡¯t any more damaging than a normal sword stroke would be, and if something was able to block with a shield or weapon or¡­anything, then her spin was stopped dead in its tracks. In addition, it wasn¡¯t an ability that could be used in quick succession; attempting to do so resulted in extreme dizziness, which was as good as a death sentence on a battlefield like this. And, finally, it ate up a lot of Stamina compared to most other sword Skills she had learned, so a lot of care was required to make full use out of the Skill. But, as difficult to use as it was, against mobs of small fry like the ones she was fighting, there was no better tool. The Quick Spin handily mowed down the monsters nearby, leaving Anala standing in a circle of corpses. She didn¡¯t stop to appreciate her work, instead choosing to rush towards the tunnel that had been collapsed, killing the monsters around her on her way. It really was lucky that only the weaklings had come through the tunnels. If the monsters had all been on the level of that tiger that had attacked her earlier, this would have been much more problematic. But, for whatever reason, they hadn¡¯t come. Perhaps the monsters were too large? Maybe the Queen of Monsters just wanted to hamper the defender¡¯s retreat so as to inflict more casualties? She executed another Quick Spin, tidily mopping up most of the small fry that the tunnel¡¯s collapse hadn¡¯t already taken care of. She held the location for a minute longer, waiting for the rest of the defenders to catch up before she went off to clear another place of monsters. There was a rumbling as another tunnel collapsed, and Anala shifted her attention to the area, aiming to secure as much ground as she could for the retreating people. The battle continued like that for another ten or so minutes, tunnels being collapsed and then the areas cleared, until, finally, the portal square was in sight. As was an enormous snake, one Anala guessed would be as large as the buildings around it were it to coil itself up. It was currently attempting to crush the portal, but didn¡¯t seem to be making progress. The thick, unidentifiable material the High Arbiter had used to make the portals stood strong against the snake¡¯s repeated assaults which meant, for now, hope was still alive. They just had to defeat the snake¡­somehow. Anala regrouped with the rest of their party, eyeing the snake carefully as it paid no mind to the approaching people and continued its attempts to crush the portal. ¡°How are we going to deal with this?¡± She whispered. ¡°It looks strong.¡± The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°The scales aren¡¯t made of anything special.¡± Raesn said. ¡°They¡¯re just hard. Our weapons should be able to pierce them with ease, and they only provide a bit of resistance to magic.¡± ¡°How are the tanks looking?¡± Ava asked. ¡°I haven¡¯t gotten a good look at them while I¡¯ve been out, but I can still hear them. One or two of them might be able to really help here.¡± ¡°Not that great.¡± Bruce said. ¡°I was towards the rear most of the time, and they were having a rough time of it. Their shots really don¡¯t do that much to the big monsters, and the monsters have been really whittling away at their batteries. I¡¯ve seen more than one driver forced to bail before their tank gets torn to shreds.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s let them keep the rest of the army at bay.¡± Anala said. ¡°We have to be able to do something about it our¨C¡± There was a deafening hiss from the snake as it turned its attention to the defenders. There, on its head, was the figure of a small angel with long, blood-red hair, stabbing a sword deep into the snake. A moment later, the snake was pelted with a barrage of spells from its side, and six wolf-monsters dashed out from the perimeter, launching themselves at the snake fearlessly. ¡°Looks like we¡¯ve been beaten to the punch.¡± Raesn said, hefting a large rifle and taking aim at the snake. ¡°No time to think, we need to just do.¡± He snapped off a round from the rifle, striking the snake just behind the head and blowing out a chunk of its scales. Anala nodded, and dashed forward. She hesitated for only a moment before activating Weight of the World, speeding up as her stats increased explosively. It was her trump card, one she had gained after maxing out the ¡°Protector Hero¡± Class she had gained access to after being granted the High Arbiter¡¯s Blessing. It was a simple Skill, really. It massively boosted the effect of her Blessing in exchange for restricting access to her Blessing for a long while afterwards. The others had similar Skills, but Anala¡¯s was by far the most effective and, simultaneously, the most costly; it, in essence, tripled her already tripled stats, giving her a massive boost, but she could only keep it up for ten minutes, and she could lose her Blessing for up to a day if she kept the Skill active that whole time. It wasn¡¯t something she could safely use earlier, but now, with the portal in sight and a fierce monster in their way, she felt there was no better time to use it. She raised her sword high as she charged, then swung down and activated Spatial Rend, another Skill she had gained from the Protector Hero Class. It sliced the very fabric of space between her and the target, allowing her to both rapidly close a distance and deliver an extraordinarily powerful blow, but it also used an enormous amount of both Mana and Stamina, equal to her entire pool of each after the bonus from her Blessing. So, for now, it was basically only usable while she had Weight of the World active, but the results were worth the expenditure. As the rift was created, she stepped through, coming out right next to Eve on the snake¡¯s head, a huge spray of blood erupting from where the Spatial Rend had hit. ¡°Ah, so you¡¯re here too.¡± Eve said, thrusting her sword into the snake¡¯s head once again. ¡°Help me finish this thing off.¡± The snake violently swung its head around in an attempt to dislodge its attackers, but Anala and Eve were able to deal with that. Eve seemed to have some sort of spell cast on her that made her feet stay firmly planted on the snake, while Anala stabbed her sword into the snake¡¯s hide and held onto it that way. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to get to its eyes, but it starts shaking violently the moment I try, and Jameson¡¯s magic isn¡¯t perfect, I¡¯ll get shaken off if I try and press forward during that.¡± Eve said. ¡°So, I¡¯ve just been making life a misery up here instead. Any ideas, or should we just hit it ¡®till it dies?¡± ¡°Well¨C¡± Anala was cut off as, suddenly, the scales in about a five foot circle around Eve and Anala stood up and pointed at them, revealing razor-sharp edges. They were rustling dangerously, too, as if they were trying to pull themselves free of the snake¡¯s body. Anala grabbed Eve and pulled her behind her tower shield, and looked desperately around for a way to protect their backs and bottoms from what was sure to be a sudden onslaught of scales. And¡­there, where her Spatial Rend had hit, the scales weren¡¯t standing up. They seemed to be broken from the blow, so they should be relatively safe to stand on. Anala tugged Eve over to them, then activated Damage Sponge, a Skill that would allow her to take any damage someone she was touching would take, with the added bonus of making the attack have to contend with both Anala¡¯s armor and the armor of whoever she was protecting. ¡°I got your back.¡± Eve said. ¡°You just focus on your side of things.¡± There was a wet snap as the scales wrenched themselves free of the skin and flew towards Anala and Eve. Anala braced herself for the impact of the scales, but¡­it never came. The scales were stopped mid-flight by some sort of magic, and ended up falling limply to the ground. It was at that moment that Ava reached the top of the snake¡¯s head having run up the air to get at it. During their training, she had obtained a Skill that let her create temporarily footholds in the air that only she could use, allowing her to reach places that were, normally, quite difficult to get to. It had come in handy on more than one occasion, and this one was no different. She jumped off of her latest foothold and down to where Eve and Anala were standing, bringing down first her fire sword and then her ice sword into the now-unprotected flesh of the snake. The snake let loose another deafening hiss and began to thrash about again, but it was¡­weaker this time, as if the snake didn¡¯t have as much energy as it did before. Seeing her opportunity, Anala waited for the thrashing to die down before using Spatial Rend yet again, seeking to deepen the already-sizeable gash she had made in the snake with her first strike. Or, she would have, but a sickly-sweet smell began to fill the air as the snake let out a blast of some sort of¡­gas from its mouth, and Anala began to feel faint. She grit her teeth, held her breath, and activated Pure of Body, cleansing the poison from herself. But, almost immediately, she began to feel the effects once again, just as strong as before. It appeared that the poison worked just from contact; it didn¡¯t need her to breathe it in. The snake began to buck again, and this time, holding on was much harder. Strength was leaving her limbs the longer she remained in the cloud of gas that was expanding to fill the pavilion they were in, and every time she activated Pure of Body, the relief seemed to get weaker and weaker. And then Eve placed her hands on both Anala and Ava, and suddenly everything was¡­fine. It was like there was a bubble around the three of them that was keeping the poison at bay, and Anala felt completely cleansed of the stuff. ¡°Hurry.¡± Eve choked out. ¡°You have something that can end this, right? I can only keep this at bay for so long.¡± A wind was picking up and pushing the gas away, but Anala didn¡¯t have time to pay attention to that. She looked to Ava, nodded, and then activated Spatial Rend, using most of her remaining Stamina and Mana to deepen the wound as she had planned. And, the moment she had, Ava struck, activating a Skill and releasing waves of energy from her sword, striking directly into the open gash. There was stillness for just a moment, and then¡­the snake went limp, falling to the ground as its muscles stopped supporting its weight. Eve grabbed Ava and Anala and kicked off of the snake, flapping her wings furiously as she tried to keep their descent from becoming dangerous. They touched down in the square a few meters away from the now-motionless body of the snake, Eve panting heavily. ¡°I think¡­we did it.¡± She said. ¡°We can¡­get out now.¡± And then, with a grunt, she collapsed to the ground. ¡°Looks¡­like I overdid it. I¡¯m going to need to rest.¡± She closed her eyes and went limp, slipping into unconsciousness. Anala grabbed her before she hit the floor, making sure the girl didn¡¯t sustain any damage from something stupid like that. There was a cheer from the watchers, and a moment later, one of Anna¡¯s dogs bounded up to Anala, and gave a pointed look at the girl in her arms, then looked at its back, clearly motioning for Anala to lay Eve on it. Anala didn¡¯t hesitate, carefully draping Eve over the large dog¡¯s back. It was fortunate that Eve still had the body of a child, because the dogs were only barely bigger than a normal large-sized dog, and though Anala had seen them do things that hinted at great strength before, it would still be awkward for them to try and carry an adult. Anala heaved a sigh and let Weight of the World deactivate.
Due to the backlash of Weight of the World, Protector has been deactivated for 4 hours and 48 minutes!
The strength that had been coursing through her stopped, leaving Anala feeling weak and tired as she slumped against Ava. ¡°I¡¯m out for about five hours.¡± She said. ¡°Can you handle things here?¡± Ava nodded. ¡°Yeah. You go get us a room in Westtown, alright?¡± Anala gave her a weak smile, forcing herself to stand up straight and walk to the portal. Anna was already there, activating it and shepherding her dogs and Eve through. ¡°Good job up there.¡± She said. ¡°You guys too.¡± Anala replied. ¡°Don¡¯t know what we would have done without you. Especially at the end there, Eve saved our hides.¡± Anna smiled. ¡°She tends to do that.¡± She said. ¡°Now go on, you¡¯ve earned a rest. We can handle things from here.¡± Anala gave a nod and trudged into the portal. The day had gone poorly, but¡­they were able to evacuate the defenders, at least. They would have to wait to see what the exact damages of the day were, but¡­it could have been worse. It could have been a lot worse. Chapter 79: Brooding Hero Anala sat in her chair, watching as people scurried about, preparing themselves for what was to come. They had lost more than Anala would have liked in the battle. While the casualties of actual people had been kept to a minimum by the presence of the tanks, they had instead lost a majority of the tanks, which was a not-insignificant decrease in the firepower on the side of Haven. And it wasn¡¯t one that could be made up for in time for the next siege. The frontier towns were quite a distance apart, yes, but those monsters had been moving fast. The current estimates were projecting the army¡¯s arrival at the next frontier town to be in three days, provided the army didn¡¯t stop to lick its wounds. Anala didn¡¯t see why it would. The army of monsters had received remarkably little consequential damage from the siege, losing only a few of their powerful monsters. Whole hordes of lesser monsters had been annihilated, yes, but those were little more than cannon fodder. The army would likely swell in size again just by marching to the next town. It likely wouldn¡¯t be as big as before, but their reinforcements would be a step above the peons that were lost. Really, Anala wasn¡¯t sure where the Queen of Monsters had found such weak underlings. Goblins and the like had been known to exist, and had started popping up near the frontier towns somewhat regularly, but not in the sheer number that was contained within the Queen of Monsters¡¯ army. And even if those monsters weren¡¯t killed by adventurers, they would quickly be done in by the surrounding wildlife. The Queen of Monsters must have gone out of her way to keep them safe from the other monsters, just so she could raise their number and use them as foot soldiers. That was the only thing that made sense. Apparently, in the rare occasion that goblins or kobolds had been allowed to flourish, they had multiplied at an astonishing rate, so just by spending a couple of years protecting the pockets that popped up near her, the Queen of Monsters would have been able to build up an army of that size. But that wasn¡¯t that bad, not really; those monsters were more than manageable. What really scared Anala was the implication of the Queen of Monsters raising a group of monsters like that. That meant that this invasion was something she had been planning ever since the Shift, and she was probably more than prepared for the defenses that would be arrayed against her. She had chosen to make the monsters target the tanks. It was entirely unnatural for monsters to be so single-mindedly devoted in choosing to fight something that wasn¡¯t edible when such good food was so close. The tanks were distracting, yes, but they weren¡¯t that distracting. The monsters could have easily ignored them whilst they gorged themselves on the people the tanks were protecting. That could only mean that the Queen of Monsters had been targeting the heaviest hitters first, softening up the people so she would have an easier time taking the next city. It also meant that the next attack would be soon; the Queen of Monsters had to know that people could just make more tanks. She was going to push her advantage, and push it hard. It was beginning to feel hopeless. It felt like everyone was just dancing on the Queen of Monsters¡¯ palm, and there was nothing they could do but ¨C ¡°Chin up, Anala.¡± Eve said, holding out a hand to the taller girl. ¡°We haven¡¯t lost yet.¡± Anala gave her a weak smile, accepting the hand and standing up. ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear you say that, but you must admit this looks pretty bad. I don¡¯t know how we¡¯re even going to begin to approach our next fights.¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to be bad for a bit,¡± Eve admitted, ¡°but it will get better.¡± ¡°You¡­sound so confident about that, but I¡¯m¡­not so sure. We¡­we¡¯re not getting the people back that died, Eve. Our army is going to dwindle and dwindle while hers grows.¡± Eve shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s not necessarily true. This attack was bad, but it¡¯s also doubtless the worst of the attacks she¡¯s going to stage. That wasn¡¯t the type of thing she can afford to replicate, and while she may gain more monsters, they¡¯re going to be relatively weak. The important parts of her army aren¡¯t going to replenish that easily. It might take a while, and it will sting our pride a little, but we can do this.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve lost me there.¡± Bruce said, standing up and walking over to the two of them. ¡°Care to explain?¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple; we have something the Queen of Monsters will never have.¡± ¡°The power of friendship?¡± Bruce asked, smiling wryly. Eve rolled her eyes. ¡°No, not the power of friendship. As much as you people from Earth seem to forget it, this isn¡¯t some story where the world will gather together and send their energy to the protagonist. We don¡¯t have anything as convenient as that.¡± Bruce chuckled. ¡°You have to admit that sentiment is working in our favor, though. The army probably wouldn¡¯t be half this size if it wasn¡¯t for people thinking they had the opportunity to go ¡®be a hero¡¯ like in those stories.¡± ¡°Whatever. The point is, we have the gates the High Arbiter set up, and those are a big deal.¡± Eve replied, holding up a hand and counting off on her fingers. ¡°They provide instantaneous transportation that the Queen of Monsters can¡¯t hijack, in a form that she can¡¯t destroy. That means that, effectively, each gate is a highway directly into any lands she¡¯s taken. ¡°Even if she straight up demolishes the cities around the gates, we can still use them as ways to fight a guerilla war. If she wants to prevent that, she has to leave the gates guarded, otherwise her army is going to get harried at every step.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­true.¡± Anala said slowly. ¡°I hadn¡¯t really thought about it in that way. But¡­will our harrying even be effective? It¡¯s those big monsters I¡¯m worried about, and I don¡¯t think it¡¯d be easy to nip in and just assassinate one.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the point.¡± Eve said. ¡°The point is that, even though it¡¯s made of monsters, it¡¯s an army. Armies need to feed their soldiers somehow, and most monsters can¡¯t just go without eating, especially those big ones. If we make the monsters ration their food, then even if we don¡¯t kill any of the big monsters, it¡¯s still going to dramatically reduce the army¡¯s effectiveness. And if the Queen of Monsters doesn¡¯t want that, she has to leave at least a few big monsters at the portals. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°She knows we can kill those big monsters if they¡¯re alone. If that happens, then not only is she down a big monster, she¡¯s stuck with that same problem I mentioned before. She has to commit to the portals, which means her army has to get weaker with every town she takes. And she wants to take all of the frontier towns. Even if we have to focus entirely on defending the three major cities, her army will slowly dwindle until it reaches a manageable level.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve thought about this quite a bit, haven¡¯t you?¡± Anala asked. ¡°I¡­was really starting to panic there, so thanks for pointing that out to me.¡± Eve shrugged. ¡°She wants us to be afraid. The more afraid we are, the less rational our decisions are, and the easier her job is. I ¨C¡± ¡°Eve, you¡¯re okay!¡± Ava said, bounding into the room and scooping Eve up into a hug. ¡°You had me worried sick!¡± Eve wriggled out of Ava¡¯s embrace. ¡°Stop treating me like a kid!¡± She huffed. ¡°I¡¯m a full-grown adult, thank you very much!¡± ¡°I know¡­but I can still be worried about you!¡± ¡°Sure, but, even so, it¡¯s still stifling. You don¡¯t treat anyone else like this, so why me?¡± Ava sighed. ¡°I suppose you deserve to know that much. I¡¯m¡­completely infertile. The doctors tried and tried, and no matter what we did, we couldn¡¯t get anything to change. Physically speaking, I¡¯m perfectly healthy, it just¡­doesn¡¯t work. Now that the Shift has happened and I¡¯ve been able to meet up with Bruce, we¡¯ve been trying things with doctors again, but it¡¯s not looking good. ¡°We¡¯ve been talking about adoption for a while, but we decided it just wasn¡¯t a good idea until things were¡­well, safer. And then you came along and sorta¡­triggered my maternal instinct, and you were good enough in a fight that I didn¡¯t even have to worry about you being in danger from just normal monsters. ¡°I know it¡¯s selfish, but I¡¯ve sorta been¡­playing out some of my fantasies with you. I¡¯ll¡­stop if you really want me to, though. I get that we can¡¯t afford this sort of tension during a war.¡± Eve was silent for a long moment. ¡°I¡­suppose it is fine in moderation.¡± She finally said. ¡°And don¡¯t do it in public, either.¡± Ava gave Eve a grateful smile. ¡°Thank you.¡± She said. ¡°It¡­is fine. We need morale up as much as possible, after all. If we get dispirited, then the Queen of Monsters has already won. We will probably have to sacrifice a few towns, and it¡¯s going to look like we¡¯re losing badly for a while, but we cannot let that get to us.¡± She dusted herself off a bit, casting a glance at each member of Anala¡¯s party. ¡°I have to get back to my own party, but do not let yourselves get this dispirited again. Others may not see your potential, but I can tell you¡¯re abnormally strong. I¡¯m not going to ask what your secret is or judge you for keeping it from me, I¡¯m much the same. I just¡­want you to know that I feel that if we give up hope now, then any chance of winning would truly be lost.¡± And with that she left, heading out of the room, leaving only Anala, Bruce, and Ava inside. ¡°How¡­did she know to come find us?¡± Anala asked, shaking her head in wonder. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but I¡¯m thankful for it.¡± Bruce said. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to say anything, but I was getting pretty dispirited, and it seems like you were too.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Anala confirmed. ¡°I was wondering what chance we had, because the Queen of Monsters has clearly been preparing for this for a long time, and she seems to have a good idea of how strong people would be. But¡­I¡¯ve come to realize, she doesn¡¯t know about us. We have to be the thing that messes up her plans, we don¡¯t have the luxury to be down.¡± Bruce nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. Shall we get back to it, then?¡± Anala and Ava nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Ava said. ¡°We don¡¯t have time to sit around any longer.¡±
¡°How¡¯d it go?¡± Jameson asked. ¡°They bought it.¡± Eve said, plopping down into her chair and letting out a sigh of relief. ¡°They seem to be getting ready to go train again.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Jameson replied. ¡°When are we planning the next attack?¡± ¡°Five days from now.¡± Eve said. ¡°I want to give them a little time to regroup and stop panicking. As important as the morale of the heroes is, we can¡¯t neglect the general populace, either. Plus, it¡¯ll give me a little more time to round up the last few monsters in the area. ¡°I¡¯m planning to leave a bunch of really weak monsters as the only ones in the areas near the towns, to make training easier for people who are low level, so it wouldn¡¯t do to have a bunch of relatively strong monsters nearby that would just exterminate them completely.¡± Jameson raised an eyebrow. ¡°When did you think of that? Actually¡­when did you get those weak monsters anyway?¡± ¡°I made a bunch of them with the dungeon.¡± Eve replied. ¡°Nuwa grumbled about wasting DP for something like that, but we have more than enough.¡± ¡°How is she doing, by the way? I haven¡¯t talked to her in a while.¡± ¡°She¡¯s fine.¡± Eve said. ¡°Just holed up in her core, as always. Honestly, I¡¯ve been considering asking Lilith to help me stage an intervention. Ever since she managed to integrate that computer into the dungeon so she could use it without the help of the spare avatar, she¡¯s checked out from everything even more.¡± No! Nuwa said frantically. Anything but that! ¡°Oh, now you show up.¡± Eve said. ¡°Seriously, would it kill you to¡­I don¡¯t know, come out at least once a week?¡± Not happening! Nuwa replied. That¡¯s way too much effort for no benefit. You and Lilith basically have social interaction covered, so Mae and I can just relax. ¡°And what do I tell our daughters, that their mom¡¯s too busy playing on the computer to come say hi to them?¡± Eve snapped. There was a long silence before Nuwa spoke up. I suppose once a week is doable, then. Just so long as you don¡¯t stage an intervention. ¡°That¡¯s acceptable.¡± Eve replied, then turned back to Jameson. ¡°Sorry about that. That must have been¡­kinda awkward to sit through.¡± ¡°A bit, yeah.¡± Jameson agreed. ¡°But I¡¯m glad it all worked out, I guess.¡± Eve nodded. ¡°By the way, do you know where Anna got to?¡± ¡°She¡¯s off with Carmen. Carmen really wanted to be able to tame things like her mother, so Anna¡¯s seeing if she can¡¯t teach her how to do it.¡± ¡°How¡¯s that been going?¡± Jameson smiled faintly. ¡°Carmen¡¯s not good at it.¡± He said. ¡°She¡¯s just too rambunctious, and she doesn¡¯t quite understand all of her lessons, either. Still, she¡¯s trying her hardest, and I¡¯m proud to say she hasn¡¯t given up yet.¡± Eve pondered that for a moment. ¡°Well¡­if she sticks with it, I¡¯ll have to gift her some monsters when she gets older, make some new ¡®dogs¡¯ for her.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t spoil her too much.¡± Jameson warned. ¡°I don¡¯t want a kid running around with anything close to as strong as the dogs; that sounds like a recipe for disaster.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll wait until she¡¯s at least thirteen and she¡¯s proved herself responsible enough before letting her have anything even approaching strong, don¡¯t worry.¡± Eve replied. ¡°I¡¯m not eager to put that much power in the hands of a kid either.¡± ¡°Yeah, I ¨C¡± Jameson cut off, looking towards the door, ¡°oh, Aria, what are you doing here?¡± Aria shyly closed the door behind her and walked up to Eve. ¡°Um¡­mommy?¡± ¡°Yes, sweetie?¡± Eve said, reaching over and ruffling Aria¡¯s hair. ¡°I¡­I¡­¡± Aria struggled for a bit, trying to force the words out. ¡°I¡­think I¡¯m ready.¡± Eve was silent for a second. ¡°For the talk with Errus?¡± Aria nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it for a bit, and I think putting it off any longer isn¡¯t going to help.¡± Eve looked up at Jameson. ¡°Sorry to do this, but do you mind if we continue our conversation later?¡± She asked. ¡°We have to take care of this.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t even worry about it.¡± Jameson replied. ¡°I get it. I¡¯ll be out in the fields with Anna and Carmen, come find me when you¡¯re done.¡± Eve nodded, reaching down and grabbing Aria¡¯s hand. ¡°I¡¯m very proud of you, you¡¯re being very brave.¡± She said. ¡°Come on, I¡¯ll go grab your mom, and then we can talk with Kali, okay?¡± Aria gave a hesitant nod. ¡°Will¡­you be there with me while it happens?¡± She asked. ¡°Of course.¡± Eve replied. ¡°I won¡¯t leave you unless you tell me to.¡± Aria buried her face in Eve¡¯s chest. ¡°Thanks, mommy.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Chapter 80: Confronting Yourself Eve fidgeted nervously as her daughter sat down in the comfy chair that had been prepared for her. ¡°Will¡­it hurt?¡± Aria asked, looking up to Kali nervously. Kali smiled and shook her head. ¡°No. If it makes you feel any better, though, I can put you to sleep while it happens.¡± Aria hesitated, then nodded. ¡°Yes please.¡± She whispered. ¡°Alright.¡± Kali said. ¡°I¡¯m going to count down from ten, and then you¡¯ll be out. Ten¡­nine¡­eight¡­¡± Aria¡¯s eyes closed, and she began to snore softly. ¡°So¡­how are we doing this, exactly?¡± Eve asked. ¡°I gave her the Skill like you said, but do we need to do anything else?¡± ¡°No.¡± Kali said. ¡°That should allow her to converse with the sort of¡­backup of Errus I have. I took a copy of his psychological profile from the past, and I¡¯m going to, in essence, insert it into the sort of opening for another personality that Skill gives. I¡¯m going to try and exclude it from Familial Bond as well, so that doesn¡¯t influence things either. ¡°I¡¯m also going to see if I can¡¯t bring back some of his memories too, at least for the Errus personality. I¡¯m not totally sure I can keep that confined to just Errus and not Aria, but if I can¡¯t then¡­well, I can¡¯t. But those memories kind of need to be back to get a good idea of what Errus actually wants.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± Lilith said. ¡°For all her timidness, Aria¡¯s a strong girl. I think she can handle those memories, even as she is now.¡± Kali nodded. ¡°Alright. Give me a couple of minutes here, then¡­¡± She focused in on Aria, and began to apply her magic. Lilith walked over to Eve and grabbed her hand. ¡°You seem more nervous about this than Aria is.¡± She said, squeezing the hand comfortingly. ¡°I get it, though. I can¡¯t help but be nervous too. But¡­our job is to be strong for our daughter. We need to be there for her if she starts to freak out or something.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Eve said, sighing. ¡°It¡¯s just hard. I mean¡­she could be¡­leaving after this. I don¡¯t want to say goodbye to her, but if we have to¡­¡± ¡°I know.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°I know. But we can¡¯t let her see that. It¡¯s just going to make this harder for her than it needs to be.¡± The two fell into silence as they watched Kali work, and a few tense minutes later Kali straightened up, looking back at Lilith and Eve. ¡°It¡¯s done.¡± She said. ¡°Once I wake her up, we¡¯ll be ready to start. Just let me know, and we can begin.¡± Lilith turned to Eve, who nodded. ¡°We¡¯re ready.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Kali replied, turning back to Aria. She touched Aria¡¯s forehead, and the girl¡¯s eyes flickered open. Aria frowned for a moment, then her face screwed up in concentration, and a silhouette slowly faded into existence next to her, gradually becoming more and more opaque until, eventually, it looked just like a regular person. Eve could tell that it was, in essence, an illusion that mimicked touch as well ¨C there wasn¡¯t actually any physical matter there, just empty space. The illusion, which had taken the appearance Errus had before he had become Aria, smiled, crouching down so he was at eye level with Aria. ¡°Hey there.¡± He said, patting the girl¡¯s head. ¡°How are you doing?¡± Aria blinked, clearly unsure what to say. ¡°I¡­don¡¯t know.¡± Errus laughed, tousling Aria¡¯s hair affectionately. ¡°I get it, I get it. This is a confusing time for you, I¡¯m sure. Now, I believe you had something you wanted to say to me?¡± He had the tone of a grandfather catching up with one of his grandchildren, something that came as a surprise to Eve. She had almost expected him to be indignant, affronted by the girl that had effectively stolen his life. Aria paused for a moment, making that expression she made when she was trying to work up her courage. ¡°I¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± She said. ¡°I¡¯m¡­living instead of you, and I really shouldn¡¯t be. If¡­if you want your life back, I¡¯ll give it to you, but¡­¡± She trailed off, looking away from Errus. ¡°But?¡± He prompted. ¡°But¡­I don¡¯t want to.¡± Aria admitted. ¡°I know it¡¯s selfish, and I know it¡¯s wrong, but I don¡¯t want to give this life up. I love my moms and my sister from the bottom of my heart, and I don¡¯t want to leave them. And¡­and I¡¯m scared. If I give your life back¡­what happens to me?¡± Aria started to sniffle as she continued. ¡°This isn¡¯t fair.¡± She said. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask to have a past life, I didn¡¯t want any of this! Why¡­why couldn¡¯t I have just been a normal girl? Why did things have to be like this? Why do I have to make a choice between doing the right thing and being me?!¡± Errus smiled gently, pulling Aria into a hug. ¡°Life isn¡¯t fair.¡± He said. ¡°And unfortunately, that¡¯s just the way things are. When life starts being unfair like this, the only thing you can do is to just¡­keep your head high and keep doing the right thing. Things will get better, I promise.¡± ¡°That¡¯s easy for you to say!¡± Aria wailed. ¡°Things won¡¯t get better for me! I¡¯m going to die! You could at least look sorry about it!¡± Eve¡¯s heart ached as she watched the two of them converse. Watching her daughter cry like this filled her with a profound grief and pain, both for the fact that this might be the last she saw her daughter, and also for how pained Aria looked. And yet¡­Eve also felt¡­proud. She was proud that her daughter had the resolve to do what she thought was right, even if that meant marching to her death. Errus gave her another smile. ¡°I think you¡¯re jumping to conclusions.¡± He said, reaching up to wipe her tears. It didn¡¯t actually do anything, since he was only an illusion, but he tried anyway. ¡°I¡¯m not going to take your life away from you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re¡­not?¡± Aria sniffled, looking up hopefully. ¡°But¡­you just said to do the right thing, and that¡¯s¡­giving you everything back.¡± ¡°That¡¯s only the right thing if I want it back.¡± He said. ¡°And¡­well, I think you¡¯re just as much of a person as I am. You may have been born out of some alterations, but¡­that¡¯s not the case anymore. This is who you are now, completely unmodified by anything else. I can¡¯t just¡­kill someone like that, it goes against everything I stand for. ¡°Besides, the way I see it, I died when I lost to Mai the first time. I was killed, and then I was reincarnated into someone only kind of like myself. He too, was killed when he lost to your mother, and¡­well, he may have been a person too, but he was a bad one. I don¡¯t feel bad about his death, and you shouldn¡¯t either. ¡°But¡­¡± Aria protested, ¡°I¡¯m not like you, or even like¡­him. I¡¯m a selfish scaredy cat who¡¯s too afraid to do the right thing. I¡­I¡¯ve known for weeks what the right thing to do was and I just¡­couldn¡¯t bring myself to do it until now. I¡­I have a responsibility as a Perfect Chimera, and¡­I don¡¯t think I can do it.¡± This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Errus once again pat her head. ¡°And what¡¯s wrong with that?¡± He asked. ¡°I may have thought keeping people safe was my responsibility, but that doesn¡¯t mean you have to. The world¡¯s in a much better place than it was when I was alive, it can handle not having one of the Perfect Chimeras around. I mean¡­things have been fine with just Winston and Isa for a long time now, and with your mother here there¡¯s really nothing to worry about. ¡°You can take your time and grow up, and if you¡¯re still not up to the task of keeping people safe, then¡­don¡¯t. Just¡­live a normal life, go find something you want to do, maybe meet someone you have an interest in and have kids of your own, I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s not really my place to tell you what to do with your life.¡± Aria nodded hesitantly. ¡°Are¡­you sure?¡± She asked. ¡°If¡­if you¡¯re sure, then I¡¯m not going to give myself up, even if you want it later. I¡¯m going to stay me forever.¡± Errus gave her a gentle smile. ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡± He said. ¡°But, before I go, I need to talk to your moms, is that alright?¡± Aria paused, taking a moment to wipe her eyes. ¡°I¡­that¡¯s alright, yeah.¡± Errus straightened, walking over to Lilith and Eve. ¡°You have to take good care of her, you understand?¡± He said, giving the two of them a strict glance. ¡°I won¡¯t stand for you neglecting or spoiling her.¡± He paused for a moment before continuing on. ¡°Nuwa, you cannot keep staying as hands-off as you have been. Like it or not, you¡¯re a mother now, and these girls want your love. I do not care if that comes in the form of just playing video games with them or something, but you have to interact with them.¡± I know. Nuwa said. We were actually talking about that before Aria came to get us. I¡¯ll be out and about more, for them. ¡°Good. Mae, I¡­well, I have no issue with your behavior. You¡¯ve always been available when the girls want you, and you haven¡¯t been needlessly strict or overly lenient. If anything, might I ask that you help keep your other selves in line?¡± Of course. Mae replied. I will do my utmost to ensure that these two are raised into upstanding women. ¡°Thank you, it¡¯s a weight off of my shoulders. Lilith, I have found that, at times, you can be a tad too strict. I understand wanting to make extra sure that Mai does not backslide into her old ways, and I understand that you¡¯re worried that there are lingering bits of the me that Mai raised, but you do not need to worry so. ¡°I speak from experience when I say that Mai¡¯s magic makes the past feel like something that was read out of a book. There is no¡­attachment to it any longer, and there is no desire to return to old behavior outside of that that the new personality might have. Mai went for a complete reset of you, and so she is, in essence, a blank slate as well. ¡°Aria is different, as she has already been given some personality by Mai, but it extends no further than what is already present. Should you raise them as you would normal children, you need not worry about their pasts.¡± Lilith paused for a moment, then nodded. ¡°I¡­understand. I will be more lenient, then.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Errus said, giving her a smile before turning to Eve. ¡°And, finally, Eve.¡± He sighed, a sort of exasperated smile on his face as he looked at her. ¡°You spoil them far too much. You cannot give them things just because they ask, you need to make them work for it first. I know their smiles make you happy, but you need to be strong, for their sake. ¡°But¡­¡± He hesitated slightly before continuing. ¡°The kindness has not been wasted. You have been Aria¡¯s rock more times than you might have thought. I need not tell you this, but she is the type to bottle up her feelings and continue on as if nothing is amiss. Several times your presence has made her feel¡­better, and for that I thank you.¡± ¡°Y-you don¡¯t need to tell them that!¡± Aria stammered. ¡°That¡¯s supposed to be private!¡± Errus gave her a smile. ¡°I felt it best I give them my thanks now, for I might not have the opportunity again for quite some time.¡± Eve nodded slowly. ¡°I will¡­take your advice into consideration.¡± She said, not quite sure how to respond to that. ¡°Uh¡­thanks.¡± He walked back over, giving Aria one last pat on the head. ¡°And now, I think it is time for me to take my leave. I¡¯m going to go sleep inside of Aria until she has need of me.¡± He focused his gaze in on Aria, a serious look on his face. ¡°I will not be awake or aware until the time comes that you call on me again. Should you feel troubled or endangered, you need but call, and I will come to your aid as best I can. But, by no means feel obligated to do so. This is your life now, and as such it is your choice.¡± And with that, Errus faded from view, leaving Aria sitting up in the bed, a dazed expression on her face. After a moment she got up, took a hesitate step forward, then another, and then began running full-tilt at Eve. It took her only a moment more to get close to Eve, at which point she launched herself into her mother¡¯s waiting arms. ¡°I ¨C I w-was so scared!¡± She sniffled. ¡°I¡­I t-thought he was gonna want my b-body, and that I was gonna die for sure! I¡¯m¡­I¡¯m¡­just¡­so happy I get to stay me. I-I do get to stay even if he wants my b-body later, r-right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Lilith said firmly. ¡°He made his choice, he has to live with the consequences. We had to deal with the worry of potentially losing you once, we¡¯re not doing that again.¡± ¡°What she said.¡± Eve agreed, stroking her daughter¡¯s hair comfortingly. ¡°I¡¯m never gonna put you through something like this again. If he¡­I dunno, wakes up and starts demanding your body, let me know. I¡¯ll do what I can to get rid of him, okay?¡± ¡°T-thanks, mommy. I¡­love you a lot. You¡¯ll¡­still be my mom when I¡¯m all grown up and¡­remember and stuff¡­right?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not getting rid of me that easily, kiddo.¡± Eve chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m gonna be your mom forever and ever, and there¡¯s nothing you can do to stop me.¡± ¡°E-even if I don¡¯t want you to be my mom?¡± Eve paused, then shook her head. ¡°Especially if you don¡¯t want me to be your mom. As far as I¡¯m concerned, that just means someone¡¯s been messing with you, and it¡¯s my job to save you.¡± Aria giggled slightly, pushing her face even more into Eve¡¯s chest. ¡°Thanks, mommy.¡± Eve briefly considered aging herself up for the moment; she could see from Lilith¡¯s perspective that it looked less like a mother comforting her daughter and more like¡­well, an older sister comforting a younger sister. But she decided that the appearance of the scene to outsiders meant nothing; Lilith and Kali were the only other ones there, after all. So, she let it be, choosing instead to hold her daughter even tighter, hiding from her the tears of relief that were beginning to stream down Eve¡¯s face. Eve was vaguely aware of Lilith slipping away from the two of them and going to the door, which she opened to reveal Mai. ¡°Is¡­is Aria gonna be alright?¡± Mai whispered, giving Eve and Aria a concerned look. ¡°I don¡¯t really get why she would need to give up her body and stuff, but¡­she¡¯s not, right? Please?¡± Lilith shook her head. ¡°No.¡± She said softly. ¡°Aria¡¯s staying here with us for as long as she wants to. It¡¯s her life now, no one else¡¯s.¡± Mai beamed. ¡°That¡¯s awesome! I¡¯m so glad she¡¯s not leaving us, it was gonna get real lonely, not having a sister. Can I go talk with her?¡± ¡°Not now. Right now, she¡¯s busy with your mommy. I¡¯ll come get you when she¡¯s ready to talk, though, does that sound good?¡± ¡°Yes, mom!¡± Eve¡¯s attention was pulled back to her own body as Aria started to pat her back. ¡°T-there, there, mommy.¡± She stuttered. ¡°I-it¡¯s fine. I¡¯m here now, you don¡¯t have to worry anymore.¡± Eve realized a moment too late that her own tears must have fallen onto Aria, alerting her to Eve¡¯s true feelings. Normally Eve would prefer to bluster and hide her feelings, but¡­this was neither the time nor the place for that. ¡°I¡­was so worried.¡± She admitted, reaching up with an arm and wiping her tears. ¡°I was so afraid of losing you forever. I¡¯m so, so happy that you¡¯re staying with us.¡± ¡°M-me too, mommy.¡± They stayed like that for a few minutes more before Aria disengaged from the hug, both her shirt and Eve¡¯s own wet with tears. ¡°I¡­I¡¯m going to get changed.¡± She said. ¡°And then I need to tell Mai how it went. Is that alright?¡± Eve smiled. ¡°Perfectly fine, I think I need a change of clothes as well. You run along, I¡¯ll call you when it¡¯s time for dinner.¡± Aria beamed. ¡°Yes, mommy!¡± And with that she left, leaving Eve alone with Lilith and Kali. ¡°Told you it would go fine.¡± Kali said. ¡°Feeling better, now?¡± ¡°It¡¯s like a weight¡¯s been lifted.¡± Eve confirmed. ¡°I think I¡¯m finally ready to really start putting my all into everything, now that that¡¯s not looming over me.¡± ¡°Yeah, thanks a lot for helping us out with this.¡± Lilith said, walking over and giving their girlfriend a kiss. ¡°Well¡­¡± Kali said, a blush rising, ¡°I¡­I¡¯m hoping to be their stepmother or mother or¡­whatever you call it someday, so I figured why not just¡­start early, you know?¡± Lilith grinned, pulling Kali close to her and kissing her forehead. ¡°You¡¯re adorable, you know that? If I wasn¡¯t already dating you, I would have asked you out there and then.¡± ¡°W-where¡¯s this coming from?!¡± Kali replied, taken aback by the sudden flirting. ¡°I mean¡­thanks, but¡­you really caught me off guard there!¡± ¡°Good.¡± Lilith replied, bending down and scooping Kali into her arms in one swift motion. She paused only briefly to look into Kali¡¯s eyes before pulling her in for a big kiss. ¡°That was the point.¡± ¡°Y-you¡¯re so rude sometimes!¡± Kali responded, a teasing smile on her face. ¡°Seriously, what am I ever gonna do with you?¡± ¡°Love me forever?¡± Kali giggled. ¡°I suppose that can be arranged, but only if you promise to love me forever, too.¡± ¡°Deal.¡± Chapter 81: Finally, a Victory Anala dropped her sword and fell to her knees in exhaustion. It had been a long, long night of fighting, and it was finally over. And they had won. For the first time in twenty or so battles, they had won. Eve had been right; the Queen of Monster¡¯s army had dwindled with every passing battle, more than they would have expected from just the losses they had taken. It was almost imperceptible at first, but after three or four battles it became noticeable. And, like Eve had surmised, some scouting revealed that the frontier towns the Queen of Monsters had taken had monsters continuing to occupy them. And people had reacted. They chose to only go through the motions of defending the frontier towns, committing as few resources as possible to actually doing so. And, over the two or three months that they had been fighting their war, they had stockpiled strength until, finally, they decided the Queen of Monsters¡¯ army was weak enough and they were strong enough to actually put up a fight. It had been long, drawn-out, and a lot closer than Anala would have liked, but they had emerged on top, and the seemingly unstoppable tide of monsters had ceased. Not a single monster was left in the force that had attacked the frontier town they had been defending, each monster having fought to its dying breath instead of choosing to retreat. This was not without sacrifice, however. Of all the battles they had fought, this had incurred by far the most casualties. As they had not sounded a retreat, the people had also fought harder than they had in the past. People had still retreated when critically wounded, of course, but that wasn¡¯t always feasible, and many had died. There were revival spells, but those were¡­poorly understood and came with a multitude of unpleasant side effects. Those who died had to go through extensive rehab to get back to where they were before, and had been effectively taken out of the fight for the rest of the war. But, nonetheless, the atmosphere was one of hope. The most pressing, immediate threat, the army that had been invading, had passed. Now it was time for roles to reverse, for people to go on the offensive and take back the towns they had lost in the war. Even so, Anala wasn¡¯t quite satisfied with that. People were talking like it would be the end of things if they just took back the frontier towns. That couldn¡¯t be the case; Anala knew the Queen of Monsters would just bide her time and strike again when people had let their guards down. It would likely be decades later, but she would come again, and Anala had no doubts it would be worse than it was this time. After all, if this was all there was to it, the High Arbiter wouldn¡¯t have had to make heroes. There were certainly fewer casualties due to their presence, but ultimately it was nothing the people wouldn¡¯t have been able to handle ¨C there was no need for her to get involved. But it didn¡¯t seem like they would be receiving official military support if they decided to try and strike back. There just wasn¡¯t enough public support for that, people would much rather do what they had always done in response to the threats on Haven; stay put and fortify their cities even more. So, if they were to counterattack, it would have to be the adventurers that did it. Anala and her party had spent the last few months gathering support and preparing people for that. Ava and Raesn had put their heads together, done some scouting, and, after some consultation with Eve and her party, had finally gotten a pretty good guess on the direction in which the Queen of Monsters had made her lair. It was possible they were wrong, but Anala didn¡¯t think that was very likely. They had done everything from making extrapolations from the army¡¯s movements to capturing monsters alive and rooting through their brains with magic. If they were wrong, then the Queen of Monsters had been putting a lot of effort into keeping her location hidden, and that didn¡¯t seem like her style. Anala had never actually interacted with her, but she had studied the recordings of her broadcasts closely. The Queen of Monsters was arrogant, and thought herself far stronger than everything else. Why would she bother to hide where she lived when she thought herself untouchable? ¡°Good work out there.¡± Eve said, giving Anala a smile and proffering a hand. ¡°Looks like it¡¯s gonna be our time to shine soon, huh?¡± Anala smiled back, grabbing the hand and letting Eve pull her back to her feet. ¡°Yeah. She¡¯s not gonna know what hit her.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the spirit.¡± Eve said. ¡°We¡¯ll wipe that overconfident look off of her face, just you watch.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Anala replied. ¡°We sure will. How have things been going on your end?¡± ¡°Good.¡± Eve said. ¡°I¡¯ve managed to convince a lot of the defenders to help strike back, I think we¡¯ll have the majority of them when we leave. Have you managed to appropriate any tanks for us?¡± Anala shook her head. ¡°Raesn¡¯s been trying, but the Council won¡¯t budge. They¡¯re saying they can¡¯t afford to use the tanks for anything but defense right now.¡± Eve sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t get them.¡± She said. ¡°Don¡¯t they see that they¡¯re just delaying the issue? The Queen of Monsters will come back stronger, and that¡¯s a fact.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Anala replied. ¡°I don¡¯t really get it either.¡± ¡°I¡­guess they¡¯re just too stuck in their ways.¡± Ava said. ¡°They¡¯ve been holing up in the cities for hundreds and hundreds of years, they¡¯re not going to stop now. It seems pretty stupid to me, but I can see the appeal of it. It just makes people feel¡­safer.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t excuse not taking even a few minutes to think about the future.¡± Eve said. ¡°But¡­enough of that right now. I was coming over to see if you guys wanted to go have a celebratory meal with my party, maybe talk about what our plans for the future are. What do you think?¡± ¡°Sounds great.¡± Anala said, giving Eve a smile. ¡°Give me a second to make sure the rest of my party is cool with it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m down.¡± Ava chirped. ¡°I¡¯m sure Bruce will be too. I¡¯ll go talk to him, do you want to talk to Raesn?¡± Anala nodded. ¡°Sure thing.¡±
Anala raised her glass in a toast. ¡°To victory!¡± A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°To victory!¡± The others echoed, raising their glasses as well. They had gathered in Ava¡¯s apartment for the event, and though the space was a little cramped, everyone seemed to be having a good time. Exhausted as they were, it was still the first bit of good fortune they had had in months, and that was able to energize them for this celebration. No one was really moving around much, but their conversation was enough to keep things lively. ¡°So, do you think we should try to bring other people with us when we go to face the Queen of Monsters?¡± Eve asked, glancing around at the other people in the room. It was just Anala¡¯s and Eve¡¯s parties in the room, people Anala had come to think of as ¡®the best there was¡¯ when it came to this sort of thing. ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± Raesn said, stroking his chin thoughtfully. ¡°On the one hand, it would make scouting and keeping watch much less of an issue, but, on the other, it would be rough on supplies and I¡¯m not so sure anyone else is ready to handle what we¡¯re trying to do.¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure there are a few people who are going to be trying to take the fight to her anyway.¡± Bruce replied. ¡°And I don¡¯t think that¡¯s something we can stop. A lot of people are fired up about wanting to be heroes, and they¡¯re going to be drunk on the winning streak. I think it couldn¡¯t hurt to go with them so we can help bail them out when they inevitably run into something they can¡¯t handle.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± Jameson said. ¡°I¡¯ve seen the type, things could get messy. It might be best if we take the lead and organize a semi-official expedition or something, we can concentrate everyone together into something that vaguely resembles an army.¡± ¡°Now that I¡¯m thinking about it, I guess we technically fall under that ¡®wanting to be heroes¡¯ category, don¡¯t we?¡± Anna said, playfully elbowing her husband. ¡°Though, we actually have the power to back it up.¡± ¡°Yeah, but we¡¯re not necessarily doing it for the glory or anything.¡± Jameson protested. ¡°Or, at least¡­I wasn¡¯t planning on taking any credit for the defeat of the Queen of Monsters, that sounds like it would be a huge pain in the future.¡± ¡°Bruce and I were thinking the same.¡± Ava agreed. ¡°That¡¯s just asking to have all sorts of governments trying to pry into your business whenever they run into an issue or want more power of whatever. We¡¯d much rather just¡­settle down and start a family and live the rest of our lives in peace.¡± ¡°Alright, but¡­how are we gonna tell everyone the Queen of Monsters is dead without revealing ourselves?¡± Eve pointed out. ¡°We won¡¯t be able to broadcast our fight or anything if we want to remain anonymous, so¡­do we just like¡­capture a video of her body or¡­?¡± ¡°Good point.¡± Anala said, frowning. ¡°I¡­actually hadn¡¯t thought of that. For some reason I just assumed everyone would¡­know, you know?¡± ¡°I think capturing a video of the body is a good move, and then we can¡­I don¡¯t know, hijack whatever she uses to send her broadcasts?¡± Raesn mused. ¡°People probably won¡¯t believe it at first, but I imagine the High Arbiter would address the situation, she seems pretty invested in the growth of Haven, and this is kind of directly related to that.¡± ¡°Eh, we¡¯ll cross that bridge when we come to it.¡± Anna said. ¡°I¡¯m sure we can figure out. Worst case scenario we just take her body and dump it in in Haven¡¯s capitol building or something. I¡¯m sure after a bit of analysis people would figure out that the body¡¯s the real deal.¡± ¡°So¡­what is everyone¡¯s plan after this?¡± Ava asked. ¡°Bruce and I are going to settle down, but how about the rest of you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to keep trying to perfect my craft.¡± Raesn said. ¡°I¡¯ll have a lot more experience by the time this is all over, and I¡¯ll probably be able to make some really neat stuff that will help a lot of people out.¡± ¡°Anna and I are going to be settling down too.¡± Jameson said. ¡°We¡¯re going to use whatever funds we get from looting the Queen of Monsters¡¯ place to ensure Carmen has a stable place to grow up in.¡± ¡°How is Carmen, by the way?¡± Ava asked. ¡°Is she¡­okay with the risk you¡¯re taking?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think she really understands.¡± Anna replied. ¡°But she¡¯s been as happy as ever. She keeps trying to get me to teach her how to tame things, but she¡¯s too young to properly keep her attention on it and can¡¯t quite succeed. Still¡­she never gives up, so I think she¡¯ll be great at it some day in the future. We¡¯ve left her with a close family friend from Earth, so she¡¯ll be plenty safe while we¡¯re away.¡± ¡°Good to hear.¡± Ava said. ¡°Just¡­remember that you¡¯ve got someone else you¡¯re taking care of, so if things are looking grim, you two should be the first to escape.¡± ¡°No need to tell us twice.¡± Jameson said. ¡°Selfish as it may be, we¡¯re not about to do anything that would make our daughter grieve. She¡¯s the most important person in the world to both of us, and if her happiness means abandoning Haven, we¡¯re prepared to go through with it.¡± ¡°As it should be.¡± Raesn grunted. ¡°If we¡¯re in a situation that dire, then I think retreating is the best call anyway. At the very least you can provide information for the next generation of people who want to take on the Queen of Monsters.¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough of that talk.¡± Eve said. ¡°There¡¯s no use brooding over it now. Once the Queen of Monsters is defeated, I think I¡¯m going to go explore the wilds of Haven. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s all sorts of cool stuff we¡¯ve yet to find because we¡¯ve been too busy trying to just¡­survive.¡± She shot a glance at Anala. ¡°That just leaves you, I think.¡± ¡°You know¡­I¡¯m not really sure.¡± Anala said, shrugging. ¡°I was thinking of maybe trying to be a sort of policewoman specialized in taking out high leveled criminals, but I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s really a demand for that right now.¡± ¡°There will be.¡± Eve said lazily. ¡°It¡¯s not like someone magically becomes a good person because they¡¯re high level. In fact, I¡¯d be willing to bet there will be people who are emboldened to commit crime because they¡¯re high level. Power corrupts, and not everyone has the strength of will that we have.¡± ¡°That sort of reminds me.¡± Ava said. ¡°What did the three of you do before all of this? I don¡¯t think I ever asked.¡± ¡°Jameson and I were going to college on Earth.¡± Anna replied. ¡°Uh¡­I¡¯m pretty sure I mentioned this, but I wasn¡¯t always a sheepkin. I used to be a human, and around the time the fae were going wild and messing with people I got transformed. I liked it, so I opted not to be transformed back.¡± ¡°Oh, cool. What were you studying?¡± ¡°Physics.¡± Anna said. ¡°Kind of an unfortunate major, seeing how much of that ended up being overturned or made obsolete by magic. Hopefully things are gonna be a bit more¡­stable when I get back into it.¡± ¡°Should be.¡± Ava said comfortingly. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine people from Earth won¡¯t have picked up Haven¡¯s equations and whatever by now.¡± ¡°Oh yeah, I¡¯ve been meaning to ask, what¡¯s with gravity?¡± Anala asked. ¡°Haven¡¯s supposedly a lot bigger than Earth, but gravity feels like¡­exactly the same.¡± ¡°Oh, I actually know this one.¡± Anna replied. ¡°You remember the ¡®gravitational constant¡¯? Turns out it¡¯s not a constant. Or¡­well, it is, but the constant changes depending on which plane you¡¯re on? It makes it so that whatever the place is that¡¯s being inhabited has gravity that¡¯s similar to that of Earth.¡± Anala frowned. ¡°Alright, but like¡­what about space? Surely there¡¯s other life, and that would make things different for them. Why are these planets in particular the ones gravity is balanced around?¡± Anna shrugged. ¡°Couldn¡¯t say, really. That¡¯s something that only the Administrator and maybe the High Arbiter know, and they haven¡¯t chosen to tell people.¡± There was silence for a moment before Eve spoke up. ¡°Honestly, the Administrator probably sets it herself based off of what planet has sapient life first or something. Or she specifically chose planets to seed sapient life on. That¡¯s what seems most likely to me, anyway.¡± ¡°Do you think there¡¯s sapient life somewhere out there that we don¡¯t know about?¡± Bruce asked idly. ¡°I mean, the universe is big, and it seems kind of arrogant to assume that we¡¯re the only ones out there. Who¡¯s to say the Administrator isn¡¯t dealing with a bunch of other people that we have no clue exist?¡± ¡°Good point.¡± Raesn said. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be that surprising if there were dozens of other planes out there that we just don¡¯t know about. She got Haven from somewhere, so it would make sense if there are other planes out there.¡± ¡°Well, I guess we¡¯ll find out if we find out.¡± Ava said. ¡°But that¡¯s enough of that. I brought some cards, anyone want to play?¡± The group ended up spending a few more hours enjoying each other¡¯s company, before finally going their separate ways. Anala wasted no time getting back to her lodgings and going to bed. It had been a long couple of months, and she deserved a rest. Chapter 82: Setting Out Anala looked out over the assembled people. They¡­weren¡¯t exactly what she was hoping for when it came to people who were going to help overthrow the Queen of Monsters, but they would have to do. As had been expected, they were people who were mostly from Earth. That meant that, on average, they were less experienced than Anala would have liked. Not that Anala was much better, but she had things that let her bridge the gap, and she had been fighting her heart out against very strong opponents these past few months. These people¡­well, they had power, but they didn¡¯t have enough, not enough to make a sizeable difference. But that was what they had. It would fall to Anala¡¯s party and Eve¡¯s party to keep them from all dying to the first truly strong thing they encountered. Fortunately, Anala estimated that at least half of the strong monsters the Queen of Monsters had shown off in her broadcasts were dead. Those had been guarding the frontier towns, and Anala had made a point of being thorough when clearing those out. There was always the chance that the Queen of Monsters had been holding back when she showed her army, but Anala wasn¡¯t that worried about them anymore. In clearing the frontier towns, her party had gotten strong, far stronger than they had been at the beginning of the war. They had initially struggled with just one of those strong monsters, but now they were capable of easily defeating one, and, on rare occasions, had even been able to take down two at once. The real problem was going to be the Queen of Monsters herself. Anala didn¡¯t doubt that she was in a league of her own, head and shoulders above the rest of her army. If she wasn¡¯t there was no way she would be able to command the army, not with the total control she displayed. Monsters weren¡¯t like people; they wouldn¡¯t bow to something weaker than them, and they wouldn¡¯t even bow to someone stronger unless that thing was a person using a Skill or a monster that was far stronger than they were. The thought intimidated Anala. The way she saw it, there were two options; the first was that the Queen of Monsters was simply so much stronger than everything else that they would rather die than disobey her orders. That was bad enough, but the second option was, somehow, worse. That was that the Queen of Monsters was a person using Skills. Anala didn¡¯t even want to consider that one; Anna was the best monster tamer Anala had ever seen, and even she didn¡¯t have monsters on the level of what the Queen of Monsters had. She didn¡¯t have anything approaching the same quantity of monsters, either, so the Queen of Monsters would have to be so ridiculously high level that she was able to tame that entire army. That¡­surely couldn¡¯t be the case, it became exponentially harder to level up as your level increased, and resetting your Class would be counterproductive when it came to taming such high strength monsters, as they would see you as weaker. Still, Anala couldn¡¯t entirely rule it out, and that wasn¡¯t something she liked. Either way, one question had been growing in her mind as they took back the frontier towns. Why hadn¡¯t the Queen of Monsters showed up in person? Any way Anala looked at it, she was far stronger than most of her army, so why hadn¡¯t she done anything herself? This was especially true after people started reclaiming the frontier towns; the Queen of Monsters had begun to lose the war, and her presence was quite possible enough to turn things around, so¡­why not do so? She had discussed the matter at length with her party and with Eve¡¯s party, and they had eventually come to the conclusion that there was something else in play that they didn¡¯t know about. The Queen of Monsters had to have a reason she was staying put, and there just wasn¡¯t enough information to know what that was. The prevailing theory among their small group was that it had something to do with how she commanded the army; perhaps there was some¡­artifact she had made, or there was some spot with extra dense Mana she used to control the monsters. Anala wasn¡¯t quite so sure. The High Arbiter had described the Queen of Monsters as a natural phenomenon, so it made sense for her to not need aid from an artifact or some weird power spot to exert her control. Whatever the case, the Queen of Monsters seemed content to stay locked up in her castle, so that meant they had to come to her, which led right back around to this expedition. Were it not for the presence of Anala and Eve¡¯s parties, Anala would have called it doomed to fail from the start, but¡­they were here, so it probably wasn¡¯t going to be a total disaster. ¡°Alright you lot, listen up!¡± A man shouted, drawing the attention of the gathered adventurers. ¡°As we all know, the governments are too short-sighted to strike back against the Queen of Monsters while she¡¯s weakened! Are we that foolish?!¡± ¡°No!¡± The crowd yelled. The man continued. ¡°Are we going to sit back and let her gather strength again, so she can try and take our homes and our lives away from us?¡± ¡°No!¡± ¡°What are we going to do about it?!¡± The crowd was less unified on this one. There were shouts of ¡°kill the Queen of Monsters¡±, of ¡°defeat her¡±, of put an end to this¡±, and all sorts of other things. The general message was the same, but it seemed people disagreed on the exact wording. It was like they had rehearsed this, though, so Anala couldn¡¯t blame them for it too much. The man who was leading the chants stumbled for a bit, then rallied. ¡°R-right, so let¡¯s get out there, and let¡¯s take back the world!¡± The crowd roared in assent, and the man turned, marching down the makeshift road leading away from the frontier town, and towards the area they had projected the Queen of Monsters was hiding. ¡°Is he really the one who¡¯s acting as a makeshift leader for this?¡± Eve asked dubiously. ¡°He seems¡­weak.¡± ¡°How can you tell?¡± Raesn chuckled. ¡°Did you identify him at all or are you just guessing?¡± Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°He doesn¡¯t have any scars.¡± Eve said. ¡°Sure, you could get rid of them with magic, but most healing magic leaves some sort of scarring, and it seems pointless to get rid of them just before a big expedition like this. Either he¡¯s been paying for expensive healing, or he¡¯s been in the backlines and hasn¡¯t been really doing that much real fighting.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have any scars either.¡± Bruce pointed out. ¡°By that logic, wouldn¡¯t you be weak?¡± ¡°Please.¡± Eve snorted, puffing her chest out pridefully. ¡°We both know I¡¯m better than that. I don¡¯t get hurt that often in the first place, and Jameson¡¯s healing magic isn¡¯t most healing magic. We don¡¯t really need to worry about scars like most people.¡± ¡°Then couldn¡¯t that guy be in a similar situation?¡± Bruce pressed. ¡°We have no reason to believe he¡¯s weaker than us.¡± ¡°No, she has a point.¡± Jameson interjected. ¡°I mean¡­have you seen anyone put in as much work as we have? Sure, we had to start holding back when a lot of people were around, so no one got suspicious, but even before that, no one else really stood out. It seems more likely that he¡¯s weak to me. Well, that or he has more money than he knows what to do with, but that also seems kind of unlikely given the quality of his gear.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t argue on that front.¡± Raesn agreed. ¡°His gear is pretty shoddy. And he doesn¡¯t walk like a man that¡¯s going into a difficult war. He¡¯s too confident for that; if he really knew what he was getting himself into, he¡¯d be a lot more nervous. Now that I¡¯m really looking at him, you¡¯re right, he doesn¡¯t seem like he¡¯s that strong.¡± ¡°See? We were already basically going to end up babysitting this group, and with someone like that in charge it¡¯s going to become even more of a headache than it already was.¡± Eve complained. ¡°I¡¯m of half a mind to slack when protecting him in particular, just so he¡¯ll get the message and go home.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Anna said, swatting Eve¡¯s arm. ¡°What if he dies?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t let him die, I¡¯m just not gonna do anything until it gets close. Once he leaves, our jobs will become way easier.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say that isn¡¯t true, but our jobs aren¡¯t supposed to be easy.¡± Anala said. ¡°If they were, we wouldn¡¯t be here right now, we would have already defeated the Queen of Monsters. We chose to take this path knowing it was one that would be extraordinarily difficult, we can¡¯t slack on work just because it¡¯s a pain.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ava agreed. ¡°Just think of it like training. You have to be extra careful when protecting someone, so it¡¯s like¡­learning to focus your blows or something.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if it works that way.¡± Anna said. ¡°Especially since we¡¯re handicapping ourselves anyway. That experience might not necessarily translate to us fighting at full force.¡± ¡°Even if it doesn¡¯t, it helps to think of it that way, right?¡± Ava replied. ¡°We¡¯re here to try and protect everyone, and that includes people we don¡¯t like. We can¡¯t skip out on someone like him just because, it¡¯s not right.¡± Eve sighed. ¡°Fine, fine. Doesn¡¯t mean I have to like it, though.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to like it.¡± Ava said. ¡°That¡¯s perfectly acceptable, so long as you do it. Besides, if he really is as weak as we¡¯re thinking, then he won¡¯t be here for long anyway. Once he realizes that victory won¡¯t be handed to him on a platter, he¡¯s going to chicken out.¡± ¡°I guess you¡¯re right.¡± Eve grumbled. ¡°Just gonna be hard until then.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll treat you to ice cream after, does that make you feel better?¡± Anna said, smirking slightly as she bent down and patted Eve¡¯s head. ¡°I¡¯d be lying if I said no, but don¡¯t patronize me!¡± Eve snapped. ¡°I¡¯m a grown woman who is fully capable of handling her problems responsibly, thank you very much.¡± ¡°But that doesn¡¯t prevent you from being cheered up by things like that.¡± Anna said smugly. ¡°And what¡¯s wrong with that, huh? Why not just admit it?¡± ¡°Jameson told me about that time in third grade when you went on a field trip to the river.¡± Eve said flatly, eyes narrowing. ¡°And I reserve the right to tell everyone else here about it.¡± ¡°Y-you wouldn¡¯t.¡± Anna said nervously. ¡°You¡¯re bluffing.¡± ¡°So, you were at the river, and you were really interested in ¨C¡± ¡°Okay, I get it, I get it!¡± Anna said, clamping a hand over Eve¡¯s mouth. ¡°I won¡¯t make fun of you, just don¡¯t tell anyone about that, okay?!¡± Eve nodded, and Anna hesitantly withdrew her hand. ¡°See, it¡¯s not that hard.¡± Eve said. ¡°All you have to do is treat me like anyone else.¡± ¡°Y-yeah.¡± Anna replied. ¡°I got it.¡± ¡°We gotta get going.¡± Bruce said. ¡°Everyone¡¯s packing up and we¡¯re going to be left behind.¡± ¡°On it!¡± Anna said, hurriedly standing up straight and beginning to walk away. ¡°I¡¯m going to go fetch the dogs, I¡¯ll meet you at the gates in five minutes.¡± Tamed monsters hadn¡¯t been allowed at the rally to cut down on the chaos of the thing, so Anna had had to park them a little distance away before she came. Fortunately, they were well groomed and, if you didn¡¯t look too closely, they could easily be mistaken for normal, if somewhat large, large dogs, so they were able to be left in an empty plot of land without causing any misunderstandings. Even if someone did realize they were monsters, they were very clearly collared and tamed, so it was unlikely that they would be attacked. Not that Anala was worried for the dogs¡¯ well-being. They were individually stronger than most adventurers around here, so Anala was more worried for hypothetical fool who would attack them than she was for the dogs. But that didn¡¯t seem to have happened. Anna would have rushed away to deal with it by now if it had become a problem, so Anala put it out of her mind and began to make her way down the street with the rest of the group. As they moved, she made a point of checking out the adventurers who would be participating. They were¡­alright, she supposed. As had been expected, none of them really stood out as anything impressive at a glance. There were certainly people trying to look impressive, but that spoke more of their incompetence than anything to Anala. People were trying to use huge swords, or had incredibly flashy armor, or otherwise just looked ridiculous. It was a problem that had long plagued adventurers, but it was especially prevalent with this group. Yes, the new system made it feasible to use that sort of stuff in combat, but that didn¡¯t make it effective. There was effectively a ceiling on how good someone using that sort of stuff could be, and it wasn¡¯t high. It seemed she wasn¡¯t the only one who picked up on that. ¡°This is even worse than I thought it was going to be.¡± Eve said. ¡°Seriously, haven¡¯t these people realized that that stuff is garbage? How many of them are here just to look cool?!¡± ¡°Too many.¡± Bruce said, frowning. ¡°I don¡¯t remember seeing this many during the actual defense of the frontier towns, but I suppose we were mostly on the front lines, so we wouldn¡¯t have seen people like this who aren¡¯t really ready for actual combat.¡± ¡°I¡¯d be willing to bet a lot of these people actually didn¡¯t help in the defense.¡± Ava said sourly. ¡°Probably wasn¡¯t enough ¡®glory¡¯ for them or whatever.¡± ¡°Do you two have a history with these kind of people?¡± Jameson asked. ¡°You seem particularly¡­unhappy with them.¡± ¡°We had to go through our fair share of them when we were ¡®hazing¡¯ the newbies.¡± Bruce explained. ¡°The majority of these people were absolutely awful to be around. They were either playing up some sort of edgy character, unwilling to listen to actual advice, or generally incompetent. I¡¯ve met like¡­three people who didn¡¯t fit into at least one of those categories¡± ¡°Sounds about right.¡± Jameson replied. ¡°I¡¯ve only met a couple of them myself, but they didn¡¯t seem like the best adventurers I¡¯ve ever met.¡± ¡°You can say that again.¡± Eve snorted. ¡°They¡¯re worse than that leader guy. At least he had equipment that looked practical, even if it was low quality equipment.¡± They continued their conversation for a few minutes until they got to what remained of the town¡¯s gate, where Anna was already waiting. And, once they met back up, they set out in earnest, ready for the hard battles that were to come. Chapter 83: Desertion The expedition went well for the first few weeks. Most of the strong monsters in the areas near the frontier towns had been cleared out when the Queen of Monsters came through and conscripted them. There were, occasionally, remnants of the Queen of Monsters¡¯ army, pockets of resistance that seemed sort of randomly scattered about the place, but those were no trouble. While there were some of the strong monsters in those, there were never more than one or two, and that was well within the capabilities of Anala and Eve¡¯s parties. After that, though, things changed. The frequency of the remnants of the Queen of Monsters¡¯ army appearing increased, and stronger monsters showed up more frequently, each group having no less than two, and often having three. The last battle had had four, and it had been rough. Several members of the expedition had died, and while Jameson and Bruce had been able to bring them back, the group¡¯s morale had hit rock bottom. They had, admittedly, performed better than Anala had expected; towards the end there, they had actually been of some help against the strong monsters. But, at the end of the day, they hadn¡¯t improved as fast as their opposition. So, they were having an emergency meeting, the members of the expedition trying to figure out where to go from here. Some people had left in the weeks leading up to this battle, but the majority had stuck with it, so there were a fair number of people in attendance. The guy who had become the de facto leader of the expedition stepped up onto a stone so he had a raised a raised position with which he could address everyone. ¡°I believe we all agree that we need to rethink things.¡± He said, a pained expression on his face. ¡°That last battle was more than I think most of us could handle.¡± There was a murmur of agreement from the crowd. Their appetite for glory seemed to have been considerably dampened by the loss of some of their number, regardless of how impermanent the deaths had ended up being. ¡°I do not believe it is any shame to turn back now.¡± The leader continued. ¡°It is important to know when you are beat, so you do not die a pointless death. We have thinned out a not inconsiderable number of the Queen of Monsters¡¯ strongest subordinates, and gained no small amount of strength in the process. ¡°So, I believe it is in our best interests to retreat. We can take the materials we¡¯ve gathered back to town, obtain better gear, train up more, and come back stronger. We cannot afford to lose our fighting force, as each one of us is irreplaceable; not just because it is harder to raise a sapient being to combat readiness than it is to find a monster of a similar strength, but because we¡¯re people. We cannot view our lives as something to just throw away so casually.¡± He looked like he would have kept going for a while, but a woman from the crowd stepped up. ¡°Yeah, maybe so, but so¡¯s everyone we¡¯re protecting.¡± She said. ¡°If we don¡¯t step up to the plate, who will? None of the governments seem to want to throw their hat into the ring to deal with the issue, so it¡¯s up to us. The Queen of Monsters isn¡¯t going to just do nothing, she¡¯s going to be growing stronger just as we are. ¡°I¡¯m going to keep going, and I think you all should too. I admit that that last battle was a bit too much, but we always knew it was going to be. If we balk at the first sign of trouble, then we were never going to be able to do anything to the Queen of Monsters. It¡¯s going to be hard for a while, but we were improving. ¡°In the past few battles, we¡¯ve been noticeably more proficient in taking down those stronger monsters. And¡­I¡¯m sure some of you have noticed, but there are some among us who are much, much stronger than the others. If nothing else, we can at least support them.¡± ¡°Are you suggesting we throw our lives away in a suicidal ploy to support some ¡°strong¡± people that I¡¯m not even sure exist in this group?¡± The leader countered. ¡°I know I haven¡¯t noticed these people you¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°Of course you haven¡¯t.¡± The woman said dryly. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t expect you to have seen through their attempts to hide their true proficiency.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± The leader bristled. ¡°Oh, nothing. Though¡­now that I¡¯m thinking about it, perhaps you wouldn¡¯t make for the best support. If you want to leave, leave. But¡­you¡¯ll forever have to live with the knowledge that you were too much of a coward to continue on after you encountered the slightest bit of resistance.¡± ¡°That¡¯s easy for you to say.¡± Someone else interrupted. ¡°You didn¡¯t die. If you had, you wouldn¡¯t be saying the same, it was awful. I don¡¯t think it can be called cowardice to leave when I¡¯ve received proof that I¡¯m not good enough for this.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s fine, I can¡¯t blame you for that.¡± The woman said. ¡°It¡¯s those of you that have been hanging in the back and doing the bare minimum that I¡¯m calling out. You can¡¯t give up before even really trying.¡± ¡°That¡¯s beside the point.¡± The leader said. ¡°If you wish to keep going, that is your decision to make, but trying to guilt people into getting themselves killed is not the right way to go about it. I am leaving, and nothing you say can change my mind. Those of you who wish to come with me, I will be leaving in an hour, meet me at the south end of our camp. Dismissed.¡± ¡°Wait, I¡¯m not done here!¡± The woman exclaimed. ¡°Don¡¯t just leave because you don¡¯t have a good answer to my accusations!¡± The leader shrugged. ¡°Further conversation is simply unproductive. Neither of us are going to change our minds and we have already stated our points, so I do not believe we should keep going. We are only wasting our time and the time of everyone listening.¡± ¡°We are not! I¡¯m talking to them, too! You might be a lost cause, but I don¡¯t think we should all just¡­give up and go home! We¡¯re supposed to be better than this!¡± ¡°If I may interject,¡± Eve began, ¡°I believe there is merit to both sides of this argument.¡± She shot a glance at the leader. ¡°Everyone here is a volunteer. We have no right to ask them to stay any longer than they want. It is their right to choose if they want to leave or if they want to stay.¡± She glanced back at the woman who had interrupted. ¡°And I also believe you are correct. We have an obligation to do something about this. This isn¡¯t like a normal war, the enemy is one who is a threat to every sapient being. For now, she says she¡¯s content with just taking over Haven, but there¡¯s no telling if that¡¯ll last. Something needs to be done. ¡°Still¡­it is my opinion that those who choose to leave now are, perhaps, not worth keeping around in the first place. With the exception of those of you who died this last battle, people who choose to leave now are ultimately not the kind of people who would be helpful when the time comes to fight the Queen of Monsters herself. She is a threat that cannot be solved by just sheer numbers. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°And¡­well, perhaps trimming the fat of this expedition is for the best. It is my impression that those strong people you mentioned are, to an extent, being held back by the size of this group. They have to protect the weaker ones, and that¡¯s hampering them.¡± ¡°Look, can someone tell me who these ¡°strong people¡± are?!¡± Someone in the crowed interrupted. ¡°You two keep talking about them like they¡¯re totally here, but I¡¯ve yet to see you actually name one or put out any evidence that they exist!¡± Eve shrugged. ¡°I have no reason to do that. They¡¯re clearly trying to stay at least somewhat hidden, so revealing their identities to all these random people seems counterproductive. If you know, you know. That¡¯s all I have to say, though. Stay or leave, it¡¯s no skin off my back.¡± There was a murmur in the crowd, and the woman who had interrupted originally and the so called leader began to bicker again, but Anala¡¯s attention was drawn away as Eve came up to her. ¡°Let¡¯s go get a camp set up.¡± She said, looking over Anala¡¯s party. ¡°This discussion isn¡¯t going to go anywhere, so we might as well go do something productive.¡± ¡°Why¡¯d you step in, anyway?¡± Ava asked. ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t really big into this whole expedition thing in the first place.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± Eve replied. ¡°They were just going to be running in circles talking about the same thing over and over, so I tried to put in some new information and left. Yeah, I kinda admitted I was one of those strong people, but if they knew enough to know there were strong people, they would have figured it out before too long, if they hadn¡¯t already. Anyway, Anna and Jameson are already working on getting the camp up, so I¡¯m going to help. If you wanna talk more, we can talk there.¡± With that, Eve strode off, leaving Anala¡¯s party to talk amongst themselves. After some discussion, they ended up deciding to go help set up camp, and just let the discussion take its course. They could catch up on what the people decided afterwards. By the end of the day, about half of the expedition had given up and left. That number, fortunately, included most of the posers, the people with impractical gear that, frankly, weren¡¯t really helping that much anyway. Still, seeing how easily so many people gave up was a little disheartening. The atmosphere around camp that night was a somber one, and it didn¡¯t get any better for the next few days. Even so, they trudged on, drawing ever closer to the Queen of Monsters¡¯ home base. The fights got harder and harder, and more and more people dropped out, but losing them really wasn¡¯t so bad. Like Eve had said, numbers were of little help in this war, at least not the relatively small ones that the expedition was working with. Theoretically, an infinite number of weak people would be able to eventually overwhelm the Queen of Monsters, but that wasn¡¯t exactly feasible. Eventually, the number of people in the expedition dwindled down to only a handful, excluding Anala and Eve¡¯s party. But¡­things were looking up; the number of strong monsters in each group had begun to shrink, and that could only mean two things. The first possibility was that the Queen of Monsters was running out of strong monsters. Anala hadn¡¯t been keeping count, but it seemed like they had almost worked through all of the ones that had been shown in the broadcast, so Anala wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the Queen of Monsters had begun to reserve them more. The second possibility was that they were drawing close to the Queen of Monsters¡¯ home base. In that case, it would make sense that the Queen of Monsters was keeping monsters in reserve, for one final push back against the heroes. More likely it was a combination of both of those two. Whatever it ended up being, though, it could only be good; things were, finally, drawing to a close. The spirits of the remnants of the expedition were soaring, and they finally felt like they were getting somewhere. Or¡­they were, until late one night. Anala¡¯s party was setting up camp when there were yells of surprise and pain, and the sound of a brief conflict. They rushed over as quickly as they could to find most of the other members of the expedition lying on the ground, injured. ¡°What happened?!¡± Anala asked, kneeling down and beginning to administer first aid to the first person she saw. It was a woman by the name of Saria, the one who had so strongly objected to giving up during the first big desertion. Saria coughed. ¡°I-it was Eve.¡± She stuttered. ¡°Her¡­her party j-just¡­stabbed us in the back and left.¡± Anala¡¯s heart sank. ¡°What?! Why?!¡± Saria shook her head, coughing again. ¡°I¡­don¡¯t know. One moment we were fine, joking and laughing as if nothing was wrong, the next¨C¡± She was interrupted by a coughing fit, and grabbed her hand, squeezing it tightly. ¡°Don¡¯t force yourself.¡± She said. ¡°Bruce will be here to heal you in a second.¡± ¡°N-no.¡± Saria said. ¡°This is imp¡­important. We were¡­fine, and then Anna and Jameson¡¯s eyes glazed over, they attacked us without a word, and left.¡± ¡°Just Anna and Jameson, not Eve?¡± ¡°She¡­she attacked us too. But she looked¡­looked normal, like she was fully in control of what she was doing.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll figure this out.¡± Anala said, more to reassure herself than to reassure Saria. ¡°There must be something else going on, they must be being forced to do this. We¡¯ll save them, just like we¡¯re going to save everyone else.¡± Finally, Bruce made it over and began to apply his healing magic. Saria, a relieved expression on her face, nodded weakly. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯m¡­going to sleep now.¡± She fell into unconsciousness, and Anala went to go help the others. Soon after, the others were all stable and sleeping off their wounds, leaving Anala¡¯s party to talk amongst themselves. ¡°Anyone get a good idea of what happened?¡± Raesn asked. ¡°All I could get was that Eve and her party randomly attacked them.¡± ¡°Ditto.¡± Anala said. ¡°Saria said that Anna and Jameson¡¯s eyes glazed over, but also that Eve looked fine. I¡­I think the Queen of Monsters is controlling them somehow.¡± ¡°I was a bit focused on magic, but I heard the same.¡± Bruce said. ¡°Ava?¡± Ava, who had been pacing near the fire, stopped. ¡°I found this.¡± She said, holding up a sheet of paper. There on the paper a message was written in a neat script. I¡¯ll be waiting, half a day to the north. Don¡¯t bring the weaklings inside the castle, they won¡¯t survive. Leave them outside, I guarantee they will be safe there. -E Raesn frowned. ¡°That¡¯s¡­definitely Eve¡¯s handwriting. But¡­why?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Ava said, shaking her head. ¡°It¡¯s driving me mad. Why attack the others and then say she¡¯ll guarantee their safety? How can she guarantee their safety? Is she¡­working with the Queen of Monsters? I don¡¯t want to believe it, but it seems the only logical conclusion.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense.¡± Anala said. ¡°She and her party have been one of the biggest helps this entire war. I¡­I think the Queen of Monsters is blackmailing her or something. She must have snuck up on Eve and¡­done something, and now Eve has no choice but to obey her.¡± ¡°Yeah, but Anna and Jameson were hypnotized or something, and Eve was fine.¡± Bruce pointed out. ¡°If she hypnotized the two of them, why wouldn¡¯t she do the same to Eve?¡± ¡°No, she has to be right.¡± Ava said. ¡°Otherwise, things just don¡¯t add up. Besides¡­do we really want to doubt Eve? She¡¯s been nothing but a good girl, even if she¡¯s a little brusque at times.¡± Raesn sighed. ¡°Whatever the situation, there¡¯s only one way to get the answer. We go north.¡± Anala nodded. ¡°Should we pack up now?¡± ¡°No.¡± Raesn said. ¡°I need some more time to prepare, and we all need rest. We can¡¯t afford to go into this in anything but the best shape.¡± ¡°I¡­don¡¯t think I can sleep.¡± Ava said. ¡°Not with this hanging over my head. I have sleep resistance, and I know the rest of you do too. I think we should just go for it.¡± ¡°No, Raesn is right.¡± Bruce said. ¡°We need to give the wounded a bit more time to properly stabilize, anyway, and we can¡¯t just leave them here.¡± ¡°I have some sleeping pills.¡± Raesn suggested. ¡°Extra-strength ones I made myself using my Blessing. Take one if you have to, but we need this time.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Ava said. ¡°I¡¯ll try to sleep. But¡­first thing tomorrow, we set out, alright?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the plan.¡± Raesn said. ¡°Now, I gotta go put the finishing touch on a couple of gadgets, and then I¡¯m going to hit the hay.¡± He reached into a bag and pulled out a few pills, which he handed to Ava. ¡°Only take one.¡± He instructed. ¡°The other two are for Anala and Bruce, if they need them. I¡¯ll see you all tomorrow, alright?¡± Anala nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡± And with that, the party split and prepared for bed. Anala took one of the pills, set up some magic to alert her for intruders, then crashed. It seemed that, one way or the other, the next day was going to be the end. Chapter 84: Betrayal Anala looked up at the castle in front of her in anticipation. It was¡­big, ornate, and imposing, but¡­the doors were wide open. More concerning, though, was a small, gated area near the doors, upon which was mounted a sign that read ¡°Weaklings here ¨C E¡±. ¡°Do we¡­really leave them in there?¡± Bruce asked. ¡°This seems really fishy.¡± ¡°We need to trust Eve.¡± Ava said. ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯s doing her best to protect everyone, so it¡¯s¡­probably safe. Besides, what other option do we have? If we just leave them out somewhere else, then they¡¯re just as vulnerable as they are here.¡± ¡°She¡¯s right.¡± Anala said, nervously shifting from foot to foot. ¡°We should only be about an hour, anyway. When the Queen of Monsters dies, we¡¯ll be able to come out and take them with us. If we fail¡­well, if we fail, then they were never going to be safe anyway. It has to be done.¡± Raesn nodded. ¡°All the more incentive for us to finish fast, then.¡± He walked over to the small wagon he had constructed, where they had been keeping the still-sleeping people. He towed the wagon into the gated area, then rejoined the group. ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡± Anala¡¯s party stepped inside the castle, only to find it¡­empty. There were decorations and stuff, sure, but there was nothing living; no monsters, no sound, nothing. It wasn¡¯t until a ways in that, finally, something happened. ¡°Glad to see you made it here.¡± Anna said in a monotone voice, stepping out from behind a pillar. ¡°The mistress will be seeing you now.¡± She was dressed in a maid outfit, and, like Saria had said, her eyes were glazed over, and she clearly wasn¡¯t all there. Her dogs were nowhere to be seen, either, which was disconcerting; Anala had never seen Anna and her dogs separated for long. ¡°Anna, are you okay?!¡± Ava said, rushing over to the girl and gripping her shoulders. ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡± ¡°The mistress will be seeing you now.¡± Anna repeated, seemingly not noticing Ava. ¡°Bruce?!¡± Ava asked. Bruce shook his head. ¡°I¡­can¡¯t see anything on her. Nothing I can break, anyway. Whatever¡¯s going on, it isn¡¯t magic we¡¯re used to. If I had some more time, I might be able to figure it out, but¡­¡± ¡°The mistress will be seeing you now.¡± Anna disentangled herself from Ava, and began to walk down the hallway. ¡°Follow me.¡± Anala¡¯s party shared a look, but followed Anna. She led them through more eerily empty halls before, eventually, stopping in front of a huge, imposing set of double doors. ¡°The mistress is waiting inside.¡± Anna intoned. ¡°Do not keep her waiting any longer.¡± The doors opened, seemingly of their own accord. Beyond was the room from the Queen of Monsters¡¯ broadcasts, opulently decorated. The throne was facing away from the door, so Anala and her party could not see the Queen of Monsters sitting thereon, but they could feel her. Her presence was¡­unlike anything Anala had ever felt. It was overwhelming, something that filled Anala with the knowledge that she was facing something far stronger than herself. The closest thing she had ever felt to it was the High Arbiter, but this was more¡­malevolent, an aura that sought to crush the spirit rather than simply let others know who was in charge. Anala found herself pushed into the room, and the doors shut behind her and her party. There was a moment of silence, and then the throne rotated, revealing¡­Eve. ¡°Tis I!¡± Eve shouted, an unhinged grin on her face. ¡°Eve, Queen of Monsters! Tremble before me!¡± There was a stunned silence, and Eve¡¯s smile grew even wider. ¡°What, cat got your tongues? Perhaps you would recognize me more like¡­this?¡± Eve snapped her fingers, and suddenly she was the tall angel that was the Queen of Monsters, looking down on them with a cold smile. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you idiots didn¡¯t even question me and my party.¡± She said smugly. ¡°But I guess that¡¯s to be expected. Who would guess that the girl you worked with for so long was actually your greatest enemy?¡± ¡°W-what?!¡± Ava shouted, seemingly regaining her wits. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense! We knew you for...a long time before this, and you were the greatest help we had in fighting back against the Queen of Monsters¡¯ army! What¡¯s going on?!¡± Eve laughed, a cruel laugh that made it clear she was looking down on Ava. ¡°And for a long time you had no clue that I was gearing up for this. Furthermore, who else would have all that knowledge of the army? Everything that¡¯s happened this war has just been my plan going exactly as expected.¡± ¡°You planned to lose an entire army?!¡± Anala snarled, drawing her sword. ¡°Yeah, right. You¡¯re just trying to cover for your own failures.¡± Eve chuckled and snapped her fingers, returning to the form they had grown familiar with. ¡°Please. Do you think I actually cared about that army? All that invasion stuff was just a pretense, leading up to this moment.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡± Bruce asked, preparing his staff. ¡°An elaborate suicide by hero? Real nice.¡± Eve laughed that cruel laugh again. ¡°As if. No, I just want a fight. Nothing here has been enough to keep me entertained for years. And, once I¡¯m done with you here, you¡¯re going to become my subordinates, just like Anna and Jameson did in the past.¡± ¡°If you wanted a good fight, you should have just picked one with the Perfect Chimeras!¡± Raesn shouted, reaching into his toolbelt and pulling out some gadgets. ¡°There¡¯s no reason to attack everyone like you did!¡± ¡°They¡¯re boring.¡± Eve said, reaching down and drawing a wicked-looking sword with a gloved hand. ¡°Ever since I got this, they¡¯ve been child¡¯s play. And the High Arbiter refused to face me in single combat, instead choosing to send you lot. I can¡¯t wait to see the look on her face once she realizes her ¡°heroes¡± have fallen.¡± Eve swung the sword lazily, and a beam of energy flew out towards Anala¡¯s party, forcing them to jump out of the way. It carved a deep gash in the stone where they had been standing before it vanished, and Eve let out yet another laugh. ¡°No more talking. Let¡¯s do this.¡± She tensed, and then she was suddenly right next to Anala, swinging the sword down on her. Anala barely brought her shield up in time to deflect the blow, but, to her horror, she felt the shield strain against the sword, the material being warped and pushed inwards by the force of the blow before it finally stopped it. That¡­had never even come close to happening before. No matter what had been thrown at it, it had remained firm and unyielding, something Anala could always rely on to protect her. But¡­there was no time to worry about that; she had to move if she didn¡¯t want to get killed. She activated Weight of the World and pushed Eve backwards before striking out with her own sword. Eve raised an arm to block it, and there was a sizzling sound as the sword met Eve¡¯s arm. Eve screeched and jumped backwards, a deep, cauterized gash left in her arm where the sword had touched her. ¡°That¡¯s a bit more troublesome than expected.¡± Eve panted, face screwing up in concentration as the wound seemingly closed itself. ¡°I suppose you¡¯ll be able to entertain me after all.¡± Bruce finished his chant, and a series of magical bullets flew towards Eve, followed closely by a few of Raesn¡¯s gadgets. Eve tensed again, and looked like she was about to dodge, but Bruce was faster. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°No you don¡¯t!¡± He yelled, and Eve lurched forward, movement halted by a spell. Eve grit her teeth and sliced out at the magic bullets, a wave of energy leaping out from her sword and destroying the bullets before they could do her any harm. Raesn¡¯s gadgets, however, were completely unaffected, continuing unerringly in their path towards Eve. Eve was suddenly shunted to the side as the floor below her rose up, neatly throwing her out of the way before returning to its former, flat form. Ava was already there, though, both of her swords thrusting out to catch Eve in midair. Eve flapped her wings, a powerful blast of air pushing Ava back and throwing Eve to the side. A moment later Raesn¡¯s gadgets detonated, and an explosion rocked the hall. In that confusion, Anala activated Spatial Rend, appearing next to Eve and slicing towards her heart, seeking to end things then and there. Eve wasted no time, once again bringing up an arm to stop the blow. Anala sheared straight through the arm, lopping it off, but her trajectory was thrown off, and the blow wasn¡¯t fatal. Eve responded by thrusting forward with her own sword, catching Anala in the side and scoring a deep gash. Even with Weight of the World active, that hurt, hurt more than anything Anala had yet to feel. She doubled over, the pain racking her body, intensifying with every passing second. And then something impacted her side and the pain lessened immensely, one of Raesn¡¯s gadgets doing its work and partially sealing her wound while also taking away her ability to feel pain. Or¡­it should have, but there was still lingering pain, pain of a kind Anala had never really felt before. It¡­couldn¡¯t really be described as words, it was¡­like it was more the concept of pain than an actual, physical sensation. Eve had moved on from Anala, and was pressing the attack on Ava, who was defending as best she could. Raesn and Bruce were trying to keep the pressure up on Eve, but she always seemed to have some answer, be it some sort of quick move with a sword, a lightning fast piece of magic, or just moving out of the way. Losing an arm really didn¡¯t seem to slow her down, and Anala could see that the arm was already beginning to grow back. But¡­she already seemed to be at her limit with holding off three people. Anala forced herself to her feet, though her body wasn¡¯t working like she wanted it to. Everything was just¡­slower, more than it should have been from the wound she had taken. Eve must have done¡­something to that blade, something that was messing with Anala. But, fortunately, Eve didn¡¯t seem to notice, she was too busy trying to dispatch Ava. Anala grit her teeth, activated Spatial Rend once again, winced as there was another explosion of abstract pain, then lunged forward. Eve reacted far too late to do anything other than shift slightly to the side, turning the blow from a fatal strike to the heart to merely a grievous injury to the lung. She coughed, spraying blood out onto the floor below, before hitting Anala with the hilt of her sword. The strength left Anala¡¯s arms and she was forced to let go of her sword, leaving it embedded in Eve as she stumbled backwards. But Anala wasn¡¯t the only person Eve had to be worried about. Ava used the opportunity presented by Anala¡¯s surprise strike to deal a decisive blow to Eve, and Raesn and Bruce weren¡¯t far behind. Anala was dizzy and not totally cognizant of everything, but she could see as Eve stopped moving and crumpled to the ground. ¡°Well¡­fought.¡± She croaked. ¡°I¡­lose.¡± Her body shimmered before returning to the appearance she had shown on the broadcast, lying limp on the floor. Raesn walked over and unceremoniously beheaded her, before sticking several blades in vital points and pinning her arms and legs to the ground. ¡°What¡­was that for?!¡± Ava yelled. ¡°She was already dead!¡± ¡°We can¡¯t be sure of that.¡± Raesn said. ¡°Even now, I¡¯m not totally convinced she¡¯s gone. That was¡­too easy.¡± ¡°Yeah, easy for you to say.¡± Ava huffed. ¡°You weren¡¯t directly in the line of fire.¡± Raesn lifted his shirt, revealing a series of scorch marks traveling up and down his back. ¡°She got me good.¡± He said. ¡°There was some sort of damage reflector that I wasn¡¯t expecting. And she still had time to launch a few shots at me and Bruce while she was attacking you and Anala.¡± Bruce knelt down at Anala¡¯s side while the other two argued, and began to apply magic. ¡°Hold on for a bit.¡± He said. ¡°This one doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s going to be a clean fix. How are you feeling?¡± ¡°It¡­hurts.¡± Anala croaked. ¡°Raesn hit me with one of his pain numbing things, but it still hurts.¡± Bruce frowned. ¡°What does it feel like?¡± ¡°Pain. It feels like raw pain. I can¡¯t describe it any other way.¡± ¡°Well, give me a minute to ¨C¡± ¡°Well done.¡± A voice said. ¡°You have truly exceeded my expectations.¡± Anala turned her head to find the High Arbiter standing over them, a smile on her face. She knelt down, gently shooing Bruce¡¯s hand away before applying a burst of magic to Anala¡¯s wound. Suddenly, everything felt¡­better. There was no phantom pain, the wound was completely healed, nothing. It was like it had never existed. ¡°If¡­if the Queen of Monsters just wanted a fight, why didn¡¯t you satisfy her?!¡± Ava yelled. ¡°We wouldn¡¯t have had to deal with any of this! People died, and this all could have been avoided!¡± The High Arbiter stood up. ¡°I will explain myself in due time. I am here to heal your wounds and inform you that you have ten minutes before you will be teleported back into my dungeon. Make whatever preparations you need, everything will be explained then.¡± She cast that same magic on Bruce, and then was, seemingly without moving between any of them, over with Ava and Raesn, doing the same to them. Ava blustered a bit more, but the High Arbiter departed without a further word, leaving the four heroes alone. ¡°What¡­preparations do we need to make?¡± Bruce asked. ¡°Why give us ten minutes?¡± ¡°We need to find Anna and Jameson, and deal with the injured people outside.¡± Raesn said. ¡°We best be quick, though, ten minutes isn¡¯t a lot of time.¡± Anala nodded, getting back on her feet. She felt as good as new, and Raesn was right; they needed to hurry. There was no telling what would happen to Anna, Jameson, and the other people during the interval the heroes would be meeting with the High Arbiter. She left the room through the double doors, and was disappointed to find that Anna was¡­gone. She¡¯d have to turn the castle upside-down looking for her later, but right now she needed to check on the injured and make sure they were fine too. She got outside as fast as she could, and found that the injured were exactly where they had been left. The gate had been closed, and, to Anala¡¯s surprise, she couldn¡¯t open it, nor could she climb over and get into the area. There was some sort of¡­forcefield around the location, and no matter what she tried, she couldn¡¯t break it. A minute or so later, Bruce showed up, so she left that task to him and returned to searching the castle. But¡­she had no luck. The castle was completely empty, devoid of even the hint of a living being, and all too soon Anala felt a tugging, and was whisked away to the High Arbiter¡¯s dungeon. Unlike before, they weren¡¯t put in a near featureless stone room. Instead, they were in something that looked like¡­well, a normal living room. They were on a plush couch that faced a TV, and there was carpet underneath their feet. Anala¡¯s thoughts were interrupted by a loud slurping noise from behind her. She spun, and, to her shock, Eve was sitting at a table, loudly drinking a soda from some fast food place. ¡°Sup nerds.¡± Eve said, giving the soda another slurp. ¡°I got some fast food while I was waiting. I made sure to get your favorites too, want some?¡± Anala sprung into action, drawing her sword and rushing at Eve. Weight of the World had been deactivated, and her stats were low, but she¡­she couldn¡¯t just let Eve be around like this. There was no telling what would happen. To her shock, Eve caught the sword in a hand. The same sword that had horribly burnt her just minutes ago didn¡¯t even leave a scratch on her skin. Eve looked at the sword disinterestedly, giving the soda one more slurp before putting it down. ¡°You¡¯re going to get yourself hurt if you keep waving this thing around.¡± She said. ¡°So, let me just take care of that for you.¡± She squeezed her hand around the sword¡¯s blade, and then¡­the sword broke. Anala watched, dumbfounded, as Eve dropped the pieces, which had been ground to a fine powder in her hand. ¡°I¡¯ll make you another one, so don¡¯t give me that look.¡± Eve replied, smirking. ¡°W-what?¡± ¡°I said I¡¯ll make you a new one.¡± ¡°But¡­the High Arbiter made this.¡± Anala said, looking down at the now nearly-useless hilt she was holding. ¡°How can you¡­¡± ¡°Oh please, I can do anything she can do. Now, do you want this fast food or not? It¡¯s getting cold.¡± ¡°Where are Anna and Jameson?!¡± Ava interrupted. ¡°What have you done with them?!¡± ¡°They¡¯re spending time with Carmen.¡± Eve said. ¡°They¡¯ve been gone for quite a while, after all.¡± ¡°Wait, we need to back this up.¡± Anala said. ¡°How are you alive? We ended you earlier.¡± ¡°My death was greatly exaggerated.¡± Eve replied. ¡°Played up for dramatic effect. Simply put, I let you win. Trust me, you couldn¡¯t beat me if you tried.¡± She paused, glancing over at Raesn. ¡°Do you want this food?¡± She asked hopefully. ¡°I¡¯ll feel silly if it all goes to waste.¡± Raesn stared at her blankly, not saying a word as he tried to process what was happening. A door opened, and the High Arbiter stepped in. ¡°Alright, enough of that.¡± ¡°You¡¯re no fun.¡± Eve pouted. ¡°I¡¯ve been planning this for months.¡± ¡°I know, and I also know you did everything you really wanted. So, I¡¯m going to say this is good enough and start explaining.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Eve groaned. The High Arbiter turned and gave Anala¡¯s party a smile. ¡°Let me properly introduce myself. I am Lilith Clements, High Arbiter. This,¡± she said, motioning at Eve, ¡°Is Eve Clements, one of my alternate personalities.¡± A long silence filled the room as everyone processed that. ¡°You and Eve are¡­related?¡± Ava finally asked. ¡°More than that.¡± The High Arbiter confirmed. ¡°We are, for all intents and purposes, the same person. I am the main personality, and she is but one of several of my others. But¡­let¡¯s start from the beginning of this, shall we?¡± Chapter 85: Explaining Everything ¡°I¡¯m having a hard time processing this.¡± Ava said. ¡°You¡¯re telling me that¡­the entire time we¡¯ve known each other, you¡¯ve actually been the High Arbiter, or some¡­facet of her or something?¡± ¡°Correct.¡± Eve said. ¡°And remember, our senses are connected at all times. It is entirely possible that, while you were fawning overing me, she was in an important meeting and instantly receiving all of it.¡± Ava paled. She hadn¡¯t really put together the fact that the High Arbiter would have felt¡­everything she had done to Eve, and the thought of potentially interrupting something important was not pleasant. ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, that never happened.¡± The High Arbiter said. ¡°I actually don¡¯t have that many meetings. Even then, it¡¯s not something that I can¡¯t ignore, or, if things somehow got too stimulating, turn off. She¡¯s just messing with you.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Eve protested, puffing up her cheeks in annoyance. ¡°You don¡¯t have to ruin everything, right?! You can let me have some fun!¡± ¡°I did.¡± The High Arbiter chuckled. ¡°But I determined things were getting a little too overwhelming for her.¡± ¡°So¡­the entire time I was doting on Eve, it was you all along?¡± Ava replied weakly. ¡°Mostly yes, but a little no.¡± The High Arbiter replied. ¡°We are¡­well, separate personalities. In many respects, Eve is still her own person. She reacts to things differently than I, and our emotions and memories are not shared until the end of the day unless we wish them to be. Still, yes, I felt and saw everything. But, if it makes you feel any better, I really don¡¯t mind it.¡± ¡°But¡­you¡¯re¡­¡± ¡°Big and important?¡± The High Arbiter finished. ¡°I guess? Really doesn¡¯t feel like it a lot of the time, you know? I was just some normal dude before¡­all of this.¡± She paused, then shook her head. ¡°No. That¡¯s a lie. I¡­guess I really wasn¡¯t normal even back then.¡± ¡°I¡­never thought about it like that.¡± Eve said thoughtfully. ¡°We really weren¡¯t just some dude, huh?¡± Now is when you tease Eve back. A voice rang out inside of Ava¡¯s head. Ava jumped and spun around, looking for the source of the voice. It sounded like the High Arbiter, but she wasn¡¯t paying attention to Ava. W-who? Ava ventured, mentally sending it out. You¡¯re looking at me. Yup¡­there too, and there. Are you the¡­air? Close. I¡¯m the dungeon you¡¯re in. I¡¯m also personality number three, name¡¯s Nuwa. Do the others¨C Nope, this is between you and me. Now, please, I¡¯m begging you, tease Eve. What? Why? She¡¯s been on my case lately and I want to see her squirm. Ava frowned. That doesn¡¯t seem very¡­well¡­ She trailed off, not sure if she wanted to finish that sentence, given who she was talking to. Very nice? Self-respecting? Some other word to do with self-preservation? No, it¡¯s not the nicest thing, I guess, but I personally have no qualms with any of your teasing. Besides, Eve doesn¡¯t actually hate it, not that she¡¯d let you know that. If she did, then I wouldn¡¯t be suggesting it. But¡­what do I even tease her about? I dunno, figure something out. I¡¯m not good at that stuff, I¡¯ve just seen enough of her to know she¡¯s really not expecting to be attacked back right now. Anyway, I¡¯m gonna¡­not skedaddle, I¡¯m still, you know, here, I¡¯m just gonna stop talking so they don¡¯t get suspicious. Later, or¡­I dunno, now, I guess? Whatever, I¡¯m out. Wait, I need more information! Ava said, but she got no reply. ¡°Really, no reaction to that?¡± Bruce said, elbowing Ava gently. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re feeling alright?¡± ¡°What?¡± Ava asked. ¡°Sorry, I sort of¡­zoned out for a minute there. I¡¯m sort of having a hard time keeping up.¡± ¡°I was saying that, unbeknownst to me, I was the reincarnation of the original Lilith my entire life, albeit with some soul damage that has since been healed.¡± ¡°What?¡± Ava said blankly. ¡°Run that by me again?¡± ¡°You know, the famous Lilith, the big one, so to speak. She¡­or¡­I¡­or, I don¡¯t know, it¡¯s complicated, but the point is that when Kali was looking for volunteers for the job of High Arbiter, she ended up getting picked, and became me.¡± ¡°So¡­¡± Raesn began slowly, ¡°that means the afterlife is a thing, then?¡± ¡°Yes and no.¡± The High Arbiter replied. ¡°The vast majority of people, no. You just get reincarnated into a new body, provided you don¡¯t like¡­become a ghost or something. That normally doesn¡¯t happen unless you had some really strong emotions when you died, though. Anyway, Kali has an afterlife for the truly exceptional people, I¡¯ll take you to meet some of them later, if you want.¡± ¡°I¡­believe we¡¯re getting off topic.¡± Anala said. ¡°I still don¡¯t fully understand why you did all this in the first place. You mentioned something about getting stronger, but¡­why do you care? People are dead because of you, and this all could have been avoided if you just¡­did nothing.¡± ¡°More people would have died if I did.¡± Eve said smugly. ¡°Believe me, the world is way better off for having my presence.¡± ¡°Really.¡± Anala said flatly. ¡°You lead an army of monsters through lands that were just barely beginning to be able to properly defend themselves, then have the gall to say that it was for their benefit?¡± ¡°It sure is.¡± Eve said, smug look not faltering for an instance. ¡°Riddle me this: what¡¯s around those towns right now?¡± ¡°Monsters? What¡¯s your point?¡± ¡°What kind of monsters?¡± ¡°Goblins and stuff?¡± Ava said hesitantly. ¡°I think? That was all that was there when we were going through earlier.¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Eve said triumphantly. ¡°My point is that there are no strong monsters there. They¡¯re all weaklings who aren¡¯t good for anything but training up newbies. I took all the strong ones with me when I made my army, then set up a bunch of goblin and kobold and slime nests and whatever. Tough things aren¡¯t liable to start putting down roots there for quite some time, and people will have a chance to exterminate them before that happens.¡± She grinned at Anala. ¡°But that¡¯s not all. I¡¯ve proved to people that they can deal with monsters if they try hard enough, they don¡¯t have to hole up and pray nothing super bad comes their way. The whole reason Haven was introduced in the first place was to help alleviate resource shortages, and it won¡¯t help at all if people don¡¯t actually use what¡¯s there.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s not actually the main reason.¡± The High Arbiter said, cutting her off. ¡°The main reason is for you four.¡± Now now now now now now! Nuwa urged. Tease Eve about wanting you in particular, yes, Lilith said it, but Eve was part of the decision making process too! ¡°You¡­really wanted me that bad, huh Eve?¡± Ava said, though she felt she came off more questioning than teasing. That didn¡¯t seem to matter. Eve blushed hugely and turned so she wasn¡¯t looking at Ava. ¡°N-no!¡± She said. ¡°I wasn¡¯t consulted on this, it¡¯s all on them.¡± Blatant lies, call her out on it. ¡°T-that¡¯s a lie, isn¡¯t it?¡± Eve whipped around, eyes narrowing. ¡°Nuwa, you¡¯re behind this, aren¡¯t you? How else would she have known that?¡± Just say it¡¯s the only logical conclusion given ¨C ¡°It¡¯s the only logical conclusion given what you¡¯ve heard about me.¡± Eve continued, a glint in her eyes as she studied Ava¡¯s reaction. ¡°Hah, she was feeding you that line right now, wasn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°How did you¨C¡± Eve waved a hand dismissively. ¡°She¡¯s me. I know how she thinks. Nuwa, you¡¯re watching the kids tonight.¡± Hey, it was going to be Mae¡¯s¨C ¡°Was going to be Mae¡¯s responsibility.¡± Eve corrected, cutting Nuwa off. ¡°But you¡¯ve gone and volunteered yourself with that little stunt. I¡¯m sure Mai will be more than happy to have some time with you.¡± ¡°Who¡­is that?¡± Bruce asked. ¡°This is Nuwa.¡± The High Arbiter said. ¡°Another one of my alternate personalities, who is in charge of the dungeon we¡¯re in right now. And Eve was referring to the last of my personalities, Mae, who is sort of like¡­think of her like an AI that lives inside of me and helps me with calculations in battle. That¡¯s not entirely accurate, but it¡¯s close enough. And, finally, the kids she was talking about are my daughters, Mai and Aria.¡± This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°You¡­have kids?¡± Ava asked. ¡°Since when?¡± ¡°Shortly after I met you two.¡± Eve said. ¡°It¡¯s a long story, but the short version is they used to be Mai and Errus, the missing Perfect Chimeras.¡± Raesn spit out his drink as he heard that, devolving into a bout of coughs. ¡°They what?!¡± He eventually choked out. ¡°The slightly longer version is that Mai developed a spell that mentally regresses someone to childhood and sort of¡­imprints the user as that person¡¯s mother.¡± The High Arbiter explained. ¡°She used it after she beat Errus during the war, and tried to use it on me, but I made it backfire, so now she¡¯s my cute little daughter. After it backfired, I briefly passed out and she used it on Errus before I was able to stop her, resulting in Aria. Don¡¯t worry about the old Mai trying to take over the world, she¡¯s¡­well, honestly, the old her is essentially dead. She¡¯s harmless. Well, mostly harmless, just don¡¯t attack her or anything and you¡¯ll be fine.¡± Ava gulped. ¡°That¡¯s¡­why are you telling us this? Does it have to do with what you mentioned about wanting the four of us?¡± The High Arbiter smiled. ¡°Yes, actually.¡± She sat, a chair appearing directly underneath her. ¡°So, let¡¯s talk about that. Pop quiz, how much do you know about where planes come from?¡± ¡°Kali makes them and then just¡­puts them in?¡± Bruce ventured. ¡°Right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the public answer, yes.¡± The High Arbiter said. ¡°But it¡¯s not the real answer. The real answer is that they just sort of¡­pop into existence on their own.¡± ¡°Alright¡­what¡¯s your point?¡± Anala said warily. ¡°I fail to see how this has anything to do with us.¡± ¡°I¡¯m getting there.¡± The High Arbiter said. ¡°Planes come into being¡­well, depending on their size, anywhere from a few a month to once every few millennia. Planes the size of Haven are¡­well, sort of medium large in the grand scheme of things, my understanding is they come about once every hundred years. Now¡­does anyone see any immediate issues with that?¡± ¡°¡­There are other Administrators, aren¡¯t there?¡± Raesn said. ¡°Those numbers just don¡¯t add up.¡± ¡°Bingo.¡± The High Arbiter said. ¡°How many others, I don¡¯t know. There are at least several dozen, possibly as many as thousands. I only know of two others for sure; one I¡¯ve even met in person. She¡¯s one of the oldest, in charge of the planes where Kali was born. The other was the Administrator who kindly donated Haven to Kali in her hour of need.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m guessing these Administrators have to compete for planes?¡± Raesn ventured. ¡°Got it in one. They don¡¯t really fight themselves, they¡¯ve¡­well, sort of made a gentleman¡¯s agreement to not do that. They have these strict rules to prevent lasting damage, and use people from their planes instead.¡± ¡°Let me guess, you built us up to fight in these things for you two?¡± Anala said, clearly unimpressed. ¡°Real noble of you.¡± ¡°You misunderstand.¡± The High Arbiter said, giving her a level glance. ¡°I am going to be fighting in these personally. In fact, it is expected that I am going to be our main source of firepower. To be blunt about it, our universe is amongst the weakest of the universes. Kali made some major mistakes early on and our growth has been stunted for a long time. The Perfect Chimeras and I are the only real exceptions to this rule, due to the sheer amount of Worship that¡¯s been poured into us. ¡°Mana for gods.¡± She said, cutting off the question she could see Bruce getting ready to ask. ¡°The system and¡­well, almost everything runs off of it. As the name suggests, it¡¯s generated by normal people believing in someone capable of using Worship or performing actions that align with that person¡¯s areas of jurisdiction. She paused, smiling mischievously. ¡°For instance, I get Worship from the justice system, and got Worship from your crusade against Eve.¡± ¡°So¡­it¡¯s not just limited to Administrators?¡± Bruce asked. ¡°No. There¡¯s sort of an¡­intermediate step between normal people and Administrators, Higher Beings. I¡¯ve been one since I became High Arbiter, and normally the Queen of Monsters equivalent is one as well, but since we¡¯re the same person, I ended up double dipping on that. ¡° ¡°And so, you used that to grant us our Blessings, right?¡± Bruce continued. ¡°Kind of, yeah. Your Blessings are all actually degraded versions of abilities I already have. I made some slight tweaks with Worship, but I can do some limited Skill granting without and having that made it a lot easier.¡± ¡°So.¡± Anala said, narrowing her eyes. ¡°Back on topic, I¡¯m assuming we have no option here but to go along with this whole¡­multiverse pit fight?¡± ¡°Not in the slightest!¡± The High Arbiter said emphatically. ¡°Any of you are more than welcome to walk out right now. I¡¯m not going to force you into anything. If you join the fights, then that¡¯s only because you want to be there.¡± ¡°But you¡¯ve already told us a lot of stuff that is surely confidential.¡± Anala said dubiously. ¡°You can¡¯t just let us go after that.¡± ¡°I sure can.¡± The High Arbiter said. ¡°If any of you want out, I¡¯ll just wipe your memories of this conversation. I¡¯ll even leave your Blessings intact, so long as you don¡¯t start misusing them later.¡± She paused, and the room cooled slightly, her face growing hard. ¡°Don¡¯t make me take those back. It won¡¯t be a matter of just doing something from here and it¡¯s gone. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, that is entirely within my capabilities, but if you get to the point that I have to take a Blessing away, then I¡¯m going to come visit personally, and I¡¯m going to beat it out of you, so you understand the true severity of what you¡¯ve done. And don¡¯t take your fight with Eve as any indication of what a serious fight with me would look like. It won¡¯t even be close.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± Eve added. ¡°I was restricted to like, a tenth of my toolkit and was really holding back so my stats didn¡¯t overwhelm you. And, because you have my Blessing and are, technically, my subordinates, I get every Skill you gain for free. You¡¯re completely out of luck if you want to go against me, and that¡¯s ignoring the Higher Being shenanigans I can get up to.¡± ¡°So, what¡¯s the benefit to competing in these games?¡± Anala asked, meeting the High Arbiter¡¯s cold gaze with an unfazed expression. ¡°I¡¯m failing to see a good enough reason for us to help you out here, especially with the way you¡¯ve been playing us this whole time. I don¡¯t approve of that.¡± The High Arbiter shrugged. ¡°For you as individuals? Not much. I suppose the benefit is you get access to my dungeon for training purposes, and you¡¯ll get to keep being friends with me, but it¡¯s mostly philanthropic. Helping out means our universe has a greater contribution to the planar battles, and the alliance Kali is in will be more willing to give her planes. This will directly help combat resource shortages and will, over time, allow us to increase the average power level of this universe, allowing us to more safely live in places like Haven.¡± Something about that sentence struck Ava as odd. ¡°Keep being friends?¡± She asked. ¡°This is the second time we¡¯ve met you, and everything has been rather¡­businesslike.¡± The High arbiter smiled a somewhat sad smile. ¡°You forget, or¡­perhaps misunderstand the nature of my connection with Eve. I¡¯ve got all of Eve¡¯s memories and was continuously sharing her senses the entire time she was with you. I¡­well, to me, it feels like I know you very well and have spent the last couple of months in near constant contact with you.¡± To Ava¡¯s shock, she picked up a hint of loneliness in the High Arbiter¡¯s gaze. ¡°To be completely frank, aside from Anna and Jameson, I consider you four my dearest friends. I have¡­not really been able to reconnect with my old friends, again save Anna and Jameson, and meeting new people is¡­difficult now.¡± That settled it. ¡°I¡¯m in.¡± Ava said. She turned to Bruce, an apologetic expression on her face. ¡°Sorry, I should have consulted with you first, seeing as how this might affect our relationship, but¡­¡± Bruce nodded. ¡°I get it. I was going to say yes anyway, so no harm done.¡± ¡°I suppose I¡¯ve got time to dedicate to this.¡± Raesn said. ¡°Provided it¡¯s not going to take all day every day.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t.¡± The High Arbiter said. ¡°All I ask is that you keep training. Nothing intense, just keep yourself from getting rusty. Of course, any and all improvement is welcomed, but I¡¯m not going to require you to do anything more than this.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m in as well.¡± Raesn said. ¡°And I suppose that just leaves me.¡± Anala said, a note of bitterness in her tone. ¡°I¡¯m really not happy about the way you lied to us for months, and for the damage you¡¯ve caused, but¡­I¡¯m willing to put aside my differences for the sake of the world as a whole.¡± The High Arbiter burst into a relieved smile. ¡°Thank you. And¡­I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t do it out of malice, so I hope you can find it in your heart to, eventually, forgive me. I promise that, were it not the best way we could see to prevent what happened in the past from happening again, then we wouldn¡¯t do it.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Anala said. ¡°So, are you going to send us back or what? We kind of have some heavily injured people you wounded to take care of.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t actually.¡± A new voice said. To Anna¡¯s surprise, Saria stepped into the room, looking perfectly unharmed. ¡°All of us that were remaining were members of the Valkyries, of which I am the leader.¡± Saria gave a small bow to the assembled people, and her appearance shifted. Before she was a small human-looking woman with blonde hair, but as she straightened up, she grew until she was over six feet, and her hair changed to a mixture of bright white and dark black. Her clothing changed as well, going from leather armor a sort of¡­armor fashioned after a military uniform. ¡°Saria, all-type Valkyrie version twenty-eight, at your service.¡± Ava blinked. ¡°You¡­were in on it the whole time?¡± ¡°Yes. We wanted to be there so we could help influence the expedition, and so we would have credible witnesses for spreading the news of Eve¡¯s defeat. We even have a fake body prepared to bring back. If you want the credit, we will gladly give you it, but otherwise we will present it ourselves and disappear. What would you like?¡± ¡°I would prefer anonymity.¡± Raesn said. ¡°Things would get hard otherwise.¡± ¡°Us too.¡± Ava said. ¡°We were never planning on taking credit for it anyway.¡± ¡°Just take it and go.¡± Anala said. ¡°I want to be done with all of this.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Saria said. ¡°I will see to it, then. Please excuse me.¡± She gave another bow, and left. ¡°So, are you sending us back now?¡± Anala asked impatiently. The High Arbiter shrugged. ¡°If you want. I¡¯ll be honest, I was¡­sort of hoping to hang out with you all a bit longer, but if you don¡¯t want to that¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± Anala said grumpily. ¡°I need to go be alone for a bit.¡± ¡°That¡¯s understandable.¡± The High Arbiter replied. ¡°Would you like to be back in Eve¡¯s castle, or would you prefer I send you back to your home? There¡¯s a lot of confusion with people moving back into the frontier towns, so you should be unnoticed if you teleport in now.¡± ¡°Yes. Send me back to my home. I need a bath, and then I want to sleep on my bed.¡± The High Arbiter waved her hand, and Anala vanished. ¡°Anyone else?¡± ¡°I think I¡¯m going to go home too.¡± Raesn said. ¡°Not because I¡¯m mad or anything, just¡­tired. I¡¯m not as young as I once was.¡± ¡°Raesn, you stopped aging like a thousand years ago.¡± Bruce pointed out. ¡°Your body is as young as ever.¡± Raesn chuckled. ¡°Perhaps, but all of¡­everything recently has been a bit too¡­stimulating for me. I need a break.¡± By the way, Nuwa said, do you mind if I hit you up about building things later? I have some projects in mind, but I want your expertise for them. I¡¯ve sorta just been making do with books and the internet and it¡¯d be nice to have someone who¡¯s actually proficient in making things. ¡°By all means.¡± Raesn said, smiling. ¡°I¡¯m curious to see what you can make with the tools at your disposal.¡± Thanks! I¡¯ll contact you later. Uh¡­I¡¯ll probably use Eve¡¯s phone so you know the number, but we should all exchange contact information later down the line. ¡°Do you guys not share?¡± Bruce asked. Nah, it¡¯s more convenient to all have separate stuff. ¡°Very well then.¡± Raesn said. ¡°But, for now, I need to nap. I¡¯ll¡­also go to my home, if you would.¡± The High Arbiter nodded, waved her hand, and sent Raesn away. Bruce looked to Ava, and the two didn¡¯t need anything else to know they were on the same page. ¡°We¡¯re down to hang out.¡± Ava said. ¡°What are you thinking?¡± The High Arbiter gave a huge smile. ¡°Nothing special. We¡¯ve got like¡­everything here, so¡­video games, a movie, bowling, I think Nuwa¡¯s finished making a mini-golf course¡­basically name it and there¡¯s a good chance we can do it here. If not, we can head elsewhere and do it there.¡± Bruce raised an eyebrow. ¡°Seriously? You¡¯re going to have to give us the tour.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s start with that, then!¡± The High Arbiter said brightly. ¡°And please, don¡¯t feel the need to stand on ceremony or anything, just call me Lilith. I¡¯m¡­hoping we can be as good friends as we were before¡­well, today.¡± ¡°Of course we can.¡± Ava said comfortingly. ¡°It¡¯ll be a bit of an adjustment, but I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll get used to it being you instead of Eve.¡± Eve mumbled something that Ava couldn¡¯t quite make out. ¡°What was that?¡± Ava asked. ¡°I said I still want to hang out, too.¡± Eve said, turning so they could only catch a glimpse of her crimson red face. ¡°But I¡¯m going to go now, I need to go talk with Mai and Aria and show them I¡¯m fine. They were getting a bit worried.¡± Without waiting for a reply, she exited the room, leaving Ava and Bruce alone with Lilith. ¡°Come this way!¡± Lilith said happily. ¡°We¡¯ll start with the training facilities¡­¡± Chapter 86: Jerry Hey, Lilith, we have a bit of a¡­situation. Nuwa said. You¡¯re probably gonna wanna head to our room ASAP. Lilith paused the game she was playing, standing up and beginning to make her way to the room she shared with Kali. What¡¯s going on? I didn¡¯t get a great glimpse, but I think another Administrator is over, and he¡¯s having an argument with Kali? I can only hear bits and pieces of their conversation leaking into the dungeon, and even then, I can only hear if I really listen for it, but apparently Kali told him not to come by, and he did anyway? I don¡¯t know, just thought we should¡­do something. Lilith nodded. Yeah. Let¡¯s see what this is about. Travel between anywhere in the dungeon was rather quick for Lilith, so she found herself exiting the dungeon and approaching the open doorway of her room within only twenty or so seconds. ¡°Look, I¡¯ve said it a thousand times already, and I¡¯ll say it a thousand more, you really don¡¯t need to come here.¡± Kali said. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Lilith asked, stepping into the room. Waiting therein was Kali and a tall, pale man, a vampire if the fangs and ears were any indication. He was dressed in rather casual clothing, and had a sort of¡­chagrined air about him that made it clear he knew that this was coming when he chose to come here. That changed the moment he spotted Lilith. He gave Lilith a wide smile and spread his arms out grandly. ¡°You must be the Lilith I¡¯ve heard so much about!¡± He said. ¡°Perhaps you can help me out with my little conundrum here!¡± ¡°You are not bringing my girlfriend into this!¡± Kali said. ¡°This is between you and me!¡± ¡°Seriously, what¡¯s going on?¡± Lilith asked, narrowing her eyes and looking at the man. ¡°Nuwa was saying something about you being told not to come here and coming here anyway?¡± ¡°That is exactly correct!¡± The man said. ¡°But first, let me introduce myself. I¡¯m one of the Administrators in Amy¡¯s faction, by the name of Jeryl. But I prefer to go by Jerry, so, please, just call me that.¡± ¡°He¡¯s the Administrator who gave me Haven.¡± Kali said, rolling her eyes. ¡°And I¡¯ve told him we¡¯re square, but he won¡¯t take no for an answer!¡± ¡°Which leads me to why I¡¯m here today.¡± Jerry said, ignoring Kali. ¡°A couple of years back, I ran into some¡­issues with one of the world systems I¡¯m running.¡± ¡°One of?¡± Lilith asked, raising an eyebrow. ¡°And what kind of issues?¡± Kali sighed. ¡°Jerry likes to keep his planes isolated and run different systems to see what produces the best results. It has, admittedly, resulted in some advancements in system tech that a lot of us in Amy¡¯s faction use, but it¡¯s also a lot of maintenance and can be¡­unstable.¡± Jerry shrugged. ¡°Risks of the craft, I¡¯m afraid. Basically, the system in this set of planes assigns everyone a Class when they¡¯re born, which almost entirely determines the Skills they can get. I run a Monster Lord system in most of my planes, and for this set in particular, I directly oppose that with capital-H ¡°Heroes¡±. ¡°At birth, when giving someone a Class, the system can decide that person is a Hero, and use up some Worship to give them an extra powerful Heroic Class, subject to all the normal randomization Classes have. This randomization and strict limiting of Skills allows for stats in those planes to be worth a lot more than they would otherwise be, but, uh¡­¡± Jerry scratched his cheek in embarrassment. ¡°Well, I made a mistake when I was constructing the system. I forgot to limit the amount of Worship that could be put into a single person¡¯s Class. The system did what it did, and made a Hero, but it tried to use more Worship than I had allotted to it, didn¡¯t know what to do, and tapped into the Worship that was used to make it and keep it running. ¡°The whole thing nearly crashed, so I had to pull a bunch out of the emergency and maintenance reserves of other systems I run, and I was basically super, super strapped for Worship, so I borrowed some from other people in the faction, including Kali. Things have stabilized more now, and I have some Worship saved up, so I¡¯ve been running around trying to pay my debts, and no one will take the stuff!¡± Jerry gave Lilith an imploring look. ¡°You¡¯re a Higher Being, right? Will you take this off of my hands? Or can you convince Kali to take back what I borrowed? I really don¡¯t like not paying people back, and everyone I borrowed from is too nice to take it back!¡± Lilith blinked. ¡°Uh¡­no, sorry. I¡¯m not gonna take that without Kali¡¯s permission.¡± Kali nodded in approval. ¡°Good. Jerry, you gave me a decent-size plane and one of your pet projects. The few thousand Worship I gave you doesn¡¯t even come close to that. If anything, I¡¯m still in your debt.¡± ¡°I told you that was a freebie, it doesn¡¯t count!¡± Jerry said. ¡°It¡¯s my job as your senior to help you out when you have issues!¡± ¡°And I told you this was a freebie!¡± Kali replied, putting her hands on her hips. ¡°Yeah, but you were in the middle of prepping for a giant system change, and I just had that stuff lying around half-finished. It¡¯s not the same!¡± Jerry protested. ¡°A penny from the penniless is worth more than a dollar from the rich man and all that, you know?¡± ¡°Are you calling me poor?¡± Kali asked, eyes narrowing. ¡°How rude. I might be willing to forgive you if you just¡­I don¡¯t know, forgot about this whole matter, though.¡± ¡°In fairness, you were running out of Worship right around when we made the swap.¡± Lilith pointed out. ¡°Hush, you!¡± Kali said, wheeling and pointing a finger at Lilith. ¡°Whose side are you on, anyway?¡± ¡°I dunno, I¡¯m just sorta a bystander here.¡± Lilith said. ¡°Seems to me like you both are too stubborn to admit the other¡¯s got a bit of a point. Look¡­let¡¯s just compromise and have Jerry give you a reduced amount of Worship, sound good?¡± ¡°I suppose that¡¯s acceptable.¡± Jerry said. ¡°I¡¯ll cut it down to half, then.¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Fine.¡± Kali huffed. ¡°I still think it¡¯s unnecessary, though.¡± Jerry beamed. ¡°Excellent, give me one moment here¡­¡± He began interacting with a menu that was invisible to Lilith, then nodded. ¡°All done.¡± ¡°Jerry.¡± Kali said flatly. ¡°What?¡± ¡°This is not half of what I gave you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s half of what I was going to give back!¡± Jerry protested. ¡°Look, I have to offload this somewhere, so just call it interest!¡± ¡°No.¡± Kali said firmly. ¡°I will take exactly half of what I gave you.¡± She pulled up a menu of her own and made a couple of taps. ¡°Use the rest to help with that plane that was giving you troubles.¡± ¡°How¡­did that turn out for you?¡± Lilith asked curiously. ¡°Oh, excellent, actually!¡± Jerry said enthusiastically. ¡°Honestly¡­it might be the next big thing for me. I¡¯m going to have to play around with it a lot.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Well, the girl who got that super Class ended up being turned into a sort of¡­pseudo-Higher Being, and¡­long story short, she unintentionally made a bunch of changes to the system, handed over much of that power to the girl she loved, and things are sort of in flux right now, but it¡¯s looking like the end result is going to be that plane having all its people become partial monsters, provided nothing too unexpected happens.¡± He paused, looking Lilith over. ¡°The¡­partial monster thing isn¡¯t actually that far removed from what you are, come to think of it. It¡¯s quite a bit less¡­broad and powerful, but¡­anyway, yeah, given the already rather¡­narrow, focused nature of magic and progression on that plane, allowing people to progress in the same way monsters do is likely to be an increase in power long-term. ¡°That being said, growth is probably going to stagnate once she takes everything over, so I¡¯m going to have to constantly keep challenging them with new things, so it¡¯s going to be higher maintenance than normal.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you were using a Monster Lord system?¡± Lilith asked, frowning. ¡°Yes, but that¡¯s quickly becoming¡­untenable. A Monster Lord isn¡¯t nearly as effective when all the monsters have been taken out of the picture. But that won¡¯t become an issue for another few years, so I have time to make my preparations.¡± ¡°How are those side effects you mentioned?¡± Kali asked. ¡°Have they been giving you any trouble, or do you have it under control?¡± ¡°Connie¡¯s taken a bit to get used to things, but she finds the Blood Money well worth the change.¡± He paused, looking over at Lilith. ¡°One of my gods got herself a bit too entwined with everything, and her base form got altered as a result. It¡¯s a bit troublesome when she has to appear to her church, but that¡¯s a pretty rare occurrence, so it¡¯s not a big deal. We¡¯ll work on changing her perception in the other planes over time, but for now she just uses illusions to appear as her old self. ¡°Aside from that, so long as I don¡¯t try and use too much Blood Money at once, nothing happens. Not that I really have that much need for Blood Money, so it¡¯s just sort of¡­a bonus.¡± Kali nodded. ¡°Makes sense.¡± ¡°And this Blood Money is¡­?¡± Lilith prompted. ¡°Warped and diluted Worship that only functions in my planes.¡± Jerry said. ¡°The girl who got the Class I mentioned managed to make a Skill that sort of forcibly extracts Worship from a target, mixes it with a bunch of Mana, Stamina, and other stuff, then packages it for reuse. Unfortunately, as with everything she made, it has a bit of a¡­corruptive influence if the intended target isn¡¯t the one using it. ¡°Still, it sees some minor use, and, more importantly, can be extracted from non-sapient beings, provided they¡¯re strong enough!¡± Jerry said, excitement entering his tone. ¡°In my free time these past couple of years I¡¯ve been working on separating the stuff into its component parts, and I¡¯m slowly inching towards a solution. ¡°If this works, it could be the beginning of an entirely new era for Administrators, much like when the techniques for easily manipulating Mana and creating systems were made! Imagine what we could do with that much Worship!¡± He stopped and gave an embarrassed cough. ¡°Sorry, I get a little worked up thinking about it. I¡¯m still trying to make sense of this all, since what that girl did was so far outside of the norm for how systems are constructed, and she did it all on Worship-aided instinct, so I can¡¯t even ask her, but I¡¯m confident that, given a few millennia, I¡¯ll figure it out. ¡°That, uh, being said, I do have a few other Administrators I need to go meet with, so I should really be going. Thanks for your time, I¡¯ll¡­well, I¡¯ll see you when I see you.¡± ¡°Yup.¡± Kali said. ¡°We¡¯ll see you around. Take care, Jerry!¡± ¡°Nice meeting you.¡± Lilith said. ¡°Let me know if you figure out that Worship thing, I¡¯m sure Nuwa would love to make use of it.¡± ¡°Believe me, when I figure it out, everyone is gonna know.¡± Jerry said. ¡°It¡¯s too much of a gamechanger to keep to myself.¡± He winked, gave a little wave, and then he was gone, like he had never been there. ¡°That¡­was not what I expected when Nuwa called me in here.¡± Lilith admitted. ¡°I was half expecting to have to try and physically restrain Jerry.¡± Kali smiled and waved a hand. ¡°Nah, you shouldn¡¯t ever have to worry about that. It¡¯s not exactly easy to just stop by another Administrator¡¯s planes, you have to know¡­well, think of it like this: you need to both know where the house is, and you have to get past the locks. We can usually feel when someone from outside our planes is trying to get in, and most allied Administrators will do the equivalent of knocking first. ¡°If someone¡¯s knock is ignored or turned away, and they don¡¯t¡­well, go away, then we call in other people from our faction, and that¡¯s when things get ugly. Something like that hasn¡¯t happened in a really, really long time, though, and the only thing we have that¡¯s worth taking is Haven, so don¡¯t worry. Anyone who¡¯d want to take Haven is also weak enough that my wards will keep them out for long enough for Amy to get here, and believe me, she¡¯d make short work of that poor, foolish person.¡± ¡°That¡¯s reassuring.¡± Lilith said. ¡°But¡­when was the last time something like that did happen? And what happened after?¡± Kali made a face. ¡°A thousand or so years ago? There was a new Administrator in one of the other factions that thought she could start sneakily taking over the planes of some of the more isolated Administrators, and¡­¡± Kali shook her head. ¡°Well, according to Administrator law, that Administrator becomes fair game for anyone else to target, and she didn¡¯t last more than a couple of days after her deceptions were uncovered. It was ugly.¡± ¡°When¡¯s your next Administrator meeting?¡± ¡°I like to pop by and talk with some of the others every month or two. Why?¡± Lilith shrugged. ¡°I was¡­kind of wondering if I could come.¡± She said. ¡°I¡¯m kinda interested in seeing what everyone else is like.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to ask Amy.¡± Kali said. ¡°But I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll give you permission, it¡¯s not too uncommon for Higher Beings to stop by.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Lilith said. ¡°Where do you usually hold these meetings?¡± Kali smirked, sidling up to Lilith and creeping a hand up her side. ¡°You¡¯re awfully inquisitive today.¡± She said. ¡°Any particular reason?¡± ¡°No, Jerry¡¯s visit just had me curious about Administrator stuff.¡± Lilith said. ¡°I¡¯d sorta been wondering for a while but it hadn¡¯t been important¨C¡± She let out a yelp of surprise as Kali traced a hand down the length of her tail and fingered the spade tip. ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure there¡¯s some Administrator stuff I could teach you.¡± Kali purred. She flicked her free hand and the door to their room shut. ¡°Care to find out?¡± ¡°W-what¡¯s gotten into you all of a sudden?¡± Lilith asked, a blush rising to her cheeks. ¡°This is so¡­sudden!¡± ¡°Do I need a reason?¡± Kali asked, still stroking the tail. ¡°Well¡­you just sorta pounced on me, yeah.¡± Lilith said. ¡°I¡¯m just wondering why.¡± Kali stood on her tiptoes so she could whisper into Lilith¡¯s ears. ¡°Because I think it¡¯s hot when you come in ready to do your best to help me out, even if it¡¯s against someone you probably wouldn¡¯t stand much of a chance against.¡± ¡°I¡­I wasn¡¯t thinking about it like that.¡± Lilith said. ¡°I just thought there was trouble, so I needed to help.¡± Kali began gently tugging Lilith towards their bed. ¡°Would it have changed anything if you were thinking about it like that?¡± ¡°I probably wouldn¡¯t have been so brazen, but I¡­would have still come, yeah.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s what matters. So¡­you want to do this or hold off for later? I can wait if you¡¯re not in the mood.¡± Lilith paused, then nodded, face reddening further. ¡°Y-yeah, I want to.¡± Kali smiled, pulling Lilith down onto the bed. ¡°Let¡¯s get started, then!¡± Chapter 87: A Peek Into the Future Some time in the distant future¡­
¡°Ariaaaaaa!¡± Mai cried out, bursting into her room. ¡°I got dumped again!¡± Aria sighed, pausing her game and setting the console down on her bed. ¡°That¡¯s what, the fifth time this year? I told you, you¡¯re too clingy.¡± ¡°Yeah, but Jared was different!¡± Mai sniffled. ¡°He said he thought clingy girls were cute!¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t¡­¡± Aria paused, thinking back. ¡°I don¡¯t remember his name, but your girlfriend three partners ago, didn¡¯t she say that too?¡± ¡°Yeah, Arin said that, but she didn¡¯t mean it. She just thought I was cute and liked me for my looks.¡± Mai flounced over to Aria¡¯s bed and sat down, snuggling up to Aria. ¡°Comfort me.¡± She whined. ¡°I want hugs.¡± Aria sighed again. ¡°What are we going to do with you?¡± She asked, stroking Mai¡¯s head gently. ¡°You gotta learn to be a little less¡­eager. You¡¯re driving everyone away.¡± ¡°B-but¡­they¡¯re all so cute!¡± Mai whimpered. ¡°I can¡¯t help myself!¡± ¡°I tell you this every time, but their cuteness is no excuse to go crazy. You have to control yourself.¡± ¡°Stop scolding me, you¡¯re supposed to be comforting me!¡± Mai pouted. ¡°Besides, you don¡¯t know what it¡¯s like to constantly get your heart broken! You and Amanda have been together for like¡­ever!¡± ¡°It¡¯s been six months.¡± Aria corrected, rolling her eyes. ¡°That¡¯s not that long.¡± ¡°Well¡­you haven¡¯t even let her meet mom yet! If you¡¯re not serious about it, you should just break up, so you can know how I feel!¡± ¡°I am serious about her, and you¡¯re being unreasonable again. You know as well as I that we¡¯re not allowed to bring our partners over and tell them the truth until at least six months.¡± ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you do it as soon as the six months were up?!¡± Mai accused. ¡°I would have!¡± ¡°And you¡¯re the reason we have the rule in the first place! Could you imagine what would happen if the whole school found out who we are?!¡± ¡°They¡¯d¡­think we¡¯re cool, and even more people would want to date us?¡± Mai ventured. Aria groaned. ¡°No. I mean, in a sense¡­look, I have a time set up, we¡¯re just working around Amanda¡¯s schedule.¡± ¡°When?!¡± Mai asked. ¡°Why are you being so pushy? Aren¡¯t you upset over your breakup and wanting comfort?¡± ¡°I¡¯m living vicariously through you.¡± Mai said. ¡°I need to know what it¡¯s like so I can prepare myself for when I bring someone here.¡± ¡°You have to hold a partner down for that long first.¡± Aria reminded her. ¡°What¡¯s your record at this point?¡± ¡°Two months.¡± Mai sighed. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault they can¡¯t handle me!¡± She leaned further into Aria, getting herself comfortable on Aria¡¯s chest. ¡°Thanks for helping me take my mind off of things, by the way.¡± ¡°Of course, that¡¯s what sisters are for.¡± Aria replied. It was always like this when Mai had a breakup; she would come in upset, and then after only a few minutes of comforting she would be right as rain. It was their senior year of high school, and Aria was sure Mai had gone through at least two dozen partners in that time, so this was something that had become relatively routine for Aria. ¡°So, when are you bringing Amanda here?¡± Mai asked. ¡°And why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier?¡± ¡°Because I got busy and forgot.¡± Aria said defensively. ¡°We¡¯re¡­doing it on the fifth, I think.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that today?¡± Aria blinked, then pulled out her phone and checked the time. ¡°Crap, I have to pick her up in an hour. You gotta help me clean this room up, I can¡¯t have this place all messy when she comes to see it for the first time.¡± Mai threw her head back and sighed dramatically. ¡°I can¡¯t, I¡¯m grieving.¡± She said, ¡°You¡¯ll have to go on without me.¡± ¡°You are not getting out of this!¡± Aria said. ¡°I swear most of this mess is yours, and this isn¡¯t even your room anymore!¡± ¡°Fiiiine.¡± Mai said. ¡°But only because this is important for you.¡± She rolled off of the bed and began to pick up the various items she had left lying around the room. Aria followed suit, and began to get everything all tidy in preparation for Amanda¡¯s visit. And, soon enough, the time had come for her to go and pick up her girlfriend. Aria hesitantly slipped on the ring that made her look human, took a deep breath, and went to her mothers¡¯ room. ¡°Ma, it¡¯s time to go pick up Amanda.¡± Aria said. ¡°Ah, good, I was just about to come get you.¡± Kali replied. ¡°I¡¯ve already got everything ready to go.¡± ¡°Thanks, ma.¡± Kali donned a ring of her own and led Aria to their teleporter out. After a moment, they materialized a short distance from Amanda¡¯s house, in an area no one was looking at. Teleportation wasn¡¯t too out of the norm anymore, but they were trying to lay low, and their public personas weren¡¯t supposed to be great with magic. The two walked the couple of minutes it took to get to Amanda¡¯s house, and Aria approached the door, giving a hesitant glance back at Kali. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, sweetie.¡± Kali assured her. ¡°Amanda¡¯s a nice girl, you know that.¡± ¡°Yeah, but¡­nice doesn¡¯t necessarily translate into accepting. I¡¯m just¡­nervous.¡± Aria admitted. ¡°This is kind of a lot to dump on someone.¡± Their conversation was cut short as the front door opened and Amanda flew out, catching Aria in a big hug. ¡°Aria, I¡¯m so excited!¡± She said, ¡°So¡­how are we getting there? Do you have some sort of cool supercar hidden around here or something?¡± Aria hugged her back. ¡°No, nothing like that. What¡­makes you think we¡¯d have something like that laying around?¡± Amanda let go of the hug and rolled her eyes. ¡°Please. Mrs. Clements reeks of refinement that you normally don¡¯t see in a teacher, and you¡¯ve been super cagey about your other mom. I¡¯ve been pretty sure she¡¯s some bigshot and you guys are super rich for a couple of months now.¡± ¡°Well, we¡¯re not rich, not¡­exactly.¡± Aria said. ¡°It¡¯s complicated.¡± ¡°No, she¡¯s got a point there.¡± Kali said. ¡°We are a lot wealthier than you would think, we just never have anything to spend it on, so it never comes up.¡± ¡°Wait, really?¡± Aria replied, dumbfounded. ¡°Since when?!¡± ¡°Since before you were born. Between my old job and your mama¡¯s current job, we have way more money than we know what to do with.¡± ¡°And you never told me?!¡± Kali laughed. ¡°It was never important. Plus, you can already imagine how Mai would act if she knew. Now¡­we should talk about this more while we¡¯re walking, we might as well get home and talk about it there.¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Amanda grabbed Aria¡¯s hand and began to tow her down the driveway and to where Kali was waiting. ¡°So¡­we¡¯re walking? Where to?¡± She asked. ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡± Kali said mischievously. ¡°It¡¯s not far, though, just a couple of minutes.¡± The group set off back towards where Aria and Kali had teleported in, and Amanda kept up her barrage of questions. ¡°So¡­how did you not know you¡¯re rich?¡± She asked. ¡°Surely with the amount of money your mom implied you have, you guys indulge in luxuries, right?¡± ¡°We do.¡± Kali confirmed. ¡°And you have to know that¡¯s not normal, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, but¡­well, look, it¡¯s complicated. Really complicated. You¡¯ll understand when we get there, but we actually don¡¯t buy anything, not in the traditional way. I know I have a lot of things other people don¡¯t have, but that¡¯s¡­well, it¡¯s different. Mom just sort of¡­makes the stuff herself.¡± ¡°She¡­makes it herself? Are we talking about magic?¡± Amanda asked curiously. ¡°Basically, yeah.¡± Aria said. ¡°Alright, we¡¯re here.¡± Kali said, ushering the two into a secluded nook just outside of the neighborhood. ¡°Aria, sweetie, will you do the honors?¡± Aria blinked. ¡°Uh, yeah, I guess.¡± She reached into a pocket which had been enchanted with an extradimensional storage, and pulled out a vial of black ink. It wasn¡¯t actually ink; it was some secretion her mother had made for the purpose of making magic circles on¡­well, almost anything. She dipped a finger into the ink and expertly sketched out a circle that would bring the three of them back to the dungeon. It was something she had grown used to; Kali often had to stay at school later than Aria and Mai, so Aria had learned how to draw the circle and teleport them, so she and Mai didn¡¯t have to wait. ¡°You¡­what?¡± Amanda asked, confused. ¡°That¡¯s¡­that¡¯s a good circle.¡± She said, ¡°The ones you draw in class aren¡¯t anywhere near this good! That¡¯s like¡­better than the teachers¡¯ stuff, and you drew it way faster, too! Since when could you do this?¡± ¡°To be honest? The entire time. I¡¯ve¡­well, we¡¯ve been hiding a lot from you.¡± Aria admitted. ¡°Prepare yourself, this is going to feel¡­weird.¡± She poured some Mana into the circle and activated it, bringing the group just outside of the dungeon, in the hall Kali had set up for people to teleport into. Amanda swayed unsteadily for a moment before leaning on Aria. ¡°Where¡­are we?¡± ¡°My house.¡± Aria replied. ¡°Are you feeling alright?¡± Amanda leaned on Aria for a moment more before standing up straight. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s passing. Um¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get you sat down somewhere before we do any more than this.¡± Kali said. ¡°This is probably going to be a lot to take in at once.¡± ¡°I-I mentally prepared myself!¡± Amanda insisted. ¡°I can handle it!¡± ¡°You¡¯re not prepared.¡± Kali replied flatly. ¡°Trust me, you¡¯re really not.¡± ¡°We have a lot to talk about anyway.¡± Aria said. ¡°And the couches are comfy, I promise.¡± ¡°I¡­alright.¡± Amanda replied, allowing herself to be led away from the teleporter. They made their way to one of the common rooms, which had apparently been cordoned off until Amanda had been brought up to speed. Nuwa had also taken the time to disable the dungeon¡¯s greeting popup so Aria could take things one at a time. ¡°So¡­I¡¯m sure you have a lot of questions.¡± Aria said. ¡°What do you want to know first?¡± ¡°Um¡­where are we?¡± Amanda asked. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen any windows, and I¡¯m assuming this place isn¡¯t¡­close, since we had to teleport here.¡± ¡°We¡¯re on another plane. It¡¯s, um, a¡­special plane.¡± Aria said. ¡°We¡¯re in the underground part of the house right now, so it¡¯s basically impossible to tell.¡± ¡°Another plane?¡± Amanda asked, eyes widening in surprise. ¡°Why¡­how¡­how much Mana did teleporting us here take?! And if you live on an entirely separate plane, why do you go to school with us?!¡± ¡°Well¡­I didn¡¯t do any of the optimizations or anything like that, and given where we landed and the number of people I teleported¡­something like ten or twenty thousand? And we go to this school because it¡¯s where mom went when she was growing up.¡± ¡°Ten or twenty¡­isn¡¯t that like¡­a lot?!¡± Aria scratched the back of her neck sheepishly. ¡°Yeah, I guess it is. I um¡­well, let¡¯s just say it really isn¡¯t an issue for me.¡± Amanda swallowed. ¡°So¡­I guess the elephant in the room is¡­who is your other mom, and¡­well, why are you so¡­strong?¡± Aria fidgeted in place. ¡°Um¡­she¡¯s¡­kind of the High Arbiter?¡± There was a long silence as Amanda processed that. ¡°But¡­¡± she finally said, ¡°you¡¯re human.¡± ¡°I¡­um¡­technically yes?¡± Aria said. ¡°So¡­you¡¯re not human then?¡± Amanda replied. ¡°Not one hundred percent, anyway.¡± ¡°Umm¡­define one hundred percent?¡± Amanda sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s back up. What, exactly is your species?¡± Aria twisted the ring on her finger nervously, then slid it off. ¡°Perfect Chimera?¡± She ventured. ¡°So¡­that means there are six of you around now? Seven if Mai is too?¡± Aria shook her head. ¡°Mai is, but¡­well, it¡¯s a long story, but we¡¯re basically reincarnations of Errus and Mai. Mai, was, of course, Mai, but I was¡­well, you know.¡± There was another long pause, this time broken by Aria. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I really didn¡¯t want to keep it from you, but¡­we couldn¡¯t afford to give out our secrets so easily, not with how Mai is. So, we had to lay down some ground rules that would go for both of us, in the spirit of fairness. Please don¡¯t hate me.¡± Amanda sighed. ¡°Look, I get it, but it doesn¡¯t make it¡­sting less, you know? I thought we were being completely open about ourselves, but¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m really not Errus, not really!¡± Aria said quickly. ¡°I mean, I was, but¡­look, it¡¯s a long story, and the summary is that I only have fragments of his memory, and our personalities are radically different. I¡¯m an entirely new person now.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that. I don¡¯t really care about that.¡± Amanda said. ¡°It¡¯s the¡­spirit of the thing.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t be too harsh on her.¡± Kali said. ¡°She really did want to tell you earlier. She begged Lilith and I, but we were strict. We had to make sure you were someone that could be trusted,¡± she paused briefly before correcting herself, ¡°trusted as much as any kid can be trusted. This was the first opportunity she had to tell you, and she did so. Doesn¡¯t that count for something?¡± ¡°I suppose it does.¡± Amanda admitted. ¡°But¡­that leaves me with another question. You¡¯re not human either, are you? Would you be¡­¡± Kali took off her ring. ¡°The Administrator? Yes.¡± ¡°And¡­you¡¯ve spent almost four years teaching psychology at a random high school because¡­?¡± Kali shrugged. ¡°Because, to be frank, I don¡¯t have much better to do. Keeping the universe maintained takes remarkably little attention, and it would help ease my mind to have someone keeping an eye on my daughters.¡± ¡°So¡­you became a teacher.¡± ¡°I figured¡­well, why not? It gives me something better to do than just sit on my hands all day.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s the money come into this, though?¡± Aria asked. ¡°Oh, that. You know I used to be a Council member, and turns out being one of the top government officials comes with a hefty salary. And Eve is one of the world¡¯s premier adventurers right now, so she¡¯s raking in the dough.¡± ¡°Oh yeah, that reminds me, you know Carmen?¡± Aria asked. ¡°She lives here too. Her and her parents. They go way back with mom, and after everything happened, they ended up moving in. We¡¯ve got the room for it, so¡­we figured why not, you know?¡± ¡°Yet you don¡¯t spend any money.¡± Amanda said. ¡°How?¡± ¡°Because I make everything in-house.¡± Lilith replied, walking in through one of the other doors. ¡°This whole place is my dungeon, and as such, I can make almost anything here. In fact, I¡¯ve decked this place out with almost every imaginable luxury, just because I can.¡± ¡°Ah, u-um¡­nice to meet you, ma¡¯am, I-I¡¯m Amanda.¡± Amanda said, suddenly sitting up straighter. ¡°Just Mrs. Clements is fine.¡± Lilith said. ¡°And it¡¯s a pleasure to formally meet you as well. We¡¯ve actually met before, believe it or not.¡± ¡°We have?¡± Amanda said. ¡°We have.¡± Lilith confirmed. ¡°Around the time you started dating Aria, I dropped by in disguise and had a relatively lengthy chat with you. I do that with all of my daughters¡¯ partners, just to make sure we don¡¯t get any real scumbags trying to take advantage of them somehow.¡± Amanda shivered a bit. ¡°And if I had¡­failed this test or whatever it was?¡± ¡°Then I would have let you go on your way and warned Aria about you.¡± Lilith said. ¡°At the end of the day, it¡¯s your relationship, not mine. Now, if it was still going six months in, I probably wouldn¡¯t let you come meet me, but I doubt things would ever get that bad.¡± Amanda nodded. ¡°I¡¯m¡­sorry if this is an insensitive question, but¡­what happens if Aria and I break up? This seems like kind of a big secret to just¡­let people walk around knowing.¡± ¡°Then we modify your memories so you won¡¯t remember all of this, just a regular family. You won¡¯t even be able to tell the difference, so don¡¯t worry about it. Obviously, we would prefer to not have to do that, but, as you said, it¡¯s too big a secret to let out. ¡°But, until the time comes when the status quo changes, you¡¯re welcome here anytime. Aria, why don¡¯t you show her around and get her used to the place? I¡¯m sure you can find something to do.¡± Aria nodded, grabbing Amanda¡¯s hand and pulling her up. ¡°So¡­do you want to start with the living area, the recreational area, or the training area?¡± ¡°How¡­big is this place?¡± ¡°Big enough that we use teleport pads because walking everywhere tires you out too quickly.¡± Aria responded. ¡°So¡­at least as big as the school. It¡¯s kind of hard to keep track with how much things can change and how rarely we actually walk end to end instead of teleporting.¡± ¡°And¡­where are we now?¡± ¡°Residential space. One of the common rooms, to be precise.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s¡­um, start there, then?¡± ¡°Perfect.¡± Aria replied, giving Amanda a smile. ¡°Let¡¯s go, then!¡±
¡°What do you think they¡¯re going to be like when they¡¯re grown up?¡± Kali asked, looking down at the sleeping forms of Aria and Mai. ¡°I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll raise them to be fine young ladies.¡± Lilith said. ¡°I was thinking we would send them to school with Carmen, what do you think?¡± ¡°Sounds like a great idea.¡± Kali replied, leaning over and giving Lilith a peck on the cheek. ¡°We¡¯ll have to do a little messing around to get it to all work out and not reveal that you¡¯re their mom, but I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll figure it out.¡± Lilith chuckled, pulling Kali in close. ¡°I think I know just the thing.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Kali replied, raising an eyebrow. ¡°Do tell.¡± ¡°Remember back when I first joined Tunem¡¯s academy? There was a ring that let me hide my non-human features. I¡¯m sure we can whip up something like that for them, too.¡± ¡°Sounds like a plan, then. Now¡­we¡¯ve got some unexpected free time due to not having to figure that out¡­what say you we have a little¡­fun?¡± Lilith swept Kali off of her feet, carefully leaving the room and shutting the door behind her. ¡°I say you¡¯re on.¡± Holiday Special 2021 Lilith blinked, readjusting herself to her surroundings after the sudden teleport. ¡°What¡¯s¡­going on?¡± She asked. ¡°And¡­why am I in a suit?¡± ¡°Oh, this.¡± Kali said. ¡°It¡¯s¡­um, like a transdimensional party or something, I think? Every so often a bunch of seemingly random but important people will get teleported into a space like this. It¡¯s starting to come back to me now, but¡­I think we¡¯re going to forget everything afterwards? Time¡¯s kinda weird in this place too, so¡­really, best not to question it too much. None of us really get it, it just¡­happens.¡± She tugged on Lilith¡¯s arm, and Lilith began to move with her. ¡°Where are we going?¡± Lilith asked. ¡°We¡¯re going to find Amy. She¡¯s almost always here, probably because she¡¯s about as important as they get.¡± As they walked, Lilith took a moment to look around. They were in some sort of large¡­warehouse or something. There were quite a few decorations, as well as large tables of food and drink. It was hard to see through all the people, but she was pretty sure there were a bunch of activities on the other side of the room, too. Eventually, they found Amy, who was talking with Jerry and a few other people Lilith didn¡¯t recognize. As they approached, they were stopped by an oddly familiar succubus running up and grabbing Kali up into a hug. ¡°Aunt Kali!¡± She said. ¡°It¡¯s so nice to see you!¡± ¡°Good to see you too, Amara!¡± Kali replied, returning the hug. ¡°How¡¯s the family?¡± ¡°Same as ever. Uh¡­what year is it for you?¡± ¡°Roughly thirty-two fifty, if we¡¯re going by the time on Amy¡¯s planes.¡± ¡°Oh. You¡¯re like¡­fifty years in the future for me. Did you get your planes merged?¡± Amara let go of the hug and took a step back, giving Lilith a glance. ¡°Ah, you must have. You¡¯d be the High Arbiter, right?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Lilith said. ¡°How¡¯d you know? And, uh, what¡¯s your relationship with Kali?¡± ¡°I¡¯m her lots-of-greats grandniece.¡± Amara said. ¡°And she told me all about her plans. In fact, right now, or¡­right now for me, Amy¡¯s doing something similar so she can help give Kali advice.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Amy said, walking up to them. ¡°And it¡¯s around the year thirty two hundred for me. How about you?¡± ¡°Fiftyish years later.¡± Kali replied. ¡°Who else is here?¡± ¡°Give me a second.¡± Amara said. ¡°Let me fetch them.¡± She scurried off and then reappeared a moment later with two human girls. One was an unreasonably beautiful blonde in a suit, while the other was a much more normal-looking redhead in a dress. ¡°Tess, Ellie, this is Kali. She¡¯s my distant ancestor, and she runs that set of planes that Amy is preparing to help with, with the whole merger of Mael.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± The blonde said awkwardly. ¡°Nice to meet you?¡± Kali laughed. ¡°I forgot how cute you two were when you were younger. I¡¯m from fiftyish years in your future, so I guess¡­nice to meet you again! Thanks for taking care of Maven for me.¡± ¡°You¡¯re¡­welcome, I think.¡± The redhead replied. ¡°So¡­if you¡¯re from the future, is there anything cool coming up that we should know about?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not going to be that easy to get it out of me.¡± Kali replied, eyes twinkling. ¡°The unwritten rule here is to not talk about the future. It has a tendency to sour the party.¡± ¡°It was worth a shot.¡± The redhead replied, shrugging. ¡°Lilith, this is Tess,¡± Kali said, motioning at the blonde, ¡°and this is Ellie.¡± She motioned at the redhead. ¡°They¡¯re¡­well, it¡¯s a thing Amy does on her planes, they¡¯re kind of like messengers for the Higher Beings of Amy¡¯s plane. You might meet their future selves some time later, but for now they¡¯re still getting used to everything.¡± ¡°Actually, why don¡¯t you three chat?¡± Amara said. ¡°I think you all will have a lot in common, seeing as how you all were born on a world without much magic.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good idea.¡± Kali said. ¡°It¡¯ll give me some time to catch up with some other people, too.¡± She turned back to Lilith. ¡°Is that okay with you?¡± ¡°Why not, I guess?¡± She said. ¡°Beats being an awkward third wheel.¡± ¡°Awesome.¡± Kali replied. ¡°I¡¯ll let you three get¨C¡± ¡°Take these two, too!¡± Jerry said, bursting into the conversation. ¡°Sorry, but I really don¡¯t know what to do with them, and that weird gut feeling is telling me this is the place!¡± He practically pushed a tall, green woman with a dress made of leaves and a kitsune in a red dress into their midst. ¡°Oh, and it¡¯s roughly year thirty-two forty-five Amy time for me.¡± ¡°Um¡­hi?¡± Tess ventured. ¡°And¡­weird gut feeling?¡± ¡°It happens from time to time at these events.¡± The plant woman said. ¡°You get a feeling like someone needs to be somewhere and it won¡¯t go away until you bring them there. Anyway, my name is Rose, and this is Lia, my Queen.¡± ¡°Right, well, we¡¯ll leave the five of you to it.¡± Amy said. ¡°Feel free to wander around, you¡¯re as safe as can be. No one¡¯s able to hurt each other here.¡± ¡°And yes, conversion counts as harmful in this context.¡± Jerry said. ¡°Not that you¡¯d be able to get away with it, you two are probably the weakest people in this little group.¡± Rose gave the other three a thoughtful look. ¡°I suppose I am a fair bit weaker than I was the last time I was at one of these things.¡± ¡°To be quite honest, you don¡¯t beat out Lilith even at the height of your old power. She is, for all intents and purposes, on the same level as the gods.¡± Jerry said. ¡°And Tess and Ellie, the blonde and redhead, are pretty close to the gods too, plus Amy¡¯s planes are generally stronger, so¨C¡± ¡°Let them make their own introductions.¡± Amy interrupted. ¡°We¡¯ll just be stifling their conversation.¡± ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Jerry said. ¡°But, seriously, behave yourselves.¡± ¡°We will, don¡¯t worry.¡± Rose assured. ¡°Good, thank you.¡± Jerry replied, nodding his head. And with that, all the other people walked away, leaving Tess and Ellie alone with the strangers. There was silence for a moment, then Ellie spoke up. ¡°So¡­you¡¯re on the same level as the gods? What does that mean?¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess?¡± Lilith replied, scratching the back of her neck. ¡°We¡¯re the same category of being. How much do you know about Administrators?¡± ¡°Enough.¡± Ellie said. ¡°They¡¯re like a step above the gods, right?¡± ¡°What¡¯s an Administrator?¡± Lia asked. ¡°I¡­sorry, this is all a little overwhelming.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°Um¡­I don¡¯t know if we should talk about this in front of you, then. Um¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be fine.¡± Rose said. ¡°She won¡¯t remember a thing when this is over. At least I didn¡¯t the three or four times I¡¯ve been to one of these.¡± ¡°Right. Then, I¡¯m what¡¯s called a Higher Being, they¡¯re what most gods are. Lords of Monsters, too, if the planes you guys are from use those.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Lia said, flinching back. ¡°The Lord of Monsters is a god?! How are we supposed to¡­¡± Rose laid a hand on her shoulder. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s more to it than that, or else no Lord of Monsters would ever be defeated.¡± Lilith shrugged. ¡°Power levels vary. To my knowledge, most Lords of Monsters only get abilities that relate to monsters. Or, at least, I did.¡± Lia¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You¡¯re a Lord of Monsters?! But you¡¯re not¡­omnicidal!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a side job. I¡¯m pulling double duty for my world.¡± She turned back to Tess and Ellie. ¡°Speaking of, Amara mentioned that you¡¯re from a plane without magic like me?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Tess said. ¡°I mean, yeah. We were just introduced to it like¡­half a year ago.¡± ¡°It can get pretty overwhelming at times, right?¡± Lilith said. ¡°I felt the same way sometimes. You get used to things after a while, so don¡¯t stress it.¡± ¡°Yeah, I think we¡¯re getting there.¡± Ellie said. ¡°So¡­does your world just have angels and demons or is it more¡­cosmopolitan?¡± ¡°When I was born, just humans, at least as far as people who didn¡¯t know about magic. There are a bunch of other species too, but not nearly as many as there are humans. And, yes, I used to be human. I was just your regular human dude and then I got turned into¡­this. It¡¯s like¡­well, I doubt your planes have a similar concept, but I¡¯m every species in existence at the same time, which means I¡¯m a lot stronger than the average person, since I get every single species-specific ability.¡± ¡°Wait, you used to be a guy too?¡± Tess said. ¡°That¡¯s crazy, so was I!¡± ¡°And I.¡± Rose said. ¡°I suppose we have more in common than it seems.¡± ¡°Alright, are the rest of you really not freaking out or are you just good at not showing it?¡± Lia blurted out. ¡°This is weird, right?¡± Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°I¡¯ve seen a lot of weird in my time.¡± Lilith said. ¡°I¡¯m numb to it.¡± ¡°Same.¡± Tess said. ¡°This is only barely in the top three.¡± ¡°Yeah, what she said.¡± Ellie added. ¡°I¡¯m just sorta dealing by pretending it¡¯s not weird.¡± ¡°And I¡¯ve been here before.¡± Rose said. ¡°The novelty wears off by the second or third time.¡± ¡°So, as the one who¡¯s been here before, what do we do?¡± Ellie asked. ¡°Do we just stand around talking or what?¡± ¡°I suppose we begin by eating some food, then proceed to activities afterwards.¡± Rose mused. ¡°Let¡¯s talk more over dinner, okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go find a table.¡± Lilith volunteered. ¡°Uh, let me see if I can¡­¡± She began looking for a connection to her spare avatar, and the moment she did it just¡­popped into existence. ¡°Sick. Alright, I¡¯m gonna get us a table, then I¡¯ll send this one to go dish up. So, if you find me and I¡¯m not responding, it¡¯s because my consciousness is in this spare body, not because I¡¯m being rude.¡± She smirked in response to the others¡¯ surprised stares, then walked off to find a table, leaving the spare avatar standing lifelessly in front of them. It took her a minute or so to find an unoccupied table, but, once she had, she was able to use the spare avatar to begin getting some food. By the time she got back to the table, Rose and Lia had already finished getting their food and had sat down. Lilith used the spare avatar to set her plates down in front of her, transferred her consciousness back to her real body, and let the spare avatar vanish. ¡°So, what do you two do?¡± She asked. ¡°I believe Rose mentioned Lia is a queen of some sort?¡± ¡°Oh, um, yeah.¡± Lia said, not quite meeting Lilith¡¯s eyes. ¡°I um, am the leader of this swarm thing, I¡¯m¡­well, to be blunt, I¡¯m working on taking over the world. Not because I¡¯m like¡­a bad guy, it just sort of¡­was thrust upon me.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve heard about you!¡± Lilith said. ¡°You¡¯re like, half monster, right?¡± Lia blinked. ¡°I¡­am. You heard about me? From where?¡± ¡°I¡¯m from a few years in your future, and I had a chat with Jerry. He mentioned you in it, and was very excited about Blood Money, for reasons I don¡¯t think either of you will fully understand yet. Anyway, due to that whole ¡®every species at once¡¯ thing, I¡¯m also part monster. Or¡­full monster. It¡¯s complicated, I¡¯m basically full everything, and no, it doesn¡¯t really make a lot of sense. but it works, so I don¡¯t question it.¡± ¡°So, we¡¯re still alive in your time, then?¡± Rose asked. ¡°I¡¯m¡­pretty sure? I mean, I haven¡¯t heard anything about you, but from the sound of things Lia was alive, at least? I didn¡¯t dig into things too much.¡± ¡°Did he tell you anything else about us or what¡¯s happening in our world?¡± Lia pressed. ¡°Anything at all?¡± Lilith paused. ¡°A bit, but apparently talking about the future is taboo during these things.¡± A moment later, Ellie and Tess showed up at the table and sat down. ¡°Ah, you two, I¡¯ve been meaning to ask, what do you do?¡± Lilith asked. ¡°Like, as jobs. You seem to be teenagers, so are you in school or¡­?¡± ¡°We just graduated high school.¡± Ellie replied. ¡°And we¡¯re training as freelancers, sort of¡­explorers slash hunters slash odd job doers. Then we¡¯re also acting as messengers of the gods, enacting their will, that sort of thing. What about you?¡± Lilith shrugged. ¡°To tell you the truth, most days it¡¯s nothing but training. I¡¯m functioning as sort of¡­the icon of justice, so to speak. I step in when it looks like people are going to commit genocide or if the magical community looks like they¡¯re about to subjugate people who are way weaker than them. But, by and large, I¡¯m just there as a threat to keep people in line.¡± ¡°Been there, done that.¡± Rose sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t envy you for your position.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that bad.¡± Lilith said. ¡°I get to hang around with my girlfriends and my family, and I don¡¯t want for anything, so I¡¯m content.¡± ¡°But what about meeting new people and going out to see places?¡± Rose asked. ¡°You can¡¯t do that anymore, right?¡± ¡°No, I can.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°I just use a separate body or magic and no one is the wiser.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Rose said. ¡°I¡­really wish I could have done that.¡± There was silent for a moment, then Rose shook her head. ¡°But that¡¯s in the past. Let¡¯s talk about something more pleasant, okay?¡± They made more small talk while they ate, and eventually they finished, and began to drift towards the activities. ¡°So¡­what do they have to do here?¡± Tess asked. ¡°I can¡¯t really¡­see over all these people.¡± ¡°I believe it is entirely dependent on who is looking.¡± Rose said. ¡°We should find a variety of activities that we are familiar with. They¡¯ll just¡­appear when we look.¡± Ellie and Tess shared a look. ¡°Are any of you familiar with laser tag?¡± Ellie asked. ¡°It¡¯s Tess and I¡¯s favorite activity, but we, uh, haven¡¯t been able to have a fair game in a while.¡± ¡°I¡¯m familiar.¡± Lilith said. ¡°Provided it works similarly to how it does on my world. Though¡­I¡¯m not sure how fair the game will end up being, especially if we go all out.¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry, we¡¯d make sure Tess doesn¡¯t use any of the real cheat-y stuff, but we just want to do it with people who are¡­you know, actually used to being on a battlefield and have experience.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe it was Tess she was worried about.¡± Rose said, raising an eyebrow. ¡°She is a god, after all.¡± ¡°Gods don¡¯t have any intrinsic advantages in this sort of thing.¡± Ellie said matter-of-factly. ¡°While Tess has the advantage of being able to use all sorts of additional senses that normal people don¡¯t get access to.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a god.¡± Lilith said. ¡°Not technically. But she is right, Higher Beings don¡¯t automatically get better at this sort of thing just because we¡¯re Higher Beings. That being said, you weren¡¯t here when I explained, but my species thing includes monsters. I have access to every monster and species-specific benefit at the same time. So, I also have those senses, and probably more. Though, hypothetically speaking, I might not have access to the kind of stuff you¡¯re referring to, due to differences in monsters and abilities between planes.¡± ¡°Does it even matter if you¡¯re not going to use them?¡± Lia asked quietly. ¡°Just the basic five should be fine, right?¡± ¡°She¡¯s right.¡± Lilith said. ¡°How are we splitting up the teams? Tess and Ellie on one and the rest of us on the other? You two are probably the most experienced so that seems the fairest.¡± ¡°How do you play?¡± Rose asked. ¡°It¡¯s easy.¡± Ellie said. ¡°You ever used a gun before?¡± ¡°No?¡± Rose asked, tilting her head. ¡°What¡¯s a gun?¡± ¡°It¡¯s kind of like a handheld cannon.¡± Lia explained. ¡°It¡¯s this long tube that you like¡­pack with some sort of powder and then it explodes and fires a projectile at something.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Rose replied. ¡°I have used a crossbow before, if that helps?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s good enough.¡± Ellie said. ¡°In my world, guns are a lot simpler than all that, you just load in the bullet and press the trigger, no need to pack the powder yourself or anything. Laser tag guns are even simpler, you just press a button on the side of the gun to reload, and then you point it at your opponent and shoot. Everyone wears these vest things, and they light up when you get hit.¡± ¡°Depending on the arena there are also other things you can shoot.¡± Tess added. ¡°Like pillars and stuff. They each give different amounts of points, and whichever team has the most points at the end of the game wins.¡± She turned to Lilith. ¡°Have you used a gun before?¡± ¡°Guns are my main weapon, to tell you the truth.¡± She admitted. ¡°But I don¡¯t have my¡­well, long story short, I don¡¯t have my aim assist with me, so I¡¯ll be a little worse than I usually am.¡± ¡°Aim assist?¡± Ellie asked. ¡°Alternate consciousness with a biological supercomputer built into my body.¡± Lilith said. ¡°Again, long story. But, yes, I use guns extensively.¡± ¡°And there¡¯s the laser tag, I think.¡± Rose said, pointing at an area in the back with a sign reading ¡°Laser tag¡± near it. ¡°Shall we?¡± The group made their way over, and suddenly found themselves teleported to a different space entirely. Their clothes had changed, too, from formal wear to nondescript clothes that were easy to move around in, vests and guns already in place. ¡°Please wait a moment while teams are selected.¡± A synthetic-sounding voice said. ¡°Teams selected. Please remain silent while the rules are read.¡± Lilith and Rose¡¯s vests had begun glowing orange, while the other vests glowed blue. ¡°This is a ten minute experience with the aim of obtaining the most points possible.¡± The voice said. ¡°Points are obtained by shooting your opponents or their home base, a large pillar on their side of the field. Pillar shots are worth five hundred points, while shots on an opponent are worth one hundred. ¡°While running, jumping, climbing, flying, and other such activities are actively encouraged, purposeful physical contact with the other team is discouraged, and will result in a fine of one thousand points. To ensure fairness, your statistics will be evened out, your senses tuned to the same degree, and any active abilities, or passive abilities that may negatively affect the game, will be disabled. If you wish to play without this tuning, you may choose to do so after this game. You will be transported to your side of the field in three¡­two¡­one¡­¡± Lilith blinked, suddenly finding herself in a dim room. She¡­hadn¡¯t been in a situation where she couldn¡¯t see perfectly since¡­well, around the time she had become a Perfect Chimera. It was an odd sensation, suddenly being brought down to normal again, but it was, strangely, not disorienting in the slightest. ¡°So¡­you and me, huh?¡± Lilith asked Rose. ¡°Don¡¯t stress too much, just try to have fun. If we lose, we lose, if we win, we win, it¡¯s just a game.¡± Rose nodded. ¡°I will do my best, but I¡¯m afraid we are at a disadvantage here, in terms of numbers.¡± ¡°Your team will be given a substantial point boost for having fewer players.¡± The synthetic voice said. ¡°Game begins in five¡­four¡­three¡­two¡­one¡­¡± A horn blared, and the area around them lit up. Or, rather, the walls, floor, and various bits of cover began glowing with neon light, not bright enough to do anything more than provide an indication of the arena¡¯s general shape and where you were walking. ¡°I think it¡¯s generally good to split up in this game.¡± Lilith said. ¡°Since being hit doesn¡¯t injure you or put you out of action in any way, it just allows you more opportunities to score points.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Rose said. ¡°I will take the right, then.¡± ¡°Then I suppose I have the left.¡± Lilith replied. She and Rose went their separate ways, and the game began. It was an enjoyable experience, Lilith decided; for once she didn¡¯t have to worry about holding her strength back to prevent damage to the environment or completely overshadow the other players. She just got to let herself go and¡­relax. The game itself was pretty standard. She encountered the other team from time to time, fog started rolling in around the halfway point, and then the game was over. She and everyone else were teleported back into the lobby they had originally been teleported into, and a points display popped up. She and Rose had lost, but it wasn¡¯t by too much. They ended up playing a couple more games with different team compositions, and all agreed there was too much variance in their abilities to try playing a game without the built-in limiters. So, once they decided to leave, they found themselves teleported back to the main room, back in the party wear they had been in before. ¡°Where to next?¡± Lilith asked. ¡°We did our thing, do you guys have any ideas?¡± Tess asked. ¡°I¡¯m partial to miniature golf myself.¡± Lilith said. ¡°What about you two?¡± She asked, looking and Lia and Rose. ¡°I¡­don¡¯t have much experience with recreation.¡± Rose admitted. ¡°Where I¡¯m from, we don¡¯t have anything as complex as what we just played, but¡­I play cards a lot, I guess?¡± Lia said. ¡°I¡¯d like to try whatever this miniature golf is, though.¡± So, the evening progressed, and they went from activity to activity until, eventually, they all simultaneously got the feeling that it was time to go. ¡°Well, it was fun hanging out with you guys.¡± Lilith said. ¡°Hopefully I¡¯ll see you around at one of these, or perhaps even in real life.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Lia said. ¡°As long as it¡¯s not because you¡¯re coming to invade my world or anything. I don¡¯t think I could handle that.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry about that.¡± Lilith laughed. My world is on very good terms with your world. Even if we weren¡¯t, my world isn¡¯t in any place to be invading other worlds. You shouldn¡¯t have to worry about any of that stuff until you¡¯ve conquered your world at the very earliest.¡± ¡°Well¡­that is good to hear.¡± Lia said. ¡°Hopefully, sometime in the future, we can meet in real life, then. I¡¯m sure the five of us would get along just as well.¡± ¡°Perhaps.¡± Ellie said. ¡°It all depends on circumstance, I guess.¡± ¡°Oh, you two will almost certainly be meeting Lilith at some point.¡± Kali said, eyes twinkling as she stepped up. ¡°But not for quite a while. She hasn¡¯t even been born in your time.¡± ¡°Wait, really?¡± Tess asked. ¡°You just seemed older than us, so I assumed¡­¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m five or six years older than you right now, but I¡¯m also from fifty or so years in your future, apparently.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°Though, I guess¡­things do get a little fuzzy, but that¡¯s neither here nor there. I¡¯ll see you all when I see you, I guess.¡± ¡°Thanks again for taking care of Maven!¡± Kali said cheerfully, giving them a wave. And then¡­they were back where they had been before they were whisked away to the party, their memories already gone. Chapter 88: Society Takeover Lilith, Kali, and Alex were enjoying watching a show together when they were interrupted by Judy opening the door. ¡°Sorry to interrupt,¡± she said, ¡°but the Society is finally making a move we can get them for.¡± Lilith paused the show and turned to face Judy. ¡°Oh? Do tell.¡± The Society had been mostly dormant in the time since the Shift, at least in terms of wrongdoing. Their membership had taken a hit once their main goal of ¡°giving magic back to humans¡± had been realized, so they had mostly been biding their time and gathering strength. Lilith had been itching to crush them for quite a while, but they hadn¡¯t been doing anything wrong, and so she had had her hands tied. She could have done it behind the scenes, but, unfortunately, there were problems with that. The first and most important was that she was supposed to embody justice; she had essentially given the Society a second chance when the Shift happened, so she couldn¡¯t just waltz in and deal with them just because she had a bad feeling about what they were doing. The second was that, even if she did things discreetly, people would know it was her who did it. There wasn¡¯t anyone else who had the information needed to take them out nor the inclination to do so. Everyone else had more important things to be doing, and the Society wasn¡¯t doing anything to make themselves a target. On the other hand, it was fairly well known that Lilith had had troubles with the Society in the past, and so, if anything happened, most would assume it was her doing. So, she had been forced to sit around and do nothing while the Society recovered, waiting until they made a mistake and overstepped their bounds. They had edged close on a couple of occasions, but had never truly crossed the line. They were researching weapons like the one Elenoa and Baern had made, but so was literally every other major power. They had provided a suspicious amount of aid to refugees during the Queen of Monsters incident, and had done so very publicly, but, unfortunately, humanitarian services weren¡¯t exactly high on Lilith¡¯s list of crimes, so Lilith couldn¡¯t catch them for that, either. But, finally, it seemed like they had done something that Lilith could have just cause in punishing them for. ¡°It would appear they¡¯ve declared themselves to be governors over one of the frontier towns.¡± Judy said. ¡°Instead of establishing their own, they hijacked one of the preexisting towns.¡± Lilith raised an eyebrow. ¡°Interesting. And how have people responded?¡± ¡°Apparently the people asked them to.¡± Judy replied. ¡°I¡¯m pretty confident that they¡¯re the ones who planted the idea in people¡¯s minds, though. And not everyone¡¯s enthusiastic about it. It¡¯s mostly humans who are okay with the idea, anyone from Haven tends to be more than a little wary of it.¡± ¡°I suppose it¡¯s best I go take a look myself, then.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°But¡­let¡¯s wait for a couple of hours and see how the situation develops, and then I¡¯ll determine if I go in guns blazing or not.¡± Judy nodded. ¡°Just figured I¡¯d let you know.¡± ¡°Of course, thank you.¡± Lilith said. ¡°Anything else?¡± Judy shook her head. ¡°No. I¡¯ll leave you to it, then.¡± She said, then shut the door. ¡°So¡­waiting for a couple of hours?¡± Alex said hesitantly. ¡°Enough time to finish up our show.¡± Lilith confirmed. ¡°Just happens to be a convenient amount of time to let things settle. If people rebel themselves, then I see no reason to deal with the city, and I can focus on other things.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re not going to let them go unpunished, right?¡± ¡°Absolutely not.¡± Lilith said. ¡°I¡¯m not going to let an opportunity like this slip through my fingers. But the severity of the punishment is going to have to depend on how successful they were in occupying the city.¡± Alex was silent for a moment. ¡°Can¡­I help in the punishment? I have a few bones to pick myself.¡± Lilith gave her a smile. ¡°I don¡¯t see why not. Just so long as you don¡¯t try and get in over your head, they do have a couple of pretty nasty underlings, and I don¡¯t want to see you get hurt.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± Alex promised. ¡°I know better than that.¡± ¡°Good. Now, let¡¯s finish this up, shall we?¡±
Lilith strolled through the streets of the frontier town, looking around carefully as she did. They were¡­quiet, the kind of quiet that came with people being unsure what the future would hold. There were still a couple of people in the streets, but they kept their heads down and were walking hurriedly towards their destination. The message was clear; people were, if not afraid of the Society, then afraid of what Lilith¡¯s response to the takeover would be. It was safer just to stay in their homes until it became clear what was going to happen. Lilith reached out to a human man who was walking down the sidewalk next to her, placing a hand on his shoulder. He jumped in shock, turning to face her. ¡°C-can I help you, miss?¡± He asked. ¡°Yeah.¡± Lilith replied. She was using a recognition blocking spell, so people didn¡¯t behave strangely because they knew who she was. ¡°What¡¯s going on here? I just came through the portal and everyone looks¡­scared.¡± ¡°Y-you don¡¯t know?¡± The man replied, looking around nervously. ¡°The Society of the Light has finally agreed to govern this place, and we¡¯re all waiting to see how the High Arbiter responds.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Lilith said, feigning surprise. ¡°Are they mad? I thought it was made clear that these places were to govern themselves!¡± ¡°W-well, this is different. We asked them, and the High Arbiter can¡¯t fault them for that¡­right?¡± Lilith shrugged. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure. Whether people asked or not, the fact that they broke a rule hasn¡¯t changed. But¡­it sounds like you¡¯re happy they took over. You know what the Society is, right?¡± ¡°A charity organization? They were fighting the hardest to get magic back to humans, so¡­wait, why do you care? Look, I have to get going, just keep your head down and don¡¯t draw any attention to yourself until things stabilize, okay?¡± The man wrenched himself free from Lilith¡¯s grasp and unceremoniously picked up the pace, occasionally shooting nervous glances back at her. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°Well¡­that could have gone better.¡± Lilith muttered. She walked for a little longer, then repeated her attempt with another person, and then another. Each time she got similar results; shock that someone had stopped them, some cagey talk about how the Society was good, and then a hurried excuse before the other person walked away. She had surreptitiously checked and made sure that none of them were under the influence of magic, and they weren¡¯t. It was just regular nerves making them act shifty. The other thing she realized is that the only people actually out and about were humans; she didn¡¯t see a single other species as she walked, not unless they were inside a building or something. So, she continued walking until, eventually, she reached the adventurer¡¯s guild. She pushed open the door and walked inside to find that it was¡­subdued. Business was still continuing as usual, but there was none of the raucous laughter or good-natured competitions that she had come to associate with the place. So, she got in line for one of the receptionists, and waited patiently until she was ready to be served. ¡°How can I help you, ma¡¯am?¡± The receptionist, a short elf man, asked, a sort of tension present in his voice. He was clearly forcing himself to be professional despite the circumstances he was in. ¡°I just got to town, and I noticed things have been¡­odd.¡± Lilith said. ¡°I was hoping you could explain what¡¯s going on.¡± The receptionist cast a quick, almost imperceptible glance over to a pair of humans in the corner, then gave Lilith a glassy smile. ¡°N-nothing!¡± He said. ¡°Nothing at all!¡± Lilith placed an elbow on the counter and snapped her fingers, and what little ambient noise there was ceased. ¡°We won¡¯t be interrupted.¡± She said calmly. ¡°And I don¡¯t buy that for a second. What¡¯s happening here?¡± ¡°I-it¡¯s against guild policy to use magic in the guild, especially outsiders. I think¨C¡± Lilith cut him off by placing a card down on the counter. ¡°Name¡¯s Lily, S-rank adventurer. Now, what¡¯s happening?¡± She said, emphasizing the last two words. The receptionist gulped. ¡°Um¡­¡± Lilith sighed. ¡°Look, who¡¯s the guildmaster around here? I came here to talk to them anyway, so we might as well just skip this whole song and dance and get right to it.¡± ¡°I¨CI¡¯m pretty sure you need an appointment, S-rank or not.¡± The receptionist replied uncertainly. ¡°You can¡¯t just¨C¡± Lilith rolled her eyes. ¡°Clearly something is very wrong in this town, and I¡¯m not here to play games. Normally you need an appointment, but things aren¡¯t normal now. So, go get the guildmaster, or I¡¯ll be going to force my way to them.¡± ¡°I¨C¡± The receptionist began. ¡°Very clearly can¡¯t handle someone of my caliber, and no help is coming.¡± Lilith said, cutting him off. ¡°No one can notice the two of us. And I¡¯m only doing this to be polite, instead of just barging in on the guildmaster. So, are you going to go announce my presence, or am I going to have to take matters into my own hands?¡± The receptionist stared at Lilith for a few long moments, then wilted. ¡°I¡¯ll go get the guildmaster. Wait here.¡± ¡°Good. And the spell I cast is going to prevent anyone but me and the guildmaster from noticing you, so don¡¯t even think about trying to get help. It won¡¯t work.¡± The receptionist nodded, then left the counter, disappearing into the back rooms of the guild. Lilith used magic to watch as he navigated the corridors, stopped to try and talk to someone, gave up when it didn¡¯t work, then finally knocked on the guildmaster¡¯s door. ¡°Yes?¡± A woman¡¯s voice asked. ¡°I thought I made it clear I was busy.¡± ¡°U-um, there¡¯s an S-rank named Lily out front who wants to see you and won¡¯t take no for an answer.¡± The receptionist said. ¡°She¡¯s put a spell on me, and you and her are the only ones who can perceive me right now, so I¡¯m kind of freaking out and¨C¡± ¡°Did you check her card?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s legit.¡± ¡°Send her in, then.¡± The guildmaster said. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with this, thank you Thomas.¡± Thomas nodded, relief etched into his face. ¡°Thank you, ma¡¯am. I¡¯ll bring her.¡± He stepped away from the door, and hurriedly made his way back to the counter, where he looked up at Lilith nervously. ¡°The guildmaster says she¡¯ll be seeing you. Just¡­follow me.¡± ¡°I know the way, thank you Thomas.¡± Lilith replied, then snapped her fingers, and the ambient noise roared back into existence. ¡°The line is waiting, so I¡¯ll let you handle it.¡± ¡°But you can¡¯t¨C¡± Lilith didn¡¯t wait for his reply, hiding herself from his perception and walking further into the building, retracing the path he had taken until she reached the guildmaster¡¯s door. She didn¡¯t bother to knock, instead choosing to open the door and stroll in. She was met by a dagger flying straight towards her eyes, but she casually grabbed it by the blade, crushed it to powder, and let the hilt drop to the floor. ¡°Is that any way to treat a guest?¡± She asked, closing the door behind her. The guildmaster, an unremarkable-looking human woman wearing rather plain equipment, eyed Lilith warily. ¡°No. It is, however, a perfectly normal way to treat an intruder.¡± ¡°Rude.¡± Lilith said, smirking. ¡°I do believe you invited me in.¡± ¡°Enough games.¡± The guildmaster said. ¡°Who are you, really? I¡¯m sure you very well know that there are no S-ranked adventurers named Lily, and we don¡¯t take very kindly to pretenders around these parts.¡± Lilith shrugged and let her recognition filter drop. ¡°You tell me.¡± The guildmaster narrowed her eyes. ¡°Prove it.¡± She said. ¡°You¡¯re pretty clearly an expert in messing with people¡¯s perception, and if you¡¯re real, I¡¯m sure you understand that things are¡­tense right now. I can¡¯t afford a misstep.¡± Lilith activated Aura of the Arbiter, sprouted a tentacle from her back, used it to grab a chair and place it in front of the guildmaster, then sat down. ¡°Good enough?¡± The guildmaster studied her for a moment, then sighed and sat down. ¡°I suppose so.¡± She replied. ¡°The name¡¯s Cleo, guildmaster around these parts. What do you want with me, miss High Arbiter?¡± ¡°I¡¯m gathering information on the state of this place before I make an official statement. But¡­first, what do you think of the takeover?¡± ¡°I lived on Haven before the Shift.¡± Cleo said. ¡°I know full well that the Society isn¡¯t as altruistic as they¡¯re making themselves out to be. Frankly, I think they orchestrated this whole thing.¡± Lilith gently probed her mind, and, once she was satisfied that Cleo was telling the truth, nodded. ¡°My thoughts exactly.¡± She said. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re not one of their pawns; I would have had to take¡­drastic measures if you were.¡± Cleo gave another sigh. ¡°I get it. So¡­again, what do you need from me that you can¡¯t get yourself?¡± ¡°Information.¡± Lilith said flatly. ¡°I don¡¯t monitor every single person at every single moment, I¡¯m not omniscient. In your opinion, what do the people of this town, by and large, think of the Society?¡± ¡°Depends on who you ask.¡± Cleo said. ¡°I think around half the town is all for them, another quarter is undecided, and the rest of us disapprove.¡± Lilith raised a brow. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of supporters.¡± She said. ¡°Mostly human, I presume?¡± ¡°Yeah. A lot of them are probably new to town, too. More people here settled after the Queen of Monsters incident than left. I¡¯d been willing to overlook it until recently, but¡­well, most of those new people are human and a significant portion support the Society.¡± ¡°Has the Society contacted you at all about this?¡± Cleo grimaced. ¡°They made a few attempts to get me over to their side, the last of which was only yesterday. When they left, they said they¡¯d ¡°be watching my conduct carefully¡±, which isn¡¯t at all threatening, as you can tell.¡± ¡°That seems about right.¡± Lilith said, shaking her head. ¡°What are the odds people around here do something about this takeover themselves?¡± ¡°Slim to none.¡± Cleo said. ¡°No one here wants a big conflict, not so soon after the Queen of Monsters. From what I gather, most people who don¡¯t like the Society plan on¡­well, leaving you to deal with it.¡± ¡°Very well then.¡± Lilith said. She stood up and held out a hand, from which a dagger materialized. ¡°A replacement for the one I broke.¡± She said, laying the dagger down on the desk. ¡°With a few extra features added as thanks for your time. I¡¯ll be taking my leave now.¡± Lilith teleported herself back to the dungeon, not waiting to see what Cleo had to say. ¡°Well?¡± Alex asked. She had been pacing near the teleporter and had stopped once Lilith had arrived. ¡°What are your thoughts?¡± ¡°The people are waiting for me.¡± Lilith replied, smiling slightly. ¡°Which means I get to deal with the situation as I see fit.¡± ¡°Good. What are we doing, then?¡± ¡°Now, I go deliver an ultimatum.¡± Lilith said. ¡°After that¡­we¡¯ll see.¡± Chapter 89: Delivering an Ultimatum Before Lilith could properly deliver her ultimatum, she had to announce that she was making an announcement. She could have just taken over the world¡¯s broadcast systems again, but that was¡­forceful, and people really didn¡¯t like it when that happened. There was no pressing time limitation and no need for the announcement to be sudden, so she sent out messages to some major news outlets, informing them that she would be speaking in an hour¡¯s time. In around fifty minutes, portals would appear in their offices and the reporters would be able to enter into her audience chamber, where she would give her announcement. If not enough showed up, then she would take over the airwaves, but the reporters knew better than that. In the meantime, she began setting up some equipment of her own, so she could livestream her announcement. The idea was that not everyone had access or wished to access the news outlets she had invited, and so she needed to provide an independent way for people to hear what she had to say. And if they didn¡¯t have the means to access her stream or news outlets, then¡­well, they likely weren¡¯t the intended target. If it was something super important that would affect everyone, she and Kali would probably end up shilling out some Worship and broadcasting it via the system. She had to take the time to set up a language translator, too. Not everyone spoke English, and she couldn¡¯t afford to have people not listening to her simply because they didn¡¯t understand. Fortunately, with her skillset, setting up one of those was relatively easy, so it didn¡¯t take as much time as it otherwise could have. The trickiest part about it was getting it to translate into someone¡¯s native language, but she had practiced it enough that even that was hardly an issue. In the end, she finished her preparations with around thirty minutes to spare. If the announcements Mae had made while Lilith was asleep were any indication, she usually did, but having a little extra time couldn¡¯t hurt. She passed the remainder of the time on her phone, scrolling through the internet and seeing what people had to say about the situation. Reactions were¡­mixed, it would seem; some people were all for the Society, some were very much against, but many simply didn¡¯t care. She couldn¡¯t really fault them for that, though; what happened to the Society didn¡¯t affect their lives at all, and they had other things to worry about. And soon enough, the time came. She opened her portals, waited for the reporters to enter and set up their equipment, and then began to speak. ¡°As many of you are aware, the Society of the Light has declared themselves to be the governors of one of the frontier towns. This is in defiance of the spirit of my order to keep the governments of Earth and Haven separate. ¡°For those that might be unaware, allow me to give a very brief history of the Society and their relationship with the people of Haven. A long time before the Shift, the Society was created as an organization dedicated to restoring magic to the people of Earth. While this was a noble goal, they lost their way and devolved into little more than a terrorist organization. ¡°At the time of the Shift, I chose to give them a second chance, and while they have not performed any overt acts of aggression or made any major missteps, I have reason to believe this recent takeover has been done with malicious intent.¡± Lilith paused for a moment before continuing. ¡°While they claim they are doing this only because they have been asked to by the people of the town, I have done my own, independent investigation and found that a majority of the residents of this town were not residents of the town before the Queen of Monsters incident, and the majority of new residents are pushing for Society leadership. ¡°Furthermore, the vast majority of those residents wishing for the Society¡¯s leadership are human, leading me to believe that the Society has purposefully planted these humans in this town, with the goal of garnering enough support to perform this takeover.¡± There was a murmuring amongst the crowd, and Lilith waited for it to settle before continuing. ¡°I understand this is a bold accusation, however I am unable to find any other explanation for this odd occurrence, especially when this is the only frontier town experiencing such a phenomenon. ¡°I would like to make it clear that I am not against the idea of the Society or any other previously existing organization or government expanding into Haven or creating new towns. However, I cannot condone the takeover of an existing frontier town, even if the people wish for it. ¡°Even after the non-aggression period has ended, I will carefully be monitoring changes of government in the existing frontier towns for evidence of foul play, but, during this period, any change of power to an existing entity is disallowed. I will give the Society one day to renounce their claim over the frontier town, and will lessen their punishment if they do. If they refuse, I will be handing out an even more severe punishment, and I would strongly advise not testing me on this. The Society is effectively on probation already due to their past behavior, and as such, any misstep will be handled severely. ¡°That being said, that is all I wish to say on the matter, so I will spend the remainder of this time answering questions. Please raise your hand and I will call on you as I see fit.¡± She paused, waiting for people to raise their hands, then picked someone at random from the crowd. ¡°You, the man in the green shirt.¡± ¡°What exactly will your punishment be?¡± The man asked. ¡°How severe is ¡®more severe¡¯?¡± ¡°Good question.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°My punishment will be aimed at those who are at the heart of the incident and crippling the organization as a whole, not at the grunts who were told to carry the work out. To that end, I will be visiting several of the Society¡¯s strongholds, and, simply put, be causing havoc. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°I will confiscate or destroy equipment, I will take records to peruse as I see fit, and hand over any evidence of small crimes committed to the local authorities. Should there be no local authorities, I will punish those responsible myself, with the severity of the punishment dependent, of course, on the severity of the crime. ¡°For the personnel manning those strongholds, I would advise they not fight back. As I said before, I am not interested in punishing those who had little say in what happened, beyond collateral punishment they may receive from the weakening of the Society. However, if I am attacked or obstructed in any way, including destruction of evidence beforehand, I will respond in kind. ¡°For those at the top, I will be visiting them personally. I will review their memories, determine their intentions, and punish them accordingly. While I will not divulge the exact nature of these punishments, know that they will be severe, not slaps on the wrist. Next question¡­yes, you, the woman in red over there.¡± ¡°Why does declaring governance of a frontier town carry a penalty when founding a new one does not? What if there actually is a problem with how they are and they need someone else to step in?¡± ¡°Because the frontier towns are meant to be locations anyone can live and train in, regardless of nationality, species, or any other such quality. To allow them to be overtaken by existing groups would be to discourage certain groups of people from entering that town, and that is unacceptable. ¡°As for hypothetical problems, they will be solved by myself. I make a point of keeping a close eye on crime in the frontier towns and ensuring they have adequate policing. If I find that there are issues there that cannot be solved by the locals, I step in and help myself. This has only been required once or twice, but rest assured that I am watching closely. Next question¡­you in the front row with the sunglasses.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t it seem unfair to punish them for intentions and not actual things they¡¯ve done?¡± The reporter asked. ¡°That would mean that no one can even think about anything you don¡¯t like.¡± ¡°That is precisely the reason they had not been punished yet.¡± Lilith said. ¡°However, in the case of someone who has already committed a crime severe enough for me to have to step in, I am often preventing more severe crimes, and I do not wish to have to blunt their punishment because I am preventing things that they would do later. ¡°Furthermore, this is not a simple examination, this is thorough; I will not be determining punishments off of one-off ¡®what if¡¯ thoughts. I will be looking at what they had plans for, their reasons for doing those things, and any other relevant information. Finally, those who have not committed any serious offenses will not be examined in this way; the rest of you are free to think however you wish, and I will not punish you for it unless you first do something requiring my attention.¡± The remaining questions were in much the same vein. Lilith answered them all, then sent the reporters home. Once she had finished, she retreated to her room, where Kali and Alex were waiting. ¡°Good job, sweetie!¡± Kali said. ¡°You were great!¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Lilith said. ¡°How are you feeling, Alex?¡± ¡°Um¡­good.¡± Alex said. ¡°I¡¯m glad something¡¯s finally being done about them. But¡­do you think they¡¯re going to renounce their claim to the town?¡± Lilith shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s possible, but I doubt it. The top brass know they¡¯ll be visited either way, and they¡¯ve got at least once anti-Perfect Chimera weapon that I know of, so I¡¯m pretty sure they think they can handle me. They wouldn¡¯t have made this bold a move if they didn¡¯t. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, though. Mae and Nuwa are looking into their bases and capabilities as we speak, and as of yet nothing¡¯s shown up that will give us any huge amount of trouble. Their anti-Perfect Chimera weapon, a whip, is a little dicey, since one of their leaders is good with whips, but since we¡¯re doing this out of the public eye, we have no reason to confront them directly. We¡¯ll be able to play around it without significant issue.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­good.¡± Alex said. ¡°And, what about me? Can I¡­you know, help?¡± ¡°Sure, you can tag along to one of the raids.¡± Lilith said. ¡°You should be able to hold your own against most of the people there if they try and put up a fight, but it shouldn¡¯t come to that. You just have to promise to be careful, alright?¡± ¡°I promise I¡¯ll be careful.¡± Alex said firmly. ¡°I won¡¯t let them get to me.¡± ¡°Mom, you looked so cool!¡± Mai said, bursting into the room and running up to her. ¡°You had all those people listening to you, it was awesome!¡± ¡°Have you not seen one of those before?¡± Lilith asked, a note of concern in her voice as she patted the girl¡¯s head. ¡°You must have, at least the one right after the Shift, right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s all pretty fuzzy.¡± Mai said. ¡°Especially when you¡¯re involved.¡± ¡°From what I saw, the memory suppression spell seems particularly strong when it comes to their new mother.¡± Kali explained. ¡°Likely to prevent old memories and feelings from getting in the way of them forming their new attachment to you. Don¡¯t worry about it, she¡¯ll remember in¡­probably a couple of decades.¡± ¡°It just means I get to see you be cool for the first time again!¡± Mai said excitedly. ¡°Do you do that a lot?!¡± ¡°Only when people are really naughty.¡± Lilith said. ¡°So not too much.¡± ¡°Then¡­did you do it for the old me?¡± ¡°No, that was a little¡­different. I do this so other people know I¡¯m doing something about the situation. Other people didn¡¯t know about the old you, so I just took care of it without making an announcement. You¡¯re still a secret, so don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°Like a secret weapon? Cool!¡± Lilith had no intentions to ever use Mai or Aria as weapons, but it seemed to make Mai happy, so she just patted her head again and gave her a smile. ¡°Mai, don¡¯t bug mom right now.¡± Aria said, poking her head in through the open doorway. ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯s busy.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, Aria.¡± Lilith said, motioning for Aria to come closer. ¡°We¡¯re taking a little break, so it¡¯s fine.¡± Aria reluctantly drew close, and Lilith gave her a pat as well. ¡°What did you think?¡± ¡°Being in front of all those people seems¡­scary. I¡¯m glad I didn¡¯t have to do it.¡± Lilith chuckled slightly. ¡°You won¡¯t have to be in front of reporters like that unless you want to.¡± She said. ¡°You can just stay here, and no one will ever have to know about who you are.¡± ¡°What about school? We¡¯ll have to go eventually, right? Carmen talks about it from time to time.¡± ¡°We want to maybe put you in some of the schools I went to growing up, but if it gets really hard for you, we can homeschool you. For now, just don¡¯t worry about it, alright? We¡¯re going to give you two plenty of time to get used to things here before putting you through something stressful like that.¡± ¡°Okay, mom.¡± Aria said. ¡°Umm¡­ if you¡¯re taking a break, can you come play with us? I want to show you some of the stuff I learned.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Lilith said, smiling. She turned back to Kali and Alex, who were also smiling. ¡°You two carry on without me.¡± Lilith said. ¡°I¡¯m going to hang out with these two for a bit.¡± ¡°Yeah, just¡­get us if something important happens, alright?¡± Alex said. ¡°I can¡¯t help but be a little nervous.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get you if something serious happens, don¡¯t worry.¡± Lilith reassured. ¡°I don¡¯t have any problems with it either, then.¡± Kali added. ¡°Have fun!¡± Lilith nodded, and let her daughters pull her away. Chapter 90: Crashing the Party Lilith adjusted her tie, took one last look at herself in the mirror to make sure her suit fit properly, then teleported away. She reappeared outside of a large building in the frontier town the Society had taken over, and began to stroll towards the entrance, not caring about the commotion her sudden appearance was causing; the Society was responding to the statement she had put out, and she intended to be there in person. She walked right up to the door, ignoring both the line of reporters and the bouncer, up until the moment the bouncer stepped in front of her, fear clearly visible on his face. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, ma¡¯am.¡± He said nervously. ¡°I¡¯m a-afraid this announcement is invitation only. I-I¡¯m going to have to ask you to l-leave?¡± The last part was less a demand and more a plea, and he was looking everywhere except for Lilith¡¯s face, eyes frantically darting around in search of someone who could help. ¡°And I¡¯m afraid I cannot accept that.¡± Lilith said. ¡°Invitation or not, I will be in attendance here, and this is not up for debate. You and I both know you aren¡¯t capable of keeping me out, so let¡¯s just skip that whole song and dance and let me through, alright?¡± ¡°Um¡­I¡­¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Lilith said, teleporting herself the short distance to the other side of the door. She strode confidently through the halls until she reached the auditorium where the announcement was going to be made, then made herself comfortable and leaned on the rear wall, carefully watching the audience. As she had expected, a low buzz ran through the room, the various reporters and other crew talking amongst themselves about her. A few even approached her for comment, but after she waved them away the others seemed to get the picture and left her alone. Ten minutes later, a sharply-dressed man emerged onto the stage, walking up to a podium that had a myriad of different microphones in front of it. He took his place behind it and waited for the buzz to die down before beginning to speak. ¡°Before we begin, I believe we need to address the elephant in the room.¡± He said. ¡°Miss High Arbiter, we did not invite you to this meeting, and we told you at the door to leave. We find your lack of respect for our privacy deeply wounding, and your intimidation tactics make you seem like little more than a common thug. ¡°We understand, however, that we do not have the necessary force to make you leave, so we ask that you do not interrupt for the duration of this meeting. Now, to get onto the ma¨C¡± He was cut off as Lilith stopped leaning against the wall, took a step forward, and teleported to his side. ¡°While I intend to let the rest of this meeting play out without any further interruption, I feel it necessary to clarify a few points first.¡± She said. ¡°First is that any respect for your privacy was lost the moment you broke the rules I set out. In fact, I already said that I would be going through your internal documents and doing my own audits, up to and including scanning the minds of your leaders. ¡°Second is that this is not an intimidation tactic. I wished to be here in person for this announcement, as I am rather vital to the subject matter, so I came. Besides¡­we are well past intimidation tactics.¡± ¡°I th¨C¡± The man began, but Lilith cut him off with a wave and a spell, and continued talking. ¡°I will be administering punishment, and it matters not to me how severe it is. I do not care if my presence here has any impact on the announcement, and if my mere presence is enough to be intimidating, then that should have been taken into account before you crossed me. But that¡¯s enough from me, I¡¯ll let you all get back to your announcement now.¡± She teleported back to her spot at the wall, dropped her silence spell, and let the flustered spokesperson continue talking. ¡°A-as I was saying, we are here to discuss the matter of the town of Foresthaven.¡± The man said. ¡°It is our opinion that the rules that were laid out were too rigid, and did not account for scenarios such as the one we find ourselves in now. ¡°As we were not any sort of governmental body, and we were specifically asked to do this by the residents of this town, we presumed that this would be no different than the town residents choosing to set up their own governmental structure. We realize this is our error, but we also do not wish to ignore the feelings of the people. ¡°As such, we would like to propose that the rules be amended to account for situations like the one we find ourselves in. We understand that the High Arbiter is only human, and that it is entirely possible for her to make mistakes, and would like to remind her that amendments to rules are commonplace and not something to be ashamed of.¡± Lilith snorted to herself. She didn¡¯t buy that argument for a second, and the language they used didn¡¯t help either. ¡°Only human¡± was not only as far from the truth as possible, but it was also language that indicated where their priorities lay. It was something that effectively proclaimed that they only cared about humans; most reputable organizations had taken to using more inclusive language. Phrases such as ¡°just a person¡± or ¡°only sapient¡±, while perhaps lacking the same ring as ¡°only human¡±, were generally considered to be preferable outside of very specific circumstances. Unaware of Lilith¡¯s internal monologue, the spokesman continued his speech. ¡°In fact, we at the Society have drafted a list of proposed changes that we believe will allow the general populace the most freedom without going against the original spirit of the rules, and we implore the High Arbiter to consider them carefully before making any decisions. ¡°First, we believe it important to make an exception for cases such as these, where the will of the residents of these towns does not fully align with the rules as they were originally stated. If the people are to govern themselves, that must include the freedom to cede their governing to other bodies, otherwise the people are not truly free to govern themselves as they wish. ¡°Second, it should be explicitly stated what a pre-existing organization is for the purposes of your rules, so issues such as this are not repeated in the future. We would argue that much of the blame for this incident lies not with us, but with the unclear rules that were set out.¡± He had a few more proposed rule changes, but none of them were particularly meaningful nor were they something Lilith was willing to consider. All of the proposed rule changes, bar the second, were rather blatantly things that would greatly benefit the Society. They were all phrased such that they ¡°increased the autonomy of people¡±, but in reality, they just were things that made it easier to effectively segregate people, and allow outsiders to meddle more with the frontier towns. As things winded down, Lilith began to make her preparations. She had Mae work on using some of her extra senses to pinpoint the locations of everyone in the building and get a read on the capabilities of the Society members therein. For her part, Lilith weaved a spell that would block any teleportation within a large radius of the building, effectively cutting off any escape route short of outrunning Lilith, which was next to impossible, even if vehicles were used. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. After the spokesman finished with the proposed rule changes, he once again asked for Lilith to consider them before opening the floor for questions. At this time, Lilith stepped forward and raised her hand. The spokesman ignored her, but the reporters certainly took notice. It started slowly, but some of the reporters began to stop vying for the spokesperson¡¯s attention. After a few more questions, other reporters noticed Lilith and noticed their colleagues¡¯ silence, and they too fell silent. Soon it reached a point where it had become obvious that most of the reporters were waiting for Lilith, and the remainder, either giving into the peer pressure or sensing that allowing Lilith to speak would make for better television, stopped their questioning as well. The spokesman nervously looked around the room, then looked back at the door he had come in from. He froze in place for a moment, nodded his head, then turned back to the podium. ¡°As none of our invited guests have any other questions, we will be ending this meeting here. Thank you for your time.¡± With that, he and the rest of the Society members hurriedly exited the auditorium. In their absence, Lilith took a step forward and teleported to the podium, then gave the assembled people a smile. ¡°While I would have much preferred to say this to the Society in person, I am afraid they declined to allow me any further comment. However, I understand that they are still monitoring this room, so I will be saying my piece regardless. ¡°It is my opinion that most of the proposed rule changes are made in bad faith.¡± She said, pausing briefly before continuing. ¡°However, I have no issue with further clarifying what I meant by a pre-existing organization. I was under the impression that those parties that would fall under that category would know they fell under that category, and, failing that, would check with me before doing anything that would violate the rules. ¡°For the purposes of the frontier towns, a pre-existing organization is any that was not formed with the sole purpose of governing a single frontier town. Corporations, governments, your neighborhood sports league, I don¡¯t care what it is. If it¡¯s not made by the people of the frontier town, and not made to govern themselves, then it¡¯s not allowed. ¡°Even groups fitting those descriptions will be heavily monitored by myself to prevent abuse. Abuse that I¡¯m afraid the other proposed rule changes make all the easier. The majority of these changes, while technically giving those in the frontier towns more agency, actually serve the purpose of allowing foreign entities an easier time influencing the frontier towns. ¡°By allowing the people more say in these things, it puts them at risk of being pushed around by entities such as governments, wealthy corporations, and, yes, the Society. What people want is not always the best for them; as a rather simple example, I think it¡¯s not a reach to say that most people would like to be free of taxes, but in the majority of scenarios, entirely abolishing taxes would prevent their government from functioning and ultimately reduce their quality of life. ¡°I believe the frontier towns are a similar case. Allowing the people to skirt my rules is not for their benefit. Yes, it is technically a dictatorship, but if you don¡¯t like it, then my suggestion is simply to leave. I have done my best to preserve all individual rights and only restrict larger groups, and fundamental among those rights is the right to not be subject to some of the stricter policies I have regarding the frontier towns. ¡°You are more than welcome to go elsewhere, or make your own town. In fact, I welcome any and all attempts to make new towns and nations in Haven, provided they do not interfere with the frontier towns. The purpose of Haven¡¯s frontier towns is to get people more comfortable with settling in places other than the three cities, and I would be overjoyed to see it working. ¡°As you all may have surmised, I am taking this announcement as intent to ignore my request to step down, and will be giving full punishment as I see fit. With matters such as this, it is not better to ask forgiveness than permission. If any group has proposed rule changes for me, I expect them to bring it up before taking actions that would break my rules. If anyone breaks my rules and then seeks to have them changed, I will punish them for the rules they broke, regardless of if I implement the changes they suggest.¡± She gave the reporters another smile. ¡°That being said, I am going to immediately commence with my punishment, beginning with the Society members still in this building. I will do my best to avoid anyone else getting caught in the crossfire, but I suggest that those who are unrelated to this situation pack up and leave as quickly as possible. Thank you.¡± She stepped down from the podium, cast a few haste spells, then dashed for the door the spokesperson left through. She blitzed her way through the halls, ignoring the various cries of alarm from the personnel, until, eventually, she reached a room deep within the building. There her path was blocked by two incredibly nervous guards. ¡°I-I¡¯m afraid this room is for authorized personnel only.¡± One said. ¡°W-what is your business?¡± Lilith flashed her a smile. ¡°I¡¯m beginning my punishment.¡± She said sweetly. ¡°May I remind you that any attempts to stop me will be taken as obstructing justice and will be met with force? I am well aware that neither of you are carrying any of the anti-Perfect Chimera weapons the Society has manufactured, so I would highly recommend not testing me on this.¡± I just checked, they¡¯re grunts, and as far as I can tell they¡¯re relatively new recruits. Mae told Lilith. They haven¡¯t done anything bad, we can safely leave them alone. ¡°If you leave now, I won¡¯t come after either of you personally.¡± Lilith continued. ¡°And that¡¯s the best offer you¡¯re going to get. So¡­what¡¯ll it be?¡± The guard who had spoken up looked at her companion, then dropped her weapon and dashed away. The remaining guard swallowed, then shook his head. ¡°I¡­I know you¡¯re reasonable, miss High Arbiter.¡± He said. ¡°This really is for the best, I think. The Society¡¯s turned themselves around since the old days, and they¡¯ve done a lot of good for me and my family. Are¡­are you sure you¡¯re not letting your history with them get in the way of things?¡± Lilith raised an eyebrow. ¡°A bold question. I¡¯ve been keeping tabs on the Society for a while, and all my investigation tells me that they really haven¡¯t changed their ways. They may have ceased outward terrorism, but those at the top still seek only their own power. Yes, you can argue that most other organizations are the same, but the difference is that those organizations mostly did not start as terrorists, nor have they flagrantly broken my rules. If, during the course of my punishment, I find otherwise, I will make the necessary changes, but until that point, they are considered guilty. Now, are you going to block me further, or do I need to forcibly remove you?¡± The guard paused, then shook his head and stepped aside. ¡°I¡¯ll be out of your hair, ma¡¯am.¡± Lilith stepped forward and tried the door, and, finding it locked, opted to simply tear it off of its hinges and step in anyway. Mae immediately began reading the minds of those in the room, particularly the spokesman from before, all the while feeding Lilith the most important information. ¡°Eli Dunkley, was it?¡± Lilith said, walking towards the spokesman. ¡°Head of PR for the Society? I believe you and I have much to talk about.¡± Eli ignored her, instead firing a shot from the gun he was holding. Lilith, already knowing he had been about to fire, simply moved to the side, dodging the bullet that had been made of anti-Perfect Chimera material. In response, she dumped much of her Mana into a simple spell that would rip the gun out of his hands and bring it to her. The spell hit the wards Eli had set up, but the sheer amount of Mana it contained allowed it to easily overwhelm the wards, and the gun flew out of Eli¡¯s grip. Lilith caught the gun, spun it around her fingers, then flicked the safety on and jammed it into a holster she had made. ¡°Don¡¯t try again.¡± She said. ¡°The rest of you aren¡¯t properly equipped to deal with me, so I suggest you don¡¯t.¡± She said. ¡°If you insist on attempting to do so, then I shall insist on beating you unconscious, understood?¡± There was a silence, and one of the guards tried to surreptitiously press a button he had been blocking from Lilith¡¯s sight, only to find his body locked in place by a spell. A moment later, Lilith was there, and she hit the man hard over the head, causing him to crumple to the floor. ¡°The button won¡¯t save you, anyway.¡± Lilith said, pushing the button several times. ¡°See?¡± The button itself was one that, according to Mae, would teleport in an armed troop from another base, but the teleport block she had set up neatly stopped it from doing anything. ¡°You should have been tipped off by the fact that your attempts to teleport out didn¡¯t work. Now, if no one has any further objections, we have an interrogation to start, ¡®kay?¡± Chapter 91: Patsy ¡°So, what exactly was the Society¡¯s true goal in this takeover?¡± Lilith asked, looking down at the man in front of her. ¡°I find it rather hard to believe that it¡¯s altruistic.¡± The man, Eli Dunkley, head of public relations for the Society, shook his head. ¡°It truly is!¡± He protested. ¡°We wouldn¡¯t even fathom doing this were we not specifically asked to by the people!¡± He¡¯s not lying, mistress. Mae said. Or, at least, he doesn¡¯t believe he¡¯s lying. Lilith frowned. ¡°Tell me about yourself, Eli.¡± ¡°W-what?¡± He asked. ¡°How is that relevant?¡± Lilith waved a hand dismissively. ¡°I¡¯m working on a theory.¡± She said. ¡°I would appreciate it if you tell me, so I won¡¯t have to resort to more invasive mind-reading.¡± ¡°This is an invasion of privacy! I can assure you we¡¯ve done nothing to warrant such behavior!¡± ¡°You tried to shoot me.¡± Lilith said. ¡°That in and of itself is enough to warrant a punishment.¡± ¡°I¡­did not!¡±. He¡¯s not so sure on this one. Mae said. But¡­it doesn¡¯t seem to be an outright lie. His memories of the past bit are¡­foggy. I¡¯m positive someone¡¯s been messing with his mind. ¡°Unfortunately, I¡¯m afraid you did. Even if you hadn¡¯t, as someone high in the Society¡¯s leadership, you are complicit in this. I am sparing those who are lower in the organization and who I believe have no information or direct involvement, but you definitely don¡¯t meet any of those criteria. I will give you one more chance to cooperate, but should you fail to do so, I will begin doing a deep scan of your brain.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Eli said. ¡°I¡¯m Eli Dunkley, but you already knew that. I was born in Ohio, and, like everyone else, I was completely oblivious about magic until the Shift. I studied communications at Harvard, and worked in PR for multiple Fortune five hundred companies over the course of my career. A couple of years after the Shift, I was approached by the Society, who wished to hire me as head of PR.¡± He¡¯s telling the truth. Mae said. Nuwa¡¯s been looking him up on the internet, and that corroborates what he¡¯s saying. ¡°And you had no reservations about working for an organization that, just two years prior, had openly been a terrorist organization?¡± Lilith asked, arching a brow. ¡°Of course I did!¡± Eli said indignantly. ¡°I did some serious research on them before I accepted their offer. As you are well aware, most of the old leadership crumbled after the shift, leaving only Chairwoman Inanna. She did some rather extensive purges of the organization, sparing only the more altruistic members. I deliberated for quite a while, and eventually came to the conclusion that they are entirely on the level.¡± Again, he believes he¡¯s telling the truth. Mae said. Alright, I think I know what¡¯s going on here, but I want you to do a deeper scan anyway. Lilith instructed. I don¡¯t think he has any information worth anything, but it can¡¯t hurt to check. Plus, we might be able to find out who was messing with his brain. Outwardly, Lilith shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to say you¡¯ve been duped.¡± She said. ¡°Over the years, I have been keeping an eye on some of the Society¡¯s old leadership, and I can say with complete confidence that the old leadership did not crumble as the Society claimed. They are still very much around.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t seen hide nor hair of them, though!¡± Eli said. ¡°And I¡¯m in most of the board meetings! Surely I would have known about them by now!¡± ¡°Or they wanted a PR manager who wholeheartedly believed the lies they were going to spout.¡± Lilith said flatly. ¡°Fortunately for you, this means that you¡¯re little more than a peon in the grand scheme of things.¡± She looked around at the trembling guards. ¡°The rest of you may leave.¡± She said. ¡°Your presence is not required, and I will not be taking further action against you.¡± Hesitantly, the guards began to file out of the room, and after a minute or so, only Eli and Lilith remained. ¡°W¡­what are you going to do with me?¡± Eli asked nervously, casting his gaze around the room. ¡°Nothing.¡± Lilith said. ¡°I just need you to sit still while I scan your brain. I¡¯m reasonably sure your mind has been tampered with, and I need to figure out who did that and if there is any information in there that you yourself are not aware of. This should be over in ten minutes, so just relax, you¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯m not going to be punishing you, but you are going to be out of a job. I suggest using this time to think about your options.¡± ¡°Like I have any options.¡± Eli said bitterly. ¡°I doubt any reputable company is going to want to hire me after this.¡± ¡°That was, perhaps, something you should have thought of before joining the Society.¡± Lilith said. ¡°If worst comes to worst, you can always find work adventuring.¡± Eli made a face. ¡°That¡¯s not exactly suitable work for someone of my talents.¡± ¡°Neither is begging, but what you choose to do with your life isn¡¯t my concern. Now, please be silent. I need to focus at least a little for this next part.¡± Eli fell silent, leaving Lilith and Mae to poke through his head. As she had expected, there was not much of value within his memories; the Society¡¯s leadership had been very careful about what he had been allowed to hear, and Lilith already knew what little he had been told. The Society had ramped up production of anti-Perfect Chimera weaponry as a way to ¡°even the playing field¡± and ¡°prevent unreasonable centralization of power¡±, but the materials they had been using were only half-tested. It had met all benchmarks the Society had, sure, but they had never actually tested it on a Perfect Chimera, mostly due to not having one available to test on. Still, Mae was telling her that the bullet that had been shot at her looked like it was functional enough, so Lilith was going to operate under the assumption that they had enough of the stuff to put up a semblance of resistance in critical places. Most of the production had, annoyingly, been overseen by people Lilith didn¡¯t have Watches on, so she didn¡¯t have a true grasp of the depths of their reserves, but she doubted the Society would do something so bold if they didn¡¯t have some sort of countermeasure for her. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. But, as she poked through Eli¡¯s memories, another possibility started to present itself. The Society was probably getting desperate. Eli had seen a few of the budget reports, and they weren¡¯t exactly looking good for the Society; nowadays, much of their income Eli knew about came from donations, yet the expenditures always seemed to be higher than what they had, and were often in¡­illogical places. She had no doubt that they had their hands in some more illicit businesses, but Lilith wasn¡¯t aware of anything on a scale that would provide them with the funds that were required to research anti-Perfect Chimera weapons and then produce that many of them. They had to be relying on savings, and given the amount of time they had been overspending, they were probably starting to run low. While she was there, Lilith took a look at some of the lingering magics in Eli¡¯s head, but, unfortunately, the magical signature didn¡¯t belong to anyone she had a Watch on, and she had no way of easily or cheaply following the traces back to their source. She could have done it if she was willing to expend the Worship, but it wasn¡¯t important at the moment, so she just let it be. She¡¯d find out who the culprit was in time, and it wasn¡¯t like that sort of magic was any threat to her. When she was done, she gave Eli one last look. ¡°I¡¯m done.¡± She said. ¡°I¡¯m going to leave now, and I would highly recommend not getting involved in any shady business in the future. I won¡¯t be this lenient if you incur my wrath a second time.¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± Eli said, looking down. ¡°Understood.¡± Lilith didn¡¯t respond, instead choosing to drop her teleportation blocker and warp back to the dungeon. On her return, she was greeted with the sight of Alex pacing in front of the teleporters, a worried look on her face. ¡°I¡¯m back.¡± Lilith said. ¡°None the worse for wear.¡± ¡°Oh, thank goodness.¡± Alex breathed, rushing over. ¡°They didn¡¯t have anything that could hurt you there, right?¡± Lilith shrugged, pulling out the gun she had taken from Eli. ¡°This has some anti-Perfect Chimera bullets in it. They haven¡¯t been tested on the real deal, but Mae said that they look structurally sound. Still, they were using a mind-controlled amateur to fire this thing, so it wasn¡¯t exactly hard to dodge.¡± ¡°Not a guard?¡± Alex asked, frowning. ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem right.¡± ¡°I think they wanted me to drop my guard or something. Unfortunately for them, I was reading the minds of just about everyone in that room and knew what was coming, so it wasn¡¯t hard to deal with.¡± She threw the gun into the air, and a hand grew out of the dungeon wall, catching the gun and pulling it into the dungeon. ¡°I¡¯m going to let Nuwa and Raesn take a look at the bullets and see what they can make with them.¡± She explained. ¡°No sense letting them just go to waste. Anyway, I¡¯m just stopping by for a short snack before I head to my next target. You interested in coming?¡± Alex paused briefly, then nodded. ¡°I have to deal with this. For closure, if nothing else.¡± ¡°Got it. Go get your gear and be back here in¡­let¡¯s say ten minutes.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Alex said, scampering off towards her room. While she geared up, Lilith headed towards one of the dungeon¡¯s kitchens, where Mai and Aria were having their dinner. ¡°Have you two been good?¡± She asked. ¡°Yup!¡± Mai said cheerfully, mouth full of food. ¡°We¡¯ve been good!¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Aria said. ¡°Mostly.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing I couldn¡¯t handle.¡± Eve said, walking into the room. ¡°Just a minor incident.¡± ¡°It was Carmen¡¯s fault!¡± Mai said. ¡°She shoulda known not to try and surprise Aria like that!¡± Aria sunk into her seat, face growing red. ¡°I said sorry.¡± She said. ¡°And I made sure she wasn¡¯t actually hurt.¡± Lilith paused, taking a moment to go back through Eve¡¯s memory of the incident. It seemed that Aria had been playing a scary game, and Carmen had tried to scare her by imitating one of the monster¡¯s screams when Aria wasn¡¯t looking. Unfortunately, Aria still had some habits left over from when she had been Errus, and her instinctual response had been to grab Carmen and throw her across the room. Given that Aria was a Perfect Chimera and was far stronger than she had any right to be, the result of that had been Carmen flying into a table and breaking it. But, fortunately, Carmen wasn¡¯t a normal girl either. Or¡­she was, at least when compared to Mai and Aria, but her circumstances were abnormal. Anna and Jameson had taken advantage of the party system to slowly but surely level Carmen up, making her much more durable than she would otherwise be. So, the only real damage had been to the table, and the moment she realized what was happening, Aria had fixed both it and the bruises and scrapes she had given Carmen. Carmen didn¡¯t seem to have any hard feelings, so Eve had decided there wasn¡¯t a need to give Aria a punishment other than a stern talk. ¡°You called for me?¡± Raphi walked into the room and made her way over to Eve. ¡°How can I help?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to go raid a Society base or two. Can you watch these guys while I do?¡± Eve asked. ¡°Nuwa and Judy are helping with information for this whole thing, so I can¡¯t really ask them, and my parents are out, and I don¡¯t know when they¡¯ll be back. I really just need you to make sure they¡¯re in bed by ten and deal with any arguments, is that okay?¡± ¡°Yeah, I can handle that.¡± Raphi said, giving her a smile. ¡°You can count on me.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Eve said, returning the smile with one of her own. ¡°I¡¯d offer to give you some cash or something, but¡­well, I don¡¯t keep any on me anymore. Umm¡­¡± ¡°I am your maid.¡± Raphi pointed out. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure this is part of the job.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m pretty sure being a maid is supposed to come with a salary.¡± Eve said, frowning. ¡°But now¡¯s not the time to argue about that. We¡¯ll talk more about that later. For now¡­if you want something, let me know, and I¡¯ll get it for you, as long as it¡¯s reasonable.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine without one.¡± Raphi said. ¡°You¡¯re essentially paying for my food and room and stuff, so I think that¡¯s plenty, especially when mom and I aren¡¯t technically related to you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s different.¡± Eve said, waving her hand dismissively. ¡°That stuff¡¯s pocket change, it¡¯s really not worth the effort you put in. I¡­can¡¯t believe I didn¡¯t think about this before. I really need to be rewarding you more.¡± ¡°You probably didn¡¯t think about it because Emily and I never brought it up.¡± Raphi said. ¡°We¡¯re satisfied with how things are now, so we just didn¡¯t mention it.¡± Eve sighed. ¡°Right. Well, we¡¯re going to talk about this later and get you properly compensated for your work up until this point, but right now, I need to be going. Thanks again for watching the kids, I really do owe you one.¡± She didn¡¯t wait for a response, striding out of the room and towards the teleporters out of the dungeon. While they had talked, Lilith had taken the opportunity to make a sandwich, and was halfway through eating it by the time Eve had left. ¡°Just remember you can stop being a maid any time you want.¡± Lilith said, putting down the sandwich. ¡°And, seriously, don¡¯t worry about the whole room and board thing. You¡¯re still a kid, and you shouldn¡¯t have to worry about that until you¡¯re older.¡± ¡°Thanks for the reminder, but I¡¯m happy with how things are now.¡± Raphi said, absentmindedly walking over and cleaning up the small bit of jam Lilith had spilled while preparing the sandwich. ¡°It gives me something to do, and it¡¯s not like it¡¯s hard work. Most of the floors and stuff clean themselves, so I just have to deal with the miscellaneous stuff, and almost everyone is tidy. That aside¡­how are things with you and mom?¡± ¡°Going well.¡± Lilith said. ¡°We¡¯re taking things slow, but I¡¯m optimistic about it.¡± ¡°Good to hear.¡± Raphi said. ¡°She seems a lot happier lately, so¡­yeah.¡± Lilith smiled, ruffling the girl¡¯s hair. ¡°And I¡¯m glad to hear that.¡± She said, standing up from where she had been sitting. ¡°Thanks for looking after the kids.¡± ¡°Not a problem at all.¡± Raphi said, smiling hugely. ¡°Good luck out there.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t be necessary.¡± Lilith said, giving Raphi a wink. ¡°They really don¡¯t know what they¡¯ve gotten themselves into.¡± She walked out of the kitchen and finished her sandwich on her way back to the teleporter. Alex was already there, armor on and a sword strapped to her waist. ¡°You ready?¡± She asked nervously. ¡°Don¡¯t be so nervous.¡± Lilith said, patting Alex¡¯s arm soothingly. ¡°I won¡¯t let anything happen to you.¡± ¡°I know, I just¡­worry.¡± ¡°If things somehow get dicey, we¡¯ll teleport back here immediately, and then they¡¯ll have no way to handle us.¡± Lilith said. ¡°So just focus on how nice it¡¯ll be once it¡¯s over and you have some closure, and we¡¯ll be done before you know it.¡± Alex paused, then gave Lilith a somewhat shaky nod. ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s get this over with.¡± Chapter 92: Familiar Places, Unfamiliar Faces Alex looked up at the compound in front of her, heart hammering in her chest. It had been years since she was here, and the building was a far cry from what it had looked like when she had been a member of the Society. The most obvious change was that the Society¡¯s name was now proudly displayed on the front of the building. Before, the building had been operating under a front business, with the top floor being a hairdresser, if Alex recalled correctly. The basement had been a secret, and was where most of the operatives in that area were housed, as well as where¡­less than legal items were kept. The building had been cleaned up and a second floor was added, leaving it almost entirely unrecognizable from the outside. Still¡­just being there was bringing back bad memories for Alex. Her time in the Society had been a dark one; she had joined out of a sense of frustration with how Haven was run, that a large portion of the world¡¯s population was left in the dark due to unfounded fears and the fact that no progress in anything was ever made. While she hadn¡¯t agreed with the Society¡¯s methods, she had thought that they would, eventually, be the impetus needed for something to finally change. Or...she had when she had first joined, anyway. The longer she was in the Society, the longer she realized that their efforts were counterproductive, and only reinforced the fears of the close-minded portions of the Council. But, by then, she had been in too deep. She was a wanted criminal, and all bridges to her previous life had been summarily burned. In the back of her mind, she had known her father would probably take her back, but she just couldn¡¯t stand the thought of proving him right like that. He had always been so overbearing before, and if she had come back to him in that way¡­she wouldn¡¯t have had a say about almost anything in her life, not for a long time. In the end, she was glad things had turned out the way they had. She had full autonomy for what seemed like the first time in her life, and that was something she loved. There was an argument to be made that she wasn¡¯t fully autonomous, that no one in the dungeon was, simply by virtue of being dependent on Lilith for her living arrangement, but she didn¡¯t feel that counted. She was free to leave any time she wanted, and with her skills she would not doubt be able to make a living adventuring. It probably wouldn¡¯t be a glamorous life, but she would be able to provide for herself and Raphi, and that was all that really mattered. ¡°Alex, are you ready?¡± Lilith asked, snapping Alex out of her reverie. ¡°Yeah, I¡­I¡¯m ready.¡± Alex said. ¡°I doubt anyone here will recognize me, so¡­might as well just go, I guess?¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be fine.¡± Lilith soothed. ¡°This place is one of their public fronts and doesn¡¯t have any noteworthy defenses, so even if things go south, I¡¯ll be more than enough to keep you safe. You just let me know if there¡¯s anything you need or want to do, and I¡¯ll make sure you can¡­do whatever you need.¡± ¡°Thank you, Lilith.¡± Alex said. ¡°It means a lot to me.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t even sweat it.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°So, shall we?¡± Alex nodded, and the two entered the building. Inside was a rather stressed receptionist typing away at a computer. ¡°Hi, I¡¯ll be with you in a moment.¡± She said, not looking up at the entryway. She typed for a few more moments, then looked up. ¡°Thanks for wai ¨C oh.¡± She paled instantly as she caught sight of Lilith. ¡°Um¡­w-what can I do for you, miss?¡± ¡°I will be touring the premises.¡± Lilith said. ¡°And if you don¡¯t want me blasting doors open left and right, then I will need your keys.¡± The woman reached a trembling hand down below the desk, grabbed something, then brought her hand back up, sliding a keyring over the desk. ¡°I-I don¡¯t have all the keys.¡± She said. ¡°This only works for the low security doors.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll figure something out.¡± Lilith said. She paused, looking the woman over. ¡°I suggest you go home early today and think about your career choices. If I find you in a situation like this again, I won¡¯t be lenient, understood?¡± ¡°U-understood.¡± The woman said, frantically nodding. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­um, be going, then.¡± Lilith waved her away, and the woman hurriedly grabbed some stuff from the desk, then ran out of the building. ¡°So, do you want to start from the top and work our way down or start from the bottom and work our way up?¡± Lilith asked, lazily spinning the keyring around a finger. ¡°Um¡­there¡¯s probably not anything important up here, so¡­start from the bottom?¡± Alex ventured. ¡°Start from the bottom it is.¡± Lilith said. ¡°Could you show me to the basement?¡± Alex nodded, taking a look around. ¡°Sure, I can¡­probably find it. This place is um¡­a bit different than it was the last time I was here, but I doubt they¡¯ve moved the stairs. They should be near the back, which is¡­probably through one of these doors?¡± Alex walked over to one of the two glass doors towards the side of the room. Those weren¡¯t there when the building was a hairdresser, but surely they hadn¡¯t changed things that drastically. So, she walked up to one of the doors and tried it, only to find it locked. ¡°Um¡­I might need those keys.¡± Lilith tossed her the keys, and Alex quickly thumbed through them before realizing that the door had no keyhole, then swiped the ID card that was attached through the reader. There was a beep, and the door unlocked, allowing Alex to show Lilith into the maze of passages beyond. It took her a few minutes, but eventually she found the door that was unceremoniously marked maintenance. She fumbled with the keys, found the correct one, then opened the door and revealed a stairway leading down into the basement. ¡°After you.¡± She said, gesturing downwards. Lilith nodded, striding down the stairs confidently. She stopped at the landing, casting a glance around the room, then raised a hand, all manner of weaponry flying towards it before disappearing entirely. ¡°Now that those are out of the way, here¡¯s how this is going to go down.¡± It was around then that Alex reached the landing, peering out into the common room, where a group of shocked-looking people were staring at Lilith. ¡°You are going to sit there and wait while I perform my investigation.¡± Lilith instructed. ¡°The Adjudicators are mobilizing as we speak, and will be here shortly to help me comb through any and all documents we find. As a matter of course, I will be looking through your recent memories and ensuring that no documents have been destroyed. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Should I find that any of you have destroyed evidence, I will be punishing you myself, unless circumstances were extremely extenuating. I already expressly forbade such actions, so I will not be accepting excuses. When the Adjudicators get here, they will deliver further instructions, and I expect them to be followed, understood?¡± There was a long silence, then Lilith pointed to one especially nervous person. ¡°You¡¯re going to lead us to where your bosses are.¡± ¡°M-me?¡± The man croaked. ¡°Yes, you, Ezekiel Brown. Now, hop to it, my colleague and I have a lot of work to be doing, and I would rather our time is not wasted needlessly.¡± Ezekiel looked around at his colleagues, and when no one said anything or made any moves to help, began to walk towards a side hallway. ¡°T-this way, m-miss.¡± Lilith strode towards Ezekiel, and Alex followed behind awkwardly. She felt like everyone was staring at her, which¡­they were, but it felt like they were staring at her because they recognized her. It was silly, because she didn¡¯t even recognize anyone in the room herself, but she couldn¡¯t help it. Lilith, do they¡­you know¡­ Alex asked mentally. No. Most of these people are new to the organization. In fact, almost everyone I¡¯ve seen in any of these buildings was new to the organization. It¡¯s like¡­ninety percent new people. They lost a lot of people after the Shift, and I think they want most of their front-facing people to be new anyway, it¡¯s better for PR. Oh. Alex replied. Yeah, I¡­guess that makes sense. I¡¯ll let you know if anyone is actually getting suspicious about you. Lilith said. So, don¡¯t sweat it. They walked in silence until Alex spotted a door she recognized. ¡°Stop here.¡± She said, causing Ezekiel to jump in s hock. ¡°W-what? T-this is just the d-dorm room, w-why?¡± ¡°Personal vendetta.¡± Alex replied. Ezekiel gave a nervous look at Lilith, who nodded. ¡°If she says we¡¯re stopping here, we¡¯re stopping here.¡± Alex flashed Lilith a smile, then walked into the room. Like most of the basement she had seen, it was almost exactly like it had been when she had been a member of the Society. The main difference was that it was cleaner, and much less¡­lived-in. The beds were all made, and only one or two had personal belongings nearby. As she walked down the rows of beds, she was pleased to find that the one she was looking for was not one of the ones that was currently in use. Even so, it brought back bad memories; this had been the place where she slept when she lived here, and it rarely was a peaceful sleep. It was almost always filled with fear, pain, regret, or some combination of the three. She gazed at the bed for a few moments, then cast a spell. She watched in satisfaction as the bed caught fire and burned, lasting only for a couple of seconds before being reduced to ash. She cut the flow of Mana to the spell and the rest of the fire vanished, leaving only the smell of fire and the ash in its wake. ¡°I¡¯m done.¡± She said happily. ¡°We can be on our way.¡± ¡°W-what?!¡± Ezekiel yelped. ¡°W-why would you do that?!¡± Alex waved a hand dismissively. ¡°I have bad memories of this place. I doubt you¡¯d understand, so let¡¯s just keep moving, okay?¡± ¡°You heard the lady.¡± Lilith prompted. ¡°Back on course.¡± Once they were back on their journey towards the deeper parts of the facility, Lilith began to speak to Alex telepathically again. Why that bed? Was it where someone you hated slept or something? I¡­suppose you could say that. Alex admitted. It was my bed. I just wanted to¡­permanently distance myself from it, you know? Sorry if it like¡­jeopardizes your operation or something. Why would it? Lilith asked. It¡¯s collateral damage, I guess? It could like¡­sour your reputation if people heard about it? I literally threatened to destroy all the doors in this place, I¡¯m not worried about collateral damage. Sure, it¡¯ll sound a little weird, but what are people going to think? That I just really hate beds? Alex snorted, then quickly caught herself. It can be spun out of proportion. The rumor mill is a powerful thing. It¡¯s going to be blown out of proportion regardless of what we do here. I¡¯m basically sending in a SWAT team to look at paperwork, people are going to make a lot of unfounded assumptions. At the end of the day, it¡¯ll be a drop in the bucket, your wellbeing is much more important to me. I already assumed there would be some sort of¡­heated discussion at the very least, and I¡¯m willing to handle anything up to total destruction of several rooms. If they actually attack us or otherwise provoke me, I¡¯m prepared to go a lot farther. So, yeah, just don¡¯t worry about it. Thanks, I ¨C ¡°W-we¡¯re here!¡± Ezekiel blurted out. They were, indeed, at the door that Alex remembered was where the bigwigs did¡­whatever they did. They weren¡¯t very transparent when she was a part of the organization, choosing only to come out and interact with the rank and file on rare occasions. ¡°I-I don¡¯t have access here, so I c-can¡¯t get you in, and I-I um¡­¡± Ezekiel stammered, ¡°uh, d-don¡¯t know if the bosses are h-here, though.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°Please head back to the common room and wait for further instructions.¡± ¡°Y-yes!¡± Ezekiel squeaked, then scampered off back the way they had come. Lilith tried the door, and it was, to neither of their surprise, locked. ¡°What are the odds that you have the key for it in that keyring?¡± She asked. ¡°Slim to none.¡± Alex confirmed. ¡°This place is usually locked up tight. I¡¯ve never actually been inside myself, and chances are no one else we¡¯ve seen has, either.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not bother trying the keys, then.¡± Lilith replied. She reeled back, and then, to Alex¡¯s shock, thrust her hand through the metal door, grabbed it, and tore it out of its place in the wall. An alarm started blaring, but Lilith knelt down near some exposed wiring, and after a moment it soon stopped. ¡°Why did you do it like that?¡± Alex asked. It was sometimes easy to forget that Lilith was likely the physically strongest thing to ever walk the face of the earth, but then she¡¯d casually do something like this and remind Alex that, yes, she was a Perfect Chimera, and yes, she had a lot of extra stuff on top of that. ¡°Honestly? I kinda just wanted to see if I could. That and it¡¯s sort of therapeutic to break stuff with your bare hands. Anyway, Mae¡¯s already gone through and checked, there¡¯s no one back here. I imagine all the important people jumped ship long before we got here.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that kind of worrying? I thought getting to them was the main reason we were doing this in the first place.¡± Lilith shrugged. ¡°I know where all the really important people are, so it¡¯s just a matter of time. They can destroy data or hide all they like, I¡¯ll come for them just the same, and I¡¯ll take what I need from their skulls. This is¡­well, almost theatrics, for the benefit of normal people. Plus, actual hard evidence is easier for normal people to trust than stuff I just take from people¡¯s brains. Anyway, wanna destroy anything in here?¡± Alex blinked. ¡°No? I don¡¯t think so, anyway. I got that out of my system with the bed. I¡¯m more interested in just poking around and seeing what¡¯s here.¡± ¡°Cool. I guess we¡¯ll split up and search for clues, then. Give me a shout if you find anything, or if you encounter a problem. Nuwa¡¯s keeping an eye on you too, so don¡¯t worry about being blindsided.¡± Alex nodded. ¡°Will do.¡± With that, she left Lilith¡¯s side and began to look through the rooms beyond the door. By and large, they were¡­boring. There was a living space of much higher quality than the one she had lived in, with rooms that only had one bed per room, a separate kitchen, and even what looked like a nice home gym. There were a couple of offices, but they had all been stripped clean. There were no papers, no computers, nothing that held any sort of data at all. Eventually, after five or ten minutes of exploring, she met back up with Lilith. ¡°I found nothing.¡± She said. ¡°You?¡± ¡°Same. I had suspected this would be the case, though. Anything else you want to do before we leave the Adjudicators to check the rest of this place?¡± Alex shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m as satisfied as I can be, I think. I probably would have gotten more closure if I was actually able to see someone I knew, but¡­well, we can¡¯t exactly control that, can we?¡± ¡°I suppose not.¡± Lilith said. ¡°Let¡¯s be off, then.¡± Chapter 93: Dismantling a Society Eve didn¡¯t even spare a glance at the outside of the compound as she strode towards the door. She was raiding one of the Society¡¯s high-security bases, and she wasn¡¯t going to waste time gawking. The door was, of course, locked, but that didn¡¯t stop her; a few swift kicks were more than enough to blow it off of its hinges. That triggered an alarm, of course, but that was easily silenced with a spell. What was more immediately threatening was the squad of soldiers that were beyond, though they seemed somewhat disoriented. Between that disorientation and the traces of residual magic she could sense on them, she was supposing that the alarm she had triggered had teleported them there with their gear equipped. Their leader rallied quickly, raising his gun. ¡°Hands up, you¡¯re on priv¨C¡± He began to shout an order, but stopped when he saw who Eve was. She had transformed herself so she looked like Lilith again, and she imagined her presence was rather intimidating. Though, they really should have expected her to be coming. Yes, this base was supposed to be top secret, but did they really think she wouldn¡¯t know? Eve just rolled her eyes. ¡°Out of the way.¡± She said. ¡°I¡¯m not going to hurt you if you don¡¯t resist.¡± The guard captain instead fumbled with his weapon, reaching into his utility belt for what could only be anti-Perfect Chimera bullets. ¡°Yeah, no.¡± Eve said, raising a hand and casting a spell that would rip the man¡¯s belt from him and bring it to her. It didn¡¯t work at first, there being some sort of enchantment on it that prevented it from being moved magically, but all she had to do to overcome that was pour in a little more Mana and overload the spell. The utility belt flew into her hand, and she rifled through it, withdrew the magazine that held the anti-Perfect Chimera bullets, and teleported it to the dungeon. ¡°None of that.¡± She said. ¡°And that counts as hostile action.¡± She punctuated that last sentence by spearing the man through the stomach with a tentacle, then glared at the rest of the guards. ¡°Any other objections?¡± There was a long silence, and none of the other guards moved a muscle. ¡°Thought so.¡± She said. ¡°Put down your weapons, now. Refusal to do so will be counted as hostile action and I will defend myself, understood?¡± The guards hastily placed their weapons on the floor, and Eve nodded approvingly. ¡°You there, in front.¡± She said, pointing at a random guard. ¡°You¡¯re going to lead me down to the sealed parts of this place. If I find out that you¡¯re taking a circuitous route or otherwise causing delays, I will be very cross. So, come here, I have a lot of things to do, and my time is limited, so let¡¯s get on with it.¡± The woman she had pointed to shakily stepped forward. ¡°I¡­don¡¯t know my way around the depths of this place.¡± She said. ¡°Our unit works security on a lot of sites and only patrols the upper floors. But¡­the stairs down are three doors down that hall, on the left.¡± Eve sighed and rifled through the woman¡¯s mind. When she saw that the woman did indeed have knowledge of a few more floors below the current, she heaved another sigh. ¡°And below that?¡± ¡°I ¨C¡± ¡°Zip it, I¡¯m reading your mind, there¡¯s no point in lying.¡± Eve said flatly. ¡°Like, seriously? Is your loyalty that strong? What cause are you fighting for? All the Society wants nowadays is power, and if you want that you¡¯d be a lot better off listening to my instructions.¡± ¡°But ¨C¡± All kinds of thoughts rose to the surface of the woman¡¯s mind, of her family and what would happen to them. Eve wasn¡¯t exactly convinced by just that, so she intensified her search, drilling down into the woman¡¯s brain and trying to figure out if she was trying to lie. The process wasn¡¯t exactly a pleasant one, and it cut the woman off mid-sentence. Eventually, Eve gave yet another sigh. ¡°Fine. In deference to your family, I¡¯ll let it go for now. I took what I wanted anyway. You all stay here, I¡¯m sending the Adjudicators in, and they¡¯ve been given your number and description. If any of you are missing, you will be hunted down and taken in for punishment, understood? I¡¯ve placed a teleport block on you, so there won¡¯t be any excuses about being teleported away to deal with another incident.¡± She strode up to the woman she had picked out and neatly severed her keycard from the lanyard it was attached to. ¡°I¡¯ll be taking this.¡± She said. ¡°You¡¯re not going to need it anymore, anyway. Just have one of your squad mates help you get your stuff.¡± She then left the guards where they were, heading further down the hallway to where the stairs down were. As she went, she couldn¡¯t help but wonder why the Society kept all their important stuff underground. Yes, back in the day it had helped keep the true extent of their facilities under wraps and out of the public eye, but this facility was a new one, built out in the wilds of Haven. Were they trying to make the building¡¯s footprint smaller, so it was harder to spot from above? It wasn¡¯t like being underground made things significantly more secure, it was easier than ever to dig things up or move through the ground, though¡­she supposed it was also easier than ever to build stuff underground, so it was probably a moot point. She soon reached the stairs downwards, and swiped the keycard she had stolen to open up the door, then began her descent. The keycard likely wasn¡¯t going to work below a certain point, but it saved her the trouble of kicking in every door on her way down. She didn¡¯t encounter many people on her trek through the compound, and the ones she did fled immediately. She briefly considered chasing after the first few, but decided that they weren¡¯t worth her time. They were likely just grunts, and she didn¡¯t want to chase every single one down to make sure they weren¡¯t important. Still, just to be safe, she read the surface of their minds to make sure there weren¡¯t any obviously important people among them, then went on her way. Two floors down, her keycard stopped working, and she had to break down the door again. She could have done it with magic, too, but she didn¡¯t want to waste any Mana when she wasn¡¯t fully sure of the extent of the defenses that were prepared below. She was about to bust it down when something stopped her. As per Raphael¡¯s teachings, she had been keeping up some extra senses any time she was away from home, ranging from the mundane to the supernatural, and the one that let her sense Mana was nagging at her. It was somewhat obfuscated by the spellwork on the door, but there were definitely people on the other side, waiting. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. An ambush, then. That suited Eve fine, she just needed to keep an eye on them while she prepared. They were almost certainly wielding anti-Perfect Chimera weaponry, most likely bullets. The Society seemed to have a fondness for those; Eve supposed because they took a lot less material, and because more people knew how to use guns than knew how to use a sword. And shooting a gun probably seemed like it¡¯d be more likely to succeed than getting into close combat with a Perfect Chimera and then successfully injure them. That was incorrect, of course, but Eve doubted the Society had a good grasp of just how out of their league she had become. Well, this was a good opportunity to show them. She finished her preparations, then activated the magic circle she had drawn. The door burst off of its hinges, and the stone, metal, and other material of the building around here tore free from its place, closing around Eve and forming a protective shell. There was the muffled sound of gunfire followed by bullets plinking off of the bubble, but it hardly mattered; she had roughly a meter of material between her and them, and it was magically reinforced ¨C A bullet punched through the stone shell, narrowly missing Eve. Right, the magical reinforcement barely mattered, as anti-Perfect Chimera material generally had some form of antimagic built in, and a properly tricked out gun augmented by Skills could probably pierce her protection. Plan b, then. She focused briefly, and the protective shell exploded outwards towards her assailants. That was just a distraction, though, as she used the moment of clear sight she was provided to teleport behind the firing squad, directly in the path of her own attack. She felt some attempts to stop the wave of building material in its tracks, but they were easily overwhelmed by her stats and sheer quantity of Mana. It was around then that her assailants began to notice that she was no longer there, but it was too late for them. She held out her hands, the world around filling with a dizzying array of seemingly impossible shapes as she turned Horrid Fascination, Aura of the Arbiter, and Zoan¡¯s Barrier on at full tilt, accompanied by a heavy magnification of gravity, just for good measure. The firing squad was stopped in its tracks, and the wave of building material swept over them before flowing around them, coating each individual person in a layer of material that gave them just enough room to allow them to breathe, but not enough to allow for any significant movement. Eve used this to force each person to the ground, then melded the material with the floor they were lying on. ¡°Did you seriously think you had a chance?¡± She mocked. ¡°Do you have any idea what combat with a Perfect Chimera is actually like? Or did you think that those bullets alone would be enough to level the playing field?¡± ¡°I¨C¡± Someone began, but Eve cut them off. ¡°I don¡¯t actually care. Just be glad I¡¯m feeling merciful today, because this would have ended way worse for you if I wasn¡¯t.¡± She rolled her eyes as one of the people on the ground tried to cast a spell, but all she had to do in response was constrict the ground around the woman. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t if I were you.¡± Eve said. ¡°You¡¯ve got even less of a shot against me with magic than with those bullets. No. I¡¯m not out of Mana because I tore through the wards on the building material, not even close. I¡¯ve got more than you can even imagine. So, stop resisting or I¡¯ll actually have to hurt you.¡± Eve walked away from the firing squad, and when she was sure she was out of line of sight, broke into a run. They knew she was here, and though she had already placed a teleport block on the area, she didn¡¯t want any of the higher ups digging themselves in any deeper than they were. Fortunately, there weren¡¯t any more ambushes. Whether they had used up their soldiers or were just trying to gather everyone for one last stand in the basement, it didn¡¯t really matter, Eve just had to dismantle whatever was thrown her way. She descended the last couple of floors, and soon found herself in front of the final set of stairs. This door was far more reinforced than any of the others had been. It was clearly some sort of panic shelter for a situation like this, and actually posed a somewhat significant obstacle. She mulled over her options for a moment, then decided there was nothing for it but to dispel the wards on the door. With the sheer number of them it would really eat into her Mana, but her other options simply took too long. So, she reached deep into her reserves, spending almost three quarters of her Mana to nullify all the enchantments on the door, then just kicked it down like all the others. Inside she found a cowering man, one she recognized as one of the leaders of the Society that had supposedly retired. ¡°Well look who we have here.¡± She said. ¡°Awfully strange to find a ¡®retired¡¯ leader in one of the Society¡¯s secret bases, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡± ¡°H-how did you find out about this place?¡± The man whimpered. ¡°Only our most loyal people knew about it, and we refrained from discussing it where people under your watch could hear!¡± ¡°I have my ways.¡± Eve said. In truth, it was Judy who had located the base, leveraging her swarm to listen in to meetings that had been thought safe. From there it had been relatively simple to figure out the exact locations of the bases that had been talked about, and Eve imagined that if there were any bases she didn¡¯t know about, she was about to learn of them all. ¡°So, what do you have to say for yourself?¡± She asked. ¡°And don¡¯t give me that ¡®they asked for it¡¯ crap, you and I both know that¡¯s not true.¡± Eve was answered with silence, so she continued on. ¡°I guess we¡¯re skipping straight to the mind reading, then. That¡¯s fine with me, it¡¯ll save some time in the long run.¡± The man began to speak, but he wasn¡¯t saying anything important, so Eve just ignored him and began looking through his memories. As she had expected, there was a lot of¡­miscellaneous wrongdoing. Embezzlement, casual abuse of subordinates, the odd murder¡­it was abundantly clear that this man was no better than a thug that had received power. What was more interesting were the ties to governments that her search revealed. It seemed that many world powers had surreptitiously provided the Society with funds or material, though to what end Eve wasn¡¯t sure. She¡¯d have to dig into it more, but¡­were they trying to test the waters and see what her wrath was like? But that was a question for another time. Right now, she needed to finish her interrogation, if it could even be called that. Still, that didn¡¯t take too long; she found the Society¡¯s true motive for the frontier town incident after only a little more prodding. As she had suspected, they thought they could take her down. That all they needed was one lucky bullet and it would be over. They were willing to make huge sacrifices for this, but they just¡­completely misjudged her strength. It was almost comical how wrong they had been about her; none of their top brass had been in any sort of position of power during the war, and that was the last time Perfect Chimeras truly went all-out in view of the public. Even then, it was hard to grasp just how much of a divide there was if you weren¡¯t fighting against them yourself. Yes, the change in the system was supposed to shrink that divide, and to an extent it had, but the main issue was that Lilith had been able to claim the abilities of both Mai and Errus, abruptly vaulting her forward in terms of power, far more than could be expected. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve seen enough.¡± Eve said. ¡°You¡¯re guilty. I¡¯m taking you back to a cell in my dungeon while I decide what to do with you.¡± She wanted there to be some sort of¡­karmic punishment, but she also couldn¡¯t think of one on the spot, so she decided to pass the responsibility for that over to Lilith. She grabbed the man and teleported him to a cell, then teleported back to the dungeon herself. She had to take some time for her Mana to regenerate, so she figured she might as well check up on her kids and make sure they weren¡¯t being too much of a handful. One quick check with Nuwa revealed their location, so she set off with the intent of regenerating not only her Mana, but her mental stamina as well. Chapter 94: CIA Lilith dropped Alex off after their investigation had finished, then met up with Eve in one of the kitchens to discuss their next move. ¡°So, how are we going to go about this?¡± Eve asked, kicking her feet back and forth. She had reverted to her usual form and had taken a seat on top of the island, where she was absentmindedly munching on some crackers she had made. ¡°It¡¯s not like this is the first time a government has funded a terrorist organization. If we jump on them for every infraction like this, then we¡¯re going to get a bit too active.¡± Lilith frowned. ¡°You¡¯re right, but just letting this slide isn¡¯t going to cut it, either. I was thinking I¡¯d go and interrogate the heads of intelligence for the relevant countries and see what their intentions were before I take action.¡± ¡°Yeah, but, like, say they¡¯re innocent.¡± Eve argued. ¡°Or as innocent as possible when funding terrorists, then what? Do we just let them be? Because that sounds lame. I mean, they¡¯re funding known terrorists, surely we can¡¯t just let that slide.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a known terrorist.¡± Judy said, walking into the room. ¡°I don¡¯t believe you have much room to punish people for that. Either way, I think that¡¯s out of your wheelhouse. You only really have grounds to punish them if they were giving money to those organizations in hopes that they would break your rules.¡± ¡°I was thinking along the same lines.¡± Lilith said. ¡°I¡¯m more worried about what an appropriate punishment is.¡± ¡°That is rather tricky.¡± Judy agreed. ¡°Unfortunately, directly removing people from power would, ultimately, negatively impact the citizens of the affected nations¡­probably, but you also can¡¯t let it be.¡± ¡°Eh, let¡¯s just strip them of all their levels and a bunch of Skills.¡± Eve said. ¡°That should do the trick.¡± ¡°Which countries are involved in this, anyway?¡± Judy asked. ¡°Nuwa didn¡¯t fill me in on the details.¡± ¡°From what I saw, the usual suspects are all involved.¡± Eve said. ¡°The United States, Russia, China, a few countries in the European Union¡­they¡¯re definitely testing the waters with regards to us, I can sense it.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s still to be seen.¡± Lilith said. ¡°I¡¯m going to strike while the iron is hot and visit the people who are awake. That¡¯s¡­probably just the people in the United States right now, but I suppose it¡¯s better than nothing.¡± Eve nodded. ¡°I think we have enough Adjudicators left to thoroughly search one more base without our input, so I¡¯m going to go clear one out and get them started on that while you¡¯re away.¡± ¡°Thanks, Eve.¡± ¡°What would you do without me?¡± Eve said loftily. ¡°You¡¯d be a mess.¡± ¡°Sure, sure.¡± Lilith replied, giving her a pat on the head. ¡°Seriously, thanks.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t pat my head!¡± Eve said, brushing Lilith¡¯s hand away. ¡°We¡¯re the same age!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you didn¡¯t like it.¡± Lilith teased. ¡°I know you too well for that.¡± ¡°This conversation is over.¡± Eve said, hopping off of the counter. ¡°I have important business to get to.¡± She hurried out of the room, putting her out of the way of any further teasing. ¡°Will you make sure someone¡¯s watching the kids?¡± Lilith asked. ¡°I know Raphi was before, but I¡¯m not as sure now.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± Judy said. ¡°Thanks Judy, I appreciate it.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Judy said, smiling. ¡°I¡¯ll let you know if I pick up on any more major movements from the Society.¡± ¡°You¡¯re too good to me.¡± Lilith said. ¡°I¡¯ll be going now, hopefully I¡¯ll be back within ten or fifteen minutes, unless things turn out to be more¡­involved than I thought. Once I¡¯m done with that, I¡¯ll stay here until Eve gets back, which I¡¯m thinking will be a few hours.¡± ¡°Got it, I¡¯ll see you then!¡± Judy replied, giving her a wave. ¡°Good luck!¡± Lilith smiled and nodded, then left for the teleporters. As she walked, she began carefully prodding at the CIA headquarters¡¯ wards. She had the general idea of what they were like thanks to Judy, but she wanted to test them herself before she teleported in. As she had expected, they were an order of magnitude more powerful than those of the Society; the United States simply had far more resources available to them than a group like the Society. She expected most of the intelligence agencies she would be visiting would be the same way, though perhaps not quite as tough to crack as the CIA. Unfortunately, it seemed the brute-force method of just dumping enough Mana into the wards to overload them wasn¡¯t going to work. Or it would, if Lilith was willing to dump all of her Mana, all the Mana of the Parallels, and some of the stores she kept in the dungeon into it, but that was too much investment for the payoff. Even if it wasn¡¯t too much investment, she would rather keep some of her Mana on hand in case things went awry. That left her with two options; circumvent the wards the ¡°normal¡± way, or use some Worship to bypass them entirely. The former, though entirely within her capabilities, would probably take at least an hour or two, and she wanted to finish this before the workday was through, so that was out. She paused in her thinking to speak with Nuwa. Nuwa, can I get you working on cracking the wards for the intelligence agencies I¡¯ll be visiting later? Way ahead of you. Nuwa replied. Do you want me to work on the CIA too? No, I think I¡¯m just going to bite the bullet and use a bit of Worship to get through. It¡¯s not ideal, but I want this done fast. Alright. I should have it done by the time they start business tomorrow. All of them? Lilith asked. Are you sure you¡¯ll have enough time? You know I¡¯ve looked at them in the past. Nuwa replied. They probably haven¡¯t changed too much, so I¡¯m pretty confident in my abilities to figure them out over the course of a night. I¡¯ll trust your judgement, then. Lilith said. In that case, I¡¯ll be off. Lilith stopped at the teleporter out, then charged it with a little Worship before teleporting out. The Worship allowed her to punch right through any and all resistance, and she soon found herself in a large boardroom, where several important-looking people appeared to be in the middle of a meeting. A multitude of weapons were already pointing at her, but she just flashed them a smile. ¡°Put those away, please.¡± She said. ¡°I¡¯m not on the warpath right now, but I¡¯m more than willing to defend myself if necessary.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°Explain yourself.¡± A woman said, stowing her pistol. ¡°I don¡¯t believe we¡¯ve done anything to break your rules, so your presence here is a breach of conduct.¡± ¡°You have not.¡± Lilith confirmed. ¡°Directly. I have uncovered evidence suggesting that your agency, among others, has been funding the Society behind closed doors.¡± ¡°That¡¯s still not against the rules.¡± The woman said cautiously. ¡°I fail to see your point.¡± Lilith stared her directly in the eyes, reaching tendrils of magic into her brain as she spoke. ¡°You are correct again. However, given the circumstances surrounding the Society and the incident in general, I have elected to conduct my own investigation on all the major backers. If I find that money or aid was given with the intent of seeing my reaction when the Society inevitably broke one of my rules, then I will be doling out punishment as I see fit. ¡°If I find this organization innocent, I will, of course, be taking no further action. That being said, I hope this incident should illustrate that I am not going to allow anyone to wiggle out of punishment by means of using proxies. I am very serious about my work, and I expect my rules to be followed.¡± She paused for a moment, then clenched a hand into a fist for effect as she cast a spell that tore away the wall next to her, revealing a group of soldiers running through the halls towards the boardroom¡¯s door. ¡°I would advise returning to your posts.¡± Lilith said calmly, waving a hand dismissively and pinning the soldiers against the hall¡¯s wall while activating Horrid Fascination and Aura of the Arbiter. ¡°You¡¯re out of your depth.¡± She walked over to them, grabbing their weapons one-by-one and sending them back to the dungeon. ¡°Confiscated for attempting to hurt me with them.¡± She explained. ¡°And I¡¯m not even close to being out of Mana, so don¡¯t think you¡¯re going to win any sort of battle of attrition here.¡± She waved her hand again, dismissing her auras and dropping the soldiers to the floor. She turned back to the people in the boardroom. To their credit, their faces remained neutral; they were clearly better trained than the people the Society had working for them, but that was to be expected of highly experienced spies. I¡¯ve finished looking through her mind, that lady isn¡¯t the boss. Mae said. The boss is that guy on the far end. Lilith turned to the man Mae pointed out. ¡°You¡¯re in charge around here, yes?¡± The woman from before opened her mouth to speak, but Lilith turned back and gave her a glare. ¡°Don¡¯t bother.¡± She said. ¡°I know you¡¯re not in charge.¡± Lilith once again looked at the man, who nodded slowly. ¡°That would be me, yes.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Lilith said. ¡°This won¡¯t take long, and will be painless so long as you choose not to resist. Should you attempt to shield your thoughts, then I¡¯m afraid this will get extremely unpleasant extremely quickly. Understood?¡± The man held Lilith¡¯s gaze, but elected to say nothing. Lilith began attempting to read his mind, only to find that he was trying to, very subtly, redirect her searches to certain places. He was giving her crumbs of info on why it was chosen to fund the Society, but it quickly became apparent that it wasn¡¯t the whole truth. Lilith shook her head and intensified her spell, causing the man to wince slightly. She tore through his thoughts, bulldozing over all of his attempts to redirect her before, eventually, finding what she was looking for. As it turned out, testing Lilith¡¯s responses to broken rules was part of his reason to fund the Society, but it wasn¡¯t the only one. There were a few others, but forefront among them was the hope that the Society would destabilize the existing government of Haven, allowing the United States more control on that plane. Satisfied, Lilith ceased her search, then gave a sigh. ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re guilty.¡± She said. ¡°As such, I am hereby removing all of your levels, and most of your Skills.¡± She looked through the man¡¯s status while Mae calculated how much could be removed with Mana without completely depriving her of Mana, and how much Worship would be necessary to finish the job. Fortunately, though the man had clearly been working hard to get all his levels high, it wasn¡¯t to the extent of similar individuals from Haven. They had had centuries with which to train themselves, and talented as this man may or may not have been, there just wasn¡¯t enough time to catch up. So, she was able to get away with only spending a relatively small amount of Worship to strip him of everything, leaving him with only a smattering of basic, unevolved Skills at level zero. Satisfied with her work, she glanced around the room once more. ¡°Should I find your organization involved in a similar scheme again, I will not be this lenient. I would advise that you do not test me on this.¡± With those words, she teleported back to the dungeon, leaving the rest behind. It was likely that some of them shared their leader¡¯s guilt, but Lilith simply didn¡¯t have enough Worship to deal with all of them. They were only tangentially guilty anyway, and if she was going to do the same to multiple other agencies, she needed to conserve her resources as best she could. She stepped off of the teleporter pad and began looking for her children. Normally, she would just ask Nuwa to locate them using the dungeon¡¯s senses, but she didn¡¯t want to bother Nuwa when she was so busy. Fortunately, Nuwa and Mae had managed to put together some sort of approximation of the dungeon¡¯s senses to send to their other bodies, so it wasn¡¯t too hard to figure out that they were both in their room. Mai was playing a video game, while Aria was reading on her bed. And, in the corner, Lilith¡¯s father, Mike, was on his phone and occasionally looking up to make sure the kids weren¡¯t getting into too much trouble. ¡°Thanks for watching them, dad.¡± Lilith said. ¡°I can take it from here.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no problem, sweetie.¡± Mike said, walking over and pulling Lilith into a side hug. ¡°They were well behaved, so it wasn¡¯t any trouble at all.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear it.¡± Lilith said. ¡°I feel like we haven¡¯t had a long talk in a while, how have things been?¡± ¡°They¡¯ve been great!¡± Mike said happily. ¡°You probably already know this, but your mothers and I have recently taken up exploring Haven as a hobby, and we¡¯ve found quite a few really nice places. In particular, there¡¯s this one valley that¡¯s only accessible by air, with a gorgeous lake taking up most of it.¡± He paused, looking at the children. ¡°Actually¡­can we talk about this elsewhere?¡± He asked. Lilith¡¯s face grew serious, and she nodded. ¡°Yeah. Head to the living room near here, I¡¯ll be with you in a bit.¡± He left the room, and Lilith moved over to her children. ¡°How are you two doing?¡± She asked. ¡°Good, mom!¡± Mai said cheerfully. ¡°We¡¯ve been good girls while you were away!¡± Aria looked up from her book. ¡°I brought her back here so we wouldn¡¯t make any more trouble for you while you were busy.¡± She explained. ¡°Thanks, Aria.¡± Lilith said, leaning down and giving her a kiss on the forehead. ¡°I¡¯m going to talk with your grandfather for a bit, then I¡¯m going to come in and tuck you two in for the night, okay?¡± ¡°Okay, mom.¡± Aria said. ¡°Promise me you won¡¯t overwork yourself, though.¡± Lilith smiled. ¡°I promise.¡± She said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the work isn¡¯t that hard.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Aria said doubtfully. ¡°It seems like pretty serious business.¡± ¡°They¡¯re nothing compared to some of the other things I¡¯ve had to deal with.¡± Lilith said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, we¡¯ll be done before you know it.¡± ¡°Yeah, mom¡¯s the strongest!¡± Mai said proudly. ¡°She beat us, there¡¯s no way some chump like this will be able to even make her sweat!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll sweat a little, but that¡¯s beside the point.¡± Lilith said, giving Mai her own kiss on the forehead. ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a few minutes, okay?¡± She left the room, and hurried over to the living room where her dad was waiting. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± She asked. ¡°Well, your mothers and I were thinking about¡­well, building our own house in that valley I mentioned.¡± He said, watching Lilith¡¯s face carefully. ¡°We were hoping to move out there, where things are a little¡­slower. We¡¯d still come visit often, of course, but we just wanted to see what being out there would be like.¡± Lilith thought about that for a long moment. ¡°It¡¯s not really my place to really have any input on this.¡± She said. ¡°If it¡¯s what you want, then I think you should go for it. Just remember that my door is always open, and you don¡¯t need to ask before you visit. You¡¯re more than welcome here at any time.¡± Mike¡¯s face broke into a relieved smile. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said, hugging her. ¡°We really do appreciate it. We¡¯ll probably start moving out after this whole Society business is done, and of course you¡¯ll always be welcome to visit us or ask for our help babysitting or whatever.¡± He stopped awkwardly, clearly not sure what to say next. ¡°I¡¯ll do that.¡± Lilith said. ¡°Could you get me the details on the location? I just want to know where it is for future reference.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to double check with your mama, but I can probably get that to you tomorrow.¡± He said. ¡°Thanks, dad.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°I love you.¡± ¡°I love you too.¡± He said. The two were silent for a moment more, then Lilith spoke up. ¡°I need to go tuck in the kids, so I¡¯ll see you tomorrow, okay?¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll see you then.¡± Chapter 95: The Last of the Leaders The next few days were something of a blur for Lilith. She fell into a pattern, one of raiding bases, dressing down governmental information agencies, and generally cleaning up the mess that was the Society. But, finally, her work seemed to be drawing to a close. She had gone through all the information agencies involved, raided all the Society strongholds, and captured the majority of the Society¡¯s leadership. The only remaining loose ends were two of the ringleaders, a man by the name of Friede, and the big one: the Society¡¯s public face, and first among equals, Inanna. Friede was sequestering himself in a bunker he thought was hidden from even his closest contacts, deep in the untamed wilds of Haven, so he wasn¡¯t an issue. Picking him up would be no more difficult than teleporting to him and grabbing him. The bunker was almost suspiciously light on magical defenses, presumably so someone scanning Haven from the sky wouldn¡¯t see large amounts of magic concentrated in an otherwise unremarkable stretch of land. Truth be told, Lilith had half a mind to just leave him there and have that be its own punishment. A life spent in isolation, living every day in fear of being found¡­it didn¡¯t sound pleasant. The only issue with it was that, eventually, he would get comfortable. If Lilith just left him there in perpetuity, he would stop fearing her, and the punishment would lose its edge. It might take years, decades, or even centuries, but that was time Friede had. Still, it was a rather attractive option, and needed no effort on Lilith¡¯s part. Perhaps¡­yes, if she just slightly modified the Watch she had set on him, she could just leave him there, and when he inevitably got comfortable, visit him and revisit the punishment then. As a bonus, it would make this tactic even more effective in the future. If, once his isolation had ended, she spread word of his punishment around, those who chose to hide from her would know that this was on the table, making them less likely to get comfortable early on in their isolation. With that decided, she only had Inanna left to deal with. Unfortunately, that was a bit trickier than Friede; Inanna had chosen to hole up in an apartment building in one of the most populated areas of Tokyo, maximizing any collateral damage that would occur if Lilith were to engage her in a fight. But Lilith didn¡¯t need to engage her in a fight. Inanna was presumably under the assumption that Lilith wouldn¡¯t be able to interact with her from the other plane that was her dungeon, but she was dead wrong. Yes, she hadn¡¯t picked up the other Society leaders that way, but they had chosen to stay in Society bunkers, which had been heavily fortified against magic. She was able to tear through those wards, yes, but not from her dungeon; being on another plane made the Mana cost for doing so prohibitively expensive, even to Lilith. And since she had to make sure that those bases were ready for the Adjudicators to come in and look through all the evidence, it had been much easier to go in person. This, however, was a different case. While the apartment Inanna was in had wards, they were residential grade, and a far cry from the industrial grade ones used in Society bases. This made removing those wards and teleporting Inanna into the dungeon a snap. And, with a couple pushes of her will, it was done, and Inanna was in the jail cell across from Lilith. ¡°Well, do you care to explain yourself?¡± She said, giving Inanna an unimpressed glare. ¡°We have plenty of time for it, after all.¡± ¡°W-what?¡± Inanna said, eyes wide. ¡°How did you ¨C¡± ¡°I stripped the building¡¯s wards and teleported you here?¡± Lilith replied. ¡°That should be fairly obvious.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re ¨C¡± ¡°On another plane entirely? And? It should have already been obvious that I¡¯m a step above anything you can handle.¡± Inanna began patting herself down, face growing increasingly worried as she wasn¡¯t able to find anything. ¡°Your possessions have already been confiscated, don¡¯t bother.¡± Lilith said. ¡°Including that little dagger of yours. I believe it should be¡­¡± Lilith paused for effect, then held out a palm, into which a dagger made of anti-Perfect Chimera material fell. ¡°Here.¡± Inanna wilted, but said nothing. ¡°So, are we going to do this the easy way or the hard way?¡± Lilith asked. ¡°And those are?¡± Inanna asked guardedly. ¡°The easy way is having you be helpful and answer my questions truthfully while I do a surface reading of your mind, and the hard way is me doing a deep read of your mind and taking everything I need by force.¡± Lilith took a deep breath before continuing. ¡°No, you aren¡¯t going to be able to deflect me, everyone tries, and everyone fails. No, your contacts will not be able to help you, I have already suitably punished every agency who formerly backed you, and no, striking any sort of plea deal is not possible. You will be punished according to the full extent of your crimes, and I will be getting what information you could offer by any means I deem necessary.¡± Lilith paused, thinking that over. ¡°Those should be all the common thoughts and questions people have, so, again, are we doing this the easy way or the hard way? Inanna grimaced. ¡°I know when I¡¯m beat. The easy way it is.¡± Lilith immediately assumed that meant Inanna was hoping to mislead Lilith with vague, technically true, statements. She wouldn¡¯t be the first to try it, and most of the time, Lilith ended up just doing deep readings of their mind anyway, but she felt it was good to give them the option. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°Very well then.¡± She said. ¡°What was your goal in annexing one of the frontier towns?¡± Inanna shrugged. ¡°We wanted to expand into being a country, and this seemed like the easiest way.¡± Lilith raised an eyebrow. She was being quite a bit more candid than any of the other Society leaders had been, and what she said had matched up with the others¡¯ stories. ¡°And why did you think you could get away with it?¡± ¡°We thought that if we framed it in such a way that it seemed that it was the will of the people, then you would think twice about interfering. We were, obviously, wrong, but it seemed like a good idea at the time.¡± ¡°And what was your plan if I did ¡®interfere¡¯? Did you seriously think you could defeat me?¡± Inanna gave another shrug. ¡°We thought we had roughly even odds, and that was a chance we were willing to take. We had enough chimerum to outfit most of our elites, and all we needed was one or two lucky hits.¡± It took Lilith a moment of digging to find that ¡°chimerum¡± referred to anti-Perfect Chimera material, but there were no other hiccups. Inanna believed everything she was saying, and her story corroborated those of her conspirators, so it seemed like everything was going smoothly. Perhaps too smoothly. Lilith couldn¡¯t bring herself to believe that someone in charge of an organization like the Society would give up so easily. ¡°Fifty-fifty odds of your organization being destroyed, and your personal life being ruined doesn¡¯t sound very good to me.¡± Lilith said. ¡°Not when you were operating as smoothly as you seemed to be.¡± ¡°Then you clearly didn¡¯t look close enough.¡± Inanna said, almost condescendingly. ¡°Things weren¡¯t going smoothly. We were bleeding power at a massive rate.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Lilith said. ¡°I see how it is. I believe, in that case, we run into a difference of opinion.¡± Inanna was likely referring to the fact that many of the Society¡¯s ¡°loyal¡± members, the ones that had been around before the Shift, had taken the opportunities provided by the massive restructuring of the world to get out of the situation they found themselves in. However, Lilith didn¡¯t see the Society as losing power. While, yes, those personnel were more likely to be stronger than the people who joined the public front of the Society, that was a temporary thing. Lilith was sure that, given another decade or two, the power disparity between the average citizen of Haven and the average citizen of Earth would shrink to nothing, and the Society would find themselves flush with manpower. The only things they would really be losing were the immediate force and the people who were less able to leave at a moment¡¯s notice. Still, if their aim was to create a country and consolidate power, Lilith thought they would be far better served by letting that process play out; it would naturally thin out those with weaker loyalties, and when the Society did make their move, they would be in a much stronger position. ¡°I fail to see what our opinions could differ on. My life¡¯s work was on the verge of destruction, something had to be done.¡± Inanna said. ¡°By what?¡± Lilith asked. ¡°As far as I¡¯ve been able to uncover, you had no evidence that anyone was targeting you, and your financial problems were created because of your heavy research into chimerum. Had you chosen to wait five or ten years, then constructed your own town, I see no reason why you wouldn¡¯t be able to establish your own country.¡± Inanna chuckled darkly. ¡°Then you¡¯re na?ve. The only reasons we weren¡¯t annexed by our backers was your decree that preexisting bodies should not come into conflict, and our status as bait. Once your decree ran out, we would have immediately been consumed by some larger agency.¡± ¡°Believe it or not, but no agency I reprimanded had any intentions of ¡°consuming¡± you. As long as you proved to be no threat, you would have been safe.¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure forming a new nation counts as being a threat.¡± Inanna said bitterly. ¡°We were stuck, and with only a few years to work with, we couldn¡¯t afford to wait while our strength dwindled. I wouldn¡¯t expect you to understand, you¡¯ve been handed everything on a silver platter. You¡¯ve never had to deal with true desperation in your life. Why I ¨C¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Lilith said flatly. ¡°As you have chosen to get vitriolic, I deem any further conversation unnecessary. I¡¯ll be looking through your mind, and your final punishment will be decided before tomorrow is over.¡± Mae, please use the spare avatar and take care of that. Lilith said. I¡¯m going to reconvene with the others and get their ideas for punishments. Understood. Mae replied, leaving their shared body and inhabiting the spare avatar. It will be done. Lilith switched places with the spare avatar, Mae having carefully posed it so the transition was as seamless as possible. When that was done, she made her way back to the nearest occupied living room, where her children and parents were watching some show on the television. ¡°Mom, did you forget something?¡± Mai asked. ¡°That was really fast.¡± ¡°No, I just didn¡¯t need to raid a base this time.¡± Lilith said. ¡°Mae is finishing the interrogation, and I came to ask your opinions on what proper punishments would be.¡± ¡°Is stripping their levels not enough?¡± Jessica asked. Lilith shook her head. ¡°No. Given time, they¡¯ll just get them back. I want something more lasting.¡± ¡°You could ask Kali to give you the ability to permanently lock someone out of the system.¡± Mike suggested. ¡°That would certainly be lasting.¡± ¡°Not really an option, sorry.¡± Kali said, walking into the room. ¡°As much as I would like that, the whole idea of the system is that everyone on a plane has access to it. Excluding even a few people is nearly as difficult as making things as separated as they were before the Shift.¡± Lilith frowned. ¡°Really? That seems kind of counterintuitive.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not really the number of people that makes this sort of thing difficult. It¡¯s opening up a hole in the system in the first place.¡± Kali explained. ¡°Once that hole is open, it¡¯s easy to keep it open, and if someone is born to someone in that hole, then they¡¯re sort of¡­automatically added, but other than that, it¡¯s hard to make someone cross the boundary, so to speak. This sort of thing is how Administrators like Jerry have planes with different systems, but that¡¯s a story for another time. So¡­yeah, long story short, that¡¯s not happening.¡± ¡°You could make them our younger siblings!¡± Mai volunteered. ¡°I¡¯ve been wanting a younger brother lately!¡± ¡°No.¡± Lilith said quickly. ¡°I¡¯m not making you any more siblings unless it¡¯s the normal way.¡± ¡°Aww.¡± Mai pouted. ¡°That¡¯s no fun.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not about fun.¡± Aria said gently. ¡°It¡¯s about not changing people¡¯s minds and personalities against their will, that¡¯s basically killing them.¡± ¡°But we ¨C¡± ¡°That was very different.¡± Aria said. ¡°That was mom¡¯s only option. And she tried to put Errus back after, since he did nothing wrong and didn¡¯t need reeducation.¡± ¡°Yeah, but I bet at least one of them needs reeducation!¡± Mai argued. ¡°What harm could it do?¡± ¡°They¡¯re not capable of leveling a country by themselves.¡± Lilith said. ¡°We won¡¯t be doing that.¡± ¡°You could always just drop them off in the wilderness to fend for themselves.¡± Siph suggested. ¡°Let them know that if they ever come back to society, they¡¯ll be stripped of their abilities and then dropped right back.¡± Lilith winced. ¡°Isn¡¯t that kind of brutal? That¡¯s effectively just leaving them to die. If we¡¯re doing that, I might as well just kill them myself, and I¡¯d rather not do that unless we really can¡¯t think of any other options.¡± Siph shrugged. ¡°Maybe drop them off in pairs, then? They¡¯ll have companionship that way, and they¡¯ll be less likely to die.¡± Lilith mulled that over for a few moments. ¡°That¡¯ll do, for now.¡± She said. ¡°But in the future, I¡¯m going to need to think up some more punishments.¡± She grabbed Kali¡¯s hand and towed her over to the couch. ¡°We¡¯ll deal with that tomorrow, though. For now, let¡¯s enjoy some family time. What are you guys watching?¡± Chapter 96: Banishing from Society ¡°Don¡¯t do this, Mai.¡± Aria said, blocking the door to their room. ¡°This is wrong.¡± ¡°They deserve it!¡± Mai protested. ¡°And, as a wise man once said, it¡¯s better to ask forgiveness than permission!¡± ¡°You already asked for permission and were denied.¡± Aria said. ¡°And it¡¯s not always better to ask for forgiveness than permission.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m doing it.¡± Mai said. ¡°I want a little brother, and I¡¯m not taking no for an answer! They¡¯re not tough, so they¡¯re just going to die out there anyway, I¡¯m saving a life! Now, move aside, or I¡¯m gonna be forced to move you.¡± Aria grit her teeth. ¡°No. I¡¯m not moving.¡± ¡°What are you going to do about it?¡± Mai asked. ¡°We both know I¡¯m stronger than you.¡± ¡°I¡­I¡­¡± Aria stuttered. Mai was right, but Aria wasn¡¯t going to move aside just like that. Errus? She asked. Can you hear me? I can hear you. Errus replied instantly. I can help you here if you would like, but I would recommend calling for your mother instead. Can¡­can you help me keep her at bay while mom comes? Yes. She may be stronger than you, but she can¡¯t do a lot in the state she is now. Would you mind if I took control of your body for just this moment? I¡¯ll give it back the moment your mother gets here. Or, if you would rather, I can just give you advice while you fight. Um, please do. Aria said. I don¡¯t think I¡¯d do well, even with advice. Got it. There was an odd sensation, like permission was being asked of Aria. She hesitated for only a moment before giving that permission, and suddenly someone else was moving her body. ¡°We¡¯re not moving.¡± Errus said flatly. ¡°This is unacceptable behavior, and you know it.¡± Mai groaned. ¡°Did you really just call out Errus?¡± She whined. ¡°Why? This isn¡¯t a big deal!¡± Aria ignored her, instead reaching out for her mother. Mom? She ventured. After a second, she got a reply. Aria? Lilith instructed. Is everything alright? I need you in our room. Aria replied. It¡¯s an emergency. Mai¡¯s trying to go to the prisoners and make one our little brother. I¡¯m on my way. How are things over there? I had Errus come out because it looked like Mai was going to try and force me out of the way. Errus, if you can hear me, stand down. Lilith instructed. I¡¯ll be able to catch Mai before she can make it to the prisoners, and I don¡¯t want Aria getting hurt. I understand. Errus said. Thank you. ¡°Well, if you¡¯re not going to say anything then I¡¯m coming through.¡± Mai said, advancing on Aria. ¡°Whether that old man helps or not, I can still beat you in a fight.¡± Errus sighed, then stepped away. ¡°Very well.¡± Mai stopped in her tracks. ¡°After all that?¡± She asked. ¡°You¡¯re just letting me go, after all that blustering?" ¡°I won¡¯t let Aria get hurt for this if I can help it.¡± Errus replied. ¡°Besides, my job is done.¡± ¡°Wha ¨C¡± The door to their room flew open, revealing a very cross Lilith. ¡°Mai, what are you doing?¡± She asked sternly. ¡°N-nothing, mom!¡± Alright, I¡¯m going back to sleep. Errus said. Don¡¯t hesitate to call if you need me. Thank you, Errus. Aria replied. I appreciate it. Any time. With that, Aria was once again alone in her body, and she could focus back in on the conversation. ¡°I was just¡­getting a drink!¡± Mai protested. ¡°That¡¯s all!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think there are any drinking fountains in the prison area.¡± Lilith said dryly. ¡°Mai, you¡¯re grounded.¡± ¡°What?!¡± She wailed. ¡°But I¡¯m not doing anything wrong! They¡¯re going to die anyway, so what¡¯s the harm in making one of them our little brother?!¡± ¡°They will not necessarily die.¡± Lilith said. ¡°That is something that is up to them. There is a real possibility that they survive.¡± ¡°But they¡¯re not like us!¡± Mai argued. ¡°They¡¯re weak! How are they going to live out there?!¡± ¡°They¡¯ll find a way, or they¡¯ll die.¡± Lilith said calmly. ¡°But that¡¯s not for you to decide. It is incorrect to assume that they will die because they are not Perfect Chimeras. Furthermore, making someone my child as a punishment is something that would hurt my position if it ever got out. And, above all that, it¡¯s just wrong. It¡¯s¡­like a worse way of killing people.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t get it.¡± Mai said frustratedly. ¡°They¡¯re still alive, so why is it worse? It should be better!¡± ¡°Because people are like that.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°I¡¯m sure there are a lot of people that would agree with you, but I believe many would rather die as themselves, especially if living meant becoming someone that disagreed with everything you stood for.¡± ¡°But¡­but¡­you¡¯re right, so it¡¯s okay to make them think like you! That¡¯s what you¡¯re doing with me and Aria, right?!¡± ¡°Like I said earlier, you two are special.¡± Lilith said. ¡°You¡¯re too important to let die. With Aria, she deserved to be set back to how she was before, and with you it was the most fitting thing to do.¡± Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. She paused briefly. ¡°But we can talk about this later. I¡¯m going to lock you in here for the rest of the night, and if I even get so much as a hint of you trying to escape, you¡¯re going to be grounded for another month, understood?¡± ¡°But ¨C¡± ¡°No buts.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°Go to bed.¡± She turned to Aria, then squatted down and patted her head. ¡°Thanks for letting me know,¡± She said, ¡°but if something like this happens in the future you don¡¯t need to try and block her or anything, okay? Just let me know and I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± ¡°Yes, mom.¡± Aria said obediently. ¡°Good girl. Now you go to bed too, okay?¡± And with that she left the room and the door shimmered before vanishing altogether. ¡°Why did you have to do that?¡± Mai huffed. ¡°Now I¡¯m grounded, and we don¡¯t get a brother.¡± ¡°Mom would have caught you anyway.¡± Aria replied, climbing into bed. ¡°We¡¯re literally inside of her. Why did you think you could get away with it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sneaky!¡± Mai said. ¡°She doesn¡¯t catch me when I sneak bread out of the kitchen at night!¡± Aria rolled her eyes. ¡°Do you think no one notices that some of the bread is missing?¡± She asked. ¡°Raphi and Emily will, if no one else does. I think mom just doesn¡¯t care enough to talk to you about it.¡± She pulled the covers over her head. ¡°Now, I¡¯m going to bed, good night.¡± ¡°Fine, I¡¯m angry at you anyway.¡± Mai replied. Getting into her own bed. There was no further conversation, so Aria soon found herself drifting off to sleep.
Lilith snapped a finger, transporting the prisoners from their various cells to the room she was in. ¡°It is time for your punishments.¡± She said icily. ¡°Given the circumstances, I have decided that a suitable punishment would be to banish all of you.¡± The prisoners began to murmur, but Lilith held up a hand, activating a spell that would silence them. ¡°This is not up for debate. I¡¯m sure some of you are wondering how a banishment would work in this day and age, and the answer is that I will be sending each of you to the far-flung reaches of Haven, far from any sort of civilization.¡± She waved a hand, and Nuwa grew enclosures out of the floor, splitting the prisoners into pairs. ¡°The person you have been paired with will be the only other person you are allowed contact with, and will be teleported to the same location as you. Now, I¡¯m going to open the floor for questions regarding the details of this punishment, but know that if you ask about anything not related to the punishment, or try to argue about the details, I will teleport you away immediately. Now, questions?¡± ¡°What about our families¡± A man asked. ¡°What about them?¡± Lilith replied, raising an eyebrow. ¡°They haven¡¯t done anything wrong, for the most part.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t they going to wonder what happened to us?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯ll be releasing an official statement containing your identities and the punishments I¡¯ve given; they will know exactly what happened to you. If you¡¯re worried about them, you should have thought about that before you broke my rules.¡± ¡°What if civilization comes to us?¡± Another person asked. ¡°Will you kill us then?¡± ¡°As long as you did not somehow instigate it, no. Do not get your hopes up, however; you are far enough away that, at the rate things are going, I anticipate it taking centuries or more for people to get to the point where they are settling the areas I will be sending you.¡± There was a long silence before another person spoke up. ¡°How dangerous are the places we¡¯re being sent to?¡± Lilith shrugged. ¡°I didn¡¯t pay too much attention, but you can assume they¡¯re highly dangerous. I fully expect many of you to die in the coming years, so take that as you will.¡± There was another outburst of murmuring, and fear flashed across the faces of some of the people. ¡°I don¡¯t care if you stay with the person I partnered you with or not, just keep in mind that splitting up may or may not affect your odds of survival. That being said, I believe that¡¯s about everything important, so I¡¯ll be sending you off now.¡± She waved a hand, and teleported the first pair out. She followed this up by doing the same for six other groups, then turned to the one remaining person, Inanna. There had been an odd number of ringleaders, so Lilith had chosen to make Inanna the odd one out. ¡°Well, what are you waiting for?¡± Inanna spat. ¡°Teleport me out of here and let¡¯s be done with it.¡± ¡°Well, someone¡¯s eager.¡± Lilith said. ¡°I actually have an offer for you, if you care to hear it.¡± Inanna paused, clearly thinking that over. ¡°I suppose I¡¯m listening.¡± She admitted. ¡°Become one of the Adjudicators.¡± Lilith said flatly. ¡°If you do, I¡¯ll spare you any further punishment.¡± Inanna frowned. ¡°Come again?¡± ¡°I said become one of the Adjudicators.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°No other punishment required.¡± Inanna¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°Where¡¯s the catch?¡± ¡°What makes you think there¡¯s a catch?¡± Lilith asked innocently. ¡°The fact that you just sentenced everyone else to death?¡± Inanna said sarcastically. ¡°Please, I¡¯m not stupid. What exactly does becoming an Adjudicator mean?¡± Lilith smirked. ¡°I give the Adjudicators¡­special enhancements to make them suitable for their roles, as well as to ensure their loyalty. I will admit that I haven¡¯t tried the process on a person yet, but the odds of survival are almost certainly higher than sending you to the wilderness.¡± Lilith carefully probed Inanna¡¯s thoughts as she considered the situation. She was weighing her options, judging the likelihood of survival if she was sent out to the wilderness and comparing it to Lilith¡¯s brainwashing. It took her a few minutes, but in the end, she decided it was better to die in the wilderness than it was to live under the thumb of her enemy, even if she could probably escape Lilith¡¯s brainwashing eventually. She was, of course, underestimating Lilith¡¯s capabilities again, but Lilith wasn¡¯t about to point that out. ¡°I¡¯ll go to the wilderness.¡± Inanna said. ¡°None of that Adjudicator stuff.¡± ¡°Very well then.¡± Lilith replied, waving a hand and teleporting Inanna away. As soon as she had done so, Eve piped up in her mind. What was that?! She asked. I thought we were just sending her alone, none of that offer business! Didn¡¯t we just tell Mai we weren¡¯t going to brainwash and transform the prisoners? I had the idea and figured I¡¯d give her the option. If she chose that option, then the resulting brainwashing would be her own choice. And this situation is different from making her our child anyway; people get forced into community service all the time, this is just another version of that, except for people who would die anyway. Making her our kid is just too¡­personal. Whatever. Eve said. She didn¡¯t accept so it doesn¡¯t really matter anyway. Just consult with us first next time, okay? You nearly gave me a heart attack there. Sorry, it was spur of the moment. Next time I¡¯ll let you know. Good. Lilith made her way back to her room, where she let out a huge sigh and flopped onto her bed, next to Kali and Alex. ¡°That was tiring.¡± She said. ¡°But I think that¡¯s the last big thing we need to take care of for a while, right?¡± ¡°I believe so.¡± Kali said, grabbing Lilith¡¯s hand. ¡°Good job out there.¡± Alex shyly followed suit, grabbing Lilith¡¯s other hand. ¡°Um¡­yeah. What was with that last bit with Inanna, though?¡± ¡°Just an idea I had.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°You know, kinda like what we did with Elenoa except more severe. It¡¯s not really important.¡± ¡°If you say so.¡± Alex said. ¡°So¡­what now?¡± Lilith asked. ¡°TV?¡± Kali ventured. ¡°Sure, but I mean¡­in general.¡± Lilith said. ¡°After I put out that announcement, everything seems to be going smoothly, right? So¡­what do we do?¡± Kali giggled. ¡°Nothing. We just sit here and wait until something happens that needs our intervention, or we want to make a change or something.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Lilith said. ¡°I was expecting¡­more.¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯re probably still gonna need to train, but other than that¡­nope, that¡¯s it.¡± Kali said. ¡°That¡¯s the lot of people like us, we have times where we have to do a whole bunch in a short period of time, followed by a long, long time where we do nothing. But¡­you know, I am meeting with a few other Administrators in a few weeks, and you mentioned wanting to go to one of those, right? Either of you want to come?¡± ¡°Sounds like fun.¡± Lilith said. ¡°I¡¯ll pass.¡± Alex said. ¡°I¡¯m not really big into Administrator stuff, and I¡¯m not totally comfortable meeting others, yet. I think I¡¯d rather just stay at home and keep an eye on things here.¡± ¡°Sounds good.¡± Kali said. ¡°So¡­until then, TV?¡± ¡°TV is good.¡± Lilith confirmed. So, she let herself relax, content in the company of her girlfriends. There would come a day where she was needed again, but¡­for the time being, she was free to take her mind off things. Holiday Special 2022 Part 1 Lilith had just finished playing a game with her daughters, and was in the process of getting up from the couch when she suddenly found herself in formal party wear, standing next to Kali. ¡°Ah. Looks like it¡¯s time again.¡± Kali said. ¡°What¡¯s the plan? I¡¯m willing to do whatever, but I¡¯m guessing the party might have other plans.¡± ¡°I get the feeling that I should go look for the people I hung out with last time.¡± Lilith said. ¡°Sorry. Hopefully next time we¡¯ll be able to be together.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Kali said, giving Lilith a quick kiss. ¡°It¡¯s not like it¡¯s your fault, I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a reason.¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably this girl named Lia.¡± Lilith replied, scratching the back of her neck. ¡°The poor thing was hopelessly out of her depth and scared and confused. I think a full Administrator being around might short-circuit her.¡± ¡°Oh, right, her.¡± Kali said. ¡°Yeah, I talked with Jerry a bit about her last time, and if she¡¯s only a year or two removed from where she was, it¡¯s best not to overwhelm her. Now¡­I think everyone¡¯s this way, let¡¯s go say hi!¡± Kali towed her over to a group of people that included just about everyone she had been with the last party, as well as a few more. And, now that Lilith had seen how they looked in the present, she had to agree with Kali¡¯s assessment ¨C Tess and her party were cute as kids. Well, not kids, but young adults who were still getting used to their new roles in life. It seemed that Rose and Lia had just gotten there as well, as they were giving their greetings.. ¡°Good to see you again.¡± Rose said. ¡°It¡¯s only been a few days for us, how long has it been for you?¡± Ellie shrugged. ¡°A few months, I think?¡± ¡°A couple of years for me.¡± Lilith said, walking up to them. ¡°Pleasure meeting you all again.¡± ¡°Maven!¡± Kali said delightedly, rushing over to them. ¡°I believe this is your first time meeting me!¡± Maven frowned. ¡°You look¡­familiar. Have I seen you before?¡± Kali smiled. ¡°Probably in your family¡¯s portrait gallery. I think they still have one of me floating around there somewhere.¡± ¡°Yup.¡± Amara said. ¡°Though no one but us older folks really remember who you are.¡± ¡°It¡¯d be more troublesome if they did, really.¡± Kali said, then turned back to Maven. ¡°I¡¯m Kali, and I was second in line to Paumen¡¯s throne ten or so generations before Amara.¡± She explained. ¡°I never had kids or anything, I ended up becoming a sort of intern Administrator for Amy, then graduated to being a full-time Administrator of my own universe. I¡¯m actually the one Amy is running Mael to help out with.¡± Maven blinked. ¡°I¡­think I remember Grandmother mentioning you. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.¡± Kali laughed. ¡°I forgot how stiff you were back in the day.¡± She said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll meet for real soon, at least for you. I¡¯m from fifty or sixty years in your future, so I¡¯ve already met you, and I¡¯d say we¡¯ve grown relatively close. As close as we can be when I live in an entirely different universe, anyway.¡± ¡°Speaking of,¡± Lilith said, ¡°I actually met the future you since we last had this party. You¡¯re a little different than you are now, but also the same in many ways. It¡¯s mostly being more experienced and confident, but there are a¡­couple major differences.¡± ¡°Like?¡± Ellie prompted. ¡°Well, all three of you are married, for one.¡± Lilith said, holding back a smirk as she watched Maven¡¯s face. ¡°To each other.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Maven blurted out. ¡°But¡­I¡­I am not even attracted to women!¡± Lilith laughed. ¡°I¡¯m just pulling your chain.¡± She said. ¡°I¡¯m not going to say more than that, though, seriously talking about the future is frowned upon at these events. It puts a damper on the party, apparently. But I¡¯m getting ahead of myself. I¡¯m Lilith, Kali¡¯s wife and her only Higher Being. I¡¯m planning on hanging out with you guys again for the rest of the night, if that¡¯s good with you.¡± ¡°I was assuming we would.¡± Ellie said. ¡°And Rose and Lia, as well.¡± ¡°Um, yeah.¡± Lia said awkwardly. ¡°Not sure what else I would be doing, really. And, um, I¡¯m Lia, no one really special in comparison to all of you.¡± Rose patted Lia gently on the back. ¡°The very fact that we¡¯re here with them means that, at the very least, this party considers us to be as important as they are.¡± ¡°And to be honest, that¡¯s probably a better indication of your true status than anything else.¡± Jerry said, stroking his chin thoughtfully. ¡°This party is¡­as close to omniscient and omnipotent as anything I¡¯ve ever seen, and if it wants you to hang out with these people, it probably means you would either fit in well with them or are involved with each other in some way unknown to us in reality. You¡¯d be surpri ¨C ack!¡± Jerry was cut off as a trolley nimbly rolled through the crowd, swerving around people without spilling anything or hitting anyone, all to strike Jerry in the side of the knee. ¡°Fine, fine, I get it.¡± He grumbled. ¡°I¡¯ll go enjoy myself somewhere else. You¡¯re always like this, can¡¯t you¡­¡± His voice was quickly lost in the background chatter as he began walking away from the group. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°And he¡¯s always like that.¡± Kali chuckled. ¡°But I need to get going as well, you guys have fun tonight!¡± She too, left, leaving the six of them alone ¡°Well, I¡¯ll go reserve us a table, like last time.¡± Lilith said. ¡°I¡¯m assuming everyone¡¯s fine with getting food, right?¡± ¡°Seeing as how the three of us were conveniently plucked away from our lives just before dinner, I would assume so.¡± Ellie said. ¡°We¡¯re the same.¡± Rose confirmed. ¡°You can generally assume everyone at one of these parties will be hungry at the beginning. And, if you¡¯re wondering, I don¡¯t think you need to worry about watching what you eat here, since every time I returned, I was just as hungry as when I left.¡± Lilith gave a nod, then created another body, purposefully choosing to do so by creating it as she stepped backwards, giving the illusion that she just stepped backwards out of her own flesh. To her satisfaction, even Maven and Rose seemed a little unnerved at the sight, and she couldn¡¯t help but smirk as she headed off towards the dining tables. She found an open table pretty quickly, sat her main body down in it, and sent her consciousness over to the body she had just created. Finding her group of people was likewise simple, though that was thanks in no small part to Rose; the tall green woman was easy to pick out in a crowd, so Lilith just focused on her and found the rest of the group not far behind, in the midst of some conversation. ¡°I think it was another eldritch thing.¡± Rose said. ¡°I haven¡¯t actually met any, but it seems like they¡¯re closer to full-fledged people of their own than they are alternate personalities. Even if they aren¡¯t, she seems remarkably stable, and none of the Administrators seem to think anything¡¯s wrong, so she¡¯s probably fine.¡± ¡°She¡¯s not gonna try and hurt anyone, if you¡¯re worried about that.¡± Lia said, piling some shrimp onto a plate. ¡°For a Lord of Monsters, she¡¯s very friendly.¡± ¡°Technically, I¡¯m not the one in charge of that.¡± Lilith said, finally walking up to them. ¡°That¡¯s Eve. She¡¯s a bit more feisty, but she¡¯s a nice enough girl once you learn to read between the lines and listen to what she means, not what she¡¯s saying.¡± ¡°Another of your personalities, yes?¡± Maven asked. ¡°How do you manage those?¡± Lilith shrugged. ¡°They¡¯ve all got their own bodies, they¡¯re basically separate people, even if we generally share all our senses all the time. Aside from that, the only thing that really separates me from them is that if I die, they all die too. They all still treat me like the ¡®main personality¡¯, but after so long of them being their own thing, that feels silly. Still, they insist, so I¡¯m not gonna push them too hard on it.¡± ¡°That is a fascinating way of life.¡± Maven said. ¡°It makes mine look dull by comparison.¡± ¡°You can say it¡¯s weird.¡± Lilith smirked, hearing the hesitation in Maven¡¯s voice. ¡°I fully embrace that fact, being out of the norm is kind of my schtick. I am well aware that I am maybe the only person in existence who lives like this.¡± Maven blushed, turning away. ¡°Even so, you are my aunt, and I should show you at least a little respect.¡± Lilith blinked. She hadn¡¯t quite put that together yet; it felt a little strange to be called the aunt of someone who was older than her, and she certainly didn¡¯t feel like an aunt. ¡°Oh yeah!¡± Ellie interjected. ¡°You said Kali¡¯s your wife! When did you two tie the knot?¡± ¡°A year or so ago.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°Maven and Amara were there, actually. Or¡­will be there, for you guys? Time is weird.¡± They continued making small talk as they dished up, and then Lilith led them back to a table where her main body was sitting. Lilith set her tray down in front of her main body, and then sat down, melting her spare body into her main body and transferring her consciousness back. ¡°So, any exciting developments since we last spoke? We¡¯ve talked about me getting married, of course, anything comparable for you all?¡± ¡°I¡­met Jerry for real for the first time.¡± Lia said. ¡°It¡¯s given me a lot to think about.¡± ¡°I bet.¡± Lilith replied, spearing a piece of ham, but not eating it yet. ¡°I was a lot less surprised than I should have been when I learned about everything, but that¡¯s reincarnation for you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re reincarnated?¡± Maven asked. ¡°Kind of.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°I have no memories of my past life, but it comes back to me in the form of emotions. Plus, I look the same as I used to, minus all the¡­chimeric traits.¡± ¡°May I assume you were someone important, then? May I ask who?¡± ¡°Kali¡¯s lover, a succubus who also went by Lilith.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°Honestly, there¡¯s a chance you can still meet her, she¡¯s still¡­not alive, but exists as a soul in your time. And don¡¯t feel bad that she¡¯s¡­gone, either; I apparently have her old personality, and she went into this fully expecting this outcome. I¡¯m sure that, given the choice, she¡¯d do it again in a heartbeat. I would if I were in her situation, so I think it¡¯s safe to assume she would as well.¡± Lia groaned. ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad I¡¯m not you.¡± She said. ¡°Your life seems way too complicated for me. At least my goal is straightforward. Take over the world by any means necessary. No politicking, no memories of past lives, just¡­doing things.¡± ¡°I hate to burst your bubble, but memories of past lives play a pivotal role in our operation.¡± Rose pointed out. ¡°What?¡± Lia asked, taken aback. ¡°Oh, right. Sorry, I meant my memories, or memories that would conflict with being raised from birth instead of just poofed back into existence. You know, that sort of thing.¡± ¡°Well, I, for one, am happy to be neither of you.¡± Ellie said. ¡°You two seem to be in charge, and from what I¡¯ve gathered from Maven, it¡¯s not particularly pleasant at the top.¡± ¡°I¡¯m only at the top in spirit.¡± Lilith felt the need to point out. ¡°I don¡¯t have any administrative oversight or anything, I just get to do what I want and occasionally step in and bonk people who are being naughty.¡± ¡°I presume that, by ¡®bonk¡¯, you mean using force to punish egregious lawbreakers?¡± Maven asked. ¡°In that respect, your work is not quite so different from our own. In fact¡­I cannot help but wonder, if we were to fight, which of us would come out on top. Your universe is rather low-powered, and ours is one of the highest-powered, yes?¡± ¡°Yup. That being said, there¡¯s no chance you guys can put up a fight against me.¡± Lilith said, giving Maven and her party a quick look. ¡°From what I¡¯ve seen, you just don¡¯t have enough power or versatility to match what I can output. Not yet, anyway; your future selves are a significantly different story.¡± ¡°I¡¯m used to always having lower stats.¡± Tess said. ¡°And I¡¯m specifically built to get over that hurdle. I¡¯m sure I could give you some challenge.¡± Lilith raised a brow. Tess¡¯s future self had complimented Lilith and said she wasn¡¯t sure she would win in a fight; there was no way her old, barely trained self would put up significant resistance. ¡°Bold words. Perhaps, after dinner, we should put those to the test? I¡¯m sure there¡¯s some sort of safe arena we can use here.¡± ¡°There is.¡± Rose confirmed. ¡°And I must admit, I find myself intrigued by this fight; I would love to see what you¡¯re truly capable of.¡± ¡°That settles it, then.¡± Tess said. ¡°You and me, after this, we¡¯ll go have a duel. No stakes, just a friendly spar.¡± Lilith grinned. ¡°I could use a little exercise. And who knows? Maybe you¡¯ll surprise me.¡± She began eating her dinner in earnest, watching in amusement as Tess seemed to get progressively colder feet about the whole thing. She¡¯d have to make sure to go a little easy on her so as not to hurt her pride too much, but the fight was sure to be fun. Holiday Special 2022 Part 2 Lilith stared Tess down, letting her intimidation auras leak out a small amount. She could tell that Tess was feeling the pressure, and she just wanted to spook her, not throw her off of the fight entirely, so she made sure to not overdo it. Lilith¡¯s suit faded away into a casual shirt and shorts, while her pistols materialized on her waist. For her part, a set of long, gleaming claws slid out of Tess¡¯s fingers, and her suit melted into a slightly less formal but still sharp-looking suit, one that Lilith could tell was a pretty good set of armor. ¡°Um¡­begin?¡± Lia ventured, voice crackling to life over the speakers. ¡°They can hear me, right?¡± ¡°We can hear you, Lia.¡± Lilith said, studying Tess carefully. ¡°Tess, would you rather I made the first move, or you?¡± Tess¡¯s expression grew determined, and she started to gather Mana and Stamina around herself, focusing on her claws in particular. Lilith waited patiently until, finally, Tess rushed for Lilith and let loose a roar, one that dug into Lilith¡¯s psyche and tried to scare her stiff. Tried, but didn¡¯t succeed. Lilith was able to easily rebuff the mental attack, watching as a line of Mana connected Tess to a spot in space directly in front of Lilith, the exact location wavering slightly as Tess¡¯s intended location shifted. Lilith prepared herself for the attack, pre-emptively growing a tentacle to ensnare the arm that Tess was already moving. And, sure enough, moments later Tess appeared at the end of the line of Mana, in perfect position for Lilith to restrict her movements with the tentacle. ¡°Not bad.¡± Lilith said, noting the line of Mana already leaving Tess and heading towards another spot. ¡°You¡¯re a lot faster than I had thought you were going to be. I suppose that just goes to show the difference in our worlds¡¯ strengths.¡± Tess teleported away, and Lilith followed at the same moment, adjusting her tentacle so she caught Tess in the new position. ¡°FYI, I can sense where you¡¯re going to appear.¡± Lilith informed Tess. ¡°I ¨C¡± Tess slashed down at the tentacle connecting the two, and the claws seemed to pass through it, leaving behind a chaotic cloud of roiling Mana in their wake. It bubbled inside of Lilith for a moment before exploding, severing Lilith¡¯s tentacle and attempting to inflict all sorts of nasty side-effects in the process. Fortunately, Lilith had long since made a point of getting every status immunity she could possibly think of, as well as as many general resistance buffs she could find; though the statuses seemed far more potent than normal, Lilith was able to dodge the vast majority of them. ¡°Ow.¡± Lilith said, more for the sake of saying something than an actual expression of pain. ¡°Looks like I was underestimating you a little.¡± She reached down for her pistols, twirling one of them about her fingers as she did. ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t going to be able to give me a real fight until you were older and more trained.¡± It still didn¡¯t seem like Tess would be that big of an obstacle, but Lilith played it up for her sake; there was no point in injuring her pride further than her defeat would already. Silky, Isabella, distract her! Tess ordered mentally. Lilith had already neatly inserted herself into Tess¡¯s mind to scan for just this type of communication, allowing her knowledge of exactly what Tess intended. I¡¯m going to need to land more of those if we want to win! Tess continued, seemingly unaware of Lilith¡¯s eavesdropping. Yes, Mistress! Another voice replied. As it did, a spider crawled out of Tess¡¯s clothes and made a leap for the ground, one which Lilith intercepted with a bullet. She might not have had Mae there to run the calculations and perfect her aim, but Lilith was more than capable of landing the shot in such a calm environment. As the bullet landed, the spider was thrown away by the impact, corpse disappearing in mid-flight. ¡°Sorry, didn¡¯t think she could ¨C eh?¡± The spider¡¯s voice came in through the speakers. ¡°Wait, how¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, Silky!¡± Tess yelled. ¡°You did your best!¡± The moment she said that she withdrew in on herself, commiserating with her other summoned monster. Isabella, new plan, focus on defense. We lose if one of those hits me. We¡¯ll have to ¨C Lilith fired a warning shot, aiming just inches away from Tess¡¯s arm. ¡°Fight¡¯s still going!¡± Lilith said. ¡°I gave you that bit to recover since that whole speaker thing was a bit of a surprise, but I can¡¯t give you all day!¡± A wall of earth appeared between Tess and Lilith, and Tess began running away, trying to use the wall as cover for her retreat. Mountain out of a Molehill, now. It¡¯ll only buy us a little time, but I need to think, we can¡¯t approach this blindly. The earth around Lilith rumbled as a mound of earth erupted, forming a sphere that enclosed Tess inside. Lilith strolled leisurely towards it, keeping a careful watch on Tess using her expanded senses. And, as Lilith shifted into a worm to dig through the earth, the atmosphere¡­changed. Another presence entered Tess¡¯s head, and Lilith metaphorically slunk to the side, keeping her tampering as out of sight as possible. The new presence was clearly a Higher Being, Tess¡¯s patron god, if Lilith were to guess. Never fear, Fortune is here! The new presence proclaimed. What? Tess asked. But you weren¡¯t ¨C I just got summoned here and I have a vague idea of what¡¯s going on. I¡¯m going to Descend, alright? Please do! The atmosphere charged itself even further as Tess and Fortune activated their Descent, and Lilith could feel the laws of reality warp around them, bending themselves to the two girls¡¯ wills. So, I¡¯m assuming our opponent has Worship, right? Fortune asked. Yes. She¡¯s a Higher Being, with some sort of extra thing kind of like Monster Breeder tagged on? To be honest, I¡¯m a little fuzzy with the details. Is she from ¨C Lilith didn¡¯t let her finish her sentence, choosing that moment to burrow out of the wall and shift back to her normal form. Tess? Fortune said. Yeah? Tess replied. We¡¯re going to lose. What?! I can¡¯t beat her. She¡¯s highly resistant to status effects, and my probability manipulation is going to work at greatly reduced effectiveness. I¡¯m not built for combat, and she¡¯s built especially for combat. ¡°Oh, is this the god you¡¯re work for?¡± Lilith asked, feigning curiosity. ¡°Pleased to meet you, my name¡¯s Lilith.¡± ¡°Likewise.¡± Fortune said, using Tess¡¯s mouth to speak. ¡°I¡¯m Fortune. I don¡¯t suppose there¡¯s any chance of you going easy on us?¡± Lilith flashed her a smile. ¡°I¡¯m only using as much strength as I feel is necessary to win, if that counts.¡± ¡°Good enough, I suppose. Let¡¯s go, then.¡± As she finished speaking, the structural integrity of the hill they were inside of failed, a crack spreading out from the tunnel that Lilith had made, followed shortly by the complete collapse of the hill. A small circle around Tess was left untouched by the soil, and Tess began to run backwards through it. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re kind of like Isa.¡± Lilith said, burrowing through the soil that had fallen on top of her. ¡°Annoying, that. Suppose we¡¯re going to be doing hand to hand combat, then.¡± She reluctantly tucked away her guns and rushed forward, taking care to avoid loose patches of soil that spontaneously appeared wherever she was going to step. Probability manipulators were annoying, but Lilith had gotten somewhat used to them thanks to Isa. Isa¡¯s fighting style revolved around causing as much chaos as possible and using a combination of almost every single luck-enhancing ability around to heavily skew that chaos in her favor. Fortunately, Lilith¡¯s innate Worship provided her with a solid resistance to those types of effects, so she was able to work around them much easier than she should have been able to. It didn¡¯t stop ranged attacks becoming untenable, but it was not the game-ender it would otherwise have been. Tess and Fortune cast small spells to harry Lilith as they began to focus their Mana and Stamina on their claws once again, and a storm rolled in from seemingly nowhere. As Lilith neared the two, the hair on her body stood up, and she quickly transformed herself into rubber to disperse the energy of the coming lightning as much as possible. It still hurt a little, Worship infused attacks tended to do that, but it was completely manageable for her as she covered herself in a carapace and turned her arm into a cudgel which she swung down at Tess. Tess took the attack on a claw, a sharp crack filling the air as the two weapons met. Lilith was somewhat surprised by the resistance the claws put up, but after only a moment they cracked and then shattered, the pieces of claw all flying towards Lilith instead of taking the trajectories they rightfully should have taken. Lilith caught them with her cudgel, then activated Zoan¡¯s Barrier just in time for Tess and Fortune to swing their remaining claws at Lilith. There was an awful screech as they claws hit the barrier, and Tess and Fortune stopped for a second, their own mana beginning to boil inside of their body. And then it burst, and Tess erupted into a pillar of flame. She staggered backwards, the flame absorbing into some other ability while she ripped a wriggling parasite out of a large gash in her arm. The atmosphere changed once again as four additional presences began to enter the field, and an unpleasant writhing sensation began underneath Lilith¡¯s skin. And, as they fully materialized, Ellie appeared between Tess and Lilith, while Maven was a ways behind both of her party members. Both of the newcomers were sharing their heads with a god, and Ellie raised a hand, a small pulse of Mana ringing out and completely healing Tess. ¡°Oh?¡± Lilith said, arching a brow. ¡°More of you?¡± ¡°We wanted to see a fairer fight.¡± Ellie said, a stern man¡¯s voice audible just below her own. ¡°And the four of us are apparently the ticket. Maven, Dungeons, don¡¯t forget that Lilith is a dungeon herself!¡± ¡°Yeah, we weren¡¯t forgetting anytime soon.¡± Maven and her god responded, face screwed up in concentration. ¡°One problem with that, we can¡¯t do anything to her!¡± The writhing sensation intensified, and Lilith had to use more willpower than she would have liked to keep it under control. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re doing things to me alright.¡± Lilith said. ¡°This is supremely uncomfortable.¡± She teleported a short distance away, pulling out her pistols and beginning to change them into something with a bit more punch. ¡°Alright then¡­I doubt this will work, but it¡¯s worth a shot.¡± She finished her modifications, then fired both pistols, one at Tess, the other at Maven. The modifications she made resulted in a large boom as the bullets left the barrels, hurtling towards their targets. As Lilith had expected, Ellie was already trying to intercept the bullet meant for Tess, concentrating her Mana on her shield and drawing the bullet slightly towards it. The shot aimed for Maven went wide thanks to Tess and Fortune¡¯s meddling, but that wasn¡¯t really the point; while Ellie still had her projectile attraction ability going, Lilith fired a third shot at her before slamming her guns together and morphing them into a huge rifle. The bullet intended for Ellie struck true, flying through Ellie¡¯s shield and embedding itself in her arm, where it ruptured, the material greedily converting Ellie¡¯s blood into more of itself, spreading through her veins like a wildfire. She didn¡¯t let that happen for long, though, sending out another small pulse of Mana and fully expelling the material from her body, letting it rip through the skin only for her flesh to knit itself back together again. What can we even do here? Tess asked Fortune. I think we¡¯re the wincon. Fortune replied. ¡°Ellie, Life, heal us in five seconds!¡± She shouted, bringing a clawed hand up to her throat before slicing it open. Suddenly, the bleeding stopped, and a huge source of Mana welled up within Tess, and then Ellie let out another pulse of healing, and Tess was all fixed up again. But those few seconds were enough for Lilith to finish her gun modifications, and she fired a shot at Ellie, aiming to kill her in one fell swoop and cut off any further healing. There was a flash of blinding light and a massive boom, and then the miniature cannonball that was the bullet impacted Ellie¡¯s shield, crumpling it up and driving it into Ellie¡¯s body, sending them flying just over ten yards backwards. And yet, Ellie lived, standing up shakily and healing herself as she cast off her shield. ¡°You¡¯re still alive?¡± Lilith said, surprised. ¡°Impress ¨C¡± She was cut off as the writhing sensation under her skin suddenly intensified and her form began to destabilize. And, just as it seemed that she was going to have to designate a much more significant portion of her attention just to get hirself under control, her Parallels appeared, and the added mental strength of Mae, Nuwa, and Eve allowed her to suppress Maven¡¯s influence entirely. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Sheesh. I leave you alone for five minutes and you nearly lose a fight. Don¡¯t embarrass us in front of them, will you? Eve joked. Alright, maybe I underestimated how annoying their abilities were, but I wasn¡¯t going to lose. Lilith protested. I just wouldn¡¯t have won in style. Yeah, yeah. Less talking, more fighting. Outwardly, Lilith grinned. ¡°It looks like the kid gloves are off.¡± She said. On cue, Eve and Nuwa appeared next to her, Eve in her preferred form and Nuwa using the spare Avatar. I¡¯ll take Maven, Nuwa you deal with Ellie, and Eve can take Tess. Lilith instructed, sharing a look with her Parallels. Way ahead of you. Eve said, dashing towards Tess. I¡¯ll keep them busy while you mop up the other two. Nuwa added. Thanks, guys. Lilith replied, arriving at Maven a moment later. ¡°Sorry,¡± She said, levelling the gun at Maven and preparing the nastiest bullet she had, one Raesn had cooked up with chimerum and several eldritch materials, ¡°but playtime¡¯s over.¡± As she fired, the world around them distorted, a small dungeon space cropping up in an attempt to block out the bullet, but the bullet punched through space itself on its way to its target, ignoring the dungeon entirely as it hit Maven square in the chest, her body disappearing as she unceremoniously died. Lilith spared no time in turning around and dashing for Ellie, whom Nuwa was keeping busy with a series of unorthodox attacks, transforming her body to attack from unexpected or seemingly impossible angles. While each strike wasn¡¯t enough to kill Ellie on its own, they instead wounded or dismembered her, forcing her to constantly send out pulses of healing just to keep herself in some semblance of working order. And Eve was bearing down on Tess and Fortune, intimidation skills on full blast as she bulldozed through the obstacles they threw at her, a sword not dissimilar to Anala¡¯s held aloft alongside the chimerum sword that had killed Carmen. Tess¡¯s claws were able to block the prototype, but the chimerum sword didn¡¯t even seem to register that the claws were there, slicing through them with no effort at all and scoring a small gash on Tess. That sword is bad news! Fortune said, panic evident in her voice. It¡¯s like¡­like a conceptual antithesis to life in general! At that time, Ellie¡¯s healing reached Tess, and Eve was satisfied to note that it didn¡¯t properly work on the wound made by the chimerum sword. It closed partially, yes, but still an ugly gash remained, dripping blood. ¡°Don¡¯t get distracted.¡± Eve said, swinging the chimerum sword down on Tess as Tess was glancing over to Ellie. When she realized what was happening, Tess attempted to teleport away, but Eve clamped down on the Mana in the teleport, blocking the teleport by just smothering it in an overwhelming tide of her own Mana. All the while, her sword swung unerringly towards Tess, and it would have been a killing blow, but the spirit that had been hiding in Tess the whole fight surged out of Tess¡¯s body, throwing Tess back as it took the sword blow and died. Tess staggered to her feet, but Eve was already there, tackling her back to the ground and pinning her there. ¡°Yield.¡± Eve commanded, placing the chimerum sword at Tess¡¯s neck. ¡°You¡¯re not beating me, and I¡¯d rather not hurt you more than I have to.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Tess trailed off, glancing over at where Maven had been, and then back to where Ellie was. ¡°Well?¡± Eve asked impatiently. ¡°Five seconds before I take your head off.¡± ¡°I yield.¡± Tess said, vanishing into thin air. And, just then, Nuwa had pinned Ellie for long enough for Lilith to line up a shot on her head with another of Raesn¡¯s bullets, punching clean through her and ending the fight for real. ¡°She¡¯s a monster.¡± Lia was whispering. ¡°I knew she was tough, but¡­¡± ¡°In all fairness, the whole idea behind me in the first place was to be as strong as possible while completely ignoring any semblance of balance.¡± Lilith said. ¡°And the three of them are not anywhere near their full potential yet. I¡¯m sure that, were I to fight the three of them from the present, I¡¯d be absolutely destroyed.¡± ¡°How far in the future are you?¡± Fortune asked. ¡°Fifty years, give or take.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°Though I like to think that whoever is from the furthest in the future is from the ¡°real¡± present, and I¡¯m sure someone at this party is farther ahead in the timeline than me.¡± ¡°Jerry looked into this phenomenon at one of these parties.¡± Life mused. ¡°I believe his conclusion was that all times people are from are equally the present. He had some reasoning that escapes me at the moment, but it boiled down to not being able to apply the normal rules to this space. ¡°And, though attempting to teach you anything is a pointless endeavor due to the nature of this place, I would suggest you three treat this as a lesson; Descents are the bare minimum for combat if you are to engage Higher Beings in combat, not the instant victory they are in normal situations.¡± ¡°It¡¯s like¡­I don¡¯t know how to describe it, but it¡¯s not fair in the same way normal combat is fair.¡± Another person said. She was nonchalantly sitting on a counter and kicking her feet back and forth, acting like she had been there the whole time. ¡°Everyone¡¯s got some stupid busted ability, and you basically have to be a Higher Being or otherwise infused with a lot of Worship to even have a shot at resisting those.¡± Eve nodded. ¡°I¡¯m also well suited for this style of combat.¡± She explained. ¡°I basically double or triple dipped on Worship, so I¡¯m more resistant than normal to whatever ¡°unfair¡± stuff other Higher Beings have.¡± We should probably introduce ourselves. Mae reminded her. They only know Lilith. ¡°Right. I¡¯m Eve, she¡¯s Nuwa,¡± Eve said, motioning towards Nuwa, ¡°and you can¡¯t see her, but Mae is in Lilith¡¯s head as our resident numbers gal slash supercomputer. We¡¯re all alternate personalities of Lilith, but are treated as the same person for the purpose of Skills and stuff.¡± To be precise, I am distributed around all parts of her body in order to maximize processing power. Mae corrected. It is good to meet you. ¡°Wait, if you can do that double dip or whatever, why doesn¡¯t everyone do it?¡± Lia asked. ¡°Seems like a no-brainer.¡± ¡°I¡­don¡¯t know, actually.¡± Eve admitted. ¡°I never really thought about it.¡± ¡°I have.¡± Dungeons said. ¡°Usually, it¡¯s a matter of numbers. Creating a new Higher Being is expensive, and they usually perform a vital task for the planes they oversee. Not many people are able to mentally handle such strain, and I believe Lilith only can because of her unique circumstances. ¡°The offensive benefits of such an endeavor are usually low, too; their resistance to other tampering increases, but outside of a few cases, each individual ability they possess does not become harder to resist. And, as combat between Higher Beings only occurs in the wars for planes, it is often seen as wasteful to put all your eggs in one basket for an event that only happens infrequently, especially when it results in such an increased workload to the Higher Being. Lilith is the exception to this rule, however, being able to split her mind as she has.¡± Lilith shrugged. ¡°Eldritch stuff may have poor compatibility with most people, but my whole schtick is being compatible with everything, so I get to use it worry-free. Anyway¡­what was with those mid-fight powerups? At the end there, it was a very different fight to what we set out to try.¡± ¡°I wanted to see both of you put your full potential out there.¡± Rose volunteered. ¡°Though¡­perhaps your capabilities were not as fully tested as I thought they would be.¡± ¡°Yeah, you didn¡¯t seem to be using anything expressly unfair.¡± Ellie said. ¡°Except for that one time you reflected Tess¡¯s attack. Surely, you¡¯ve got something, right?¡± ¡°Much of it isn¡¯t great for this kind of friendly fight,¡± Lilith said, ¡°and what is isn¡¯t flashy. I have lots of stat increases, ways to steal abilities or permanently seal the abilities of my foes, and even an instant-kill if I¡¯m willing to either spend enough Worship or dip into my own health to do it. I didn¡¯t want to try that last one, since it¡¯s a bit risky and I¡¯m not sure it would even work against you all.¡± ¡°And I mostly command monsters.¡± Eve added. ¡°Not that they allowed me any of mine.¡± ¡°They wouldn¡¯t have been much help.¡± Nuwa said quietly. ¡°They don¡¯t have any Worship in them, except for Saria, and she doesn¡¯t have enough to make a huge difference. Tess and Fortune alone likely would have shut them down by just existing.¡± ¡°What was with that sword of yours, by the way?¡± Fortune asked. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen anything quite like it.¡± ¡°Necessity is the mother of invention.¡± Eve said, drawing the sword out from some unseen place and very gingerly setting it down on a table. ¡°Perfect Chimeras are every species at once, so some genius got the idea to make a material specifically geared at combating them. This sword is¡­special, though. It was the first of these weapons to be produced, and people have already built up a mythos surrounding it. I¡¯m pretty sure that like¡­I dunno, almost meets the criteria for it getting Worship? It doesn¡¯t have any, yeah, but it definitely feels like¡­more than a normal weapon.¡± ¡°It is not uncommon for particularly notable weapons to obtain some power from how they are perceived.¡± Life said. ¡°Though I must admit that I have never seen one with quite as deadly a base as that get the treatment.¡± ¡°To be honest, I can¡¯t even touch the blade without gloves.¡± Eve admitted. ¡°If I do, I get horribly burnt and it takes way longer than it should to heal. The only reason I even use it is because I can safely take it out of reach of anyone but me at a moment¡¯s notice, otherwise that thing would stay locked up until the end of time. Not worth carrying my one weakness with me and all that.¡± ¡°May I?¡± The as of yet unknown woman asked, motioning towards the sword. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m Death, by the way. Life and I share Ellie as our appointed, two sides of the same coin and all that.¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± Eve said. ¡°Just be careful with it. I¡¯m guessing this party won¡¯t let you hurt yourself too much, but I don¡¯t like to take risks with that thing.¡± Death carefully picked up the sword, then stepped back from the others and gave it a few test swings. ¡°Man do I wish I had this thing when I was making the Blades of Death.¡± She said approvingly. ¡°I totally would have co-opted it into one of them.¡± ¡°Mind if I take a look at these blades?¡± Eve asked curiously. ¡°I want to see how they stack up.¡± ¡°Knock yourself out. They¡¯re not as good as your sword, but they also don¡¯t have like¡­a story to them yet, so they don¡¯t have that weird power bump. Give it a few hundred years or a particularly bloody conflict and they might well rival this thing.¡± Death said, a set of swords materializing on the table where Eve¡¯s sword had laid previously. She picked up the swords, absentmindedly growing another pair of arms so she had a hand for each of the four swords. ¡°To tell you the truth, I would absolutely trade you if I could.¡± She admitted. ¡°That thing is much too dangerous to me specifically, and it¡¯s usually overkill anyway. These swords are much more fit for general use.¡± ¡°How did you get this thing storied so quickly, anyway?¡± Death asked. ¡°It only feels a few years old.¡± ¡°A combination of a lot of things.¡± Eve said. ¡°For one, it killed another of our personalities, and for two it¡¯s kinda like the first atomic bomb in how it changed the dynamic of warfare. The fact that I¡¯ve been publicly using it to great effect helps, too. We¡¯re at a turning point in our planes, the kind of time when legends are made. It was the perfect storm, so to speak.¡± ¡°What is an atomic bomb?¡± Lia asked quietly. ¡°And this sword killed one of you?¡± ¡°She got better.¡± Eve said nonchalantly. ¡°Very long story, but the short version is that the ¡®main¡¯ personality ¨C¡± ¡°Inasmuch as any of us can be called a main or side personality anymore.¡± Lilith interrupted. ¡°The main personality,¡± Eve continued, rolling her eyes, ¡°was actually split from a previous soul that Kali messed up in reincarnating. And that other personality that died was the other half. She let herself get killed so the two could merge, becoming the Lilith you see before you today.¡± ¡°And, to answer your other question,¡± Lilith said, not giving Eve time to continue, ¡°an atom bomb is an incredibly destructive weapon constructed entirely without magic, one strong enough to wipe an entire city off the map with one firing.¡± ¡°That strong?¡± Tess asked doubtfully. ¡°I know bombs can level a building or two, but an entire city?¡± ¡°That strong.¡± Death confirmed. ¡°We¡¯ve very deliberately prevented that technology from being researched in any sort of detail; there are no good outcomes when nuclear weapons are involved, and the positives can be easily replicated with magic.¡± She paused, looking at Lilith. ¡°Did they get any stronger since our day? Were they used again?¡± Lilith sighed. ¡°Estimates put us at three thousand times stronger before magic was involved, and five to six times that now that people have begun to incorporate magic.¡± Life shuddered. ¡°You do have plans to curb their development, yes?¡± He asked. ¡°This seems¡­excessive.¡± ¡°Eventually.¡± Lilith confirmed. ¡°Once things stabilize.¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± Lia interjected, ¡°don¡¯t you guys do like¡­wars for new planes or something? Surely these bombs would be helpful there, right?¡± ¡°No.¡± Lilith said. ¡°Most Higher Beings have ways to survive a nuclear weapon, and they can leave the land where they detonate uninhabitable for a long time to come. As Death said, there are no good outcomes when nuclear weaponry is involved.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s a downer of a topic.¡± Fortune said, clapping her hands. ¡°We¡¯re at a party, let¡¯s have a little fun with it! First off, introductions. I¡¯m the god of Fortune, resident cool lady and the god Tess is an Appointed of.¡± Everyone went around one by one and introduced themselves, and, once they had, Fortune began to speak again. ¡°So, what¡¯s on the agenda? More mock battles? Ooh, or maybe we could run a trial dungeon as a group!¡± ¡°That¡¯s a thing here?¡± Ellie asked. ¡°Everything¡¯s a thing here, as long as it¡¯s entertaining.¡± Fortune said, waving a hand dismissively. ¡°Though I can¡¯t guarantee it¡¯ll be much like the dungeons we know.¡± ¡°I¡­think I¡¯ll have to pass on that.¡± Lia said quietly. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be of much use when all of you are around.¡± ¡°Nonsense.¡± Fortune said. ¡°Anything is possible here, we can easily standardize our abilities so everyone has a ¨C¡± She cut off, disappearing from existence abruptly, and Lilith¡¯s Parallels and the other gods likewise vanished. ¡°I suppose they didn¡¯t have a proper invitation, and their time here was limited.¡± Rose said. ¡°A shame, but a smaller group is likely better for the time being, I think Lia was getting a bit overwhelmed.¡± Lia nodded. ¡°Sorry.¡± She said. ¡°I know they¡¯re important to you. And¡­literally you, I think?¡± She directed that last part at Lilith, a slightly confused look on her face. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right.¡± Lilith sighed. ¡°I know it¡¯s confusing, sorry. It sort of comes with the territory of technically being an eldritch abomination.¡± ¡°Eldritch?¡± Lia asked, frown deepening. ¡°The word¡¯s been thrown around a couple of times but I¡¯m not quite sure what it means.¡± ¡°A very esoteric section, forbidden section of magic.¡± Rose explained. ¡°While it brings great power, those who use it tend to go insane.¡± ¡°It only even works for me because of the way I am.¡± Lilith said. ¡°When your whole schtick is compatibility with everything, you get a lot of leeway in things like this. Up to and including the systems of other universes, though we haven¡¯t tested that much. Just had a brief moment in their universe,¡± Lilith said, motioning to Tess and Ellie, ¡°and then Amy shut it down.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ellie asked. ¡°What did your stats translate to?¡± ¡°Gibberish.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°All my stats and growths had decimal portions, my level wasn¡¯t even a number and was glitched out, as were Skills, Classes, and Titles. As Amy said, it was very broken.¡± ¡°But you did have numbers, right?¡± Ellie pressed. ¡°What were they?¡± ¡°Fifteen hundred on the low end, twenty four hundred on the high end.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°But I don¡¯t think you should put much stock in those numbers, your system threw a fit and wasn¡¯t handling me correctly. What¡¯s the normal range?¡± ¡°For someone level forty to fifty? Two hundred and fiftyish.¡± Ellie replied. ¡°The maximum growth you can get is ten, or one hundred for resources, and the highest leveled person on our planes is¡­level one sixty, I think? And his highest stat is only about fifteen hundred and fifty, so I think you might well have higher stats than would even be possible in our universe.¡± Lilith shrugged. ¡°Again, don¡¯t put too much stock in those numbers. If my lowest is that close to your universe¡¯s highest, then the details have to be wrong. What level are you guys?¡± ¡°Late thirties, early forties.¡± Ellie said. ¡°I have the best stat spread and Tess has nearly the worst, so we¡¯re not exactly good reference points, Maven would be better.¡± ¡°True as that may be, you did not move like someone with that much Agility would move, unless you were holding back significantly at the end.¡± Maven added. Lilith shook her head. ¡°I was holding back a little bit, but not a lot.¡± ¡°Then, yes, the stats you saw were indeed incorrect.¡± Maven said. ¡°While my eye is still somewhat untrained, I would not estimate your Agility to be greater than one thousand.¡± ¡°Sounds about right.¡± Lilith said. ¡°So, for real, what¡¯s next?¡± ¡°Cards?¡± Lia offered. ¡°I don¡¯t feel like doing anything too physical at the moment.¡± ¡°I¡¯m down to play cards.¡± Ellie replied. And, after everyone else said they were fine with cards, they did. After cards they did a couple more activities, and as they were moving between them, Tess, Ellie, and Maven disappeared. ¡°Looks like it¡¯s time to go.¡± Lilith said. ¡°Pleasure hanging out with you again, Lia. Hopefully we¡¯ll see each other next time, too.¡± ¡°I think I would like that. I ¨C¡± Lilith didn¡¯t hear what she said next; she was back home, none the wiser as to the party¡¯s existence. Chapter 97: Teething Troubles ¡°Tis I, Carmen, Queen of Monsters!¡± Carmen cackled, glaring at the children in front of her. ¡°Tremble in despair!¡± Mary, Carmen¡¯s teacher, grimaced. This was the third time this week that Carmen had insisted the class play ¡°heroes¡±, and she had made a point of always being the Queen of Monsters in their play. Normally that wouldn¡¯t be an issue, kids liked to play pretend, and someone had to be the villain in their game, but Carmen got a bit too into it. Looking at the sheepgirl, Mary could almost believe she was the Queen of Monsters. In most circumstances, she would take that as a sign that the child in question should become an actor, but¡­the issue was with her role and her age. Carmen was in kindergarten, and no kindergartner should have been able to come up with the kind of schemes Carmen had ¡°enacted¡± in their games. And then there was the vocabulary; while it wasn¡¯t crass or vulgar, it was too big for a child of her age and academic ability. And, more notably, in all other aspects, Carmen was completely typical in both vocabulary and¡­deviousness. Mary was forced to assume that Carmen was getting fed these lines and schemes from an outside source, and that was something she couldn¡¯t ignore. It would have been one thing if she was imitating, say, the High Arbiter or one of the heroes, but Carmen was adamant; she wasn¡¯t going to play the hero, in fact, she hated the heroes. She much preferred the Queen of Monsters or any other role. Carmen seemed to almost be idolizing the Queen of Monsters, one of the most dangerous figures in recent memory, and someone was feeding her information on how to act like her. If left unchecked¡­that would almost certainly prove detrimental to her long term growth. Mary debated with herself for a moment, then heaved a sigh, picked up the phone at her desk, and dialed the school¡¯s office.
¡°Thanks for coming, Mr. and Mrs. Meyers.¡± Mary said, ushering them into her classroom. ¡°I know it¡¯s short notice, but I think this is something best addressed as soon as possible.¡± Carmen¡¯s parents shared a worried look. ¡°She hasn¡¯t hurt any of the other kids, has she?¡± Mr. Meyers asked. ¡°I know she¡¯s a much higher level than them, but we made sure she was able to control herself before letting her come here.¡± Mary shook her head, sitting down behind her desk. ¡°Please, sit.¡± She said, motioning at a couple of chairs she had brought in. ¡°No, she hasn¡¯t hurt anyone, she¡¯s been a perfectly normal student¡­for the most part.¡± Carmen¡¯s parents shared yet another look as they sat. ¡°So¡­what¡¯s the matter?¡± Mrs. Meyers asked. ¡°Miss Jensen told us that there was some worrying behavior when it came to her games with the other kids, and if that¡¯s not it¡­¡± Mary sighed. ¡°If I may be direct, I believe someone has been feeding her problematic behavior when it comes to the Queen of Monsters. She seems to have some sort of weird obsession with her, and she has outright said that she hates the heroes, and I¡¯m just concerned about the repercussions this might have on her future. Do you two know where this influence might have come from?¡± To her surprise, a relieved expression crossed Mr. Meyers¡¯ face. ¡°I imagine the school hasn¡¯t told you about us, then?¡± He asked. Mary frowned. ¡°No?¡± She prompted. ¡°Anna and I were actually part of the few who made it to the Queen of Monsters¡¯ castle.¡± Mr. Meyers explained. ¡°And Carmen was, unfortunately, without our company for much of that journey. We left her in the care of a close friend, and she¡¯s had some¡­odd ideas about things ever since.¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t really want to, but we felt it was our duty as strong people to at least make an attempt.¡± Mrs. Meyers added. ¡°We didn¡¯t want Carmen living in a world where the Queen of Monsters was a constant threat, and I¡¯m happy to say that we succeeded in that goal.¡± Mary gave them a dumbfounded look. It was hard to believe that the two innocuous parents in front of her were part of the elite few that had saved the world. ¡°Please, feel free to analyze us.¡± Mr. Meyers said. ¡°I know it¡¯s an outlandish claim.¡± Mary reluctantly activated her analysis Skill and almost flinched as she looked over their stats. They were the strongest people she had ever seen, leagues above the many adventurers Mary had known. They certainly had the strength to back up their claim, but¡­ ¡°Be that as it may, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen a child so vehemently hate their parents¡¯ occupation, much less one who idolizes their parents¡¯ mortal enemy.¡± Mr. Meyers sighed. ¡°She¡¯s upset that our job took us away from her for so long.¡± He said. ¡°And I don¡¯t think she really understands the threat that was the Queen of Monsters. She looks at her like she would some mythical creature. Surely you¡¯ve had kids pretend to be vampire or werewolves or¡­¡± he paused, then smiled sheepishly, ¡°well, I suppose those are very real, but you know what I¡¯m getting at, right?¡± ¡°I¡­think so, but that doesn¡¯t explain why she seems so knowledgeable on the Queen of Monsters and her behavior.¡± Mary said. ¡°Are you sure there¡¯s no one that might be getting to her? Some¡­I don¡¯t know, cultist or something seeking to get revenge on the heroes through their families?¡± ¡°Absolutely sure.¡± Mrs. Meyers said firmly. ¡°The only time that could happen is here at school; we are very choosy in who we allow into our home. As you might imagine, our security is top of the line, so we would know if she was sneaking out or if someone was sneaking in.¡± ¡°Then where is she getting this behavior from?¡± Mary protested. ¡°It has to come from somewhere.¡± ¡°It¡¯s got to be our other party member, Eve.¡± Mr. Meyers said. ¡°She¡¯s very fond of telling stories, and Carmen is fond of listening. We¡¯ll have a talk with both Carmen and Eve and make sure things don¡¯t get too out of hand. We know better than anyone how dangerous the Queen of Monsters is, so we¡¯ll set the record straight. If she keeps showing this behavior, let us know, alright?¡± Stolen novel; please report. Mary sighed. ¡°Very well. Before you go¡­might I suggest enrolling Carmen in some acting classes? She seems to have a natural talent for it, and it would be a shame if she didn¡¯t explore it more thoroughly.¡± Mrs. Meyers gave her a surprised look. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Really.¡± Mary confirmed. ¡°The kids love playing pretend with her, she makes them feel like they¡¯re really fighting the Queen of Monsters. She¡¯s a rare talent.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Mrs. Meyers said. ¡°We¡¯ll look into that, then.¡± Mary gave her a weak smile in return. ¡°Thank you.¡± She said. ¡°Have a nice rest of your evening, Mr. and Mrs. Meyers.¡± Mr. Meyers nodded. ¡°Same to you.¡± He said. Mary saw them out of the classroom, then collapsed back into her chair, heaving a sigh of relief. That wasn¡¯t anywhere close to how she had expected the meeting to go, but¡­she had made her effort. Hopefully, Carmen would start to show signs of improvement, but if she didn¡¯t¡­then Mary would have to go back to the drawing board. Unpleasant though it may sometimes be, it was her duty to make sure her students grew up healthy and well-adjusted, and she wasn¡¯t about to shirk it.
¡°You¡¯re back!¡± Carmen said, running over and giving each of her parents a hug. ¡°What did Miss Stokes want to talk about?¡± Anna picked her daughter up, tousling her hair. ¡°She was worried about you.¡± Anna said. ¡°Why would she be worried about me?¡± Carmen asked, clearly confused. ¡°She thinks someone is teaching you bad things.¡± Anna said. ¡°And we need to talk about that.¡± ¡°Fenrir, will you do me a favor and grab Eve?¡± Jameson asked. ¡°We need to talk to her, too. We¡¯ll be in the living room down the hall.¡± Got it. Fenrir said, giving them a nod and padding away. Anna carried Carmen into the living room Jameson had pointed out to Fenrir, then sat Carmen in one of the chairs before taking a seat across from her. ¡°Miss Stokes said you like to play Queen of Monsters with your classmates, right?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± Carmen said happily. ¡°They all have a lot of fun with me!¡± ¡°But¡­you¡¯re always the Queen of Monsters. Why is that?¡± Carmen tilted her head to the side. ¡°Because Aunt Eve is cool?¡± She said. ¡°And because you guys helped her, I should help her too!¡± Jameson sighed. ¡°You don¡¯t tell the other kids that she¡¯s one of the good guys, right?¡± ¡°But she is a good guy!¡± Carmen protested. ¡°They just don¡¯t know it! But¡­no, I don¡¯t say she¡¯s the good guy.¡± ¡°They¡¯re not supposed to know it.¡± Jameson said gently. ¡°She¡¯s supposed to be the bad guy, so it¡¯s good that you don¡¯t tell them she¡¯s not.¡± Anna gave an internal sigh of relief. They had worked a little magic on Carmen to prevent her from accidentally leaking anything classified, such as Eve¡¯s identity, but that magic wouldn¡¯t have stopped Carmen from simply stating her opinions, even if she couldn¡¯t explain them. ¡°Why don¡¯t you ever play the heroes?¡± Anna asked. ¡°They¡¯re pretty cool too.¡± ¡°No!¡± Carmen said, pouting. ¡°They¡¯re big meanies, I hate them!¡± Anna frowned. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°They got really mad at you and Aunt Eve even though you were doing the right thing! And then they said you were doing the wrong thing! That¡¯s not fair!¡± Anna sighed. She wasn¡¯t sure how to explain the nuance of the situation to a child, and even if she was able to, she doubted Carmen would really get it. ¡°They said sorry.¡± Anna said. ¡°Bruce and Ava were over just the other night, remember?¡± ¡°Well¡­Anala was pretty mean!¡± ¡°Anala¡­had some things to work out.¡± Anna admitted. ¡°But she¡¯s coming around.¡± ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Eve asked, walking into the room, Fenrir following close behind. ¡°You needed me?¡± ¡°Aunt Eve, they¡¯re trying to tell me I should stop pretending to be you when we play games!¡± Carmen said, clearly hoping Eve would be on her side. Eve paused. ¡°You¡¯ve been pretending to be me when you play at school? Is that why you always ask me for plans to beat heroes?¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Carmen said. ¡°And they all like it a lot!¡± Eve cast a questioning glance towards Anna and Jameson. ¡°I will admit that makes me really happy to hear, but¡­what¡¯s the issue?¡± ¡°Her teacher is worried someone is planting bad ideas in her head about you.¡± Jameson said. ¡°She seems to like you too much, and it¡¯s bleeding into her school life.¡± Understanding dawned on Eve¡¯s face, and she walked over to Carmen. ¡°Carmen,¡± she said, looking directly into her eyes, ¡°I need you to do something for me, okay?¡± Carmen frowned. ¡°What do you need?¡± ¡°At school, I need you to pretend that you don¡¯t like me, and I¡¯m the biggest, baddest, evilest person you¡¯ve heard of.¡± Eve said. ¡°If people know you like me, then they¡¯ll think you and your mama and papa are bad people.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s a special mission from me, okay? You¡¯ll be my spy in the school, so it¡¯s really important that no one knows that you¡¯re working with me, and you have to act like all the other kids for that.¡± Carmen¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Really?!¡± She asked. ¡°Really.¡± Eve said. She paused, turning back towards Anna and Jameson. Anything else I should tell her? She asked telepathically. Tell her that she needs to play hero too, sometimes. She says she hates them because they¡¯ve been mean to us. Eve nodded, turning back to Carmen. ¡°I understand that you don¡¯t like the heroes, but they¡¯re good people.¡± Eve said. ¡°Have you ever had a fight with your friends?¡± Carmen paused, then nodded. ¡°Y-yeah.¡± ¡°We just had a little fight.¡± Eve said. ¡°They¡¯re my friends, so it¡¯s okay to pretend to be them from time to time. Besides, it¡¯s important to share the role of being me. If some other kid wants to try being me, you should let them.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Carmen said. ¡°Will you still give me ideas?¡± Tone them down quite a bit if you do. Anna instructed. The ones you¡¯ve apparently been feeding her have been too good so far; her teacher is questioning why she¡¯s so good at pretending to be you. ¡°Maybe sometimes, but it¡¯s important to think of your own plans, too.¡± Eve said. ¡°If you want to be a really good minion like your parents, you have to know how to do things for yourself, alright?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Carmen said. ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°Good, we¡¯ll make a proper minion out of you yet.¡± Eve said approvingly. ¡°Now, I have some important business to attend to, so listen to what your parents say, alright? Even if something they say is different from what I say, I expect you to listen to them.¡± Thanks, Eve. Anna said. That¡¯s all we should need you for. Don¡¯t mention it. Eve said, blushing slightly as she began to walk out of the room. This is sort of my fault, so I should help take care of it. ¡°Um, sweetie¡­how would you feel about taking classes to help you learn how to play pretend better?¡± Jameson asked. ¡°Miss Stokes said you were really good at it, and she thinks you can be even better.¡± ¡°School¡¯s boring, why would I want more classes?¡± Carmen said, standing up. ¡°These aren¡¯t normal classes.¡± Anna said. ¡°They¡¯re all like playing pretend. If you don¡¯t like them, you don¡¯t have to go, but will you try one or two for us?¡± Carmen paused, then sighed. ¡°Fine. Can I go play with Mai and Aria now?¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine, sweetie.¡± Jameson said. ¡°Just be careful in school, alright?¡± ¡°I will!¡± Carmen promised, running out of the room. ¡°Do you think she really will?¡± Jameson asked softly, watching her go. ¡°I think so.¡± Anna said. ¡°She¡¯s a little overeager, but she knows how important this stuff is to us. And if she gets too out of hand¡­well, we¡¯ll deal with it then.¡± Jameson chuckled. ¡°You know, I didn¡¯t imagine my life as a parent would be filled with issues stemming from not having our child leak classified information, but here we are.¡± ¡°Me neither.¡± Anna said. ¡°But life has a funny way of not going how you plan. Now¡­what say you and I go get some food? I¡¯m starving.¡± Chapter 98: A Long Overdue Wedding Lilith tugged at the collar of her tuxedo nervously. She hated how constricting formal attire usually felt, but¡­today was a special day, and she wanted to look her best, so a little stuffiness was worth it. Her father reached down and gently massaged her shoulders. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± He asked. ¡°Excited?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Lilith said. ¡°Giddy, excited, nervous¡­I don¡¯t think I even have proper words for it. I know it¡¯s only a formality at this point, but¡­still.¡± ¡°I was the same.¡± Her father chuckled. ¡°My advice is to just sit back and enjoy it. Today is your day, and I doubt you¡¯re going to have another. Still, I don¡¯t think ever in any of our wildest imaginations we thought it would turn out like this. Our little Lucas, grown into a fine young woman and off to marry the god of the universe.¡± ¡°Stop that.¡± Lilith said, giving her father a playful swat on the arm. She reached down and grabbed a glass of water, taking a drink before nearly spitting it out at her father¡¯s next words. ¡°Still, I never took you for one to like older women. I mean, older than our little slice of the universe? I don¡¯t think you can really aim for anyone older.¡± Lilith whirled around so she was facing her father, a flush rising to her cheeks as she stared down her father, who was clearly trying to keep himself from laughing. ¡°Dad!¡± She hissed, mortified. ¡°That¡¯s not how it is, and you know it! Besides, the same could be said for you, couldn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°No, if anything I¡¯m into younger women, after all I,¡± He cut off briefly, devolving into snorts and barely restrained laughter as he tried to finish his sentence, ¡°I¡¯m married to a woman who is kind of younger than my daughter.¡± Lilith groaned. ¡°That¡¯s wildly misrepresenting the situation.¡± She said. ¡°You¡¯re lucky no one else is around!¡± Mike laughed, clapping Lilith on the back. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have said it if they were. But, regardless of all that, you¡¯re my kid first and foremost, and what kind of father would I be if I didn¡¯t poke a little fun at you here and there?¡± ¡°I guess.¡± Lilith grumbled. ¡°How much longer are we going to be here?¡± ¡°Until Kali is ready.¡± Mike said. ¡°You can¡¯t rush these things.¡± ¡°I know, I just¡­I don¡¯t know, the anticipation is killing me.¡± ¡°It killed me too.¡± Mike said. ¡°Perhaps a game of cards would take your mind off of things? I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a deck around here somewhere.¡± Lilith took a moment and constructed a deck out of some spare mass, then handed it to her father. ¡°There you go.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not one of those ones that you¡¯ve bugged, right?¡± He asked suspiciously. ¡°Eve has tried that too many times.¡± ¡°It¡¯s clean.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t be great at taking my mind off of things if I was cheating and didn¡¯t have to put any thought into it.¡± ¡°Speaking of, how is Eve doing¡± Mike asked. ¡°Everything going well?¡± Lilith focused back in on Eve, who was currently being fussed over by their mother. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Mama.¡± Eve huffed, tugging at the sleeves of her dress. ¡°I¡¯ve been ready for ten minutes now, doing anything more is just going to ruin things.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Siph asked worriedly. ¡°The only wedding I¡¯ve been to was Anna and Jameson¡¯s wedding and I wasn¡¯t helping like this.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure, and I¡¯ve been sure the last two times you asked.¡± Eve replied, rolling her eyes. She was in her preferred form, despite her hesitance to do so. She didn¡¯t want things to look¡­weird on their wedding day, but Kali had been adamant; aside from Nuwa and Mae, who had preferred forms that weren¡¯t humanoid or even able to walk by themselves, all the Parallels were to come as they liked to be. It was a private wedding, and they didn¡¯t have to worry about keeping up appearances. ¡°And the dress isn¡¯t too restricting? I know you hate it when you can¡¯t move well.¡± ¡°Mama, the dress is very restricting, and that¡¯s kind of the point.¡± Eve said. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s some metaphor for sacrificing for the one you love or something, I don¡¯t know, but wedding dresses are supposed to be the most uncomfortable thing on the planet, I think.¡± ¡°That seems¡­really stupid.¡± Siph said. ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Eve said, throwing her hands up in the air. ¡°It¡¯s a dress you wear on one occasion and then never again, it¡¯s inherently stupid.¡± Lilith returned her focus to her father. ¡°Mama is fussing over her, and she¡¯s complaining about it, so I think she¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± Mike replied, shuffling the deck absentmindedly. ¡°Blackjack?¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Sure.¡± Lilith said. ¡°So¡­what were things like after the wedding?¡± Mike raised an eyebrow. ¡°I assume you don¡¯t mean the night after, but stuff like the reception?¡± ¡°Yeah, that.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°The wedding itself was relatively short, but the reception was the real long part. You have to sit and talk with each of the guests, and you can¡¯t leave early or anything, since it¡¯s your reception. But¡­fortunately, the guest list here is pretty short, so you shouldn¡¯t have to deal with the line for too long. I¡¯m guessing Nuwa will probably try to escape after that, so just keep your eye on her.¡± I heard that! Nuwa protested. And I won¡¯t try to escape, today is too important to Kali for that. ¡°Nuwa says she won¡¯t try to escape.¡± Lilith relayed. ¡°Not today.¡± Mike gave Lilith a look that almost certainly wasn¡¯t meant for her. ¡°And why, pray tell, are you listening in on our conversation instead of paying attention to your mom?¡± He said reproachfully. Lilith let her attention flick over to Mae and Nuwa, who were being handled together. Jessica was currently making sure all of their accessories and other bits of their appearance were perfect, and though Mae was accepting it all without complaining or fidgeting, Nuwa, on the other hand, was squirming about, constantly readjusting part of her tuxedo or her hair or something, and Jessica would have to go back and fix whatever she ruined. ¡°Mom¡¯s fixing her tuxedo and she¡¯s being all twitchy.¡± Lilith said. ¡°So, about what you¡¯d expect.¡± ¡°Nuwa, I know it¡¯s uncomfortable, but just bear with it for a couple of hours. You can readjust it after the wedding proper, it won¡¯t matter quite as much then.¡± Mike instructed. Fiiiine. Nuwa whined. ¡°She says fine.¡± Lilith said. ¡°Now¡­how about that game of Blackjack?¡±
Lilith and the Parallels stood at the altar in various states of nervousness. All of them tried to hide it, but only Mae was seeing any success; Eve kept moving her hand to her side, as if fidget with the pommel of a sword, then would realize she didn¡¯t have a sword to fidget with and would take her hand away, only to repeat the process a while later. Nuwa was drumming her fingers on the side of her leg, and Lilith was having a hard time keeping her legs still, desperately trying not to sway in place or move her feet a bit to the side or do anything that would change her position, and she had succeeded, but she was pretty sure she looked like she was standing there woodenly. ¡°Nervous?¡± Amy asked quietly. As the one performing the actual ceremony, she was standing near the altar with Lilith and the Parallels. She had been the only real choice to officiate; it would be a little weird to have a priest officiate what was, in essence, God¡¯s wedding, and Amy was a perfect choice, being Amy¡¯s old Administrator and leader of their faction, the one person who was truly above Kali. ¡°Yeah.¡± Lilith and all of the Parallels, save Mae, said in a hushed tone. ¡°Do you do that often?¡± Amy giggled. There was a bit of the pause as they all looked at each other, trying to determine who should answer, and eventually Lilith spoke. ¡°No. We have the same memories and, in many cases, the same habits, but we have different personalities, so we often react differently. This one thing, though, we¡¯re all very much in sync on.¡± ¡°Well, give it a few more minutes, and it¡¯ll be over.¡± Amy said. ¡°I¡¯ll keep it brief.¡± As their conversation died down, Lilith caught sight of Alex and Raphi in the audience, and Alex gave her a reassuring smile, mouthing the words ¡°You¡¯ll do great¡±. Though they had dated for a while, in the end they had mutually decided that it just wasn¡¯t working the way they had wanted it to work, so they had parted amicably, and Alex was currently happily seeing someone else. As if on cue, the doors at the far end of the hall opened and the organist began to play a traditional wedding march. Jameson, serving as best man, walked in, making his way down the aisle until he was next to Lilith. He was followed by the maid of honor, a woman named Maven who was one of Kali¡¯s distant nieces, and she was followed by Carmen, carefully carrying a pillow with the wedding bands on it. And then, finally, Kali entered, and Lilith caught sight of her for the first time that day. It was breathtaking. Kali rarely wore formal clothes, and she had pulled out all the stops this time. Though Lilith couldn¡¯t make out her face well through the veil, everything about her hair, dress, and accessories indicated that she had taken an extreme amount of time and effort to get everything down to the minutest detail perfect. It wasn¡¯t easy to coordinate a fancy dress with wings and a tail, but Kali pulled it off. She moved slowly and deliberately, taking care not to ruin any of her setup. It was an impressive maneuver, but it was also painfully slow, and the anticipation of it was killing Lilith. But, after what seemed like ages, Kali eventually made it to Lilith. Lilith almost hadn¡¯t noticed Amara, another of Kali¡¯s distant nieces, beside her until she lifted Kali¡¯s veil, and once again Lilith¡¯s attention was stolen by Kali. Kali looked as nervous as Lilith felt, but there was still a wide, giddy smile on her face as she stared up into Lilith¡¯s eyes. After a moment, Kali looked away from Lilith, and looked into each of the Parallel¡¯s eyes in turn. As she did, Amy began to speak. ¡°Friends and family, we are gathered here today to celebrate the union of Kali, Lilith, Mae, Nuwa, and Eve. It is not often that an Administrator chooses to marry, and each of their circumstances and traditions are different. As such, I believe I would be doing a disservice if I attempted to mimic the traditions here on Kali¡¯s planes, and will instead move straight to the vows. ¡°Do you, Kali, promise to take Lilith, Mae, Nuwa, and Eve as your wives, to watch over them in good times and bad, in sickness and in health?¡± Once Kali repeated the vow, Amy continued. ¡°Do you promise to respect them as an equal partner, to listen to their council and provide council of your own when needed?¡± Once again, Kali repeated and Amy continued. ¡°And do you promise to uphold these vows as long as you both live?¡± ¡°I do.¡± Amy turned to Lilith and they repeated the process, though only Kali was mentioned as her wife. Once Lilith had finished, she did the same for each of the Parallels, and then Carmen stepped forward, proffering the pillow. Kali carefully took a band off of the pillow, slid it onto Lilith¡¯s finger, then repeated the process for the Parallels. After she had finished, Lilith took the last ring off of its pillow, and slid it onto Kali¡¯s finger. ¡°I now pronounce you married. You may kiss the brides.¡± Amy said. Kali pulled Lilith into a kiss, then separated and shared one with each of the Parallels in turn, before finally turning and throwing her bouquet into the crowd, some of the younger girls scrambling to catch it while everyone cheered. Lilith smiled, pulling Kali closer to her and leaning down to whisper in her ear. ¡°I love you.¡± Kali looked up into Lilith¡¯s eyes, smiling in return. ¡°I love you too.¡± Chapter 99: The End of an Era, the Beginning of Another (End) ¡°Congratulations, Mom!¡± Mai said, barreling into Lilith¡¯s arms. ¡°Did you see me and Aria? And did you see how pretty we made um¡­¡± She paused, clearly trying to think of a form of address for Kali that wasn¡¯t already taken by one of the parallels. ¡°Ma?¡± Kali suggested. ¡°Ma, yeah! Did you see how pretty we made her?¡± Lilith smiled, and Eve scooped Aria up into a hug. ¡°You two did great.¡± Lilith said. ¡°You were the cutest bridesmaids I¡¯ve ever seen.¡± ¡°I still wanted to be the ring bearer, but I suppose this was good too.¡± Mai pouted. ¡°If you were the ring bearer, you wouldn¡¯t have been able to go to the party last night, remember?¡± Aria reminded her. ¡°Oh, right.¡± Mai replied. ¡°Well¡­congrats, I¡¯m really happy for you!¡± Lilith gave Mai a quick kiss on the forehead, then set her down. ¡°Alright, we need to get going to the reception, okay? Do you want to walk with us there?¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Mai said enthusiastically. They got to walking, and a short time later, everyone had relocated to a different part of the dungeon, where they were holding the reception. Compared to Anna and Jameson¡¯s wedding, there weren¡¯t many attendees, but it was lively nonetheless. From Kali¡¯s planes, all of the dungeon residents, Lilith¡¯s parents and grandparents, and Anala¡¯s party were in attendance. From outside Kali¡¯s planes, there was, of course, Amy, Amara, and Maven, as well as Jerry and a smattering of other Higher Beings and Administrators that Lilith didn¡¯t recognize. Lilith, Kali, and Lilith¡¯s parents began the receiving line, greeting each guest in turn and having a moment to talk with them while the Parallels mingled with people elsewhere. And, of the people Lilith knew Amara was the first. ¡°Aunt Kali, congratulations!¡± She said warmly, going in for a hug with Kali. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯ve finally gotten married!¡± Kali readily accepted the hug. ¡°I know!¡± She replied. ¡°It still doesn¡¯t feel real to me, either.¡± Amara let go of the hug, then looked at each of the Parallels in turn before looking up at Lilith. ¡°It feels so strange to see you in the flesh.¡± She said. ¡°We talked briefly during all the preparations, but I actually knew the old you, and¡­well, she¡¯d be over the moon with how you¡¯re doing. Keep on making Kali happy, okay? She deserves it.¡± Lilith scratched the back of her neck embarrassedly. ¡°So I¡¯ve heard.¡± She said. ¡°Um, if you don¡¯t mind my asking, did you know Kali before¡­you know, everything?¡± Amara gave Kali a flat look. ¡°You really need to talk more about yourself.¡± She said exasperatedly, before turning back to Lilith. ¡°Yes, for a couple hundred years after I was made an Appointed, she was working as a sub-Administrator. It was a real shock to learn that one of my relatives was in a position equal to the gods, let me tell you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure some of my friends can relate.¡± Lilith chuckled. ¡°I think poor Anna nearly had a heart attack when she first found out.¡± ¡°She¡¯s the mom of the girl who was the ring bearer, right?¡± Amara asked. ¡°That¡¯s her.¡± Kali confirmed. ¡°She¡¯d love to talk with someone from another universe, so go say hi, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll hit it off.¡± ¡°Will do!¡± Amara said cheerfully. ¡°I¡¯ll catch up more with you later, after the line¡¯s been worked through, okay?¡± She walked off, giving a wave as she went to go find Anna. Next up was Kali¡¯s other niece, Maven, as well as a couple of other women. ¡°Congrats, Aunt Kali!¡± Maven said, pulling her into a hug. ¡°Nice to see you finally able to get hitched!¡± After a moment, she let go of the hug, turning to Lilith. ¡°Lilith, I know we talked a little before, but I want to say it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you. I¡¯d like to introduce you to my wives, Tess and Ellie.¡± She said, motioning at the women behind her. ¡°Good to meet you, I¡¯m Tess.¡± One of them, a short blonde, said, sticking out her hand. As Lilith shook her hand, Kali spoke up. ¡°You know, she used to be a guy too, and her plane was made as a way for Amy to test drive a similar situation to Earth and Haven, so you two actually have a lot in common.¡± Tess smiled, letting go of the handshake. ¡°You too?¡± She asked Lilith. ¡°How long?¡± Lilith shrugged. ¡°Four or five years, I think? I¡¯m not really keeping track; this just feels normal so I often just forget I used to be a guy.¡± ¡°Me too!¡± Tess laughed. ¡°But we can talk more later, I don¡¯t want to hog your time. Ellie?¡± The other woman, a redhead, gave Lilith a smile and stuck out her hand. ¡°I¡¯m Ellie.¡± She said. ¡°Tess and I grew up on the same plane, so if you ever need anyone to talk to about going from no magic to magic, we¡¯re your gals.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± Lilith replied. ¡°Great meeting you three!¡± They headed off, and a few more people filtered through the line, and they all followed the same formula, more or less. Other Administrators or Higher Beings would give their congratulations to Kali, introduce themselves to Lilith, and be on their way, and the dungeon residents were brief, usually just saying hi and a quick congratulations before returning to the party proper. Amy and Jerry stopped by for a moment, but the next interesting person was a somewhat shy-looking young woman. ¡°Um, Kali, congratulations!¡± She said. ¡°I¡¯m really happy to see that this worked out for you!¡± ¡°Connie, it¡¯s good to see you!¡± Kali replied. ¡°How¡¯s swarm life treating you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a little weird being their ¡°patron goddess¡± now, but all in all I¡¯m really happy. I¡¯m, um, really glad you helped me out with relationship stuff. It¡¯s¡­great.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it?¡± Kali said happily. ¡°Have you met Lilith before?¡± ¡°No, this is my first time.¡± Connie said. ¡°Nice to meet you, Lilith, I¡¯m Connie.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you too!¡± Lilith replied. ¡°The swarm is that thing happening on one of Jerry¡¯s planes, right? Does that mean you¡¯re the Higher Being in charge of watching it?¡± ¡°Not really?¡± Connie said. ¡°One thing sort of led to another and now I¡¯m dating their leaders? And then they got big enough for me to publicly tell the swarm I favor them and now they treat me like their main god? It¡¯s not official or anything.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll have to tell me more about it.¡± Lilith said. ¡°Catch one of my Parallels, I¡¯m sure they¡¯d love to hear your story.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll, um, do that.¡± Connie said. ¡°Thanks.¡± She left, and the line continued, until, eventually, Anala and her party showed up. ¡°Congratulations, you two.¡± Anala said. She still hadn¡¯t quite gotten over the Eve situation, but she had warmed up significantly in the last few months, and Lilith was pretty sure that, given time, she¡¯d get over it completely. ¡°Thanks, Anala.¡± Kali said, giving her a smile. Lilith thanked her as well and she moved on, Bruce and Ava taking her place. ¡°Congrats!¡± Ava said happily. ¡°You two are perfect together, so I¡¯m happy to see you finally tie the knot!¡± The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Me too!¡± Bruce added. ¡°It was an interesting ceremony, as well. Who was the slime woman who officiated?¡± ¡°That was Amy.¡± Kali said. ¡°I lived on her planes before I became an Administrator, she¡¯s the leader of our faction of Administrators, and probably in the running for most powerful person alive. She¡¯s the only person we could think of that would be fitting to officiate, you know?¡± ¡°I see.¡± Bruce replied. ¡°Should we like¡­be especially respectful around her?¡± ¡°Nah, she¡¯s not like that, she¡¯s more like me.¡± Kali said. ¡°Just don¡¯t be rude and you¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°Good to know.¡± Bruce said. ¡°We¡¯re going to go say hi to Eve, congrats again!¡± They left, and Raesn walked up. ¡°Well, I haven¡¯t been to a wedding in a while, but that was nice.¡± He said, smiling at them. ¡°Congratulations, you two, I hope your love only ever grows stronger.¡± ¡°Thank you, Raesn.¡± Lilith replied, smiling in return. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not going to talk your ear off.¡± He said. ¡°I¡¯m going to go get some food, and I¡¯ll chat with you later.¡± After he left, the line continued, and a short time later they reached the end of the line. ¡°Um, hey.¡± Vithi said, scratching the back of her neck. ¡°Long time no see.¡± ¡°Vithi, how have you been?!¡± Lilith asked. ¡°Have your travels been everything you hoped they would be?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± She said quietly. ¡°I don¡¯t think I quite realized how¡­big the world was. I¡¯ve visited a few major cities, but I¡¯ve found that I enjoy myself most out in the wild, enjoying nature. But...today¡¯s not about me. Congratulations on your wedding, you two are good together.¡± ¡°Well, we wouldn¡¯t be here without you, so, really, we should be thanking you!¡± Kali said. ¡°You would have found someone else.¡± Vithi said. ¡°I was just in the right place at the right time.¡± ¡°Nonsense.¡± Kali said. ¡°The fact remains that you still helped. Has anything been bothering you? We¡¯re more than happy to help however we can.¡± ¡°What?¡± Vithi asked, taken aback. ¡°No, I¡¯m fine. And even if I did need something, today¡¯s not the day to bring it up.¡± Vithi paused for a moment, and Kali pounced on the opportunity. ¡°Vithi, I can and will read your mind to find out if you¡¯re lying.¡± She said matter-of-factly. ¡°There¡¯s something bothering you, right? Just give me one thing for now and I¡¯ll get off your back, okay?¡± ¡°Fine, fine.¡± Vithi said, a small, chagrined, smile creeping onto her face. ¡°I¡¯m thinking about becoming a park ranger for one of the national parks in the United States, but I¡¯m worried about qualifications and whether or not they¡¯d even let someone like me join.¡± ¡°Consider it done.¡± Kali said, waving a hand. ¡°Do you have a park in mind?¡± ¡°Um, can I tell you later?¡± Vithi asked. ¡°We can discuss details on a day when we¡¯re not celebrating you.¡± ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll visit you tomorrow.¡± Kali replied. ¡°But¡­really, thanks for coming, it does mean a lot to me.¡± ¡°Um¡­yeah. I¡¯ll¡­talk with you guys later.¡± Vithi said, slipping off into the small crowd of guests. With the line over, Lilith and Kali were finally free to go and enjoy the reception proper. Lilith hadn¡¯t been paying much attention to the Parallels while she was greeting people, but it seemed that they had been busy; Eve was talking animatedly with Connie, Nuwa was chatting with Maven, Tess, and Ellie, and Mae was talking with Jerry about something technical. Looking around, it seemed that most of the guests had something to do, which was good; Kali had been a little worried that the people from her planes and the Administrators and Higher Beings she had invited would sort of segregate themselves, but there were quite a few people intermingling. Lilith couldn¡¯t help but notice Amara and Anna flitting from group to group, occasionally stopping to have a quick conversation or to introduce people to each other, just generally helping keep things moving. At one point, Amara noticed Lilith watching her and gave her a quick wink before returning to her work. Kali and Lilith sort of migrated from group to group for a few minutes chatting a bit with everyone, before being interrupted by Amara¡¯s voice, magically amplified. ¡°Everyone, if you would please turn your attention towards the middle of the room, we will be having the lovers¡¯ first dance!¡± There was a smattering of applause, and Kali nudged Lilith towards the center of the room. They met up with all the Parallels, and a tune began to play. Kali grabbed Lilith and began a slow dance, which they continued for a few moments, before Lilith passed Kali off to Mae. Likewise, Mae danced for a time with Kali before passing her to Nuwa, who did the same, and passed her to Eve. That dance was a bit more difficult due to the height difference of the two, but they managed to make it work, eventually passing Kali back to Lilith, where they ended the song. After the music ended there was a little more applause, and then Amara began to speak. ¡°I¡¯d like to thank everyone for coming out here tonight.¡± She said, voice magically amplified. ¡°For some of you, it¡¯s quite far away from home, and taking the time and effort to come here really means a lot.¡± ¡°She says, like she isn¡¯t one of those people.¡± Kali giggled quietly. ¡°We¡¯re going to be bringing in the food now, and don¡¯t feel any need to hold back; we¡¯ll be creating new food as needed, so take as much as you want! Just make an orderly line and raise a hand if something is out, then take a seat at a table when you¡¯re all dished up. We¡¯ll do some quick toasts, and give people time to eat, then we¡¯ll be clearing the floor for the parent dances and some proper partying!¡± She snapped her fingers, and suddenly a large table filled with food manifested to the side of the room, and a bunch of circular tables, complete with tablecloths, decorations, and chairs, appeared scattered throughout the room. Everyone lined up and got their food, and once everyone was sat down, Jameson stood up. ¡°So, as best man, I¡¯m apparently supposed to be first here?¡± He said. ¡°Uh, to tell you the truth, just a few years ago I was convinced that this day would never come. Lucas was always so shy and reserved that Anna and I thought that it would take a miracle for him to actually get a partner. And now here she is, four beautiful young women, out of her shell and getting happily married to one of the world¡¯s most powerful people. I would have laughed you out of the room if you told me this would be how things turn out, but she deserves it. Kali, Lilith, Mae, Nuwa, Eve, congratulations!¡± He sat, and Maven stood. ¡°I think it¡¯s me next?¡± She said. ¡°I haven¡¯t known Kali as long as many of you here, but she was a big help in figuring myself out. Were it not for her, I wouldn¡¯t be married myself, and would probably still be third wheeling my lovely wives, and I know that there are others here in the same situation. I owe so, so much to her, and she deserves every ounce of happiness she gets. Congratulations!¡± She sat, and Amy rose to take her place. ¡°You know¡­it seems like just yesterday that I was seeing Kali off after she was first made a full Administrator.¡± She said. ¡°And I remember how we both tried not to cry, and both failed. She was so scared that she wouldn¡¯t be able to find fulfilment out on her own, and for a while I was scared too. And then she met Lilith, and my worries evaporated.¡± She gave Lilith an appreciative nod. ¡°I know you don¡¯t remember it, but you really helped pull Kali out of a dark place, and it brings me no small amount of joy to see you two finally able to be together without any obstacles. I look forward to seeing how your relationship develops, and remember, if either of you need any help with anything ever, my door is always open. From the bottom of my heart, congratulations.¡± And, once she was done, Lilith¡¯s father stood. ¡°Much like Jameson, if a few years ago you had told Jessica and I how our lives would be right now, we would have probably thought you were insane. But¡­I don¡¯t think I can even properly quantify how much our lives have changed for the better in the intervening time, and it¡¯s all Lilith and Kali¡¯s fault. ¡°We¡¯ve been truly blessed by our daughter, and we¡¯re so, so proud of her. Lilith, Mae, Nuwa, Eve, your mothers and I love you more than life itself, and we¡¯re so happy to see you getting a share of the happiness that you¡¯ve given us.¡± He paused, choking up slightly. ¡°Congratulations, you guys.¡± Lilith wiped her eyes as he sat, turning to her plate to keep people from noticing that she was tearing up slightly. The dinner proper began, and, once Lilith felt like she had control of herself, she turned over to Maven and asked a question that had been on her mind. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind my asking, what did Kali help you figure out?¡± ¡°Ah, that.¡± Maven said, putting down her fork. ¡°You see, for quite a while, I was under the impression that I wasn¡¯t attracted to other girls. But, after Tess and Ellie got married, I started feeling this weird sort of¡­jealousy or longing around them, and it was freaking me out, because it almost felt romantic. But I had told myself it couldn¡¯t have been romantic, because I was straight. ¡°And, during one of Aunt Kali¡¯s visits, I decided to ask her about it. Since she lived in an entirely different set of planes, I thought it would be less¡­complicated to talk with her about the issue, instead of talking with people who knew Tess and Ellie well. She and I sat down and talked it through for a couple of hours, and she helped me come to a realization. ¡°See, I was heterosexual, that was true, but I came to the conclusion that I was biromantic. And, once I viewed things in that light, everything started to make sense. So, I called in a few favors, got my sexual orientation changed to match my romantic orientation, and I¡¯ve never looked back.¡± ¡°What was that like?¡± Lilith asked. ¡°It must have been kind of scary, right?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± Maven shrugged. ¡°I had one of the gods do it, and if I hated it, I could just¡­go back to how I was before. There was a huge safety net, and I thought it might make my life make more sense, and it did.¡± ¡°It was a bit of a shock for us, let me tell you.¡± Tess said. ¡°But we gave it some thought and realized that we basically spent all day with each other anyway, so we tried it out and loved it.¡± The conversation turned to other things, and after what seemed like only moments, the dinner had ended, and it was time for the parent dances. Amy danced with Kali, Lilith with Mike, Mae with Jessica, Nuwa with Siph, and then Eve danced with Mike after Lilith had finished. That out of the way, Kali and Lilith cut the cake, and everyone was set free to party as they wished. That lasted for a couple hours more, then the last dance was called. And, as everyone was leaving, Amara shooed Kali, Lilith, and the Parallels away, and told them to go enjoy their night while she and some of the others cleaned up. And so, grinning all the while they did.