《The Sword Saint鈥檚 Second Life As a Fox Girl》 1-1 Second Wind 1-1 Second Wind Argon Raze, the Sword Saint. Known throughout the Evaren continent as the best swordsman. His prowess with des was unmatched. He had a streak of twenty five years of victory in duels. Drunk with his ability and bored with his superiority, he challenged every swordsman he crossed paths with to a duel and he won every single one of them. His name seared terror into his opponents and his exploits thrilled his admirers. Kingdoms and nations had sought after his service but Argon Raze rejected all of their offers. I do not wish to be tied to any affiliations. These offers are shackles and would cause stagnation to my abilities. The Sword Saint had once said. With this philosophy, he traveled through the whole continent and faced challenges of many and all kinds. He reigned victorious against all of his adversaries, but that was until he met a certain young man. He didn¡¯t know the young man but his instincts told him the young man would give him a duel of his life. And in a way, it was a duel of his life. The young man was no mere swordsman. He was a Mage but he wielded a de better than Argon himself, in addition to a dark spear. Overwhelmed by his unprecedented sword skills, spear art, and esoteric Magecraft, Argon finally faced his first loss ever since he held the title of Sword Saint, and it was also his only loss for the young man who had ended his life immediately. Argon¡¯sst memories was of the young man bringing his Obsidian Steel spear through his chest. What made Argon all the more intrigued was that the young man took imed his head after he had ended his life. Whether he did it for a trophy or some other reasons, Argon would never know. He had lost and he was dead. This was the end of the infamous Sword Saint known as Argon Raze. Although it was an untimely end, Argon was content¡­ ¡­ for the most parts at least. There was one secret that he carried with him to his grave. Not even his closest of friends knew about this for he considered it to be his greatest shame. He had died a virgin at the age of forty-six. Yes, the great Sword Saint, Argon Raze was and still a virgin at his death. At the end of his life, that was his sole regret. Victory and achievements do note without sacrifices and the preservation of his chastity was his sacrifice for his title as the Sword Saint. His incessant days of honing his sword art hadpletely overshadowed his opportunity for any romantic affairs. However, in spite of his regrets, he had never held any affections for all the women or girls he had met throughout his life. Sure, he met some of the most beautifuldies but at most, it made his mind appreciate their beauty, it made his manhood throbbed, but it never did resonate with his heart. He was always curious about this aspect of his. He once told himself he would nevery with a woman he didn¡¯t have any heartfelt emotion for. But now, he realized it was just an excuse for his own cowardice towards interacting with women. He didn¡¯t wish to die a virgin. He wished he wasn¡¯t so hesitant. He wished he knew the feel of a girl¡¯s soft skin, their supple lips, and their delectable honeypot. Oh, how he wished to know what a girl would feel like in his embrace. He cursed himself of his own ambivalent nature. He cursed it heartily and acutely as he felt his soul left the earthen soil and ascended to the heavens. A bright and dazzling light consumed his vision. It¡¯s all toote, I guess. He told himself as he let himself be swallowed by the brilliant radiance. Oh, what I would give for the sake of knowing a woman¡¯s touch at his point. And then he heard a string of soft titters. He didn¡¯t know where it came from. He didn¡¯t even know if it was real. He was dead. It could be just his memories andmenting mind ying tricks on him. The immense light eventually faded off. Suddenly, he felt something solid beneath him. It was soil. He blinked at his new surroundings. Where am I? Argon Raze asked himself as he remained seated on the ground, littered with dead leaves, in a ¡°W¡± position. Everywhere he looked, there was nothing but trees. Even though he didn¡¯t recognize the location, he knew one thing¡ª this wasn¡¯t Evaren. He had pretty much been to all parts of the continent and Evaren had no such forest. How could he tell? The collection of flora. They weren¡¯t foreign nor peculiar to his knowledge but he had never seen these kinds of trees and nts in one ce. It just wasn¡¯t possible on Evaren. Therefore, he concluded, he was not in Evaren. Perhaps it¡¯s another continent or¡­ another world? Ha ha ha¡­. what am I saying? Didn¡¯t I die? How could I be in another continent? There was no one here to answer his thoughts. Is this heaven? But it didn¡¯t look like the heaven he knew from the countless literature he had read. Or is this hell? It was also a possibility but the atmosphere was nothing like hell. If anything, it was neutral. There was no smell of blood nor the remnants of suffering. It was certainly no grounds of despair. It was just a forest, he told himself. Am I still alive somehow? He questioned but there were no answers to be found anywhere. As he began to move his body, he immediately stopped. Something felt wrong. What the fuck?! It was an immediate cause for concern. He was the Sword Saint. He knew his own body the best and the fact he waspletely unfamiliar with what he was feeling right now, all of the panic rms in his head went off. He felt light. He tried moving his hands, wiggled his toes and stretched his neck, everything felt different than he was used too. He wasn¡¯t just light, he realized, he was extremely light. He looked at his arms. It was covered in some baggy sleeves. He was in some strange clothing, he realized. The fabric looked expensive even to someone like him that had no discerning eye for fabrics and textiles. Heh? When he pulled up his sleeves, he saw that his arm was as thin as a reed. There were no longer any muscles to these scrawny arms of his. And his skin too, was of pale whitish tone. His skin was supposed to be tanned, he remembered. And what this itchy feeling I have behind me? He had been feeling some odd irritation to his back ever since he was thrown into this forest by the dazzling lights. As he touched his back to get a feel of this mysterious irritation, his eyes widened. Is this¡­ hair? It was long, he could feel it with his hand. It reached till his waist. His hair was short before, it didn¡¯t even reach his neck. But now, it reached his waist. And his hair was supposed to be dark brown not white! That wasn¡¯t even the worst part. As his hand moved further down below, he felt a strange protrusion just above his rear. It was furry. He traced the furry protrusion with his hand. What is this??? The protrusions were only getting wider in his palm as he traced further on. He retracted his hand in a panic. He attempted to stand up but due to the difference of the weight he was used to, his bnce was thrown off. Although, he managed to keep his bearings and prevented himself from falling face first into the ground. Why is my chest so heavy? He asked himself as he looked down to his chest. Something was protruding from his chest. He didn¡¯t realize it before since the robe he was wearing was quite baggy. Now that he was standing and the robe was entuating his figure, he was introduced to a new set of plights. What greeted his eyes was a pair of ample mounds. B-breasts!!?? He cupped the twin mounds for confirmation, incurring a soft and high pitch moan from himself. He immediately pulled his hands back, horrified at the sound that was most likely his own. What¡¯s happened to me??!! He screamed in his mind. And then, a wave of information surged into his mind. Erinthea - Forest-kin: Fox-kin Level: 1 | Status: Healthy (Alive) Might: 5 | Arcane: 10 | Finesse: 10 Magic Arts - Spirit Magic Lv. 1 Combat Arts - Sword Art Lv. 5 Innate Skills - Self-appraisal Lv. Ex, Night Vision Lv. Ex, Sixth Sense Lv. Ex, Toxin Resistance Lv. 1 What is all this¡­ Are these my stats and information? Although this was a novelty to Argon, he wasn¡¯tpletely unfamiliar with it. After all, this kind of setting was one of the famous pastime literatures in Evaren. Even the schrs took interest in this concept and there were numerous discussions of implementing it as a conventional magic into the Magecraft system, or at least that was the tale around the campfire. Erinthea¡­ that¡¯s my name.¡­ And I¡¯m a¡­. Fox-kin!!?? As if it was instinctual, he touched the top of his head No¡­ Sure enough, there was a pair of ears, a pair of fluffy fox ears. And most importantly, his hand crept towards his underbelly. His shoulders trembled as his hand crept closer and closer to his destination. And when his hand arrived at its destination. He hesitated to touch that certain spot but it was the only for him to know and ept the truth. And so, he went and touched it. He frowned at the empty feel of his hand. No¡­ All of his hope was shattered. It was gone. The signature of a man was gone. Now, it was without doubt what he had be. Thrown into the middle of some unfamiliar forest, with nothing but a some sort of robe to cover his body, he had be¡ª ¡ª a girl. And not just any girl, a fox girl. ¡°What the fuck!!??¡± His screams pierce through the trees and as his ears stood straight and his tail wagged uncontrobly. 1-2 First time 1-2 First time For now Argon calmed himself down. He did not know where he was but if this ce was anything like Evaren, the forest would surely be filled with ferocious beasts. This forest wasn¡¯t devoid of animals. In fact, he could sense¡ª nay, he could hear the scuttling of various small animals in his surroundings. Looks like these ears of mine aren¡¯t just for show. But what do I do now? He asked himself. He wasn¡¯t so naive to believe that there were no threat in this forest just because he couldn¡¯t hear them. For all he knew, there could be one threat that was already lying in waiting for the right moment and opportunity to strike. It seemed that he had also lost almost of all his cognitive abilities but he wondered if Sixth Sense was thepensation or recement. Sixth Sense - allows the user to sense the unseen and know the imperceptible phenomenons. Okay¡­ that was vague. What about Spirit Magic? Never heard of that one before. Spirit Magic - allows the user to interact with the mystical realm of Spirits and draw its power. Spells of Spirit Magic are not fueled by Mana but Faerin, an energy force native to the Spirit Realm. Argon blinked. He had never of Spirits before. At most, they were old wives¡¯ tales and bedtime stories. There were even multiple reiterations of ¡°Spirits¡±. And he certainly had not heard of Faerin. Well, I¡¯m not going to figure anything out by dallying around in this unknown forest. For now, let¡¯s get out of here and head to the nearest settlement. He told himself and proceed to walk towards the sun. Coincidentally, it was also the direction where he could hear the sound of running watering from. Although he was not fully ustom to his new body, he didn¡¯t have much trouble with walking and moving, as long as he wasn¡¯t doing some extreme acrobatic movements. ¡°Even if I¡¯m a girl now, provisionally speaking, why do I have these excessive lump of fats? How bothersome,¡± he expressed his contempt, or so he verbally imed to himself. Truth to be told, he had been eyeing his own chest ever since he discovered the two lumps dangling in front of his chest. Admittedly, he yed with them¡ª *cough*¡ª he examined them for a few good minutes but stopped when he felt a strange yet exciting feeling brimming within him. He knew what that feeling was but he dared not to acknowledged it. Still, he walked with his arm wrapped around one another as his finger caressed his own skin slowly and softly. It was vexing to admit it but he like the feel of his own current skin. He had been brushing them for quite a while now. It wasn¡¯t rough like his former body. He was starting to enjoy this new body of his¡ª No, I am not enjoying it! This is nothing. I¡¯m just curious about the abrupt change in my body.He told himself.Yes, that¡¯s only it. I am not acknowledging the change or anything. Absolutely not, okay? As he leisurely paced down the narrow path between trees with his slim and curvaceous hip swaying from side to side along with his fluffy tail¡ª he tried his best not to pay any heed to it,¡ª he took a good look at the screen that appeared in his mind. It was a queer sensation. It wasn¡¯t in his vision but the picture was as clear as if he was looking directly it. As a matter of fact, it was clearer than everything he was seeing with his eyes. I understand what level is. It¡¯s use to measure the degree of one¡¯s overall abilities. Therefore, the higher the level, the stronger I am, right? Although he knew about levels but it wasn¡¯t to say that level was exactly like the one he knew of in Evaren¡¯s literature. There were some minor difference in what he knew and what it actually was but he was sure the difference wouldn¡¯t make much difference in his overall understanding. With that, he convinced himself to move on. Now, what do Might, Arcane, and Finesse mean? As he asked these questions in his head, three tabs of information popped into his mind. Getting caught with the unexpected influx of information by surprise, he shrieked like a schoolgirl, unbefitting of one who was known as the Sword Saint. He hoped no one heard it. Increment of the ability, Might, leads to the increase of your strength, your vitality, and your stamina. Increment of the ability, Arcane, leads to the increase of Magic Arts¡¯ effectiveness, Magic Arts efficiency, and Magic Vigor. Increment of the ability, Finesses, leads to the increase of precision, agility, and mastery of any physical skills. While he understood all of the given exnation, there was one thing he couldn¡¯t quite get. That is, magic vigor. And so, another line of information popped into his head. Magic vigor, also known as, Mana, is the energy/fuel for the conjuration of Magic Arts and some Combat Arts. Upon depletion, user is often met with dizziness and fatigue. Magic Vigor can be recovered slowly through a still mind and an unmoving body by absorbing the magic particles in the air. Argon widened his eyes. He knew about Mana. The Magecraft system in Evaren used the same concept. While his main proficienty in the sword, around seventy percent of his skills relied on Mana to activate his vast variety of skills. Does this means that I¡¯m still in the same world as Evaren? He pondered deeply as his feet carried him closer and closer to the source of the running water sound. There was another thing that bothered him. Sword Art¡­ if that¡¯s the representation of my sword skills in words and numbers, why is it art instead of mastery or skill? And why the fuck is it only level five? Wait¡­ or is level five the maximum level? From what he remembered about the campfire tales, skill levels was theorized to reach a maximum level of ten while the person¡¯s level itself could reach a hundred. But of course, that was only a theory. Level five could be the max level or¡­ ¡­ his skill with the sword had plummet after his supposedly reincarnation. No¡­ that can¡¯t be¡­ can it? He wanted to find out as quick as possible but he didn¡¯t have a sword with him. All he had was this strange robe he was wearing. It didn¡¯t have any special enchantment. It was just a robe. What do I do if something attacks me? As he began to search for any object that could possibly be used as a weapon, he was suddenly assailed by a dreadful feeling. [Sixth Sense has been activated. Hostiles detected.] Huh? Sixth Sense activated? Hostiles detected? Before he could question the sudden intrusion of this strange message in his mind, something leaped out of the bush to his right. Due to the many years of honing his body and instincts to an extensive degree, he was able to move in conjunction to his so-called ¡°Sixth Sense¡±. He rolled forward as that ¡°thing¡± lunged for his head. However, the two extra weights on the front of his body and his imbnced light weight body made him bungled his maneuver. He ended up tumbling further than he intended and smacked his back right into a tree. Sparing not a moment to assess his blunder and wounds, he stood straight up with a slight wobble. He tried his best to focus his gaze on his sudden assant instead of his breasts which was jiggling due to his abrupt movements. Rot-rat? He recognized the ¡°thing¡± that attacked him. It was a rodent-like monster. It was a dog-sized rat with bloody eyes and a pair ofrge fangs which looked rotten, hence its name. Unlike a rat, besides its size, it had ws for its feet and its tail was short and furry instead of long, furless, and tapered. Is this really the same world as Evaren after all? That was the question in his mind instead of the monster in front of him. It wasn¡¯t because he was heedless but it was the fact that Rot-rat was some of the lowest tier of monsters in terms of threat level. Even an adult could easily kill one of these with a pitchfork. However, Argon had no such object in his hand and he certainly could not rely on his fist. Snapping back to reality, he dodged the rodent monster¡¯s pouncing attack at thest second as it missed and mmed itself into the tree. It must have hurt a lot since there was a small paint of blood left on the tree trunk. Looking around in a hurry, a branch belonging to some medium-sized nt caught Argon¡¯s eyes. He immediately dragged his imbnced body to the nt. With a sharp breath and a battle cry, he chopped the branch off the nt with a straightened palm. It worked but¡­ ¡°Aaaaaah!!!¡± he screamed. He had forgotten in the split moment that he was no longer in the body of a Sword Saint, he was in the frail body of a Demi-human fox girl. [Warning: Status is changed to Bruised (Right Hand)] Fucking hell, really!? Argon shouted back to the warning announcement. The Rot-rat charged at him once again but this time, Argon stood his ground with the branch in his left hand. He was ambidextrous, thankfully. He didn¡¯t know if it would work but there was no time for him to hesitate. He poured magic into the branch as he swung at the leaping Rot-rat. As the wooden branch came into contact with the rodent-monster¡¯s head, a message appeared in his mind. [Combat Arts: Arcane Edge Lv. 1 - Acquired] Argon wasn¡¯t baffle this time as the skill was an old me. While his skills never had any official name to them in previous life, judging from the name¡¯s connotation, he knew what this skill was. In his time as the Sword Saint, this skill was his bread and butter. Arcane Edge was basically augmenting a de with magic, increasing the cutting force. As he relished in the unexpected familiarity, the branch burst into splinters as the Rot-rat¡¯s head shared the same fate as it. Blood was not a rare sight for the Sword Saint but somehow, he now found it appalling and he immediately pulled back a few distance to avoid being sttered by the blood and guts. Why did I avoid it? Why did I find it disgusting? [Experience Gained - Level Progression: 50%] While hement over his newfound aversion towards gore and blood, this message plopped into his head. Hmm? Experience? Level Progression? Naturally, the knowledge of levels woulde with the knowledge of the experience concept. However, he never heard about implementing it as a design. Still, he found it useful, so he didn¡¯t think too much of it. While he was fascinated by the progression disy, his mind went back to an important topic, his sword skills. Although it was just some simple swing with a wooden branch, he had confirm it. His sword skill had in fact, regress. It was a weird feeling. He had the knowledge but his body and muscle didn¡¯t move like he wanted them to. And he could somehow guess the reason¡­ it was this damnable frail and sexy¡ª *cough cough*¡ª frail and delicate fox-kin body of his. His memory was still there but not his muscle memory since this was a new body. So¡­ Sword Art¡¯s level is five is because I lost half of my skill due to having a new body¡­. Oh Gods of the whatever, what have I ever done to be bestowed by such a fate? As he sighed in exasperation over his aberrant and mysterious second life, his sensitive ears picked up approaching sounds. And he remembered something important. Rot-rat weren¡¯t solitary hunters. Four more Rot-rats emerged from the bushes. All of them stared with voracious hunger right at the fluffy-eared girl with white hair in a baggy robe. Argon took another branch from the same nt but this time, he used his feet instead of his hand to break the branches. It went so much better that he inwardlybeled himself as an idiot. He broke two more andid them by his feet. ¡°Come on, then. Come at me. I, the Sword Saint, am ready for the the likes of you lowly rodent monsters!!¡± And he immediately regretted his taunt as his ears twitched in apprehension. His pride as the Sword Saint had gotten to his head and made him forgot about another important detail. Rot-rat pack normally came in at least six, up to ten, not just four or five. As if toughed at his oversight and arrogance, five more Rot-rats appeared from the surrounding bushes. Unconsciously, his tail hid between his legs. His hands were even shaking. His mind was limatize to adversaries but his new body was not. With his current level, strength, and skill, there was no way for the current Argon Raze to go against such a number, even if he had a proper sword. And so, the Sword Saint, the best swordsman of Evaren, Argon Raze did the one thing he had never done before in his previous life. He turned tail and bolted out of the ce. The Sword Saint had run away from his challenge for the first time in his life¡ª well, lives. Erinthea - Forest-kin: Fox-kin Level: 1 | Status: Bruised (Right Hand) Might: 5 | Arcane: 10 | Finesse: 10
Magic Arts Spirit Magic Lv. 1 |
Combat Arts Sword Art Lv. 5 | Arcane Edge Lv. 1
Innate Skills Self-appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 1
Level Progression: 50% 1-3 Rot-rats 1-3 Rot-rats Argon couldn¡¯t believe it. Or rather, he refused to believe it. He hadn¡¯t run for even five minutes and he was already out of his breath. Fatigue was already seeping into his body. Truth to be told, it was actually impressive for a girl with such figure without preparation and prior training to run for more than a minute without slowing down but to the Sword Saint¡¯s standard, it waspletely uneptable. When he viewed his status in his mind, this was what appeared to him. [Status: Moderate Exhaustion | Bruised (Right Hand)] Moderate? More like Dire! I could barely breath right now! He admonished his own body but that was just a foolish act of futility. Even if he didn¡¯t want to acknowledge it, this was his body, no cursing or outrage could change that. But his frustration was understandable. Right behind him, seven Rot-rats were chasing after him. They weren¡¯t as fast as dogs but they were undoubtedly faster than the current Argon. He was never going to outrun the rodent-monsters with his current stats. One of the Rot-rats gained the upper pace and managed to catch up to the delectable fox girl in its hungering sight. It bared its rotten fangs wide as it lunged at Argon. You won¡¯t get me that easy! He shouted his battle spirit inwardly, because he was already out of breath, and swung the branch in his hand at the Rot-rat. Simr to thest Rot-rat, its head was also blown to smithereens as the branch exploded into tiny barks. It was a wonder that the opposing flow of air blew the sttered blood and guts away from him. At that moment, he felt refreshed and his fatigue was gone. Even his right hand was healed. [Experience Gained - Level Progression: 100%] [Erinthea: Level 1 increased to Level 2] [Status has been restored] [Skill Points Gained +2] [Ability Points Gained +2] [Level Progression: 0%] I leveled up? Yes! Finally! He cheered in his heart as he continued to run with renewed vigor. His thighs no longer felt like they were on fire. While Argon wasn¡¯t exactly sure of what Skill Points and Ability Points entailed, he could roughly figure it out by himself from the description he had read just before. Skill Point goes to Magic Arts, Combat Arts, or Innate Skills. Ability Point goes to the three ability categories, right? In that case, let¡¯s dump all of it into Might at once! Responding to his will, this message appeared. [Might: 5 has been increased to 7] Great! It works! Although the change was small, he definitely felt that he was a little bit faster and his breath felt lighter as he ran. Even so, the Rot-rats were still the faster ones in the endas in he would be slower with his depleting stamina while the rats remained just as fast.. Argon wanted to use his Skill Points but he didn¡¯t have any opportunity to do so with the six monsters chasing after him. Unlike Ability Points, he still wasn¡¯t sure what his skills do exactly. So, he needed to read the description first but that was impossible right now. He already had his mind full in concentrating on not randomly tripping over due to his imbnce body, caused by these bountiful mounds. Actually, he didn¡¯t hate them as much as he thought he did. They were soft to touch and they were the dreams of many men. If he was given the choice to reduce the size, he wasn¡¯t too confident that he would ept that choice, despite his verbalins. All of a sudden, his ears fluttered and his ears twitched. Hmm? Presence up ahead? And it¡¯s¡­ humans? He could tell they were humans from the sound of their footsteps and their scent. Being the Sword Saint, he had also honed his other senses to best of his ability. In a way, he could also ¡°see¡± with his ears. But now that he had a pair of more sensitive ears, he could actually ¡°see¡± with just his hearing. However, topletely reced it as another pair of eyes will still take some time. If it¡¯s humans, am I saved? He had such thoughts. But such thoughts were immediately crumbled as a pungent odor drifted into his nose. The smell came from the humans up ahead. They were definitely alive but they smelled bad¡­ and he knew the smell wasn¡¯t due to their filthy bodies but something else within their body that was filthy. His tail stood up at the unpleasant scent but he didn¡¯t stop. He couldn¡¯t. If he stopped, he would be lunch for the Rot-rats. Hmm¡­ maybe I can do that? With an idea in his mind, Argon kept running until he came to a small clearing, where the three men were. The three were raggedly dress and they all had crooked teeth and rusted swords by their waist. Argon instantly took notice that two of them had steel swords but one of them had an iron sword instead. Their coarsened skin with scars and their unpleasant expression told Argon enough of their profession. Bandits. They were most likely on their ¡°hunt¡± since their eyes were darting around. Their froze in their tracks and their eyes widened as they took notice of Argon. Their lips instantly curled into sinister grins as licentious notions surfaced onto their expression. One of them even had a bulge on his pants but Argon did his best to ignore that vulgar reaction. ¡°Well, what do we have here?¡± One of the bandits sneered. ¡°A fine foxssie.¡± He even licked his lips. ¡°Oh, this is great,¡± said the other bandit. ¡°She will sell for a good price. Even better if she¡¯s a virgin. And look at their tail.¡± ¡°Hah! The price won¡¯t be that good after I¡¯m done ying with her body.¡± This was the bandit with the hard-on and the iron sword. ¡°Do you ever stop thinking with your cock?¡± ¡°Ha! I fight for my cock and my cock drives me to fight.¡± The three bandits were all staring at Argon with lecherous gazes as they mouthed off their desire. Vile scums¡­ If Argon still had his original body and sword, he would cut this three down with ease and without the slightest hesitation. However, circumstances were different. Instead of charging straight at these bandits without a weapon in hand, he stepped aside and let the Rot-rats had at them. If he remembered correctly, Rot-rats would always chase after quantity instead of quality. And his memory served him right. The Rot-rats switched their target from him to the bandits. Of course, this wasn¡¯t to say that the Rot-rats wouldn¡¯te back for Argon. ¡°What the fuck!?¡± ¡°That fuckingssie was leading a monster train!?¡± ¡°Monster train? That¡¯s too little to be called a monster train though?¡± ¡°If you think it¡¯s too little, then you should try stopping them, you level four snob,¡± the bandit said and kicked his ownpanion with the iron sword to the group of Rot-rats. ¡°You fucking¡ª Arrrrgh!!¡± The iron sword bandit¡¯s sentence was cut short as the Rot-rats began to swarm him. He tried to fight back with his sword. He cut down one but the other six immediately overwhelmed the bandit. His sword went flying away from his hand as the Rot-rats piled up on him on the ground. ¡°What the fuck was that?!¡± the other bandit question hispanion¡¯s abrupt decision. ¡°Saving both of our lives,¡± said the traitorous bandit as he took off sprinting without even a nce back to hispanion. The remaining bandit wasn¡¯t that much better as he too ran off with his life as the priority above all others. What a bunch of low-lives. Argon castigated the bandits silently. He crept quietly but quickly to the iron sword that the mauled bandit dropped. It wasn¡¯t a good sword with all the chips and rust on the de but it was the only weapon Argon could get his hand on right now. He picked up the sword and brandished at the feasting Rot-rats. He could run now while they were tearing the bandit apart but he doubted he could outrun these cretins for long. If they lost track of their prey, they would just head back to their nest and gathered more numbers to hunt back down its lost prey. Plus, Argon wasn¡¯t sure he could escape this forest before the Rot-rats came back with reinforcement. It was better to finish them off right now than regretting itter. Argon picked up some stones from his feet and threw at the Rot-rats. The rodents stopped their feast and immediately turned to Argon. He knew how much they hated being interrupted during their feasting. It would send them into rage. They would be faster and more ferocious. Although, their movement would also be more predictable. The Rot-rats came charging at Argon. Their fangs bared and their eyes Two in the front. Three in the middle. Two in the back. Good, let¡¯s do this. Argon made mental preparations as he steeled his nerves. His mind was calm but his hands were quivering at the novel experience of confronting such a number of opponents. He sighed. It was truly a strange feeling. His head was clear but his body was shivering in fear like a shitting dog. Even wielding a sword felt peculiar with this new and unreliable body. Even if that¡¯s the case¡­. so fucking what?! As he used Arcane Edge on the rusty iron sword, he shouted his courage in his heart. Forcing his body to cope with his mind, he shed at the Rot-rats. He took out the two Rot-rats at the front with a single sweep as the de left a trail of blue glow. He almost over-swung due to the momentum from his swinging ample bosom but he managed. [Experience Gained - Level Progression: 80%] His muscles screamed. He forgot about one other thing. He forgot to stretch and this was because for his previous body, which had been tempered greatly, it was always in peak condition. He did not need to stretch. He only stretched when he was about to face a real challenge. This new body of his wasn¡¯t even ripe forbat. Despite this oversight, he persisted with the pain. He kicked up dusts from the ground to blind the three Rot-rats in the middle. The two at the back hopped over the three stunned Rot-rats and lunged at Argon. He executed the same sweep and bisected them cleanly. A crack appeared on the de. His muscles screamed again. And this message appeared once again. [Experience Gained - Level Progression: 100%] [Erinthea: Level 2 increased to Level 3] [Status has been restored] [Skill Points Gained +2] [Ability Points Gained +2] [Level Progression: 30%] Argon immediately dumped all of the Ability Points into Might. [Might: 7 increased to 9] With the renewal effect from leveling up, Argon quickly moved to dispatched the three remaining Rot-rats which were still struggling with their blinded eyes. Argon wasn¡¯t proud with this tactic but he was in a forest, honor meant nothing, especially against monsters. Survival of the fittest! Along with a cute shout that he y deaf to, he stabbed the Rot-rat at the furthest right, tore the sword from that rodent, and continued swinging his de to carve the remaining two, all the while feeling the pain in straining his unprepared muscles. [Experience Gained - Level Progression: 90%] What? Ny percent? Is this a cruel joke of fate? He knew arithmetic but he wasn¡¯t the best at it. He was only the taught the basic just so he could keep count of his own money. That said, he didn¡¯t exactly understand how the level and experience was calcted but he chalked it all up to his future self to handle it. Well, at least I¡¯m saved now, right? When he saw no other presence in sight, he closed his eyes and strained his ears at his surroundings. Other than the small animals scampering around, there were no threats in the vicinity. But that¡¯s only counting what he could hear. He didn¡¯t rule out the possibility of there being monsters capable of absolute silence and invisibility. If that happened, Sixth Sense will warn me, right? Also, I have a sword with me now. As soon as he said that, the sword in his hand snapped into half, leaving sparkles of blue glitters. Ah¡­ Great¡­ Erinthea - Forest-kin: Fox-kin Level: 3 | Status: Healthy (Alive) Might: 9 | Arcane: 10 | Finesse: 10 Magic Arts - Spirit Magic Lv. 1, Combat Arts - Sword Art Lv. 5 | Arcane Edge Lv. 1 Innate Skills - Self-appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 1 Level Progression: 90% Skills Points: 4 1-4 Spirit Magic 1-4 Spirit Magic The bandit didn¡¯t have much on him. In fact, all he had was a pouch of copper coins. There were only around ten copper coins. Argon didn¡¯t feel good looting a dead corpse but he was in foreignnds. There was no room for his morality if he wanted to survive. Discipline and rationale onlyes after necessities had been met, he believed. And so, Argon kept on walking towards the sound of the running water with the pouch hanging by the side of his waist on the sash of his robe. Coincidentally, it was also the direction where the two bandits fled towards to. Don¡¯t tell me the two bandit¡¯s camp is set up near the river I¡¯m heading towards, it can¡¯t be, right? Argon pondered greatly and worriedly. It was very likely that he was now heading towards the bandits¡¯ base camp. Still, it was better than to wander around aimlessly in the forest. If he had to choose between fighting humans or monsters, he would choose humans. At least he would definitely be able to loot something useful from a human. As an example, there was nothing he could use from the Rot-rats he killed just now. Though the Rot-rats¡¯ fangs could be used as a shiv but his newfound aversion cast that idea out of his head. Hah¡­. Why did I forget about the sword was forged of iron? As the Sword Saint, it was only natural that he knew a lot about swords. The bandit¡¯s sword he wielded may be worn, it was still up for a few uses but it broke easily. This was because it was made of iron and iron was a poor conductor of Magic. Coupled with the fact it was worn and Argon poured too much of his Magic, it was only a matter of fact that it snap like a toothpick. He was now once again empty-handed and it ill-advised to be unarmed in a forest filled with monsters and bandits. Albeit that, his current predicamenty in another aspect. It was his bosom. He was wearing a robe but there was nothing underneath that robe. There was no undergarments. His breasts were jiggling gently as he walked. It didn¡¯t just affect his body but his mind too. He never knew how hard it was to walk with these milk bags. All this time he had beensciviously gazing at women with huge bosoms, he never understood their hardships and pain. Now, he did. And by no undergarments, that went for his underwear too. With every breeze that blew past, it felt as if he was wearing nothing below his belly at all when the cold air brushed against his bared genitals. He would shiver every time and his tail would also straighten up. He was walking with his arms under his chest. He did so to prevent his breasts from jiggling too much but this was no solution. It only made it worse as the malleable feeling to his forearms was driving him insane. He even tried to press the cloth down at his crotch to prevent the cold air entering but he only managed to stimte his now-womanly desire. This was too much for a virgin like him. At his wit¡¯s end, he decided to make do. He tore off his baggy sleeves and turned the sleeves into bandages, which he used it to wrap around his chest and genitals. Granted, he was tempted to touch his new and unprecedentedher regions but his pride as the Sword Saint hindered his lust. Still, the temptation only grew stronger the more he denied it. No, I am not scious! I am just¡­ curious! Yes, that¡¯s it! Now that his chest wasn¡¯t shaking much like before, he was relieve, only slightly. It was suffocating and restricting but it was either this or let those malleable mounds sprang freely around. He sighed inwardly and decided to focus his mind on some other stuffs, such as his stats. He still had four Skill Points to spend. Although Argon was a swordsman, that wasn¡¯t to say that he had no interest in other skills, such as magic. He wasn¡¯t like the stubborn elderly who would only stick to their traditions and maxim. He weed just about any skill that could improve his sword skills. Although he had magic within him in his previous life, he never could manifest it as a spell. The most he could do was infuse his magic into an object or boost his speed and strength with magic. However, he now had something called ¡°Spirit Magic¡±. Does this mean I get to finally use magic? His ears fluttered with his piqued interest. He realized his ears and tail respond to his emotions but he paid no mind to it. If he did, he felt that he would really lose his identity as Argon Raze. As he thought about what kind of Spirit Magic he could use at level one, a thought appeared into his mind. Spirit Sight? He suddenly knew what he could do with Spirit Magic, somehow. That idea just popped into his mind. Without much thought, he activated Spirit Sight. ¡°Whoa¡­!¡± he gasped in awe at the sight of the thousands of small light particles of blue and green, drifting and floating around him. These were Faerin, the energy force native to the Spirit Realm. It felt soft like cotton and a little bit warm to the touch. He decided to allocate one Skill Point into Spirit Magic. [Spirit Magic: Lv. 1 has been increased to Lv. 2] At the same moment this announcement was made, a flick of information entered his mind. What this? A-a spell? In ordance to the idea that somehow found its way into his mind, he raised his arm with his hand wide opened. Blue and green shining particles gathered around his palm, forming into bright sphere of cyan light. Light Drop? Argon knew the name of this spell and its uses, somehow. It was a light source much like a torch. He just knew it when he leveled up Spirit Magic. Is this how all skills work? I just know these things when I level them up? To confirm his suspicions, he allocated another Skill Point into Spirit Magic. [Spirit Magic: Lv. 2 has been increased to Lv. 3] A new piece of information flowed into his mind. Fae Guide? It shows me the way to my desired location? In that case¡­ show me the way to the nearest river? At his words, the small ball of cyan light in his palm grew a pair of ethereal wings. H-how cute! He squealed with a high-pitch voice. He was too excited to mind it. The Fae Guide flew from his hand and dashed straight in the direction he was walking towards to. The Fae Guide even waited for him to catch up when it wandered too far from its summoner. Now this is certainly useful. As Argon continued walking down the unpaved forest trail guided by the Fae Guide, he began to notice a change. The trees were further apart from each other and the grounds were less uneven. Even the myriad colors and types of nts were fewer in variety. He also lost track of the bandits trail as he went on. They made a turn uphill to the right somewhere along the path. Not that he minded too much of it. He wanted to finish those two bandits off but he wasn¡¯t so keen about it that he would chase them down. Besides, he didn¡¯t have a sword with him. Suddenly, his nose twitched as his ears did the same. He could smell the river and the flow of running water became clear to his ears. He was very close. Argon picked up his pace and followed the Faerie Guide as fast he could. Now that he was a little bit clearer with his mind, to his surprise, his tail kinda helped in the bncing of his movements. No, that¡¯s not important right now. After another minute of running, he finally arrived at a de where the river was. Unlike before, he wasn¡¯t as tired as he is now after running for that amount of time. Increasing his Might had certainly pay off. The Fae Guide vanished into thin air after it done its bidding. ¡°Ah¡ª¡± Argon caught himself just in time before he could blurt out his disappointment in the Fae Guide¡¯s leave. Before he revel in the joy of finding a source of water, he scrutinize his surroundings carefully. He didn¡¯t know how far his nose and ears could sense but at least it was far enough for him to respond appropriately if anything bad came up. In his sight, there was no bandit camp like he had expected there to be. Without the trees in the way, he could see that it was most likely some time in the afternoon. Okay, everything¡¯s quiet and the river is peaceful. No dangerous monsters lurking nearby. Hmm, I wonder where did the two bandit went? Well, who cares? If they get near me, I will know. For now, let¡¯s enjoy this. With those words as assurance, he knelt down by the riverbank and gazed at the surface of the water. What greeted his sight absolutely took his breath away. ¡°S-such beauty¡­¡± he gasped out his awe as he stared at his own reflection. Snow white hair with a tinge of blue. Amber-esque eyes. A cutely-shaped nose. Thin and light-pinkish lips. The beauty was simply unparalleled even though there were tiny spots of blood stter on the cheeks and forehead. Further more, the face looked younger than his former self, roughly about half of his former age. This is m-me? He couldn¡¯t believe it. He wasn¡¯t just a girl. He was an extremely beautifuldy, heavenly even. It was a face that put the other beauties he had met to shame. Overwhelmed by the undeniable fact before him, he threw his whole face into the water. He wasn¡¯t extremely thirsty nor was he feeling hot. He was just tired and in shock. A good ssh of water was just what he needed. He washed off any dirt or blood that had gotten on his face. As he reined back his head from the river, he sighed in delight and relief. Everything that had transpired felt like it was nothing more than a dream. But it wasn¡¯t a dream. As he looked back at the water, the rippling surface settling back down, the heavenly beauty returned to his sight. It was real. He was now a girl, a beautiful fox-kin girl. His shoulders drooped at the reality thrust before him. He had a glimmer of hope that everything was just a dream, a very surreal dream but no more, this was real. Now what do I do? He was prepared to die, to some degree, but now he was alive, somehow. It was really a kick in the nut to his resolve. Worse of all, he was force to run away from the lowest tier of monsters. It was a total humiliation to his title as the Sword Saint. Nevertheless, I am alive now. That¡¯s the important thing, maybe. I don¡¯t know why or how am I alive and in a fox-kin girl¡¯s body but I should make the most out of my second life. Yes, that¡¯s right. I should do things that I couldn¡¯t in my past life like¡­ um¡­ like¡­ ah, yes! Magic learning! Since I can use Spirit Magic, it only reasons that I can learn other Magic, right? But¡­ how do I learn other Magic? And so, he added ¡°Learn Magic¡± to his ¡°to-do list¡± as his first item. No, not that first. The first item should be to retrain my body. This body is too weak and inexperienced. If I went up against an adept swordsman now, I will lose easily. Okay, first thing, Hone my body. Second, learn Magic. As for his third wish¡­ Well, his third interest wasn¡¯t a possibility anymore. He wanted to lose his virginity¡ª as a man that is. Wait¡­ if I was a virgin in my previous life, does that mean I¡¯m also a virgin in this life? His gaze trailed slowly down to his chest and to his crotch. Impure desires and curiosity filled his mind. He wanted to know. He had to know. His virginity had been chewing on his mind since he came be aware of the opposite gender. Now that he was a girl, his curiosity was all the more profound. This isn¡¯t anything bad. I¡¯m just researching my own body. Yes, that¡¯s just what it is. The longer he was in this body, the less he felt like resisting his new identity. His curiosity towards his current gender was steadily overwhelming his pride as a man. And his tail¡­ He had asionally stole a few nces at it. It was so fluffy that he just wanted to cuddle with it but¡­ No! What the hell am I thinking!? I will do no such thing! I¡¯m a man! Well¡­ I was a man but still¡ª The more he argued, the more he realized his argument made no sense. There was actually no detrimental perks to being a girl. Sure, a girl was physically weaker than a guy but there were multiple great warriors in Evaren who were females. In fact, female were naturally more sensitive to Magic than males. Female fighters oftenpensate their inferior physical strength by using Magic to permanently strengthen themselves. In short, he was not gender-discriminating. He¡¯s just wasn¡¯t use to being a girl, an angelic beauty at that. From what he had gather from all the moving around, his current body was actually in a good shape, for normal people¡¯s standards of course. And what¡¯s more, he could tell this body was young. Since he already had the mental knowledge of sword skills of the highest tier, he wouldn¡¯t need to work as hard as he did in his previous life to achieve the title of Sword Saint. No¡­ My sword skills was no longer of the highest tier. I lost to that Mage Swordsman after all. But perhaps, with this new body, I can surpass him? Now that he thought about it, this was actually a huge opportunity for him to be stronger than his previous life. He could even learn Magic with this body. He could use Magic spells in tandem with his sword skills in the future. Isn¡¯t this actually great?! Be that as it may, the absent of a dongle and the addition of these two profound protrusions were still something that it would take some time to get use to. Speaking of getting used to¡­ I am not doing anything wrong here. I¡¯m not a pervert. I¡¯m just trying to ustom myself to my new body. I can¡¯t get use to it if I don¡¯t familiarize myself with my new body. This is necessary. Not because I want to feel a woman¡¯s body, absolutely not. He told himself so. It should be fine right here. There¡¯s no one else here but me. Besides, I would know if anyone get any remotely close with Sixth Sense and my sensitive ears and nose. Finally convinced by his own desperate reasoning, he leaned against a boulder nearby as he untied the sash that bound his robe. He let it loose to around his shoulders. He then began to fondle his breasts and rubbed at his genitals through the bandages. Slowly, he could feel his honeypot starting to drenched through the cloths. Even if he felt that it was wrong somehow, he was past the point of caring now. Erinthea - Forest-kin: Fox-kin Level: 3 | Status: Mild Exhaustion | Severe Sultriness Might: 9 | Arcane: 10 | Finesse: 10 Magic Arts - Spirit Magic Lv. 3, Combat Arts - Sword Art Lv. 5 | Arcane Edge Lv. 1 Innate Skills - Self-appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 1 Level Progression: 90% Skills Points: 1 1-5 Self-enlightenment (R18) 1-5 Self-enlightenment (R18) A sharp and seductive moan escaped through her lips as Erinthea, the former Sword Saint, Argon Raze, fondled her own breasts with dexterity andpassion. She wasn¡¯t just touching them. She was appraising them, worshiping them even. I shouldn¡¯t be doing this¡­ if anyonees¡­ I will¡­ She was worrying about such things as she indulged in and with herself further. She tried to reason with herself but her lust had taken over her body and slowly encroaching her mind. She wasn¡¯t sure Sixth Sense would work against voyeurs and her ears would be too ¡°upied¡± to pick up any sounds other than her own delighted noises. Oh god¡ª! This feels so good~! It felt ineffable just by caressing them through cloths. She shuddered with the thoughts on how it would feel if there was nothing between her fingers and her breasts. I must feel the real thing¡­ Only then will I truly understand about my whole body. She loosed the bandages that constricted her breasts andid them just by the boulder. Now, her breasts was bared to her own touch and the cool gentle breeze. Erinthea continued her luscious moans as she kneaded her malleable and supple breasts like she would a dough. She didn¡¯t know how she should be doing this, so she randomly used one of her old memories aspensation. She had led a solitary life with no friends close enough that he could divulge his innermost secrets. She was used to making his own meals. In his endeavor, she hade to learn about kneading dough. Albeit that, her breasts were softer than dough. She cried out her ecstasy as her snatch began to overflow with womanly juices from all that pleasure she caressed out of her bosom. She was so wet, up to the point that she could no longer feign ignorance to her drenched impromptu underwear. When she touched her snatch through the cloth, she quivered. When her fingers left the cloth, they drew strings of its honey. I¡¯m this wet? She was in disbelief. She couldn¡¯t ept the fact that she felt it that much that it soaked through the cloth. It was no longer possible to keep wearing them. No, this is just a natural reaction as a girl. Yes, that¡¯s just it. Swallowing that poor excuse, she took off the awfully wet makeshift loincloth and cast it aside. Her womanhood was once again bared against the cool breeze of the air. She shivered with joy, anticipation, and anxiety for what she was about to do to her new genitals. Just a little bit. I¡¯ll be quick. Yeah¡­ I¡¯ll be quick. With one hand still fondling her bountiful breasts, her other hand began to insert a finger into herher region. It was an indescribable feeling. This was the first time she felt anything like it. It wasn¡¯t hard and springy like a man¡¯s rod. Even just by the entrance, the ps were already giving him much pleasure. She trembled greater as she imagined the pleasure toe. Finally, she stuck a finger into her womanhood. She stifled a long screech of pleasure and her hand squeezed down on her breasts as she felt an intense tingle throughout her body. W-what was that¡­? Her breaths became heated as they quicken their pace. That sensation couldn¡¯t even be called pleasure. It was beyond that. It was different than what she felt when she was still Argon Raze. No¡­ I¡¯m still Argon Raze. It¡¯s just for now that I¡¯m¡­ Her thoughts were discontinue as she plunge her finger deeper into her honeypot. She screeched out another string of ecstasy as the simr sensation once again assailed her body. Her lower body trembled vigorously that it even shifted her whole position. She was nting down the boulder she was leaning against. She made some effort to sit herself back against the boulder before continuing the session of self-enlightenment. She began to assault not only the inside of her honeypot but also her flower bud by rubbing it with her thumb. Instinctively, her other hand left her breasts and grabbed on to her tail which was wagging unruly that it created a small breeze. She began to stroke her tail at the same time her finger began to wiggle around in her honeypot. She muffled her cries of pure bliss with her lips. When it failed her, she gritted her teeth as her voice sieved through them. ¡°Eeeeek~! So good~! So good~! What¡¯s bing of me~!!!¡± Her breaths were heating and speeding up as her hands¡¯ movement matched the pace. As if the current brimming pleasure wasn¡¯t enough, she brought her tail to her mouth. After a brief moment of hesitation, she began to lick at her tail. A shock surged through her spine. When it wasn¡¯t enough, she nibbled on it. She screamed her extreme delight while she lightly bit down on her own tail. Bliss piled on top of ecstasy with each stroke and nibble going on all over her body. This was pure womanly pleasure, something Erinthea had never known about while she was Argon Raze. A man¡¯s onanism was simple and monotonous. At times, it even felt like a chore. She had done it to give herself a clear head. But for woman¡¯s onanism, it was on another ne. Every where she touched, she was getting pleasure. She soon found herself curling on the ground, furiously making a mess of the inside of her honeypot and flicking her flower bud with greater fervor. When a finger wasn¡¯t enough, she stuck one more into her sex. Oh god! Oh god! This is too much~!! It was really too much. The sense of the newfound pleasure and the immorality had enlivened the session. Now, she was hugging her own tail between her legs as her mouth continued nibbling on it, her hand kneading her breast, and her fingers wriggling around in her honeypot. She was pleasuring herself to the uttermost with reckless abandon, using every knowledge she had, guided by her carnal desire at an instinctive level. I¡¯m close! I¡¯m close! When she felt her peak nearing, she nibbled harder on her tail as she squeezed more earnestly on her breast with snatch mping down on her fingers. Oh god! Oh god! Oh god! I¡¯m cumming¡­ I¡¯m cumming¡­ As she chanted those words in her mind, her eyes were rolling to the back of her head. Her womanly juices spurted intermittently, her moans gagged at the brimming pleasure, and all of her movements ceased. She had ascend to the peak. ¡°I¡¯M CUMMING!! I¡¯M CUMMING!! I¡¯M¡ª!!¡± she shouted the height of her ecstasy as she squirted out all of her womanly juices. At the same moment, a wave of mystical pheromones erupted radially from her. It even caused the river to ssh off the stream but thankfully Erinthea herself was spare from the sshes. [Warning: Magic Vigor has fallen below 25% of the threshold] Her body shuddered rampantly as her orgasm continued for a minute straight until it finally receded. By then, all of her strength had left her body. But all of a sudden, she felt her body was steadily regaining its energy. This sensation was much too familiar and recent. [Experience Gained - Level Progression: 100%] [Erinthea: Level 3 increased to Level 4] [Status has been restored] [Skill Points Gained +2] [Ability Points Gained +2] [Level Progression: 0%] [Innate Skill: Lust Deviant Lv. Ex - Acquired] For some reasons, she gained experience from pleasuring herself. And thest line of the message chain was a very worrying statement but her mind wasn¡¯t in any condition for rational thinking. After that intense session of an introduction to a whole new world, she was left mentally and physically exhausted. Though her stamina was restore, her mind was another matter. What is Lust Deviant¡­? She forced her drained mind to ask. Lust Deviant - Ability value increases by 50% upon carnal starvation but slowly loses one''s sense of self. Pleasure of physical intimacy is heightened for the user and their partner(s). Upon orgasm, user¡¯s pleasure is shared to all partners. Erinthea had no words for such a skill and she didn¡¯t even have the mental capacity to worry about it. She did her best to dress herself back up before her mental exhaustion eventually overtook her consciousness. Not ten seconds went by after her climax, she had fallen asleep by the riverbank, in the middle of a dangerous forest, and with her clothes barely covering her body. Erinthea - Forest-kin: Fox-kin Level: 4 | Status: Moderate Slumber | Carnally Relieved Might: 9 | Arcane: 10 | Finesse: 10 Magic Arts - Spirit Magic Lv. 3, Combat Arts - Sword Art Lv. 5 | Arcane Edge Lv. 1 Innate Skills - Self-appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 1 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex Level Progression: 0% Ability Points: 2 Skills Points: 3 1-6 Lyra 1-6 Lyra It had been a sweet dream. The best years of his life. All around him were familiar faces and their expressions were nothing but joy. Suddenly, that merry scene faded into darkness. A pair of crimson eyes emerged from said darkness, gazing at him into his very soul. The eyes became bigger in his sight as it drew near. Before the baleful gaze could reach Argon, his hand sprang up caught something that had approach him. ¡°Eeek!¡± cried a feminine voice. Argon opened his eyes and he woke from his slumber. He found himself staring at a crouching girl in a cloak with her hood pulled up and her arm in his grasp. Even though her face was in the shade of her hood, Argon could make out she was quite a looker. She looked as young as his current self or maybe even younger and she had some brawn to her sleeveless arms. In her other hand, she was holding a sack. ¡°Can I have my hand back please?¡± the girl asked. Argon tightened his grip around the woman¡¯s hand to gauge for her reaction. ¡°Hey hey! Calm down!¡± she entreated in an rming tone. ¡°I meant you no harm.¡± ¡°What were you trying to do?¡± asked Argon. For some reasons, Argon wasn¡¯t feeling nervous in front of a pretty girl like her. He usually stammers when talking to females, especially youngdies. Maybe it was because of the circumstances, he thought. ¡°I was just trying to wake you up,¡± the girl answered. ¡°Canting his head, he questioned, ¡°why?¡± ¡°In case you don¡¯t know, you do not want to be out here when it gets dark.¡± Looking at the sky, Argon saw that the sky had darken. It was dusk. Was I out for that long? After confirming that the girl truly meant no harm to him, he let her hand go. ¡°Right, sorry about that. Thanks for telling me,¡± he said and pushed himself to his feet. He was still feeling kinda wobbly but it was probably just the effect of waking up. ¡°Are you alright?¡± the girl asked as she stood up along with him. ¡°What makes you say that?¡± he shot back her question. ¡°Well¡­¡± Her eyes darted at his clothes. ¡°You¡¯re sleeping on a rock and your clothes were¡­¡± Her sentence trailed off. Realizing her meaning, Argon turned away from her and tidied up his robe. He did put it on hastily before dozing off. And he was even sleeping on ces one would never sleep on under favorable circumstances. He must had look like a victim of a sexual assault. He didn¡¯t forget to bandage up his ample chest. Remembering what he did just before he lost conscious¡ª or rather, why he he lost conscious, red flushed his cheeks as his shoulders quivered slightly. He was also reminded of the Innate Skill he acquired just after his orgasm. It was an innate, which mostly likely meant that he had no control over the activation. He made a mental note to look for garments with ample coverage and to sate his carnal desire asionally. ¡°Are you alright?¡± she asked again when she noticed Argon¡¯s mildly shaking shoulders. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Argon answered, turning back to face her once he calmed his thoughts. ¡°I was not assaulted nor raped if that¡¯s what you¡¯re thinking.¡± There was some shaking in his voice but he hoped she didn¡¯t notice it. ¡°Well, if you say so.¡± She held a dubious nce at Argon. It was understandable. There were a lot of cases where women kept quiet about their ¡°ordeal¡± to avoid lowering their worth to the eyes of the public. This was especially the case for bachelorette. ¡°I¡¯m Lyra,¡± the girl introduced herself with a her right hand on her chest and a slight bow. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Argon froze. He wanted to say his real name but he wasn¡¯t sure it was a good idea. Even if he im that he was Argon Raze, he didn¡¯t have his signature skill and strength to prove it. Against his reluctance, he answered, ¡°Erinthea. My name¡¯s Erinthea.¡± For now on, I am Erinthea, provisionally. ¡°Erinthea¡­ what a beautiful name.¡± Lyra mused. She uttered thest part in a whisper but Erinthea heard it all with her sensitive ears. ¡°May I called you Erin?¡± she asked. Erin shrugged. It wasn¡¯t her real name anyway, so she didn¡¯t care that much. Now that she had a good look at Lyra, Erin realized she was taller than Lyra by half a head. Hmm¡­ I¡¯m quite tall for a girl, aren¡¯t I? Lyra was donning leather armor that fit her slender body frame so well. Her muscles did not diminish her charm a single bit. On her back strapped a bow and a quiver of arrows. Her gears weren¡¯t high grade but it couldn¡¯t be said to be low either. Erin could vaguely make out her dark bluish hair color and simr dark bluish eyes to match under her hood. ¡°You¡¯re not an adventurer, are you?¡± Lyra tossed such a sudden question. ¡°What gave it away, I wonder?¡± Lyra chuckled at her foolish response but she humored her anyway. ¡°You¡¯re not armored, not even lightly. You don¡¯t have a sack for carrying your spoils. And most obvious of all, you don¡¯t have a weapon.¡± ¡°I had a weapon.¡± Erin didn¡¯t know what an adventurer was but she could roughly guess what kind of profession it was judging from the name itself. ¡°Is there a problem if I¡¯m not an adventurer?¡± ¡°Instead of problems, it raises a big question. If you¡¯re not an adventurer, what¡¯s a fox-kin like you doing all the way out here? This forest isn¡¯t a ce for anyone to just stroll in. Only adventurers or fighters dare walk to enter this forest.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a long story.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Lyra understood what Erin¡¯s overtone implied. ¡°Well, I¡¯m heading back to town now. Care to be mypanion for this short journey?¡± Erin had the Spirit Magic, Fae Guide if she ever needed directions but since Lyra had proven herself to be quite amicable, Erin saw no reason to refuse the offer. Plus, it was better to travel with apanion in such a ce. ¡°Of course, just lead the way.¡± With Lyra taking point, the two walked downstream by the river. As they trod down the path, Lyra was sneaking nces at Erin, more precisely, at her swaying tail and ears. After a few minutes, Erin had enough of Lyra¡¯s asional sneaky glimpses and decided to confront her. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± Lyra said. ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­ Demi-humans are a rare sight around here. I hope you won¡¯t mind the stares back in town.¡± ¡°That depends on how hard they stare.¡± Beast-kin or any demi-humans for that matter, was also a rare sight for Erin in her former life. She probably had only seen two or three demi-humans in the four decades of her previous life. ¡°Um¡­ can I ask request something quite personal from you?¡± Erin¡¯s brows raised with a crease. ¡°Depends on what you¡¯re requesting?¡± ¡°W-well¡­ can I touch your tail and ears?¡± ¡°No,¡± Erin replied instantly and sharply. She didn¡¯t know the ethics of Fox-kin but considering how sensitive they were, it was probably frown upon to be touched so casually by others. ¡°Yea¡­ I figured as much.¡± Lyra looked down. ¡°Sorry of asking. Just¡­ I hope you won¡¯t be offended when some of the townspeople asked the same thing. Some of them get kinda curious here in Green Scar.¡± Hearing some foreign name, Erin furrowed her brows. ¡°Speaking of¡­ ¡°here¡±, where are we exactly?¡± Lyra blinked. ¡°You don¡¯t know? And you¡¯re here, in such a ce?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a long story.¡± ¡°Well, we are in the forest of Green Scar.¡± ¡°Green Scar? Where is that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure on how I should I answer that.¡± After some thinking, Erin asked another question. ¡°Do you know Evaren?¡± ¡°Evaren?¡± Lyra gave her an odd look. ¡°If you¡¯re talking about the continent, of course I do. This is Evaren.¡± Erin widened her eyes. She didn¡¯t hear her wrong. This was Evaren, she said. However, Erin didn¡¯t know any ce named Green Scar in Evaren. Evaren wasn¡¯t arge continent nor was it small. It was just on the average tier. Erin had explored most of Evaren. She knew its every nook and cranny. For the parts that she missed in her exploration, she knew their name. That said, she couldn¡¯t recall any of the ce was call Green Scar. Just where the hell am I? Is this somehow a different Evaren? ¡°Are you really fine? You don¡¯t look fine.¡± ¡°I¡¯m okay. Just where in Evaren is Green Scar?¡± ¡°Somewhere in the northwest, I guess?¡± ¡°You guess?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m not a cartographer.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re an adventurer.¡± ¡°Hey, I¡¯m a starless adventurer.¡± ¡°What¡¯s a starless adventurer?¡± Lyra stopped in her tracks and stared. ¡°Do you even know what¡¯s an adventurer?¡± she asked. Erin too stopped to match her gaze. ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± she replied promptly. ¡°Okay¡­ you didn¡¯t know where you are and you don¡¯t know what¡¯s an adventurer?¡± Suspicions filled Lyra¡¯s gaze. ¡°That¡¯s very concerning, are you aware of that?¡± Erin sighed. ¡°Like I have said, it¡¯s a long¡ª¡± [Sixth Sense activated. Imminent Threat Detected] Her sentence was interrupted by a warning from Sixth Sense. Her ears and tail stood straight up with the warning. ¡°C-cute¡­¡± Lyra muttered. ¡°Um¡­ I mean, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Shortly after, a loud roar spanned across the whole forest. ¡°This early?¡± Lyra blurted out. ¡°What was that?¡± Erin asked, directing a worried look at Lyra. ¡°That¡ª is why you don¡¯t want to be out here during the night and why we should start running now.¡± Saying so, the two began to run. Much like her appearance suggested, Lyra was in better form than Erin. She easily overtook Erin¡¯s pace but she took heed to match her pace with Erin. With her sensitive ears, Erin could pick up the sounds of other animals and small monsters scampering away from the roar. She even heard some monsters slightlyrger than Rot-rats running downstream. Remembering that she had two Ability Points from her level up prior to her sleep, she dumped them all into Might. [Might: 9 has been increased to 11] ¡°I don¡¯t mean to disparage you but do you have any movement-elerating skills?!¡± Lyra shouted. Using her old knowledge, Erin poured Magic to her feet to speed herself up. The sudden eleration almost toppled her bnce but she managed to hold her bearings. [Combat Arts: Fleet Foot Lv. 1 - Acquired] Oh damn, it worked. So, it¡¯s called Fleet Foot, huh. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be damned!¡± Lyra eximed. ¡°You¡¯re not as delicate as I thought you are after all.¡± She also sped up by pouring Magic to her feet. The huge roar echoed out again and shook the forest. Hearing the roar that somehow felt nearer than before, Lyra increased her speed and Erin allocated one point into Fleet Foot. [Fleet Foot: Lv. 1 has been increased to Lv. 2] Erin still wasn¡¯t at the speed of Lyra but she was definitely a tad faster. ¡°What are we running from?¡± Erin asked with her voice raised as they ran. ¡°A Razor Grizzly,¡± Lyra replied. ¡°The king of this forest.¡± Erin knew about Red Grizzlies and ck Grizzlies but he had never heard of a Razor Grizzly. She wasn¡¯t even sure if Razor Grizzly was even something remotely simr to a bear at all. ¡°What do you mean just now when you said it¡¯s early?¡± ¡°It¡¯s suppose to onlye out during the night when the sun has setpletely. Something must had awakened it sooner than the intended time.¡± ¡°Or someone.¡± Erin recalled the bandits. ¡°Could be bandits.¡± Lyra gave a shortugh. ¡°There are no bandits here unless it¡¯s a huge group.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because¡ª¡± They jumped over arge log in their path. ¡°¡ªif Adventurers knew, we will band together and hunt them down. They are a threat to us Adventurers and our pockets.¡± ¡°But I saw some bandits just this afternoon.¡± ¡°Well, they must be new.¡± The dodged low under a fallen tree. ¡°If they are the one who woke the Razor Grizzly up, good riddance, then.¡± ¡°How much further to the town?¡± ¡°Not far. Just another mile and more.¡± Just another mile and more¡­ you said it like it¡¯s so easy¡­ Hmm? What¡¯s that? It was fast in hiding itself from her view but Erin saw it in the semi-darkness due to her Night Vision innate skill. There was something following them on the other side of the river. It was extremely silent with its movements. Erin could neither smell or hear whatever was stalking them. She had thought that Lyra was the one who woke her up but after knowing Lyra, she couldn¡¯t have been the one who woke her up with an intimidating aura. Erin put herself on full vignce in case it attacked them at any moment¡¯s notice¡ª but it didn¡¯t. It stopped following them after a while. What the hell was that? ¡°Hey, don¡¯t slow down now. Are you getting tired?¡± Lyra asked without a strain to her voice. ¡°I-I¡¯m f-fine,¡± Erin struggled to reply. Using her own level system¡¯s standard as a measure, Lyra¡¯s Might must be much higher than hers since she could easily run for this long without loosing breath, as oppose to her own current condition. She was already drawing quick breaths. While she was undeniably better than she was during the day, Erin was still no where near her expected optimal level. Still, with her eleven points of Might and another minute run, she managed to reach safety along with Lyra as they finally exited the forest and the town came into view. We¡¯re saved¡­. I¡¯m saved. Erin gave onest view to her back. It truly had stopped following them. She rxed her breath but until they safely made it to the town, she wouldn¡¯t be letting her guard down. Erinthea - Forest-kin: Fox-kin Level: 4 | Status: Moderate Exhaustion | Strained (Legs) Might: 11 | Arcane: 10 | Finesse: 10 Magic Arts - Spirit Magic Lv. 3, Combat Arts - Sword Art Lv. 5 | Arcane Edge Lv. 1 | Fleet Foot Lv. 2 Innate Skills - Self-appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 1 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex Level Progression: 0% Skill Points: 2 1-7 First duel 1-7 First duel The town was simply known as the town of Green Scar. It was surround by walls of stone with only three gateways for in and out. Erin and Lyra had reach the town without anyplications. The elusive stalker did not purse them any further. Erin couldn¡¯t but think just what kind of monster was it to be so silent andpletely near-odorless. Well, never mind that thing. We¡¯re saved now. I can rx. The gateway Erin and Lyra used was the south gate. A tax of one copper coin was impose to non-residents every time they enter the town. Residents of the town were naturally exempted from the tax, with papers to prove, and apparently, adventurers were also exempted from this tax. In fact, adventurers were exempted from taxes in almost every city and town. Fortunately, Erin had the pouch of copper coins she looted from the bandit. So no fuss were raise at the gateway like she had subtly anticipated. In spite of that, she was d that it went smoothly. Her feet were hurting and she was a little bit tired from the running that they did. And Lyra was right. The town guards were staring intensely at Erin. Not only was she of an infrequent race, she was a beauty to boot. After they passed through the gate and entered a street, Erin was greeted by the sight of a lively town with wooden buildings built in an arbitrary order. It wasn¡¯t that much different from the kind of architecture she knew but something was different and she just couldn¡¯t point it out. ¡°Am I the only Demi-human in this town?¡± Erin asked. After pondering for a second, Lyra answered, ¡°there is a family of Dwarves here. They have been here for maybe about sixty years. If we¡¯re talking about non-residents, there is a female Elven adventurer.¡± While Erin did have some interest in meeting the Dwarves, she was even more keen on meeting the female Elf. If the Elves of this Evaren were anything like the Elves from the Evaren she knew, she would even dly pay to talk to one. When she was crowned as the Sword Saint at the age of thirty four, an Elven Princess had came to congratte him as her race¡¯s representative. In Erin''s own standard, the Elven Princess¡¯ beauty stood on par with her current self. As Erin reminisced about her former life, she began to realize just how many attention she was garnering. Like the guards, the people walking the streets all had their eyes glued to her. Some of the men even forgot about their own partner and ended up being reprimanded by their better half. There were even females who blushed upon witnessing her angelic beauty. However, no one had approach her yet. Erin guessed it was most likely because of Lyra. She seemed to have quite a reputation in this town. Still, the gazes were incessant and getting ufortable thefurther they walked into the town. Seeing her predicament, Lyra threw her cloak around Erin to prevent her from attracting any more gazes. Without her hood, Erin realized how much of a beauty Lyra was, although the townspeople didn¡¯t seem to agree as Erin herself was attracting the gazes. Her hair was short but it fit her stature and demeanor. And her chest was enviable for a swordsman like Erin. They were half the size of her own bosom. The cloak helped with curbing the gazes but any observant eyes could still see her face and notice the unnatural bulge on the top of the hood. She could hide her tail between her legs but her ears were another matter. ¡°Say, do you have a ce to stay for the night?¡± asked Lyra. Only now did Erin suddenly thought about that. Deep down, she was prepare to make a simple camp in the forest if she couldn¡¯t get out by night. It wouldn¡¯t the first time she made a camp offhandedly. Lyra smiled. ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think so.¡± To those words, Erin could only smile awkwardly. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t mind sharing my room with you for a night. If you¡¯re fine with sleeping on the floor that is.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Erin couldn¡¯t believe what she just heard. ¡°Share a room with you? Are you sure?¡± ¡°Um¡­ I was the one who proposed it, of course I¡¯m sure.¡± Then, Lyra pulled back a little. ¡°Or are you ufortable with two girls sharing a room?¡± she asked with a low voice. ¡°Eh two g¡ª No no, of course not.¡± Erinughed nervously. She forgot she was now a girl for a second there. ¡°If you truly don¡¯t mind, I wouldn¡¯t too.¡± Although she still had some reservations in sharing a room with another girl, she wasn¡¯t going to pass up this opportunity to get to know a girl more. Besides, there were tons of questions she wanted to ask Lyra, personally and professionally speaking. Lyra beamed. ¡°Well then, we¡¯ll get along,especially in bed¡­¡± She muttered herst sentence under her breath but Erin¡¯s ears weren¡¯t just for show but Lyra didn¡¯t know that. Although, Erin herself wasn¡¯tining. In fact, she was actually looking forward to it. Gosh, am I finally going to lose my virginity tonight? To a beautiful girl I just met no less? As Erin flowed along her river of imagination, her attention was pull back to reality when a loud and coarse voice intruded into her ears. ¡°Quite a friend you found yourself there, Lyra.¡± Both Lyra and Erin turned theirs to the unpleasant-sounding voice. It was a bald man in a fancy tunic and pants. There was a sword by his waist and another sword strapped to his back. True to his voice, even his expression spelled crude. He was sauntering towards them like he had all the time in the world. ¡°Kane,¡± Lyra chewed the man¡¯s name. ¡°A different girl every time I see you.¡± The man named Kane chuckled at his own words. ¡°How about a group session? I¡¯m quite confident in my stamina and my skill to please woman.¡± Erin instantly developed an intense dislike for this man who was named, Kane. Even the passers-by were unnerve by him as they distanced themselves as far away as they could. All of them only offer a momentary glimpse. None of them stop to watch themotion. ¡°You? Pleasing women?¡± Lyra scoffed. ¡°Says who? The wenches you paid for their services?¡± Kane snickered, seemingly unperturbed by Lyra¡¯s belittlement. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll change your mind if you shared a night with me. Unless of course, you¡¯re afraid to find out.¡± ¡°The only thing I¡¯m afraid about you is your ability to ept reality.¡± Lyra shot back. The bald man stepped forward to Lyra to show his superior height. ¡°Says the one who remained below level ten even after a week.¡± Kane seemed to have hit a nerve as Lyra raised her fist. However, her fist was easily caught by him. Kaneughed. ¡°Do you honestly thing a meagre level seven like you is able to hit a level eleven like me?¡± Mocking her so, his fingers approached her grimacing face. ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Having enough of the man¡¯s attitude, Erin pulled Lyra back into her arm and shoved the man away with a light push of her palm. Her sudden movement pulled the hood off her head, revealing her fox ears. ¡°E-Erin¡­¡± Lyra muttered softly as she stared in awe and worriedly at Erin. Kane sneered. ¡°What¡¯s this? A human girl no longer does it for you?¡± ¡°You call yourself a man? Thedy has refused your invitation. You are obligated to respect that.¡± Erin put herself between Kane and Lyra. ¡°You should be grateful that she was even kind enough to spare you her valuable time just to refuse you.¡± Although Kane was a little startled by Erin who shared the same height as him, he quickly regained hisposure. ¡°I thought they say beast blood like you admire the strong but you¡¯re not showing me even a little ounce of respect.¡± He grinned. ¡°I¡¯m starting to wonder if those were just a bunch of lies.¡± ¡°Even if that¡¯s true, I don¡¯t see any reason to give you any respect.¡± His grin fell off. ¡°Oh? Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Erin retorted firmly. ¡°Just talking won¡¯t get us anywhere, how about we settle this in a duel with swords? Unless those swords you have with you are just decorations.¡± Despite being a virgin, she was used to defending damsels against bullies by challenging them to a duel. Now that she thought back, her chances of losing her virginity back then was aplenty. Hearing her words, Kane¡¯s brow began to twitch. ¡°Fine, I ept your challenge.¡± Lyra tugged on Erin¡¯s clothes. ¡°I know you can fight but he¡¯s not just anyone¡¯s opponent.¡± ¡°Is he that good?¡± Erin whispered back. ¡°He¡¯s level eleven. He even might be level twelve now.¡± ¡°Is that high?¡± ¡°In this small town, he¡¯s one of the highest. You can¡¯t fight him, Erin.¡± For the first time, she smiled as Erinthea. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be alright.¡± ¡°E-Erin¡­¡± Lyra tried to persuade her to stop but Erin kept assuring her of a favorable oue. ¡°Oi, are you two done saying your regrets? Or you gonna stall this further?¡± Kane taunted, all the while having a smirk along with his obscene gaze. ¡°I don¡¯t have a sword with me right now. Perhaps you can lend me yours? That way, you can even make sure that I didn¡¯t cheat by using some enchanted sword, right?¡± Kane clicked his tongue. ¡°Such a pert you are, vixen.¡± He said and threw the sword on his back to Erin. ¡°Don¡¯t me me if you get hurt, little fox.¡± Erin was wondering why he easily lend her a sword but it became a clear after unsheathing the sword from its scabbard. It was a sword with its de forged of silver. It was even dulled at the edges. This silver sword was actually in fact a decorative piece. Still, in the hands of the Sword Saint¡ª well, former Sword Saint, anything works as long as it had the frame of a sword. ¡°The edges are dull.¡± Lyra noticed it too. ¡°Good. I don¡¯t need to worry about killing him, then.¡± Lyra could only stare in amazement. Erin had looked like a damsel in distress when she found her unconscious by the river with her disheveled robe. But now, even her back looked so reliable. It only made Lyra looking forward much more to their night together than before. Lyra nodded as an assent before taking a few steps away from them. ¡°Come on now. The sun¡¯s gonna to rise if you dally even more.¡± Kane taunted as he brandished his sword. The de was steel unlike hers. ¡°If you lose, you¡¯ll be servicing me like the bitch you are until morning.¡± ¡°If I win?¡± ¡°You get to keep the sword,¡± he said and chuckled. It was not a proper weapon and he obviously knew that. Still, it was silver and silver cost more than steel per pound since they are used in crafting jewelries. In addition, silver was an excellent conductor of Magic. Hmm, maybe I can have a cksmith melt it down and forged into a silver-based alloy sword. It will work well with Arcane Edge. ¡°Done,¡± Erin said and went into her stance. ¡°After you.¡± His stance is solid but nothing special. This should be a breeze. The man had some decent armor but only on the chest and forearms. He wasn¡¯t wearing any protection for his head or face. This made it even easier for Erin to hurt him good. She wanted to increase Sword Art as assurance but at the same time, she wanted to see how she would fare against a presumably ¡°good¡± swordsman at her level. So, she decided to hold off from spending her skill points for now. For some reasons, her feet were hurting less now and she didn¡¯t feel as tired as she was minutes ago. Is this the work of the adrenaline? ¡°Don¡¯t lose your focus on me now, bitch!¡± As Erin expected, Kane started his offence with a straight charge by elerating his speed with Magic. Erin easily parried his attack and kneed him in his stomach. He gasped wordlessly at the unforeseen attack before being knocked in the temple with the pommel of the silver sword. He went staggering back away from Erin. ¡°Amazing¡­¡± Lyra gasped in awe. Just from that single move, she could tell Erin was better than Kane with a sword. ¡°You fucking bitch!¡± Kane lunged again the moment he recovered his bnce. ¡°And you¡¯re about to lose to this bitch.¡± Erin retorted. She parried his attack again and hit his jaws with the blunt edge. He went stumbling back as he groaned in pain but he attacked again immediately. Experienced with a sword but no where near a seasoned swordsman, let alone the former Sword Saint. He¡¯s quick to give in to his emotions. Incredibly self-destructive. Only this much skill and he dared to unt. How impudent. Kane¡¯s sh was once again deflected but this time, she reeled him in close and disarmed him by hitting his wrist with the guard. The steel sword fell to the ground. He cried out his pain. He stared at Erin with eyes filled with hatred. ¡°Feel like surrend¡ª¡± Before she could finish her sentence, Kane tackled her to the ground. You¡¯re just like every other bullies. Typical. ¡°Erin!¡± Lyra shouted. However, Erin was used to cheaters and she saw iting. Using the momentum, she flipped backwards and threw Kane off of her before rolling back on her feet. Whoa! That was easier than I thought. Due to her lighter weight as a girl, the acrobatic movements were much easier to perform than when she was still a man, in body. As Kane fumbled to get his back his bearings, a steel sword was thrust before his neck. ¡°You lose,¡± Erin dered. All of a sudden, the crowd which was form before Erin realized suddenly erupted with cheers and apuse. Looks like he was really hated by the townspeople. [Experience Gained. Level Progression: 10%] Oh? Even things like this have experiences? Erin was surprise but kinda expected it since she leveled up from¡ª well, let¡¯s just say she leveled up by notmitting a life-taking act. ¡°This isn¡¯t over,¡± Kane snarled. Now, it was Erin¡¯s turn to smirk. She tossed him the steel sword back. ¡°You¡¯re wee to challenge me again.¡± She shed him the silver sword. ¡°I guess this is mine now.¡± Showing one final look of resentment, Kane sheathed his steel sword and scurried away reluctantly from the scene. ¡°How is he not chased out of town?¡± Erin asked with a wondering look as she sheathed the silver sword. Lyra smiled wryly at such a simple question. ¡°He hasn¡¯t broken anyws. He¡¯s obnoxious, sure but he¡¯s no criminal. He never crosses the line. All his fights were consented by the other party, so the guards can¡¯t do anything either. What¡¯s more, with his level, he¡¯s contributing quite a lot to this small town¡¯s economy and its safety.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s true, then have I done a bad thing?¡± Lyra chortled. ¡°No, of course not. If he¡¯s gone, we have someone even better now.¡± Saying so, her eyes turned fervent at Erin. Out of a sudden, Erin¡¯s stomach grumbled with an udylike sound. Gazing awkwardly at Lyra with flushed cheeks, she asked, ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you know any eateries?¡± ¡°I know just the ce,¡± Lyra said with a titter. ¡°But before that, we¡¯re heading to the Guild first.¡± ¡°What¡¯s a Guild?¡± Erin asked with a canted head. Expecting such response, Lyra calmly replied, ¡°you¡¯ll know when we get there.¡± Erinthea - Forest-kin: Fox-kin Level: 4 | Status: Mild Exhaustion | Famished Might: 11 | Arcane: 10 | Finesse: 10 Magic Arts - Spirit Magic Lv. 3 Combat Arts - Sword Art Lv. 5 | Arcane Edge Lv. 1 | Fleet Foot Lv. 2 Innate Skills - Self-appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 1 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex Level Progression: 10% Skill Points: 2 1-8 The Adventurer鈥檚 Guild 1-8 The Adventurer¡¯s Guild Announcement My Patreon for this story is finally up. Although, there''s only two draft chapters ahead but I''m currently writing another chapter right now. Due to Patreon and RL stuffs, I have decided to release a new chapter on Scribble Hub every two or three days, depends on how much I can write. The Adventurer¡¯s Guild, or The Guild for short, was a gathering ce of adventurers and their base of operations. The Guild was an international faction with a branch at almost every town and city. Adventurers were hunters, mercenaries, scavengers, explorers, and many other various profession all mixed together. At least this was how Lyra had exin to Erin. Although Lyra stuttered on a lot of points, Erin got the gist of it. It built up a lot of expectations for Erin towards the Guild. Which was why when they arrived at Green Scar¡¯s Guild Branch, Erin was met with utter disappointment. The building that functioned as The Guild for this small town resembled its peers in size and design. The only way that Erin could tell discern The Guild building was the small sign at the top of the entrance that read, ¡°The Adventurer¡¯s Guild - Green Scar Branch.¡± Erin had seen eateries they passed by with much more distinctive designs. ¡°The Guild isn¡¯t one for aesthetics. As long as the building stood against time and the staffs performed well, everything else was secondary,¡± Lyra had told Erin when she notice her unimpressed expression. The reason they were heading towards The Guild was a simple one, Lyra had a quest to turn in. It was the most obvious reason and Erin felt dumb for asking. Once they were inside the building, it wasn¡¯t as crowded as Erin expected it to be. In fact, they were the only adventurers there. This was because it was nowte in the evening and adventurers were advise against ¡°adventuring¡± at night unless circumstances said otherwise. Monsters were fiercer and stronger during the night. This was especially true for Green Scar¡¯s forest with the appearance of Razor Grizzly and Duskmanes, as how Lyra had exined. Erin knew about Duskmanes but they weren¡¯tplete nocturnal in her previous life. Duskmanes were lion-like monsters with ck fur and mane. Their peculiar trait was their thick tapered tail that resembled a lizard¡¯s tail instead of a lion¡¯s. At the far end of the first floor, there were a row of counters but only three were station with staffs. One of the three stationed counters had a wider working space than the other and this one was located to the far right of the counter row. It had the signboard reading, ¡°Material Procession¡± while the other two counters were under the sign, ¡°Registry / Reception¡±. ¡°You can wait there,¡± Lyra said and pointed at a corner with a bunch of tables and chairs neatly ced. It was the waiting area. There were even an elderlydy there in a small booth, selling water and some food. The food disyed didn¡¯t look appetizing but for adventurers who had just arrived or returned from a long trip, it was most convenient for them. ¡°I can¡¯t follow you?¡± Erin asked. ¡°You can. It¡¯s nothing interesting to watch though?¡± Erin smiled assuredly. ¡°Let me be the judge of that.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Lyra shrugged. ¡°If you say so.¡± They walked to the Material Procession counter together. Since Erin still had Lyra¡¯s cloak on, she wasn¡¯t drawing much attention but at some point, she had to took the hood off. It was just too suspicious to be wearing a cloak indoors. ¡°Hey, Tom,¡± Lyra greeted The Guild staff casually as she put the sack she was holding on to the counter. Erin noticed a weighing tool just beside the Guild staff on the counter desk. It looked like a weighing tool but the design was unlike any of its kind that she had ever seen. ¡°Good evening, Miss Lyra,¡± The Guild staff named Tom returned her greeting with an amicable smile. He was a man in his early forties. He had balding hair but he made it looked natural to his demeanor. He was quite a short man as even with the elevation of the counter¡¯s side, he only stood as tall Lyra. ¡°What do you have for us today?¡± ¡°Fifteen Serks¡¯ Core.¡± She pushed the sack to him. Erin heard another familiar name. Serks were dog-like monsters with reptilian skins. They were slightly smaller than Rot-rats. Their notable trait was their tusk that could potentially grew up to a foot long. However, Erin had never heard of a Serk¡¯s Core. Is it their heart? But the sack was not fill with odorous smell. ¡°Tom?¡± Lyra waved at Tom who was staring with an entranced gaze at Erin. Even without her ears and tail, he could tell Erin was a great beauty from the small glimpse he had of her face under the hood. ¡°Tom!¡± Lyra mmed the counter. ¡°Hah? Oh, right. Sorry about that.¡± He bowed his head towards Lyra and Erin. ¡°Apologies to you two.¡± After snapping out of his fascination and clearing his throat, Tom took out a medium-sized deep tray from behind the counter and pour the sack¡¯s content into it. The contents were all some kind of red crystal ores in crude spherical shapes. They smelled a little foul to Erin but nothing putrid. In fact, it smelled like monsters. Tom began to count these ¡°ores¡±. ¡°What are those?¡± asked Erin, pointing at the red stones. Lyra gave her a look of dubiety. ¡°You don¡¯t even know what these are?¡± Even Tom looked at Erin with disbelief but his hand did not stop moving. Knowing that Erin would just reply her with ¡°it¡¯s a long story,¡± Lyra told her without further questioning her surprisingck of knowledge. ¡°These are Monster Cores. When a monster dies, the Magic within them crystallizes and forms into what we dubbed it as a Monster Core. They are very useful. Probably the most sought aftermodity in the world. I heard that the southern continents use Monsters Cores as their currencies.¡± The more Erin heard about these things, the more excited she was bing. This was Evaren but a different Evaren. It was igniting the withered me within her. She had long stop adventuring the continent as the Sword Saint at the age of forty two. She wasn¡¯t retired, however. She just stopped hopping from ces to ces since her age was starting to show. Now that she was young again, she wanted to explore the world again, a whole new world at that. New monsters, new ruins, and most importantly, the likelihood of novel de forms that he never knew existed. Maybe I should be an adventurer. No, I definitely need to be an adventurer. Erin proim so to herself. She was absolutely thrilled with the prospects. After he finished counting them, Tom moved the tray onto the weighing tool. He looked at what Erin presumed to be the meter screen of the tool. ¡°Yeap, it¡¯s all Serks,¡± he said and proceed to write something down on a small parchment. Wait, what? That¡¯s a discerning tool of sorts? Noticing her baffled gaze, Lyra exined, ¡°that thing¡¯s use to measure the authenticity of the Cores such as which monsters they all came from and whether they were actual Monster Cores, not forgeries.¡± ¡°Damn, that¡¯s fucking impressive,¡± Erin eximed, drawing a stunned gaze from Tom and a flinch from Lyra. ¡°What?¡± Erin asked when she witnessed their reaction. ¡°Nothing,¡± Tom responded with a forced smile and resumed writing on the parchment. Lyra leaned in close to her ear. ¡°You might want to mind your tone. What you said was very shocking to hear from an enchantingdy like you.¡± ¡°Oh. You¡¯re right. That is¡­ odd.¡± Although Erin didn¡¯t care about her tone and such, she wasn¡¯t keen on being stared weirdly at by others. Looks like I have another aspect to take heed of. ¡°Here¡¯s your receipt,¡± Tom said and handed Lyra the parchment he was scribbling on. ¡°Just give it to Sam like always.¡± After taking the paper and the empty sack, Lyra head for the registry counter with Erin trailing quietly behind her. ¡°Good evening, Miss Lyra.¡± The Guild receptionist offered a simr greeting to Tom. She was a graceful woman of at least ten years older than Erin¡¯s current self. She had brown braided hair and like Tom, she was in a simr attire. Erin guessed that the attire must be the uniform. But unlike Tom, she was wearing a cap. Erin wondered how that cap managed to stay on her head in spite of the nted position. ¡°Hey, Sam.¡± Lyra slid the receptionist the parchment which she epted it. ¡°Who¡¯s your friend here?¡± asked Sam as she looked over the small paper. Her amicable smile held a lot of nuance, also unlike Tom. ¡°A gold that I struck,¡± Lyra said with a cordial chuckle. ¡°She¡¯s Erin. We just met today.¡± Erin greeted the receptionist with a casual wave of her hand. Sam raised her head up and frowned. ¡°In the forest?¡± She eyed at Erin. She had simr questions to Lyra. Erin was way too underprepared to be venturing into the forest. ¡°It¡¯s a long story but I can vouch for her capabilities.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take your word for that.¡± Sam continued her scribbling for a few seconds before looking up again. ¡°Your tag, please.¡± Lyra took out a small rectangr brass tag with curved edges from one of her many back pockets. The tag had The Guild¡¯s symbol on it. ¡°This is an Adventurer¡¯s Tag. It¡¯s kinda like your identity papers.¡± Lyra answered Erin¡¯s wordless question without even ncing at her. At this point, she was just treating Erin with the notion of her knowing nothing. Sam received the tag and inserted it to a slot on the desk. After giving the desk a gentle double tap, the surface of the desk lit up. And when she put a paper on it, the lights flowed into the paper, forming into words, columns, and numbers. Fucking hell. That is just amazing. Erin took heed to not spill out her excitement this time. Magic was amon sight in her previous life but this sort of application of Magic was aplete novelty. She held herself back from asking the many question she had about the inner workings of such Magic. Sam made some changes to the numbers and added a few words before giving a double tap to the desk once again. The contents on the paper turned back into lights on the table before flowing all back into the tag. She opened the desk drawer out like a till. It was fill with coins of copper, silver, and gold. She took five silver and ten copper from it. Before she closed back up the till, Erin notice there were two kinds of copper coin. One was the size of the copper coins she had on her and another was of a smaller size. Yeah¡­ I should learn about their currencies first before anything else. ¡°Here you go, Miss Lyra.¡± Sam handed back the tag and the five silver and tenrger copper coins. ¡°Thank you for your service.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee too, Sam.¡± As Lyra turned to leave, the receptionist called out to her. ¡°Oh my, no fervent invitation to dinner this time?¡± Erin understood it was just some light jest as Lyra responded with a chuckle. ¡°I can¡¯t afford meals for more than two person.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Sam wasn¡¯t disappointed. She was even smiling warmly at Lyra. ¡°Well, don¡¯t go drinking too much now, you hear me?¡± Waving Sam¡¯s worries off, Lyra was about to turn to leave but she was once again stopped. This time, it was Erin. ¡°Wait.¡± ¡°What?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°I want to register as an adventurer,¡± she told Lyra, firmly. 1-9 To be an adventurer 1-9 To be an adventurer ¡°Right now?¡± Lyra asked with an arduous face. ¡°Yes,¡± Erin answered with a gleam in her eyes but she quickly realized the change in Lyra¡¯s expression. ¡°Why you ask? Is it toote?¡± ¡°It is kindate but it¡¯s not exactly a matter ofte¡­¡± Lyra was dragging her sentence, unsure of how to put her words. ¡°Is the registration going to take long?¡± Erin asked back. Before Lyra could reply, the receptionist, Sam responded in her stead. ¡°It¡¯ll only take a minute, Miss Erin.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°However, it¡¯s the test that¡¯s the problem. You see, each applicant is required to take a test to prove that they have at least the minimum amount of capability to be an adventurer.¡± Erin shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m capable enough.¡± More than that, actually. I¡¯m the Sword Saint, damn it. If I still have skills, I would¡ª Okay, okay. Calm down, it¡¯s just a test. ¡°I can attest to that,¡± Lyra spoke up. ¡°She won a duel against Kane.¡± The receptionist¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Kane? Truly?¡± Lyra nodded with a straight face. Sam stared intensely at Erin. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking, what¡¯s your level?¡± ¡°Four,¡± she answered without a pause. Sam dropped her jaws. Lyra snapped her surprised gaze at her. ¡°Are you being serious?¡± ¡°Is that so hard to believe?¡± Erin couldn¡¯t understand their amazement. She could understand Sam¡¯s surprise but not Lyra¡¯s. She was there to witness the whole thing. ¡°Well¡­ not really.¡± Lyra¡¯s eyes went swimming. ¡°I did see you in action after all.¡± ¡°What do you mean not really?¡± Sam raised her voice. ¡±A level four won against an opponent with a gap of more than five levels. You have to be incredibly skilled to be able to do that.¡± I am the Sword Saint¡ª well, was the Sword Saint. ¡°Hey, um¡­ Erin?¡± Lyra whispered. ¡°Maybe you should let her see your true identity. Show her your ears, I mean.¡± Seeing no harm in showing the receptionist her true race, Erin uncloaked her head of the hood. There was no one else herebut The Guild¡¯s staffs, so Erin wasn¡¯t too worried about being seen or stared at. Sam gasped in astonishment. ¡°A Fox-kin?¡± Her voice was loud enough to reel in the attention of the other staffs. Since they were still technically working, they didn¡¯t gather around Erin and swamp her with questions like they eagerly wished to. ¡°I do not like to be stared at,¡± Erin said with a firm tone when she noticed Sam¡¯s gaze was frozen on her. ¡°Of course. Sorry about that.¡± Apologizing so, Sam brought out some sort of a Magic tool from underneath the counter. It was a sky blue hemispherical crystal with a palm width, embedded on a small pedestal. On the side of the pedestal was a simr tag slot like the desk. Sam took out a brass tag from a drawer nearby and inserted it into the slot. The hemispherical crystal lit up with a blue glow. Erin didn¡¯t know what the tool was for or doing but she was already impress by the design and the aesthetics. ¡°Now, put your hand on the crystal, please. Either side will do.¡± Erin did as she was requested. The crystal turned green after a while. ¡°Okay, good.¡± Sam nodded and gestured for Erin to let go. ¡°No red records.¡± ¡°What¡¯s a red record?¡± Erin asked. ¡°History of vition, criminal records, those kind of things,¡± Sam answered. ¡°The Guild has a reputation to maintain. We can¡¯t just ept every applicants blindly.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Erin was now even more impressed. There were no such Magic tools in the Evaren he knew. This sort of tool was only mere design and ideas on pieces of papers. The schrs had deemed such concept ¡°too advance¡± to be realized. Is this perhaps the future? Sam then did the same thing she did for Lyra. She inserted the tag into the desk¡¯s slot and began scribbling on the paper that were fill with words made from the tag¡¯s lights. ¡°You¡¯re really level four but your skills¡­¡± Oh fuck! I forgot about my skills, that one fucking skill. Fucking Lust Deviant! All colors was drain from Erin as she prepared herself for the imminent predicament. ¡°You have Spirit Magic and Sword Art, a level five at that. You must be extremely skilled with a sword to have a level five Sword Art at only level four. Forest-kin really are an amazing bunch.¡± Hmm? Something¡¯s wrong? Why is she not reacting to Lust Deviant? Feeling something amiss, Erin focus her gaze at the paper. Near the bottom where it said, Innate Skills, she scanned that row of words. Eh? There¡¯s no Lust Deviant? When she looked at her own stats screen, the innate skill Lust Deviant was clearly listed there but for some reasons, it didn¡¯t appear on the paper. Although she didn¡¯t know why, she was just d she dodged a chance at being lynched. Speaking of chance, she conveniently saw her own other information on the paper. I¡¯m two hundred thirty-six years old?? Damn, I¡¯m old¡ª no wait. I¡¯m a Fox-kin, a Forest-kin. If I remember correctly, Forest-kin are known to have a long life inparison to humans. Maybe I¡¯m not that old in terms of a Forest-kin¡¯s age? ¡°And you also have Toxin Resistance!¡± Lyra shouted with excitement as she peered over the counter. ¡°Huh? A Forest-kin? Aren¡¯t you a Beast-kin? I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯re not an Elf, Druid, or a Spriggan.¡± Only then, it hit Erin. Come to think of it, Demi-humans with animal traits were call Beast-kin in my previous life. Am I not a Beast-kin? ¡°The ancestors of the Fox-kin were tired with the Beast-kin¡¯s nomadic and barbaric ways of living. They joined the Forest-kin in hopes of a more suitable life for their mild nature,¡± Sam exined. ¡°Since then, they have been known as Forest-kin and they also gained the natural talent for Spirit Magic, this is a prominent factor as it stands to show that they have been acknowledged by the Forest Spirits.¡± Lyra made a pondering face with pursed lips. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that.¡± Sam shot Lyra a nce. ¡°You should have. Being an adventurer isn¡¯t all just about brawn. And Miss Lyra, lest you forgot, it¡¯s rude to peek at other people¡¯s stats.¡± Sam reprimanded her. ¡°It¡¯s fine, right Erin?¡± She directed a smile at the fox-kin. ¡°No.¡± Erin didn¡¯t want to hurt her feelings but a line needs to be drawn. She learned this too well in her previous life, some words just need to be said no matter how much it would hurt the other party. Lyra cast her gaze down as her eyes darkened. ¡°I-I see. Sorry about that. That was¡­ inconsiderate of me.¡± Sam sighed as she was use to Lyra¡¯s antics. She scribbled something onto the paper and finished the process with that. However, instead of the tag, Sam handed Erin a piece of paper. Reading Erin¡¯s confused expression, Sam exined with all the patience in the world. ¡°You¡¯ll have your Adventurer¡¯s Tag after youplete the test. For now, this will serve as a substitute adventurer license.¡± Receiving the paper, Erin examined the contents. It looked like a watered down design of her stat screen. At the bottom of the paper, there was a set of instructions. It read; ¡°Eliminate 5 Kobolds and bring their Cores as proof. Time limit of three days.¡° Kobolds were humanoid monsters that resembled a mix of lizard and rat. They weren¡¯t as smart as Demi-humans but they were known for their use of simple tools. There were even known cases of Kobolds using stone swords. It was the best monster avable in Green Scar to test a adventurer¡¯s skill with a sword. Perhaps sensing the eagerness in Erin¡¯s eyes, Sam began another chain of lectures. ¡°While The Guild can¡¯t tell you what to do, you are advised to stay inside the boundaries of the town at night. And should you wander off into the night and get hurt, The Guild will take no responsibility for it. Any questions?¡± Looking at Lyra, Erin was reminded of one question she had been itching to ask. ¡°What¡¯s a starless adventurer?¡± Sam frowned while Lyra threw her face into her palm. ¡°Was it rude to ask?¡± Sam stared vacantly at Erin before switching her nce to Lyra. Even without words, Lyra understood Sam¡¯s inquiry. ¡°It¡¯s a long story. Just treat her like she know nothing.¡± Erin really did know nothing about this Evaren, so she wasn¡¯t irk about beingbeled as such. ¡°Very well.¡± Sam cleared her throat. ¡°A star is given to an adventurer for each distinguished deed they havemitted. The amount of stars an adventurer has dictates the type of privilege an adventurer is eligible for.¡± ¡°You mentioned distinguish deeds. Such as?¡± ¡°Depends. For example, subjugating the Razor Grizzly alone at a level below twenty. However, it won¡¯t be seen as a distinguish deed if it¡¯s subjugated by a high level or a group. And I must warned you, don¡¯t go risking your life for a star. Many have tried and many have died trying, this is especially true for young people.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± Erin said. She tried to not show it on her face that Samjust hit the nail of her intentions. ¡°Good.¡± Sam handed Erin a small book. ¡°This is the Adventurer¡¯s Handbook. It contains the rules and ethics an adventurer should uphold and a few advice.¡± Oh wow, this is neat. The Evaren I know wasn¡¯t this¡­ orderly. ¡°Would that be all?¡± Sam asked. ¡°Yes, for now.¡± Erin thanked the receptionist and left The Guild while being pulled by Lyra who was grumbling about her empty stomach. But Lyra¡¯s true intentions were in to Sam¡¯s eyes. ¡°Ah, youth.¡± **** They had a light dinner at a small stall by the roadside just a few blocks away from The Guild. The dishes were all familiar to Erin, so she didn¡¯t have much question regarding the cuisine. Over their meal, Lyra had told Erin everything she knew about being an adventurer and also the currency which greatly astounded Lyra that Erin didn¡¯t even know about the currency. After Lyra was finish with her main course, she began to exin. ¡°There¡¯s small copper, copper, silver, gold, and gold tes. Ten small copper is one copper. Ten copper is one silver. Ten silver is one gold. Ten gold is one gold te. It¡¯s easy. And mind this, try to get your money in the form of coppers and silvers. You only use gold in the big cities. Small towns like this one don¡¯t use gold. You can still pay with a gold coin but don¡¯t go expecting change from it.¡± After the brief and concise lesson of currencies, Erin asked another question that had been itching her since she received her adventurer application test. ¡°What happens if I cheat on the test?¡± Erin asked. ¡°What if I get someone else to do them for me?¡± To that question, Lyraughed. ¡°Don¡¯t. The Guild will know, always and somehow. You can¡¯t cheat or lie to them. Don¡¯t even dare to think about it.¡± After another strings of inquiries from Erin, it was time for Lyra¡¯s own story. It seemed like she had been waiting to tell her tale. Lyra was currently only twenty years of age. Her family was poor and it was her vige¡¯s tradition for the chosen children to live a independent live starting from their eighteenth birthday. She and her childhood friend went off to the next town and bounced between odd jobs for a few years until her friend became a prominent smuggler in the town thanks to his natural talent. Disappointed, Lyra left that town and came to Green Scar where she became an adventurer. It had been two weeks since then. She had a rough start like all young and new adventurers but she was one of the few who made it thought the rough patch. When Lyra finished her backstory, her sullen face turned into a devious grin. ¡°Your turn. What¡¯s your story?¡± ¡°M-mine?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s only fair that you told me yours after I told you mine.¡± It had been her n to get to know Erin¡¯s story. She knew people always spill their own stories after one spilled their own. ¡°Um¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­¡± ¡°You can¡¯t remember?¡± Lyra¡¯s expression turned grim. ¡°It¡¯splicated.¡± Erinughed nervously. ¡°I don¡¯t even know how I got here.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I was in some ce else entirely when suddenly, I was somehow¡­ here.¡± Erin wasn¡¯t lying. She was at some ce else upon her death but after the blinding lights swallowed her, she found herself in Green Scar, in a new body and a different gender. ¡°Must be somewhere pretty far away if you weren¡¯t in the know of so much of thesemon knowledge.¡± ¡°Yeah, it must have been somewhere far away,¡± Erin agreed gloomily. For all she knew, she could be in a parallel world, a world with the same foundation but different courses of history. Or, it could be the future, many years in, judging by the advancement of the Magic tools she saw. ¡°Well, putting that aside, where do you learn how to fight like that?¡± Lyra leaned forward. ¡°Self-taught. Nothing else I can say.¡± Lyra gleamed. Her evaluation of Erin was just getting higher and higher. ¡°How long have you wield a sword?¡± ¡°Forty years, give or take.¡± Again, it wasn¡¯t a lie. Erin¡¯s first time wielding a sword in her previous life was when she was only six. ¡°So you¡¯re saying that you overwhelmed an opponent who¡¯s more than five levels ahead of you by using a good forty years of experience with a sword?¡± Erin shrugged without looking at Lyra¡¯s way. She was just wanted to finish her meal. ¡°I guess so.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t undersellyourself now, Erin¡± Lyra pulled herself closer to Erin. ¡°You were magnificent in that duel. I dare say not even Nivia¡¯s movements were as fluid as yours.¡± ¡°Nivia?¡± ¡°Oh right, you wouldn¡¯t know her. She¡¯s the Elf I mentioned earlier. She¡¯s the highest level adventurer in this town at level sixteen.¡± At first, Erin wanted to meet the Elf due to the renown beauty of Elves but now, she wanted to meet her for other reasons. She could beat a man that was seven levels apart from her. She was curious on how far her former status as the Sword Saint could bring her. Nivia sounded like the perfect candidate to test her current abilities. ¡°Do you perhaps know where this Nivia is now?¡± Erin asked, hesitantly. She knew it was weird to ask such a question out of nowhere. Per her expectations, Lyra¡¯s expression darkened and threw Erin a narrow gaze. ¡°Oh my, Erin. Are you perhaps interested in her?¡± Lyra put her face directly beside Erin¡¯s ears while her left hand slowly brushed across Erin¡¯s thigh. ¡°Meep~!!¡± Erin cried at the sudden intimacy. She was aware of Lyra¡¯s orientation but this was beyond what Erin expected. Lyra was aggressive. Erin had hated this kind of people¡ª had hated, that is. Now, she found herself burning up from Lyra¡¯s aggressive advances. The heat and tingling sensation from this afternoon wereing back to her. ¡°Am I not enough, you tantalizing vixen?¡± Lyra breathed and moaned into her ears. ¡°Or is a human not up to your standards?¡± ¡°T-there¡¯s no such thing, M-Miss Lyra!¡± Erin squeaked. ¡°I-I¡¯m just excited at the prospect of meeting another F-Forest-kin, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Miss?¡± Lyra raised an eyebrow. ¡°My, it seems that you are still notfortable with me.¡± Saying so, her hand crept towards the inner parts between Erin¡¯s thighs. ¡°L-Lyra, we¡¯re still in public!¡± Erin managed to squeeze out her words in the midst of her bated breaths. ¡°So you¡¯re saying it¡¯s okay if we¡¯re alone and in private?¡± Lyra teased. Her grin reached her ears. From Erin¡¯s angle, she was offer a glimpse of Lyra¡¯s slight valley. If she wasn¡¯t wearing a leather vest, Erin was sure she could have peeked at her bosom. She cursed inwardly at Lyra¡¯ vest. And then, something snapped within her. [Warning: User has entered Carnal Starvation. Lust Deviant activated.] [Provisional Increment - Might: 16 | Arcane: 15 | Finesse: 15] The itch returned to her honeypot and it was wetting before she knew it. Not good¡­ I must not¡­ As if every ounce of shyness she had towards female were all thrown out of the window, Erin inched herself close to Lyra, surprising the human girl. ¡°Yes, I won¡¯t mind if we¡¯re alone and in private.¡± She told Lyra, in a brazen suggestive tone and stared at her with a fervent gaze. Lyra¡¯s grin fell off. She stood up silently in a sudden. ¡°Keep the change,¡± she called out to the stall¡¯s cook cum waiter as she threw a silver to the table. She grabbed Erin by the wrist without a word and pulled her out of the stall. Erin was just letting herself be dragged off by the solemn Lyra. Together, they swiftly strode back to Lyra¡¯s lodging with the both of them in silent and great anticipation along the short walk. 1-10 Fervent night (R18) 1-10 Fervent night (R18) It was a small lodge and one of the only two inns in the town. It was name Verdant Inn for the small patch of grasnd just behind the building. Most adventurer chose this inn for its cheap price and the ample space behind the building. It was a suitable ce for adventurers who wished for some quick stretches and other stuffs. Also, it was located some distance away from the main street. Many adventurers chose this inn for precisely that aspect. In a certaindimly litroom of Verdant Inn, there were two youngdies on a single bed. A human girl and a Fox-kin girl. They were mauling at each other with zealous passion and lust that pretty much shook the whole inn. The other guests weren¡¯tining as the inn¡¯s primary use was for such reasons. There was no brothel in this town and the people make do with this inn. Half an hour ago, before the entanglement arrived at this stage. The moment they entered the room, Lyra had immediately stripped herself of her armor and garbs. She didn¡¯t even bother to put them aside neatly. She was normally a meticulous and tidy person but her attention and decency were all stolen by the Fox-kin girl in front of her.She dered to herself she was going to have this vixen right now on hervery bed until she begged for mercy twice.No, she doubt she could even if Erin begged for mercy a hundred times. Erinthea had simr desires and intentions, they were tantly stered all over her face. But unlike Lyra, she had the mind toy her silver sword gently against the wall before proceeding to strip herself of her clothing. Since she wore only a simple robe, a pull of the sash was all it took for her clothe to slip from her slender yet ample body. Her contrived undergarments came off just as easily. Lyra was shocked. Erin had looked incredibly slender if one only saw her arms but the truth was, she wasn¡¯t only skin and bones. She had thews but they were so magnificently carved into her slender body that it didn¡¯t diminish her angelic beauty even in the slightest. Lyra had her shares of town beauties but Erin was wholly on another ne. She doubt even the wealthy or nobledies could hold a candle to Erin. What made it even better was her fox-like features. The cutely twitching ears and the fluffy wagging tail. And her hair, it was as white as the snow but the faint hint of blue only brought out the allure in her amber eyes. To boot, Erin was taller than her. It gave a strange sense of superiority if she managed to dominate her in bed. Everything about Erinthea hit right at home with all of her fantasies. Erinon the other handwas equally shocked. Lyra was slenderandmuch like her arms, her abdomen had muscles that would put most men to shame. Herwasn¡¯tthatexaggerated but they were impressive enough to make any men think twice before making a move on her. However, she never wore any scanty garbs. So pretty much the whole town knew nothing about her toned figure. The two stood still in their ce, with their body bared to the dull cold air in the room. They were only staring at one another. They gazed at each othersnubilebody, scrutinizing and imaginingall the things they could and would do to each other. As the meagre candle me swayed in the gentle breeze that found its way into the small room, Lyra threw herself at Erin and they began to engage in a fight for dominance with their mouth and tongue. With one hand behind Erin¡¯s neck and the other arm around her rear, stroking the tail along, Lyra was already giving Erin pleasure unlike what she had experienced in her own onanism. Lyra¡¯s tongue explored andtasted every inch of Erin¡¯stongue and at the same time, Lyra¡¯s tongue skillfully made its way into her mouth. Erin had no way of fighting back. She was only clumsily returning the pleasure. Much less experience in pleasuring woman, Erin hadn¡¯t even scratch the surface of courting a woman. Lyra on the other hand, she was very experienced. As Erin had already noticedfrom the various reactions and conversations, Lyra was practically switching partners almost every other night. But Erin didn¡¯t mind. Beggars shouldn¡¯t be choosers and she was certainly a beggar under these circumstances. What¡¯s more, she heard that coitus between two first-timers could turn out awkward and unpleasant. After a few minutes of exchanging their saliva and heated breaths, Lyra came out the victor in their battle of tongue and lips. Erin¡¯s legs turned jelly but Lyra was there to support her. Grinning coquettishly, Lyra picked up the surprisingly light Erin and threw her onto the bed. She was so light that she bounced right back up a little and the bed wasn¡¯t even that bouncy. Lyra immediately jumped on top of Erin and continued tasting the insides of the delectable vixen¡¯s mouth. She could feel the fox was trying to squirm her way out of herhold but Lyra made her situation more hopeless by pinning the vixen¡¯s hands beside her head. ¡°W-wait¡­ please,¡± Erin managed to pleadwhile drowning in the filling ecstasy. Tears were flowing from her eyes and her cheeks were tinge with crimson but it only served to increase her charm in Lyra¡¯s eyes. ¡°Why?¡± Lyra asked softly but her hold was still firm on her hands. ¡°You¡¯re just too delicious, Erin. Incredibly so. No one in thisworldcan turn their eyes from you, much less wait.¡± ¡°I-it¡¯s my f-first time¡­.¡± Erin said quietly with her eyes cast to the side. ¡°Sly,¡± Lyra muttered. She knew Forest-kin were very reserve and very particr about their chastity much like human nobles. And such race¡¯s purity was hers to reap. She no longer have the ability to hold herself back. She must have this vixen¡¯s purity, she proimed to herself. ¡°Wha¡ª¡±Before Erin could even utter aplete word, without any warning, Lyra began to maul on Erin¡¯s neck with ardour as her knee rubbed against Erin¡¯s untainted honeypot. Erin¡¯s body lurched into an arch shape when she felt her womanhood touched. She was bewildered. It didn¡¯t even feel half as good as her prior onanism. Is this due to Lust Deviant? If it is, I¡¯m done for. This is too good~! And this was just the beginning. She couldn¡¯t fathom what was waiting for her. She shuddered at such thoughts. Lyra slid her kisses and nibbles from her neck, past her shoulders, and to her bosom. She felt a hint of envy and longing at the sight of the bountiful pair. Her hands unsped Erin¡¯s wrists and moved to her chest. The twin mounds weren¡¯t excessivelyrge, they fit just right in Lyra¡¯s palms. Fueled by herownenvy, she squeezed the malleable breasts and peckedat the peaks. Erin stifled a delightfulscreech as her body once again curved upwards. ¡°Be g-gentler¡­¡± Erin begged but her words fell on deaf ears. Lyra feasted on her breastswith sultry lipsand teased her slit with her knee without a single care to Erin¡¯s writhing body. Erin tried to push her off but she was only usingasingle hand as her other hand were busy stifling her lips from the ecstatic moansthat threatened to spill out. Further more, she was slowly losing her strength with the amount ofpleasure surgingthrough her body as if Lyra was pouring gallons of bliss into every fibre of her body. After a while, Erin could no longer hold her moans. Instead, she hugged Lyra¡¯s head, pushing her face deeper into her bosom. Erin screamed out her ecstasy as Lyra incessantly assaulted her breasts and honeypot. ¡°Oh god! Oh god! Mercy! Mercy!¡± Her screamsy on contradicting boundaries. Erin wanted Lyra to stop but at the same time, she wanted to reach the peak. No no no! I¡¯m near! I¡¯m near! Right before her pleasure could burst from the peak, Lyra ceased allofher movements and parted from Erin¡¯s chest and sex. ¡°W-why!? Why did you stop!?¡± Erin shouted at Lyra with a look of betrayal and desperation. Lyra leaned in near her face. ¡°Then, tell me what you want. Say it with these luscious and dishonest lips of yours.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°You won¡¯t?¡± Lyra red. For full effect, she maintain an impassive expression. Even though she saw herself as Erinthea but that was only provisionally. Deep down, she still regarded herself as Argon Raze, the Sword Saint. Begging to be made to cum as a female was just an antithesis to her resolve. However¡ª she was so close and she knew the pleasure would be unlike anything. It was either her pride or pleasure. ¡°If you won¡¯t, we can stop right here. I got plentyof girls waiting in line for me.¡± Lyra made a show of getting off the bed. At this sight, Erin sprang from the bed and pulled Lyra back to the bed. Since she was under the effects of Lust Deviant,Erineasily flipped their position and she was now on top of Lyra. ¡°You¡ª¡± Erin uttered with a piercing gaze. ¡°¡ªare not going anywhere.¡± Lyra said nothing of the sudden shift. She was always the top but for once and for Erin, she didn¡¯t mind being the bottom. ¡°I would like to see you try, Erin,¡± Lyra taunted. Erin¡¯s brows twitched along with her ears. It was a sign of irritation but Lyra found it adorable. Unlike Lyra, Erin brought her slit to her face, skipping her breasts and lips. ¡°W-what!?¡± Even the usuallyposed Lyra was shocked. She had muscles, so she was too heavy to have this kind of thing done to her. Erin had the strength and the skill. She knew how to exert strength without wasting any effort. She was the Sword Saint. This was nothing to her. Without anymore words, it was Erin¡¯s turn to begin her feasting. She knew nothing about pleasuring a woman¡¯s sex with amouth but since she was also a girl now, she pleasured it in a way that she herself would find enjoyable. ¡°Ooooh!¡± Lyra let out a moan like an animal. It was so brash and vulgar that red was touching Lyra¡¯s cheeks. Nevertheless, she continued her uncouth moans without restrain. ¡°Oh lord! How are you so good~!! Isn¡¯t this suppose to be your first time?!¡± Erin sneered. This was thanks to Lust Deviant. Both of them were feeling pleasure beyond the boundaries of normality. ¡°Whatever! Just don¡¯t fucking stop now, you amorous vixen!¡± Instead of begging her to stop like Erin herself would, Lyra was honest and she wasn¡¯t afraid of voicing them out. Her honestywas kinda vexing to Erin but it wasn¡¯t Lyra¡¯s fault and she knew that. Still, Erin pettily increased her strength in licking and nibbling Lyra¡¯s snatch. She even stuck her tongue inside theperiodicallytainted flower andpped up all the juice that was overflowing. ¡°Fuck! Fuck! I¡¯ming! I¡¯ming!¡± Lyra yelled out her nearing orgasm. Remembering her cruel actfrom before, Erin too stop right before Lyra could reach her peak. ¡°Why!? Why did you stop!?¡± Lyra threw the same question atErin. She offered no verbal response. She merely licked her slit once while maintaining eye contact as herretort. Feeling fed-up, Lyra instantly reversed their current positionandback to the default position. They were now in a position that was known widely as ¡°sixty-nine¡± with Lyra being on the top. Instead of using her tongue or lips, Lyra inserted two fingers into Erin¡¯s honeypot. ¡°W-wait wait wa¡ª Eeeeeek~!!¡± Erin tried to stop her but she was toote¡ª not it would be fruitful in the first ceeven if Lyra heard her. Erinwanted to return the favor but the pleasure was too much for her to put her mouth to good use. She was now wriggling and writhing under the mercy of Lyra. Damn! Damn! I¡¯m nearing again! Don¡¯t stop! Don¡¯t stop! This time, Lyra had no intention of stopping. She was out of patience. She wanted to see how Erin, a member of the highly regarded Forest-kin would cum. She gauged for her reactions, searching for her gleeful spot. ¡°Stop! S-sto¡ª!!¡± Erin stopped mid-sentence as her body curled up but their current position prevented her from doing so. Lyra simpered. She had found Erin¡¯s gleeful spot. Without hesitation or any opportunity for Erin to realized what happened, she assaulted that one spot with vehemence. ¡°Nooo~!! Nooo~!! Stoooop~!!¡± Erin too was now screaming like an animal, unbefitting of the grace and elegance the Forest-kin were known for. Barely an hour had gone by andErinhadreach her peak. Lyra snickered in a triumphant manneras she licked and bit softly down on her flower bud as the finishing touch Erin screamed out her rapture at the top of her lungs as she squirted all her womanly juice onto Lyra¡¯s face but Lyra wasn¡¯t bothered. In fact, she was relishing in the carnal essence of a Forest-kin with her eyes closed. As Erin il around in the height of ecstasy, Lyra was not in the know of one important factor, the tertiary effect of Lust Deviant. ¡°W-what is this??¡± Lyra asked no in particr as she felt something queer brimming within her. When the feeling was fill to the brim, her body straightened up while she remained straddled on Erin¡¯s face, suns and stars exploded in her mind. She screeched out her rapture. Her womanly juices gushed out of her honeypotandonto Erin¡¯s face as her whole body trembled unruly. Erin¡¯s height of ecstasy was transmitted to Lyra. She was feeling the Fox-kin¡¯s orgasm with every inch and fibre of her body. Her tongue had even lolled out of her mouth. The dire orgasm of the twosted for a solid minute before it came to a stop. By that moment, Lyra had lost all of thelightsin her head and strength in her body. Shenguidly slumped on topofErin with her face right above her faintly gushing and twitching honeypot. She wasn¡¯t in any state to move but she understood her own honeypot was most likely in the same state. Erin wasn¡¯t in a much better state. She didn¡¯t like having Lyra¡¯s whole weight on top of her but the most that she could do was a twitch of her fingers. Giving into her exhaustion, she plunged into a slumber that she would not wake up from until dawn broke. [Experience Gained+40%- Level Progression: 50% ] The candlelight withered off to signify the end of their intense coitus session, basking the entire room in absolute darkness. Erinthea - Forest-kin: Fox-kin Level: 4 | Status: Severe Exhaustion | Carnal Relieved Might: 11 | Arcane: 10 | Finesse: 10 Magic Arts - Spirit Magic Lv. 3 | Arcane Edge Lv. 1 Combat Arts - Sword Art Lv. 5 | Fleet Foot Lv. 2 Innate Skills - Self-appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 1 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex Level Progression: 50% Skill Points: 2 1-11 Blacksmith and Dwarves 1-11 cksmith and Dwarves It was the next morning. Erin was strolling through the town before the morning mist hadeven lifted itselffrom thestill vacantstreets. It was another strange phenomenon. It was currently six in the morning but the sun was only peeking from the horizon. In the Evaren that she knew, six in the morning was brighter than this. The sun wasn¡¯t still so meekby this time. Is this another world that wasjustcoincidentally named as Evaren? But the floral and fauna were too simr. Even the architecture andnguage spoken waspletely the same. With this kind of wondering, Erin sauntered the quiet and slowly brimming streets alone with a mncholic face but her heart sang a different melody.She was ted. It was a queer sensation. After so long, she had finally lost it. She was no longer a virgin, albeit as a woman but still, she could bid her chastity farewell. She was actually still in sort of a daze fromst night. Everything seemed so surreal to her. She became a girl and then a woman, all in the same day. I don¡¯t care if I stay a woman now. As long as I can have encounters likest night, let it be so. Despite iming as such to herself, Erin was still a little reserve from tantly admitting that shepletely no longer saw herself as Argon Raze. Feeling some gazes on her, she pulled her hood further down on her face. She was wearing Lyra¡¯s cloaklike the prior night and she was also wearing her clothes, a pair of trousers and a simple tunic. Unlike her robe which had a special slit for her tail to move around, she had to made a hole on the trousers just to let her tail move around freely. She wasn¡¯t keen on the idea of stuffing her tail inside the trousers altogether. Still, her in look and obscured face did not manage to disparage her allure and splendour for even a little. The contrasting appearance of her lovely face and the in clothing only increased her charm. Granted, Erin preferred this type of clothing, rather than the robe she wore. It was easier to move around without exposing too much of her skin. Despite wearingLyra¡¯s clothes, Lyra herselfwas not with her. It wasn¡¯t because Lyra was the type to have trouble waking up in the early morning, she was simply too exhausted fromst night¡¯sintensecoitus. Apparently, this was the first time she experienced something like this, being too exhausted from a coitus session until the next morning. As an adventurer, her stamina was her pride but it had been shattered by Erin. In contrast of Lyra, Erin was fine. She was back to full strength by dawn despite being the ¡°bottom¡± for the most parts of their night together. She didn¡¯t know what contributed to her quick recovery but it wasn¡¯t detrimental, so she didn¡¯t ponder on it too much. Now, what should I get for armor? She moved her thoughts to a different subject. It was the regards ofher gears and equipment. Lyra hadgenerouslygiven her fivesilver to spendand also some spare sack to carry her spoils in her excursions. Erin wasalready hesitant on wearing her clothes¡ª despite being on Lyra¡¯s own insistence¡ª Erin was all the morein refusal of theadditionalcharity but Lyra convinced her by saying it was her ¡°reward¡± for giving her the best night of her life. In addition, she told Erin she could pay her back slowly by bing a member of her party. ¡°A party is the unofficial term for adventurers who decided to band together for a specified or an unspecified amount of time,¡± Lyra told her as such. Her exnation was far too sinct but Erin didn¡¯t press for more information since she was able toprehended the concept of a party from the name alone. With a list of directions in hand, crudelywritten by Lyra herselfdue to her feeble state, Erin navigated through the small town with much ease and without difficulty. But that was only at hindsight. For a while now, she was receivinga lot of gazes from every person she passed by. The amount of people on the streets were less than the night before but she felt like she had more eyes on her now,paring to after she bested Kane in a duel.She thought she may had raise the ire of the townspeople after knowing she shamed one of their high level adventurers in town. However, none of the eyes held any aversionor detestation. Quite the contrary, she could sense a hint of courtesy and gratitude from the stares.She could even hear the whispers from the passers-by. They all seemed to know of her being a Fox-kin. Is it because of the fancy-looking silver sword I¡¯m carrying? Well, whatever. I¡¯m already prepared for this. I wouldbe gossipingtoo if I saw a Fox-kin. Oh? Is it here? She mused in her heart as she arrived at the town¡¯s only forge and cksmith shop. She approached the lonely shop which was built some distance away from the clutter of buildings. The shop had only a signboard of an anvil engraving but for a cksmith shop, it probably didn¡¯t need some fancy designs other than the disy of their forged tools and weapons.Though, she didn¡¯t see any of the products being disyed outside, or at least even behind the windows or a ss pane. While there was a store, the forgeitselfwas out in the open.There wasalsono disy of any of its products. Erin wagered that the finished products must be inside the shop but since she also had an order to make, she approached the forge first. The cksmith shop was run by a family of Dwarves, she remembered what Lyra had told her.So she take care not to make any mention of their height. She remembered hearing from some old acquaintances that a Dwarve¡¯s height was taboo topic to them. By the hearth, there was a person who had the appearance of a boy no older than eighteenyears old, maybe even younger. A Dwarve had triple the lifespan of a human. If she went by that rule, the boy was most likely around fiftyto sixtyyears old.Or maybe even older as appearance could be extremely deceiving.When she was close enough, she could tell that theDwarvewas at least shorter than her by a head and a half. ¡°Um¡­ mister?¡± Erin called out to the earnestly working Dwarve. The Dwarve stopped its hammering and turned his head to the side, casting Erin into his sight. He was wearing nothing but a pair of pants, an apron by the waist, and a kerchief wrapped around his head. For someone of his size, his thew was just unbelievable to be able fit into such a small body as he didn¡¯t look as stout as Erin expected a Dwarve to be. He cedhis hammer on the anvil, rubbed his hands on his apron, before finally greeting his potential customer. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s you,¡±the Dwarve eximed in a curious manner. ¡°A very good morning, thanks to you.¡± Bafflement painted itself on Erin¡¯s face. ¡°Have we met?¡± she asked. That was unlikely but Erin did not rule out the possibility that she had recently taken over another real person¡¯s body in her reincarnation. It was the scariest possibility, one that she tried not to to think about it. This person might be someone the ¡°former¡± Erinthea knew. ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Erin was even more confused. ¡°Then how do you know me?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± he said with a smile. ¡°But I heard about you. In fact, you probably won¡¯t find anyone in the town that hadn¡¯t heard about you.¡± ¡°W-why?¡± She blurted out. ¡°H-how?¡± ¡°Kane,¡± the Dwarve answered with a casual shrug. ¡°A mysterious Fox-kin beauty in ck robes ended the streak of Kane¡¯s tyranny. You¡¯re famous now in the town, Miss Fox-kin.¡± Erin sighed. That exined the unusual amount of eyes on her. As there was no longer any point with her cloak, she pulled her hood off. ¡°Oh, dear me.¡± The Dwarve gasped. ¡°You¡¯re even prettier than the rumors imed.¡± ¡°T-thanks¡­¡± It felt weird for Erin to beplimented by a male. She was fine with a woman doing so but a man was still a challenge. ¡°Tell you what, I¡¯ll give you a discount.¡± ¡°That will be wonderful.¡± Erin forced herself to smile. It was ufortable to be gazed at directly by a male in a captivated manner. ¡°The name¡¯s Sven. What can I do for you, Miss¡ª?¡± ¡°Erin.¡± ¡°Miss Erin, eh? How can I be of service?¡± Sven asked with his hands rubbing together. Erin handed him the silver sword she was carrying with her. Sven widened his eyes at the sword. ¡°I reckon you got this as your prize for the duel with Kane?¡± ¡°You know about this sword?¡± ¡°Know it?¡± Heughed. ¡°I forged this. Almost every sword or weapon you see in this town is forged by yours truly. So, what do you want to do with this? Melt it down into coins?¡± Erin was surprise that such thing was an option but given there was silver as a currency, she epted the fact as if it was only natural. ¡°I was thinking of reforging it back into a sword with steel.¡± ¡°Silver Steel¡­ huh. Are you a Mage Fighter by any chance?¡± ¡°Am I a what?¡± ¡°A Mage Fighter¡± Erin blinked. ¡°I have to admit that I do not know what that is.¡± Sven gave her an astounded look simr to Lyra and Sam, and even Tom. ¡°Well, Mage Fighters are fighters who fight with not just Combat Arts but also Magic Arts. They specialized in close and long range. They¡¯re widely sort after for their flexibility inbat.¡± Erin still wasn¡¯t sure how to answer Sven even after hearing his exnation. The way she understood was Magic Arts were mostly external and Combat Arts were mostly internal. She had Spirit Magic and Arcane Edge but they weren¡¯t in the ¡°long-range¡± category. ¡°I guess you can say something like that.¡± Erin decided to reply as such. ¡°Oh wow, Miss Erin. You¡¯re a Fox-kin. You beat the town¡¯s bully. And you¡¯re a Mage Fighter to boot. It won¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that you have a very bright future ahead of you. As expected of a Forest-kin.¡± After such exchange, Sven got down to business. He dered that he wouldn¡¯t charge her the service fee, only the steel used in the reforging. It was his thanks for teaching Kane a lesson in humility. To be honest, the discount was already too much for Erin but she wasn¡¯t exactly too well-off to reject such offer, especially when it came to weapons and armor. She knew many people who had died due to them not wishing spent more on weapons and armor. Their frugality had brought about their demise. Erin herself was even partially guilty of mistake. When she was only sixteen as Argon Raze, she cared more about her skill and fame than her own well-being. She had almost lost her life to an Ogre due to her not wearing any armor. Never going to repeat that mistake. She vowed. As Erin was told that it would take at least a day, two days at most, for the silver steel sword to bepleted, Sven lent her another sword for the time being. Apparently, this wasmon practice and this steel sword¡¯s exact purpose was to be used by people as substitutes for the mean time. ¡°You can pay for the silver steel sword when it¡¯s done.¡± Sven told her. ¡°But if it¡¯s anything from inside the shop, that I¡¯m afraid you will have to pay upfront.¡± ¡°Of course. Thanks for telling me.¡± Erin responded ordingly. After that, Erin went into the shop which startled her with a surprising cool breeze when she pushed open the door. Since everyone pretty much knew about her identity, she took off the cloak and hung it on the hanger rack just by the entrance. There wasn¡¯t much space to move around in the shop, that was Erin¡¯s first impression. It was also quite dim with only a window beside the entrance. However, the swords and weapons were all neatly arranged and disyed in four rows with the first and forth row being against the wall. The counter was position at the end of the store where armor and some misceneous tools were disy there. ¡°Wee, and good morning, I suppose,¡± said the Dwarve behind the counter without a trace of enthusiasm in his tone. He quickly returned to the book he was reading when he finished his mandatory greetings. He wasn¡¯t stir like many others at the sight of Erin. Somehow, she felt a little irritated about that but no way would she admit that. Bored, this was the first word that came to Erin¡¯s mind upon looking at the Dwarve behind the counter. Like Sven, he resembled a teenage boy. She couldn¡¯t gauge his height due to him being behind the counter but she didn¡¯t doubt her height was the same as Sven. But strangely, he had dark red hair, in contrast to Sven¡¯s dark brown hair. Although, the red tone in his hair was unnoticeable under a dim light. Erin took notice to it due to her Night Vision innate skill. And there was another irregrity. He didn¡¯t smellpletely like a Dwarve. Erin came to realize that each individuals and creatures had a scent unique to their race or species. With that said, the person in front of her had the acute scent of Dwarves but underneath that, there was another scent. Although, Erin didn¡¯t recognize that peculiar scent. Well, no use questioning about that. I should stop being nosy about private matters. Erin headed to the counter, skipping past the vast selection of weapons on the racks. ¡°Good morning,¡± she greeted, albeit a littlete with it. ¡°I¡¯m looking for some light armor. Leather would do.¡± She wore heavy metallic armor in her past life but now that she was a girl¡ª a woman with a slender frame, conventional heavy armor would not suit her at all. And no way will she fit her tail inside a metal armor. She could have it tailored a small hole to her frame but she didn¡¯t have the coins for it. After a brief stare in silence at Erin, the Dwarve responded, ¡°leather armor is to my left. For a vest, try the one on the second row, the fourth one from the left. For a helmet, you better off using Magic to protect your head. Your hair is too long and your ears are¡­ unconventional.¡± Well, excuse you for being a Fox-kin. Erin reproached the Dwarve in her mind and cast her nce at the selection of leather vest to her right. She chose the one the Dwarve pointed it out for her. To her amazement, it fit her so well when she tried it on. What the hell? Did he just seriously guessed my size and the right vest to match? Being the Sword Saint, Erin understood just how good one needed to be to be able to discern such a thing. She didn¡¯t know if she should feel impressed or crept out. Nevertheless, this Dwarve wasn¡¯t as dull as he made himself to be. Erin wanted to know more about this Dwarve but at the same time, she knew it wouldn¡¯t be ethical to pry into someone she just got to know a few minutes ago. She would just be as creepy as him. Calming her curiosity, she tried on a pair of bracers and a pair of knee guards. She wore all of these before walking to the counter to pay for them. Since she was wearing tunic and trousers, the armors didn¡¯t look out of ce. She was thankful that she wore these clothes instead of the robe. She couldn¡¯t imagine how terrible it would look with armors over it. ¡°Two silver,¡± the Dwarve said without blinking or even raising his head from the book. Although Erin still wasn¡¯t in the know about the pricing, she didn¡¯t think that all of these were worth two silver. ¡°Two silver? Isn¡¯t it kind of expensive?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a little expensive but you can¡¯t buy it from anywhere else in this town. So, two silver.¡± Erin was shock at his conduct but even more so at his logic. It was sound but infuriatingly so. Unless she decided to craft it herself, there were no where else who sold armor in this small town. So to say, the Dwarve family had a monopoly in this line of business. Right before, Erin could take out two silver from her pouch and pay the impassive Dwarve for the armors, she was stop by a voice. ¡°I can pay for you if you don¡¯t mind.¡± It was a gentle yet firm voice. ncing to the oddly magnanimous feminine voice, Erin widened her eyes to their limits. She couldn¡¯t believe what entered her sight. Tall, slender, smooth and pale skin, a pair of serene leaf-green eyes, long sky-blue hair in a ponytail, an elegant and alluring face, and finally, a pair of long pointy ears. It was an Elf, a female Elf. Her level of beauty was even more than Erin¡¯s expectation had for it. Erin even felt like her own beauty would be overshadowed by the Elf before her. Erin was simply at a loss for words. The Dwarve however, wasn¡¯t. ¡°Wee and good morning, Niv,¡± he greeted the dignified Elf with the exact same tone he used with Erin. 1-12 Nivia 1-12 Nivia ¡°T-that¡¯s a needless gesture, Miss,¡± Erin said in a fluster. ¡°But I appreciate your generosity.¡± Nivia, the Elf, canted her head as if she had mishear something. Noticing the Elf¡¯s strange reaction, Erin asked, ¡°is there something wrong?¡± ¡°You called her Miss, that¡¯s what¡¯s wrong.¡± It was the Dwarve who answered Erin. Erin¡¯s heart throbbed in consternation. She didn¡¯t know why it was wrong but nevertheless, it was better to apologize first considering she may had offended an Elf. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry if I had offended you.¡± Contrary to Erin¡¯s expectation, Nivia smiled reassuringly. ¡°It¡¯s alright. You didn¡¯t offend me.¡± She turned her gaze to the Dwarve. ¡°Aedan, please don¡¯t spout nonsense. And stop tormenting the poordy. Two silver coins is a bit much for mere leather armors. She isn¡¯t even buying a helmet with it.¡± Aedan? That doesn¡¯t sound like a Dwarve¡¯s name. All the while as Nivia rebuked him, without ncing away from his book, the Dwarve named Aedan answered, ¡°fine, one silver and five copper.¡± ¡°One silver and a good word from me to your father and my endorsement when I visit Merry Night.¡± ¡°Done,¡± Aedan said and gestured for payment by rubbing his fore and thumb together. Nivia deftly flicked a silver coin onto the counter with a few feet of distance in between. It impressed Erin but Aedan just stowed the coin under the counter without looking away from his book. Erin was starting to get curious on just what kind of book was able to hook the Dwarve¡¯s attention this much. ¡°Don¡¯t mind him,¡± Nivia said. ¡°He¡¯s always like this.¡± As Erin turned to thank Nivia, her tail identally hit the weapons off the rack. ¡°Ah¡ª!¡± She quickly moved to prevent the swords from falling to the floor but her efforts were needless. The disced swords were all hovering in midair before it could touch the floor. Kinesis Magic? It wasn¡¯t just a myth after all? In the Evaren she knew, Kinesis Magic was just a stuff of legends. It was one of the most popr campfire tale. In her numerous adventures, she never came across any practitioner of Kinesis Magic. But now, in the most unexpected of ces, she witnessed a myth made real in front of her eyes. ¡°For the Spirits, did you forgot you have a tail or something?¡± Aedan reprimanded Erin with his voice raised. It shook her. He wasn¡¯t shouting but his voice boomed louder and clearer than a shout. As a matter of fact, I did forget I have a tail. That was Erin¡¯s inner voice but what came out of her lips was something much meeker. ¡°Sorry. I was being hasty.¡± She turned to Nivia to thank her for helping her blunder but she found Nivia looking just as awed as her. Erin turned back to Aedan, whose right arm was reaching out with his hand syed open. With some elegant and swift motion with his hand, the swords floated back into their ce. Erin was mistaken. She had thought the Kinesis Magic was cast by Nivia but it turned out to be from Aedan, the Dwarve instead. ¡°It never cease to amaze me no matter how many times I have witnessed it,¡± Nivia praised. ¡°Whatever, if you¡¯re done here, please leave. Doe again. Not that you all have anywhere else to go.¡± Aedan casually spouted some surly words before muttering hisst line in a whisper, which Nivia and Erin heard it quite clearly with their sensitive ears. Together, the Fox-kin and the Elf exited the cksmith store. Erin didn¡¯t forget to bade Sven a farewell before leaving in tow with Nivia. She didn¡¯t know why but somehow, Erin feltpelled to just follow Nivia. Is this the natural charm of an Elf at work here? ¡°Erin, was it?¡± Nivia the Elf asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Erin muttered back her reply. Her air ofposure was just too much for Erin to look straight at her. Slowly and leisurely, the sauntered back to the main street. At that moment¡ª ¡°You weren¡¯t raised in the forest, were you?¡± Nivia threw such a question at Erin. Erin immediately stammered at her reply. She was already having trouble with her manners towards an Elf. Now, one of her secrets were divulged, by a Forest-kin no less. Making an enemy out of an Elf was thest thing she wanted to happen. ¡°I-I wasn¡¯t,¡± she answered honestly. As Argon Raze, she was born in a town a little bigger than this one. So she did answered honestly. ¡°I suspected as much.¡± ¡°Is that bad?¡± Erin asked as they walked side by side along the street. Her acquaintance with the sole Elf in town was garnering even more attention to her. On a side note, she realized Nivia was as tall as her. ¡°It¡¯s just that as Demi-humans, there are a lot of things to learn before one ventures into human popted ces. In the forest, we were especially taught on how to adapt to such environments, like controlling your tail¡¯s movements for example. I have witnessed a Fox-kin who uses his tail as a weapon. Curbing our sensitive nose and ears, these two are also important. Humans tend to use some very strong spices in their food and they are also quite loud in everything they do. As for etiquette, Forest-kin don¡¯t use honorifics with each other, except for the elders.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Erin nodded as she carefully absorbed all of the fresh information into her mind. ¡°Is it toote to start learning now any of this now?¡± Nivia tittered. ¡°Nothing is toote for Forest-kin like us. We have all the time in the world. What¡¯s more, you carried yourself well. You seemed to know some degree of etiquette, at least.¡± I did had lessons on human¡¯s court etiquette. Those were some of the most tedious days. ¡°Of course, I should also be praising you for your capabilities. You manage to defeat Kane. Though he maybe a scum, he isn¡¯t inept.¡± Isn¡¯t inept? Gosh, the standards have dropped, haven¡¯t they? ¡°He really is hated, isn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°Hate will be understating the townspeople¡¯s sentiment here. He always does despicable things but just enough to not break anyws. He was actually smart enough to avoid me when he caught wind of my level. Speaking of that, how high is your level, if you don¡¯t mind me asking.¡± Erinughed nervously. ¡°You are going to be surprised, Miss¡ª¡± She stopped herself just in time. ¡°I mean, Nivia.¡± The Elf giggled. She was simrly charm like many others by Erin¡¯s twitching ears and wagging tail that react ordingly and honestly to her emotions. ¡°I¡¯m only level four.¡± ¡°Even more impressive.¡± Erin stared confusedly at Nivia. ¡°You¡¯re not surprise?¡± ¡°Oh no, not at all. Fox-kin tend to be low levels but have high skill levels because we trained all the time but rarely put it into practical use. So, it¡¯s not that odd actually. To the humans however, it does sound quite¡­ unbelievable.¡± So that¡¯s how it is. And judging by her words, it seems I can raise a skill level by using it repeatedly without needing to dump points into them. But I¡¯ll take that with a grain of salt. ¡°So, where you headed to now?¡± Erin took out a piece of paper, her temporary adventurer license. ¡°Going to take my test. I applied to be an adventurer justst night.¡± ¡°Oh? How lovely.¡± Nivia beamed. ¡°What monster did you get?¡± ¡°Kobolds.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s tough.¡± Her smiled dropped but she reced it with a faint twinkle in her expression. ¡°But I¡¯m sure someone of your abilities would have no problems with that.¡± ¡°Thanks for the encouragement, Nivia.¡± The more they spoke, the easier time Erin was having with her. She tittered again. She seemed to enjoy doing so. ¡°Don¡¯t be so formal, Erin. We¡¯re family.¡± ¡°W-we are?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know? That¡¯s how Forest-kin are, we treated each other like family. We don¡¯t let things like titles or hierarchy separate us. We have no need of such divides just so we could selfishly feel good about ourselves.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know that,¡± Erin breathed. She was simply amaze by how amicable Forest-kin were. She used to hear so much disenchantment about them, especially of how they had an overbearing attitude even among their own people but that turned out to be false. Or, the Elves in this world was simply different than the Elves she knew in her previous life. ¡°Now you do, little Erin.¡± Saying so, Nivia rubbed her head, sneaking a few gropes at her cute pair of ears. ¡°Ah~ So soft.¡± Nivia let out an uncharacteristic sound. ¡°.¡­Nivia?¡± ¡°Ah. Sorry, sorry.¡± Nivia retracted her hand instantly when she noticed Erin¡¯s difficult expression. ¡°Was that unpleasant? I was taught Fox-kin enjoy having their head patted by people who they are close to.¡± Erin wasn¡¯t sure if it was just a gut feeling but she felt that something felt odd about her statement. ¡°It f-feels nice. It¡¯s just that¡­. you kinda startled me.¡± ¡°Oh, thank goodness. I¡¯m sorry about that. Startling you was not my intention.¡± Whether Nivia was telling the truth, Erin wouldn''t know but having her head rubbed by the Elf certainly did feel pleasant.In fact, it felt almost as good as onanism but it didn¡¯t induce her carnal desire. It was a much tamer and purer feeling, if she had to describe it. Then, Erin forced herself ask one question that she had been pondering about ever since Nivia appeared. ¡°Um¡­ Nivia?¡± ¡°Yes, my dear Erin?¡± ¡°Why were you at the cksmith store?¡± Erin asked. It was a valid question. She didn¡¯t went there to buy anything. It was as if Nivia had only entered the store just to help her. ¡°W-well¡­¡± The Elf stuttered and her eyes began swimming around. Erin narrowed her eyes. Nivia¡¯s expression was too clear on what she was feeling, an obvious sense of guilt when one had knowingly done something wrong. ¡°I was following you,¡± Nivia tried to y it off with a straight face but her twitching cheeks betrayed herposure. Erin frowned with her eyebrows raised. ¡°No no! I don¡¯t mean anything bad by that. I was looking for you ever since I heard about youst night. I was just thinking about how I should approach you then.¡± Her exnation did not made Erin feel any better. Unconsciously, her grip tightened on her steel sword. ¡°How long have you been following me?¡± Erin questioned with a stern gaze. Rubbing the back of her neck embarrassingly, Nivia answered, ¡°ever since you left Verdant Inn?¡± ¡°Okay¡­ let me rephrase that¡­ How long have you been waiting for me toe out of the inn just so you could follow me?¡± ¡°F-four in the morning¡­¡± Nivia admitted with her eyes slowly trailing away from Erin. What the fuck!? Aren¡¯t you just a stalker at this point?! Ande to think of it, how the fuck did you know my name? ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t look at me like that!¡± Nivia cried out in a flustered manner, aplete opposite of the calm demeanor she and her kin were known for. Once Nivia realize she was in public, she straightened back her posture and regained her calmness. ¡°I was just¡­ excited, alright? Being an adventurer is tough, more so if you¡¯re not a human. Even more so if you¡¯re an Elf. The expectations they ced on you and the moments when you failed to exceed these expectations, those moments are hard. I was just thrilled that I finally found someone who might be able to rte to my difficulties.¡± Erin thought back on her journey so far. Besides the Rot-rats and the daring stunt by the river, she didn¡¯t have much predicament. But of course, it had only been a day. There was no telling if things wouldn¡¯t go south at the next moment. ¡°I-I apologized. I was being¡­ desperate. Could you find it in your heart to forgive me?¡± ¡°Answer me one question, then,¡± Erin said in a austere tone. Knowing her hidden side, Erin was no longer feeling nervous towards Nivia. Instead, she actually felt a little dismayed yet relief at the false preconceptions of an Elves¡¯ taciturn countenance. ¡°What is it?¡± Nivia gazed hopefully. ¡°How did you know my name?¡± Erin asked. ¡°I overheard The Guild¡¯s staffs talking about you when I went there early in the morning to search for you.¡± Huh. So The Guild opens that early or they never closed at all. I have to ask Lyra about thatter. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Erin. I really had no ill-intentions towards you.¡± Nivia was now gazing at her own feet with a pale expression. She was seriously worried that she had make the only other Forest-kin in town to hate her. Hmm¡­ maybe I should forgive her. She¡¯s looking quite pitiful now. Despite being creepy, Erin didn¡¯t feel Nivia was a bad person, just someone who made some bad decisions due to her circumstances, something Erin herself understood well. She was young once, ¡ªwell she was young again now but her point still stands, she had simr experience. ¡°Although you were very intrusive and kinda creepy, you did helped pay for my armor and gave plenty of advice to me. Your apologies will be overselling.¡± Erin told the saddened Elf. Even though Erin didn¡¯t condone her stalker actions, it didn¡¯t deny the fact that Nivia meant well and had already done a lot for her. ¡°Thank the Spirits¡­¡± Nivia sighed in relief. She was a tad worried that Erin, who wasn¡¯t raise in a forest, would be like Kane, a person who got drunk with power and status. But she was nothing like that. Nivia decided at that moment to make Erin her travellingpanion. Strong, kind, and forgiving. Nivia was convince it wouldn¡¯t be easy to find someone like Erin again if she threw away this chance. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, how about having breakfast with me?¡± Nivia asked. ¡°Thanks for the offer but I¡¯ll have to pass. I want to finish the test up as soon as possible.¡± Erin didn¡¯t reject the offer out of fear towards Nivia¡¯s fixation for her. Erin genuinely wanted to wrap up the test and receive her official adventurer license at the soonest. What¡¯s more, she was still feeling quite full for some reason. Nivia responded downheartedly. ¡°Ah¡­ alright then. If that is your wish¡ª¡± ¡°But I¡¯ll be happy to join you for lunch, if you¡¯re avable.¡± Nivia¡¯s darkened expression immediately lit back up with glimmer in her eyes. ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll definitely be avable. Shall we meet up somewhere around the afternoon at The Guild?¡± ¡°That will be for the best.¡± Erin nodded. ¡°Well, see you soon, Nivia.¡± ¡°Be seeing you too, Erin. And onest thing.¡± Erin waited for her words. ¡°Be on guard for Kane or hisckeys. He¡¯s persistent and a sore loser. He¡¯lle for you.¡± Erin gave Nivia a smile with all the confidence in the world. ¡°And I¡¯ll be ready.¡± 1-13 Good Riddance 1-13 Good Riddance By the time Erin had reach the forest, dawn had broken throughpletely and the morning mist had lifted. There was not much preparations to be made, aside from some extensive stretching. She worked up a lot of sweat from the warm-up. Her glistening skin against the rising sun had enticed all the eyes around her as she walked through the streets and passed through the town''s entrance gate. The walk to the forest was short but the imbnce elevation of the ground was doing a number to her feet. Thankfully, she wasn¡¯t carrying much on her. In her past life, she would carry the bare minimum amount of potions and some other useful tools. However, she couldn¡¯t afford them now and for potions, there wasn¡¯t even a single Alchemy store in this small town. At most, there was an apothecary just beside The Guild but those were not suitable for adventurers. Apothecary sold conventional medicines and Alchemy Stores sold potions. What was the difference, many had asked. Potions were basically medicine with Magic properties. Potions had enhanced effect but most important of all, their effects were fast-acting, a dire feature for adventurers. And so, Erin made do with just a weapon and some armor for this excursion. She should be fine as long as she didn¡¯t venture too deep into the forest where the most dangerous monsters awaited. With a sword by her waist, she strode through the trees thatid strewn about in the pungent forest. She never noticed it before, probably because her mind then was always on other thoughts, but the forest of Green Scar had a peculiar stench to it. It took her a while to realize it was the collective scent of the monsters lurking in this very forest. It was slightly unpleasant to her sensitive nose but at the same time, it was a blessing in disguise. From all the congregated scent, she was able to determine the scent that belonged to the Kobolds. She didn¡¯t know how a Kobold smelled like before but somehow, she just knew that this scent belonged to the Kobolds. Probably because of my past life, I guess? But then again, I never did tried to specifically take each monster¡¯s scent to heed. Maybe I had unconsciously done so? Not an hour went by, she easily found the Kobolds which had make their camp at a clearing. The monsters she encountered on the way here could be counted on one hand, although she stayed her hands from killing them to avoid the chances alerting the Kobolds. For a forest that supposed to be the adventurers¡¯ source of ie, the monster amount was surprisingly sparse. Not good. Focus now, Erin. You¡¯re not the Sword Saint anymore. You can¡¯t afford to care about other things with your current strength. Erin rebuked herself. Recollecting her focus, she directed an observant nce at the camp. There were no guards or patrol outside of the camp. Since Kobold¡¯s traps were made from animal or monster¡¯s bones, she could smell them if there was any trap. There was none. She crouched low and approached them slowly among the dense vegetation, minding her own feet from stepping on twigs. It was quite a challenge to make sure her tail did not disturb the branches or rustle the leaves too much. She began to think maybe stuffing her tail into the trousers wouldn¡¯t be too bad of an idea. What the fuck am I thinking right now? Focus, damn it! From her spot, she could see there were nine Kobolds in total. There were no Kobolds hiding in the bushes nor any waiting atop of the trees. The Kobolds were just going about their lives, sharpening their tools, skinning their catch, bantering with one another, almost like humans. Erin felt some sympathy but she wasn¡¯t naive. If given the chance, the Kobolds were sure to do terrible things to other races, even if the other race was friendly. In essence, Kobolds were hostile by nature. One of the Kobolds seemed to be the head as that particr Kobold was a sizerger than the others. It even had a steel sword stabbed into the ground beside the ¡°throne¡± it was sitting on. Just further to its right, there was a crudely made wooden cage. From this distance, she could only vaguely make out the cage was housing a prisoner and it was a humanoid. But due to direction of the wind was blowing, she couldn¡¯t catch the humanoid¡¯s scent. Erin pondered on her approach but ultimately decided on the straightforward method. For one, let alone a master, she wasn¡¯t even remotely good at stealth. Also, she feared that she would lose her pride entirely as the former Sword Saint if she used covert tactics to defeat her opponents. And if she used covert tactics, she wouldn¡¯t be able to ¡°recover¡± her sword skills through such means. Well, they don¡¯t have bows or slingshots. So I don¡¯t need to worry about ranged attacks. With a deep breath and a braced mind, Erin walked out of the bushes with her sword drawn. Instantly, all of the Kobolds turned their attention to the Fox-kin girl that brazenly walked into their camp with nothing but leather armor and a steel sword. Three Kobolds with spears made of stone as the tip approached Erin with hisses that seemed to indicate warning and mockery in tandem. Erin infused a little amount of Arcane Edge into her sword. She swiped her de at the ground, raising a cloud of dust towards the three Kobolds. She deactivated Arcane Edge before it strained the steel de too much. With Fleet Foot, she closed in on the three blinded Kobolds and swung her sword with precision and speed. She aimed for their throat as it was the most vulnerable spot of almost all humanoid creatures. Under three seconds or less, she had taken down three Kobolds. [Experience Gained +20%] [Experience Gained +20%] [Experience Gained +20% - Level Progression: 110%] [Erinthea: Level 4 increased to Level 5] [Status has been restored] [Skill Points Gained +2] [Ability Points Gained +2] [Level Progression: 10%] Erin smirked at the increase of her level. Seeing her confidence, the rest of the Kobolds bellowed in rage. The remaining five Kobolds, not counting the big one, armed themselves with stone swords and charged at Erin without any tactics or strategy. Hmm¡­ They¡¯re not as smart as the Kobolds I know. Erin flicked one of the fallen spear into her free hand. She infused the spear with Magic and tossed it towards the Kobold in the middle. The spear tore right through the surprised Kobold and continue travelling straight at the chief Kobold. [Experienced Gained +15% - Level Progression: 25%] Panic were instantly drawn on their face as their widened eyes followed the spear. The chief Kobold dodged the spear effortlessly by nting its head slightly. Although it survived that sudden attack, rage burst onto its face. With their focus robbed by the endangerment of their leader, Erin dashed towards the two on the left. Before they could realize her approach, she swept the legs of one with her feet and cut the throat of the other with her sword. Then she went back to stab the throat of the one she toppled to the ground. [Experience Gained +15%] [Experience Gained +15% - Level Progression: 55%] Without a pause in her actions, Erin flung a fallen stone sword she snatched off from herst kill at one of the two Kobolds in her sight. They were daze by her prowess and were unable to react in time as the sword cleaved deeply into the Kobold¡¯s head. With only one left beside the chief Kobold, thest Koboldshed wildly at Erin. She easily caught the iling de into a lock, parried the stone sword, and shed across the Kobold¡¯s throat. [Experience Gained +15%] [Experience Gained +15% - Level Progression: 85%] Erin began tough. It was amusing on how easy it was despite losing so much her abilities as the Sword Saint. These Kobolds were weaker than the ones she was familiar with. She turned her head to the chief Kobold and smirked with her sword pointed at it. The chief Kobold snarled and rose from its throne. It drew the steel sword from the ground and strut confidently at Erin. You¡¯re not going to y fair, I know. Unlike its underlings, the chief Kobold had some degree of intelligence but still no where the level of rationality. It growled and raised its sword rushing at Erin. She widened her footwork in response and raised her sword horizontally to her head. The chief Kobold then threw its sword straight at Erin. To that trick, Erin only widened her smile. She had seen thising. She deflected the thrown sword with a toiling blow. Urgh! That¡¯s heavier than I expected. Although she battered the sword away, it had manage to throw her bnce off by a little. The chief Kobold leaped at the window it saw, closing the remaining distance between it and Erin with its ws and fangs bared. ¡°How naive,¡± Erin remarked. She poured Magic to her feet and hopped into the air, shocking the chief Kobold. As she was directly above the Kobold, she sent her sword straight down into its defenseless head. There was no cry or roar to signify its agony and death. The kill was quick and clean. Just like that, Erin had eliminated a camp of Kobolds and not five minutes had went by. [Experience Gained +40% - Level Progression: 125%] [Sword Art Lv. 5 increased to Lv. 6] [Erinthea: Level 5 increased to Level 6] [Status has been restored] [Skill Points Gained +2] [Ability Points Gained +2] [Level Progression: 25%] Other than the amount of experience gained, Erin was surprise that Sword Art¡¯s level increased without her putting a skill point into it. But upon remembering the conversations she had, this was just to be expected. Wait. In that case¡­ why don¡¯t I leave Sword Art¡¯s level increment to its own device? I can manually level up the other skills that I don¡¯t frequently used? Yeah, that¡¯s a good idea, I hope. Thinking so, Erin decided to increase Spirit Magic¡¯s level. [Spirit Magic Lv. 3 has been increased to Lv. 5] Presence Sense and Spirit Mend, these two concepts appeared into her head. Presence Sense was simr to Sixth Sense in a lot of ways. Sixth Sense only activates upon danger whereas Presence Sense can be used whenever. Although, her ears and tail could do just as much as Presence Sense. Spirit Mend was a healing spell, and it heals not just physical injuries but also the mind. It was an incredibly handy spell but upon realizing the Mana cost, Erin decided to use this only asst resort. When she tried to increase Spirit Magic to level six, a message appeared. [Warning: Skill Level above five will require two points instead of one. Proceed?] This was unexpected but at the same time, she saw it as only natural. If every level costed only a single point, that would be too easy. Whoever created this system, they did not created it heedlessly, Erin thought to herself. Maybe I should invest on other skills. For now, she used one point in Fleet Foot and one point in Arcane Edge. She left the remaining two points alone for now. [Fleet Foot Lv. 2 has been increased to Lv. 3] [Arcane Edge Lv. 1 has been increased to Lv. 2] Unlike Spirit Magic, she didn¡¯t receive any knowledge of sub-skills, as she had taken the liberty to dub it as such. She just knew that Fleet Foot was faster than before and Arcane Edge cuts better now. For her ability stats, she had four in hand, proverbially speaking. After much contemtion which onlysted a few seconds, she went for two in Might, one in Arcane, and one in Finesse. [Might: 11 has been increased to 13] [Arcane: 10 has been increased to 11] [Finesse: 10 has been increased to 11] Alright. That¡¯s enough about myself. Now, who¡¯s the prisoner or what¡¯s the prisoner? Erin approached the wooden cage with her sword drawn. She didn¡¯t sense any hostility but she wasn¡¯t taking any chances. When she was close enough, she picked up the scent of a human. ¡°H-help¡­¡± she heard a meek cry from within the cage. But she made no attempt to save the human. The only thing in her head were two words, ¡°good riddance.¡± The captive of the Kobolds was the bandit from yesterday. More specifically, the one that sacrificed his ownpanion to the Rot-rats. The steel sword the chief Kobold used came from this bandit, Erin realized. When the bandit managed to have a clear look at his apparent rescuer, he shuddered. It looked like he remembered Erin. Despite that, he shamelessly asked for her help. ¡°P-please¡­ help me¡­¡± ¡°I have no right to take your life as you seemed to have been punished for your wicked acts already,¡± Erin said. The bandit was about to beg more shamelessly but Erin next sentences dispelled all of his hopes. ¡°But I do not have to save you either. So, good day,¡± she greeted and walked away from the cage, all the while the Bandit tried to scream for her assistance but much less his strength, he couldn¡¯t even find his voice to yell. She would have killed him if he didn¡¯t look so pitiful. Although she had taken many lives in the past, she was never fond of it. She believed in the honor of a duel but not in the act of taking a life. While taking the life of a wicked person might save a thousand in the process, it only added to the pile of nightmare that she had. Plus, the bandit wouldn¡¯t live long, especially when night descends. Ignoring the pitiful bandit, Erin came to the carcasses of the Kobolds. Now it was the hardest part of the test, to extract the monster¡¯s Cores. Lyra had given her some verbal exnation during supperst night. She tried to recall what Lyra had said. It was hard not to let her thought drift to the event after meal. ¡°Cores are usually found between a monster¡¯s heart and liver,¡± Erin remembered Lyra saying. She broke off the stone tip of one of the fallen spear and used that to make an incision on a dead Kobold¡¯s torso. She was gentle at first but when the stone de proved to be too blunt, she ended up tearing into the Kobold¡¯s stomach with much force. Some blood spurted onto her face but she blocked it with her hand. Why the fuck am I averse to blood now? Surely my mind has not turned into a delicate maiden now, has it? I¡¯m not even a virgin anymore! Calming her unfounded frustration, she continued to cut the Kobold¡¯s torso apart. After taking out the few organs in the way, she finally saw the Core, a crude red spherical crystal ore that wasn¡¯t any bigger than her palm. But she didn¡¯t take it out just yet. A few minutes were needed at most for the Core toplete its crystallization before it could be harvested. Taking it out too early would render the Core useless in its entirety, a far toomon mistake of a lot of beginners. The harvesting process of the Cores took longer than it did for Erin to eliminate all of the Kobolds. Core harvesting was actually much easier on non-humanoids as the right angle of incision could reach the Core easily. The chief Kobold was even more difficult given its size. The organs in the way were bigger and heavier. It took her about fifteen minutes to finally reach the Core. In the process, she obtained something unexpected yet familiar. [Might: 13 has increased to 14] She ignored the message. She wasn¡¯t sure if she should be happy that she received an increase in Might or exasperated that the task was so arduous that it even increased it. Oh damn. This is going to be heavy. Erin gasped at the Monster Core that could barely fit in her palm. With Might at fourteen points, she didn¡¯t doubt her ability to carry this much weight but the sack and the string she brought along was another question. She managed to fit all of the nine Cores into one sack but the weight was a little bit concerning. She prayed that it wouldn¡¯t tear apart the sack with its weight along the way back. She looked around the camp, scouring for any items worth scavenging. All the tools she found were too crude to be used, unless one had a death wish or incredibly desperate. The only thing that was salvageable was the bandit¡¯s steel sword. She decided to take it. It was technically not stealing since the bandit probably stole it from some other person in the first ce. It¡¯s not stealing if it¡¯s already stolen, that was the bullshit she told herself. Right as she decided to head back, the direction of the wind changed and her eyes widened at the scent that drifted into her nose. [Sixth Sense activated. Immediate danger detected.] At the same moment, the wind tore apart as a projectile came flying at her way. She converged her Magic to her left temple. The projectile, a stone hit her at that very spot and it bounced off from the Magic protection. [Magic Arts: Arcane Armor Lv. 1 - Acquired] d as she maybe, Erin was focus on her assant. She stared right at the bushes, where the stone came from. She picked up a stone sword and tossed it right into the dense vegetation. She heard the sound of flesh rupturing apart and a pathetic death groan. She approached the bushes slowly with Arcane Armor on. She covered only her head with it since she realized how much Magic Vigor it was draining. If she put it on her whole body, it would drain off her Magic Vigor in a few seconds. She spread apart the bushes and her assant came into her view. A short pallid green humanoid creature with crooked teeth, long ears, and pointy nose. It was lying on the ground with its guts spilling out from its cut-opened stomach. It was obvious that the wound was Erin¡¯s handiwork. It had a slingshot in one hand and a short knife in the other. ¡°A Goblin?¡± she muttered under her breath. She immediately took a huge whiff of the air again. She smelled many monsters mixed in that congregated scent but Goblins were not one of them. What¡¯s more, Lyra did not mention any Goblins present in this forest. Yet, herey a Goblin. I should report this to The Guild. Let¡¯s go back. As she turned around to leave, the Goblin sprang back up with its knife plunging at Erin. She remembered Nivia¡¯s words at that instance. ¡°I have witnessed a Fox-kin who uses his tail as a weapon.¡± On an instinct, Erin spun a full arc. She mmed her tail coated with Arcane Armor unto the Goblin¡¯s head. The small cretin went flying and hit a tree with its head first, bursting it open like a citrus fruit. [Experience Gained +10% - Level Progression: 35%] That was¡­ careless of me. She reprimanded herself as she retraced her steps back to the main road with constant vignce, but not before staining her hands for thest time with some of the most fetid blood and flesh just to retrieve a Core that was a few sizes smaller than her palm. This should be enough as proof, I hope. Erinthea - Forest-kin: Fox-kin Level: 6 | Status: None Might: 14 | Arcane: 11 | Finesse: 11 Magic Arts - Spirit Magic Lv. 5 | Arcane Edge Lv. 2 | Arcane Armor Lv. 1 Combat Arts - Sword Art Lv. 6 | Fleet Foot Lv. 3 Innate Skills - Self-appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 1 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex Level Progression: 35% Skill Points: 2 1-14 Official 1-14 Official ¡°Hey, Sam,¡± Lyra greeted in a slovenly manner as she slumped her head forward onto the countertop. She didn¡¯t want to do any adventuring today after the novel ¡°adventure¡±st night. Even now, she still felt a little sore in her hips from the intense pleasure she experienced. It was so intense that it made her pass out. Slowly but surely, her desire for such experience burned ever more fiercely. It was noon and The Guild was much less crowded than the morning. By this time, every adventurer was out adventuring. It wasmon for adventurers to venture out in the morning and only return before sundown. The only adventurers here were the ones who were bad at waking up in the morning or they just preferred to have ate start. ¡°Good afternoon, Miss Lyra,¡± Sam returned Lyra¡¯s slightly off-routine gesture in her usual primness, a stark contrast from how she was in bed, a little fact that Lyra knew all too well. ¡°This is unusual. You¡¯re always an early bird. What gives?¡± ¡°Erin,¡± Lyra answered with a sigh. Even the mere mention of her name made her snatch tingled. ¡°She did that to you?¡± Sam asked back in disbelief. After sharing two nights together with Lyra, she understood just how good and vigorous she was in bed. She was always the dominating one, yet always the one who woke up first in the morning. ¡°Is she that good?¡± There was a gulp in Sam¡¯s voice. Lyra chuckled with all the strength she could muster. ¡°The best. What¡¯s more, she seemed fine in the morning. Like nothing happened to her on the prior night.¡± ¡°And she¡¯s only level four¡­¡± Sam pondered deeply. A level four bested a level eleven inbat and bested a level seven in terms of stamina. This was simply unprecedented as far as she knew. She decided right then to submit a formal report of Erinthea to her superiors. The Guild would surely not let such a talent be wasted or let out of their sight. ¡°She¡¯s not one to be underestimated, not just as a fighter.¡± Lyra smiled, a hint of sadness could be found on her expression. It would be a lie if she said she wasn¡¯t a little envious of Erin. ¡°Well, enough about her for now, what do you have for me?¡± Sam raised her eyebrows. ¡°Are you sure you are up to any task today? You don¡¯t look too¡­ much like your usual self, if you don¡¯t mind me saying.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. A quest is what I need to truly wake me up. Unless of course, you¡¯re saying that you are worried about me?¡± ¡°Of course I¡¯m worried about you. The Guild¡¯s staff have the right and obligation to worry about the adventurers.¡± Lyra pouted her cheeks and looked Sam in the eyes. ¡°I mean from a personal perspective.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Sam replied reassuringly. Lyra sighed. ¡°Yeah, whatever. So, what do you rmend I can do with my¡­ state of my unusual self?¡± ¡°You could browse through the request board like the rest of the adventurers.¡± ¡°Yeah but I want your rmendation. You¡¯re the expert here, not me.¡± ¡°Is that really what you want, my rmendation?¡± ¡°Well¡­ maybe to impress you too.¡± Lyra smiled wryly. ¡°Oh my, being unfaithful already?¡± ¡°Erin and I are not in a rtionship. We¡¯re adventurers, Sam. We can¡¯t afford to be in one. Not in a proper one, at least.¡± ¡°That sounds really lonely.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a cross that all adventurers have to bear.¡± Sam smiled back bitterly. ¡°I guess it is.¡± She cleared her throat. ¡°As for my rmendation and something that will impress me¡­ there is one quest.¡± ¡°Oh, give me. What do I need to kill?¡± Contrary to herposed tone, Lyra was posing in a way unbefitting of ady but that was just what to be expected from an adventurer, especially Lyra. ¡°It¡¯s not about killing, this time. It¡¯s more of a survey quest.¡± Lyra furrowed her brows. She never had those kinds of quests before. In fact, she had only done subjugation quests. ¡°What am I supposed to be investigating?¡± ¡°Due to the nature of the quest, I can¡¯t tell you what unless you agree to it first. I can tell you it regards the forest and maybe the well-being of the town.¡± Thest part was slightly concerning to hear. Lyra sobered up a little from her slump. But before Lyra could give an answer, the doors to The Guild were flung¡ª no, more like kicked wide open. In strode a Fox-kin girl with two swords in her right hand and a heavy-looking sack, dangling on a string in her left hand. It was Erinthea, obviously. Blood was stter in tiny smudges all over her face and armor, some even got to her tail. She stopped a few feet before the counter and nced at the reception counter and the material procession counter, to and fro. Whispers began to erupt from among the Guild Staffs who were taking their break and adventurers who were waiting in the corner lounge. Erin was wearing the cloak but she didn¡¯t have the hood up since everyone could already guess her identity as she was the only one dressed this way in this small town. By now, she had limatized herself to the inquiring gazes, albeit with much difficulty. Seeing the nk staring Erinthea, Sam turned to Lyra. ¡°Sorry, Lyra but do you think you could¡ª¡± ¡°Yeah, I know. I¡¯ll let her go first.¡± Lyra responded before she could finish asking. She moved to the side as Sam beckoned Erin towards her counter. Lyra was equally shocked as everyone in the building towards the state of Erin but unlike the others, Lyra was still in no state to react. Although in her mind, she was brimming with questions and sultry desires towards the Fox-kin. ¡°Good afternoon, Miss Erin.¡± Sam gave her an obligatory smile. ¡°I assume you manage toplete the test without much difficulty?¡± ¡°I havepleted it, effortlessly so, and rtively so,¡± Erin answered. She then turned to Lyra. It was awkward to meet the one who took her virginity and furthermore, it happened justst night. However, it was rude to just act like she wasn¡¯t there. At the very least, Erin needed to acknowledge Lyra''s presence. Thus, she forced herself to greet Lyra. ¡°Good afternoon, Lyra. I trust that you slept wellst night?¡± Lyra was puzzled by Erin¡¯s stiff greeting but then she remembered how it was the morning after her own first time. She immediately understood Erin¡¯s plight. ¡°You know that the best, Erin. I have slept well. In fact, I have even ¡°slept¡± well.¡± ¡°A-ah¡­. I see.¡± Erin quickly turned away before Lyra could see her blush. As always, her twitching ears and wagging tail was a huge dead giveaway to her emotions. Sam cleared her throat to rein in Erin¡¯s attention. ¡°I trust that you have the Cores?¡± Erin let off a huge heave and ced the sack on top of the counter. Shey the swords gently against the counter. ¡°I have done more thanplete the test.¡± Sam wasn¡¯t surprised by her response since she already saw her bulging sack the moment she entered the building. It was obvious Erin had done more than justpleting her test. However, Sam did not know or expect what kind of auxiliary tasks Erin had done. Instead of going to the material procession counter, Tom brought over a spare ¡°weighing tool¡± to Sam¡¯s counter after being motioned over. ¡°Thank you, Tom.¡± Sam gave her gratitude. Tom merely nodded back before returning to his station, but not before stealing a nce at Erin¡¯s slowly wagging tail. He snapped his eyes back to the front when Lyra caught him staring. ¡°It¡¯s called the Monster Core Recognition Scale,¡± Sam answered the question that seemed to be written on Erin¡¯s curious expression. ¡°Or the Core Scale for short. Or just Scale.¡± Exining so, Sam dumped all of the Monster Cores into a tray nearby and put it onto the Core Scale. There were twice the number of Cores that Erin was instructed to procure and when the results appeared on the meter, Sam blinked twice before staring at Erin with a confused gaze. Lyra who was too sapped to react gave a meek ¡°whoa¡± at the amount Erin had collected. She could understand if it were Monsters like Rot-rats, Serks, or Duskmanes, which always came in droves but monsters like Kobolds were always encountered in pairs. This amount could only mean that Erin headed straight for their camp, something which even high levels like Kane would think twice about. ¡°These are all Kobolds¡¯ Cores¡­?¡± Sam¡¯s question trailed off. She knew Erin did something extra but she didn¡¯t expect the extra would be extra Kobolds. ¡°Yes, they are. Except for one.¡± Hearing her words, Sam took a look at the meter once again. Her eyes widened at the results and then at the smallest Core among the bunch. ¡°I see,¡± she said with a solemn expression but it quickly turned back to a friendly smile ¡°Nevertheless, you have acquired the amount instructed and more. You have passed the test, Miss Erin.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t think I have cheated?¡± Sam took out a small mirror from under her desk and showed it to Erin. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Erin muttered at all the tiny blood smudges on her face and also her mildly exhausted face. It certainly didn¡¯t look like someone who had skimped out on hardships. Sam handed Erin a napkin for her to wipe her face. Damn. A napkin wouldn¡¯t do much. I really need to clean up. I should ask if there¡¯s any well nearby. I do not want to wait until I return to the inn. From a small box within her reach, Sam took out a brass tag from it. There were other tags in the small box, all arranged in an orderly manner. She inserted the tag into the slot and made changes to the details and information that were present on the paper. Her hands paused for a while. She muttered her amazement at Erin¡¯s level under her breath. But knowing that Erin would not like the attention, she kept her surprise to herself. When she was finished with her unnaturally quick scribbling, she pulled out the tag and finally handed it over to Erin with both hands. ¡°Congrattions, Miss Erin. From today on, you are now officially an adventurer.¡± Erin received her tag with a nk look. Is this it? She was ted that she finally got her adventurer license. She was relieved that nothing bad happened along the way. She was sad that she was, in a way, faring her old life well. She was regretting over the many instances of her past that could have been better if she had just mustered a little bit of courage. But all of those were dead and gone, literally for her case. Receiving the tag made her realize that she was closing up a chapter and writing up another one. I¡¯m no longer in my old world¡­ It¡¯s so obvious by now¡­ this isn¡¯t the Evaren I know of, be it a parallel world or the future. Argon Raze¡¯s story has ended, at the hands of his own arrogance. She held the tag close to her heart as she silently bade her old life farewell. She may still be Argon Raze in a certain way but she had to acknowledge that this was no longer Argon¡¯s life, it was Erinthea¡¯s. This was the Sword Saint¡¯s second life as a Fox-kin girl. ¡°Ahem,¡± Sam coughed, snapping Erin out of her reminiscence. ¡°I hate to interrupt your silent revel but if you aren¡¯t in a rush right now, I have something I would like to discuss with you. And you too, Lyra.¡± ¡°Me?¡± Lyra pointed at herself. ¡°Is this about the quest you rmended?¡± ¡°It is.¡± Sam nodded. ¡°As you have already guessed, the quest is of utmost importance. And actually, I was hoping Nivia would be here by now.¡± As soon as Sam finished her sentences, Nivia entered the building with an elegant gait. She was in her full adventurer outfit. She was wearing some sort of light metallic cuirass over a beige tunic with thin long sleeves, entuating her slender arms. She was also wearing simr thin trousers that held tightly to the shape of her slender legs. Despite being so well-armed and dressed, she was still a beauty of a captivating degree. While everyone else was daze by the Elven adventurer, including Lyra, Erin was the only one who had aplex expression. Knowing her ¡°other¡± side, Erin found it quite demanding to choose the suitable reaction to Nivia¡¯s presence. When Nivia scanned the floor and found Erin, she immediately walked up to her. ¡°Have I kept you waiting, Erin?¡± Nivia asked in a fullyposed manner and an astute smile, fully befitting the expectations the general public had of Elves. Erin hurriedly forced herself to smile. She didn¡¯t know how it turned out but since Nivia didn¡¯t seem to have a particr reaction, it must have worked. ¡°Not at all, Nivia. I was just finishing up. I finally got my tag.¡± Nivia beamed. ¡°The Spirits blesses you, Erin.¡± Seeing her confusion, Nivia quickly exined, ¡°it¡¯s the way Forest-kin congrattes someone.¡± ¡°Ah, I see. Thank you, then.¡± For some reasons, Erin was receiving some piercing stares from her back. Needless to say, it was from Lyra. Nivia seemed to have noticed Lyra¡¯s displeased eyes, as she tried to get Erin away from her. ¡°Well, since you¡¯re here, shall we¡ª¡± ¡°Excuse me for my interruption, you two.¡± Sam cut in. ¡°I have some important business to discuss with the three of you.¡± Nivia frowned. She was mildly miffed by the Guild Receptionist¡¯s intrusion but being a Forest-kin and an Elf, she had a reputation to uphold. ¡°How important?¡± she asked. Taking a deep breath, Sam answered in a low voice, ¡°the well-being and future of the whole town.¡± Lyra¡¯s attention was immediately drawn to those dire-sounding words. Nivia¡¯s irritation was also dismissed at Sam¡¯s sentence. Erin however, had a face that exhibited her realization. Erin remembered the change in Sam¡¯s expression when she realized one of the Cores belonged to a Goblin. Going by her old knowledge, Goblins were as small as the average human children and their intellect was nothing to write home about. They were well-known for being a vicious bunch but in the impression of many, their meagre strength overshadowed their deceitful nature. However, the Goblins possessed one of the highest spawning rate among monsters. They were a strange race that used females of other races to give birth to their own kind as the birth of a female Goblin was incredibly rare. However, if a female Goblin was given birth to, their spawn rate would rise to the clouds. Erin remembered it well, like it was only yesterday. It was before he received the title of Sword Saint. There was a town thrice the size of this one. They underestimated the Goblins and left them be. In just a month, the Goblins¡¯ number reached around a few hundred. It overwhelmed the town in just a day. Erin was there with some of her old acquaintances and friends. They killed all the Goblins but by that stage, the town was already no more. It became one of the nightmares that haunted her until her death. Never forgotten, alwaysid in the inner recess of her mind. Never again did she wish to witness such things. But first, she would need to get strong. 1-15 Dire quest 1-15 Dire quest After ensuring another staff was able to take over her station for the time being, Sam led the three adventurers up to the second floor of the building. Erin remembered Lyra telling her that the second floor was strictly for official business only and not even the Guild Staffs were allowed to enter the second floor without any valid reason. If an adventurer was summoned to the second floor, it would always stem from an important reason. Although, said reason wouldn¡¯t always be a meritorious one. It went without saying all the present adventurers and some of the Guild Staffs had their eyes glued on the three. Erin had no doubts her reputation would soar higher in the following days. She understood everyone was free to idolize her as much they wanted. She just wished they would at least respect her personal space. Hmm¡­ Won¡¯t Lyra be the talk of the town too? Erin thought. While she didn¡¯t know the extent of Lyra¡¯s reputation, she had no doubts that Lyra¡¯s fame would rise on the morrows. As for Nivia, she was already popr enough as an Elf and the highest level person in the town. Her reputation couldn¡¯t soar any higher from there. Unless she gained a star, I guess? Before they headed upstairs, Erin didn¡¯t forget about her Monster Cores but Sam reassured her that she would receive her reward after they concluded the current matters. She handed the task of processing the Cores over to Tom, giving him instructions regarding the appropriate payment should be readied by the time they were done with the meeting. Tomplied with a simple nod. Erin didn¡¯t miss the fact that he sneaked a nce at her ears and tail. On a small note, Erin also noticed Sam had taken the Goblin¡¯s core along with her. Lyra wasining something about her not yet having epted the request. Therefore, she should have the choice to pull out. However, Lyra was quickly coerced into epting it when Sam dourly red at her. Lyra shuddered for a bit before straightening up her posture and followed Sam without any more words ofint. Did I just witness a coercion? Is that even legal? But anyways, I didn¡¯t think Lyra wasn¡¯t as ambitious as she looked. After climbing a flight of carpeted steps, they arrived at thending of the second floor. Perhaps to emphasize the atmosphere of importance, the second floor had a sophisticated design inparison to the dull first floor and the nd exterior of the building. Erin and Lyra marveled with gasps at the furnishings that probably cost more than they could earn in a year. Nivia on the other hand had a calm demeanor like usual. It wasn¡¯t just an act, Erin noticed. Nivia was genuinely uninterested in either the costs or the design. Or maybe it¡¯s a Faerie-kin thing, Erin thought to herself. They proceeded to walk down a narrow hallway after crossing the widending. They stopped right before the door at the end of the hallway. There was a small sign on the door that read; ¡°Guild Master¡¯s Office¡±. The ¡°governor¡¯s¡± office, huh. If we¡¯re taken up to see the head, the people here must be taking the Goblin problem more seriously than the people in my old world. Or I could just be getting ahead of myself here. Erin didn¡¯t miss the light gulp Lyra gave as she saw the title written on the door¡¯s sign. Nivia was still in herposed and serene manner as if nothing in the world could shake her rigid countenance. With such an expression and aura, her previous frantic state seemed almost like aplete lie to Erin. ¡°Wait here,¡± Sam said and gave a few knocks on the door. ¡°It¡¯s Samira,¡± she spoke up. ¡°Come in,¡± came a reply just a second after. Oh? So her full name is Samira. Figures. This was another simrity of her old world, Erin noticed. Themon person did not have a family name. Only nobles or exceptional individuals had them. But the way she saw it, it was one of the most redundant privileges to have. Sam opened the door as gently as she was taking care not to break the knob by squeezing it too hard. Much like the second floor, the Guild Master¡¯s office was just as sophisticated in its design. Erin was starting to think that the second floor was tailored to the Guild Master¡¯s taste and choice. At the far end of this spacious room, sat the one and only Guild Master of Green Scar branch behind a desk and in an elegant chair. Just before the Master¡¯s desk were a table and two couches ced opposite to and facing each other. Erin had prepared herself to meet the one person that was governing the entirety of Green Scar¡¯s adventurers. She expected someone charismatic and intimidating. The person-in-question certainly looked charismatic enough with his expensive-looking suit and wisely-aged expression but for his intimidating side, not so much. For one, he was stout but short and it was even more evident with him sitting on a raised chair. He was bald but his gray beard was starting to look like some ashen bushes in Erin¡¯s opinion. ¡°A Dwarve?¡± Lyra blurted out the Guild Master¡¯s race. Yes, the Guild Master was a Dwarve. Moreover, he greatly resembled the two Dwarves Erin met at the smithy. It really threw Erin off but being the Sword Saint, former, she had her shares of meeting with nobles and dignitaries, so she managed to not let her surprisee off as rude. The same couldn¡¯t be said for Lyra however, as she was staring intensely at the Guild Master with astonishment and bafflement. She seemed to also have realized he was rted to the two Dwarves at the smithy. The Guild Master must be the two¡¯s father. Nivia was still in herposed state. With a hand on her chest and a slight bow, she greeted the Guild Master. ¡°Good afternoon, Sir. I believe it has been quite some time since ourst acquaintance.¡± Sir? But he¡¯s not a knight though, right? Is this a discrepancy with the etiquette of the Evaren I¡¯m from? ¡°Likewise, Miss Nivia.¡± The Guild Master, Geron replied with his deep venerable voice. ¡°And you must be Miss Erin. You are all that the rumors are whispering about, right now. And those are good rumors.¡± ¡°I am grateful for such acknowledgement, Sir. But honestly speaking, people are just overpraising.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ how humble of you.¡± And finally, his gaze turned to Lyra. ¡°I guess I should also be thanking you too, Miss Lyra.¡± Lyra raised an eyebrow. In a panic, she greeted the Guild Master in the same manner as Nivia. Should I have presented my greetings like that too? Or is it toote now? ¡°You have our thanks for bringing such a talent to our attention, Miss Lyra. Be it fate or chance, you have done the town a huge favor, especially in the dire times toe.¡± Lyra was about to return the good gesture but hisst words petrified her thoughts and actions. Sam ambled to the side of the Guild Master and ced the Goblin¡¯s Core on the desk in front of him. Without questioning Sam¡¯s actions, Geron put on the spectacles from his coat pocket and red at the Core in his hand. The lens turned cyan for a short while before returning to normal. After putting his spectacles back into his coat pocket, he sighed and rubbed his temple. ¡°It¡¯s true, then,¡± he said, seemingly in some sort of disbelief. ¡°I¡¯m afraid so,¡± Sam affirmed his worries. ¡°Pardon me,¡± Lyra interjected. ¡°May I know what this is all about?¡± ¡°Goblins,¡± it was Nivia who answered her. Her eyes were also cyan for a moment as she nced at the Core, and it did not go under Erin¡¯s notice. Was that some kind of skill to discern objects? ¡°Goblins!?¡± Lyra eximed with full nonplus. I was right, then. They really took Goblins seriously. ¡°You mean the recent whispers about some small and green creature sightings are actually Goblins?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°This Core here proves it. If there¡¯s one Goblin, there will be twenty more in the forest, at the very least.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s impossible,¡± Lyra argued. ¡°If there are indeed Goblins out there, why haven¡¯t any of us encountered at least one in the flesh? They may tread well in the dark but they aren¡¯t exactly good at hiding themselves, especially in broad daylight.¡± Now that Erin thought about it, Goblins were cunning and crafty. They also loved to take advantage of their size by setting traps and ambushes. However, they were equally sloppy too. No matter how hard they tried to hide their presence from the adventurers, they always gave themselves away by way of their own blunders. In essence, they were extremely terrible at stealth andying low. It was really unbelievable for the adventurers to have not encountered even a single Goblin if there were Goblins in the area, not counting Erin of course. ¡°That is the question,¡± Sam said. ¡°Originally, we nned to dispatch two or three adventurers to investigate the rumors. But thanks to Miss Erin here, we have confirmation. Now, our problem lies in how do we proceed with this. We don¡¯t want to raise any false rms if the Goblins aren¡¯t that many but given their¡­ unusual nature, things are not looking good in our favor.¡± ¡°You think there¡¯s someone or something leading the Goblins?¡± Erin chimed in. ¡°You are correct, Miss Erin,¡± Geron attested. ¡°They are being very meticulous for a mere bunch of Goblins. Having a leader is the most likely the reason. The leader is most likely a Goblin themself since Goblins only listen to¡­ well, to another Goblin.¡± ¡°A variant, then,¡± Lyra mused. Nivia remained silent throughout the discussion. ¡°But that¡¯s not the worst scenario,¡± Sam added. ¡°Then what is?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°A female Goblin,¡± Erin answered which Sam affirmed her suspicions with a nod. ¡°Highly unlikely,¡± Nivia remarked with just two words and went back to her quietude. ¡°We are aware of that,¡± Sam responded with a slightly vexed re towards the Elf. ¡°Unlikely but not impossible,¡± Erin countered. ¡°Even if there¡¯s a single chance, it¡¯s a chance that we can¡¯t take. This is a small town. Even just half a hundred of Goblins could throw the town into chaos. These things are ruthless bastards. They¡¯re the wretched shits from the lowest pits of hell. I refused to take those chances.¡± Immediately, everyone in the room stood stunned. Sam sighed. Lyra gazed forlornly. Geron and Nivia were staring at Erin with their mouth hanging open. It was really startling to hear such a tone from a Faerie-kin, whose kind were known for their respectable and graceful aspect. However, Erin was swimming in some dreadful memories to take heed of her manners and conduct. ¡°Miss Erin, did you perhaps have some history with Goblins?¡± the Guild Master asked. Hearing that, Nivia immediately cast a worried nce at Erin. There were cases where Faerie-kin were being used as broodmares by the Goblins and Orcs. And due to Faerie-kin¡¯s longevity, they were very sought after by these two despicable species. ¡°I have witnessed it first hand. A Goblin army overwhelmed and destroyed a town bigger than this one. This happened because no one in that town recognized the threat Goblins could pose. I was there. I saw everything that happened. Even though the Goblins lost in the end, we didn¡¯t exactly win either.¡± ¡°And which town is this exactly?¡± Erin shrugged. ¡°The town is no more. Does it matter?¡± ¡°I suppose not.¡± Geron offered her a sympathetic smile. ¡°Be that as it may, we are going to cull the Goblins regardless of their numbers or the presence of a female Goblin. There were even reports from some adventurers that the amount of monsters in the forest seemed to have dwindled. No doubt the work of the Goblins.¡± ¡°What¡¯s our n here?¡± Nivia skipped right to the fight. Erin could see a small hint of irritation on her. Not an advocate for long conversations, I see. After a brief moment of contemtion, Geron said, ¡°for now, we will be focusing on gathering information about the Goblins. To not raise any panic or suspicions among the townspeople and adventurers, the three of you will conduct the investigations under the guise of other quests like normal. I trust that the three of you here are up to this precarious task.¡± ¡°Always,¡± Nivia answered. ¡°Well, this is what it means to be an adventurer.¡± Lyra stretched her neck. ¡°And it¡¯s not like I have a choice.¡± She sighed. ¡°I will see to it that none of them live past this moon,¡± Erin dered imposingly. ¡°Very well, then. Samira, I¡¯ll leave the rest of the details to you.¡± Sam nodded. ¡°Of course, Mister Geron.¡± ¡°Good. Now, you may all leave, except for Miss Erin.¡± Huh? Except for me? His request drew questions from everyone in the room. Only Sam remained tactful enough. She ushered a dubious Lyra and a reluctant Nivia out of the room. Right at the doorway, Nivia whispered softly that she will be waiting downstairs for Erin. Naturally, Erin caught that message and so did Lyra who was narrowing her eyes like a lover catching her significant other cheating. The door then closed with a click. Erin impulsively took a deep breath at the deafening mood. The room was pin-drop silent as they were the only ones in the room, so her gasp came off as incredibly awkward. Erin just wanted to dug a hole and buried herself in it. Geron got off his chair and let his apparent height known to Erin. He was short but he was definitely taller than his sons. He sat on the couch and motioned for Erin to sit on the other side. ¡°Please, sit.¡± His bearing tone made it sound like amand rather than a casual gesture. Erinplied. Her tail curled up between her legs and her ears plopped down. She admitted in her heart that she was wrong about the Guild Master, Geron was really intimidating. ¡°Forgive me for theck of tea and biscuits. I hadn¡¯t nned on having this conversation,¡± he told Erin with an amicable smile but like every other Guild Staff, the smile stemmed from obligation. ¡°You know what I want to ask?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t born in the forest and I know next to nothing about the Faerie-kin¡¯s etiquette.¡± And Geron smiled again, but it was genuine this time. ¡°I¡¯m d we can be honest with each other.¡± ¡°Although I can¡¯t tell you much about myself, I can assure you I don¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m not here to interrogate you, Miss Erin.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not?¡± Erin blinked. Her shoulders loosened and drooped at those words. ¡°What an adventurer does or what kind of past they have, it does not matter. But of course, this doesn¡¯t apply if you had a convicted history. So long as your past or history do not bring any harm or demerit to The Guild, we won¡¯t pry further than necessary.¡± To be honest, Erin wasn¡¯t expecting such openness. All the dignitaries she had met in the past had their head stuck so far up in their own arse that all they could see was their own shit. It was frustrating to listen to their nonsense rambles on how superior they are for hours on end, especially during the frequent dinner parties that aimed to unt their status and wealth. ¡°However, you have to understand your own position.¡± ¡°My own position?¡± Erin didn¡¯t like the shift in Geron¡¯s tone. ¡°You are a Fae but your conduct resembled none of it. It may not be pertinent in such a small town but in the cities, you¡¯ll be looked down upon.¡± ¡°Is it because of how I talk? I heard adventurers are already famous for their insensibility.¡± ¡°People are used to how adventurers conduct and carry themselves but for Faerie-kin, they still hold some expectations for you even if you¡¯re an adventurer.¡± For fuck¡¯s sake, we¡¯re going there again? ¡°I hope you don¡¯t take this the wrong way, Miss Erin. We¡¯re just trying to look after a blooming talent associated with us.¡± Erin scoffed. ¡°I appreciate your gestures, thoughts, and care but too bad. I don¡¯t n to cater everyone¡¯s whims.¡± ¡°I know and I understand that. However, are you aware of your prospects?¡± ¡°I am,¡± Erin responded promptly. ¡°Should you ever be sessful and gain recognition across the world, people will be curious about your past, about where you came from, how you started. Those kinds of things. And the enemies you made along the way, they would use everything they can to drag you off from your position. That¡¯s the price of fame. And I have witnessed such things reurring too much to count on both of my hands. I sincerely wish that I won¡¯t be seeing a repeat of amon history.¡± ¡°I understand, Mister Geron and I appreciate your concern. But you also have to understand this, I do not care.¡± Erin stated. ¡°If anyone tries to fuck with me, I¡¯ll make sure those bastards regret it. I think I made myself clear with my stance.¡± Her words shook Geron a little but being the Guild Master, he did a good job of hiding it. Erin stood up from the couch and walked to the door. She stopped before her hand reached for the knob. ¡°I know what you¡¯re trying to tell me. I really do. But I have been through all of that.¡± Curiosity gleamed in Geron¡¯s eyes. ¡°If they want to ruin me, I will wee them to try. If they failed, it will be my turn to do the same to them. Good afternoon,¡± Erin bade and walked out of the room. Geron could not find any words to respond to her. His first impression of Erin was someone who was haunted by her past and was putting on a facade for the whole time. But as he pushed at the aspect of how she should be living her life, she instantly bit back with austere ferocity. She had looked so meek and susceptible to threats and demands but after touching a certain point, he could feel that her aurapletely changed, almost like she had turned into a different person. Geron threw his head back on the couch and let out a self-ridiculingughter. ¡°If it¡¯s her¡­ maybe she can deal with Aedan,¡± he mused to himself. **** It was dark. There was no light, not even the slightest bit to cast a meagre shadow. Within such darkness, a man was on his knees. His hands were bound to his back with vines and gagged with some ragged cloth. In this pitch ck room with nothing but rocks as the wall, ceiling, and floor, a humanoid creature approached the bound and gagged man. This humanoid creature walked without tripping on the stones or its own feet even in such darkness. The humanoid creature crouched down in front of the man. Making out the faint humanoid figure of the creature in the darkness, the man began to whimper and beg for mercy. Through its silhouette, the man could tell the creature had long and pointy ears. ¡°Shush¡­!¡± The creature uttered in a hollow yet sinister voice. The man squealed in response but he shut up after feeling the nails of the creature tracing his neck. The creature took off the gag and brushed his finger across the man¡¯s eyes. ¡°Do you still wish to see with these eyes of yours¡­?¡± it asked with a low but sinister voice. ¡°W-what?¡± ¡°Do you¡­!?¡± The creature pressed its nails just beside his eyes. ¡°Yes! Yes! I do! I do!¡± The man screamed out in a panic. The creature then touched the man¡¯s arm. ¡°Do you still wish to wield a weapon with these hands of yours?¡± ¡°I do! I do!¡± The man answered immediately. ¡°And these legs, do you wish to walk with them if you¡¯re free¡­?¡± ¡°Y-yes!¡± ¡°Now, tell me.¡± The creature put the man¡¯s head between its palms. ¡°I saved you from those rats and lizard men, have I not¡­?¡± ¡°Y-you d-did!¡± The man was even wetting himself now. ¡°Do you still wish to live¡­?¡± ¡°Yes! Yes! I do!¡± He answered with all the desperation brimming inside him. ¡°You will live¡­. you will live¡­ but first!¡± The creature stared into the human¡¯s eyes. ¡°You are going to tell me¡­everything!¡± The man whimpered and nodded frantically without any hesitation. ¡°Tell me all about the settlement¡­ where all of you¡­ humans¡­ gathered up¡­ the ce¡­ that you humans called¡­ what was it? Ah¡­. yes¡­ it¡¯s called¡­ town.¡± 1-16 Bloodbath 1-16 Bloodbath After the nerve-racking audience with the Guild Master, the three received the rest of the quest¡¯s details from Sam. They were tasked with locating the Goblin¡¯s nest, scouring their patrol and hunting routine, their equipment, their numbers, and most important of all, the source of their spawn. Lyra was still a bit hesitant at epting such a tedious and demanding quest but at the mention of the possibility of gaining a star, her face lit up like a festival and epted the quest without a stammer. The time limit for the quest was unspecified but Sam told the three they would need to submit a report of their progress periodically. ¡°You may start the investigation now but I will rmend starting it in the morning on the morrow,¡± Sam had advised them. ¡°I won¡¯t dictate the ways on how the three of you will go about this but frankly speaking, I¡¯ll rmend the three of you to work separately to avoid suspicions. Once again, just a suggestion. And of course, I don¡¯t think I need to remind you all, not a word about these circumstances, understood?¡± They all nodded. After that matter was settled, Erin received her reward for the Kobolds she eliminated in her test. Forty-eight copper coins for the normal Kobolds, six copper each. A silver coin for the Kobold Leader, that was the official name dubbed by The Guild for the chief Kobold. And finally, two copper for a Goblin. Though they may be an abhorrent bunch but the quality of their Cores were not even adequate. Which was why it was only two copper. With this amount, Erin returned the four silver bnce to Lyra. She even repaid Lyra the silver she spent on her armor and also five copper for the tunic and trousers she was currently wearing. Lyra was insistent that Erin could pay her back through other means, such as entering a partnership with her. Erin did not miss the glint in her eyes when she said ¡°partnership¡±. It was obvious Lyra meant that specific word in more ways than one. While Erin saw her as a good friend, she didn¡¯t see Lyra as a ¡°partner¡±, or even a potential interest. When prompted for a reason by Lyra, Erin pointed out her frivolous nature without a stutter. ¡°As you can see, Miss Lyra,¡± Nivia cut in between the two, ¡°I am the better choice to be Erin¡¯spanion,pared to someone as flippant as you.¡± ¡°Oh shut up,¡± Lyra shot back. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from someone who hasn¡¯t even touched her own cunt outside of cleaning.¡± ¡°Oh my, how uncouth.¡± Nivia¡¯s expression twisted sourly but she immediately assumed back herposed expression and tittered. ¡°But I guess that is to be expected from a loose woman like you.¡± ¡°Loose!?¡± Lyra red up. Despite her liberated nature and how self-aware she was about it, she did not like being called loose, not when she had only been bedded by a single man until now. ¡°Listen here, you long ears of a hag, I¡ª¡± ¡°Enough!¡± Erin raised her voice. They were outside The Guild building, thankfully. It would have been extremely awkward otherwise and Erin was not looking forward to drawing more attention to herself. ¡°Lyra, I appreciate your help in¡­ various aspects but I don¡¯t think I amfortable with someone of your particr nature.¡± ¡°So you think I¡¯m a loose whore too?¡± Seemingly mildly flustered at the w-word, Erin promptly responded, ¡°I did not say that.¡± ¡°You might as well have.¡± Lyra sighed exasperatedly with her gaze cast down. ¡°You don¡¯t think people like me are trustworthy?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not about what I think, Lyra. I¡¯m speaking from experience.¡± At her words, both Lyra and Nivia threw curious res at her. Why did I say that? Good lord, I¡¯m throwing myself into the frying pan. Well, the arrow is loose. ¡°I may not have been an adventurer but I was adventurous,¡± Erin recounted. ¡°Along my journey, I came across many people and made many acquaintances. I had all sorts ofpany, or parties as you would call it. The parties thatst the shortest were always the one with¡­ frivolouspanions. Their liberated tendencies kept causing troubles in ways that you would not expect it to. There was even a time when I was used of being a consociate of my frolicsome partner.¡± ¡°I-I see¡­¡± Lyra responded. Erin¡¯s words weren¡¯t without logic. In fact, it hit too close to home. Lyra had experienced some of the unexpected troubles she mentioned. She got herself into the red a few times by over-treating her potential nightpanions. She knew this was not a feasible habit should she wished to be more than just a small town adventurer. ¡°Lyra,¡± Erin called out. ¡°I don¡¯t wish for any of this to belittle our friendship. You were the one who offered me a hand when I was lost. I know you had ulterior motives for your assistance but it doesn¡¯t dismiss the fact you did helped me. And I will always remember that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, Erin. You don¡¯t need to say anything anymore.¡± Lyra waved her off. ¡°You¡¯re right about me. I¡¯m just going to get us in trouble.¡± ¡°L-Lyra¡­ I didn¡¯t mean¡ª¡± ¡°I said it¡¯s alright, Erin. Besides, I became an adventurer to fill the void in my heart.¡± Lyra smiled in a self-deprecating manner. ¡°Remember the friend I told you about, my childhood friend?¡± Erin nodded with a stern expression. Nivia on the other hand, was starting to feel ufortable. The conversation had taken an unexpected turn and it was toote for her to back out now withouting off as a huge hypocrite in manners herself, although she was already a hypocrite, albeit one in denial. ¡°We were more than friends,¡± Lyra continued. ¡°We were close, close enough to give each other our virtue on the first night we were cast out from our vige. When he said he wanted to be a smuggler because the gold was quick, I felt so betrayed by him. After I left him, I felt so empty. Even though he wasn¡¯t amazing in bed and he couldn¡¯t even make me cum, he still left a void in my heart during the nights.¡± Erin was listening attentively while Nivia could only stand still in her ce, trying her best to not disrupt the mood with her internal groans. ¡°I couldn¡¯t deal with men after that. I tried but it was always his face that came up. So I went with women and girls. It worked but¡­ it was no remedy. It was provisional.¡± ¡°Lyra¡­¡± ¡°Butst night, with you, it felt different. Oh, it felt good. It felt so good and not because I was forcing myself to and nor was it because I was on some leaves. Even now, I feel so at ease just by being at your side, just from being looked at by you, just from being in your thoughts all day long¡­ It¡¯s like¡­ you have be my drug.¡± Erin had no idea on how to respond to that. It was obvious that Lust Deviant was the one at fault here. Although the skill didn¡¯t explicitly state it, anyone who had experienced such a level of ecstasy was bound to be addicted for more. Erin herself was fine but the same could not be said for her partner. Only now, she realized just how dangerous Lust Deviant was. She reprimanded herself for not realizing it earlier but she was a virgin then, how could she have known of such addictive ecstasy? ¡°Erin¡­ if it means that I get to be your partner, I would dly abandon that frivolous life of mine. I swear that I would never be unfaithful as long as I can be with you.¡± ¡°L-Lyra¡­¡± It was getting perilous in a lot of ways. Erin hadn¡¯t known Lyra for that long. In fact, it hadn¡¯t even been twenty-four hours since they met. Yet, Lyra was prepared to throw away a life she had been living all this for who knew how long just to be with someone she hadn¡¯t even met for a full day. Before Erin knew it, Lyra had somehowe so close to her face and her hands were wrapped around hers. It was almost like Lyra was trying to court her. In a way, she was courting her. Would this kind of thing happen too if I copted with other people? ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough.¡± Nivia intervened, shoving the two apart from each other. Erin showed no resistance but Lyra was obstinate. However, Nivia was ten levels ahead of Lyra. Resistance was futile against the Elf¡¯s Might. ¡°Erinthea, lest you forgot, we do have a lunch date, don¡¯t we?¡± Nivia said, shing a triumphant smile at Lyra. Whether Lyra was out of her stupor or not, it didn¡¯t make much difference. She detested Nivia regardless of her sobriety. ¡°Yes, I did promise to apany you for lunch.¡± Erin responded semi-absentmindedly. She was still in deep thoughts about Lust Deviant. While it could be easily solved by going celibate, that was Erin¡¯sst and final option. She enjoyed the arts of the bedchamber more than she thought. Although she had no intention of stopping such acts, Lust Deviant was seriously impeding her decisions. She didn¡¯t want anyone else to turn into her ¡°victim¡±. Even if she turned celibate, it wouldn¡¯t exactly help as she wasn¡¯t sure what would happened if she entered Carnal Starvation and was left untreated. However, she was sure it would be something unfathomable by her current-self. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose there¡¯s room for one more?¡± Lyra suddenly spoke up and directed a smug towards the Elf. ¡°Excuse you, Miss Lyra but you are being quite rude with your gratuitous intrusion.¡± Nivia returned a glower that might have seared a hole through Lyra¡¯s face. ¡°As we, the humans always say, the more the merrier.¡± Lyra came up with some nonsensical logic. ¡°We believed a meal tastes the best if it''s shared by many. Unless of course, you don¡¯t n to abide by human¡¯s ethics in a human settlement?¡± That¡¯s an utter fool¡¯s logic. No way Nivia would¡ª wait. If it¡¯s her, then that is very likely¡­ yeah¡­ The reasoning andpulsion was severely wed but Nivia wasn¡¯t the brightest nor the sharpest. Erin realized that and somehow, Lyra had also found that out. ¡°Fine,¡± Nivia agreed after much reluctance. She turned to Erin. ¡°I hope this doesn¡¯t bother you.¡± Erin tried her best to smile in this escting chaos of a situation. ¡°Not at all. I¡¯ll be happy with the extrapany.¡± Maybe this is why I stayed a virgin in my previous life. **** Awkward. This was the only word floating around Erin¡¯s mind for the entire meal. They were now in a diner or more specifically, a tavern called Merry Night. Despite its name, it was open during the day too but it didn¡¯t serve any liquor while the sun was still out. Also in contrast to its nighttime, the menu had significantly less choice. Most of the food was in but quick to serve. It opened during the day solely to cater adventurers who wanted something light and quick. The business model impressed Erin. In fact, a lot of the businesses in this town were tailor to the adventurers, which pretty much revealed the town¡¯s main dependence. While Erin was slightly worried about the feasibility of such an economy, her attention was immediately snatched away by the arrival of her meal. The bread was lightly toasted and the paste that apanied it was just delicious, for the price they were paying. When Erin asked, she found out that the paste was actually made from red beans which they imported from the next town. And word is, the red bean paste was even more delicious when it was fresh off the stove. Hmm. This is really good. I can¡¯t believe something so simple and fast can be so delectable. If I went to the next, I definitely have to try it when it''s fresh off the stove. However, no matter how good the food was, it couldn¡¯t douse the animosity between Lyra and Nivia. They were eating their respective food and drinking their own beverage but their belligerent gazes never left each other. They had been maintaining their antagonistic status towards one another ever since Lyra practically invited herself to this lunch date. Nivia was the first to finish her meal since she ate very little. So little that Erin questioned if she felt satisfied with just that amount. ¡°You must be really special, Miss Lyra.¡± Nivia began her insult. ¡°I know humans can be stubborn and slow but you are extremely so.¡± At some point, Nivia realized that she had been had by Lyra¡¯s simple persuasion and her pride took a serious amount of damage. Oi. I was a human too, you know? Lyra chuckled as she gulped down her drink without minding any of her manners and conduct, a stark contrast to Nivia. ¡°We have never met officially but we did pass by each other. And it took you until now to figure that out? Says more about you than me, Miss Elf.¡± At that instance, the temperature of the eatery dropped by a few degrees. Nivia let out a contrary warm smile. ¡°You know nothing about me, Miss Lyra. Even if I showed you, your slow mind and heavy bulging limbs won¡¯t be able to keep up.¡± Lyra mmed her tankard down onto the table. ¡°I heard tell of many Faerie-kin, especially Elves, have fallen in simple battles or just in scuffles due to their arrogance of thinking that they are better than every other race.¡± ¡°Ah, so you¡¯re saying that you can only win against me if I was being arrogant?¡± Nivia tittered. ¡°Don¡¯t belittle yourself so much, Miss Lyra.¡± [Sixth Sense has been activated. Bloodlust detected.] Erin raised her eyebrows and turned her gaze to Lyra, who was fiddling with a small knife in her hand under the table. Erin silently moved to grab at that hand of Lyra¡¯s. Lyra gave Erin a questioning gaze but Erin forcefully pried the knife from her hand, which greatly surprised Lyra due to the difference of their level. Erin put the knife onto the table. ¡°Oh my, Miss Lyra. What were you trying to do?¡± Nivia taunted. ¡°Nivia, that¡¯s enough,¡± Erin said with a firm tone. ¡°But she¡ª¡± ¡°Enough!¡± Erin roared, drawing all the attention of every person in the eatery. Erin rose from her seat like a tidal wave and stared down at the arguing two. ¡°I don¡¯t fucking care who started this shit!¡± Nivia was staring back at Erin with her eyes widened and jaws dropped. Lyra had the same reaction but her lips were pursed. ¡°Nivia, you are an Elf. Act like one, not just on the surface. You¡¯re no better than savages if you keep jabbing at someone and y the fool the moment after. And you, Lyra. While I sympathize with your sobbing backstory but drawing a fucking knife in the middle of a meal and public? Where have all your senses gone?!¡± Erin yelled out herst sentence. The whole eatery was stunned into pin-drop silence. Ah. I have done it. She did not mean to do that. Besides Magic and swordsmanship, eating could be considered her next favorite thing. She couldn¡¯t always eat food that could be called proper since she was almost always in the middle of nowhere in her past life. And so, she came to appreciate food with actual taste a lot more than the average people, not that she was a glutton. And such precious time of hers was being disrupted by an immature argument between two adults and one of them was even more than a hundred years old, most probably. It was one of the most vexing things she had experienced in her past life, the belligerent rtionship between two unknown acquaintances through a mutual acquaintance. It became one of the foremost reasons that she decided to travel alone in theter parts of her life as Argon Raze. With all the eyes still on her, Erin was drawing quick breaths from her outburst. She knew when her adrenaline died down, she would be writhing in agony over this memory. But toote, the floodgates were already open. Clearing her throat, she sat back down and dined slowly on her meal. ¡°She¡¯s right,¡± Nivia said as she straightened her posture. ¡°That was¡­ infantile of me. I apologized, Erinthea, and to all the patrons of this eatery. Therefore, I have a proposal, Miss Lyra.¡± Hearing that, Erin almost choked on her food. Oh god¡­ this can¡¯t be good. ¡°Which is?¡± Lyra raised an eyebrow. ¡°Duel with me.¡± Nivia smiled shrewdly. ¡°If you win, you¡¯ll get to be herpanion. If I win, you will leave her alone. Deal?¡± ¡°Deal,¡± Lyra answered without a moment¡¯s hesitation. Wait. I don¡¯t have a say in this? 1-17 Unique Talent 1-17 Unique Talent Anyone who had been in this town for even half a day could see the results from miles away. Needless to say, the duel that took ce behind Verdant Inn ended with Nivia as the victor. It was an utter defeat for Lyra and she was even using real arrows. This wasn¡¯t because Lyra fully intended to kill Nivia but it was just that she didn¡¯t have any other kind of arrows, or at least that was what Lyra imed. After witnessing Lyra pulling out a knife in the middle of an eatery, Erin was dubious at her reasons. But Erin¡¯s dubiety was gratuitous, in the end. Despite having the range advantage, it was not enough for Lyra. She was only level seven and Nivia was level seventeen. It wasn¡¯t just their levels, the difference in ability and skill were also too significant. From what Erin witnessed in this short battle, Lyra didn¡¯t have any Magic Arts. All she had were some Combat Arts that didn¡¯t seem too staggering. Whatever her skills were, it was just allowing her to move and react faster than the average person. Nivia on the other hand, had what Erin presumed to be Wind Magic and Light Magic. Presumably with Wind Magic, Nivia dodged all of Lyra¡¯s shots with so much grace that it seemed like a dance to Erin¡¯s pristine eyes. For the arrows that hit its mark, they bounced off against some sort of light-based barrier. The duel was concluded with Nivia¡¯s de pressing against Lyra¡¯s neck after having evaded all of her offence. After Lyra admitted her defeat, Nivia sheathed her des. She looked down, figuratively and literally, with a triumphant re. ¡°As promised, you will leave Erin alone. From now on, I will be herpanion¡± ¡°Hold it right there,¡± Erin spoke up from the sidelines. ¡°It appears that you are under some sort of misconception, Nivia. I did not promise anything about bing yourpanion.¡± Nivia¡¯s facepletely fell at Erin¡¯s words. She wanted to retort but she couldn¡¯t find the words as Erin was right. Erin had only agreed to a lunch date but she didn¡¯t say anything about epting Nivia as a partner. Only Lyra consented to the duel. Nivia neglected to ask Erin for her consent as she thought Erin, a fellow Faerie-kin, would be unanimous. The floodgates were open as Lyra let loose a chortle while clutching at her stomach. ¡°I¡¯m tactless, that I am, but it beats being presumptuous.¡± She continued chortling. Nivia ignored the mockery Lyra was spouting and directed her gaze at Erin with grief written all over her face. ¡°Erin, are you dissatisfied with certain parts of me?¡± Erin flinched at the odd question she threw at her. It was a weird way to ask someone for their reasons. But to Nivia¡¯s question, Erin had a lot to say but she wasn¡¯t fond on the idea listing every point out. So, she went with a simple and also truthful response. ¡°It¡¯s not about you, Nivia. I just prefer to operate alone.¡± Nivia was obviously discontented with such a reasoning. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you realize but two is safer than one in our line of work, especially with the likelihood of Goblins out there.¡± Of course, it wasn¡¯t a matter of safety or secrecy. Erin just wanted to level up faster and bringing apanion along might reduce the experience gained. She wasn¡¯t sure how it worked but she didn¡¯t have the leisure to find out. As Nivia had pointed out, Goblins were out there. There may even be a nest of them. However, her primary reasons in the end fell on her wish to regain her former status as the Sword Saint as quickly as possible. ¡°Or is there something you cannot tell me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing like that. I just wish to increase my level faster.¡± ¡°Hmm, certainly the experience gained will be individually less in a party. I understand your concern in that regard but I expected you to be smarter than that. Your life and safety are worth a billion more than the rate of your growth.¡± Erin was indirectly told that she was an idiot, by an Elf with stalker and over-obsessive tendencies no less. This did not sit well with Erin. ¡°Forgive me for being blunt, Nivia. I have not known you for long but in the span of the time that I had, you didn¡¯t exactly give me a good impression either in appealing to be mypanion.¡± ¡°I am level seventeen. I have Spirit Magic, Light Magic, and Wind Magic. Or does this not suffice your touchstone?¡± Erin was groaning in her mind. Not only did Nivia have an unhealthy obsession tendency, she was even a bit dim when it came to social matters. ¡°You misunderstood, Nivia. I never said I wasn¡¯t impressed. I am impressed by your ability but your character leaves much to be desired. I¡¯m sure you know where I¡¯m getting to with this.¡± Nivia instantly turned as red as an apple. Of course she understood what Erin was implying. Her hidden side was exposed to the only Faerie-kin other than her in this town. It became a page in her dark history. It certainly didn¡¯t leave Nivia with any counter-argument. Lyra, who was just calming down from her chortle, was about to burst outughing again when she saw the distraught look on the Elf¡¯s face. It betrayed everything Lyra had known about her and she was undeniably curious of Erin¡¯s implications about the Elf¡¯s character. She let out a dark smile when she imagined the things she would do to Erin just to get the answer out of her. Erin willfully ignored Lyra¡¯s tititing expression that exuded not a small amount of lust and debauchery. It was only recently Erin had lost her virginity. She couldn¡¯t possibly be able toprehend what an experienced woman like Lyra could be nning for their night together. Wait. Why am I already on the assumption that I¡¯ll be sleeping in her room and copte with her again tonight? Before Erin could sort out her disheveled mind, Nivia took a step forward with a look that was clearly written with her intentions. ¡°I have a proposal,¡± Nivia said. Lyra and Erin could already guess the proposal. Lyra could only sigh while Erin gave a wry smile. ¡°I challenge you to a duel, Erinthea,¡± Nivia announced in an unnecessary grandeur manner, posing sideways and pointing at Erin. As Argon Raze, she was fond of duels, especially when the opponent could offer her a real challenge. This peculiar penchant was carried over to her current self. Be that as it may, there was a time and ce for everything. Erin was simply exhausted. She just wanted to find a nice ce to rest and clean herself up but somehow, she got dragged into a puddle of meaningless conflict. ¡°Fine, I ept your challenge.¡± She epted because she knew Nivia would just cook up an even more absurd challenge, or so said her hunch. ¡°Here are the conditions. If I win, you¡¯ll join my party but if you win, I swear in the eternal name of the Spirits, I shall never bother you again.¡± What? Do you have to go that far? Are you¡ª wait. Hmm¡­ Isn¡¯t this kind of a good opportunity? Vigor returned to Erin as she arrived at a realization. ¡°What say you, kin of mine?¡± Erin restrained her eyes from rolling to the back of her head. ¡°No,¡± she refuted. ¡°No? Do the conditions not satisfy you?¡± ¡°More like it terrifies me. I don¡¯t think you need to go as far as to shun yourself away from me if you lose. That¡¯s just too excessive. I don¡¯t mind staying as friends, just not partners.¡± ¡°I-I see.¡± Nivia stammered. ¡°Then what are your conditions if you emerged as the victor?¡± The fact that Nivia allowed Erin to put forth her conditions just went to show that Nivia wasn¡¯tpletely confident about her own victory against Erin. ¡°You¡¯re well-versed with Magic Arts?¡± Erin asked. ¡°I¡¯m an Elf, a Faerie-kin. Of course, I am.¡± ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll have you teach me Magic if I win in this duel.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Nivia cast a dubious nce. In her eyes, it wasn¡¯t much of a reward since she had learned about Magic since she was only a child. In actuality, Nivia was still considered tyro. Wet behind her ears, as humans would call it. It wasmon for Tyro Elves to be apathetic to those who wished to learn Magic due to Faerie-kin¡¯s natural affinity to magic. ¡°Absolutely,¡± Erin answered. ¡°Very well. Those shall be your conditions.¡± Although Erin didn¡¯t like how the situation escted to this state, she wasn¡¯t discontent with the results. After all, she did want to duel with the strongest adventurer of Green Scar and she found herself someone who could potentially teach her Magic. Erinbeled Nivia as ¡°potentially¡± because she wasn¡¯t sure if Nivia had the aptitude for teaching. I guess I¡¯ll find out if I win. Despite having two swords, Erin was only using the steel sword loaned to her by Sven. It wasn¡¯t because she was terrible at dual-wielding but it was due to her hunch. Nivia had the level and stats advantage, and her skill with dual des was still a mystery to Erin. The duel with Lyra was more focused on her Magic Arts than her skill with swords. With all these points, Erin was inclined to listen to her hunch. Nivia had an odd stance and grip, Erin saw. She was wielding her twin cusses in a reverse grip and she was crouching low. It did not fit any sword forms that Erin was aware of and in all honesty, it looked impractical to her. Impractical or not, the stats and level differences would surelypensate that aspect. After some quick stretches, which Erin almost forgot to do, the duel began the moment Erin brandished her sword and went into her stance. Erin felt the wind shift against her favor, ferrying Nivia over like tidal waves. Erin was prepared to receive the cusses but instead, Nivia jumped, twisted, and sent a kick at her. Erin guarded the kick with the t part of her sword but the force behind that seemingly small foot was more than what Erin could imagine. Her own feet grazed across the grass of the ins as she struggled to a halt. Damn! This is the strength of a level seventeen? ¡°Not bad,¡± Nivia praised. ¡°You withstood that kick. If it was that woman over there, she would have gone flying.¡± Lyra had retreated a good distance away from the two to give room but she was still close enough to hear everything that escaped through Nivia¡¯s lips. Not good. No matter how skilled I am, the difference in physical strength alone will be enough to defeat me. What¡¯s more, she¡¯s fast. ¡°Here Ie.¡± Nivia moved again. She dashed in a ¡°Z¡± pattern and vanished upon reaching the range Erin¡¯s sword reached. Without any hesitation or pause, Erin spun and parried the des aimed for her back. She couldn¡¯t see Niva nor could she smell her since she was able to manipte the direction of the wind flow. However, Erin understood her form from that kick alone. Nivia was the type to rely on subverting her opponent¡¯s expectations. Nivia unleashed a flurry of shes that Erin could barely parry away or guard against. She could tell Nivia was holding back. If she struck with her full strength, she could easily shatter Erin¡¯s sword. After a round of seemingly wild attacks, Nivia infused Magic into her cusses and tossed them up into the air. Erin¡¯s eyes instinctively followed the cusses but she forced them to stay on the Elf. Nivia allowed her surprise to be painted on her face. She was impressed. It shook her confidence at her chances of victory but at the same time, she was d she didn¡¯t need to hold back as much as she thought. Lights gathered in her palm and morphed into cusses. She thrust the pair of Magic des at Erin. Now that is just dazzling, literally so. Erin simply twisted her body out of the way and swung at Nivia, but her original cusses fell back down at the perfect moment. Erin hit the falling cuss, giving Nivia enough window to retaliate. She dismissed her Magic des, snatched the other falling cuss right off the air, and swung at the Fox-kin. Erin was left with no other way but to leap back away from Nivia¡¯s counter. Not willing to hand over any more advantage, Erin lunged as soon as she found her footing. Her aggressive ways stunned Nivia as her brows stretched to its limits. She deflected Erin¡¯s attack just in time to keep her chances of being the victor but all toote in preventing the de grazing her cheek. Erin wasn¡¯t done with that. She continued her assault. Shended blows after blows but Nivia took them all like a dancer of des. She may be dim in character but her fighting skill is just gleaming. Knowing that she would actually lose if she just kept receiving Erin¡¯s blows, Nivia pushed herself away from the deadlock by using Wind Magic. Oh no you don¡¯t. Erin poured the two skill points she was saving up into Fleet Foot. [Fleet Foot Lv. 3 has been increased to Lv. 5] She closed their gap in an instance, further surprising Nivia. The Elf tried to escape by flipping over her but Erin forced her to stay by shing down with full force. Nivia skillfully directed the sh away from her body and riposted at the now defenceless Erin. I will not lose. Erin dered. Erin parried the Elf¡¯s riposte in the most unimaginable way possible. She cast Arcane Armor on just her left forearm. She ground her armored forearm against Nivia¡¯s de, it broke as quick it was conjured but it did the job of parrying her riposte. Erin reined in her sword and lunged again. She threw aside strength and focused her current strikes with speed. Nivia tried to use Magic to create herself some distance but Erin denied her of those opportunities. Panic began surfacing in Nivia¡¯s heart. In truth, Nivia wasn¡¯t used to dueling. She had rarely fought with another person in a proper duel. At most, it was just sparring with her fellow Elves back in the forest. She was an adventurer, not a duelist. She wasn¡¯t even a proper swordsman as half of her skills epassed Magic Arts and her sword skills were nothing without the support of her Magic Arts. She was a Mage Fighter. Moreover, she excelled in hunting and taking down monsters instead of peoples. So to say, her experience in swordsmanship and dueling was pretty much at the bottom ifpared to someone like the former Sword Saint, Erinthea. She¡¯s better than me, Nivia realized. Nivia was beyond impressed. She had never met anyone like Erin even on her own level. Erin understood her own limits and instead of wallowing in her own weakness, she kept pushing through with her strength. For Nivia, it didn¡¯t feel like she was fighting a novice at all. Erin¡¯s attacks werecking in strength and speed but her movements and techniques were immactely polish. Nivia understood that aspect with each sh of their des. Nivia could feel the countless sweat, tears, and blood poured into the swordsmanship of Erin. It was as if Erin waspletely one with the de when she wielded a sword. Be that as it may, things still weren¡¯t in Erin¡¯s favor. She was currently on the offense and Nivia was just on defense but that didn¡¯t define Erin¡¯s victory. She was not making any headway through the Elf¡¯s guard. Erinpensated the level gap with experience and skills that her current body could manage but it wasn¡¯t enough. She needed more to fully cover the gap between their levels. She knew one thing that could do just that but¡­ she considered it cowardly. But¡­ if I lose, I¡¯ll also lose a potential Magic teacher. Well, I¡¯m the former Sword Saint, now. Emphasis on former. Fuck ying fair. Her level seventeen isn¡¯t fair in the first ce. ¡°Sorry about this,¡± Nivia suddenly said. She sheathed one of her cusses and gathered wind into her palm. The gust rapidly converged into a sphere of air. Erin didn¡¯t know what it was but she had a good idea of what it could do just from the appearance alone. In the split second when their des shed and bounced off from each other, Nivia kicked off the ground and threw herself away from Erin. Before Erin could close the distance once again, Nivia threw the ball of wind at her. Erin thought about dodging it with a simple twist or flip, but the sphere was expanding outwards as it travelled. If she threw herself out of the way, Nivia would surely use that chance tond the finishing blow. Erin could only take this head-on. Ah fuck this. Sorry, Sven. She cast Arcane Edge on her steel sword without restraint. As she raised her sword to block the sphere of raging gust, she also cast Arcane Armor on her sword. There was a lot of resistance in her attempt but it didn¡¯t feel like it was impossible. When she saw the de begun to crack, she cast Spirit Mend without a second thought. She didn¡¯t know if it would work but she was at her wits end. Come on. Come on! She screamed in her mind. COME ON!! She forced Arcane Armor on to the steel sword and adamantly ¡°fixed¡± the crack with Spirit Mend. The ball of wind was already close to her and it had expanded to the size of the average person. There was no way she could dodge this now. It was do or ¡°die¡±. Come on, dammit!! Magic is supposed to be nigh-omnipotent, is it not!? She banked it all into this nonsense hope of hers. The idea of Magic being near-omnipotent was just a gossip around the campfire in her former world. It wasn¡¯t necessarily something that had tranted to this world but Erin wasn¡¯t in the right state of mind to care about such trivial matters. [Warning: Magic Vigor has fallen below 25% of the threshold.] So fucking what? Keep it going! I have already died once! I will learn Magic! Against the warning of the system and the meteoric depletion of her Mana, Erin didn¡¯t cease her foolery. And finally¡ª [Conditions met - Unique Talent unlocked.] What? Unique Talent? [Unique Talent: Mystic de Lv. Ex - acquired.] Arcane Edge, Arcane Armor, and Spirit Mend, all these three spells molded into one before her eyes at the announcement of the system. A thin sheet of lustrous azure blue light was nowyer on top of the steel de and the crack on the de was mended. [Experience gained +20% - Level Progression: 55%] Without asking too many questions of the miracle that descended upon her, Erin cut the sphere of wind into half. Yes, she cut the Wind Magic spell into half with the steel de coated in a blue glow. The ball of wind dispersed back into a simple breeze as the spell lost its form. Not minding the astounded face of Lyra or Nivia, Erin dashed towards the Elf with full throttle on Fleet Foot. Nivia was quick to recover from her daze and brandished both of her cusses. Nivia was obviously shaken by the miraculous development. Erin knew she was no longer in all of her focus. With thest ounce of her Magic, Erin conjured up a small sphere of cyan light, Light Drop. It didn¡¯t cost much Magic but Erin poured everyst of her Mana into it and she flung it at Nivia. The Elf didn¡¯t give much thought to the Light Drop. She thoughtlessly battered the Light Drop away with her cuss but that proved to be her mistake. ¡°W-what!?¡± Nivia eximed as the Light Drop suddenly shone even more intense than it was supposed to but that blinding lightsted for not even five seconds. However, it was enough. ¡°Checkmate,¡± Erin dered. When the lights had faded, Erin had already reached Nivia. The Elf responded quickly but it didn¡¯t match up to Erin¡¯s experience with the sword. Erin countered Nivia¡¯s riposte, sessfully breaking through her guard. She stopped her de right before it managed to carve into the Elf¡¯s throat. Not a sound or noise were present at the particr moment of the duel¡¯s climax. Both of them were drawing quick breaths and both of them were drench in their own sweat. Their gazes bridged a form of understanding and acknowledgement between them. Eventually, Nivia sighed and dropped her cusses. ¡°It¡¯s my loss. You¡¯re one amazing swordsman.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Erin responded with a fulfilling smile. [Experience gained +15% - Level Progression: 70%] [Finesse: 11 has increased to 12] Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Fox-kin Level: 6 | Status: Moderate Exhaustion Might: 14 | Arcane: 11 | Finesse: 12 Magic Arts - Spirit Magic Lv. 5 | Arcane Edge Lv. 2 | Arcane Armor Lv. 1 Combat Arts - Sword Art Lv. 6 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 Innate Skills - Self-appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 1 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex Unique Talent - Mystic de Lv. Ex Level Progression: 70% Skill Points remaining: 0 Ability Points remaining: 0 1-18 Oversight (R18) 1-18 Oversight (R18) It was decided. Despite her strong reluctance, Nivia relented in bing just a friend and teacher for Erin. She really wanted to be Erin¡¯spanion in her adventures but Erin herself wasn¡¯t so fond about it. She feared the time they spent together would only increase the aspect of her unhealthy obsessive tendency. In the end, the two agreed that lessons would start at some time around or after noon on the morrow. For the sake of convenience and ease, Verdant Inn was appointed as the meeting ce. The Elf bade Erin farewell but merely scoffed at Lyra. Nivia didn¡¯t want to part with Erin but being the top adventurer in Green Scar, she had a list of prior engagements to attend to. After some extended and semi-dramatic farewell from the cumbersome Elf, Lyra and Erin were finally alone with each other''spany again. But that didn¡¯tst for long either. ¡°Shame that we have to part after the nuisance left,¡± Lyra said with a saddened smile. To ensure she wouldn¡¯t be falling into the red with her funds, she made it a rule to at leastplete a quest per day for six days a week, even if the quest was just collecting herbs by the roadside. The single day she gave herself a break was the one day where she usually spent all her earnings on, which was why she couldn¡¯t afford not to work on every other day. After being left to her device by a dispirited Lyra, Erin headed to a well near Verdant Inn to clean herself up. It surprised her that the well had proper partitions just beside it. It was specifically made for people who weren¡¯tfortable with baring their body for the whole world to see, Erin was one of them now. If she herself blushed at her own reflection, she was sure that other people would have a more profound reaction if they chanced upon her naked form. As she was cleaning herself up with water from the well behind the partitions, Erin inspected her new skill, Mystic de. It wasn¡¯t Magic Arts nor was it Combat Arts. It was of a new categorybelled as Unique Talent. When she asked for an exnation in her head, a screen appeared in her mind. [Unique Talent is an individually exclusive potent form of power. Instead of Magic Vigor, Unique Talents draw its fuel from the vitality of the user. Over-usage of Unique Talent will lead to the destruction of the user¡¯s soul.] Ah¡­ so I will die if I use it heedlessly? Good gods¡­ that¡¯s really worrying. [Mystic de is the Unique Talent of the individual, Erinthea. Mystic de possesses the functions of Arcane Edge at a more potent rate and form. Mystic de also bestows the ability to cut ethereal substance.] ¡°To cut ethereal substance?¡± So that¡¯s why I was able to cut through Nivia¡¯s Magic. Handy trick but¡­ vitality as the expense is really a huge cause for concern. Furthermore, how does a Unique Talente by? I¡¯m pretty sure it doesn¡¯t just involve a simple improvising blend of skills and spells. Although Erin raised such a question in her mind, no exnation or anything appeared. Well, I guess this¡­ stats thing isn¡¯t omnipotent. Hmm, I wonder if they have a library or something close to it in this town? This was the first thing on Erin¡¯s mind upon finishing cleaning herself up. While she relished in her fresh pristine state, she heaved out an exhausted sigh. The washing had taken longer than she expected. It was due to her long hair, her tail, and her ears. Especially the blood that soaked right into those fur, it took some strength to scrub it all off. At the same time, she couldn¡¯t be too hard on them. It was even more cumbersome with the absence of soap. She decided right then to buy some soap on the morrow, if she remembers it. In her past life, she made the effort to clean herself up whenever she can but never too thoroughly. But now, Erin couldn¡¯t afford to be cursory with this much hair and fur. Maybe I should just cut my hair short? It hadn¡¯t been a hindrance so far but I doubt my luck would persist all the way till the end. She had such thoughts while shebed her hair with her fingers. Like her onanism, she wasbing her hair with the guidance of her instincts and with the help of some old memories. It may looked and sounded foolish, but as long as it worked, she didn¡¯t care what kind of opinions she would garner. After finishing her own grooming, she headed for the main street. She asked for directions to the library along the way. The residents were more than happy to help and some were even eager to help. Too eager, Erin thought. Some even asked desperately for a simple handshake. They were all praising her angelic beauty and her humility, and most of all, her deed of putting Kane in his ce. It must have been really frustrating for the townspeople. Just what the hell did that sod do? And what about Nivia? Why didn¡¯t she put Kane in his ce? With such a question, Erin asked the people who generously guided her through the streets. Turns out, Nivia could easily beat him but Kane avoided her. Although if she initiated the duel, she would be seen as the bully and no better than Kane himself. Besides, scuffles between adventurers were highly frowned upon but in walked Erin into the town bearing a different story. It was clear that Erin was no adventurer with the way she dressed and it was a small town where everyone knew each other. Therefore, they knew Erin wasn¡¯t a resident of the town. She had miraculously cleared all the criteria as the most suitable person to beat Kane. Even the circumstances which the duel urred in was immensely favorable. With the help of pretty much a quarter of the townspeople, she arrived at a bookstore with two stories. Like the other townspeople, the owner of this bookstore, who was an elderly man, was also receiving Erin¡¯s presence with reverence. As thanks for kicking Kane to the curb, the elderly owner allowed Erin to browse through the books freely and gave her a discount on her purchases. Like a few particr some, he also asked for a handshake from Erin. After having his hand shook by the Fox-kin, he muttered quietly to himself about never washing his hands again. Erin wisely turned a deaf ear to such worrying remarks and immersed herself in books about Green Scar itself and also monsters, mainly Goblins. She knew plenty about Goblins but this wasn¡¯t the Evaren she knew, so there might be some distinctive difference. With such resolve, she devoured pages after pages until the sun had set. **** Erin had made another blunder. She was too engrossed in the books that she forgot about one important matter, her lodging. Somehow and unconsciously, she had expected to spend another night in Lyra¡¯s room. It went without saying that the lodging fee would be her body. Now that Erin had some coins, she originally nned to rent her own room but the only ce she could afford was Verdant Inn. And since that was the case, she might as well save her money and stay with Lyra for another night, or two. She took a stroll through the town after a reasonablyte dinner alone. Well, she was alone at first but after the diners realized how amicable she was, it turned into a feast. Which was why she ended up strolling alone on the street while gazing at stars that decorated the clear dark sky, she had eaten too much and the walk would do her some good. The meal servings weren''t much for Argon Raze but it was way more than enough for Erinthea. She sighed upon remembering all of the invites she received from males and females alike to their rooms during the feast. Of course, she had cordially rejected all of them. Just what sort of joke is this? Why am I so much more approachable than when I was Argon Raze? Was I that intimidating before? After strolling around without any aim, she decided to return to Verdant Inn. Judging from the scent and sound, the other residents and guests of the inn were in their room having the night of their lives. The rooms were soundproof to a certain extent but it was at times like this, Erin wished her ears weren¡¯t so sensitive. And it seemed that Lyra had also returned, going by the fretful steps Erin hearding from her room. As soon as Erin knocked on the door and announced her identity, the door opened and she was instantly pulled into the room. The door mmed shut. Lyra spared Erin the greetings and jumped right into exploring every nook and cranny of the Fox-kin¡¯s delectable body. ¡°W-wait¡­ I just washed myself this afternoon,¡± Erin tried to reason but Lyra was already starving for love, Erin¡¯s love. Lyra herself was already in her undergarments, a in beige brassiere and underwear. Due to the fact that her bosom and crotch were still covered, Lyra¡¯s muscles on her abdomen were really emphasized. She smacked her lips onto the Fox-kin¡¯s the moment she locked the bolt. Erin¡¯s breast deformed against her solid chest. Her hands quickly went about to strip Erin of her garbs and armors. ¡°You have been a bad girl, Erin,¡± Lyra whispered into Erin¡¯s ears. ¡°I never took you for such a shameless person, especially someone who was just a virgin recently.¡± What the hell is she on about now? Erin tried to pry herself free but Erin was fiercely gnawing on her corbone and neck. It hurt but the pain was quick to turn into pleasure. The pleasure spread throughout her body and sapped all of her strength as its fuel. As a result, her attempt at resistance was no different than a child¡¯s erratic iling. ¡°But such is the nature of a vixen, I suppose? A natural seductress, aye?¡± Lyra spoke these words in between the brief moments that she surfaced from Erin¡¯s skin for air. ¡°I-I have no idea of w-what you¡¯re t-talking aboutttt~!¡± Erin screeched at the end of her sentence after feeling a finger intruding into her underwear and went straight for her snatch. After much careless fumbles, Lyra managed to undo the straps of all of Erin¡¯s armor. ¡°Oh? You don¡¯t even realize the sin you hadmitted? Well aren¡¯t you just lofty and insensible.¡± Lyra cast aside the bracers and the vest. She hastily tore the greaves off without minding the straps. Now, she was working to strip Erin of her tunic and trousers. Erin didn¡¯t know why Lyra was angry and she didn¡¯t even know what gave Lyra the rights to be angry about what she does in her own leisure time. ¡°You let all of those people touch you,¡± Lyra said while she continued gnawing on Erin¡¯s neck and corbone. She didn¡¯t want to move from these two spots as Erin seemed to be feeling it the most in these ces. Nevertheless, her hands were working hard to remove the tunic that hindered the touching of their skin. ¡°W-what!? Those were j-just greetings¡­nghhh!!¡± Hearing her excuse, Lyra pinched her right teat, incurring a piercing moan from the Fox-kin. ¡°Greetings? Those aren¡¯t greetings. Those are invitations. What kind ofdy with beauty that transcends heaven would allow herself to be touched by any random person if not the purpose of sharing a bed?¡± Lyra sessfully loosed the trousers but Erin was giving a tough fight in holding her tunic from being lifted off. ¡°You are j-just being p-paranoid, Lyra!¡± Holding down her tunic was all Erin could do in her state. Even this was getting harder as Lyra removed her underwear and directly assaulted her snatch with two fingers. Noo!! Not there!! A-at least¡­ do it on the bed... Erin desperately stifled her moans but the message that appeared was a sign of her futile denial and resistance. [Warning: User has entered Carnal Starvation. Lust Deviant activated.] [Provisional Increment - Might: 21 | Arcane: 16 | Finesse: 18] Upon seeing this message in her mind, Erin turned the tables on Lyra. Right now, her stats were way higher than Lyra¡¯s. Erin pulled Lyra¡¯s hands away from her body and returned the sudden and fervent kiss to Lyra. She further pushed the brawny short-hair woman back until they reached the bed. Erin had skillfully taken off her boots. With one more resolute push, Lyra fell onto the bed with Erin looking over her like a predator eyeing on her prey. Lyra was surprised at Erin¡¯s sudden turn of nature but she weed it. Showing her consent and submission, Lyra took off everyst piece of her clothing. She gazed right back at Erin with a smirk on her lips. Gosh¡­ she¡¯s so beautiful¡­ Erin muttered in her mind as she stared at the ravishing woman with a stark contrast to her usual masculine demeanor. Erin lifted her own tunic off her torso without breaking her gaze on Lyra. She then untied the sash around her chest and simply let it fall to the floor. She strode slowly and enticingly towards Lyra whoy on the bed with bated breaths and anticipating eyes. Erin crawled on to the bed and slowly positioned herself above Lyra. Their gaze met and they instantly understood each other without a single word spoken. Lyra¡¯s blue eyes were begging to be ravaged and Erin¡¯s amber eyes were dying to wreck her up. Lyra had her way with Erin on the night before but now, Erin was the one who would be having her way with Lyra. Not that she knew exactly what to do but her mind was in no state to be logical. She ced her hands on Lyra¡¯s small firm teats and began tasting them. ¡°Ugnhhhhh!¡± Lyra moaned at the feeling of teeth sinking into her peaks. ¡°Oh god¡­ you¡¯re a natural at this!¡± Instead of pushing Erin away, she wrapped her arms around Erin¡¯s shoulders and pulled her in, wanting to feel more of her tongue and teeth. Impatiently, Lyra had even started to pleasure her own honeypot by rubbing her thighs together. Unlike Lyra, Erin took her time with her bosom. They weren¡¯t half as big as hers but it felt incredibly soft to touch regardless. In her past life, she heard small breasts were often the most sensitive during coption. She didn¡¯t know how much of it was true but she was about to find out. ¡°Hmm~!! Yes~! Right there¡­ right there¡­¡± Whatever Erin was doing, it was working. Lyra was feeling it. She was even moving her own body to get the most out of it. Perhaps realizing how sordid her voices were, she covered her mouth as another string of pleasure assaulted herher regions. Erin paid no mind to Lyra who was writhing her lower body in pleasure. Erin was just focusing entirely on savoring these fair breasts and assertive teats of Lyra¡¯s. She licked them. She bit them. She also rubbed her own chest against hers. And she went back to tasting them, not precisely in those order and all the while straddling Lyra¡¯s squirming crotch with her hips. When Erin had her filled with her modest chest, she slid down to her thighs with her lips tracing her body along as she moved, making Lyra shudder in anticipation. ¡°Oh my,¡± Erin muttered feminely in awe as she bore witness to Lyra¡¯sher regions. For a woman like Lyra, who liked to keep things clean and short, she had a different opinion for the region around her honeypot. Though it wasn¡¯t a lot, there were still some that would make a few repel from the sight of it. Erin didn¡¯t have a clear view on the night before as her mind was busy relishing her first experience. However, she was moreposed now and she was certainly more ¡°adventurous¡±. ¡°D-don¡¯t stare¡­¡± Lyra begged with her eyes staring to the side. It was her turn to y meek. Whether it was real or not, Erin didn¡¯t care. The stench is strong down here. Had she not washed herself? Well, not that it matters. This odor can sort of be an acquired taste. Erin swallowed her remaining hesitation and proceeded to feast on the untrimmed snatch of Lyra. It was a little salty to the taste and a whiff of her sweat odor trickled into Erin¡¯s nose. If this was anyone else, it would have ruined the mood for them but not to Erin. It only made her own honeypot overflowed with womanly juices. Remembering what Lyra had done to her on the night prior, Erin reenacted the same movements and skills on her. ¡°T-this is¡ª!? Ngggggh!¡± Lyra bit down on her finger to stifle her screams of pleasure but that resolvested only for a moment as her hands left her mouth and went to fondle her own modest breasts. ¡°Oh my god!! Yes! Yes! Right there! That¡¯s the spot! Right there!¡± She moaned out her ecstasy louder than before. She had some reservation over her own voice of bliss at first but the pleasure Erin was giving her overwritten any reservations she had. Lyra sat up from the bed. She mped Erin¡¯s face between her muscr thighs and she pushed the Fox-kin¡¯s face further into herher regions without forgetting to fiddle with those foxy ears of Erin¡¯s. ¡°Please! Harder~! Deeper~!¡± She screamed out her desires which Erin obeyed without question. It was around this moment that Lyra realized just how long Erin¡¯s tongue actually was. It was long enough to reach her womanly spot. After another good solid minute, Lyra reached her peak from the amazing tongue-work of a Fox-kin. Lyra jerked her whole body up as she shrieked with ecstasy, her snatch mped down tightly on Erin¡¯s tongue, and her thighs further mping up on her head. But Erin didn¡¯t seem to mind the difficult position she was in. She didn¡¯t stop her tongue and her hands were even caressing Lyra¡¯s soft and supple rear. After her rapture receded, Lyra slumped back to the bed with ragged breaths. The y was nothing special and no drugs were even used. Yet, it felt so much better than usual, even more than the night before. Coption with Erin just felt that much better than all the women and girls she had slept with, and she just couldn¡¯t understand why. She was currently drenched in her own sweat and the faint moonlight that found its way into the room was making her body glistening like a work of fine art. Although being the bottom wasn¡¯t her preference but she didn¡¯t mind as long Erin was the one on the top. As shey on the bed catching her breath, Erin was already ready for another round again. After all, the Fox-kin had yet to reach her peak. ¡°W-wait!¡± Lyra implored when she felt Erin pulling her by her legs towards her. ¡°L-let me rest first! T-thatst one w-was too¡ª!!¡± Her lips were sealed tight by Erin as she waspletely pulled into the Fox-kin¡¯s embrace. As their tongue tasted one another, Lyra realized she wasn¡¯t just in her embrace, her thighs were crossing with Erin¡¯s and their womanhood were kissing and rubbing against each other. They were in the position that was widely-known as ¡°scissoring¡±. Oh lord¡­ It feels this good just from the slightest touch? Of course, Erin was just doing what she had heard from past acquaintances and friends. Apparently, she heard this was how girls copted with one another, crossing the hips and grinding each other''s snatch. ¡°A-are you sure you were a virgin?!¡± Lyra was simply in disbelief. Even some of the most experienced women she had been with weren''t in the know of such technique but Erin was. Without heeding the cries of mercy, Erin began to move with vigor as she brought about another wave of pleasure to both of them. It hadn¡¯t even been a full minute but Lyra was already cumming her brains out from the surging pleasure directly from her womanhood. Only after two more orgasms from Lyra, Erin reached her peak. She pulled Lyra in for another passionate kiss as she constricted her with her arms and thighs while her climax enveloped her body. When Erin¡¯s orgasm subsided, it was Lyra¡¯s turn to unleash her pleasure from the incessant grinding of their hips and snatch. ¡°Oh god! Oh god! What is this!? It feels so goooood!!¡± Lyra was reaching her peak on approximately every five moves. ¡°Noooo!! Stooop!! You¡¯re making me cum again and again. Please!!! Mercy!!!¡± Lyra pleaded at the top of her lungs but Erin ground their snatch without a shred of pity for Lyra who had drool and tearsing out of her mouth and eyes. For every three orgasms Lyra experienced, Erin had one. It was an unfair trade but neither had the capacity for any dispute nor did they care about such trifle matters during such a session. Under the starry night, in a small dim room, they moaned to their hearts and womanhood¡¯s content. Lyra wasn¡¯tining nor pleading anymore. As if her previous implores were an illusion, she was now even moving her own hips. For the rest of the night, the two did not leave the embrace of each other. They remained connected as they copted. They switched to many positions but not once did they leave their skin untouched with one another. Their screams and cries of pure bliss echoed throughout the inn. They weren¡¯t sure if the other guests or residents minded. Whatever happened, they were leaving all up to their future self to care. At the end of their coitus session, Lyra had cummed so much that she simply lost count halfway through, which was simply unprecedented for the experienced Lyra. However, Erin had only peaked into rapture only a few times inparison to Lyra but it was enough for the both of them. Due to the linked effect of Lust Deviant, Erin¡¯s single orgasm was enough to send Lyra into an ecstatic state that made her eyes roll to white but she experienced more than just once or dozen. Erin herself wasn¡¯t any better. A single orgasm alone had a drastic drain on her energy and strength. After this much, she resembled nothing but a marite doll who had her strings cut. Unlike the night before, they went into their slumber with their faces painted with content smiles, in the cradle of each other''s arms, and their legs were still intertwined. Erin¡¯s first night had ended abruptly and unsightly. But for her second night, it was far more proper but given the noise and positions they have undertaken, proper was just a rtive term in their case. [Experience gained +30% - Level Progression: 100%] [Erinthea: Level 6 increased to Level 7] [Status has been restored] [Skill Points Gained +2] [Ability Points Gained +2] [Level Progression: 0%] Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Fox-kin Level: 7 | Status: Carnally Relieved Might: 14 | Arcane: 11 | Finesse: 12 Magic Arts - Spirit Magic Lv. 5 | Arcane Edge Lv. 2 | Arcane Armor Lv. 1 Combat Arts - Sword Art Lv. 6 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 Innate Skills - Self-appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 1 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex Unique Talent - Mystic de Lv. Ex Level Progression: 0% Remaining Skill Points: 2 Remaining Ability Points: 2 1-19 Brawler 1-19 Brawler The following morning marched in with a warm greeting. Erin found herself waking when the light from the morning sun shone through the lonely window and straight onto her face. She didn¡¯t have a clock nor a pocket watch, and neither did this small town have a clock tower for anyone to tell the time. It was up to the people themselves to discern the hours. Going by her own judgement, it was somewhere around eight in the morning. For those with a normal and leisure life, eight was just the right time to greet the new day but for adventurers, it waste. Before a quest and depending on it, there was much to be prepared, such as sharpening one¡¯s weapon, gathering provisions, preparing the right tools, polishing one¡¯s armors, and many other monotonous but important tasks. Erin took great care of not waking Lyra as she wriggled herself off the bed. She gave Lyra a small peck on her forehead as a gesture of good faith, or maybe affection, but Erin herself wouldn¡¯t as she was still a fawn to the idea of intimate affection. However, she cared for Lyra, that was something she knew full well of. Erin quickly put back on her tunic, trousers, and armor. Per Lyra''s suggestion fromst night while they were grinding their passion in the heat, Erin rolled up her light bluish white hair into a bundle and held it all together with a hair pin. The pin was something Erin got from Lyra. It was nothing fancy. It was just a trinket and a token of one of Lyra¡¯s many old mes. Lyra had a look of surprise when Erin just epted the pin without much hesitation. There had been a hint of disappointment in Lyra¡¯s face when she noticed theck of reaction from Erin. For Erin, the concept of jealousy and envy in the affairs of love were still far off. Currently, Lyra was still snugglingfortably in bed, tinged with a small smile on her face. Even after so long, Erin noticed Lyra¡¯s honeypot was still twitching intermittently. Is she dreaming about our coption? Erin wondered but quickly banished such thoughts away and focused on her own preparation. Though she had two steel swords now, one from the bandit she looted from and the other one from Sven, she ultimately decided to take only Sven¡¯s sword with her. The bandit¡¯s sword had too much rust and chips in its de and carrying two swords would definitely slow her down. Alright. Weapons, armors, check. Hair tied, check. Sack for spoils, check. Pouch, check. After making sure everything was in ce, she headed out of the room but not before whispering a word of farewell to the still slumbering Lyra. Of course, Erin didn¡¯t forget to stretch her limbs on the way to the forest. **** Her quest was to investigate the Goblins and their whereabouts but on the surface, she received the quest of some herb gathering that could only be found deep in the forest, which gave her a reason to venture deeper than the average adventurer would. Before heading to the forest, she had stopped by the smithy to check on her order. Although it had only been a day, Erin couldn¡¯t help but to hope for hermission to be ready. Although, reality rebuffed to her wishful thinking as the silver steel sword would only bepleted by the morrow. For today, she would have to keep making do with the steel sword. Since Erin was starting to get a grasp of her body more and more, she sprinted her way to the forest. It didn¡¯t take her ten minutes for her to reach the boundary of the forest. Stretching her limbs for thest time, Erin trod into the forest. She passed by some other adventurers in the forest but she made no stop to introduce herself. As it currently stood, she was more famous than she liked to be. Familiarizing herself further with the town folks and adventurers would literally turn her into the talk of the town for weeks toe, not that it wasn¡¯t already currently the case. She also encountered some Rot-rats and Serks but she didn¡¯t bother herself with them. If she stopped at every monster she saw, it would be evening by the time she reached her destination. Hmm¡­ someone¡¯s following me. For a while now, Erin could feel someone was on her tail, proverbially speaking. At first, she thought nothing more than just an adventurer who happened to be going in the same direction as she was. But now, she could tell whoever it was, they were following her every step but they made sure to keep some distance from her. Thankfully, the wind was blowing in her favor. I don¡¯t recognize this scent but I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s not someone affable. It¡¯s certainly not Nivia. I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s good or bad. It¡¯s a man... and it doesn¡¯t smell like Kane. She wanted to just turn around and carve some answers out of her stalker but her present and pressing concerns were raising her level andpleting her quest. Without further hesitation, Erin climbed onto the trees and continued her traversal by leaping from branches to branches. She thought it would take some time getting used to bncing herself on the thin branches but to her amazement, she quickly grasped the maneuvers despite being in a new body. She could be wrong but it felt like her tail was the main contributor in maintaining her bnce. Maybe having a tail isn¡¯t so bad after all. In just a few minutes, Erin managed to throw off her stalker due to the advantage of the different terrain she was traversing through. After a mile, Erinpletely lost the scent of her stalker. Oh good, he gave up. I can be at ease, for now. Although she no longer had anyone on her tail, her journey wasn¡¯t so smooth. She was venturing into the deep depths of the forest. It would be extremely odd if her journey was smooth. It wasn¡¯t long before she came upon a group of monsters that were lurking in the trees. Much less of an encounter, it was more of an ambush. Wood Apes, Erin recognized the monsters as such. As the name suggested, they were essentially apes but with a more profound hostility towards other races and their skin were covered in wood-like carapace instead of fur. They were also half the size of the average person. This wasn¡¯t a monster Erin knew but she did read about it in the books. And from what she had read, they were pretty much the same as Rock Apes from her old world in terms of appearance and behavior. The only difference being the element they were attributed to. Four of these monsters instantly surrounded her as she moved among the trees. Giving a sidelong nce, one of the Wood Apes fell into her sight. It was really uncannily simr to the Rock Apes she knew. If their anatomy wasn¡¯t any different than Rock Apes, Erin didn¡¯t have anything to fear. The four Wood Apes pounced from all directions with piercing screeches, a notable trait of these creatures. Without sparing her ambushers even a glimpse, Erin unsheathed her sword and spun in a full arc with the sword in one hand and the sheath in the other. When shepleted her spin, she instantly sheathed her sword back into its scabbard. With the sound of a ¡°click¡±, the four Wood Apes fell from the trees with their throat cut wide open. [Experience gained +15%] [Experience gained +15%] [Experience gained +15%] [Experience gained +15% - Level Progression: 60%] The bane of humanoids and humans alike, the throat. As the former Sword Saint, it was always the part where she struck. If that part of them were armored, it would hinder their neck and head movements. Which was why it was almost always exposed, almost. There were some rare cases where the monsters had tough hide around their neck but these hides were as flexible as rubbers. Now, what should I do about these carcasses? Erin contemted on harvesting their Core. It would take some time to gather the Cores. She had a schedule to follow but she was also in need of money. While she didn¡¯t know how much a Wood Ape¡¯s Core would sell for, she doubted it would be anything less than the Kobolds. Hmm. If the monsters deeper in the forest are stronger and providing that¡¯s the probable thinking, wouldn''t their Core sell for more?? Erin came to a decision. She would leave these carcasses unharvested and went for the Cores of the monsters further into the forest. Should the carcasses remain untouched when she returned, she would harvest them if her sack still had some space. With that trivial matter settled, Erin proceeds deeper into the forest. Along the way, she met many kinds of monsters, familiar or unfamiliar but each were easily dispatched by her. In the short span of time of endless assaults from monsters, she leveled up twice and gained a single point in Finesse due to all of the nimble and lithe movements she performed. [Finesse: 12 increased to 13] She was never an agile fighter in her past life. Although she could perform these movements in her past life, she would never use it in a seriousbat as it just wasn¡¯t suitable for someone of her former build. But with the slender and supple body that Erin currently possessed, she could even tie her body into a knot, not that she had confirmed it, yet. At the pace of her traveling speed and her tenacious defence against the monsters, the day had be noon when she reached her destination, a clearing with more flowers than trees. This was one of the ces where Goblins were sighted. The scenery immediately raised a string of questions and doubts in her mind. For one, the vast clearing did not resemble a ce where one would find a Goblin. Second, it was far too quiet, something Goblins would not be able to manage. Third, there was none of the usual heavy stench that apanied a Goblin. Even when she was still Argon Raze, she could pick up the scent of a Goblin from yards away. Now that she had a nose dozen times more sensitive than a human¡¯s, no such stench trickled into her nostrils. Still, he didn¡¯t doubt the reports. The Goblins in this forest did not conform to the usual expectations of a Goblin from the start. There was no reason to doubt the witnesses¡¯ words. I should gather the herbs first. Erin went and plowed through the small field for the herbs while keeping constant vignces to her surroundings. Although the herbs weren¡¯t her real quest but it still needed to y the role of a front. It would defeat the purpose of a front if she came back empty-handed. At the precise moment she finished plucking the herbs, her skin shivered at a dreadful premonition that sieved through her pores. There was no sound. There was no scent. However, there was a disturbance in the winds. [Sixth Sense activated. Hostiles detected.] Erin immediately threw herself to the front and avoided a huge w that dug into the spot where she had stood. When she rolled into her stance and faced her assant, a wolf with the size of an average human stood menacingly in front of her. She saw a Dire Wolf. However, the Dire Wolves that she knew of did not have a pair of tusks and neither did they have a small horn protruding from their forehead. Compared to all the monsters she had faced in the forest until now, the Dire Wolf would be at the top of the food chain. Worst of all, Erin was not able to smell it out or even picked up the sound of its movements. Although Erin would put Nivia and the Dire Wolf on the same scale, what made them different was their conviction. Nivia was holding back a lot to avoid heavily injuring Erin but the Dire Wolf had no such consideration. This is bad. It was no time to weigh the potentials and prospects of her skills. Right now, her biggest concern was her own survival. With exactly six skill points in her hands, she raised Arcane Armor¡¯s level all the way to five. For her abilities, she put four points into Might and spread the remaining two points equally between Arcane and Finesse. [Arcane Armor Lv. 1 has been increased to Lv. 5] [Might: 14 increased to 18] [Arcane: 11 increased to 12] [Finesse: 13 increased to 14] The Dire Wolf lunged with its jaws spanned wide to its limits. Erin was tempted to stab right into its mouth but doing so would also very likely result in her own demise. Thus, she twisted her body to the side as the Dire Wolf plunged into the dirt. She drew her sword and thrust it at the Dire Wolf¡¯s exposed neck in quick session. Ah. Damn it. She uttered a curse when the scenario yed out like she anticipated. Even with Mystic de coated on the steel de, it still couldn¡¯t prate its hide. At that failure, she conjured up Arcane Armor around her head and torso. The Dire Wolf iled its head and sent Erin flying through the air before crashing right back into the ground. Thanks to Arcane Armor, she did not fractured any parts of her body but even without looking at her status, she could tell her back suffered some minor injuries. Looks like Mystic de isn¡¯t too effective towards physical substances. Erin quickly got to her feet and prepared for the Dire Wolf¡¯s next attack. She dodged low under a bite and aimed for its legs but it was still in vain as the de bounced off its tough hide. She hastily rolled out from under the Dire Wolf before it mmed its body down onto the ground. Well, if a sword doesn¡¯t work¡­ Erin stabbed her sword into the ground and cracked her knuckles. Let¡¯s do this the old and traditional way. Although Erin was the Sword Saint, there were times when a sword wasn¡¯t the ideal weapon to be used or she just didn¡¯t have a sword in hand at the very moment. And so, she was forced to learn conventional martial arts. When the Dire Wolf charged again, she dodged its majorly obvious attacks and countered it with a right hook to the side of its face. Of course, she coated her knuckles and forearm with Arcane Armor beforehand. She heard something crack as her fist came in contact with the Dire Wolf and it wasn¡¯t her Arcane Armor or her bones. Her punch did not send the Dire Wolf flying away but it managed to make it howl in pain. The volume of its cry managed to even send birds flying off from the trees. Before the Dire Wolf could recover from its daze, Erin moved in andnded more punches on its face. The Dire Wolf spun its whole body but Erin gracefully and swiftly flipped over its tail swipe. ¡°Take this, you mutt!¡± Erin shouted as she utilized her falling momentum by sending a fist down that mmed the Dire Wolf¡¯s head smashing into the ground. As soon as she regained her footing, Erin kneed the stunned Dire Wolf and sent punches after punches. The Dire Wolf lunged with only a meagre distance between them but Erin easily denied its retaliation by dodging low and elbowing its jaws. Erin followed up with an uppercut unto its jaws. The Dire Wolf¡¯s head jerked up from the punch as it bellowed in agony. With its under-neck exposed, Erin sent a straight infused with Magic right at that spot. The Dire Wolf couldn¡¯t even howl its affliction this time. It only gagged at its pained moans. Erin did not back off with just that and followed up with another straight that was also infused with Magic. For this attack, Erin managed to send the Dire Wolf sprawling away from her across the ground. [Combat Arts: Brawler Lv. 2 - Acquired] Just what I need and it starts off at level two to boot. Heaven must be smiling on me. A smile appeared on her face as she dumped her remaining two skill points into Brawler. [Brawler Lv. 2 has been increased to Lv. 4] All those tedious times of learning something that she had no interest in, it was finally paying off and she couldn¡¯t be more proud. The Dire Wolf got off the ground and gazed at the grinning Fox-kin with raging eyes. It shook its body and fur of the dust and dirt. It swallowed up the air until its belly bulged slightly, then it howled into the sky. Oh. Violet lightning shrouded the Dire Wolf¡¯s whole body and its eyes shifted into the intense color of thunder. Queer and meaningful markings appeared all over its furs. Lightning?! At that moment, Erin realized she had been wrong. Whatever this monster was, it was certainly no Dire Wolf. Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Fox-kin Level: 9 | Status: Mild Exhaustion | Bruised: Back Might: 18 | Arcane: 12 | Finesse: 14 Magic Arts - Spirit Magic Lv. 5 | Arcane Edge Lv. 2 | Arcane Armor Lv. 5 Combat Arts - Sword Art Lv. 6 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 4 Innate Skills - Self-appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 1 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex Unique Talent - Mystic de Lv. Ex Level Progression: 35% Remaining Skill Points: 0 Remaining Ability Points: 0 1-20 Violent Violet 1-20 Violent Violet Ugh! Erin covered her nose as a wave of stench assailed her nostrils. Now, she was able to smell not just the Wolf¡¯s scent but also the sulfuric odor of the lightning encroaching the Wolf¡¯s whole body. Even its steps and movements were producing sounds. It was almost as if some inhibition spell was lifted off of the Wolf. The ¡°Dire Wolf¡± which had apparently merged itself with lightning roared threateningly at Erin. Simultaneously, it fired a bolt of thunder at her as its body crackled wrathfully in violet lightnings. Fast! Although it didn¡¯t catch Erin by surprise, her current speed was not enough to dodge the sudden attack. Guided by the screams of her instincts, she cast Mystic de and the spell took the form of an ethereal sword in her hand. Wielding a truly mystical de. she swiftly cut apart the lightning that almost turned her into char. Once again, she didn¡¯t know such an application was possible. She wasn¡¯t told by anyone or anything. She just somehow knew it could be used in that fashion. It was certainly more convenient to use it this way but she could somehow feel that it was draining her more than when she applied it over a sword. The Wolf took a step forward. The lightning cried and whirled. Before Erin knew it, the Wolf was already right in front of her.. Fuck me! The Wolf swiped its paws but Erin flipped over the attack on a hunch. While spinning in the air, the Wolf bared its fangs and bit down at the Fox-kin but Erin too flipped herself over its head by pushing herself away using its nose. Eeek! Erin shrieked inwardly as she felt the faint shock from touching the Wolf¡¯s electrifying body. When shended, she quickly inspected her hand for any damages. Her palm was slightly char but other than that, there were no major wounds. She heaved with relief. The Wolf spun, intending to hit Erin with its tail but she was no longer where she was. The Fox-kin was dashing for the sword she so carelessly left behind. After lingering in its dumbfounded state for a few seconds, the Wolf immediately bolted past Erin and arrived in between her and her sword. The Wolf unleashed another wave of lightning attacks at Erin. She cut all the thunderbolts away and closed their distance with Fleet Foot. She gave another uppercut but the Wolf had already moved away with its lightning speed. However, Erin¡¯s goal wasn¡¯t to hit it. She just wanted to retrieve her sword. Being the embodiment of lightning, the Wolf instantly came back with its jaws widened but Erin used her sword, which was stabbed into the ground, as the fulcrum and pivoted herself into a kick right in the Wolf¡¯s jaws. She then drew the sword out from the ground and brought it around a wide arc with Arcane Edge and Mystic de. Blood painted the grass as a small cut was drawn cross the bottom of the Wolf¡¯s jaw. Erin was in joyous relief for being able to draw its blood but her bubble was burst when she saw the Wolf¡¯s face. Disregarding the insane Mana cost, Erin cast Arcane Armor on her whole body. Seething with rage, the Wolf bellowed and unleashed a pulse of lightning radially from its body. Rather than a collision, it felt more like a simple touch. Yet, that simple touch of lightning was enough tounch Erin off her feet and threw her rolling across the ground. The violet thunder disintegrated her Arcane Armor in a matter of seconds. A message appeared in her head but she didn''t bother to read it. It was obviously a status-change notice to inform her of her injured left shoulder. If it wasn¡¯t for Arcane Armor, she was sure she would not have gotten off with just an injured shoulder.. Not good. With my current abilities and strength, I¡¯m no match for this Wolf. Should I run? At that thought, she immediately reprimanded herself for thinking as such. It wasn¡¯t because she refused to be cowardly but she knew that if she ran away again this time, she would just keep running away whenever she faced a stronger adversary in the future. She may have resolved to put her identity as Argon Raze to rest, she would never cast aside her pride as the Sword Saint. Her growth in bing the Sword Saint was because he always challenged foes that were said to be stronger than him. I can cast aside my manhood¡­ but never my pride as the Sword Saint. Erin forced her body to stand as the Wolf looked at her in wonder. It didn¡¯t attack her while she was down. It was just staring at her. Its eyes spelled inquisitiveness, which Erin found extremely odd. It was exhibiting not just intelligence but curiosity. If it was a humanoid monster, Erin would have understood but from a Wolf-like monster, it was intriguing. But for some reasons, its ¡°intelligence¡± seemed too unnatural and Erin just couldn¡¯t point out why. Intelligent, curios, or unnatural, why the fuck do those things matter? This monster is hostile and it intends to kill me, end of story. As soon as Erin healed herself with Spirit Mend, she and the Wolf shed once again. Her Magic Vigor is running low but still above thirty percent of the threshold, she could somehow feel. She tried using as less Magic as possible by relying more on her agility, technique, and strength. It wasn¡¯t easy but her journey in reattaining the title of Sword Saint was not meant to be easy. As Erin fought the monster that she assumed to be a Dire Wolf, it slowly became clear that the Wolf wasn¡¯t fighting like a monster. The way its eyes moved, the way it made decisions, the way it showed curiosity towards Erin, they reacted in ordance to her expression and the subtle change in her movements, none of them reminded her of a monster. In fact, it felt like how a person would fight if they were put into a non-humanoid body. While thinking that, she parried a bite-lunge, dodged a swipe, and rolled out of the way of a body m. When that failed, it kept rolling its body over the ground, trying to tten Erin like a rolling pin ttening a dough. Of course, it did not roll forever as Erin outran its foolish tactic with much ease. The Wolf got back up on its feet and shook itself of the dirt and its own silliness. What the fuck was that just now? Erin raised her sword in preparation for the Wolf¡¯s next assault but it stopped. Even the wildly crackling lightning was slowly dissipating. Something about its eyes changed. At the next moment, the Wolf cried out like it¡¯s in agony. It iled around without any concerns for its surroundings and tossed itself all over the ground. Most notable of all, it was scratching at its forehead, at the small protruded horn. Hmm? Something¡¯s wrong with its horn? Wait... Upon a keener inspection, Erin realized it was not a horn. It looked like a horn but it was actually some kind of tool, shaped like a horn, and was imnted into the Wolf¡¯s forehead. No way. Could it be? Erin came to a realization. She immediately ran towards the Wolf which seemed to be in agony over the rod lodged in its forehead. When it saw Erin approaching, it fired off shriveled bolts of lightning at her. The lightning bolts were not as smooth and concentrated as the ones before. Erin easily evaded these attacks without a sweat. Even The uracy is poorer. The Wolf erraticallyshed out its paws at Erin but she deflected the attacks that were nowcking substance and precision. And since its body wasn¡¯t shrouded in the violet lightnings, Erin grabbed one of the paws that came her way, gripping it tightly with her whole arm. With a heave and a spin, she brought the Wolf into the air, flipping it over her shoulders, and tossed it right back into the ground. She jumped a little from the caving force of the Wolf¡¯s mass. Erin hopped on to the Wolf¡¯s head without a moment lost after sheathing her sword. The Wolf instantly began iling its head around in hopes of throwing Erin off. She braced for the lightning toe but after some moments had passed, the Wolf was still only iling its head around. It tried to pry Erin off with its paw but she battered the paws away with backhands or kicks. ¡°Stop¡ª struggling!¡± She shouted and hammered its head with both of her hands curled into one fist. The Wolf resisted her first hammerfist but it eventually gave in to her third hammerfist. Its body slumped to the ground with its limbs sprawled and creating a small crater underneath its weight. [Might: 18 increased to 19] [Experience gained +15% - Level Progression: 50%] She drew her sword and began prying the ¡°horn¡± out of the Wolf¡¯s forehead. Her sword wouldn''t be able to cut through its hide normally but it was another question if she did so from the inside. The Wolf squealed and whimpered at the agony of having its flesh and skin being slowly torn apart. However, it didn¡¯t move much for it was still its world was still spinning from Erin¡¯s hammerfist. Come on. Come on. The rod was lodged deep into the Wolf¡¯s forehead and it was longer than Erin expected. Even though it was slow, she was making progress in wrenching the rod out of the Wolf¡¯s body. Come on. Just a little bit more. As if to mock her hopeful expectations, the violet lightnings began sputtering again. Erin could feel the shudder from the Wolf¡¯s body. Oh shit. Quick! Quick! She hurried herself as she stuck the sword deeply into the Wolf¡¯s flesh. She was being careful before and tried not to hurt it too much but this was no time to be lenient and carrying towards a monster when her own life was seriously at risk. The Wolf howled and the lightning red up in tandem. Erin stifled her shrills as the lightning streamed to her body. It didn¡¯t take long before her skin began to boil against the violent shocks. If she stayed on the Wolf any longer, she would undoubtedly be turned into cinders. She infused her sword with Arcane Edge to the utmost and leaped off the Wolf¡¯s head. She didn¡¯t want to kill the Wolf just yet. She was hoping it might lead her back to the one who embedded the rod into its forehead but now, it was either her or the Wolf. The violet lightning regained its dominance over the Wolf¡¯s whole body and its eyes shifted back to the ones with curiosity and intelligence, but not for long. Erin remembered how the iron sword snapped into half from the excessive Magic infused into its de and the idea came to her. What would happen if she did the same to steel which was much denser than iron? It would certainly yield a more serious result. The Wolf began to charge with its whole body d in lightning but in mid-charge, the steel sword lodged deep in its forehead burst into splinters with the overcharge of Magic. Of course, the same went for the Wolf¡¯s forehead. With the top-half of its head gone, the Wolf fell lifelessly to the ground. [Experience gained +5%] [Experience gained +40% - Level Progression: 95%] Ah¡­ so close¡­ Just another thirty percent. What¡¯s with the five percent? It couldn¡¯t be for destroying the rod, could it? [Ruler of Domain defeated - bonus experience gained +30%] Oh? Ruler of Domain? This Wolf? [Level Progression: 125%] [Erinthea: Level 9 increased to Level 10] [Status has been restored] [Skill Points Gained +2] [Ability Points Gained +2] [Level Progression: 25%] [Level 10 reached. Level Requirement Met - Commence Evolution into Three-Tailed Fox-kin?] Say what now? **** ¡°CURSE THIS!!¡± shouted the humanoid creature in a vast cavern devoid of any source of light. ¡°WHO?! WHO?! Who was that¡­ Vixen!?¡± It was squeezing its own fist until it bled. The humanoid creature turned its menacing and enraged gaze at the human in its captive, who was still bound and on his knees. The man wasn¡¯t in a better shape nor was he in a worse shape. The humanoid creature did nothing to him but questioned him endlessly. Although, it did threaten to take a part of his body if it sensed any falsehood. Knowing that he wouldn¡¯t be to lie nor was there any incentive to lie, he spilled everything without withholding any information. ¡°Tell me¡­ who¡­?¡± The creature lifted the man off the ground by just gripping on his neck. The man did not know what the humanoid creature was talking about. Since some moments ago, the creature had been staring into darkness and chanting in some sort ofnguage in a trance. When the man pleaded that he didn¡¯t know what it was talking about or who it was referring to, the creature tightened its grip around his neck. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know! I-I swear!¡± Seeing the desperation and tears in the man¡¯s eyes, the creature released its grip and let him fall to the ground. It walked into a small hallway within the darkness. After a while, the creature returned to the man with a horn-like object in its hand, simr to the one lodged in the Dire Wolf¡¯s forehead but slightly smaller in size. ¡°Then¡­ help me¡­ find out¡­¡± As it said, the creature threw the man to the ground. Disregarding the man¡¯s moans and cries, it straddled onto the man. It tore off his shirt and slowly pushed the ¡°horn¡± into the man¡¯s chest as the man himself screamed out the most painful agony he ever experienced in his miserable lifetime. Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Fox-kin Level: 10 | Status: Healthy | Evolving Might: 19 | Arcane: 12 | Finesse: 14 Magic Arts - Spirit Magic Lv. 5 | Arcane Edge Lv. 2 | Arcane Armor Lv. 5 Combat Arts - Sword Art Lv. 6 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 4 Innate Skills - Self-appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 1 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex Unique Talent - Mystic de Lv. Ex Level Progression: 25% Remaining Skill Points: 2 Remaining Ability Points: 2 1-21 Three Tails 1-21 Three Tails [Three-Tailed Fox-kin: The second step of kin-evolution in the Nine-Tails bloodline. An ancient bloodline long lost during the reign of Demon Lord Zarkoth. Due to their serendipitous affinity with Spirit Magic, they are widely feared by Demons and other creatures and races of the dark.] The message appeared in her mind as Erin contemted on the sudden choice of evolution. The choice was presented to her upon reaching the required level of ten. Zarkoth¡­ Demon Lord? Those abominations have a king in this world¡ª that¡¯s¡­ kinda bad. As if they weren¡¯t a headache by themselves already. And Spirits¡­ are they some sort of antithesis to Demons in this world? Good gods, it¡¯s just a question after another. While an evolution was certainly a beneficial thing, Erin was only a Fox-kin recently. As a former human, she knew nothing about what evolution entails besides getting stronger. Also, there were various aspects that Erin was incredibly dubious of. Such as the part where the Demons culled the bloodline to extinction. She was not looking forward to bing a race where she could be potentially lynch-mobbed by another race. And there was also the matter of tails. Nine tails? My tail will keep growing in numbers as I evolve? How am I going to take care of nine freaking tails when one was already enough? And what about my overall appearances? Would I eventually turn into an actual fox if I keep evolving? Hmm¡­ perhaps not? It did say ¡°kin¡± after all. It was already enough of a huge shock for Erin when she found out that she had be a Fox-kin. Her chest and tail gave her quite a bit of trouble but she adapted to those quick enough in the span of about two days. She had adapted herself to her new body but it still wasn¡¯t at aplete mastery level. Yet now, she was about to gain two new additional troublesome features. As a swordsman, the extra tails were definitely a demerit but then again, there was Magic. She had seen people with insane brawn doing movements that were otherwise impossible if it wasn¡¯t due to Magic. What¡¯s more, she personally knew some acquaintances who dressed so unconventionally for battles but it did not diminish their efficiency ever in the slightest. Although Erin understood that Magic could invalidate the impractical features of a person, she didn¡¯t know how it works and she wasn¡¯t nning to find out. That¡¯s what schrs are for, after all. Still, what are the benefits of this evolution? [Upon the evolution into Three-Tailed Fox-kin, user will gain a higher affinity with Magic, mainly Spirit Magic, and the advanced tier of analysis Magic.] Analysis Magic? Does it mean Self-Appraisal? I do want the higher affinity of Magic; it doesn¡¯t seem like it favors physical abilities but¡­ ah whatever, I was the Sword Saint and I still partially am. I have done it once without the help of some stats system and I refused to believe that I can¡¯t do it again? So yes, it is. Erin gave her approval with a proverbial tap on the ¡°Yes¡± word in her mind. [Commencing Evolution¡­.] In an instance, Erin¡¯s whole body began to heat up but not in a licentious way. She could feel the Magic within her surging. It was a novel sensation. She lost count on how many novelty she had experienced but she was sure the number would only keep rising from now. Feeling a wobbly sensation from her back, Erin nced over her shoulders and saw that her tail was coated in an intense azure glow. Her tail bloomed like a bud into a flower with three petals. When the lights dissipated, she now had three tails which resembled one another without any discrepancy. [Evolution Sessful] Wait, that¡¯s it? Erin didn¡¯t know what she was expecting but somehow she was kinda disappointed at theck of suspense and disy after making it such a big deal in her own conception. [Arcane: 12 has increased to 15] [Spirit Magic: Lv. 5 has increased to Lv. 6] [Due to the user''s high affinity, Spirit Magic¡¯s Mana expenditure has been halved.] [Self-appraisal Lv. Ex has evolved into Appraisal Lv. Ex] When Erin witnessed the flow of information flowing into her head, she jumped with joy at the benefits she was bestowed for her evolution. A reduced cost of Mana, even if it was only for Spirit Magic, was definitely a wee benefit. As for her Spirit Magic increase in level, she had acquired a spell named, Essence re. Apparently, it was a dispelling Magic for dark energy such as Miasma. It could be used to get rid of curses and various afflictions as long as they were a result of dark-type Magic. But none of those benefits couldpare to the one Erin had been dying to get her hands on. Although she had never explicitly expressed her desire for it, she had always wanted an appraisal Magic that wasn¡¯t limited to only herself. In such a foreign world with so many new things to learn, witness, and experience, Appraisal was the foremost skill to be had. Without hesitation, she used it on the dead wolf-like monster. Hah!! Erin was not prepared for the wave of information that flooded into her sight. Unlike Self-Appraisal which was all visualized in her mind, Appraisal¡¯s information was disyed within her sights, in a window screen beside the subject. And only now did Erin realized just how much information there was in an Appraisal. It didn¡¯t feel cluttered when it was presented in her mind. Calming herself down, she looked over the information disyed just beside the carcass. Hmm¡­ it doesn¡¯t state its Might, Arcane, or Finesse. There are only its level, status, race, and skills. Well, its status reads; Deceased, of course. It might have been controlled while it was alive but now it¡¯s dead. Damn it, if only I had this skill before I fought it. Its skills are¡­ ah never mind, it¡¯s already dead. As for its race, it¡¯s a¡ª oh? So this monster is a Dire Wolf but what¡¯s with the tusk and the lightning? And its level¡­ level fourteen!? Such ferocity and strength and it¡¯s only level fourteen? Erin had an apprehensive feeling about her future encounters. As her former world did not have such things as levels, she didn¡¯t know if it could bepared to the monsters here. Even so, if she took level fourteen as only a step-off of level hundred, this Dire Wolf could be considered a beginner-tier monster. In her former world, beginner-tier monsters did not have such a monster with this kind of speed and strength. If a mere level fourteen beast already had such an array of skills, she didn¡¯t doubt howplicated higher level monsters could get with their abilities and skills. While it terrified her, at the same time, she was sensing a budding thrill within her. It was the anticipation for a worthwhile opponent should she ever manage to reach such heights. Stronger enemies meant better improvement to one¡¯s self, this was how Erin viewed her own prospects. And what¡¯s this extra to its name? Ruler of Domain? [Ruler of Domain is the title given to the monster that stood on top of the food chain in a specific area. The title is immediately transferred to the yer.] Ah. As expected. The name pretty much says it all already but the title¡­ I didn¡¯t receive such a title though? Or are titles only applicable to monsters? Erin checked her stats and sure enough, she found no column or row that had the word; title. Well, whatever. What¡¯s important is that someone or something was controlling thiste Ruler of Domain. But who? Is this rted to peculiar behaviors of the Goblins? This could be a clue but before that¡­ let¡¯s test out my new evolution. It took some time for her excitement to die down. She attempted some extreme movements that require a degree of nimbleness to test her body in this new evolution. To her surprise, she was moving better than before. The extra tails did not make it harder for her to move. In fact, it didn¡¯t feel like she had three tails. Best of all, she was able to wrap herself in the embrace of the new tails. She stayed in such warmth and bliss until she remembered she had a quest to do. She wanted to continue her quest but¡­ she no longer had a sword. She broke it in the fight with the Dire Wolf. Although she had Magic and a high affinity for it, she wasn¡¯t a specialist and she didn¡¯t even have any knowledge on how to use Magic as the main form of choice inbat. Sighing at the futile desire to continue the quest, she decided to return back to town for now. She had nothing to report about for her main quest but she couldn¡¯t exactly forced herself to continue either when she was practically naked without a sword. Maybe I can report about this? I doubt monster ¡°taming¡± is amon thing in this world. Even if it is, it won¡¯t be amon thing in a small town like this. Even if that report should turn out to be nugatory, at the very least, Erin had an amazing Monster Core to sell. From what she had read in the adventurer¡¯s handbook, Monster Cores sold for more if it was procured for a quest as the quest reward itself is included in the cost of the Cores. Which was why adventurers seldom hunt down monsters arbitrarily without first acquiring the respective quests. There were cases where adventurers hoarded up Monster Cores preemptively and only sold them when the corresponding quests appeared for the specific Cores. This practice wasn¡¯t illegal but it was highly frowned upon by not just adventurers but also merchants. Be that as it may, it was still a very popr practice in big towns and cities as it wasn¡¯t deemed illegal, or so Lyra had told Erin. Of course, Lyra didn¡¯t word it exactly like that. Erin was forced to put the bits and pieces together herself from Lyra¡¯s rough ent and came to such results. Through the secondary effect of Appraisal, Erin could vaguely make out the size and position of the Dire Wolf¡¯s Core. It was almost as if she could perceive the flow of Magic. Ha¡­ it¡¯ll be great if I can actually perceive Magic flows like I can for Spirits. Putting that aside, this Dire Wolf¡¯s Core is thergest one yet that I have seen. Quest or not, it¡¯s going to sell for a lot. Question is¡­ how do I take it out? After a brief moment of contemtion, she came to the idea of using the ws of the Dire Wolf itself. To her amazement, it cut better than Sven¡¯s steel sword. She thanked her stars for not getting hit by one of these. It would carve into her flesh as easily as it would to a cake. **** Contrary to her expectations, the harvesting did not take as long as it did for the Kobold Leader despite being roughly a size bigger. The organs and everything slid out of the body like an avnche the moment she cut open the wolf¡¯s stomach. Although, it was twice as smelly as the Kobolds. It took Erin a lot of mental strength not to just throw up right then. After stowing away the humongous Monster Core into the sack that could barely fit, she backtracked the path she came through. It was the safest way as it guaranteed the highest chance of not encountering any monster along the way since she pretty much culled everything on the way. That wasn¡¯t to say that there were no monsters in the vicinity. As a matter of fact, there were still plenty of monsters lurking about but none of them had the galls to approach Erin. All of them were just watching her from afar. When she ventured into the forest just this morning, all of the monsters were waiting for their turn to have a piece of her but now, they exuded the feeling of wanting nothing to do with the Fox-kin. Is this because I have defeated the Dire Wolf who was a Ruler of Domain? Hmm, if they don¡¯te at me, I don¡¯t get any experience but if I have at them, I might end up biting more than I can chew. Down the backtracking path, she eventually came across dozens of carcassesid strewn about. They were exactly as they were when Erin left them. Not even an inch was moved. She wasn¡¯t so surprised that the monsters she in were still unharvested. After all, it was rare for adventurers to venture so deep into the forest. She would like to harvest them now but her sack was full with just that one Core. For such an issue, the adventurer¡¯s handbook spoke of hiring a porter, an individual hired for the reason of carrying spoils. It made her think about how higher level adventurers handled their spoils considering how much the high level Monster Cores cost. Erin just couldn¡¯t ept the notion that they would just let some strangle handle what was essentially their money, professionals they may be. Although it would be a different story if she was talking about banks but those services were only employed by the richest. While she pondered about such a dilemma, her luck came to an end when her ears picked up the sound of numerous feet skittering towards her. Oh great. Rot-rats. Unlike the other monsters, the Rot-rats were all converging to her position. Erin wagered the Rot-rats must havee back to avenge their fallen brethren that Erin had in. yer of the Ruler or not, the Rot-rats didn¡¯t seem to care. Without holding back, she activated Fleet Foot and began sprinting at her full speed back to town. She was now level ten. Her Might was neen and Fleet Foot was level five. Potentially speaking, she should be able to easily escape the pursuit of the Rot-rats. But she forgot about one tiny factor. Just as she started to relish in the difference of her abilities from two days ago, her negligence poured on her parade. The sack burst apart with the Core of the Dire Wolf falling through the torn opening. Oh my fucking god! I¡¯m such an idiot! Instead of stopping, Erin kept running but she did not leave the Core behind. As if it was the most natural thing to do, Erin swiftly scooped up the Core with her tails and rolled it back into her hands. The feat hadn¡¯t been intentional. It was just another beckoning of her instincts. Well, I¡¯ll be damned. They are more useful than I thought. Praising her tails so, Erin kept her speed until she could no longer hear the Rot-rats¡¯ skitters. While she was d her tail had such uses, it also induced a strange sense of disbelief of how these movements and maneuvers came so naturally to her. And there was also the matter of tails¡¯ robustness. They were stronger than she had believed. It was bing apparent to Erin that a tail was more of a limb rather than an appendage. What if I trained them to wield swords? It should be possible if I focus on increasing Finesse. As her mind wandered into her ownnd of reverie and possibilities, a familiar scent snapped her out of her daydream. It was a scent that she had least expected to encounter in the middle of the forest out of all ces. Besides the familiar scent, there were two other scents that were only mildly familiar but she recalled picking up these scents at The Guild. Adventurers, huh. But what is that person doing out here with two adventurers? Erin made a slight deviation from her path back to town to meet up with this acquaintance. She came to a grove with trees smaller than the other trees in the whole forest. These trees had orange leaves and the trunks and branches were of a pale brownish color. In front of one of such trees, there were a pair of adventurers, a boy and a girl. Her appraisal showed their levels, their skill sets, their status, their ability stats, their name, but not their age. Although, Erin could easily discern with her own eyes that they were around fifteen to sixteen years of age. In the middle of this pair, was her acquaintance; a dark reddish-haired boy of a short stature with a small axe in his right hand, Aedan. Erin didn¡¯t have a good impression of him and he was just barely an acquaintance. She didn¡¯t want to strike a conversation with him but she was quite fond of the gracious Sven. Maybe I should just give a brief greeting for the sake of his brother. Just Erin was about to open her lips and expressed her greetings in a reserved manner, she froze at the results of Appraisal. It wasn¡¯t her intent to appraise Aedan but by appraising the two adventurers, Aedan was just coincidentally in the picture. And this coincidence led to a shocking discovery. What the fuck¡­. His name said Aedan in the appraisal result. His status was healthy. But the rest of his results were simplybeled as ¡°unknown¡± or just in gibberish; even his level was reced by a string of unintelligible symbols. However, the ¡°Race¡± tab wasn¡¯t masked with drivels. It was disyed as clears the name and status. Be that as it may, at the ¡°Race¡± tab that clearly said Dwarve, there was another word ovepping the word ¡°Dwarve¡± in a translucent manner. And that word was ¡°Dragon-kin¡±. Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Three-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 10 | Status: Mildly Exhausted Might: 19 | Arcane: 15 | Finesse: 14 Magic Arts - Spirit Magic Lv. 6 | Arcane Edge Lv. 2 | Arcane Armor Lv. 5 Combat Arts - Sword Art Lv. 6 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 4 Innate Skills - Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 1 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex Unique Talent - Mystic de Lv. Ex Level Progression: 25% Remaining Skill Points: 2 Remaining Ability Points: 2 1-22 Greenhorn 1-22 Greenhorn Dragons were the apex predators in Erin¡¯s former world. The majority of the Dragons lived in seclusion and were often revered as Demi-gods by many. However, there was no such thing as a Dragon-kin in her former world. There were full-breed Dragons known as True Dragons and creatures with a quarter of Dragon blood in them such as Wyverns and Smanders but no Dragon-kin. Judging by the race¡¯s name alone, Erin supposed that a Dragon-kin was also a Demi-human race like her current self. Although, she didn¡¯t see any Dragonic features on Aedan, not even any slight protrusions on his head. Did he hide it with some kind of spell or do Dragon-kin not have such features? But anyways, so this is the scent of a Dragon-kin. Erin realized just what that scent was underneath the Dwarve¡¯s when she first met Aedan. He must have been living with Sven and Geron for so long until their scent masked over his Dragon-kin¡¯s. For now, Erin decided not to pursue Aedan¡¯s reason in hiding his true race. She had secrets of her own, so she could empathize whatever reason Aedan had for keeping it confidential. ¡°Erinthea, was it?¡± Aedan said without turning his head as he continued to stare at three with pale trunks and orange leaves. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose a good afternoon is needed here.¡± Only after Aedan opened his mouth and spouted out some tactless words, the two adventurers immediately turned around with the swords drawn and shield raised. Erin threw her arms up. ¡°I meant you no harm.¡± She quickly hid the ball of a Monster Core in the embrace of her tails. She was afraid if they saw the Dire Wolf¡¯s core, the following consequences would be extremely undesirable. If her past life was any indication, it wouldn¡¯t be long before she attracts the attention of some power-hungry nobles or wealthy merchants. The two adventurers¡¯ posture ckened when they realized it was just Erin. They didn¡¯t personally know her and at most, they had only managed to get a faint glimpse of her but Erin was already a notable figure in the town. Her ears and tails made it all the more easier to discern her identity. However, the two adventurers heard that Erin had only a tail, not three. ¡°My name¡¯s Erin. I¡¯m also an adventurer like you.¡± Erin introduced herself and showed her adventurer¡¯s tag. She showed a cramped smile in hopes of gathering their attention to her expression rather than her all-too alluring tails. ¡°Yeah, we know,¡± the boy adventurer responded. Erin couldn¡¯t help but notice the faint blush that was surfacing on the boy¡¯s cheeks and his eyes that just refused to look away from her tails. He only stopped when hispanion nudged him with her elbow. Yeah¡­ of course you know me. Who doesn¡¯t¡­ and could you stop blushing at me? It¡¯s really¡­ unsettling. Erin wondered why she even bothered to introduce herself. Perhaps she did it naturally out of courtesy. And although she built up some tolerance towards the stares, it was still an immense challenge when male blushed at her. ¡°I¡¯m Cal and this is mypanion, Selene.¡± The boy adventurer, Cal introduced himself with the same fashion that Erin had seen on Lyra and many others, with a hand on the left chest and a slight bow. The girl adventurer did the same manner of greeting with a faint smile. For a bunch of adventurers, Erin found them to be quite deferential with their conduct. ¡°Where¡¯s your weapon?¡± Cal asked. He had a look of genuine concern. ¡°I lost it while fighting a monster.¡± Erin held back from saying that she lost it while fighting a Dire Wolf with lightning surging throughout its body while under the likelihood of being controlled by some entity. If someone told her this, even she would find it hard to believe. Erin heard a scoff from Aedan when she mentioned she lost her sword. Come to think of it, Aedan is adopted, isn¡¯t he? Unless he cast some strange hypnosis spell on Geron and Sven but that¡¯s very unlikely, I hope. ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate,¡± Selene said. ¡°We love to help but this is all we have.¡± She shook her sword and shield slightly as emphasis. ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Erin assured them. If worse came to worst, she could easily run away but that would be at the price of her pride. Even the kill of the Dire Wolf wasn¡¯t as clean as she wished it to be but it was that or die. ¡°If you two don¡¯t mind me asking and you have to tell me if you do mind, why are the three of you gathered in front of a tree?¡± ¡°It¡¯s our quest, Miss Erin,¡± Cal answered. ¡°To escort Aedan here.¡± Erin flinched a little at the exnation. She didn¡¯t know how it had anything to do with them standing in front of a tree. ¡°Escorts which I don¡¯t need,¡± Aedan spoke up without turning around. He had been staring at the tree for quite a while now. Chuckling awkwardly, Cal exined, ¡°in case you still aren¡¯t in the know, Miss Erin, his father is the Guild Master and Mister Geron insisted that he should take bodyguards with him.¡± ¡°And they agreed because my father offered them five silver each.¡± At his words, Aedan received a reproachful re from Selene but the girl spoke nothing of her hidden resentment. It would not look good if she red up against her ¡°client¡±. ¡°But that still doesn¡¯t exin what¡¯s with this particr tree.¡± Erin gestured at them and the tree. ¡°Oh that? Aedan here is choosing the right tree to cut down. A group of merchants are passing by this town in a few days. The wood produced by these trees is called Ironwood. As the name suggests, these woods are as tough as iron and most important of all, they are fireproof. The merchants pay golds for these.¡± Erin had briefly read about Ironwood yesterday in the bookstore. She knew there were some of the trees here in Green Scar but she didn¡¯t know it was part of the economy due to the few numbers. ¡°If it¡¯s as hard as iron, how does one harvest the log?¡± ¡°I¡¯m embarrassed to say that I do not know.¡± Cal chuckled awkwardly as red touched his cheeks. He looked awfully like a boy acting all bashfully in front of his secret one-sided infatuation. To that reaction, Selene directed a frown at him. Oh? Is that how it is? ¡°This tree should do,¡± came the words from Aedan that broke the stale mood. Cal recovered from his love-struck stupor and quickly rpose himself into a manner befitting of an adventurer but he went overboard when he began to hastilyb his hair and straighten his garbs, incurring a scowl from Selene. Not minding theplicated affair of his ¡°bodyguards¡±, Aedan wound up a swing as a patch of red glow coated the axe. It resembled Arcane Edge but the Arcane Edge Erin used had a blue glow and for Aedan¡¯s case, it was like there was another red ethereal axe ovepping the corporeal axe in his hand. There was no battle cry or even a brief shout. Aedan simply swung the axe with ferocity and precision horizontally across the trunk. The tree was cleanly bisected and fell gracefully to the side, shaking the ground slightly and raising little clouds of dust. What the fuck!? Erin couldn¡¯t believe what she just saw. It was so jaw-dropping that she almost let slip of the Dire Wolf¡¯s core wrapped around her tail. Although the tree only had a girth of four feet, it was still an impressive feat. Aedan used an ordinary axe, cast a spell of sorts over it, and chopped down the tree without breaking even a drip of sweat. Erin could understand if it was done with some kind of a well-forged sword in the hands of a sword master. However, Aedan did it with a simple woodcutter-axe. At her current level, Erin doubted she could chop down a tree with that much ease with a mere woodcutter-axe. Aedan wasted no time to begin shaving off the branches before chopping the log up into three parts. With Kinesis Magic, he piled the logs up nicely without going through the conventional strenuous way. After that, Magic chains appeared out of nowhere and wrapped themselves tightly around the pile of logs. He then lifted the pile up with Kinesis Magic. He¡¯s nning to transport the log like this? This is just so unfairly convenient. ¡°Alright, that should do it. Now, shall we head back before they catch up?¡± Aedan asked as he finally turned to face Erin and the adventurers. H-he knows? Though Erin had seen her shares of theatrics in her adventurous days as the Sword Saint, she was still left astounded by Aedan''s disy of his Magic. In addition, she became even more curious when Aedan seemed to know about the Rot-rats which were probably still persisting with their pursuit for her. Not even she could smell them from such a distance unless the wind blew in her favor. Is this a Dragon-kin¡¯s sensory ability? ¡°T-they?¡± Cal asked as he and hispanion snapped out of their daze upon witnessing such a performance. They were greenhorns unlike Erin who had witnessed countless ostentatious disys of abilities and powers. ¡°Rot-rats. There are a bunch of theming our way.¡± Immediately, the two adventurers went into an alert stance with their eyes scouring their vicinity. ¡°You have that vixen to thank for.¡± Aedan pointed at Erin. A vein popped onto Erin¡¯s forehead. ¡°Forgive me for running away from monsters when I don¡¯t even have a weapon with me.¡± Aedan gave her a look as if she had said something entric but ultimately shrugged it off without pointing out what he found odd about her response. ¡°I¡¯m not wrong though?¡± Aedan added. Selene stared at the ¡°Dwarve¡± reproachfully, probably for his tactless treatment towards a fellow female, whereas Cal was smiling nervously at the animosity drifting around the group. ¡°Miss Erin,¡± Cal called out, failing to look away from Erin¡¯s gracefully swaying tails. Erin was d that her garbs did not entuate too much of her hourss figure and her ¡°hills¡±. Otherwise, she would have to deal with the rise of the number of gazes and and the passion that went with these gazes. ¡°Yes, Cal?¡± Erin waved at him when she realized he was enraptured by her graceful-swaying tails. He quickly rposed himself and faked a cough to kick his blunder under the bed. ¡°If it¡¯s convenient for you, would you like to return to the town with us?¡± Erin noticed the intense re Selene was giving Cal when he offered the invitation. ¡°That would be great as I¡¯m just heading back to town myself.¡± Erin strictly emphasized that she was joining them purely for the sake of convenience and on the whims of coincidence. Erin heaved a sigh when she saw Selene reeling in her re. ¡°Actually, can I ask something from you?¡± ¡°Of course, anything.¡± Cal beamed which incurred a frown from Selene but it turned into a sigh shortly after. Per her past life¡¯s experience, it was better to y ignorance to others'' love affairs, as long as the affair didn¡¯t trespass into her space. ¡°Do you perhaps have an extra sack that you can spare? Or just some simple cloth will do, enough to wrap a basket.¡± As adventurers, Cal naturally understood what Erin wanted such a thing for but his eyes wandered around Erin to see where she was storing the Monster Cores if she didn¡¯t have a sack or a wrapping cloth for it. His eyes eventually wandered to the bulging mounds on Erin¡¯s chest. Only after Selene faked a cough, his attention was reeled back into reality. Cal beckoned Selene over and took arge piece of rag that was hanging by her waist. He did it without consulting it with herpanion, which Erin found it hard to ept the sack after seeing the disapproval gaze from Selene. I should carry a spare on my next excursion. Reluctantly, Erin epted the cloth and thanked the two for their generosity. Although Erin tried to pay them for it, Cal rejected her coin which earned another look of disapproval from Selene. While Selene pulled Cal to the side by his ear and began giving him a piece of her mind, Erin briefly turned around and quickly wrapped the Core with the cloth. The cloth was barely enough but it did its job of covering the entirety. Without giving any notice, Aedan began treading on the path back to town, leaving the two holstering their weapons in a scuffle before joining up with him. The two adventurers followed closely behind Aedan without so much as a grumble, aside from the exasperated re Selene was bouncing between Cal and Aedan. As for Erin, she was just grateful that no one questioned the sudden appearance of the clothed item in her hands. Aedan had a nce but he was as indifferent as always. Selene seemed to also have questions but she remained tactful and spoke not a word about it. As for Cal, he was sneaking love-struck glimpses at Erin that the object in her hands didn¡¯t seem to register in his eyes. Selene was obviously not taking too kindly to this but she didn¡¯t seem to have it out for Erin. Erin was secretly thankful Selene was a reasonable girl by directing her vexation towards Cal instead of Erin herself. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we be running if the Rot-rats areing?¡± Selene suggested, as if the purpose of her proposal was just to break Cal¡¯s stare off of Erin. Erin noticed Selene¡¯s feet were actually trembling but she wasn¡¯t showing it on her face. Cal wasn¡¯t much different than Selene as he too was shaking in his hands despite still having an entranced gaze. Gosh. They are in fear and love-struck at the same time. Ah~ youth. Oh wait¡­ I¡¯m young again, aren¡¯t I? But I¡¯m hundreds of years old though¡­ Am I considered old or young in Fox-kin¡¯s years? At present, her question was left hanging in the figurative air in her mind. ¡°With this much distance between us and them, we should be able to reach the main road before they caught up. The rodents are quick but even children can outrun them. So, I wager we¡¯re not in any dire situation, yet.¡± Aedan replied without a quiver in his voice. He sounded confident but Cal and Selene weren''t too assured, neither was Erin but she decided to trust the judgement of a Dragon-kin. As they walked on at a regr pace in an ufortable silence, Erin used Appraisal on Cal and Selene. Unlike prior which she just skimmed through the results, she took her time going through the two¡¯s stats and information. They were both level three and their status was Moderate Exhaustion. They both had the skills of Sword Art and Shield Art which were only level two, and those two skills were the only skills they had. What surprised Erin the most was the number values of their Might, Arcane, and Finesse; all of these three were below ten and even if shebined the values of these three, it didn¡¯t even reach twenty. My ability stats were at least ten at the lowest when I was level one. If I used their stats as the average standard, then I¡¯m certainly not just a lust deviant, but a norm deviant too. What in tarnation of a ploy is this? Before the strange sense of self-disparaging set in, she reminded herself of the fact that she was a Fox-kin, a Faerie-kin. It was onlymon that her stats would be different if she drewparison to humans. What¡¯s more, she had the blood of an ancient race within her. It should only be natural that she had stats better than the average. Still, I haven¡¯t asked the one question that started it all. Who reincarnated me or why was I reincarnated? Erin thought everything would be fine if she just ignored that question and went on with her new life but after knowing she was part of a long-lost bloodline, she couldn¡¯t help but think that whoever reincarnated her had some major ns for her. She wasn¡¯t one to believe in charity, not after mingling with so many nobles. While Erin was wallowing in her own existential debate, the group began encountering various monsters in their path. However, the numbers were only a few and the monsters were only in the level range of one to three, nothing Cal and Selene couldn¡¯t handle. These monsters were toocking in their ability to sense the threat emanating from Erin and Aedan, which they would otherwise avoid. Although, there were slightly higher level monsters who approached the party from the level five to eight. For these monsters, Erin took care of them by using her tails and fists. Much like her expectations, her tails hit as hard as her fists did. The feat stunned Cal and Selene into widened eyes but Aedan looked on with indifference like always. [Experience gained +2%] [Experience gained +2%] [Experience gained +2%] [Experience gained +2%] [Experience gained +2% - Level Progression: 35%] What!? That little? Erin couldn¡¯t believe the numbers she was seeing. She was getting significantly less experience than before. It didn¡¯t take her long before she pinpointed the culprit as the result of her evolution. Damn it. I doubt Rot-rats would yield more experience if these monsters gave only this little. She had half a mind to cull all the Rot-rats if she still had a sword but that was out of the window. It was no longer doable if she wished to keep up her current pace of leveling. I guessed it¡¯s inevitable that one¡¯s growth will slow the stronger one bes. After a few more encounters with monsters that were too impolitic for their own good, they arrived at a smallke with purple lilies by the bank. The lilies served as indication that they were now at the outeryer of the forest, which was roughly five miles in. So to say, they were now five miles away from the main road. For the sake of the two greenhorn adventurers, Erin proposed a break before making the rest of the journey back to town. But in an additional truth, Erin needed this break to fix up her disheveled appearance. She couldn¡¯t do it while she was carrying the Core. And by ¡°appearance¡±, she meant her tails. I should get some armor made for my tails if I have the coin. Cal and Selene were in agreement whereas Aedan merely shrugged. Erin did not bring any provisions as she nned to only do some light scouting around the designated sport and reaped some experience on the way before returning to town by noon. She didn¡¯t forget about her appointment with Nivia for her Magic lessons but that promise was out of the window when she encountered the Dire Wolf. I wonder if she¡¯s still waiting for me¡­ Actually, knowing her, she would be looking for me if I didn¡¯t show up. Yeah, that¡¯s the most likely scenario. Erin didn¡¯t have her breakfast and her stomach was making all sorts ofints at her oversight. Although in her past life she had ustomed herself to function on an empty stomach for at least three days straight, this new body of hers hadn¡¯t even fasted for the first time. If she was being honest, she wanted to beg for some food from the two adventurers but doing so would seriously cripple her self-esteem. They probably had just enough food for themselves. I can¡¯t ask for food from them. My leftover pride as the Sword Saint shall not allow it. She tried to distract herself from her hunger by fixing her hair that hade loose a little from all the movements and mending her tousled fur of her tails. She was quite amazed that her hair was still tied-up in spite of everything that had happened. Yeah¡­ that¡¯s not helping in enduring the incessant cries of my stomach. As shemented in her own gaffe, Cal had walked up to her with a sandwich served on some fragrant leave in hand. Although she had noticed the approaching aromatic scent, she didn¡¯t want to look too desperate and pathetic in the eyes of these two greenhorn adventurers and certainly not in front of Aedan, which would only give him more things to jab at her about. ¡°You must be hungry, Miss Erin,¡± Cal said as he offered her the sandwich. ¡°I appreciate your generosity but I¡¯m fine, Cal.¡± Hearing her refusal, Calughed awkwardly which prompted Erin to wonder why ¡°Your mouth can lie but your tails can¡¯t,¡± Aedan answered her confusion from a few feet away. Somehow, he could hear their exchange from such a distance away but Erin¡¯s mind was on her own empty stomach to pay any heed to his eavesdrop. ¡­Wait. My tails can¡¯t lie?! Upon realizing what Aedan¡¯s words entailed, she immediately nced at her tails. They had been wagging so fervently that it had pretty much expressed her predicament. Apparently, her tail had begun wagging the moment they unwrapped their sandwich and as Cal approached her with the sandwich in hand, her tails were only wagging harder. These traitors! Left at her wit¡¯s end, she demurely epted the sandwich with her gaze cast down and uttered a faint whisper of gratitude. Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Three-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 10 | Status: Mildly Exhausted | Famished Might: 19 | Arcane: 15 | Finesse: 14 Magic Arts - Spirit Magic Lv. 6 | Arcane Edge Lv. 2 | Arcane Armor Lv. 5 Combat Arts - Sword Art Lv. 6 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 4 Innate Skills - Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 1 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex Unique Talent - Mystic de Lv. Ex Level Progression: 35% Remaining Skill Points: 2 Remaining Ability Points: 2 1-23 Swarm 1-23 Swarm It was regrettable their break could notst as long as they wanted with the Rot-rats still scuttling right on their tracks. They made utmost haste by following the river downhill which the smallke was flowing into. Erin remembered this river as the same river she and Lyra followed out of the forest on the first day of her arrival in this world. It had only been three days since but it felt longer than that. In the span of three days, she was exposed to a vast array of novel experiences, one of which includes her graduation from her virginity. Whoa whoa. Come back. Now¡¯s not the time for any reminiscences. Erin did not know how long Cal and Selene had been out in the forest but the short break they had was not enough to refill their stamina. Even without Appraisal, Erin understood they were not in favorable conditions. In fact, they were starting tog behind Erin and Aedan even though the former was using his Magic continuously and thetter was carrying a load of a few pounds. Erin was starting to feel like she had been overindulgent and under-appreciative with her capabilities. Her current body may not be as sterling as her former body, she was still more well off than other people of her level. ¡°You two might want to hurry up. Those critters are getting close,¡± Aedan remarked in an inaptly casual tone. ¡°Though this wouldn¡¯t have been the case if we stop for a rest.¡± Erin shot Aedan a re. ¡°They¡¯re tired, you sod.¡± Her ears twitched along with her anger. ¡°Tired or not, they¡¯ll be dead if they don¡¯t hurry up,¡± Aedan retorted with a still nonchnt demeanor. ¡°Lest you forgot, the Rot-rats are chasing after you, not us.¡± Aedan didn¡¯t need to say it out loud. The implications were obvious even to a toddler. It was a cruel utterance but one that rang with truth and Erin couldn¡¯t dispute that. She knew what she had to do. But before Erin could dere her resolve, Cal spoke up with the breaths he could muster. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about us, Miss Erin! We don¡¯t me you. We¡¯re adventurers and such a problem is only to be expected. If anything, it¡¯s our own fault for overestimating our own abilities.¡± It was evident Cal was just putting on airs for the woman he was infatuated with. Seeing the strained-face Cal with a sanguine look, Erin didn¡¯t have the heart to tell him his words were only making her feel all the worse about herself. Although, Cal wasn¡¯t wrong about what he said. A stampede of monsters was knownmonly as a monster train. Therger variety was called a monster rampage. That said, monster trains weren''t all too umon, ording to what Erin read from the handbook. It was amon urrence especially for monsters who hunted with their numbers. Down the line of adventurer work, one would keep facing various precarious predicaments that often bordered between life and death. Green Scar was merely the stepping stone for greenhorns. If they couldn¡¯t even find a way past problems of a rtively small forest, they would have no hope of survival when it came to therger and more dangerous forests. ¡°So if something happened to us, don¡¯t me yourself, Miss Erin,¡± Cal continued. Selene shook her head in exasperation with a sigh at herpanion¡¯s failed attempts at consoling the woman he took fancy to. She summoned whatever strength was left in her to sock Cal¡¯s shoulder with her elbow. Cal received the blow without anyints as his mind remained stuck in the clouds over the hope that he had impressed Erin. Eventually, Aedan let out a sigh which drew Erin¡¯s attention. As he was in the lead, the whole group came to a halt when he stopped. Cal and Selene weren¡¯t in any condition to ask why they had stopped, so Erin did the questioning for them and herself. Aedan put up his hand, stopping Erin from asking. He willed the bundle of logs to Cal and Selene with a wave of his hand. ¡°Climb aboard,¡± hemanded rather than asked. Initially, Erin was stupefy at Aedan¡¯s apparent capacity forpassion but it quickly turned into indignation. She wanted to shout herints at him not putting forward the idea sooner but doing so would just paint her in an incredibly petty light. The pair climbed on to the bundle without any protest or objection. Their client had essentially given them his grace. It would be rude to refuse and with the Rot-rats just behind them, they would be courting death if they rejected the offer. Noticing the indignant re from Erin, Aedan unted a knowing grin at her. ¡°I¡¯m sure with your level five Fleet Foot and neen points of Might, you would not be dragging behind,¡± he said and resumed his sprint down the riverbank. The sudden eleration of the log bundle caused Selene to give a shrill of terror like a person who was riding a cart for the first time in their life but she calmed down after Cal held her hand. Selene returned a bashful smile with her shoulders wiggling. Aedan groaned at such an exchange. ¡°Maybe I should just drop them into the river and let the water carry them for the rest of the road,¡± he muttered under his breath. Erin followed suit after a moment of tangle in her mind. Under normal circumstances, Erin would have picked up the whisper but her mind was seized by Aedan¡¯s prior offhand statement. More than affronted, Erin was benumb at what Aedan¡¯s prior words entailed. He practically revealed to Erin that he had the means to evaluate her stats. Besides The Guild, there should be no one else who would know of her stats and numbers. If one did, it could either mean The Guild had breach their individual confidentiality policy or¡ª He has Appraisal too. Erin still wasn¡¯t in the know on howmon or rare the Appraisal skill was but going by the fact that even the Guild Master needed a special pair of spectacles for Appraisal instead of just learning it, it was probably a skill that wasn¡¯t so easy to obtain. Most vexing of all, he could appraise her but not the other way around. Wait¡ª If he has appraisal, then he definitely knows that I have appraisal too. Which means¡­ he knows that I know about his secret, probably? Such realization dawn on Erin. She sneaked some nces to gauge his reactions but as far as she could tell, Aedan hadn¡¯t shown any signs that he was perturbed. Or perhaps he thinks whatever inhibition spell he was using hadpletely masked his stats information from me? That¡¯s most probably it. If that¡¯s not the case, either he doesn¡¯t care that I found out or he¡¯s confident that I won¡¯t reveal his secrets. ¡°Lookout!¡± Selene cried out as she pointed behind Erin. [Sixth Sense activated. Imminent threat detected.] Erin shook herself out of her daze and turned to her back. What the hell!? There were three Rot-rats behind her and these three wererger in size than the average Rot-rats. They weren¡¯t just big. They were faster. Damn it! I didn¡¯t smell or hear theming because I was too preupied with Aedan in my mind¡­ Okay, that¡¯s a very misleading way of phrasing my sentence. ¡°Miss Erin, here!¡± Cal called out and tossed his sword to Erin before he even finished his sentence. His foolishness immediately incurred a p to the back of his head from Selene. Dumb fuck! At least give me two seconds to respond, you idiot! p him harder, Selene. Erin lurched forward in a hurry to catch the sword. At the same time, she flung therge Core in her hands to the two. ¡°Catch it!¡± There was no way she could wield a sword efficiently with such a load on her. She could hold on to it with her tail but she wasn¡¯t confident she could adjust to the new change of weight that quickly¡ª no, it was more like she was certain the extra weight would throw off her bnce in swinging a sword. Although Erin was good with a sword, even with throwing one, throwing an object that didn¡¯t even have the slight resemnce to a sword was entirely out of her bounds. Thus, she put too much strength in that throw and it went over Cal who was reaching out to catch it. But Erin wasn¡¯t worried. Before the Core wentpletely over her aim, the Core miraculously drooped down onto the bundle. Cal and Selene watched with dumbfounded expressions but Erin whispered her thanks to Aedan. Her shout of ¡°Catch it!¡± wasn¡¯t meant for Cal or Selene, it was meant for Aedan. ¡°Keep running and don¡¯t stop!¡± Erin yelled out to Aedan who was already picking up his pace before her lips were even opened. I can¡¯t tell if he¡¯s a prick or just misunderstood. Maybe both. Erin slid to a stop and made a sharp turn around to face the Rot-rats. She cast Appraisal on the threerger than normal Rot-rats which lunged at her as soon as they were in range. They¡¯re just level eight. The only skills they have is Brethren Call. And they are¡ª Soldier variants? Is that why they arerger and faster? Their status reads, Provoked. Provoked by me? Really? I¡¯m really the cause after all? Well, not that it matters much now. Erin thrust the sword at the Rot-rat in the middle. She felt some strong resistance in her stab but nothing that she couldn¡¯t ovee. She held the other two off by batting them away with her tails. [Experience gained +4%] Four? Only four? Oi. Isn¡¯t this evolution protracting my growth rate by a lot? Even with theints swirling in her mind, her hands did not stop moving. She reined her sword in andshed out at the second Rot-rat which tried to nk her. The de caught its throat cleanly across. [Experience gained +4%] Without minding the meagre experience she was getting, Erin brought the sword around and decapitated thest Soldier-variant Rot-rat. [Experience gained +4% - Level Progression: 47%] Hmm. The boy¡¯s taking good care of his sword. Erin examined the de which looked finely sharpened and cleaned on a regr basis. It was something she didn¡¯t expect from a scatterbrained like Cal. While she was enamored by the state of the sword, her nce shifted to the movements in the distance which caught her attention. Oh my lord. Erin gasped at the swarm of Rot-rats scurrying at her way. It wasn¡¯t massive like she had expected but it was still a number that she didn¡¯t dare to go against at her current level. She estimated there were about thirty or so of these critters. Right at the front of the swarm were approximately seven Rot-rats of the Soldier-variant. She wanted to run but she wasn¡¯t sure if the small horde wouldn¡¯t just follow her out of the forest. She understood the behavior of the monsters to some degree through her own perception. The monsters always kept themselves inside the forest. They rarely wandered out to the main roads for some reason. But in the end, those were just her own assumptions. If she was wrong, she would be causing a huge casualty by leading this monster train back to town. As Erin directed her focus on curbing this monster train, her attention was robbed by a familiar scent but the familiarity only made her raise her guard. It was the scent of her stalker from just this morning who followed her deep into the forest. He still hadn¡¯t given up? At the same moment, Erin picked up another awfully familiar scent, one that she had been anticipating to pick up at any time now. From the dense growth of trees to her right, an Elven girl who bore the same height as her emerged. ¡°Nivia?¡± Erin greeted with uncertainty. The Elf had a rumpled look and her eyes spelled distress. She took a quick look at her Appraisal. Nivia¡¯s status had the ailments, Distress and Moderate Exhaustion. Erin also took this opportunity to peek at her abilities, which were; fifteen in Might, twenty two in Arcane, and twenty in Finesse. And she had a Combat Art named, Body Strengthening which was level three. ¡°Erin, I finally found you!¡± Nivia immediately leaped at Erin and threw her arms around her, pulling the Fox-kin into an embrace. ¡°I thought you were dead! Thank the Spirits, you¡¯re not.¡± Wow. Do you have that little faith in me? And were you following me? If so, you have done a very good job at it. I didn¡¯t even notice. ¡°Are you alright? Are you fine? Are you hurt?¡± Nivia asked in a quick sequence on the second after she parted herself from the embrace. Then, her eyes widened. ¡°Your tails! There are three? How?¡± ¡°I evolved, that¡¯s how.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why? How can you be so nonchnt about it!?¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Erin canted her head. ¡°Because Faerie-kin do not evolve, that¡¯s why!¡± Oh. I see. So this is unnatural. Great. I¡¯m not even surprised anymore and more attention to me... ¡°Anyways, never mind about my tails. What were you asking about just now? Why wouldn¡¯t I be fine?¡± Erin narrowed her eyes. ¡°Were you following me?¡± ¡°No, you got it all wrong!¡± Nivia immediately refuted. ¡±I didn¡¯t follow you but I went looking for you when you didn¡¯te at the appointed time. I even went up to Kane to ask about you. He avoided my question and feigned ignorance but after I threatened him with the parting of his manhood, he admitted that he sent one of his men to spy on you. I got so worried that I came looking for you without having lunch.¡± I see. So that stalker is working for Kane¡ª wait, what? You threatened him with what now? Before Erin could rify some of the things Nivia said, her pupils shrunk into the distance. ¡°Erin, what did you do?¡± Only then, Erin remembered about the swarm of Rot-rats. ¡°Oh, that? They areing for revenge on me for ughtering their family, I guess?¡± ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s all you did? They don¡¯te at a person in a swarm just because of that. Otherwise, every adventurer would be swarmed by now.¡± Huh, that¡¯s a fair point. So why me? ¡°Whatever reason it is, we should run.¡± Nivia suggested. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Erin asked. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t they just follow us back to town?¡± ¡°Not possible.¡± Nivia¡¯s answer was instant. ¡°They rarely leave their habitat and if they do, they would never leave the forest unless some external forcepels them to.¡± ¡°Such as?¡± Nivia grabbed on to Erin¡¯s wrist and easily tossed her onto her back. ¡°I¡¯ll exinter.¡± ¡°Wai¡ª!!¡± Before Erin¡¯s astonishment was even fully registered in her mind, she was plunged into another string of stupefaction as Nivia dashed down the river at a speed that easily rivaled a horse. Her appraisal told her that Nivia used some type of Wind Magic spell known as Wind Surge. Erin couldn¡¯t even shout out her dissent as the opposing wind drowned out her voice. Despite that, Erin did not miss the faint envious mutterings of Nivia in regards to her chest which turned out to berger than Nivia¡¯s expectations. Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Three-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 10 | Status: Mildly Exhausted Might: 19 | Arcane: 15 | Finesse: 14 Magic Arts - Spirit Magic Lv. 6 | Arcane Edge Lv. 2 | Arcane Armor Lv. 5 Combat Arts - Sword Art Lv. 6 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 4 Innate Skills - Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 1 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex Unique Talent - Mystic de Lv. Ex Level Progression: 47% Remaining Skill Points: 2 Remaining Ability Points: 2 1-24 Furtive 1-24 Furtive Erin and Nivia arrived at the main road without any difficulties. As Nivia had imed, the Rot-rats pulled back their pursuit a mile before the main road came into sight. It was just an inkling but from what Erin saw, the Rot-rats retreated as they were yanked back by some leash. To this phenomenon, Erin suspected there was somethingpelling the monsters to stay inside the forest much like there was an external force needed topel the monsters to leave the forest. Is there some kind of huge spell cast on the whole forest? I should look up this topic if I get a chance to visit the bookstore again. When Erin ryed her thoughts to the Elf, Nivia took the self-presumed opportunity to impress Erin by unting her knowledge of the ¡°external force theory¡±. While Nivia lost herself in that delusion, Erin¡¯s mind was lured by a rtively minute detail. Nivia Willowde - Faerie-kin: Elf Level: 17 | Status: Disquiet | Moderate Exhaustion Might: 15 | Arcane: 22 | Finesse: 20 Magic Arts - Wind Magic Lv. 5 | Light Magic Lv. 5 | Spirit Magic Lv. 5 Combat Arts - Dual de Art Lv. 4 | Body Strengthening Lv. 3 | Bow Art Lv. 2 The appraisal result of Nivia did not state anywhere that she possessed the Appraisal skill. Erin remembered Nivia was able to discern the Core belonged to a Goblin when her eye color changed to cyan. Erin presumed that to be the side-effect of Appraisal but that didn¡¯t seem to be the case. Though Erin was truly curious as to this peculiar matter, she couldn¡¯t exactly focus on any topic at present. Not when there was a dire issue currently at hand. Why am I still being carried by Nivia?! Erin would have been fine if Nivia merely carried her until the main road but she insisted on carrying her all the way to the town. ¡°Even if you looked fine, I refuse to believe you arepletely fine in essence. Therefore, allow me to carry you until we reach absolute safety.¡± This was Nivia¡¯s reasoning but Erin wasn¡¯t so convinced considering Nivia was muttering darkly on a repeat of the words. ¡°soft¡± and ¡°big¡± all the while carrying her. Erin had never felt so humiliated in her life ever since she attained the title of Sword Saint. Although Erin epted the fact she was now in a woman¡¯s body, her mind for the most part was still holding on to the principles of men. It was an utter embarrassment for her to be carried by an Elven female. Of course, Erin did not just hang idly and let herself be carried. She had put up some struggle against the persistent Elf but ultimately, Erin lost the scuffle and resorted to be carried. Though Erin had the higher number in Might, Nivia overcame that disadvantage with her Body Strengthening and Wind Magic. Another peculiar thing Erin realized was that Nivia¡¯s Spirit Magic, Wind Magic, and Light Magic were all level five and these three were her highest level skills. Her Dual de Art was only level four. Erin thought Nivia, who was level seventeen, would possess tremendous values in her stats but it was only slightly better than hers. Am I really special after all even among the Faerie-kin? No, that can¡¯t be. Having a good start does not denote one¡¯s superiority. Aside from her ancient bloodline, Erin surmised that her superior initial stats were remnants of her former abilities. It had indeed helped her through the various predicaments she encountered that would otherwise spell her demise. Although, her concurrent growth rate was substantially impeded. Erin couldn¡¯t help but put the unfounded me on her evolution but she hoped she was wrong and she just needed to find stronger monsters to hunt. Though if it was thetter reason, it was still a case of easier said than done. She couldn¡¯t exactly just wander into the inneryers with only this much preparation. From what she read in the handbook, the forest couldn¡¯t be said to be big but it was still of a considerable size. It would take at least a day to reach the deepest parts of the forest. If one wished to venture into such depths, the main consideration in the preparation would be provisions. The second concern would be to find the right teammates. Even a fool would know better than to tread into the deepestyers withoutpany. Third, there was the matter with baggage carrying. Baggage includes provisions, tools, weapons, medicines, potions, andst but not least, spoils of the hunt, which was essentially the yield of the excursion. On a minor note, unless the party encountered a river or a just a small pond on the way, cleaning up one¡¯s body wasn¡¯t even a consideration or a possibility in the excursion. As Argon Raze, Erin didn¡¯t even mind if she had gone through a week without bathing but now she wasn¡¯t just a woman but also a Fox-kin. She saw how bogging her tail became just from going through half a day in the forest without washing. She didn¡¯t even want to know what it would be like with a week¡¯s worth. In the end, I guess I really do need to form a party if I wished to tread deeper. Apetent and versatile one. Erin let out a disheartened sigh. After only a short while on the main road, the town¡¯s gate finally came into view. It wasn¡¯t bustling with people like Erin had expected but when she gave it some pondering, it was only a matter of course. Merchants who passed by were fewer than few and majority of the adventurers were out on excursions around this time. Speaking of the adventurers, I hope I didn''t cause any coteral. It would be a lie if Erin said she didn¡¯t feel a tad guilty and slightly worried about the adventurers who could have ran into the swarm of Rot-rats. She had even expressed this concern to Nivia on their way back but Nivia dispelled her worries by assuring she wouldn¡¯t be med for causing a monster train. In fact, such a phenomenon was even encouraged by The Guild as it prepared the adventurers for thetter parts down the line of the adventuring business. ¡°If they did take action against you, they would be obligated to do the same to the ny-five percent of all adventurers in the world. As a matter of fact, an adventurer who had never cause a monster train before is often called a liar or a craven. However, it will be a different story if someone causes a monster train with the intent to inflict harm on others.¡± While it didn¡¯t set aside all of her worries, Erin was at least relieved to know that she hadn¡¯t done something illegal by The Guild¡¯sw. As they came into the sight of many people as they neared the gate, Erin jostled Nivia to put her down which the Elf reluctantlyplied. Although Nivia relented her hold, her gaze was still firmly attached to Nivia. The passers-by were only giving warm looks at the two of them instead of finding it demeaning like Erin had imagined. In the eyes of others, the scene was nothing more than a friend helping another friend in need. What¡¯s more, it was a matter between two women. It was all the more wee to their sights. But it went without saying it would cause quite a contention if Erin had the appearance of her past self. Be that as it may, it still put a wound to Erin¡¯s pride. There were questioning gazes mixed among the warm looks but those were direct at Erin¡¯s tails. They must be wondering about the numbers as quite a lot of them remember Erin only had one tail, not three. Nivia was surprisingly one of those ¡°questioning gazes¡± but her curiosity was slightly different than the others. Erin felt like the Elf¡¯s gaze would eventually bore a hole into her tails if she tried harder. Her unhealthy tendency is just getting worse. At least she¡¯s able to put on a facade for the public. But what can be done about this? As Erin brood over the dismal providence of her rtionship with Nivia, her attention was switched out with another matter. ¡°Miss Erin!¡± A young adventurer with an enthusiastic voice ran up to Erin from the entrance gate. ¡°Cal?¡± ¡°Thank the gods, you¡¯re alive.¡± Cal¡¯s eyes were glittering at her. Although the young boy¡¯s words were somewhat discourteous, Erin understood his concerns. ¡°Of course I am. It¡¯s just a monster train. There¡¯s no reason for the melodrama. Thanks for this,¡± Erin expressed her gratitude and returned his sword. Cal received it with a befuddled gaze. Erin was sure that he would have taken a whiff of his sword if Erin turned away and there was nobody else present. ¡°See? I told you a Faerie-kin like her would be safe,¡± Selene responded to herpanion¡¯s antics. ¡°Besides, Nivia probably wouldn¡¯t let any harm befall on the only other Faerie-kin in this town.¡± Erin was mildly shock to hear that. It seemed that the town might had an idea on Nivia¡¯s ¡°hidden¡± side but most likely no one dared to utter it out in public. Nivia tapped on Erin¡¯s shoulders. ¡°They don¡¯t look surprised at your tails,¡± Nivia whispered. She had been pestering Erin for answers regarding the extra numbers but even Erin herself held not a notion of this development. It was settled with a ¡°let¡¯s figure it out togetherter!¡± by Nivia. ¡°Good. Now, can we move?¡± asked Aedan who was just sitting on the ground by the entrance gate. The bundle of logsy just beside him, still wrapped in the Magic chains. The passers-by gave barely a nce towards his way. Hmm. Seems like this was nothing umon for the town. Well, Aedan had been living here for more than ten years now. Erin was pleased to see that the Dire Wolf¡¯s core was still wrapped in the cloth, resting safely atop of the logs. Her trust in Aedan¡¯s discretion had not been misced despite his periodically uncouth manners. Aedan pushed himself off the ground and patted the dirt off of his rear. ¡°Here,¡± he muttered inly as he flung the Core back into Erin¡¯s hands with just a flick of his fingers. Cal quickly stepped aside to avoid being crushed by the iing projectile. Although Erin received the throw without breaking a sweat, the level three Cal would have been ttened by such a weighting at that speed. Even so, Cal¡¯s eyes were still on Erin. Instead, Selene was the one shooting an incensed re at Aedan which the Dragon-kin in disguise merely shrugged it off. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± asked Nivia. Erin canted her head in confusion. She was able to appraise the Core through the cloth but Nivia¡¯s appraisal-esque skill didn¡¯t seem to possess the same function. Whatever she used, it¡¯s definitely not Appraisal but something simr. Question is, what? Erin could have just asked but in doing so, it would be revealed she had Appraisal. Considering it was a skill that pretty much invades others'' privacy, she didn¡¯t think it was a good idea to reveal she had such a skill. Wait¡­ if I can appraise the Core through the cloth, what about Aedan? Can his Appraisal skill also circumvent the cloth? He¡¯s keeping quiet but that¡¯s not any indication. Damn it! This is so frustrating. Of all the people I can¡¯t appraise, it had to be the one person I wished to know the most about. Refusing to ept the unfavorable state of affairs, Erin cast Appraisal in session on Aedan but her efforts were fruitless. Hmm. If I can¡¯t appraise you, but what about your Magic? Thinking so, Erin cast Appraisal on the magical chains constricting the logs. Oh? It worked¡ª sort of? But that¡¯s still something! The only thing that was remotely readable in the Appraisal result was the name and a part of the details. The spell was called Mystic Chains. It was not a Magic Art itself but a spell under a Magic Art known as Abyss Magic. Abyss Magic? To her question, an exnation appeared in her head. [Abyss Magic - One of the few known dark-type Magic Arts which draws power from the Nether Realm. The limits of this Magic Art has yet to be determined.] Okay, that¡¯s very ominous to know. Is he some sort of Dark Dragon or something. Damn it, why can¡¯t I appraise him? Erin tried to appraise Aedan again but to no avail, only his name and races were revealed. Unbeknownst to Erin herself, she was staring quite intensely at Aedan. ¡°It¡¯s rude to stare, Miss Fox,¡± Aedain said, dryly. Erin reeled her attention back in upon Aedan¡¯s remark. It was hard for her to retort considering his remark was veracious and she was truly staring at him without blinking. No matter how one sliced it, it waspletely her fault. Before Erin could even utter her apologies, Cal was a step ahead with his tactless antics. ¡°Do you perhaps fancy Mister Aedan, Miss Erin?¡± Selene immediately smacked the back of Cal¡¯s head hard but it was a useless gesture as the arrow had already been released from the bow. While Erin wasing up with an exnation, Aedan¡¯s rigid chuckle interrupted her thoughts. Do you find this amusing?! You¡¯re in this misunderstanding too, you dunce! ¡°Though it may sound incredibly preposterous, I do wonder if that is the matter of fact.¡± Nivia chimed in before Erin could even have the chance to plead for her innocence. Of course that is not the matter of fact, you fool of an Elf! As if fate wasn¡¯t done with its jape at Erin, an unexpected individual was thrown into the mix of this spiraling misunderstanding. ¡°Is that true, Erin?¡± asked a voice filled with disbelief and dismay. Erin spun her head to the voice. ¡°Lyra?¡± she gasped. It was at this moment Erin understood her ears and nose were just as useless as her eyes if she didn¡¯t make good use of them. She picked up Lyra¡¯s scent but with the misunderstanding developing at an absurd rate, Lyra¡¯s scent didn¡¯t tally in her mind until it was toote. Going by Lyra¡¯s begrimed attire and ruffled hair, it was obvious she had just returned from her hunt. Erin could smell the fragrance of the herbs she collected with a small sack and tied to her waist. Much like Erin, Lyra also received a herb-collecting quest as a front for her Goblin investigation task but from what Erin remembered Lyra had told her during the night prior in the middle of their ¡°session¡±, her quest location was in the outer areas of the forest. Erin was a little concerned about Lyra¡¯s state that didn¡¯t go well with her wintry expression. Apologizing for being intrusive in her heart, Erin appraised Lyra. Lyra - Human: Westerion Level: 8 | Status: Moderately Exhausted | Withdrawal (Mild) Might: 10 | Arcane: 6 | Finesse: 15 Magic Arts - Wind Magic Lv. 1 Combat Arts - Bow Art Lv. 4 | Fleet Foot Lv. 3 | Brawler Lv. 2 | Sword Art Lv. 1 Innate Skills - Eagle Eye Lv. 2 Erin didn¡¯t know what a Westerion was but she guessed it must be an ethnicity. To her amazement, Lyra had advanced to level eight and even more surprising, Lyra had Wind Magic albeit of only level one. What¡¯s Eagle Eye? That sounds¡ª wait. What¡¯s with her status? Withdrawal? Mild? ¡°A-are you alright?¡± Erin asked worriedly. Instead of a reply, Lyra walked briskly up to Erin. ¡°Is it true?¡± she asked again. Nivia was about to intercede but Erin gestured for the Elf to rest assured. Perhaps also sensing the unusual state of Lyra, Nivia prudently took a step back which surprised Erin with her capacity for tact andpassion. ¡°Answer me¡­ please.¡± Lyra was beginning to beg. ¡°No,¡± Erin answered earnestly. ¡°Of course not. It¡¯s Aedan here we¡¯re talking about. I¡¯m hurt that you would even think of considering that as the truth.¡± I¡¯m sorry, Aedan but please the scapegoat for now. And it¡¯s not like you don¡¯t deserve some of this jab. Cal and Selene winced, as if they were the one being belittled. But for the person-in-question himself, Aedan merely shrugged and beckoned the two greenhorn over to leave the three to their own devices. ¡°Truly?¡± Lyra raised an eyebrow. ¡°What¡¯s with you, Lyra? You¡¯re acting so¡­ deprived.¡± Erin knew why Lyra was upset but she didn¡¯t know what caused the reason. ¡°Come with me.¡± Lyra said and forcefully took Erin by her hand and dragged her along. Before Nivia could move to intervene, a loud and obnoxious voice swept over the group. ¡°There you are! You impudent bitch!¡± 1-25 Withdrawal 1-25 Withdrawal Bald, scarred, and a pair of eyes that deems everyone in his sight as inferior to himself. A man with a demeanor that spelled crude and brusque. It was none other than Kane himself but only this time, he wasn¡¯t alone. Just behind him, cast in his meagre and vain shadow, stood two men of simr bearing. Erin did not need to smell their scent to know they were of the same flock. Cal and Selene immediately backed away from the unruly bunch until their steps reached the edge of the main road. Aedan on the other hand was as phlegmatic as ever but the faint crease in his brows did not go under Erin¡¯s notice. Even Aedan is irked. Kane really is a piece of work. The passers-by were circumventing their path, avoiding the brewing conflict. Although, some did halt in their tracks and decided to feast on the impendingmotion, either out of curiosity or caution. Nevertheless, not a pair of eyes held any amiability towards Kane and his cohorts as this was the general consensus of the town¡¯s view towards them. Despite the growing audience, the road was not hindered but if the time of day had been dusk or dawn, thismotion would have clogged the traffic. Does this person not have the slightest regard over anything or anyone else other than himself. ¡°And just who is this impudent bitch you are referring to?¡± asked Lyra who had put herself between Erin and Kane before the Fox-kin herself could. ¡°Back off, you invert of a whore!¡± Kane shouted with a finger pointed right at Lyra. ¡°This does not concern you!¡± ¡°I¡¯m an invert but I am no whore, you foul ruffian. Mind your tongue or I¡¯ll carve it out and feed it to the Rot-rats.¡± Kane guffawed at Lyra¡¯s response and his cohorts followed in tandem. ¡°Do you have a hole in your brain, you wench? You, a level seven? Against me, a level eleven. You¡¯re nothing but an upstart who thinks her skills are worth jack. Now, back off or I have at you along with that Vixen and her long-eared friend.¡± Lyra spared no more words and skulkingly went for her hidden knife. Erin pulled Lyra back before she could escte the situation with impetuous temperament. ¡°And what business do you have with us for you to address us in such a vulgar manner, Kane?¡± ¡°Do you take me for an idiot?¡± I do. Erin held herself back from such a retort. ¡°Where¡¯s Mercer?¡± he asked with a snarl. ¡°What have you done to him?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid I do not know anyone who goes by the name, Mercer.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me!¡± Kane took a step forward but Erin did not even retreat a single step. She stood resolutely against the scarred man. Her superior height helped in asserting her edge in their sh. ¡°Why do you assume I have something to do with him?¡± ¡°Because¡ª¡± Kane wavered in his sentence. Seeing his stuttering reaction, Erin took a whiff. So this is what fear smells like. Erin referenced the scent she picked up to the small disyed window beside Kane that read; Distressed. He¡¯s anxious, I see. Is Mercer perhaps the one he sent to tail me? I guessed that is a cause for his distress since he spilled it to Nivia? ¡°Never mind that, bitch,¡± Kane spatted. ¡°Is he still alive?¡± Hmm¡­ If Mercer¡¯s alive, his ill-intent deed would be exposed but it¡¯s a shame I do not know of his fate. There was the Rot-rat swarm. If he¡¯s on my tail, figuratively speaking, then his chances are not looking favorable. ¡°Now now, Mister Kane,¡± Nivia spoke up. ¡°Why do you think that Erin here would have any notion of your friend¡¯s fate?¡± ¡°You dare to ask me!?¡± Kane roared. ¡°You think I won¡¯t expose your coercion towards me?¡± ¡°Coercion, me?¡± Nivia tittered. ¡°That sounds like your quirk, not mine or anyone else¡¯s in this town.¡± The surrounding gallery raised a series of stifledughter, drawing the red of blood to Kane¡¯s face. Faced with chagrin, his hand went for his sword. Hisckeys shadowed his action. ¡°Oh my. That¡¯s a very mature response you have there, Mister Kane,¡± while saying so, Nivia too had her hands at the ready on her swords. Whoa whoa whoa! Can you all just loosen up for a moment!? Put your goddamn hands away from your swords! Along with her consternation, her tails wagged rigidly like a poorly nted pole. Erin struggled to ay the conundrum but to no avail. She tried to reason with Nivia but she merely replied with a smile that didn¡¯t reach her eyes. Lyra wasn¡¯t even looking at her way when Erin entreated her. Erin didn¡¯t wish to join in the impending scuffle but it didn¡¯t seem like there were any other course of action if she wanted to cease the bind. Cease what fucking bind!? I don¡¯t even have a sword! Just as this realization dawned upon Erin, the situation was instantly cate at the voice of the most unassuming person within the brewing conflict. ¡°Just so the lot of you are aware, I don¡¯t care about any of you but to whoever feels daring enough to draw their sword, they will know the magnificent view behind bars.¡± It was Aedan who spoke up in a prevailing tone, silencing the gallery. ¡°I¡¯m sure none of you here need to be reminded of who my father is and how many town rules you fellows have broken.¡± ¡°Nobody is allowed to interfere with the affairs between adventurers, Dwarrow.¡± Kane shifted his hostility to Aedan. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong but that¡¯s only if no coteral is involved. If it¡¯s a duel, that¡¯s fine but this ain¡¯t a duel. This is an all out melee. Do you think it will still be just an adventurer''s affairs when the lot of you are done killing each other? Do you?¡± Against the re Aedan showed and the promations he uttered, Kane failed to find any retorts. Aedan shifted his gaze to the female troupe of themotion. His eyes were gauging for their reaction. Erin, who knew his true identity, felt her own throat parching from his gaze alone. He was strong, she realized. He was no ornament. His strength was real. However, Erin felt no fear, only anticipation and expectations. The first to be conciliated was Nivia and followed by Lyra. Eventually, Kane and his cohorts also stood down from their animosity. After a frightening overawed re from Aedan, the gallery began to disperse and went about their lives and routine. ¡°For fuck¡¯s sake, you lot aren¡¯t some random street thugs or southern mecernaries. You¡¯re adventurers, so act like one.¡± Aedan, the shortest person among themotion managed to quell the stew and gave those who were involved a stern reminder of their positions. He heaved exasperatedly. ¡°Nowe on, you two. Let¡¯s not waste anymore time with this petty squabble,¡± Aedan said and left the scene while carrying the logs with his Kinesis Magic. Cal and Selene bade their farewells and trailed closely behind Aedan. ¡°Petty squabbles all right,¡± Lyra remarked. ¡°Enough,¡± Erin reproached her. She then turned to Kane. ¡°Whatever is it that you think I have done ormitted, we¡¯re all adventurers here like Aedan had so kindly reminded us. So if you have anyints or usations, I¡¯m sure the Guild Officials would happily and obligately lend an ear.¡± Left without room for any retorts, Kane retreated with his cohorts after a verbal click of his tongue. His mutterings of promised vengeance did not go past Erin¡¯s hearing nor Nivia¡¯s. ¡°What was that about?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°Kane sent someone to follow me,¡± Erin answered. ¡°What?¡± Lyra blurted out in disbelief. ¡°And judging by his reaction, I don¡¯t think tailing me was the only order he gave.¡± ¡°And you didn¡¯t question the one who followed you?¡± ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t meet him. I just know he was following me. Nivia was the one who told me. Like what Kane said, she ¡°coerced¡± him into telling her.¡± Lyra nced dubiously at Nivia. ¡°And why would you approach Kane in the first ce?¡± Nivia¡¯s expression turned smug. ¡°Because Erin and I had an appointment. She waste and I went about asking anyone who had seen her. I stumbled upon Kane and his men. They were acting very suspicious. So, I went up and talked to him.¡± ¡°I see¡­ an appointment...¡± Lyra muttered darkly. ¡°Lyra, the appointment is just Magic lessons with Nivia. It¡¯s not what you think,¡± Erin exined. Immediately after, she felt weird on having to exin. It felt like she was caught having an affair and was trying toe up with an excuse for her partner. Lyra sighed. ¡°Fine then.¡± She distanced herself from Erin. ¡°Go have fun with your new friend.¡± ¡°L-Lyra?¡± Erin looked worriedly at her and her status that still had Withdrawal written on it. ¡°Like I said, it¡¯s not¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay if you don¡¯te back tonight. After all, I¡¯m just someone who overstepped her boundaries.¡± Lyra said and began to walk away. She was hugging her right arm as she tottered away. Erin tried to stop her but Nivia tugged at her arm. ¡°Let go, Nivia. I have to¡ª¡± ¡°No you don¡¯t, Erin. Let her be. Whatever she¡¯s going through, it seems like you¡¯re causing it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the cause?¡± A vein popped on to Erin¡¯s forehead. ¡°I don¡¯t enjoy being mocked, Nivia. How would you even know that.¡± Nivia tapped her temple, gesturing at her eyes which were now cyan. ¡°Spirit Magic, dear Erin. Although I can tell you are the cause, I do not think for even a second that it was deliberate.¡± Erin wanted to retort but epiphany struck. Withdrawal¡­ and I¡¯m the cause. Which means¡­ In her mind, she nced horrifyingly at Innate Skill row, at the column that read; Lust Deviant. No doubt it. It¡¯s definitely this. She¡¯s experiencing withdrawal just from not copting for not even a day? Damn it, why didn¡¯t I appraise the Withdrawal status? I am a fucking idiot. ¡°If I¡¯m the cause, that¡¯s all the more reason I have to help.¡± ¡°She¡¯s an adventurer and she¡¯s an adult. If she feels sick, The Guild has the facilities for that.¡± ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°Erin, you are not her mother or her guardian.¡± Nivia smiled dryly. ¡°And if you truly are the cause, distancing yourself away from her would be more beneficial.¡± It was cruel to abandon a friend in need but Nivia¡¯s words alleviated some of Erin¡¯s worries, though it was spoken with hidden intentions, it didn¡¯t deny that her words held some sense. It wasn¡¯t as if Erin was the only one who could help Lyra with her Spirit Magic. The Guild had the facilities like Nivia said. Right now, Erin needed to distance herself from Lyra if she wished for the Withdrawal status to subside. I cannot sleep with her tonight. Then I¡¯ll have to find my own amodations for tonight. What¡¯s more, Erin didn¡¯t believe that Lyra wouldn¡¯t seek help if her situation became dire. She may be rash but one needed to have some degree of level-heading to be an archer. Erin prayed in her heart to whichever god was listening for Lyra¡¯s good health. **** ¡°This is real...¡± Geron murmured as he stared right at the coconut-sized Monster Core ced on his desk before him. ¡°Yes, sir. It¡¯s real. We have confirmed it thrice,¡± responded Sam. Erin, who received a scrutinizing nce from the Guild Master, smiled wryly in return. Alone in the office with only Sam and the Guild Master, Erin had a hard time not to just go cowering in a corner. She couldn''t understand why she had such a feeling when she had experience worse. She wished Nivia had apanied her but the Guild Master wished to speak to her and her alone. Apparently, Sam wasn''t in the headcount but Erin was in no position toin. Taking off his spectacles, Geron heaved out a loud sigh as he rubbed his temple. ¡°This is absurd. The lowest level of Direwolves is ten. With a Core of this size, it must have been at least fifteen.¡± Fifteen? It¡¯s fourteen though? And that spectacles, it seems to have a spell named, Item Appraisal enchanted on it. ¡°It¡¯s fourteen, actually,¡± Sam corrected. ¡°Fourteen?¡± Geron¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Not possible.¡± ¡°But it is, sir. We even checked the scale itself. It belonged to a Direwolf of level fourteen.¡± ¡°Direwolves don¡¯t grow this big even if they are level fifteen, let alone fourteen.¡± ¡°I have something to say about that, Mister Geron,¡± Erin chimed in. Geron gestured for the Fox-kin to continue. ¡°I could be mistaken but it was under the influence or control of some entity.¡± ¡°On what grounds do you base your statement on?¡± Faced with a challenging reply, Erin responded calmly, ¡°no solid ground but I noticed it had a rod lodged into its forehead. It didn¡¯t fight like a monster. It fought like a person given control over a non-humanoid creature. When the Direwolf reverted to its primitive ways of fighting, it tried to pry the rod out of its forehead.¡± Geron narrowed his eyes. ¡°And do you have this¡­ item in your possession now?¡± ¡°Sadly, it was lost in the fight. I didn¡¯t do my best. I was forced to destroy it along with the Direwolf in exchange for my life.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Geron said, nodding his head ambiguously. Well, I would be dubious too if I heard such a thing under a sudden circumstance. ¡°What do you think, Miss Samira?¡± He directed his thoughts to Sam. ¡°I believe my spection is the same with you, sir. While the probability of a ¡°taming¡± rod is still a hard pill to swallow, I don¡¯t doubt that the appearance of a Direwolf variant just so happens along with the discovery of Goblin presences.¡± ¡°It could still be a coincidence but it wouldn¡¯t hurt to suppose the contrary.¡± Geron then turned to Erin. ¡°Miss Erin.¡± Erin straightened her posure. ¡°Yes, sir?¡± ¡°You did well. Even if it¡¯s proven to be nothing rted to the Goblin matters, The Guild is still thankful that you brought a peculiarity to our attention. Therefore, you have our gratitude and ourmendation. Taking down such a monster must have not been an easy task, especially if one¡¯s underprepared and under level. Keep up the good work.¡± ¡°Thank you for your praises, sir.¡± Erin bowed slightly but without putting her hand to her chest. Sam was hiding her giggles behind her hand at the sight of Erin¡¯s tails which were wagging happily. ¡°However, this won¡¯t suffice for a Star.¡± A Star¡­ what? ...Oh right, a Star. Good lord, I have forgotten all about that. ¡°I hope you can understand, Miss Erin. Faes have been known to be exceptional. Perhaps if you¡¯re human, a Star would have been a usible discussion.¡± As the former Sword Saint, Erin didn¡¯t care about anything like Stars, at least not too much. She would rather havemendation and recognition towards her sword skills than adventurer¡¯s feat. ¡°I understand, Mister Geron,¡± Erin replied without much hassle which put the two at ease. Geron cleared his throat to shift the subject. ¡°For this Core, I was told you wish to sell it to us?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Noticing the queer mood that followed promptly after her answer, Erin was prompted to ask, ¡°I can¡¯t?¡± ¡°You can but¡ª are you in the know about a group of merchant caravans that pass through Green Scar twice a year?¡± Remembering Aedan¡¯s words and his reason for being in the forest, Erin answered, ¡°yes, I am in the know. They will being to this town in a few days, right?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s either tomorrow or another morrow. The merchants can pay you more than The Guild can.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, Mister Geron. I¡¯ll just sell it to The Guild.¡± ¡°As you wish, Miss Erin.¡± While Erin was in need of money, she wasn¡¯t desperate enough to cast away her senses. The Guild¡¯s price was already an amount she was anxious about carrying it around. If that amount was doubled or even tripled, she doubted she could find a ce to store all of that money. There was no bank or any simr establishment in this small town. Without a gesture of any kind from the Guild Master himself, Sam tactfully moved to carry the Core out of the room, right after giving Erin and Geron her departure greeting. Erin took the opportunity to appraise Sam right before she left. Erin widened her eyes in surprise at the results of her appraisal. A level five body strengthening? And she¡¯s only level four? Just what kind of Guild Clerk is she? Albeit of the surprise, Erin¡¯s worries soon shifted to the Dwarrow. Left with only the Guild Master in the room, Erin began to feel a little overwhelmed from the gaze of Geron that spelled intrigued. After taking a nce at the Dwarrow with appraisal, Erin finally understood the cause of the sense of intimidation oozing out from Geron. Geron Tagrun - Mountain Tribe: Dwarrow Level: 21 | Status: None Might: 25 | Arcane: 20 | Finesse: 15 Magic Arts - Fire Magic Lv. 2 | Enchantment Lv. 3 Combat Arts - Hammer Mastery Lv. 6 | Body Strengthening Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 5 | Level twenty one... The Guild Master is really something else. I guess that¡¯s why I feel so intimidated by him but¡­ aren¡¯t his skills¡¯ level sort of low for a level twenty one? Where did he spend all his skill points? Perhaps noticing the furrowing gaze of the Fox-kin, Geron spoke out, ¡°please be at ease, Miss Erin. You have done nothing wrong.¡± I have done nothing wrong but I have done something for you to be gazing at me with such eyes. ¡°Unless of course you have done something that you think it¡¯s enough to warrant our suspicions?¡± ¡°No such thing,¡± Erin denied firmly. Geron chortled. ¡°I know. I know. It¡¯s just a jest, Miss Erin. Surely you aren¡¯t offended, yes?¡± ¡°Offended, no. Worried, yes.¡± ¡°Well then, I guess I¡¯ll just skip the ice breakers.¡± Geron cleared his throat. ¡°Do you always have three tails or was this recent?¡± Oh right, I forgot about my tails. The numbers have increased. It¡¯s only natural that he looked intrigued. ¡°It¡¯s recent. It happened just right after I leveled up from ying the Direwolf.¡± After a brief moment of silence and a sifting gaze, Geron said, ¡°I see.... Although, I was under the impression that Faerie-kin do not evolve. Perhaps it¡¯s because Fox-kin weren¡¯t born of Spirit like the other Faerie-kin.¡± ¡°I suppose that is so.¡± Erin hadn¡¯t a bull¡¯s notion of what she just heard but she went with Geron¡¯s supposition just so she could get herself out of this situation at the earliest. I should consult this with Niviater during our lessons. ¡°Well, I guess that concludes our meeting. You can collect your payment at the reception counter.¡± Geron gave an amicable smile. ¡°Now, if you have no inquiries, you may leave, Miss Erin.¡± ¡°Of course, Mister Geron,¡± Erin bowed again and quickly left the room. She let off a huge sigh as soon as the door closed. After knowing the extent of the Guild Master¡¯s ability and skills, his presence became all the more suffocating. Although his level was really daunting, Erin couldn¡¯t help but notice the discrepancy of his stats with hers. Guess I¡¯ll find out whyter. 1-26 Discrepancy 1-26 Discrepancy Lunch couldn''t be said to be satisfying, not even filling but it sated Erin¡¯s hunger at the bare minimum. Nivia knew how to cook, Erin was surprised but there was just one downside to that aspect. It wasn¡¯t that her cooking was bad, far from it. ¡°Faerie-kin generally have an adverse reaction to meat but since Fox-kin merely assimted into the Kin instead of their ancestor being born into one, I suppose your disposition for meat is understandable.¡± Yes, Nivia¡¯s dishes consisted of nothing but vegetable-variety dishes. At present, Erin and Nivia were unwinding in thetter¡¯s lodging which was the Emerald Inn, the other only two inns in the town of Green Scar. Verdant Inn wasn¡¯t spick and span but it was neither repelling to garner any harsh criticism but if Verdant Inn was put on a scale alongside Emerald Inn, the scale would tip towards thetter favourably. They started their meal with a prayer and ended it with a prayer too. It was a Faerie-kin¡¯s tradition, one that Erin was advised to take heed of by Nivia if she wished to not sully the name of all Faerie-kin. Per Erin¡¯s presumptions, Faerie-kin did have a very traditional way of living. From the prayers all the way to using leaves as the tes. Even the cutleries were made of wood. After finishing their meal and cleaning up, Nivia switched into a more casual wear right in front Erin without batting an eyelid towards the jaw-dropped Fox-kin. ¡°N-Nivia¡­ I¡¯m here, you know?¡± Erin pointed the ring fact out. ¡°We¡¯re both girls, so it¡¯s fine,¡± Nivia said. Though a woman¡¯s naked body wasn¡¯t a novelty anymore to Erin, it was still quite a challenge for the former virgin to ustom herself to what was presumably the customs of girls. Erin wasn¡¯t sure if it was actually a custom since the only women she had seen nude were Lyra and now, Nivia. However, the two didn¡¯t seem to mind baring their body for her view. Thus, Erin decided to justply with their words and conducts. If they don¡¯t mind, neither should I. Yes, that¡¯s how it should be. I¡¯m not at fault for ogling. ¡°Here,¡± Nivia said and tossed a few clothings of simr design to Erin. A light blue halter dress with an open back and a considerate slit designed solely for any races with a tail. Erin promptly changed it into the fresh clothes from her soiled and sweaty armor garbs. ¡°Now you look more like a Fae. How lovely.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Erin muttered with a faint glee. Just as she thought, she wasn¡¯t perturbed when a girlplimented her. Erin then arched an eyebrow at a word she had been dying to ask. ¡°What¡¯s a Fae?¡± ¡°Faerie-kin,¡± Nivia answered as she gathered up their dirty clothes and garbs before tossing it into a basket. ¡°Every word has its diminutive form.¡± After forcing a few extra clothes of Fae design onto the reluctant Erin as spares, Nivia began her lessons as she vetoed Erin¡¯s refusal of her charity. ¡°Well then, let us begin.¡± Nivia announced in a sophisticated tone. ¡±Before one wishes to utilize Magic, one needs to understand, what is Magic?¡± What¡¯s with your grandeur disy of hand gestures? And why are we sitting on the ground instead of the huge bed this room has? And why are there no chairs or tables? Ignoring the baffled nce from Erin, Nivia continued with her splendour. ¡°What is Magic? It is the manifestation of a concept and an idea through the usage and assistance of a mysterious and potent force known only to the world as Mana or Magic Vigor. Which led us to another question, what is Mana?¡± Nivia made a dramatic pause. Erin fought back an eyeroll. ¡°No one knows,¡± she continued after a few seconds of awkward silence had passed. ¡°It exists even before the time of our ancestors. Schrs believe Mana was a part of the primordial phase, the creation of the world. The Faiths deem Mana as a gift from the Gods. Some were even convinced Mana was an essence of their creator, a reminder that a higher power exists, even higher than the Gods we know.¡± ¡°You believe in gods?¡± Nivia grinned. ¡°Our belief in them is not a factor. They exist whether we believe in them or not.¡± I see. Gods exist in this world and it doesn¡¯t sound like just a figment of the masses¡¯ conjuration. Or, the indoctrination is just extremely well done. ¡°Us Faerie-kin, Faes, had our own beliefs. A celestial being we pray to. She is known to us as Avarossa, the Goddess of Spirit and Nature. The origin of both Spirits and Faes.¡± Convincing as it sounded, Erin was a tad skeptical. ¡°Have you met this Goddess?¡± Nivia tittered. ¡°Of course not. Faes may be long-lived, we are still mortals and no mortal could ever hope toy their eyes on a celestial being. Unless one wishes to cast away their sound mind.¡± Erin narrowed her eyes. ¡°Then how do you know she exists?¡± Nivia tittered again. ¡°She speaks through the Spirits, my dear Erin. It may not be in the speech one couldprehend but you can feel it. Her intent, her presence, her touch¡­ If you¡¯re truly devoted, it won¡¯t be queer for you to conceive the Unique Talent to hear her true voice.¡± ¡°Unique Talent...¡± Nivia peered at the mumbling Erin. ¡°Are you not familiar with that term?¡± Erin shook her head. ¡°No, I am familiar but I do not know how to obtain a Unique Talent.¡± After a brief contemtion, Nivia shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s another mystery that has eluded the brilliant minds of many schrs. There was no maxim, even among Faes. Erin was surprised to hear that. Given the existence of Appraisal, she thought nothing could ever be a mystery but it seemed even Appraisal had its own limits. ¡°Various theories, folktales, and hearsays to that subject are scattered about. However, there is a simrity point from all rumors and discussions. A Unique Talent is believed to be a reflection of one¡¯s heart. It¡¯s an expression of one¡¯s true desire.¡± One¡¯s true desire¡­ Does that mean acquiring Unique Talents is the answer in regaining my former status as the Sword Saint? Nivia watched on as Erin had an enraptured gaze towards the empty air. ¡°Pardon me, Erin. Do you mind if we get on with the lesson?¡± ¡°Ah?¡± Erin blurted out. ¡°Oh right. Please, continue.¡± Nivia put on a faint smugness on her face before continuing. ¡°In order to learn Magic, one needs the aptitude for it.¡± Erin was about to interrupt but Nivia halted her with a hand. Nivia knew what she wanted to ask. She gave Erin a knowing smile. ¡°After affirming one¡¯s own Magic aptitude, this is where the tedious partse in. One is required to sink hours and hours into a superficial and practical understanding of the Magic Art one has chosen. And it¡¯s only a matter of course, each Magic Art requires their own corresponding aptitude. As for your anticipated question, for one to discern the types of aptitudes they possess, there are currently three known ways, as we speak.¡± Oh? Three? ¡°The first way is the mostmon of all and the only option that costs gold. That is through the use of an Affinity Gem. One cane by such an item and service from The Guild. The price of ther service varies between towns and cities. The lowest known price at present is a silver.¡± That sounds expensive for people with simr financial status as me. ¡°As for the second way, it is considered to be the most foolish and daring way.¡± Foolish and daring. Erin¡¯s heart skipped a beat when she heard those words. Her tails were wagging in the rhythm of her heart. Nivia pretended like she didn¡¯t see anything. ¡°To put it simply and briefly, one gets hit by various Magic until they feel a connection.¡± Until they feel a connection? That¡¯s not foolish or daring. That sounds like someone¡¯s perverted fantasy. Nivia noticed the sourly look Erin had. ¡°I should make it clear that I did not choose that option for my case.¡± Erin shrugged in retort. ¡°As for thest but not least, this can be considered the most natural and umon of all three. Meditation.¡± Erin blinked. ¡°Natural yet umon¡­ How?¡± ¡°It¡¯s best to know only after you decided to take this path as this option can be very¡­ confusing, to say the least.¡± Although it was incredibly vague, Erin could empathize. During her time as Argon Raze, the Sword Saint, she had been asked and implored to teach or simply advise other swordsmen of considerable caliber. Even so, she had a hard time rying her knowledge. Sword art came as natural as breathing to her but the same couldn¡¯t be said for others. ¡°But I do not think you¡¯ll need an aptitude test.¡± Erin arched an eyebrow. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Because you are a Fae and Faes are instinctive beings. We are born with Magic unlike humans or Beast-kin who requires external assistance. Besides, I highly rmend that you master the Magic Arts you currently have before acquiring more. There are various instances where many, Faes included, have bit off more than they could chew, as the humans put it. Resulting in an unbnced set of skills in theirter levels.¡± ¡°I see. So, like having trouble deciding which skills to allocate your skill points into?¡± At her words, Nivia¡¯s smile disappeared and she furrowed her brows. ¡°Come again?¡± Noticing the change in mood, Erin hesitantly repeated. ¡°Like having trouble¡ª¡± ¡°No, thest part.¡± ¡°Allocate your skill points?¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Erin then exined how she gained points after gaining a level which she can spend on increasing the strength of her skills or abilities. She also didn¡¯t leave out how some actions provide experiences but of course, she avoided mentioning the actions specifically. Erin wasn¡¯t sure if Nivia would keep herposure after knowing her coitus session with Lyra from her own lips. After Erin finished her exnation, Nivia was left dazed with a distant look. ¡°Nivia?¡± Erin waved in front of the Elf. ¡°Incredible...¡± Erin had a premonition. ¡°It¡¯s that not how it is for everyone else?¡± ¡°Of course it¡¯s not!¡± She raised her voice. ¡°Oh,¡± Erin muttered. ¡°Then how do you increase your skill levels or gain experience?¡± ¡°Practice. Repeated usage. Understanding of the skill¡¯s concept and construct. For personal levels, one gains experience from taking the lives of other living beings. The essence of the fallen is drawn into the yer, empowering them. That¡¯s the concept.¡± Erin nodded her head in understanding but she wasn¡¯t any less anxious about her own peculiarity. ¡°Experiences can also be gained from various daily tasks, yes, but they are so meagre that it would take more than fifteen years just to gain a single level. And that¡¯s only counting the initial level as one. Gaining this much experience from just actions is simply unheard of.¡± Oh great. So I¡¯m even more of an anomaly than I had thought. ¡°Erin, I truly wish to not delve into your personal matters but I really have to ask due to the disparity,¡± Nivia took a deep breath. ¡°Just who are you?¡± Erin knew it was just a matter of time before someone became too interested in her to look the other way from all her antics. The time was now. She had to say something. Just anything but Erin wasn¡¯t sure if she wouldn¡¯t juste off as a lunatic if she revealed even a speck of truth. ¡°Is the reason so grave that you can¡¯t speak of it?¡± ¡°Rather than being grave, it¡¯s more on the line of being believable or not.¡± Nivia leaned forward and tangled her fingers with Erin¡¯s. ¡°We¡¯re Faes. You can tell me.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ before I tell you, have you heard of the Sword Saint?¡± ¡°Sword Saint?¡± Nivia blinked for a while before letting out a snigger, seemingly amused at her the question. Did she understand my implications and found it unbelievable? ¡°Of course I do. Unless one lives under a rock, everyone knows the Sword Saint.¡± Oh? She didn¡¯t grasp my implication. Huh, I don¡¯t know if I should feel relieved or sad. ¡°Astoria Stormedge, the Sword Saint. Everyone knows about her. Does she have something to do with your circumstances?¡± ....What? Astoria Stormedge? That¡¯s the name of the Sword Saint? Wh¡ª How¡ª Seeing Erin¡¯s stuttering gaze and gaping mouth, Nivia nced concernedly at her. ¡°Is everything alright, Erin?¡± Gulping her stammer in both speech and mind, Erin responded, ¡°the Sword Saint¡¯s name is Astoria Stormedge?¡± Nivia returned the gesture. ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± she asked. ¡°But you know of the Sword Saint, no?¡± Erin was silent for a brief moment. ¡°Then, does the name, Argon Raze, ring a bell?¡± ¡°Argon Raze¡­.¡± Even without a verbal response, Erin could already guess Nivia¡¯s answer just by looking at the Elf pondering at the name. Saying her heart had sunk would be an understatement. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it doesn¡¯t ring a bell,¡± came the expected words from Nivia. ¡°Is the Sword Saint and this... Argon Raze person rted to your circumstances?¡± ¡°Rted¡­ I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the case anymore...¡± Erin mused as her tails and ears drooped, which brought about a wave of worries for Nivia. My existence has been reced... The epiphany shattered all ties Erin had with her former world. Now, it was without a doubt. Argon Raze had died and been reincarnated as a Fox-kin girl in a parallel world. This was Evaren but it wasn¡¯t the future like she had hoped it to be. If it was the future, she could receive some closure and her former identity would still carry some weight but there was no such person as Argon Raze in this world, never had been. ¡°Erin?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry,¡± Erin apologized and got up but Niva held on to her hand. ¡°Please, I need some time alone,¡± she told the Elf. There was a frown painted on the Elf¡¯s face for a brief moment but it was quickly overwritten with an understanding smile. ¡°Of course. My apologies for intruding on a personal matter.¡± ¡°No no. You¡¯re not to me, Nivia. It¡¯s just¡­ I have a very difficult circumstance. I just need some time to gather my thoughts.¡± Nivia sped Erin¡¯s hand in both of hers. ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll be here if you need anything. In the meantime, you can rest yourself in the next room.¡± ¡°Ah? Next room? But I don¡¯t have the gold.¡± ¡°Rest assured, Erin. It¡¯ll be on my tab,¡± Nivia offered as easy as the wind blew. ¡°I appreciate your generosity, Nivia, but I¡ª¡± ¡°Please, I insist, Erin. The price is no object to me. The proprietress here is an advocate of Demi-humans. You¡¯ll find her extremely amodating towards you. Also, your sorrowful aura troubles my heart greatly. Knowing you¡¯re just by my side puts me at ease. I won¡¯t pry into your personal matters anymore until you¡¯re ready but please, ept my sympathies. As fellow Faes, this the least I can do for you by no intruding upon your privacy.¡± Although Nivvia¡¯s tone was nothing but sincere and heartfelt, her gaze suggested a different meaning to her words. Erin wanted to refuse but she didn¡¯t exactly have a ce where she could even call it a temporary residence. ¡°Well, in that case, I ept your charity but you have to heed my words; this is a debt I might not be able to repay but I have every intent to do so. I hope you understand.¡± ¡°Erin, my dear, we¡¯re not like the ungrateful humans who stabbed their benefactors in the back. We Faes help each other just because we¡¯re Faes. It¡¯s not a sense of obligations. It¡¯s just how we are.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Erin nodded. ¡°That¡¯s good to know.¡± She then walked to the door after collecting her gears and equipment. She was about to collect her armor and garbs too but Nivia insisted vehemently that she would take care of it. Her heavy breathing worried Erin greatly but she wasn¡¯t in a mood to be the straight person. Reluctantly, she left her armor and garbs in the care of the dubious Elf. ¡°And um¡­ just onest thing.¡± Nivia spoke up before Erin left the room. ¡°While the proprietress meant well, she can be, at times, quite¡­ bold.¡± Erin raised an eyebrow. ¡°Bold?¡± ¡°Just be cautious. If she does something to you or just attempts, be sure to let me know, alright?¡± Erin smiled wryly. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, Nivia,¡± she said and left the room with a solemn expression. Under normal circumstances, the connotation of the proprietress¡¯ nature would be obvious to the former virgin but her head was gued with troubles and unrest at the moment. It wasn¡¯t until the descent of the night that Erin realized just how inattentive she had been. 1-27 Mellow (R18) 1-27 Mellow (R18) ¡°Ugh¡­ What a day...¡± Erin let out as she slumped unto the furbished bed. The sheets were still warm and the fragrance of the soap were still present, soothing her nostrils and relieving her tumultuous mind. Beckon by the partially woken moon, Erin returned to her rooms after a stroll around the town. With the sum of money she received from selling the Dire Wolf¡¯s Core, she bought a few books, she dined on some fine dishes the town had to offer, she toured the mills, and she visited various other ces in the town, all to clear her head of the sudden truth that befell upon her. It came like a fist to her face. Erin had prepared to let go of her former self and lived on as Erinthea. She thought she had found her resolve. But when it became known to her that her former self had never existed in the first ce in this foreign world, it overwhelmed her. She didn¡¯t even know why it overwhelmed her. She couldn¡¯t put it into words. It should not have mattered, that was what she kept telling herself but deep down, she just couldn¡¯t ept the fact that everything that she had built up, everything that she had been through, it all became irrelevant. It was a mockery of all of her efforts and sacrifices. Worse of all, someone had taken her title. The very essence that defined her being. Someone had assumed that definition. Astoria Stormedge, the Sword Saint of this world. Even though Erin knew such a line of thought was petty, a mere result of her own warped thoughts, she just couldn¡¯t help but see the person-in-question as a thief to all of her hardships and sacrifice. It vexed her to no end. She worked so hard to obtain that title. Now, she was suddenly told that all of the blood, sweat, and tears she shed had all been nulled. In ce of all those, stood a person named Astoria Stormedge. This. Shall. Not. Stand! Erin vowed in her head as her hands scrunched up the sheets. I may be willing to cast aside my name of Argon Raze and my pride as a man, but I will never relent that title! Erin pushed herself off the bed with renewed vigor and a newfound resolve. That title is mine. I worked hard for it. I sacrificed everything. I am who I am today because of that. I am the Sword Saint. I will not let that aspect of me be disparaged or disregarded. I will get it back. I will get it all back. Erinughed in a self-ridiculing manner. Then, a knock resounded from the door. Erin took a whiff of the scent that came from beyond the door. It smelled of a woman past her prime but never lost her womanly allure. Among the scent, Erin also picked up a faint hint of carnal desire. Erin unconsciously curled her lips into a small smile. [Warning: User has entered Carnal Starvation. Lust Deviant activated] [Provisional Increment - Might: 27 | Arcane: 22 | Finesse: 21] It had been a long time. This is just something to be expected. Erin had some reservations in obeying her desires due to the side effects of Lust Deviant but in her current state which was gued with a sense of existential crisis, all of her delicacy were flushed down the drain. Like other times, she was leaving it to her future self to deal with the fallout. Right now, she just couldn¡¯t defy her lust and desire. When Erin opened the door, she was greeted by a brte woman around her thirties with a braid drooped on the front of her shoulders. She was more filled out than Nivia and Lyra, but her meat was all in the right ces, especially her chest which was the first pair to gain triumphant over Erin¡¯s. In her hands was a basket of apparels. Are those my garbs? Were all of them already washed? The woman had charms dissimr to Lyra or Nivia but her mour was no less appealing than the aforementioned two. The woman bore a look that oozed off shrewdness and overflowing maturity. Erin unconsciously gulped at such a beauty of a woman. Her body reacted like a humble maiden being exposed to sensual matters for the first time. That notion wasn¡¯t too far from the truth. Erin was still a tad green to such affairs but her current state would put veterans to shame. ¡°Good evening, Miss Erin,¡± the woman greeted with a slight bow and a hand on her bountiful chest. ¡°I¡¯m the innkeeper and also the proprietress of this establishment, Maria.¡± Fighting back the urge to just take the seasoned woman in front of her right then, Erin returned the greeting with a simr gesture. ¡°Pleasure to be of acquaintance with you, Miss Maria.¡± ¡°Oh my, Miss, am I?¡± the woman named Maria gave off a yful titter simr to Nivia. ¡°I¡¯m already forty three, Miss Erin and I¡¯m married but I don¡¯t mind if you call me Maria, Miss Erin.¡± Erin concealed her surprise with a smile at the mention of her age and marital status. ¡°Then, please call me Erin too, Maria.¡± ¡°Why thank you, Erin.¡± She tittered again. Her eyes began feasting on Erin¡¯s body, especially on her ears and tails. The mature woman made no effort to hide it. ¡°You¡¯re really as lovely as the rumor says.¡± ¡°I appreciate thepliments, Maria.¡± No matter where Erin looked, Maria resembled nothing like Nivia had pictured her to be. Her eyes showed her desires but none of assertiveness like Nivia had warned Erin about. ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± Maria smiled warmly. ¡°And here, these are yours.¡± ¡°So it is.¡± Erin received the basket. Much like the sheets, the fragrant scent of the soap was still lingering around. ¡°Did you wash all of them?¡± ¡°I did. It¡¯s part of the service. Although, Miss Nivia was the one who dried them all up. Wind Magic is pretty handy for chores.¡± Erin left the door open deliberately as she brought the basket into the room. She sneaked a glimpse over her shoulders but was met with disappointment. Maria did not even take a single step past the door. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, Miss Erin, I¡¯ll excuse myself first,¡± said Maria with a nod. She was about to leave but the despondent look from Erin got her curious. ¡°Is something the matter?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just confused.¡± Erin smiled wryly. ¡°Nivia said you were¡­ assertive.¡± ¡°Oh my, is that how she sees me?¡± She tittered. ¡°I must confess, I was sternly warned by Miss Nivia to not even tread a toe into your room.¡± ¡°Did she now?¡± Erin asked eloquently as she approached the married woman with a smile unbefitting of a maiden and a Fae. ¡°Well, she did pay for the room but¡­ it¡¯s my room.¡± ¡°Dear me, Erin. Are you flirting with this olddy here?¡± Maria returned a simr smile. ¡°You¡¯re belittling yourself, Maria. If you hadn¡¯t told me, I would have assumed you were in your early thirties.¡± Erin had no idea where she was getting her courage from but her most likely suspect was her innate skill, Lust Deviant. Or she could just be in over her head from recently graduating being a virgin. ¡°Is that so?¡± Erin stopped right in front of her, towering over the married woman. ¡°I would never lie to a beautiful woman like you.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ what should I do¡­¡± Maria mused coyly. ¡°My bed has been kinda big in the recent nights.¡± ¡°My bed¡¯s kinda big too. It feels empty. The emptiness makes me feel lonely and the night is cold.¡± ¡°Well, if you don¡¯t mind, Miss Erin.¡± Maria took a step into the room. ¡°I guess I can keep your bed filled and your night warm.¡± With an arm coiled around the married woman¡¯s ample waist, Erin pulled Maria into her room. There was no need to ask for consent, her eyes and tone had told Erin enough. She wanted this too. Erin collided her lips with the mellow woman who easily gave way to the intrusion of her tongue. As soon as Erin closed the door, Erin led their kiss to bed. Maria gave off a yelp when she felt herself thrown unto to the warm and soft sheets. Without a word of apology for startling the lushdy, Erin began nting kisses all over Maria¡¯s shoulders and neck, eliciting a series of sensual moans from the married woman. Maria¡¯s lips had a different taste than Lyra¡¯s. It wasn¡¯t as supple as hers but Maria¡¯s was just as soft and riper. Though her skin wasn¡¯t as smooth as Erin herself or Lyra, it did have a strange lulling effect when Erin felt her up all over. So this is how a mature woman tastes and feels¡­ It¡¯s really enticing. I can¡¯t get enough of this. ¡°My, how impatient,¡± Maria teased. She was quick to return the feelings and affection Erin bestowed upon her. She untied her corset all the while giving suggestive gestures and gazes to the Fox-kin. The way she stripped down to her bare skin told Erin enough of her experience and adherence to the act. Though the mellow woman imed to be in the forties, her nubile body said otherwise. Surprisingly, she was well-shaven for a woman of her age. Erin could tell she took great care of her own body, probably because she was the kind of woman who spent her time in the bare more than she was clothed. ¡°Anyone would be impatient if such a fine dish is presented before them.¡± Although Erin had been a virgin, she was used to singing praises for men and women alike, especially bachelorettes and scions. But due to her unfalteringmitment to the ways of the sword, she didn¡¯t get further beyond thepliments. Perhaps feeling the inexperience and hesitation in her movements, Maria chaffed, ¡°are you perhaps new to this, Erin?¡± ¡°What if I am?¡± Erin asked back but she didn¡¯t stop nibbling on Maria. When it came to such venereal questions, it would normally make her shirk but with Lust Deviant taking over, these sorts of matters were trivial. ¡°Then, allow me¡ª¡± ¡°No.¡± Erin stopped her. ¡°Let me.¡± She spoke it as an assurance. It was the same as dering that she would not leave her unsatisfied. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s see what you can do,¡± Maria said and entrusted her body to Erin as shey spread herself on the bed. Remembering what she did to Lyra and what was done to her, Erin applied those memories onto the voluptuous and mellow woman in front of her. She didn¡¯t just touch her like she did to Lyra, she felt her, taking in every inch of her warmth and sensation to heart. Erin discovered that if she concentrated hard enough, she could almost hear the beating of hearts. She touched Maria in ordance to her heartbeat, her moans, and the slight shrivels she made. The thought of failure did cross Erin¡¯s mind but it did not discourage her. Although she wanted to feel good too, it was her personal belief that coption was not a one-sided effort. Mutual gratification was needed if she wished to get the most out of the act. For the pair of bountiful mounds which triumphed over hers, Erin didn¡¯t just fondle them. She worshipped them. She gave them praises. She gave them the utmost care. She gave them tenderly caresses they deserved and desperate for. Erin did not leave the firmly pointed tips alone. She gave them their fill of attention. ¡°Hmm~¡± Maria moaned sultrily. ¡°Maybe I was wrong. You¡¯re not as inexperienced as I thought. You might just be the best I ever had~!!¡± Maria bit down her finger just in time to prevent a screech that threatened to shake the whole building. Unlike Verdant Inn, one expected more for Emerald Inn. People expect discretion and delicacy. Which was why, Maria was trying her damndest to not just give in to her carnal and primitive desires. After having her fill of those mountains, Erin moved to theher region of the finely-aged woman. At the same time, Erin loosed her dress and tossed it aside. She wasn¡¯t wearing any undergarments as Nivia had convinced her Faes tend to be ¡°lightly-dressed¡±. Erin didn¡¯t know how much of that was true but since the dress did not expose the sensitive parts, she didn¡¯t give it too much mind. ¡°Pretty...¡± Maria gasped at the tails which were fanned out in all of their glory. Even for an experienced woman like her, the sight made her gulp. She knew she was about to experience a night like she never had before. ¡°Prepare yourself, Maria,¡± Erin warned as she ced her lips right before her womanhood. As a response, Maria merely quivered with anticipation and nodded meekly with a lustful smile. Erin proceeded to feast on the heavenly dish presented before her. In ordance to her expectations, Maria gave off a different taste from Lyra but it was every bit as delectable. She didn¡¯t just taste her. She explored her. She ustomed the vour of a married woman to her pte. As Erin familiarized herself with Maria''s savor, the woman herself was introduced to pleasure and bliss that she had never known possible, or even existed. The Fox-kin wasn¡¯t just good with her tongue, she was divine with it. Maria was tearing the sheets and nkets from withholding her cries of ecstasy. After making the mature woman reach the peak a few more times, Erin moved to the main dish. If she was still a man, it would be the moment of insertion. But as a woman, the process was a tad different but the apanying pleasure was just as delightful, if not, even more. Until dawn, Erin and Maria gave way to their passion and desire without the slightest inhibition. The only thing being taken heed was the volume of their rapture. Other than that, they lost all restraint. [Experience gained +10% - Level Progression: 57%] Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Three-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 10 | Status: Mildly Exhausted | Carnally Relieved Might: 19 | Arcane: 15 | Finesse: 14 Magic Arts - Spirit Magic Lv. 6 | Arcane Edge Lv. 2 | Arcane Armor Lv. 5 Combat Arts - Sword Art Lv. 6 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 4 Innate Skills - Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 1 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex Unique Talent - Mystic de Lv. Ex Level Progression: 57% Remaining Skill Points: 2 Remaining Ability Points: 2 1-28 Cognizance 1-28 Cognizance His sword was broken into pieces. His armor was mangled beyond recognition. His arms were crippled to an incorrigible state. His energy was exhausted toplete depletion. He was the best swordsman the world had ever known but no more. In face of his unexpected defeat and on his knees, Argon Raze gazed solemnly at the person who turned his reality upside down. A sword forged out of Magecraft in one hand and a spear forged out obsidian in the other. The victor of the duel stood over the Sword Saint, casting a vast shadow and an impassive nce down at the renowned sword master. Argon couldn¡¯t see the face of his adversary as the person was donning a ster mask adorned with a smile. Contrary to the mask¡¯s expression, Argon knew the person wasn¡¯t smiling at all. In fact, he couldn¡¯t sense any triumphant feeling from his adversary. There was also neither anger or sadness present in the mysterious figure. Argon had always expected the one who would eventually defeat him would jump in enjoy at the eventuality but such expectations were subverted. ¡°You know, I have forgotten what it¡¯s like to lose,¡± Argon said as he started right back at those dark holes of eyes. ¡°Perhaps that¡¯s why I lost, wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡± The masked victor offered no verbal response. He merely pressed the tip of his spear on Argon¡¯s chest. Instead of pleading for mercy, Argon smiled meekly at his superior. ¡°What kind of Mage are you? You¡¯re wise with Magecraft but you¡¯re also excellent with arms. How do you even manage that?¡± The person canted his head ambiguously in retort. ¡°So, you refused to answer...¡± Argon chuckled lightly in a self-deprecating manner. ¡°You even refuse to show me your face but at the very least, may I know the name of my sessor?¡± ¡°I have no intentions of seeding you,¡± he retorted. It was a deep voice that was absent of anypassion or empathy. ¡°I know I was the one who challenged you but¡­ have we met before? I can sense some strong feelings from you.¡± Argon questioned. There was no animosity but he could tell there was history between them. He just didn¡¯t know what. ¡°Have I wronged you? I apologize if I had, truly. I know there at least thousands of people out there who wish to have my head or see my downfall.¡± ¡°Naive,¡± he said. ¡°I don¡¯t believe I¡¯m wrong.¡± ¡°All those people you fell, you haven¡¯t wronged them. The strong triumph, the weak perishes. That¡¯s how it always has been. You challenged them all on fair terms. It¡¯s their fault for losing.¡± ¡°Was I mistaken, then, in thinking that we had some history? Have I challenged aplete stranger?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have a history but I know you. I have been watching you.¡± Argon wasn¡¯t sure how to respond to such a statement. The person did not look like a fan. It would have been understandable if the contrary was the case. ¡°Then who are you?¡± Argon asked. The person kept his silence. His spear stayed firm on the surface of Argon¡¯s chest. ¡°You intend to kill me?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not ideal but¡ª¡± The person sighed. ¡°I guess you¡¯ll do.¡± ¡°Wh¡ª¡± Without waiting for a response from Argon, the person drove the spear through Argon¡¯s chest, reaping the soul and ending the legend of the Sword Saint. **** Erin lurched up from the bed like a spring was released from all of the tension. She panted uncontrobly and her eyes were widened to its limits. She nced rapidly around the room. She scoured every nook, cranny, edges, and corners. Her memories slowly fitted themselves back into ce. This is¡­ the Emerald Inn¡­ My room¡­ Ah, I remember now. She heaved off a huge sigh as she slowly recalled her current state. Her eyes trailed to her left, where Maria was sleeping soundly in bare with nothing but the sheets to cover her nubile skin. There were marks of love and violence all over her body, which Erin was responsible for. Oh wow¡­ I went at it hard, didn¡¯t I. Recalling the fervent and intense session with a woman that was pretty much twice the age of Lyra, Erin began to sink into deep contemtion of her bizarre attitude that took overst night. What the fuck was I doing... They didn¡¯t make love, Erin recalled. There was no love between them. It was just pure carnal desire that they were projecting on each other. They were like a pair of animals, giving into their raw instincts, devouring the flesh of one another and satiating each others¡¯ desires. It was almost as if Erin had truly be a deviant. She couldn¡¯t even remember thetter half of their session but she knew it had been extremely pleasurable. Although it felt good, the whole coption felt hollow. It was nothing like when she did it with Lyra. The afterglow left a hole. Is this how casual flings feel like? Just to make sure, Erin appraised Maria for any abnormal status ailment but Slumber was the only thing written on the status tab. Erin looked out the window, at the sky which was brightening but the radiance was still meagre. It¡¯s not even dawn... When the breeze from the ajar window hit, Erin was reminded that she was equally naked as well. Her own body was free of marks, she observed. Maria was assertive in her invitations but when it came to bed, she was submissive. She was aggressive but she never went beyond her pleads. She put herselfpletely at her partner¡¯s mercy. The vague memories of Maria giving into all sorts of requests Erin had of her perversions were slowly surfacing. Daring and adventurous, these two words came into Erin¡¯s mind at the recollection. Good gods¡­ what is bing of me? Knowing that wallowing in her regrets wouldn¡¯t make things better, Erin decided to start her day off earlier than she was used to. She put on her dress simply and gave some light grooming to her hair and tails. Leaving Maria in the room, Erin went downstairs and asked for some warm water from a little girl behind the counter which Erin presumed to be the receptionist. Perhaps seeing through the reason Erin asked for warm water, the girl trotted into the back with a deep blush. There were other guests at the lobby and all of them were giving the same look to Erin. After a while, the little girl returned with a small basin of warm water. Erin thanked the girl and her gratitude made the girl blushed even more. Deciding to just ignore the little maiden who was slowly falling in love with her, Erin climbed the stairs back up her floor slowly with the basin in her hands. Erin didn¡¯t need to look to know that the male troupe of the guests were staring intensely at her swaying hips and tails as she climbed the steps. She cursed those men in her heart. Once she was back in her room, she began wiping her body with a towel soaked in warm water after stripping herself bare. There was a well at the back of the inn but the sun had barely risen¡ª the water in the well was practically freezing around such time. With the warm water, Erin carefully washed her tails which were soaked in sweat and drenched in womanly fluids. There were even traces of her own saliva. She couldn¡¯t remember what she did with her own tail but the saliva traces told her enough. She could feel herself throbbing at the memory surfacing every time the faint venereal whiff trickled into her nose. Eventually, Erin finished her grooming and cleaning herself up after a fierce fight between her restraint and her lust within her mind and body. She was not looking forward to bing aroused so early in the morning. After finishing putting on her garbs and armor, she left the room with quiet steps but as a gesture of good faith, she gave a dimple on Maria¡¯s cheek and left a silver on the bedside table for her. This should clear things up between us. **** It was the wee hours of morning. Only a matter of course, The Guild was filled with adventurers queueing up in columns before the counters. It was the first time Erin had visited The Guild at this hour. There were many unfamiliar faces but their expressions told Erin that they were all in the know of her. Naturally, her presence drew all the eyes to her. With her current number of tails, the usual whispers of her became louder and more frequent. She could even hear some of the adventurers were beginning to think of ways to solicit her into their party. There were some remarks regarding her hips, rear, and chest but she ignored them and cklisted all of those in her head. The short walk from the entrance to the counter felt like a parade with all the attention on her. ¡°G-good morning, Miss Erin!¡± came the nervous greeting from a boy who trotted up to her. Needless to say, it was Cal. He was standing in a straightened posture and his eyes were practically glued to Erin. ¡°Good morning to you too, Cal.¡± Erin glimpsed around the boy. ¡°Where¡¯s Selene?¡± she asked when she noticed the absence of his partner. ¡°Oh, S-Selene?¡± he stammered. ¡°I sent her on an e-errand¡ª I mean, she went to buy the necessary tools for our excursion.¡± Please don¡¯t tell me you sent her away just so you could talk to me freely? Crafty fellow. Erin stopped herself from shaking her head in exasperation towards Cal. ¡°Here, Miss Erin.¡± Cal extended his arms with a sheathed dagger in his hands. Instantly, the curious audience raised a mor but they had the tact to keep it as quiet as possible. Erin could pick up some bloodlust among the gallery aiming at the boy. Oh¡­ this poor boy. It was obvious they were jealous but Erin wasn¡¯t nning to interfere if the boy was dragged into a back alley. He reaped what he sowed, after all. ¡°Please take it, Miss Erin.¡± His eyes gleamed. ¡°You lost your sword and you don¡¯t have a weapon now, right? So, take this as our thanks.¡± But I led the Rot-rats to you guys though? ¡°A sword would have been better but a dagger is all I can afford, for now.¡± Erin gave a cramped smile. ¡°Cal, I appreciate your intentions but I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t ept this.¡± ¡°W-why¡ª?¡± ¡°First off, the Rot-rats was my fault. Second, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t respond to your feelings.¡± ¡°F-f-feelings!? W-what are you t-t-talking about!?¡± Seemingly caught in a surprise, Cal struggled to form any coherent words. The gallery began to snicker but they shut their mouths when Erin threw a re at them. Her stiffened tails made her re all the more imposing. However, a few of the female adventurers became entranced at her daunting aura. Erin didn¡¯t want to break the boy¡¯s heart but she believed it was better to make things clear instead of dragging out an uncertainty or misunderstanding, a lesson she learned well fromst night. ¡°I¡¯m saying this for your own good, Cal. Before staring into the distance, maybe you should try looking around you. You may be able to find someone who suits you.¡± Cal was stunned at the harsh truth thrust into him. ¡°A-are y-you saying I don¡¯t deserve you?¡± he asked with a shattered expression. ¡°It¡¯s not about deserving. It¡¯s about finding the right person.¡± Of course, Erin wouldn¡¯t know this. She was just spouting lines she kept hearing from her old friends and acquaintances. ¡°I-I understand...¡± His extended arms drooped to his sides. ¡°S-sorry for bothering you,¡± he said and slowly retreated back into a corner with his hands clenched tightly on the dagger. Some harsh criticisms and reprimands came from the gallery but Erin paid them no heed and walked to the counter. After queuing for about a few minutes, it was her turn at the reception. ¡°Good morning, Miss Erin,¡± greeted the adept clerk, Sam with her usual obligatory smile. ¡°You¡¯re in good shape, better than I have ever seen you in.¡± ¡°Indeed, it is a good morning. I had an amazing night, after all.¡± Erin twisted her neck slightly, producing an audible crack of a noise for all to hear. It evoked a sigh of captivation from the female troupes but a flinch from the men. Although, there were a few men who blushed at the unseemly act from a female Fae. Erin ignored those too. ¡°I¡¯m sure you have,¡± Sam nodded with a teasing gaze. ¡°Miss Lyra is very dedicated. It almost made me believe that she seeks to perfect the arts of the bedchamber.¡± Erin smiled wryly. ¡°I beg your pardon but I wasn¡¯t with Lyra.¡± Sam¡¯s smile almost fell but being a professional, she held on. ¡°I see. Apologies for being presumptuous.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Sam gave a prying nce. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to be intrusive but is everything alright between you and Miss Lyra?¡± ¡°Curious, are we?¡± Erin returned her question with a dubious tone. ¡°Just doing my job of looking after the adventurers.¡± Although Sam tried to hide it, it was obvious she was very much taken aback by Erin¡¯s unusual demeanor. She gazed inquisitively at Erin. She was curious at what could possibly cause such a change in just one night. ¡°We¡¯re not a couple, Sam. We¡¯re just friends, albeit a little too intimate, at times.¡± ¡°I understand the nature of your rtionship with Miss Lyra. It¡¯s just that¡ª the first time I saw you, you were very¡­ dependent on her. Moreover, you looked lost.¡± ¡°I looked lost?¡± ¡°We get all kinds of adventurers here. There are quite a few who came here, looking like they have lost everything in the world. They came here seeking a new purpose. You looked like those few.¡± ¡°Well, I guess I was reliant on her,¡± Erin mused. ¡°And I was uncertain about a lot of things. Butst night¡ª I found some answers, not to all my questions but enough for me to understand what I should do.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Sam had a doubting nce. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. You just carry a different aura today. If I have to put in words, you seem more¡­ on guard.¡± ¡°As I should be, Sam. The world is a harsh ce. Things can be taken from you at moments you least expected. Or do you disagree with me?¡± ¡°My opinion is not a factor. As long as you¡¯re well, I wouldn¡¯t pursue the subject.¡± `¡°Well then, can we move on to the quest? I¡¯m kinda holding up the line here.¡± ¡°Of course, right away.¡± Though Sam couldn¡¯t gauge the reason for the change, she did notice the hints of mncholy secreting in the Fox-kin¡¯s expression. Without prying further, she handed Erin her next quest. On paper, it was a request for the hides of the Serks at a specific location but of course, that was just a front. ¡°This ce?¡± Erin muttered as she skimmed through the paper. ¡°That¡¯s quite close to the town¡¯s borders, is it not?¡± ¡°It is close,¡± Sam affirmed. ¡°Which is why we would appreciate it if you could make this your utmost priority.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do my best,¡± Erin assured her. Well, besides collecting my order at the smithy, I have nothing else for the day. I should be able to make haste. ¡°And one more thing. Justst night, we received various unconfirmed reports of some strange individual lurking around in the forest. Many adventurers imed to have called out to this person but they kept running away.¡± ¡°You sound skeptical. You don¡¯t think it¡¯s true?¡± ¡°Better to be skeptical than gullible, Miss Erin. There were many cases where adventurers made things up for various reasons. If it¡¯s nothing serious, we do not take action against it.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s how it is...¡± With her swift hands, Sam took out a nk paper from below the desk and proceeded to scribble a few words on the parchment at a speed that thrilled Erin every time she witnessed it. From her distance, Erin could make out the word ¡°copy¡± written on the paper. Sam then ced the quest paper atop of the nk paper and stamped the quest paper with a seal that Erin did not recognize. After a short second, the seal glowed and the words on the quest paper were transcribed unto the parchment below. After writing a few more lines on the copy, Sam handed Erin the paper. ¡°Quest confirmed. The objective is six hides of Serks. Time limit is dusk by today. I wish you good fortune, Miss Erin, and as always, do be careful out there.¡± Sam bade with an obligatory smile. ¡°I will,¡± Erin assured with a brief tone before turning around to make her way out of The Guild. However, her rtively good mood was quickly overturned at the appearance of a man with golden hair that practically oozed out the word ¡°libertine¡±. ¡°Why hello. Good morning to you, mdy,¡± greeted the man with a slight bow and a reached-out hand. Erin stared nkly at the man and his extended arm. She didn¡¯t know who the man was but going by his shining metal armor, it was obvious he was an adventurer. From what Erin could pick up from the peanut gallery, the man¡¯s name was Freed. He was truly a libertine. Not a day went by that he didn¡¯t attempt to court ady. However, he had little sess in this town since news and whispers traveled fast in such a small ce. Is he another ¡°Kane¡±? ¡°Am I not even worthy for a return greeting?¡± the man named Freed asked. ¡°Good morning,¡± Erin retorted dryly. ¡°Now, please excuse me. I¡¯m in a hurry.¡± Freed moved into her path. ¡°Please wait. A minute is all I ask of your time.¡± In addition to his passionate tone, there was even a trace of sincerity on his face. There was nothing but confidence painted on his expression. ¡°I have made it clear, Mister. I am busy. Please move.¡± Freedughed under his breath. ¡°Are you running away because you know you wouldn¡¯t be able to handle me?¡± he asked smugly. Erin returned a smug in kind. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s exactly why. Now that we are on the same page. Please move.¡± Faerie-kin was a proud race, everyone knew that and Freed was no exception. Although they were patient, most Tyro Faes had little tolerance towards criticism of their inability, no matter the subject. Perhaps thinking he could reel Erin in with such a crafty taunt, Freed said those words. Which was why his face fell at the unexpected eptance and rejection in tandem. As Erin tried to move past him, his hand was about to grab on to the Fox-kin¡¯s shoulder but a cold voice drifted into his ears. ¡°Touch her and you¡¯ll lose all your fingers.¡± Freed instantly turned to the source of the voice and found a female adventurer who stood at his height with magnificent thews for her biceps. ¡°L-Lyra...¡± he stuttered. 1-29 Novel 1-29 Novel Seemingly refused to be subdued by a woman, Freed reined in his poise and retorted with a smug. ¡°Why good morning to you too, Lyra,¡± he greeted with confidence but his trembling lips betrayed his efforts. ¡°Freed,¡± Lyra uttered with a hint of antipathy. ¡°What¡¯s with the enmity?¡± He shed her a grin, intending to hide his shiveringposure. ¡°Did I identally try to poach an acquaintance of yours?¡± Lyra took a step closer to Freed. ¡°You already know she¡¯s my acquaintance. Yet, you make a move. You sure have some guts or is it just a pose?¡± ¡°Now you¡¯re just being unfair, Lyra. I truly did not know but then again, I should have known better. After all, I would have a better chance at drawing the raffle thanying my hands on a woman that you haven¡¯t tried to seduce.¡± ¡°That says more about the frivolous you than me. Maybe your wiles would work on those city women but in this town, even a goat has better chances at courting a female than you.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Freed too took a step forward. He had been intimidated but now, he was galled. ¡°Oh, have I struck a nerve?¡± ¡°I have seen you with a bow. You¡¯re not going to strike anything. You wouldn¡¯t be able to hit a rabbit even if it¡¯sying dead.¡± ¡°Perhaps you should volunteer yourself as a target to see if that¡¯s true.¡± Erin moved in between the two just as Lyra¡¯s hands curled into fists. ¡°That¡¯s enough, both of you.¡± Erin fought down an exasperated sigh that threatened to escape her lips. She appraised Lyra and found that her status was back to normal. Erin was relieved but her ire was piqued when she caught the scent of an unfamiliar woman drenched all over her body. Of course, Erin didn¡¯t let her vexation known to Lyra. Freed on the other hand was stunned speechless at the speed of Erin and also her strength. He had heard the rumors of Erin¡¯s prowess but he took it with a grain of salt. Due to his pride as a man, he refused to believe she was as good as the rumor spoke of her. Which was why Erin¡¯s sudden appearance between him and Lyra shook his foundation greatly. What¡¯s more, Erin had put a hand on his shoulder when she stepped in. Normally, Freed would draw witty remarks from such a small blunder but this time, he froze when he realized the gap between his strength and hers. He would need to exert a degree of force in order to even make a bulge. Lyra narrowed her eyes at Erin. ¡°Is this despicable person yourpanion of prior night?¡± While Lyra didn¡¯t know who Erin had bedded with, she knew for certain that Erin did bed with someone. No matter how hard she tried to delude herself, the refreshed demeanor Erin had was more than an indication. ¡°W-what?¡± Erin blurted out. She was surprised Lyra knew she had shared her bed with someone. As far as she knew, Lyra didn¡¯t have a sensitive nose nor some appraisal-esque skill but somehow, she knew. ¡°Is he?¡± Lyra peered. Erin recognized this kind of look. In her past life, she had received this kind of look whenever an infatuated femalepanion pried into her romance history. ¡°S-surely you jest, Lyra. Of course not. That would never in any incarnation to be the case.¡± A string of winces echoed from the peanut gallery. Freed himself had a despondent gaze. ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t even like men.¡± This time, the male troupe of the peanut gallery gave off various crestfallen sounds but for the female troupe, quite a few exuded sighs of admiration and infatuation. Unbeknownst to Erin herself, her promation had raised a series of new rumors. While venereal affection between the same gender wasn¡¯t umon, it was neither a subject that anyone would tantly talk about, much less admit it. ¡°I-I see¡­¡± Lyra stuttered. While she was still vexed that Erin copted with someone else, she was relieved that her partner had been a woman. Due to her past affection, Lyra couldn¡¯t get over even a touch from a man. She wasn¡¯t sure she would be able to control herself if Erin¡¯s ¡°illicit¡± partner had been a man. ¡°Lyra, I would like to take this chance to make something clear between us. I¡ª¡± Erin paused in the middle of her sentence. Noticing the increasing gaze and the dumbfoundedly staring Freed, Erin grabbed Lyra by her hand and promptly left The Guild with Lyra in tow. **** ¡°Where¡¯s Nivia?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°She had some business to take care of, so it¡¯s just me,¡± Erin answered honestly. An awkward silent loomed over them. They were walking down the still vacant street as dawn had just broken through the veil of the night. Side by side, they strolled with a heavy heart. Both of them had something to say to each but neither of them were good with words. They both had the initiative but they didn¡¯t wish to worsen the strain that had already taken root in their rtionship. ¡°Well, what is that you wish to say to me?¡± Lyra prodded with a tone that ented their distance. ¡°I was with Niviast night,¡± Erin revealed. ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s how it is.¡± Lyra shrugged. ¡°Not that I didn¡¯t see thising but I didn¡¯t expect Nivia to be so bold to go against Fae¡¯s ethics.¡± ¡°Eh? Wh¡ª No no! You got it all wrong.¡± Realizing her terrible phrasing, Erin responded in a panic. ¡°We slept in different rooms. Nothing happened between us.¡± ¡°Then...¡± She eyed Erin. ¡°Who did you share your bed with?¡± Erin raised an eyebrow. Of all the questions Lyra could ask, she chose this. Erin hadn¡¯t grasped themon sense of this world but she was willing to bet this was nomon question to ask. ¡°Someone I know?¡± Knowing the futility in feigning ignorance, Erin answered truthfully, ¡°M-Maria. You know, the proprietress of Emerald Inn. Well, what about you? Who did you sl¡ª?¡± Erin stopped her question when she saw the astonishment painted on Lyra¡¯s face. ¡°Maria?¡± Erin had a premonition. ¡°...yes?¡± She didn¡¯t have a good feeling when even the unchaste Lyra was shaken. ¡°The chief¡¯s wife?¡± ¡°C-chief? What chief?¡± ¡°The town¡¯s chief,¡± Lyra answered. Not a trace of jest could be found on her expression. Erin¡¯s face fell in horror. Oh my god. I just slept with the wife of the town¡¯s chief. Furthermore, I was the one who initiated it.... What have I done¡­? With a saddened smile, Lyra spoke, ¡°I left you alone for a single day and this is what you got yourself in...¡± ¡°W-w-w-wait! Why is someone like the town chief¡¯s wife running an inn?¡± Lyra was confused at Erin¡¯s question but then she remembered her undisclosed circumstances. ¡°How else are they going to put food on the table?¡± ¡°Tax?¡± Lyraughed. ¡°This is just a small town. The only tax imposed in this town is the entry tax and all of those go right into the guards¡¯ pockets.¡± Erin recalled how seldom she had seen an outsider entering the town. If an entry toll is only a copper per person, it wasn¡¯t possible to pay all of the guards. No matter how she calcted it, the numbers just weren¡¯t feasible. ¡°The entry tax is enough to pay the whole dozen of guards?¡± Erin asked. ¡°Oh right, you wouldn¡¯t know this. The Guild doesn''t exactly want to tell everyone about this to avoid exploitations. Well, the thing is... outsiders have to pay the taxes and actually, adventurers are also considered as such.¡± ¡°We are?¡± Lyra nodded. ¡°Yes but The Guild pays the taxes for us. I don¡¯t know the exact arrangement but overall, that¡¯s how it is.¡± Although Erin was never interested in economies, knowing things like these were certainly beneficial to continue striving and thriving in this world, or any world for that matter. ¡°Still, you fucked the wife of the town¡¯s chief and you haven¡¯t even been in Green Scar for a week.¡± Erin knew Lyra was brusque but hearing a curse straight out of her mouth was almost too surreal. Noticing the Fox-kin¡¯s shock face, Lyra smirked. ¡°Don¡¯t be so surprised. I have been restraining myself all this while.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Why?¡± Lyra scoffed. ¡°You¡¯re a Fox-kin, a Fae, that¡¯s why. Faerie-kin shunned themselves from brash and brisk peoples. And¡­ um¡­ I really want to have you then.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry,¡± Erin said. ¡°What are you sorry for?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°You were holding yourself back because of me. It must have not been easy.¡± Lyra cast her gaze down, kicking the pebbles thaty in her path. ¡°You did nothing wrong, Erin. We¡¯re not children here. With someone like me, we both know where our rtionship will eventually lead to.¡± ¡°I suppose so¡­¡± Silence ensued. They received gazes from the town folks who started their day early. Erin was sure this would spark another pile of rumor. ¡°A-anyways¡­ about me sleeping with Maria.... is that really bad? I mean, I¡¯m not going to get kicked out of town, am I?¡± ¡°...maybe not?¡± Lyra answered after pondering for a few seconds. ¡°Her infidelity is not exactly out in the open but it was neither in the closet.¡± ¡°Her husband knows?¡± ¡°Aye, he does.¡± Lyra¡¯s response was quick, as if the matter wasn¡¯t something needed to be subtle about. ¡°And he just let it be?¡± ¡°Well¡­ the town¡¯s chief didn¡¯t have much to say in that regard because he¡¯s¡­ um... what¡¯s the word again? I believed it closely resembles the word ¡°important¡±¡­.¡± ¡°Impotent?¡± ¡°Ah, yes. That¡¯s the word. If the whispers held any truth, our dear chief wasn¡¯t able to get it up for a few years now.¡± Erin gave a cramped smile. ¡°How do you know all these?¡± ¡°Loads of coins with the right women anddies, and the right poison, they would even spill out their sizes, age, and weight.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying that the chief knows but he does nothing about it because he lost functionality with his pecker?¡± ¡°What can he do? It was either ignore it or confront it. The result won¡¯t be that much different. This is a small town. His options are limited and having a limp down there isn¡¯t going to help much with the already limited choices.¡± ¡°Then, have you done it with her too?¡± Lyra froze in her steps. Erin had asked in a half-jest manner. She did not fully expect such a reaction from Lyra. ¡°T-there¡¯s nothing between us,¡± Lyra answered stiffly. Erin didn¡¯t need to hear her reply to know the answer. ¡°Nevermind that, but what aboutst night? Who did you sleep with? I¡¯m sure I¡¯m not the only one being ¡°unfaithful¡± here.¡± Lyra chuckled dryly in turn. ¡°A local wife with an adventurer for a husband that hadn¡¯t been home for about two years. No letters, nothing.¡± ¡°You were there to fill the hole in her heart, I presume.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t be the first and you kinda did the same thing too.¡± ¡°I guess we¡¯re both fickle.¡± ¡°I guess we are.¡± Lyra smiled wryly. ¡°Never thought I¡¯ll hear that from a Fae.¡± ¡°I never thought I''d hear it from myself either.¡± They smiled at each other. It was brief but it was an exchange of understanding. ¡°You know, I meant what I said.¡± Erin stared. She appraised Lyra again. There was not much change to her stats and she made doubly sure that the Withdrawal status ailment was gone. ¡°I know my actions haven¡¯t been telling but I am willing to change if I can be with you.¡± While she didn¡¯t doubt Lyra¡¯s words, Erin had doubts herself, about how she felt towards Lyra. She was new to the whole affairs of love. Erin knew she undoubtedly held a degree of affection for Lyra but her inexperience wasn¡¯t able to discern the category of her affection. It could be just an intimate tonic affection but being the greenhorn of love affairs that Erin was, she wouldn¡¯t know. Be that as it may, Lyra was without a doubt someone she cared for. ¡°Am I no good?¡± Lyra cast an upward nce. Before answering her difficult questions, Erin pulled Lyra into an alley, away from the prying eyes that followed them into the backstreet. ¡°It¡¯s not about you, Lyra.¡± Erin told her. Lyra didn¡¯t have anything to say to that. Or rather, she couldn¡¯t say as she was gently mmed against the wall with both of Erin¡¯s hands by the side of her head. Lyra was always the top. This was something she had done to others but never being done to herself. Just like the two asions they shared a bed, Lyra found herself intoxicated when she was the one being dominated. Of course, such absurd wondering by Lyra did not register in Erin¡¯s notice. ¡°It¡¯s me, alright? The problem is me. I¡¯m not just a virgin in bed. I¡¯m a virgin to the whole idea. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m feeling. I know I had feelings for you but¡­ I¡¯m not sure if you can call it love.¡± Erin let it out but not all of them. She was still dubious on the notion of revealing her innate skill, Lust Deviant. ¡°So... you¡¯re saying that I¡¯m your first?.... You don¡¯t have anyone else before? Not even briefly?¡± ¡°There were pashes but¡­ you are only one who has been this close to me. You are the only one who has seen me writhed. You are the only one who has seen me in tears. The only person who has seen me¡­ disheveled. The only person I have shared a bed with. You¡¯re important to me, Lyra. That¡¯s undeniable.¡± ¡°What about Nivia?¡± Asking so, Lyra entwined her fingers behind Erin¡¯s head. ¡°She¡¯s just a friend and a fellow kin.¡± ¡°Then what about me? Am I just a friend too?¡± Noticing Lyra¡¯s arms around her, Erin began to stutter. ¡°W-what are you saying¡­? I told you, haven¡¯t I? You¡¯re important to me.¡± ¡°But do you truly see me as just a friend?¡± Lyra pulled Erin closer. ¡°Do you?¡± she asked softly. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know...¡± Lyra chuckled. ¡°Silly little fox. You know the answer. You¡¯re just afraid but that¡¯s okay, I¡¯m afraid too.¡± ¡°I¡ª¡± Erin tried to push Lyra away who was reeling her closer but she didn¡¯t even manage to make Lyra bulge. Erin appraised both Lyra and herself. Neither of them were under any special status effect. This had nothing to do with their physical condition, Erin understood. This was a matter of their hearts. ¡°Don¡¯t fight it, Erin.¡± Lyra was now closed enough to feel the quickening warm breaths of Erin. ¡°Please.¡± ¡°W-wait, Lyra. Not here.¡± ¡°Shut... up,¡± Lyra said and sealed the Fox-kin¡¯s lips deeply with her own. 1-30 Redress 1-30 Redress ¡°Ouch...¡± Lyra winced as she walked the sparse streets with her hand gently rubbing the top of her head. ¡°That was merciless,¡± she groaned at her walkingpanion, Erin. ¡°This is entirely your own fault,¡± Erin directed the me back at her. ¡°Although I may enjoy the arts of the bedchamber, the word ¡°bedchamber¡± is there for a reason.¡± ¡°You could have just told me if you don¡¯t want to¡­ yeesh.¡± ¡°I did.¡± ¡°With that kind of voice?¡± Lyra tittered. ¡°I thought you were just being coy.¡± Erin shot Lyra a re, her ears and tails stiffened in ce. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be quiet,¡± Lyra immediately said at such a sight. In the fraught yet imperative silence, the duo arrived at the only smithy in the town. Erin easily spotted Sven who was working as hard as ever at the forge. With all the hammering and fire sizzles, it was impossible for Erin to tell by scent or sound if Aedan waszing about in the shop or not. Sven noticed the two approaching as he finished quenching a tempered de in a tub of cold water. His face lit up like the eve of a festive season at the two¡¯s appearance. ¡°Good morning,ssies. So the rumors were once again true?¡± Erin frowned. ¡°What rumors? There are new ones?¡± She looked to Lyra who had an indifferent reaction. ¡°It isn¡¯t new but it¡¯s just not attested. A new couple is born in the town. The Fox-kin is besotted with the Ster Lily of our town. ¡± ¡°Ster Lily?¡± Erin¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± ¡°Lily is how we refer to the ones who had that sort of orientation. Ster is¡­ well, I don¡¯t think I need to tell you what ster means.¡± Erin nodded with a difficult expression. She understood perfectly and she couldn¡¯t deny that rumor, not after the nights they spent together. She had heard of the whims of first infatuations where people are merely in love with the idea of love rather than the partner themself. She was afraid this was her circumstances and her fear was further entuated now that her rtionship became a public topic. Sven suddenlyughed. His brawn throbbed with his guffaw. It was faint but Erin¡¯s ears heard the small click of a tongue from Lyra. Is she embarrassed at the sight of a half-naked man or is she jealous at his disy of thews? Hmm, probably thetter. Perhaps noticing the absence of amusement in Lyra¡¯s expression, Sven ceased hisughter. ¡°Settle down,ssies. As a Dwarrow, I can vouch that this town isn¡¯t one to believe every whispers the winds brought them. It¡¯s nice to be among people who aren¡¯t gullible. I think that¡¯s why there are no bad rumors about us Dwarrows.¡± More like it¡¯s because your father is the Guild Master, that¡¯s why. ¡°Anyways,¡± he said and brought out a pair of sheathed swords. Erin creased her brows in wonder. One was a broadsword and another one was a war knife except it was the size of the average sword. It was a saber with an odd choice of design, so to speak. However, Erin¡¯s questioning expression wasn¡¯t a result of the queer-looking saber. ¡°Something wrong?¡± Sven asked. ¡°Two?¡± she returned the question. ¡°Well the silver was more than enough for one sword when melded with steel. So, I took the liberty to make two. At least now you¡¯ll have a spare and a slightly wider array of weapon choices.¡± ¡°But I¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, Lassie. I¡¯ll be charging the rate of one. The silver was your material.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Erin smiled. ¡°Thank you, Master Sven.¡± ¡°Thank you too, Lassie. And drop the master, I¡¯m just a humble smith.¡± Sven then gestured at the swords. ¡°Well? What are you waiting for? Go ahead and give them a few swings.¡± Erin obliged and drew the broadsword first. The de caught the morning sun and bounced onto Erin¡¯s bewildered face. She was fascinated at the craftsmanship. Distancing herself from the forge, Erin danced a lethal cadence with her new sword. Since it wasn¡¯tposed of only steel, the sword was lighter than its appearance suggested, which was fitting for Erin¡¯s current physique. As for the saber, it was even lighter than the broadsword and it had a slightly longer reach. Erin found herself more at home with the saber of an unconventional design rather than the broadsword she was supposed to be much more ustomed to. Hmm¡­ there¡¯s still much to learn about my own body. Seemingly riveted by the design, Lyra approached Erin and traced her finger across the de. ¡°This is¡­ This is Fae¡¯s craft.¡± ¡°Aye, it is.¡± Sven nodded with pride. ¡°My father had the honor and good fortune to learn smithery under a Druid, which he then passed it on to me.¡± Oh my god! There¡¯s even a Druid? ¡°As expected of the Guild Master,¡± Lyraplimented. After giving a thankful smile to Lyra, Sven shifted his gaze to Erin. ¡°Right, about the sword I have loaned you..¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Erin immediately bowed. ¡°Erin?¡± ¡°Lassie?¡± Her sudden reaction baffled the two. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I wasn¡¯t able to take good care of your sword, Master Sven.¡± Realizing the reason behind her bow, Svenughed with his head reeled back. ¡°You Faes really are amiable. And the regrs at Merry Night say you were kinda brash. They must be drunk then.¡± Remembering her minor outburst in the diner, Erin could only offer a cramped smile. Lyra looked away as she struggled to hold in herughter. ¡°You do not have to worry about the sword. Aedan told me all about it.¡± ¡°Eh? But I¡ª¡± ¡°I understand you broke it in a fight for your life against a monster. You came out victorious and breathing. The swords and weapons I made¡ª I didn¡¯t make them for senseless killings.¡± Sven brushed his hand across the broadsword and saber he forged. ¡°I made them for people who know how to treat them right. My sword may be lost but it has done its duty. I¡¯m sure if it had a soul and will, it would not me you. It would have departed pridefully.¡± ¡°Master Sven, I know how much it cost to forge even a knife. It¡¯s inexcusable for me to lose your sword and notpensate you for it.¡± ¡°Most people would jump on the opportunity to rid themselves of debts but not you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not most people.¡± Erin responded resolutely. ¡°I can vouch for that.¡± Lyra grinned. Seeing Lyra¡¯s small grin, Erin knew she wasn¡¯t thinking of anything decent. She would have reprimanded her had it not been for Sven¡¯s presence. After giving a few more words of gratitude and paying the appropriate price¡ª after a semi-lengthy discussion, Erin asked Sven a question she had been holding back from asking for quite some time. ¡°Tail armor?¡± Sven repeated Erin¡¯s question. Erin waited anxiously for the Dwarrow¡¯s response. She had asked Lyra beforehand but thetter had no knowledge of such an armor. It wasn¡¯t because it didn¡¯t exist but Lyra¡¯s knowledge was only to this extent. ¡°Hmm¡­ I have been meaning to ask, do you always have three tails?¡± Sven asked with his head canted. Erin froze at that question. In truth, she had forgotten about her numbers of tails. She hesitated on how to answer the question. She didn¡¯t want the truth to be revealed but she didn¡¯t want to lie to Sven either. She had lied a lot out of necessity but she hated every instance of it. ¡°Can¡¯t say?¡± Sven gauged. ¡°Um¡­ well...¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s okay,ssie. It¡¯s fine if you¡¯re notfortable with talking about it.¡± Erin could only smile apologetically. ¡°As for tail armors¡­ I¡¯m aware that some Beast-kin used tail armors but don¡¯t Faes use spell armors for that?¡± ¡°Ah,¡± Erin muttered in response. That thought had crossed her mind but the Mana consumption rate just wasn¡¯t feasible if she was plunged into a drawn-out battle. ¡°She had some special circumstances,¡± Lyra exined for her. Although Erin was grateful, she couldn¡¯t help but wonder how long that excuse would fly. ¡°Well, you don¡¯t need to tell me that. You¡¯re giving me business and I¡¯m taking it, end of story.¡± Sven pped his hands together. ¡°However, that is a troubling request.¡± ¡°How so?¡± Erin asked. ¡°The measurements of tail armor needs to be incredibly specific. Therefore¡ª¡± ¡°Then she won¡¯t be getting a tail armor,¡± Lyra stepped in before Sven could finish his sentence. Erin was at a loss for words. Lyra¡¯s possessiveness was getting out of bounds and Erin intended to reprimand her. However, Erin remembered just how sensitive her tails could be under certain circumstances and Lyra did her a huge favor by speaking out. Erin was not looking forward to having a male she barely knew for a few days touching them. She wouldn¡¯t mind if it were women or girls though. ¡°Understandable,¡± Sven read the mood and retreated with his statement. ¡°So, what else can I do for the two of you prettyssies?¡± There was one other thing she wanted, or rather, one thing she had to do but it wasn¡¯t something to be asking from a cksmith, and that was sparring. It was less of a habit but more of a necessity to get a firm grasp of her new weapons. She could wait until she reached the forest but with the saber in her hands, she wanted to test it out as soon as possible. ¡°You want to give the sabre a few actual swings?¡± Sven suddenly said. ¡°You can tell?¡± Erin returned the question with surprise smeared all over her face. Svenughed. ¡°People like you are dimes a dozen. Always eager to try out their new de at the earliest moments possible.¡± ¡°Perhaps I can be your sparring partner, then?¡± Lyra volunteered herself. ¡°Thank you but you¡¯re not suitable.¡± Erin said tantly. ¡°I¡¯m being underestimated.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not about underestimating. You use a bow, I use a sword. How would that work?¡± ¡°I¡¯m handy with a sword, I¡¯ll have you know.¡± Erin gave Lyra a brief scrutinizing nce. ¡°Yeah, no,¡± was Erin¡¯s instant assessment of Lyra¡¯s skill with the sword. ¡°Settle down,ssies. I have a solution.¡± Erin raised an eyebrow. ¡°You do?¡± Sven nodded. He turned to the shop entrance¡¯s direction and yelled, ¡°Aedan!¡± After a short while, anguid boy with short red hair emerged from the shop. ¡°Yes?¡± he asked in a tone befitting of his lethargic conduct. ¡°Eager customer,¡± Sven simply said and tossed Aedan a sword with dull edges. ¡°Get someone else to do it?¡± ¡°Like who? You¡¯re the only one here, Aedan.¡± Aedan groaned with his eyes rolled. ¡°Come on, it¡¯ll be quick and it¡¯s good exercise for you to prevent any rust on your skills.¡± Aedan bounced his gaze between Erin and his brother, Sven. His eyes fell to the saber in Erin¡¯s hand. He then pointed at the Fox-kin. ¡°I¡¯m fighting her?¡± he asked with a frown. Erin and Lyra had the same reaction as the younger Dwarrow. Sven shrugged. ¡°Who else?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll die, you know?¡± ¡°You are being rude, Aedan. Miss Erin here is a nicessie. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll hold back unless¡ª you didn¡¯t say anything rude to her yesterday, did you?¡± Instead of looking away and threw an excuse, Aedan looked Sven straight in the eye and said, ¡°only the truth.¡± Sven sighed. ¡°Aedan, we talked about this. One of these days, you¡¯re going to find yourself buried in a shallow grave.¡± ¡°Well, at least it wouldn¡¯t be too hard to find me,¡± Aedan retorted. Sven sighed again. ¡°Lassie, I hope you will go easy on my brother.¡± He bowed slightly. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡± Erin said. While she didn¡¯t think Aedan would be the ideal sparring partner but half of her simply had enough dealing with his antics and boorish gestures. This was her chance to vent her frustration even though it was petty for her to do so. ¡°I didn¡¯t know Aedan could fight,¡± Lyra said. ¡°Maybe about half the town would say the same thing as you,¡± replied Sven. ¡°I may not be fond of that brat but¡ª will he be alright?¡± Sven grinned. ¡°I¡¯ll let you be the judge of that.¡± Erin and Aedan distanced themselves a few yards away from the smithy. There was no grass or any trees near the forge as it would run the risk of starting a wildfire. The vast emptiness was perfect for a simple spar. However, the impending spar was anything but simple. In her full set of protective garbs, Erin brandished her newly acquired saber. ¡°Just want to let you know, this is very personal.¡± Aedan gazed at the Fox-kin who had more than a head advantage in terms of height. ¡°Is it toote to apologize?¡± Erin stifled for a brief moment before bursting outughing. ¡°Wow, you¡¯re really low.¡± ¡°I am a Dwarrow.¡± Erin chuckled. ¡°Sure you are.¡± ¡°T-that brat!¡± came the jealousy re from the side lines. ¡°He made herugh!?¡± ¡°You do this often?¡± Erin asked, ignoring Lyra who was staring daggers at Aedan. Pursuing his lips, Aedan answered, ¡°not too often, thankfully.¡± ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll let you have the first swing.¡± A grin crept up to Erin¡¯s expression. ¡°Pardon me for saying this but¡­ you look kinda different than you did a few seconds ago.¡± To that statement, Erin¡¯s grin widened. Even before her current life, this was something being said to her more times than she could count. She became a different person in battle and she wasn¡¯t one to shy away from this fact. Only behind a de, she felt truly alive. Aedan sighed, again. ¡°Please go easy on me.¡± ¡°As I have said, I¡¯ll do my best.¡± On the sidelines, a certain woman was biting her lips while chanting under her breath with the words, ¡°break a few bones at least.¡± 1-31 Bedlam 1-31 Bem Being the Sword Saint¡ª former¡ª, appraising a person¡¯s sword skills was second nature to Erin. It became an involuntary response for her that it was actually difficult for her to not appraise a person¡¯s skill with a sword. Without fail, she had sessively appraised the skills of everyone she encountered or simply walked past. All it took was a brief nce. That said, Erin was currently thrust with an aberration. This is curious. If Erin judged it on normal grounds, Aedan was new to wielding a sword, or at least that was what his stance was conveying. However, Erin knew that to be false despite the evidence. It wasn¡¯t a rule but smiths tend to have the minimum skill in wielding a sword. What¡¯s more, Aedan was a Dragon-kin. No matter how many times Erin re-appraised Aedan, she always got the same incorrigible result. Only his race wasid bare to her appraisal; a transparent ¡°Dragon-kin¡± ovepping his disyed race. ¡°Dwarrow¡±. She didn¡¯t know anything about the Dragons of this world but if she went by her former world¡¯s knowledge, Dragons were the apex for a few good reasons. The prime reason being their versatility. They were quick to adapt to novelties and unexpected circumstances. She remembered hearing a campfire tale. It spoke of a Fire Dragon, who was lured into a field of Ice Magecraft-based traps. The Fire Dragon was overwhelmed by its opposing attribute, at first. Its me adapted to the Ice Magecrafts and soon, the Dragon¡¯s me dominated the ice battlefield and gained an overwhelming victory. That was just how fearsome Dragons were in Erin¡¯s former world. If Aedan, a Demi-human Dragon, was anything like those Dragons, Erin was sure she would lose. Although at the same time, Erin couldn¡¯t be more excited. Ever since her reincarnation, she had yet to find herself a worthy opponent with a de and Aedan might just be the most suitable step-in for her wishes, for now. Don¡¯t disappoint me now, Aedan. Erin bared her grin and lunged with a strike. ¡°Son of a¡ª!¡± Aedan shrieked at her sudden movement but he easily parried her blow with only a single hand on his sword. Oh? You¡¯re good, even though your stance says otherwise. What more are you hiding? Erin cleaved up but Aedan dodged her de by a hair¡¯s breadth. ¡°Oi! Are you trying to kill me?!¡± ¡°You jest, Dwarrow.¡± Erin chuckled. ¡°Like hell I¡¯m capable of that.¡± ¡°You¡ª Ah. I see.¡± His shoulders loosened but his guard didn¡¯t. He parried another blow that seemed to have the potential to carve through his hand. ¡°Cat¡¯s out of the bag, isn¡¯t it?¡± Since they are conversing at a volume near whispering, Lyra and Sven couldn¡¯t not pick up their exchange but Nivia would have been able to if she was here. ¡°Does it matter?¡± Erin said and thrust at his head. Aedan nted his head in response and battered her de away. ¡°How much did you know?¡± ¡°Not much.¡± Erin stepped forward and shed in a wide arc. ¡°Just your name and race but that¡¯s enough to make a pretty good guess on what you¡¯re capable of. I thought you were long aware of my knowing.¡± Aedan curved her swing and led the sh away from his body. ¡°I had suspicions of your knowing.¡± Aedan did not riposte the following strike. Instead, he took a few steps back, letting the de sliced through the empty air. Erin stuck herself close to Aedan and unleashed a flurry of attacks. Although Aedan¡¯s techniques were hollow and shallow, Erin couldn¡¯t believe how he was swiftly and perfectly defending against each of her strikes. The more apparent that her de couldn¡¯t reach Aedan¡¯s body, the more exuberant she was bing. Despair and hopelessness were rarely thoughts that ured in her mind when it came to crossing des. A stronger opponent to Erin was just a means for improvement of herself. ¡°You¡¯re nning to tell everyone?¡± Aedan asked. He evaded a sh that almost took his ears. ¡°As long as you don¡¯tmit anything foul, your real identity isn¡¯t my business.¡± Aedan caught a blow but the shockwave was transmitted to his body. His guard faltered but he held it up. ¡°And I¡¯m just supposed to take your word for it?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t dictate your beliefs but I speak only the truth.¡± Seeing his solid guard, Erin circled around him and struck from different directions. Contrary to his panicking expression, Erin wasn¡¯t close to even grazing his skin. ¡°It¡¯s hard to believe that you meant no harm towards me when you¡¯re obviously trying to kill me.¡± Aedan grimaced and shrilled at a blow that threatened to cleave his head. His groan was audible to reach the ears of the only two audiences. ¡°Kill you? We¡¯re just sparring though?¡± ¡°Oi, don¡¯t give me that bullshit right now, furry tails.¡± Aedan shouted as a few thrusts came close to scratching his face. ¡°You¡¯re still unhurt. Therefore, this is still sparring.¡± Erin¡¯s hand didn¡¯t stop moving as she replied. ¡°You manic vixen.¡± Erin smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll take thepliment.¡± Erin couldn¡¯t stop. This was just too thrilling. It was supposed to be a spar but after witnessing how Aedan remained untouched by her attacks, she became exhrated at the appearance of a worthy opponent. She had long ustomed herself to her new saber but it was now more than just a test swing for her new weapon. This was a duel. This was a test for the current limits of her sword skills. No way Erin would admit that, not if it meant ending the ¡°spar¡± soon. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you retaliated?¡± Erin asked. Sheshed out a few swings that were easily parried. ¡°Do you think I won¡¯t be able to handle your counter strikes?¡± ¡°Your lover is boring her gaze into my very soul and a certain Elf would have my manhood if she caught wind that I hurt her fellow kin.¡± Erin¡¯s brows twitched. ¡°First of all, Lyra isn¡¯t my lover, currently speaking.¡± She struck his guard hard. ¡°Second¡­ Well, you might be right about the second one but be a man, would you? Or is that cock of yours just a disy?¡± Aedan scoffed. ¡°Some Fae you are.¡± ¡°One of a kind, I might be.¡± She said and swung hard. Aedan was able to parry it but Erin coiled her sh and locked their des in a cross. Their eyes met one anothers¡¯. Erin grinned at the grimacing Aedan. ¡°This spar would not end if you don¡¯t go on the offense.¡± ¡°Or you could surrender,¡± he retorted. ¡°And devoid myself of the chance at experiencing a blow from a legendary race? Not bloody likely. Soe on, give it to me.¡± Aedan clicked his tongue. ¡°You need a doctor.¡± ¡°Well, these past few days have been¡­ straining.¡± ¡°Fine then, I¡¯ll sur¡ª¡± ¡°If you surrender, I¡¯ll tell the guild.¡± Aedan widened his eyes. ¡°Wow. You¡¯re a fox alright.¡± Erin smiled wryly. Maybe this is why I¡¯m reincarnated as a Fox? I sure am sly but how could I forego such an opportunity, a proper ¡°spar¡± with a legendary race? ¡°Do you think that would work on me? I know your secrets too, Nails.¡± ¡°Perhaps but too bad, it ain¡¯t a secret. I¡¯m not trying to hide it but you are.¡± It wasn¡¯t all bluff. While Erin didn¡¯t want people to know, it wasn¡¯t as if she was actively trying to conceal that secret of hers. ¡°And they said you¡¯re friendly. What bunch of horseshit of a rumor. You¡¯re so infuriating.¡± ¡°I¡¯m well aware of that,¡± Erin shed him another grin as she taunted. ¡°Takes one to know one, I guess.¡± Unbeknownst to Erin, her taunt worked but just not on her intended target. From the start until now, Lyra¡¯s expression was only further darkening. Still locked in a cross, Aedan attempted to break out with brute force but Erin¡¯s proficiency with the sword denied him of any attempts to create even a little distance. Aedan released his grip on his sword. Erin toppled forward with a confounded expression due to the missing repelling force. The sword fell into Aedan¡¯s other hand. He immediately kicked off the ground and drew a gap between them. ¡°Imend you,¡± Erin praised as she quickly recollected her bnce. ¡°Your movements are smooth and swift but theyck rhythm and tune. You never had any proper practice with a sword?¡± ¡°Why does it matter to you?¡± He shot. Hanging her head for a while, Erin replied with a shrug, ¡°nothing, really. Just curious.¡± Aedan cast a sidelong nce at the only two audience members. ¡°They looked worried. Shall we end it here?¡± ¡°Not until you retaliate.¡± ¡°You have some strange perversion but I don¡¯t judge.¡± Erinughed internally. ¡°This is the first time someone called it a perversion.¡± ¡°What do they usually call it?¡± ¡°Passion.¡± It was Aedan¡¯s turn to chuckle. ¡°You¡¯re quite a jester too in addition to being a sword master and a Nails.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re quite a disappointment, Aedan. I took you for a Dragon not a lizard.¡± ¡°Years of peace and flowers can do that to you.¡± Erin arched her brows. ¡°Flowers?¡± ¡°You won¡¯t get it,¡± Aedan said and lowered his posture. He raised his sword above his head. ¡°Finally going to have at me?¡± Erin went into a stance of her own too. One that heavily emphasized on defense. ¡°If something happens to you, you better exin it properly to your Elf.¡± ¡°Nivia isn''t ¡°my¡± Elf.¡± ¡°She begged to differ.¡± His grip tightened on the hilt. ¡°A-Aedan?¡± Erin heard Sven called out under his breath. She sneaked a nce and saw the horror painted on the Dwarrow¡¯s face. Is Aedan really getting serious? But I don¡¯t feel any dangering from him. Erin tried to gauge the severity of Aedan¡¯s retaliation but she didn¡¯t feel any threat emanating from him. However, Erin was astonished at his stance. A stance of a form originating from the east. The users of this form wielded a saber-rapier hybrid type of sword. It was the most elegant of all sword techniques. Erin had attempted to imitate the technique but her former robust build just wasn¡¯tpatible with it. But now, that would be a different story. ¡°Here Ie,¡± Aedan said and lunged. ¡°Aedan, no!¡± Sven shouted. Aedan vanished from everyone¡¯s sights. ¡°Erin!¡± Lyra yelled out in anguish. She couldn¡¯t see Aedan either but his stance told Lyra enough on what his actions and disappearance entailed. A wave of menace assailed all of Erin¡¯s senses. It was crushing her from all sides. It reminded her of her final moments before sumbing to herst defeat as Argon Raze. However, Erin wasn¡¯t perturbed in the least. This was after all, a norm to the former Sword Saint. Long before she achieved that title, failure was a friend and a teacher. Which was why Erin was able to keep her calm. She steeled her screaming nerves. She focused her eyes in front of her, without the slightest deviation. And.... now! Erin moved. She caught his blow but it was too heavy to be taken with her guard. Sparks flew and an ear-splitting noise resonated from the grazing sh. She pivoted her sword, guided the strike away, and reeled in the sword along with the assaulter. She stepped forward and let her sword flow with its rhythm. Just like that, Erin had managed to parry Aedan¡¯s blow and broke through his guard. Her de continued to travel but she stopped it right before it carved into Aedan¡¯s neck. I won. She dered so in her heart. [Experience gained +15% - Level Progression: 72%] What the¡­ this is even more than ying a single monster. Unaware of her audience¡¯s and opponent¡¯s reaction, Erin mulled over the amount of experiences she gained. Sven gagged at his surprise from witnessing a pseudo-miracle. Lyra gasped with her eyes spanned to their limits. ¡°You¡¯re good, really good,¡± Aedan praised without looking the least bit frustrated at his apparent loss. ¡°Were you trying to kill me?¡± Erin asked sarcastically. ¡°Just returning the favor in kind.¡± He reined in his sword and rxed his stance. ¡°I have not seen a swordsmanship this refined ever since Astoria.¡± ¡°A-Astoria?¡± Erin raised her brows. ¡°Astoria Stormedge? You know her?¡± Aedan shrugged as he stretched his neck. ¡°For a time,¡± he answered. ¡°Lassie, are you alright?¡± Sven asked immediately after he ran over to the two. Before Erin could even answer, he turned to Aedan and dropped a fist down on his head. ¡°You brat! You could have killed her!¡± Aedan said nothing in return but simply stared at his own feet. ¡°Erin, are you not hurt?¡± Lyra also came over with a worried look. She fussed over Erin¡¯s body with her hands but she was stopped when her hands gave in to the temptation. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Lyra,¡± Erin assured. ¡°In fact, I feel great.¡± Lyra wasn¡¯t sure how she should respond to that. She was d Erin was unhurt but the smile she had¡ª it frustrated Lyra to no end. It was uneptable that she wasn¡¯t the one who caused it. She turned and red at the red-haired Dwarrow, incurring a pinch in the ear from Erin. ¡°O-ouch!!¡± She shrilled. ¡°What was that for?¡± ¡°I should be asking you that.¡± Erin peered. ¡°You know exactly what that was.¡± Lyra peered back. Erin sighed. She knew there were no words that could convince her. Without asking, Erin pulled Lyra into an embrace, stunning the short-hair girl into silence. ¡°E-Erin? D-didn¡¯t you say you don¡¯t have such preferences? A-and there are others w-watching...¡± Lyra¡¯s voice trailed off. Erin parted from her. ¡°Now you know how I feel whenever you act up.¡± ¡°Act up?¡± Lyra frowned. ¡°I¡¯m no child.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Lyra scoffed. She leaned forward with a smirk. ¡°Have you forgotten who taught you the ways of being a woman.¡± A yelped almost escaped through her lips but Erin fought it down. ¡°Lyra, if we¡¯re continuing our acquaintance, I implore you to rethink your habits and conducts.¡± ¡°Wow, you¡¯re rigid. What changed?¡± ¡°I was just being considerate back then. Now that we¡¯re close¡ª rtively, I¡¯mfortable in speaking to you with such a tone.¡± ¡°Close, eh...¡± Lyra snorted. ¡°Fine then, I guess I can let this go.¡± Erin sighed in resignation. ¡°Lassie?¡± Sven called out. Erin turned around. ¡°Master Sven. I hope you can forgive me for going over the line.¡± ¡°Ah, no no. It¡¯s alright. I¡¯m just d that my sword is on par with your skills. As long as the customer is satisfied with the product, all is well. However, I have to apologize for my brother. He went overboard.¡± ¡°All is well, as you said, Master Sven. Your brother and I are both at fault but I trust you¡¯ll be lenient with your brother. I¡¯m honored to be able to have such a gainful exchange. Your brother taught me a lot.¡± Svenughed. ¡°Thank you for your kind words, Lady Erin.¡± Aedan let out a groan and an eye-roll in the back. ¡°Ldy?¡± Erin stuttered at her new title. ¡°Why not?¡± Sven snickered. ¡°You earned it, mdy.¡± ¡°Lady Erin...¡± Lyra mused. ¡°I like it.¡± Erin felt like refusing but she didn¡¯t want toe off as rude after receiving what was presumablypliment and praise of a tremendous degree. ¡°Hey!¡± Sven gestured at Aedan. ¡°Give your gratitude too.¡± Sensing the futility in refusing, Aedan relented. ¡°Thank you for your tolerance and the exchange, Lady Erin.¡± ¡°See? That wasn¡¯t so hard,¡± Sven said and patted Aedan in the back. Well, it was more of a smack from Erin¡¯s perspective but being a Dragon-kin, Erin was sure Aedan should be fine. ¡°That was a good disy, Master Aedan.¡± Erin extended her hand. Spurred by Sven, Aedan reluctantly took it and shook her hand. He glimpsed briefly at Lyra, who was working hard in suppressing her outrageous jealousy. ¡°I hope we can spar again in the future.¡± Erin grinned. ¡°I hope not,¡± Aedan retorted, unamused. Sven guffawed. ¡°Hah! What a miracle! You managed to rattle him. I¡¯m truly amazed, mdy. It¡¯s a shame that you¡¯re not into men. You two would have been great together.¡± The Dwarrowughed, leaving the rest in a state of bem. Erin dropped her jaws at such a statement. She couldn¡¯te up with any response. Aedan frowned with an affronted re directed towards his brother. With that as the breaking point, it started a whole other quandary with Lyra as the impetus. It was already noon when Erin finally began her quest. Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Three-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 10 | Status: Mildly Exhausted Might: 19 | Arcane: 15 | Finesse: 14 Magic Arts - Spirit Magic Lv. 6 | Arcane Edge Lv. 2 | Arcane Armor Lv. 5 Combat Arts - Sword Art Lv. 6 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 4 Innate Skills - Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 1 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex Unique Talent - Mystic de Lv. Ex Level Progression: 72% Remaining Skill Points: 2 Remaining Ability Points: 2 1-32 Spellbound 1-32 Spellbound The arrow streaked through the gaps of the densely packed trees and found its mark, the heart of a Serk, a creature with the contour and features of a canine but the skin of the average reptilian creature. ¡°And that¡¯s the sixth,¡± proimed Lyra as she holstered her bow to her back. ¡°Amazing...¡± Erin breathed. She couldn¡¯t believe Lyra hit her mark for six consecutive times. It was a stark contrast from the usual Lyra she was acquainted with, given her antics. ¡°With this kind of skill, I thought you will be more¡­ well-off with this level of skill. Well, you are kinda well-off in certain aspects and with a certain crowd.¡± ¡°My aims were true only because you¡¯re here, Erin. I didn¡¯t need to worry about getting nked from my sides.¡± Erin raised an eyebrow. ¡°You have gotten nked before?¡± Lyra nodded reluctantly. ¡°The monsters around here aren¡¯t exactly quiet with their steps though?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not talking about monsters.¡± ¡°Ah... I see.¡± As Erin moved to the dead Serk to collect its hide, she let out a question she couldn¡¯t stop escaping from her lips. ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware you have such a bad rtionship with the other adventurers.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing grave,¡± Lyra answered impassively. ¡°At least not to me anyways.¡± ¡°Grave or not, what caused it anyway?¡± Lyra chuckled mischeviously. ¡°They seemed to me me for their ipetence at courting women.¡± Erin cast a sidelong nce. ¡°You cucked them?¡± Lyra stifled augh. ¡°Some but most times, they haven¡¯t even made the first move yet. They all began to whine when I started courting the woman they have their eyes on.¡± Erin continued skinning the Serk. ¡°Then I guess it won¡¯t be wrong toy the me on you.¡± As a former man, Erin could only sympathize with the fallen brothers. Lyra raised an eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯re on their side?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not about sides. Ugh!¡± Erin groaned as she tore the hide of the creature. ¡°I¡¯m just giving my opinion as an uninvolved individual.¡± Lyra frowned. ¡°Uninvolved¡­ you do realize you are a subject of many men and women¡¯s affection, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I am?¡± She looked up Lyra as she trimmed thest bit of skin of the carcass. While she felt good hearing that she was adored by women but being adored by men simply made her skin crawled. ¡°You really have no idea how people want to pursue you.¡± Lyra tried to embrace Erin but was instantly pushed away. ¡°Dear lord! Were you always this strong?¡± Erin made no effort in responding. She was just focusing on the task at hand. After finishing skinning the Serk, Erin put the hide into a sack with the rest of the hides. She then wiped her hands of the blood and guts with a dry leaf nearby. ¡°I told you. I have been lenient with you,¡± she finally answered. ¡°Less so in bed,¡± Lyra returned the jibe. Erin rolled her eyes. ¡°You got your herbs?¡± Lyra pat the small pouch hanging by her waist. ¡°All good.¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s give the ce another scrub.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Lyra furrowed her brows. ¡°We have been through it twice. We found nothing that we didn¡¯t already know.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ is that truly the case?¡± Erin mused. They have alreadypleted their tasks at hand, not just the superficial ones. The results were as hopeful as it could be. There were undeniably traces of Goblins. Their footprints were there but that was the extent of the clues. Erin had even taken the liberty to ask the adventurers they passed by on happenstances but none of them had given any helpful hints. So to say, the investigation was barren in its oue. But instead of just leaving it at that, Erin couldn¡¯t but think something was off about the scenes they hadbed. She wasn¡¯t doubting The Guild or the one who reported it but rather, the way the footprints were left. It almost felt like someone had left it there intentionally for someone to discover it. Just then, a dreadful feeling assailed her senses. Her Sixth Sense did not warn her and she knew why. The danger wasn¡¯t aimed at her. She felt it with Sixth Sense but it did not directly notify her. At the next instance, a dart flew through the air. The duo saw the projectile but only Erin was fast enough to react. Without the slightest hesitation, she put herself in between the dart and Lyra. Although she was quick to draw and shed off the dart, she failed to respond against the second dart. The dart hit her right in her right shoulder. The darts were small. It couldn''t even kill a child. However, as Erin removed the dart from her shoulder and held it up for her eyes to observe, her fears weren''t unfounded. It wasced with poison. She quickly nced at her status. It was now reading; Poisoned. She even felt a mild numbness throughout her body. [Poison detected. Toxin Resistance Lv. 1 activated.] Only level one? Damn it. I still have two skill points left. I should¡ª Just as Erin was about to allocate all of her remaining skill points into Toxin Resistance, the next message that appeared relieved her worries. [Poison neutralized. Status has been reverted.] That was¡­ easy. But how? It¡¯s only level one? [Toxin Resistance is the prevailing tier of Poison Resistance. Under normal circumstances, it is acquired after attaining the maximum level of Poison Resistance.] Huh¡­ I see. Come to think of it, I was exposed to various kinds of poison in my past life due to all the opponents who used backhanded tactics. ¡°Erin! Are you alright?¡± Lyra gazed worriedly at Erin. ¡°I-I¡¯m fine. Be careful. Whoever did this, that shite¡¯s still around.¡± ¡°You sure know some harsh words for a Fae.¡± ¡°Lyra!¡± ¡°Okay okay!¡± Lyra drew her bow and aimed it towards the direction where the darts came from. ¡°You can¡¯t smell them or hear them?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± Erin admitted. ¡°Whoever they are, they hid themself well.¡± Erin kept kneeling on the ground, in attempts to fool their ambusher that their poison worked. Lyra was quick to pick up her act, which greatly surprised Erin. She was morepetent that Erin gave her credit for. No matter how hard Erin strained her ears and nose, there was nothing to pick up. Their ambusher hadpletely concealed themself. Just like the Dire Wolf. Erin had a premonition, one that she didn¡¯t think it wasn¡¯t usible. ¡°Erin, I can¡¯t see them either. What do we do?¡± ¡°We wait,¡± she told Lyra, calmly. ¡°Whoever they are, I wish to know more about them.¡± ¡°And waiting around like sitting ducks is a good idea?¡± ¡°Just stay your eyes on what¡¯s in front of you. Let me handle the nks and blindspots.¡± Lyra nodded and focused her gaze and aim to the front. Recalling the few spells she had managed to acquire, Erin cast Life Sense. A pulse radiated outwards with Erin as the epicentre. It bounced back after traveling a few distances. I see. Life Sense is some kind of a... sonar, I believe it was called? The thickets and bushes rustled, alerting Lyra but not Erin who had sensed them out with Life Sense priorly. Even though they might hide the scent and noise, they could not hide the fact they were still a physical being that interacted with the world. They were bound to cause disturbance in the air and the path they trode. After a short moment of apprehension, a figurepletely unexpected to Erin made himself known from the dense vegetation. ¡°You?¡± Erin blurted out. Her gaze fell on the chipped sword in his hand. ¡°You know him?¡± Lyra questioned without steering her aim away. ¡°A bandit I encountered on the day we met. Last I saw him, he wasn¡¯t in a favorable situation.¡± ¡°So, he survived.¡± Erin nced at the appraisal result. The information shown piqued her curiosity and raised some confusion but she did not let it surface. ¡°I don¡¯t think he survived.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Lyra asked dubiously while keeping her eye on the slowly limping bandit with a lifeless empty gaze. ¡°Rtively speaking.¡± If Erin went with her own judgement, she would deem the bandit as alive but just in a terribly sickly state. The overall stats of the bandit was average but the status; Spellbound and Health: Dire made her reevaluate her own judgement. [Spellbound - The state of being influenced or controlled by certain spells.] Well, that was¡­ sinct. ¡°You.... We met¡­. Finally¡­¡± The bandit talked but Erin knew better. It was not the voice of the bandit himself. ¡°He remembers you.¡± Lyra pulled the string. ¡°Shall I?¡± ¡°No,¡± Erin said. With Appraisal, she was able to quickly discover the device that made the spellbound possible. ¡°I have something I want to ask.¡± ¡°You¡­ do not¡­ deserve to¡­ question me¡­ Vixen...¡± ¡°Watch your mouth, cutthroat,¡± Lyra warned as she pulled the string further. ¡°Your threats¡­ are¡­ meaningless¡­¡± The bandit said and brandished his sword. ¡°Who are you?¡± Erin skipped right to the point. ¡°¡±I shall not... be questioned¡­¡± ¡°Well, he¡¯s not nning on answering your questions. Shall I?¡± ¡°Hmm...¡± Erin mused. ¡°Do it. Go for the head.¡± ¡°Alright. I don¡¯t know your n but I trust you,¡± Lyra said and released her strained hold on the string. The arrow wasunched without a stray in its path. However, even though the arrow went right in between the bandit¡¯s ears, the person did not fall but merely staggered. Lyra quickly nocked another arrow. ¡°Um¡­ Erin? It still walking.¡± ¡°Damn it.¡± Erin cursed. ¡°Shoot his left chest.¡± Before Lyra could nock another arrow, lightning crackled across the bandit¡¯s whole body and he sped straight at Lyra. Lightning?! Just like that mutt! But there¡¯s no lightning-based magic listed on his appraisal result! ¡°Son of a¡ª¡± Lyra couldn¡¯t even finish her expletive. She switched to her hidden dagger just in time to block a fatal strike but the tip of the chipped sword gauge shallowly on her shoulder. She was no match for the bandit¡¯s strength, Lyra realized. ¡°Move!¡± Erin shouted. Lyra twisted her body and flung herself away from the deadlock. Erin lunged at that precise moment. The bandit fired lightning bolts at Erin but she swiftly cut them all down with Mystic de. She then switched to Arcane Edge and struck. The bandit held up his sword to guard but the newly-forged broadsword shattered through the chipped de with ease, carving its way into the bandit¡¯s chest, albeit a few inches away from her intended aim. ¡°Shite!¡± Erin yelled out. She was about to reel her sword back in but the bandit, who was somehow still moving, grabbed on to her sword and prevented Erin from pulling it out. ¡°Fool¡­!¡± The bandit uttered in a hollow voice and swung the broken sword. Erin let go of the broadsword and drew her saber. The bandit couldn¡¯t even see iting as she cleanly took his left arm. The bandit gave off neither a scream nor a cry but Erin didn¡¯t pause to relish the wails that never came. She tore her broadsword right off the bandit¡¯s body, taking away the other arm in the painful-looking process. The armless bandit lunged desperately with its rotten teeth bared but Erin dodged low and let the bandit crash fruitlessly into the soil. When Erin rpose her posture, she found Lyra staring with widen-eyes. ¡°What?¡± she asked. ¡°Nothing,¡± Lyra answered. ¡°That was just¡­ amazing.¡± Erin grinned. ¡°Thanks.¡± It definitely felt good to be praised by a beauty, Erin thought. The bandit struggled to get back up but without arms and barely any meat to the bones, it was an exercise in futility. It gave up struggling and pointed his gaze at the two. Lightning crackled around his mouth as he charged up for another wave of lightning bolts. Erin was already in her stance, ready to repel the lightning attacks but from her back, Lyra released two arrows into the bandit¡¯s face. More precisely, the mouth and the area between the eyes. But the mangled bandit didn¡¯t cease its attempts at retaliating. Lightning brewed wilder as it iled about in its helpless position as the thunder charred its surroundings. Lyra fired another arrow but the lightning instantly disintegrated the projectile and the lightning field was only expanding further and further. ¡°Should we run?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°No,¡± Erin was quick to respond. ¡°No half measures,¡± she admonished, not at Lyra but herself. She could have ended the bandit¡¯s life then, and perhaps avoiding this scenario entirely. But she didn¡¯t and this was the result. It was merely a whim of fortune that the repercussions weren¡¯t too grave. The lightning was a double-edged sword. The surge of power the bandit had was also the one thing reeling him close to death¡¯s door. The seared skin and flesh were the proofs. ¡°You¡­! You¡­! You dare defy me¡­!?¡± Even in this state, its sinister voice was still clear to the ears. ¡°I don¡¯t even know who you are,¡± Erin replied. The voiceughed as the body it possessed began to disintegrate from the lightning it was shrouded in. ¡°In time¡­ you will¡­ you all will¡­!¡± ¡°Get behind me!¡± Erin shouted. Ironically, Erin had moved herself to shield Lyra before the words even registered in her mind. The lightning field expanded briskly at the bandit¡¯s death throes. Erin wielded both of her swords and infused them with Mystic de. In addition, she covered herself with Arcane Armor. She dashed towards the expanding lightning field as she sliced and diced her way through the shrills of thunder. She braved through the incessant lightning attacks without minding the wounds she was umting. The Arcane Armor wasn¡¯t able to negate all of the damages but it did prevent any dire injuries. Just as the bandit¡¯s body was about to disintegrate into cinders along with the rod, Erin came into reach at thest second. She swung her swords in a cross, carving the bandit into three parts, cutting off the channeling of the lightning spell. [Experience gained +10% - Level Progression: 87%] [Finesse: 14 increased to 15] And the lightning cries disappeared. Although the body had long being turned into cinders, the rod fell through the crumbling charred corpse. Erin caught it in mid-air. She brought it close to her eyes to inspect the peculiar little object. [Magic Ry - A tool made specifically to receive magic of a simr wavelength. This ry belongs to the individual named: #%@&] She could read the description but it failed to reveal the owner of this rod that was a Magic Ry. Although there was a mild setback, her suspicions were at least confirmed. Someone was controlling the Dire Wolf and it was done so with the assistance of such an object. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Lyra asked as she approached slowly, unsure of the situation which escted and deescted at a pace she couldn¡¯t even believe having witnessed it with her own eyes. ¡°A clue,¡± Erin answered. Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Three-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 10 | Status: Moderate Exhaustion Might: 19 | Arcane: 15 | Finesse: 15 Magic Arts - Spirit Magic Lv. 6 | Arcane Edge Lv. 2 | Arcane Armor Lv. 5 Combat Arts - Sword Art Lv. 6 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 4 Innate Skills - Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 1 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex Unique Talent - Mystic de Lv. Ex Level Progression: 82% Remaining Skill Points: 2 Remaining Ability Points: 2 1-33 Arrival 1-33 Arrival ¡°What were you thinking!?¡± Lyra rebuked Erin with a raised voice. As a response, Erin merely shrugged. ¡°How many times do you intend to repeat that line?¡± They wasted no time in dallying further in the forest and were currently making their way back to town with haste. After the subjugation of the sudden anomalous issue, Erin decided it was best to report such developments as soon as possible. Unlike before, she wouldn¡¯t be returning to the Guild Master office empty-handed. Unrted to that note, Lyra had been reprimanding Erin for her heedless actions ever since, even more so after Erin confided in her on how she fought a Dire Wolf and won. To the worrywart Lyra, Erin¡¯s victory didn¡¯t assuage her anger towards herck of regard towards perils. ¡°I¡¯m aware that Fae are known to be outstanding in their feats and achievements but please, Erin, don¡¯t do something that absurd and dangerous again.¡± Erin smiled wryly. ¡°I can¡¯t promise you that, Lyra. Only in the face of an adversary that one could truly grow.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t gimme that. There won¡¯t be any growing if you¡¯re dead or worse, crippled beyond the possibility of recovery. It has happened to many adventurers, you are aware of that, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°You¡¯re such a worrywart.¡± ¡°Anyone would be if they saw what you did or know what you are liable to do.¡± ¡°So I should stop doing what I do even if it means saving a life?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Lyra shouted without a shred of hesitation. The two stopped in their tracks. Erin turned to face Lyra with an empathetic but firm gaze. ¡°That¡¯s an incredibly selfish thought.¡± ¡°Aye, it might be. It¡¯s fucking selfish alright.¡± Lyra looked away. ¡°But it sure beats being all alone at the end of the day.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t be alone, Lyra.¡± Erin ced her hand on Lyra¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I have no intention of leaving you nor expiring anytime soon. Believe in me, okay?¡± ¡°Expiring?¡± Lyra chuckled as a tear trickled down her cheeks. ¡°You sure use some weird words.¡± ¡°Do you trust me?¡± ¡°I want to. I truly do,¡± Lyra answered. ¡°I once believed in someone, aye. Look where that got me. I know this is greedy of me but I can¡¯t let go of that fear¡­ I just can¡¯t...¡± Erin stayed her smile. ¡°I understand. I¡¯m not telling you to trust me unconditionally. Just remain hopeful, alright?¡± Lyra scoffed in response. ¡°It¡¯s not that easy.¡± And she walked ahead of Erin. Erin let out a small sigh. Rtionships are a headache. Noter than the time between noon and dusk, they reached the town¡¯s entrance by skirting the edge of the forest. Around that moment, Erin finally gave in to her grumbling stomach and began chewing on some dried meat. She hasn''t had a meal ever since she woke up this morning. It was an old habit of her past life. Skipping meals was less of an option but more of a mandatory. Due to her nomadic way of living, even a bite of stale bread was considered a luxury. Not that she was short on money but she was always in ces where money itself had not even the slightest mary value. Thankfully, Lyra had some dried meat with her or else Erin would be receiving queered nces from the passers-by due to her growling stomach. Erin was about to just wolf down her food but she reminded herself in time that she was in full-blown view of the public. Even if she was still a man, that would be an unsightly thing to do. ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s happening?¡± Lyra blurted out a question at the sight of the clogged entrance. There were a few unfamiliar faces and a good portion of them didn¡¯t look like adventurers. Their apparel were too proper to be adventurers or residents of this town. Erin¡¯s ears twitched. ¡°Something¡¯s happening in the town square,¡± she answered doubtfully. ¡°Something bad?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t smell any blood nor do I hear any scuffles. It¡¯s just¡­ loud.¡± Lyra approached one of the guards at the entrance in a hurry but Erin ambled behind. ¡°You there,¡± Lyra pointed at a guard nearby. She was familiar with the guard¡¯s face but not his name. ¡°Ah, Miss Lyra. What can I do for you?¡± the guard asked in a flustered manner. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Trouble?¡± ¡°No no no. That¡¯s not the case. It¡¯s just that¡ª¡± The guard swallowed a gulp. ¡°The merchant caravans arrived an hour ago. They are gathered in the town square.¡± ¡°I see. Well, thanks.¡± ¡°Anytime, Miss Lyra,¡± the guard said with a blush. He turned away quickly after knowing the red touching his face. ¡°He likes you,¡± Erin teased. ¡°Surprisingly,¡± Lyra responded dryly. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡± The moment they entered the town, they were greeted with an extreme festive atmosphere. Discussions and debates were urring here and there regarding the various merchandise bound to be presented in the offhand market that was most likely happening tomorrow or the day after. ¡°An offhand market?¡± Erin asked. ¡°Is that like a flea market?¡± ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t just sell used goods. There are also a lot of exclusive items too. The prices are very amodating to the ces they visited. Which is why they are highly anticipated and regarded.¡± Impressive. Erin gave out a praise in her heart. They arrived at the town square. Bands of wagons and carriages of all shapes and sizes entered their view. All of the transports were grand in the designs and the rted parties were all dressed in simrvishing attires. Erin had to look away from some women that were too exhibiting for her eyes. Lyra who noticed it pulled Erin close. ¡°Are you seriously being jealous right now?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± came the prompt reply. Erin smiled wryly. ¡°What am I going to do with you?¡± Though the two held some interest towards the bustles, they had more pressing matters to attend to. They intend to just circumvent the gathering and head straight for The Guild. However, a man with rolls of fat under his luxurious robe stood in their path. ¡°Good afternoon,dies,¡± the man greeted with a smile. Unlike Kane or Freed, Erin did not pick up any scent that indicated him as a possible threat or simply an arse. Be that as it may, Erin wasn¡¯t naive to solely trust on his scent alone. ¡°Good afternoon to you too, good sir. Now please forgive us, we¡¯re in a hurry.¡± ¡°Oi,¡± came a crude and loud voice. ¡°Mister Crom is showing you respect. You are wise to return it.¡± Erin sighed and turned to face the voice. The owner of the voice was scantily d for a man. Aside from his exposed upper body with nothing but a fur vest, what had truly caught Erin¡¯s eyes and curiosity was his ears and his tail. They were that of a wolf¡¯s. Beast-kin? ¡°Wref, please.¡± The man with an excessive figure stopped the Beast-kin. ¡°There¡¯s no need for such an attitude.¡± ¡°Attitude? Mister Crom, that vixen ignored your goodwill.¡± The Beast-kin pointed rudely at Erin. Lyra had a vein popped on to her brows. Erin held her hand to cate her temperament, which had an immediate effect to a certain extent. ¡°Now now, Wreft. You are overexaggerating it.¡± ¡°Mister Crom, I am not¡ª¡± The Beast-kin named Wref was silenced by a fist smacked onto his head. ¡°Cease it, Wref,¡± said another Beast-kin who also had the characteristics of a wolf. Although, it was a she and she was d in equally scanty attire. Erin had trouble on where she should be looking but her eyes ultimately fell on the exposed midriff of the She-wolf Beast-kin. It was even more adorned and better tempered than Lyra¡¯s. ¡°You are making it difficult for Mister Crom and Lord Hegan,¡± said the She-wolf Beast-kin. ¡°But Siv, they were¡ª¡± ¡°I said cease,¡± the She-wolf Beast-kin named Siv growled at Wref. Stifling a whimper, Wref backed down. Siv then turned to Erin with a slight bow. ¡°Sorry about my brother. He can be overlymitted at times.¡± ¡°Overlymitted to what?¡± Lyra narrowed her gaze. ¡°Where are my manners?¡± The man bowed with a hand to his chest. ¡°I am Crom, son of Hegan. I¡¯m part of the merchant caravan along with my father. These two here are my bodyguards, Wrev and Siv. As you can see, they are of the Wolf Tribe. The two have been around since I was born and they take their jobs seriously. As you have seen, Wref can be overlymitted.¡± ¡°Pleasure to make acquaintance with a Faerie-kin.¡± Siv also bowed in a simr manner. When she realized her brother wasn¡¯t doing the same, she used her re to coerce her brother into doing so. Erin didn¡¯t want to get involved any further into the drama than she currently was but since the other party had already introduced themselves, introducing herself in return was the least she could do as a good gesture. ¡°Likewise. My name¡¯s Erinthea but you can call me Erin.¡± She bowed with the same gestures. ¡°Thisdy here is my friend andpanion, Lyra.¡± Lyra¡¯s eyes widened at the mention of panion¡±. She quickly snapped out of it and greeted the three. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to be rude but we are in a rush,¡± Erin added at the end of their greeting. ¡°Of course, of course.¡± Crom made way. ¡°Then, I won¡¯t hinder you but please, doe to the market on the morrow or the next. I¡¯m looking forward to your patronage.¡± Erin wasn¡¯t sure if she woulde, so she gave a neutral answer. ¡°If the wind blows my way.¡± With those words, Erin and Lyra continued their path to The Guild. Erin didn¡¯t miss the resentful re Wref had for her as they walked away. ¡°Gosh, Faerie-kin are really entrancing,¡± Lyra remarked. ¡°Can¡¯t be helped.¡± Erin shrugged. ¡°He¡¯s looking forward to my patronage.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just him. Everyone is, not just the merchants. A Fae¡¯s presence means a lot, Erin. You might not have noticed it with the town¡¯s meek nature but if I¡¯m seen walking side by side with a Fae in other towns or cities, I¡¯ll be questioned thoroughly and constantly.¡± ¡°And you still choose to walk beside me? Until when?¡± Lyra leaned closer to Erin¡¯s shoulder as they walked, inciting a string of adoring sighs from the passing town folks. Since they were already a well-known item by the town, there wasn¡¯t anymotion raised at the sight of Lyra¡¯s intimate actions. ¡°What the hell is going on over there?¡± Erin uttered as soon as The Guild building came into sight. There was a crowd in front of the entrance. She thought it to be something parlous or blood-spilling but when the faintughters entered her ears, she knew her notion had been wrong. ¡°A fight?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°You can say that. Although with words and wits.¡± ¡°The merchants?¡± Erin closed her eyes for a while and focused on her hearing. She opened her eyes after a few seconds. ¡°Some kind of discussion with the Guild Master.¡± ¡°Geron? He¡¯s there?¡± Lyra tried to discern his appearance but even though she had extremely good eyesights and her Unique Talent, Eagle Eye, she wasn¡¯t able to see through the crowd. ¡°Should we be approaching The Guild now? Won¡¯t we get roped in¡­ whatever the hell is happening there?¡± Erin shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that dire for us to warrant that much caution.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a Fae. Even if it¡¯s not, it will be dire once you¡¯re involved.¡± Damn. Being a Fae has its demerits, I guess. ¡°What are they even discussing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know what they are discussing? I thought you could hear them.¡± ¡°Just bits and pieces. There are a lot of other noises in the mix. It¡¯s hard to focus specifically on only a certain few.¡± As they got closer, the noise seemed to only get rowdier. There wereughters but Erin realized it wasn¡¯t for humorous reasons. The duo could also feel apetition of sorts brewing on the horizon in the middle of the crowd. Although Sixth Sense was silent, Erin knew trouble was looming ahead. ¡°I still don¡¯t know what the main cause for the crowd is but I don¡¯t think I want to find out. You know what, you¡¯re right. We shoulde back when the tide recedes.¡± Lyra nodded. ¡°Right with ya.¡± Just as the two were about to leave, their names were called out from among the crowd. It was Sam. ¡°Ah, Miss Erin, Miss Lyra. The two of you are here right on time.¡± The two were left with no exit. All the eyes had turned to them. The crowd parted in an instant, making way for the Guild Master and two figures that Erin and Lyra were unfamiliar with. The first stranger was a man with considerable height. He was taller than Erin and more well-dressed than Geron. The uncanny resemnce of the man instantly reminded Erin of Crom who she had met just minutes before. Which makes this man, Hegan. Although Erin was surprised at the splitting image of father and son, her attention was entirely drawn towards the other stranger. It was a woman in a very revealing robe with an exquisite pipe in her hand. She shared the same height as Lyra but instead of thew, she was bearing perfect curves. And her faceplemented her shapely figure well. However, those weren¡¯t the reason for Erin¡¯s interest, no. Her interesty in the fact the woman had dark skin and her ears, though they weren¡¯t long like an elf, they were still pointed. Erin appraised the woman without even a brief hesitation. [Unable to appraise.] Such results returned to Erin. Eh? I can¡¯t appraise. W-why? ¡°Oh my, that¡¯s terribly rude, young one,¡± the woman whispered softly and coyly. ¡°Don¡¯t you know it¡¯s rude to pry without one¡¯s consent?¡± Caught with her hand in the jar, Erin could only stare at the smirking dark-skinned woman with pointed ears. 1-34 Brief 1-34 Brief ¡°What was that about?¡± asked Lyra as she sat down on the couch provided alongside Erin. Everything had transpired so fast. Minutes ago, Erin was caught with a breach of privacy but now, she was seated on a cozy couch. The two weren¡¯t in the Guild Master¡¯s office but a small reception room on the first floor of The Guild building. The only individual present with the two was the reliable andpetent Samira. Immediately after Erin was caught by the scantily d woman for appraising without one¡¯s consent, the two were escorted to this room by Sam. The Guild staff were swift in taking action, almost as if they anticipated the quandary, Erin thought. Within the small room with ample space, Erin alleviated her vignce and concentrated on her hearing. Going by the sound, Erin could tell Hegan and the dark-skinned woman was escorted to the Guild Master¡¯s office. There were others with them, most probably their bodyguards, Erin surmised. Sam let off a sigh before taking a seat on a simr couch across from them. ¡°Apologies about that,¡± she said. Erin furrowed her brows. She was sure she was the one who was at fault for prying into someone¡¯s personal information without consent but here Sam was, apologizing to her instead. ¡°Sam, spare the courtesy. Just tell us what was that about?¡± Lyra said. Sam took a nce at Erin before clearing her throat. ¡°We weren¡¯t actually looking for you.¡± Both Lyra and Erin drew a nk on their gaze. ¡°Like when you called out to us among the crowd?¡± Lyra asked? Sam nodded. ¡°It was never our intention but¡­ we had to know. We just want to gauge the merchants¡¯ reaction.¡± ¡°The merchant...¡± Erin raised an eyebrow. ¡°You mean that woman¡¯s a merchant too?¡± ¡°One of the most powerful. Her name is Iris. Her influence spans to the thrones of kingdoms.¡± ¡°What¡¯s someone like her doing in a backwater town like this?¡± Sam shook her head. ¡°We do not know either. She had never been part of the caravans. We were surprised too when we saw her among the other caravans. She was being quite subtly inquisitive about matters she wasn''t known to be involved with. Going by her questions, we assume she is looking for something or someone. Our first thought was¡ª¡± ¡°Me,¡± Erin intervened with thest word. Sam nodded. ¡°They certainly looked surprised at a Fox-kin with three tails but¡­ Lady Iris¡¯ was simply dazed by the unexpected. It told us that you are not the reason for her presence.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief,¡± Lyra breathed out and leaned her head against Erin¡¯s shoulder, incurring a frown from the Fox-kin. Sam smiled sweetly at Lyra¡¯s one-sided affectionate disy. Though it may have nothing to do with her, Erin couldn¡¯t help but be bothered with the presence of Iris. Sam said the woman was looking for something or someone. If she herself wasn¡¯t the reason, it was clear to her who was the next person on the suspected list. Erin said nothing of it, however. It was something she could only discuss with the Guild Master alone behind closed doors. ¡°That Iris¡­ what is she?¡± Lyra asked a question Erin was also dying to know. ¡°She¡¯s certainly no human or Fae.¡± ¡°She¡¯s an Umbrun.¡± While Lyra could only blink emptily at the revtion, Erin nodded knowingly albeit with amazement. Lyra looked at Erin in surprise. ¡°You know what¡¯s an Umbrun?¡± Erin had an offended look. ¡°I¡¯m not as daft as you think I am.¡± ¡°I am of the same belief as Miss Lyra here. I didn¡¯t think you would know about Umbruns when even Miss Lyra doesn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Who said I don¡¯t?¡± Lyra shot Sam a nce. ¡°Do you?¡± Sam merely smiled back. Lyra clicked her tongue as she remained silent. Though Erin had nodded as if she had personally known an Umbrun, the truth was far from that notion. Umbrun was just another myth in her former world. A figure from fairy tales. Umbruns were the antithesis of Elves. While Elves were known to be graceful and elegant, Umbruns were vulgar and brutish. Before meeting Iris, Erin had thought them to be Demon-kin but the nuancey in their conducts and some of their minor outer features. Still, Erin didn¡¯t have a good feeling about Iris. With such thoughts swirling in Erin¡¯s mind, Sam moved on to another topic. ¡°Well, let¡¯s cast those irrelevant matters aside for now.¡± ¡°Just like that?¡± Erin asked. ¡°Yes, Miss Erin. If you wish to know more, I¡¯m sorry to say that I¡¯m not permitted to tell you anything aside from what I had told you. I hope you can understand. If you¡¯re worried about Lady Iris, you don¡¯t have to. I¡¯m sure she wasn¡¯t actually offended as she is known to enjoy¡­ pulling one¡¯s leg, shall we say.¡± Erin was a little bit irked at the superficial exnation but since she practically got off a predicament scott-free, Erin epted the change of topic. ¡°Now, judging from your expressions, I assume the two of you have something significant to report?¡± ¡°We¡¯re not waiting for the Guild Master?¡± Erin asked. ¡°The meeting with the two would take an arduous amount of time. He has entrusted me a few of his tasks, including handling and processing your reports.¡± Erin and Lyra exchanged nces, in which Lyra nodded. Erin thenid the Magic Ry rod onto the table between the couch. Sam¡¯s eyes widened at the item presented before her. It was apparent she knew what this item might be. ¡°This is¡ª¡± ¡°The rod used to control the Dire Wolf. It¡¯s the same tool but this one¡¯s¡­ smaller.¡± Sam had put on a pair of spectacles before Erin knew it. The lens glowed a faint cyan. ¡°This is unbelievable,¡± she gasped at the results. ¡°You found this where?¡± ¡°At the sites where Goblins were sighted. If I have to guess, the sightings and the marks the Goblins left are deliberate.¡± ¡°Deliberate?¡± ¡°Obviously, whoever it is, they have the means to control a being. It won¡¯t be far-fetched to say that the Goblins might be under the same influence. It was a trap. I was ambushed by a puppet, from who I pulled this rod from.¡± ¡°A puppet?¡± ¡°Some low life bandit I encountered days before. I didn¡¯t give them too much thought because they were in a situation bordering their demise. I didn¡¯t think they would somehow live through that and became a puppet.¡± ¡°Controlling humans...¡± Sam¡¯s voice turned grave. ¡°And this bandit¡­ is he...¡± ¡°Dead.¡± ¡°You¡¯re sure this time?¡± Before Erin could retort, Lyra cut in. ¡°The bandit is in three pieces. Who knows?¡± She shrugged. ¡°I see.¡± Sam merely nodded without minding Lyra¡¯s sudden intercession. ¡°So someone or something might be controlling the Goblins. This exins the Goblins¡¯ odd behaviors.¡± Erin and Lyra waited for Sam¡¯s verdict. Lyra was trying to get a feel on Erin¡¯s tails for the entire conversation but Erin eventually trapped her hand under her own. It wasn¡¯t aplete loss for Lyra, however. ¡°It has be more dire than we feared,¡± Sam finally spoke. ¡°This is a heavy subject. One that I can not decide without the presence of a Guild Master. Putting that aside, The Guild has a request.¡± ¡°For the two of us?¡± Erin asked. Sam glimpsed awkwardly at Lyra. ¡°Sadly no,¡± she answered. Lyra leaned forward. ¡°Why?¡± she demanded. ¡°Before I tell you that, let me exin the situation. This happened long before the confirmation of Goblins. At that time, the Goblins sightings were just whispers and rumors on the horizon. The Guild received a request from a vige nearby, just over the hill after the dark woods. They imed that their livestock and crops were decimated by some small palish green creatures, incessantly every night. Some of their structures were even involved in the decimation. Their night watchmen were killed or gravely injured. The vige is one the town¡¯s major suppliers of milk and eggs. We sent two adventurers to investigate, one of them is Marcus.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s where he went.¡± Lyra nodded in understanding. Noticing Erin¡¯s baffled gaze, she exined, ¡°Marcus is the second highest level adventurer in this town at level fourteen.¡± ¡°Yes, he is,¡± Sam attested. ¡°However, it has been more than a week since he left and we have not heard from him since.¡± Lyra fell silent. Erin gulped in apprehension. ¡°Which is why we have a request for you, Miss Erin. We¡¯re sending you to the vige.¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°You have proven yourself to be more capable than your level suggests. Of course, you will not be alone in this quest.¡± ¡°Then, why am I not requested?¡± Lyra questioned. Sam cast a patient look. ¡°Because we need you here, Miss Lyra. With the Goblins roaming around, we can¡¯t just send off anyone without any consideration for the worst.Your¡­ ability is highly valued.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware that I¡¯m that highly valued.¡± Sam smiled. ¡°All of the adventurers are valued profoundly. We just don¡¯t say it to anyone or everyone.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Compliments, praises,mendations, they tend to get to the adventurers¡¯ head. You have met Kane, Freed, and Cal. What do you think would happen if we uttered even just a few praises to them?¡± Lyra scoffed but she got the message. ¡°But what about Nivia? Can¡¯t The Guild send her instead?¡± ¡°Nivia is unavable.¡± Erin creased her brows. ¡°Exin.¡± ¡°The merchants have requested her service as an escort. We do not know why but somehow, they caught wind of the Goblin rumors and they are now hoarding the best adventurers to themselves, until they reached the safe borders of the next town.¡± ¡°She can¡¯t reject it?¡± ¡°For the sake of this town, she might just have to ept it. A good portion of the town¡¯s livelihood is at stake. These merchants¡¯, their opinions meant a lot. We can¡¯t risk offending them. Besides, her rtions with the merchants will affect the Faerie-kin¡¯s reputation.¡± Can¡¯t risk offending them¡­ Well, oops. It¡¯s kinda toote for me. Erin looked away. ¡°These merchants don¡¯t sound like good people,¡± Lyra remarked. ¡°And we¡¯re treating them this well because they have gold.¡± Sam smiled sympathetically. ¡°It¡¯s not our ce to decide where they sit on a moral scale, Miss Lyra.¡± Lyra clicked her tongue but she slouched back to the couch. ¡°What say you, Miss Erin?¡± Sam asked. ¡°What say I?¡± Erin questioned back. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s a yes. People¡¯s lives are in danger and I¡¯m the best possible choice to help at the current moment. If I said no, I don¡¯t think I will have a good night''s sleep again.¡± ¡°Thank you, Miss Erin.¡± Sam bowed from her seat. She sighed in relief. ¡°It would have been problematic had you declined.¡± ¡°Well, I have already epted it. No usementing about a future that will never exist now. Anyways, has it already been decided who will be the ones apanying me?¡± ¡°It has. Do be reminded, our choices were limited. We didn¡¯t gather the strongest. We gathered the best for the current situation.¡± Lyra had an adverse reaction towards the ones who were going to be Erin¡¯spanions. Sam¡¯s smile diminished in vigor. ¡°Kane?¡± Lyra raised an eyebrow. ¡°God, no. Of course, it¡¯s not him. Kane and his cohorts can barely trust each other, let alone anyone else.¡± ¡°Then who?¡± It was Lyra that kept on asking. ¡°There¡¯s Freed.¡± Erin¡¯s tails moved before Lyra could, preventing her from rising from her seat in anger. The feat was sudden and astonishing, even to Erin herself. Once again, she acted on instinct. Sam was startled by the development but she quickly rposed herself. ¡°Miss Lyra, I have to ask you to be calm.¡± ¡°I am calm.¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re not,¡± Erin argued. Lyra had a face as if she had been betrayed but it didn¡¯tst long asfort of Erin¡¯s furry tails was quick to douse her anger. ¡°Continue,¡± Erin urged. Sam cleared her throat. ¡°Besides Freed, there are...¡± She paused and looked at Lyra who was ready to snarl at the next mentioned individual. ¡°Aedan....¡± Lyra was about to yell out her disapproval but her voice was muffled by Erin¡¯s tail. ¡°Aedan isn¡¯t an adventurer, as far as I¡¯m aware,¡± Erin said. ¡°He isn¡¯t but Mister Geron insisted that his role is essential. He could be of a huge help towards the repairs of the vige¡¯s structures.¡± Erin held a dubious notion but she didn¡¯t let it surface. It was obvious there was an ulterior motive for that decision but Erin kept it to herself. ¡°There are also Cal and Selene,¡± Sam continued. Erin widened her eyes. ¡°Those two?¡± ¡°Before you dispute, Miss Erin, let it be known that the Guild are well aware of their abilities.¡± Erin waited for Sam to finish before giving her remark. ¡°I¡¯m sure you are already exposed to Mister Aedan¡¯s capabilities, no?¡± Erin nodded, incurring a questioning nce from Lyra but that was all she could do as she was still restrained to the couch with Erin¡¯s tails. ¡°This quest will be a good experience for them. As for Freed¡­ well, you have seen his attitude. I¡¯m sure you know why.¡± Erin smiled wryly as a response. It was clear Freed was requested to apany Erin to prevent him from making any troubles in the presence of these merchants. ¡°But what about Kane?¡± Erin asked. ¡°He¡¯ll cause trouble, more than Freed, I dare assume.¡± ¡°We trust that the merchants will keep him in line.¡± Erin raised an eyebrow. Sam continued. ¡°As long as the merchants keep paying him well, he¡¯ll even wag his tail and bark for them.¡± ¡°What about Freed then? The merchants can¡¯t do anything about him?¡± ¡°Freed is more worried about where he can sheathe his sword than gold.¡± Sam smiled wryly. ¡°I¡¯m sure you have already seen the caravans. Merchants have brought along their pretty daughters and beautiful wives, and The Guild doesn¡¯t have anyone to spare watching after him for even a day.¡± ¡°And someone like that is going to be part of the team?¡± Lyra nodded furiously as if to agree with Erin¡¯s point. ¡°You and Aedan are there. Selene is outside his preference. His skills are not extraordinary but he is a little better than the average. Despite what you heard about him, he¡¯s not too bad of an adventurer.¡± ¡°I see...¡± Erin mused. ¡°Anything else, Miss Erin?¡± ¡°No,¡± she answered. Not for now, at least. ¡°Good. Then you¡¯ll be going to the vige on the morrow. The sooner the better, I¡¯m sure you can understand.¡± Erin nodded. ¡° I understand but what of this town?¡± ¡°The merchants brought their own guards and none of them are callow. The town will be fine during the stay of the merchants. Whoever is controlling the Goblins and monsters, it¡¯s safe to say they have some degree of intelligence. I¡¯m sure they won¡¯t make any move with the merchants¡¯ presence. However, the same couldn¡¯t be said for that vige.¡± Lyra somehow struggled her mouth out of Erin¡¯s restraining tails. ¡°Then by that logic, I should be able to apany them, right?¡± She was immediately shut up again by Erin. ¡°Like I have said, Miss Lyra, you are needed here. Though a major clue has been found, the Goblin investigation is still ongoing. Miss Nivia is upied. Miss Erin has been re-allocated. If you¡¯re gone too, The Guild would need to find someone new to confide the Goblin situation in. And we prefer the circumstances being kept under wraps and the knowledge known to fewer individuals.¡± Hearing her exnation, Lyra eventually relented. ¡°I hope you understand, Miss Lyra. We don¡¯t mean to offend.¡± Sensing her hostility dissipating, Erin released her restraint on Lyra. ¡°I was under the impression adventurers have a lot of freedom,¡± Lyra retorted. ¡°You¡¯re confusing freedom withck of inhibition and regtion, Miss Lyra.¡± Lyra grumbled but she didn¡¯t argue any further. Not because she understood but simply because she didn¡¯t want to be found out that she understood nothing of what Sam had told her. ¡°I guess that concludes the briefing?¡± Erin asked. Sam let out an apologetic smile. ¡°Yes. I am sorry that I couldn¡¯t bear better tidings.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, Sam. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s fair to me the messenger. Besides, we¡¯re not going to war here.¡± Sam didn¡¯t have anything to say to that. She didn¡¯t want to jinx it. ¡°Anything else I should take heed of?¡± There was a brief pause before Sam eventually said, ¡°expect the worst for the vige, though we are obligated to tell you to remain on the bright side.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± Erin mumbled in response. ¡°That¡¯s just the formality, Miss Erin. In truth, like I have already told you, we haven¡¯t heard from the adventurers for a long time, not even from a single one of the vigers. Not even a letter by pigeon. So¡­ with all the evidence considered, the worst is the only thing we could infer.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s that dire, shouldn¡¯t we move now?¡± ¡°Razor Grizzly,¡± Lyra answered. ¡°Dusk is near,¡± Sam said. ¡°Not only is it unsafe to move in the night due to the monsters, mainly the King of the Forest but it would also raise numerous questions for the town folks and these questions often lead to assumptions, and assumptions lead to panic.¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s hope we¡¯re not toote by tomorrow.¡± ¡°We can only hope, Miss Erin.¡± 1-35 Dark alley 1-35 Dark alley Upon receiving the new instructions, Erin and Lyra left the building with heavy hearts but more so for Lyra who was expressing her dissatisfaction towards the designation by The Guild. Worse, Erin had been an advocate for the designation. Lyra had looked forward to spending more time with Erin after their reconciliation but that excitement was shattered. To make matters bleaker than it already was for Lyra, she couldn¡¯t spend the remaining day with Erin. And it wasn¡¯t some matter she could just disregard. To put it briefly, her supplies of arrows weren¡¯tmissioned by a craftsman or a smith. She made them herself, much to Erin¡¯s astonishment. It raised the Fox-kin¡¯s evaluation of her. ¡°It¡¯s cheaper,¡± had been her answer and reason when Erin asked why she was making her own arrows. The materials were bought separately from different dealers in a bulk. The sticks for the shaft were procured from the town¡¯s mill. The fletchings were acquired from a peculiar trinket stall. As for thestponent, the tip was bought from the Dwarrow smithy. Lyra then put it altogether herself. Purchasing in bulk was cheaper, Erin learned and it wasn¡¯t an exclusive feature of this town. After Lyra bade an unrelenting and sadenning farewell, Erin went about her own affairs. She had a light lunch at a roadside eatery which was just meat skewers and a cup of red tea. When she asked the proprietress of the stall of the red tea¡¯s origin, the reply was a simple shake of a head. The proprietress, an olddy, was none the wiser about the tea¡¯s origin. It was safe for consumption, it was delicious, and everyone else was also drinking it, that was all the olddy knew and the only things that she needed to know as far as she herself was concerned. That was to be expected, Erin had such thoughts. They were just trying to earn a living. They weren¡¯t required to have extensive knowledge regarding their business, not if they were only doing their business on a local scale. As long they could keep it afloat, everything else was secondary. This was the general unspoken consensus of this town. After her meals, Erin contemted on her schedule, which was quite empty for once. She thought about heading back to the forest but given the current time, she wouldn¡¯t be able to get any quest done before dusk. She wanted to continue her magic lessons and apologize for the abrupt dismissal from yesterday but Nivia was still engaged in her own affairs. Solely from the words of the streets, it involved a deal that could potentially affect the whole Fae as a race. Naturally, Erin took this news with grains of salt but surmising Iris might be involved in the deal, that rumor might not be too far from the truth. Still, Erin remained neutral with the whispers. In the end, after a long but brief contemtion, she decided on something she had not done for a long time, even if her past life was ounted for, and that was shadow sparring. In her past life, every other day was brimming with conflicts. For every day before the morrow, it was brimming with anticipation for the morrow. It was never a dull day for her. What¡¯s more, her numerous years of training had honed her body to peak condition on a constant basis. With that kind of timetable and fortitude, shadow sparring became redundant for her. But now, sparring had once again be relevant, though she hadn¡¯t sparred with shadows ever since she became Erinthea. Arriving at the vast field behind Verdant Inn, Erin drew both of her swords, a broadsword and a saber. As the former Sword Saint, she was no stranger to dual wielding des but her preferences had always fallen on dual handling a swordrger than her size. In fact, her skill shone the most with that form. However, that was all in the past. She was no longer Argon Raze and she no longer had the physique of a human, much less a man. She had a new body and a new structure. It was only rational that she needed to discern her new optimal form. During the fight with the Dire Wolf and the spellbound bandit, she found out her new body was more flexible than she had thought, not just in the sense of splitting her legs apart in a straight line. No matter which form she took, not one could be said to be better suited to her than the other. It was as if every form was harmonious with her physique and frame. Even for the forms biased against heavyweight, she could adjust her body to it with the assistance of magic. Her body was versatile in its potential. As Erin swung her swords in the most fluent manner she could disy, she was reminded of a certain duel in her past life. A swordsman much like herself but he had preferred dual des much like Nivia, albeit with less acrobatic movements. As much as Erin hated to admit it, the dual de swordsman was much more fluent than her when it came to dual wielding, for a time. Erin remembered dueling in kind with the same form, dual des. Her victory had been narrow but a victory nheless. Even though Erin didn¡¯t like the person himself, his dual wielding skills were second to none until his defeat. Resurfacing such a memory, Erin danced to that particr tune. She recalled the movements. She overlooked not the slightest detail to that swordsmanship within her memories. A fluid motion like an undisturbed river flow. The rocks in its path did nothing to hinder the flow. When split apart bynd, they rejoined together at the other end. Even a wall could not stop the river. It only made it into ake. This was how Erinprehended the swordsmanship of that particr dual der. By the time she hadpleted the dance, she found herself drenched in sweat. Unconsciously, her tails wiped away a droplet of her sweat. When she realized what had happened, she was left dumbfounded and mystified. She hadn¡¯t will her tails to move. They moved as if they were responding to her current trail of thoughts. What a strange sense of involuntary. Besides her skills with swords, there was also a segment Erin wished to explore. Her tails. It was clear by now that her tails were more than just ornaments. They were useful but their usefulness so far were far too fickle. She could move them consciously but if she was told to dance with her tails, she wouldn¡¯t even know where to start. Remembering Sven¡¯s words, Erin applied Arcane Armor on one of her tails. She gave it a flick on the thin magic fment coated on top of a bundle of fur. A sharp sound bounced off with her finger. She then spun her body, swinging her tails and whipping the air. Even without a practice dummy, the sound of her tails streaking through the air was enough as evidence. If something sharp was attached to her tail, she didn¡¯t doubt the capability of taking a limb or even a head but that was honing in on the future prospects. It was apparent now. Her tails could serve as effective weapons but there were two concerns. Maintaining Arcane Armor over her tails was an arduous task and she couldn¡¯t move her tails as skillfully as her limbs. The first problem was easily solvable by leveling up but to manipte her tails at the level of limbs, it was aplete mystery to her. Still, it did not discourage her. Although she was eager to take back her title as the Sword Saint, she also believed haste makes waste. There were some things that just couldn¡¯t be rushed. And so, until the time for supper descended, she practiced with her two new swords and trained her tails to move as eloquently as her limbs were. **** Erin and Lyra met up again when dusk came. They had a decent meal together. They talked. Theyughed. They shared their experience with life. And when the night came, Erin knew she could no longer hide the bad news from Lyra. While Erin had a face that couldn¡¯t be more sluggish, Lyra had a smile so bright that it made Erin guilty for what she was about to tell her. Erin didn¡¯t want to do this but she had to, for Lyra¡¯s sake. After her coitus session with Maria, the mature woman had been fine and she did not exude any obsessive trait like Lyra did. Erin inferred that Lust Deviant might have varying effects on different individuals or Lyra was simply obsessed with Erin, even without the association of Lust Deviant. Still, Erin didn¡¯t want to take any chances. She had her share of encounters with opium addicts. She saw what addiction could do to a person and she shuddered to even picture Lyra in such a state. Being her friend, a very intimate one, Erin just couldn¡¯t risk it, not when there were plenty of alternatives. When Erin told Lyra she couldn¡¯t spend the night with her, her color waspletely drained from her face. When prompted for the reason, Erin came up with a lie that she had prior engagement with Nivia. Seeing the distraught Lyra, Erin promised her that she would make it all up with her once she got back from her excursion. Lyra instantly came up with the idea of a blood-pact promise which was shot down by Erin as quickly as it was suggested. Lyra even had her dagger out and ready. She relented on the blood-pact when she witnessed the stif-standing ears and tails of Erin. She put up a tough front but her tails and ears were enough of a telltale sign of her worries. It took quite a while but Erin managed to convince the near-frantic Lyra. Although Lyra did not let it slip, Erin read her intentions like a book. Lyra had a face more sly than a fox, ironically, when they made the promise. Erin prepared herself for an exhausting and recreational night once she came back from her excursion. After parting ways with Lyra who had an expression of an abandoned puppy, Erin made her way back to Emerald Inn. The prior engagement part had not been aplete lie. She left her lesson abruptly the day before and she didn¡¯t even make another appointment with Nivia. Under this kind of circumstances, it was only natural and cordial for Erin to express her apologies as soon as possible. That was her intention but Nivia was gone when she had woken up. Now, she hoped Nivia was in her room, so she could apologize for her abruptness. However, fate was like always, whimsical. Or it might not be fate¡¯s whims at all. It could just be her own oversight. Whichever was it, Erin herself was subjected to the consequences. Half way through her walk back to the inn, one of her many neglected fears came true. [User has entered Carnal Starvation - Lust Deviant activated.] Her heartbeat rose sharply. Heat enshrouded her. Her world began to wobble. She squeezed herself up in between her thighs. Her sweat glistened her skin. Her tails were iling excitedly. Suddenly, everyone became an object of affection in her eyes. The old man who walked past her became a feast for her eyes. The young man across the street had a body she couldn¡¯t help but wanted to know more of. A young boy who was running back home looked so tender and delectable just from the sight of it. Even a half-naked man with nothing brawns on his body began to look extremely tempting to her. No! No! I can¡¯t do that! What the fuck was I thinking? She managed toe back to her senses. It appalled Erin. She couldn¡¯t believe how her view could change so much and so abrupt. A nubile girl passed by Erin. Noticing Erin¡¯s pained look, the girl approached her but Erin quickly pulled herself away from the innocent girl. Without sparing the girl a nce, Erin dragged herself off the streets and into a dark alleyway where the darkness and shadows were one. It wasn¡¯t a good choice but at the moment, it was the only sensible thought that was present in her extremely stimted mind. Even her nose could only pick up the sensual scent of everyone within the vicinity. She dragged herself further into the alley, further away from everyone else. Now that Erin thought about it, not a night had gone by for her without any pursuit for carnal pleasure ever since she became Erinthea, the Fox-kin. This was the first night she was going to spend it all alone and her body was the prime opposer of that idea, as a result of being the holder of the Lust Deviant innate skill. Erin prayed in her heart that no one would enter the alley. If someone did, man or woman, old or young, no matter who it was, Erin doubted she would have the sense and strength to hold herself from pouncing onto the unfortunate person. More than hurting the other party, Erin trembled at the thought of letting herself being bared and soiled by just any random man. Though she had the body of a nubile woman in her prime, her heart had remained for the majority part, a man. She was alright with a simple handshake but when a man started to get feely, her skin crawled at the mere thought of it. But right now, though her heart minded it, her body wasn¡¯t so discriminating. In fact, her body was weing the refreshing feel of a man¡¯s touch and affection. There were also brief times she repeatedly questioned her own orientation, whether it would change in ordance to her current identity. After all, she was a woman for not even a week and the future was filled with various possibilities. Deciding to relieve herself, Erin made a turn at the end of the alleyway, out of sight from the street. She promptly plopped to the ground and leaned against the wall. She was never one for this sort of perversion but she had to do what she must. It was better than shacking up with any random person. She was opposed to having men as her partner but she was just as opposed to making any women into her victim. Just as she began taking off her garbs and clothes, her ears perked up. She stopped her hands from rustling herself out of her apparels. Though her nose had failed her in such a dire time, her ears were still as every bitpetent. She heard footsteps, which sounded definite considering the empty alley, and it was getting close. Someone was approaching her intentionally. It was just some stumbling of a drunkard, going by the resolute rhythm of the person¡¯s steps. ¡°Did someone see me?¡± Erin asked herself. As far as she could tell, a lot of people saw her but none gave her any attention. It wasn¡¯t that they forgot about the infamous Erinthea, it was just that they knew better than to get themselves involved in the affairs of adventurers and Faerie-kin. Whoever it was, Erin could tell the person had a firm purpose ining her way. There was no hesitation in their steps. It could even be called steadfast. Erin didn¡¯t want to hurt anyone but to prevent herself from ravaging the other party, she would need to inflict some pain towards the other party as a warning. She gripped her swords tightly. She would hit them with her swords in their sheathed state, Erin decided. Even standing up was a chore but she managed. Her rustled clothes were slipping off but she held them up with one hand. As she prepared herself for the unveiling of the mysterious approacher, Erin lowered her arms which were ready to swing. She didn¡¯t know who it was but the person was giving out a peculiar scent. Unlike others, he wasn¡¯t oozing out anything sensual, not even the slightest. Erin was baffled but more than that, she was assured. This meant that whoever it was, she would not sumb to her desires towards this person. Maybe I can ask this person for help provided that they are benevolent. Just as her hopes were lit on the notion of asking for assistance, her face fell when the person in question turned at the corner and came into her sight. ¡°Wow, what happened to you?¡± asked a grimacing man with dark red hair. Among all the men she was acquainted with, this man was perhaps the tallest one she had ever met in this town. Strictly speaking, Erin had never met the man before but for some reasons, her instinct told her the contrary. While she wouldn¡¯t call her memory being excellent, other than in the aspects of swords, her memory was neither poor. That said, she could not for the life of her recall anything about the man. However, her expression had fallen into a distraught state because she knew who the man was. She knew that because of Appraisal. The Appraisal result was full of nothing but gibberish for the most part. It was a reminiscent sight. Only his name and race was disyed. And these two particr information were the reasons why Erin had a baffled gaze. ¡°Aedan?¡± Erin gasped out with confusion. 1-36 Twilight Veil 1-36 Twilight Veil Upon the realization of her apparent savior¡¯s identity, Erin had an immediate change of heart. It was better to not receive any help from this person. Although she did not pick up any hostility or animosity from the man who couldn¡¯t be anyone but Aedan, Erin had her hands around the hilt of her swords just in case. ¡°You¡¯re leaking out an awful lot of pheromones. I assume the culprit to be your Lust Deviant skill, is it not?¡± Even though Erin could barely raise her arms, let alone stand on her feet or even maintain her breathing pace, she didn¡¯t give in and struggled to distance herself away from Aedan. Strength was still present in her body but her rationality on the other hand was slowly fading off. Aedan simpered at her efforts. ¡°Are you really Aedan?¡± she asked in between her ragged breaths. ¡°Who else can I be?¡± He shrugged. ¡°Being a Dwarrow is just a facade, remember?¡± Still wary, Erin probed further. ¡°Is this your real form?¡± Aedan hung his head for a while in deep thought. ¡°Minus the ring features you would expect on a Demi-human, yes. Did you actually think that halfling was my real appearance?¡± ¡°To even alter your appearance¡­ why are you going to such lengths?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t tell?¡± Aedan chuckled. ¡°Imagine my surprise. I took you for a seasoneddy and a smartss.¡± ¡°I have loads of guesses¡ª¡± Erin paused to gather her breath. ¡°¡ªbut since you¡¯re here, might as well ask you straight.¡± Aedan scoffed in delight. ¡°Cheekyss, you are. Why does anyone go to such lengths to change their appearance? Why else than to hide themself of course.¡± It took a few seconds for Erin to gather her thoughts. ¡°Someone or something is hunting you¡­ but who?¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t know and you don¡¯t have to know.¡± Erin clicked her tongue. ¡°Ah¡­ I see. It''s really a shame.¡± Aedan raised an eyebrow. ¡°What is?¡± ¡°Your attitude. I was hoping it was just a facade too like your appearance but it appears, you are really an arse.¡± ¡°Admirable,¡± Aedan praised and took a step forward. ¡°In spite of your current state, you¡¯re as fierce as ever, mdy.¡± For some reasons, being addressed as such by Aedan brought about a wave of unease. ¡°Fuck.... You...¡± Erin squeezed those words out through her rasping breath. ¡°I guess you don¡¯t need my help?¡± Erin¡¯s expression stiffened at the unexpected offer. ¡°You intend to help me?¡± Aedan smiled. ¡°No, I intend to assault you.¡± Her ears perked up. Her eyes froze on the smile devoid of anypassion. The Dragon-kin then burst outughing. Realizing that she had been yed, Erin grimaced. ¡°How low can you sink?¡± ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not forcing myself on a defenseless woman. So¡­ not that low, I guess?¡± ¡°Is that what you¡¯re here for? To mock me as a retaliation for your loss this morning?¡± ¡°You¡¯re belittling me, mdy. I¡¯m not that petty.¡± ¡°Then why are you here? You don¡¯t expect me to believe that you are actually here to help.¡± ¡°Seeing as how we¡¯ll bepanions from tomorrow henceforth, I figure I¡¯ll show some gestures of good faith now.¡± Aedan then approached Erin with a wry smile. Erin didn¡¯t know why but she instinctively flinched from Aedan. She tried to worm her way away from the Dragon-kin but she could only do so much. While her stats had a significant increase, it was all pointless if she couldn¡¯t put it to good use. Right now, her mind could only think of copting. Rather than being weakened by Lust Deviant, it was more of the fact she was unmotivated to do anything but copte. Her body refused to obey her unless it worked towards the act of coption. Despite such intense thirst for carnal relief, Erin just couldn¡¯t figure out why she had none of those desires towards Aedan, who was subjectively much better looking than all the men she came across with his current appearance. Not that she would say it out loud for the Dragon-kin to hear. Ignoring her refusal and enervated ilings, Aedan helped Erin up to her feet all the while maintaining an indifferent expression towards her struggle. ¡°Why are you helping me?¡± Erin asked again. ¡°You don¡¯t strike me as a person who cares about breaking bread with yourpanions.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Then why?¡± ¡°I live in this town, for one.¡± Aedan stared at her. ¡°And let¡¯s say you encounter a monster in some ce that nobody frequents. The monster¡¯s injured but it¡¯s still every bit as lethal. You have the necessary strength and wisdom to take care of the monster. Would you just ignore and leave the monster to its own device or would you try to make sure it doesn¡¯t harm anyone?¡± ¡°I¡¯m beingpared to a monster.¡± Erin was fuming with annoyance. Her ears and tails waved rigidly in response to her vexation. Aedan¡¯s eyes followed the movement of her ears, which he found amusing. He let his amusement crept to his face. ¡°Please stop staring,¡± Erin admonished him. ¡°And please cease your repulsive grin.¡± Aedan chuckled patronizingly. ¡°How cute.¡± Erin drove her fist into his abdomen but in oppose to her expectation, Aedan stood strong against her strength. It didn¡¯t feel like she hit something unbreakable but she inflicted not even the slightest injury onto Aedan. Perhaps Aedan was simply too strong or her punch packed no strength, she didn¡¯t know. ¡°Ow,¡± Aedan uttered but his expression spelled the contrary. ¡°I take it you don¡¯t want my help?¡± ¡°Call me cute one more time, I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re some conceited glorified lizard man, I¡¯ll unman you.¡± Aedan held back hisughter. ¡°I apologize then. But my offer still stands, are you in need of assistance?¡± Eyeing his reaction, Erin made a critical decision. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll ept your assistance but may I ask how will you provide your assistance?¡± Immediately asking Aedan that question, Erin pulled away from him when she perceived his intentions through his eyes. ¡°What are you doing?¡± she asked. ¡°I can conceal both of us from the public eyes but the trick is, I can only conceal myself and in order to conceal another person in tandem, one will need to remain as close to me as possible. As in real close, to fool the spell that we are just one person.¡± ¡°No,¡± Erin refuted firmly. She didn¡¯t bother to ask whether he was being truthful. She figured it was pointless to ask. ¡°What? You don¡¯t like being touched by a man?¡± ¡°At least not by a person with an arse for a personality.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± Aedan murmured. ¡°Then is it because I¡¯m not a Fae?¡± ¡°You could be an Elf for all I care. I just don¡¯t like being carried, especially by you of all people.¡± Aedan scoffed. ¡°Your legs are trembling like a shitting dog. You can barely stand. Good luck walking on your own.¡± Erin shot him a re. ¡°I¡¯ll manage. I just need you to make sure no one falls prey to my skill and make sure I don¡¯t pounce on anyone as I make my way back to my room.¡± ¡°Or I can just carry you back. It¡¯s not that far and it¡¯s a whole lot easier.¡± Erin seared her re at Aedan. ¡°I said no.¡± ¡°Then how do you propose I help?¡± ¡°You changed your appearance. Do the same thing to me.¡± Aedan raised an eyebrow. ¡°You can¡¯t do that by yourself?¡± ¡°If I can do it by myself, why would I still ask you?¡± ¡°Your Spirit Magic is at level six.¡± ¡°Sorry to disappoint. I don¡¯t know how to do that with Spirit Magic. So, are you going to help me or not?¡± ¡°Close your eyes,¡± Aedan said. Erin blinked. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Close your eyes,¡± he repeated his words. Under different circumstances, Erin would have outright refuted Aedan but his eyes had a strange conviction to them than usual. Believing in her guts, Erin closed her eyes. ¡°Now, imagine that you¡¯re surrounded by Spirits and they are at your disposal. All you need to do is ask. Invoke them. And imagine your appearance¡ª changing.¡± ¡°What if they don¡¯t listen?¡± ¡°Your Spirit Magic is at level six. They will.¡± Erin did as Aedan instructed. She invoked the Spirits. As far as she knew, Spirits existed pretty much everywhere. She imagined them as faint tiny balls of light they were when she firstid her eyes upon them. In her heart, she implored them for a way to hide her ring features. She could hear some sparkles but no solid verbal response. Just as she thought she failed in her invocation, a message appeared in her mind. [Spirit Magic: Twilight Veil - Acquired] Although Erin couldn¡¯t bear witness to the happening herself, she could feel that there were some drastic changes to her appearance along with the substantial consumption of her Mana. For one, her back no longer felt like something was constantly brushing by. Her hair had be shoulder-length. She touched her head, where her ears were supposed to be, but she felt only the air. She tapped her back and received the same empty sensation. Her tails were gone. A few strands of her bangs dangled in front of her eyes. These few strands were now ck instead of bluish white. It wasn¡¯t just her appearance. Lust Deviant was also suppressed albeit not fully. It was like the skill¡¯s range of influence was reduced significantly but it was nevertheless still a danger to everyone and herself. ¡°Whoa, not bad,¡± Aedan blurted out. ¡°Fae really are full of wonders. I guess the envies are justified.¡± Apanied with the Dragon-kin¡¯s reaction, it was enough to let Erin know she had seeded; she hid her appearance well. ¡°Not a bad disguise but¡ª¡± The skepticism in his tone drew in Erin¡¯s gaze and attention. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re fooling anyone with this.¡± Erin cast an annoyed nce. ¡°My ears and tails are gone. My hair is ck and way shorter. You don¡¯t think it would work?¡± ¡°Your ears, tails, and hair are not the only things that made you stand out. You have a figure any women would die for and a height that dwarfs many men. How many women have you seen with such a body and height in this town?¡± Besides Nivia and Lyra, Erin herself was the only one that fit the criteria. Erin instantly knew what Aedan was getting at. ¡°And I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible for you to change your appearance any further with your current level and Magic Vigor.¡± Aedan wasn¡¯t being satirical about her Magic Vigor. Erin could feel that a little more than a third of her Mana was used just to hide her appearance. She doubted it would be feasible if she wished to change into an appearance which bore not a single speck of simrity. ¡°So in the end, this was all pointless?¡± Aedan let out a faint grin. ¡°You can stay here, cross your fingers, and hope that you manage to ovee your plight before anyone chance upon you. Or you can swallow your pride and resort to be carried.¡± Erin clicked her tongue. She had never encountered anyone so infuriating. Worst of all, Aedan wasn¡¯t wrong about his statements, he was just being a twat about it all. ¡°I could just sling my arm around you. Won¡¯t that work?¡± Erin argued. ¡°That¡¯s too far. The spell won¡¯t reach you.¡± His answer was instant. ¡°What if you carry me on your back?¡± ¡°That would work but...¡± Aedan stifled augh as he pointed at her ample chest. Erin fought down a blush that almost touched her cheeks. In the end, Erin could only relent and swallow her pride. ¡°Fine,¡± she said and she red fiercely into Aedan¡¯s soul. ¡°But you better make sure no one sees us. If you try to get touchy, prepare to lose some fingers.¡± Aedan drew a cross on his left chest. **** ¡°And we¡¯re here,¡± Aedan said as he gentlyid Erin on her feet before the entrance of Emerald Inn. It waste into the night, an hour before midnight. So there was no one conveniently close enough to witness the easily misunderstood scene pertaining to the two. There were a few guests inside the inn but the door and the walls did their job as dividers. ¡°I-incredible...¡± she praised, not at his character but his abilities. Even though Erin was well aware of his abilities before, experiencing it first hand gave her an entirely different impression. Not only was Aedan unfazed by the extra load in his arms, he moved swiftly around the people and obstacles. Not a single person noticed their presence as he carried her through the streets. Not even her Lust Deviant was able to ooze out its effects to its surroundings. Erin gained a newfound respect for him but it was regrettable his character left much to be desired. ¡°I must say, Aedan. I believe my gratitude is in order. I owe you for this one.¡± Erin said as she assumed back into her original form. She would like to keep her disguise form but at this point, it would just createplications. However, she was still using Twilight Veil to suppress Lust Deviant. Aedan glimpsed inside the inn through the window. ¡°There are a few people in the lobby. You sure you can make it to your room without rousing them?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll manage. I have to.¡± Erin took deep breaths, bracing herself for the brief ordeal that she would most likely face as she made her way through the lobby. Although she said that, she wasn¡¯t confident that absolutely no one would fall prey to Lust Deviant, even if it was suppressed. Erin prayed in her heart that she wouldn¡¯t encounter Nivia but it felt more like she had only jinxed it. ¡°I guess you owe me a favor now?¡± Erin stopped in her tracks just as she was about to enter the inn. The way he phrased his sentence was too suggestive to be ignored. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t think I was doing it for free, right?¡± Erin had an absolute face of disgust. ¡°Is that why you chose to help me? You knew I would offer my favor?¡± She scoffed. ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you petty.¡± ¡°Honestly, I thought you knew better. Guess I was wrong. A favor from a Faerie-kin. How many people do you reckon have the privilege of uttering those words?¡± ¡°One too many.¡± Erin ced her hands on the hilt of her sword. She had half a mind to cut Aedan down right here and now. Aedan thenughed. It wasn¡¯t a chuckle. It was a heartyugh. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± ¡°I¡¯m joking, you poordy,¡± Aedan said as he wiped away a tear. He was stillughing. ¡°Gosh, I haven¡¯tughed this much in a long time. I think we¡¯ll get along just fine, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡± Erin¡¯s darkened face had an opinion on the other end of the spectrum. ¡°What are you, a child?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Aedan continuedughing, clutching at his stomach. ¡°I just couldn¡¯t help it. You¡¯re just too gullible, surprisingly. But rest assured, I¡¯m not scheming anything.¡± ¡°Sounds like what a schemer would say.¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± Aedan shrugged as hisughter receded. ¡°Anyways, I guess we¡¯re parting ways here. It¡¯s been fun but I better get going.¡± Just as he turned to leave, Erin stopped him. ¡°Why did you help me?¡± She threw the same question again. This time, she intended to gouge out the truth. ¡°I want the truth.¡± Aedan nced over his shoulders. ¡°Why not?¡± he answered. ¡°Do you expect me to believe that you¡¯re a charitable person? I may be gullible like you said but I¡¯m not stupid.¡± After a brief silence from both parties, Aedan answered, ¡°Sven and Geron would have done the same. They did for me. They found me when I was all alone. Gave me a home and family toe back to.¡± ¡°Your charity is the way you¡¯re trying to repay them?¡± Aedan shrugged. ¡°Perhaps,¡± he said. ¡°...You really love them.¡± He chuckled softly. ¡°As mundane as the days could get, I like how things currently are. Well, good night, Erin.¡± He bade and left without looking back. Erin didn¡¯t break her gaze away from Aedan until he disappeared into a corner. She had been worried of the prospects when she heard she would be going on an excursion with presumably the most irritating person in the town aside from Kane, she had nothing but the lowest expectations of the oue. However, at those words and those mncholic eyes which spelled sincerity, she became assured. He was vexing, sure, but she realized he was also someone that could be trusted. ¡°We could have been good friends if you weren¡¯t such a twat,¡± Erin said to no one in particr. 1-37 Embarked 1-37 Embarked It had turned into a grave circumstance but Erin managed in the end, somehow. In her room with only her ownpany, she found sce as she relieved herself of the itch and heat that had gued her restraint towards her carnal desires. However, it took a few hours before she was able to ay her venereal thirst. It was also her great fortune that Maria did note knocking on her door when she was relieving herself of her desires. Erin feared she would have otherwise a dire dependence on another person. Just like this, her night passed without any incident. There was one thing that could be counted as an incident or rather, a peculiarity. Nivia hadn¡¯t returned to her rooms. Erin asked around and all she could find was that apparently, the merchants who solicited her had offered her to stay at their current temporary residence. Though Nivia hadn¡¯t given Erin an exemr first impression, she still considered the Elven girl a friend and a fellow kin. Assuring herself it was nothing to worry about, Erin made her own preparations such as rations and some basic adventuring tools in a swift manner. As someone who spent most of her life without a roof over her head, making preparations for such excursions was a breeze. Before she left the inn, she didn¡¯t forget to groom her hair and tail. Although she didn¡¯t care much for appearance, it was irritating to her field of vision whenever the unkempt hair and fur stray into her sights. Eventually, she only arrived at the gathering point for the excursion some time around the break of dawn. Like most days, the Guild was already brimming with adventurers at such an hour. It was a stark contrast to the rest of the town where the town folks had only just woken up for the day. Even though everyone had barely known Erin, they all greeted her amicably. Despite being an individual of a minor race in this town, she was treated just like anyone else, just with a tinge of reverence. The abundance of livelihood and affability threw Erin into a reminiscent of how lonely her past life had been. As the Sword Saint, she wasn¡¯t just respected, she was also feared. Along the line, she came to terms with it but she was never really able to get used to it. And so, swords became her only true friends. Well, enough about that. The past is the past. Gotta focus on the task at hand. After that brief reminiscence, Erin was thrust with a peculiarity. She found herself dumbfounded at the presence of Lyra just by the gathering point. Lyra was happily waving at her upon the meeting of their eyes. After asking a guild employee who was tasked with making the final checks before their departure, Erin was told that Lyra had apparently been allowed to be part of the excursion party but for reasons he wasn¡¯t told. The additional surprise was the presence of a wagon with two horses at the front, parked conveniently at the gathering spot. Evidently, it was for the excursion¡¯s use. It wasrge enough to amodate four people in the wagon. The Guild employee told Erin the wagon was a courtesy of The Guild due to the urgent nature of the quest. Freed, Cal, and Selene were already waiting in the wagon along with their own luggage, which wasn¡¯t much from what Erin could see. Aedan was also already waiting but he was sitting alone on the coachman¡¯s seat with a dispassionate gaze into the distance. Going by the reins in his hands, Erin guessed he was taking the role of the coachman. Cal waved excitedly at Erin when he noticed her arrival. Freed gave a wave too but along with a conceited smile, leading to Erin ignoring his greeting. With a cramped smile, Erin waved back at Cal. It was an awkward exchange since Selene was giving Cal a re as if she had caught her partner in an affair. Ignoring the couple and the smug Freed, Erin went over to Lyra. ¡°Good morning, Erin,¡± Lyra greeted. Her face was all smiles and herplexion had never been better which eased some of Erin¡¯s worries. ¡°You¡¯re joining us?¡± Erin asked. ¡°I¡¯m here, aren¡¯t I?¡± ¡°I know that but how? Did the Guild Master change his mind?¡± Lyra blinked. ¡°I thought you were the one who convinced him? Or am I wrong?¡± Erin shook her head. ¡°After you and I left The Guild yesterday, I didn¡¯t return there at all. Whoever is it, it¡¯s not me.¡± Lyra pursed her lips. ¡°Well, it is what it is now. I met Sam before she left for her duty. I was told that the decision was made for your best interest and it was made just this morning.¡± ¡°I see...¡± Erin looked to the most likely suspect of this sudden change. She excused herself from Lyra with some ¡°official¡± reasons and approached Aedan. ¡°Morning,¡± greeted the disguised Dragon-kin in a dreary tone who didn¡¯t even spare Erin a nce. He was simply resting his chin on his palm as he stared at the rising sun. ¡°Yeah, morning,¡± Erin retorted in kind. She gestured at Lyra with her head. ¡°Was it you?¡± Aedan gave a brief glimpse at Lyra before returning his gaze to the rising sun. ¡°Your mind is already made up. Would it change your mind if I said no?¡± ¡°What did you say to your father?¡± ¡°The truth.¡± ¡°The truth?¡± Erin ransacked her brain for the meaning behind his short sentence. It took her a few seconds before she arrived at a possible answer. ¡°You told him about that skill?¡± Aedan was about to shrug but it shifted to a nod. ¡°Why!?¡± Erin managed to lower her voice before bursting out. ¡°You are a core member in this excursion but that wouldn¡¯t be the case if you''re gued by your venereal hunger. Lyra is here to help in any way she can.¡± ¡°I understand your reason but that was my secret. It should have been my decision to tell your father.¡± Erin red. ¡°What if my secret spread?¡± Aedan chuckled through his lips. ¡°I¡¯m not joking here, you lizard.¡± ¡°Well, if your secret spreads, it will only mean that the Guild can¡¯t keep a secret. If that¡¯s the case, your secret will be thest thing everyone will be talking about.¡± The Guild had darker secrets, that was what Aedan meant and Erin caught on. She quickly calmed herself and epted Aedan¡¯s reasoning. Once again, he hadn¡¯t been courteous with his tone but he spoke only the truth. It irked Eirn to no end but all she could do was to ignore it. Erin nced over to the trio who probably had no idea of the excursion¡¯s true nature. ¡°Worried about them?¡± Aedan asked. ¡°If this is more dangerous than we thought, we could be sending them to their deaths.¡± The Dragon-kin sighed. ¡°Wee to the worlds of adventurers, sweetheart.¡± A vein bulged on her forehead. ¡°I¡¯m fine if someone walks into danger knowingly but this is not the same. How much do they even know?¡± ¡°They know only what they need to know. They are going to a vige nearby to subjugate a few monsters.¡± ¡°On a horse wagon provided by The Guild itself? Come on now. They¡¯re not that foolish.¡± ¡°No, they¡¯re not.¡± Aedan nodded in agreement. ¡°But they aren¡¯t going to say anything either unless it affects their reward.¡± Erin stared nkly at Aedan. ¡°They could die.¡± ¡°Aye but that¡¯s how adventurers are, mdy. They are called adventurers for a reason. You should learn from them.¡± Erin found no words of her own to refute Aedan¡¯s. He said only the truth. Gold and yield were first and foremost priority with their own well-being trailing behind on the second for adventurers. From what she read in the adventurer¡¯s handbook, it was clear that being an adventurer was no different than any other business. If one wished to expand their business, one must take risks. Otherwise, the business would forever remain just as it is. With the final rounds of inspection finished, the guild staff gave the party the sanction to embark on their journey. The seating was Freed, Cal, and Selene in the wagon, Aedan and Erin at the coach, and Lyra on her own steed, also another courtesy of The Guild. The reason for the extra steed was Lyra¡¯s role in this party, a scout. It was her duty to be on the front and scout ahead for the journey. Lyra gave her disapproval to this formation and proposed a switch with Aedan but was quickly shot down by the guild staff and everyone else. And so, the group of six departed with anticipation-filled hearts but only half of them knew of the danger that awaited the smallpany. **** The vige was just over the hill in the distance. It would take half a day at most but that was only if everything fell into their favor and not ounting for the much needed rest stops if they expended more stamina than anticipated. The journey so far had been mellow and everyone was silent, until a certain someone ruined the atmosphere. ¡°This is pretty great, isn¡¯t it?¡± said Freed as he sat obnoxiously on the wagon and across Cal and Selene. ¡±Three men and three girls. Our night will be fun.¡± Despite being obviously within earshots of Erin and Selene, Freed said those words without the slightest delicacy. He earned a re from Selene but Cal only had a bitter face that couldn¡¯t find his voice at the moment. ¡°What¡¯s with those eyes,ss?¡± Freed smirked at the ring Selene. ¡°Or are you saying you wish to go through an uneventful night? We¡¯re on an adventure for heaven¡¯s sake. We should make the most out of it.¡± ¡°There are plenty of ways to make the most out of an adventure. Shagging up in the wilderness is not one one of them,¡± Selene rebuked. Freed snorted. ¡°Not with that attitude. Come on, we¡¯re supposed to be adventurous, no?¡± ¡°We¡¯re not here for some revelry, Freed.¡± ¡°Not mainly.¡± Freed shrugged. ¡°But nothing¡¯s preventing us for some blissful self-indulgence. I don¡¯t know about you but I¡¯m not one for dull adventures.¡± ¡°Dull is good,¡± Erin said from the coach seat. ¡°Oh? The Fae is finally gracing us with her voice.¡± ¡°If you want to get yourself killed, be my guest but you¡¯re not alone here. If you try to indulge in any of that nonsense, you¡¯ll be putting the whole party at risk.¡± ¡°Point being?¡± Before Erin could reply, Aedan spoke up. ¡°It means that we won¡¯t hesitate to cut you off should you prove to be a threat to the party¡¯s safety. And before you ask, no, this is not a threat. This is a promise. Do we have an understanding?¡± Suddenly, the wagon turned cold and no one said a word after. Even Freed had his retorts stuck on his throat due to Aedan¡¯s natural intimidation as a Dragon-kin. If no girls were here, Freed wouldn¡¯t have been able to hold back a tear from the sheer terror he felt emanating from Aedan. Lyra who was riding just beside them also felt the same chill. Her gaze turned wary at Aedan. ¡°Good.¡± Aedan let out a soft smile once everyone fell silent including Erin. ¡°Now, be silent, all of you. Your voices will attract attention and you don¡¯t want to find out what kind.¡± Silence ensued. After travelling for half an hour more at a cid pace, they soon reached the denser parts of the forest. Sunlights became sparse and the shadows of the leaves only served to heighten their vignce. The silence on the wagon was finally broken. ¡°Something¡¯s following us,¡± Erin whispered to Aedan upon picking up a presence with Life Sense. In addition to lowering her voice, she was being wary of her own gesture lest she invoked Lyra¡¯s jealousy. ¡°I know,¡± he replied. ¡°It has been tailing us since we left town. Friend of yours?¡± ¡°Why do you think I¡¯m the cause?¡± ¡°Hunch,¡± Aedan answered dryly. ¡°Might be Kane.¡± Erin raised an eyebrow. ¡°You can¡¯t tell? And why would you think it''s Kane?¡± ¡°He has a history with contraband goods and items. There was a time he was suspected of possessing a Magic Scroll of Summoning.¡± ¡°Magic Scrolls are illegal?¡± ¡°Not illegal but you see only the richest and nobles have them. If you see it in the hands of the aforementioned group of people, it¡¯s more often than not to be smuggled items.¡± ¡°Are you saying that whatever is tailing us is likely to be Kane¡¯s summons.¡± ¡°Very very unlikely. Well, I¡¯m just listing the possibilities.¡± Aedan gave a side-long glimpse at Erin. ¡°But going by your expression, you know what¡¯s following us?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not Kane¡¯s summon, I¡¯m sure about that.¡± Aedan waited for the exposition. ¡°I do know what it is,¡± Erin continued. ¡°But not exactly.¡± ¡°Huh. Care to borate?¡± ¡°It was before I came to this town, when Lyra was helping me to find my way out of the forest. There was something following us. I can¡¯t pick up its scent nor can I pick up any of the noises that it was supposed to make. It was definitely moving but it wasn¡¯t making any noises. Its presence alone managed to wake me up from a deep slumber. Know any monsters like that?¡± Aedan hung his head as he sunk himself into thought. ¡°Hmm¡­ I know a few but none you can find here in Green Scar.¡± ¡°Then what in god¡¯s name is following us?¡± ¡°Whatever is it, it¡¯s not nning to harm us for now. It¡¯s just watching us.¡± While Erin didn¡¯t know what was stalking their every move, all the clues pointed to a simr event she had just recently experienced. Soundless and odorless, just like the Dire Wolf and the bandit who was controlled by the Magic Ry rod. Only difference was that this creature that was following them had a thrilling presence that overshadowed the aforementioned two. Erin wasn¡¯t sure about her chances against this creature should she evere into conflict with it. ¡°Eeek~!¡± A shrill pierced the solemn air, drawing in the gazes of Erin and Lyra. Aedan stayed his eyes at the front, seemingly in the know of who gave off the scream. It was Cal. Selene was shaking her head in exasperation right beside him. Lyra wanted to join in but being the scout, she waspelled to stay at the front of the horse wagon. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± asked Erin. Freed clicked his tongue. ¡°Probably just his own shadow,¡± answered Freed who was in a terrible mood and his eyes were faltering at his surroundings. Erin ignored the disquieted Freed. ¡°What did you see?¡± she asked again after realizing Cal was pointing at a certain direction. ¡°I-I saw something¡­ It was big and its eyes were red...¡± ¡°Cal, you¡¯re being silly here.¡± Selene tried to calm him down. ¡°We¡¯re all anxious here. It¡¯s most likely nothing.¡± ¡°I know what I saw!¡± He snapped, startling Selene, Freed and even Erin. ¡°Raise your voice again and you''re off this wagon.¡± Aedan chimed in indifferently. ¡°We are already a target to everything that is lurking out there. Don¡¯t make it anymore obvious.¡± Erin shot Aedan a re but quickly turned back to Cal. ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s what you saw?¡± She stared into his eyes and focused on his bodynguage. Cal nodded. There were no shivers anywhere in his body gestures. He wasn¡¯t lying, Erin decided. Erin turned back to Aedan. ¡°Can we pick up our pace?¡± ¡°No. If we suddenly speed up now, it would reveal that we are aware. It¡¯s best to y the fool now and see what it truly wants.¡± It threw Erin off. Aedan spoke without any sarcasm or any passive-aggression. He was beingpletely pensive. ¡°There¡¯s a hill up ahead just before the vige. If we speed up now, our horses will be too tired to climb the hill.¡± ¡°Then what do you propose we do?¡± Aedan creased his brows. ¡°You¡¯re asking me? I¡¯m just the coachman, you know?¡± Erin narrowed her eyes without a hint of amusement. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll tell you what I propose.¡± Aedan grinned slightly. ¡°We make a stand here. We get rid of the problem now rather thanter.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure I can win against that.¡± Aedan chuckled lightly. ¡°You let me worry about that.¡± Erin widened her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re going to fight? What about the three of them? Especially Freed, I don¡¯t think he will keep quiet about this.¡± ¡°You let me worry about that too.¡± Erin frowned. She was sure she wouldn¡¯t like what Aedan had nned. 1-38 Ancient one 1-38 Ancient one ¡°What is that?¡± asked Erin in a dubious tone, keeping her voice as low as possible. Her eyes stared fixedly on a small pouch which Aedan took out from his backpack. Going by the pouch¡¯s undting contour and the faint noises produced from the slightest movement, Erin surmised the contents were some sort of dust. ¡°I don¡¯t have a name for it yet. Well, essentially, it¡¯s sleeping dust,¡± Aedan answered without straying his gaze from the road. Erin gave a quick glimpse to the trio in the back. After making sure none of them heard Aedan, she turned back to face the Dragon-kin in disguise. ¡°You¡¯re going to knock them unconscious with some questionable substance?¡± ¡°I made this questionable substance. I know the risk¡ª¡± Aedan paused. ¡°To some extent,¡± he added. Erin ignored Aedan''s deliberate use of "questionable". ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. Do you realize what you¡¯re trying to do here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m open to other ideas.¡± Aedan nced briefly to the three. ¡°I¡¯m sure Selene can keep my secret but for Cal and Freed¡ª Do you think they can keep a secret?¡± Erin stammered for a reply. ¡°Cal will most likely let it slip unintentionally and Freed is going to boast about it. I quite like it here, mdy.¡± ¡°Do we have to confront it? We could keep ying the fool.¡± Erin looked around her surroundings. There was nothing but shades and shadows cast by the abundance of trees. ¡°This ce ain¡¯t exactly ideal for any confrontation.¡± ¡°Quite the contrary actually. This ce has a lot of cover. For what I¡¯m about to do or might do, this ce offers a lot of concealment.¡± ¡°But do we have to knock them out?¡± ¡°Like I said, if you have any better ideas, I¡¯m all for it.¡± Erin groaned at herself. She glimpsed guiltily at the trio in the wagon. She let out a reluctant sigh. ¡°Would there be any side effects?¡± ¡°They¡¯ll be out for a few hours. The exact duration varied individually. As for side effects, there is none as long as I get the dosage right.¡± ¡°Have you got the dosage right?¡± ¡°I did my damndest.¡± Erin narrowed her eyes. Her tails wagged furiously and her ears were twitching. Although Erin hated the idea, she didn¡¯t have any alternatives. Ultimately, she sighed again in resignation. ¡°Fine. How do you intend to spread this?¡± Without a verbal response, Aedan turned around and scattered the dust straight from the pouch itself. The action was done so swiftly and quietly that the trio didn¡¯t even notice Aedan¡¯s movements. In seconds, they were fast asleep in their seats. ¡°There, done,¡± Aedan said and shifted his eyes back to the road. ¡°And Lyra?¡± Erin asked. ¡°I¡¯ll leave her to you.¡± ¡°Wh¡ª¡± Before Erin could utter her dispute, Lyra had noticed the sitch and came dashing back on her horse. ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this!?¡± she asked in a raised voice. Aedan shrugged and stopped the wagon. Lyra followed in tandem with her horse. Her eyes red intensely at the indifferent Dragon-kin in disguise. Aedan got off the coach first. ¡°Stay here, you two,¡± he said and trotted down the path they came from, stretching his fingers and neck as he strode. ¡°Erin, what¡¯s going on?¡± Lyra tugged on the Fox-kin¡¯s arm. Erin ced her hand on Lyra¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll exin everythingter but right now, just trust me, okay?¡± ¡°I trust you. It¡¯s him I don¡¯t trust.¡± Lyra wrapped her hands around Erin¡¯s. Erin gave a wry smile. ¡°He¡¯s a bit contemptible and obnoxious but he¡¯s not a bad person.¡± ¡°Erin, you can¡¯t be serious.¡± ¡°I am serious. I don¡¯t like what he has done but this is the best course of action. You know about it too, don¡¯t you? Something¡¯s stalking us.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s not just my imagination...¡± Lyra muttered. ¡°Something is following us. I thought I was just sleep deprived.¡± ¡°Why would you think you¡¯re sleep deprived?¡± Lyra stared begrudgingly at Erin. ¡°Thanks to a certain someone.¡± Erin pointed at herself. ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Yes, you.¡± Lyra hopped from her horse and onto the coach. She then leaned forward at Erin. ¡°Ever since you came into my life, my heart has been like a tempest. I¡¯m losing sleep from thinking about you.¡± ¡°More like you were losing sleep from our coitus sessions.¡± Erin retorted in her heart. Saying it out loud would just incurred another series of drama. ¡°Keep it down, you two,¡± Aedan reprimanded the two of them. His voice was like a whisper but it reached their ears clearly. ¡°It¡¯sing.¡± The two took heed and readied their weapons. Erin prepared herself to appraise whatever was about to emerge from the shadows. Although she had two swords, she was only using the saber. The reason was simply because she felt more at home single wielding than dual wielding. Lyra nocked her arrow and aimed at the gloomy road that seemed to embody the word ¡°ominous¡±. After a few restless moments, the entity finally made an appearance as it strode out of the leaves and bushes it was concealing itself in. Chills crept into the hearts of Lyra and Erin but a groan came from Aedan. ¡°What in god¡¯s name is that?¡± Erin blurted out. It bore the appearance of a wolf with strange long limbs but it wasn¡¯tposed of flesh. Simply put, the entity was an amalgamation of ck smoke with deep crimson glow for eyes. It crawled slowly and steadily towards Erin and the group as its eyes stayed on the Fox-kin. At the sight of it, Lyra almost released the arrow but Erin was quick to move and ayed her dread. Without a word, Erin moved in front of her even though she herself wasn¡¯t doing much better in aying her own terror. The entity with a wolf¡¯s silhouette did not even bother with Aedan who was standing in between. It was so fixated on Erin that it even made Erin herself begin to writhe in disquietude. Aedan cleared his throat, reeling the entity¡¯s attention to him. ¡°For what reasons you prowled behind our path, ancient one?¡± ¡°Ancient one? Does Aedan know this entity?¡± The entity spared Aedan only a brief nce. ¡°I have no quarrel with you, Outcast.¡± Erin was surprised that the entity could speak in themon tongue but more than that, she was intrigued that Aedan seemed to know what the entity was and also the moniker the entity had used to address Aedan. ¡°You know who I am?¡± Aedan asked in a low voice after a brief pause on his part. It growled. ¡°I¡¯m merely uninterested in many things but I was never ignorant,¡± it responded in a solemn tone as it took small steps towards the wagon. ¡°Disregarding that, my question still stands. For what reasons have you followed us?¡± The entity did not answer his question straight away. It bounced its nce between Aedan and Erin. ¡°Is it something you are unable to say?¡± The entity chuckled vainly. ¡°I am curious, Outcast.¡± ¡°Of the Fae?¡± ¡°Of you.¡± Aedan canted his head in question. ¡°Okay¡­ I¡¯m honored?¡± ¡°So full of yourself,¡± the ancient one scoffed in disdain. ¡°I¡¯m curious that you aren¡¯t aware or perhaps you''re simply avoiding the obvious. Or perhaps your years of seclusion from your kin has dulled your senses.¡± ¡°Perhaps but then again, even if that¡¯s the case, what¡¯s it to you?¡± Aedan¡¯s indifferent gaze turned into a re. The entity growled in discontentment. ¡°If your senses were still as sharp as it were, you would have realized.¡± Although the entity was being evasive with the pronouns, it was obvious to Aedan that the entity was referring to Erin. ¡°What about the Fae?¡± ¡°You truly have not realized?¡± ¡°Just answer the damn question, you relic.¡± It grunted. ¡°That Fae is no true Fae. She is a whim of fate. She is an outworlder.¡± Aedan widened his eyes and cocked his head to Erin. He appraised her but no matter where he looked, there was no such indication that she was what the relic entity imed to be. ¡°You have lost your touch, Outcast.¡± Itughedcently. ¡°You rely too much on the System.¡± Aedan turned his head slowly back to the entity. ¡°It has been very convenient, so far.¡± ¡°Nevertheless, you do realize what this entails, do you not, Outcast?¡± Aedan locked his gaze with the entity¡¯s. ¡°I do but I also know her. She¡¯s a good person.¡± The entity groaned. ¡°Your mind has been tainted by your time spent with these mortals. Have you forgotten, Outcast?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure I have forgotten many things. However, I would say good riddance.¡± The entity growled louder than before. ¡°Foolish! You are truly foolish! Many of her predecessors have started off benevolent but pray tell, how many have stayed that way?¡± After a short contemtion, Aedan answered, ¡°not many. A few? I don¡¯t remember.¡± ¡°And what makes you think she will be any different.¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m here. Honestly, I would like to say I don¡¯t care but... since my family have taken quite a liking to her, I will make sure that she will not sumb to her powers.¡± The entity snarled. ¡°The words of an Outcast meant nothing.¡± ¡°If you truly do see me as an Outcast, we won''t¡¯ be having this conversation.¡± ¡°You have be insolent, Outcast.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. You will not harm her.¡± Aedan dered and released the concealment spell, Twilight Veil off of himself, revealing his original appearance. Although it was distant, Aedan could hear the faint gasp of aweing from Lyra upon witnessing his true form, minus the Dragon features. A whirl of magic surged around the entity. ¡°Foolish of you, Outcast. Disappointing. This is indeed disappointing.¡± ¡°Foolish or not, disappointing or not, I won¡¯t let you harm her.¡± ¡°You intend to stop me, Outcast!?¡± Right after it finished its sentence, the entity roared with it all of its might. Aedan instantly conjured up a translucent wall of barrier to defend against the force of that single roar. The invisible barrier cracked against the might of the entity¡¯s voice but it managed to pull through. ¡°Prepare to flee at any moment,¡± Aedan whispered under his breath, knowing Erin would definitely pick up his mutterrings. Erin nodded subtly. She ryed his words to Lyra. Javelins formed of the entity¡¯s own very essence flew towards Erin but none made it past the translucent wall Aedan conjured up. The entity then gathered up the surrounding Spirit particles into an orb in front of its mouth. When it roared, the air rippled and it fired off the orb. Aedan stood his ground and conjured up more and more of the translucent wall as the orb broke through one after another like in ss. The orb eventually died out when it broke through the twelfth ne of the translucent wall. Erin tried to appraise the Magic Arts used but as she had expected, everything came up null. ¡°You are defying me for the sake of that girl?¡± The entity shouted with fury zing in its eyes. Even with that volume, the trio in the wagon remained unconscious. ¡°Aye,¡± Aedan responded dryly. ¡°I¡¯m defying you for the sake of a friend.¡± ¡°A friend?¡± The entity scoffed. ¡°An Outcast like you has a friend? I never took you for a jester.¡± ¡°And I never took you for a cold-blooded murderer.¡± Despite not having an actual face, it was obvious the entity¡¯s brows were twitching in annoyance. ¡°Me, a murderer?¡± ¡°This is what you will be if you kill this girl now. Whatever you think she would likely do, it hasn¡¯t happened yet. Killing her now will make you nothing more than a cold-blooded murderer. Besides, I know you don¡¯t really want to kill her. If you had truly wished for that, you wouldn¡¯t have hesitated so much.¡± The entity snorted condescendingly. ¡°What do you know about us, Outcast? Taking the life of a mortal without valid grounds is considered a huge infamy for our kind. Unlike you mortals, we value lives of all kinds.¡± ¡°That would be very convincing if it wasn¡¯t for all of your attempts just now.¡± The entity stayed silent. ¡°Did I hit the mark?¡± The entity dispel its threatening aura. ¡°Outcast. You are aware of the consequences. You are aware that you would be treated as an essory should the Outworlder fall into darkness. So, I ask this of you, do you still vouch for her?¡± ¡°Aye, I vouch for her,¡± Aedan answered without a pause. The entity didn¡¯t respond immediately. It stood as still as a statue, gazing scrutinizingly at Erin who was prepared to act at any second. ¡°What say you, ancient one?¡± The entity made a sound akin to one clicking their tongue. ¡°Very well. The girl lives but you will remain true to your words, Outcast or bear the wrath of my brethren.¡± Without waiting for Aedan¡¯s reply, the entity vanished into the trees. Aedan let out a huge heave of relief before reapplying Twilight Veil onto himself, reverting his appearance back to that of a Dwarrow¡¯s. ¡°What the hell was that all about?¡± Lyra asked as soon as Aedan strode back to the wagon. The Dragon-kin looked to Erin but the Fox-kin looked away. Lyra cast her gaze down at Aedan. ¡°I deserve to know.¡± ¡°Sure you do,¡± Aedan said with a shrug. ¡°You should ask your partner instead. She knows. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll trust her words more than you do mine.¡± With that said, Aedan got back onboard the coach seat. Lyra stared at Erin in disbelief. ¡°You knew about this? You knew about his secret?¡± ¡°N-not all¡­ but I-I knew¡ª¡± Erin stammered. ¡°Do you or do you not know about this?¡± Lyra put herself right in front of Erin¡¯s face. ¡°I do.¡± ¡°Since when and for how long?¡± Before Erin could answer, Aedan cut in boorishly. ¡°Okay okay. You can y twenty questions with each otherter. Right now, we have to move.¡± Although Lyra was desperate for answers, she wasn¡¯t without her senses. As far as they knew, they weren¡¯t in the clear yet. Lyra hopped back on to her horse with much reluctance. After making sure they have their belongings and supplies with them, they departed for the vige once again but with a heavier air than the already strained mood. 1-39 Revelation 1-39 Revtion ¡°No talking until we¡¯re out of the woods,¡± Aedan firmly reprimanded Lyra and Erin as the two was about to escte their bickering to new heights. Ironically, the contents of their bickering wasrgely attributed to Aedan himself. Erin had no problem inplying but Lyra on the other hand was boring her gaze at Aedan. Vexed would even be underrating her current mood. She had strings of questions and she had no desire to be stalled from the answers. However, she could understand Aedan¡¯s intention behind those words. Given the very recent event, it was best for them to not drop their guard when surrounded by nothing but potential points of ambushes. Adding to that, Lyra¡¯s role in the group was a scout. She couldn¡¯t exactly do her job if she stayed by their side asking questions. And so, silence descended upon the party with a discontent Lyra peering back at the wagon every once in a while. Erin took a gander at Cal, Selene, and Free who were still snoring away from the sleeping dust Aedan scattered. Looking at their status, Erin could breathe a sigh of relief. Their journey through the dark woods wasn''t without potential obstacles. With her heightened hearing and smell, Erin could pick up a vast number of scents across the woods. There were even scents that she wasn''t familiar with. The number of scents was reaching a worrying quantity. ¡°Be at ease,ss. They won¡¯te near us.¡± Aedan assured her after noticing her fidgeting nces. He was only whispering but being a Fox-kin, Erin had no difficulty in picking up his words. ¡°You¡¯re sure?¡± Erin responded, also in a whispering tone. Aedan murmured with a nod. ¡°Absolutely?¡± ¡°As sure as the sun will set by evening and the sun will rise at dawn.¡± Erin looked around. ¡°I wish I had your confidence.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not confidence. It¡¯s knowledge.¡± ¡°You think the monsters will absolutely not approach us because they¡¯re afraid of you and I?¡± ¡°Rather than fear, it¡¯s more of them being cautious,¡± Aedan exined. ¡°We are already emitting a threatening scent. To exaggerate it further, we came off unscathed from the encounter with that relic. Unless they are extremely fearless or hungry, they will never dare to step into our sights.¡± It sounded hyperbolically erroneous to Erin but there were ample proofs to Aedan¡¯s words. In spite of the growing numbers of monsters crawling in the woods, none of them make any attempts in approaching the wagon. From the sounds she picked up, there were a few monsters which were simply colossal but even they maintained their distance from the wagon. ¡°Is this one of the reasons why your father has you apany us?¡± Erin asked with an eyebrow raised. Aedan shrugged. ¡°Not the main one but certainly one of the reasons.¡± ¡°You¡¯re confident that nothing out here would challenge your presence?¡± ¡°Out here as in Green Scar? Yes, I¡¯m sure nothing will be that brave but I can¡¯t say the same for the ces beyond.¡± After an hour to almost two, the group eventually left the woods and entered into a path with ins spread as far as the eyes could see. The sunlight greeted them in full glory. They were now rtively safe or at the very least, they didn¡¯t have to be cautious of any ambushes. Lyra wasted no time in matching the wagon¡¯s speed and steering her horse to the side of the coach. ¡°Start talking,¡± Lyra demanded from the two. Erin and Aedan exchanged nces and gestures. Ultimately, it was left to Erin to exin the whole story. She made sure the trio in the back were still unconscious before beginning her exnation. Although the contents were heavy, it took not even ten minutes for Erin to finish her exnation. Obviously, Erin omitted a lot of details and gave her only the parts she deemed necessary. ¡°You¡¯re not joking?¡± Lyra stared wide-eyed at Aedan. ¡°You really are a Dragon-kin?¡± ¡°As your partner had repeatedly confirmed it for you, yes,¡± Aedan answered without sparing Lyra a single nce. ¡°So¡­ for more than fifty years¡­ you have been living under the guise of a Dwarrow in the town?¡± Aedan noddedzily. ¡°Does Sven or your father know about this?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t tell them but father definitely knows. As for Sven¡ª¡± Aedan shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t think it matters.¡± ¡°How does it not matter?¡± Lyra wanted to raise her voice but the sight of the sleeping trio forced her to remain prudent. ¡°You¡¯re keeping secrets from your own family and people who trusted you.¡± ¡°I appreciate your concern,ssie but know this¡ª¡± Aedan sent her a re. ¡°This is my problem. Stop projecting your own issue unto mine.¡± Lyra stiffened. It was nothing more than a re but it was enough to send shivers down her spine. It strengthened the promation that Aedan was indeed a Dragon-kin. ¡°That¡¯s enough, Lyra.¡± Erin chimed in. ¡°He¡¯s not causing any trouble. Well, not yet at least. I don¡¯t think we have any rights to reprimand him.¡± ¡°You¡¯re on his side?¡± Lyra asked with a face that said she had been betrayed. Erin sighed. ¡°It¡¯s not about taking sides. It¡¯s about having peace of mind. Is it so bad to not want a situation to escte more than necessary?¡± After a brief re, Lyra clicked her tongue. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll stop pursuing but take heed, if his secret causes any trouble, I¡¯ll put an arrow right between his ears.¡± Erin gave a cramped smile. ¡°That¡¯s a little extreme there.¡± ¡°So is keeping such a big secret from the town who took him in.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee to try when that timees,¡± Aedan muttered. ¡°More than that, there is one thing I would like to ask you,ss.¡± ¡°Me?¡± Erin pointed at herself. Although she was irked, it was difficult toin since it was an issue of her gender identity. ¡°I assume you have heard what the ancient one called you and the cause of its interest towards you. Really intriguing, won¡¯t you agree?¡± ¡°Ah...¡± Erin stiffened. She had wished for that subject to be forgotten but as expected, Aedan wouldn¡¯t let it go since his own secret got exposed. ¡°Yeah, I heard it too,¡± said Lyra. She nced at the Fox-kin. ¡°That so-called ancient one, it called you an Outworlder. Why?¡± Erin¡¯s gaze was swimming. Although she was excellent at discerning a lie, she herself wasn¡¯t that amazing of a liar. Especially if she was called out directly or suddenly. Seeing her stammer, Lyra instantly knew it to be true. However¡ª ¡°What¡¯s an Outworlder?¡± she asked. Aedan hung head as he thought about how to exin the term. After a few murmurs that seemed to grate Lyra¡¯s nerves, he said, ¡°simply put, people not of this world.¡± Lyra furrowed her brows. ¡°That¡¯s too simple,¡± she retorted. ¡°I¡¯m no schr nor am I a bard. Don¡¯t expect any fancy or highbrow words.¡± Aedan stretched his neck before continuing. ¡°This is a secret older than probably this world itself. There are other worlds out there. Worlds that drew many simrities to this world or worlds that greatly differ to this one.¡± He then paused to see the two¡¯s reaction. Erin was nodding attentively. But Lyra was canting her head in puzzlement. ¡°Other worlds?¡± she asked. ¡°Parallel worlds. An alternate reality, you can call it. And in each of these worlds, there¡¯s the cycle of life. When a being dies, their soul joins this cycle. After some time and a series ofplicated processes, they are reincarnated into a new body.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know that...¡± Lyra muttered. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have. Not even my father does. Anyways, sometimes, at the whims of fate, a foreign soul, a soul originated not of the present world, will join the cycle. It doesn¡¯t sound like much of a problem but here¡¯s the interesting part, these foreign souls, they are not bound by the concurrent world¡¯s rules. There are no shackles in ce to limit what they can and cannot do, for most things.¡± Lyra blinked. ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°Themon trait is that they retain a portion of their powers from their previous lives and almost all of their memories. As for particr traits... there was this Outworlder where levels meant nothing to him. He does have a level but it might as well just be a disy for him. He was level fifteen in his stats but he managed to kill a level sixty with a butter knife. The level sixty person was donned in Arcane Armor but he was stabbed with a cutlery imbued with an enchantment from a level fifteen. Right through the magic armor, through the man¡¯s flesh, and right into his heart. The butter knife wasn¡¯t even anything special. It was just some in cutlery.¡± Lyra widened her eyes. ¡°That sounds exaggerated and these people sound dangerous.¡± ¡°If history is any indication, they are very strong and indeed very dangerous. Nine out of ten of these Outworlders had been corrupted by their powers. They have caused numerous near-cataclysms event throughout the course of history. It took the intervention of Gods to finally put them down.¡± After hearing this, Lyra stared worriedly at Erin. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not going to be like that,¡± Erin refuted. ¡°That¡¯s what they all say, at first,¡± Aedan remarked. ¡°Some had even made a vow to the Gods but only to be tempted by their boundless powers and be in in the end by the Gods they had once devoted themself to.¡± ¡°D-don¡¯t worry, Erin. E-even if the whole world bes your enemy, I¡¯ll still be by your side.¡± Erin¡¯s jaws fell in disbelief. ¡°First off, you¡¯re stuttering. You don''t sound convincing. Second, stop assuming the worst already, damn it!¡± She then turned to Aedan. ¡°Howe no one seems to know of this Outworlder business? I read nothing about this on the various books I have picked up. Not even a single brief mention.¡± ¡°Come to think of it¡­ that¡¯s true.¡± Even Lyra was in agreement. "Not even a hint of whisper or rumor about all these." ¡°Because they are dangerous,¡± Aedan answered. ¡°The superpower factions worked hard in order to not let that knowledge spread. Otherwise, it would induce panic into the whole word, people would lynch any strangers that looked them the wrong way, throwing every country into disarray. That is what an Outworlder is.¡± ¡°That is an Outworlder, my foot,¡± Erin spat. ¡°You make me sound like I¡¯m a harbinger for the end of days.¡± ¡°You potentially are,¡± Aedan retorted. ¡°However, I gave that relic my word. I would not let that happen.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t need to not let anything happen because nothing will happen.¡± Erin glowered. Aedan chuckled inwardly. ¡°Your will is admirable but unbearably naive.¡± ¡°I have another question,¡± Lyra spoke up. ¡°Hmm?¡± Aedan grumbled. ¡°What was that anyway? That thing you called the relic... the ancient one?¡± ¡°A¡­ Spirit¡­, Entity, maybe?¡± Aedan replied. ¡°You¡¯re not sure?¡± ¡°I know what they are. I just don¡¯t know what to call them.¡± Erin gave a dubious look. ¡°Given how long you have supposedly lived and how knowledgeable you prove yourself to be, I find it hard to believe that you aren''t in the know of this.¡± ¡°I''m not all-knowing. I''m no god. I¡¯m old but they are way older.¡± ¡°They?¡± Erin questioned. "You mean¡ª" ¡°Yes, they. There are lots of them in the world. They have existed long before any civilization did. They see themselves as some sort of bnce keepers. Guardians, I guess you can call it. As long as the bnce is maintained, they prohibited themselves from meddling in any affairs, not even if an individual is ughtering children left and right without probable cause.¡± ¡°What is exactly this bnce they seek to keep?¡± Aedan shook his shoulders. ¡°I don¡¯t know about that either. I think the definition differs between each of them.¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Lyra cut in. ¡°You said you¡¯re old. Just how old?¡± Aedan chuckled amusingly. ¡°Old. Older than my so-called father actually. Older than I can remember.¡± Lyra stared nkly at him. ¡°You f-forgot?¡± Erin managed to restrain herself from nking out at the revtion. ¡°Not exactly. If I have to give a number¡­ I would say I¡¯m approximately two hundred and forty seven, not counting my multiple past incarnations.¡± ¡°Your multiple past incarnations?¡± ¡°Aye. I retain my memories from my previous lives. Mentally speaking, I¡¯m many times older than my current body.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just like me?¡± Erin threw a hopeful question. ¡°A very distant rtion, maybe,¡± Aedan shot back. ¡°I reincarnate into the same world for most times. Also, Dragons reincarnating is a norm. It''s how Dragons came to be known as versatile and powerful. This is natural for us. For your case, it is not natural. In fact, sometimes the presence of an Outworlder is caused by divine meddling.¡± ¡°Divine meddling?¡± Erin furrowed her brows. "I thought you weren''t a schr or a bard." Aedan sighed. ¡°It''s when a God intentionally summons a soul from one world into another world.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Erin questioned. ¡°Many reasons but most of the time, it¡¯s because they¡¯re bored to see the world stagnating and so, they inducted a soul into another world to instigate a massive change.¡± Lyra had a horrified face. ¡°How could they do that?¡± ¡°They¡¯re Gods. They sit on the zenith. We¡¯re just mortals. Who are we to say no to them?¡± ¡°You said most of the time,¡± Erin pointed out. ¡°What about the other times?¡± ¡°To save the world, for one.¡± Wait¡­ I heard someoneughing when I died. It was a female¡¯s voice. Perhaps I was... Erin¡¯s inner thoughts were cut short by Aedan¡¯s words. ¡°There was this Demon Lord¡­ his name was Zar¡­ something...¡± ¡°Zarkoth?¡± Erin said. ¡°Ah yes, Zarkoth. I¡¯m impressed that you knew. Well anyways, this Zarkoth was so powerful and ambitious and also¡­ evil, of course. He culled off many races from the face of the world.¡± ¡°And the Gods?¡± ¡°They can¡¯t do anything. Zarkoth was a native of this world. He was nature¡¯s apex evolution. Some of the Gods actually enjoyed this. Some didn¡¯t and those that didn¡¯t, they tried summoning a hero to defeat this Demon Lord.¡± ¡°Did it work?¡± Aedan was silent for a while. ¡°On their fourth attempt, yeah.¡± ¡°Fourth attempt? What happened to the previous attempts?¡± ¡°The first hero died horribly. I believe he was an arrogant sod. Too proud to believe the demon lord was stronger. And hisck of preparations became the cause of his demise. Good riddance there, I say. As for the second one, he was tempted with women and power by the Demon Lord and he ended up joining his forces. And the third one had a good head and a good heart but she just wasn¡¯t strong enough. In the end, the third and fourth hero worked together and took down the Demon Lord. And everyone lived happily ever after.¡± Erin narrowed her eyes. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Aedan admitted. ¡°Lots of people died before Zarkoth fell. Everyone was just relieved that his reign has ended. No one was happy. There was no festival. No one celebrated.¡± ¡°Hmm...¡± Erin began musing. Lyra on the other hand was not able to follow the story at all. Unlike Erin, Lyra did not have any proper education at all. Everything she knew about the letters andnguage were either self-taught or taught by unreliable people. So to say, her literacy was improper. It helped through simple conversations so far but when it came to profound and intricate matters, she was at an impasse. She tried her hardest but in the end, she understood only the rough gist of the story. But of course, she didn¡¯t show her confusion on her face. ¡°Where were you in all this?¡± Erin asked. ¡°Me?¡± After some thinking, he let off a strainedughter. ¡°I was dead for the most part.¡± ¡°Dead? You mean most of the story is based on second-hand experience.¡± Aedan nodded. "You were dead... How? Your body got old?" ¡°I was murdered.¡± ¡°Murdered?¡± Lyra blurted out in disbelief. ¡°A Dragon-kin, murdered?¡± ¡°Of course, it¡¯s not as bad as it sounded. The concept of death for Dragons and Dragon-kin are vastly different to others.¡± ¡°Who killed you?¡± Erin asked. ¡°The second summoned hero,¡± Aedan answered with a self-deprecating smile. ¡°Actually... I was his teacher. Taught him a lot of things and like many of his predecessors, power got to his head but damn, he was good at hiding his insatiable hunger for power and women. Everyone was fooled... I was fooled. It didn¡¯t even ur to me until it was all toote. And well, I died and by the time I was reincarnated, Zarkoth was long dead.¡± ¡°You being an Outcast¡­ does it have something to do with this¡­.?¡± Erin¡¯s question trailed off. ¡°It¡¯s one of the reasons but not the only one,¡± Aedan responded indifferently. ¡°Then what are the¡ª¡± Aedan stopped Erin with a finger to his lips. He then pointed at the trio, who were fumbling in their sleep. ¡°They¡¯re almost awake now. We can talk about this some time in the future.¡± Although Erin really wanted to know, sheplied with his wishes. Lyra also moved back to her position at the front of the wagon. ¡°Aedan,¡± Erin whispered. There was something she really wanted to know. ¡°About you vouching for me, I¡ª¡± ¡°Not now,ss.¡± Once again, Aedan stopped her from speaking about the matter any further. Even though she didn¡¯t manage to say it, she guessed Aedan had probably figured out what she wanted to ask. ¡°Did you vouch for me in order to atone for your failure with the second hero?¡± was her question. Though, the answer would onlye muchter. 1-40 Through the woods 1-40 Through the woods Some time after the trio had awoken from their untimely slumber, the group was closing in on their first nned rest stop for the day, a small grove just before the slope ascending up into the hills. Contrary to their expectations, they were actually way ahead of their schedule in spite of the initial bleak assumptions of their trip. It was now about an hour past noon. Relief appeared on Erin and Lyra¡¯s face safe for Aedan who was bearing an indifferent expression as always. Freed let out a groan as he adjusted himself in his seat. ¡°Good gods¡­ what happened to us?¡± he asked, rubbing his temple along with a grimace. Cal and Selene threw the same question. It went without saying that the three¡¯s questions regarding their sudden fade to dreand was only to be expected. Aedan was quick to spin the story that satisfied the three¡¯s dire inquiry. The pretense was that they passed out from the abundant Miasma in the dark woods from before. It was quite amon urrence for greenhorns. There was no toll to their physical health but their mental health wouldn¡¯t be a different story. Selene was fine. Freed was a little unsatisfied with the transpired event since he was put into the category of a greenhorn. As for Cal, he was on edge even more than before, due to the fact that he showed such an unsightly disy in front of his subject of infatuation. It was even made worse when Selene tried to calm him down but his eyes were glued to the back of Erin. A quarrel was moulded out of this ¡°infidelity¡±but Erin paid no heed to the ensuing drama. She was just d nothing bad happened to them. The bickering went on until they were within a few hundred yards from their first rest stop. Erin immediately turned around and silenced them with a re and the finger-to-lip gesture. Aedan pulled the horses to a stop. ¡°Oh what is it now?¡± Freed asked with much annoyance in his tone. Just then, Lyra came riding back from scouting ahead. ¡°Bandits,¡± was the first thing that she said. ¡°How many?¡± Selene instantly asked upon hearing her words. ¡°Six,¡± Lyra replied. ¡°And lucky for us. They¡¯re not that bright. They don¡¯t have anyone manning their perimeters.¡± ¡°Ah good,¡± Freed said. ¡°This journey is numbing my limbs. These bandits might be able to help with that.¡± ¡°W-what do we do?¡± Cal asked with a stutter. Freed scoffed. ¡°What else, you idiot? We kill them of course.¡± Cal gazed astonishingly at Freed. ¡°W-we¡¯re going to kill them?¡± Selene sighed. ¡°Cal, we talked about this.¡± Cal frowned. ¡°I know we talked about this but we¡¯re actually going to do it now.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about you but I sure as hell not going to risk letting a bandit run free,¡± Lyra answered. ¡°We don¡¯t need to kill them,¡± came the unexpected words from Aedan. Erin gave him a doubtful look. Knowing Aedan, she was sure he was not up to something as merciful as his words suggested. ¡°That¡¯s really surprisinging from you,¡± Lyra said. ¡°Sorry, let me phrase it another way.¡± Aedan cleared his throat. ¡°We can just beat them unconscious and use them as fodder for any wild animals or monsters who tread too close to our camp.¡± Instantly after Aedan made such a suggestion, everyone in the group grimaced, Erin included. With her and Aedan¡¯s presence, no monsters or animals would dare to approach them but there was no guarantee things wouldn¡¯t deviate from the norm. ¡°What?¡± Aedan returned their nces. ¡°They¡¯re just getting what¡¯sing for them.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t think that¡¯s overdoing it?¡± Erin questioned. Aedan chuckled. ¡°Oh mdy, you can be so naive at times.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call me mdy!¡± ¡°They have probably done worse to their victims. And by probably, I meant more likely than not.¡± ¡°W-we can just kill them....¡± Selene gave her vote in a trailed-off voice. ¡°I agree with Selene,¡± said Erin. ¡°I won¡¯t condone such cruelty.¡± ¡°This is cruel?¡± Aedan shot back. ¡°On whose standards? Yours?.¡± ¡°I understand your point, Aedan. They might have done worse but that is no reason for us to sink to their level.¡± ¡°Your eyes say wisdom but your mouth speaks naivety. Truly curious, you are.¡± ¡°You will do no such thing, Aedan.¡± ¡°Fine. Have it your way.¡± Aedan grumbled his reluctance with hispliance. ¡°Shame. They would have at least been useful for once in their miserable and pitiful life.¡± Ignoring the Dragon-kin¡¯s mutterings, Erin proceeded to discuss the attack n with Lyra and the others. **** ¡°There¡¯s seven,¡± said Erin who was surveying the bandit camp with Life Sense from atop of a tree. ¡°Seven?¡± Lyra, who was just beside Erin, gave the scene a once over again before turning back to Erin. No matter how many times she counted, she couldn¡¯t find the seventh bandit. ¡°I count six. Where did you a seventh?¡± Erin pointed at arge unmoving sack beside a bodily-scarred bandit. ¡°That sack?¡± Lyra narrowed her eyes at the sack. ¡°What¡¯s in there?¡± ¡°Their catch, most probably. It¡¯s still alive.¡± Lyra frowned. ¡°I¡¯m surprised they let their catch live. They always cut them up at once.¡± ¡°If they let their catch live, it only means that they intend to sell it.¡± Lyra¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°You mean...¡± Erin nodded silently. Lyra creased her brows in anger. ¡°These bastards¡ª!¡± Erin raised her brows in question. ¡°That¡¯s an unexpected reaction. You¡¯re fond of animals?¡± ¡°More like I understand their fate. I have personally witnessed such cruelty. Back in my vige, we have dealings with poachers. You should see those animals or monsters¡¯ faces¡­ Miserable¡­ Living the rest of your life as the extension of someone else''s cruel will. That¡¯s no way to live.¡± ¡°We¡¯re riding horses, you know?¡± ¡°That¡¯s different. It¡¯s like enjoying a dog cuddly gnawing on a bone versus forcing cocoa down a dog¡¯s throat just to enjoy their suffering.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s¡­ a little bit hypocritical but understandable.¡± Just then, a glimpse of light was directed into Erin¡¯s view. It was the signal from her party. Everyone was in ce, that was the meaning. She waved back lightly. A small ball of light was tossed from a bush and into the middle of the camp. The bandits who saw the ball only stood there and gazed at the light orb in confusion. ¡°Okay. On three. One, two¡ª¡± Erin took a deep breath. ¡°Three!¡± She shouted. The small ball of light, a Light Drop, exploded from the excessive infused Mana. Lights engulfed the camp and each of the bandit¡¯s vision. At that instance, Erin and her party sprang into action. Lyra released an arrow at the head of the bodily scarred bandit. Freed pounced from the bushes and quickly decapitated the bandit closest to him in one fell swoop. Selene crept swiftly towards the back of a bandit and impaled the bandit through his heart. Cal charged in with a battle cry. He almost botched his assault but he managed to recover from his trip and stabbed a bandit right in the chest. He fell along with the bandit when he failed to pull out his sword. Erin, with her saber drawn, dropped from atop the trees and twirled gracefully in her position, slicing the throat of two bandits who were merrily boasting away about their past nefarious deeds. [Experience gained +6% - Level Progression: 88%] Two for six? Not even humans are worth much. Really need to find a high level prey. Without waiting, Erin immediately cleaned the blood off her saber with a ragged cloth she pinched it off of the bandit she killed. As she cleaned her de, she realized a faint tremor in her hands. It had been a long time since shest took the life of a human. Around the period of her demise, her title as the Sword Saint had spread far and wide. She had been so famous that even bandits in the middle of nowhere were able to recognize her. Therefore, no one approached her with ill-intentions and so, she didn¡¯t need to take any lives as self-defense. Even in duels, it rarely ended in someone¡¯s death. Even if there was death, it was always a result of the victims¡¯ own rash actions. ¡°That¡¯s everyone, right?¡± Selene asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Erin answered after a second pause. Lyra immediately went to check on the sack. Selene let out a heave of relief as she slumped to the ground. ¡°Whoa¡­ that was¡­ intense.¡± She was breathing heavily. Erin approached her. ¡°First time?¡± Selene shook her head. ¡°Not exactly but this is the first time I have killed in a premeditated manner.¡± Aedan made his way out of the bushes with the party¡¯s luggage in tow. Erin gave a quick nce over his shoulder, where she could see their horses and carriage, tied to a small tree. ¡°He doesn''t look too good,¡± Aedan remarked dryly. Spurred by his words, Erin looked to Cal, who was still kneeling on the ground beside his victim. His eyes were stuck to the hole which he inflicted onto the bandit¡¯s chest. Selene was the first toe over to his side and console him. ¡°Is he alright?¡± Erin asked as she approached the two. ¡°He¡¯ll be alright,¡± Selene assured her. ¡°We¡¯re just not just not used to this yet.¡± ¡°Well, take your time.¡± Erin smiled assuredly. ¡°The beginnings are often the hardest.¡± Freed clicked his tongue. ¡°Yeah right. I¡¯m sure the world will wait for you.¡± Despite his harsh tongue, no one paid much heed to him, except Lyra who was looking at him with disdain. If she wasn¡¯t working hard to untie theplicated knot on the sack, she would have offered a retort. ¡°You seem used to killing, Miss,¡± Cal said solemnly with his gaze cast down at his own hands. Although taken aback by the sudden question, Erin kept herposure. ¡°I am,¡± she said. ¡°How did you do it?¡± ¡°Do what?¡± she asked but she then understood the question. ¡°Getting used to it?¡± Cal nodded. Erin smiled wryly. ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Sure didn¡¯t seem like it.¡± ¡°Cal!¡± Selene quickly rebuked herpanion. ¡°There will be a lot of things in your life that you just won¡¯t get used to. You just learn how to live with it. As for killing, that is something you shouldn¡¯t get used to. Otherwise, it¡¯ll turn you into something dreadful.¡± Erin brightened her smile. ¡°Cheer up. It¡¯s good that you felt bad. That only means that you have a good heart.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± Aedan murmured from the side as he unpacked their provisions, drawing a re from Erin. ¡°You got something to add?¡± Erin asked with a raised brow. Aedan shrugged. ¡°What I wanted to say has already crossed your mind, presumably. So¡­ no, I got nothing to add.¡± And he resumed preparing their meals which were all dry rations. Erin was about to hit him when¡ª ¡°What the fuck!?¡± Lyra uttered, drawing the nces of everyone. Erin was the first to run over to her side. Once there, she gave a simr utterance of surprise. ¡°What the fuck?¡± ¡°A girl?¡± Cal muttered in horror. Yes, a girl. What was stuffed into a sack was no animal or beast but a human girl around the age of eight or nine. She was wearing a in dress and there were blood stters on her clothes. ¡°Damn it! I should have taken my time with them!¡± Freed roared. Everyone nced at him. ¡°What? Don¡¯t look at me like that. Even I have standards.¡± Steering her attention away from Freed, Erin appraised the little girl. ¡°Hmm. She¡¯s unconscious.¡± Erin mused in her heart. ¡°She has a few bruises but nothing major. ording to appraisal, her name is Celia and the only skills she has is a level one Fleet Foot.¡± ¡°Is the girl fine?¡± Lyra asked Erin. ¡°Is she hurt?¡± ¡°She¡¯s fine. The bandit¡¯s did nothing to her,¡± Erin said after inspecting the girl¡¯s buttons. ¡°She¡¯s just exhausted and in shock. The blood isn¡¯t hers.¡± ¡°Thank the gods.¡± Lyra sighed in relief. ¡°But if the blood isn¡¯t hers, then whose?¡± While Erin was checking on the girl, Aedan hunkered down beside her. His fingers were getting a feel of the girl¡¯s dress, appraising the fabric. Lyra was about to admonish Aedan for his sudden odd actions but Erin stopped her. ¡°What is it? Something about the girl¡¯s dress?¡± Erin asked. ¡°I recognize this fabric. They¡¯re from the vige up ahead. The vige we are heading to.¡± ¡°The bandits attacked the vige?¡± Lyra was prompted to ask. Aedan bent further down to take a whiff of the girl¡¯s dress. ¡°What the hell are you doing!?¡± Lyra yelled¡ª ¡ªwhich Aedan ignored. ¡°It¡¯s not just human. There are traces of beasts.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± Selene chimed in. Aedan looked to Erin and Erin nodded in understanding. ¡°The bandits most likely didn¡¯t attack the vige,¡± Erin said. ¡°Monsters did and this girl fled from the vige. And while she was fleeing, the bandits chanced upon her and abducted her.¡± ¡°Monsters attacked the vige?¡± Selene blurted out. ¡°Then we have to make haste!¡± ¡°No,¡± Aedan refuted. ¡°What do you mean no!?¡± Selene yelled. ¡°People¡¯s lives are at stake here!¡± ¡°Selene, calm down,¡± Erin told her. ¡°You¡¯re on his side, Miss Erin!?¡± ¡°Be calm, Selene. Our horses are tired and we are starving. If we rush ahead now, we won¡¯t be in any condition to fight when we reach the vige. We¡¯ll be throwing our lives away in vain.¡± ¡°Then what do we do?¡± Lyra asked, her eyes stayed on the girl who she was cradling all this while. ¡°We stick to the n, that¡¯s what we do. If monsters truly had attacked the vige, it only meant that the monsters are dauntless and strong. Our haste will only bring upon our demise. We fill our belly here and make whatever preparations that you need to. We move in ten minutes. There¡¯s a ce we could camp for the night in the hills. That¡¯s our current destination. Any questions?¡± Aedan waited for ten seconds before moving to his own device. ¡°Come on, Selene. We should eat.¡± This time, it was Cal who was aying Selene¡¯s restlessness. A refreshing sight for Erin. When Erin looked around, she found Freed was already sitting against a tree with a sk and a rye bread in his hands. ¡°Wow. He¡¯s fast.¡± ¡°Erin.¡± She heard her name being called. She turned to find Lyra who was still cradling the little girl. ¡°She¡¯s cold,¡± Lyra said, her hand tapping on the girl¡¯s forehead. Ering quickly glimpsed around but found nothing appropriate enough to keep the girl warm. They all have their respective nket for sleeping but it was in their cart, which was some distance away. Before she could offer herself to retrieve the nket, Lyra came up with a surprising idea. ¡°Your tails will do the job,¡± Lyra said. Looking at the beaming Lyra, Erin had an inkling that this was her ulterior motive when she had approached her instead of going to fetch the nket by herself. Instead of being reluctant, Erin was actually quite curious about the effectiveness. And so, she took a seat on a strewn log among the camp and cradles the little girl with not just her arms but also her tails. In no time at all, the girl had a faint smile appearing on her face. She even rolled to the side, grabbed on to a part of her tail, and used it as a bolster. When Erin looked up, she realized she was receiving all kinds of gaze from her travelingpanions. Freed was trying to look like he was indifferent to the sight but his blushing cheeks betrayed his attempts. Cal on the other hand was brazen with his desire and envy which prompted Selene to pinch his attention back to her. Aedan was truly indifferent but his gaze remained on the sight. As for Lyra, her mouth began to open but before her question coulde out, Erin had already given her a response. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Just a little?¡± ¡°No.¡± Although Lyra gave up, she held onto her hope wishfully as she nibbled away her dry bun and stared enviously at the little girl at the same time. Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Three-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 10 | Status: Mildly Exhausted Might: 19 | Arcane: 15 | Finesse: 15 Magic Arts - Spirit Magic Lv. 6 | Arcane Edge Lv. 2 | Arcane Armor Lv. 5 Combat Arts - Sword Art Lv. 6 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 4 Innate Skills - Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 1 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex Unique Talent - Mystic de Lv. Ex Level Progression: 88% Remaining Skill Points: 2 Remaining Ability Points: 2 1-41 Plight of the night 1-41 Plight of the night The journey through the hills was easier than their dreaded expectations. Hills and mountains were hotspots for highwaymen ambushes, so their expectations for the worst was well-founded. To lessen the burden of the horses, Erin and the others were scaling the hills on foot. Of course, they did not let their horses run free. They were leading the horses up the hills along. The only one in the wagon was Celia, the girl from the vige. She was still unconscious after hours had passed since they found her. Lyra would asionally express her worries but Erin repeatedly assured Celia was fine. Though the steep slope made the climb arduous, the overall trek was a breeze. Their paths were paved. Therefore, the horses and wagon could travel through without any difficulty. ording to Aedan, the reason for the paved roads was that this road had once been a famous highway for merchants but the increment of monsters and bandits forced the road into decline. Unmaintained it may have been, it was still miles better than not having paved roads at all. The amicable weather without a doubt yed a huge part in their fortune. It would be an absolute nightmare if it had rained. The surface was roughened by the weather but a little bit of water could nullify those advantages. Erin would check in on herpanions once in a while. She had thought Cal and Selene would hinder their progress given their inexperience but they didn¡¯t. They were astonishingly fit for the ascend. No, not astonishingly. They are adventurers. They should be able to travel in different terrains as the bare minimum criteria. For Erin herself, she wasn¡¯t as fit as she had been when she was Argon Raze but she was still hanging on. As far as she could tell, she might be the one who would give out first. It went without saying Aedan was the only one who had no issues with his stamina. Much to her annoyance, even Lyra was doing better than she was. Erin held herself back from clicking her tongue. Aside from the whims of nature and their stamina depletion, they did not need to worry about attacks from monsters. Per Erin¡¯s suspicions, the monsters stayed far away from the group. It relieved most members of the party but Erin held a different opinion. She wanted the experience points and with the monsters distancing themselves from the group, the circumstances were defying her wish. Moreover, the monsters had a distinguishing scent that exemplified their strength. No doubt they would give out more experience than the monsters near the town. Erin didn¡¯t know how she could discern a monster¡¯s strength just from their scent but she just could. She was hoping some of the monsters would be dauntless or foolish enough to approach them but none did. They have also encountered their fair shares of bandits. Someid in wait behind boulders for ambushes. However, those bandits were quickly spotted out through Lyra¡¯s eyes and Erin¡¯s nose. They were dispatched without mercy or leniency. Incidentally, there were some bandits who shirked away from the group. Some hade at them with zeal but at the sight of a Fox-kin with three tails, their ambition was shattered by the notion of offending the Faerie-kin as a whole. Those who were adamant with their ill-intentions or simply ignorant were simply dispatched by the group much like their peers. Looks like the monsters have more brains than the bandits. Shocking. To Erin¡¯s surprise, the bandits¡¯ numbers were in the dozens among the hills. They weren¡¯t exactly a huge n but more like a scattered bunch. They didn¡¯t seem friendly with each other from what Erin could gather. Though they weren¡¯t much of a threat, clearing them out was certainly bing a tedious task. Thankfully, the bandit threats didn¡¯t persist for their whole journey through the hills. Though she said that, Erin wasn¡¯t all that bothered. After all, while the bandits provided meagre experience, it was enough for Erin to ascend to the next level. ¡°How¡¯s the girl?¡± Lyra peeked into the wagon to check on Celia as they climbed the slopes. ¡°She¡¯s alright,¡± Aedan muttered. ¡°How often are you gonna ask about that?¡± Irked by Aedan¡¯s indifference towards the girl¡¯s condition, Lyra took the liberty to care for Celia in her arms. ¡°She¡¯s cold,¡± said Lyra. ¡°But she won¡¯t freeze, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re asking,¡± Aedan responded dryly. ¡°Perhaps I can help?¡± Erin offered her assistance. But Lyra rejected it. Her reasoning being something about her empathy for the little girl and also her wanting to prove that she could be a good spouse. Of course, Erin wonderfully ignored thetter part of her reasoning. In spite of the favorable conditions, their pace couldn¡¯t be faster than they desired. They were right on schedule but given the circumstances they just came to know of their destination, their current pace was less than ideal. Still, they would need to rest. They reached a clearing at the peak of the hills by dusk and this was the ce they were camping for the night. ¡°We¡¯ll camp here for the night,¡± Aedan spoke up. ¡°Who will be on watch?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°No one,¡± he answered without a pause. ¡°We have a Fox-kin here. We have her nose and ears. And I have my Spirit Magic. We¡¯ll know if someone or something came near us even in our sleep.¡± ¡°That sounds dangerously arrogant,¡± Lyra rebuked. ¡°We will need everyone at their best tomorrow. Therefore, everyone should get as much sleep as they can. Leave the lookout to Erin and I. Even if you don¡¯t trust me, you can trust Erin, no?¡± Lyra was silent. ¡°Good. Now, get to work, everyone. I want this ce warm and bright before dark.¡± At Aedan¡¯s beckon, they began to set up their camp. No oneined, not even Freed or Lyra. Erin had aplicated feeling when she witnessed how seamlessly Aedan was fitting into a leadership role. Whenever she pointed it out, Aedan would always refute it with some jokes but it remained evident, he had the instincts to lead people. Erin could respect that but it was a shame he had an arse of a personality. As soon as the campfire was properly stoked and the skies were grey, Aedan threw in a handful of brownish powder into the mes. A peculiar vermilion color of smoke soon exuded from the fire. Erin was able to appraise the powder before the mespletely swallowed it. It was simply known as Monster Repellent. It let off a scent that most beasts and animals would find repulsive. However, there were some who would be lured in by it. Erin asked Aedan about the odds of such happenstance. ¡°Not zero but it¡¯s extremely close,¡± he answered. ¡°Monsters that would be lured in are mostly aquatic or affiliated with water. Since we¡¯re in the hills, that¡¯s not very likely but who knows, fate can be whimsical.¡± He ended his reasoning with a shrug. Erin epted it but no way she would leave it all to chance. She intended to sleep lightly for the night but she didn¡¯t know how her body would hold up. ¡°W-wait! Monster Repellent?¡± Cal blurted out his question when he noticed the peculiar smoke color. ¡°It costs a few silver nearing a gold coin.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s a luxury item, huh.¡± Even Selene gasped at that realization. ¡°We didn¡¯t encounter any monsters on our journey. Do we still need to use Monster Repellent?¡± ¡°Being extra cautious is never going to hurt,¡± Aedan answered inly. ¡°And lives will never amount to any amount of gold.¡± His answer seemed to satisfy the two but baffled Erin. She just couldn¡¯t for the life of her understand how can someone be so enlightened yet so obnoxious at the same time. Just as Erin thought she could resume back to setting up their camp, a discord had emerged. It came in the form of a shout. ¡°You forgot our whetstones?!¡± The shout came from Selene, who was unleashing her voice on Cal. ¡°You said you would prepare the other items and I handle the weapons,¡± Cal retorted. Despite his steeled tone, his trembling cheeks and wobbling eyes were giving his courage away. ¡°You idiot! The whetstones were together with the weapons. They were right beside our swords. Of course you bring it together. How could you not think of that?¡± And the bickering went on and on but to Erin¡¯s surprise, the two did not stop their work. They were arguing but their hands were stopping. At least they still have some tact. Eventually, their quarrel made the little girl in Lyra¡¯s embrace stirred. ¡°She¡¯s waking up! She¡¯s waking up!¡± Lyra announced excitedly. The two immediately dropped their dispute and came over to Lyra¡¯s side with the others. Freed was trying to look like he was just going with the flow but it was clear he was just as curious as everyone else in the group. ¡°Get back to work, you durds!¡± Aedan admonished them all. He was even shaking his head in his palm. ¡°You¡¯re just going to scare the littless if you all surround her. You too, Erin.¡± Everyone was stiffened by Aedan¡¯s consideration but when he squinted his eyes and darkened his expression, everyone scattered back to their own tasks. Although, none of them had full concentration on it. Erin included, everyone was sneaking glimpses over their own shoulders towards the little girl who was waking up from her untimely slumber. The girl moaned as she squirmed in Lyra¡¯s arms. Her eyelids fluttered as they struggled to lift up. ¡°Is she okay?¡± Lyra asked with a voice filled with anxiety. ¡°She¡¯s having trouble waking up.¡± Aedan rolled his eyes. ¡°For fuck¡¯s sake, Lyra, calm down. This is normal.¡± After a few more toss and turns, the little girl was slowly opening her eyes. ¡°She¡¯s awake! She¡¯s awake!¡± Lyra eximed in repeat. ¡°Yes, astute observation,¡± Aedan muttered. Ignoring his sarcasm, Lyra smiled radiantly at the little girl. ¡°Wow¡­ she can smile like that?¡± Erin gasped in her mind. Lyra had shown her all kinds of smile during the times they shared a bed but this was the first time she saw this kind of smile. A smile that meant only well, devoid of any devious desires. Erin had no doubts she would be instantly infatuated with her if she was shown this smile from the beginning of their acquaintance. The little girl opened her mouth next but no words came out. She blinked as she bounced her gaze between Aedan and Lyra. It was only after a few seconds, when everything had sunk in, the little girl sprang from Lyra¡¯s arms. She tried to step away but her legs gave out. Lyra swooped in to cushion her fall before she hit the ground. The little girl iled her limbs to get out Lyra¡¯s arms all the while stuttering at her words. ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s okay. You¡¯re safe now, little one,¡± Lyra attempted to calm her down. All the little girl could do was blink and shiver. ¡°Everything¡¯s fine now, little one. What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°C-Celia...¡± the little girl stammered. Somehow, her gaze trailed away from Lyra¡¯s and ended on Erin. Her eyes widened when she saw her peculiar traits, specifically Erin¡¯s ears and tails. Aedan nestled himself beside Lyra. ¡°So Celia...¡± he began. Hearing her name called, Celia turned to face Aedan. ¡°Can you tell us what happened?¡± His voice was soft and soothing unlike the other times where it was sharp and filled with overtones. ¡°We¡¯re adventurers and we¡¯re here to help.¡± Upon hearing the word ¡°help¡± and ¡°adventurers¡±, Celia immediately spanned her eyes to their limits. ¡°You need to help everyone! They need help! Monsters everywhere! Everyone¡¯s running. Everyone¡¯s in danger! You need to hurry!¡± she cried out in a series of near-incorrigible words. Lyra tried to calm Celia down with soothing words and songs but to no avail. She was repeatedly crying out her experiences prior to her captivity at the hands of the bandits. It became clear that Celia had no memories of her kidnapping. She only remembered her vige and monsters attacked it. Erin became worried when she picked up multiple presences closing in on their position. Celia¡¯s wails were attracting the monsters. Erin and Aedan¡¯s presence and the Monster Repellent was the only reason the monsters had yet toe charging into the camp but Erin was dubious on how long the circumstances would remain so. Aedan seemed to realize this matter too. The only choice now is to forcibly put her to sleep but he hesitated. Mind-rted spells would have long-term effects on the victim, especially on children. It pained him to make such a choice but for everyone¡¯s well-being, he had to do it. It was made even harder as Lyra was hugging her tightly, trying to calm her down. Suddenly, Celia fell silent, extremely so. ¡°Eh?¡± Lyra blurted out. She looked down at the girl she was cradling. ¡°She fainted? She fainted! Dwarrow, she fainted!¡± Coincidentally, Celia fainted on her own ord. Seconds before Aedan¡¯s spell was cast. He gave the unconscious Celia a brief but thorough nce. ¡°Calm the hell down, Lyra. She¡¯s just in shock.¡± ¡°Will she be alright?¡± ¡°She won¡¯t be if you¡¯re panicking at every next instance.¡± Aedan sighed. ¡°Give her to me, you go help the others.¡± Without waiting for her response, Aedan snatched Celia away from Lyra. Due to his current height, it looked awkward for a child to be in his arms. Erin, who was watching the scene ying out from a few feet away, was astonished at how seamless his movements were. ¡°No,¡± Lyra opposed. ¡°I can take care of her.¡± Before the situation could escte any further, Erin cut in between them. ¡°Okay okay. Let¡¯s just calm down here.¡± She turned to Lyra. ¡°Aedan has finished his work. You haven¡¯t. So let him take care of the girl first, then you can take care of her when you¡¯re done, alright?¡± Lyra frowned. ¡°You think he¡¯s able to take care of a child?¡± Erin glimpsed back at Aedan, who was attentively wiping off the dirt and sweat on the girl with a clean cloth. ¡°Not perfectly but I think she¡¯ll be safe with him. In fact, she¡¯s probably at the safest ce in the entirety of Green Scar, wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡± Struck with a sound reasoning, Lyra could only ept the oue of this insignificant dispute with a click of her tongue. When the night had fully descended, they had their evening meal around the campfire. The meal was simple but surprisingly delicious due to the Pandan paste Aedan had brought along. This little surprise was thanks to Aedan¡¯s abuse of his father¡¯s connections. It wasn¡¯t just the Pandan paste but the meats were also expensive cuts. Cal and Selene expressed their worries regarding the cost but Aedan assured them it was all on the house. They shared some stories afterwards. They tell tales of their beginnings and also urban legends of the town. One legend that astonished both Lyra and Erin was that Aedan was once very frolic with romance, sleeping with different women and sometimes men night after night. Erin cast an inquisitive gaze towards Aedan but the person in question merely murmured some neutral answer as a response. ¡°He¡¯s neither denying nor affirming anything¡­ huh. As expected.¡± After that story, the rest of the tales came mostly from Freed who boasted about his ¡°adventures¡± with women from various cities. Though no one bought into it. Celia was once again in the arms of Lyra. The girl had not woken up since she fainted again but Aedan assured everyone she was simply in too much shock. ¡°In fact, it would have been extremely odd if she¡¯s up and about, given what she had most likely been through,¡± Aedan had said. As Freed bbed away his ventures and capers, Erin retreated to her own device within her mind. She didn¡¯t excuse herself away as she didn¡¯t want toe off rude and what¡¯s more, being alone outside in the night was simply courting danger. Not that she would actually be in danger given her abilities but she refused to take any unnecessary risks. ¡°Now, I remember I have a few remaining points to spend.¡± She focused her mind on her stats, drowning out the voices and noises around her. Her stats information became clear like ink on paper in her mind. She currently had four points each in Skill and Ability. Without much hesitation, she allocated all of her Ability Points evenly into Finesse and Arcane. [Finesse: 15 has increased to 17] [Arcane: 15 has increased to 17] Erin¡¯s quick andmitted decision was actually something she had given a long cerebration to. As far as she could tell, her physical strength was something she didn¡¯t want to rely on her stats to hone. Her strength would increase just by swinging her swords or simply participating in activities that required strenuous efforts. She had the same sentiment for her Sword Art. She would leave those two¡¯s increment to her own hands instead of the System. Therefore, she chose to focus on Finesse and Arcane. She originally wanted to just dedicate her points solely into Arcane but after some self-evaluation, due to the wide possibilities of feats her tails were capable of, she decided to spend some points in Finesse. As for Skill Points, she assigned them all into Spirit Magic. Her reasoning for these decisions stemmed from her desire to widen her repertoire of magic and also, to what she had experienced and witnessed, Spirit Magic was incredibly versatile. [Spirit Magic: Lv 6 has increased to Lv 8] A stream of knowledge flowed into Erin¡¯s mind. She stifled a gasp at the arrays of new spells she was exposed to. Versatility was beginning to sound like an under-evaluation for Spirit Magic. On an interesting note, she came to know from Aedan that some spells couldn¡¯t be learned by simply leveling up a Magic Art. A prime example was Twilight Veil. She didn¡¯t learn it through leveling up but from Aedan¡¯s teaching. This meant there was a chance that there were a whole lot more spells to be learned other than the Spirit Magic spells she currently had. Spirit Armor and Familiar Summoning? From the knowledge that was poured into her mind upon the increment of Spirit Magic¡¯s level, Erin came to know that Spirit Armor had simr function to Arcane Armor but with significant differences. Arcane Armor was a Magic Art not a spell and Spirit Armor gave protections towards the arcane and mental aspects. It provided no protection against physical means but upon remembering how the mastermind of the whole Goblin situation was capable of mind control, Erin was more than satisfied with a defensive spell against Mind-type spells. A more surprising detail of Spirit Armor was the Mana consumption. It¡¯s¡­ surprisingly low. How much is that¡­? About a quarter of Arcane Armor¡¯s consumption? Interesting. Is this because of my affinity with Spirit Magic? As for Familiar Summoning, it allowed Erin to make contracts with Spirit Beasts. It was a very versatile spell. Only downside to this spell was the prerequisite, she would first need to find a Spirit Beast and make a contract with it before this spell could be relevant. ¡°Maybe I can consult Nivia about that? Or would Aedan know anything about this? He¡¯s no Fae but he¡¯s long lived and someone who had previous memories of his multiple past incarnations. He might be a better choice, just maybe.¡± As she contemted on who would be the best choice to consult her Familiar Summoning about, a predicament struck, a very personal plight. It started with a single hard beat of her heart and the heating of her body. [User has entered Carnal Starvation. Lust Deviant activated.] "Damn it... Is it really going to be a nightly cross to bear?" Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Three-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 11 | Status: Carnal Starvation Might: 19 | Arcane: 17 | Finesse: 17 Magic Arts - Spirit Magic Lv. 8 | Arcane Edge Lv. 2 | Arcane Armor Lv. 5 Combat Arts - Sword Art Lv. 6 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 4 Innate Skills - Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 1 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex Unique Talent - Mystic de Lv. Ex Level Progression: 5% Remaining Skill Points: 0 Remaining Ability Points: 0 1-42 Resolve (R18) 1-42 Resolve (R18) With a fairly sensible excuse she could think up in the heat of the moment, Erin pardoned herself from the campfire and trode briskly into the dark, away from the warm brilliance. Erin heard her name being called from behind as she wandered into the dead of the night. However, she had no capacity to form a response. Right now in her mind, she was focused on distancing herself from herpanions. It would be unspeakable if she lost all control right then and there. Erin knew this wasing. In fact, she could faintly feel it building within her all this while. She half expected her lust to be greater thanst night but just not to this degree. Her lust was not merely doubled. It was tripled, maybe even more. It took a great deal of strength and resolve to not just pounce on herpanions right then. She exerted whatever remaining sanity she had left to force herself far away from the camp. She needed to at least be at a considerable distance away where her moans wouldn¡¯t be heard. It was a fool¡¯s errand to wander into the night all alone and without any source of light. However, Erin¡¯s current state was not of the norms. Monsters which picked up her scent immediately bolted away from her. In spite of her declining sanity, she was more of a threat than ever. The monsters knew they would only be sealing their own fate if they approached her now. As her mind became cloudier and her footsteps became heavier, Erin identally rammed into arge stump. She braced herself for the collision but it didn¡¯t happen like she anticipated. Instead of bouncing off from the stump, she rammed through it. She lost her bnce and tumbled across the ground. ¡°Wh-what¡­!?¡± Erin was baffled. She knew she was strong since she had a few points invested in Might but not to this extent. What¡¯s more, she didn¡¯t ram into the stump with all intentions. She wasn¡¯t even running. She was merely walking with full haste and stumbled into a tree. Yet, just like that, her simple fall destroyed the stump. Lust Deviant increased her ability values by fifty percent, she remembered reading about it but the fact that she destroyed a thick stump just by simply stumbling into it, it made her dubious of how much her ability stats had actually increased. Something just didn¡¯t feel right, she thought to herself. She gave her stats a quick look. ¡°What in the hell¡­!¡± She gasped in her heart. She couldn¡¯t believe the numbers. Might: 38 | Arcane: 30 | Finesse: 30 This was obviously more than just a fifty percent increase. She brought up the exnation for Lust Deviant in her mind. Lust Deviant - Ability value increases by 100% upon carnal starvation but slowly loses one''s sense of self. Pleasure of physical intimacy is heightened for the user and their partner(s). Upon orgasm, the user''s pleasure is shared to all partners. It was now a hundred percent. She distinctively remembered it being only fifty but now it was a hundred. There was no level indication for Lust Deviant which was why she hadn¡¯t expected an increase in its variable. Thus, Erin came to a hypothesis. The increment value would increase if her lust from prior night was not properly taken care of. She calmed her desires with onanismst night. It felt good but it wasn¡¯t fulfilling. She wanted more but she didn¡¯t have anyone to do it with and Maria was nowhere to be found. And now, she was dealing with the consequences. ¡°L-Lyra...¡± Erin spoke the name of the first person that crossed her mind. Erin needed her now more than ever but given Lyra¡¯s circumstances, invoking her assistance would be simply boorish and incredibly odd. Erin found her own hands slowly crawling to her womanhood. Under such a cold night, Erin was only getting warmer. She found a tree that provided shade from the moonlight. Even if it was night, she could easily be seen from the camp if she was under the gentle beam of the moon. Erin sat herself against the trunk and hastily took off her armor before stripping herself down to her bare skin. At least she was still able to muster up some effort to ce her weapons at a position that was easy to retrieve but wouldn¡¯t be a hindrance during the session. The chill breeze hit her but the cold did not affect her even in the slightest. She felt only heat and a strange itch within her honeypot that her finger just couldn¡¯t get rid off. Erin wasted not a moment and proceeded to caress every inch of her body. Now with three tails, she embraced one with her arms, mped another one between her legs, and bit down on thest one. Her right hand left the tails she was embracing and went to the tail between her legs. She grabbed it and began stroking it in pitch with her moans and fondlings of other parts of her body. A part of her mind was still aware of the dangers and risk but that was only the minority of her current thoughts. Her desire for ecstasy was tossing away any bit of reasoning out of her mind. She understood what it would entail but she couldn¡¯t stop; she didn¡¯t want to. Her hands left her tails and went for her bountiful chest. She treated them with her utmost care and attention while not forgetting to give her womanly region the attention it needed and craved. Her moans slowly transcended into wails. Deep within her mind, she understood the dangers of being alone in the woods at night. There were bound to be monsters which were brave enough to approach her. She feared for her life but that fear didn¡¯t dwell in her mind for too long. Her fears and the notions of danger were cast out of the window when she perceived the monsters retreating away from her, most likely mistaking her moans of pleasure with howls of intimidations. She could be wrong but she was in no condition to care about logic. She just wanted to reach the peak of pleasure. However, it wasn¡¯t enough. It was already made evident fromst night. She couldn¡¯t achieve rapture just by ying with herself and by herself. She needed a partner. She wanted to just rush back to the camp and pounced on the first person sheid her eyes on. Fortunately, her senses returned slightly; enough to prevent herself from pulling such a scandalous stunt. ¡°Fuck! Fuck! I want to cum¡­! I want to cum, damn it!¡± She screamed in her mind as her fingers increased in intensity with its wriggles. She found her own womanly spot. It gave her a lot of pleasure but none of it was able to sate her desires. In fact, it only made it worse. It made her craving even greater than when she started and she couldn¡¯t even orgasm with own fingers now. ¡°Damn it! Damn it! Why did I have to suffer like this!?¡± Only venereal desires were whirling in her mind. Time and time again she wanted to cast aside herst shred of reasoning but no matter what she did, there was a small piece of sensibility hanging onto the corner of her mind. And she was grateful for that even if she found it a hindrance now. ¡°Lyra¡­ Lyra¡­ Lyra¡­¡± Lyra¡¯s face surfaced into Erin¡¯s mind. She was only the person present who could quell her acute lust. There was Selene but Erin wasn¡¯t fond of the idea of being a thieving cat. There was Freed but even shaking hands with him brought shivers down her spine. Maybe she couldn¡¯t care less about who she slept with now but she was sure she would regret it when she regained all of her sanity. And then, there was¡­ Aedan¡­ ¡°If it¡¯s Aedan¡­ maybe I could¡­¡± She considered Aedan to be a candidate for a mere second. ¡°What!? No! Fuck no! Aedan¡¯s a man and a fucking prick! What the fuck am I thinking?!¡± She couldn¡¯t believe herself. She had just considered Aedan as a possibility. She was astounded and horrified by herself. It was even weirder when Aedan was the only one she didn¡¯t feel any lust towards. Yet somehow, she wanted him. ¡°I need to tell Lyra. I don¡¯t want to use her but she is here for my sake after all, or so Aedan imed. But how am I going to ask Lyra for help? I¡¯m not exactly close to the camp where they could easily hear my voice. So how¡ª¡± ¡°Erin?¡± a voice called out to her at the same moment a scent drifted into her nose. Before her brain could register the owner of the voice and scent, Erin spun around immediately to face the person who called out to her. She didn¡¯t know if it had been a voice of a male or female. She just knew that someone had called her name. She thought it to be Lyra since it was her name that was called and it was filled with concern. ¡°You?¡± Erin gasped when she saw her caller. To her surprise, it wasn¡¯t Lyra at all. Quite the contrary, it turned out to be Aedan. ¡°Disappointed?¡± He let out a faint smile. His eyes going up and down on her body. ¡°You looked terrible.¡± Erin immediately covered up her exposed chest andher regions in a hurry. It didn¡¯t help much as her arm pressing on her ample bosom was only emphasizing them but it was better than nothing. She cast a piercing re at the masque of a Dwarrow. Aedan sighed. ¡°We got to stop meeting like this, if fate allows us to.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Lyra?¡± she asked demandingly but her current condition didn¡¯t provide much strength to her voice. ¡°She¡¯s unavable,¡± Aedan responded. ¡°She has a child to take care of, remember? The girl may be asleep but she¡¯s not letting her grip loose from Lyra¡¯s apparels.¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± Erin cursed in her heart. She didn¡¯t know how long she could retain her mind from being encroached by the lust welling up within her. She was sure even Aedan would soon be an irresistible target like others. ¡°Fate is really cruel with its whims, wouldn¡¯t you say? Lyra¡¯s role was to be your relief but she became a relief for somebody else. Ironic, wouldn¡¯t you say? But then again, since when had things go all ording to n?¡± ¡°Cease your jest of a speech and get Lyra toe here.¡± Her breath was heating up and its pace became more and more erratic. ¡°She¡¯s taking care of the girl. What do you think they would all say if I just strode right in and ask for Lyra on your behalf? I don¡¯t think I would even need to say much then for them to have a good idea of why you ask for Lyra. Just imagine that scenario, okay? If you were in their shoes, what kind of notion would you have?¡± Despite being in a state where only sex was the thing Erin cared about, she did understand what Aedan was trying to tell her. Asking Lyra to stop caring for a child just to meet her out in the woods would surely put all kinds of strange ideas into their head. Worse, they woulde to a conclusion that could be close to the truth and risk having her secret exposed. While she didn¡¯t particrly mind too much about her reincarnation secret, her Lust Deviant skill was a whole other matter. She didn¡¯t know how temptress creatures were treated in this world and she wasn¡¯t into the idea of finding it out with herself as the subject. ¡°Lyra wasn¡¯t told¡ª¡± Erin paused midway to recollect her breath. ¡°¡ªabout my condition?¡± ¡°She was told that her reason being in this party was for your well-being, nothing more than that. My father thinks that it would be prudent for you to be the one to decide on revealing the whole truth. Even so, we are seeing how that "contingency" turned out.¡± Erin wanted tosh out at Aedan¡¯s nonchnt attitude but her carnal desires were having different ideas, ideas that Erin had no wish to follow through. ¡°Well, since things have devolved to such a state, allow me to suggest a solution.¡± Erin didn¡¯t have a good feeling about it but she motioned meekly at him to continue. ¡°You might just have to put aside your orientations and go with the only avable choice you have at this very moment.¡± Erin blinked. ¡°You and me.¡± Aedan pointed at Erin and then himself. He then made a gesture. Erin¡¯snguidly iling tails all stiffened at Aedan¡¯s suggestion. Her ears sprouted straight as if to pierce the air. ¡°Fuck no, never. Not in a million years.¡± ¡°I guessed as much.¡± Aedan shrugged. ¡°But you have to understand this; you are a core member of this party. If we can¡¯t have you at your full capacity, this whole excursion is as good as jeopardized.¡± ¡°I said no!¡± Erin snarled. ¡°Your aversion for men¡ª it¡¯s starting to feel like it¡¯s more than just your orientation. I know a few grand lilies who weren''t even this adamant.¡± Erin said nothing in return. More like this was the least suitable moment of all times for her to reveal that significant aspect of her reincarnation. ¡°Were you raped by men before? Is that why?¡± Erin kept her silence. If she answered it, it would be easily revealed by the sharp-witted Aedan. ¡°Hmm¡­ not that, huh.¡± ¡°What the¡ª he can tell? Is he a mind reader of sorts?¡± ¡°Then what could it be¡­?¡± ¡°Stop your worthless guesses and juste out with another solution. We are not going to fuck, end of story. ¡± ¡°You¡¯re really that against it, huh.¡± Aedan furrowed his brows as he worked his brain. ¡°I don¡¯t really have other solutions. I do have other solutions but let¡¯s just say¡­ you¡¯ll hate those more than my current suggestion. ¡°You expect me to believe that you, a Dragon-kin who had gone through multiple incarnations, didn''t at least have a single spell or skill to help suppress my urges?¡± Erin heaved a heavily rasped breath. ¡°And what about your alchemy skills? Surely you must have something. I don¡¯t believe you don¡¯t have any.¡± ¡°I never said I don¡¯t have any. I just said that I don¡¯t have any suitable ones nor any other methods you would ept. Not if I took the side-effect and after-effects into ount. And there''s also the matter of preparations.¡± ¡°W-what do you m-mean?¡± Erin struggled to squeeze those words out of her throat. ¡°For one, I''mcking the needed items, materials, and ingredients. Also, I don''t know much about your... skill. I can''t just give you some random potion or cast some random spell on you, at least not without an in-depth study of your skill first.¡± ¡°You¡¯re telling me that the safest option is to shack up with you?¡± Erin said it like she had just swallowed a bug. ¡°There¡¯s no shack in these hills but¡­ yeah.¡± ¡°D-damn it!¡± she shouted but she wasn¡¯t worried about the camp hearing her. Her meek voice barely even reached Aedan¡¯s ears. ¡°Taking care of your dangerous urges is more important than what you desire right now,ss.¡± Erin hated it but he was right, like he always had been. Radically sound, as she hade to dub it as such. Aedan shrugged. ¡°Well, if you¡¯re this adamant, I guess I could call Lyra over. It¡¯ll raise some questions but I¡¯ll make sure they at least don¡¯t get the wrong idea about your circumstances.¡± As Aedan was about to turn to leave, Erin stopped him. ¡°Wait.¡± ¡°Hmm? Changed your mind?¡± Erin nodded with whatever remaining sound resolve she had left. ¡°Cast your strongest magic on me,¡± she managed to say. ¡°Use your spells.¡± Aedan widened his eyes. ¡°Didn''t you just hear what I just said? Are you out of your mind,ssie? Sorry, stupid question. Of course you are.¡± ¡°I can take it. I¡¯m not just some fraildy.¡± Erin began to mouth off without any filter to her thoughts. Her urges were muddling her mind. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know, I was once a master swordsman known as the Sword Saint myself, like that so-called Astoria Stormedge.¡± ¡°Swords... man¡­ is that a mpropism or you meant it literally as it is?¡± ¡°I was a man! Do you understand now?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Aedan gaped open his mouth. ¡°That¡¯s.... utterly shocking¡­ to say the least but not unbelievable considering how you have acted.¡± ¡°Now do you know why I don¡¯t want to shack up with you?!¡± ¡°Your point is still invalid though. I personally knew a few straight men who had willingly fornicate with other men for the sake of their... well, position, health, wealth, those kinds of things. And you are no longer a man, mdy. You are a woman now. A Fox-kin, a Fae.¡± Erin was left astounded. She didn¡¯t expect such a reply. Maybe she was being selfish, she thought. Truthfully, she also did know a few men who had been in the same circumstances and she was always wondering how they could have made such a decision¡­ Perhaps now, she could understand it. ¡°Just for the record, I¡¯m against using magic to suppress your urges, even if I had the right spell. From my experiences, they are very unreliable and highly unpredictable. Who knows what would happen if it entangled with some random spell your opponent threw at you in the heat of fight?¡± Erin yelled through her teeth as she mmed her fist down at the ground, producing a miniature crater. Aedan unleashed a spell at the right moment to dull the sound and tremor. With her current strength and power level, Lyra and the others would definitely feel it back at the camp. "Such power..." Aedan mused. "Maybe... just maybe..." ¡°Fine!¡± Erin coughed out her resolve. She didn¡¯t have any more time to look for alternatives. Even asking for Lyra now was toote. She felt it. Her urges had brimmed to its fullest. Her mind was on the verge and she wagered that she most likely only had less than a minute for any sensibility. After the minute was up, while she didn¡¯t know what she would do, she was sure that what she would be doing, she wouldn¡¯t stop until her urges were quelled. Erin was about to dere her reluctant eptance towards Aedan¡¯s suggestion when the person himself stopped her words with a hand. ¡°What is it now?¡± Erin asked. ¡°I think I might have another method. One that doesn''t involve my sword into your sheath.¡± Erin narrowed her eyes. ¡°Did you think of that method only now or did you purposely wait until I was in the lowest depth of anguish?¡± ¡°As much as I wished for thetter, the truth is the former.¡± Erin was still dubious but she let him talk. ¡°But first, I have to test if this method was even worth trying.¡± ¡°How?¡± Erin canted her head. Aedan smiled and said nothing. Though his hand moved. He was quick, even swifter than yesterday when he fought her. Despite that, Erin was able to perceive his movement. Her hand raised and caught his fist. She amazed herself with her own reaction speed but it amazed her even more at how strong her grip was. She could feel Aedan trying to struggle his arm free but she held it tightly without budging. ¡°Impressive. Really impressive.¡± Aedan chuckled. ¡°I think this method might work.¡± ¡°Exin your method now or I¡¯ll tear your arm off,¡± Erin warned. ¡°It¡¯s simple.¡± Aedan grinned. ¡°We¡¯ll duel.¡± 1-43 Clarity 1-43 rity Aedan waved his hand. A momentter, everything turned silent and the air turned warm. Erin could no longer hear the songs of the cicadas nor the gentle whispers of the cold breeze. The only sounds she could hear even with her heightened sense of hearing was her own breathing. Erin knew a spell had been used. She tried to appraise it but the results came up null as she expected. It was magic beyond herprehension. ¡°This is a subspace,¡± Aedan exined upon seeing her confused expression. ¡°It¡¯s a spell under Spatial Maniption called Domain. No sound, smell, magic, absolutely nothing can be seen, heard, and felt by the other side of this subspace." Erin could only blink at Aedan''s exnation. Her mind was barely holding on to rationality, let aloneprehending a magic she knew absolutely nothing about. "The subspace exist simultaneously with overworld, which is the normal ne of existence and¡ª ah fuck this. You won''t understand it anyway. In simple words, the damages caused in this subspace will all be reverted back to its original form upon dispelling Domain. So to say, whatever happens here, no one will ever know except for you and I.¡± There was much Erin had wanted to ask but with Lust Deviant overwhelming her very essence, she was no longer able to form any coherent words without strenuous efforts. ¡°Lust may be the only thing on your mind but I beg to differ. Quite evidently, my statement has been proven to be a fact. You still have your survival instinct. Your live still takes precedence over your lust. No matter what kind of influence a person is under, survival instincts would always kick in when the bodyes under threat. Also, I don¡¯t believe your lust is purely carnal.¡± Erin didn¡¯t understand his words fully. She couldn¡¯t. Every shred of reasoning was slowly slipping off the grasp of her mind. ¡°If your lust is not exclusive to carnal, which I¡¯m sure of, I have the perfect way to quell your desires.¡± Aedan grinned. He reverted back to his original form minus the Dragon features. In his syed hand, a sword with dark reddish de materialized into his grasp. When Erin saw that sword, a smirk was instantly adorned on her lips. Her heartbeat rose in anticipation. She grabbed her own swords. She stood up, to her own surprise. What even surprised her more was how her body was moving without her consent and it was moving without difficulty. It was like her fading sane mind was just a passenger along for the ride in her body. Another dire concern arose, at the fact that she waspletely naked. Yet, her body showed no shame to that matter. She made no attempts to cover herself up. ¡°At least put on the undergarments, damn it!¡± Erin screamed internally. Somehow, Aedan''s indifference to her bare body was even more vexing. Aedan stifled a chuckle and made his first move. He threw himself forward, his sword lunging to kill. ¡°Fast!¡± Erin gasped in her mind. She was unprepared for it but somehow, her body reacted just in time. She deflected the blow that aimed for her head with the saber. The momentum of the strike caused her to stumble but she was quick to regain her bearings. She parried another blow and riposted with the broadsword in her other hand. But Aedan did not meet her strike with his. Instead, he evaded the de by leaning his head away from the point where the de would strike. Aedan proceeded to dodge all of her ripostes and countered but she also countered back. And so the repetition of such an exchange went on and on. They kept deflecting each others¡¯ blows and evading strikes and Erin kept surprising herself. Even though Aedan was faster and stronger than he was yesterday, Erin had no trouble in keeping up with his speed and strength. At her current level, such a feat was impossible but here she was, doing the impossible. It was a cause for celebration or that would be the case if she was the one actually doing it. She wasn¡¯t. She was merely looking through the eyes of the body of Erinthea. ¡°Is this the result of being taken over by Lust Deviant?¡± Even though she couldn¡¯t see her own face, she could tell she was grinning the whole time she crossed des with Aedan. The Dragon-kin on the other hand had the usual face of indifference, which made the vexations within her blossomed into a desire of wanting to wipe that passive expression off his face. Her face curled into a grimace after her umpteenth strike missed its target. Her strikes began to focus on Aedan¡¯s head but he gave a smirk in return, which further provoked her frustration. She felt her body heated up more and more as her speed rose in tandem. Erin leaped into the air. She twirled and as she did so, sheshed out an attack which was easily blocked. When shended, she spun with her saber. Aedan evaded the sh but he didn¡¯t retaliate. Instead, he leaped back away from where he stood just as her tails grazed the empty air. As soon as Erin stopped spinning, she tossed her broadsword like a javelin at Aedan. The Dragon-kin easily brushed the sword aside. The broadsword twirled in the air beforending in a lodge to the ground. Erin moved in without collecting her sword but Aedan knew there was more to this simple trick. Erin summoned blue mes into her hands. It was Essence re, fire that could only burn entities that were ethereal or magical, Aedan¡¯s sword for example was one such item, a sword forged of his own magic. Still, the gap between their levels voided Erin of Essence re¡¯s perks. With a simple swipe of his sword, Aedan had doused the blue mes. When the mes cleared, Erin was there, within range for her attacks to reach. She had closed their distance with a single leap. She was making full use of her agile and light body. In fact, she has been raising her speed and strength through the constant use of infusing Mana to her whole body. Aedan deflected a thrust and evaded a sh. All the while defending against her attacks, his attention on the broadsword did not leave. And as he expected, during one of the shes of their des which ended up in a de-lock, Erin flipped the broadsword into her grip with her tails. Left with no other choice, Aedan conjured another sword and guarded against her sh. Aedan grimaced at the cheap trick and in response, Erin widened her grin. She was fully enjoying this. They pushed themselves off the de-lock and once again traded blows after blows with each impact causing a ripple in the space between them. Even cracks were forming on the ground due to their exchange. The longer it went on, the livelier Erin¡¯s expression was bing. Her breaths even quickened into pants. Aedan inspected her eyes. He could tell he was neither a friend nor foe in her eyes at the moment. He was simply someone she wanted to fight. No prejudice or pity could be found in her gaze, unlike their duel yesterday. In addition, Erin fought like apletely different person. There was no grace and precision in her form. Her attacks were wild and excessive, a stark contrast to her usual form. She was even making use of her lightweight to execute movements that were only possible for a nimble body. Overall, she was even better than yesterday. Due to her flexible form, she could avoid paying for her mistakes by simply giving a twirl or a twist of her body. Aedan lost count on how many times he thought his blow wouldnd but ended up slicing the empty air. And at the times where her swords failed her, she resorted to her tails. They couldn¡¯t move as precise as her limbs but they were still a tremendous edge to her. If it weren¡¯t for her tails, she would have received a few scratches from Aedan¡¯s sword. But when even her tails failed her, Erin used her legs, astonishing Aedan further. Even in this insanity, she knew Aedan would not truly hurt her and she took advantage of that. She had intentionally left herself wide open at vital points but Aedan couldn¡¯t strike them, not if he wanted her to live. ¡°You¡¯re really holding nothing back, are ya?¡± Aedan asked. His words were met withughter. Aughter that didn¡¯t possess a hint of rationality or femininity. It was the crudeughter of a near-mindless maniac. A very odd pairing for a pretty face like hers. As Erinughed, she used Arcane Edge on her swords. Aedan frowned in confusion. She wasn¡¯t in range for any swing. Using Arcane Edge now was too telling for her opponent. ¡°Is she perhaps...¡± Before Aedan could voice out all of his thoughts, Erin swung her swords and threw the auracing her des. ¡°Aura Shot?¡± Aedan blurted out his surprise. Aura Shot was a skill under the Magic Art, Arcane Edge. It allows the user to throw the magic infused in the de. Aura Shot was extremely advantageous for swordsmen who usually had nothing but close-range skills. At the same time, it wasn¡¯t easy to learn. Arcane Edge itself was already a challenging Magic Art for anyone unacquainted with magic to learn and Aura Shot was even more so. Yet, Erin here, not even level twenty, was able to learn it by instincts. ¡°Truly a Sword Saint,¡± Aedan muttered in his heart. ¡°So it ain¡¯t all just airs.¡± Nevertheless, the vast difference of their levels allowed Aedan to triumph over Erin¡¯s talents and instincts. Aedan conjured up a transparent barrier that blocked both of the Aura Shots. When Erin saw her attacks failed, sheunched a few more Aura Shots but the barrier stood strong against her barrage of Aura Shots. Gone was her smile then. ¡°Let¡¯s just stick with des, shall we?¡± Aedan suggested. ¡°If we¡¯re going down any other road, you wouldn¡¯tst for even a minute.¡± Though battle lust was seemingly all that remained in her mind, her brows twitch in response to Aedan¡¯s belittlement of her abilities. She was irked. Erin screeched like an animal. She closed their distance with Fleet Foot andshed out without any restraint. Aedan groaned as he guarded a series of blows. It was beginning to feel like she was swinging axes to chop down a tree than swinging swords to trade blows. She no longer saw Aedan as a person but an obstacle in her path that she just couldn¡¯t cut down. Erin even tried to use Aura Shot at point nk but Aedan withstood the attack with the sheer difference of their level. An hour had passed, Aedan guessed, and there was still no sign of Erin¡¯s lust dissipating. He had no doubts regarding his chances at victory but holding back begged a different question. He needed to find the right amount of strength to use. Too little would result in him getting sliced and diced by the enraged Erin. Too much would render Erin crippled for possibly most of her life. He started to think about ways to end this without hurting her too much and at the same time, to end the fight that was able to satisfy her lust. ¡°Hmm¡­ what if I show her the real difference in our strength, will that discourage her to continue or would that make her all the more motivated?¡± Aedan knew thetter would be much more likely. So he discarded that n. As he deflected a strike aimed for his genitals, which he chalked it up to coincidence, he sensed something had changed and he went for that change. To his bafflement but also expectation, his strike was able to graze her shoulder. Erin groaned and stumbled back while wincing in pain. Aedan struck again and Erin received his blow, stumbling further back. Witnessing that, Aedan breathed a sigh of relief. Erin was slowing down and her strength was weakening, which only meant that her Lust Deviant skill was subsiding. Her breathing that was once sharp was turning ragged. He saw her eyes wavering from him, a sure sign of an unfocused vision. The broadsword fell from her hands. Instead of picking it back up, she wielded her saber with two hands. ¡°I guess this is the end,¡± Aedan remarked and dispelled one of his swords away. With a final battle cry, Erin charged at Aedan with eyes that could almost sear through one¡¯s soul. Despite her ferocity and resolve, her Magic Vigour was much toocking to give strength to her resolution. Aedan swung as Erin plunged into his reach. A sharp sound echoed into the air as her sword flew from her hands. Aedan followed up with a palm thrust at her chest that sent her tumbling back. It was a little awkward considering she was in her birthday suit for the whole fight and he just felt her supple and smooth skin for a brief second. The persistence Erin stood back up. A furious gaze locked onto him. She foregone her swords and rushed at Aedan with her nails and tails. Aedan sheathed his sword, figuratively speaking, and conjured up a transparent barrier before himself. Erin rammed into the barrier with all of her momentum. She bounced right off but it didn''t deter her. She roared. She wed at the barrier, smashed it with her tails, but to no avail. Still, she had no intention to stop her senseless assault. She tried to get around it but Aedan wouldn''t let her. Soon, she exhausted herself of all of her strength. Her tantrum stopped. She rasped for air. A hint of light returned to her eyes. Her gaze drooped to her hands, mangled and shaken. She looked back up at Aedan, who breathed a sigh of relief. "Wee back, mdy. You''re a handful, you know that?" "And you''re a twat," she said and hit the ground on her back. Her consciousness left her body. [Experience gained +20% - Level Progression: 25%] **** Erin woke up not few minutester. Her body shot up from the ground she was lying upon when the chill breeze sent shivers through her whole body. The subspace Aedan had created was no longer there. Songs of the cicadas and whispers of the gentle breeze once again flowed peacefully through the night. She was wide awake at that instance. Her wide-opened eyes met with Aedan¡¯s impassive gaze. "How are you feeling?" he asked. "How long was I out?" she threw back a question. "Minutes," Aedan gave an extremely brief answer. "Barely ten," he added. Erin heaved a wave of relief. Her memories were quick to recollect themselves in her mind. Albeit blurry and vague, she remembered what had transpired. Aedan had offered her an alternative to shacking up with him. She remembered the duel. She remembered she had acted so differently. She remembered how she moved in their duel. She couldn¡¯t remember exactly the copious details but she knew she was moving in a manner unlike her current self was capable of. Going by her barren Magic Vigour, she had used a lot of magic, most likely to assist her movements. She was still in disbelief of how she had fought but most of all, she was in disbelief of her intentional negligence. Her eyes widened further as she gazed down at her own body. She was in her undergarments when she should have been naked. She had truly fought Aedan without a single piece of clothing. ¡°D-did you see¡­?¡± she asked without looking at him. She was referring to her bare body of course. "I guess you''re fine then." "Did you see?" Aedan raised an eyebrow. ¡°Of course I did. How could I have not? I don''t have a cloak or a nket to cover you up. Unless you preferred that I left you as it is?" Erin tried to stand up so she could hit him but her legs gave out. Aedan swooped in and prevented her from hitting the ground. ¡°Easy now,ssie.¡± Erin wanted to push him off but she could barely move her fingers. She realized just how exhausted her body is despite having a clear mind. ¡°Can you move?¡± he asked. Erin red. ¡°What do you think?¡± He sighed and gentlyid her on the ground. ¡°Forget everything you saw,¡± she said with a faltering voice. ¡°That¡¯s not going to happen.¡± ¡°May I know why?¡± She sharpened her re. ¡°I have been with countless women. Some of them are just simply unforgettable. They were absolutely stunning to an unbelievable degree. You are one of them.¡± Erin could feel her face warming up. She turned away to avoid showing the red touching her cheeks. Aedan chuckled dryly. ¡°Well, anyways, at least we solved your problem.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ it worked, surprisingly. My lust is quelled.¡± ¡°It¡¯s more like you¡¯re depleted to the brink." Aedan drew a finger across his neck. "You really fought until there was nothing left to fuel your lust.¡± ¡°You''re saying it''s different from quelling my lust.¡± ¡°Not notably, at least. Your Lust Deviant skill is essentially a form of magic. It requires energy and Mana to function. The battle merely exhausted you to a point that your body is forced to use the energy and Mana fueling your lust as recement. Your survival took precedence in the end. Or at least that¡¯s the theory I have.¡± Erin didn¡¯t fully understand his words but she got the gist of it. Her problem was solved, end of story. ¡°T-thank you...¡± she forced herself to say. "I mean it." ¡°Now now, don¡¯t get all soft on me. I quite like your defiant side.¡± Erin frowned. ¡°Can¡¯t you just ept gratitude like a normal person?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a Dragon-kin in disguise as a Dwarrow, who had just fought a lust-crazed Fox-kin who was in full nude. I think that option has long departed.¡± Erin sighed in exasperation. She was too tired to retort. She tried to move again but her body was not listening to her. ¡°Now this is a problem,¡± Aedan remarked. Erin was too exhausted to move. He had half a mind to carry her back but knowing Erin, she would probably refuse. From one of the three small satchels he was carrying around his belt, he took out a small vial of transparent liquid. He added some dry herbs into the liquid before inducing a small drop of his own blood into it. He gave it a few shake before handing it to Erin. ¡°Drink this,¡± Aedan said. Erin turned her head sluggishly. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°...Stamina potion, I guess you can call it?¡± ¡°Did you juste up with that name?¡± Aedn shrugged. ¡°Well forgive me about that. I don¡¯t name every potion that I have created.¡± ¡°You¡¯re really an alchemist?¡± ¡°Problem?¡± Erin tried to shake her head but in her current position, it was impossible to do so. ¡°When you have lived as long as I have, rtively speaking, you¡¯ll adopt all sorts of hobbies to stave off boredom.¡± ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s understandable but...¡± Erin groaned as she struggled to lift her arm. ¡°As you can see, I don¡¯t think I can drink it by myself.¡± ¡°Wow, we really went at it hard, didn¡¯t we.¡± Erin rolled her eyes. ¡°Just shut up and help me drink this.¡± ¡°Alright alright,¡± Aedan obliged. He tipped her head and poured the contents into her mouth. After swallowing the content of the vial, Erin stared nkly at Aedan. "What?" Aedan asked. "Nothing," she said. "Just... surprised that you didn''t try anything funny." "I did thought of it but¡ª" The potion worked fast. Strength returned to her limbs. "But?" she asked, her hands curling into fists in anticipation. "Nothing," he answered. He then chuckled. ¡°Is this what thousands of years do to people? They startughing without good reason?¡± ¡°Maybe," Aedan shrugged. "Haven''t exactly talked to anyone else who has lived as long as I do. I spoke to elves but even the elders failed to surpass me." "I read in the books that the longest an Elf has lived to was around three thousand years... Just how old are you?" "Older than three thousand years old." Erin sighed. "Why do I even bother?" she grumbled to herself. Erin tidied up her undergarments and proceeded to put on her armor. She didn¡¯t skip out on grooming her tail and hair as she didn¡¯t want to give the ones back at the camp any implications. ¡°Are you done?¡± Aedan called out. ¡°Are you not worried?¡± Erin asked back. ¡°Regarding?¡± ¡°Us, damn it. The two of us alone together for so long, what do you think they will assume?¡± ¡°For Lyra, pretty much what you expect but for the other three, they will probably keep guessing. I¡¯m a Dwarrow to the current extent of their knowledge and you are well-known for having an aversion for peckers. I¡¯m sure us shacking up will be at the bottom of their assumptions.¡± ¡°Dwarrow with a Fox-kin¡­ you¡¯re telling me that¡¯s unlikely?¡± Aedan nodded. ¡°It¡¯s bordering the line of unbelievable.¡± ¡°Are the Faerie-kin that vain?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not the matter of Fae being vain. It¡¯s the general perception of Dwarrows. They are highly praised for their crafts but less so as a better-half.¡± Erin frowned. ¡°Why?¡± Aedan shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s just how it always has been. You would get a different answer if you go around asking.¡± "You don''t know?" "I''m neither a schr or a historian. Too tedious." ¡°Isn''t this a little bit too unfair for the Dwarrows?¡± Aedan smiled wryly. ¡°Perhaps but they said nothing about this matter and who are we to speak in their ce?¡± ¡°I suppose you''re right...¡± Erin said as she walked past Aedan. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go. Even if they didn''t get any strange ideas, they would still be worried.¡± ¡°Right behind you, mdy.¡± He followed a few feet away. ¡°Don¡¯t call me that.¡± ¡°Then what do you propose?¡± ¡°Just Erin would do,¡± she answered after a brief silence. ¡°Well then, lead the way, Erin.¡± ¡°Just be quiet, Aedan.¡± He chuckled. Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Three-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 11 | Status: Mild Exhaustion Might: 19 | Arcane: 17 | Finesse: 17 Magic Arts - Spirit Magic Lv. 8 | Arcane Edge Lv. 2 | Arcane Armor Lv. 5 Combat Arts - Sword Art Lv. 6 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 4 Innate Skills - Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 1 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex Unique Talent - Mystic de Lv. Ex Level Progression: 25% Remaining Skill Points: 0 Remaining Ability Points: 0 1-44 Impending 1-44 Impending The morning of the morrow greeted Lyra and her band of misfits with a bleak atmosphere. The chilling breeze and musty road did not help in enlivening the mood. Everyone had a woeful look on their face. They all knew what wasing. Or rather, they were informed of the likely circumstances through an unwonted and unintentional manner. Celia had mumbled in her sleep. She even shouted at one point, waking the whole group, before falling back into her sea of dream, or rather, sea of nightmares. Most of her mumbles were incoherentbut from the few words that they could gather, they understood just how terrible the situation of the vige actually was, even more than they had expected. It ached their hearts to listen to the girl¡¯s cries and sobs as she waddled through her nightmare in her sleep. Their formation on the road remained one and the same. Lyra at the front with a horse of her own and Aedan with the reins of the wagon. Erin sat on the front passenger seat just beside Aedan. The rest were on the back of the wagon. Celia, who was still unconscious, was currently in the hands of Cal instead of Lyra for reasons which were inly obvious. The responsibility was pushed to Selene at first but being the only child she didn¡¯t have any experience in caring for a child. Cal on the other hand was the eldest son of his family. Caring for children was practically his profession before he left his household and became an adventurer. By thete of the morning, they had descended from the hills and emerged from the small valley safely without anyplications. No bandits nor monsters attacked them. Nothing even prowled close to their wagon. Despite that, the bleak mood of the party since the dawn of their departure was still persisting. To Erin, it didn¡¯t feel like it would dissipate anytime soon. Though she felt a degree of guilt with the current mood, her ndestine act with Aedan on the prior night had nothing to do with their current circumstances. The heavy air was merely a product of their expectation and anticipation for the vige¡¯s fate and the threats they would encounter. Erin¡¯s worst fear, Lyra, became the least of her worries. When she and Aedan had returned to the camp, Lyra had retired to bed early after giving into her exhaustion of taking care of Celia. For the others, it was like Aedan had said. The notion of her and Aedan shacking up didn¡¯t even register as one of their many assumptions. They assumed the two had only talked about their quest or they were having a bout of their wits. In a way, they were having a bout of their wits, just not with words. ¡°The truth was actually even more bizarre than us shacking up in the dark of the wilderness,¡± Erinmented. Still, Erin couldn¡¯t get rid of the guilt. It was only a minor hunch but Erin had the inkling Lyra knew what had transpired between her and Aedan but merely in a misunderstood light. She had a brief nce of Lyra¡¯s solemn expression shortly before they departed for their journey this morning. Perhaps for the sake of the girl or the quest, Lyra remained prudent and kept her notions to herself. Of course, Erin wanted to clear things up but to do that, she would need to be out of the other three¡¯s earshot but she hadn¡¯t had the chance so far. To still her nerves, Erin tried to meditate but the mild tremor for the wagon traversing on the unpaved road made it impossible. She called it meditation but it was just a matter of devoting one¡¯s focus into a certain aspect. In her case, she focused it all on her breathing but the shaking of the wagon was simply denying her attempts. ¡°Your fidgeting will only make the rest nervous,¡± Aedan told her in a low voice without straying his eyes away from the road. ¡°Loosen up, would you?¡± ¡°Can you me me?¡± Erin retorted quietly. ¡°Are you even aware of the air around us? Even a funeral had seen brighter days.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t be helped.¡± Aedan shrugged. ¡°Anyone would feel nervous after hearing that. We¡¯re most likely plunging ourselves into the site of a massacre after all.¡± ¡°Their trepidation is going to cost us,¡± Erin mused. ¡°Maybe I should just set them straight. Give a speech of death and glory.¡± Aedan raised an eyebrow. ¡°Careful now, Erin. Your prick is showing.¡± ¡°I no longer have a prick to show. Instead, all I have in return is a cunt and this pair of milk sacks that are too big for my own good. They only made me a bigger target. Also, my abilities and skills are not even a quarter of what they were. My muscles begin to burn when I haven¡¯t even swung my sword for an hour.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re telling me all of this because?¡± ¡°Because nothing,¡± Erin huffed and leaned back. ¡°I just need to let it out. I¡¯m not used to this.¡± ¡°Riding a wagon?¡± ¡°No, you dunce. Us, I mean. I¡¯m not used to working with others. At most, I have only led a charge and tell them to cut down anyone in their sight. But this is different. They could just barely hold their own out here. If anything happens to them, it will be on me.¡± ¡°Either you¡¯re too hard on yourself or you''re just being vain.¡± ¡°Maybe no one have said anything but I can see it in their eyes, they see me as the leader of this group.¡± Aedan chuckled lightly. ¡°Aye, they may see you as a leader but officially speaking, you¡¯re not. You won¡¯t be med by anyone, especially the guild, if anything happened.¡± ¡°It has nothing to do with me. It¡¯s about my own principles and conscience. We¡¯re a team now and they seem as their leader. Like it or not, we¡¯re responsible for each other.¡± ¡°Say that to Lyra and she¡¯ll be above the clouds,¡± Aedan remarked. Erin narrowed her re. ¡°Still, that¡¯s an interesting perspective. Admirable but I say you¡¯re just overthinking it. You care too much.¡± Erin red at him oddly. ¡°And you seem to care too little. So what¡¯s your story? You¡¯re just¡­ so indifferent to almost everything.¡± ¡°And life has never been better.¡± Erin rolled her eyes. ¡°If I die tomorrow, the only people that would shed a tear would be my father and Sven. Anyone else would just offer their condolences and move on with their memories of me gone on the morrow.¡± ¡°Is cynicism part of the long-lived package?¡± ¡°It is.¡± Aedan nodded. ¡°You begin to question the meaning of all your actions. You¡¯re bound to see and experience things that really make you lose faith.¡± ¡°Lose faith in what?¡± Aedan stared into the horizon. ¡°Everything,¡± he answered. Erin frowned, noticing the gaze Aedan had. His eyes were filled with anguish and sorrow. She didn¡¯t doubt his experience. In her rtively short forty years of life as Argon Raze, she had been through so much. She couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine just how much Aedan had been through. ¡°I have met people who were drunk with their power and knowledge. Broken people, everyone of them but¡­ you don¡¯t seem like one of them. I say you¡¯re doing well, minus your arse of a nature of course.¡± Aedan turned his forlorn gaze at Erin. ¡°You have only known me for a few days. You wouldn¡¯t say the same if you knew what I have done.¡± ¡°These things that you have done, does your family know?¡± ¡°I tried to tell them but¡­ they said I don¡¯t have to if I don''t want to. So no, they do not know.¡± Just as Erin was about to give him some words offort, she retracted her intent when Lyra came rushing back to the wagon in gallops. The wagon came to a stop. The three in the back were about to raise their questions but Erin silenced them with a hand. ¡°Trouble?¡± Aedan was the first to ask. ¡°I see the vige,¡± Lyra revealed. ¡°About three quarters of a mile just ahead.¡± ¡°And how¡¯s the vige...?¡± Erin followed up hesitatingly. She knew she wouldn¡¯t like what she was about to hear. She tried to catch the scent but the winds were blowing against her favor. Lyra shook her head. ¡°I can¡¯t see everything but just from what I can see, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll find any survivors.¡± Everyone fell silent. Aedan let out a sigh as he rubbed his forehead. Erin plunged herself into deep thought with a pensive gaze. The silencested for about a minute before Freed opened his mouth. ¡°What are we still sitting around here for?¡± ¡°Are you implying that we should just charge in without a n?¡± Selene asked back with a frown. ¡°We¡¯re up against monsters not bandits. Why bother with a n?¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t underestimate monsters.¡± ¡°And you shouldn¡¯t overestimate monsters.¡± With a vein bulging on her forehead, Erin turned back and shouted at the two. ¡°Both of you should shut the hell up!¡± Cal was quick to cover Celia¡¯s ears. The current look on Erin¡¯s face stupefied everyone. Even Aedan was slightly bewildered that Erin was capable with such an expression but upon remembering her past identity, he came to ept as such. ¡°What do we do now?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°We¡¯ll stop here and make the rest of the way on foot,¡± Erin ryed her n. ¡°All of us?¡± Lyra questioned but her eyes were fixed on Celia. ¡°Of course not,¡± Erin replied. She then nced towards Cal and Selene. ¡±The two of you will stay here with Celia.¡± ¡°E-eh?¡± Cal blurted out. ¡°B-but¡ª¡± ¡°This is not a discussion and we don¡¯t have time for one.¡± She turned to Aedan. ¡°And you¡¯re staying here with them.¡± Lyra was about to chime in her dissent but upon realizing Erin¡¯s intentions, she reined in her voice. Aedan nodded dryly. ¡°Fine, not much I can do.¡± Lyra couldn¡¯t help but be impressed by Aedan''s facade. After knowing Aedan¡¯s real identity, Lyra had been slightly on edge whenever they interacted. From what she had heard about Dragons, they were definitely a bunch she didn¡¯t want to be on bad terms with. She definitely had the senses to at least try not to get on Aedan¡¯s bad side but she feared her pride would take precedence sometimes. Be that as it may, bringing Aedan along would surely put them at a huge advantage but assigning Aedan with Celia was probably the safest option and Lyra understood that. Which was why she kept her lips shut. ¡°S-so¡­ Freed¡¯s going with Ms Erin and Ms. Lyra?¡± Cal had a trembling voice as he asked. ¡°Are you trying to suggest something about me with your tone, you brat?¡±Freed got up to Cal¡¯s face all imposingly. Erin groaned. ¡°For the love of¡ª Can all of you just stop this petty squabble? Now¡¯s not the time for this.¡± Freed clicked his tongue and sat back down. Erin sighed. ¡°This is going to be difficult¡± Sensing the stale air, Lyra took the initiative to break the glum mood. ¡°Will that be all? I will say I agree with Selene. I don¡¯t believe we should go in without a n.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t even know what we will be facing,¡± Erin pointed it out. ¡°It is Goblins, no?¡± Selene asked. ¡°Even if it¡¯s just Goblins, it will be equally worrisome.¡± ¡°A Fae worry about Goblins?¡± Freed leaned forward from his seat. ¡°I¡¯m surprised.¡± Everyone ignored his remark. ¡°What do you mean by ¡°if it¡¯s just Goblins¡±?¡± Selene caught on. Erin exchanged nces with Lyra and Aedan in which Lyra nodded and Aedan shrugged. Erin turned back to the three. ¡°There was a quest from this vige before this. Marcus and another adventurer¡­ what¡¯s his name?¡± ¡°William,¡± Aedan muttered. ¡°Ah yes, William. Marcus and William were here before us.¡± Freed had a slight frown. ¡°This is the first time I¡¯m hearing about this.¡± ¡°The Guild has its reasons,¡± Aedan responded dryly without sparing a nce. ¡°But the reasons are debatable,¡± he muttered hisst lines in murmurs. Ignoring the imprudence, Erin continued. ¡°No letters or any kinds of messages arrived from Marcus or his partner.¡± ¡°S-so¡­ Marcus is dead¡­?¡± Selene asked worriedly. ¡°We don¡¯t know,¡± Erin answered. ¡°Someone of his abilities wouldn¡¯t have any problems with just Goblins but evidently, he did. Which means, either the Goblins¡¯ numbers are in tens of dozens or there are other monsters besides Goblins. Whichever is it, it¡¯s not looking good.¡± Freed clicked his tongue again. ¡°No wonder the rewards are in gold.¡± ¡°What¡¯s this? You¡¯re regretting taking themission now?¡± Lyra taunted. ¡°Regret?¡± Freed scoffed. ¡°If anything, I¡¯m grateful. The gold will have my belly filled for at least a week or two. And what¡¯s more, imagine what they will say when weplete a quest that Marcus couldn¡¯t.¡± His eyes were practically glittering at the prospects but Selene and Cal had a difficult expression, Seeing the two, Erin felt a stung in her heart. ¡°So, we¡¯ll be marching in without preparations?¡± Lyra asked as she got off her horse. She slung her bow and arrow quiver around her shoulders. She also had a horn in the shape of a tusk slung just by her waist. The horn wasmonly used in battles as a sign of retreat or a sign of enemy attack. In their case, it was used as a warning for any imminent plights. ¡°We¡¯ll have preparations alright, just no n, at least not until we know what we¡¯re up against.¡± Freed gave a heave of groan as he descended from the wagon. ¡°That¡¯s enough of a n for me.¡± ¡°What do we do in the meantime?¡± Selene asked. ¡°For one, get the wagon off the highway but find a spot where you could depart immediately. And of course, don¡¯t let your guard down. Who knows what¡¯s going to creep up behind you.¡± Selene nodded fervently whereas Cal nodded hesitantly. It was obvious he wished to go with Erin but knowing his own limits, he was better off looking after Celia. ¡°Aedan, what do you know about the vige?¡± He shrugged. ¡°Not much. Last I was here was decades ago. Wooden stakes for borders. One gateway. A poption of around thirty. The cows give good milk.¡± ¡°What about the residents?¡± ¡°I know a girl. I used to be sweet with her but I think she left with another man for the big city years ago.¡± Erin sighed with her eyes rolled. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant.¡± ¡°Um¡­ the residents are friendly?¡± ¡°I¡¯m asking if they are known to be daring.¡± ¡°Why would the people of a small vige be daring?¡± Lyra questioned. ¡°That¡¯s no different from making an appointment with death.¡± Erin offered Lyra a sidelong nce. ¡°You¡¯ll be surprised.¡± ¡°Last I was here, they all have a good head on their shoulders and that¡¯s in hindsight,¡± Aedan added. ¡°Let¡¯s hope they still have,¡± Erin said to herself. She too got off the wagon and began her own preparations. ¡°Are you suggesting that the vige might have done something to provoke Goblins into attacking them?¡± Freed scoffed as he neared Erin. ¡°Lass, they¡¯re monsters. They don¡¯t need a reason to attack.¡± ¡°I disagree, Freed.¡± The expression on Erin changed. Gone was her usual amicable manner. ¡°I have seen how foolish people can be. I knew a vige. It was close to a forest, infested by monsters. Day after day, they kept foolishly provoking the monsters. Not for their skin, hide, or fangs¡ª no, they did it for sports. They thought the monsters couldn¡¯t possibly do anything in return. They thought the monsters wouldn¡¯t leave their home, the forest. And they were wrong. One night, the monsters have somehow united into a single horde. They mowed down the vige in a single night.¡± ¡°That¡¯s absurd.¡± Erin took a step forward. ¡°Is it? Monsters are not animals. They¡¯re creatures of magic. From what I have read, some of the monsters weren¡¯tmonly known twenty years ago and here they are. If you think they will forever remain the naive foolish beasts they are, then perhaps you are the naive fool here.¡± Freed found no words for a retort. He wanted to grimace but doing so that would only paint him in a light worse than the one he was currently in. ¡°Listen here, mister. We¡¯re a team now and this is obviously different from your usual excursion. I don¡¯t fancy myself a leader but I aim to bring everyone back alive. And I can only do that if you stop being prejudicial with your thoughts. And when we are in the vige, you do as I say. Are we on the same page?¡± Without waiting for a response, Erin turned away. Aedan whistled lowly in admiration but Lyra sighed inly in veneration. ¡°Now,¡± Erin stretched her neck and cracked her knuckles. ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡± 1-45 Encircled 1-45 Encircled ¡°Are you alright?¡± asked Lyra who was gazing worriedly at the grimacing Erin. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± Erin assured her with her own hand cupped over her nose. ¡°I just need a few moments to get used to it.¡± The reason for Erin¡¯s grimace stemmed from the stench the vige was exuding due to the scattered bodies and carcasses. It was obvious a massacre had transpired. Corpses in a volume more than carcassesid strewn about the entire vige, indicating the vigers were the one being massacred. Erin could already smell the stench just as the vige came into sight but now that they had set foot into the vige, the stench was at the level of unbearable for anyone with even a nose slightly more sensitive than the average human. However, Erin''s endurance and tolerance were something she had polished in her forty and over years of life and she didn¡¯t stop polishing these two traits of hers even after her reincarnation. As tolerant as Erin could be, the sight of the vige was something she would never be used to, the sight of meaningless deaths. It was worse than a war. It was no battle. It was simply a one-sided culling. Men, women, elderly, and even children; no one was discriminated against. The monsters ughtered them all alike. Sometimes, Erin surprised herself with her still-sound mind. The many adversity she had to ovee to attend the title of Sword Saint, it never amounted to the many meaningless deaths in her journey. It shook her resolve every time. Nevertheless, she steeled her nerves and calmed her heart. She had a job to do and if left undone, only more meaningless deaths would umte. ¡°Focus, Erin. Focus.¡± The quest¡¯s objectives were to investigate the disappearance of the two adventurers and to identify and subjugate the threat that was guing the vige. At a nce of the vige¡¯s condition, Erin knew they would be here for quite some time. Amongst these deaths, it would be hard to even make out the contour of their shadows, much less finding a clue for their objectives. As for the subjugating part, Erin doubted that was something she could even aplish with her current level of abilities. ¡°This is terrible.¡± Even Freed, who could no longer hide behind his aloof facade, voiced out his horror in a hollow tone. ¡°No shit,¡± Lyra retorted. Erin had her fairshares of bloodsheds and wars but this was something she could never have a straight face for. The feeling of helplessness¡ª like these viges must have felt¡ª she hated it. She hated and feared being powerless. She believed this notion to be one of the main factors that drove her obsession into bing the Sword Saint. Turning her eye away from the horrifying sight, Lyra furrowed her brows. ¡°That poor girl¡­ I can¡¯t imagine the things she had seen.¡± ¡°Any survivors?¡± Freed asked as he looked around, already with his sword drawn. Erin cast Life Sense but the results turned up null. The only lives she could pick up were of the crows and rats feasting on the rotten flesh. Erin shook her head in response. ¡°Nothing but crows and rats.¡± Lyra¡¯s face turned gloom. ¡°Does that mean Marcus and hispanion didn¡¯t make it?¡± ¡°What do you think?¡± Freed shouted with an exaggerated gesture. ¡°Of course they¡¯re dead! Look around you! Do you think they could handle this number of monsters?!¡± Lyra locked eyes with him, jabbing a finger at his chest. ¡°We don¡¯t know that.¡± ¡°Lyra¡¯s right,¡± Erin said. ¡°We can¡¯t confirm their status until we find their body.¡± Freed pointed at a corpse strewn nearby. ¡°Look at that body. I can¡¯t even tell if it¡¯s a man or a woman. What makes you think we can find their bodies?¡± ¡°That is one of the quest objectives,¡± answered Erin with a resolute tone and expression. ¡°Objectives?¡± Freed canted his head. It took Erin a few seconds to realize Freed failed to get her meaning. ¡°It means goal, as in the aim of this quest.¡± ¡°You Faerie-kin sure use some fancy words.¡± Erin ignored his remark and continued to scour the razed vige. With her amplified sense of smell and hearing, it was even harder for her to bear than the average human. It was at times like this that she viewed these gifts of hers as a cross she had to bear. ¡°All is not lost¡­ there has to be someone alive¡­ or something that could help us, to point us to the culprit.¡± Despite all evidence to the contrary, Erin remained hopeful that they would find something auspicious even in the slightest among the ruins. However, that was only a faint glimmer. The more she looked, the more despair she felt in having such wishful thinking. No matter where she looked, there was no corner left untouched by the ughtering. Even the secret spaces beneath the floorboards were carved out by something big. The worst part was that these ces were mostly filled with the corpses of infants and children, half-eaten. ¡°Half-eaten?¡± Erin questioned. She looked around to confirm her suspicions and it did. The monsters didn¡¯t attack this vige to fill their belly, this quickly became Erin¡¯s conjecture. Although not many corpses were in one piece, the fact that so many bits and piecesid strewn about, spoke volume of the monsters¡¯ intention. The monsters didn¡¯t ughter the vigers for food but for sports. Erin coiled her fingers into a fist tightly. ¡°Even if I don¡¯t find Marcus or William, I will find the monsters who did this and kill all of them,¡± she vowed in her heart. ¡°It really is Goblins...¡± Lyra mused as she inspected the peculiar footprints the entire vige¡¯s soil was littered with. The footprints had the shape of a small foot with four toes with each slightly pointed crooked. ¡°What about these ones?¡± Freed pointed at footprints of simr outline but twice the size. ¡°Hobgoblins,¡± Erin was the one who answered. ¡°Well, fuck a duck,¡± Freed uttered. His eyes bounced from between the dozen footprints and counted the numbers. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of Hobgoblins.¡± ¡°Not just Goblins.¡± Lyra pointed at sets of pawprints. ¡°Serks and Dire Wolves.¡± ¡°Serks and Dire Wolves? I thought these two don¡¯t get along?¡± Freed questioned. ¡°Evidently, they do now,¡± Erin said. ¡°Looks like the Goblins have tamed them to suit their uses, or something else did.¡± ¡°Whoa there¡ª Goblins have pets?¡± Freed dropped his jaws. ¡°This is the first time I hear about this.¡± ¡°It¡¯s mine too.¡± Erin sighed. ¡°This is not even the worst thing we need to worry about.¡± ¡°Then what is?¡± Erin gestured with her head to a ruined two storey building. Just around the area, there were footprints five times the size of the average human footprint. ¡°Fucking hell,¡± Freed gasped. ¡°What manner of creature is of that size? Four toes¡­ crooked... some sort of Goblin variant?¡± Lyra walked over to the over-sized footprints and gave a closer look. ¡°The tip of the toes are curved instead of pointed. It¡¯s not a Goblin. No Goblin variants have ever reached this size.¡± Lyra turned to Erin. ¡°What do you think it is?¡± ¡°Off the top of my head, a Troll,¡± Erin answered. Colors were drained from Freed¡¯s face. He let out a nervousugh. ¡°You¡¯re pulling my leg here, right? P-please tell me you are. P-please?¡± Lyra rolled her eyes at Freed¡¯s declining behavior. Erin gave a quick nce at the trees that bordered the vige. She saw none of the branches were broken or disturbed. ¡°The trolls are not more than sixteen feet.¡± ¡°And h-how tall is that?¡± Freed asked. Erin sighed. ¡°No taller than the trees around us. Otherwise, the Troll would have disturbed the branches in its travels.¡± ¡°So we have Goblins, Hobgoblins, Serks, Dire Wolves, and a Troll,¡± Lyraughed ironically. ¡°Trolls hate Goblins. Serks and Dire Wolves are natural enemies. Goblins don¡¯t work well with other species. But here we have evidence that pointed to all of the contrary. What kind of joke is this?¡± ¡°The kind that killed off an entire vige for sports,¡± Erin responded. ¡°Or for some other reasons?¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Freed pointed over the two¡¯s heads. They turned around to follow where his finger led their sight to. They found a ceramic pot dangling on frail-looking ropes a few feet above ground. The ropes were tied to a nearby pole for support. The pot itself was oozing out an unsettling feeling towards them. ¡°What is that?¡± Lyra asked the same question. ¡°Some kind of rm?¡± ¡°Looks like it,¡± Erin agreed but as she appraised the pot, she had a change of opinion. The contents of the pot were something called; Miasma: Liquid Essence. From the description, it was mainly used for dark rituals as catalysts. ¡°Huh¡­ it¡¯s Miasma but in liquid form.¡± ¡°Why is something so ominous dangling in the middle of nowhere?¡± Lyra questioned with a frown. ¡°It¡¯s mostly used for dark rituals,¡± Erin ryed the information to the two. ¡°So I¡¯m guessing whoever or whatever is responsible for this vige massacre, they might have done it for the purpose of a ritual.¡± ¡°Monsters are conducting a ritual?¡± Lyra¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Since when are Goblins capable of such things?¡± ¡°Obviously, we¡¯re not dealing with your average Goblins, or Goblins at all¡± ¡°Oh god¡­¡± Lyra gasped. ¡°what have we trod upon?¡± ¡°I wish I knew too.¡± ¡°Erin, I think we should leave,¡± Lyra suggested. ¡°I have a really bad feeling about all this.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Freed turned to Lyra and threw her a re. ¡°We have yet to eliminate the monsters responsible for all of this.¡± ¡°Maybe we shouldn¡¯t. I don¡¯t like the look of things.¡± ¡°Are you suggesting we should abandon the quest just because you have a bad feeling?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what I¡¯m suggesting.¡± Lyra returned the re. ¡°We''ll fail the quest if we return without doing anything!¡± Freed shouted. ¡°Golds are the stakes here.¡± ¡°Look around you! Does this look normal to you? Do you think whatever is happening here is worth gold? There¡¯s a goddamn ritual in ce. We are not prepared for this.¡± Freed scoffed. ¡°A ritual? Says who? That vixen? Who knows if she¡¯s not just spouting nonsense just to keep up her vanity? She¡¯s a Fae!¡± Lyra furrowed her brows in anger. ¡°These are Goblins¡¯ footprints. Goblins were here. Goblins don¡¯t kill for sport. If they¡¯re not looking for food, they¡¯re looking for broodmares. Look around you, damn it! They killed even the women too. They didn¡¯t even leave the women alive for breeding. They are not looking for food or broodmares. And there¡¯s a fucking pot of miasma in the middle of the vige, dangling suspiciously on thin ropes! What more obvious fucking clues you need before you realize we are out of our boundaries here!¡± ¡°Fuck off with your shivering cunt, lily. Just because of these assumptions you¡¯re thinking about abandoning the quest? Have they told you how much we¡¯ll be getting for this quest?¡± A vein bulged on her brows. ¡°I am aware but I don¡¯t care. These coins are useless if I¡¯m not alive to spend it.¡± ¡°You are unbelievable, woman.¡± ¡°I agreed with Lyra,¡± Erin chimed in with a calm voice after a deep cerebration. ¡°I think we¡¯re overreaching here with our abilities.¡± ¡°Overreaching?¡± Freed scoffed. ¡°I never thought I would ever hear that from a Fae.¡± Erin groaned in frustration. ¡°It ain¡¯t just about me, you idiot. I don¡¯t want to hurt your frail ego but whatever is out there waiting for us, you¡¯re not ready for it; we are not ready for it.¡± Freed clicked his tongue. Without a word, he began treading over to the pot that was brimming with Miasma. ¡°What are you going?¡± asked Lyra. ¡°I¡¯m going to destroy that stupid thing that seems to be guing the minds of you two.¡± Without a care to where he stepped, he made his way to the pot without sparing the two a nce. It was Lyra¡¯s turn to groan her frustration. ¡°That idiot, he¡¯s going to¡ª¡± Suddenly, Erin felt a chill down her spine as her Sixth Sense began screaming. [Sixth Sense activated. Ominous Threat detected.] Erin shouted, ¡°Freed! Don¡¯t take another¡ª¡± But it was toote. He nted his foot down onto the soil in front of him, snapping off a thin string that was hidden by the blood, flesh, and dirt. The snapped string set off a chain reaction, one that even Freed took notice. He could do nothing but watch the contraption unfolded before him. The contraption ended with the rope around the poting off. Erin put her all into Fleet Foot and dashed past Freed in an instant and straight for the pot. However, she was too slow. The pot broke into fragments as it touched the ground, spilling out its contents. The Miasma liquid oozed out from its broken receptacle. Lyra paled at the sight. ¡°Oh god¡­ you stupid son of a¡ª¡± ¡°Fuck you! How should I know there would be a trap? They¡¯re just Goblins.¡± ¡°The vige was scattered with portent! What the fuck do you think!?¡± ¡°Silence, you two!¡± Erin shouted. ¡°Cease this stupid quarrel. Stay vignt. Something big ising.¡± As soon as Erin said that, the Miasma liquid flowed unnaturally throughout the ground, tracing a specific path until it began to form into an ominous symbol. ¡°Oi oi! Shouldn¡¯t we stop the flow of that ck liquid of whatever it is before itpletes¡ª whatever the hell it¡¯s doing?¡± Freed asked, panicking. ¡°It¡¯s dark magic we¡¯re dealing with here. You¡¯re wee to try stopping it if you¡¯re that brave.¡± ¡°Oh shut up, I was just suggesting,¡± Freed retorted. Erin paid no heed to the argument and stayed her eyes on the Miasma flow. She activated Spirit Sight in hopes to see what she couldn¡¯t with her naked eyes. Her hunch paid off. Trails of ck smoke was dispelled from the ominous symbol. The ck smokes found their way into the corpses and carcasses nearby. With her skin crawling, Erin appraised the corpses and carcasses. The status which read; Deceased was slowly turning into Reanimated (Spellbound) and their race was reced by Ghoul. ¡°Oi oi! What the fuck!? What the fuck!? Aren¡¯t they supposed to be dead?¡± Freed eximed as he pointed frantically at the slowly rising corpses and carcasses. On a reflex of their experience as adventurers, they quickly formed a circle with their backs to one another. Lyra almost let out a squeal when she felt Erin¡¯s tails touching her back. Freed on the other hand was much too focused on the Ghouls to give any thoughts to Erin¡¯s tails. Erin herself was aware but the situation in front of her took precedence. ¡°I wonder who do we have to thank for this?¡± Lyra muttered dryly as she nocked an arrow. ¡°Oh quit it, would you!? That was an ident.¡± Freed brandished his sword at the rising Ghouls with a trembling grip. ¡°Erin, what do we do?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°I say we run but¡ª¡± From where she stood, Erin could see their way out of here was already thwarted by the Ghouls which were already clogging up the path with their rising numbers. ¡°¡ªthat option is out of the window. Which leaves us to only one option.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡± ¡°What else?¡± Erin drew both of her swords, the broadsword in her right hand and the saber in her left. She conjured up Arcane Armor just slightly on the tip of her tails, enough to slit through one¡¯s throat. ¡°We stand our ground and fight.¡± 1-46 Horde 1-46 Horde "Hey... Aedan?" Cal called out hesitantly from the back of the wagon. Although his eyes were fluttering and his legs were jittering, Celia was still deep in slumber in his cradle. Still sitting on the coach seat of the wagon, Aedanzily threw Cal a nce. He urged Cal to spill his question with a gesture from his eyes. "D-don''t you think we should be doing something instead of just waiting around here?" he asked. Hearing this, Selene sighed in exasperation. "Cal, we''ve been through this a hundred times. We are much more useful being here than being there." Her gaze remain steadfast on their surroundings. She was the only who wasn''t on the wagon. Of course Cal knew that but that was also the matter of quest contribution. Though the Guild had promised them a hefty reward regardless of their contribution, it just didn¡¯t feel right to Cal who had done next to nothing for the whole time. ¡°What she said,¡± Aedan responded dryly. ¡°We would be nothing but liability if we went with them.¡± ¡°I know that. It¡¯s just¡­ it feels wrong to receive a reward for something that you did not do. It feels undeserving.¡± ¡°Life¡¯s not fair, boy. Just be grateful that fortune smiles upon you this time.¡± ¡°Give it a rest, Cal. We¡ª¡± Selene cut herself short as an ominous feeling swept past her. Shivers crawled all over her skin as she wrapped herself up in her arms. ¡°Did you all f-felt that?¡± Cal nodded rapidly just as flocks of birds flew off into the distance while giving off foreboding cries. Even some of the animals and beasts ran away from the area. ¡°Unfortunately, I think we all felt that,¡± Aedan answered as he stood from his seat. He stared off into the distance, at the vige. ¡°W-what could that be¡ª?¡± Before Selene could finish her sentence, an arm broke through the ground and caught her leg. She yelped and iled her legs. She got herself free immediately but her struggle took the arm along, torn from the shoulder. She shook thetched arm off her legs. ¡°What the hell was that!?¡± Cal sprang from his seat, his eyes darting at surrounding grounds. Aedan hopped off the wagon, a pouch in hand as more arms broke through the ground around them. Slowly but abruptly, corpses and carcasses rose from their graves. These dead weren¡¯t buried but simply swallowed by nature. Now, they had all risen from their natural imprisonment. Aedan scattered the contents of the pouch around the wagon, creating a circleposed of blue powder. He summoned blue mes into his hand and threw it onto the circle. The blue mes spread quickly, forming a ring of blue fire. The risen dead charged straight at the group without a care but the circle of blue fire turned them into ashes. ¡°What did you do?¡± Selene asked. ¡°What I can do and should be doing,¡± Aedan answered in a mutter. ¡°Just stay in the circle.¡± Cal and Selene nodded in tandem. Outside of the circle, hordes of undead were amassing and the undead all had their gaze drew towards the nearest living flesh, Aedan, Cal, Selene, and Celia. The undead couldn¡¯t run but their walking pace could not be considered to be slow. The Ghouls were as relentless as they were mindless. The blue mes did not halt the Ghouls¡¯ attempts to approach but it did stop their approach. Cal and Selene began to tremble incessantly. Even knowing they were safe inside the circle, they just couldn¡¯t fight off their premonition-inducing instincts. ¡°Erin, I hope you can do something on your end,¡± Aedan prayed in his heart. "And please do it fast." With his abilities, he could easily uncover the root of the problem and tear it right off from its soil but in doing so, he would reveal his identity and worse, he would need to leave Cal and Selene¡¯s side and also Celia''s, which he had no intention of doing so. For now, this was the best he could do but should the worste, he was prepared to do whatever it took, even if it meant awakening his pursuers from their dormant state. **** ¡°Well fuck¡­ there¡¯s just no end to them,¡± Erin muttered to no one in particr. Realization had dawned upon her only after the eleventh hour. They could just fight off the rising Ghouls or so Erin had originally thought. The Ghouls¡¯ levels were around two to five, which wasn¡¯t a problem to the three. Levels below five were generally considered low but the sheer quantity of the Ghouls more than make up for their low levels. It had only been a dozen of them initially but in seconds, Erin and herpanions were now facing against a number more than fifty, maybe even nearing a hundred. The Ghouls weren¡¯t just the dead vigers but also the monsters and long deceased vigers who were buried near the vige. It wouldn¡¯t be exaggerated tobel the Ghouls as a horde. The undead wereing at them from all sides. With their own rear nk entrusted to one another, they braced themselves against the horde that threatened to tear them from limb to limb. The three knew this small circle they formed was their salvation. Should one of them leave, it would be the end for them all. Even with her current prowess, Erin could easily carve and maneuver her way through the horde but abandoning herpanions was a notion that never crossed her mind. Erin had some encounters with dark beings in her past life but Ghoul encounters were much too few to be counted even on two hands. But that didn¡¯t undermine her knowledge of Ghouls. They were undead and being something that was essentially dead, they had neither sense of pain nor self-preservation. ¡°Oi oi, I¡¯m not seeing an end to these deadlings!¡± Freed iled his sword around to fend off the approaching Ghouls. His panicked swings fell a few reaching grasps but the Ghouls weren¡¯t the slightest perturbed. ¡°What the fuck!? They¡¯re not backing off!¡± ¡°Of course they¡¯re not.¡± Lyra yelled back after releasing an arrow into a Ghoul¡¯s eye. ¡°They¡¯re Ghouls.¡± The Ghoul who had an arrow shot in one of its eyes kept limping closer to the trio. ¡°That didn¡¯t kill it?¡± Erin questioned with raised brows. The Ghouls in her old world would die from an arrow through the head but that was obviously not the case for this world¡¯s Ghouls. ¡°You have to cut their head off!¡± Lyra spared only a single second to respond as she quickly fired another arrow at an approaching Ghoul. It didn¡¯t kill the Ghoul but it did slow its approach. ¡°Any other ways?¡± Erin managed a question right before a Ghoul lunged at her. She sliced off its arms and kicked the Ghoul away. Lyra fired an arrow at a Ghoul¡¯s leg. The Ghoul fell and ended up tripping the other Ghouls. ¡°I don¡¯t fucking know. Holy magic, maybe?¡± Erin cut down two Ghouls but failed to cut their heads off. ¡°There¡¯s holy magic?¡± ¡°Oi! Save your chats forter, damn it!¡± Freed yelled out in between the exchange and the chaos but his words were treated as mere noises of the background. ¡°I don¡¯t fucking know!¡± Lyra answered as she dodged a Ghoul¡¯s grasp and quickly put an arrow between its eyes. ¡°Whatever sorcery those preachers are using, I don¡¯t know the actual name!¡± Immediately after receiving her answer, Erin scoured the vige amidst the Ghoul horde for a way out of this death encirclement. Or at the very least, she needed to get Lyra and Freed to a safe spot. She was confident in her own abilities but at the same couldn¡¯t be said for the other two. This was probably their first time encountering a Ghoul or even this sort of peril for that matter. As Erin rustled her mind for a solution to this chaos, something sped through the horde. It was incredibly quick but Erin¡¯s trained eyes perceived it. It was half the size of the average person. It quickly reached Erin and it pounced. ¡°What the fuck¡ª!?¡± It wasn¡¯t a Ghoul spawned of a viger but of a dog. It caught Erin off guard with its unexpected speed but she responded just in time. She blocked the Dog-ghoul¡¯s ferocious bite with her broadsword and decapitated the Dog-ghoul with her saber. [Experience gained +2% - Level Progression: 7%] ¡°The first kill after so many swings.... This is not looking good.¡± Erin contemted in her heart. She went back to ransacking her mind for a solution. She glimpsed briefly at the two. Freed was holding out albeit with some stain to his posture, but Lyra on the other hand was quickly losing her grounds due to her weapon of choice. Lyra struggled to nock her arrows one after another after it was released with the enclosing Ghouls. She had a few narrow escapes from the undead''s grasps but it was only a matter of time before her luck ran out. ¡°Fuck it,¡± Erin told herself. After slicing a Ghoul to pieces, she yelled out to the two. ¡°The two of you, to the roofs!¡± [Experience gained +2% - Level Progression: 9%] Freed managed to score his first kill then. He turned his head briefly to Erin. ¡°Now?!¡± ¡°Now!¡± Erin shouted. She parried a pitchfork used by one of the Ghouls and impaled its throat. With some strenuous effort, she tore her sword out, decapitating the Ghoul in the process. [Experience gained +2% - Level Progression: 11%] ¡°What about you?¡± Lyra blurted out. Before she could receive an answer, a Goblin Ghoul evaded her arrow from her briefpse of concentration. ¡°Shit!¡± There was no time for her to nock another arrow as the Goblin Ghoul was a tad faster than the viger Ghouls. But the undead Goblin did not evene close to Lyra. Another undead Goblin was flung into it before it was even in range for a lunge, and both went tumbling into the crowd, tripping more Ghouls in the process. Evidently, it was Erin who flung the Goblin-ghoul. Ghouls were surprisingly light, she found out. ¡°Thank you,¡± Lyra uttered as she nocked her arrows as quickly as she could. ¡°You can thank me by moving your arse!¡± Erin said as she fended off three Ghouls. Her des were only an inch away from taking their heads but Erin decided to not plunge herself too far from herpanions. ¡°No need to tell me twice.¡± Freed broke off from the formation and went for the nearest cottage that was still standing. Somehow, he made it without being caught by the reaching arms of the Ghouls. And he didn¡¯t have much trouble in scaling the cottage as climbing was one of the staple skills of being an adventurer. In fact, climbing up to the tree to escape from hostile animals or beasts was the mostmon tactic used not just by adventurers. ¡°Lyra, you too.¡± Erin didn¡¯t stop fending off the Ghouls but she didn¡¯t manage to fell even one. ¡°What about you?! I¡¯m not going to leave you!¡± Erin groaned in exasperation. She sheathed saber and scooped Lyra into her arm. She was past asking for permission. ¡°E-Erin?!¡± Lyra yelped. Erin cleared the area with a sweeping swing before leaping in quick session to the roof Freed was on with Fleet Foot. The short aerial traversal took less Mana than Erin anticipated. Not that she had anyints regarding that. Without even a warning, Erin tossed Lyra off of her arm. ¡°Stay here,¡± Erin said and threw herself off the roof, slicing and dicing the Ghouls who tried to climb as she plunged to the ground. [Experience gained +4% - Level Progression: 15%] ¡°Erin!¡± Lyra was about to follow suit¡ª ¡ªbut Freed grabbed her wrist. ¡°Let go of me!¡± ¡°Get your sense together,ss. We will only be a hindrance to her.¡± ¡°I don''t want to hear it from the likes of¡ª¡± The focus in her eyes shifted to something behind Freed. ¡°Behind you!¡± Freed turned around just in time to guard against the Ghoul¡¯s pounce but the two went tumbling from the loss of their bnce. ¡°Lass! Help!!¡± Freed screamed as he felt his own strength giving out. Without a word, Lyra fired an arrow into the Ghoul¡¯s head. It didn¡¯t kill it but it was stunned. Freed used this opportunity to shove the Ghoul off. Letting not a moment lost, Freed brought his sword in a wide arc, lopping the Ghoul¡¯s head off. He took his much needed breather but before he could catch his breath, three Ghouls had already climbed up to the roof, stumbling their way to Freed with their bone-bare legs. ¡°Stopzing about and get up already!¡± Lyra shouted as she shot arrows at the three Ghouls. All of the arrowsnded on their supposedly vital spot but with their head still one with their neck, they continued stumbling forward. Freed offered no verbal response and simply charged at the three Ghouls without any heed to the consequences. He easily beheaded one but for his next target, the edge of his sword was duller from the repeated hacking. He carved into the Ghoul¡¯s neck but the de didn¡¯t go through its neck. The de was stuck. Freed gave a few tugs but it remained firmly lodged. Not wanting to be mauled, Freed was forced to let his sword go. He quickly retreated right before the third Ghoul lunged at the defenseless him. ¡°Lyra, help!¡± he shouted in desperation. ¡°I¡¯m out of arrows!¡± The response was way less than desirable. Lyra had short swords but it wouldn¡¯t do them any good. Just then, a sword flew to the roof. It sliced the head of the two Ghouls clean off their neck. The sword stabbed into the roof at the end of its path. Lyra instantly recognized the broadsword as Erin¡¯s. ¡°Use it!¡± Erin shouted from below the roof. There was no hesitation in Freed¡¯s mind. He had already moved to pick the sword up before Erin had even told him to. ¡°It¡¯s light,¡± Freed uttered his amazement. Unlike his sword, this silver steel de was still showing off its fine edge even after all the flesh it had carved through. ¡°Stop fooling around!¡± Lyra walked briskly past him and retrieved her arrows from the Ghouls. ¡°Yeah yeah, I know!¡± Freed brandished the silver steel sword at the Ghouls which had just managed to climb up to the roof. While the two made their stand on the roof, Erin was cleaving heads and clearing the numbers on ground. She took a glimpse at her level progression. [Level Progression: 25%] It was vexing to see the meagre increment but now wasn¡¯t the time to be worried about her level. Erin did not stop her movements. Not even a moment to catch her breath. She knew if she stopped even for a single second, it would spell the end for her. She plowed her way through the horde and cut down those who threw themselves in her path and sight. This wasn¡¯t the ideal strategy but it was the only n she could think of. Fighting Ghouls was easier than fighting people but killing a person was significantly easier than killing a Ghoul. For a human, all it took was a cut across their throat and it was done. For Ghouls, decapitation was a must which forced her to expend more energy than killing a person. Still, those weren¡¯t valid excuses for her to stop. It wasn¡¯t just her own life on the line. She faced off against various kinds of Ghouls. The viger Ghouls were the easiest to take care of. They were slow and their attacks were weak. It was easy to struggle out of their grasp even when she was caught. The Goblin Ghouls were quite a challenge due to their small stature and swiftness but they were still a huge target for a seasoned swordsman like her. The real threat was the dogs. Unlike the vigers and the Goblins, the dogs were faster and more ferocious than when they had a beating heart. A bite from them would greatly cripple her abilities but thankfully, the number of Dog-ghouls can be counted on one hand. Erin lopped off the head of a Ghoul who sneaked up on her. [Experience gained +2%] She made a full spin with her tails¡¯ tip barbed with Arcane Armor, decapitating three Goblin Ghouls which lunged at her [Experience gained +6%] She parried a cleaver from a Ghoul who might have been a butcher when he was alive. She then swiftly ended its misery by separating its head from its neck. [Experience gained +2%] She had some difficulty with a Hobgoblin Ghoul but she ended up hacking away all of its limbs before taking its head. Hobgoblins were basically human-sized Goblins but the aspects of their intelligence wasn¡¯t much of a difference. [Experience gained +3% - Level Progression: 42%] The number of Ghouls were undoubtedly thinning out but against the three of them, the remaining amount was still a number to be feared. What¡¯s more, Erin could feel her muscles beginning to sore. Her movements were also starting to feel heavy. When she peeked at her status, she saw Moderate Exhaustion written on it. While her mind was still as clear as pure water, her body could no longer meet the demands of her mind with exact precision. ¡°I still have an ample amount of Mana but this body is really poor with its stamina.¡± Due to that, she began umting small wounds here and there all over her body from moments where she failed to evade or defend in time. In spite of her own circumstances, she didn¡¯t neglect her heed on Lyra and Freed. With their height advantage, they were rtively safe for the time being but if Erin herself fell, that advantage would be null. The two would be swarmed within seconds. ¡°I have to hang on¡­ I can¡¯t fall here...¡± Erin invigorated herself. She tightened her grip on her saber. She focused her whirling vision. She stilled her rasping breaths. ¡°Just a few more...¡± There was a part of her which wished to invoke Aedan¡¯s assistance but in doing so, it was the same as telling him to reveal his secrets. She had no doubts Aedan woulde swooping in if he knew of their predicament even if she didn¡¯t invoke his assistance. ¡°Speaking of which, there¡¯s no way he doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s happening here.¡± As her mind began to wander to a premonition, Erin was reeled back into the present by Lyra¡¯s shout. ¡°Erin, behind you!¡± At the same moment, her Sixth Sense went off. [Sixth Sense activated. Imminent threat detected.] Erin spun her gaze at the direction which triggered her Sixth Sense. The imminent threat her Sixth Sense was warning her about was an undead but not just any undead. It was wearing apparels differing to the viger Ghouls. The newly-emerged undead was donning pieces of steel tes over leather armor. It walked with an obvious limp like most of the Ghouls but unlike its peers, its hands were wielding axes. Its face was disfigured beyond recognition but with Appraisal, Erin was able to identify the undead. William was the undead¡¯s name when his heart was still beating with life. Going by his equipment, Erin could tell he was no doubt the Adventurer who was Marcus¡¯ partner. However, those weren¡¯t the major concerns. Erin stared fixedly at the numbers that signified the Ghoul¡¯s level. The unusual level of fifteen was disyed clearly in her sight. ¡°Fuck...!¡± Erin uttered. Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Three-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 11 | Status: Moderate Exhaustion Might: 19 | Arcane: 17 | Finesse: 17 Magic Arts - Spirit Magic Lv. 8 | Arcane Edge Lv. 2 | Arcane Armor Lv. 5 Combat Arts - Sword Art Lv. 6 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 4 Innate Skills - Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 1 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex Unique Talent - Mystic de Lv. Ex Level Progression: 42% Remaining Skill Points: 0 Remaining Ability Points: 0 1-47 Wight 1-47 Wight The Undead that was once William, was two levels below Nivia but in spite of the odds, Erin was feeling less confident with her chances against the Undead. Unlike the many Ghouls she had fell, Erin could perceive traces of intelligence lingering in the eyes of this particr Undead. Perhaps it was the result of its strong attachment to the time when it was still a human, Erin surmised. Adventurers were known to be some of the most stubborn individuals after all. Appraising the undead adventurer again, Erin realized it was no simple Undead like a Ghoul. It was a Wight, essentially a Ghoul with faint amounts of intelligence and sentience. In addition, they were stronger and faster; and from what she had heard, it was possible for Wights to learn magic as long as its former human-self was well-versed with magic. ¡°Please don¡¯t be that kind of Wight,¡± Erin prayed in her heart. From a single nce at the Wight¡¯s gears, it was more oriented to physical means rather than magical. But still, her chances weren¡¯t any better at that assessment. It wasn¡¯t just the level difference that created the gap in strength nor was it just the racial difference but also the difference in their weapon of choice. Erin had crossed swords with almost every type of arms but the one weapon she had the most difficulty against was blunt weapons and axes. Erin¡¯s form relied heavily on parry and up against an axe, it was the worst opponent for a sword-wielder like her. It wouldn¡¯t have been a problem if she was still the Sword Saint but at her current level, it was simply foolish to even entertain the thought. What¡¯s more, the Wight wasn¡¯t her only concern. The surrounding Ghouls weren¡¯t just going to sit around and watch the fight y out. Erin tried to appeal to the undead adventurer¡¯s conscience. ¡°William¡­ are you still¡ª¡± But the Wight charged straight at Erin with a deathly cry. ¡°Guess not.¡± Predicting the result of their sh, Erin coated one of her tails in Arcane Armor and blocked the dual axe strike. She quickly pushed the Wight away and dealt with the Ghouls who lunged at her defenseless state. She dodged low from their ws and swiftly cleaved off three heads of the Ghouls. [Experience gained +6% - Level Progression: 48%] She immediately went back into her stance and guarded against another blow from the Wight with her Arcane Armored tail. Erin knew not of William¡¯s strength while his heart was still beating but in his death, his swings were enough tond cracks on her Arcane Armor. Erin spun to the side and lunged a strike but the Wight evaded her de without so much as a nce. ¡°Damn,¡± Erin uttered. She reeled back her sword and prepared for another strike. The Wight retaliated with a flurry of swings before Erin could. She cast aside blocking and parrying and focused on distancing herself from the attacks that could easily carve through her flesh and bones. ¡°Fuck!¡± she cried when one of the swings grazed her left forearm. She had many opportunities to riposte but before she could think about reciprocating the Wight¡¯s attacks, she would need to take care of the hindrances that were the Ghouls. Erin held back a one-armed Ghoul with her tail and decapitated another one which pounced at her from a roof nearby. The one-armed Ghoul tried to bite her tail but she cast Arcane Armor just in time. She brought the Ghoul close to her reach and lopped its head off. [Experience gained +4% - Level Progression: 52%] Erin shifted her attention back to the Wight just as a heavy swing came for her head. She evaded the blow by lowering her posture. She shed up but the Wight had already retreated its steps, out of Erin¡¯s reach. It lunged again but Erin spun out of the way and aimed for its exposed back. She drew a shallow but long cut. Had it been a living being, it would be crying in pain. As it was a Wight, it naturally felt no pain. The Wight turned around sluggishly and growled with a smirk stered on its face. Never did Erin expect to be insulted by an undead of all things. She clenched tightly on her saber. She cast Arcane Edge on her de. Given the sheer quantity of the Ghouls, she was hoping to conserve her Mana as much as possible but that smug from the Wight snapped her string of patience. Her foot dug into the ground as she aligned herself at the Wight. She poured Mana into Fleet Foot andunched herself towards the Wight. The Wight merely snarled as a sign of its confidence. Out of a sudden, the Wight shrouded itself in crimson lightning. Erin¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Crimson lightning...¡± Her deeply buried suspicions were confirmed. The perpetrator was one and the same that had caused all the aberrations around Green Scar. She had every opportunity to cease her reckless attack at the very moment but remembering its grin, Erin persisted with her attack. The two swung their weapons. Their des shed and the space between them rippled. The Wight¡¯s grin widened and Erin grimaced. Erin felt that she had lost in the sh as she lost her posture. The Wight pressed forward with his assault. Erin parried away the axes with much difficulty, numbing her hands with every attempt. Even though her de was coated with Arcane Edge and chipping away the axes¡¯ edge, she was losing the exchange of blows. [Arcane Edge: Lv 2 increase to Lv. 3] It was a cause for joy but since it didn¡¯t help Erin much in the exchange of blows, the joy dissipated before it even came. The Wight didn¡¯t care if its axes¡¯ des were chipping against Erin¡¯s Arcane Edge. It just kept on swinging its axes with the intention to kill. This was one of the main differences in fighting against a living being and an undead, the presence of hesitation. Hesitation is an insidious killer, a principle that Erin had taken advantage of more times than she could count. The Wight had no hesitation with its attack as it knew itself well, and the Wight took full advantage of its undying state. Dissimr to the bandit from before, the crimson lightning wasn¡¯t harming the Wight as much as it had to the bandit. Left with no other choice, Erin tumbled out of the way from the swing but she had thrown herself into the reach of the surrounding Ghouls. Dispatching the small fries wasn¡¯t an issue but it took away the time she needed to brace herself for the Wight¡¯s following attacks. [Experience +8% - Level Progression: 60%] Immediately after decapitating thest Ghoul within her de¡¯s reach, she turned around and raised her saber to guard against the Wight¡¯s sh with both of its axes. Her feet caved into the ground a little and some of the lightning was transmitted to her. A sharp pain echoed in both of her hands. The Wight had a Might in the lower twenties but with the crimson lightning and being an undead, it was able to strain itself way above the value without worrying about the apanying pain and thus, easily overpowering Erin¡¯s strength. Erin rxed her guard and let the axes fall towards her. At that moment, she spun in a full circle and mmed her Arcane Armored tails at the Wight. It did as much as she expected. The Wight merely stumbled away but it got her out of the predicament. The Wight shrugged off the hit as it straightened itself. It gave Erin a stare and chuckled. Erin wanted to shout back an insult but this time, her instincts dictated her to stay her ground. The Wight might not have its memories when it was still alive, it still retained a degree of its intelligence and an immense amount of its instincts forbat. Erin triumphed in speed and technique but those advantages of hers was near-nugatory without physical strength. Unlike the Ghouls, Erin found out that the Wight¡¯s flesh wasn¡¯t as frail as its peers. Just as she was about to cross des with the Wight again, she noticed the absence of the Ghouls which were approaching her from all sides just seconds ago. She gave a quick look around and found the Ghouls were amassing at Lyra and Freed¡¯s position. They were still holding out but with that sheer amount, their high ground could be quickly overturned. ¡°Damn it,¡± Erin cursed. ¡°I have to help them.¡± Looking at the ever so smug Wight, she instantly knew it to be the cause. ¡°So it can evenmand the Ghouls¡­ That¡¯s just great.¡± There was no room for reservations or hesitation. Erin knew she just had to risk it. She released Arcane Edge on her sword and cast Mystic de. She felt a faint migraine but she promptly shook it off. She dashed straight at the Wight with her saber brandished. The Wight stood its ground and fired off red lightning bolts at Erin. She swiftly cut them all down with ease. The Wight was surprised but annoyance wasn¡¯t present on its expression. It was quick to switch to another attack. It fired off a bolt but this one single bolt was tenfold the size of the previous lightning bolts. Erin met that humongous bolt head-on with her saber infused with Mystic de. Unlike the time she fell Nivia¡¯s spell, this one was met with a lot of resistance but she knew she could cut it. However¡ª she managed to cut down the vast lightning bolt but the resistance was too much for her current Might value to handle. Her saber flew from her shivering hand as the spell exploded into nothing. ¡°Oh fuck.¡± Erin cursed. She was now empty-handed in a fight. The Wightughed. It wasn¡¯t a chuckle but an actualugh. Theugh was coarse and hollow. It made Erin shuddered from how terrifying it sounded but it also vexed her to no end when she saw the triumphant look the Wight had. She was being looked down upon. The Wight charged at the now defenseless Erin. It was easy for her to dodge the slow yet heavy attack but her pride had just been trampled on. Her hands curled into fists. ¡°I¡¯ll wipe that fucking smug off your face!¡± Erin coated her fists and tails in Arcane Armor and once again dashed straight at the Wight. Right after entering the Wight¡¯s reach, she lowered herself with her body leaned back. Her knees grazed across the soil as she slid under the Wight¡¯s attacks. She got back up once she was behind the Wight. Before it could turn around, Erin wrapped her arms around the Wight¡¯s neck. The crimson lightning was searing her flesh but she didn¡¯t let go. She could feel her skin burning from the crimson lightning but she wasn¡¯t going to throw away this chance. The Wight began to il and struggle but Erin adamantly held on. She swung her tails sloppily as she got the Wight in a lock. It was a crude cut and it took some tries but she eventually seeded in dismembering the Wight¡¯s arms. [Finesse: 17 increase to 18] She tossed the armless Wight aside and went for its axes despite the stinging pain she had all over her body from the red lightning. Before the Wight could regain its senses of its current state, Erin turned and swung the axe across the Wight¡¯s neck. The Wight gasped soundlessly with its eyes agape as the axe flew across its neck. Its gaze was locked with Erin¡¯s as its head slowly slid off its body. When its head hit the ground, the body followed. Erin cast Spirit Mend on herself. She couldn¡¯tpletely heal the burn but it did alleviate most of the pain. Her attention was then shifted to Lyra and Freed immediately. At a single nce, she could tell they were slowly losing their grounds. She activated Fleet Foot and dash to the roof while using the debris as footholds. [Warning. Magic Vigor under 25% threshold.] Erin ignored the warning and leaped from debris to debris swiftly to Lyra¡¯s side. ¡°Sword!¡± Erin shouted as she arrived at the roof. Freed was confused for a moment but he was quick to adjust himself to reality. Despite the Ghouls surrounding him, hungering for his flesh, he tossed the broadsword to Erin who leaped into the air to catch the sword. Her status was now Severe Exhaustion and Moderate Burn but she paid no heed to it. She couldn¡¯t afford to worry about her own condition if she wanted to save herpanions. ¡°E-Erin¡­ you¡¯re hurt!¡± Lyra eximed but it wasn¡¯t heard by Erin. She was swiftly and single mindedly dispatching the Ghouls which were pouring onto the roof. Her muscles and nerves were screaming at her to stop but she gritted her teeth and persisted on. [Experience +2%] [Experience +2%] [Experience +2%] [Experience +2%] She was umting wounds but she ignored the pain and damages. She could worry about all thoseter when they were safe. [Experience +2%] [Experience +2%] [Experience +2%] [Experience +2%] She received injuries from farming tools which some of the Ghouls wielded but she cast aside such afflictions and focused on killing the Ghouls. [Experience +2%] [Experience +2% - Level Progression: 80%] [Sword Art: Lv 6 increase to Lv 7] Eventually, she managed to cull off the terrifying numbers. There were still a few lurking around but those were just wandering around aimlessly. She noticed the shocked face of Freed who was just beside her the whole time and Lyra who was worried to death. The sword fell from her grip which was having trouble staying close. Her body felt like it weighed tons. Her hearing and smell was unfocused due to her exhaustion. ¡°Is it over....?¡± Just as she thought about that¡ª [Sixth Sense activated. Immediate danger detected.] Realization dawned on Erin. It was her blunder to fail to notice the absence of the experience notification when she decapitated the Wight. And someone was going to pay the price of her oversight. In her peripheral vision, an axe was spinning in the air, flying towards her head. She had ample time to dodge the axe but Freed was beside her and he was none the wiser. If she dodged, the axe would bury into Freed¡¯s face instead. It was his life or hers, and she only had a second to decide. Whose life held more worth in this dire moment, the answer was obvious but it was not the answer she sought. She sought a solution in which the two of them woulde out alive. "I can take the axe," she told herself. "It''s going to leave a huge scar on this pretty face but better than the alternative." Erin made her decision. However, her sentiment and decision was unanimous. Her fate was decided by someone else. A shadow flew into her, tackling her out of the way. Needless to say, the shadow was Lyra. Erin hit the ground and in her sights, the spinning axe found the unrealizing Freed, cleaving into the side of his head. Blood sttered and flesh burst from the deadly impact. His lifeless body copsed. When his head hit the ground, Erin''s eyes met with his, those eyes that never saw its own deathing. Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Three-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 11 | Status: Severe Exhaustion | Moderate Burn Might: 19 | Arcane: 17 | Finesse: 18 Magic Arts Spirit Magic Lv. 8 | Arcane Edge Lv. 3 | Arcane Armor Lv. 5 Combat Arts Sword Art Lv. 7 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 4 Innate Skills Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 1 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex Unique Talent Mystic de Lv. Ex Level Progression: 80% Remaining Skill Points: 0 Remaining Ability Points: 0 1-48 Second departure 1-48 Second departure ¡°It¡¯s still alive?¡± Erin gasped from where shey after Lyra tackled her into the ground, avoiding the axe thrown at her way. Her widened eyes fixed on the headless Wight which she had just beheaded. Yes, it was still headless. Yet, it was moving and it was moving like it still had its eyes. Its arms which had been cut off by Erin were now reattached to its shoulders. As she squinted her eyes, she could see the scar around the joints. It confirmed those were indeed the arms Erin had severed from its shoulders and somehow, its arms were reattached. Erin nced at the Wight¡¯s status. It read; Deceased: Spellbound like initially. Nothing had changed. Decapitation was the bread and butter trick in ying undeads or at least that was what she and everyone had believed. Evidently, this didn¡¯t seem to apply to Wights. Based on a quick spection she concocted in this perilous moment, decapitation was only effective for lesser undeads. The Wight was winding up its other axe to toss. Considering their position, Erin knew Lyra and she herself wouldn¡¯t have enough time to move themselves out of harm¡¯s way. ¡°Fuck it,¡± Erin uttered. She summoned strength into her hand as she curled it into a fist. As the Wight threw the axe, Erin mmed her fist onto the roof. The straw roof broke easily in response to her neen points of Might and the two fell through and into the hut. Lyra gave off a cry as theynded but Erin merely groaned as she had already anticipated the fall. A notification came up in regards to her injuries but Erin paid it no heed. She was well-aware of what kind of injuries she had but there was no use in giving it anymore attention. ¡°A little warning next time,¡± Lyra grunted. As she tried to stand up, Erin pulled her close by her undershirt¡¯s cor abruptly. ¡°Why did you push me out of the way!?¡± Erin roared. Lyra was stunned by Erin¡¯s sudden reproach but she regained her thoughts seconds after. ¡°To save you, what else?¡± she answered calmly. ¡°I would have been fine!¡± ¡°You would have been terribly hurt if I hadn¡¯t.¡± Erin grimaced. ¡°Yes, that would have happened but that also means Freed would have lived!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about Freed!¡± Lyra shouted back. ¡°I care about you! I¡¯m not going to risk trading your life for a person whose face I wouldn''t even remember on the morrow.¡± Erin was stunned by her response. ¡°If given the chance to relive that moment, I would make the same choice again. Besides, we would all be dead regardless, if you''re gravely injured.''¡± Erin wanted to rebuke her actions but her reasoning was emotional yet sound. Also, now was no time for quarrels. ¡°We¡¯ll talk about thister. For now, run back to Aedan. I¡¯ll distract the Wight.¡± Lyra frowned. ¡°No,¡± she refuted with a stern voice. ¡°Lyra, this is no time¡ª¡± ¡°The hell it is.¡± Lyra locked her gaze with Erin¡¯s. ¡°You can''t even walk without staggering. I am not leaving you.¡± Before the exchange could escte any further, the Wight burst into the house. Splinters flew to every corner of the small room. Its head was now also reattached to its neck. It chuckled at the sight of the two. Erin scowled. ¡°It¡¯s mocking us.¡± She took a stance but her injuries disconcerted her. Her eyes scoured her surroundings for her sword but before she could find her weapon, the Wight had moved. Noticing Erin¡¯s dire state, Lyra moved herself in between the Wight and Erin. She drew her short sword and rushed at the Wight. It reached out for her but Lyra was quicker than the Wight¡¯s movement. She evaded its grasp and plunged the sword into one of its eyes. With neither a cry or a simple grunt, it gave a raspedugh instead. Lyra backed off when she realized the futility of her actions but the Wight caught her arm during that momentary freeze. Lyra took out a dagger concealed on her thigh and shed at the arm grasping her wrist. The Wight didn¡¯t even twitch. It ignored Lyra¡¯s struggles and wrapped its free hand around her neck. Its fingers pressed down onto Lyra¡¯s neck as it began strangling the life out of her. Lyra stabbed repeatedly at its head with her dagger but the Wight didn¡¯t even make the slightest budge. Soon, her eyes turned white from theck of air in her body. Foam began forming in the corner of her lips. Just before the Wight could snap the frail woman in its grasp, a battle cry resonated in the small house. The Wight¡¯s hold loosened as the shout caught its attention. Erin charged straight at the Wight with all the strength she could muster up before the undead was able to catch on. She rammed into the Wight, freeing Lyra from its hold as the two went tumbling through the hole in the wall, across the ground, and out of the hut. ¡°Just fucking run, damn it!¡± Erin shouted back to Lyra before she even got herself off the ground. The Wight was already back on its feet. Wounds were apparent on its body but none of it held any significance. The Wight tilted its head at Erin, curiosity and fascination appearing on its hollow expression. Without affirming Lyra¡¯s obedience towards her desperate entreat, Erin forced herself to her feet, gazing furiously at the Wight. She was feeling her own weight, bing heavier than she could bear, and her vision was doubling everything in her sight. Her breath could barely meet the demands of her body. She was exerting her strength over her limits. Every fiber, muscle, and nerves of her body screamed at her. This wasn¡¯t the first time she put herself in such a state and she was certain it wouldn¡¯t be thest either. She reined in her breath and strung it out in her lungs. She raised her fists in front of her head and bent her knees. It felt like darkness would overtake her sight at any moment but those fears weren''t present in her mind. The only fear in her mind was what would happen if she gave up right now. She taunted the Wight with a gesture of daring the undead to approach her. [Experience gained +5% - Level Progression: 85%] Erinughed dryly at the fruitless gain. She weed it but it did nothing to change her situation. The Wight rushed at her, perhaps it ran out of patience or the taunt worked. Either way, Erin didn¡¯t care. She was just relieved the Wight was approaching her. It spared her the effort of being the one doing the approaching which was a lot of help considering her current state. The Wight took a swipe with its jagged nails. Erin evaded the sh spectacrly in spite of her unfocused vision. It had only been possible due to her heightened sense of hearing as a Fox-kin. The Wight was baffled but it didn¡¯t hesitate with its next move. It swung its ws again but Erin gracefully evaded its talons and positioned herself for a counter. She lunged with a straight punch at its jaws. It wouldn¡¯t deal any actual damage but that wasn¡¯t Erin¡¯s aim. The Wight stumbled back. Even though it didn¡¯t feel any pain, it was still disconcerted from the punch. In its fazed state, the Wightshed out wildly but Erin moved in close while barely dodging its ws. Erin raised an uppercut into its abdomen. The Wight growled and swiped at the spot where Erin had been. She was already a few feet from its reach. Stinging agony was present throughout her body but Erin refused to submit. ¡°Even if I die, I¡¯ll die fighting.¡± Erin dodged a few more attacks andunched a few of her own. Though the attacks were null to the Wight itself, it was still capable of destroying its body. This was her only strategy in the meantime. It wouldn¡¯t destroy the Wight but at the very least, she could stall for some time. ¡°But what am I even stalling for?¡± she asked herself. Her persistence was nothing more than her reluctance to ept her grim and despairing reality. In her past life, she survived multitude of plights and predicaments thanks to her arrogance. As long as she was still drawing breaths and moving her limbs, she would never ept her lost. She persisted and pressed on with the same form of movements against the Wight. She got in close, bait its attacks, dodged them with her hearing, and retaliated with quick jabs. The Wight was simply robust and stronger. Itcked precision and speed. Even the sharpest de would be useless if the edge never touched the flesh of one¡¯s opponent. The Wight¡¯s expression was slowly contorting into something uglier than ever. Even though itcked hesitation towards atrocities and cruelties, the Wight was still vexed over its own failure of inflicting harm on its opponent. The Wight finally howled its frustration. It managed to grab Erin¡¯s arm during one of her punches. The Wight didn¡¯t be faster. Erin was the one who slowed down due to her exhaustion. Before the Wight could try anything, Erin spun in her position, mming her tails into the Wight¡¯s face. The Wight had nothing but a confused look. It didn¡¯t expect much from those furry tails but when it hit, the Wight wasunched off its feet. [Might: 19 increase to 20] Erin chuckled without any essence to her voice. Once again, the meagre increment was futile to her present situation but she wasn¡¯tining. She then fell to one knee. Her breaths rasped with her exhaustion seeping in. She took this moment to look around for Lyra. She didn¡¯t see her anywhere. She listened for the sounds but no sounds or noises that indicated Lyra¡¯s presence. Her nose was useless in this circumstance since the stench of blood was all she could smell. The Wight hissed loudly as it got to its feet. Its hiss was loud enough to the point that it was stinging Erin¡¯s ears. She also pushed herself back to her feet, ignoring the agony coursing through her nerves and muscles. At this point, she wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she just dropped dead all of a sudden. The Wight rushed at her again. Its attacks contained more strength than before but they were still graceless as ever. Erin evaded them all by a hair¡¯s breadth. Even in her current state, Erin could still see its attacks. It was erratic but its anger made it predictable. It shouted with rage when it missed a heavy swipe and got countered in its face with a fist. The Wight was getting more and more perplexed. The Fox-kin was somehow winning against it despite her condition. Erin grinned at the Wight¡¯s frustration. It wasn¡¯t just because of her fists thatnded almost every punch she threw but also her tails were doing a whole lot of damage to the Wight¡¯sposure. During such precarious moments, Erin had improved her control over her tails. Perhaps it was as she believed, evolution is a byproduct of one¡¯s desperation for survival. [Finesse: 18 increase to 19] [Brawler: Lv 4 increase to Lv 5] However, her retaliating strikes were losing strength in tandem with her umting exhaustion. She lost her bnce in her steps as her exhaustion reached a tipping point. The Wight caught this opportunity andnded a solid punch across her jaws. She flew across the ruined grounds of the vige. She rolled for some distance beforeing to a stop. Her lower jaw was broken and blood dripped incessantly from her mouth. She clutched at her broken ribs as she stood up. The Wight snarled and sniggered at the same time. It looked absolutely ted with its wide grin. A faint gleam caught Erin¡¯s eyes then. She focused her blurry vision at the item that had apparently taunted her attention. When her vision regathered its focus, she realized the gleam came from her saber, reflecting the sun¡¯s re. During their messy brawl, they had somehow moved close to where her de fell. There was still some distance between her and her sword. The Wight took notice of her saber at the same time. The saber wasn¡¯t closer to one of them than the other. They both gazed at each. Their brows twitched. They both had the same idea. Erin took off in a dash at the saber and the Wight did the same. With her meagre amount of Mana, Erin used Fleet Foot. She was the first to reach her sword. She slipped to a stop in her tracks. She scooped the sword into her hand. She spun with both of her hands around her sword hilt¡ª but the Wight was only a few feet behind her. The Wight had moved in close to her, close enough to stop her swing by trapping her arms under its own. Erin struggled but the Wight¡¯s strength triumphed against hers. It growled gleefully, basking in the delight of finally ensnaring its devious opponent as it snapped her arms. There was a brief pause in Erin¡¯s thoughts at the sound of a sharp crack. A second passed. Reality struck the Fox-kin''s mind. Erin bellowed in agony. It was her first cry of pain in such a long time. She had always seethed through her agony by gritting her teeth but now, it was not possible. Her hands released her firm hold on the saber. The Wight snatched the saber from Erin¡¯s loosened grip. It grabbed Erin by her shoulder to prevent her from moving. Not that she could even do so if the Wight didn¡¯t. The pain from her twisted snapped arms had numbed her whole body. The Wight gave a patronizing chuckle before proceeding to plunge her own de through her chest. Erin gasped with her mouth fully agape. Her eyes also widened as she looked down at the de which was impaled through her. She was in disbelief. This was her end. She vowed to herself to make the most out of this second life of hers. There was so much she could do with her newfound life. Yet again... her life hade to an abrupt end. She looked back up at the Wight who had nothing but a grin on its smug face. She tried to pull the de out but the Wight was pushing it in further. She couldn¡¯t even gather strength into her hand to form a fist, let alone throw onest punch. Strength had forsaken her body. The dark clouded her vision and cold seeped into her skin as death had once again arrived to im her soul. ¡°ERIN!!¡± was thest thing Erin heard before she lost all of her consciousness. ¡°Ah¡­ so you didn¡¯t run away.¡± Erin muttered herst words with much regret in her heart. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­ Lyra...¡± Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Three-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 11 | Status: Deceased Might: 20 | Arcane: 17 | Finesse: 19 Magic Arts Spirit Magic Lv. 8 | Arcane Edge Lv. 3 | Arcane Armor Lv. 5 Combat Arts Sword Art Lv. 7 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 5 Innate Skills Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 1 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex Unique Talent Mystic de Lv. Ex Level Progression: 85% Remaining Skill Points: 0 Remaining Ability Points: 0 1-49 Nyx 1-49 Nyx Lyra loathed her family and her vige. The memories from those times were nothing but hateful. She hated the tradition and the culture. She thought things would turn out for the better after she was exiled with her friend-turned-lover. But it didn¡¯t. Her lover sumbed to the other side of thew. Appalled, she abandoned him. Few weeks after her arrival in the small town of Green Scar, Lyra met her. A beacon of hope for her miserable life. She had never felt suchfort before. Not even when she was together with her friend who she was infatuated with since childhood. Erin was a woman and a person that Lyra could no longer imagine her life without. Their first encounter was like a page of a fairy tale to Lyra. Love struck her heart the moment she found Erin sleeping so serene against a boulder and without any caution to her environment. Lyra knew little of the Fae¡¯s beauty standards but somehow, she knew Erin was a beauty among beauties even among the Fae. Furthermore, Erin had a gentle but firm heart. She was even an extremely capable fighter to boot. She was the perfect woman in Lyra¡¯s eyes. After their first night together, Lyra swore to herself that she would never forsake Erin. She would never treat her wrong albeit for the few times she let her jealousy and insecurity overwhelmed her. Still, Lyra just wanted to be with her. It wouldn¡¯t be exaggerated to even say Erin was her drug. Which was why she made the choice of saving Erin¡¯s life at the expense of others¡¯. A slight tinge of guilt was smeared over her heart but it was a stain she dly bore for the sake of Erin. Lyra was prepared for Erin¡¯s sharp reproval and she didn¡¯t mind. To be with Erin, she was even prepared to defy a nation. Lyra fought and struggled with the utmost desperation against an adversary that spelt of their demise. Her consciousness left her body when the Wight choked the air out of her. When she had regained her consciousness, she saw Erin locked in a desperate fight with the Wight. Erin didn¡¯t have her swords with her. She was fighting with her bare fists and also her tails. It was clear that Erin had a better chance at beating her head against a wall. The Wight was practically, for ack of better word, immortal in Lyra¡¯s eyes. Not even the staple decapitation trick was effective. Lyra knew that she had to help but her quiver was barren and going in with swords would just be courting a useless death. Without attracting their attention, Lyra whipped her whole aching body to move and went from houses to houses, in search of something she could possibly use. By chance, it wasn¡¯t long before she stumbled upon a shed filled with hunting tools and materials. There were even two quivers of arrows hanging by the wall. The arrows weren¡¯t as good as the ones she crafted but being a beggar currently, she didn¡¯t have the liberty to choose. She ended taking the two quivers with her. She also took some other tools with her lest her bow or her skills failed her. To her despair and disbelief, she came back at a crucial moment that shattered her heart and hope to pieces. Erin had somehow retrieved her sword but her arms were trapped under the despicable smirking undead¡¯s arms. The Wight twisted her arms until a sharp sound was heard. Erin¡¯s ear-piercing scream followed. Lyra stood in shock as she witnessed the unbelievable scene, the defeat of Erin, a person she couldn¡¯t imagine losing even with the most terrible odds against her favor. Before Lyra could intervene, the Wight had taken Erin¡¯s own de and thrust it through her chest. Lyra froze before even a single arrow was nocked. When a second passed, she screamed and cried her beloved¡¯s name. Erin offered a faint smile as a response before hitting the ground,ying still afterwards. There wasn¡¯t even the slightest twist in her fingers. The Wight then turned to Lyra. It had the widest triumphant grin on its face. Lyra¡¯s face twisted with despair and anger. Aedan was a Dragon-kin. Lyra was well-aware of their acute senses. Aedan should have caught wind of their distress by now. Moreover, she was well-aware that she had a horn that could send out a distress signal. Maybe he prioritized his own secrets over hispanions¡¯ wellbeing or maybe there were other circumstances. However, none of those crossed her mind at the very moment. The only thing in her mind was the smug Wight, the lifeless body of Erinthea, and her immediate desire for vengeance. She wanted to see the Wight dead by her own hands. Void of all sound reasoning, Lyra fired an arrow at the Wight. The abominable creature received the shot without any attempts to evade it. It hit its forehead but it smiled and began striding towards Lyra at a walking pace. Instead of fleeing, Lyra fired another arrow. This time at where the heart resided, or at least when the Wight was still a human. The Wight shrugged ever so slightly and continued its stride without havering. Lyra cared not for her futile attempts. She released arrows after arrows at the unflinching Wight. She aimed at all the possible parts of the Wight¡¯s body. She pressed on her assault until shepletely exhausted the arrows from the quiver. Before she could switch to the other quiver, the Wight had closed in on her. She dropped her bow and drew a long knife she retrieved from the hunter¡¯s shed. She wasn¡¯t as strong as Erin so shallow cuts were all she could manage. She was slower than Erin but nevertheless quicker than the Wight. As a woman through and through, Lyra was more ustomed to agile and nimble movements. She twisted her body out of the way of every attack the Wight swiped at her. In quick retaliations, shended shallow cuts. This technique only worked because the Wight was a monster and it fought like one; no matter how much it resembled a person. Had the Wight fought like a person, Lyra¡¯s deft movements would easily be repelled. Still, that wasn¡¯t enough. Lyra could only dance around for so long before her stamina was depleted. The Wight caught the knife but Lyra discarded her weapon immediately and switched to a hatchet. She carved the small axe into the head of the Wight. It stumbled a step away but that was all it did. Lodged too deep into its skull, Lyra was forced to abandon that weapon too. She was down to herst weapon, a dagger presumably used for skinning. However, the dagger was instantly rendered useless when the Wight used its palm as a shield. Left with no more tools to fight back, she resorted to her fist. Shended a clean punch but her own knuckles were the ones that suffered from the assault. Before she could utter her agony, the Wight grasped her by the jaws. It raised her off the ground with only a single hand, showing off the difference in their strength. Sadism was amon trait found in a lot of monster kinds. Schrs had not yet figured out why. The Wight sniggered at its apparent victory at finally catching its victim. It was thinking up of ways to drag out Lyra¡¯s suffering. It couldn¡¯t stop chuckling at its own ideas. The Wight was shuddering at the fun it could have with its new victim. But then¡ª ¡°Let her go,¡± a voice demanded the Wight to release its victim. Confusion and disbelief clouded the Wight¡¯s mind, if it even had an intact one. It threw Lyra aside and turned to face the one who dared to utter such demands with poise. The Wight froze, eyes and mouth agape ironic incredulity. The owner of the voice was none other than Erin. She was back on her feet. The hole in her chest had closed up but left a striking scar. In her hand was her silver-steel saber. ¡°I am not dead, you abominable bastard,¡± Erin taunted. **** ¡°Well¡­ that was awfully quick, I say,¡± remarked a voice that trod the boundaries of two genders. ¡°Quite disappointing, really.¡± Erin sat still on the floor, staring at an orb of iridescent light, shining ever so radiantly. Yet, the immense brightness did not bother her by the tiniest bit. The voice originated from the orb of light. However, that peculiar entity wasn¡¯t her greatest concern. ¡°Where am I?¡± Erin nced around. As far as her sight could see, there was only white. She wasn¡¯t even sitting on something solid. When she gave it a gentle tap, it felt soft and stic but she doubted it was something as fragile as it felt. ¡°This ce is Limbo,¡± the orb answered. ¡°You can say this is the midpoint between realms. The bridge between the living and the dead.¡± Only then Erin remembered her fate prior. ¡°Am I dead?¡± ¡°Mortally speaking, yes, quite so. But in truth, you¡¯re not fully dead. You¡¯re dead in a mortal sense but your soul is still¡ª well, your soul has yet to leave to join the cycle.¡± Erin recalled the things Aedan had told her. ¡°It¡¯s real...¡± she thought to herself. She stared at the orb. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you recognize my voice?¡± The orb replied with another question. It carried a yful tone with all of its words. ¡°You¡¯re a smartss¡ª well, ord. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll figure it out.¡± Erin looked at her hands, those thin, smooth, and delicate hands. She touched her own face. She confirmed she was still Erin. And she was naked. Yet, shame did not register in her mind. ¡°I see you¡¯re enjoying your new body. You had quite some fun too with it. Perhaps some gratitude is in order?¡± The orb¡¯s words triggered an epiphany. Erin stared at the orb. ¡°It¡¯s you. You¡¯re the one responsible for this; my circumstances.¡± The orb chuckled. ¡°Bingo. I knew you can figure it out by yourself.¡± Erin ignored the strange jargon it used. ¡°Why¡­?¡± she asked. ¡°Huh? Why? Why what?¡± ¡°Why did you turn me into a woman!?¡± Erin roared. "And that Lust Deviant skill... that''s a cross you bestowed, isn''t it?" ¡°Whoa there. I was not expecting that. I thought you had a good time with your new body, and that cross you so resent, you''ll be down on your knees with gratitude one day.¡± ¡°Irrelevant,¡± Erin retorted with a deepening crease on her brows. ¡°I appreciate your generosity at giving me a second chance but was all that change necessary? ¡± ¡°Quite so,¡± the orb answered dryly. ¡°For my amusement, that is.¡± ¡°Is that why you reincarnated me into another world with my memories as Argon Raze? For your amusement?¡± ¡°Heh? No no no no, of course not.¡± The orb paused for a while. ¡°Well, your new sultry body is certainly for my amusement, but your reincarnation and transmigration however, it holds a paramount cause. That includes that cross of yours too.¡± ¡°A paramount cause, which is?¡± ¡°Investment,¡± the orb gave a short answer. ¡°Investment?¡± Erin asked with an eyebrow raised. ¡°What kind of investment?¡± ¡°Fate, as you know, is very whimsical, even to Gods. There¡¯s just no telling what would happen next. Fate is the one thing Gods have no full control over. It can be changed. It can be leveraged. It can be exploited. But it can never be expunged. It will run its course, one way or another.¡± ¡°I''m not good with riddles and I don''t like them. Just get to your point, before I lose it!¡± ¡°You know why we have mortals build shrines in our name?¡± ¡°To stroke your overinted ego?¡± The orb chuckled. ¡°That too but the main reason is¡ª we need mortals just as much as mortals need us. There are other beings out there in the world. You think Gods are dangerous and vtile? These beings put Gods to shame with their voracity. They feed on worlds, especially worlds brimming with lives. The mortals¡¯ beliefs give us strength and power tobat these foes. The stronger their belief, and the more believers a God has, the mightier a God bes.¡± ¡°Then why me? Why not someone who likes to preach?¡± ¡°Despite how it seems, preaching doesn¡¯t get faith very far. It only raises awareness but it doesn¡¯t enhance the beliefs. Action speaks louder than words, as humans always tend to say.¡± ¡°You think I will spread your name in my ventures?¡± The orb chuckled again. ¡°I don¡¯t think. I am sure of it. Even if you don¡¯t, others will know. They will inadvertently spread my name.¡± ¡°Others?¡± ¡°Other¡­ apostles, agents, champions, emissaries, whatever you wish to call it. The one chosen by God to represent them.¡± ¡°Why would they spread the names of other Gods?¡± ¡°Inadvertently. It¡¯s not intentional. They wille to challenge you in the name of their Patron God. In doing so, they revealed my name in issuing their challenge. Like I said, inadvertently." "And how would these... apostles know who I am?" "Apostles will recognize other apostles. Call it the effect of God¡¯s blessing. Neat, isn¡¯t it?¡± Erin grimaced. ¡°Troublesome, more like it. And that gift of yours, it had on multiple asions almost almost brought me irremediable grief. So thanks, no thanks, you can have it back.¡± ¡°I express my wholehearted condolences." The orb''sugh echoed into the white hollow space. "But what can you do, Erinthea? I''m already your Patron God and you are my apostle.¡± "Revert everything back then." "Not possible anymore, not if I want to kill you which I have no intention of doing. You''re a hefty investment, Erinthea. My investment. Until I get my return yields, you are not allowed to die." Erin knew there was no point in arguing with this self-proim God any further. The God had no intentions of reverting their decision and she had no intention to beat her head against a wall. In the end, she could only sighed in defeat. ¡°The person who killed me when I was still Argon Raze¡­ Is he your apostle?¡± she asked. The orb tried to nod but it came off as a failed attempt to roll. ¡°He is,¡± it answered. ¡°You send him to kill me? Just so you can reincarnate me as a Fox-kin girl?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t send him to kill you. I sent for him to find a worthy individual to be my apostle. You were the one who threw yourself into his path, remember?¡± Erin kept silent. She was the one who attacked first after she perceived the strength of the young man. She still remembered it vividly; how the young man roused his appetite for fighting, and how she initiated the challenge that brought about her demise. ¡°In the fight, he saw how capable you are and most importantly, he¡¯s able to gauge your heart. Ignoring your muscle brain, you have a good heart. A good head, for most times. A healthy and strong mind. And you¡¯re skilled. You were simply the perfect choice for being my champion. Perhaps this is also a whim of fate that guided you to him, and thus, to me.¡± Erin had no words to say. She could have avoided this situation had she curbed her lust for battle. She brought this upon herself, in a way. Still, it wasn¡¯t all that terrible. She lost her chastity for one and she had women fawning all over her. Despite their personality, it did feel good to be popr with thedies. She also got to learn magic albeit only at the surface stage. Her second life had certainly been more fulfilling than her past life which was nothing but sword and blood. ¡°So¡­ what now?¡± Erin asked. ¡°What else?¡± The orb shrugged but it ended up bobbing up and down. ¡°You are going back to the living realm and have your vengeance.¡± ¡°You want me to kill that thing? Impossible. I have tried everything. With my current limits, it would take a miracle.¡± The orbughed. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± The orb tried to speak amidst itsughter. ¡°Obviously, you didn¡¯t try everything and no, you wouldn¡¯t need a miracle. What you need is to acknowledge your current identity. You may have epted it but have you actually embraced it?¡± ¡°I did embrace my new self.¡± ¡°Your battle form says otherwise. Cast aside your rigid way of fighting. You have the ability to end that miserable abomination¡¯s existence. You only need to embrace who you are. You¡¯re not Argon Raze the Sword Saint, anymore. You¡¯re Erinthea, a Fae, a Fox-kin, you are the apostle of Nyx. My champion.¡± ¡°Nyx?¡± ¡°That¡¯s my name, Nyx.¡± ¡°And how should I address you?¡± ¡°Just Nyx is enough. I don¡¯t fancy titles.¡± The orb, Nyx, faked a cough. ¡°Anyways, I¡¯ll be resurrecting you.¡± ¡°Just like that?¡± ¡°Just like that.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t Gods not suppose to meddle with mortal affairs?¡± Nyx chuckled once more. ¡°That¡¯s a misconception. We are allowed to meddle with mortal affairs as long as we do it with moderation and our acts are known only to the ones we trust to keep it a secret. The only present at your deathbed is the Wight and your lover. One of them would be dead soon and the other one would definitely bring this secret to her grave.¡± ¡°She¡¯s not my lover,¡± Erin denied. Nyx scoffed. ¡°I¡¯m sure she isn¡¯t but that¡¯s not relevant at present. Now, before I revive you, I must advise to stop being so¡­ reckless.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m reckless.¡± ¡°You are reckless. You¡¯re the type that would keep throwing yourself into odds that were never in your favor, expecting your persistence to conjure a miracle. Admittedly, that notion has worked more times than I expected in your past life but it seems, your luck ended here. Now, even if I can revive you, that doesn¡¯t mean that you will always be in the right circumstances to be revived. I know telling you to be wary and heedful of your odds is futile, which is why I¡¯ll be giving you a ring reminder.¡± ¡°A ring reminder?¡± [Unique Talent: Revenant - Acquired] ¡°Huh?¡± Erin blurted out. ¡°What¡¯s this¡ª?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s all for now. It''s time for your rematch. And I sincerely hope we won¡¯t be seeing each other very soon.¡± Before Erin could utter her objections, the white world disappeared. The next time she opened her eyes, she was back in the ruined vige, with the saber still impaled through her chest. But strangely, the intense pain was no longer there. ¡°Now what?¡± 1-50 Heads off 1-50 Heads off The blue mes burned ever so fervently, repelling and smiting any Undead that dared to trespass into the circle. The ring of fire wasn¡¯t perfect. Some undead got through but they were burned to thest tick of their moments. They were merely open targets to Cal and Selene then. Aedan stood behind the two, watching the flow of the situation. He asionally snuck in some of his magic to subtly assist the two in fending off the undead. As he was devoting his all into his furtive assistance, he gasped soundlessly when a sense of dread washed over him. He snapped his head to the direction of the vige. ¡°Erin...¡± he gasped in his mind. He felt it. The faint embers of a desperate Fae, slowly dying out to the hands of an abomination. ¡°Damn it...¡± he cursed through his teeth but not loud enough to be heard by the two. ¡°What to do¡­?¡± He ransacked his mind for a solution. He could still save her, he only needed to reach her side. But should he left his post here, no doubt Cal and Selene would sumb to the ferocity of the hoarder surrounding them. Before he arrived at an answer, a change had taken ce. ¡°This feeling¡­ Her soul remains, but how?¡± The Fae who he thought to be dead had yet to be imed by death. Her soul stayed anchored to her body. Something was preventing her from dying. Then, he remembered Erin¡¯s circumstances. ¡°I see¡­ her Patron God.¡± He clenched his fist. As someone who had lived through centuries, he had seen enough for him to deem the Divine Beings as whimsical, fickle, and some even finicky. They had never meddle with mortal affairs with a cause proven solely beneficial for the mortals. Whatever reasons they had, it was about themselves in the end. He very much wanted to confront the God overseeing Erin¡¯s path but now, that was not his priority. He could only stand his ground and hoped for the best. ¡°Please be safe, Erin. Otherwise, Nivia¡¯s fist and de would be thest things I see.¡± **** Erin¡¯s departure from her perdition had rejuvenated a decent amount of her stamina and health despite having the sword still plunged through her body. She didn¡¯t know why such was the case but she wasn¡¯t going to be finicky about the miracle she was bestowed. She stretched her fingers, opening and closing her palm. Her motor functions were all normal. She took this transient moment to survey her surroundings. She listened in on the sounds, drowning out the cries of the crows and the groans of the wandering Ghouls. ¡°What the¡­?¡± A gasp followed after that utterance. Erin was shocked to find out the rising of the dead was not limited to within the boundaries of the vige. Corpses of unfortunate bandits and lost adventurers, and carcasses of fallen monsters were now roaming the forest aimlessly. The numbers were in hundreds and the living beings nearby quickly fell to the undead horde. The affected range must have been at least half a mile, Erin surmised. The faces of Cal, Selene, and Celia appeared in her mind. A sense of premonition clouded her heart but as soon as Aedan¡¯s face came into the picture, the clouds parted. No doubt the three were in the safest ce they could be, right by the side of a Dragon-kin. ¡°Please be safe,¡± she prayed for them, nevertheless. She reined in her attention back to her vicinity. In the corner of her eyes, she could see Lyra locked in a desperate fight against the Wight. She could even see the tears rolling down her cheeks. Lyra was in anguished and that in turn made Erin herself ridden with guilt. She was the cause of Lyra¡¯s tears, that was apparent. ¡°What a man I am, making a girl cry¡­ Wait, I¡¯m not a man anymore...¡± Without wasting any more time, she pulled the saber out of her chest. She stifled her cries into winces as the de was leaving her wound with the edges grating her flesh. The hole in her chest closed up immediately after the sword was pulled out. [Experience lost -10% - Level Progression: 75%] Erin¡¯s eyes widened when she received such a notification. Her suspicions immediately fell unto her newly acquired Unique Talent, Revenant. Without taking her attention off the Wight, Erin read the description of the eerie sounding skill. [Revenant - Allows the user to resurrect from their demise at the expense of exp loss. Amount of exp loss is increased for every subsequent death within twelve hours. Insufficient yield of exp will bring about user''s death or worse... So be more cautious, okay, Erin?] As much she was thankful for this skill and the toll seemed reasonable, thest parts of the description worried her to no end. And thest phrase, it was obviously a message from Nyx. Although the description was being vague, Erin had no doubts the consequences were tied to her damnable skill, Lust Deviant, or at least something that would make her regret for being reckless with her own well-being. ¡°Damn that Nyx, treating lives like toys,¡± Erin cursed in her heart. ¡°Guess this is what she meant by a huge reminder¡ª or was it a he?¡± Casting aside that pointless matter for now, she straightened her stance and called out to the Wight who was strangling the life out of Lyra. ¡°Let her go,¡± Erin announced. Her voice rang resolute and clear. The Wight froze for a moment. It didn¡¯t respond to her words. Perhaps it ironically refused to believe that its victim had somehowe back from the dead, which Erin did. After a moment passed for reality to set in, the Wight tossed Lyra aside and turned to face its former victim. The Wight¡¯s remained unchanged but its astonishment was apparent in its demeanor, nheless. ¡°I¡¯m not dead yet, you abominable bastard,¡± Erin taunted. She unsped her armor and sword holster. She let those hindrances fall to the ground. She even tore away her tattered undershirt, which was no longer able to serve its purpose as a shirt, revealing her bound chest. She would be shying away with her cheeks flushed red right about now if it weren¡¯t for the Wight standing a good distance away from her. She recalled her fight with Aedanst night. Her memories were still hazy and a mild headache surfaced every time she withdrew that memory. Even so, she remembered the gist of it all. She fought in a way Argon Raze never would or rather, never could. It was simply impractical for his body build but not for Erin. Her form of precision and grace had proved to be ineffective towards the Wight who relied on its brute strength. Looking at her list of skills and magic, Erin realized she did have what she needed to defeat the Wight. These means never crossed her mind for the whole fight. Despite her longing to be acquainted with magic, it never was able to eclipse her obsession with the sword. Magic was nothing more than a leisure pursuit for her. Her pride as the Sword Saint took precedence and blinded her to the other prospects. She was hellbent on winning the fight with a sword. It was high time she epted the truth she was no longer as mighty as she once was with the sword and sword was no longer the only path she could take. ¡°Aedan¡¯s right¡­ I¡¯m really naive,¡± Erin reprimanded herself. While she was basking in her reminiscence, the Wight had run out of patience. It charged towards Erin with a screech that was grating her ears. Instead of two hands, Erin wielded her saber with a single hand. As for her free hand, she conjured up the blue mes of Essence re into her palm. She threw the ball of fire at the baffled undead. The blue mes were foreign to the Wight. It didn¡¯t understand what the mes were capable of. It saw it as just some in fire. Which was why it didn¡¯t bother dodging the ball of fireing at its way. But as the mes hit, the Wight stopped in its tracks. It was baffled. The mes weren¡¯t burning its rotten flesh but for some reason, the mes were hurting it. The Wight cried out in agony. It began to il around but as it iled, the fire spread further across its body. It cried even louder. Essence me was not capable of burning anything physically but it was capable of burning ethereal matters. The blue mes did not burn its flesh but the dark magic itself that was the fuel and essence to every undead. But at Erin¡¯s current level of Arcane, Essence re wasn¡¯t capable of vanquishing any undead beyond Ghouls. Erin didn¡¯t make a move. Even though her wounds were all healed, the energy she exhausted and the blood she lost weren¡¯t recovered. Essentially, she was only a little better than her state a few minutes ago. She knew the mes wouldn¡¯t be enough to eliminate the Wight but it would be enough to buy her time to recover a little of the strength she had lost. However, Essence re wasn¡¯t the only trick Erin had. There was another. The other trick held a higher possibility of eliminating the Wight but it also came at a higher cost, her own life force. But given her current circumstances, there was no time for her to be selective with her options. Erin cast Mystic de on her saber. A thin sheet of lustrous azure blue light covered the de. She faltered as she felt the Unique Talent taking a piece of her life force as the toll but she managed to prevent herself from copsing. She would need to get used to the life draining effect if she wished to use Mystic de effectively inbat. A brief second of concentration had often spelled defeat or worse, demise for many. She took a deep breath. ¡°This better work.¡± When the Wight had smothered the mes burning its essence, it rushed at Erin without any care to whatever scheme she had prepared for it. Its anger tookplete precedence over its wariness, which greatly worked in Erin¡¯s favor. The Wight¡¯s ws came first. A reckless assault. It had always been erratic with its assault but it was more erratic than before. Erin responded to that attack with a series of dodges that resembled a single flow of a dance. She let herself go. She twisted her body in a way she never thought she could. She bent her waist that would have broken a spine. The only difficulty in this performance was the constant need to find the perfect bnce. One single wrong move would literally break most of her bones and spell her end. ¡°This feels¡­ oddly thrilling¡­ ecstatic even.¡± A heavysh came from the Wight who snarled in frustration. Erin flipped over the attack to the side, the ws missing her skin by a hair¡¯s breadth. With the saber in one hand, she swiped and lopped its arm off its shoulder as shended. The Wight grinned at the feint Erin had presumably fell for but as a second went by, it bellowed in pain. The Wight clutched at its shoulder which was missing an arm. It hurt. It wasn¡¯t supposed to hurt but much like the blue mes, it hurt the Wight. It red at Erin, seething with rage. ¡°Well what do you know, it¡¯s damn effective.¡± The Wight, realizing the turn of the tides, took steps back away from Erin. Its eyes were still burning with hatred but its sense of self-preservation dictated it to back away. It further confused itself with this strange new emotion of fear. But as it did so, the Wight froze in ce and it wasn¡¯t due to disbelief this time. The Wight¡¯s eyes turned crimson red and blood-red lightning engulfed its body. ¡°What a useless coward¡­ can¡¯t do anything right!¡± A dreadful hollow voice came out from the Wight¡¯s gaping mouth. ¡°And you¡­ you infernal insolent mutt¡­!¡± The voice was different, most likely belonged to thete William himself, but the tone was the same as the spellbound bandit she fell. Erin knew who was speaking to her. A mixture of grimace and grin formed on her face. ¡°Greetings,¡± she replied. ¡°Always hiding behind a puppet. Doesn¡¯t that make you the coward?¡± ¡°It¡¯s... always you....¡± it added a snarl at the end. ¡°Such¡­ insolence¡­ Kill you¡­ I must...¡± ¡°I¡¯ll return those words to you. I guess the feelings are mutual.¡± The Wight roared. It shot out bolts of lightning at Erin. ¡°Here goes,¡± Erin said to herself. She charged into the barrage of lightning bolts but instead of deflecting the bolts, she was dodging them with strings of maneuvers that put circus performers to shame. She didn¡¯t have any recollection of these moves but her body did and she let her instincts guide her. She twisted, turned, spun, and flipped over all the attacks but it was not wless. There were a few times where she almost lost her bnce but obeying her instincts as a Fox-kin, she recovered from these near-faults. Aside from her bncing, Erin had a hard time taking her tails into ount when avoiding the lightning bolts. Her tails were grazed by the lightning bolts thrice but the injuries were not threatening. ¡°I can do this,¡± she told herself as she made it through the flurry of attacks. Panic and incredulity were all too apparent on the Wight¡¯s expression. It tried to conjure up arge lightning bolt but during the casting of the spell, Erin threw Essence re into the formation of the lightning bolt. ¡°Not this time!¡± The result ended in an explosion due to the disruption of the spell casting. The explosion caused much damage to the Wight¡¯s body but the damages were negligible for an undead. Still, the explosion disconcerted its perception of its surroundings. Before the Wight could regain its focus and bearings, Erin closed their gap and sliced off its other arm. But that didn¡¯t stop the lightning from congregating, growing everrger. It was the same situation as the bandit. Erin aimed for the central point of the congregation with her de but the emanating force was resisting her thrust, pushing her de back. The lightning spread, scorching the ground and slowly encroaching Erin herself. She cast Essence re around her to keep the lightning at bay from searing her flesh but the blue mes wouldn¡¯tst forever. ¡°Damn it!¡± Erin cursed. ¡°I won¡¯t reach it in time.¡± The lightning was slowly swallowing her and her de was only getting further away from her target. [Warning: Magic Vigour under 25% threshold] Suddenly, the Wight groaned in pain, or simply in surprise, as it stumbled off from where it stood. There was a sword plunged through its body. It was Erin¡¯s silver-steel broadsword and at the grip of the sword was Lyra. Before even a nod could be exchanged between the two, the lightning swallowed Lyra who didn¡¯t have any methods to repel it. Like a spring bent till its limits, Lyra was thenunched off a few yards away and plowing through the bloodied soil. Erin paled in dread at the worst likelihood. Her face contorted with anger. The sword through the Wight¡¯s chest was enough for Erin to ovee the impasse. Her de broke through the resisting force and reached the congregation point. The convergence shuddered. The lightning imploded before dissipating into thin air. A brief loud shrill of reprisal deration could be heard but only for a split second after the lightning died out. Erin wasted no moment to decapitate the Wight right after. When its head hit the ground, a notification sounded in Erin¡¯s head. She dispelled Mystic de then, but not before turning the Wight into four pieces for maximum assurance. [Experience gained +35% - Level Progression: 110%] [Erinthea: Level 11 increased to Level 12] [Status has been restored] [Skill Points Gained +2] [Ability Points Gained +2] [Level Progression: 10%] The undeads in the area followed suit. The Miasma dissipated from the surroundings. Erin did not understand why killing the Wight dispelled the whole dark magic ritual but she wasn¡¯t going toin. She was just d everything worked out in the end. [Experience gained +10% - Level Progression: 20%] Erin foregone a sigh of relief and hurried to Lyra¡¯s side. She could tell Lyra was still alive but from the sounds that she heard, Lyra must have broken a few bones. Erin only let out the bted heave when she appraised Lyra. She was still breathing and in good health, rtively speaking. The bones broken were recoverable and mendable. She wasn¡¯t treading the line between life and death like Erin was a few minutes ago. Truth to be told, Lyra was in fact in a better shape than Erin, who had nearly exhausted all of his Mana and once again treading on the fine line of life and death. ¡°Y-you¡¯re alive...¡± Lyra said feebly as Erin perched her up onto herp. ¡°How¡­?¡± Erin let loose a smile and a drop of tear. ¡°It wasn¡¯t my time yet, I guess?¡± Lyra responded with a meek chuckle. ¡°I-I thought I lost you,¡± Erin said. Tears continued forming in the corner of her eyes. ¡°I-I was¡­ I was...¡± her voice trailed off. ¡°Now you know how I felt when you keep putting yourself at risk...¡± saying so, Lyra let Erin cradled her body into her arms. Lyra was close enough to feel Erin¡¯s warm shallow pants. ¡°I¡¯m sorry...¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°Freed,¡± Lyra answered. ¡°I-I was¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Erin stopped her. ¡°I would have done the same. I¡¯m just as guilty.¡± ¡°You would?¡± ¡°I would.¡± Erin nodded. She remembered the countless sacrifices she made in bing the Sword Saint when she was Argon Raze Their eyes gazed into each other. They could feel each others¡¯ desire. They understood their longing for one another. There were dozens of things Erin wished to say but no words formed on her lips, no words were needed. They shared a smile. And without another word, they shared an embrace, one that was filled with warmth and cast out of the sounds and sights of everything other than each others¡¯ breaths. Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Three-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 12 | Status: Severe Exhaustion Might: 20 | Arcane: 17 | Finesse: 19 Magic Arts Spirit Magic Lv. 8 | Arcane Edge Lv. 3 | Arcane Armor Lv. 5 Combat Arts Sword Art Lv. 7 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 5 Innate Skills Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 1 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex Unique Talent Mystic de Lv. Ex | Revenant Lv. Ex Level Progression: 20% Remaining Skill Points: 2 Remaining Ability Points: 2 1-51 Silver Lining 1-51 Silver Lining After taking a moment of respite to rejuvenate her Mana and some stamina, Erin treated her and Lyra¡¯s major wounds to the best she could with Spirit Mend. Even though her evolution provided her the benefit halving the Mana consumption for Spirit Magic, she still used a lot of her Mana. Not only was it Mana consuming, it was even draining for her stamina. At her current level, Spirit Mend was ill-suited forbat. For bruises and scratches, they treated those with salves they received from Aedan beforehand. Lyra¡¯s bones were mended with Spirit Mend but she still wasn¡¯t in any condition to walk without support. Erin was more than willing to provide Lyra assistance in which she happily epted. ¡°We were toote,¡± Lyra mused self-deprecatingly. ¡°We couldn¡¯t save the vige. We couldn¡¯t save William and we couldn¡¯t find Marcus.¡± ¡°What happened to William¡­ perhaps it¡¯s fortunate that we didn¡¯t find Marcus. We could be dealing with two Wights and I doubt we can take on two of them at once.¡± This wasn¡¯t the first time Lyra had failed a quest but it was her first failure that brought upon casualties, even though she was not to me. ¡°We¡¯re dealing with a Necromancer, aren¡¯t we?¡± ¡°Necromancy is just one of our culprit¡¯s many tricks. They could turn people and beasts, alive or dead, into their puppets. They could even make its puppet stronger than they originally are. We could call ourselves fortunate if our culprit is just a Necromancer.¡± ¡°How are we going to take this son of a bitch down?¡± ¡°With patience, intelligence, and some degree of luck, I suppose?¡± Erin sighed at the bleak prospects of uncovering the mastermind. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s regroup with Aedan and the rest.¡± There was no meaning for them to stay any longer in the ruined vige. Their mission was to eliminate the source of the threat but as it stood, they had no leads and no means to search for the source. The job¡¯s difficulty had surpassed their league. The only thing left for them to do was to bury their deceasedpanion, Freed. But for good measures, Erin decided to burn the body instead. Erin wanted to burn the whole vige too but with the current avable resources, it just wasn¡¯t possible. What¡¯s more, they might need the vige intact as proof of their work for the Guild, burning the vige down would practically discredit their work and experience. ¡°What happened here?¡± Lyra gasped just as she and Erin stepped out of the vige. In her sights, there were numerous rotten carcasses and corpsesid strewn about as far the eyes could see. ¡°It seems the ritual had a vast range of effect,¡± said Erin who was walking by Lyra¡¯s side, supporting as her crutch. ¡°These were all Ghouls not a few minutes ago.¡± ¡°That many?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a jungle out here, as people always tend to say. It¡¯s a fight for survival in the wild. It¡¯s no surprise there would be many carcasses and corpses ripe for the ritual to be transformed into Ghouls.¡± ¡°Cal and the others, are they alright?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°Aedan¡¯s with them. They will be fine. I¡¯ll be surprised if they weren¡¯t and if they weren¡¯t, it would mean that we might be up against something stronger than a Dragon. We¡¯re fucked then.¡± Lyra nced at Erin dubiously as they trod through carcasses-ridden path. ¡°You seem to trust him a lot.¡± Erin smiled wryly. ¡°He¡¯s not some criminal, Lyra, as far as I know. He¡¯s just¡­ cynical and I think a little bit demented.¡± ¡°You sure know a lot about him,¡± Lyra muttered dryly. ¡°I guess you would know this much considering your escapadest night.¡± Erin stared wide-eyed at Lyra. She half-expected this oue but just not in this sort of moment. ¡°Nothing happened between us, Lyra.¡± Lyra gave a smile that failed to reach her cheeks. ¡°That¡¯s hard to swallow, Erin. Had he truly been a Dwarrow, your exnation might have been easier on the throat but he¡¯s not a Dwarrow. You expect me to believe a Dragon and a Fae, alone under the night sky, in the woods, and nothing happened?¡± Erin sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know what kind of fairy tale you have heard but we did not fuck.¡± Lyraughed meekly. ¡°I know,¡± she said. ¡°I trust you.¡± Erin raised a questioning brow. ¡°You do? Didn¡¯t you just said¡ª¡± ¡°I said it¡¯s hard to swallow.¡± Lyra grinned smugly but weakly. ¡°I didn¡¯t say I don¡¯t believe you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s...¡± ¡°Unexpected, I know.¡± ¡°What gives?¡± Lyra was silent for a while. When her lips parted, a tear overflowed from the corner of her eyes. ¡°You were dead, Erin. I saw the Wight impaled the sword through you. It killed you. You were dead, undeniably. It may only be a miracle that you came back from your untimely demise. But your death, I saw it clearly. Even now, your death was all I can think of. You know what I regretted then?¡± Erin said nothing and only shook her head. ¡°I regretted not trusting you. I regretted not believing in your intentions. At that time, I didn''t care if you had been lying to me. I didn¡¯t care if you had been fucking others. I-I¡­ I just wanted you back. I couldn¡¯t care what you have done. I just wish you were alive.¡± ¡°Lyra¡­ Nothing happened between us, really.¡± Erin then looked away. ¡°But admittedly, we came close to doing that.¡± Lyra frowned. ¡°If you want me to believe you, start by telling me what happenedst night.¡± As Lyra had already known of her secret as an Outworlder and she was someone Erin herself deemed to be more than just a friend, Erin saw no point in hiding Lust Deviant from her. She retold everything that had transpired on the night before but she held back on revealing her former gender. That was still a hard truth to spill. ¡°I-I see¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Lyra. It feels extremely good doing it with me, that skill is most likely the reason.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know that.¡± ¡°I was a virgin, Lyra. Hugging a girl was the closest experience I had to coitus. How else could I be so good at it? I doubt I¡¯m simply talented.¡± Lyra leaned in close to her ears. ¡°Maybe you are talented. You are a Fae now, and Fae are known to be extremely gifted in various kinds of aspects.¡± Erin herself wished that to be true but somehow, she was skeptical about that notion. ¡°Anyways¡­¡± Lyra¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°Aedan saw you bare, didn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°Why is that¡ª¡± ¡°He did, didn¡¯t he?¡± Erin gulped. The conversation was going off into a weird direction. She quickly looked for a way to steer the conversation back on track and fortune smiled upon her. They had reached Aedan and the rest while they were conversing. Lyra was forced to brighten back her darkened expression. She didn''t to be want petty enough to further contribute to the already bleak state of circumstances. Cal was the first to notice them or rather, the first to react to their presence. ¡°Miss Erin!¡± he called out as he ran towards them, leaving a disgruntled Selene behind and Celia in Aedan¡¯s care. ¡°Thank the gods¡­ you¡¯re alright.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine too, thanks for asking.¡± Lyra red. ¡°O-of course! You too, Miss Lyra!¡± Cal quickly gave a rushed greeting at Lyra. Putting aside Cal¡¯s infatuated gaze, Erin scoured around the area. Everyone was unhurt which didn¡¯t surprise Erin since Aedan was here. There was barely any damage to the wagon and most important of all, their mode of transportation remained functional. Abundant carcasses and corpses were scattered around the wagon but none were in reach of the horses or the cart. There was a charred ring surrounding the wagon. It only stood to show they had handled their predicament well, or rather, Aedan had handled it well. ¡°I¡¯m d the four of you are safe too,¡± Erin replied. ¡°Yeah, thanks to Aedan. The things he used¡­ I don¡¯t know what they are but they worked. Aedan was really prepared.¡± Erin nced over at Aedan, who was cradling the still-unconscious Celia close. He shrugged in response to Erin¡¯s questioning gaze. Erin could tell Aedan used his own magic and masked it off with one of the many random items he brought along with him on this excursion. ¡°She¡¯s still asleep?¡± Lyra asked, her eyes staring worriedly at Celia. From her appraisal, Erin realized Celia was under some spell that kept her asleep. More specifically, Aedan¡¯s spell. She threw him a re. ¡°What? You want her to wake up to all these?¡± Aedan gestured at the bodies. ¡°If she wakes up, I hope her first sight will be theforts of a warm bed and the smell of a nice warm meal.¡± Shot with such reasoning, Lyra backed off his case and Erin reeled in her re. ¡°I¡¯m d that the two of you have returned safely,¡± Selene greeted them. She got off the wagon and approached Erin. She nced around, befuddlement painted her face. ¡°W-where¡¯s Freed?¡± Lyra immediately cast her gaze down. ¡°He didn¡¯t make it,¡± Erin woefully answered as she showed Selene Freed¡¯s adventurer tag. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Selene gasped. She saw a small patch of blood smudged on the corner of the tag. ¡°Why are you sorry?¡± Cal asked. His hand reached out tofort her but Lyra¡¯s gaze shrunk his attempt. ¡°Because I have sworn to bring everyone back,¡± Erin responded. ¡°But I didn¡¯t keep my promise... I wasn¡¯t able to.¡± ¡°And no one¡¯s ming you, Miss Erin,¡± Cal assured her. He tried his luck and courage, reaching his hand out for Erin¡¯s shoulder but Lyra stood in the way. She didn''t want to be petty but Cal was too cunning and opportunistic for the wrong reasons. Cal cast his gaze away and awkwardly retracted his hands. ¡°What exactly happened over there?¡± Selene asked. ¡°All the dead just came rising from their graves. Ghouls, Aedan said they were.¡± ¡°And Aedan¡¯s right. That¡¯s what they are. There was a dark ritual at the center of the vige. It turned everything within the vicinity into Ghouls. It might have been using William as a ry. Every undead stopped being undead when I fell William.¡± ¡°William? You mean our William?¡± Erin nodded and proceeded to recount the despairing event that almost imed their lives. When she was finished, Cal had the worst reaction out of them all. His face was drained of its colors and his hands couldn¡¯t stop trembling. and as expected, Aedan seemed to have grasped the situation prior to their return. ¡°And Marcus¡­?¡± Selene hesitated to ask. Erin shook her head. ¡°We didn¡¯t find him. There was even any trace or clue to be found after what had happened.¡± The group fell silent until Selene broke it. ¡°What now?¡± she asked. ¡°We couldn¡¯t find Marcus. We couldn¡¯t find the source of this necromancy. And we lost Freed. We couldn¡¯t even save the vige. We failed the quest...¡± ¡°We go back,¡± Erin said with her gaze cast down. ¡°What else can we do?¡± ¡°Does this mean we won¡¯t be getting our rewards?¡± Cal asked who was doing his best to control his body from shuddering. ¡°Really, Cal?¡± Selene cast a frown at Cal. ¡°After everything that has happened, the reward is all you can care about?¡± ¡°N-no, Selene. That¡¯s not what I¡ª¡± ¡°Freed is dead! Celia¡¯s whole family is probably of the same fate too! The entire vige is ruined. We couldn¡¯t even find the one responsible for all this. And our reward is all you can think about?!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mean that, Selene. I didn¡¯t think¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s your problem, Cal. You don¡¯t think. You never look at what''s around you, just what¡¯s in your sights. You¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough, Selene.¡± Erin cut in. ¡°Cal¡¯s worries are understandable. You two are not exactly well off. Every single coin counts. He¡¯s merely worried about what¡¯s toe if the two of you don¡¯t have enough to put food on your table, and that¡¯s a very reasonable concern.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry...¡± Selene bit her lips. ¡°I-it¡¯s just¡­ this is a lot¡­ this is a lot...¡± Tears began to trickle down from her eyes as she broke down sobbing. Cal approached Selene slowly and pulled her into an embrace. ¡°I¡¯m sorry too,¡± he muttered. ¡°Cal does have a point though,¡± Lyra said. ¡°We failed this quest, didn¡¯t we?¡± ¡°Not necessary,¡± Aedan chimed in. Erin raised an eyebrow. ¡°No?¡± ¡°The nature and the state of the quest had changed drastically,¡± Aedan exined. ¡°We have necromancy at work here and it¡¯s not just some novice level necromancy. The entire area was turned into a spawning ground for undead and our Necromancer wasn¡¯t even here in the flesh. Instead, they used an intermediary, a Wight, to sustain the necromancy. Expecting adventurers of our caliber toplete this is just¡­ absurd. The Guild of this branch can¡¯t even afford that much of a reward had wepleted this level of quest. We survived this ordeal, that in itself warrants some recognition.¡± ¡°And they¡¯ll believe our story?¡± Cal questioned. ¡°I¡¯m having a hard time believing all of this myself.¡± ¡°The Guild has means to determine that, lest you forget. This quest is beyond the capabilities of adventurers from a small town. I¡¯m sure they won¡¯t fault us for this failure.¡± Aedan then turned to Cal and Selene. ¡°However, I must ask all of you here to keep silent about this whole ordeal, say nothing of this to others with the Guild being the exception. If the town caught wind of this, there¡¯s no telling how the people will react. In the worst likelihood, lives may be threatened in the ensuing chaos. Do I have all of your understanding and cooperation?¡± Cal nodded immediately but Selene nced towards Erin who gave her a nod. ¡°Fine,¡± Selene agreed. ¡°I¡¯ll keep silent about this.¡± ¡°Splendid.¡± Aedan pped his hands together. ¡°Well then, if we move now, we should be able to cross the valley by nightfall. We¡¯ll make camp at the entrance. We¡¯ll make the rest of the journey on the morrow. Sounds good?¡± Without waiting for a response, he continued. ¡°Good. Let¡¯s move.¡± **** Deep in the darkness where lights had no ce, a figure wasshing its anger out on its minion servants; namely, Goblins, Ghouls, Serks, Rot-rats, Dire Wolves, Rock Apes, and many others. Its minions, hundreds of them, didn¡¯t even budge at their master¡¯s outrage. They all just stood there unflinching as they awaited the rage of their master to befall on them. ¡°That mutt¡­! That vixen¡­! Again¡­ and again¡­! Always her¡­!¡± Seething with rage, the figure crushed the head of a Goblin that was unfortunately chosen to bear the grunt of its rage. ¡°Must¡­ kill her¡­ Hindrance¡­ Impossible¡­ with her...¡± The figure turned its nce towards a naked man, chained to a rock pir. The man was Marcus. For a few days now, he had been drifting between the boundaries of death and life. It was only by the dark figure¡¯s whim that he was still drawing breath. Holes were present throughout his body and rods of unknown materialid strewn about his feet. Blood was no longer flowing from his wounds, an effect of necromancy. ¡°You are¡­ strong¡­ Stronger¡­ than the others before¡­ Yes¡­ you are strong¡­ but resist¡­ forever¡­ impossible...¡± The dark figure grabbed Marcus tightly by his jaws and leaned in close to his face. The adventurer returned an empty gaze that could only belong to the dead. ¡°You will submit¡­ One way¡­ or another...¡± 2-1 New dawn 2-1 New dawn Three days went by in a rtively peaceful manner from the day Erin and herpanions returned from the excursion which had gone wrong and awry in almost every way possible. The group managed to make it back to town in one piece and without any furtherplications, but the returning journey was spent in a solemn and desting silence. They survived a predicament but at the cost of one theirpanions. None of them was fond of Freed but none of them wanted to think ill of the deceased, Aedan was the sole exception of course. Death had been part of his life for more than a thousand years and this death was just one more among the lot. The group beelined for the Guild to make their report all the while receiving curious nces from the passersby. They were tired and they were hungry but for the things they had encountered, it wasn¡¯t something they would want to dy on reporting. The group was invited into the private reception room, adjacent to the Guild Master¡¯s office. In the room, there was Geron himself, Sam, and two other Guild staff. Erin recounted the tale of their hapless quest and the Guild officials listened attentively without interjecting. Had it not been for the Orb of TruthOrb of Truth is the name of the device Erin used in 1-9 to register as an adventurer., Erin doubted anyone would have believed their story. At the end of their recount, instead of belittlement, they were praised for surviving through the ordeal. Erin was, in her own opinion, excessively praised for her skill in pulling through the predicament she was in. Freed¡¯s death was written off as an expected death given the nature of the quest. Erin was galled but she also understood this was amon nature in the adventuring business. Adventurers die all the time, it just so happened this time it was someone she knew. The Guild deemed the quest to be a sess as they had uncovered more about the mastermind¡¯s abilities and the difficulty of the quest was out of the boundaries for run of the mill adventurers. Thus, Erin and her party were given a generous reward for surviving the ordeal. However... ¡°I appreciate the gesture but I failed to do my best,¡± Erin said to Geron and Sam as she refused the reward. Freed had died on her watch. To her, a broken promise was equivalent to a failure. She was adamant with this narrative. It took a gracious amount of pleadings from Lyra and a small amount of thorn-filled words from Aedan to finally convince the adamant Fox-kin to ept the reward. The reward was a few gold and amodation at Emerald Inn for an unspecified amount of time. After that matter was settled, the group was advised to have a few days of rest and in the meantime, the Guild would pursue the clues Erin had given them. In these three days, Erin made full use of them. She continued her magic lessons with Nivia during the night and during the day, she was fulfilling her promise with Lyra by spending the day with her. In these three days, Lyra would not separate herself from Erin during the day other than the times when nature called. Morning hade on the fourth day of their break. The sun had peeked from the horizon but Erin was still in bed with Lyra, with nothing between the touch of their skin. Erin had awoken in cold sweat with the sheets drenched. Lyra was wide awake when Erin herself hade to, much to her own surprise. They were at it for the whole night and Lyra was always the first to submit to her exhaustion while Erin herself could have gone for a few more rounds. Yet, in these three mornings, Lyra had been the first to wake. ¡°Good morning, Erin,¡± Lyra greeted with an amorous smile while still lying prone on Erin¡¯s well-toned body with chin on her hands. ¡°Morning to you too, Lyra,¡± Erin greeted back with a tinge of sorrow present in her eyes. Her hand moved by itself to caress Lyra¡¯s flushed cheek. ¡°Nightmares again? asked Lyra.¡± Erin forced a smile. ¡°Always,¡± she answered. Lyra took Erin¡¯s smooth whitish hand into her grasp. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault, Erin. Stop taking in responsibilities that aren¡¯t even yours...¡± ¡°I know, Lyra. I know¡ª wait. Those sound like something Aedan would say. Did you...¡± Lyra nked out for a while. ¡°E-Erin¡­ I-I¡­ He and I-I¡­ we did not¡ª¡± Erinughed. ¡°Calm down, Lyra. I¡¯m not implicating you. I¡¯m just surprised you took his babblings to heed.¡± ¡°Do you know how hard it is to shut myself from his voice? Every time he opens his mouth, you either think hard on what he said or you simply want to sock him in the face. Thetter is obviously not feasible.¡± And they both shared a titter. ¡°At least you¡¯re looking well,¡± Erin remarked as she traced the smooth contour of Lyra¡¯s face. ¡°Thanks to a certain someone.¡± Lyra chuckled. ¡°You were quite gentle for the past few nights, not as wild as before. Maybe that¡¯s why?¡± Erin smiled wryly. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure myck of ferocity in bed isn¡¯t the reason for your good health.¡± She did think she had been quite mild in bed recently. More like she was able to retain a good portion of her sound mind than usual. In all of her previous times, her instincts took over during their coitus session but ever since returning from the excursion, Lust Deviant¡¯s influence had been quite tametely. Also unlike before, she did not receive any notice that Lust Deviant had been activated even though she entered Carnal Starvation. However, she could still feel a speck of the licentious skill¡¯s influence. ¡°Maybe the embrace of a Fae is unique?¡± ¡°Is that actually a fact?¡± ¡°A likely fact, I say. The Faerie-kin themselves are a mystical existence. They¡¯re so talented and always so¡­ beautiful. Incredibly so...¡± Lyra said as she traced her finger over the scar on Erin¡¯s chest. ¡°You¡¯re not getting rid of this?¡± ¡°Why would I?¡± Erin touched the scar. ¡°This is a badge of honor, a symbol of a survivor.¡± Lyra sighed. ¡°Erin¡­ you¡¯re a Fae now. You should look after your skin. What would the others say if they saw this scar?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t care less,¡± Erin dryly retorted. ¡°Besides, are you saying that others might have a chance for a nce of my body.¡± Lyra sat up with a rigid stare into Erin¡¯s eyes. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. Don¡¯t even joke about that.¡± Erin tittered. ¡°Of course, Lyra. It¡¯s just a jest.¡± Lyra pouted. ¡°You are getting very cheekytely, Erin.¡± ¡°Because you give the most adorable actions when I¡¯m being cheeky.¡± ¡°You¡¯re acting quite different as ofte.¡± ¡°I suppose I am.¡± Erin directed Lyra acent smile. ¡°And I know you have been enjoying it.¡± Lyra pouted further and buried her face in Erin¡¯s bosom. ¡°Shut up,¡± she murmured into Erin¡¯s chest. She wriggled in the valley of Erin¡¯s bountiful hills, feeling the malleable and soft mounds hitting her face in bliss. ¡°W-wait¡­ that tickles...¡± Lyra did not stop to Erin¡¯s pleas. In fact, she began to slightly nibble on Erin''s chest, leaving red marks on her skin. Lyra began to slowly move down with her kiss marking¡ª ¡ªbefore a knock from the door interrupted Lyra¡¯s efforts to start another coption early in the morning. Lyra looked up from Erin¡¯s chest. ¡°Is it them?¡± she asked with a hopeful look. ¡°It¡¯s them,¡± Erin said with a wry smile after a brief pause. Rolling her eyes, Lyra got off Erin and the bed with a heavy groan. She rashly put on her undershirt and underwear, in which the cheap fabric could barely conceal the sight of her toned skin and chiseled body underneath, before answering the door, ignoring Erin¡¯s words of prudence. Lyra flung the door open without regards to the other side. Nivia and Celia came into her view. Nivia was all dressed-up in her gear, a contrast to the loose-robed Lyra. Before words could be exchanged between the refresh-looking Lyra and Nivia who had bags under her eyes, Celia thrust herself into Lyra. The little girl gave off a gleeful squeal as she wrapped her arms around Lyra¡¯s waist, holding onto her tightly. She was even rubbing her cheeks on Lyra¡¯s belly with only a thin sheet of fabric in between. Ever since Celia came to on the morrow of their return, she had be extremely attached to Lyra and Erin but more towards Lyra. Perhaps somehow remembering the times Lyra had provided extensive care for her. Celia''s awakening had initially brought the girls much worry as the little girl uttered not a sound for a whole day. The Guild physician had taken a look at her. The issue was mental instead of physical. She appeared to have not remembered much about the past. She knew her family was gone but she didn¡¯t remember how it happened. Under the physician¡¯s advice, everyone was to not speak of her history and let her recover it herself. Currently, Celia was staying with Nivia. The reason for such an arrangement was because of Nivia¡¯s experience. Being an Elf, she was used to taking care of others, specifically her dozens of cousins and siblings and she also had the necessary knowledge to apply the necessary treatment for Celia with Spirit Magic. Under the surprising knowledgeable Elf''s care, Celia was gradually recovering her speech ability. Upon learning this, Erin gained a newfound respect for Nivia. ¡°You look terrible,¡± Lyra jabbed while her handsforted Celia. Nivia red with a woeful look. ¡°Unlike a certain someone, I have a lot of responsibilities to uphold and dozens of important matters tend to. I also have my people to consider.¡± ¡°You? Doing consideration?¡± Lyra flinched deliberately. ¡°Imagine my surprise if you don¡¯t mind me saying.¡± Erin did not cut into their exchange. This sort of exchange was bing the norm between the two. Erin was tired in every sense of this. She merely rolled her eyes and went back to getting a few more winks before starting her day. As long as they didn¡¯t escte their bickering into a duel, Erin was past caring about their animosity. But of course, there was no way she would be getting anymore sleep considering their bickering was within her earshot. ¡°Just because I have no consideration towards you, doesn¡¯t mean I do not have consideration at all. And funny you should mention consideration. Dragging Erin everywhere, flirting at every opportunity, going at it fervently every night, moaning till the walls could no longer contain your expression of ecstasy, perhaps you should learn a little bit about consideration yourself.¡± Lyra scoffed. ¡°The walls are working fine. Don¡¯t me me for your Elven ears and tendency for eavesdropping. As for our flirtings, maybe you should control your nature for stalking.¡± A vein was bulging on Nivia¡¯s forehead. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know, if you weren¡¯t so intimate with another fellow Fae, I would have you make you eat your words and no one will question me about it.¡± ¡°Careful now, Elf. You¡¯re letting your true colors show.¡± ¡°You¡¯re still standing. So obviously, I haven¡¯t shown any of my true colors yet.¡± ¡°Oh? So you¡¯re admitting my ims?¡± ¡°For fuck¡¯s sake, do the two of you intend to do this at every instance the two of you meet?¡± Erin spoke up as she sat up from the bed. The sight of her half opened eyes, her disheveled hair covering the sensitive parts of her body, and hernguidly swaying tails made Lyra gulped. ¡°Erin, my dear. There¡¯s a child here,nguage,¡± said Nivia with a smile. Erin gave a vexed look of disbelief. ¡°Like your exchange with Lyra was any better for her.¡± ¡°Maybe not,¡± Nivia retorted and invited herself into the room. Lyra was about to stop her but Erin gestured for Nivia toe in. Erin doubted Lyra would have listened if Celia wasn¡¯t snuggling with her. Even the Celia was used to their bickering. ¡°I don¡¯t believe I waste for any lessons.¡± A yawn followed which Erin didn¡¯t bother covering. ¡°So why are you here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not here for any lessons,¡± Nivia answered. ¡°I came here to inform you that the Guildmaster has invited you to a luncheon along with his son, Aedan.¡± Erin instantly caught the undertone of the invitation. There had been developments with their investigations, Erin understood it as such. She exchanged nces with Lyra who nodded. She returned her nce to Nivia. ¡°Yeah¡­ thanks for telling me.¡± Erin let out a few groans as she struggled to get off the bed. Nivia extended her hand to help. ¡°Are you alright, Erin?¡± she asked. ¡°Magic is tiring,¡± Erin replied. She recalled her lessons with Nivia. It was a struggle to learn a new Magic Art, namely; Wind Magic which Nivia was an adept in but Erin herself didn¡¯t seem to have any affinity with. However, she did make progress on other magic. ¡°Fae have it easy with magic already. Had you been a human, it would have been much more difficult and tedious, might I add.¡± ¡°If I¡¯m already having this much trouble, just how hard it is for humans?¡± Erin thought to herself. ¡°There¡¯s still some time before noon,¡± Nivia said. ¡°We can have a quick lesson after breakfast.¡± ¡°No,¡± Lyra instantly refuted. ¡°We already have ns.¡± Erin nced at Lyra with a frown. ¡°No, we don¡¯t.¡± Lyra gave a look of betrayal at Erin. Nivia grinned. ¡°Then, how about it?¡± Erin smiled wryly. ¡°My bones feel like iron. I think I¡¯ll have to pass.¡± Nivia¡¯s smile disappeared. ¡°I-I see...¡± Lyra was tittering to herself in silence. ¡°But if I get betterter, I wouldn¡¯t mind a quick lesson,¡± Erin added. Lyra¡¯s smile disappeared. Nivia tittered behind her hand. ¡°Well¡­ if you changed your mind, I¡¯m always avable for you.¡± ¡°I know you''re busy with the many talks and discussions with the merchants. Don¡¯t force yourself, you hear me?¡± Nivia forced a smile. ¡°It would have been easier if you were with me. As a matter of fact, I¡¯m off to meet with another merchant now. It¡¯ll help a lot if I have you by my side.¡± ¡°I disagree, Nivia. I may be a Fae but you do know my knowledge of Fae¡¯s customs are next to zero. Don¡¯t you think my presence will be immensely suspicious.¡± ¡°Nonsense, Erin. It¡¯s not like they know any better about Fae more than you. You¡¯ll be surprised with how much they know of us are often false. A narrative spawned from generalization because some individual couldn¡¯t be bothered with exerting the minimal effort to gauge the truth.¡± ¡°But I still don¡¯t understand how my presence would be of help.¡± ¡°Intimidation, my dear Erin.¡± A shrewd grin appeared on Nivia. ¡°One Fae is hectic enough for them to talk with. With another Fae, they might be easier to coerce.¡± Erin frowned. ¡°I see...¡± This was another side of Nivia that she didn¡¯t know. It was unnerving, if she was being honest. Lyra was staring daggers at Nivia but it didn¡¯tst long as Celia was begging for Lyra¡¯s attention. Erin breathed in deeply as she came to a decision. She nced resolutely at Lyra. ¡°Lyra, why don¡¯t you take Celia for a stroll today. She could use the walk and you could use some rest from me. I¡¯ll apany Nivia for the morning.¡± Nivia beamed and cast a triumphant grin at Lyra. Lyra¡¯s expression soured. ¡°Being with you is my rest, Erin.¡± ¡°Come on, Lyra. You won¡¯t die from not having me around just for a single morning. I hope.¡± Celia was staring at Lyra with glitter in her eyes. Seeing such a face, Lyra found it hard to refuse. ¡°Fine,¡± she relented. ¡°Just for today.¡± Erin smiled in exasperation. ¡°Just for today.¡± ¡°Well Erin, I¡¯ll be waiting downstairs,¡± Nivia said and walked to the door. ¡°Come on, Celia. We¡¯ll wait for them downstairs.¡± Celia refused to separate from Lyra but after a pinky swear with Lyra, she reluctantly parted from Lyra and left the room with Nivia. Lyra let out a loud sigh after closing the door. She cast a re at Erin. ¡°Be careful, alright?¡± she said. Erin sighed, again. ¡°What do you think is going to happen? It¡¯s not like I¡¯m off to fight a horde of Ghouls again.¡± ¡°You¡¯re off to meet merchants along with an Elf. I say the circumstances aren¡¯t better.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t think too highly of the merchants?¡± ¡°Not the merchants,¡± Lyra said. ¡°Niva.¡± Erin sighed. ¡°I wish the two of you could get along,¡± she said while shaking her head and rubbing her temple. ¡°Have you ever seen the way she looked at me?¡± ¡°I have. She looked at you the way you looked at any person who tried to approach me with the intent of courting me.¡± Stunned by Erin¡¯s response, Lyra stammered. ¡°T-those¡­ t-that was different...¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure it is,¡± Erin said and got up from the bed. She proceeded to put on a fresh set of apparels. She went with a pair of beige baggy trousers and a cyan blouse with a ck corset, in which all of them were gifts from Nivia, obviously. They looked suffocating at first but as Erin donned them, she found them quite fitting andfortable. ¡°I hate to say it but¡­ Nivia sure knows what fits you.¡± Lyra was staring fixedly at Erin. ¡°Thought it¡¯s a shame¡­ a dress would have fit you much better.¡± ¡°No dresses or skirt,¡± Erin firmly dered. ¡°Why? They looked good on you and it¡¯s Elven craft, I¡¯m sure the dress won¡¯t limit your movements.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not about my movements,¡± Erin grumbled. ¡°I just dislike the empty feeling around that area, especially when the breeze whispers. What about you then? Would you wear one?¡± Lyra gave a devilish smile. ¡°If you want me to, aye, I might,¡± she spoke with a heavy ent. Erin imagined Lyra in a dress and a skirt. The boyish appearance apanied with a feminine fashion, it was certainly a treat to her imagination that checked all of her preferences. ¡°But only if you wear it too,¡± Lyra added. ¡°This conversation is over,¡± Erin said and flounced out of the room after finishing her hair and tail grooming, leaving Lyra behind who was just putting on her undershirt. Lyra giggled to herself. ¡°Oh I don¡¯t think so, Erin.¡± A smirk adorned her lips as she thought of ways to get Erin into a dress or at least a skirt. Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Three-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 12 | Status: None Might: 20 | Arcane: 18 | Finesse: 19 Magic Arts Spirit Magic Lv. 8 | Arcane Edge Lv. 3 | Arcane Armor Lv. 5 | Lightning Magic Lv. 1 Combat Arts Sword Art Lv. 7 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 4 Innate Skills Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 1 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex Unique Talent Mystic de Lv. Ex | Revenant Lv. Ex Level Progression: 60% Remaining Skill Points: 2 Remaining Ability Points: 2 2-2 Festive streets 2-2 Festive streets The zing sun was thest thing Erin wanted to see at the moment. She flinched from the light that beckoned the beginning of a day as soon as she left the shade of the inn¡¯s roof. It didn¡¯t feel like she was moving her body, it was more of dragging a heavy piece of meat around. Physically speaking, she had more than enough rest but every step she took, it felt much too sluggish. Her exhaustion was of the mind and in turn, it was gradually reflecting on her body. The magic lessons were truly difficult, as Nivia had warned. Erin took the warning to heart but she didn¡¯t think the toll would be this significant. Even so, she hade this far and her pride would be dust if she gave up now. Contrary to the listless Erin, the town was brimming with energy, basked in the festive mood that had started on the day after Erin¡¯s departure from the town for the excursion. The merchants from the caravan had set up their stores throughout the town. The reason being that the za of the town was not vast enough to hold all of the merchants¡¯ stores and the customers. Thus, the stores were scattered around the town. No matter which corner she turned, there was at least a single store to be sighted. There were even stores in the dark alleys with some of the much more unsavory merchandise. There was nothing illegal about those kinds but morally speaking, they were frowned upon. However, Erin wasn¡¯t in any position to bother with them nor did she have the enthusiasm to impart her moral views on these unsavory practices. Aside from those ethical issues, Erin¡¯s other concerns was her having trouble navigating through the crowd that was filling every street in town. Had it not been for Nivia who was leading her by hand, Erin was sure she would have been carried away by the crowd like tidal waves. Assorted kinds of products were being disyed. There were even potteries with intricate engravings for sale but the most often seen products were jewelries and liquors. While jewelries failed to attract her interest, the liquors however, were a sight for her sore eyes. A whiff was enough to send her mind into wonder. At a nce of these liquors¡¯ bargain prices and the exotic-sounding names, it spurred a strange sense of desire within Erin to spend her hard-earned gold. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Erin?¡± Nivia asked with a hand clutching at her shoulder. Before Erin herself knew it, her feet were already carrying her to the liquor stalls but Nivia had stopped her out of concern. Horrified at her own impulse, Erin feigned ignorance and urged Nivia to hurry up. ¡°Who are we going to meet?¡± Erin asked as an attempt to change the subject of her odd behavior. Nivia curled her lips. ¡°You¡¯ll see,¡± she answered. ¡°And I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be surprised.¡± They were walking towards the za. Which could only mean they were going to meet with the top merchants of the caravan. A few faces came to mind and she shivered at a face she arrived upon. ¡°You look a bit pale, Erin,¡± Nivia asked. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re alright?¡± Nivia¡¯s question didn¡¯t register in Erin¡¯s mind as she dreaded for the most usible answer. Nivia told her she would be surprised and that could only mean the merchant they were going to meet would be entric or at least different from the other merchants. A dark-skinned scantily-d woman with pointy ears and an alluring figure came into her mind. ¡°Is it perhaps Iris?¡± Erin slowly strung out her question. Nivia¡¯s turned wide. ¡°You know her?¡± Nivia¡¯s response crushed all of Erin¡¯s hopes. ¡°Unfortunately, I do and I have met her,¡± Erin said with a fading voice. The Elf frowned. ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything rude to her, right?¡± Erin tried tough it off but Nivia¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°What did you do?¡± the Elf asked. ¡°I sort of¡­ appraise her...¡± Erin said with a trailing voice. ¡°Appraise her? You mean you have the Appraisal skill?¡± Nivia widened her eyes further. After scouring her surroundings, she pulled Erin away from the crowd and into a nearby alley that was too narrow for any stall to be set up. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about this but don¡¯t move,¡± she demanded as she grip Erin¡¯s shoulder tightly. Seeing her firm gaze, Erin obliged. She felt the flow of magic traveling from Nivia to her, and the Spirits surged in response to the spell Nivia was casting. Erin was about to appraise Nivia but¡ª ¡°Erin.¡± Nivia¡¯s stern voice stopped Erin from using Appraisal. ¡°Y-your stats are simply¡­ unprecedented¡­ You¡¯re even more incredible than I have thought.¡± ¡°Did you just appraise me?¡± Erin asked. She was confused. Thest time she appraised Nivia, she didn¡¯t see Appraisal listed as one of her skills. ¡°Yes, I appraised you but no it¡¯s no Appraisal. It¡¯s a simr spell under Spirit Magic but that¡¯s not important right now.¡± Nivia took a deep breath. ¡°Erin¡­ Appraisal may not be an extremely rare skill but it¡¯s neithermon. Most people with Appraisal are scorned for just having it even if they didn¡¯t abuse the skill.¡± Erin didn¡¯t need to ask why they were scorned indiscriminately. The reason was obvious. ¡°Erin, promise me this. This is for your sake. You are not to use Appraisal on anyone unless you are given consent or have an appropriate reason. It may not have been a problem in a small town like this but in the big cities, there are a lot of people who are able to tell if someone used Appraisal on them. If on some off chance you get caught using it on a scion or a noble, you can get trialed for this. Do you understand?¡± Erin nodded fervently. ¡°Don¡¯t use Appraisal,¡± Nivia repeated. ¡°Unless the situation demands it.¡± Erin nodded again. As she was taking Nivia¡¯s words to heart, she noticed the Elf¡¯s grip on her shoulder loosened but sensually caressing her shoulder. ¡°Um¡­ Nivia? Your¡­ hand?¡± ¡°Ah¡ª¡± Nivia uttered before quickly retracting her hand and backing away from Erin. ¡°Anyways,¡± she faked a cough, ¡°we should keep moving. Don¡¯t want to make her wait.¡± She said and left the alley. Erin followed closely behind her, still questioning Nivia¡¯s strange action just seconds ago but her inquisitiveness was immediately reced by a newfound worry. The za, their destination, was just right in front of them about a hundred yards away. And in the midst of the vast crowded space, stood a person she found the most loathsome ever since she arrived at the town. A man with the glossiest hair and a face that spelled wicked from every side, it was none other than Kane and a few of his supposed henchmen. Judging from the way they were looking around and standing still in their ce, Erin surmised they were hired as guards by the merchants. She had heard the rumors about Kane¡¯s new position but she wasn¡¯t one to believe in rumors and she took a pile of salt with that information. But the truth was now in in view and his brand new set of shiny metal armor made the rumor even more evident. ¡°Ugh, how unsavory,¡± Nivia muttered when she took notice of the same sight. ¡°Adventurers as guards¡­¡± Erin mused. ¡°I thought the merchants would have their own guards.¡± ¡°They do have their own guards but they are few,¡± Nivia answered. ¡°It¡¯s not easy to find a personal guard that ispetent and trustworthy. If they are just for anyone to fill the numbers, might as well hire adventurers. Easier on the management side and lighter on the wages, or so they say.¡± Erin nodded in understanding. ¡°Nevertheless, I¡¯m surprised that Kane and his cohorts were trusted enough to be hired as guards.¡± ¡°No trust, my dear Erin,¡± Nivia said. ¡°Only the promise of gold. These ruffians want gold and the merchants have them. y by the merchants¡¯ rules and they get them. Simple as that.¡± ¡°What if they ran away when they deemed the troubles aren¡¯t worth it?¡± ¡°Depending on the severity of the oue after an adventurer abandoned their responsibilities. I have heard the Guild might even put a bounty on deserters. Essentially, they will ruin their own life if they actually do that. I don¡¯t think Kane is that much of a fool, do you?¡± Nivia asked as she eyed Erin a nce. Erin shrugged. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know,¡± she said. ¡°I don¡¯t know him too well but from the brief moments that we met, I say he has the potential for that kind of tomfoolery.¡± Nivia tittered behind her hand. ¡°Sometimes, I¡¯m d you¡¯re different from the average Fae.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Erin made a weird noise as she raised an eyebrow. Nivia tittered more when she caught Erin¡¯s surprise. ¡°Don¡¯t be so shocked, my dear. Even we, the Fae ourselves, are aware that we, at times, could appear to be too dignified or stern than we actually are.¡± ¡°So the Fae also bother themselves with the opinions of others¡¯?¡± ¡°The contrary is amon yet understandable misconception. We have lived through many generations of humans¡¯ time and we have seen all those untimely misfortune that befell on them. Those who remained solitary in their rule, they did not survive through these misfortunes for they have no allies to assist them in their time of need. We know that if we wish to live through for all the years toe, we cannot remain isted. But of course, we choose our allies with scrutiny.¡± Erin gave a cramped smile. She still couldn¡¯t get used to this side of Nivia. Her duality was just like day and night. At one moment, she¡¯s an obsessive stalker but at another moment, she¡¯s your average wise Elf, as graceful as ady and as knowledgeable as a schr. Nivia narrowed her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re thinking of something rude, aren¡¯t you?¡± Erinughed nervously. ¡°It¡¯s just your imagination,¡± she hastily replied. Fortunately, in a way, Nivia¡¯s further questioning was cut short at the boorish intervention of Kane, whom they had inevitably approached in order to get to their destination. ¡°Haven¡¯t seen you in a while, Vixen,¡± Kane spat. His henchmen followed his example and gave simr sneers. Instead of a grimace, Erin grinned, intimidating some of his henchmen into retreating their steps. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I should be impressed or exasperated by your boldness cum stupidity.¡± ¡°What was that!?¡± Kane took a step nearer to Erin. ¡°You¡¯re being rude to a Fae and what do you think would happen if the Fae you¡¯re being rude to took offense?¡± Erin challenged. Kane snorted. ¡°I¡¯ll be praised by the strong for not bending my knees and presenting my rear to a Fae.¡± Nivia¡¯s face contorted heavily and was about to lunge but Erin held her back. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know,¡± he continued. His hands closing in on his sword. ¡°I have gained two levels since west met. I¡¯m stronger than before.¡± ¡°I see, you must be very proud of your aplishments then,¡± Erin retorted. In response, Erin stayed her hands away from her swords and crossed them behind her back. ¡°Take a swing,¡± she taunted. Nivia stared wide-eyed at Erin but she decided to trust her since she had taken a nce at her stats a while ago. Kane frowned in confusion. ¡°W-what? Have you gone mad, you mutt!? You think I won¡¯t swing aty you just because you¡¯re a Fae?¡± By now, eyes were gathering around them and most of these eyes were from the merchants. Kane¡¯s henchmen had already retreated away from Kane himself. They weren¡¯t foolish enough tomit any atrocity in the eyes of so many witnesses but Kane himself was blinded by his ego. ¡°If your tool has shrunk, then allow me to give you a reassurance,¡± Erin further jibed. ¡°I swear on my name as a Fae that I promise I won¡¯t draw my sword if you swung at me. So,e on. Take a swing. Or do you doubt your sword could even leave a small cut on my skin?¡± Kane stuttered. Never had he been insulted to this degree. He had always chosen his victims wisely but that was until he met Erin. ¡°What¡¯s this? No action?¡± Erin sighed with a dramatic disy. ¡°I guess in the end, your two levels of increment have only strengthened your ego, not your abilities.¡± ¡°You bitch!¡± Kane shouted, his gripping the hilt of his sword. The audience gasped at Kane¡¯s ring anger. ¡°Oh my, what do we have here?¡± The aloof and sultry voice silenced the gallery. ¡°¡°¡°Lady Iris!¡±¡±¡± Kane¡¯s henchmen immediately took steps back and gave a slight bow to the Umbrum that made herself known. Even Kane immediately turned around and greeted Iris with one knee on the ground. Only Erin and Nivia stood straight in Iris¡¯ presence. ¡°Lady Nivia, I¡¯m so d you responded to my letter,¡± Iris smiled at the Elf. Her gaze then turned to Erin. ¡°Oh? You¡¯re here too but I guess that¡¯s to be expected. Both of you are the only Fae in town.¡± ¡°Lady Iris,¡± Nivia greeted with a nod. ¡°Pleasure to finally be of acquaintance with you. I¡¯m surprised at your¡­ temporary security detail? Is that what they are?¡± ¡°Unfortunately so,¡± her words were followed by a sigh. Kane directed a nce of betrayal at her small theatrics but she ignored it. ¡°You couldn¡¯t afford better?¡± Nivia asked. Her words were filled with undertone but her face remained stern. Irisughed. ¡°Of course I can but¡ª¡± she eyed Erin, ¡°¡ªthe better ones were unavable at the time. So I¡¯m stuck with this.¡± Erin¡¯s caution against Iris was overshadowed by the pity she suddenly felt for Kane. As she had expected, Iris did have a nasty personality. And to emphasize her nastiness further¡ª ¡°I¡¯ll skip the pleasantries. Lady Nivia and Lady Erin, be my personal guards until we reach the next town over.¡± Surprised Erin may be, she did not miss the brief glimpse and smug Iris directed at Kane. Before Nivia could express her shock, Kane was the first to speak up. ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this!?¡± He rose from his knees. ¡°Oh? You don¡¯t know?¡± Iris scoffed. ¡°You are relieved and dismissed, Mister Kane." Kane stood in shock as his fist and legs trembled in anger. "This is a request from the Guild. You can''t dismiss me without any well-grounded reasons." Iris scoffed. "You are unexpectedly naive, Mister Kane. Do you think I do not know of the various misdeeds youmitted away from my eyes?" Kane pointed. "You have no proof." Iris looked around, and she scoffed again. "I can pick anyone from the crowd and they''ll attest." "Y-you can''t let me go. You need my strength.¡± Irisughed. "You see nothing but your pride in front of you." ¡°B-but you said¡ª¡± ¡°I have indeed acknowledged your strength, Mister Kane, but I have never acknowledged you to be the sole option.¡± ¡°You told me I was irreceable.¡± ¡°Nonsense, you foolish brute. You asked me if you were irreceable but if you have actually listened to my answer instead of basking in your own delusions, you would know that I have neither affirmed nor denied your question,¡± Iris said with acent smile. ¡°Y-you vile merchants¡­ I should have known better.¡± Kane twisted his expression. ¡°Is this how you conduct businesses? I¡¯m disappointed, Umbrum.¡± ¡°Vile and disappointing, how ironic, Mister Kane.¡± Iris chuckled. ¡°I have heard everything about you from the Guild and the locals. They told me everything and I¡¯m sure my fellow peers are told the same thing. You of all people have the least liberty tobel another person as vile and disappointing.¡± As the situation escted at a rapid pace, Erin and Nivia were looking at each other in the eyes, questioning each other of their next course of action. More than that, Erin had a strange inkling of finding Iris¡¯ personality familiar to someone she knew but she couldn¡¯t quite put a finger on it. ¡°Impudent bitch...¡± Kane was gritting his teeth and his grip trembling around the hilt of his sword. ¡°You took me for apliant fool, do you?¡± His henchmen were long gone before anyone knew. They didn¡¯t think arguing with Iris was worth their livelihood but Kane being the egotistical person he was, there was no way he would just back down. ¡°You did jump at the first mention of gold so¡­ yes. I consider you apliant fool,¡± Iris answered with a widening smile. And that was thest straw. Kane bellowed and brandished his sword at Iris. Everyone gasped except for Erin and Nivia. ¡°You¡¯re right. He really does have the potential,¡± Nivia whispered quietly to Erin. Erin simply rolled her eyes at Nivia¡¯s petty snark. Kane raised his sword, prepared to strike down on Iris but the Umbrum herself waved for her guards to stay at their position. And Kane swung down with a cry of indignance. ¡ªbut his de stopped short of touching even a strand of Iris¡¯ dark purplish hair. ¡°W-what...!?¡± Perplexity rained on Kane¡¯s expression. ¡°Space magic¡­ Impressive,¡± Nivia remarked. ¡°And I thought Umbrums have terrible affinity with space-type magic.¡± Erin widened her eyes as realization dawned. She wanted to appraise the spell used but she couldn¡¯t and she didn¡¯t need to. She recognized that feeling of that particr surge of magic as the spell was cast. ¡°Erin?¡± Nivia shook her slightly when she noticed the Fox-kin¡¯s nk expression. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not Iris. She didn¡¯t cast that spell.¡± ¡°Then who did?¡± Before Erin could answer¡ª ¡°And they tell me to watch my tongue,¡± came a voice from behind Iris. The owner of the voice was a boy, nay, a man of short stature with dark red hair. His trousers and tunic were obviously put on without much consideration to his own appearance. There were red marks all over his neck and exposed shoulder. His disheveled hair further enhanced the notion of his nightly activity. Erin frowned at the sight of such an appearance. She even found herself blinking repeatedly. ¡°Oh my, how fortuitous. You¡¯re finally awake,¡± Iris beamed at the Dwarrow¡¯s presence. ¡°It¡¯s brunch now. You slept long.¡± ¡°Thanks to your zeal in these past few nights,¡± he said with a groan as he stretched his neck. Erin had been so focused on Iris and Kane that she failed to register the familiar scent lingering around the Umbrum herself and now, she was gifted with a big surprise. ¡°Aedan?¡± Nivia uttered his name before Erin could. Aedan noddedzily. ¡°Oh, good morning,¡± he greeted wearily. 2-3 Iris 2-3 Iris A tent of the finest material gold could ever buy was pitched in the approximate center of the town¡¯s za, amidst the heart of the impromptu market. It may have been only a tent but just from a single nce of the twenty feet tall tent, even a fool could tell it held more mary and artistic value than the whole town itself. The tent¡¯s appearance wasn¡¯t merely a spectacle to be adored. The fabric used was fire resistant and could withstand cuts from almost all kinds of des. It would take at least an intermediate level of attack spell to even inflict a scratch on the fabric. This grandiose tent was the temporary residence of the Umbrum, Iris, a merchant whose name and reputation sent shivers down the spines of even the royalties. The interior of the tent was as opulent as its exterior. The space was norger than a room in Emerald Inn but the furnishings within humbled the ones in the rooms of Emerald Inn. Erin found herself exuding sighs of admiration and amazement. She had thought the Guild Master¡¯s office was the definition of luxury but this tent shifted her opinion by a huge margin. ¡°Wee to my humble abode,¡± Iris greeted as she sat slovenly on a floor cushion. There were two extra floor cushions prepared just in front of her which she gestured for Nivia and Erin to take a seat. Erin nced sideways at Nivia. The Elf nodded in response. Nivia epted Iris¡¯ offer with a small mutter of her gratitude before taking a seat on the right. Erin followed suit a little after, sitting on the left. With the two seated, Iris pped her hands and an elderly woman, in what seemed to be a maid attire, came into the tent shortly after. The elderly woman poured all of them some red tea apanied with square-shaped biscuits on the side that were too sweet for Erin¡¯s taste. After serving all four of them, the elderly promptly took her leave after giving Iris a quick bow. Erin looked over to Aedan who had made himself home in Iris¡¯ abode before even the host herself had adjusted herself to her seat. Aedan was sitting with both of his knees on a floor cushion. At first nce, Aedan¡¯s sitting posture seemed like a man in penance, but upon a closer nce of his impassive expression, Erin was convinced Aedan was just being odd as usual. He was nibbling the biscuits away without a care to the heavy mood drowning the room. Much like always, Erin just couldn¡¯t figure out what was going through his head. ¡°What will happen to Kane?¡± Nivia asked, breaking the silence between them. Only then, Erin shifted her mind back to the matter of Kane, who was dragged off by Iris¡¯ personal guards after his attempts at assaulting her. Although Erin herself wasn¡¯t too fond of the ruffian, the oue was simply too pitiful even for the likes of Kane. He had wronged a person who in likely hood wielded as much power as a king of a nation. His misdeeds would now spread far and wide. His name would forever be in the mud. A quick death would be considered as a blessing for him at this point. Iris chuckled at the Elf''s question, taking a sip of her red tea. After letting out a sigh of delight, she answered, ¡°he will be let off with a stern warning that a second chance will not be given.¡± "Second chance, my foot," Erin remarked silently. ¡°How unexpectedly generous of you,¡± Nivia uttered with a firm re on the grinning Umbrum. ¡°After all the tales I have heard of you, a second chance is the least I expected from you.¡± ¡°I did let your friend over there off from appraising me without my consent, didn¡¯t I?¡± Iris retorted with her grin still painted on her face. Erin refrained herself from grimacing. ¡°Yes, I heard.¡± Nivia nodded. Her gaze then turned to Aedan who was sipping away his tea without minding the conversation happening in front of him. Nivia could tell he had no intentions to be here but since he was here, Nivia wasn''t about to ignore an edge she could use in this exchange. ¡°I¡¯m guessing he¡¯s the reason for your pardoning of Erin¡¯s misguided conduct?¡± ¡°Misguided conduct?¡± Iris tittered without bothering to cover her mouth. ¡°What she did is certainly rude but considering she isn¡¯t aware of the ethics behind it, I won¡¯t be so harsh on her. However, you are right in one matter. Aedan did have a hand in the cause of my lenience. In fact, it was more than just a hand." A licentious smile touched her lips. Aedan murmured wordlessly with the same passive expression but obviously annoyed from the aura he exuded. Seeing the Umbrum''s suggestive gestures, the image of Aedan and Iris entangled in a heated embrace surfaced in Erin''s mind. The picture in her head hit her harder than any punch she had ever received. She was extremely appalled and restrained herself from flinching. She quickly banished that line of thought. She had always hated people who were casual about rtionships but with everything that happened recently, she began to find herself unqualified tobel others as such. Normally, she would, without hesitation, stop associating herself with these manner of individuals. Still, she gazed at the disguised Dragon-kin with a soured expression, unable to pry her furrowed gaze from him. ¡°So the rumors are true then,¡± said Nivia. ¡°Rumors, huh,¡± Iris mused. ¡°Nothing new to me. I am familiar with thousands of those. You have to be more specific than that in order for me to affirm or deny these rumors you speak of.¡± ¡°You take just about any men to bed as long as they have uses.¡± Irisughed. It wasn¡¯t a chuckle. It was augh without any attempts to restrain it. Erin eyed Aedan for his response but as usual, he was indifferent but she never took him for a man of few words. He wascking his snarky remarks. Not that Erin could say it out loud considering she was also being uncharacteristically silent. ¡°Maybe he¡¯s trying to avoid getting roped into a problem that isn¡¯t his,¡± Erin guessed the reason in her heart. She remembered Aedan did try to excuse himself away at first but locking his arm with her own, Iris dragged him into the tent as she invited Erin herself and Nivia to her tent under the proposition to discuss business. Even now, Erin had no idea why Iris insisted on Aedan joining them. ¡°Forgive me, mdy but did you find my words humorous?¡± Nivia asked. ¡°Not exactly your words but more of your gullibility. I expected better from a Fae.¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying the rumors are false?¡± ¡°Rumors are often just exaggerated truths or fabrications by the envious ones. I do take men to bed and sometimes they take me to theirs but then again, I¡¯m threefold of your age, Lady Nivia, and I¡¯m no Fae. It¡¯s not strange for me to have a few past lovers. As libertine as it sounds, I do have standards and preferences in choosing my partner. Does that clear up your misconception of me?¡± ¡°Not all of it,¡± Nivia muttered dryly as she finally took a sip from her tea. ¡°I find it hard to believe that you would take a Dwarrow of all people to bed.¡± ¡°Ah yes, I understand now.¡± Iris disyed a grin briefly at Erin. ¡°It¡¯s one of those widely known rumors, ain¡¯t it? Faerie-kin and the Dwarrows don¡¯t see eye to eye, or something like that. I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s more than just rumors.¡± Nivia offered no words but a mere re that stabbed deep into Iris¡¯ facade and intentions. Erin said nothing in response. During her lessons with Nivia, she was reminded again and again how the Fae and Dwarrows had a cold rtionship with one another since the time of their ancestors. Despite the rough friction between the two, it never escted to the extent of physical conflict. The quarrels never went beyond bouts of wits. ¡°While I can understand your sentiment about Dwarrows, albeit not fully,¡± Iris sneaked a nce at Aedan before continuing, ¡°Aedan and I have known each other for a long time. And it appears that we arepatible with our body, mind, and spirit.¡± Nivia¡¯s expression froze on the spot whereas Erin widened her gaze at Aedan. The Dragon-kin himself rolled his eyes and then red at the Umbrum with indignance. Iris chuckled at Aedan¡¯s piercing gaze. ¡°If only you also showed this kind of eyes in bed.¡± Aedan sighed in exasperation with his head down, shaking in defeat. ¡°Oh my,¡± Iris muttered, putting her finger to her mouth but intentionally failed to hide her grin. ¡°You didn¡¯t tell them?¡± Nivia stared fixedly at Aedan. ¡°Does your father know?¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t,¡± Aedan answered inly. ¡°But I think he does now. As you can see, Iris here doesn¡¯t exactly have any intention of hiding it.¡± ¡°So you have a rtionship with an Umbrum and it¡¯s that kind of rtionship.¡± Nivia scoffed. ¡°How vulgar. Didn¡¯t know you were this low.¡± ¡°Keep your Elven ethics to yourself. Even if I slept with every woman in this town, it¡¯s still not your problem or issue to take offense to.¡± Aedan turned his re to Iris. ¡°You brought them here for business purposes. I assume you are going to start talking about that at some point?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I guess I had my fun.¡± Iris giggled. ¡°Now, for the boring part.¡± Erin hated Iris even more now. She never had a good feeling about her ever since they first met and this just further justified her unfounded dislike towards the Umbrum. But another kind of dark feeling was blooming in her heart, one that she had yet to be aware of and would never acknowledge it even if she did. ¡°You Umbrums are as unsavory as they all say,¡± Nivia remarked. ¡°I guess we are but we¡¯re not going to put our personal feelings into business, are we?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be the judge of that. For now, speak your mind.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± Iris cleared her throat. ¡°I would like to hire the two of you as my guards.¡± ¡°No,¡± came the quick answer from Nivia. ¡°I figured you''d say that but what if I say the rewards will be something that benefit your kind greatly?¡± Nivia narrowed her eyes. ¡°What kind of reward could you possibly give that would benefit the Faerie-kin?¡± ¡°As humans always say, knowledge is power. That is my reward.¡± ¡°Information?¡± Nivia questioned. ¡°Information of what?¡± ¡°I have heard that recently, a band of Elves from your home forest had disappeared during their hunt. Your people suspect this to be the doing of ve traders.¡± Erin felt a shiver down her spine but it was no fear that made her skin crawl. It was anger. ve was a sanctioned practice back in her former world but in this world, she learned from Lyra and Nivia that very was prohibited in almost every nation safe for the southern nations. Even so, Erin was never an advocate for very. In fact, she was on theplete opposite of advocacy. ¡°And I will tell you this as a gift, your people¡¯s guess is indeed correct, and I know who took them and where did they take them to.¡± ¡°These are Elven lives you¡¯re ying with.¡± Nivia narrowed her gaze. ¡°You think I¡¯ll just stand by and let you use them as bartering chips?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t patronize me,¡± Iris retorted ruefully. ¡°I¡¯m a businesswoman and this has always been a cold and harsh world. I did not get here by being nice and fair, and I certainly won''t¡¯ get any further if I start being nice and fair now.¡± Erin could feel Nivia¡¯s rage brimming but the Elf herself still wore a t expression. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re no stranger to information trading, Lady Nivia.¡± Iris took a bite of a biscuit before continuing. ¡°You can drop your pretense and cease your pointless efforts in intimidating me. Let¡¯s hear your answer, shall we?¡± ¡°You¡¯re willing to give us such valuable information in exchange for a simple escort service?¡± ¡°Simple?¡± Iris chuckled, her gaze turning to Erin. ¡°Tell me, my foxy friend, would you call your experience of yourst quest simple?¡± ¡°H-how did you¡ª¡± Erin stuttered. Aedan rolled his eyes but still stayed silent. ¡°Oh my, I¡¯m being underestimated. How remiss of a Fae.¡± An expected titter followed. Nivia bore a response simr to Erin¡¯s. Nivia had already been told about Erin¡¯s excursion to the vige. Erin recalled how Nivia was close to drawing her swords at the Guild Master at that time for putting Erin into such a danger and not informing her about it, but Erin herself was able to calm the Elf down before anything was blown out of proportions. ¡°The Guild kept it a secret. The only ones who knew of this were¡ª¡± The Elf¡¯s gaze drew to Aedan. ¡°Don¡¯t look at him like that. He hadn¡¯t told me a single thing about it. Your suspicions are misced and so are your expectations.¡± Nivia¡¯s gaze turned cold. ¡°Care to borate your words?¡± ¡°I will apud the Guild for their efforts in trying to keep this all a secret but it¡¯s foolish of them if they think they could hide such important informationpletely from everyone. What would ever happen if this information leaked to the town, I wonder.¡± ¡°Is this a veiled threat?¡± Erin spoke up with a ring tone. She could no longer keep her silent. Her hands weren¡¯t near her swords but everyone in the room could tell she was ready to draw at any moment. Nivia subtly tugged on Erin¡¯s sleeve, whispering for her to stand down. Even Aedan began to eye Erin cautiously. ¡°Heavens no,¡± Iris denied. ¡°I have no such intentions. I¡¯m merely being truthful with the two of you here but that¡¯s besides the point. These are dangerous times and it¡¯s my miscalction that I didn¡¯t prepare for this. Now, I seek to amend that mistake.¡± ¡°Why us?¡± Erin questioned further. ¡°Who else besides you two? Nivia is the highest level adventurer in town and you my foxy friend, I can tell the swords by your hips are no ornaments. And your eyes; no novices have those kinds of eyes filled with so much anger and yet, so still. Aposed rage, you¡¯re an absolute delight the more I get to know you. But enough about you, what say the two of you? Do you ept my offer?¡± ¡°Hmm...¡± Erin mused. She turned to Nivia, who was equally musing on the offer, gauging for her answer. ¡°We¡¯ll have to think about it,¡± Nivia answered. ¡°You best be quick then. The caravan¡¯s leaving in two days.¡± Iris¡¯ grin widened. ¡°If you think the reward is insufficient, I might throw in something extra. Gold, metals, Monster Cores, or even women, if that¡¯s what you prefer.¡± Herst words were directed at Erin. Nivia twisted her brows as she red. ¡°We have no personal need for those extra items which will invite nothing but curious eyes and wicked hands.¡± ¡°Ah, there it is. The infamous selflessness of a Fae. Your kind¡¯s self-righteousness is always thrilling to behold.¡± Nivia stood up abruptly and stared down at Iris. ¡°If that¡¯s all you have to say, then I shall take my leave. As for your offer, we will consider it. Good day, Lady Iris. Come on, Erin. Let¡¯s not waste a second more in this awful abode.¡± She said and left the tent without a nce back at the hostess. Erin quickly gave her departure greeting and followed after Nivia in a hurry. **** It was a few minutes after Nivia and Erin¡¯s departure. Iris was still sitting slovenly on the floor cushion but her expression had changed. Gone was her smug with a contemting face that oozes off professionalism recing its ce. ¡°Sorry for dragging you into this,¡± Iris said, lowering head towards Aedan. ¡°Hmm,¡± the Dragon-kin responded with a faint murmur. ¡°The Elf¡­ she¡¯s cunning. She¡¯s not as impulsive and high-strung as she supposedly unintentionally let on.¡± ¡°She¡¯s an Elf. Believing an Elf to be naive is in itself, ironically, naive.¡± Aedan was still nibbling away on the biscuits without sparing Iris a nce. ¡°And the fox; she¡¯s reckless but¡­ she learns quite fast and most of all, astutely observant. How unexpected of her, for one who used her Appraisal skill without much thought. And also, she hates you. The others merely found you disagreeable but she really hates your guts.¡± ¡°Thanks to you,¡± Aedan retorted dryly. ¡°We were actually warming up to each other.¡± ¡°Oh my¡­ were the two of you¡ª¡± ¡°No, we¡¯re not,¡± Aedan refuted firmly. ¡°Before you ask, I have neither fucked her. She doesn¡¯t even like men.¡± Iris chuckled. ¡°Since when has that ever stopped you from bringing a woman to bed?¡± ¡°Since decades ago. And that was just one time and the girl was curious about the touch of a man.¡± ¡°Well, if that¡¯s your im, who am I to refute?¡± Her chuckles continued. ¡°Anyways, I¡¯m really surprised that you haven¡¯t bedded both of them or even one of them. What¡¯s more surprising is that you have left your old ways. You have really changed.¡± ¡°Yeah, time does that to people.¡± ¡°So...¡± Iris stammered on her next sentence, contemting on her choice of words. ¡°Do they know?¡± ¡°The Fox-kin does,¡± Aedan answered. ¡°...And I think the Elf has some suspicions.¡± ¡°The fox does? You told her?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± Aedan shook his head. ¡°She found it on her own with her Appraisal skill.¡± ¡°She did? How¡¯s that possible?¡± Iris focused her gaze on Aedan. ¡°Not even I can see your stats.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think she can see everything. Just bits of it.¡± ¡°Still, even bits of it is quite impressive. Intriguing, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡± ¡°Intriguing it may be, I¡¯m still not interested enough to bother myself with it,¡± Aedan said and was about to stand up but Iris had approached him and kept his rear rooted on his seat. Apparently, she had crawled towards him on all fours, eyeing him seductively. ¡°Say¡­ can¡¯t you stay for a bit longer?¡± Iris pleaded with a deep alluring gaze. ¡°It has been a long time since west met.¡± ¡°We went at it hard every night since I came back. You¡¯re still not satisfied?¡± ¡°I am satisfied,¡± she said as she snuggled close to him. ¡°But thinking that I could only feel this warmth for two more days, I want to enjoy it now as much as possible. Unless of course, you changed your mind and wish toe with me?¡± ¡°You know that¡¯s not going to happen.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Iris blinked. ¡°Aside from the asional aberrant happenings, isn¡¯t it too mundane in Green Scar for most times?¡± ¡°I like the peace and quiet. I had enough conflict. I don¡¯t mind it if it¡¯s once in a long while but on a constant basis, no thanks.¡± Iris sighed. ¡°Well, nothing more I can say now, can I? Then allow me to savor what little time I have with you left.¡± She pulled him close to her face with her fingers locked behind his neck. ¡°It¡¯s almost noon. I have work to attend to.¡± ¡°Ah right, you¡¯re a smith now, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I just watch the shop.¡± ¡°But you do know your ways around the forge, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter.¡± He pushed her away. ¡°I have to go now.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ fine.¡± Iris let her hands off, reluctantly. ¡°But be prepared for tonight.¡± Aedan merely murmured a vague response as he put on his clothes before taking his leave, leaving Iris to her own device. ¡°To think someone else could grip his attention this much¡­ Erin you¡¯re really interesting...¡± Iris muttered to herself as she licked her lips. ¡°Extremely so.¡± 2-4 Conferred 2-4 Conferred After Erin and Nivia left the za, hassles were there to greet them at the next street they turned into. They ran into merchants who were very persistent with their sales pitch. Erin even felt obligated to apud them for their vehemence. Their pitch would have been sessful had their products been liquors, but it had been jewelries and trinkets instead. When the merchants noticed the futility in praising their products, they were quick to shift their tactics. They became incessant and excessive inplimenting Erin¡¯s appearance, of how their products would make her into a fairer beauty. The ferocity of these merchants were quelled when Erin let her annoyance show on her tails and ears. Though she had never liked how her tails gave away her emotions but now, she had never been more grateful of her extra body features. No merchants dare approach them afterwards. Due to their unexpected encounter with Iris, they had no more time to spare getting side-tracked. And the festive streets weren¡¯t being helpful. They would have reached the Guild earlier had it not been for the numerous stalls clogging up the streets. It was hellish for Erin to navigate through. She offered her apologies whenever her tails grazed past some random passers-by. She ignored those who thanked her when tails brushed past them. When they arrived at the Guild, it was a few minutes past noon. Once a Guild staff took notice of their arrival, Erin and Nivia were escorted to the room just beside the Guild Master¡¯s office. As always, Erin¡¯s presence drew the gazes of many. She even received gasps of awe from the newly arrived adventurers. Inside the room adjacent to the Guild Master¡¯s office, was Geron himself and surprisingly, Aedan was present too. His unkempt appearance while donning a formal garb was indicative of his presence being unarranged. The father and son were sitting apart from one another at a long table. Array of dishes were spread out on the table, dishes that Erin would never dream to have with the current amount of her funds. She was rtively well-off from the reward of her expedition but it was still nowhere near the amount where she could spend it willy nilly without a single care, much less on such expensive dishes. The dishes were mostly meat and mainly chicken, a sure sign of luxury. Commoners would never dream of using their chickens as dishes as the chickens were valuable in providing eggs. Only one who could throw caution into the wind regarding their funds could afford a chicken as a dish. Despite the magnificent dishes, the furnishing in the room cast a shade of humility for Erin after witnessing the Umbrum, Iris¡¯ abode. The Guild itself was considerably wealthy but Iris was on another level with her personal treasury. It truly made Erin realize just howrge of a difference in their wealth between Iris and the Guild. ¡°Good afternoon, Lady Erin, Lady Nivia,¡± Geron greeted as he rose from his chair. ¡°Please have a seat.¡± He gestured. Erin and Nivia returned the greeting in kind before moving to the chair they were gestured to. Erin was still a bit ufortable towards being called a ¡°Lady¡±. At the request of Nivia and given Erin¡¯s recent feats, the Guild had taken the liberty to address her as Lady Erin out of respect and recognition. It went without saying Aedan remained seated throughout the brief exchange of greetings, incurring a disapproving re from Geron. After Geron took his seat, the two Fae followed. While Erin just let herself fall into her chair, Nivia took the effort to gracefully bend her knees, lean forward, before gently cing her posterior down on her seat. Her delicate and elegant actions left an embarrassed blush on Erin. Aedan stifled a chuckle at the sight, earning him another re, but from Erin this time. ¡°I hope you can forgive me for my son¡¯s impudence,¡± Geron said with a wry smile. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, Mister Geron,¡± Nivia responded, returning a smile. ¡°We have known each other for a long time. This is just as usual.¡± ¡°The person who should be apologizing is your son, not you, Mister Geron,¡± Erin jabbed, with her eyes locked on the disinterested Aedan. She could hear his faint mutters, musing on the purpose of his presence at this luncheon. ¡°A parent is to me for their child¡¯s mistake.¡± Geron stared warmly at Erin. ¡°The fault lies with me for failing in educating my son.¡± ¡°Alright, fine!¡± Aedan spoke up, in a tone that astonished the two Fae. ¡°I apologized for my behavior and I aim to not repeat it again.¡± Erin had always thought it to be weird on how someone younger could be the father of someone older. Now she understood how. Despite the absence of blood rtions, they were just like a child and their parent. Erin chuckled furtively at this thought. ¡°Is Miss Lyra unavable?¡± Geron asked after ncing around. ¡°She is upied at the moment,¡± Erin answered. ¡°Is she needed too?¡± ¡°Not necessarily the case,¡± Geron said. ¡°I¡¯m just surprised as the two of you were always together. Well, we can put aside those matters forter. For now, let¡¯s not let this wonderful meal go to waste. Please, help yourself.¡± At the elderly Dwarrow¡¯s beckoning, they began dining on the fine dishes set before them. Erin fought back a tear when she had her first bite. The tender meat burst in her mouth with its juice, filling her tongue vor and spices. The gravyplemented the meat well and the vegetables on the side staved off the heavy aftertaste. For Nivia¡¯s case, her dish was less than impressive in appearance with only a bowl of mashed leaves. However, the aroma it exuded was enough for Erin to know Nivia¡¯s dish was also a delicacy like the other dishes. Everyone was savoring their food in silence. Erin sneaked a nce at Aedan. Her brows perked when she saw his expression. Unlike the usual indifferent face, he was wearing a faint and gentle smile. His cheeks were undting as he savored his meal. Gone was all the haughty air around him, reced by a warmth of humility. Nivia was frowning at such a sight, clearly disturbed at the vast gap of personality. Ultimately, she said nothing of it and focused on her own meal. After the main dish, they were then served red tea which held a milder fragrant scent than Erin had expected. Once again, reminding Erin of Iris¡¯ superiority in her wealth. ¡°Now, I¡¯m sure the two of you understand the purpose of my invitation?¡± Geron said after taking the first sip of his tea. Erin and Nivia nodded. Aedan raised an eyebrow. ¡°Looks like Aedan wasn¡¯t in the know of Geron¡¯s intention. Surprising.¡± ¡°Things are rtively peaceful for now after that incident with the vige. Our culprit is likely being cautious with their next move. But the problem still persists. Monsters are still at their dwindled quantity. Goblins are still organized with their movements. Besides that, nothing else stood out.¡± ¡°The calm before the storm, I bet.¡± ¡°However, here¡¯s where things went uphill. Justst night, we received both interesting and disturbing news from the other branches near Green Scar.¡± Erin¡¯s eyes and ears perked at Geron¡¯s words. ¡°The other branches have also encountered the same aberrations. Goblins being smarter than they usually are, dwindling numbers of monsters, and monsters being stronger than they are supposed to be, just to name a few. Their adventurers encounter these unusually powerful monsters with a rod of some kind lodged deep into certain parts of their body. However, the monsters were swallowed by what could only be described as, blood-soaked lightning, destroying the rod itself. Nothing was left to be collected as evidence.¡± ¡°This has be a grave issue,¡± Nivia remarked. ¡°It has,¡± Geron affirmed. ¡°There are whispers that the kingdom itself will be taking action.¡± ¡°Kingdom?¡± Erin blurted out. ¡°Yes, the kingdom. We¡¯re in the Yorun Kingdom which Green Scar is a part of,¡± Nivia exined. This was the first time she heard of this. She was surprised but after giving some thought, it was only logical that she was in some kingdom. There was no way a small town like this would be its own power. ¡°Moreover, the Ruvans have sent out their pdins after they had somehow picked up on the necromancy usage from that expedition you and Lyra were part of.¡± ¡°Ruvans?¡± Erin heard another unfamiliar term. ¡°Ruvanian. Largest faith in the west,¡± Aedan exined, his chin perched on his fist and his elbow resting on the table. ¡°Ruva is the Goddess they pray to. Their sole light and hope in this dark and harsh world, as how the preaching goes.¡± ¡°Going by your expressions and tone, their involvement is undesired?¡± Erin asked. Aedan chuckled softly. "More than undesired. Pdins in general are feared for their prowess and abilities. Most of all, they are rumored to be... immortal." "Immortal?" "It is said to be the blessings from their Gods. Pdins can''t be killed." "I''m surprised there''s no quarrel about this. Isn''t being a pdin too enticing?" "It''s merely a rumor, officially, since the church have neither affirmed or denied anything. And Pdin is not a fate meant for everyone. Hundreds of people participated in the trials to be a Pdin but only up to three participants out of the hundreds have ever seeded." "They sound popr enough but I don''t hear a reason for the scorn. So why is the Ruvan Pdins'' involvement undesirable?" ¡°The pdins of Ruvans are some of the mostmitted and unwavering crusaders,¡± Aedan continued his exnations. ¡°They deemed the world to be a ck and white issue. If you¡¯re on the ck side, your head can bid farewell to your body when you chance upon them. If you¡¯re on the white side, they treat you as their family or at the very least, their closest friend.¡± Erin shivered from the mere thoughts of these overly-devoted believers. Zealots weren¡¯t something she was unustomed to but she could never understand how someone could be so single-minded with their beliefs. It was a very suffocating way to live, she thought. ¡°Ha¡­ What am I saying? I¡¯m no better. It was the result of my single-mindedness that led me to the title of Sword Saint. Guess this is why I know it¡¯s a very suffocating way to live...¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the worst part, Lady Erin,¡± Geron continued. ¡°Ruvans have an averse perception towards non-humans.¡± A human supremacy group, something Erin was also not unustomed to. ¡°They don¡¯t actively show their hostility but the distrust is there. Some are even petty to the degree that if a Demi-human looked them the wrong way, theyid out some extreme punishment with some poorly-concocted excuse in the name of their goddess.¡± ¡°They killed them?¡± Erin asked. ¡°If they¡¯re feeling merciful, yes. But they have been worse; they mutte them.¡± ¡°Disgraceful,¡± Erin spat. ¡°Some faith they are.¡± ¡°This is how the world always have been, my dear Erin,¡± Nivia said. ¡°But thankfully, the Ruvans aren¡¯t fools. They won¡¯t do anything rash towards Fae.¡± ¡°They won¡¯t?¡± ¡°Incurring the ire of an individual Fae is not a huge problem, but earning the ire of the Fae as a whole, is the same as getting disfavored by the Spirits. Spirits are part of nature and what do you think would happen if nature scorns you?¡± Erin gulped in response. No more words needed to be said, she understood the implications. Geron pped his hands, gathering their attention. ¡°Now, for the better news.¡± ¡°Good news?¡± Nivia questioned. ¡°You can see it as such. The closest branch to Green Scar is in Maven''s Creek. Their main trade is the freshwater fishes from their rivers. The branch over there has a Seer.¡± Before Erin could ask, Nivia was already exining the term to her. ¡°Individuals who are sensitive towards magic. They are as rare as people who have Appraisal. They can predict the future, see into the past, or simply get a wide nce at the present. Most of all, they are good at tracing magic, which they are mostly known for.¡± ¡°Tracing magic?¡± Geron took out an object wrapped in cloth from his coat pocket. As heid it gently onto the table and unfold it, Erin realized it was the Magic Ry rod. ¡°Ah, I see.¡± Nivia nodded. ¡°This Seer of theirs, they could help track down the source with this rod.¡± ¡°Yes, that is my hope. The magic in this rod is strong but the lingering trace won¡¯tst forever. We need to get this to the Seer as soon as possible.¡± Erin rubbed her chin. ¡°I¡¯m sensing a catch.¡± Geron nodded. ¡°Getting to Maven''s Creek will take a few days. The path isn¡¯t harsh, it¡¯s a straight line through a long hill range but¡­ there¡¯s no telling what sort of unexpected dangers awaits. This rod is a loose end. They would definitelye for it if they can.¡± ¡°What are you getting at?¡± ¡°Travel in arge group, it will be safer that way. The merchant caravans will be departing in two days. I hear some of the merchants are hiring adventurers to be their guards for the trip to Maven¡¯s Creek.¡± Erin and Nivia exchanged nces. ¡°Questions?¡± Geron asked. ¡°They were offered that exact position by Iris.¡± It was Aedan who answered. ¡°When was this?¡± ¡°Just this morning. I was there too.¡± ¡°Yes, you were.¡± Erin red. ¡°Fromst night until dawn, you were there. Never took the rumors of your casual indulgences to be true.¡± Aedan frowned. ¡°Have I done something to offend you recently?¡± ¡°Have you?¡± Erin shot back. ¡°So the rumors I have been hearing about are true.¡± Geron shifted his gaze to Aedan. ¡°You do have that kind of rtionship with Lady Iris.¡± Aedan rolled his eyes. ¡°You disapprove?¡± ¡°You are aware that she¡¯s not the kind of woman who would be faithful or serious with her partners, aren¡¯t you? And please remember her status. One wrong move or one wrong word with her, this whole town will be done for.¡± ¡°I am well aware of that,¡± Aedan retorted. ¡°We both are aware of that. Lest you forgot, I was once just as fickle as her.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t forgotten about that, Aedan.¡± Geron¡¯s tone turned grim. ¡°Because of you, we were almost chased out of town by the chief.¡± ¡°Ohe on. I¡¯m not the only one in town who has bedded Maria. Also, she came unto me herself. I didn¡¯t even try to tempt her.¡± ¡°You of all people couldn¡¯t refuse or even resist?¡± Aedan paused for a while. ¡°Well, she was very persuasive and very¡­ inviting, I¡¯m sure Erin here will agree with me.¡± ¡°Aedan!¡± Geron shouted. Aedan turned silent immediately but not the least repentant. Geron sighed. ¡±A thousand apologies, mdy.¡± ¡°Think nothing of it, Mister Geron,¡± Erin responded. ¡°Those words are what I havee to expect from him.¡± ¡°I appreciate your generous pardon, Lady Erin.¡± She wasn¡¯t being generous. She just wanted to get this over with. Having a bout of words with Aedan was as futile as setting water on fire. ¡°May I request a favor, Mister Geron?¡± Nivia asked after remaining in silence for quite a while. ¡°Oh? What that might be, Lady Nivia?¡± ¡°I¡¯m thinking of taking Iris¡¯ offer.¡± Erin cocked her gaze at the Elf, her eyes widened. ¡°And where does the favore in?¡± ¡°I want the Guild to be the mediator.¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± Geron nodded in understanding. ¡°Lady Iris isn¡¯t exactly known to be untrustworthy, in business aspects, but having the Guild as the mediator does give a lot of assurance. However, in the end, it¡¯s still up to Lady Iris¡¯ discretion on the Guild¡¯s involvement.¡± ¡°If she is true to her words regarding her offer, she will have no reason to refute the Guild¡¯s involvement. It only further entuates her sincerity with her offer. The mediator cost would just be pocket change with that amount of wealth of hers.¡± ¡°Very well, Lady Nivia. The Guild shall mediate for you and Lady Erin.¡± Erin was bewildered. Nivia once again proved she wasn¡¯t just some obsessive stalker. Her impression of the Elf rose but only until the Elf herself shed Erin an expression that exuded the subtle aura of ¡°praise me¡±. Erin could only smile wryly. ¡°Sven needs me back at the shop, father. May I take my leave?¡± Geron sighed and gave him his permission. As soon as Aedan had left, Erin asked the one question she was itching to ask but Nivia beat her to it. ¡°What was the purpose of his presence, if you don¡¯t mind me asking, Mister Geron?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t anything important,¡± he told her. ¡°It¡¯s just the foolish wish of a parent. Don¡¯t mind it.¡± Nivia failed to pick up on the elderly Dwarrows undertone but Erin left her mouth agape at his words. Geron faked a cough. ¡°Anyways, there is onest item I want to address.¡± Noticing his eyes focused on her, Erin asked, ¡°is it something to do with me?¡± ¡°Let me be the first to congratte you, Lady Erin. The Guild hase to a verdict. Your feats of yourst expedition have been acknowledged by even the higher officials.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ I¡¯m grateful for the praises?¡± ¡°You showed bravery in the face of a despairing situation,¡± Geron continued. ¡°You showed skills under odds that were against your favor. This verdict of the Guild isn¡¯t unjust and unattested. ¡± ¡°It couldn¡¯t be...¡± Nivia gasped. Geron smiled. ¡°Lady Erin, from today onwards, you are now a starred-adventurer. Congrattions.¡± 2-5 Joshua 2-5 Joshua The streets near the edges of the town were once barren with only a handful amount of people. These streets were now brimming with an overflowing crowd that was even spilling into the alleys. This was in part thanks to the various stalls that were set up by the merchants from the caravan. These parts of the offhand market were of the most inexpensive where even a child could buy something with their meagre wages which was why it was the most packed part of the offhand market. Lyra couldn''t help but reminisce about Erin''s reaction to such a crowd. They were on their first outing after the excursion. Erin¡¯s grimace, her rigidly waving tails, her perked ears, it was all oddly satisfying to behold, something Lyra kept it a secret to herself. Even now, she tittered at the recollection. Although Lyraughed, she didn¡¯t hold a much different opinion than Erin towards a dense crowd. Celia and her were sauntering through this particr street, hand in hand, after they were finished with their breakfast from an eatery just around the corner of this street. ¡°Wow...¡± Celia gasped in awe. She trod close to Lyra. ¡°There¡¯s so many people.¡± ¡°Aye, there¡¯s a lot,¡± Lyra muttered dryly. ¡°Unfortunately.¡± Lyra had a visible expression of disgust but she hid it whenever Celia¡¯s nce turned to her to express her excitement. Lyra saw crowds as a trial and an insufferable thing to women. She could see it in most of the men¡¯s eyes, nearly every one of them was eager to grope a feel of a woman¡¯s tender thighs or rear. If caught in the act, they put on the hat of a victim. For the worse ones, they even return the me back to the victim. Fortunately, she had yet to encounter such a man in this town. Or none dared to offend the close acquaintance of a Fae. Lyra didn¡¯t have such luck when she was in the town before this. Many men had gotten away with their misdeeds and even her then-lover wasn¡¯t much help. Hecked spine in the moment that mattered the most. ¡°Get the fuck out of my head! I¡¯m done with you!¡± Lyra screamed internally for the image of her past lover to go away. She managed to calm herself down before Celia could take notice of her mild plight. To avoid any mishaps of an ¡°idental¡± harassment, Lyra donned herself and Celia in cloaks. It wouldn¡¯tpletely prevent their attempts but it would feel less appalling should it happen. While Lyra stayed vignt of these opportunists, Celia was throwing her gaze everywhere, fascinated with every stall that came into her view. Catching sight of the assorted colors disyed on the stand, Celia trotted briskly and merrily to the booth. Lyra let herself be dragged along by Celia¡¯s tiny hand willingly. ¡°Lara, Lara!¡± Celia called out energetically. Lyra had long given up trying to correct Celia¡¯s mispronunciation. It was cute, so she didn¡¯t mind it all that much. ¡°Look! Look! What are these?¡± ¡°These are Hawthorn Candies,¡± Lyra said with a warm smile. ¡°Haton Candies?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°Is it sweet?¡± Lyra held back a giggle. ¡°They¡¯re candies, so they are supposed to be sweet but... Hawthorns I know are red. These aren¡¯t red...¡± ¡°Oh, good afternoon,ssie,¡± greeted an elderly man who appeared from under the counter. Though a human, the elderly bore the stature of a Dwarrow. His beard only served to amplify that misconception. ¡°Good afternoon to you too, Samuel,¡± Lyra returned the greeting. ¡°It¡¯s been sometime.¡± ¡°It has, hasn¡¯t it? A lot of things needed to be done and prepared. Want to give them outsiders no bad impression, aye. Gotta do what¡¯s needed, to keep them happy, aye. And just call me Sam,ssie.¡± Lyra¡¯s smile turned wry. ¡°Not happening. There¡¯s already another ¡°Sam¡± in town. I don¡¯t want to confuse myself.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, it¡¯s alright. Suit yer self. Anyway, how can I help yer?¡± ¡°These blue, green, purple, and yellow ones, they¡¯re Hawthorns?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°Aye, they are.¡± Lyra frowned. ¡°How do you manage that?¡± ¡°Simple,ssie. You paint them.¡± ¡°You painted them?¡± ¡°I can assure yer,ssie. They¡¯re edible and yer won¡¯t be looking for a chamberpot if that¡¯s yer worry.¡± When Lyra looked to Celia, she found her tugging at her tunic, her eyes glittering with hope. There was no way Lyra could refuse those kinds of eyes. ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll take one.¡± ¡°Mwu...¡± Celia grumbled softly with her gaze down but Lyra took notice of it. Lyra groaned in her heart. ¡°On second thought, give me two.¡± Celia looked up as her eyes sparkled. ¡°Aye,ssie. So, which one yer fancy, lil¡¯ missy?¡± Celia pointed at the red and purple ones. ¡°Alright, here yer go. That¡¯ll be four pennies¡ª sorry, four small copper.¡± Receiving her candies, Celia nibbled on the red one first with a face of absolute delight. ¡°Pennies, huh,¡± Lyra mused as she made the payment. ¡°Haven¡¯t heard that in awhile. I didn¡¯t know you were from the south.¡± ¡°Me mum and dad were,ssie. I was born ere¡¯. Got the words from they.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Lyra nodded. Just then, a girl, also in a cloak, plunged through the crowd and strode right up to the stall. ¡°Samuel, two yellow ones, please?¡± ¡°Aye,ing right up,ssie,¡± Samuel asked no question and got right to packing the candies for the girl. ¡°Selene?¡± Lyra called out when she took a peek of the girl''s face under the hood. Selene jumped and turned to her. ¡°Lyra?¡± she blurted out. ¡°Haven¡¯t seen you in¡ª actually, since we returned.¡± Lyra frowned. ¡°Is everything alright?¡± ¡°Well¡­ we got out of there in one piece, didn¡¯t we? I guess we¡¯re alright,¡± she told Lyra but contrary to her words, her voice was trembling. Before Lyra could ask, Samuel cut in. ¡°Alrighty,ssie, Here yer go, two yellows. That¡¯ll be four pennies.¡± Selene made the payment and turned to leave¡ª but Lyra grabbed on to her arm. ¡°Selene, is everything truly alright?¡± she asked. Selene struggled but Lyra held her arm firmly. In the end, she relented to Lyra¡¯s question. ¡°No,¡± she answered. ¡°Cal¡¯s still shaken from that expedition. He and I had nightmares but he was screaming out loud every night. He even threw up after every meal. The only thing he could eat without puking back out are sweets.¡± ¡°T-that¡¯s terrible...¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, Lyra. It¡¯s no one¡¯s fault. Maybe we¡¯re just not suitable to be adventurers...¡± ¡°Selene...¡± ¡°Sorry, Lyra. I have to go,¡± Selene and left as abrupt as she hade. ¡°That¡¯s Sally, right?¡± Celia asked with the candy on her lips and her head canted. ¡°She seems weird. Is she alright?¡± ¡°I hope so, Celia,¡± Lyra replied with a smile as she brushed ruffled Celia¡¯s hair who was gleefully enjoying it. ¡°Aww~ How sweet the two of ya are. Yer making this old man jealous and¡­. Ah nay....¡± Samuel¡¯s tone changed halfway through. His eyes reflected his teror. Lyra didn¡¯t bother asking. She turned around and shielded Celia from the reason for Samuel¡¯s teror. ¡°Well well well, if it isn¡¯t the lily of the town,¡± slurred Kane, who was walking wobbly with a bottle in his hand. ¡°Kane, didn¡¯t expect to find you here.¡± Lyra made the disdain in her tone clear. She became more wary when she realized he was outright drunk in the middle of the day. ¡°Finally epted that you amount as much as the goods in this ce?¡± Kane scoffed. ¡°Ever since you brought that bitch into town¡ª¡± ¡°Careful now, Kane. Don¡¯t presume I won¡¯t and can¡¯t hurt you just because of our level differences.¡± Kane continued, disregarding Lyra¡¯s warning. ¡°¡ªno one respects me anymore. They no longer make way for me. They no longer save my seat at the bar. My name is being spat on tantly in broad daylight. And now¡ª¡± he paused and took a swig from the bottle, ¡°not even the merchants showed me any respect. It¡¯s all because of that whore of a bitch friend of yours.¡± Lyra chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re confusing respect with fear, Kane. And call her a bitch or a whore one more time, I¡¯ll knock your teeth out.¡± At this point, the crowd had realized what was happening. A circle was slowly being formed around the confrontation. While the town¡¯s residents looked on in trepidation, the merchants were looking on with great interest. This would likely be one hell of a story to tell in their travels. The merchants were all informed about Kane. Most stayed clear of him but there were some like Iris who tried to take advantage of him. ¡°What are ya¡¯ all looking at!?¡± Kane shouted at the gallery. ¡°Losing your nerves? That¡¯s a surprise. Let me guess, got cheated by a merchant? Can¡¯t say I pity you.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± he yelled and smashed the bottle onto the ground. The gallery gasped. Lyra¡¯s hands crept to the twin daggers on her back. ¡°You are all insolent! No honor!¡± he bellowed with his finger pointing at everyone around him. ¡°Even my men have betrayed me. You¡¯re all nothing but swines!¡± ¡°Well, Mister Kettle, I think Missus Pot is calling you from somewhere.¡± ¡°That impudent tongue of yours!¡± Kane finally drew his sword. ¡°I¡¯ll carve it out of your mouth, bitch! Then I cut up your limbs and have my way with you until your twat is all but loose.¡± The crowd flinched in horror at his deration. Rumors and whispers began to flow but none dared to speak out loud. Kane was still levels above them all. Even if they came at him at once and he would not stand a chance against this number, no one was willing to be the sacrificialmb. Lyra took a step forward with her daggers drawn. ¡°You have finally lost your mind, Kane.¡± ¡°My mind is perfectly fine,¡± he snarled. ¡°The rest of ya are the problem. No respect for power or strength. Licking the boots of the rich is all the lot of you will ever amount to.¡± Lyra shook her head. ¡°You have crossed the line. You¡¯re too far gone.¡± ¡°Silence, cunt sucker!¡± Kane roared lunged with his sword raised¡ª but something came flying and hit his sword, stopping his attack. ¡°That¡¯s no way to treat ady, sir,¡± said a mild-mannered voice. Lyra and the crowd¡¯s attention was reeled to the one who spoke those calm words. ¡°And who the fuck are you!?¡± Kane growled at the voice which denounced him. The crowd parted, making way for a man with round sses andbed glossy brown hair who was ambling towards Kane like he had all the time in the world. ¡°One is obligated to give their own name before asking for others¡¯ name.¡± Veins bulged around Kane¡¯s forehead. ¡°Do you know who I am!?¡± He turned his sword to the vaguely smiling young man. ¡°I do, Mister Kane,¡± the man calmly responded. ¡°I know who you are. I know a lot about you. I even know of your dismissal from Lady Iris¡¯ employment.¡± Kane¡¯s voice croaked at that mention. ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s why he snapped,¡± Lyra muttered in her heart. ¡°But that¡¯s not important. Question is, do you know who I am?¡± The man was dressed in a long fancy tunic. His sses had frames made of silver. Andstly, his hands devoid of calluses was a telltale sign of his status. Despite being drunk, Kane was able to put the pieces together. His legs began to shiver. ¡°My name is Joshua, son of Roberyn,¡± the young man introduced himself. ¡°I¡¯m a merchant who deals mainly in jewellery and liquors. It just so happens, Lady Iris is a close acquaintance of mine.¡± The surrounding merchants gasped at the man''s name. Whispers brimmed in praises for the man¡¯s wealth and capabilities. Lyra began to feel pity for Kane who had essentially signed his own death warrant. ¡°Come to disparage me, like that dark skinned bitch, have ya!?¡± Although Kane knew Joshua was someone he shouldn¡¯t be trifling with, Kane was a conceited person to begin with and adding his drunken state to the mix, his pride easily consumed him. ¡°You are even more unpleasant than what I have been told,¡± Joshua said, making a revolted expression. ¡°How could someone be so falsely vain?¡± ¡°Shut your impudent mouth!¡± Kane shouted louder than before. ¡°You won¡¯t be so smug if I have my sword over your neck.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee to try,¡± Joshua taunted. And Kane finally snapped entirely. He rushed at the merchant with not a trace of reasoning found in his eyes. ¡°Sir!¡± Lyra moved to stop Kane before it was toote. However, Joshua stood still and snapped his fingers. A figure in cloak emerged from the crowd. Itnded a kick right into Kanes abdomen, sending him sprawling across the ground. Lyra stopped in her tracks with her eyes widened. The figure was fast, almost as fast as Erin. Joshua sighed and approached the groaning Kane who was trying to reach his sword which flew from his hand when he was sent sliding. The merchant kicked the sword further away from Kane¡¯s reach. ¡°You fuck¡­!¡± Kane uttered. ¡°Leave town on the morrow,¡± said Joshua with a cold and unforgiving tone. ¡°Or bear the full brunt of all the merchants¡¯ wrath and the Guild¡¯s displeasure. You¡¯re done for, Mister Kane.¡± Saying so, Joshua turned from Kane and ordered the cloaked figure with some hand gestures. The cloaked figure bowed with its head before scooping the semi-conscious Kane into its arm. It saddled him over its shoulder and trotted into an alley, out of everyone¡¯s sights. Soon, the crowd dispersed and everyone went back to their business like nothing had happened. The incident was still clear in everyone¡¯s mind but they all had their own lives to get through. There was no point in dwelling upon it. ¡°What did you ask him to do with Kane?¡± Lyra asked with her eyes still widened to their fullest. ¡°Nothing terrible,¡± he answered with a smile. ¡°Just getting him out of the streets to avoid making the streets more clogged than it already is.¡± Lyra bowed her head. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯re wee, mdy,¡± the man replied with also a slight bow of his head. Lyra gave a wry smile. ¡°I¡¯m nody.¡± ¡°But you are ady, no?¡± ¡°I am a woman but I¡¯m nody.¡± ¡°You put the little girl¡¯s life first before your own. I say that bravery makes you deserving, mdy.¡± Lyra felt herself blushing. This was the first time she had met a man who was well-mannered with her and himself. All the men had either treated her as an equal or an inferior, this was the first a man had treated her like ady, nothing more. ¡°T-thank you, mister,¡± greeted Celia who hade to Lyra¡¯s side but hiding behind her legs. Joshua turned to her with his warm smile. ¡°And you are wee, little one.¡± ¡°Ah, Lyra!¡± a voice called out. Lyra turned to greet the one she had longed to see. She saw Erin and Nivia but there was still a crowd between them. ¡°It¡¯s Erin and Nivia!¡± Celia pointed at them as she jumped excitedly. With Nivia in her arms, Erin leaped across the crowd, drawing gazes and awes as she did so, andnded right in front of Lyra. ¡°Wow...¡± even Joshua had the same reaction as everyone else. ¡°Three tails¡­ that¡¯s unbelievable.¡± ¡°E-Erin? Is something wrong?¡± Lyra asked, bemused by her aberrant action. ¡°Erin, don¡¯t do that again,¡± Nivia told her sternly but the Fox-kin merely waved it off. ¡°Can we go somece quiet now? We need to talk,¡± Erin took Lyra¡¯s hands as she asked. Lyra was flustered at first at the implication of Erin¡¯s words but upon noticing the absence of Nivia¡¯s jealousy, Lyra understood it was something serious. She nodded. ¡°Oh,¡± Erin muttered when she saw Joshua. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry. Did I interrupt?¡± ¡°Of course not,¡± Joshua answered with his ever-persisting smile. ¡°I was just taking my leave.¡± ¡°Friend of yours?¡± Erin asked. ¡°We just met,¡± Lyra responded quickly. ¡°He helped me when Kane tried to attack me.¡± ¡°Kane?¡± Erin blurted out. ¡°He¡¯s here? Where is he?¡± Erin looked around, her nose sniffing for the unpleasant man¡¯s stench. ¡°He¡¯s gone. No longer our problem. Joshua here saw to that.¡± Erin heaved a breath of relief. ¡°And by the way, he¡¯s a merchant. He sells jewelleries and liquors, or so I was told.¡± ¡°Thedy is correct.¡± Joshua nodded. ¡°Well, good afternoon, Joshua.¡± Erin bowed with her hand on her chest and Nivia followed. ¡°Please to make your acquaintance, I¡¯m¡ª¡± ¡°Lady Erinthea, yes, I know. I have heard so much about you.¡± ¡°You have?¡± Erin raised an eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯re the rage of this town¡¯s gossip. Meeting you is quite an honor.¡± He then turned to Nivia. ¡°And of course, you must be Lady Nivia of Willowde.¡± ¡°You know who we are?¡± Nivia narrowed her gaze. ¡°The only two Fae in this small town. It would be strange if I didn¡¯t. And information is a form of currency, it¡¯s only right and natural that a merchant has it.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Niva mused, dubiously. Suddenly, a frown crossed Joshua¡¯s face. He fixed his sses in ce. ¡°Lady Erinthea, pardon me for overstepping but I have to ask, are you besotted with Mister Aedan?¡± Lyra¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°No, she is not,¡± Lyra answered without a beat and her voice turned cold. ¡°At best, they¡¯re just friends.¡± Erin smiled wryly. ¡°What she said.¡± ¡°Ah¡ª I see. Sorry for my imprudence.¡± Joshua bowed. ¡°Unfortunately, I have to bid you lovelydies farewell for now. I have business to attend to. Until we meet again.¡± And gone he was at the next second, dashing into the crowd. Erin red at Lyra. ¡°What?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°You spooked him¡± ¡°I did not.¡± Lyra pouted. ¡°He was in a hurry. He said it himself.¡± ¡°Yeah, no man is going to admit they ran off because a woman intimidated them.¡± ¡°No, Lyra¡¯s right,¡± came Nivia''s unusual agreement with Lyra. ¡°She didn¡¯t spook him. His air changed even before Lyra supposedly spooked him.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then what did he see?¡± ¡°I guess we can only ask him when we meet him the next time. For now, we have some dire matters to discuss.¡± Lyra flinched. Like Erin, this side of Nivia was hard to swallow for Lyra given her obsessive stalker side. However, it did paint Niva in a light befitting of an Elf from the tales and whispers. ¡°Let¡¯s just hope Erin doesn¡¯t fall for that side of hers,¡± Lyra muttered to her own heart. 2-6 Trust and promise 2-6 Trust and promise Though Aedan was indifferent to many matters and affairs, the ones he truly deemed family or friends were the only factors in the world that could move his insouciance. Aedan had work in the morning but his tryst with Iris set him back for more than an hour. He could have arrived sooner to help but there was the luncheon with his father and Erin, further postponing his arrival. When he did arrive, a fuming Sven was waiting for him. He received an earful from his brother for skipping out on his morning work. A list of witty retorts lined themselves up in his mind but against Sven, he could never bear to utter those words at him, not when his brother was truly furious for all the right reasons. As an atonement, Aedan was to work half a day on hising rest day, which was tomorrow. But for now, he was to man the counter as per usual. The task was as mundane as it could be but prosaic was what he desired. His whole life, including the ones in his numerous pasts, they had been nothing but one excitement and delirium after another, never a dull day. In this current life of his, it was the first peaceful life he had led in a long while and he intended to savor every second of it while itsted. Such a life wasn¡¯t meant tost for the likes of him. Each of his incarnations held a purpose and these purposes all had one thing inmon, they were the advent of a huge change to the world. At some point, he believed a divine power was responsible for his incarnations instead of his racial trait. However, till this day, he never did find any proof for that notion. As time went on, he gave up looking for answers and decided to just focus on the present. Aedan was doing just that, focusing on the present, when a man of status came through the door of the shop. The man¡¯s status was shown through the quality of his apparels and the preferences of his grooming. Most of all, the monocle he had on was the most significant evidence of his grand status. Aedan closed the book he was reading before giving the man his attention. He was obligated to greet customers but for this man, he red. ¡°Joshua,¡± Aedan said. ¡°You are thest person I expected to seeing through that door. Didn¡¯t you say it would be bad if we were seen together.¡± The man named Joshua ambled his way to the counter but his steps said otherwise of his emotions. ¡°I did say that but considering that I¡¯m here now, you know it to be something urgent," he said as he took off his monocle and pocketed it. ¡°Hmm,¡± Aedan murmured as he flicked his hand, shrouding the shop with Domain. ¡°Sven¡¯s working the forge right now. I would have to dispel Domain when hees back. You have minutes at best. Now speak.¡± Joshua mmed his hand on the counter but not enough to tremble it. ¡°Did you force yourself on a Fae?¡± Aedan flinched at that usation with a deep frown. ¡°Had this been centuries ago, I am liable to say yes but¡ª ah, I see. You¡¯re here about Erin, aren¡¯t you? You met her and¡­ appraised her without her consent, didn¡¯t you? Hmm, I didn''t know you have Appraisal." "It''s not Appraisal." Josh tapped at his pocket where he pocketed his monocle. "You gave me this monocle, remember?" Aedan raised an eyebrow. "I did?" "The monocle that you created out of boredom to inspect and study the Mana flow and soul of a person." "That was a long time ago. I believe I made it when we first got acquainted. They still work?" "Yes, they do. It''s your craft, Aedan. It won''t break or expire that easily." "And use it in such a despicable manner. What a thing to do for a respectable merchant.¡± ¡°Stop prancing around and answer the question, Aedan.¡± ¡°No, I did not.¡± Joshua narrowed his eyes. ¡°But you imprinted her, didn''t you? You marked a Fox-kin, a Fae, a Fae for crying out loud.¡± ¡°That I did.¡± ¡°May I ask why?¡± There was a brief hesitation on Aedan¡¯s part. Canting his head, he mumbled his musings. ¡°You know I can keep a secret, Aedan. I kept yours.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not about whether you can keep it a secret Josh. It''s about whose attention you''ll attract if you know.¡± ¡°I have Silva, remember? I¡¯ll be fine. So just tell me, why did you imprint on her?¡± ¡°So Silva is also still functioning¡­ Impressive,¡± Aedan mused, followed by a sigh. ¡°The Fae¡¯s an Outworlder.¡± Joshua stood with his eyes agape, his jaws hanging opened. ¡°You¡¯re not joking,¡± he gauged. Aedan shook his head. ¡°Sadly, no. I am not joking.¡± ¡°But how is that rted to you imprinting her?¡± ¡°I saw her gift, Josh. I saw what it can do to others and to herself. I saw its potential.¡± ¡°Gift? You don¡¯t mean¡ª¡± ¡°The gift from whichever divine fuck that put her into this world. Going by the nature of this gift, her patron god seems to be one of mischievous nature. That doesn¡¯t bode well for Erin or anyone around her.¡± With the misunderstanding cleared, Joshua sighed out all his suspicions. He leaned in and rested his arms on the counter. ¡°And your blood can help?¡± ¡°It should stop the gift from blooming, in theory,¡± Aedan said with a shrug. ¡°And if the so-called gift tries to encroach her without any probable cause, my blood should be able stop it. Or at the very least impede it.¡± ¡°Should be?¡± Josh questioned. "It''s not like you to be unsure about such matters." "Everyone''s about their first time." ¡°You mean you have never done this before?¡± ¡°Never had the chance to. I¡¯m not even sure if it would work at all or it would work as I intended.¡± ¡°And you think this is safe?¡± Aedan donned a bitter expression. ¡°I do not have a better idea but it¡¯s better than nothing. I can''t exactly be by her side all the time should anything happen.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t tell her about any of this, did you?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a good chance her patron god would know what she knows.¡± ¡°And what makes you think the Patron God wouldn¡¯t know about this scheme of yours regardless if the Fae knew of it herself?¡± Josh asked. ¡°You''re tampering with the God''s own gift. How do you know it won¡¯t see through this trick of yours?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± Aedan answered. ¡°I haveyered this¡­ scheme with as much concealment spell as I can afford. Whether it works, only time can tell.¡± "So now you''re stalking her?" Aedan narrowed his eyes in indignance. "My blood doesn''t allow me to stalk her. It''s there as a means to curb any plight that her cross cum gift would cause." "How long will itst? And how strong can itst?" Aedan shrugged. "As long as it can. As for its integrity, it should hold unless she received some attack that that interacts directly with the soul." Saying so, Aedan took out a bottle of mead and two sses from under the counter. He cracked open the bottle and poured its content into the two sses. He pushed one to Joshua. The merchant took the ss into his hand. He gave it a whiff before downing the content. ¡°Ugh¡­ Damn. This is strong. How old is this?¡± Aedan canted his head as he ransacked his memories. ¡°Older than this current incarnation of mine,¡± he answered and drank it all up in one gulp. ¡°Christ¡­ argh¡­ This might be even older than that.¡± ¡°Christ?¡± Joshua¡¯s eyes flickered. ¡°Never heard that one before.¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t. I can barely remember it myself. It¡¯s a word from a time long forgotten, well, except for me.¡± ¡°This is good mead, but I don¡¯t think this asion calls for it.¡± A small grin appeared on Aedan¡¯s lips. ¡°We¡¯re in a Domain, my Domain. This stuff isn¡¯t real. You can taste it but it¡¯s only a trick of your mind. So drink away.¡± Aedan poured Josh another ss. Josh downed it in one gulp. ¡°So, what¡¯s your next step? Just sit back and let your blood do its job?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the only thing I can do, without drawing the unwanted attention to myself.¡± Aedan pourted another round for Joshua and himself. This time, they made a toast before downing the liquor. ¡±Urgh¡­ You know, Erinthea is leaving town in two days as a guard for the caravan, or so I have heard. Do you intend to follow her?¡± Aedan chuckled dryly. ¡°You know I can¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°You¡¯re that afraid of them?¡± Joshua asked, his gaze eyeing for Aedan¡¯s reaction. ¡°They¡¯re still dormantst I checked and I¡¯m sure you''ll reign victorious over them if the stories you told about yourself are true.¡± ¡°If winning is all that it matters, war and battles would be so much easier. Do you have any idea the amount of coteral would incur if they resumed their hunt?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t even met them myself. So no, I do not know.¡± ¡°Well, now you do. They will unleash havoc upon many nations, before I¡¯m able to crush them for good, should they rise from their slumber. I have enough thrills and losses tost many lifetimes. I just want to savor some peace and quiet for now.¡± Joshua poured himself another round. ¡°Speaking of peace and quiet, my men and I are not making any progress with our search for the de.¡± Aedan skipped the ss and poured the mead into his mouth straight from the bottle. ¡°Take your time. I¡¯m not going anywhere anytime soon and the longer it takes for you to find it, the more you earn. It¡¯s a win for you either way, so no worries there.¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t Iris help?¡± Aedan burst out with a meekugh. ¡°Considering it¡¯s a request from me, she would definitely want to know what I want the de for. She wouldn¡¯t ept the request unless I told her. Do you think she would still help me if she knew what the de is for?¡± ¡°Point taken,¡± Joshua said and downed his ss. ¡°In fact, I think she will do everything in her power to try to stop me if she knew.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t argue with that.¡± Joshua poured the remaining mead into his ss. ¡°Iris told me you have changed and now I can see how true that is.¡± ¡°Of course I have changed. Change is nature.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant,¡± Josh said with a knowing smile. ¡°The Fox-kin, she arrived in this town around a week ago. In that short span of time, are you telling me you have already formed a bond with her that¡¯s strong enough to warrant this much of your worries for her? The Aedan I know was never this affable or charitable.¡± ¡°Well¡­ if you put it this way, it does seem like I have changed a great deal,¡± Aedan mused. ¡°Maybe my age has finally caught up to me. I¡¯m losing my touch.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t think maybe you¡¯re just infatuated with her? From what I have heard around town, she¡¯s more beautiful than any maiden scions. She¡¯s strong, humble, steadfast, and the town¡¯s adoration. Sounds like she¡¯s right up your alley. Actually, I¡¯m quite surprised you have yet to bed her.¡± ¡°She likes women.¡± ¡°So what if she¡¯s a lily? That has never stopped you before.¡± ¡°Like you and Iris have been saying, I have changed. And that matter was decades ago and it wasn''t my fault. She was curious and I offer her knowledge. Our rtionship ended there after that.¡± Aedan sighed. ¡°Now, would that be all of your inquiries?¡± ¡°There is¡­ one more, actually.¡± ¡°Will this take long? Sven¡¯s about to finish with the forge any time now.¡± ¡°It¡¯s about Erinthea. I have heard she only had a single tail when she arrived in this town. Now she has three. Is that true?¡± Aedan raised an eyebrow. ¡°Point being?¡± ¡°The Fox-kin lost their evolution ability when they became part of the Faerie-kin. They¡¯re stuck with the number of tails they are born with. I¡¯m surprised how this town is still so¡­ quiet about her growing numbers of tails.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll have to be well-read with books to know this. This town¡¯s people ain¡¯t that bright or they simply don¡¯t care. Also, she¡¯s an Outworlder. Her peculiarity isn¡¯t all that surprising. Town¡¯s not talking about it or worrying about it, and neither should you. Now, would that be all, Josh?¡± Aedan asked as he flicked his hand, dispelling Domain. Sven entered into the shop right then, wearing an apron over his bare chiseled torso. His brows raised when he saw Joshua. ¡°Oh, a customer?¡± His eyes spanned wider when he noticed the quality of the customer¡¯s apparels. ¡°And a filled one at that. What can I do for ya?¡± Since Domain was dispelled, the mead and sses were no longer on the counter. So Aedan didn¡¯t need to hide the evidence that would reveal their rtionship. ¡°Good afternoon, Master Sven. Your brother here told me you¡¯re quite versed with Fae¡¯s craft?¡± ¡°Aye, that I am.¡± Sven nodded. ¡°Learned it from my father, the Guild Master. I¡¯m sure you know him.¡± ¡°I do. I have the pleasure and honor of dining with him.¡± From his chest pocket, Joshua took out a piece of folded paper and handed it to Sven. ¡°I would like to request amission.¡± Sven unfolded the paper, revealing a design for a peculiar-looking weapon that could easily be attributed to the Faerie-kin for its design. ¡°This isplicated but¡­ it¡¯s nothing for me. As for the metal?¡± ¡°Just the best steel you have got will do. I¡¯ll need six of this. Can you make it a rush order?¡± ¡°Aye, for sure but it¡¯ll cost extra and the best I can do is dusk of the morrow. Good for ya?¡± ¡°Of course, Master Sven.¡± ¡°Alrighty then. Aedan!¡± Sven pped his hands together as he shouted. ¡°Prepare the tools and materials. You are going to help me with the forge.¡± Aedan frowned. ¡°What about the shop?¡± ¡°We¡¯re closing for the day. It¡¯s not like we¡¯ll be getting any customers with the festival out there. Besides, we got ourselves a fancy customer to please. So get to it already, youzy bum.¡± ¡°I have prior engagement at night, Sven.¡± ¡°Speakmon would ya? You read a lot, I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°I have ns for tonight.¡± ¡°Well, not anymore.¡± Aedan gave a look of indignance, bouncing his nce between Joshua and Sven. ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll be taking my leave,¡± Joshua greeted with a bow and promptly left the smithy. ¡°This order ain¡¯t easy, Aedan. No way I can finish it by dusk tomorrow without ya help.¡± ¡°But I have already promised someone.¡± ¡°Tell you what, help me tonight and for the whole day tomorrow, you''ll be off the hook for this morning. Sounds good?¡± Aedan groaned. He weighed out the benefits and loss in his mind. Had this been someone else other than Sven or Geron, his reply would be instant and it would be a solid refusal. In the end, he just couldn¡¯t go against Sven. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll help.¡± Sven nodded and trotted out of the shop. The sound of the forge fuming to live could be heard clearly from where Aedan stood. He sighed. ¡°Guess she¡¯ll be lonely tonight.¡± While Iris wasn¡¯t a petty person, she could be very terrifying when someone broke her trust or a promise. Despite knowing that, Aedan still chose to help Sven, the one he called his brother. ¡°But I¡¯m sure she could find someone else to rece me,¡± was what Aedan thought and he knew just the one person Iris would seek out as his recement. 2-7 Seed of regret (R18) 2-7 Seed of regret (R18) Lyra let off a relieved sigh as she slumped into the double-size bed. Shey there unmoving, allowing exhaustion toe and collect her consciousness. They were finally back in their own rooms. Nivia and Celia had also retreated to theirs. Lyra heaved off a huge sigh that reeked of the liquors she had consumed with caution thrown into the wind. She was no greenhorn when it came to alcohol and spirits but even so, the amount she had downed might even put a Dwarrow into a deep drunken stupor. Even so, Lyra at least was able to retain most of her senses, as opposed to her partner, Erin, who retained all of her motor functions but nothing but slurs came out of her supple alluring lips that were glistened with her sweat. As for they came to be in this state, the reason can be traced back a few hours, when the moon was still in slumber. Along with Celia in tow, Erin, Lyra, and Nivia spent the whole day celebrating Erin¡¯s achievement of bing a starred adventurer. Their discussion started off gloomy with a serious subject but when the topic shifted to Erin¡¯s elevation of her status as an adventurer. Lyra held some skepticism towards the guild''s words but was utterly convinced of the guild''s sincerity when Erin showed Lyra her adventurer tag, which had a small star shape engraved at the back. Lyra was even more thrilled than Erin herself as she proposed a celebration for this asion. The proposal was met with opposition by Nivia but Erin epted it, much to Nivia¡¯s surprise. ¡°It has been tense for these past few days. I want to fully let loose for just this while,¡± Erin had said. And so, they all adjourned to Merry Night, the only credible bar in town, once dusk descended. Celia was brought along as they didn¡¯t have anyone else to look after her. Erin and Lyra were the only out of the four who ordered liquor. It was then Erin learned the hard truth about Fae. Their disposition in favor of the Spirits came at a price that was dismaying to Erin. Faerie-kin had low tolerance towards alcoholic substances that weren¡¯t brewed with Faerie ingredients, but that downside could easily be offset by a spell of Spirit Magic. However, it was a spell that Erin had yet to learn. Therefore, she tossed herself into stupor, knowing full well of her own susceptibility after the first sip. As Argon Raze, liquors were a huge part of her life. She wasn¡¯t excessively fond of them but it was her go-to choice of celebration for just about any asion. Which was why she was adamant with drinking her liquor despite knowing her pathetic weakness as a Fox-kin. By the end of their celebration, Erin was no longer of her own mind but apletely different person, one without inhibition to her words. By the time they reached their rooms, Erin had uttered so many suggestive remarks that even turned the likes of Lyra beet red. ¡°You look ripe for ravishing, are you aware of that, my dear sweet Lyra?¡± Erin remarked, licking her lips as she stood towering over Lyra beside the bed. ¡°Your rear, your modest chest, your nubile toned skin, if I could choose, I will pick your body over mine. These two lumps of fat are such a hindrance.¡± Even intoxicated, Lyra couldn¡¯t help but raised an eyebrow to Erin¡¯s words. The Fox-kin had been throwing random slurs and ribald remarks ever since they left the bar but none of those held this much passion and intention. Looking at her gaze, Lyra knew she was in for a treat for the night. She was about to see a whole different side of Erin. Erin climbed onto the bed on her hands and knees. She moved above Lyra, gazing scrutinizingly at the short-haired woman who oozed out streams of feminine allure in the strange guise of a boy¡¯s charm. It was contrasting yet harmonizing. In all honesty, Erin never realized how fitting Lyra was to her preferences, until this very moment. She gulped at herte epiphany. Her hand moved by itself. Her fingers traced down the faint plunge of Lyra¡¯s tunic but stopped short before going any deeper. Erin tittered, retracting her finger. Her wanting gaze met with Lyra¡¯s inviting gaze. Instead of calming her down, Lyra riled her up further. She grinned seductively at the reddened Erin. She took off her tunic and trousers, baring her undergarment-d body to the flushed Erin who looked ready to pounce at any given moment. In response, Erin let her hair free from her ponytail style, draping it over her shoulders and back. She took off the beige blouse Nivia had given to her, a garment of Fae¡¯s craft. Instead of a brassiere, Erin had her bosom bandaged. Although it felt more restrictive, it did help with her movements and it was less intrusive¡ª and less alluring¡ª in her own sights. Straddling over Lyra, rubbing her crotch against Lyra¡¯s hips, Erin was about to let loose the bandages sped around her bulging chest before an intrusive yet familiar scent froze her actions. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lyra asked. Erin gave not an answer of a proper sentence but a mere groan of vexation. She got off Lyra and the bed, and headed for the door. With a soured and vexed expression, not to mention near-naked torso, Erin flung the door wide-open on the first knock. A woman of dark skin, pointed ears, and long violet hair greeted her with a smile that disyed nothing but the sheerest confidence. Needless to say, it was Iris and she was in a dress that entuated her curves and humps to the utmost precision. The deep plunge and the revealing sides of her dress served to show her intentions and anticipation of this meeting. ¡°Iris...¡± Erin chewed her name as if she had just swallowed a bitter medicine. ¡°Lady Erin,¡± Iris greeted, her eyes gazing up and down at the near-naked Erin. ¡°I have to say, you¡¯re bolder than I thought. Perhaps you¡¯re inviting me or...¡± Iris nced over her shoulder and saw Lyra who was also half-dressed on the bed. ¡°Or what?¡± Erin leaned forward. ¡°Spit it out.¡± ¡°It seems I was intruding. I hope to be just us two alone.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± Erin muttered as she confirmed Iris¡¯ resolve. She took a whiff and instantly knew Iris was lonely and in need of somefort. Erin grinned. She took Iris by the hand and pulled her into the room before a squeal could even escape the Umbrum¡¯s lips. She mmed the door shut and dragged the Umbrum to the bed. Iris could only stare in shock. She heard much about Erin, how she was gentle and kind but with a firm discipline. She had even affirmed it herself but now, Erin was none of those. All became clear when the whiff of alcohol drifted into her nose. ¡°E-Erin¡­ I don¡¯t think I¡¯mfortable with...¡± ¡°Oh shush,¡± Erin said. She red enticingly at the worrying Lyra. ¡°I have heard from one of your previous mates. You have always wanted to experience bedding more than one girl at once, haven¡¯t you?¡± Lyra stuttered for a reply but fell short on ¡°I-I...¡± Erin tittered. ¡°What? Don¡¯t like it when you¡¯re the one being bedded?¡± Suddenly, Iris embraced Erin from behind, feeling up here partner¡¯s body. ¡°My my, I¡¯m liking this Erin so much more.¡± Iris had already stripped herself down to her bare skin before the two realized. She dragged the still-standing Erin to bed in tandem. ¡°You¡¯re fond of me before?¡± Erin replied with an amorous tone. ¡°Who isn¡¯t?¡± Iris chuckled. ¡°The adoration of the town. What the men and women wouldn¡¯t give to have one night in bed with you? Just how sinful can you be, Erin?¡± ¡°Not as sinful as you, whore,¡± Erin retorted without any thought to her prudence. ¡°I am no whore, vixen.¡± Iris began to nibble on Erin¡¯s shoulder and neck as Lyra watched on in shock of the rapid development. ¡°I won¡¯t deny I have countless partners but I don¡¯t just do this with anyone.¡± Erin clicked her tongue. She turned around and pounced on Iris, trapping her wrist under her own grip on the bed. She locked eyes with the Umbrum. ¡°That¡¯s what every whore tries to tell themselves.¡± ¡°Be that as it may, what does it matter now?¡± Instead of struggling, Iris brushed her fingers gently around the back of Erin¡¯s palm. ¡°Let¡¯s just enjoy this, shall we? Our status and ethics be damned.¡± At this moment, only it awakened. [Lust Deviant activated.] Strangely enough, Lust Deviant had not awakened for the past few days. It intrigued Erin but she didn¡¯t arrive at any answers. Not even Nivia and Aedan knew. The Dragon-kin muttered only some lines that expressed his disinterest and random theories regarding her skill¡¯s inactive state. Whether she bought his words or didn¡¯t, Erin herself wasn¡¯t clear about that. An air of lust filled the entire room. The hesitating Lyra sumbed to the temptation after breathing in the scious tenor. She crawled towards Erin and brough the Fox-kin¡¯s face to meet her lips. Their tongue found each other on the entrance of their mouths. They fought for the right for entry but ultimately, Lyra¡¯s more experienced tongue won, not that Erin minded the results. As the two engaged in a passionate bout of their tongues, Iris'' hands, which were now free, moved to untangle the bandages around Erin¡¯s bulging chest. In seconds, Erin¡¯s bountiful bosom sprang free from their prison with undting motion. Iris began to y with them as she removed the Fox-kin¡¯sst piece of clothing, her trousers, and proceeded to grind her hips against Erin¡¯sher regions. Erin moaned into Lyra¡¯s mouth as she felt her freed mounds caressed with the utmost care and her crotch being stimted to the brim. Her wetting snatch created a faint sshing sound as Iris increased the speed of her obscene movement. Lyra parted her lips from Erin¡¯s and moved to her chest, which were still being fondled by Iris. With a face of indignance, Lyra cast off herst pieces of garments before straddling her womanhood on Iris¡¯ face. The Umbrum was surprised but she weed it. She wasted not a second and proceeded to dine on the drenched snatch with a few hairs. Lyra moaned loudly against her own will. She wanted to mess with the Umbrum but she underestimated just how skilled Iris was with her tongue. Still, Lyra focused on the pair in front of her, Erin¡¯s perky breasts. She put them in her mouth and her hands squeezed them into shape. Erin threw her head back as she let out a moan that echoed through the walls, or it would have if Nivia hadn¡¯t cast a spell beforehand. The Elf had done so after the first night Lyra had moved into the same room as Erin. Celia should not be hearing this and Nivia herself wasn¡¯t fond of the act, much less the suggestive sounds of the act itself. So she cast a sound barrier around Erin¡¯s room that would only be active during the night until dawn. However, nothing much could be done to the mild tremor that the two make but it was still better than hearing the sounds in tandem. The three drowned in their lust and their efforts to reach the peak of their ecstasy. With the alcohol and Lust Deviant, Erin was pretty much at the bottom most stage of her debauchery, a coitus with two partners. One was her unofficial subject of affection and the other one was essentially an individual she resented to a certain degree. Lyra was still half of her sound mind but with all the pleasure flowing into her sensitive parts, she was in too much bliss to give a single shit about ethics and her own prejudicial views. She knew she woulde to regret this at dawn but until then, she wanted to revel in this suffocating pleasure she found herself in. Now that none of them had next to no inhibitions in the strive for rapture, Lyra begged Erin to indulge in a kink that she just recently discovered. Erin had disapproved of this kink due to the risk it came with but in Erin¡¯s current state, Lyra was sure Erin wouldn¡¯t even hesitate. And Lyra was proven right as Erin acted on her wish without missing a beat. Erin changed their position. Lyra at the bottom, Erin on her thighs, and Iris on her face with the Umbrum¡¯s shaved cunt full in her face. Even though she wasn¡¯t intoxicated or affected by Lust Deviant, Lyra still doubted herself of her own submissive nature to the demands of Iris, an individual she saw as a potential rival in love. For the pleasure that the Umbrum had given her, Lyra intended to repay that debt in folds. She unleashed all of knowledge in pleasuring a woman¡¯s secret spot unto Iris¡¯ throbbing and drenched cunt. Lyra even nibbled on her clit, inciting a shrill of pleasure from the Umbrum. As for Erin, her fingers reached the spot where her crotch was grinding against Lyra¡¯s. She unleashed a spark of lightning on that point, inducing a mild sense of pain but an endless wave of pleasure through their genitals. They both screamed as bliss took hold of their nerves. It was on the first lesson with Nivia after her return from her excursion. She discovered her affinity with Lightning Magic. Niva had hoped Erin to have a wind affinity like herself but Erin¡¯s affinity with lightning was unexpected. The vtile and wild nature of lightning was a stark contrast to what Fae were known for but nevertheless, this was Erin¡¯s affinity. The Fox-kin had used it identally during her coitus session with Lyra. It shocked the two, literally. Though Lyra found it exhrating, Erin was against the idea due to harmful side effects. Erin had never been so against Lyra¡¯s suggestion so Lyra herself did not push for it. In the entanglement of a human, a Fox-kin, an Umbrum, and finally, lust, the three basked themselves in ecstasy and degeneracy until the absence of their stamina caught on to them. Screams of delight and pain mixed within the debauchery until the break of dawn. Only then did the mild tremor, felt by the whole floor, came to a halt. [Experience gained +20% - Level Progression: 80%] Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Three-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 12 | Status: Carnally Relieved Might: 20 | Arcane: 18 | Finesse: 19 Magic Arts - Spirit Magic Lv. 8 | Arcane Edge Lv. 3 | Arcane Armor Lv. 5 | Lightning Magic Lv. 1 Combat Arts - Sword Art Lv. 7 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 4 Innate Skills - Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 1 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex Unique Talent - Mystic de Lv. Ex | Revenant Lv. Ex Level Progression: 80% Remaining Skill Points: 2 Remaining Ability Points: 2
2-8 Drunken Vestige 2-8 Drunken Vestige On the dawn of the morrow, the night after a heated exchange of deep passion between Erin, Lyra, and Iris, the three found themselves on their knees while being given an earful by Nivia, who came barging into their rooms. The three were still entangled in each others¡¯ embrace in all bare when the Elf had intruded upon them. The heavy bags under Nivia¡¯s eyes said a lot of her circumstances. Furthermore, she was forced to exhaust all of her Mana on a spell to have Celia remain sleeping through the whole tremor. Needless to say, Erin and Lyra had nothing but shame and regret written on their face. The two were quick to apologize for their actions. Erin pleaded for a chance to express her regret and even went as far as to swore herself into never taking another sip of liquor unless the circumstances dictated otherwise. As for the Umbrum, Iris had a face of absolute satisfaction. She even gavepliments of a high degree to the two for giving her a night she could never forget. Iris then offered a great sum of gold to the inn¡¯s guests aspensation for any inconvenience that she might have caused. Iris¡¯ gold was able to quell the dissatisfaction for most of the inn¡¯s guests but Nivia was the only one who refused. She said nothing of her reasons but it was evident her reasons were due to her dignity as a Fae. Nivia¡¯s scolding would have gone on longer had it not been for the schedule she needed to uphold. There was still much to discuss with the other merchants in regards to the matter of her people¡¯s livelihood. As soon as she finished giving the three a piece of her mind, she rushed off, leaving Celia in their care. Iris also took her leave shortly after Nivia¡¯s departure but not before inviting Erin and Lyra to a luncheon. Erin did not bother to hide her displeasure. After Iris had left, Lyra slumped face first back onto her bed and let out a sigh, belching her indignance from Nivia¡¯s admonition. ¡°I can¡¯t believe all of that happened...¡± Lyra muttered into the sheets. ¡°Should I stop drinking too?¡± Erin muttered a regretful groan as a response. ¡°And Nivia¡­ Her virtue is suffocating her. She should just lose it.¡± ¡°She¡¯s not to me, Lyra. We were in the wrong here. We should have been more prudent,¡± Erin said as she groomed Celia¡¯s dark brownish hair. Celia was sitting on Erin¡¯sps with her legs swinging carefreely in delight. She loved the feeling of having her hair groom and at the same time, she could y with Erin¡¯s fluffy tails while she was being groomed. Lyra was trying her best not to get jealous of Celia¡¯s position but ultimately failing. She quickly steered her mind to a discussion to avoid having her jealousy showing. ¡°Erin, aboutst night, we¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªshall not talk about it until the end of time. To fornicate with an enemy, a stigma that can never be washed off.¡± ¡°At least she¡¯s good in bed,¡± Lyra remarked tacitly and softly. ¡°Then why don¡¯t you go warm her bed tonight,¡± said Erin, as if it was the most natural response. It was only after she let loose those words that she came to regret it. Lyra let out a muffled titter. ¡°Oh my, is that jealousy I¡¯m sensing.¡± ¡°It¡¯s your own imagination that you¡¯re sensing,¡± Erin retorted with a pout that she had never thought she would ever put on her face. She tried to hide it but her iling tails betrayed her efforts. Celia was getting more excited at the energetic tails. Lyra turned andid on her back. She chuckled as she gazed at the ceiling. ¡°Which reminds me, never thought that you were so weak to alcohol. I¡¯m surprised.¡± ¡°Looks like we have a mutual sentiment.¡± ¡°You weren¡¯t this weak before?¡± Lyra asked. By ¡°before¡±, of course Lyra meant Erin¡¯s past life. ¡°Not even Dwarrow¡¯s spirits could shake my vision.¡± Hearing that, Lyra¡¯s interest was piqued. She had dozens of questions she wanted to ask Erin but she kept silent out of consideration, but as she came to know more and more about her beloved, it was bing harder to hold on to that consideration. ¡°Eek~!¡± Erin gave a sudden sharp squeal. Lyra snapped her nce to Erin in an instant. The culprit was Celia, who squeezed down too hard on Erin¡¯s tail. Realizing what she had done, Celia let go and cast her gaze down. ¡°S-sorry...¡± Celia muttered. Erin was slightly upset but at the sight of an apologetic little girl, Erin¡¯s heart gave in and forgave Celia before tears could threaten to leak from the little girl¡¯s eyes. She stroked Celia¡¯s hair until the little girl was convinced Erin was no longer angry at her. As for Lyra, she couldn¡¯t be more thankful to Celia for inciting such a reaction from Erin. Lyra¡¯s hand crawled slowly to the root of Erin¡¯s tails but one of the tails whipped down on Lyra¡¯s hand. Lyra quickly retracted her hand and turned her eyes away before Erin¡¯s re could meet her eyes. Lyra forced a cough to change the subject. ¡°So, shall we go for a stroll after breakfast?¡± Erin contemted Lyra¡¯s suggestion in murmurs. There were still a few eateries she wanted to visit but right now, she didn¡¯t feel particrly hungry. In fact, she didn¡¯t feel hungry in the morning these past few days. She had thought it was just her discipline as Argon Raze transcribed over to her new body. Such was not the case, as she had recently learned. It was the perk of being a Fae, or at least that was what Nivia told her when she asked. Faerie-kin were essentially half human, half Spirit, and Spirits didn¡¯t require sustenance in the usual manner much like humans, demi-humans, and pretty much every living creature. The Spirit side of a Fae halved the requirement for sustenance, that was how it was exined among the Fae. So to say, Fae only needed to have one course of meal at minimum for each day at. Which was why Erin didn¡¯t feel particrly hungry now. Still, there were times when she experienced phantom hunger, a trick of the mind, dwelling in the past when she was a human. In the end, Erin nodded to Lyra. She had nothing nned for the moment and Nivia was upied for half of the day. So her magic lesson would be starting after lunch. She had ample free time until noon. Even though the departure of the merchant caravan was tomorrow and she was to escort them as a guard, not much preparations needed to be made. They were caravans of merchants, if she needed something, she figured she could just purchase it on the spot from one of the many merchants present. Though the escort quest had yet to be made official, it might as well be considered as such since they had already asked the Guild to mediate. Having second thoughts now was as futile as crying over spilled milk. She was departing on the morrow, she was reminded by her own thoughts. This was herst day in this town. She hadn¡¯t been here long but she knew she would be missing it. As much as she had grown fond of this town, she didn¡¯t have any desire to stay. She was yearning for a taste of adventure and opportunity came knocking, albeit with some drawbacks with one of those being their employer. She hadn¡¯t known Iris for long but the moments spent in herpany gave her an adequate frame of her character. Iris was dangerous and not someone she wanted as an enemy, but if Iris was at least an acquaintance, there was much to be gained. ¡°And just what is her rtionship with Aedan?¡± Erin mused to herself. Normally, she wasn¡¯t one to meddle in others¡¯ love affairs but somehow, she just couldn¡¯t help but make an exception to that rule of hers for Aedan¡¯s case. When she didn¡¯t arrive at an answer by rattling her thoughts within her own mind, she decided to cast her curiosity aside. At this point, she would just be banging her head on a wall if she kept dwelling on it. However, it was only a matter of time before it came crawling back. Just as Erin finished grooming Celia and was about to stand up, she was assaulted by a fatigue. Erin instantly recognized the feeling as a vestige of her drunken state, something she hadn¡¯t experienced in forever. Her honed physique as Argon Raze had made her impervious to a lot of minor sickness and diseases with drunken vestige being one of them. To Erin¡¯s indignance and surprise, Lyra was fine. She had a mild headache but it was something she could just walk it off, unlike Erin¡¯s case. ¡°Erin, are you alright?¡± Lyra asked when she saw Erin wobbling around on her feet. Erin shook her head as she sat back down on the bed, her hand clutching her head. ¡°My head hurts...¡± she said with a groan. Celia gasped with a face filled with horror. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry...¡± she muttered in a shuddering tone. Lyra chuckled at Celia¡¯s misconception, stroking her head. ¡°You didn¡¯t do this, Celia. It¡¯s Erin¡¯s own fault, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ you two go on ahead. I think I have to pass.¡± Currently, her best possible option to cure her drunken vestige was to sleep over it and since she had time until noon, she took this option. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll get you something on the way back,¡± Lyra said. Erin waved her hand. ¡°You don¡¯t need to.¡± ¡°Is Ellie going to be fine?¡± Celia asked, her voice tinged with worry. Struck with her upturned gaze, Lyra could only stroke her hair harder as she assured Celia of Erin¡¯s condition. ¡°Of course she¡¯ll be fine. Erin¡¯s really strong.¡± Celia canted her head, musing the word, ¡°strong¡­?¡± ¡°Even the grim reaper couldn¡¯t im her.¡± Celia sighed in awe, casting her gleaming gaze at Erin. ¡°Stop filling her head with these fantasies,¡± Erin retorted, troubled by the excessive praise Lyra was piling upon her. Lyra tittered before faring Erin well, taking Celia by her hand as they walked out of the room. Left with only her own mind as herpany, Erin closed her eyes and her stat screen made its appearance. Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Three-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 12 | Status: Severe Fatigue (Drunken Vestige) Might: 20 | Arcane: 18 | Finesse: 19 Magic Arts Spirit Magic Lv. 8 | Arcane Edge Lv. 3 | Arcane Armor Lv. 5 | Lightning Magic Lv. 1 Combat Arts Sword Art Lv. 7 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 4 Innate Skills Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 1 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex Unique Talent Mystic de Lv. Ex | Revenant Lv. Ex Level Progression: 80% Remaining Skill Points: 2 Remaining Ability Points: 2 Although her world would spin whenever she opened her eyes, the stat screen remained rooted in her proverbial sight. After all, she wasn¡¯t looking at it with her physical eyes. This screen was nothing more than a projection of her mind. She let out a dry and meekugh. This sight had always sort of been a reality check for her. It reminded her that she was truly in a world different from hers. Looking at the numbers, it showed how much she had interacted with this world and how far she hade. Her mood dampened when she saw how serious the vestige was affecting her. Her new body was certainly not fit for drinking. ¡°Nevermind that¡­ just focus on allocating the points. Let the headache sort itself out.¡± Recalling her fight with the Wight, increasing her Might would have certainly helped a lot in such a fight but ultimately, she didn¡¯t win with brute strength. She had won with the use of her swiftness, quick-thinking, and precision. It was also thanks to Arcane Armor that she couldst long at all in the fight. And in her recent lessons with Nivia, she had even learned of her affinity with Lightning Magic. She had seen her share of lightning-based attacks in her past life and Lightning Magic was definitely something she wanted in her arsenal. With those in mind, she allocated all of her ability points into Arcane. [Arcane: 18 increased to 20] She then increased Arcane Armor level by one, using up two of her skill points. [Arcane Armor: Lv 5 increased to Lv 6] To her disappointment, the increment didn¡¯t give her any new spell but it did reduce the Mana consumption for Arcane Armor and also increased the attacks it could take before expiring. Erin had wanted to use her skill points for Lightning Magic but safety first. Knowing that she could no longer die in the truest sense, it only made her all the more terrified at dying. In the ce of death¡¯s hand, there was the hand of her Innate Skill, Lust Deviant, should her experience fail to meet the appropriate amount. The Goddess, Nyx had really given her an effective reminder. Too effective, in fact. ¡°Damn it, I didn¡¯t get the chance to ask about Lust Deviant.¡± Erin clicked her tongue. As sheid wearily on the bed, she began to think of ways she could speak with the Goddess, Nyx again. One of her attempts was praying with her eyes closed, but to no avail. She tried asking Lyra and Nivia about Nyx but neither of them had ever heard of this name. Nivia exined there were at least hundreds of faiths out there, it was impossible to know every single one of them unless one was extremely dedicated to learn about them. ¡°If only I could find something like a shrine or¡ª¡± Erin stopped her trail of thoughts there and switched rails. ¡°If I can¡¯t find one, why don¡¯t I just make one myself? Maybe that¡¯s why thoughts didn¡¯t reach Nyx, I didn¡¯t make the necessary preparations.¡± It was amon temte in tales that every conveyance with the divines required a ritual. She just needed to make a ritual, hopefully one that was simple and devoid of any harmful risks. As she stood up to pursue that idea, her vision immediately toppled and she fell back onto the bed. ¡°Ugh...¡± she groaned. She was still at the mercy of her drunken vestige. ¡°Maybeter...¡± Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Three-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 12 | Status: Severe Fatigue Might: 20 | Arcane: 20 | Finesse: 19 Magic Arts Spirit Magic Lv. 8 | Arcane Edge Lv. 3 | Arcane Armor Lv. 6 | Lightning Magic Lv. 1 Combat Arts Sword Art Lv. 7 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 4 Innate Skills Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 1 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex Unique Talent Mystic de Lv. Ex | Revenant Lv. Ex Level Progression: 80% Remaining Skill Points: 0 Remaining Ability Points: 0 2-9 Heralding 2-9 Heralding The vestige of Erin¡¯s drunken state eventually bade its farewell right around the beckoning of noon. In the drunken vestige¡¯s stead, Erin was left with a slight throbbing ache in her head but it wasn¡¯t bad as the torment of her drunken vestige. Lyra had returned then with some food along with Celia who was sucking meekly on a red hawthorn candy, painting her own lips bright red. Erin wasn¡¯t starving but she was still grateful for the toasted bread Lyra had bought for her. It wasn¡¯t just any toasted bread. It was made from Elven wheat, which was once considered a luxury but after the Elves mass produced it, it became one of the staple foods amongmoners. It would be a shame if she ate it now so she decided to keep the bread forter when her belly growled. As much as Erin loved to spend some time with Lyra and Celia, she had her magic lesson to attend to. Magic was hard but difficulties were to be expected. After all, Erin¡¯s sword skills did not arrive to this stage without any hardships. The challenges were part of the lessons, as how Erin perceived it. When she told the two that she had to take her leave, Celia clung onto her hard. The little girl finally relented when Erin patted her head with her tails, with much difficulty but it made for good training for her tails. Erin was getting good at using her tails and Lyra never ceased to remind her during their nightly session. ¡°Come back early, okay?¡± Celia held out her pinky finger. Erin hooked it with her own. ¡°Of course, Celia.¡± From the most subtle gestures to her big movements, Celia always somehow managed to tug on her and Lyra¡¯s heartstring. Erin thought it to be deliberate but she brushed it off as her own imagination. Noticing the sun rising to the zenith, Erin knew she was going to bete if she didn¡¯t move now. Washing herself up with a bowl of hot water, she rushed out of the inn after giving her tails some quick grooming. She had not enjoyed it at first but slowly, she became dependent on it. She enjoyed the feeling so much that she even hugged her tails sometimes in her sleep, a fact told by Lyra and something that Erin coerced and sworn her into silence about. The sun greeted her in full glow but the same energy couldn¡¯t be returned by Erin who only winced against the blinding light. It was another thing that she came to realize just recently, morning did not agree with her new body. She didn¡¯t have any troubles for the first week but down the line, it was getting harder for her to leave theforts of her bed. Unlike her former body, she needed a lot of effort and motivation to just make body leave the bed. However, she became livelier at night and it was also the time her lust would surface, almost as if she had be nocturnal. ¡°Maybe this is why I always managed to keep going until the beckon of dawn?¡± such thoughts had crossed her mind repeatedly. Realizing she was chasing tails with her own thoughts, she shoved those into the corner of her mind and hastened her paste the appointed spot for her magic lesson with Nivia. **** Lightning spilled for her palm and traveled in an erratic path before shing into the straw dummy, turning the target into charred remains and leaving trails of fire and cinder in its wake. Even so, the destruction was minimal and not spread beyond the expected range. A ground of only dirt and soil for yards and the grass present was all at the final stage of their lives. There was no risk of any fire catching. Nivia, who was watching the disy, gave a huge p. ¡°Well done, Erin,¡± she praised. ¡°You managed to conjure a solid attack spell without even a week¡¯s worth of training. You¡¯re extremely talented even among us Fae.¡± The Fox-kin herself offered a weary smile in response before falling onto her knees. That spell just now was the lowest tier among all of the offensive spells in Lightning Magic, Lightning Bolt, but it was one that was cast with almost all of Erin¡¯s Mana poured into it. ¡°Next subject, Spirit Magic.¡± Erin muttered a groan. ¡°It¡¯s difficult, I know, but it¡¯s essential.¡± Spirit Magic was hard to acquire and master. Erin had eight levels worth of advantage when it came to the lessons but she came to know there were still mountains to learn. Even so, Spirit Magic was not to be neglected. It was versatile and the pride of every Fae. As for Lightning Magic, the difficultyy on a different level. It was hard to obtain and harder to wield once learned. Lightning was vtile by nature and among the five basic magic elements of fire, water, wind, earth, and lightning, lightning took the first ce in being the most dangerous spell to learn. Incredibly and equally destructive to both the caster itself and the caster¡¯s targets. Erin paled when she was told of this only now. ¡°I have utter faith in you, my dear Erin,¡± Nivia said when she received a re from the panting Erin. ¡°You have already exceeded the standards of the average Fae. I¡¯m sure in due time, learning another spell of Spirit Magic will be like cutting cake, as humans tend to say.¡± ¡°What if I failed?¡± ¡°You survived the onught of Ghouls and you fought and won against a foul creature levels above you. And that spell just now is solid. Your failure is highly unlikely.¡± ¡°Unlikely but not impossible,¡± Erin grumbled as she pushed herself to her feet. She looked at her palm with scrutiny. It was slightly charred but that was the extent of her injuries in using Lightning Bolt. ¡°I burnt my hand a little, I wouldn¡¯t call this solid.¡± ¡°Well, there¡¯s a reason I didn¡¯t call it perfect.¡± Nivia approached Erin and grabbed her hand. ¡°You did good, Erin,¡± she said and cast Spirit Mend on Erin¡¯s palm, healing her small wound. Erin couldn¡¯t help but be envious of how insignificant the Mana consumption of Spirit Mend was to Nivia. ¡°Your conjuration still needs some practice,¡± Nivia remarked. ¡°You put yourself too vulnerable for attacks when you¡¯re conjuring a spell.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Erin muttered softly. One of the requirements for efficient spell casting was having a clear mental image of the spell itself, something Erin found it hard to execute inbat. Due to her high affinity with Spirit Magic, she didn¡¯t have much trouble with it but for Lightning Magic, casting Lightning Bolt left herself in a defenseless state for a duration longer than desired. Also, Spirit Magic was easier to use because she could and had often seen Spirits with Spirit Sight but the only times she could witness lightning was during a storm. Even in her past life, she couldn¡¯t remember thest time she fought anyone who used lightning as their means of assault. The crimson lightning from the Dire Wolf, the bandit, and the Wight was different. It was no normal Lightning Magic like the one she used. It wasn¡¯t even entirely lightning at all. Using that as an image proved to be no help in assisting her conjuration. Still, in spite of this hurdle, she was praised by Nivia for being more talented than the other talented ones. ¡°Shall we take a break first?¡± Nivia suggested. Erin nodded. Those words felt like a godsend. Training with magic was more tiring than training with swords. It exhausted her both physically and mentally unlike with swords, it was just physically for most times. She wasn¡¯t starving minutes ago but upon using up most of her Mana in thatst spell, her stomach had never felt emptier. They both moved to a lonely old tree in this vast ground of dry soil and dirt. They took their seats by the bulging roots. Erin had the Elven bread Lyra bought for herte lunch while Nivia had a sandwich with only tomato slices and lettuces. Erin was baffled at first on how Nivia could be full just from this meagre amount of food but after knowing the peculiarities of Fae, she rested her case. ¡°About Celia, what do you intend to do about her?¡± Nivia asked after taking the first bite of her sandwich. ¡°Hmm?¡± Erin mumbled as she chewed on her first bite. After swallowing, she responded. ¡°Taking her with me, I guess?¡± ¡°Surely you¡¯re not expecting to have her around you at every moment,¡± Nivia said. ¡°You¡¯re an adventurer. She can¡¯t exactly follow you everywhere. She¡¯s young. She needs to familiarize herself with words more. She also needs to learn something and what can you teach her that is good for her age?¡± Erin didn¡¯t have an answer. The only thing that she was qualified to teach was how to wield a sword and it wasn¡¯t something she wanted for Celia, especially given what she had gone through. ¡°There is a Ruvan Temple in Maven¡¯s Creek. It¡¯s also a home for the children without parents or guardians.¡± ¡°An orphanage?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Nivia nodded. ¡°She can learn much there. They also have the necessary health care she needs.¡± ¡°Sounds too good to be true. And I have heard unpleasant rumors about Ruvan from rtively reliable people.¡± ¡°I have the same doubts but from what I have heard, they are true to their ims as being a sanctuary. There actually had been people who tried to take advantage of the temple but they were quickly unrooted by the pdins. The church as a whole doesn''t take too kindly to corruption. Since then, no one even dared to hold thoughts about desecrating the sacred ground.¡± While Erin knew Nivia wouldn¡¯t lie to her, the same couldn¡¯t be said about rumors and most of all, religion. In her past life, she did not have a single good memory about religion. It was always the same tune and melody. The clergymen took advantage of the people¡¯s blind faith and used it for their own goals, most of them which were even unholier than the dark beings they vowed to destroy. And Ruvanian was thergest faith in the west and if she had learned anything from her history and experience, the bigger an organization was, the more corrupted it was likely to be. Be that as it may, Erin knew she couldn¡¯t have Celia with her all the time considering her profession. ¡°If it¡¯s any reassuring, this informationes from the nun who resides in the church.¡± Erin raised her eyebrows. ¡°A nun? How do youe to know a nun, a Ruvan nun no less.¡± Nivia only smiled at Erin''s question. ¡°The nun¡¯s name is Saphielle of Willowde.¡± ¡°Willowde...¡± Erin repeated the Elf¡¯s word in a mutter. ¡°Is she perhaps¡ª¡± ¡°Yes, she¡¯s an Elf too.¡± ¡°An Elf, working as a Ruvan nun?¡± Erin remembered what she was told. Ruvanian was prejudicial towards races other than humans but an Elf was serving as a nun there. ¡°How¡¯s that possible?¡± ¡°As much as they have an unnatural obsession with their prejudicial view towards Demi-humans, they are not fools. Spirits yed a huge part in maintaining the world in ways we would never understand, or so that¡¯s how the story goes. Spirits are one of the main factors in getting a good harvest. Having a terrible rtionship with the Faerie-kin is something no country or faction would ever wish for unless you¡¯re the empire.¡± ¡°The empire?¡± ¡°The Corven Empire. Thergest nation ever existed. The empire itselfprises a whole continent, one that is as big as Evarenan. Some say the empire is even bigger.¡± ¡°How¡¯s the military?¡± For the duel-loving Erin, she really needed to know this. ¡±They¡¯re strong too in addition to their numbers?¡± Nivia shrugged. ¡°Nobody knows for sure except the empire itself. But given that they managed to not let much of their information known to the outside, that says plenty of the nation¡¯s capabilities. There are even rumors about the Empire having an agent in every part of the world.¡± ¡°And do you believe that?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Nivia said as she finished her sandwich. ¡°As long as they do not wrong the Fae, whatever they¡¯re up to, it is no business of mine or our people. We put our people first before the affairs of the others.¡± Erin nodded in agreement. ¡°Politics and war, they never change,¡± Erin mused in her heart. She was involved in politics in her past life but at most, she had only plunged her hands into the pond. Even then, she could see the chaos that was overflowing from within. If even a mere sight could offer so much headache, she couldn¡¯t begin to imagine the oue had shemitted herself to a faction. To her, taking a side in politics was the same as telling herself which lie she willing to be ignorant to. ¡°We¡¯re going off the trail here,¡± Nivia remarked. ¡°So, what do you think?¡± Erin smiled wryly. ¡°I think I¡¯ll have to see it for myself to be sure.¡± Nivia returned the smile. ¡°That¡¯s the Erin I know. Come on, let¡¯s resume the lesson,¡± she said as stood up, patting herself of the crumbs on herps and the dust on her posterior. Erin skipped thest two bites and threw the whole remaining bread into her mouth. Nivia sighed at the sight but she had long epted it as a quirk of Erin. Moreover, Erin¡¯s swollen cheeks from stuffing her mouth full was a really endearing sight. Nivia had to hold herself back from pinching those cheeks. The Elf¡¯s smile vanished when she noticed a bird with a tail in the shape of a ¡°v¡± swooping down at them. ¡°A swallow?¡± Erin mused in confusion. It wasn¡¯t just some normal swallow. The swallow was not of flesh and feathers but a creature of pure cyan luminosity. She appraised it and found out it was actually a spell of Spirit Magic; Familiar Summoning. The swallow flew into Nivia¡¯s extended arm before disappearing into thin air and leaving a rolled-up parchment falling into her open palm. A wrinkle appeared on her brows when she noticed the red ribbon wrapped on the small parchment. She quickly unwrapped the parchment and read the contents thoroughly. Nivia paled after she finished reading the content. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Erin asked worriedly. ¡°It¡¯s from Saphielle,¡± Nivia said. ¡°There was a¡­ rumor among the Ruvan clergies in Maven¡¯s Creek. Aza is one of the pdins sent by the main temple to investigate the dark ritual their Seers had picked up in Green Scar.¡± Erin had a bad feeling when she noticed the faint twitch in her expression. ¡°Who is this Aza?¡± she asked. ¡°Someone that I don¡¯t want you to know or meet, but of course, that¡¯s not very likely considering your predisposition towards troubles.¡± ¡°Why? Is she dangerous?¡± ¡°Dangerous if she sees you as an enemy but that¡¯s not the cause of my worries.¡± Erin waited for Nivia to continue. ¡°I do not know of her personally but she is quite a popr topic, even among the Fae. From these stories I have heard, she¡¯s the most upromising person I have ever heard about. And the greatest rumors surrounding her was that if it wasn¡¯t for her oath sworn to Ruvanian, she would have been the Sword Saint instead. And I know you¡¯re enthusiastic with swords.¡± And Nivia wasn¡¯t wrong. Erin¡¯s interest was piqued to its heights when she heard that, but it wasn¡¯t like she just stopped using her head altogether. As much as she wanted to meet this Aza, she knew it would be the most foolish thing to do. Azalea was essentially a recipe for disaster from what Nivia had told her. ¡°If you were to encounter her, don¡¯t even try,¡± Nivia warned. ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± Erin answered. Nivia rolled her eyes back. ¡°Erin, your grin.¡± It was only after Nivia pointed it out, Erin realized how she had a grin this whole time after knowing she was a contender for the Sword Saint title. ¡°Erin, I forbid you to approach her, if you can help it,¡± Nivia told her off. Given what had happened so far, Erin could only retort, ¡°no promises.¡± 2-10 Revelations 2-10 Revtions The dawn of the next day was mellow, something Erin was grateful for. The normally zing sun hid itself behind the clouds, heralding a storm. She usually saw it as an omen but at present, she yearned for it. From her first day in this world until today, not once had she experienced a change of weather. She missed the rain. As her time was always spent in the wilderness in her past life, the rain brought her a peculiar sense offort as it made bandits and beasts less likely to attack him. So to say, it was a moment of respite during rain. The heavier the rain, the morefort she found. While Erin liked the weather, that was only a belief particr to her. Her sentiment wasn¡¯t shared by her erstwhile employer, Iris. The other merchants possessed simr worries. The brewing storm was nothing more than a menace to their business. The miry roads would not bode well for the caravans. This was the day of the merchant caravans¡¯ departure and the day was off to a foreboding start. The caravans were lined up in a single file, preparing to depart at any given moment. The length of the caravans as a whole drew a few sighs of admiration from Erin, Lyra, and Celia. The merchants had been so scattered with their set-up and stalls but right now, they were as orderly as if their prior erratic arrangement was an illusion. Surrounding this single file of caravans were the hired guards. Going by the different style of their garbs and armor, Erin assumed them to be all adventurers. Most of them gave off a feeling of being higher level than Lyra and Erin herself yet somehow, they weren¡¯t intimidating to Erin. There were some guards who were dressed in entirely formal attire. Erin presumed those to be personal guards for the merchants. It was hard for Erin to resist appraising them for her own curiosity. ¡°What did I tell ya? We got here just in time after all,¡± Lyra said merrily. Erin rolled her eyes as a response. They were a few minutes behind the intended time when they arrived. Their tardiness could be attributed to the fervent passionate night that they shared. The duration of this trip was a few days even at the fastest pace and they would rarely have any chances to be alone. Lyra wanted to get her fill of Erin before they departed. Things got all the more livelier when Maria joined in. Evidently, they overdone it and the two were close to being written off. The two had only finished packing their luggage just this morning as they were too wrapped up in their embracest night. There wasn¡¯t much for them to pack; only clothes, weapons, and tools were their luggage. It was the same for Celia who only had three sets of clothes. As they were escorting merchants, they didn¡¯t need to be overly prepared. Nivia had departed earlier than the two but for her own quest. Iris had given Nivia the information of her enved kin in advance, and the Elf departed as soon as she could. She was already gone when Erin had woken up, leaving only Celia and a letter in her room. ¡°That damn Elf, couldn¡¯t she at least wake us up before leaving?¡± Lyra had grumbled then. ¡°Leaving just like that without a farewell...¡± Erin widened her eyes in curiosity and surprise. ¡°You miss her?¡± ¡°I most certainly don¡¯t,¡± Lyra retorted in a weird ent. Erin tittered behind her hand. Despite their mutual animosity towards one another, Erin could tell the two at least trust each other when pushes to shove. ¡°If only they could stop tearing at each other''s throat on the normal asions,¡± Erin hoped wishfully. Arriving at the avenue, Erin took onest look around the town. She wasn¡¯t keen on staying but the town had been good to her. She was sure she was going to miss it. As this was the first ce she hade upon since her reincarnation, this town would forever have a ce in her heart. She made a promise to Sam that she woulde back for a visit. She also made a simr promise to Maria when they shared a farewell heat of passionst night, along with Lyra who had taken a liking to copte with an additional partner in bed after the tanglement with Iris. Erin had mixed feelings about Lyra¡¯s newfound interest but she ultimately spoke nothing of it. ¡°I hope Cal and Selene are doing fine...¡± Erin assured herself. She had wanted to say her farewells to the budding couple as well but she didn¡¯t manage to. Word around the town was that theirst quest had left their mind in a state of afeared. The Guild had pardoned them for a few days of leave but if they wished to continue being adventurers, they had to take up a quest eventually. Erin could do nothing but pray for them. A p of thunder from the distance pulled Erin back to reality. ¡°Looks like the rain would be quite heavy,¡± remarked Crom, who had approached Erin to familiarize himself with her and Lyra as they would all be more than acquaintances but still less than friends. Naturally, the Wolf-kin siblings were apanying Crom to this brief and small meeting as they were his personal guards. ¡°We should leave before the rain catches up,¡± said Siv, the Shewolf-kin with gray hair that reached only a little over her neck but still longer than Lyra¡¯s. As Siv was also part of the security detail, she had taken the liberty to strike a conversation with Erin and Lyra in regards to their work. To strengthen the trust, Siv had revealed her level and skills to Erin. She was level twenty-one. She was skilled with pole arms and swords. Like the average Beast-kin, she didn¡¯t have any Magic Arts. Upon hearing how Siv was skilled in the ways of the de and her level was even higher than Nivia, Erin had to suppress her urges to challenge the Shewolf-kin to a duel right then. ¡°Perhaps I can ask for a duel during one of the stops on the road,¡± such a thought crossed Erin¡¯s mind. Another lightning streaked across the sky in the far-off horizon. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be best to dy the departure until the morrow at least?¡± Erin asked. ¡°I have made simr suggestions, Lady Erin,¡± Siv told her. ¡°But they refused it. They have a schedule to follow and any dys would put a hole into their profits.¡± ¡°A hole in their profits?.¡± ¡°It is how they had put it.¡± Erin couldn¡¯t refute that. A trip during a storm was basically a wish to court troubles, Erin learned that quite well in her past life but with her experience and past prowess, a storm was a breeze to her. ¡°It¡¯s just a storm, Lady Erin,¡± Crom said with augh as his rolls of fat jiggled whenever he made the slightest movements. ¡°You severely underestimated this caravan. We are prepared for this, I¡¯ll have you know.¡± Though his words were coated with arrogance, Crom was amicable with his tone. ¡°Fae like you should stop looking down on other races,¡± and came Wref, the other Wolf-kin, who hadn¡¯t stopped giving Erin a disdainful re. His dark skin and long gray hair only served to amplify his thuggish appearance but his tail and ears helped in mellowing his intimidating appearance. ¡°That was not my intention,¡± Erin responded without offering Wref her gaze. ¡°I¡¯m merely expressing my worries, which are well-justified.¡± Wref was about to retort but a smack to the back of his by his own sister managed to silence him. ¡°Sorry about him, Lady Erin,¡± Crom apologized with a merchant smile. ¡°I hope you won¡¯t take offense to his foolery. Wref didn¡¯t have a¡­ shall we say, amicable history with the Faerie-kin.¡± ¡°I have taken no offense, Mister Crom,¡± Erin replied. ¡°You can be assured about that unless he crossed the line.¡± ¡°I will take that to heart, Lady Erin,¡± Crom said with a bow. He then took a quick nce at his pocket watch. ¡°Well mdies, we should be going. See you two on the road,¡± he bade and walked back to his caravan along with his guards. ¡°He¡¯s surprisingly pleasant,¡± Lyra said. Erin nodded in agreement. ¡°I say he likes you.¡± Erin scowled. ¡°You jest.¡± ¡°Why else would hee to you all the way from his caravan? You don¡¯t really believe he¡¯s just breeding business familiarity, do you?¡± ¡°And you aren¡¯t bothered? I¡¯m shocked.¡± Lyra chuckled. ¡°After the past few nights, I am thoroughly assured of your¡­ strange fidelity.¡± Erin rolled her eyes. ¡°Oh for the love of¡ª quit your thering,¡± she grumbled. ¡°And I can do without the ¡°strange¡± at the front.¡± As much as Erin hated to admit it, Lyra¡¯s words were definitely a possibility. Erin had crossed paths with Crom a few days ago when she was strolling the festive streets with Lyra. She was genuinely surprised at how sincere and humble he was despite having someone like Hegan for a father, whose wealth was most likely only second to Iris¡¯. He went out of lengths to make sure he was predisposed to any of her requests should she have any, or so he said. Even if it wasn¡¯t what Lyra had surmised, Crom was without a doubt, extremely fond of Erin. However, the same couldn¡¯t be said for his guard, Wref. The Wolf-kin held a re whenever Erin was in his presence. He had even challenged her to a fight on their chance second encounter but the challenge was voided by his sister, Siv. Erin remembered how she had to still herself with much difficulty from letting her eyes wander astray, slowly to the Shewolf-kin¡¯s exposed midriff. Her eyes were then drawn to Lyra, who sported a simr choice of apparels but Lyra fell short on the amount of skin she was exposing inparison to Siv. ¡°Erin, you¡¯re not thinking of something rude, are you?¡± Lyra eyed her with a narrow gaze. ¡°It¡¯s just your imagination,¡± Erin immediately denied after exiting her reminiscent. ¡°Mdies,¡± an elderly woman dressed in maid attire called out to the three from the top of a small flight of steps, which led up to Iris¡¯ caravan. ¡°Pardon for my interruption but we will be departing now.¡± Erin looked around with confusion. ¡°Where¡¯s our horses?¡± she asked. ¡°Miss Lyra and you are the personal guards of Lady Iris. The two of you will be by her side for most times. You will be sharing the same cart as Lady Iris,¡± the maid exined. ¡°We get to ride in that big cart?¡± Celia asked in an excited manner. ¡°I guess we are,¡± Lyra answered. She turned to Erin. ¡°Shall we?¡± Erin¡¯s answer didn¡¯te immediately. There was onest person she had yet to say her farewell to but for some reasons, she didn¡¯t feel like she needed to. ¡°Erin? Is there something...¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Erin said. ¡°Let¡¯s just go.¡± Lyra knew what was troubling Erin but she said nothing of it. ¡°Can this even be called a caravan?¡± Erin mused as she, Lyra and Celia entered the caravan. She had been in a amazed stupor ever since sheid eyes on Iris'' caravan. It was asrge as a hut but too ornate andvish to be called as such. There was even a small part of the caravan being allotted as another room, separated by a huge cloth. The caravan could fit ten people and it would still have space to supplement more objects or people. The interior was even furnished like a luxurious inn¡¯s room. There were even windows with ss panes and also opaque blinds. The smaller merchants had their caravans pulled by horses but the merchants like Iris and Hegan had their caravans pulled by creatures that resembled oxen the most in Erin¡¯s eyes. The oxen-like creatures¡¯ size and tusks were the main difference that separated them from the normal oxen. They were called Tuskrogs and they fed only on grass but when threatened, they could be deadlier than most carnivores around their size, or at least that was what Erin¡¯s appraisal result had told her. She was warned not to use her appraisal without any consent of the other part but she didn¡¯t think animals were in the bracket. But more surprisingly, the Tuskrogs were all around level forty to level fifty. Their ages were in the hundreds. Suffice to say, Erin stood no chance against them in a fair fight. It was a difficult feeling, to be outmatched by a beast that grazed grass to fill their belly. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll have any monsters approaching us with these Tuskrogs,¡± Lyra whispered to Erin. Even though Lyra couldn¡¯t have known of their level but she could tell these Tuskrogs weren¡¯t just the usual domesticated mounts. Erin nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t think my swords could even leave a small scratch on their hide,¡± she thought to herself. She was tempted to try it. ¡°I have been waiting, you two,¡± Iris¡¯ words reeled Erin back to the present. She beckoned the three to their seats. ¡°Please, have a seat.¡± In the center of the cart¡¯s interior, sat Iris who was surrounded by elegant furnitures that were simply there for the purpose of disying her wealth. Much like the tent Iris lived in, the seats were also cushions instead of chairs. Her robes were as always, revealing, but only if one viewed it from the sight. At the very least, she was sitting in a pattern that didn¡¯t reveal her bottom undergarments, a consideration for Celia. But the more astonishing fact was the presence of Joshua, who was sitting just beside Iris. The young man with an affable smile greeted Erin and the others with warm words and praises to their appearances. Lyra smiled awkwardly in response but Erin held back a grimace. And Erin didn¡¯t fail to notice the presence of another individual in the room. She couldn¡¯t tell where the individual was despite thepact space, but from the way the individual only trembled a little whenever Erin looked at Joshua¡¯s way, she surmised the individual to be Joshua¡¯s personal guard. Erin took a whiff at the sight of the room. She couldn¡¯t pick up the scent of Joshua¡¯s personal guard but that wasn¡¯t the reason she took a whiff. Theck of the sourly odor between them told Erin enough of the two¡¯s rtionship. ¡°At least she¡¯s not as loose as I thought,¡± Erin muttered in her heart. But most surprising of all, she picked up a faint scent of Aedan on Joshua, not enough to imply them in a certain way, but enough to imply Joshua was acquainted with Aedan. ¡°As guards, shouldn¡¯t we be on the outside,¡± Erin asked as soon as she had taken her seat. Iris tittered and pped her hands. The caravan then started moving. ¡°Whoa...¡± Lyra gasped in shock. ¡°There¡¯s no¡ª¡± ¡°Tremor?¡± Iris tittered again as she finished Lyra¡¯s sentence. ¡°From me, you can expect only the best, second best at the very least.¡± Erin narrowed her gaze. ¡°You haven¡¯t answered my question, Lady Iris.¡± ¡°You are my personal guard, Lady Erin,¡± Iris answered. She snapped her fingers and the elderly maid from before came from the other ¡°room¡± and served them some tea. The maid retreated back to the other room as soon as she had done her job. ¡°Those out there are simply guards for the caravans as a whole,¡± Iris continued. ¡°You two on other hand, are at my beckon. You answer to me, and me only. If the other merchants asked something of you, you are obligated to reject them.¡± ¡°Even if we are your personal guards, it¡¯s no reason for this kind of reception. We are your guards, not your guests.¡± ¡°Lady Iris has a¡­ special rtionship with Aedan,¡± Joshua exined in Iris¡¯ stead. ¡°And seeing how the two of you are friends with Aedan, which means you have gained his trust. Anyone who gained Aedan¡¯s trust, gained Iris¡¯ trust.¡± Erin gazed at Joshua with scrutiny. ¡°Mister Joshua, was it?¡± ¡°Please, just Joshua is fine.¡± ¡°Very well, Joshua. You are acquainted with Aedan? I didn¡¯t know that.¡± ¡°What gave it away?¡± he asked with a smile. ¡°Scent,¡± Erin gave a brief answer. ¡°Ah, I see. Well, to answer your question, I am.¡± Erin didn¡¯t know why but something about Joshua seemed off, her instincts as a Fox-kin kept telling her so. ¡°Now, I assumed you are curious as to why Joshua is here?¡± Iris said with a smile. Unlike Joshua¡¯s warm smile, hers was chilled with schemes. Erin and Lyra exchanged a quick nce upon noticing the change in the air. Celia was just sitting in Lyra¡¯sp, ying with her rough hands, indulging in her own world. Erin was no irvoyant nor a Seer but she had an inkling for the answer. Iris¡¯ grin widened when she took notice of Erin¡¯s guess. ¡°I see you have already guessed it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s about Aedan, isn¡¯t it?¡± Lyra widened her eyes. Iris turned her gaze to Lyra. ¡°Yes, Miss Lyra. We know about his secret too.¡± ¡°Since we already know of his secret, what else is there to talk about?¡± Iris giggled. ¡°My rtionship with him for one.¡± Erin immediately clenched her fist with an audible crack. ¡°I¡¯m just joking about that, Lady Erin. What I want to tell you is the reason for his secrecy.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this something that Aedan should be the one telling me himself instead of you?¡± ¡°Take it from someone who has known him for a long time. He would never tell you everything. You either hear it from someone else or you find out about it yourself. He thinks that the more one knows about him, the more danger one will be in. Under other circumstances, I will agree with him but¡­ considering you already know his secrets, and also considering who you are and what you are, the absence of knowledge will only put you in further danger.¡± ¡°What knowledge is it exactly?¡± Erin asked. ¡°The knowledge about the ones who are hunting him.¡± ¡°And who are they?¡± ¡°...Remnants of the deceased Demon Lord, Zarkoth.¡± 2-11 Receptacle 2-11 Receptacle The caravans had barely left the sights of the town when the rain finally caught up to the merchants in spite of their haste. But of course, one could never outrun the force of nature, so no one uttered their dissatisfactions andints. The rain arrived with thunder and gale as its banners as the clouds darkened. The weather turned bleak in mere moments. However, these merchants were ustomed to travelling, and they had faced a vast array of obstacles and challenges. They had learned to be well prepared for almost every situation. A simple rain or storm would not be able to hinder their advance nor would it easily dither their spirits. To counter the difficulties brought upon by the rain, Mages of the relevant field were employed for such situations. Protection spells to resist against the harsh weather were cast onto the caravans and the horses. The Tuskrogs were left as they are without the protection spells for they were born to withstand the harshness of nature. Their skin was even impervious to the ws of Serks, Rot-rats, Dire Wolves, and many other predatory beasts that lurked among these woods. Under the immense wrath of such a storm, the pace of the caravans were only slightly lessened. Even the unpaved roads in their path, further ruined by the rain, were no different than pebbles by the roadside in face of the merchants'' preparations. ¡°There we go, we are now safe from the weather,¡± Iris said with acent smile. Their conversation was brought to a halt when the rain caught up to the caravans. Erin and Lyra had expressed their concerns and Celia curled herself up in Lyra¡¯sp. The little girl¡¯s antic reminded Erin of a cat but the Fox-kin kept her thoughts to herself. Lyra brought up her worries of the dangers a storm posed to travels. Iris assured them of the storm¡¯s irrelevance to their safety and exined to the two of their methods in weathering through the storm. ¡°Now, where were we?¡± Iris said after she finished her brief exnation. ¡°Remnants of the Zarkoth,¡± Joshua reminded her. ¡°Ah yes, Aedan¡¯s stalkers, and that¡¯s to put it lightly.¡± Iris tittered. ¡°But first, you two are aware of the Demon Lord known as Zarkoth, no?¡± ¡°Aedan has told us about him, vaguely,¡± Erin answered. ¡°Heroes have tried and failed to subjugate this Demon Lord. Even one of them was seduced to its side. But in the end, the Demon Lord fell to the heroes'' persistence nheless.¡± ¡°And you don¡¯t doubt Aedan¡¯s words?¡± Iris questioned. ¡°I don¡¯t believe he lied but I¡¯m convinced he did not reveal the whole truth.¡± Iris recoiled with adtion. ¡°How curious. You¡¯re truly not as dim as you look, Lady Erin. I guess my first impression of you has been remiss.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± It was Lyra who took offense to the Umbrum¡¯s indistinct words. ¡°I meant no disrespect, Miss Lyra. I¡¯m merely speaking from experience. A pretty face is often apensation for one¡¯sck of wits. I guess people have only so much time to choose either to refine their appearance or knowledge.¡± Iris¡¯ response didn¡¯t stave off Lyra¡¯s re. ¡°Anyways, I¡¯m going off the topic again.¡± Iris cleared her throat. ¡°Before I go further, how much do you know about demons?¡± Erin held her answer back. She turned to Lyra, gesturing with her gaze. Lyra nodded in understanding and stood from her seat, with Celia in her arms. ¡°Where are we going?¡± Celia asked with blinking eyes. Lyra smiled. ¡°We¡¯ll y in the corner there. Erin has something important to talk to this witch here.¡± Erin stifled augh. Joshua let out a tant soft giggle beside Iris but the person-in-question took no offense. Celia canted her head. ¡°We can¡¯t stay and listen?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want to y with me?¡± Lyra asked as she drooped her shoulders. Celia shook her head. ¡°I want to y with you, Lara,¡± she said brightly. Lyra responded with a chuckle and took Celia to the far corner of the room, far enough to not let any of their words pour into Celia¡¯s ears. ¡°How envious. When I was her age, my father would actually force me to stay and listen to these tedious talks,¡± Iris said with a dramatic sigh and expression. ¡°Not interested in your sob past. Just get to the point,¡± Erin retorted. Iris put on a downcast expression. ¡°So cold¡­ even after the heated entanglement we¡ª¡± ¡°One more deviation from our topic and I¡¯ll fling this cup tea at your unbearable face.¡± ¡°Oh my, I thought we were warm, after that fated intimate night together.¡± Erin was picking her cup and her re piercing the Umbrum. Iris froze for a moment before stering a smile onto her face again. ¡°Alright alright, I yield.¡± She threw her hands up. Joshua sighed. ¡°Why do you always have to do this?¡± ¡°Just breaking the ice, Josh. No harm intended.¡± ¡°Get on with it,¡± Erin said with her fingers tightened around the ear of her cup. ¡°Where was I? Oh right, Demons, what do you know about them?¡± ¡°Only from tales of unreliable narrators and books of unknown authors. So, not much.¡± ¡°Would you do the honors, Josh?¡± Iris said to Joshua. ¡°I believe this part is more of your trait than it is mine.¡± The affable smile on Joshua twitched but nevertheless, he nodded. ¡°Very well, Lady Iris.¡± Joshua turned to Erin. ¡°In short, Demons are essentially beings corrupted by a potent energy originating from a ce known as the Nether Realm or simply, Hell by themon folks.¡± ¡°Hell?¡± Erin mused. ¡°You mean the ce where all the wicked souls go? It¡¯s real?¡± ¡°It is only the spection of schrs. We only know that this corrupting energyes from some ce, we don''t exactly know that ce is. We have even yet to know how this corruption spreads into our world. The most popr belief among the schrs is that there are tears in the world, and these tears lead to the Nether realm, or Hell. These tears are not big enough to amodate a being but it is enough for their foul air to flow through. Thus, corrupting any beings who are unfortunate enough to stumble upon these tears.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying all Demons are beings of this world but corrupted by Hell magic?¡± ¡°Once again, only spection but yes, that''s what we believe. Although, there might be Demons that are born of much more, shall we say, natural phenomenon.¡± ¡°Demons breed?¡± ¡°That is not the case. Demons are of neither genders. They do not possess the necessary parts to reproduce the way most creatures do. And Demons can''t turn people or creatures into Demons, except for one particr Demon.¡± Erin had already guessed which Demon Joshua was referring to. ¡°There¡¯s only one kind of Demon who could corrupt beings into a Demon, that is the Demon Lord. That is what Demons and a Demon Lord are.¡± ¡°And how does a Demon Lord turn someone or something into a Demon?¡± Joshua smiled ruefully. ¡°Unfortunately, there¡¯s no recorded text or eye-witnesses to the exact process. All we know is that the Demon Lord had the power to corrupt beings to do its bidding.¡± ¡°...Interesting as it is,¡± Erin said after a moment of thinking. ¡°You have yet to tell me one important point.¡± ¡°Pray tell, Lady Erin,¡± Joshua adjured respectfully. ¡°Do Demons still walk the world? I can¡¯t find any answers for this in all of the texts I have read and the people I have spoken to.¡± ¡°Yes, undoubtedly so,¡± came the firm answer from Joshua. ¡°They still exist but just not on this continent. There is an isted continent in the southwest,pletely detached from the rest of the world, where no man, Fae, or Beast-kin dared to tread upon. The Demon Continent as the people have taken the liberty to call it as such. The Demon Continent is a wastnd as far as we can tell and the only beings present there are Demons, hence the name.¡± ¡°A continent solely for the Demons themselves?¡± Erin questioned. ¡°That sounds dangerous and no Demons have ever wandered out of the continent, by chance or by intention?¡± ¡°There are but the churches made sure none of the Demons trod too close to our boundaries. Especially the Ruvans, the churches have set up frontiers and outposts around the sea of the Demon Continent. They have been responsible for the absence of Demons in the rest of the world.¡± "Why not just culled of everyst one of those Demons?" Irisughed. "Believe me, they tried but it''s not easy. The air itself in the Demon Continent is toxic. Your skin would rot the moment you get even remotely close to that ce." ¡°And going by how I read none of this in books, this is notmon knowledge, I presume?¡± ¡°Plenty of reasons for this knowledge to remain a secret to the public," Joshua answered. "This knowledge would only induce needless panic into the hearts of the masses and there will be many opportunists that would exploit this piece of knowledge to serve their own ambitions.¡± ¡°So why not just tell the masses that Demons are no more? Instead of leaving it as an obscurity?¡± ¡°Because sometimes, ambiguity is more believable than an established narrative, dear Erin,¡± Iris exined. ¡°This is one of those times. Same as those moments when a n proceeded too ordingly without even the slightest bump in the path, you know something¡¯s wrong, won''t you say?¡± ¡°I suppose so,¡± Erin said. ¡°So, about the remnants of Zarkoth, what are they and why are they hunting Aedan?¡± ¡°Zarkoth wasn¡¯t an ordinary Demon, he is an amalgamation of six high level Demons and one vessel of an even higher level to host these six Demons as one single being.¡± Erin blinked at the revtion. Since it was Joshua telling her all this, Erin didn¡¯t think he was jesting. But she was still having trouble believing it. It soundedpletely like an epic tale from the songs sung by minstrels. ¡°Are you not following, Lady Erin?¡± Joshua asked. ¡°I am following but it¡¯s hard to believe all that.¡± ¡°That is understandable,¡± Joshua said. ¡°I was in your position when I learned of the same thing. So take your time, Lady Erin. Right now, we have nothing but time.¡± A thunder pped right then and a shrill escaped Celia¡¯s lips. Erin jumped a bit from her heightened hearing ability. ¡°Are you alright, Lady Erin?¡± Lady Iris asked, hiding augh behind her hand. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Thanks for asking,¡± Erin retorted. ¡°About the vessel, just exactly what is it? A suit of armor? A corpse?¡± She quickly reeled the subject back on track. ¡°A carcass of a high level beast,¡± Joshua revealed. ¡°To be precise, it was a carcass of a level ny-six Raskhar, if my memory did not fail me.¡± ¡°A Raskhar?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not familiar?¡± Erin shook her head. ¡°Imagine a tall and slender man with decaying flesh,¡± Iris said. ¡°Its arms are thin and long, and so is their ws. A deer skull with overgrown antlers for a head. And also a pair of bat-like wings on the back. That''s a Raskhar. Fortunately, they''re quite reserved and stay deep in the depths of forests with high Mana density.¡± ¡°What the hell? Isn¡¯t that just a personification of someone¡¯s nightmare?¡± Iris chuckled. ¡°What a wonderful reaction,¡± she remarked. Erin mollified her imagination and banished the image from her mind. ¡°Continue please,¡± she said. ¡°When Zarkoth was in, he didn¡¯t exactly die, not that it could ever die like a human, a Fae, or a Beast-kin could. And Zarkoth wasn¡¯t in in the traditional sense that you might have thought. Merely the vessel was destroyed by the hero. With the vessel gone, the remnants scattered.¡± ¡°And why didn¡¯t the heroes destroy those remnants too?¡± Joshua gave a regretful look. ¡°No one knew what the Demon Lord was at that time. This information we have told you, it was only uncovered years after the Demon Lord¡¯s apparent demise.¡± ¡°And Aedan? How is he involved in this? The heroes killed the Demon Lord, well, kind of. The remnants aren¡¯t seeking revenge, they couldn¡¯t be. Aedan was not even alive when Zarkoth was¡­ in, wasn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°You are correct in that matter, Lady Erin. As to why¡ª¡± Iris¡¯ titter interrupted Joshua¡¯s sentences. Her titter contained more hints of amusement than before. ¡°If Aedan told you about Zarkoth. He would tell you about the heroes. The clues are there, Lady Erin, but I can understand that it might not be enough for you to figure it out.¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to listen, as far as I¡¯m aware, not to y riddles, Lady Iris.¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯re no fun at all.¡± Iris sighed ostentatiously. ¡°Here¡¯s thest clue, the ring piece of the puzzle. What do you think happened after the second summoned hero betrayed and killed Aedan?¡± ¡°Lady Iris, we should just tell¡ª¡± ¡°No no no, let her figure it out. It¡¯s more fun this way.¡± As much Erin hated Iris¡¯ frolic caprice, Erin felt like her pride was at stake if she just sat here getting spoon fed with everyst bit of knowledge. What¡¯s more, she had an inkling that the answer was real close. It was right in her face and she needed only to know where to look. ¡°Why would the remnants of Zarkoth be pursuing Aedan? He wasn¡¯t the one who in Zarkoth, he helped but if it was revenge, they wouldn¡¯t be looking for Aedan. They would be looking for the heroes, or at least their descendants. And there¡¯s the thing Iris said, what happened after the second hero killed Aedan? Does she mean what has the second hero done with Aedan¡¯s corpse¡ª wait, corpse¡­ Aedan¡¯s corpse... A Dragon¡¯s corpse¡­¡± ¡°She has figured it out,¡± Iris said, with her chin resting on her palm. ¡°The remnants intend to use Aedan as their vessel,¡± Erin breathed in horror at that realization. Iris smiled and pped lightly. ¡°Correct. The second hero killed him and intends to offer his corpse to Zarkoth as a tribute, as a vessel. With a Dragon as its vessel, the Demon Lord would be stronger than it already was, probably the strongest in the world." Erin frowned. "Just how high is Aedan''s level?" "Only he knows but I''m willing to wager it''s definitely more than eighty." "Why eighty?" "Because the lowest level remnant was level eighty." "Ah..." "Now, back to the story. Fortunately for the world, the traitorous second hero wasn¡¯t learned about Dragons.¡± Erin canted her head. ¡°Wasn''t learned about Dragons?¡± ¡°You see, when a Dragon dies, their corpse disappears along with their soul, unless the Dragon gives away a part of itself willingly. Like a tooth, a nail, or a scale, that sort of thing, only then will it remain indefinitely. The remnants realized they need Aedan alive to use him as a vessel.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t he also just disappear altogether if he became a vessel?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a possibility but it doesn¡¯t change the fact that the remnants want Aedan as their vessel.¡± ¡°And where are these remnants now?¡± ¡°Back in the Demon Continent. Dormant,¡± Iris muttered. ¡°After Aedan found out the Remnants¡¯ n for his body, he went into a seclusion and sealed off most of his powers.¡± ¡°And the remnants just gave up and went dormant?¡± Iris shrugged. ¡°This was something we are also not in the know of but¡­ we have a guess. When the six Demonsbined into one being, they lost all traces of their former consciousness and characters, they became a new entity known as Zarkoth. When the vessel was destroyed, they reverted back to their separate individuals, six Demons, but their former selves were merely a shadow then. They most likely only have a sole aim in their mind now, and that is to be whole once again. Perhaps Aedan was the only vessel they found worthy and when they couldn¡¯t sense his presence, they lost all hope and sense of purpose to continue exist, I guess?¡± ¡°Who else knows about this?¡± ¡°A few distant acquaintances. The Ruvan Pontiff is one of them.¡± Knowing Iris¡¯ reputation, Erin wasn¡¯t too surprised when she heard that. ¡°And none of them took any drastic measures to ensure the remnants wouldn¡¯t get their vessel?¡± Erin said, stringing out her words slowly, making sure her undertone was understood. Iris only smiled in return. ¡°Oh, trust me, that thought has definitely crossed their minds but there¡¯s one problem standing between them and that thought, me.¡± Erin raised an eyebrow. ¡°I know you see me as a fickle woman but my feelings for Aedan, they are real. I will not let them do as they wish.¡± ¡°You love him,¡± Erin eyed the flushed Umbrum. ¡°I do,¡± Iris answered. ¡°But the same couldn¡¯t be said for him. He doesn¡¯t seem to have much interest inmitments, something that I can understand why.¡± Erin fell silent. She had no words to give. She was a novice herself in the matters of love and she was just given a huge glimpse into the world and Aedan¡¯s history. She looked over to Lyra, who was equally dazed by the revtion but still doing her best to y with Celia. Erin imagined Lyra in Aedan¡¯s ce; her blood boiled at the mere thought of someone trying to assassinate Lyra, even if the reason was something akin to save the world. ¡°So this is love, huh...¡± ¡°It¡¯s a lot to take in, I know, but you do understand your position now, don¡¯t you? You are an associate of a potential vessel of a Demon Lord. The moment your acquaintance with Aedan bes inevitably known to the powerful figures¡ª well, you get the idea. That¡¯s why you have to know. Especially when we arrive at Maven¡¯s Creek, prepare yourself for the incessant opportunists. Troubles await.¡± ¡°In other words, I¡¯m a fucking huge red target. Great, just great. And there¡¯s also the apostles I have to watch out for¡­ God fucking damn it...¡± ¡°Of course, I will do my best in curbing the spread of that information. All I ask in exchange is your¡ª¡± Before Iris could finish her sentence, a horn sounded loudly on the outside. At the same time, a message appeared in Erin¡¯s mind [Sixth Sense activated. Imminent Threat detected.] ¡°Wow¡­ awesome...¡± 2-12 The descent 2-12 The descent ¡°That horn¡­ are we under attack?¡± Lyra asked, her bow and arrows at the ready. Celia huddled close to Lyra¡¯s legs, holding her skirt in unease. ¡°No,¡± said Iris who was still sipping her tea without an ounce of worry. ¡°It just means that there are someplications. Therefore, be prepared for anything. If we¡¯re under attack, the horn will be sounded thrice in a single beat.¡± Erin was unconvinced of Iris¡¯ words considering her Sixth Sense just went off. She focused her ears to the sounds outside of the cart, but the results were poor. The sshes of the road puddles and the pitter-patters of the rain overwhelmed every other sound. She could only hear the storm¡¯s rage aside from the hooves trampling and the wheels turning on the soaked dirt of the roads. ¡°This is not umon, Miss Lyra. We don¡¯t expect everything will always go ording to n,¡± exined Joshua. The whole caravan then came to an abrupt stop. While everyone almost fell over from their ce, Erin was the only unbothered by the sudden change of motion. She felt iting with her Sixth Sense and she used her tails to prevent Celia from falling. ¡°We have stopped¡­¡± Joshua mused as he turned his gaze to the door. ¡°Shall I go and inspect the issue, Lady Iris?¡± Erin asked. ¡°No,¡± Iris answered. ¡°The two of you are my personal guards. My safety is your top priority.¡± Following the next minute, a knock resounded from the door. The knock had a peculiar rhythm. ¡°Come in,¡± Iris said with a raised voice. The door opened and a man dressed in leather armor climbed in. Although Erin recognized him as one of the caravan guards, she gripped the hilt of her sword and Lyra¡¯s finger on her arrows in the quiver. The guard kneeled before them. ¡°Report,¡± Iris demanded. ¡°The main path is blocked by boulders and logs,¡± the guard said. ¡°It would take more than half a day depending on the current weather.¡± ¡°Boulders and logs?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not work of nature, Lady Iris. It was deliberately put there.¡± ¡°I see...¡± Iris pondered stilly. ¡°The scouts suspect this to be the work of bandits. We have another path. It¡¯s a few hours slower than the main path. It¡¯s wide enough to fit two caravans.¡± ¡°And the catch?¡± The guard gulped at Iris¡¯ question. ¡°This path is a cliff. The edge is steep and the fall is long.¡± ¡°Lady Iris, I know I¡¯m speaking out of line but I highly rmend that we turn back,¡± Erin suggested. ¡°That¡¯s impossible,¡± the guard said. Everyone raised their eyebrows at his words. ¡°The road back is also blocked.¡± Erin clutched her chest, where she hid the Magic Ry rod. ¡°Did the scouts see any monsters?¡± she asked. ¡°No, they haven¡¯t,¡± the guard answered. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Erin questioned. ¡°Respectfully speaking, Lady Erin, it couldn¡¯t have been monsters. They don¡¯t have the smarts for something of this degree. Furthermore, it¡¯s a downpour. Monsters and animals don¡¯t hunt in the rain unless they¡¯re short on food.¡± A crease formed on Erin¡¯s brows as trepidation set in. While it was true that beasts don¡¯t normally hunt in the rain, the same couldn¡¯t necessarily be said for the monsters that were out on the hunt for the loose end to their puppeteer of a master. ¡°This hurdle might be the handiwork of the owner of the Magic Ry rod,¡± Erin concluded in her mind. ¡°What do the others say about this?¡± Iris asked. ¡°The rain is already dying the journey by hours. If we make any unscheduled stops, we might bete by about a day more.¡± ¡°So the others decided to take the cliff path?¡± The guard nodded. Iris sighed and gave a nod too. She then waved her hand at the guard. The guard bowed with his head and took his leave. ¡°This is extremely unwise. You know that, don¡¯t you, Lady Iris?¡± Erin couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°It¡¯s more than unwise,¡± Iris admitted readily. ¡°It¡¯s in greedy and stupid but who am I to judge? We can¡¯t afford any more dys or we¡¯ll risk giving our rivals an edge over us.. If we let some weather and bandits deter us, our rivals will take advantage of this.¡± Lyra scoffed. ¡°Never thought you¡¯re the kind to be bothered by what people say about you.¡± ¡°Reputation is just another form of currency, Miss Lyra,¡± Iris retorted with a smile. After a minute more or so, the caravans began moving once again. Erin could feel the cart turning into a different path and the unease in her heart stirred greater than before. ¡°This is really a bad idea,¡± Erin mulled. ¡°Thepetition is fierce, Lady Erin,¡± Joshua said. ¡°Our rivals will take whatever opportunity they can to ruin us.¡± ¡°For the sake of an argument, what if it isn¡¯t bandits?¡± Lyra threw such a question. ¡°I have nothing but the utter confidence in the ability of our guards.¡± Iris directed a grin at Erin and Lyra. ¡°Whatever beset unto our path, I have faith the two of you will live up to the praises of the Guild.¡± ¡°Speaking of the guards,¡± Erin scowled. ¡°Why us? I can tell a lot of the adventurers out there are more capable than us. So why didn¡¯t you choose them instead?¡± Iris continued drinking her tea at a rxed pace, a sip at a time. ¡°Yes, they¡¯re capable but if strength is the only trait I¡¯m looking for, I can get them anywhere. I choose the two of you because Aedan trusts you. And trust goes a long way. If you want real allies or friends, trust is the thing you look for.¡± ¡°You trust us but I¡¯m sure you are aware that the feeling¡¯s not mutual.¡± ¡°I am aware and I don¡¯t expect to earn your trust this easily. Not after the disys I have put in front of you. But whatever, cast aside such worries for now. Sit down, Lady Erin. Your tea¡¯s getting cold.¡± Erin eyed the Umbrum scrutinizingly for a few seconds before taking her seat and drinking a few sips from her tea. ¡°It is getting cold...¡± she mused in her heart. Erin wanted nothing but to put herself at ease for the duration of the journey. However, that was something she couldn¡¯t easily achieve, not as long as she was in the same room as Iris. As defenseless as the Umbrum was presenting herself to be, Erin wasn¡¯t naive to believe that to be the reality. Another thing Erin just couldn¡¯t wrap around was Iris¡¯ persistence in gaining her trust. Iris had been doing nothing but trying to get her trust ever since they became acquainted. Erin didn¡¯t know why but her hunch told her it wasn¡¯t for anything good, at least not in a rtive sense. The Umbrum wasn¡¯t even reserved when it came to the intimate matters of nightlypanionship. Before Erin¡¯s thoughts descended any further into a spiral, her Sixth Sense reeled her thoughts back to the present. [Sixth Sense activated. Threat detected.] Her eyes widened. Theck of the word ¡°imminent¡± was absent from the notice. She was about to warn the others when a faint red sh streaked into the cart through the blinded windows. And the whole cart shook violently. Their cups tumbled from the small table, spilling their teas. Celia let out a sharp cry. Lyra dropped her bow and embraced Celia in her arms tofort her. ¡°There there, it¡¯s alright. It¡¯s probably nothing.¡± The caravans came to another abrupt stop. The horn sounded, thrice in a single beat. ¡°We¡¯re under attack,¡± Joshua gasped out the obvious. Everything was quiet then. No movements made. No sounds but the fall of the heavy rain outside. They waited in trepidation for the one moment. All of them held their breath. ¡°Razor Grizzly!¡± someone shouted from the outside. ¡°You got to be joking!¡± Erin screamed in her mind. She gestured at Lyra to cupped Celia¡¯s ears, which Lyra did. Celia was staring into the wall, her eyes widening as the noises outside drowned out. A red sh followed that loud utterance. Screams trailed behind shortly, apanied with tremors. A roar that shook the earth swallowed the air. The rushing of feet and hooves resounded in awful rhythm. Sounds of metal and flesh shing ensued. Cries of battle echoed loudly. The snarls and growls of monsters were heard clearly by everyone in the caravan. Celia shrieked. Her hands gripped tightly onto Lyra¡¯s shirt. Lyra could do nothing but offer words of assurance as she stroked her back gently. ¡°It ain¡¯t bandits,¡± Erin muttered under her breath. Her hand clutching tighter on her chest. ¡°And it could even control a Razor Grizzly? That¡¯s so fucking fair!¡± ¡°Red lightning...¡± Iris frowned. ¡°It is as I have heard from the reports but a Razor Grizzly¡­ this is highly unexpected. Howpetent is that Necromancer?¡± ¡°Lady Iris, I¡ª¡± ¡°I know, Erin. I have been informed of this danger and your true purpose in bing my personal guard.¡± Erin was surprised by Iris'' calm demeanor but it was no time to be. ¡°Then you know what those monsters aftering. If I stay here, I¡¯ll be bringing death to everyone here.¡± ¡°Our caravans are enchanted with protection spells. It would take a Wyvern to deal significant damage on the caravans. And the adventurers we hired are not too shabby themselves as you had already pointed it out minutes ago.¡± ¡°We¡¯re on a cliff!¡± Erin bellowed. ¡°Even if they can¡¯t destroy the caravans, they can just push it off. Don¡¯t you see? They lured us here for that reason. And it¡¯s raining heavily out there. What¡¯s to say that this cliff can even hold the weight?¡± Iris turned her frown upside down, into her usualcent smile. ¡°You severely underestimated your allies, Lady Erin. Being attacked by monsters or humans isn¡¯t the first time for us. We have handled it and we will handle it again this time.¡± ¡°You underestimated the enemy. I know what they are¡ª¡± A loud bang on the door interrupted Erin. ¡°Lady Iris, we¡¯re under attack by monsters!¡± a man shouted from behind the door. His shadow from beyond the covered window exhibited his panic well. ¡°There¡¯s too many of them! We¡¯re surrounded on all sides!¡± ¡°What kind of monsters?¡± Iris shouted back. ¡°Many kinds! Goblins, Serks, Dire Wolves, Rock¡ª¡± before his sentence wasplete, he was silenced by a rock to his head. His head sttered into bits, smudging the window. Even amidst the rain and thunder, Erin could hear the steps of the monsters from outside the cart. This was a good indication of the monsters¡¯ numbers. She didn¡¯t even need her heightened hearing to pick up on those sounds. The roar of the Razor Grizzly trembled the earth once again. Red lightning descended as crimson shes streaked through the narrow gaps of the caravan. More screams followed. ¡°I stand corrected, Lady Erin,¡± Iris said. ¡°The threat is much greater than we anticipated. To be able to amass such a frightening amount of monsters... this might even be the work of some powerful organization.¡± ¡°There must be hundreds out there. Guess now we know what happened to the recent dwindling numbers of monsters.¡± Joshua surmised. ¡°We surely wouldn¡¯t lose with our own numbers and strength but we will suffer a lot of casualties.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we help them?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°If you leave, what about the girl?¡± Joshua asked back. ¡°So we just let them fend for themselves? We need to do something.¡± ¡°So off you go and leave your employer vulnerable?¡± Iris feigned her disbelief melodramatically. ¡°Miss Lyra, you are not the caravans¡¯ guard, you are mine. I am your priority. Fending off the monsters is not your job, it¡¯s the others¡¯. Your job is to ensure my safety and surely, the little girl¡¯s too, wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡± Lyra bit her lips in frustration. She was never a charitable person but she was neither the kind to stand at the side without extending a hand while everyone else risked their lives. Erin clicked her tongue and stood up. She tied her hair up into a ponytail and walked to the door. ¡°Erin, where are you going?¡± Lyra grabbed the Fox-kin¡¯s hand, stopping her in her tracks. Erin knew Lyra couldn¡¯t be convinced no matter what reason she gave. Instead of words, she unleashed a tiny spark of lightning to Lyra¡¯s grip. Lyra yelped and her grip loosened. Erin seized this moment and dashed out of the caravan, not before telling Lyra to guard the two and Celia with her best. She avoided gazing at Celia¡¯s eyes to prevent doubts from forming around her decision. She knew she was going against her employer¡¯s orders but she had enough sacrifices. She had experienced it enough in her past life. She had stepped on others for her gain in order to attain the title of Sword Saint. She had even wronged those that trusted her. This was her second life, a second chance. ¡°Holy fuck¡­!¡± Erin uttered at the sight. The adventurer-guards were holding their own against the monsters but the numbers were in the triple. The area was riddled with all sorts of monsters. There were even Orcs and Trolls but thankfully, their number was in the single. An Orc rushed at Erin the instant it set its sights on her. Erin dodged low and unsheathed her saber upwards, turning the Orc into two halves. [Experience gained +5% - Level Progression: 85%] Goblins lunged at her from all sides. She parted her footwork and drew a circle with her extended leg and her saber, lopping off the Goblins¡¯ heads. [Experience gained +2%] [Experience gained +2%] [Experience gained +2%] [Experience gained +2% - Level Progression: 93%] A troll took interest in her and came trampling its way through. It was pushing everything away in its path and some of the monsters were trampled by its charge. The Troll was wielding a tree log as its weapon. ¡°Thank the spirits for the rain,¡± Erin muttered andzily pointed at the Troll. She fired a lightning bolt at the Troll. The small bolt erupted into a colossal discharge as the drenched body of the troll became the cause of the Troll¡¯s own demise. The lightning spread fast and far but stopped its discharge before reaching Erin herself. She eyed the charred Troll victoriously. [Experience gained +5% - Level Progression: 98%] The monsters only had numbers to their advantage. Each of the monsters were outleveled by the adventurers. The Goblins and Dire Wolves which tried to attack the Tuskrogs were stomped into a stter of flesh and blood. The adventurers and guard had umted a lot of wounded from the ambush but the fatalities could be counted in one hand. The circumstances weren¡¯t as dire as she feared, or at least that was Erin¡¯s wishful thinking. [Sixth Sense activated. Dire threat detected.] ¡°Oh shite of hell.¡± Erin¡¯s eyes widened. Her pupils cast the reflection of a continuous crimson gleam. Atop of the small hill by the path, stood arge bear-like monster in all of its might. It¡¯s odd-looking razor-like ws were as big as its head and its tusks were half the length of its arm. Its body was d in red lightning. ¡°Level thirty-two...¡± Erin gasped out her shock as she appraised the Razor Grizzly. And as she expected, its status read; Spellbound. ¡°I can¡¯t stay here.¡± Though she remembered her reason for travelling in a group, she just couldn¡¯t in good conscience lead all these people to their deaths while knowing she could have prevented it. The sheer number of the monsters were unexpected but doable for them. However, the Razor Grizzly might as well be the straw that broke the camel¡¯s back. What¡¯s more, the terrain they were fighting on waspletely against their odds. The Razor Grizzly was firing offrge thunderbolts at random ces. The adventurers and guards were quick with their feet and the caravans were able to withstand the attacks. However, the ground they were on would give out first. ¡°This is bad,¡± Erin murmured. Erin whistled with all of her breath, a sharp melody spread out into the air. The Razor Grizzly''s attention was reeled and it instantly found Erin in its sights. Making sure the Razor Grizzly had its interest on her, Erin began to run back to where they came from, away from the caravans. When Erin nced over her shoulder, she was shocked to find the Razor Grizzly being faster than its size had led to believe. ¡°How the f¡ª¡± before herint could fully escape from her lips, the Razor Grizzly tossed a piece of the ground at her. She turned around and easily cleaved through the boulder with Arcane Edge but the force from the toss alone threw Erin a couple of feet back. She was shocked by the strength in that toss. It made her even more convinced that she was no opponent of this monster no matter how wise she fought. The Razor Grizzly roared to the sky. The thunder descended upon it, turning the natural color of thunder into that of blood red. It thenunched a huge bolt of red lightning at Erin. Erin leaped off the ground and received the lightning assault head on. She imbued lightning of her own into her saber, a spell of Lightning Magic she learned on her own ord after being inspired by Arcane Edge, Lightning Infusion. Her de caught the red lightning and in a split second, the crimson lightning streaked to her whole body. Erin endured the searing the pain by gritting her teeth. Using the strength of her tails, she swung in the air and threw the lightning she received back at the Razor Grizzly, added with her own lightning attack. The Razor Grizzly fired off another lightning bolt. The air rippled violently as the earth trembled. The deafening sh of thunders raised a cloud of mud instead of dust due to the rain. The shockwave threw the Razor Grizzly back and Erin wasunched off the cliff. She wasted no time to draw her other sword. She imbued both her swords with Arcane Edge and stabbed into the wall of the cliff as she fell, slowing her descent drastically. She had no doubts Revenant would revive her if she died but considering it was something given by the same Goddess who gave her Lust Deviant, she wasn¡¯t too keen on trying the skill out. She reached the bottom safely after a long descent. Her arms throbbed in pain but she bore with it. She threw her gaze up the wall, observing the distance. ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯m not getting back up through this way. The rain made the wall too slippery to be climbed.¡± Her attention was quickly shifted to her back as the sounds of steps approached her. The word ¡°Wight¡± and ¡°Spellbound¡± appeared in her appraisal result from the approaching individual. The individual was dragging a bastard sword through the mud as it limped towards her. ¡°Well¡­ at least now I know what happened to you, Marcus,¡± Erin muttered ruefully. Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Three-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 12 | Status: Moderate Exhaustion Might: 20 | Arcane: 20 | Finesse: 19 Magic Arts Spirit Magic Lv. 8 | Arcane Edge Lv. 3 | Arcane Armor Lv. 6 | Lightning Magic Lv. 1 Combat Arts Sword Art Lv. 7 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 4 Innate Skills Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 1 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex Unique Talent Mystic de Lv. Ex | Revenant Lv. Ex Level Progression: 98% Remaining Skill Points: 0 Remaining Ability Points: 0 2-13 Erudite 2-13 Erudite ¡°The Grizzly¡¯s stunned! Now¡¯s our chance! Attack!¡± Erin heard such words being shouted from the top of the cliff. After a loud echo of battle cries, a series of shing sounds ensued and they echoed far and wide,peting with the cries of the storm. asional red glows shed in between moments. ¡°Oh for the love of¡ª¡± Erin threw her face into her palm as a frustrated groan followed. She had intended to lure the Grizzly away from the caravans. She didn¡¯t want to incur more casualties than necessary, not when she was the sole reason the Razor Grizzly and the monsters attacked. However, it seemed the adventurers and guards had different ideas. Without doubt, they were aiming for the monsters¡¯ cores, especially the Grizzly''s. The adventurers¡¯ levels were high and they had more than enough numbers to take down a Razor Grizzly. With those likelihoods, they weren¡¯t about to let such a prize escape. Even the merchants would be dazzled by those prospects, Erin surmised, and she herself would have agree to that prospect if they weren''t fighting on a fragile foundation. Be that as it may, the Grizzly wasn¡¯t Erin¡¯s current concern. The undead Marcus was, and a few other monsters that were lying in wait behind trees and bushes. Marcus, the missing adventurer, had be a Wight much like histe partner, William. The undead Marcus held a level of seventeen, two levels above William. Its Might was significantly higher than Erin¡¯s. To make matters worse, four Dire Wolves of level eight and seven strode by his sides. Erin had prepared herself for her untimely demise but she changed her pessimistic view when she appraised the Wight. She saw a silver lining. The Wight had Iron Skin, Fire Magic, and Fleet Foot, but those three abilities were all disyed in grey, safe for its Sword Art. It didn''t take Erin long to figure what the greying entailed. ¡°A limitation of Necromancy¡­ I see,¡± Erin drew a conjecture. Erinughed dryly. An opponent of such abilities would have been intimidating to her if this had been a few days ago. But now, the happenstance was almost too humorous for Erin to stifle herugh. She also thanked her luck for the disadvantages bestowed upon the Wight. Lightning crackled between her fingertips as she eyed her opponents with scrutiny and confidence. The Wight pointed at her with his forefinger as he gave an order in anguage Erin wasn¡¯t able toprehend. The Dire Wolves rushed at her at the next second without a shred of hesitation. Erin cast Arcane Edge on her saber and swung in a wide arc, unleashing a sharp wave of magic at the lunging Dire Wolves. It was a clean execution, each of the Dire Wolves had their heads cut clean right off their necks. [Experience gained +12% - Level Progression: 110%] [Erinthea: Level 12 increased to 13] [Skill Points gained +2] [Ability Points gained +2] [Level Progression: 10%] ¡°Thanks for that,¡± Erin muttered. It wasn¡¯t meant to be a taunt. It just came out of her naturally. It really did feel convenient however. The Wight growled and began its own charge, dragging itsrge sword across the ground. Erin faced the Wight straight on by running right at it. She drew her other sword, wielding her saber and broadsword in tandem. Her stance and footwork was devoid of any hesitation. Her fight with William had taught her much about Wights. They had some semnce of skill to their past selves but in the end, they were only pale shadows of their true counterpart. Their ability to nullify pain was both their gift and bane. Their absence of caution left themselves wide open to be taken advantage of in many aspects. The Wight lifted its sword and swung once Erin was within its reach, but the Fox-kin flipped over its de. Her faint bluish white hair fluttered gracefully as not a single strand was caught by the undead¡¯s edge. Biting down on her lips, Erin used Mystic de and severed the Wight¡¯s hand from its wrist as she fell through the air. She forced the Wight to remain in its ce by discharging Lightning Bolt. The lightning was only but an itch to the Wight, but the spell did keep it from moving with the shock. When Erinnded, she let her momentum carry her into a spin. She swiped her leg at the Wight¡¯s feet as her tails mmed into its body. The Wight toppled from the sudden series of assaults. It could barely understand what had transpired. It held a fragment of its master¡¯s will and memories, but within those remnants of his master, it did not prepare the Wight for this. Before it could get back up, Erin pinned the Wight down with all of her body weight. She used her tails, d in Arcane Armor, to trap its only arm in ce. Incapacitated, Erin decapitated the Wight¡¯s head. Before a notification appeared, she severed its other arm, its lower torso, and finally impaled its heart, as assurances. [Experience gained +20% - Level Progression: 30%] A grin decorated her lips. It felt good to be ustomed to her new body more and more. At this rate, it won''t be long before she could fully exploit the limits of her new body, but the matter of level was another issue. When she stepped away from the unmoving parts of the Wight, a headache assailed her, her world spun, but being the quick footed Fox-kin she was, she caught bearings before it left her. She briefly shook off the after effects of Mystic de. After her encounter with thete William, she understood the danger of a prolonged fight with a Wight. The undead had no need for rest but she did. Dragging out a fight with an undead was undeniably not the wisest move. This headache was an adequate cost for victory, but had the Wights came in droves, the headache would be her bane. ¡°Well, at least that¡¯s over with,¡± Erin assured herself. Though she told herself as such, the noises from above ryed the contrary. The fight was still going on fierce. Erin would have joined the fight had she discovered a way to climb back up. The cliff wasn¡¯t a straight fall. It was nted, enough for anyone with adequate skill to climb back up, but that was only possible if the walls weren¡¯t soaked and slippery from the rain. ¡°Damn it,¡± Erin cursed. Even if the rain had stopped, she would still need to wait for the walls to dry if she wished to traverse up the walls. From the sound of the battle above, neither side had yet to reach a decisive point. Until this second. Lightning fell from the sky at the beckon of fate and struck the battlefield. The earth trembled as debris scattered to all sides. Damages were done to the adventurers but the thunder had only strengthened the Razor Grizzly. A crimson sh, brighter andrger than all that came before it, streaked through the air. Heaps of shouts and cries resounded. The earth trembled once more. After a moment of quiet, an explosion shook the air. ¡°What the fuck...¡± Erin gasped as a grandly adorned cart, a part of a caravan, was sent flying off the cliff. Squinting her eyes, she saw four individuals were also thrown off in the ensuing explosions. Three of them were instantly killed by the explosion but one was still alive. Bits and parts of the cart had shielded her from the explosion. However, that individual would not remain alive for long if they keep falling through the air until they met the ground. Erin sheathed her swords and broke into a sprint, running for the falling survivor. She leaped into the trees and hopped from branches to branches. A Rock Ape emerged from its hiding and threw itself into her path. Its crazed eyes told Erin enough of its state. It was a monster controlled by the supposedly Necromancer. Covering her fist with Arcane Armor, she sent a straight punch into the Rock Ape¡¯s face. Combined with her Brawler skill and the level difference of eight, the Rock Ape had its skull smashed into bits from that single punch. [Experience gained +1% - Level Progression: 31%] Three more Rock Apes presented themselves in her path and all three of them fell prey to her brutality with her fists or tails. Feeling the soreness in her tails and hands after, she dreaded for the swelling on the morrow. [Experience gained +3% - Level Progression: 34%] Two more rock apes wereing for her but they were unfortunate enough to be in the right ce at the wrong time as the cart fell right into them. ¡°Good riddance.¡± With the Rock Apes out of the picture, she ascended in her leaps, aiming for the higher branches. She took onest leap, into a spot where no branches but the empty air to greet her steps, receiving the falling survivor in her arms. ¡°Siv?¡± she muttered in surprise at the identity of the survivor. It was the Shewolf Beast-kin, Siv, one of Hegan and Crom¡¯s personal guards. The st had apparently knocked the Beast-kin unconscious. Erin braced herself as she crashed through the trees and straight into the ground. She protected herself with Arcane Armor but the blunt impacts passed through her Magic Art and went right into her bones and muscles. When she had stopped, she couldn¡¯t move for a few minutes. Only groans escaped her lips. Thankfully, no monsters were near enough to reach her before she could recover. Appraising Siv, Erin knew she was wounded but nowhere dire enough to kill her. Erin looked away immediately when she realized the state of Siv¡¯s apparels. They were in tatters. Although still enough to cover her sensitive bits, one more blow would make her no different than being naked. A roar bounced between the trees, into Erin¡¯s stiffened ears and tails. ¡°For fuck¡¯s sake...¡± she cursed. Shey the unconscious Siv by her side and drew her saber in preparation. She followed the sounds of branches being destroyed. She didn¡¯t need to wait long before the monster revealed itself. It was a Troll, charging its way through the floral at Erin. Erin forced her focus to align itself as she conjured up lightning into her palm. With a sharp resolute cry, she shot the lightning at the Troll. The troll¡¯s eyes glint red as its body enshroud itself in red lightning. The lightning bolt burst into nothing as it hit the Troll. [Lightning Magic: Level 1 increased to Level 2] ¡°You¡­ will die¡­ here...¡± the Troll said in an all-too familiar voice. ¡°Oh bollocks, how does that even¡ª?¡± Erin gave up her sentence and sighed. With her saber in one hand, she drew her broadsword with the other. She imbued both of her swords with Mystic de and Arcane Edge. She cried out her battle spirit as she shed out in a cross pattern. The Troll stared with feasted eyes as the attack magic closed in. The red lightning shrouding the Troll red up in response but the cross-pattern attack magic went through the Troll without even a decrease in its pace. The Troll crumbled into four pieces as the puppeteer was ever none the wiser of the cause of its puppet¡¯s defeat. [Experience gained +10% - Level Progression: 44%] Erin¡¯s sight whirled as the cost. She fell on her rear and leaned herself against a trunk. Her world continued to spin. Her headache became a numbing sensation to her head. She hated using Mystic de but she used it precisely because she needed to. Even in her dazed and weakened state, she could tell from the sounds many more monsters were approaching her, albeit from some distance away. ¡°Getting desperate here, are we?¡± Erin mocked the Necromancer in her heart. The attack was nothing to be happy about but being attacked with such arge force, it could only mean that the Magic Ry rod was truly the means to the Necromancer¡¯s ruin. She forced herself to her feet with her shivering legs. The offset from Mystic de had yet to subside but the monsters wouldn¡¯t wait for her to recover. Serks were the first to reach Erin. They came in a pack of ten. The odds were dangerous for the alone Erin but she had the trees to her advantage. The trees in this forest grew closely to each other. The Serks were forced to move in lines to amodate their numbers. Erin imbued Arcane Edge into her saber and swung, sending the magical wave plowing through Serks. [Experience gained +2%] [Experience gained +2%] [Experience gained +2%] [Experience gained +2%] [Experience gained +2% - Level Progression: 54%] The remaining five serks spread their formation thinly. The scampered around instead of running directly into Erin¡¯s offense. They were encircling Erin. ¡°Clever bastards, I¡¯ll give you that but¡­ you¡¯re toote.¡± Erin grinned. She had recovered enough for her to move with precision. The moment the Serks pounced from all sides, Erin dual wielded both of her swords and began slicing and dicing. [Experience gained +2%] [Experience gained +2%] [Experience gained +2%] [Experience gained +2%] [Experience gained +2% - Level Progression: 64%] [Proficiency reachedLevel increment through repeated usage will now be indicated by these words - Arcane Edge: Level 3 increased to Level 4] ¡°Ugh¡­ yuck¡­¡± she groaned, flicking the blood and guts from her skin. She was aware of her own beauty and staining it was something she minded very much. It was a conflicting feeling of her current self and past self. She didn¡¯t care much for her own appearance at first but whenever she had the opportunity to gaze upon her own reflection, she felt it to be too much of a pity to stain such a beauty. Which was why she made an effort to groom herself every now and then. She couldn¡¯t avoid getting dirty but the least she could do was to keep herself clean. ¡°Hmm?¡± Erin murmured curiously. As the gale roared ever louder with the storm picking up, a foul smell drifted to her nose. It¡¯s the smell of a Wight. There was a peculiar underlying scent that hooked her attention. She knew this scent underneath all those stench, it was the scent of the most unpleasant man she had ever met yet in this world, Kane. ¡°What the fuck is he doing out here? And that stench he had on him...¡± Erin stumbled upon a realization. ¡°Oh¡­ don¡¯t tell me...¡± Before her thoughts trailed any further, Siv¡¯s groan caught her attention. ¡°Siv, you¡¯re awake.¡± ¡°Lady Erin?¡± the Shewolf-kin murmured as she sat up. ¡°You¡¯re alive?¡± ¡°You thought me dead?¡± ¡°Everyone did,¡± Siv replied. ¡°Except for Lady Iris and your lover. They were very confident you couldn¡¯t be killed easily. Your lover even said that you were too adamant to die. It seems they are right.¡± Erin chuckled. ¡°Are they safe?¡± ¡°They are,st I have seen them.¡± ¡°And your brother and employers? They¡¯re safe too?¡± ¡°I reckon they are. The cart that fell off along with me is one of Lord Hegan¡¯s. It was a storage of his wares. I was assigned to protect it when the monsters attacked.¡± ¡°Then that¡¯s quite a loss your employer had faced.¡± ¡°It is but the important matter is that Lord Hegan and his son are safe.¡± Siv looked around. ¡°I gather that you saved me from the fall?¡± Erin nodded. ¡°What about the others? There were four other guards with me.¡± ¡°I saw three fell with you but I didn¡¯t see a fourth.¡± ¡°And what of the three?¡± Erin shook her head slowly. ¡°I see,¡± Siv muttered with her gaze lowered. ¡°Their deaths will be honored in the blood of their enemies.¡± Erin smiled wryly with cramped cheeks. Siv turned her gaze to Erin. She crossed her palms together on the ground and lowered her head. ¡°I, Siv of the ckwood Tribe, offer my deepest gratitude. As a token of my appreciation, I will humbly take on any request you so desired as long it doesn¡¯t conflict the code of my tribe.¡± Erin was startled by the deration. She didn¡¯t save her for a reward. She saved on an impulse. Erin wanted to reject but she had enough experience with people like Siv, rejecting their offer was an insult to their honor. It was better to ept it and ask for something mild as a reward. ¡°Putting aside your gratitude for now, we should¡ª¡± A loud roar interrupted her sentence. Erin turned to the sound and found the Razor Grizzly jumping off the cliff, sliding down by the wall. The red lightning was slowly searing through its flesh and hide but at the same time, it was protecting it from all manners of physical and ethereal dangers. Voices came from above, shouting at below. ¡°The Grizzly just jumped off! It¡¯s trying to escape!¡± ¡°Wrong,¡± Erin retorted in her heart. ¡°It¡¯s looking for me.¡± The Razor Grizzlynded with a shake of the earth. ¡°Oh fuck me,¡± Erin uttered. She turned to Siv. ¡°Can you fight?¡± Siv shook her head. ¡°Sadly, my weapon is nowhere to be found. Even if I have my weapon, the Razor Grizzly is too much for the two of us.¡± ¡°So¡­ run?¡± ¡°Run,¡± Siv agreed with a nod. And the two started running without waiting for the Razor Grizzly to recover from its fall. Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Three-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 13 | Status: Moderate Exhaustion Might: 20 | Arcane: 20 | Finesse: 19 Magic Arts Spirit Magic Lv. 8 | Arcane Edge Lv. 4 | Arcane Armor Lv. 6 | Lightning Magic Lv. 2 Combat Arts Sword Art Lv. 7 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 4 Innate Skills Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 1 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex Unique Talent Mystic de Lv. Ex | Revenant Lv. Ex Level Progression: 64% Remaining Skill Points: 2 Remaining Ability Points: 2 ***** Siv - Beast-kin: Wolf-kin of the ckwood Tribe Age: Unknown (For now) | Level: 21 Might: 30 | Arcane: 5 | Finesse: 20 Magic Arts - None Combat Arts - Sword Art Lv. 4 | Fleet Foot Lv. 3 | Brawler Lv. 5 | Polearm Mastery Lv. 3 | Body Strengthening Lv. 3 Innate Skills - Beast Form Lv. 2 2-14 Deserving 2-14 Deserving As the rain continued to pour, the Fox-kin and the Wolf-kin made their way through the forest with celerity and perseverance. They took advantage of the trees by traversing on the branches. It was faster and most of the monsters didn¡¯t have the ability to scale even slopes, but one monster among the others pursuing them, had no need for such ability. Sounds of trees falling and ground tremoring were sting behind them but neither of the two nced back over their shoulders. Crimson lightning bolts streaked and grazed past them intermittently but they stayed their gazed at the path ahead of them. ¡°We¡¯re getting further and further away from the caravans,¡± said Siv as a lightning bolt missed her and struck a tree beside her. ¡°This beast is absolutely relentless. We¡¯ll tire ourselves out before we can lose it.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a clearing up ahead. You can take a turn there. I¡¯ll draw the bear to me,¡± Erin suggested. ¡°Unwise, Lady Erin. I refuse.¡± ¡°Siv, the bear is chasing me, not us. I¡¯m the one it wants.¡± Siv cast a passive gaze with a hint of surprise. ¡°I mean I¡¯m the reason the monsters attacked.¡± ¡°...Of course that would be the case,¡± Siv murmured after a brief moment of silence. Erin stared. ¡°You knew?¡± ¡°Every time we had a Fae with us, the troubles that we encountered are always corrted to that Fae.¡± Erin felt a needle sunk into her heart. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she muttered. ¡°You mistook my meaning, Lady Erin. I¡¯m not condemning you. Though Fae have brought us troubles, there was always profit in these troubles.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid there won¡¯t be any profits this time.¡± ¡°There¡¯s profit to be found behind us,¡± Siv uttered as she lowered head; a lightning bolt streaked over her. ¡°If we can subjugate it, of course.¡± ¡°Your sanguine thoughts are admirable,¡± Erin said and backhanded a Rock Ape away as it pounced at her from her blindside but all too obvious for her Sixth Sense. [Experience gained +1% - Level Progression: 65%] The Razor Grizzly was ever obstinate with its pursuit. It had kept the two in its sight for the whole time, never once losing sight of them. For a beast of its weight, it possessed speed that far exceeded one¡¯s expectation. Even after running for a prolonged period, its speed did not wane by the slightest. However, its tenacity was not a will of its own but the desperation of its puppeteer. ¡°Sanguine or not.¡± Siv nced back briefly over her shoulder. ¡°This gigantic beast of a bear sure can run with its weight.¡± ¡°The Grizzly has been enthralled by some spell. Its will is not its own.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you break the spell?¡± If they weren¡¯t with their lives at stake, Erin would have frowned deeply. ¡°If I can, we won¡¯t be running,¡± she said. ¡°You can¡¯t?¡± Siv tilted her expression. ¡°Isn¡¯t magic tampering a quirk of the Faerie-kin?¡± Erin remembered asking Nivia the same question. ¡°Misconception and pure generalizing!¡± she repeated Nivia¡¯s answers in a shout as more lightning bolts flew past them. ¡°I stand corrected,¡± Siv replied. ¡°But we can¡¯t keep running forever.¡± ¡°We won¡¯t.¡± Erin pointed ahead. ¡°There¡¯s a ravine up ahead. I can tell it''s deep.¡± Siv followed Erin¡¯s finger and found a ravine with a gap of around three meters. ¡°I see that but the gap¡¯s too small to swallow a colossal beast like the Grizzly.¡± Erin drew her broadsword. ¡°I can take care of that.¡± She infused the de with Arcane Edge and Lightning Magic. As they approached the ravine, they put strength into their feet and jumped when they reached the edge of their path. For the two with animalistic traits and the Fleet Foot skill, covering such a distance jump was a minor feat. But as theynded on the other side, Erin plunged her sword into the ground. The biding magic within the de was unleashed into the soil. The ground exploded, forming cracks on the cliff. ¡°Stay back!¡± Erin yelled at Siv. The Razor Grizzly caught up to the two at the ravine. It effortlessly leaped from the cliff to the other side but when itnded, its weight forced the ground to give in to its excessive demand. The ground began to fracture and piece by piece, thend on the edge of the ravine crumbled away. The Grizzly soon tumbled its way into the ravine as it struggled to escape its plight. The destruction spread fast and far, reaching Erin before she could recover from her caper. ¡°Oh fuck,¡± Erin cursed, her face paling at the bind she put herself in. Before she could scamper to safety, the ground nted from the fractures and she too lost her foothold like the Grizzly. The soil was too slippery from the rain to be properly trod on. Erin was only able to hold on by hanging on the broadsword she used as the catalyst to cause this devastation. Pieces of the ground crumbled more and more into the depths below, forming a gap more than double of its former width. The Razor Grizzly roared out its dissent for its fate and thrust its ws into the intact soil as the ones beneath its feet gave out. It locked its re on the Fox-kin who was just a few in front of it. ¡°Lady Erin!¡± Siv eximed as she rushed to aid the Fox-kin. She extended her arm from solid ground. ¡°Reach for my hand!¡± Erin reached out but there was more than a foot between their hands. The Grizzly took swipes at Erin¡¯s feet and tails which were dangling right in front of its eyes. When it realized the futility in its current actions, it shifted tactic on themand of its instincts. It dug its ws deep and firmly into the soil. It curled up its limbs, preparing for a leap. ¡°Fucking hell, you¡¯re not as dim as you look.¡± Erin uttered another curse at that sight, but her face was lit up with the same idea. She retracted her hand and gripped the hilt of her broadsword tightly with two hands. ¡°Lady Erin, what are you doing!?¡± Siv was starting to panic as she too could see what the Grizzly was about to do. Erin d the tip of her tails with Arcane Armor and she pierced them into the ground. She bade herself good fortune and released her grip on the broadsword. She bent her tails as she fell before straightening them, springing herself into the air. ¡°Whoa...¡± Siv gasped as her agapes eyes followed Erin¡¯s caper. Erinnded into a roll and stopped with one knee on the ground. ¡°Ouch...¡± she groaned. She clutched her tails in a hug. ¡°This hurts so fucking bad...¡± ¡°Lady Erin, what about your sword?¡± Siv asked. ¡°It¡¯s just a sword...¡± Erin muttered in response. ¡°In the end, it¡¯s just a sword....¡± Before Siv could offer her condolences, the Razor Grizzly emerged from its apparent fall, in the air, with its ws bared. Erin made an abrupt decision and instantly allocated all of her ability points into Arcane and all of her skill points into Lightning Magic. [Arcane: 20 increased to 22] [Lightning Magic: Level 2 increased to Level 4] As if responding to her desperation, Erin acquired a Lightning Magic spell that fit the criteria she was pleading for in her heart; Lightning Spear. An offensive spell with more precision and destruction than the staple Lightning Bolt but at the expense of a higher Mana consumption. A spear made of lightning of two meters in length, manifested into Erin¡¯s hand upon the spellcast. [Warning: Magic Vigour is under 25% threshold] ¡°Then this spell better do wonders.¡± Just as the Grizzlynded, she threw the spear of lightning at the colossal beast. The Grizzly was too focused on recovering its footing to give any attention to the spelling its way. The spell hit its mark and clouds of dirt were raised from the ensuing explosion. The spell wasn¡¯t enough to break through its tough hide but it did what Erin had hoped for it to do, it pushed the Grizzly back just enough for it to slip on its footing. Its eyes widened as it spared itsst despairing nce at the faintly grinning Fox-kin. A second transpired and the Grizzly fell into the ravine. The Razor Grizzly¡¯s bellow of rage trailed off as it fell into the depths. [Experienced gained +5% - Level Progression: 70%] ¡°Huh, that little¡­ I guess the bear¡¯s not dead then. This is merely the reward for escaping the plight. I can work with this.¡± The rain was beginning to recede and the thunderps were getting fewer. ¡°Did you kill it?¡± Siv asked. Erin slumped to the ground as she caught her breath. ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± she answered. ¡°But it won¡¯t being to pursue me for a long while.¡± ¡°Us, Lady Erin. It was pursuing us.¡± Erin eyed the Wolf-kin curiously. ¡°Thank you,¡± Erin smiled. ¡°But I didn¡¯t manage to save you, Lady Erin.¡± ¡°You knew it was onlying after me but you came back to help me, regardless of the results. Therefore, you have my gratitude, Siv.¡± ¡°T-thank you, Lady Erin.¡± Siv was about to bow but Erin stopped her. ¡°Don¡¯t do that. I¡¯m not good with formalities. And please, just call me Erin.¡± ¡°You are a Fae and you saved my life. I have yet to repay my debt. Addressing you as Lady Erin is the least I can do for now.¡± Seeing the obstinance in Siv, Erin relented in changing the Wolf-kin¡¯s way of addressing her. Siv threw her gaze towards a dense bush. ¡°We¡¯re not out of peril yet, Lady Erin.¡± The bushes rustled. ¡°So it seems,¡± Erin agreed with her and pushed herself to her feet. She drew her saber and her broadsword but her left hand felt only the empty air. ¡°Oh right¡­ it¡¯s gone...¡± ¡°Can you still fight, Lady Erin?¡± ¡°Of course I can. Who do you think I am?¡± Erin wasn¡¯t crowing. From the scent she picked up, she knew what she was facing and even in her exhausted state, they were nothing to her skill. Nine Serks appeared from the bushes, but that was it. There were no more beasts or animals in the vicinity. The appearance of the Razor Grizzly had driven almost all of the faunas from their habitats. The beasts that were still lingering around were only those under the control of the mysterious Necromancer. Aside from the ones creeping in the bushes, the ones closest to them were on the other side of the ravine. ¡°Can you fight?¡± Erin threw the same question. ¡°That goes without saying, mdy.¡± Siv answered and protruded her ws. ¡°For Beast-kin, our body is a weapon.¡± ¡°So, you take four, I take four? And for thest one; let¡¯s see who¡¯s faster.¡± ¡°Aye,¡± Siv nodded and instantly broke into a dash. Her ws found two Serks¡¯ heads as she swiped unhesitatingly. She spun and her kick found another head of a Serk, snapping its neck with the brutish strength of her leg. The fourth Serk pounced from the side but Siv moved fast and caught it by its neck. She snarled and crushed the poor beast¡¯s neck. When she had eliminated four of the Serks, she eyed the fifth one. She bent her legs, ready to lunge¡ª but a saber whirled through the air and carved right into the head of thest Serk. Siv looked over to Erin, who already had four headless Serk¡¯s around her. ¡°I won,¡± Erin dered with a rasping breath. [Experience gained +5% - Level Progression: 75%] Siv¡¯s gaze was attracted to the clean cut of the headless stumps of Serks. There was no hesitation in the Fox-kin¡¯s swings, not the slightest. She had seen swordsmen twice the level of Erin but their swordsmanship was never this refined. With her tails flourishing about as a backcloth and her skin stained with the blood of her preye victims, Siv couldn¡¯t help but feel the need to lower her head to the Fox-kin. Although she didn¡¯t have an extreme prejudicial opinion like her brother, she did have her own preconceived notion of Fae in general. However, the entirety of that notion was shattered by Erin. ¡°Beautiful...¡± Siv breathed. ¡°Sorry?¡± Erin raised an eyebrow as she retrieved her saber from the Serk. ¡°I meant no offense but your beauty is truly astounding, even by the standards of Beast-kin and my tribe,¡± Siv responded swiftly without a tremble in her voice. ¡°I-is that so...¡± Erin looked away as red filled her face. ¡°It is, mdy.¡± Siv nodded with a fervent expression. ¡°Your beauty is no ostentation. Your prowessplements it well.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m honored...¡± ¡°No, it is I who¡¯s honored by you, Lady Erin.¡± Her nod turned into a slight bow. ¡°It¡¯s amon tragedy that beauty is often wasted on those who are undeserving.¡± ¡°Anyways, do you know thesends?¡± Erin asked, trying her best to steer the conversation onto a sensible path. She felt that she was on the brink of bing an idol of worship in the eyes of Siv. ¡°Only what I had heard from Lord Crom and Lord Hegan during their many conversations.¡± ¡°Anywhere we could likely meet up with the caravan?¡± ¡°The descent of the hills is at least a day away. There¡¯s a settlement there at the base of the descent. A fishing vige by the name of Sapphire Fork.¡± ¡°Fancy name,¡± Erin mused. ¡°Beautiful vige, I reckon.¡± ¡°They say the water there glitters like sapphire under the sun, a sight to behold, and the river splits into two streams that surrounds the vige. Hence the name.¡± ¡°Half a day away¡­ Well, we can¡¯t go back where we came so forward it is. Looks like we¡¯ll be sleeping in the woods for the night.¡± ¡°My tribe lives among nature and so does the Fae, or so I have heard. I¡¯m sure sleeping in the woods won¡¯t be a problem for us.¡± Then a growl echoed from the Wolf-kin¡¯s belly. Red touched her cheeks. Erin smiled warmly. ¡°But first, we¡¯ll need to fill our belly.¡± Siv nodded meekly. Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Three-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 13 | Status: Moderate Exhaustion Might: 20 | Arcane: 22 | Finesse: 19 Magic Arts Spirit Magic Lv. 8 | Arcane Edge Lv. 4 | Arcane Armor Lv. 6 | Lightning Magic Lv. 4 Combat Arts Sword Art Lv. 7 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 4 Innate Skills Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 1 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex Unique Talent Mystic de Lv. Ex | Revenant Lv. Ex Level Progression: 75% Remaining Skill Points: 0 Remaining Ability Points: 0 2-15 Ardor tumble (R18) 2-15 Ardor tumble (R18) By nightfall, Erin and Siv eventually found shelter in an abandoned chapel long imed by the grasps of nature. It was now nothing more than a ruin. It had been a nest for all manners of monsters but they had all but fled. This was a sign of just how threatening the Razor Grizzly truly was. But thanks to its presence, Erin and Siv could rest easy as they make their camp for the night in this derelict ruin. Due to the absence of a roof, the moon greeted them with a smile amongst the glittering ck field. The rain had ceased by the arrival of night. They were fortunate enough to get their hands on a couple of rabbits to stave off their hunger. The ruins gave them much needed cover and hampered any potential for ambushes. The crackling of a stoked fire, the cries of the cicadas, the mellow whispers of the wind, and the unforeseen dangers lurking around the corner at every following second, Erin was beginning to forget how such a life was after nights of warm and soft beds. Oddly enough, being in her current circumstances brought her morefort than the nights with a warm bed. The anticipation of nightmares wasn¡¯t as strong as the nights with a roof over head and a bed to cradle her exhausted body. Being in the wild, among nature, gave her a sense of control of her own wellbeing. She enjoyed the feeling of a bed but she could never be at ease with how tender it felt. She had spent most of her life in the harshness of the wild, living within walls and borders was still something she saw as a luxury despite in her past life already having a taste in the kind of luxury meremoners could only dream of. Those nights were made bearable by the presence of Lyra and if she wasn¡¯t present, the fear of her Lust Deviant skill encroaching her was there as herpany. So to say, none of those sheltered nights were spent in true solitude. But now, Lyra was not by her side and Lust Deviant was quite tame for the past few nights. While she was thankful for Lust Deviant not acting up but at the same time, it was unsettling for not knowing the reason why. Aside from such worries, there wasn''t even a single monster within a mile thanks to the recent presence of the Razor Grizzly. It was a truly peaceful night and it was unsettling to her for her nights have been nothing but eventful as ofte. She never had any problems with solitude before but after her time with Lyra, she knew she could never go back to a life of solitude. A queer feeling of conflict. It was either peace and solitude, or turmoil andpanionship. ¡°This is curious,¡± Siv muttered, her gaze fixed on Erin. ¡°What is?¡± Erin responded to her remark dryly. She was all curled up with her knees, enthralled by the sound of the burning wood of the campfire. ¡°You stoked the fire well, skin the rabbit fast, drained the blood without flinching, sitting on soiled grounds without a single protest, but yet, your shoulders are shaking and your face is...¡± Siv trailed off. ¡°Go on,¡± Erin nudged. ¡°...pale. You look pale, Lady Erin. I meant no disrespect, mdy. It¡¯s just... your actions say you¡¯re ustomed to the wild but you¡¯re somehow afraid of¡­ all of this.¡± Erin smiled sorrowfully. ¡°Fear, huh¡­ I wonder if it¡¯s that simple...¡± ¡°Is it something you can¡¯t say?¡± Siv asked. Erin shook her head. ¡°Something hard to put into words?¡± Erin shrugged. ¡°Lady Erin, I may not be the best at this but¡­ if there¡¯s anything I can do, please make your request. I am still in your debt, mdy.¡± Erin looked at the Wolf-kin who was staring back at her with serious eyes. She had the disposition and the physique of a warrior but when it came to offhand exchanges, her words were nothing short of redolent and cumbersome. Erin found it hard to give a suitable response that wouldn¡¯t lead Siv to another bungling response. ¡°Or am I unworthy for any of your requests, Lady Erin?¡± Erin sighed and groaned in her heart. Her honesty was too much for Erin. It was even more fiddly when Siv only had good intentions. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± Erin said. ¡°I¡¯m just¡­ adjusting. It¡¯s been a while since I felt so¡­ alone.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Siv replied with her gaze cast down. Whether she was disappointed at herself or merely absorbing her understanding, Erin didn¡¯t know which. Erin was d Lust Deviant didn¡¯t act up but at this point, the absence of the predicament that the skill always brought made Erin feel empty. She was craving for the warmth of a person¡¯s touch. She had thought her cravings were the result of her Lust Deviant skill but with that skill being dormant as ofte, she came to ept that she might simply be lustful in nature. Lust Deviant had merely taken off her inhibition for the things she wished to pursue. She had realized. She admitted it. When she was Argon Raze, she had always been afraid to take the first step when it came to affairs of coition. She was afraid such indulgence wouldpletely mar her discipline with the ways of the sword, but after she had taken the first step, she couldn¡¯t stop. Even now, she was craving intimate warmth andpanionship; and Lust Deviant was not an excuse she could use this time. To distract herself from her desires, she groomed her tails with her hands. It couldn¡¯t quell her desires but it provided some relief and distraction, albeit minor. ¡°Lady Erin...¡± Siv called out, her face spelled caution. ¡°What is it?¡± Erin responded, only then she realized she was panting quite heavily. Warmth touched her cheeks. She could tell they were bright red even without a mirror. ¡°You¡¯re in heat,¡± said Siv, without a tinge of difort. In contrast to Siv, Erin herself was in more than mere difort. Lust Deviant wasn¡¯t present to slur her sentences but it was all the same, she failed to find any words to respond. ¡°I may not be a worthy recement for your lover but if you don¡¯t mind my pedigree, I¡¯m willing to offer my body.¡± Erin¡¯s jaw ckened as she stared at Siv with an astounded gaze. Her ears twitched at the licentious offer. ¡°Or do you find that notion appalling?¡± Hearing her words, Erin shook herself back to reality. ¡°Why would I find you appalling?¡± ¡°It¡¯s small but the bigotry is there. Other races see Beast-kin as filthy. Theybel those who would mate with Beast-kin as freaks. No one says it outright but it¡¯s there.¡± In Erin¡¯s eyes, Siv was a proud and steadfast warrior. She was devoted to her duty and she didn¡¯t allow any preconception to cloud her judgement. A strong fighter but now, her meek look of uncertainty invoked an endearing feeling from Erin. Coupled with her current aroused state, there was no way she could stop herself. Lyra¡¯s face shed past her mind but her delicate regions banished all restraint from her mind. Erin wasn¡¯t drunk, neither was she influenced by Lust Deviant. She was simply titited on her own ord. She had once hated those who indulged in dalliances but in the end, her hate was merely a self-projection. ¡°The weather is nice. The moon is generous with its light. And no monsters or any potential threats nearby...¡± Erin assessed her surroundings and it all came back favourable. ¡°L-Lady Erin?¡± Siv nudged at the flushed Erin. An amorous smile adorned the Fox¡¯s lips as she approached the Wolf with an ardent gaze. Erin crawled on all fours towards the agape Siv. Her shadow slowly loomed over Siv¡¯s. The Wolf-kin could only look on as the Fox-kin began to prey on her. ¡°If you¡¯re truly offering yourself, then I will not hesitate to partake in you,¡± Erin whispered softly into Siv¡¯s ears. Her tails, as if responding to her desires, gently wrapped around Siv and pulled her close. Siv nodded with a gulp. ¡°Forgive me for this, Lyra.¡± Erin threw her lips onto Siv¡¯s. It was a dimple at first but when Erin felt Siv loosened her resistance, she thrust her tongue into her mouth. She felt Siv recoiling from the act but she held the Wolf-kin in ce by mping her cheeks from both sides. Siv iled with her limbs and tail but her legs were pressed under Erin¡¯s thighs and her arms were trapped by Erin¡¯s hands on her sides. Her tail lost its will to struggle and soony gently on the floor. When Erin had her fill, she parted her lips from Siv¡¯s. Their eyes met but both of them held a different outlook. Erin¡¯s gaze was filled with anticipation but Siv¡¯s gaze spelled consternation. Under her hands, Erin felt Siv trembling. Realization dawned on the Fox-kin. ¡°Is this your first time?¡± Erin asked. ¡°We can only choose a mate when wee of age. I was still years away when I left the tribe,¡± Siv answered firmly. ¡°Then¡­ how about now?¡± ¡°You need not worry, mdy. I reached adulthood a year ago.¡± ¡°But we¡¯re both¡ª¡± ¡°My tribe never dictated any requirement. The mate we chose is our own responsibility. In a way, a test of our own ability at judgement. And I judge you to be worthy of being my mate.¡± ¡°Y-your mate...¡± It was Siv¡¯s turn to smile. ¡°Rest assured, Lady Erin. My tribe had also never specified a duration or a limit for a mating bond. You are allowed to treat this as a single night of passion, mdy.¡± Saying so, Siv entwined her fingers behind Erin¡¯s neck. A grin appeared on Erin¡¯s lips. ¡°If you have any hesitations, now¡¯s the time to say it.¡± ¡°Dominate me, mdy.¡± It was a permission but Erin wittingly perceived it as a challenge. Her tails red up along with her ears. She unsped the Wolf-kin¡¯s leather armor and removed everyst piece of apparels from her body, revelling in the luscious dark skin of Siv, basking in the glorious moon beam. Her bosom wasn¡¯t as big hers but it was enough to make a bulge under her clothing. For a Beast-kin, herher regions were surprisingly barren. Erinter learned that Beast-kin females don¡¯t have much hair as opposed to their male counterpart. Her abdomen was as toned as Lyra¡¯s but her dark skin made the mark of her strength more subtle to the eyes. As Erin devoured Siv with her gaze, she proceeded to undress herself. Being all too familiar with the process at this point, it took not a minute for her to be in the bare. Cold wind touched her skin but she was not bothered for she was soon about to drown in warmth. This was Erin¡¯s first time being the one with more experience. She was to lead the session and this simple notion gave rise to a strange thrill to her. Her breaths quickened with every passing moment. After the lips, she traced down, moving to the neck. She licked and nibbled around it before moving to the cor and slowly to the shoulders, all the while leaving the Wolf-kin moaning in pleasure. Unlike herself and Lyra, Siv let out her voice without a hint of shame. She brazenly let the night receive her delightful cries with full mour. Taking her cries as approval, Erin finally moved her tasting to her bosom, those firm and perky mounds of hers. Contrary to her physique, they were soft to the touch. Erin began her tasting from the peak and slowly made her way to the base. She did not neglect to emphasize the pliancy by moulding it with her hands. She gave both of her mounds and peaks equal attention, not one more than the other. Aside from her moans, Siv did not utter any request, unlike Lyra, Maria, and Iris. She was just patiently yielding herself to every deed made by Erin but her moans were indicative enough that she was epting every deed with delight. Once Erin had enough of all the side dishes, it was time for the main course. Erin did not rush her appetite. She took in the sights of the throbbing snatch with glee. She gently blew on the entrance, incurring a shrill from Siv. They were both sweaty from their battles and they had to have any opportunity to clean themselves but Erin did not mind any of that. In fact, the particr scent after a battle had only made Siv more appetizing. Erin ced her hand on the entrance, rubbing it fervently but staved off from inserting a finger. Siv¡¯s honeypot throbbed intermittently as if begging for deeper affection. However, Erin only smiled and caressed the entrance, flicking the bud every other moment, all the while letting Siv moan in a biding pleasure. ¡°P-please, mdy¡­ I can¡¯t¡ª¡± Siv eventually begged in her own voice but she didn¡¯t even finish pleading before Erin proceeded to feast on her honeypot. Siv howled out her ecstasy towards the smiling moon. She grasped Erin¡¯s head and pressed down without restraint. Erin was surprised by the sudden assertiveness but she wasn¡¯t rejecting it. She allowed Siv to indulge in her own selfishness. After all, Erin brought this upon herself. This was what she wanted. She teased her purposefully, in hopes of getting a reaction from the Wolf-kin. And she had seeded. Despite being her first time, Siv was quick to reach the zenith of her pleasure as she squirted her womanly juice at Erin¡¯s face. The Fox-kin received Siv¡¯s ecstasy in stride. By the time Siv¡¯s pleasure had receded, Erin¡¯s face was drenched in the Wolf-kin¡¯s gleeful essence. ¡°So this is how it feels like...¡± Siv remarked as she tried to ay her rasping breath. Erin on the other hand, was not even short on breath. She was panting, but that was the result of anticipation. Her vigour did not even wane. Matching their gaze, Erin inserted a finger into Siv¡¯s womanhood. The Wolf-kin shrieked but her voice was muffled by a kiss from the Fox-kin. Having prior experience not seconds ago, Siv moved her tongue as it danced a sweet melody with Erin¡¯s. Siv¡¯s own hands began to explore Erin¡¯s body. Arriving at her hips, Siv gave a gentle squeeze, incurring a moan from Erin. They parted the kiss and grinned at each other, seeing through their respective wishes. Eriny on her back with her arms spread. She even parted her legs as a weing gesture for Siv. ¡°Your turn,¡± Erin challenged. Siv growled with pleasure, showing a smile with her fangs. Unlike Erin who was gentle, Siv was a greenhorn and knew only vehemence. Therefore, Siv perched Erin¡¯s hips on in an embrace and feasted on the overflowing honeypot with great passion. Erin waspletely thrown off by Siv¡¯s behavior but she epted it nheless. This was the first time she had a partner this aggressive and she was enjoying every moment of it. It was Siv¡¯s first time but during the one whole hour of their coitus session, Siv had managed to peak Erin¡¯s ecstasy for god knows how many times. Perhaps it was the instincts of a beast, Siv pleasured Erin¡¯s tails and ears without being asked to. She even knew where to touch and how much strength she needed to pour into her touch in order to make Erin feel extremely delighted. Siv was a Beast-kin. Her race was known for their physical strength and plentiful vigour. She was able to match Erin in stamina. For the whole session, the two fought for dominance as neither one was willing to submit. Siv had been submissive at the start but after getting the hang of the reins, she was giving her all to recover her dominance. Unbeknownst to the two, their struggles had caused much grievance to the integrity of the ruin. By the time they exhausted themselves, there were portions of walls missing and a few small craters and fractures scattered across the ground. Even the campfire wasn¡¯t spared from this manner of fate. And due to the two¡¯s intensity and ferocity with their passion and desire, animals and beasts who had returned from their retreat were once again in withdrawal. ¡°Good gods¡­ what has be of me¡­?¡± Erin asked herself as her exhaustion slowly overtook her with Siv, who had already fallen asleep, snuggling by her side. [Experience gained +20% - Level Progression: 95%] 2-16 Azaela 2-16 Aza The Guild was in a turmoil ever since the break of dawn. A Pdin had arrived at their town and none of them had foreseen the Pdin¡¯s arrival. The Guild knew the Pdins woulde eventually but just not in such a short amount of time. The silver lining of this sudden conundrum was that only a single Pdin came and the Pdin-in-question was the one and only Aza. The moment she was recognized by a Guild Official who was coincidentally walking to work, the official dashed off to ry the news to the Guild Master. Aza was then quickly escorted to the reception room meant formon dignitaries. Had the staff knew the Pdin was actually Aza herself, she would have been in the Guild Master¡¯s office. Now, Aza was sitting across from Geron with Samira by his side with a tea table between the two sides. Teas and cakes were also served in a rush. However, neither side had touched their tea or cakes. Geron couldn¡¯t help but notice the absence of weapons on the Pdin but knowing their capabilities and prowess first-hand, he knew her defenseless state was nothing more than a bait for fools. While Geron managed to keep a neutral countenance, Sam was trying her damndest to not be overwhelmed by the Pdin¡¯s mere presence. Sam knew the Pdins¡¯ level would be high but being in Aza¡¯s presence, she realized she underestimated just how high their levels were, specifically Aza¡¯s. The Pdin herself wasn¡¯t using any spell or skill, the pressure she exuded was simply due to the significantly vast difference in levels. Aside from the level difference, Sam was staring at the Pdin in bafflement for a whole other reason. Sam had seen her shares of Pdins in the early days of her career. She knew how they often dressed in public, a full set of armor adorned with their faith¡¯s colors and symbols. However, Aza sported a different manner of attire. The infamous Pdin was donning a robe meant for priestesses. The robe covered every corner of her body, her hands were gloved, and she even had the hood up, with only the lower half of her face revealed to prying eyes. Had it not been for the Sigil of the Ruvan Pdins etched on the back of her robe, only Geron would have known about her status as a Pdin. Sam was curious about the choice of Aza¡¯s apparels but she didn¡¯t dare to ask, not in the current state of affairs. ¡°Lady Aza, your presence is¡ª¡± Geron began the exchange but he was immediately cut off. ¡°Unweed?¡± ¡°Unexpected, I meant to say,¡± Geron exined. ¡°We know the church has dispatched the Pdins but for you to be chosen, this is an honor of an excessive degree. Had I known of your arrival, we would have given you the appropriate reception.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not here to revel in the town¡¯s hospitality,¡± Aza asserted. ¡°My presence is of an oath of my duty and faith. Since you already know of our arrival, I¡¯m certain you know of my reasons.¡± ¡°I do,¡± Geron admitted. ¡°And unfortunately, I can¡¯tply with your wishes.¡± ¡°Give me what I came for and no troubles will beset us.¡± Geron narrowed his eyes. ¡°Do I sense a threat, yourdyship?¡± ¡°I am merely rying the consequences of hindering the duty of Pdins.¡± ¡°If duty is your excuse, then you need not worry. The quest has been entrusted to capable hands.¡± ¡°A quest?¡± ¡°Yes, Lady Aza, a quest.¡± Geron pressed on. ¡°The investigation of this Necromancy business is now the Guild¡¯s affair. Your band of militia has no right to take it from us.¡± ¡°Mister Geron, we are dealing with dark forces here. Adventurers are not befitting tobat this manner of threat.¡± ¡°And how would you know? You have not met every adventurer.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t but leaving such a task to the Pdins is a sensible decision anyone can make. I¡¯m not seeking to steal the glory. These dark forces will only get stronger the longer we leave it as it is. The involvement of the Pdins would only help settle this matter all the more quicker. You have nothing to lose with our assistance.¡± ¡°Or so you im, Lady Aza.¡± Geron scoffed. ¡°I lived more than tenfold of your age, Lady Aza. My paths have crossed with Pdins of Ruvan more times than I wished, none of those times did it leave a good impression.¡± ¡°...Your concern is understandable, Mister Geron.¡± ¡°It¡¯s more than that, Lady Aza. Are you aware of the numerous stories regarding your peers¡¯ prejudicial views towards non-human kinds? I have seen it with my own eyes; how a Ruvan Pdin treated someone who rejected your faith in goodwill. How do you expect the Guild to ce its trust in you and your faith?¡± ¡°...Trust not in the individual but their motivations, as merchants tend to say.¡± Aza spoke after a brief silence. ¡°I can¡¯t speak for my peers but I can speak for myself and the ones I lead, we wish only to quell theing conundrum, nothing more. Letting dark forces fester will only bring ruin to Ruva¡¯s name and the Ruvan¡¯s integrity.¡± Geron groaned as a response. It had be a routine for Geron to ascertain a person¡¯s real intentions through the subtle gestures of their body and expression, but Aza was well-covered from head to toe; only her lips were exposed to the light. Geron had no way of affirming her intentions but refusing aid from a Pdin wasn¡¯t a wise choice either, as his past had reminded him. ¡°Green Scar is already barren with faith. Rejecting my good graces would only give this town a bad name in the eyes of the other faiths.¡± Be it a threat or an advice, this was simply a fact. One that Geron could not ignore for the sake of this town. In the end, he sighed and beckoned Sam to hand over the file she had been holding onto all this while. Upon receiving the papers, Aza gave it a quick but thorough read. Not five minutes went by and she had finished devouring the report with her mind. After setting the papers on the table, she asked, ¡°and what of the adventurers you have assigned for this task?¡± ¡°The Guild answers to no nation or faction. We are of our own. I haveplied with your wishes but divulging adventurer¡¯s private details can only be done by the respective adventurer¡¯s consent.¡± ¡°You will not say, no matter what?¡± ¡°If Iplied, the Guild¡¯s name would be tarnished. That request of yours is the sole request that I can¡¯t abide.¡± Aza leaned forward. ¡°It seems that the Guild is more principled than I expected. I¡¯m surprised to learn the backwaters are less venal than the cities.¡± Geron smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t speak for the other branches but I do speak for myself and this branch. As long it¡¯s not a matter of private details, I will answer any questions you have regarding this¡­e conundrum.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± Aza murmured. Geron couldn¡¯t see her eyes but he knew he was being scrutinized. ¡°Very well,¡± she said and stood up. Without another word, she left the room with firm steps. Only then, Sam was able to rx her shoulders with a breath. ¡°Sam,¡± Geron called out. ¡°Yes sir?¡± Sam answered. ¡°Until she leaves this town, I want periodic reports of her movements.¡± Sam nodded in understanding. ¡°Understood, sir.¡± **** As the Pdin stepped onto the street, all eyes were drawn to her. Some immediately looked away but some stayed their prying gaze. Aza paid none of those gazes any heed. She took in the morning sun in stride and breathed in the fresh air of the morning with a faint tinge of satisfaction. She was always in a rush once she was on an assignment but never had she missed the moment to appreciate a new tomorrow. Despite being young, she had seen enough of what life could offer and what people were capable of in the absence of morality and order. It made her appreciate her life and the tomorrow that never failed to emerge. She opened her palm and conjured a spectral orb of light with leaf-like wings into her hand. Floating above her palm, she brought it close to her face. ¡°Lucan,¡± she spoke to the floating winged-orb of light. ¡°I¡¯m here, sister,¡± a man¡¯s voice responded from the winged orb. ¡°Maven¡¯s Creek, we¡¯ll regroup there.¡± ¡°Yes, sister. I¡¯ll inform the others.¡± ¡°What of your end, Lucan?¡± ¡°Nothing we don¡¯t already know except that the Necromancer is resourceful and cautious. It used catalysts and an intermediary for the ritual. The Necromancer may not even be half your level but given the nature of Necromancy, we can¡¯t be reckless. I suggest we make haste.¡± ¡°Agree, Lucan. That will be all.¡± ¡°Of course, Sister. Ruva¡¯s grace be with us.¡± ¡°Ruva¡¯s grace be with us,¡± Aza returned the regard and dispelled the spectral winged-orb. The first thing she noticed after ending the long rangemunication spell were the few individuals in hiding. She quickly deduced them to be agents of the Guild but since they held no harmful intentions, Aza paid no mind to their presences. She was about to head towards east, the gateway of the town but she halted her steps. Mild shivers crawled onto her skin and her brows were raised. It was faint but it didn¡¯t go under her notice. She sensed a brief pulse of immense power. She waited for the next moment but it never came. She had doubts but she could only see it as someone trying to get her attention, someone levels above her. She stalled her leave and instead followed the beckon of the immense power. She passed streets, turned corners, and walked down narrow alleys, all the while drawing attention to just about everyone she came across. All of them gave her the same eyes, unweing gazes all around. She felt their fear and apprehension, and she couldn¡¯t me them. The presence of a Pdin in a town that did not have a single ounce of faith was nothing but a sure sign of trouble. And Aza didn¡¯t disparage them for being faithless. She herself understood just how much faith had been exploited for personal gains. After all, she was the one the Pontiff sent to cull away all these tyrants who exploited Ruva¡¯s grace. After making dozens of turns into the most derelict of ces, Aza arrived at a small in on the lonely corner of the town. The in had only a single tree and under that tree, stood a Dwarrow of dark red hair. She instantly recognized the Dwarrow as the Guild Master¡¯s younger son from the intelligence she was given prior her departure for her assignment. However, the intelligence spoke nothing of Aedan¡¯s secret. ¡°A Dragon-kin...¡± Aza gasped at the Dwarrow¡¯s true identity. Her Appraisal skill couldn¡¯t get any information from the disguised Dwarrow safe for his race, which was the only line of words that wasprehensible. She couldn¡¯t remember thest time anything or anyone had managed to incur a gasp from her. For the first time in years, fear shrouded her, but she let none of it show on her gestures and posture. They stood their grounds with a few feet between them. They exchange gazes but neither side spoke. The Dragon-kin sighed but that was much change to his expression. Aza decided to be the first one to break the silence. ¡°I answered your summon, your eminence. Speak your intentions.¡± Aedan stayed silent and cast a perusing gaze at the Pdin. Aza said nothing in return of the Dragon-kin¡¯s obvious but covert perusal. She was prepared tounch any spell at any moment¡¯s notice if he decided to take any hostile actions. ¡°Aza, was it?¡± Aedan finally spoke. ¡°I am,¡± Aza answered. ¡°Is this your territory?¡± she asked. Although she never encountered any Dragons or Dragon-kin personally, her masters and senior peers had, and they all said the same thing, the same warning, never raise the ire of a Dragon. She heard of the olden days from her masters, how Dragons had razed a nation as a response for one of the royal-kin stumbling into a Dragon¡¯s territory. Of course, Aza knew there was definitely more to that story but the lesson remained the same, Dragons were beings capable of massive destruction. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call this town my territory but I do call it my home.¡± ¡°What do you want of me?¡± ¡°Just making sure that you know of the consequences should this town receive any obtrusion from the Ruvan church.¡± ¡°Such a thing will never happen.¡± ¡°Maybe you won¡¯t do a thing but what of your masters when you reported back? They will fabricate the most nonsensical reason for their crusades. If that happens, I will hold you responsible.¡± The sun was basking any uncovered ces with its glory but even so, Aza felt a faint chill on her heavily clothed skin. ¡°Also, the adventurers whom the Guild had assigned for the same quest you pursue, if any¡­ lesiastical things happen to them, I will raze your faith and the holy state to the ground.¡± Aza was used to insults and barely any of them were able to hook her ire or attention but threats or mockeries directed to her faith, that was the one thing she didn¡¯t have any patience for. ¡°Are you threatening the church?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t make threats, Aza.¡± Aedan grinned. ¡°I only make promises.¡± Although Aza wasn¡¯t sure of Aedan¡¯s full capabilities, she was sure of his solemnity. ¡°If the adventurers stay out of our way, nothing will befall unto them. You have my word.¡± ¡°You better keep it or you will know first-hand on how good I am at keeping promises.¡± To those words, Aza could only nod. ¡°Good, now make yourself scarce,¡± Aedan said and made his way back to the smithy. After Aedan had truly left the ins, Aza fell to her knees. Her hands were shaking, something that had never happened in a long time. Her mind was racing, contemting on her next course of action. She waspelled to report this to her masters but she knew if she did, her master would not stay silent of this. Defying her code for the first time, she ultimately decided against exposing Aedan¡¯s existence to the church. However, this became a stain of humiliation towards her duty as a Pdin, one that she vowed to rectify in the future. 2-17 Augur 2-17 Augur After a night of good rest andfort, Erin had expected an awkward mood when morning came but the only one being all bashful ofst night¡¯s event was only Erin herself. Further from being embarrassed, Siv was adorned with a prideful and aplished smile. Nothing much about Siv had changed. She was steadfast and strong with her demeanor like always unlike Erin who had trouble meeting her eyes. Erin¡¯s shame wasn¡¯t unfounded. She didmit an affair while already having a lover waiting for her return worryingly. Erin had shivers just from the mere thought of Lyra¡¯s response. Worse of all, she did it on her own ord, not because she was forced by Lust Deviant. Guilt set in and ounces of shame followed. As they were preparing to leave and continue their path, Siv approached Erin with a stalwart expression. ¡°I understand you feel like you have betrayed your lover, Lady Erin,¡± said Siv. Erin was trying to shove her shame into a corner but Siv had wonderfully dragged it back out. Since she knew the Wolf-kin meant well, it was hard to rebuke her. ¡°Maybe your tradition sees it as a stain but among my race, it¡¯s only natural that a strong and powerful individual had multiple partners.¡± Erin blinked. ¡°A man with multiple wives?¡± ¡°Not just the male, Lady Erin. Regardless male or female, as long as one proves their strength and might, they are allowed to have as many mates as they wish.¡± Erin¡¯s thought immediately shifted to Lyra. She could barely bridle Lyra, much less having other partners. An image of Nivia and Lyra being together in one room crossed her mind. She shuddered at the dreadful likelihood of the two¡¯s attempt at conversation. Without doubts, Erin was sure it would turn into a bout with arms. ¡°You seemed frightened, Lady Erin.¡± ¡°Who wouldn¡¯t?¡± Erin asked. ¡°Attracting a mate is easy, the challenge lies in maintaining the bond. I¡¯m not adept at love but I have seen men with mistresses in the dozens. This kind of bond neversts. Some don¡¯tst a decade. Some don¡¯t evenst half a year.¡± ¡°I would appreciate it if you don¡¯t group my people with the humans, Lady Erin. While there are nows that dictate us to take a mate for life, losing the interest of your mate is considered a shame among my race. Therefore, even though we are allowed multiple mates, rarely have anyone ever taken more than one mate.¡± Hearing that, Erin felt impressed. She even gained a newfound respect for the Beast-kin. She found it ironic that Demi-humans held more consideration towards one another than humans themselves. As a former human, she was naturally ashamed by the fickleness of humans. ¡°If you¡¯re worried about taking responsibility for ridding me of my virtue, you need not, Lady Erin. I am merely repaying a debt.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that too¡­ clement?¡± ¡°Nonsense, mdy. If anything I¡¯m honored to have given my virtue to such a strong and honorable warrior,¡± Siv dered so with a bow. Erin could only offer a stare at the exultant Siv with a wry smile. The difference in their perception and culture were too much for her mind to wrap around at the moment. For now, she shifted focus back on their current goal; to find the Caravan by traversing to the nearest town, which was at least half a day away. They set out with sanguine steps as they followed the hills that ran parallel to their path. They skipped breaking their fast and trod back on their path. Erin wasn¡¯t hungry and neither was Siv. The sun in the morning was generous with its warmth and light. The drenched soil from the rain of yesterday was quickly dried in the face of the ring dawn. Beasts and animals were slowly returning to their abode but this only gave assurance to Erin that their pursuers had indeed given up. Although their path ahead was bright, Erin¡¯s mind was bleak. She couldn¡¯t help but think of her promiscuityst night. She barely knew Siv but she didn¡¯t have any problem sharing a heated passion for a single night. She was slowly bing the people she once berated but obviously at this point, the beratings were merely her expression of jealousy. It was easy to dere or vow with words but afterst night, she realized she had been naive. She remembered vividly of how she waspletely enticed by the mood and prospect of pleasure. Her resistance crumbled all too easily and she gave in to the prospect of pleasure at the expense of her fidelity. ¡°Something on your mind, Lady Erin?¡± Siv asked. Before Erin answered, she realized she had actually been dragging behind Siv¡¯s pace. ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± she tried to sound as convincing as possible. Siv nodded and continued walking. Whether she saw through Erin¡¯s front, the Wolf-kin said nothing of it. ¡°Not good, I¡¯m letting these trivial affairs affect my mind. Focus, Erin. Focus on the journey ahead. We¡¯re not out of the woods yet. A mere second¡¯s split from focus could cause my demise,¡± Erin reprimanded herself. ¡°I¡¯m sure the caravans will be alright,¡± Siv told her. Siv misunderstood Erin¡¯s troubles but the Fox-kin epted thefort anyway. Their path took them across terrains of sorts. They followed a river downstream, reaching a wide ravine that could only be crossed by a stone bridge that was built hundreds of years ago by Dwarrows. The stone bridge spanned a length of around fifty meters but even as Siv gave a stomp, the bridge held their weight. Of course, the Wolf-kin received a light knock on her head from the Fox-kin for making a careless move. As they made their way across the olden bridge, Erin failed to resist the temptation to peer into the depth below the bridge. She saw only darkness but she did hear the faint rush of water down below. The Razor Grizzly appeared in her mind at the sight of the darkness. She distinctly remembered receiving only a meagre five percent worth of experience after the gigantic bear fell into the depth, reasoning that the Grizzly may be very well alive. ¡°And then there was the stench I smelled...¡± she then reminded herself of the familiar scent she picked up. It had the awful smell of an undead and at the same time, it bore the unpleasant scent of Kane. She heard the whispers prior leaving the town that Kane had truly left the town the morning after the confrontation with Joshua. After the bridge, the path led them onto a peaceful flowery trail but with their heightened sense of smell, they could tell the nts were all manners of poisonous. Upon Appraisal, Erin found out these flowers possessed paralyzing agents. Large doses could potentially lead to death, Erin shuddered when she read this line of the description. There were also some small hairless humanoid monsters with protruding jaws lurking nearby and lying in wait. Erin was mildly surprised these monsters didn¡¯t run from her presence. Noticing the descriptions given by Appraisal, she understood why. Siv was ready to attack but Erin held her back. ¡°Lady Erin?¡± ¡°These monsters won¡¯t attack. These flowers will paralyze anyone who touches them with their bare skin. These monsters will then feed on the unfortunate and foolish victims.¡± ¡°Nature working in tandem¡­ grim.¡± ¡°Yeah, indeed. Best not to dawdle.¡± After the ¡°peaceful¡± flowery trail, they were introduced to an entrance of a forest basked in shadows and webs. The faint skittering sounds she heard from within was enough of an indication for what they could expect to encounter. Erin even felt her skin crawling from her own imagination of the monsters¡¯ possible manner of appearance. Her tails and ears straightened up at that thought. ¡°You sure we¡¯re going the right way?¡± Erin couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°I am,¡± Siv answered without a stutter. ¡°This is Crawler¡¯s Woods. It¡¯s also the border of Green Scar. Beyond this, we will arrive in Maven¡¯s Pass, which is the foot of the hills we have been following. As the name has suggested, it is a territory of Maven¡¯s Creek.¡± ¡°Crawler Woods?¡± ¡°Crawler¡¯s. Woods. The sounds you are hearing does make it apparent on why it¡¯s called as such,¡± Siv said. ¡°Unfortunately, it does,¡± Erin reluctantly agreed. ¡°Any other roads?¡± ¡°A three to four days road by the river that loops around the hills. That road ain¡¯t exactly safe either.¡± ¡°How so?¡± ¡°There are monsters in the river and they attack just about any person and creature who trod too close to the river. They¡¯re more troublesome than the bugs we will be facing.¡± ¡°Ah, those kinds,¡± Erin muttered grimly. As skilled she once was with swords, her instincts all became amiss underwater. No matter how good one was, humans were extremely vulnerable in water. She knew how to swim but she was no master. ¡°But I have tails now¡­ I heard some aquatic monsters¡¯ swimming capabilities arergely attributed to their tails. Maybe I can... ¡± ¡°Lady Erin?¡± Siv called out. ¡°Yes, Siv?¡± she snapped out. ¡°Shall we enter?¡± Erin sighed. ¡°Not like we have a choice.¡± With those words as affirmation and resolution, the pair stepped into Crawler¡¯s Woods. Their presences were weed with a deathly silence. The skitterings were suddenly no more. ¡°None of them are friendly,¡± Erin remarked. ¡°And all of them are poisonous, Lady Erin. I heard stories that some of these bugs used other creatures as means to safekeep their eggs and newborn. We must remain vignt, always.¡± Erin scoured the path ahead of her. It was dark but Night Vision granted her full sight of whaty in front of her. The creatures were in hiding but Appraisal spotted some of them out. Erin breathed a sigh of relief when she saw none of the creatures were over level ten. Be that as it may, her eyes widened at a discovery. Bones of humans and creaturesy strewn about, not a strand of meat remained. The bones were picked clean and some were even torn into fragments. However, those weren¡¯t the cause of her surprise. What made her spanned her eyes was a set of footprints. It wasn''t too fresh but it was neither too old. Erin quickly beckoned Siv over. ¡°Tracks...¡± Siv muttered. ¡°Young, unseasoned. Warrior-in-training.¡± ¡°Look at the gait and those dragging marks, whoever it is, their legs are chained. And judging by erratic pathing, they''re lost.¡± ¡°A prisoner of some sort? I doubt they are still alive given the nature of these woods.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. We¡¯ll act when and if wee face to face with this person. For now, we have other things to worry about.¡± As the pair trod further into the woods, the ground beneath them trembled. Threats wereing from within the ground. With their hundreds of legs, it was nearly impossible to hide their noises from Erin and Siv. Therefore, the two were more than prepared for the ambush. Erin¡¯s Sixth Sense didn¡¯t even sound off due to her constant awareness. Three gigantic centipedes of human¡¯s size erupted from the ground. They sprang at the two as soon as they made themselves known. Siv grabbed the one aimed at her with her bare hands. Without much effort, she tore the centipede apart. Erin spun in response to the two centipedes lunging at her. Her sword caught one and her tails barbed with Arcane Armor felled the other. [Experience gained +3%] [Experience gained +3% - Level Progression: 101%] [Erinthea: Level 13 increased to Level 14] [Ability Point gained +2] [Skill Point gained +2] [Level Progression: 1%] ¡°You sure you should be touching them with your bare hands?¡± Erin asked as she flung the de of the centipede¡¯s green blood. ¡°No,¡± Siv answered in brief. ¡°But my hands and ws are all I have. And Beast-kin aren¡¯t as susceptible to poison as humans.¡± ¡°Wow, humans don¡¯t have a lot of quirks, do they?¡± Immediately after the centipedes, spider-like creatures with six legs came from the trees. They were only as big as dogs but nevertheless, gigantic. They were fast and venomous, and besides their terrifying appearance, those were the spider-like creatures¡¯ only notable traits. They came in dozens with Aura Shot and Lightning Bolt, Erin dispatched everyst one that came after them. [Experience gained +24% - Level Progression: 25%] Erin cast her level increment aside and focused the gigantic bugs that were swarming them. They were no longer silent. They were alling out in droves after understanding the two intruders¡¯ capabilities. ¡°Lady Erin, we should run.¡± Erin nodded and broke into a sprint with Siv. The creatures pounced at them but the two evaded the foul grasps. In the corner of her eyes, she saw one of the monsters¡¯ fangs reached Siv¡¯s arm but the fangs failed to leave so much as a scratch on her skin. Erin was intrigued but now was not the time for any question. As they ran, they came to a clogged path, choked full of all manners of creepy crawlers. Erin drew her sword to make a stand but she paused when the de caught the re of the sun. ¡°Thousands apologies, Lady Erin. it seems I have underestimated the threats of Crawler¡¯s Woods.¡± ¡°Worry not, Siv,¡± Erin said. She held her hand up and cast a spell, Light Drop, and she poured as much Mana as she was able to into the spell without having it explode. The brightness from Light Drop became blinding. The creepy crawlers immediately retreated behind cover. Those which were too slow with their retreat fell prey to Erin¡¯s Lightning Bolt. [Experience gained +5% - Level Progression: 30%] ¡°Now¡¯s our chance!¡± Erin yelled. They used Fleet Foot and took off into a dash without lingering around for a single second more. The Light Drop wouldn¡¯tst long and not all of the creatures were cowering before the light. ¡°Astounding, Lady Erin. You don¡¯t cease to meet the rumors. How did you know they fear the light? I thought bugs adore the sun.¡± ¡°Not these ones, apparently. Every single one of them congregated in such a small and dark ce. And the bones were torn apart and picked clean, which means they were fighting for food. If food is a problem, they wouldn¡¯t have hesitated to leave this forest but they didn¡¯t. Therefore, only one conclusion.¡± ¡°As wise as the rumors you are, Lady Erin. I could never make those connections.¡± Erin smiled wryly. ¡°It¡¯s just a simple trail of thought, Siv. Ites with experience.¡± With the blinding source of light in Erin¡¯s hand, the pair wasted not a step and poured their all into their haste. They knew if the light went out, they would be looking at a fate worse than death. ¡°There, the way out!¡± Siv pointed ahead, a gap between all of the densely packed trees. ¡°Wait.. what is that?¡± Erin blurted out. Her eyes couldn¡¯t bepared to Lyra but she did have remarkable sights. Just before the gap, there were a bunch of creepy crawlers, gathered at something. As they got closer and closer, the Light Drop forced them into retreat. And the bugs¡¯ interest was revealed. It was a child in ragged attire with his feet chained together. The child had been conscious but as soon as the bugs retreated, he copsed onto the ground. Erin appraised the child and the results she got were surprising to say the least, but she scooped up the child into her arms nheless as they ran. ¡°That¡¯s the person who left the footprints at the beginning?¡± Siv asked. ¡°There could be no one other than him.¡± With thest breath of dash, they finally passed through the gap and plunged into the grace of the sun. The skitterings behind stopped in an instant. The second after, the skitterings all receded back into the shadows. The pair breathed a sigh of relief as they took a seat on the grass in spreading out before them. Erin could easily see the pass from where she sat. ¡°Those clothes and chains¡­ The boy¡¯s a ve,¡± Siv said upon a closer look. ¡°Not just a boy. He¡¯s an Augur, whatever that is,¡± Erin said and parted the overgrown hair that covered the boy¡¯s face, revealing two pair of horns, a pair on his forehead and another pair on his temples. ¡°Ah...¡± Siv gasped but her voice broke in the middle. ¡°You don¡¯t know about Augurs?¡± Erin shrugged. ¡°The namees up in books I have read but never did specify what they are.¡± ¡°A race as prominent as the Faerie-kin and the Dragon-kin, and just as seclusive.¡± ¡°Ah...¡± Erin made a simr sound. Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Three-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 14 | Status: Mild Exhaustion Might: 20 | Arcane: 22 | Finesse: 19 Magic Arts Spirit Magic Lv. 8 | Arcane Edge Lv. 4 | Arcane Armor Lv. 6 | Lightning Magic Lv. 4 Combat Arts Sword Art Lv. 7 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 4 Innate Skills Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 1 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex Unique Talent Mystic de Lv. Ex | Revenant Lv. Ex Level Progression: 30% Remaining Skill Points: 2 Remaining Ability Points: 2 2-18 Maven鈥檚 Pass 2-18 Maven¡¯s Pass Unlike the paths Erin and Siv had traveled all this while, Maven¡¯s Pass was brimming with life and peoples. There were merchants, adventurers, somemoners from nearby settlements, and many more. Erin felt like she could finally take a breather from her vignce. In the forests, especially a wilderness that she yet had to fully grasp, letting her guard down was in foolish. As far as her travels had taken her, she had survived this long due to her steadfast guard, but keeping it up was bound to take a toll on her mind and body. The people, the paved roads, the groomed flowery bushes by the roadside, the clear vibrant sky not impeded by any overgrown branches, when all of these came into her sight, Erin finally allowed her shoulders to drop. It was even more pleasant when the pair picked up whispers that caravans of merchants had made their stop in the vige ahead. Erin let out a groan of relief that one would not expect from ady. Siv heard her groan clearly but the Wolf-kin said nothing of it. What the Wolf-kin did say of however, was the matter of the Augur boy in Erin¡¯s arms. ¡°Keep his face hidden. Anyone here could be the ver,¡± Siv warned, her eyes scouring anyone who trod too close to them. Erin held the same notion as Siv. Erin knew the vers would not likely give up on an Augur ve. They would most likely be searching for the boy with all of their might as of now. Judging from the boy¡¯s feet, he had run for quite some distance before falling prey to the creatures of Crawler¡¯s Woods. She kept the boy¡¯s face hidden by draping a simple cloth over the boy¡¯s head. She had also got the chains off the boy¡¯s legs before entering the pass. ¡°Can you tell what happened to this Augur boy?¡± Siv asked in a whisper. They were amongst strangers. It was best for them to keep their words absolutely between them. ¡°Appraisal doesn''t work like that, Siv,¡± Erin answered also in whisper. They both had great hearing, so they didn¡¯t need to raise their voice to have an exchange. ¡°How does it work?¡± Erin shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not savvy about it myself.¡± ¡°What about a name or his n?¡± ¡°His name, huh...¡± Erin used Appraisal on the Augur boy in her arms. She had used it on him once but the circumstances before were too hectic to give a good read of the results. ¡°Cynric Crimson-steel,¡± Erin read out. ¡°I assume Crimson-steel is his n¡¯s name.¡± ¡°Crimson-steel?¡± Siv gasped. ¡°You know the n?¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t heard of Crimson-steel?¡± Erin shook her head. ¡°I may be skilled inbat but it¡¯s best you treat me like someone who lived under a rock for her whole life.¡± Siv fell silent for a moment but she shook herself off her silence a second after. ¡° V-very well, Lady Erin. If you wish. Crimson Steel is a metal that could withstand even the fiery roar of a Dragon. The Augur n, Crimson-steel, their territory is believed to have thergest veinsprising ores used in making Crimson Steel.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this bad? A child of such a prominent n has been kidnapped by vers.¡± ¡°Not necessarily. Augurs have a tradition, simr to Beast-kin but not quite the same. They send their young to the world outside of their home to fend for themselves, only to return when they have discovered something that could benefit their people, be it resources or power.¡± ¡°You know their story well.¡± ¡°Our traditions crossed a lot of paths.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying it¡¯s highly likely the Augurs know nothing about one of their own being abducted into very.¡± Siv nodded. ¡°Even if they do know, they won¡¯t do anything. The way they see it, it¡¯s the youngblood¡¯s fault for being captured.¡± ¡°That¡¯s harsh.¡± ¡°Such is the world, Lady Erin. The humans have it easier than a lot of other races with their numbers. The Augurs are barely a quarter of the human¡¯s numbers. They can¡¯t afford weakness.¡± While Erin felt sympathy, there was a slight sense of wonder in her heart. She had yet again discovered something new about the world and her adventurous heart was yelling at her for more wonders. This feeling was nostalgic. It reminded Erin of her own youth, when she had just set out to explore the world. ¡°But very is on the risetely. I heard that some of the Elven tribes met a simr fate? Is that true, mdy?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid it is,¡± Erin answered. Siv had a surprised reaction. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You told me straight away¡­ you didn¡¯t hesitate...¡± ¡°I trust you, Siv.¡± Siv gasped in awe. ¡°Y-you honor me¡­ Lady Erin¡­ Your magnanimity is underestimated in the rumors¡­ Lady Erin, I¡ª¡± ¡°You will keep this to yourself and speak none of it to anyone. Not even Nivia or your employer. And I don¡¯t just mean the matter with the Elves. Matters about me too, keep it to yourself.¡± ¡°B-but Lady Erin, wouldn¡¯t it be better if people know of your¡ª¡± ¡°Siv,¡± Erin stopped her. ¡°Don¡¯t make me regret trusting you. I¡¯m not asking this as a Fae. I¡¯m asking this as a friend to a friend.¡± ¡°O-of course,¡± Siv nodded fervently. ¡°Friend¡­ she called me a friend...¡± Erin pretended that she didn¡¯t hear that. ¡°Oh god¡­ a Fae...¡± a trembling voice hooked Erin¡¯s attention. She looked around and found the gazes directed at her had increased since she entered the pass. Furthermore, some even slow their pace to feast on the sight of her. ¡°They are all looking at us,¡± Erin said, returning the nces of every passers-by. ¡°You, Lady Erin. They are looking at you, a Fae is already a rare sight, let alone a Fox-kin with three tails.¡± ¡°Oh right, my tails...¡± Erin mused woefully to herself as she glimpsed at her tails, which had be a part of her conscience. It no longer felt odd having tails, even as she sat ory on her back. Erin had thought the curious nces would die down once she moved on from Green Scar but instead, the nces were even more intense than the ones back in Green Scar. ¡°We won¡¯t be able to hide from the vers with all these eyes,¡± Siv said. ¡°Good,¡± Erin muttered. ¡°Save us the trouble of looking for them.¡± ¡°Lady Erin, I must warn you, vers have powerful backers. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have taken such risk.¡± ¡°Powerful, huh. borate.¡± ¡°A noble house, a wealthy merchant, or some secret faction.¡± ¡°Any notable names?¡± ¡°Too much to list, but there is a noble house in this Kingdom of Yorun, House Rowin.¡± Erin raised an eyebrow. ¡°And this noble house still stands?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just rumors and the Rowins are paying their tribute to the royals. The other noble houses would raise amotion if the royals made a move on House Rowin without firm evidence¡± Erin restrained herself from clicking her tongue. She was sick of the same tune among nobles. The true leaders are the nobles, not the royals; Erin couldn¡¯t remember thest time she had not encountered a kingdom of nobles that weren¡¯t singing this tune. ¡°Still, these are the affairs of humans. The Fae and Beast-kin need not bother themselves with it.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right, I¡¯m not a human anymore,¡± Erin told herself. Among all the changes that she strived to ept, her newfound race was one of the hardest. As a Fae now, humans¡¯ affairs should not be her concern. She no longer had any obligation to it but she had been a human for more than fifty years. The philosophy of humans was ingrained to her mind. Erin wished Nyx had removed that part of her when she reincarnated her into a Fox-kin but Erin reckoned Nyx didn¡¯t solely because it would be more amusing this way. ¡°Mdy, did you smell that?¡± Siv asked an ominous question all of a sudden. Erin perused every scent that her nose caught, one of which was the scent of Cynric, but not from Cynric himself. ¡°Cynric¡¯s captors.¡± The man who had Cynric¡¯s scent was trailing them just a few steps away. Erin silently apuded for the stalker¡¯s effort in blending with the others. She would not have noticed if it hadn¡¯t been for the scent lingering on him. ¡°Captors? There¡¯s more than one following us?¡± ¡°The wagon with a cart of wooden boxes in front of us.¡± Siv directed her gaze forward and saw an old musty wagon with two men at the coachstand. One armored individual walking slowly behind the wagon but always maintaining a certain distance. ¡°Those boxes¡­ I smelled only fruits. I don¡¯t smell Cynric.¡± ¡°I smelled only fruits too. I don¡¯t smell the musty wood the wagon is made of. Which means, the fruity scent is a disguise, sprayed on to hide the ve¡¯s scent but inadvertently it also hid the scent of the wagon. Also, Cynric couldn¡¯t have been in Crawler¡¯s Woods for long. The vers have got to be nearby. They won¡¯t forsake their golden egg. They are moving ves, they would need something like a wagon or a carriage.¡± ¡°But those boxes are too small.¡± ¡°Small, yes, but big enough for children.¡± Siv clenched her hands into fists. ¡°These animals¡­! And they called us animals¡­!¡± ¡°Control yourself, Siv. We can¡¯t be rash. One wrong move, we might put the children in more danger than they already are.¡± ¡°We''re just going to let them go?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Siv. I will not let thate to pass,¡± Erin said cast Appraisal on the two men at the front and the armored fighter walking trailing slowly at the back. She smirked when she read the results. The ones on the stand were level eight and seven, and the armored fighter was level fifteen with only Sword Art, Body Strengthening, and Arcane Edge. Erin turned to Siv and entrusted the unconscious Augur to her. Siv was startled. ¡°L-Lady Erin¡­ I-I don¡¯t know¡ª¡± ¡°You never held a baby before?¡± ¡°I had. My brother but I almost dropped him when I was a child.¡± ¡°You were only a child then, Siv. You can now hold and swing a sword properly. You won¡¯t have any issue holding a baby.¡± ¡°You¡¯re doing this alone?¡± Erin smiled wryly. ¡°Someone has to take care of him and keep an eye on the ver behind us.¡± ¡°What if he runs away?¡± ¡°Not important. Cynric and the children over there are what matters.¡± After making sure Siv becamefortable with holding Cynric, Erin approached the wagon with steady yet quick steps. The armored fighter noticed her approach and stepped in her way. The wagon also stopped after noticing Erin¡¯s approach. As everyone was already gazing at Erin¡¯s way, a gallery quickly formed around Erin¡¯s confrontation of the vers. ¡°Halt,¡± the armored fighter named Orson demanded, towering over Erin, his hand closed around the hilt of the sword by his waist. ¡°What business do you have with a purveyor of an esteemed house, Fox?¡± ¡°Nobles?¡± Erin threw on a shocked expression. ¡°But I don¡¯t see any crest?¡± ¡°None of your business. Move along, or suffer the consequences. Do not presume I will be lenient just because you¡¯re a Fae.¡± ¡°What kind of consequences? Something worse than very?¡± Erin challenged with a wide smile. The audience gasped. Orson was trained and experienced but Erin¡¯s perceptive eyes did not fail to catch the subtle flinch he gave. This told Erin enough on the escort¡¯s degree of involvement. ¡°What¡¯s this? No retorts?¡± Orson¡¯s grip tightened on his sword. ¡°Impudent. It seems Fae are not as gracious as the rumors say.¡± ¡°They are only rumors after all. Not facts. And if you intend to fight me, know that you won¡¯t manage toy a scratch on me,¡± Erin said with all intentions to provoke Orson. She knew his kind, and they were the easiest to rile once their prowess was belittled. ¡°Arrogant mutt!¡± Orson shouted. And Erin was proven true as Orson drew his sword and shed at the Fox-kin. Erin deflected the blow with her sheathed sword and broke his stance. She drew her saber and swiftly cut down the vulnerable armored fighter at the exposed joints, the gaps between the armor tes. Orson ignored his injuries and struck again, with his de imbued with Arcane Edge. Erin could tell the spell was sloppy with the fainting glow. Erin simply moved out of the way with a small sidestep and let his de meet the empty air. He swung to his side but Erin caught the sh with her saber. She led his attack away from his target. Orson resorted to fist as he raised his other hand. Erin spun a little and let her tails have the finishing touches. Her tails impaled Orson through the gap of his armor and straight into his flesh. Orson gagged hisst words as he choked on his blood. He fell to the ground, his hands reaching out to the audience, hoping vainly for a miraculous kind helping arm, but his final hopes ended with his life. [Experience gained +15% - Level Progression: 45%] ¡°Whoa¡­ that¡¯s a lot,¡± Erin marveled at her gains. Strangely, she didn¡¯t feel too bad taking a person¡¯s life this time. She attributed the reason being the sin of the man she had just felled. A man who was knowingly defending, quite literally, child very. ¡°Oi! Are you smoking high on leaves?! Do you have any idea which house this wagon belongs to?!¡± one of the vers shouted as he stormed his way to Erin. His apparels were simple but of good quality. Erin was all the more convinced of her suspicions. ¡°I don¡¯t, enlightened me,¡± Erin said dryly. She didn¡¯t let the other ver out of her sight. She was mildly relieved that the other ver was cowering in his seat, mostly likely knew of the consequences of offending a Fae. ¡°House Rowin!¡± The man shouted proudly. ¡°One of the most powerful noble houses in Yorun Kingdom. You have doomed yourself, foolish dog.¡± Erin fought hard not to just burst outughing. It was evident the two vers had becent with unting their master¡¯s name. They must have wormed their way through troubles with such a method. ¡°I don¡¯t see any proof,¡± Erin replied calmly. ¡°Proof?¡± The man scoffed. ¡°You will have your proof when the house hears of this. You¡¯re in thend of humans, foolish dog. Not with your filthy mutt tribes.¡± ¡°Mutt tribes? What are you speaking of?¡± ¡°What? You forgot the holes you were born in? You forgot the animals you called families?¡± ¡°Ah,¡± Erin uttered. She finally understood the man in front of him, or at least to the extent that she could. ¡°It seems you¡¯re more of an idiot that I thought. I¡¯m surprised that they used someone like you. But then again, one can be too smart for their own good when dealing with such delicate matters. Maybe they¡¯re afraid to hire those who think too much.¡± ¡°What fucking crap are you spouting now?¡± Erin ignored the man¡¯s question and walked closer to the cart of the wagon. ¡°Oi! Are you deaf? This wagon belongs to¡ª¡± ¡°House Rowin. Yes, you have made it abundantly clear of which house ismitting this foul deed.¡± ¡°F-foul deed?¡± the ver shuttered. And then his eyes widened. Only now did he realize. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know w-what tomfoolery you¡¯re s-saying. We have no time to spare for your nonsense. Be d that I¡¯m letting you off for insulting a noble house. Come on, Roni. We should¡ª¡± Erin shut the ver up by hitting his jaws with her tail d in Arcane Armor. His jaws were instantly broken and he stumbled into a fall. He wanted to stop her but his feet were shivering too much to carry his weight. He could only cry in mumbles. Erin pried the nails off with her own fingers covered in Arcane Armor. Once she lifted the cover off of one of the boxes, she gently and carefully carried a little human girl into her arms from the box. The audience gallery gave a louder gasp than before. The other ver immediately bolted for an escape but the adventurers in the gallery knocked him to the ground. ¡°Fucking hell¡­ vers in the kingdom¡­ and with the assistance of a noble house?¡± ¡°What kind of justice were they preaching all this time?¡± ¡°The nobles were ying us for fools!¡± ¡°Bunch of liars and thieves! They''re not different than bandits!¡± ¡°Death to the nobles!¡± These words echoed out in Maven¡¯s Pass. At the center of it all, was Erinthea. ¡°Oh for heaven¡¯s sake¡­ what have I gotten myself into this time?¡± Erin grumbled in her heart. She could vividly imagine in her head Aedan making some snarky remark with a wry tone and a deadpan face. ¡°Any how, let¡¯s just get to Sapphire Fork as soon as possible first.¡± Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Three-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 14 | Status: Mild Exhaustion Might: 20 | Arcane: 22 | Finesse: 19 Magic Arts Spirit Magic Lv. 8 | Arcane Edge Lv. 4 | Arcane Armor Lv. 6 | Lightning Magic Lv. 4 Combat Arts Sword Art Lv. 7 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 4 Innate Skills Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 1 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex Unique Talent Mystic de Lv. Ex | Revenant Lv. Ex Level Progression: 45% Remaining Skill Points: 2 Remaining Ability Points: 2 2-19 Returned 2-19 Returned It was a miracle, Erin could only see it as such. Two familiar faces appeared as she tried to leave the scene. She hadn¡¯t so much as to have the slightest exchange with these two familiar faces even once but she recognized them. They were one of the adventurers that were guarding the caravans. Apparently, they were sent out to scour and survey the area around Sapphire Fork for security purposes. One of them quickly rode back to the vige to send word to the merchants of Erin and Siv¡¯s survival. The other adventurer stayed back and handled the vers¡¯ matters. Feeling responsible, Erin offered to help but was advised to quickly head back with Siv to their employers. From the sound of their insistent tone, quite a bit of panic must have happened, Erin surmised. Her conjecture wasn¡¯t too far-fetched as the death of a Fae would cause a few dire consequences and quite possibly tarnished the merchants¡¯ reputations. With the unconscious Augur in her arms, Erin and Siv rushed to the vige at the fastest pace their current abilities and stamina could allow them. It took less than half an hour for them to reach the vige with their current level of Fleet Foot. They shared a shortugh as the caravans entered their sights. As the vige was too small to amodate thoserge transports, the caravans were stationed outside of the vige by the river banks. As the name had tantly implied, there was a river flowing towards the vige. The settlement split the river into a pair of streams. Bridges were made to cross over into the vige. As the sun reached its peak, its radiant grace reflected a phenomenal sight, the river glittered like it was filled with sapphire crystals. Obviously, there was no sapphire. It was a trick of the mind stemming from the unique water properties, and the strange pebbles found in the river that gave off such a sight. As the tired pair made their way across the bridge, a merchant shouted out their arrival upon taking notice of their approach. Erin could pick up on the brimming chatterings and whispers from the vige within. Per her expectations, Lyra was the first to rush out to greet her. Nay. Lyra dashed out and threw herself into Erin but stopped short when she realized there was a child in Erin¡¯s arms. Lyra sighed and shooked her head. ¡°What kind of trouble did you get yourself in now, Erin?¡± Lyra asked in an exasperated tone. Erin ransacked her mind for the right words. ¡°...well, it started¡ª¡± ¡°No,¡± Lyra cut her off. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I don¡¯t need to hear it. You¡¯re alive. That¡¯s all that matters. Of course, you too, Siv. Your brother is greatly worried.¡± ¡°Of course he is,¡± Siv scoffed. ¡°It troubles me much when I think of his prospects. He can¡¯t make any decision without a single piece of advice from me.¡± ¡°How¡¯s everyone?¡± Erin asked. ¡°They¡¯re all doing fine. There were four deaths and quite a few wounded but none of the merchants were hurt. Overall, the damages were considered little, thanks to you leading the monsters away.¡± Erin heaved a sigh of relief. Those monsters were going after her, not the caravans. Adventurers died all the time but the death of the merchants would be another matter. It was a cross Erin wished not to bear. No matter how hard she tried to convince herself otherwise, she was the type that always found fault in herself. ¡°Lady Erin, Siv,¡± a voice called out. Needless to say, it was Iris, sauntering her way to the three. There were others behind her, one of which was Hegan. ¡°You both made it in one piece. Most impressive, considering the Grizzly on your tail, or tails. Speaking of which, what happened to it?¡± ¡°We shook him off,¡± Erin answered dryly. ¡°Just like that?¡± ¡°With some luck and some nning. And it helped tremendously that the Grizzly has a simple mind.¡± ¡°Then I should give some merits to your fortune.¡± Iris tittered. ¡°You know, we were making bets on whether you would make it back.¡± Erin murmured a wordless response. ¡°Siv, you made it back,¡± said Hegan who was one of the many merchants that were crowding the bridge. ¡°I have pledged my service to you, Lord Hegan. I have no intentions of abrogating.¡± ¡°You and your brother¡¯s loyalty aremendable.¡± ¡°You honor me, Lord Hegan. Thank you.¡± ¡°Speaking ofmendability,¡± Iris took over the flow. ¡°Lady Erin. You abandoned your duty. You are aware of that, no?¡± Lyra turned to Iris. ¡°Lady Iris, Erin was just¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, Lyra,¡± Erin said. ¡°I take full responsibility for the fate I have spun from the decision of mine.¡± Iris chuckled. ¡°Normally, you would be written off or worse, but¡­ you saved lives. Had the Grizzly focused its entire attention on the caravans, no doubt we would have incurred a huge loss.¡± ¡°Lady Iris, you know the Razor Grizzly was¡ª¡± Iris stopped Erin with a hand raised. ¡°I know of it, as I have said. The consensus of the merchants is that you prevented a huge loss for the caravans. All is well, Lady Erin. Now, who¡¯s that in your arms?¡± ¡°A ve,¡± Erin answered. ¡°An Augur.¡± Iris blinked for a few times before words came out from her lips. ¡°Ah, yes. The vers that you have caught. You have once again performed a tremendous feat.¡± Erin raised an eyebrow, feeling queer about theck of urgency in the Umbrum''s voice. ¡°When I liberated the ves, people were on the verge of grabbing their pitchforks and torches. I though things would be... disorderly, but here...¡± Erin looked around. "Everything seems so quiet." ¡°An uproar of that level is quitemon. Nobles are used of some foul deed by themon folks everyday.¡± Erin noticed the eyes of a few merchants behind Iris were swimming. ¡°In fact, the cities near the capital always have some sort of protest or uproar going on about how the nobles wronged them. Besides, even if themon folks are dissatisfied, they don''t exactly have the power to revolt. Many have tried but the kingdom''s top knights and mages quelled them all in a single day. They''ll whine, shout, cry, but in the end, everything stays the same. Themon folks are powerless to do anything.¡± Remembering the level system existed, Erin reckoned a revolt or a rebellion could be easily crushed if the soldiers had overwhelmingly high levelspare to themon folks. ¡°Sounds incredibly unfair for themoners.¡± ¡°It is but such is the way things are.¡± ¡°You don''t seem all too surprised or appalled about the very business.¡± ¡°The ve business isn¡¯t something new to me, Lady Erin. Not that I have any hand in it, mind you. They have existed long before I was born. They will enve just about anything that moves as long as it provides gold. Though an Augur getting taken by vers is certainly not frequent.¡± Saying so, Iris snapped her fingers. A man in a pale green robe approached them. His arms extended. ¡°Give him the Augur,¡± Iris said. Erin recoiled with a visible frown. Iris tittered. ¡°Be at ease, Lady Erin. He¡¯s a healer, he¡¯ll tend to whatever wounds the Augur has.¡± Erin then loosened her shoulders. Seeing no reason to be defiant, Erinplied and entrusted Cynric to the healer. ¡°Perfect.¡± Iris pped her hands together and turned to her peers. ¡°We can continue thister.¡± ¡°Lady Iris, there¡¯s still much to be discussed, such as the ves Lady Erin had saved, her connections with the monsters, the Augur child¡ª¡± ¡°I understand your worries, Lord Hegan. I agree. There is still much to be discussed. So many questions to be answered but for now, Lady Erin and Siv here have been through a tiring journey. Unlike us, they slept not in warm beds but most probably solid and cold rocks. They need proper rest first and foremost. Perhaps some warm meal to fill their belly too. Or do my words sound like a madwoman¡¯s raving?¡± ¡°O-of course not, Lady Iris,¡± Lord Hegan said with his head bowed as he retreated a step. ¡°Perfect then.¡± Iris turned to Erin. ¡°Get some rest, Lady Erin. You need it and you have earned it, probably. Lyra will guide you to your tent. We¡¯ll convene at supper and continue our discussion then. All in agreement?¡± With that said, the merchants all nodded. If they had any disagreement, they would not dare to speak out against Iris. They dispersed and retreated back to their temporary quarters. Much like in Green Scar, the merchants had set up tents within the boundaries of the vige. There was no inn and there was no need for it. The local vigers were warm with their reception but Erin could tell they were just afraid of raising their ire. Erin had half a mind to acquaint herself with the vigers but like Iris had said, she needed some rest. Erin exchanged some parting greetings with Siv before they went to their respective tents. As the Wolf-kin walked off to her tent, Lyra eyed her leave. ¡°Lyra?¡± Erin asked worriedly. But Lyra stayed silent and beckoned Erin to follow her into a tent pitched between a small house and arge shed. **** ¡°Where¡¯s Celia?¡± Erin asked upon entering the small tent. It was enough to amodate four grown men, if one didn¡¯t mind the constant intimacy. Erin noticed the absence of a third bed. There were only two. ¡°She¡¯s in another tent with a healer,¡± Lyra answered in a small voice. ¡°Why? What¡¯s wrong with her?¡± ¡°She¡¯s fine at the moment. It¡¯s just that¡­ the attack of the monster horde brought back some of the unsavory memories. The healer has alleviated her distress, for now. She¡¯s asleep right now and we can only know of her condition when she wakes up.¡± ¡°She¡¯s not in any dire state right now?¡± ¡°As of now, she''s fine. You can rest easy,¡± Lyra said and sat down on her bed. She beckoned Erin toe over with a sorrowful smile. Lyra¡¯s behavior was queer but Erin shrugged and followed her wish. As soon as Erin got within range, Lyra grabbed Erin by her wrist and pulled her into a tight embrace. Lyra was even wrapping Erin¡¯s tails in her embrace. Erin saw iting with her heightened senses but she let it happen. She could easily break free from Lyra¡¯s hold but she let it be. ¡°What¡¯s wrong,¡± Erin asked calmly. ¡°Are you an idiot for asking that question?¡± Lyra¡¯s tone held a hint of anger. ¡°Sorry?¡± ¡°First, you died in front of me. Next, you rushed to your own peril on your ord. Then, Celia¡­ she¡­ she...¡± Lyra didn¡¯t manage to finish her sentences before her tears broke free. She was crying into Erin¡¯s shoulder, her embrace only tightened. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Lyra. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Erin softly said as she stroked Lyra¡¯s back gently. ¡°I wanted to believe in you. I truly do,¡± Lyra sobbed. ¡°But whenever I close my eyes, I keep seeing that moment of time. Your own sword, plunged through your body, skewered on the ground¡­ I can¡¯t stop seeing that...¡± Erin had no words to say. She could only let her lover¡¯s tears flow and keep providing the warmth of her body and presence. Lyra¡¯s words were crushing. Erinughed dryly in silence at herself. In the fifty and more years of her past life, she had gone through all kinds of pain the world could throw at her. However, this sort of pain, it was her first. It hurt in a way she had never known. The biggest pain wasn¡¯t a wound inflicted on herself but on others. This was love, not just some passing infatuation that was to be forgotten in the next few days. Because of this, Erin felt even more guilty at her tryst with Siv. ¡°I should just be open with her...¡± Erin parted Lyra from her shoulder and looked her in the eyes. ¡°Listen Lyra, I¡­ On my own ord¡­ by my own free will¡­ I...¡± ¡°You fucked Siv,¡± Lyrapleted her sentence. Erin chuckled self-deprecatingly and her ears and tails drooped down. ¡°So you realized after all¡­¡± ¡°Of course I realized. I don¡¯t know Siv but I know you, Erin. Our nights together aren¡¯t just a sharing of bliss. It¡¯s meant to connect us deeper. Besides, not once did you look at Siv if you can help it.¡± ¡°I was that obvious...¡± Lyra nodded. Her expression soured and her hands came for Erin¡¯s face. The Fox-kin closed her eyes and prepared herself for her well-deserved punishment but the p she expected never came. Instead, when she opened her eyes, Lyra¡¯s hand was caressing her cheek and she felt her lips tenderly touched by Lyra¡¯s. ¡°You dolt...¡± Lyra muttered. ¡°Didn¡¯t I already tell you that I believe in you?¡± ¡°But I¡­ I betrayed your trust...¡± Lyra chuckled. ¡°You did but¡­ I¡¯m not exactly innocent either. I haven¡¯t slept with anyone but¡­ if Celia wasn¡¯t in her current state, and there was more privacy, I think I would have found someone else in your stead. So you see, I¡¯m just as guilty.¡± ¡°Are you saying that you don¡¯t mind if I brought others to bed?¡± ¡°As long as you return to me at the end of the day¡­ I don¡¯t mind.¡± Another batch of tears trickled down her cheeks as Lyra struggled to get her words out. ¡°We¡¯re adventurers. Any adventures could be ourst. I think we can afford to be more¡­ open to otherpulsions. Or do you not agree?¡± Erin cast her gaze down. A strange feeling was stirring up within her. ¡°I don¡¯t know about that, Lyra¡­ I know this isn¡¯t fair but when I pictured you in bed with others¡­ it makes me¡­ angry.¡± ¡°E-Erin?¡± Lyra stammered when Erin grasped her shoulders tightly. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can allow it¡­,¡± Erin chewed those words. ¡°How greedy of you, Erin. Some Sword Saint you were...¡± ¡°This is all your fault, Lyra. I didn¡¯t know any of this. I knew not the sensual touch of a woman. I know not the warmth and pleasure derived from sharing a night and bed. You taught me all of this. It¡¯s all your fault and I will hold you responsible for the rest of my life.¡± ¡°Dear me, Erin. I can¡¯t tell if that¡¯s a proposal or you¡¯re just seducing me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure about it either but one thing I am sure of¡ª¡± Erin thrust herself at Lyra with the two of them tumbling over the bed. Erin¡¯s tails iling gracefully in the backdrop. ¡°I intend to ravage you, Lyra.¡± ¡°You have gotten quite brazen. Is it Lust Deviant?¡± Erin shook her head. ¡°Lust Deviant is just an excuse bestowed to me by the heavens. I think I have always been this lustful but never quite have the guts to go through with it. I was a coward. Your assistance with my first experience has helped me cast aside any hesitation and doubts I ever had.¡± ¡°It¡¯s still the middle of the day, Erin.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care, Lyra. You have made me realize just how much I yearn for you,¡± Erin whispered softly into Lyra¡¯s ears. The warmth of her breath made Lyra shudder in ecstasy. ¡°Well then, I should take responsibility.¡± Erin¡¯s ears perked up and her tails flourished with her excitement. ¡°I¡¯ll make you do more than that.¡± 2-20 Brazen (R18) 2-20 Brazen (R18) The pair was out of their worldly garments in mere moments upon the mutual understanding of their desire and hunger. It was still the middle of the day and the tent was frailer than thin walls. Their moans and cries of ecstasy would surely be heard by everyone. Yet, despite all thoseplications, the pair cared not for theirck of intimate privacy. More than desires, they needed this. They needed to assure the love and passion they had for each other. Lyra let Erin took the reins as the Fox-kin got on top of her. They allowed their heated gaze to sear into one another. Lyra reached out her hands and filled her palms with Erin¡¯s bountiful mounds. She kneaded them like the sweetest dough with passion and dexterity. She gave the twin peaks a pinch, incurring a moan from Erin. The Fox-kin repaid her lover¡¯s bittersweet torment by ying with her poor hills. Erin made sure to sh her lover a dramatic disy of disappointment at her ins of a chest. Lyra¡¯s expression soured and she increased the fervency of her kneading. Erin stifled her moans and squeezed the perky peaks of her lover in return. Blissful cries were exchanged, pleas of mercy were uttered, but neither ceased the actions and continued on until the biding glee was too much for their body to withstand. Erin plunged herself down, swooping in for a deep kiss. She sealed Lyra¡¯s lips, stifling their moans, and ravaged her insides. Lyra tried to fight back by attacking her mounds but Lyra herself gave in to Erin¡¯s intense assault, losing her offense and sumbing herself to Erin¡¯s longing. ¡°Erin, I love you, give me more...¡± Lyra begged deliriously in her mind as tears of ardour lust overflowed from her eyes. ¡°I love you so much¡­ More¡­ more¡­ give me more!¡± As if her mind had been read, Lyra felt her womanhood being touched by Erin¡¯s knee. More precisely, her womanhood was pressed lightly and nudged gently. The sudden assault caused her hips to buckle but using the difference in level, Erin trapped her hips under her own. Lyra moaned louder than before as her snatch was caressed by Erin¡¯s kness, though her moans came out muffled from Erin¡¯s incessant and passionate kiss. Even her own drool was leaking from the corner of her lips. Groans of annoyance escaped her sealed lips but her body gave a different reaction. Eventually, Lyra felt her body convulsing as a shriek flew from her mouth. She had reached her height of ecstasy just from mere forey. She tried to form words but the lingering pleasure clouded her mind. Only slurs were muttered. To that, Erin smiled deviously and brought Lyra¡¯s hips up to her face. She took a whiff of her lover¡¯sher regions. ¡°Wait, Erin¡­ I-I haven¡¯t cleaned myself since yesterday...¡± Lyra managed to say after the pleasure had receded from her body. Still, she was mildly trembling from the afterglow but at least she was able to get her words out. Erin chuckled. ¡°So naive, Lyra. You still presume that I care about such trivial matters?¡± ¡°That has nothing to do with this¡­ I-I just don¡¯t want you to¡ª Eeek~!¡± Lyra screamed out in the middle of her sentence but she managed to cover her mouth before her scream could escape the tent. Erin had begun dining on her overflowing honeypot. She even made it obvious that she was taking in the scent of Lyra¡¯s snatch as she feasted. Lyra gave Erin a look of indignance amidst her pleas but the Fox-kin was too busy indulging herself to take notice. Not that Erin would care even if she noticed the re. ¡°Despite your worries, you¡¯re so wet down here. It¡¯s not stopping. Your thighs are drenched with your essence.¡± Erinpped up those dripping juices to proof her point. ¡°D-damn it, Erin¡­ I¡¯m dirty down there¡­ You¡¯ll¡ª¡± ¡°You¡¯re dirty everywhere. Even your mind is filled with dirty thoughts. See?¡± Erin made a string of Lyra¡¯sher honey between her fingers. Lyra could only blush at that disy. She was genuinely concerned about her body odor but a part of her saw it as a spice to their coitus. Erin let Lyra taste her own juice. When she refused, Erin inserted a finger into her snatch but stayed unmoving. Lyra begged for Erin to wriggle her finger within her but Erin only grinned at her. Lyra tried to move herself but under Erin¡¯s strength, she couldn¡¯t. In the end, Lyra resigned and tasted her own juice. At the same time, Erin arched her finger, touching Lyra¡¯s womanly spot. Lyra screamed but was silenced by a deep kiss. The back of her head was supported by Erin¡¯s hand, bringing their tongues closer than ever before. Erin inserted another finger and wriggled two of her fingers within her. Lyra continued screaming into Erin¡¯s mouth. Her hips began iling around due to the excessive pleasure that was seeping into her mind. She peaked her pleasure twice in a row but even then, Erin did not stop. The Fox-kin attacked her womanhood seemingly without an end. On Lyra''s sixth soar of her ecstasy, Erin retracted her fingers. By then, Lyra was a mess. Her juices had spouted all over Erin¡¯s body and face. Her eyes were rolled up and her tongue was lolling. Towards such a sight, Erin gently scooped Lyra into her arms, cradling the intermittent shuddering Lyra. She brought Lyra close, fondling her posterior and enjoying the warmth she emanated. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Lyra,¡± Erin whispered. ¡°I truly am.¡± ¡°Foolish Erin...¡± Lyra responded in a low voice. Her trembling hand brushed Erin¡¯s cheek. ¡°I already forgave you, haven¡¯t I?¡± ¡°But it doesn¡¯t change the fact that I did you wrong, Lyra. And I don¡¯t think that will be thest. I¡¯m just as depraved as those I hate.¡± ¡°Nothing wrong with that, Erin.¡± Lyra tittered ¡°Your lover has given her permission.¡± ¡°My lover, huh.¡± ¡°It has a nice ring to it, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°You sly vixen,¡± Erin said and buried her face on Lyra¡¯s shoulder, nibbling at her skin while leaving kiss marks as proof of who Lyra belongs to. ¡°Says the fox herself,¡± Lyra retorted and allowed Erin to mark her. She moaned gleefully for every mark Erin put on her. She thought about hiding these marks after the end of their session but ultimately decided to just leave as is. She wanted to show the world that she was Erin¡¯s. Erin didn¡¯t stop at the shoulders. She moved down and arrived at the ins that was Lyra¡¯s chest. Though Erin enjoyed the feel of ample bosoms in her hands, this typeplimented Lyra¡¯s physique the best. What¡¯s more, Erin learned that Lyra was extremely sensitive around her chest. The slightest flick of her peak was able to invoke a shrill from her. She pierced Erin with a vexed re but Erin continued her teasing, sending waves of pleasure to her whole body that was expressed through her cries. Erin didn¡¯t forget to leave her mark as she yed with Lyra¡¯s ins. Having enough of that, Erin moved on to the main course. But before she could proceed, Lyra pounced on her. ¡°You damn mutt¡­ That¡¯s enough of your torment,¡± Lyra spat. More than hate, she felt unjust being the only one receiving pleasure and shame. She wanted to return the favor. Her pride wouldn¡¯t allow her to be submissivepletely throughout their heated pleasuring exchange. Erin smirked and gently rubbed Lyra¡¯s entrance. She applied a spark of lightning at her fingertips. And that was enough to draw out a sharp yelp from Lyra. ¡°You bitch¡­!¡± she cried. ¡°And you were the one preaching about its dangers.¡± ¡°I guess I have to admit it now... I lied about the reason back then. I was just¡­ dishonest with my own depravity.¡± Erin chuckled and repeated the same mischief. Lyra shrieked in absolute delight but her pride was being shattered. She gathered her will and battered Erin¡¯s hands away from her snatch. When Erin resisted, Lyra aimed for her tails. Shrills erupted from the Fox-kin. Lyra bit softly down on them, until Erin relented her attacks on Lyra¡¯s snatch. Lyra seized this chance and got on top of Erin. She pinned the Fox-kin¡¯s hands above her head with a single hand. Her other free hand went to explore the Fae¡¯s drenched cunt. She skipped the ample bosoms and went for her ears. ¡°Oh god¡­ Lyra¡­ more¡­ more¡­!¡± Erin cried out for more. She did not bother to suppress her moans and let them out freely, but she made sure she wasn¡¯t too loud. ¡°You have really changed, Erin,¡± Lyra said as she had her fill of those perky ears which were twitching meekly in glee. ¡°You were so reserved and meek back then if Lust Deviant didn¡¯t take over.¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s you, Lyra. If it¡¯s you, I don¡¯t mind showing this side of me,¡± Erin struggled to say in between her delighted moans. ¡°Did you show this side to Siv too?¡± Lyra asked with a firm gaze nailing on Erin¡¯s expression. Erin tittered. ¡°And here I thought you don¡¯t mind me sleeping with others.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything about me not getting jealous.¡± ¡°What if I say I showed more than this to Siv?¡± Erin taunted. Lyra clicked her tongue and inserted three of her fingers into Erin¡¯s snatch. ¡°Then prepare yourself, vixen,¡± Lyra said. ¡°I¡¯ll make you bare all of your shame before me.¡± Erin was forced to grit her teeth as the immense pleasure assaulted every fiber of her body. Her tails whipped around, causing their luggage to tumble out from the bags. The pair paid no heed to the mess they caused and continued indulging in each others¡¯ flesh. ¡°Is this it? Is this what you showed to Siv?¡± ¡°W-why yes, it is. She had seen more,¡± Erin taunted further. Lyra grimaced and inserted four of her fingers. She hooked her fingers, striking every spot in Erin¡¯s snatch. Erin screamed through her tightened lips as her hips buckled up and down continuously. Ecstasy surged through her body. When Erin reached the peak, she embraced Lyra close with her tails wrapped around the two of them. Lyra couldn¡¯t feel Erin¡¯s ecstasy without Lust Deviant but seeing her lover in so much pleasure, Lyra couldn¡¯t help but be content and proud of her achievements. Even her cunt was throbbing gleefully in response to her pride. When the pleasure died down, Erin released Lyra and herself from the hold. The pair slumped onto their bed side by side. ¡°You have gotten even naughtier, Erin,¡± Lyra remarked in between breaths. She felt like she was going to suffocate from Erin¡¯s strength. Erin was still calming down from her release, her chest heaving up and down. ¡°You made me this way, Lyra. You took my virtue.¡± ¡°I did,¡± Lyra said as she climbed on top of Erin. ¡°And I will never forget about that. I will also make sure everyone knows about that.¡± She parted her legs and Erin¡¯s. She positioned her womanhood against Erin¡¯s and began to slowly grind theirher regions against one another. Erin assisted Lyra by moving her hips too. Soon, they both found themselves achieving mutual gratification in matters of minutes. However, this was enough for them. They wanted more, to make up for that one night and also for the nights toe. They knew they would be reprimanded for this and barred from this exchange until they reached the town of Maven¡¯s Creek. But they didn¡¯t care, or rather, their pleasure-ridden mind did not allow them any prudence. They drowned themselves in pleasure, only stopping to get some water, and continued immediately after. True to their intentions, they only put an end to their coitus sessions when dusk arrived. By then, the whole vige had known about their caper. The merchants held different notions and thoughts but Iris was the only one who praised the two for their valor and passion. [Experience gained +20% - Level Progression: 65%] Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Three-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 14 | Status: Carnally Relieved Might: 20 | Arcane: 22 | Finesse: 19 Magic Arts - Spirit Magic Lv. 8 | Arcane Edge Lv. 4 | Arcane Armor Lv. 6 | Lightning Magic Lv. 4 Combat Arts - Sword Art Lv. 7 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 4 Innate Skills - Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 1 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex Unique Talent - Mystic de Lv. Ex | Revenant Lv. Ex Level Progression: 65% Remaining Skill Points: 2 Remaining Ability Points: 2 2-21 Mellow Journey 2-21 Mellow Journey The merchant caravans resumed their journey on the break of dawn. The skies were clear and the winds were warm, a sure sign of the rain¡¯s absence. Erin and Lyra were following on their own horses just beside Iris¡¯ caravan. At Erin¡¯s insistence, Iris allowed them to have their own mounts for the rest of the journey. Perhaps sensing a hint of solemnity in Erin¡¯s insistent request, Iris relented to this suggestion but on the condition they remained close to her caravan. As the journey was mundane with a fair path and theck of threat, Erin allowed her mind to wander but not too far. She recalled the supper on the night prior. She remembered the gazes she and Lyra received when they arrived at the designated ground for meals. The local vigers were obviously dissatisfied but they knew better than to admonish a Fae. Some of the merchants praised the daring two with their subtle gestures but Iris alone uttered out loud her surprise andpliment for their passionate and intense repose. Lyra had flushed red, Erin remembered, but she herself wasn¡¯t too bothered. She had been dealing with those manner of remarks and reception ever since day one; ever since she was reincarnated into this body. It was nigh time she became ustomed to this treatment. During their supper, the conversation was quick to shift into matters that were rtively more important than the pair¡¯s caper. Erin recounted almost everyst detail of their sinct adventure after she and Siv were separated from the caravans. Iris and Joshua took her words as the truth without any question but the other merchants held some doubts but since Iris moved on from that subject, so did the other merchants. All in all, none of the merchants held any resentment or dissatisfaction towards Erin for beckoning the appearance of a monster horde. They got heaps of Cores from the many monsters in after all. There was also the fact that they survived a horde and pressed on their journey without further deviation, that alone was a tremendous bolster to their reputation. The conversation then moved on to the ves as the meals moved on to desserts. The vers were caught and imprisoned into a small cart. It was originally designed to imprison any living bounties they came across by pure chance. As for the enved children, many merchants offered themselves to amodate the unfortunate younglings until they reached Maven¡¯s Creek. Once they were there, they would let the town¡¯s governing body take care of that hassle. Though Erin was initially doubtful of the merchants¡¯ generosity, her suspicions were cleared when Joshua told her there were rewards in freeing ves and turning in vers. The reward was issued by the court itself. The conversation then became an array of small talks until Erin and Lyra were called away to a dested ce by the healer who was taking care of Celia. It was then the pair was given the bad news. Celia¡¯s mental health was dire. Erin was shocked but her following reaction was that of understanding. The girl went through a horrible event that would even break the minds of grown individuals. She was only able to walk and talk all this while due to her amnesia but should her memories of that horrible event resurface, her mind could only take so much before shepletely broke. Erin was given three choices to alleviate Celia¡¯s condition. The first was to suppress her memories for as long as fate allowed. The second was to ask for the aid of an Arch Healer but they were hard toe by. Most of them led a secretive life and those that were known were under the employment ofrge nations or major organizations. And finally the third option; was to seek out Mist Pearls, medicinal nts that could ease just about any mental distress. This was the most conventional option, Erin thought, but there was a huge catch. Mist Pearls grew only in shades and ces abundant with magic. The closest area that fit those criteria was a ce known as The Singrity, a basin southwest of Maven¡¯s Creek. The paths leading to that area were devoid of beasts but ridden with other natural obstacles. The uneven grounds, the multitude of small but deep crevices, quicksands, and many others. As for the basin itself, it was filled with bizarre monsters that were extremely hostile to any beings that weren¡¯t native to the basin itself. Erin had asked for an alternative location to The Singrity. It was the Dusk Caverns but it was a two weeks journey, at the least, from here and it was even more dangerous than The Singrity with extremely high level monsters, starting from the lower fifties. In the end, The Singrity was their best bet. Rarely had any adventurers ventured into The Singrity due tock of any rpense. It was said that the monsters left no corpses behind, not even a Core. There were no valuable rocks or other worthwhile materials to be found, save for Mist Pearls but no adventurers were willing to tread into such dangers just for some medicinal nts with only a single benefit. It went without saying Erin was more than willing to brave through all those dangers just so she could obtain Mist Pearls for Celia. However, she had other responsibilities. At present, Celia was in a caravan with the respective healer, who was in actuality under Joshua¡¯s employment. Prior to their departure from Sapphire¡¯s Fork, Erin visited Celia briefly. She saw the changing expression of the slumbering Celia, from pain to relief and back and forth. Remembering about that, Erin clutched at her chest with a troubled expression. Lyra wanted tofort Erin but found no words that could do so. She understood Erin¡¯s dilemma but she could do nothing to help. As Erin¡¯s lover and someone who had grown past the point of fondness for Celia, it pained her greatly for not being able to do anything. Lyra had proposed asking the assistance of Iris but that suggestion was quickly rejected by Erin. Desperate they may be, it wasn¡¯t worth it or wise to put themselves into a great debt of someone they barely knew and trust. Present an inch and miles will be taken, Erin had learned it the hard way in her past life. She had fallen into the vile scheme of a greedy and immoral merchant. However, her status and prowess as the Sword Saint did not allow herself to be threatened and taken advantage for long. But now, she was no Sword Saint. She may be a Fae but she wasn¡¯t keen on relying on a privilege she knew little of. This was the reason Erin had insisted to have mounts of their own. She needed to be alone with her thoughts out in the open air. Had she been in the cart with Iris, she was sure she would not get any moment to herself and the Umbrum¡¯s constant scrutinizing gaze was too much for her current troubled mind to bear. Still, Erin¡¯s thoughts came to an impasse in spite of the privacy she was given, incurring a sigh from her supple lips. ¡°Erin, be at ease,¡± Lyra said as her hand reached out, stroking Erin¡¯s shoulder reassuringly. ¡°We¡¯ll figure something out. You¡¯re a Fae and the winds often blow in a Fae¡¯s favor.¡± ¡°Often, not always,¡± Erin retorted. She grimaced without realizing. ¡°Lyra, you heard what the healer said. Celia¡¯s mind is plighted with horrors not meant for a child. We can¡¯t just wait until fortune smiles upon us. What if something happens before the winds blow our way? We¡¯ll have to make our own luck.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, Erin. I was just¡ª¡± ¡°No, you did nothing wrong, Lyra,¡± Erin stopped Lyra¡¯s apologies when she realized the face she was making. ¡°I¡¯m just¡­ disappointed with myself. I bit off more than I can chew...¡± ¡°Maybe we could put out a request?¡± ¡°And what will be the reward? I don¡¯t think mere Silver will suffice. We don¡¯t have much Gold.¡± ¡°A favor from a Fae?¡± ¡°Then we might as well ask Iris.¡± ¡°Hmm...¡± Lyra murmured with a shrug. ¡°We could go with that...¡± ¡°You¡¯re serious?¡± ¡°As ast resort,¡± Lyra quickly added. ¡°Whatever option we choose, we¡¯ll have to hand over the Magic Ry rod to the Guild first. We¡¯ll decide from then.¡± Erin chuckled softly as she nodded at Lyra''s suggestions. ¡°I see Nivia has rubbed some of her quirks on you.¡± Lyra¡¯s expression contorted into disgust. ¡°Don¡¯t say that. And why wasn''t it the other way?¡± Erin shrugged with a faint smile. It was moments like this that made her d that she left her solitary life. Had she been alone, she imagined she would still be writhing in her own inability ofing up with a solution. **** The rest of the journey was mellow, save for the asional attacks by starving beasts and foolish bandits. Erin took the initiative to wipe the threats out before the adventurers could even ready their weapons. These minor recurring happenstances were weed by Erin as it helped her in staving her mind off the useless worries and as a plus, the kills yielded quite a bit of experience. The bandits and monsters were only stronger the closer they got to their destination and therefore, higher amounts of experience. The other adventurers couldn¡¯tin as there were no rules that were barring her from taking all the kills. If anything, the merchants were seeing her in a brighter light and a higher pedestal. At the mid of the day, during lunch on the road, Celia had awoken from her slumber with no recollection of the monster horde¡¯s attack. Thest thing that she could remember was the arrival of the thundering storm. For her wellbeing, Erin and Lyra left her memories as it was. Lyra had Celia ride on the same horse as her for the rest of the journey. Erin felt a little envious but one of them needed to be able tobat-ready at any moment¡¯s notice. By dusk, the caravans made camp by a river and they began preparing for supper with the fish from the river. The talks of rumors began the same time supper did. It was mostly business matters and spections but Erin¡¯s interest was piqued when the Ruvan Pdins became the topic. The caravans had encountered other travelers in their path. Stories and rumors were shared for the short time their paths were crossed. The most prominent rumor was Aza, who had made her presence known in Green Scar. Erin and Lyra turned pale at that news but Iris assured them nothing could have happened by reminding them of Aedan. The topic then shifted to the Pdins¡¯ prowess and legends. The more Erin heard about Aza, the more eager she was to see Aza¡¯s swordsmanship for herself. Erin did harbor some hesitation when she heard about Aza¡¯s difficult personality. Aza somehow became the main topic as the talk went on. The Pdin herself was only twenty-four at present, which surprised not just Erin and Lyra but a lot of other merchants who assumed Aza to be older. Her abilities were mostly unknown but she was rumored to be so skilled with the de that she could even cut magic. ¡°I must have a spar with Aza if I ever meet her,¡± Erin vowed to herself. Her interest was hooked and reeled. On the dawn of morrow, the caravans departed. The journey was mellow like yesterday but not even monsters or bandits showed up, thanks to the frequent patrols by the soldiers of Maven¡¯s Creek. They were close. Erin was able to loosen her guard slightly. She took this transient moment to make merry with Celia with riddles and stories until midday, when their destination finally came into view. Erin couldn¡¯t express how relieved she felt at that sight. For the whole ride, she dreaded for another attack by the monster horde but it never came. There was also the presence of Kane that she didn¡¯t forget when she was at the bottom of the cliff, but that premonition too never came to reality. The town of Maven¡¯s Creek had a name; it was Quinteburgh. Erin was stunned to learn about that but it was only reasonable as she hade to realize. The town of Green Scar was simply named as such due to the town¡¯s rtive miniature size. Quinteburgh was colossalpared to its neighbouring town. It was rumored that Quinteburgh¡¯s name derived from the fact that it was around fivefold the size of its neighbouring town, but seeing how the merchants were a tad drunk when they told Erin about it, the Fox-kin took the information with a grain of salt. Quinteburgh was surrounded by stone walls standing at a height of more than five meters. Ballistas and archers mounted the ramparts in the dozen. It was truly unlike the town of Green Scar. There was a long line at the entrance gateway but the caravans were able to skip the queue altogether with their reputation. There were even soldiers lining in two files to receive their arrival. ¡°Wee to Quinteburgh, the heart of Maven¡¯s Creek,¡± Iris said to the three on horseback through the window of her caravan. Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Three-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 14 | Status: Mild Exhaustion Might: 20 | Arcane: 22 | Finesse: 19 Magic Arts Spirit Magic Lv. 8 | Arcane Edge Lv. 4 | Arcane Armor Lv. 6 | Lightning Magic Lv. 4 Combat Arts Sword Art Lv. 7 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 4 Innate Skills Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 1 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex Unique Talent Mystic de Lv. Ex | Revenant Lv. Ex Level Progression: 95% Remaining Skill Points: 2 Remaining Ability Points: 2 2-22 Quinteburgh 2-22 Quinteburgh The streets were vast, to say the least. Townsfolk of various races lined up parallely on the streets to give their wees and cheers for the arrival of the merchant caravans. There were a considerable number of people who were throwing flowers in their bid of wee, turning the arrival of the caravans into a parade-esque situation, something Erin found it to be quite queer. Celia gasped in awe and waved back at the crowd from atop of the mount she was sharing with Erin. Lyra held a cautious nce to her surroundings, watchful for any opportunist who might seek to earn some quick gold with some silly petty scheme. Erin was indifferent to the whole festive mood. She was used to this sort of charade when she was Argon Raze. The arrival of the Sword Saint would always send towns and cities into an uproar. Sometimes it was bad but most of the time it was a warm reception. But it was all the same, they all had something they wanted from the Sword Saint, the Sword Saint¡¯s skill and service. However, there was a faint difference this time around. Those gazes on her weren¡¯t expectations but reverence, save for the lecherous gazes of a few. There were also prying nces. Judging by their attire, they were individuals sent by some church. Off the top of her head, Erin could only think of the Ruvans. ¡°Lady Erin and Miss Lyra, please follow me,¡± said a Guild official who was waiting for the two at the separating junction of the main street. ¡°We¡¯re expected, huh. Impressive.¡± Though Erin truly found the Guild¡¯s reception impressive, what impressed her even more was the sheer effort and quality of the reception by town¡¯s folks for the caravans. The reception and decoration weren¡¯t just limited to the streets near the entrance alone. As far as she could see, the morous wee extended to the center of Quinteburgh. Erin couldn¡¯t imagine how much money went into all these preparations. ¡°You two go ahead,¡± Iris, who was poking her head out of the window, told the pair. ¡°You want us to leave you alone? Aren¡¯t we supposed to be your personal guards?¡± Erin asked. Iris smiled. ¡°We¡¯re within safe borders now. We can rest easy. Besides, Joshua¡¯s own personal guard will be looking after me in your stead in the meantime.¡± Erin raised an eyebrow. She knew Joshua had a personal guard but not once had she seen the individual in question, though she did asionally sense its presence. ¡°Lady Iris, if I may make a request,¡± Lyra asked. ¡°Of course,¡± Iris responded reassuringly. ¡°Can you look after Celia for us? Until we return from the Guild?¡± Erin recoiled with a nce snapped at Lyra. ¡°Hmm? I can¡¯t go with you?¡± Celia asked with trembling eyes. ¡°It¡¯s only for a short while. Besides, it will be boring. It¡¯s best that you go with this nicedy here, alright?¡± Iris stifled a chuckle. For the sake of Celia, Lyra addressed her as a ¡°nicedy¡±. Erin was about to oppose Lyra¡¯s abrupt request but she stopped herself. Erin agreed with Lyra¡¯s request after realization dawned. She understood Lyra was only giving a pretense. It was best to have Celia to be close to a healer and they were about to attend some serious business. Taking a child along would only inviteplications. Erin did have some uncertainty in leaving Celia in Iris¡¯ care but given the goodwill the Umbrum had shown throughout the journey, Erin decided to trust her for now. There was also Joshua, who was undeniably a much better person than Iris. Erin didn¡¯t know why but Joshua gave off a feeling that he could be a good friend but a terrible enemy should one betray his trust. Celiatched onto Lyra¡¯s leg hard and refused to let go when she knew none of her pleas could convince the two to take her along. ¡°Children really are a handful,¡± Iris mused quietly to herself. Celia only relented when Lyra promised her some candies and dessert after they returned. With that problem settled, Erin and Lyra rode for the Guild branch of Maven¡¯s Creek. As expected, Erin received more and more nces from the gallery. Her three tails fluttered freely with grace and ears perked with vignce. Her countenance was intimidating and yet, captivating. Rumors and whispers began to spread and soon, Erin noticed there were even some people who came rushing to witness her presence. Since they were going a separate way from the caravans, the crowd lessened in numbers but there was still quite a number of people, who were all enthralled by Erin¡¯s beauty and charm. She was attracting attention much like her past self but she soughtfort with the fact that the attention wasn''t of envy or jealousy but mostly admiration and reverence. Although, there were a few unpleasant gazes mixed within the others. They came from thug-looking individuals who were sneaking peeks from dark alleys and high rooftops. Aside from the curious gazes, all was well until they reached a za with a fountain ornate with excessive engravings of some inscription. Erin saw a few people who tossed a coin into the fountain. ¡°What are they doing?¡± she asked the Guild official. ¡°Wishing for fortune,¡± came the brief answer from the Guild official. ¡°By tossing their fortune into a puddle of water?¡± ¡°This¡­ tradition has been around since the time of my grandfather and his father before him.¡± ¡°Huh....¡± Erin couldn¡¯t understand the reasoning but since even Lyra told her the same thing, she let the frivolous act go. ¡°Oh bollocks...¡± The Guild Official uttered. He quickly turned to Lyra and Erin with a terrified look. ¡°Whatever happens, let me do the talking.¡± Erin and Lyra couldn¡¯t quite understand the sudden change in mood but Erin felt her skin crawling then. She looked in a certain direction, three riders in knight armor were heading towards them. The three all bore the same sigil on their armor. ¡°Ruvan Pdins?¡± Erin asked. ¡°Yes,¡± The Guild Official replied. ¡°Remember, let me do the talking.¡± Erin and Lyra waited with apprehension as the Pdins drew closer and closer to them. And just as their paths crossed, the Pdins rode past them. The one at the lead gave Erin a nce that could only be seen as scrutinizing but none of the Pdins stopped them. Before long, they had rode out of their sight. The Guild official heaved a sigh of relief and they continued in their path. ¡°And I thought Ruvan Pdins were troublemakers,¡± Lyra remarked. ¡°We have our lucky stars to be grateful for. Most of the ones in this town knew better than to question a Fae who¡¯s being escorted by a Guild official.¡± ¡°What if we had been less fortunate?¡± Erin asked. ¡°At best, the Guild¡¯s authority will make them stand down.¡± ¡°At worst?¡± ¡°Swords drawn and blood shed. If that happens, the two of you will be under the Ruvan¡¯s constant watch.¡± ¡°How likely are we to encounter those kinds?¡± ¡°Since they are the type who goes around picking fights, fifty-fifty.¡± Erin almost choked on her breath. ¡°Well this is ironic. The real troubles began after we left the wilds,¡± Lyra said. Erin nodded grimly at Lyra¡¯s words. The Guild was still some distance away but the three eventually arrived without furtherplications. There were some individuals who trailed after her steps but they gave up when she entered into a street filled with guard patrols. Looking around the stores, she knew she had entered the business district where the security was stricter. Relief swept over her. She wasn¡¯t looking forward to picking a fight on her first day in a major town where consequences were much more dire. **** The Guild building of Quinteburg bore a considerable amount of simrity to the branch in Green Scar. Unlike Green Scar¡¯s Guild, the Guild building wasn¡¯t the tallest among its peers. It wasn¡¯t even in the top five. Excluding the bell tower, the tallest building seemed to be a mansion located atop of a small hill in the distance. The Guild official, noticing Erin¡¯s curious gaze, told her that the mansion was the residence of the town¡¯s chief. There two vast yards expanding from the right side of the Guild, a yard for sparring and a yard for mounts. Two lonely shops were also annexed to the left side of the Guild Building, a smithy and an apothecary. There was even a small eatery stall in front of the Guild. In terms of convenience, Quinteburgh¡¯s was the clear winner. ¡°What a difference...¡± Erin muttered in her heart. Inside of the Guild, however, was a close one to one resemnce, be it the design or architecture. Gasps of awe drowned the floor as Erin stepped through the doors. It was only then Erin truly picked up on the diversity of Maven¡¯s Creek. The majority were humans but there were quite a lot of other races in the mix. At least a single Beast-kin could be found at every direction Erin turned her gaze to. There were also numerous Dwarrows and other races she had yet to meet. Her shoulders tensed when she saw a pair of Umbrums but the Umbrums themselves paid no heed to Erin. Beckoned by the official, Erin and Lyra followed him up the stairs to the second floor where the Guild Master¡¯s office resided. At thending, a half-armored man was standing guard. He made way for them when he recognized the official. As stoic as he tried to be, his gulp of unease did not escape Erin¡¯s hearing. Arriving at such a town, Erin was once again reminded of the reputation and image Faerie-kin had. Instead of knocking on the door, the official put his hand on the door knob and the door glowed faintly. ¡°Come in,¡± came a feeble voice from within the room. Once inside, Erin was surprised to learn the Guild Master was an elderly woman but her lively expression betrayed her age. There were two other people in the room with them, a well-dressed middle aged man and a young girl with spectacles in the corner. Erin thought the girl to be the secretary but her elegant robe said otherwise. Erin held the same notion for the man but from the way he was sitting without minding his posture on the couch, that was obviously not the case either. At the wave of the Guild Master¡¯s hand, the official was dismissed and he left the room promptly. The Guild Master rose from her seat and smiled gently at the two. ¡°My name is Edith Rosemary. Madam Rosemary to my acquaintances. The two of you must be Lady Erinthea and Miss Lyra.¡± ¡°We are,¡± Erin answered with her hand to her chest and a slight bow. Lyra did the same. The man gave none of his greeting but Erin wasn¡¯t the type to mind this sort of matter. The young girl tried to say something but ultimately decided against it. Rosemary chuckled with a pleasant tenor. ¡°You are exactly as the whispers depicted you to be, Lady Erinthea. And this must be your partner of affection, Miss Lyra.¡± ¡°Just Erin, please.¡± ¡°That will not do, Lady Erinthea. Breeding too much familiarity in a short amount of time can lead to a breakdown in management. I hope you can understand.¡± Erin flinched a little. Compared to Geron, Rosemary held a different manner of intimidation but was not the least bit less effective. ¡°Are all Guild Masters like this?¡± Erin questioned to herself. ¡°I like her,¡± Lyra whispered to Erin. Erin raised an eyebrow with a slight frown. ¡°Now, I assume we are all on the same page of business here.¡± Before Erin or Lyra could speak, the man finally broke his silence. ¡°We are definitely not on the same page.¡± ¡°Lord Howard, what¡¯s with the sudden discontent?¡± Rosemary red at the man known as Lord Howard. ¡°I thought we had a concord.¡± ¡°We do but I have no such thing with the Fae,¡± said Lord Howard who was still lounging on the couch. Erin sighed internally. ¡°Here we go...¡± ¡°Forgive my interruption but what has my lover done to offend you, mister?¡± Lyra asked with her voice raised. ¡°Mister?¡± Howard scoffed. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that you shall address me as Lord Howard of House yton, the governor assigned to oversee this territory by his Majesty.¡± ¡°Lord Howard here is the chief of this town but you¡¯re not at fault for not knowing since he neglected to introduce himself,¡± Rosemary told the two with her ever present gentle smile. ¡°Edith, I don¡¯t know why we are even entertaining this idea, with a Fae no less.¡± Erin clicked her tongue, loudly. She had enough of the chief¡¯s impertinence. She didn¡¯t expect a grand reception from everyone but she did expect the basic decency which this Lord clearlycked. Howard snapped his head at Erin with surprise painting his face. He didn¡¯t expect a Fae to be discorteous with her conduct. ¡°I don¡¯t care who you are, my lord, but if you have something to say, I¡¯m right here. Or do youck the guts to direct those words at the person herself?¡± ¡°Well how curious, this Fae talks for more than a sentence,¡± the Lord retorted. ¡°Lord Howard, please. You are being¡ª¡± ¡°She brought death to our doorstep, Edith!¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Erin blurted out. She stopped Lyra from throwing some insults back. ¡°Yes, you heard me right. We received reports regarding the attack on the caravans by a horde of monsters. They attacked because of you. Now that you¡¯re here, what if another monster horde attacks this town with arger force? I¡¯m the governor of this town. It¡¯s my duty to protect Maven¡¯s Creek and Quinteburgh.¡± "Howard, that''s enough," Rosemary reprimanded with a slightly raised voice. ¡°To be precise, they were aftering this.¡± Erin took out the Magic Ry rod from her chest pocket and brandished it in the air. ¡°And you still brought that thing into town? For all we know, the Necromancer could already be marching unto us with an army of monsters.¡± ¡°Then the quicker we resolve this, the better,¡± Erin said. ¡°Easier said than done. With the timing of the merchants¡¯ arrival, do you know how difficult it is to organize an expedition party on a short notice, Fae?¡± ¡°Howard, that¡¯s enough!¡± Rosemary reprimanded the chief sharply. ¡°Lady Erinthea here is my esteemed guest and most possibly our savior. You are to treat her with the respect deserving of a Fae¡± Howard heaved out his frustration. ¡°Thanks to you, I can no longer enjoy this festival.¡± ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for Lady Erinthea, there might not even be any festivals to enjoy in the future. Lord Howard, we cannot let this blight fester. If we do, the Ruvans will intercede.¡± ¡°But can you find someone to lead the expedition in matters of days?¡± ¡°Whether if I¡¯m able to, we¡¯ll save that matter forter. We have yet to even ascertain the location of the Necromancer.¡± Rosemary turned to the girl standing in the corner. ¡°Miss Olivia, would you please do the honors?¡± The robed girl with spectacles nodded and approached them with small steps. ¡°This here is Olivia. She¡¯s a Seer and a powerful Water Mage.¡± Olivia¡¯s face reddened at the Guild Master¡¯s praise. ¡°She¡¯s cute,¡± Lyra whispered. Erin refrained from rolling her eyes. She gazed only briefly at Erin before reaching her trembling hands out. I-if you don¡¯t mind¡­ m-may I have the r-rod?¡± Olivia asked softly, her gaze was cast down. ¡°Forgive her, Lady Erinthea. She¡¯s a little diffident.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be forgiven of,¡± Erin said and smiled warmly at Olivia as she handed the rod over. Erin noticed Olivia was sneaking a gaze at her tails. Her smile widened at that sight. Rosemary faked a cough. ¡°Miss Olivia,¡± she called out. Olivia yelped and retreated a few steps back hastily. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry!¡± she said. ¡°You don¡¯t need to apologize at every turn, Olivia. Just get on with it,¡± Howard urged. Olivia closed her eyes and held the rod close to her chest. She uttered a faint and short chant. Magic swirled around her. Erin activated her Spirit Sight on instinct and witnessed the Spirits were converging around Olivia. The Spirits danced around the rod. It was erratic at first but a formation of a ring was slowly formed. The Spirits then stopped dancing, and a pulse was emitted from the Spirits¡¯ ring formation. Erin recoiled slightly but the push was only a trick of the mind. After a short while, a pulse came back. This time, it was Olivia who flinched. She opened her eyes but terror was there in her gaze. She began panting and threw the rod away. Erin moved quickly to catch the rod. Oliva stumbled back but Rosemary was there to receive her fall. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Olivia? What did you see?¡± asked the Guild Master. ¡°Death¡­ Torment¡­ Despair¡­ It was horrible¡­ The things h-he had done...¡± ¡°For god¡¯s sake, we have no time for theatrics!¡± The chief roared but he turned silent when Erin red at him with her tails flourishing behind her. Howard wanted to retort but Erin¡¯s intimidating aura robbed him of his voice. Rosemary stroked Olivia¡¯s back gently. She waited for Olivia to calm down her breathing before asking, ¡°where?¡± ¡°T-The Singrity,¡± Oliva answered. ¡°Fucking hell, really?¡± 2-23 In due time 2-23 In due time ¡°Well of fucking course, it¡¯s The Singrity,¡± groaned Lord Howard. ¡°Where else would you find the most atrocious scum dwelling in?¡± ¡°The Singrity is a big ce, we¡¯ll need a more precise location,¡± Rosemary said calmly. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry...¡± muttered Olivia timidly. ¡°I-I can¡¯t get anymore out of it.¡± ¡°Is it too much strain?¡± Olivia shook her head. ¡°Not exactly. It¡¯s just¡­ the Mana in the basin is far too dense to get a precise reading. I¡¯ll need a few catalysts to be precise.¡± ¡°This is of paramount importance, what do you need as a catalyst?¡± ¡°...An Elderwood branch,¡± Olivia muttered after a brief silence. ¡°Elderwood?! Are you joking?!¡± yelled the Lord of House yton. ¡°A single branch cost at least a hundred gold coins. No way we¡¯re getting one of those.¡± ¡°Is there an alternative we can use as a catalyst?¡± Rosemary asked, ignoring the Lord¡¯s outburst. Olivia shook her head. ¡°Anything less than an Elderwood would not be enough.¡± ¡°I see...¡± Rosemary nodded slowly. ¡°What¡¯s an Elderwood?¡± Erin asked Lyra, who was just beside her, in a whisper. ¡°Thousands of year old trees, soaked in magic for their entire age,¡± Lyra answered. ¡°Their height reaches above the clouds, or so I have heard in my brief days as a smuggler.¡± Erin refrained from letting a whistle of awe. She would be lying to herself if she said she wasn¡¯t interested in said-tree. ¡°You''ve done enough for now, Miss Olivia. Go get some rest. We can continue this some other time.¡± Rosemary then summoned a staff into the room and had them escort Olivia out of the room for her to get some rest. Erin could tell Olivia was struggling to even remain standing after the divination but she was doing her best to hide it. Needless to say, it was seen through by Rosemary. ¡°Edith, the precise location isn¡¯t our concern now,¡± Howard said after Oliva had left the room. ¡°Then what is?¡± ¡°It¡¯s The Singrity for crying out loud. Where are we going to find anyone who would be willing to venture into that ce without substantial gain in return? Not to mention, would we even find anyone capable of braving through that terror? Much less put together a team, I doubt we¡¯ll find even one or two volunteers.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll find someone, Lord Howard. We have to, or unless you wish to entrust this ordeal to the Ruvans?¡± Howard clenched his fist. ¡°Don¡¯t even joke about that. I¡¯m not handing this town over to those smug-faced pretenders. But I¡¯m merely stating the truth, Edith. A few months ago, we have even offered hundreds of Gold just for scouting, not even one person took that request. Why do you think this will be any different?¡± ¡°Because the whole town will be at stake if nobody decides toe forward.¡± ¡°Yeah right, they¡¯ll sooner abandon this town than to face the threat. Where do you propose we look?¡± ¡°Look no further,¡± Erin uttered. ¡°I volunteer.¡± Lyra raised her hand. ¡°I volunteer too.¡± ¡°Lyra,¡± Erin rebuked her. ¡°What? Do you expect me to let you go alone?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Well, too bad. I¡¯m following.¡± Lord Howard rolled his eyes and sighed. ¡°Your bravery and initiative aremendable but that won¡¯t be enough.¡± ¡°The monsters¡¯ levels are high?¡± Erin asked. ¡°The lowest ones are at fifteen from thest report I have received regarding that ce. That report was more than a year ago.¡± ¡°Do you have anyone else then?¡± ¡°Look here, Lady. I admire your bravery but you won¡¯t get things done alone. You¡¯ll need arge party for this. Ten people at the very least.¡± ¡°And how long will that take?¡± ¡°Even the simplest expedition, the smallest party, even those would take a week to form at the very least. For an expedition of this scale, I¡¯m not exaggerating when I say it would likely take more than a single month.¡± Erin clenched her teeth and fists. ¡°That¡¯s too long¡­ Who knows what will happen to Celia during that wait...¡± ¡°You are extremely eager, Lady Erinthea,¡± Rosemary remarked. ¡°Do you perhaps have a personal stake in this?¡± Lyra fought down the temptation to widen her eyes but Erin¡¯s demeanor was calm. She returned the scrutinizing gaze to Rosemary. ¡°I do have a personal stake,¡± Erin said. ¡°And I also have witnessed first hand what this Necromancer is capable of. I agree with you, Madam Rosemary. This blight cannot be allowed to fester. It might be toote then if we waited.¡± Howard sighed again. ¡°This isn¡¯t about you, Fae. No offence, I know of your aplishments. You¡¯re even a single star adventurer. I read the reports about you from Geron. It¡¯s impressive for someone of your level but to take on The Singrity with minimum force is simply foolish and futile.¡± ¡°Then suggest a better alternative, my lord. This problem cannot wait. There are at least thousands of people in this town. There must be someone who is willing to brave this risk.¡± ¡°There¡¯s none, mydy.¡± ¡°You are sure?¡± ¡°This is my town, Fae. I do well to keep track of what goes on.¡± ¡°I think I know someone,¡± Lyra said. Her words drew all the gazes in the room to herself. ¡°You do?¡± Rosemary asked. ¡°Are the Corvas twins in town?¡± Lord Howard paled. ¡°How do you know about the Corvas Twins?¡± he asked in a hollow tone. ¡°Pray tell, how does ady like youe to know about them?¡± Rosemary threw the same question. ¡°I worked in their line of business for a time but I quit before I was dragged deeper into the ring.¡± From those faint hints alone in Lyra¡¯s words, Erin understood the aforementioned twins¡¯ profession. ¡°They can help?¡± Erin had to ask, she didn¡¯t see how a pair of smugglers could assist in this issue. ¡°They¡¯re famous for their fighting prowess despite being smugglers, their skills are better than even trained soldiers and knights. They are one of the few who has managed to escape the clutches of the Razor Grizzly in close confrontation.¡± ¡°Why were in the clutches of the Razor Grizzly in the first ce?¡± ¡°Smugglers often use roads with less patrol or without patrols. Let¡¯s just say, they use a certain road to avoid patrols but end up stumbling upon the Grizzly¡¯s hunting grounds.¡± As someone who had encountered the Razor Grizzly first hand, Erin was certainly impressed that the Twins were someone who managed to elude the Grizzly¡¯s pursuit. Howard scoffed. ¡°W-what can we even offer to a bunch of criminals that they couldn¡¯t easily get on their own?¡± ¡°Leniency for their misdeeds and gold that isn¡¯t tainted by blood or betrayal. As horrible as the stories always make them out to be, they desired gold that won¡¯t raise any brows or questions when they spend it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s really interesting to know,¡± Rosemary mused. ¡°So, are they in town?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°Causest I heard of them, they were heading towards this town for their next job.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Rosemary turned her head slowly to Howard. ¡°You told me they were heading to apletely different direction.¡± ¡°She¡¯s lying!¡± Lord Howard used. ¡°And why would she lie?¡± Rosemary countered with a brow raised. ¡°I¡¯m sure there¡¯s an Orb of Truth lying around in this room. We can ascertain the truth of her words with that,¡± Erin suggested. Lyra¡¯s eyes glimmered at Erin¡¯s assistance. Rosemary looked to Lord Howard who was gritting his teeth and sweating his brows. ¡°Howard?¡± The Guild Master gauged. The town¡¯s chief clicked his tongue. ¡°Yes,¡± he admitted. ¡°They are in town.¡± ¡°Where?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, I swear. I just know they are in town.¡± Rosemary red. ¡°Since when?¡± ¡°...A week ago...¡± Rosemary narrowed her gaze. ¡°We will discuss your reasons for the secrecyter. For now,¡± she turned to Erin and Lyra. ¡°As the Guild Master, I humbly ask the two of you to seek out the Corvus Twins. If you¡¯re looking for a ce to talk, invite them to Rosemary¡¯s Diner and ask for the corner seat.¡± ¡°Rosemary¡¯s Diner?¡± ¡°A family business that has existed long before I became the Guild Master in Maven¡¯s Creek.¡± ¡°Why us?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t this be a job for the Guild?¡± ¡°People of their profession try to avoid officials the best they could. If I sent a Guild official, we won¡¯t even find them. But the two of you, a Fae and a¡­ person of the same former profession, I think they will at least be curious to hear what you have to say.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± Erin said. ¡°I believe that will be all, Lady Erinthea, Miss Lyra. I bid the two of you good fortune for your future endeavors. Now, if you will leave us two here alone, we have much to discuss.¡± Erin and Lyra returned a silent greeting and promptly left the room. A sharp sound of flesh hitting flesh resounded from the beyond the door as soon as they left the room. **** They left the Guild in a hurry as Celia was waiting for them. As always, Erin¡¯s appearance drew in fresh gazes as they made their way across the lobby. They let not those gazes hinder their pace. Erin had half a mind to change her appearance with Spirit Magic but she still wasn¡¯t at a level where she could use it without any heed to the Mana expense. Their pace eventually slowed down when the pair noticed amotion in the distance which had garnered a crowd of attention around it. Lyra proposed to take a look but Erin stopped her when she saw a familiar emblem on one of the knight-looking individuals involved in themotion, he was a Ruvan Pdin. Peeking through the gaps in the crowd, Lyra was able to perceive themotion with her Eagle Eyes. ¡°Oh...¡± Lyra muttered. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the vers that you have caught. They are being confronted by the Ruvan Pdins.¡± Hearing that, Erin strained her ears to themotion. ¡°Oi oi! You can¡¯t do this, we aren¡¯t even tried yet!¡± One of the vers shouted. ¡°For scums like you, a trial is unnecessary. They¡¯ll just throw you in a cell and let it fade from their memories. For the lives you have ruined, that sort of punishment is simply too lenient.¡± ¡°This ain¡¯t the holy state or something, you faith manics! You can¡¯t do this!¡± ¡°Divine judgement is not impeded by thews of man.¡± ¡°No! You can¡¯t¡ª¡± The ver¡¯s plea was cut short as the sound of a sword streaked the air. The audience gasped. The other vers began whimpering, sobbing, and begging for their lives. The town guards were only watching them from the sides, without any intention to stop the Pdins. Lyra looked on in terror. ¡°They just killed them in front of a crowd without any hesitation...¡± Erin grabbed Lyra¡¯s hand. ¡°Come on, we need to leave before¡ª¡± ¡°Before what?¡± said a knight donning a cloak. Under the cloth, Erin could see that the knight bore the Ruvan emblem. The Pdin stood in their way but since his armor was covered and the crowd was too focused on the execution, not much attention was drawn to the confrontation. The Pdin was a man of around his thirties, dark brownish hair like most of the people Erin had met, and a height that stood the same as Erin¡¯s. ¡°We have no quarrels with you, Sir,¡± Erin retorted. She stayed her hands away from her sword but she was prepared to draw it at any moment. ¡°I¡¯m no sir, mdy. I am but a humble warrior of herdyship, Ruva.¡± ¡°Fascinating but it¡¯s no concern of us and we have no intentions for it to be.¡± ¡°Why the rush then, Lady Erinthea?¡± The Pdin asked. Erin frowned. ¡°You know who I am?¡± She slowly positioned herself in front of Lyra. ¡°Of course, I do. You were the one who caught these scums. For that, I gave you my gratitude.¡± ¡°Your gratitude would have meant something if you weren¡¯t in our path.¡± ¡°As I have asked, why the rush? You tried to run when you saw what we did to criminals. That¡¯s pretty suspicious, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡± Erin knew words would not be able to convince the likes of him. They were those who could only see their own narrative and would only interpret all kinds of situations to suit their own convenience. ¡°What¡¯s this? No response?¡± ¡°I know you have been watching ever since we left the Guild. We have been in a rush then. Your suspicion is forced and unfounded.¡± ¡°So¡­ you ran despite knowing you¡¯re under the watch of a Pdin¡­ what do I have to make of that?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll make nothing of it, Lucan,¡± said a dark-skinned man who approached them. The man was wearing a robe befitting a clergy and ne of a queer design, resembling a plump snake coiling into a ring and biting its own tail. The emblem the priest bore on his garb however, was different to that of his ne and the Pdin. ¡°Suspicious or not, she is a Fae and you are not in your holy state. Lay a finger on her, you¡¯ll answer to her employer, Iris of the Eternal Moon.¡± ¡°Iris of the what now?¡± The Pdin named Lucan chuckled softly. He locked eyes with the priest for a while before backing away a few steps. ¡°Well mdies, if you¡¯re in a rush, I will be on my way. Try to be less shifty the next time we meet, until we meet again,¡± Lucan said and disappeared into the crowd to rejoin his brothers. The Priest sighed. ¡°These damnable Ruvans.¡± ¡°Thank you, Father,¡± Lyra bade. ¡°You have my thanks too, Father, but¡­ who are you and why did you help us?¡± ¡°I am known as Father Rorkin. I was without parents as a child. I was cared for greatly by a Fae. Therefore, I held a genial disposition towards Fae.¡± ¡°Orphan¡­ raised by a Fae¡­ must be the orphanage Nivia talked about. And he¡¯s a priest of a different Faith, huh...¡± ¡°What¡¯s more, I can see you are offered the grace of the same god I devote myself to.¡± Erin raised a creased brow and gulped. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t understand what you mean, Father.¡± ¡°You will, in due time. Since the two of you are obviously in a hurry, don¡¯t let me stop you. Good afternoon,dies,¡± Father Rorkin bade and ambled his way down the street the other way. ¡°What was that about?¡± Lyra asked as her eyes followed Father Rorkin until he disappeared down the streets. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s certainly not about the Goddess who gave me this second life.¡± ¡°You¡¯re sure about that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know why but¡­ I think I would know if someone is a follower of Nyx.¡± ¡°Then which god is he referring to?¡± The image of the ne Father Rorkin wore shed across Erin¡¯s mind. She didn¡¯t get a close look but she became certain the plump snake must have been a dragon, a dragon chasing its own tail in which it seeded. The face of a certain person surfaced into her mind. She scoffed. ¡°Erin?¡± Lyra called out. Erin smiled faintly. ¡°I guess it is as he said, I¡¯ll know in due time.¡± 2-24 A new friend 2-24 A new friend After that small ordeal, Erin and Lyra quickly made their way back to the caravans. On their way back, they crossed paths with more Ruvan clerics and Pdins but none of them stopped the two neither did they question the two. In fact, they tried not to look her way. ¡°Curious...¡± Erin mused to herself. The only gazes she was getting were from the townsfolk. The town guards and the few Pdins they crossed paths with avoided their gaze from her. ¡°Ignored by the authorities but sought after by the public¡­ What do I make of that?¡± After hitting a dead end repeatedly in her mind, Erin shelved the thought. Though the two weren¡¯t told of where the merchants would be residing in this town, it wasn¡¯t difficult for the two to locate the merchants. They just needed to follow the festive mood and the rumors. It brought them to the inn district, jamly packed with stalls on every turn of the streets. There was a za in the middle of the district, spanning approximately a hundred meters in diameter. Right at the center was a grandeur fountain and just beside the fountain was arge tent bearing designs that were all too familiar to the pair. Something akin to fences were set up around the tent and adventurer-guards stood watch at each corner. It went without saying this was Iris¡¯ tent. ¡°Guess she really does trust the security of her tent more than the prestigious inns¡¯.¡± It was some time past noon, the pair was just in time for tea. When they entered the tent, they found Celia ying cheerfully with Iris. The Umbrum herself had switched to an apparel that were less revealing but nevertheless, her bosom was still the emphasis of her style. Noticing the two¡¯s presence, Celia shouted, ¡°Lara! Erin!¡± and jumped into Lyra¡¯s open arms. Iris feigned a moment of sadness, incurring an eye-roll from Erin. The Umbrum then wordlessly gestured for the two to take a seat in front of her. The elderly maid from before promptly poured the two and served them some confectionery. As usual, the maid retreated behind the partition after serving the two. ¡°Nothing happened?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°No fever, no headaches, anything?¡± ¡°She¡¯s fine, for now,¡± Iris assured her. Taking heed of the flow of the conversation, Lyra moved to the corner with Celia to avoid disturbing them. Celia was happily recounting her time with Iris in which some of them were quite questionable but no line was crossed. At that sight, Erin cast a warm gaze. Shaking herself out of the endearing moment, Erin proceeded to recount the events of the brief two hours of their separation. Iris couldn¡¯t help butughed at the end of Erin¡¯s recount. ¡°Misery lovespany but it certainly has an obsession for you, Lady Erin. I see, in the end, the Ruvan Pdins certainly always live up to their reputation.¡± Erin ignored Iris¡¯ remarks and threw her own question. ¡°What of the Augur child?¡± ¡°He¡¯s awake and healthy. Quite a strong mind too. No trauma. Maybe it¡¯s because he wasn¡¯t in captivity of the vers for long.¡± ¡°How did he escape the vers?¡± ¡°They underestimated him. The Augur wasn¡¯t bound properly and he used that opportunity to escape. He lost their pursuit in the Crawler¡¯s Woods but he ended up getting lost in the woods himself. He fought back when the creepy crawlers overwhelmed him, albeit a futile action. You arrived just in time to save him from being gobbled up.¡± Erin wondered what would have happened if she wasn¡¯t separated from the caravans. The Augur boy most likely would already be dead at this point. ¡°Where is he now?¡± Erin asked. ¡°The Augur child is with an acquaintance of mine in this town.¡± Erin raised an eyebrow. ¡°What kind of acquaintance?¡± ¡°To be brief, a problem solver. He¡¯s quite good at what he does, for a price of course.¡± ¡°May I ask why is he in the hands of such a person?¡± ¡°The child¡¯s an Augur. Though his tribe probably wouldn¡¯t raise any cavil but the same could not be said about other noble houses. I have seen them make mountains out of mole hills for less, just to get some good rumors on their house name. Opportunistic fellows, they are.¡± Erin shrugged but she agreed. ¡°But why seek out a specialist?¡± ¡°Had the child been a normal human or a Beast-kin, maybe an orphanage will do but the boy¡¯s of a race akin to the Fae. He requires a more delicate touch. I don¡¯t think the Lord of House yton would want someone like him in town. He had enough worries with an Elf and the Ruvans in his town. I¡¯m sure he doesn¡¯t want another delicate race in his territory. Of course, I share his worries. One wrong move, I¡¯ll be dragging my name through the mud too.¡± ¡°I assume you intend to use this opportunity to bolster your name, just like those noble houses? What¡¯s next? A charity in your name?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a merchant, Lady Erin. I run a business not a charity. And I¡¯m certainly no diplomat. I released the children from very, that¡¯s enough. What happens after, it¡¯s not my boundary. I am certainly not known to be a saint.¡± ¡°Obviously.¡± ¡°People, especially my rivals, will raise the most absurd of questions if I go beyond.¡± ¡°What about the rest of the ves?¡± ¡°Thankfully, they¡¯re all humans, so we sent them all to the orphanage of the Ruvan Church.¡± Erin breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that. It was never her intend to save those ves but leaving them to their own fate knowingly would chew on her conscienceter on. Fortunately, she had the merchants to be thankful for. They wrapped up all the preceding affairs for her. She shuddered to think what would happen if she wasn¡¯t with the merchants when she saved those ves. No doubt she would be inducted into political warfare by now. Iris giggled behind her hand. ¡°Did you find something funny?¡± ¡°Cynric was it, the Augur boy¡¯s name.¡± ¡°What of it?¡± ¡°He seems to remember you. He imed that he was drifting between his consciousness and he vaguely remembered being in the arms of a beautiful Fox-kin with three tails. He professed his wish to pass on his gratitude when he has the chance.¡± ¡°I understand his intentions but you seem too expectant and amused from such a simple gesture of gratitude.¡± ¡°I saw the look on his face when he mentioned you. Those blushing cheeks and swimming eyes, he¡¯s infatuated, I¡¯m willing to bet.¡± Erin didn¡¯t need to nce over shoulders to know Lyra was narrowing her gaze at her. ¡°Be careful now, Lady Erin. Augurs are known to be very straightforward and quite stubborn. Who knows, maybe he¡¯ll even profess his love if the two of you ever meet again.¡± Erin rolled her eyes and downed her tea to drown out that notion. ¡°Here,¡± Iris said and handed Erin a piece of parchment. Erin received it with one hand. ¡°Questpletion form?¡± Erin blurted out after reading the contents. ¡°This is an escort quest and you have aplished it now that I have reached the town without even a scratch.¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have given me this before I went to the Guild?¡± ¡°Technically, the quest wasn¡¯t over then as I have yet to settle down. What¡¯s more, I have gotten endorsement from the other merchants of your exploits and feats.¡± Iris handed Erin another piece of parchment. The parchment had the signature and seal of the other merchants. ¡°I guess that concludes our business now.¡± ¡°I guess it does,¡± Erin responded dryly and nibbled on the confectionery served. ¡°Damn, these are sweet!¡± ¡°Well, those small talks aside, how can I help you?¡± Erin gave a questioning gaze. ¡°Don¡¯t look so shocked. You epted my offer of tea without a single hesitation and you¡¯re nibbling on the biscuits instead of taking your leave, safe to say you want to request something from me. So, how can I be of assistance, Lady Erin?¡± Erin held down her exasperation. ¡°What can you tell me about The Singrity?¡± she asked. Iris pondered for a moment. ¡°Not much, I¡¯m afraid. No proper surveys have been conducted for that ce in years.¡± ¡°I was told that the Guild had surveyed that ce justst year or so.¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware of that but that was just a survey for formality¡¯s sake. I did some¡­ reading on that survey of theirs, it was in no way proper. ¡± ¡°So, no solid information about The Singrity whatsoever? No one has taken interest in that ce? Not even schrs or the kingdom itself?¡± ¡°It¡¯s sort of an ironic situation really. The schrs with resources aren¡¯t too interested in The Singrity. And the ones that are interested don¡¯t have the resources. As for the royal court, the basin produced no threat to its rule, so the court didn¡¯t pay it any heed.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t the court at least be the least bit curious?¡± ¡°The forest before the basin is in itself a harshnd, filled with high level monsters and poisonous nts. As for the basin itself, what kind of yield would they get if the court sent out an expedition? If there¡¯s no yield, the kingdom will be facing a great loss. No nobles aren¡¯t willing to let the kingdom take that risk, certainly not for some schrly knowledge.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s this I heard about the monsters there being¡­. different?¡± Iris took a sip of her tea. ¡°The monsters in The Singrity are unlike any monsters anywhere else. Not just in appearance but there¡¯s also the fact they don¡¯t leave any Cores behind in their death. Blood clots and thickens after death, the same concept applies to the Mana within Magic Beasts and Monsters, which is how monster Cores are formed. But these monsters and beasts of The Singrity don¡¯t produce any Cores upon death.¡± ¡°These monsters in The Singrity, couldn¡¯t they have been mere ordinary beasts?¡± ¡°There were reports a long time ago; the witnesses saw these monsters using magic. They¡¯re not ordinary at all.¡± Erin canted her head. ¡°Using magic without Mana then?¡± ¡°That¡¯s one of the many theories but those are just theories.¡± ¡°Just from the stories alone, even from a non-schrly person like me, I¡¯m already interested. I find it hard that the schrs with resources don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Who knows what goes on inside their funny heads?¡± Iris shrugged. ¡°Point being, you¡¯ll be zing a trail if you intend to step into The Singrity but the cost will be dire.¡± Erin nced towards Celia, who was telling Lyra all of the interesting ces Iris had shown her. Erin smiled. ¡°No cost will be too great to save a life, a child¡¯s life of all things,¡± she remarked. ¡°You know¡­ I wish I could help with Celia, I truly do.¡± Erin narrowed her gaze at Iris. ¡°I¡¯ll be truthful, I havemitted some unsavory deeds but I¡¯m not the type to let a child suffer knowing that I can help. However, hiring an Arch Healer on a short notice is too great of an expense with too little of return. But the cost isn¡¯t the main problem. In the first ce, where can one even find an Arch Healer around these parts. I hope you understand, Lady Erin.¡± ¡°I do understand, Lady Iris,¡± Erin said, her eyes gave a contrary tone. ¡°I never intend to ask for you assistance in the first ce. I¡¯m no fool to put myself into a debt that I have no way to resolve. And I¡¯m well aware you¡¯re aren¡¯t omnipotent.¡± ¡°It seems you do understand my position. I hope this doesn¡¯t strain our rtionship, Lady Erin.¡± ¡°That will depend entirely up to you.¡± Iris tittered. ¡°Fair enough. Now, you said something about the Corvas Twins?¡± Erin frowned. ¡°Why? You¡¯re going to help me look for them?¡± ¡°Yes, I am, Lady Erin. For free.¡± Erin could feel the dubious re from Lyra. ¡°And why would you do that?¡± ¡°A token of our newfound friendship.¡± ¡°We¡¯re friends now?¡± ¡°Not close friends but I do consider you a friend, and of course, Lyra and Celia too. Especially Celia. I don¡¯t normally take too kindly to children but that girl is an exception. She has the wits, I can tell. Who knows, maybe she¡¯ll be a shrewd merchant when she grows up, under my tutge.¡± Iris was picking up a piece of biscuit from the tray when a small bolt of lightning turned the confectionery in her hand into dust. An amused expression painted the Umbrum¡¯s face. ¡°You sure don¡¯t like jokes, mdy.¡± ¡°Certainly not yours. So, are you going to tell me where the Corvas Twins are or are you going to make dozens of circles first?¡± ¡°Calm yourself, Lady Erin. I¡¯ll help you find the twins. I heard they¡¯re in town but their specific location would take some time.¡± ¡°The Great Iris of the Eternal Moon doesn¡¯t know where they are? Oh my, what a shocker.¡± Iris groaned as she threw her face into her palm. ¡°I guess Rosemary told you about that?¡± ¡°Not directly, it was more a slight mentioning.¡± ¡°Please forget about that.¡± ¡°Never.¡± Erin smiled and stood up from her seat. Lyra and Celia followed suit. ¡°Thank you, Iris,¡± Erin greeted with a warm tone but her gaze was cold and her smile was still floating on her expression. ¡°You¡¯re most wee, Erin.¡± Iris smiled back with her own icy gaze. After Lyra and Celia gave their respective greetings, the three left the tent. Now alone, Iris syed her right hand out and a snake made of shadows coiled into existence around her arm. ¡°Follow them and don¡¯t get notice. If they got in trouble with the Ruvans, alert me or Joshua. And find me the Corvas Twins.¡± The shadow snake gave something akin to a nod to its mistress before splitting into four and each went slithering in their own direction. **** Aza had set out for Maven¡¯s Creek at dawn. Although she was in a hurry and her level far exceeded the beasts that lurked these parts, she wasn¡¯t arrogant enough to wander the wild at night. She was taught arrogance was one¡¯s greatest enemy. Gods had fallen from their grace due to their own arrogance, she was told repeatedly of such stories. The advice was now ingrained into her mind. There were no horses or any mounts avable for purchases in the small town of Green Scar. She was forced to invoke Spirit Magic, Summon Familiar to call upon a stallion. Of course, the stallion wasn¡¯t an actual horse but a Spirit moulded itself into one per the contract it had with its summoner. The Spirit Stallion was faster than any horses in existence for it had no need for sustenance or rest. It could persist with its existence and function as long as its summoner had Mana to spare. This was the reason why it hadn¡¯t been Aza¡¯s first choice. She wanted to be at her peak if she was to encounter any troubles. By noon, she had already covered half of her journey and corresponding to this, her Magic Vigour was half of her maximum threshold. Heeding hermon sense, she dispelled her mount and decided to walk until her Mana had recovered to its full capacity. As soon as her mount dispersed back into its origin, Aza entered into abat stance. A sword materialized into her hands, ready to be drawn at any moment¡¯s notice. Her gaze pierced into the bushes at the side of the road. ¡°Show yourself!¡± Aza said with a raised voice. A wolf-like beast with ck smoke as its undting flesh, emerged from the dense vegetations. Its eyes were glowing a deep crimson red. Its legs were unusually long for a wolf but Aza understood the apparition before her was no wolf at all. She also understood she was no match for the apparition before her, not in the sense of level difference but simply because her means of attack would not have any effect on it. ¡°The Scarlet de of Ruva,¡± the apparition said. ¡°How did you know about that title?¡± Aza questioned. That was a title bestowed to her by the Goddess herself, so the pontiff imed when he gave her that title. The title was known to only a handful of Arch Priests, the pontiff, and herself. ¡°I am acquainted with your patron Goddess. We both seek the same grail. I¡¯m a Guardian, a mortal of your prestige must have heard of me.¡± Aza slowly nodded and eased her stance. The apparition was right, Aza knew what the apparition was but this was the first time she personally saw one herself. ¡°You made yourself known to me for a purpose, so what is that purpose?¡± ¡°There is an individual.¡± ¡°And what about this individual?¡± ¡°She¡¯s an Outworlder.¡± Aza was surprised but she didn¡¯t not let it surface. She was taught about them, of how vtile they are and how they were eventually corrupted by their unnaturally bizarre powers. ¡°She¡¯s a Fox-kin and she was heading towards the same direction as you are, Scarlet de.¡± ¡°Why tell me? What do you expect of me?¡± Aza could roughly guess the apparition''s intention but it was better safe than sorry. ¡°I gave my word to an Archon that I will not harm her as long as she does not sumb to her power.¡± Aza waited for the revtion. ¡°The Outworlder is dangerous. She is a risk that I cannot leave it be but I have given my word to the Archon. You, an apostle of Ruva, the Scarlet de, you can achieve what I have failed to.¡± There were a lot of question Aza wanted to ask but she doubted the apparition would answer any of those. ¡°If you wish for me to y her in your stead, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t abide, not without a probable cause or a judgement from Ruva.¡± ¡°The Outworlder is a biding chaos, Scarlet de. You have the chance to stop the chaos from ever being released.¡± ¡°What if the chaos will never be released until her end of times? Then I would have in an innocent.¡± ¡°You have been warned. You have the knowledge. The chaos within her would be greater for every second she draws breath. You have the ability to stop it from nurturing. In the end, which is more important, the word of your Goddess or the lives of the innocent peoples? I will say no more, Scarlet de.¡± The apparition then disappeared into thin air. It was obvious to Aza that the apparition was merely using her for its own t, but it didn¡¯t make it any less true of the danger the Outworlder posed. She had only ever in people who were guilty of crimes or people judged evil by her faith, never had she in someone based on assumption and presumption alone. But if left alone and the worst came true, her regret and remorse would not be enough topensate for that future. And there was also another thing she had to worry about. The Outworlder has an Archon protecting her but Aza knew not of what an Archon was. ¡°This had be quiteplicated.¡± 2-25 Veiled sword 2-25 Veiled sword The morning of Quinteburg brought a disparate feeling to that of Green Scar. In Green Scar, Erin could feel the eagerness of the town¡¯s folk at dawn of every new day. People greeted each other when they walked by, but in Quinteburg, Erin saw none of those. Under some of those smiles she had seen among the festivity, there was despair and mncholy. The morning here was too brimming with life and it was certainly loud but that was the extent of it. On the surface this town was a ce filled with promises but at a narrow nce, those promises came at great costs and some of those promises never even bore fruit. The recent aberrant happenings weren¡¯t the reason but it did worsened the veiled gloomy mood of the town. Erin was surprised to learn of the food¡¯s prices when they were having their supper at a random eatery. It was doubled the price in Green Scar. Everything was more expensive here but the quality wasn¡¯t that much different. In fact, some were even inferior to Green Scar. There was a lot of demand for everything but not every business was able to meet the demand, giving rise to the cause of the high prices. Even the inn they were currently staying at was nothing of exorbitant. The cost for one night couldst them three days in Green Scar¡¯s Verdant Inn. After having some light meal of pure vegetable sandwich for breakfast, Erin decided to scour the town alone. Lyra and Celia had proposed to tag along but in her better judgement, Erin insisted on going alone as it would be less conspicuous. To further be less conspicuous, she cast Twilight Veil on herself. It was the second time she had used it and the first time Lyra had witnessed it. Short ck hair without the tails and ears. Her eyes became dark brown. Lyra was drooling at the ¡°new¡± Erin but Celia hid behind Lyra¡¯s legs. Lyra instantly proposed to Erin to keep this appearance for their nightly activities but Erin knocked her head as an answer. In her disguised appearance, Erin strode through the town while keeping vignce towards any unruly individuals. Erin¡¯s intent was to familiarize herself with the town and at the same time, find out what she could about the Corvas Twins. Iris had promised to help but in a town where her sources were limited to a rtively modest amount, it would take a day at least for any rted information to surface. Erin and Lyra had gone back to the Guild yesterday after their supper to turn in their escort quest. They received their reward from the Guild, which was a heap of gold. Although the gold was given to them by the Guild, it was technically paid out of Iris¡¯ pocket. The amount was clearly more than what she had told the pair. Erin wasn¡¯t that good with numbers and neither was Lyra, so the two didn¡¯t pursue the matter further. As the expenses were higher in Maven¡¯s Creek, Erin didn¡¯t think the gold was too much. As they were leaving, the kind Guild receptionist had given them some information regarding the town in a form of a list on a paper. With the paper in hand, Erin was currently walking through a street scattered with stalls. These stalls weren¡¯t of the merchants but the locals. Apparently, it was currently the harvest season for this town and it was purely coincidental that the merchant caravans arrived at such an impable time, or so she was told. Due to the merchant caravans on the other end of the town, the crowd wasn¡¯t too packed in this area. The stalls mainly sold vegetables, poultries, liquors, and such. There was nothing unique about all those products disyed. As Erin passed by a few more simr stalls, she came to the conclusion that this town was one that valued quantity over quality. Even so, the town could not keep up with the demand with that mindset. One aspect Erin could apud Quinteburgh for was its security. There were guard patrols at every corner but at the same time, the Ruvan Pdins could also be found everywhere although not at the numbers of the town guards. Erin roughly guessed for every ten guards, there was one Ruvan Pdin lurking about. Since she was in disguise, she didn¡¯t draw much attention to herself. Still, she did garnered quite a lot of curious gazes from the passersby. She managed to hide her true race but her beauty was still in in view. ¡°What a sinful woman I am,¡± Erin praised herself but regretted it in the next second. She was someone with pride but not someone egoistical. As she turned into a corner of the street, she was greeted by rows of cksmith shops. There were at least half a dozen smithies in this street alone. From the information given to her by the Guild, there was a district, known as the Gold District, where only the richest wandered in. In that district, there was a cksmith who could forge arms of high quality. But looking at the quality of thesemon smiths alone, Erin didn¡¯t have much expectation for the cksmith in the Gold District. Although she did think her standards were dulled by Sven¡¯s adept craftsmanship. Looking at the price of a single steel sword, Erin fought down the urge to make herint. Her silver-steel saber cost as much as a single steel sword here and the quality wasn¡¯t that much better. It really deepened Erin¡¯s perception of just how dire the situation the town was actually in. Asking around the cksmiths, the recent anomalies had cause the adventurers and their suppliers to demand for a higher price in retrieving the metal ores from the wilderness, something the cksmiths couldn¡¯t just nod their heads to. Erin had half a mind to purchase another sword as a contingency but knowing the quality, she had some reservations. What surprised her even more was that none of the cksmiths here knew how to smelt silver and steel into one kind. They all told her the same answer, it was ridiculous and impossible to achieve for cksmiths of their level. Erin then remembered how Geron had been a cksmith before taking on the role of the Guild Master. He was taught by Elven masters in the way of the smith, which he then passed on the knowledge to his sons. ¡°Sven is really something else huh...¡± Only now, Erin realized how fortunate she had been as Green Scar¡¯s town was the first settlement she came by. No doubt she would hold a more unpleasant view towards this world had she been reincarnated near Maven¡¯s Creek. Just as she was thinking about leaving this disappointing street that stung her soul every time sheid her eyes upon the poor quality of these swords, a familiar scent tingled her nose and reeled her attention. She turned to her back and found the two Wolf-kin siblings of the ckwood Tribe, bargaining with a cksmith regarding some purchase. ¡°Oh right, Siv did lose her sword back then.¡± It didn¡¯t look like it was going well since the male sibling, Wrev was pulling on the cor of the cksmith while casting an intense re Erin didn¡¯t intend to interfere, as she was in disguise, until Wrev raised his fist. Erin hastened her movements with Fleet Foot and covered the short distance between them in seconds. She grabbed hold of Wrev¡¯s arm and yanked him back. Erin underestimated Wrev. He was quick to react and he turned her hold against her. He twisted his body around and turned his fist to her. Erin dodged his punch but he was already winding up another. But before he could throw that punch, Sivnded a straight kick to his side that sent him sprawling across the ground. ¡°Thank you,¡± Siv thanked Erin before turning to the cksmith. ¡°Forgive us about that, Master Smith. My brother is still unversed towards the rules and ethics of humans,¡± Siv apologized with grace that contrasted her brother¡¯s demeanorpletely. ¡°I don¡¯t care about all that,¡± the smith responded with a scoff. ¡°You¡¯re either buying or you get the hell out of my shop. His threat ain¡¯t the first I receive and I don¡¯t expect it to be thest. Now, sixty silver, take it or leave it. No more bargaining. I got other work to do, be quick about it.¡± Siv was still hesitating but Erin tossed a pouch of silver to the cksmith. ¡°We¡¯ll take it.¡± The cksmith received the pouch without a word. He weighted the pouch in his palm before handing the steel sword to Siv and disappeared to the back. ¡°Lady Erinthea, you don¡¯t have to¡ª¡± ¡°Treat this as my gratitude, Siv. You helped me a lot and you were quite¡­ good in bed,¡± Erin said with a warm smile but her smile quickly faded. ¡°Wait¡­ how did you know it was me?¡± She touched her hair and where her ears were supposed to be; her hair was still short and she couldn¡¯t feel her ears. Siv tittered. ¡°Your scent, mdy. After that night, I could never forget your scent,¡± said Siv without a shred of embarrassment present on her expression. ¡°That Fae?¡± Wrev groaned as he slowly got himself off the ground. ¡°Wrev, mind your words and manners before you eat dirt again.¡± ¡°This Fae is the one you gave your virtue to? What were you thinking, Siv?¡± Siv red at her brother. ¡°She has earned my respect, Wrev. You are to show her yours too. You are to address her as Lady Erinthea.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let your guard down, Siv. They may act sophisticated but the moment you give them your trust, they¡¯ll¡ª pfft!¡± Before Wrev could finish his sentence, Siv drove a straight into his belly. Erin ignored the now whimpering Wrev. ¡°Why did you buy a sword from a local smith? I¡¯m sure one of your employer¡¯s peers would have a sword worthy of your skill and affordable for your budget.¡± ¡°Those swords are excessive for a person of my level. A weapon must be on par with its wielder, only then could one determine their true strength.¡± ¡°That creed again...¡± Wrev muttered in between his groans. He was still clutching his belly. ¡°Siv, we¡¯re on our own now. No use following the creed.¡± Like Erin, Siv too ignored her brother¡¯s rambling. ¡°Well then, Lady Erinthea. I must bid you farewell for now. We have a timetable to adhere to.¡± ¡°Then I won¡¯t dy you further. Till we meet again, Siv.¡± ¡°It¡¯s always an honor to be in your presence, Lady Erinthea. Should you feel lonely at night, I will always be avable to you,¡± Siv said and walked down the street along with her Wrev. ¡°W-what? I thought night was your shift?¡± Erin heard Wrevin as the sibling disappeared into a corner but she paid it no heed. Erin resumed her walk along the streets lined with smithies. Out of the seven smithies on this street, only one of them had a Dwarrow at the forge. It went without saying the Dwarrow¡¯s craft was significantly better than other cksmiths. However, the Dwarrow¡¯s smithy was also the one with the least customers. In fact, Erin saw none approach the Dwarrow¡¯s shop ever since she strode into this street. The Dwarrow¡¯s smithy was the smallest among the seven. On closer inspection, it couldn¡¯t even be called a shop. It was more like a booth. The Dwarrow had his forge to the open air unlike the other smithies which kept their forge hidden in the shop. As Erin approached the Dwarrow¡¯s smithy, she noticed a rack of swords which could only be described as disorderly. The swords were randomly leaned against the rack instead of being properly ced. All of the swords there were used and rusty. Among these swords, one stood out to her. It looked just like any other sword without any interesting features to note. However, Erin could feel the history it had and all the blood it shed. The former wielder had taken great care of this sword. She used her Spirit Sight on instinct and found Spirits weretching on that sword, covering the entirety of the sword¡¯s body. Upon Appraisal, she discovered the sword was under the effect of Twilight Veil. Her interest was instantly piqued. ¡°Pardon me, master smith,¡± Erin called out to the Dwarrow. The Dwarrow was working the forge and he spared only a sidelong nce at Erin. ¡°Whatcha want,ssie? Ya looking for a weapon, taking a gander at my¡ª ooh, that¡¯s a fine sword ya got there,ssie. Welp, ya be disappointed,ssie. My swords won¡¯t be better than the one ya already have.¡± ¡°I want to ask about this sword,¡± she said and took the sword into her hand from the rack. ¡°Oh those swords? They¡¯re used and old. Smelting them back to materials ain¡¯t worth the time and gold. Might as well sell them off for a small profit.¡± ¡°People will buy these?¡± ¡°Greenhorns will. They often don¡¯t have enough for a proper sword. These swords will serve them just fine until they get enough silver to get a proper sword.¡± ¡°What about this sword in particr?¡± Erin did a few practice swings with the sword. ¡°Oh that? Got it from a passing merchant. He got it from the original owner. It¡¯s a family heirloom but as you can see, the sword¡¯s care is neglected by the family.¡± ¡°Was the merchant some sort of collector?¡± ¡°Nah, just some in merchant.¡± ¡°The original owner sold his heirloom off to some random merchant?¡± ¡°Ah, he didn¡¯t sell it. The original owner killed himself with this sword, running from gambling debts apparently, ran straight into his own sword, heh. The sword¡¯s a fine craft, no question, but can¡¯t sell it for its real worth now. The steel¡¯s rusted and the des chipped more than a highwayman¡¯s serrated dagger. Fucking sods have no respect for swords.¡± ¡°Curious...¡± Erin muttered. ¡°I¡¯ll take it. How much?¡± ¡°You will? I¡¯m sure you can afford a better sword,ssie. Ya certainly no greenhorn and with how fair yer skin is, I¡¯m sure you have enough silver to spend for a proper sword.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary. This sword is just what I need, if I can just dispel the Twilight Veil cast on it somehow.¡± ¡°Well, if ya say so. That will be a silver. Everything¡¯s a silver from that rack.¡± ¡°Only a silver? I know it¡¯s rusted and chipped but it¡¯s such a fine craft though.¡± ¡°Lass, I¡¯m no collector and certainly ain¡¯t no posh appraiser. I judge a sword¡¯s value by how fine of a cut it could leave. That sword, I doubt it will leave a cut at all. But I reckon ya can still beat some fool with it and it¡¯ll hurt. A silver, unless you¡¯re willing to pay more,ssie.¡± Erin said nothing more and paid a silver to the Dwarrow. She sheathed the rusted sword into the scabbard of the broadsword she lost to the Razor Grizzly. ¡°I¡¯ll make that Necromancer pay for that. For now, let¡¯s figure out how to dispel this spell, if I can.¡± 2-26 Taken 2-26 Taken Erin found herself in an unexpected predicament right after another. The prior predicament was her failed attempts at dispelling the spell cast on the rusted sword she bought. It was a single frustrating hour of no progress. In the end, she set it aside and resumed to her other affairs. One of which the affairs was Celia''s amodation in the Ruvan Church of Quinteburgh. ¡°Her tails are so soft,¡± said a boy as he wrapped his arms around the bundles of smooth fur. ¡°Hey, no fair! I want to touch them too!¡± said a girl who grabbed one of Erin¡¯s tail ¡°Her ears are smooth too,¡± said another boy who was sitting on Erin¡¯s shoulders while ying with her perked-up fox ears. While Erin had a lot of time to get used to those new features of hers, it was still impossible to endure the onught from these children. She had mped her lips shut to avoid bursting out herughter from the numerous ticklish sensation she received from these children. Since they were only children, Erin couldn¡¯t exactly pry them off with force. There were other children of Celia¡¯s age surrounding Erin, all waiting for their turns to have a feel of the Fox-kin¡¯s soft fur. ¡°She¡¯s good with kids,¡± said Saphielle the Elven Nun with a warm smile, who was also the caregiver of these orphans. Saphielle¡¯s appearance had surprised both Lyra and Erin as the Elf resembled a matured Nivia by a huge margin. They looked close enough to be siblings, with Saphielle being the older sibling, but they weren¡¯t even first cousins. After some exnation from Saphielle, Elves bore simr appearances to one another from the same forest. While Nivia had a vibrant cyan colored hair, Saphielle¡¯s hair was light blue and much longer than Nivia¡¯s and even Erin¡¯s. Unlike a usual nun, Saphielle wasn¡¯t wearing a hood but she was wearing a nun''s attire that entuates her slender figure well. Also unlike Nivia, there was a pair of modest hump on her chest, bigger than Nivia¡¯s but still smaller than Erin¡¯s. ¡°She¡¯s probably just a giant toy in those children¡¯s eyes,¡± Lyra remarked, who was also giving a warm nce at Erin. ¡°Mrr...¡± Celia was the only one who was pouting and clinging on tightly to the hem of Lyra¡¯s tunic. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Celia?¡± asked Lyra. ¡°Erin¡¯s being taken...¡± Celia muttered with pursed lips. Both Lyra and Saphielle let out their chuckles. ¡°When the two of you are done chuckling, some assistance will be nice!¡± Erin shouted but she tried to keep her voice down from intimidating the children. It took some effort but eventually, Saphielle managed to get the children off of Erin. The children who didn¡¯t get their turn had downcast faces but their faces brightened up at the next moment as the bell atop the tower of the church rang. All of the children immediately ran back inside of the cathedral. ¡°What just happened?¡± Erin stood in her spot with a dumbfounded look. Saphielle tittered. ¡°It¡¯s tea time. You can join them if you like, Celia,¡± said Saphielle. But Celia shook her head. ¡°You sure? You don¡¯t like sweets?¡± ¡°Sweets?¡± Celia¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°There¡¯s hot chocte too with sprinkles of snow sugar on top.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Her lips curled into a smile. She then looked up to Lyra, asking for permission with her beaming gaze and smile. On Lyra¡¯s nod, Celia dashed after the children, into the mess hall of the cathedral ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like she¡¯ll get along with the other children,¡± Erin said. ¡°She has yet to know them,¡± Saphielle replied. ¡°Things like this take time, Erin.¡± Lyra tittered. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because you hoarded all of them to yourself.¡± ¡°I did not. Theye to me by themselves.¡± ¡°And you let them, my dear.¡± ¡°What was I supposed to do then? re at them for them to stop?¡± ¡°Ah~ young love. How nice,¡± Saphielle breathed with a smile. ¡°When¡¯s the bonding ceremony?¡± ¡°We are not getting married just yet,¡± Erin told the Elf, sharply. ¡°Yet?¡± Saphielle retorted. ¡°Yet?¡± Lyra blurted out the same thing. ¡°Ah¡­ I mean...¡± ¡°Ufufu~¡± Saphielle giggled. ¡°I¡¯m just ying with you, Erin.¡± Another aspect that Saphielle differed from Nivia was that she exuded a mischievous aura rather than a sophisticated one. If Erin had topare, Saphielle¡¯s personality leaned more to the side of Iris¡¯ than the Elves that Nivia always spoke of during magic lessons. ¡°Are all Elves quirky or is it just you two?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°I believe everyone is different and all have their own quirks. If everyone is one and the same, why bother with names and titles?¡± Saphielle replied. Lyra could not find a reply. ¡°Will she be safe here?¡± Erin asked, after remembering what they came here for. ¡°She will be safe. The Ruvans in this town are actually quite amicable. Most of the Pdins here don¡¯t have any prejudice towards the other races.¡± ¡°I met one just yesterday,¡± Erin said. ¡°And I won¡¯t call him amicable. He sounded like he was missing bits of his mind.¡± ¡°Ah, him. Lucan, his name is. He¡¯s not from here.¡± Saphielle beckoned for the two to lean in close to her. ¡°Actually, he¡¯s one of the Pdins who was sent here by the head church to look into the aberrations that had been surfacing during the recent days. The one leading this part is Aza; well, I¡¯m sure Nivia has already told you about that.¡± ¡°Aza...¡± Erin gasped. ¡°Is she here yet?¡± ¡°She isn¡¯t but I¡¯m sure it won¡¯t be long now.¡± ¡°What about this Aza? Is she like this Lucan fellow too?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°I can¡¯t tell. She¡¯s good at hiding her thoughts. Unless you have a penchant for spending every second constantly scrutinizing every passing individual, you would not manage to gauge even the next word she¡¯ll say. But if it¡¯s Celia you¡¯re worried about, you can rest easy. Children don¡¯t really like her but I think Aza herself is quite fond of children. The only time you see her smile is when she¡¯s around children.¡± Lyra raised an eyebrow. ¡°Sounds like you know her quite well.¡± ¡°I was an emissary for my tribe at one point in my life. I had a few run-ins with her. She¡¯s stubborn but not entirely unreasonable, I gather.¡± ¡°My real concern lies not with the Ruvans but with Celia,¡± Erin said. ¡°Did Nivia tell you about her amnesia?¡± ¡°I have heard of it from Nivia. Such a tragedy. I¡¯m quite shocked that the girl could still smile. Most children would lose all light in their eyes after that kind of ordeal.¡± ¡°She has recollections of those ordeals, asionally,¡± Lyra muttered sorrowfully. ¡°That¡¯s terrible. Herrval mind wouldn¡¯tst at this rate.¡± ¡°Mist Pearls, you know about it?¡± Erin suddenly asked. Saphielle stared at Erin in shock. ¡°...My dear Erin, you couldn¡¯t possibly be suggesting¡ª¡± ¡°I am. Unless you know any Arch Healer thates cheap and is able to reach us within days.¡± ¡°But treading into the basin is suicide, Erin. What am I going to say to Nivia?¡± ¡°Stop talking as if my death is already assured once I step into The Singrity.¡± ¡°Not even Spirits go into that ce. That¡¯s enough of an omen and a warning for us Fae.¡± ¡°What? There¡¯s no Spirits inside The Singrity? I did not hear about this.¡± ¡°Now you did, Erin. That ce is not meant for our kind. We are at our lowest in that Spirit-forsaken ce. It¡¯s no exaggeration to deem that basin as Fae¡¯s bane.¡± Erin cursed under her breath. She couldn¡¯t rely on her paltry swordsmanship alone if she wished to stride into The Singrity with the best oue. She needed everyst advantage she could get but one of her biggest strengths, her Spirit Magic, turned out to be inept in The Singrity. Just then, two children ran up to them. The two did note from the cathedral but from the gates. Their clothes were soiled with mud and they were out of breath. The look in their eyes was enough for Erin to know something dire had transpired. ¡°Ah, Billy, Milly, the two of you are veryte,¡± said Saphielle. ¡°Tea has already started. Anyter, you won¡¯t be getting any. And¡ª wait. Where¡¯s Ginny?¡± ¡°A b-bad man had taken her!¡± the boy said with a trembling voice. Lyra and Erin widened their eyes. Saphielle kneeled down on one knee. ¡°Where?¡± she asked the boy calmly. ¡°T-the ce n-near that pond,¡± his voice trailed off. ¡°Y-you always said we can¡¯t go there¡­ I-I¡¯m sorry...¡± The boy began to cry and so did the girl. Saphielle pulled the two into a hug and consoled them. ¡°There there, it¡¯s okay. The two of you are safe.¡± ¡°Where is this ce?¡± Erin asked. ¡°Near the slums. It¡¯s an empty park, or at least it looks like one. Nobody goes there since it''s situated close to the slums and the smell that leaked from that ce repels everyone. Everyone in the slums are either dead or dying. Not even the patrols go there.¡± ¡°What shall we do?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°I¡¯ll go inform the Pdins and the guards.¡± Before Saphielle could leave, Erin stopped her. ¡°Which direction is this ce the girl spoke of?¡± she asked. As soon as Saphielle pointed northwest from where they stood, Erin cast Fleet Foot and dashed off into that direction. With the fences around the church as the foothold, Erin sprang herself up onto the roofs of the buildings. Her action drew many gazes and attention but she gave no thoughts to them. The girl¡¯s life was the only thing on her mind currently. She heard shouts from Lyra and Saphielle but she shoved those voices out of her mind. Quinteburgh was big but the space between buildings was narrow, to make more room for housings to amodate more residents of the town. This little factor made Erin¡¯s traversal a heck of a lot easier. This wouldn¡¯t have been possible in Green Scar¡¯s town. To increase her pace, Erin used Lightning Rush, one of the spells she had learned after dumping her skill points into Lightning Magic. Lightning crawled all over her body, increasing her speed drastically but at the cost of maneuverability. But since she was atop of the roofs, she didn¡¯t need to worry about shing into something. Not five minutes passed, she arrived at the ce the girl, Milly, described. It was a rtively wide-open field but the grasses were dead and the pond in the area was muddied to the point it would be more suitable to call it a swamp. An unpaved road trailed through the unkemptnd and into an area filled with despair and destion. The buildings were on the verge of copsing and the roads were littered with all manners of trash, even long rotten human remains. Erin could feel signs of life but none of them were radiant enough to be called truly alive. It was as Saphielle had said, everyone here was either dead or dying. ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s that sound?¡± She focused on her ears as a distant cking drifted into her ears. ¡°This is¡­ hooves and wheels¡­ a cart!¡± She spared no moment to hesitate and followed the sound. She couldn¡¯t use the roofs this time as the spaces between buildings were far too wide for her to cover in a single leap. She took her haste to the ground and sped through the unkempt streets, raising clouds of dust, and finally reaching the slowly moving cart that was carrying wooden crates at the back. There were two people on board and two others walking slowly by the side of the cart. The sight reminded her of the vers she had caught at Maven¡¯s Pass. ¡°Is this perhaps the same faction?¡± Erin mused to herself. Erin did not stop her rush even after finding them. Using Life Sense, she could tell there were children inside the crates. Instead of heading towards the town, the cart was slowly advancing deeper into the slums. Erin thought it to be weird but she gave no further thoughts. Due to her lightweight body, she barely made any sound in all of her momvements and the vers were none the wiser of her presence. The two guards were looking around but never at their back. Just as Erin was close enough for onest burst of speed to reach the cart, a ball of mes came crashing into her from the side. The ming ball had appeared out of nowhere. Fortunately, her shoulder was only slightly seared as she coated her sword with Mystic de and cut the ming orb. Hearing themotion behind them, the vers didn¡¯t bother looking back and sped up their cart. Erin was about to follow but another ball of mes prevented her from doing so. This time, she cut it down before it even touched her skin. ¡°What in the spirits¡­ I can¡¯t smell or hear this.. assant.¡± ¡°Foolish Fae. Do you believe we would be without caution when transporting such important merchandise?¡± The space rippled and an old man appeared from the rippling space. Wrinkles were abundant on his face and safe for his head, the rest of his body was covered in a robe. Erin used appraisal and found out the old man¡¯s name was Orlon. The old man, Orlon, was proficient with Space Magic and Fire Magic, as the two were both level five. The old man himself was level seventeen with a single digit in Might and Finesse but his Arcane was twice that of Erin¡¯s. ¡°Impressive, most impressive. The Faerie-kin are really different from us humans. You lot could even cut magic. I can see where your kind¡¯s arrogance stems from.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have time to y with you,¡± Erin said and closed the distance in a heartbeat. She swung her sword d in Mystic de at Orlon. The space swallowed Orlon and Erin missed. The old man reappeared far away from Erin. A small circle mould of magic manifested in front of his syed palms. Dozens of fire bolts shot out from the circle. Erin spewed blue mes of Essence re from her palm at the fire bolts. Orlon grunted. ¡°You Faes and your Spirit tricks. Have at this!¡± he shouted and threw a spinning fire arrow. The spinning fire arrow plunged through the blue mes, much to Erin¡¯s surprise. Upon appraisal, Erin discovered the fire arrow was further imbued with Space Magic. Erin easily dodged the arrow and threw an Aura Shot at Orlon, but the spell hit an invisible wall and vanished. The old man chuckled nefariously. ¡°Foolish foolish foolish. You underestimate me, Fae. You underestimate Space Magic. Your Spirit Magic is useless against Space Magic!¡± The taunt was typical of someone like the old man¡¯s archetype but nevertheless, it still vexed Erin, considering children¡¯s lives were at stake. As she racked her brain for an idea, she noticed something at Orlon¡¯s feet. While Erin didn¡¯t know what it was but she knew who that ¡°thing¡± belonged to. ¡°You underestimate Spirit Magic,¡± Erin said and tossed a Light Drop right in front of Orlon. The old man was confused at first but realization crossed his mind a few seconds after. The Light Drop exploded into a sh of blinding light. Erin rushed in at this opportunity. Without using her eyes, she grasped her surroundings through her hearing and Life Sense. ¡°Naive bitch! I can always escape with my Space Magic¡ª uh?! What!?¡± The ¡°thing¡± at his feet coiled around his leg and prevented him from escaping through his Space Magic. ¡°Thank you, Iris,¡± Erin muttered and sliced Orlon from the right shoulder to the left waist. She didn¡¯t even wait for his body to copse and she was already sprinting after the cart. [Experience gained +30% - Level Progression: 125%] [Erinthea: Lv 14 increase to Lv 15] [Skills Points gained +2] [Ability Points gained +2] [Level Progression: 25%] Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Three-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 15 | Status: None Might: 20 | Arcane: 22 | Finesse: 19 Magic Arts Spirit Magic Lv. 8 | Arcane Edge Lv. 4 | Arcane Armor Lv. 6 | Lightning Magic Lv. 4 Combat Arts Sword Art Lv. 7 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 4 Innate Skills Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 1 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex Unique Talent Mystic de Lv. Ex | Revenant Lv. Ex Level Progression: 25% Remaining Skill Points: 4 Remaining Ability Points: 4 2-27 Slaughter 2-27 ughter The slum wasrger than Erin had expected. It wasn¡¯t just a part of the town. The slum in itself might have in fact been another town but annexed to Quinteburgh. She passed by buildings that were once likely smithies, tailors, eateries, general goods stores, and the likes. The architecture bore little to no resemnce to Quinteburgh¡¯s aesthetics. Erin was interested in knowing more but she had more pressing matters at hand. The cart carrying the kidnapped children had a head start but Erin quickly caught up to them. However, she had exhausted a good amount of her Mana just to make sure the cart did not leave her sight as she gave chase. She was further ambushed along the path but those men only had conviction and no strength to carry it out. The four men who ambushed Erin all fell to her sword. [Experience gained +40% - Level Progression: 65%] ¡°Humans do give much more experience¡­ neat,¡± Erin mused. A strange idea sprang to life in her head but she quickly banished that thought away. If she went with that idea, she would be living a life infinitely worse than when she was Argon Raze. After the four men, there was no longer any ambush lying in wait for her, which raised her dubiety. One particr thing she noticed about her assants was that they didn¡¯t smell like odor the slum was drowning in. This led her to believe the vers hadn¡¯t been around the slum for long and this was only their temporary base. Their presence in Quintenburhg was most likely quite recent as well. Erin followed the cart while she cerebrated on the vers¡¯ routine, until the cart went into an alley between two tall buildings. The two tall buildings were once inns but now, it was just another structure grave like its peers. Before Erin could enter the alley, a pir emerged at the entrance and sealed off any direct means of entry into the alley. From a quick whiff, she located the spell caster atop of the right tall building. Just as she was about tounch herself up, the scent of danger tickled her nose. She leaped back and tumbled back gracefully, away from a spear thrust from above followed by a full circle sweep that could have potentially taken her head off. ¡°Nice reaction. I expected this much,¡± said Erin¡¯s assant who was revealed to be a man with a height that triumphed over all men she had met. Though the man¡¯s appearance was horrendous. His hair was no better than a patch of wild grass. He was wearing a ragged vest, a pair of torn trousers, and worn-out sandals. The man was an exemr of a beggar but the spear in his hand tore away that notion. And his gait told Erin he had proper training and wasn¡¯t just somemon folk. The spearman¡¯s name was Rickard, in his early forties at the level of twenty-two. His skills were Spear Art, Brawler, Body Strengthening, and an innate skill, Blood Rush. Erin felt a tingle in her battle sense when she saw the number seven beside Rickard¡¯s Spear Art; he had level seven Spear Art. And there was Blood Rush, a skill she had never heard of. Upon Appraisal, she learned it was a skill that boosts the caster¡¯s speed at the expense of one¡¯s health. The increment was thrice the amount of Fleet Foot¡¯s and it wasn¡¯t just limited to traversal speed. ¡°I have to say, you have got to be the most beautifuldy I have ever met. The most expensive of harlots and those nobledies from the capital can¡¯t evenpare.¡± The spearman licked his lips after finishing his praise. Erin did not hide her disgust and allowed her grimace to show. She took her stance and brandished her saber. If she wished to pass through here, she would have to defeat this spearman first. Otherwise, she could get stabbed in the back as she advanced. Though even if he wasn¡¯t an obstacle, Erin would have still made sure he was at the very least incapacitated for the rest of his life after that remark. ¡°What¡¯s this? No magic tricks? I thought Fae likes their Spirit tricks?¡± As she eyed the spearman carefully, she did not neglect her surroundings. She was certain at least there were one or two more enemies lying in wait to spring at her at the right moment. ¡°I see, you¡¯re the silent type.¡± The spearman chuckled as he too went into his stance. ¡°Since you¡¯re so pretty, how about this; you pretend like you see nothing and I¡¯ll let you go, sounds good?¡± Erin responded by throwing an Aura Shot at the spearman with a swing of her saber. He spun to the side and let the spell graze past the empty air. He chuckled again. ¡°Fine then. If that¡¯s your answer, I shall respond in kind.¡± Rickard activated Blood Rush and literally flew right at Erin. Erin did not move until the veryst second, right before the tip of the spear carved into her skull. She jumped into the air and flipped over Rickard¡¯s attack. When she was right above him as she flipped, she thrust her sword. Rickard moved away from the attack in the middle of his dash. That sudden change of direction in mid-rush was a surprising trick to Erin but not something she hadn¡¯t seen before. ¡°You underestimated my Innate Skill, Fae. I¡¯m offended.¡± The spearman regained his footing and sent out at thrust at Erin who was still in the middle of the air. She cast a Lightning Bolt at the spearman at such a range. As fast as he was, Rickard wasn¡¯t fast enough to defend himself against the lightning-based spellunched at a short range. It struck him square in the chest and sent him tumbling across the ground. Erin grinned to herself. She resorted to a magic spell instead of her sword skill in a fleeting dire moment. She surprised herself. It was a sign that she was bing more ustomed to magic, and she was proud of it. ¡°Damn you!¡± Rickard shouted as he used his spear to help himself off the ground. ¡°What kind of magic is that? How can you conjure up a spell this quick? This is absurd. What level are you to be this proficient? Just who are you?¡± ¡°Just someone who¡¯s making the most out of her second chance,¡± Erin said and charged right at Rickard. The spearman retaliated with a hundred thrusts in front of him, but Erin stopped right before she entered the spear¡¯s range. She then used Lightning Rush to make a sharp turn. She flipped to the side and crouched low just as Rickard spun his spear around him. Erin shed up but with Blood Rush, Rickard was able to move himself away to safety. Erin didn¡¯t let up and continued her assault. She threw feints after feints but Rickard¡¯s Blood Rush allowed him to see through them but not all. He retaliated out of desperation with wild attacks. Instead of receiving his attacks, Erin avoided them and aimed for the vulnerability in the spearman¡¯s stance. Rickard saw her intent but even with Blood Rush, his body could not keep up with the Fox-kin. In fact, he was only able to keep up with her due to his Blood Rush but not for long and certainly not in every aspect. Erin¡¯s de grazed his flesh here and there. They weren¡¯t deep wounds but they were umting. Sweat trickled down Rickard¡¯s face as he realized he had no chance of winning. His opponent wasn¡¯t just adept in magic but also a refined swordswoman. His mind began drawing nks on tactics and tricks. The Fox-kin triumphed over him in all aspects. She had looked so frail and overconfident. He thought her to be no different than all the spoilt prodigal fighters he had in. He was wrong about everything. His opponent was no prodigy; she was something more. ¡°Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! To think there would be a Fae higher than my level lurking in such a lowly town!¡± Rickard cried. His blows of his mightiest strength were easily dodged and repelled by Erin. ¡°Are you perhaps double my level?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not even level twenty, mind you,¡± Erin retorted dryly. ¡°W-what!?¡± Rickard shouted in disbelief. ¡°Bollocks! How are you this good below level twenty?!¡± He managed to block a few fatal strikes with Body Strengthening but his Mana was being used up at a rapid pace. His saving grace was that Blood Rush would not let him slow down even if he was closing in on death¡¯s door. It allowed him to fight at his best until hisst breath. Even so, his best was not enough against the former Sword Saint. Rickard eventually fell for a feint due to the toll of Blood Rush. He thrust his spear out but Erin dodged the thrust and trapped his spear under her foot. With Brawler cast on her tails, she snapped his spear into half. Erin was getting good with her tails but she was only at the level she could swing it like a cub but not as a limb. Rickard threw up his hands and kneel on the ground. ¡°I yield! I yield!¡± he cried. Erin cast a cold re at him. Distaste apparent on her face. ¡°I¡¯m only in this for gold. I¡¯m not like those vers who get their kick from tormenting children.¡± ¡°If gold is your aim, why not just be an adventurer?¡± Rickard scoffed. ¡°It¡¯s toote for that.¡± ¡°Same old excuses.¡± ¡°Do you know what I have done in order to get to this level? The Guild won¡¯t ept someone like me.¡± ¡°But to aid very of children, just why?¡± ¡°Come back and ask me the same question when you have been starving for months straight with only enough dry seeds and stale bread to keep you walking for the day.¡± ¡°So you rather have someone else suffer than to face suffering yourself?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t expect a Fae of all people to understand my suffering.¡± Before Erin could offer another response, she felt her Sixth Sense throbbed. She looked up and foundnces made of rocks flying at them. She threw out Aura Shot consecutively and destroyed everyst rocknce that flew at her. Rickard took this chance and went for Erin with a hidden dagger around the back of his waist. However, Erin had foreseen this since their encounter. The dagger broke at the contact of the Arcane Armor cast right around her left chest. ¡°Suffer this,¡± Erin said and grabbed the broken piece of the dagger right off the air and plunged the shard into Rickard¡¯s throat. [Experience gained +30% - Level Progression: 95%] Without taking a breather, she scaled the height with the buildings around her as footholds. More and more rock-rted spells bombarded assailed her but she cut all those down with either her sword or her spells. When she ran out of buildings to step on, she scaled the height by running vertically along the building. It was difficult and would have been impossible if she didn¡¯t have her tails to prevent her fall. Soon, she reached the roof of the building where the caster was. The caster was a let down. He was a man with an excessive amount of fat on his body. Hismoner attire could barely contain his size. He was level fourteen with only Earth Magic at level six. His Might and Finesse stats were below five but his Arcane was more than thirty. ¡°Fucking bitch!¡± the caster bellowed. ¡°You think you¡¯re better than us humans?¡± He pped his hands together and a symbol was formed in front of his hands. Walls instantly erupted around Erin and enclosed her from all sides. ¡°Take that, Spirit-lover!¡± He pped his hands again and this time, pebbles and stones floated into the air, slowly forming argence. At his gesture, thence shot out at the encaged Erin. Before thence reached its target, an Aura Shot burst through the Earth Magic prison, plowed through thence, and was now rushing towards the caster. The caster erected walls of earth in front of him but it was futile, the Aura Shot went right through all of his spells like frail wood. Due to his body condition, the caster could not move but allow the spell to split him into half. [Experience gained +20% - Level Progression: 115%] [Erinthea: Lv. 15 increase to Lv. 16] [Skill points gained + 2] [Ability points gained +2] [Level Progression: 15%] [Proficiency reached - Arcane Edge: Lv. 5 increase to Lv. 6] Erin had six reserved points in skill and ability. She very much liked to use them but who knew what would happen to the children as she wasted her time deciding the allocation of her points. But just for reassurance, she spent her ability points evenly on Arcane and Finesse. [Arcane: 22 increase to 25] [Finesse: 19 increase to 22] With the caster dead, the pir blocking the alley¡¯s entrance crumbled into pieces. Although, Erin had already reached the roof. She could simply go around the pir even if was still standing. She d her whole body in Arcane Armor and threw herself off the roof. She plunged her sword into the wall as she fell straight down into the alley. There were guards, presumably of the vers, standing by the stretch of the alley. They all gasped in horror at Erin¡¯s appearance, mostly from the fact she just came down from the roof through unconventional means and received barely any injuries. In truth, Erin felt sore in her arms but nothing she couldn¡¯t handle. [Warning: Magic Vigour below 25% threshold] Erin cursed under her breath but she couldn¡¯t afford to stop now. The guards were in a dilemma. For Erin to arrive at this point, it could only mean that she had bested their three best fighters. They were vastly inferior to the three, so it went without saying they stood no chance against the Fae in front of them. Not just their skills and abilities, they didn¡¯t have adequate equipment to fight a properly armored soldier, let alone a Fae. They couldn¡¯t exactly abandon their post either. They knew who their master was and how merciless he could be against insubordination. They had no choice but to confront Erin. With the light pouring into the dark alley, Erin¡¯s shadow was cast over all the guards¡¯ shadows. Erin strode gracefully but menacingly deeper into the alley. She let not a single one of the guards out of her sight. They numbered more than ten but none had the guts to even draw their sword. Some had even begun to sob. Eventually, the guard standing the closest to Erin dropped his sword and bowed down on the ground. ¡°I yield! I won¡¯t attack you, so please, let me go!!¡± Erin ignored the guard¡¯s pathetic pleas and simply walked past him. Just as relief crossed the cowering guard¡¯s face, his head left his neck as a silver sh streaked across him. ¡°Oi oi! He surrendered! Why d-did you¡ª!?¡± one of the guards shouted. ¡°I can see that he surrendered,¡± Erin retorted coldly. ¡°But do you think I would let vers like the lot of you go?¡± ¡°We¡¯re not vers! We¡¯re just guards!¡± ¡°When you take up this job, you don¡¯t know who you¡¯re guarding?¡± The guards all stuttered for an answer. ¡°It¡¯s not our fault. These are desperate times! Even mothers have sold their children for a sack of potatoes.¡± ¡°I see...¡± Erin muttered. ¡°So that¡¯s the excuse you all are taking with you to hell?¡± ¡°W-wait! Please don¡¯t¡ª!?¡± Cries for help and mercy resounded in the alley as Erin showed no mercy to the ones that willingly aided the envement of countless children. The guards were strong for the average adventurers but for her, their swords might as well be wooden sticks against her swordsmanship. She didn¡¯t even need to use her Mana to fell everyst one of the guards. They couldn¡¯t even run if they chose to as the only out was the direction Erin was striding in from. [Experience gained +10%] [Experience gained +10%] [Experience gained +10%] [Experience gained +10%] [Experience gained +10%] [Experience gained +10%] [Experience gained +10%] [Experience gained +10%] [Experience gained +10%] [Experience gained +10%] [Experience gained +10%] [Experience gained +10% - Level Progression: 135%] [Erinthea: Lv. 16 increase to Lv. 17] [Skill points gained +2] [Ability points gained +2] [Level Progression: 35%] Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Three-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 17 | Status: Mild Exhaustion Might: 20 | Arcane: 25 | Finesse: 22 Magic Arts Spirit Magic Lv. 8 | Arcane Edge Lv. 6 | Arcane Armor Lv. 6 | Lightning Magic Lv. 4 Combat Arts Sword Art Lv. 7 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 4 Innate Skills Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 1 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex Unique Talent Mystic de Lv. Ex | Revenant Lv. Ex Level Progression: 35% Remaining Skill Points: 8 Remaining Ability Points: 2 2-28 Velkan 2-28 Velkan The dark and deste alley, ridden with the bodies of the guards, eventually led Erin to a warehouse. The building in front of her was rtively big but no bigger than the derelict buildings around that hid the warehouse from in view and scrying nces. Still, the warehouse spanned the size of four average houses in Quinteburgh. Aside from the warehouse itself, its perimeter held nothing of interest. There wasn¡¯t even a single sign of a guard. Erin presumed the guards were all ced in the alley and inside the warehouse. She didn¡¯t need to worry about the guards from the alley as every singlest one of them had been dealt with, permanently. Blood of the wicked painted her countenance and poise. Her saber was soaked in so much red that it was beginning to leave a stain. Before the huge entrance of the warehouse, Erin took in a deep breath, seizing this transient moment to recover her mental fortitude and the Mana she had spent. She also wiped the blood of her de with her own tunic. No amount of washing could make her garbs spick and span with all the blood that had soaked through. Even though she tried her best to avoid getting blood on her hair and tails, her efforts ended in futility. She took in the sounds and smell emanated from the warehouse. Things were quiet but the heavy breathing from the vers cowering within told Erin of an ambush lying in wait. And from the abundance of citrus scent within, it was evident this was where they kept the abducted children. Erin wanted nothing but to rush into the warehouse and save those children right at this moment but exhaustion was taking over and her Magic Vigour was well below a quarter of its threshold. Rushing in now would be an appointment with death. Erin could only afford this respite as she caught only four presences in the warehouse, plus the children. The remaining four held their grounds, awaiting the right time for an ambush. Erin had expected them to make a run for it but they didn¡¯t, not that they have anywhere to run to. Erin had expected them to use some of the children as hostage but those children were their products. Hurting their children meant plummeting their profits. Therefore, Erin surmised the children would be save unless the vers understood the depth of their desperation. Once Erin had recovered half of her total Magic Vigour, she made her entrance. She bothered not with any courtesy and simply cut therge doors down. An arrow flew at her from within but she nted her head and dodged the trap. The arrow came from a wired contraption and it was only good for a single use. Erin smashed it to bits as she walked past the contraption. As she made her way deeper into the warehouse, she experienced simr traps but had managed toe out unharmed due to her heightened sense of hearing and her Sixth Sense. The surface of the warehouse had nothing unusual to show for but following the flow of the air and the heavy breathing of the vers, Erin found a way to the underground of the warehouse. She almost found it a bit disappointing as the entrance to the underground wasn¡¯t too hard to find even if she didn¡¯t use her heightened sense of hearing. The surface was just too in to hide any secret entrance. But then again, the warehouse itself was already in a ce that couldn¡¯t be found easily. The entrance to the underground probably wasn¡¯t meant to be secretive, Erin gathered. A flight of spiral stairs greeted her upon opening thetch of the ¡°secret room¡±, which she took down to the bottom most floor. From there, a narrow corridor stretched out for a hundred meters beforeing to a stop on a in wooden door. No traps were set nor any spells were cast on the door or the corridor. Gently pushing the door aside, Erin entered into a vast room filled with cages that were draped under huge cloths. From the whimpering and sobbing she could hear underneath those cloths, it was without a doubt the cages were housing the kidnapped children. At the center of the room, stood four people, three of them were dressed in shabby garments and armor that wouldn¡¯t even be able to protect them from a blunt knife. One of them was bald and was wielding arge saber; he boasted the highest level among the three. As for the fourth person standing in trepidation, he was a young man with short dark brown hair. Unlike the three, he was the only one that didn¡¯t fit the bill of a thug. Upon appraisal on the four, Erin was relieved regarding their abilities but the young man posed quite a concern. He was level twenty-two, the highest among the four. He had quite an array of skills, namely a level six Sword Art, a level five Iron Skin, and a Magic Art called Abyss Magic, at level two. This was Erin¡¯s first time seeing Abyss Magic and from the concise description appraisal gave, worries were brimming. [Abyss Magic - Spells that are cast by drawing power from the Abyssal realm.] ¡°Sinct and ominous, great...¡± Erin mumbled cynically to her heart. ¡°And his name¡­ Velkan Corvas¡­. Is he one of the Corvas twins? Please tell me he isn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Well, what are you all waiting for?! Kill her!¡± shouted the bald man as he brandished hisrge saber at Erin. The two men looked at each other. Their feet were trembling and their hands were shaking. They understood they were no match for the crimson-dyed Fae in front of them. ¡°Are you deaf?! Kill that bitch, now! Or do you want to run away and risk the boss¡¯ wrath?!¡± ¡°The boss, huh? Could it be that noble of house¡­ what¡¯s-the-name?¡± At the bald man¡¯s behest and threat, the two finally moved. They drew their rusty iron swords and rushed at Erin while crying with tears and saliva hanging by their eyes and mouth. They cried not of rage and spirit but of despair and fear. Erin gave them her silent condolences before swiftly cutting them down without breakin a sweat. [Experience gained +20% - Level Progression: 55%] The bald man shrieked and recoiled from how easy two of his best men were dispatched. He looked over to Velkan and barked the same order at him. ¡°Oi! What are you standing around for?! This isn¡¯t what you¡¯re being paid so much for! Earn your keep, maggot!¡± The man named Velkan sighed and drew his sword. He entered into a stance that drew a look of recognition from Erin. ¡°Solid stance. Still hands. Firm gaze. He¡¯s not bad of a swordsman,¡± Erin mused. A grin crept to her lips. ¡°He might indeed be one of the Corvas twins I¡¯m looking for. That¡¯s just great.¡± ¡°Sorry about this,¡± Velkan said and lunged with a strike. Erin parried it but was surprised with an immediate counter. She parried that too but Velkan came at her again with another strike. ¡°Damn, you¡¯re good,¡± Erin praised. Of everyone she had fought today, Velkan was better than them by miles. She could tell he didn¡¯t have any proper training but his talent did well in carrying him in this battle. There was a mild shock on Velkan¡¯s face. ¡°Didn¡¯t expectpliments toe from a Fox-kin¡¯s mouth.¡± Erin chuckled. ¡°Here¡¯s an advice, don¡¯t lump me in with the average Fae you heard in stories,¡± she replied and pressed on with her attacks. Just as she managed to break past his parries, her strike bounced off his skin. ¡°Don¡¯t expect the same from me too, Fae. I¡¯m not like the others you have so easily in,¡± the Corvas twin threw back a retort and a counter. Erin evaded the counter by twisting her body out of the way. ¡°Ha! What a fool of Fae! Kill her, Velkan!¡± Erin scoffed and used her tail to scoop the iron sword of one of the fallen vers into her hand. She then threw it at the bald man after infusing the sword with some Mana. The bald man simply swatted the sword to the ground without any effort. ¡°Are you an idiot bitch too? You underestimate us humans too much, Fae!¡± ¡°Well, he¡¯s a dead man,¡± Velkan remarked dryly just as he received a blow to his temple but just like before, the de bounced off. Before the bald man could tell what Velkan meant by his remark, the iron sword at his feet exploded into hundreds of shards. Most of the shards found their way into the bald man¡¯s flesh. The bald man uttered a scream that shook the children inside the cages. He tumbled to the ground and iled around as he cursed and cried out his agony. ¡°Such brutal ways,¡± Velkan remarked. ¡°You more of a Beast-kin than a Fae, I say.¡± ¡°For all the children he has ruined, this is the least of what he deserves,¡± Erin retorted. ¡°Understandable,¡± Velkan replied and unleashed a flurry of attacks on Erin, in which the Fox-kin quickly returned the favor. For the most parts, Velkan deflected blows after blows from Erin and for every blow he missed, his Iron Skin helped in preventing the Fox-kin¡¯s de from seeping into his flesh. He had thought they were equals in swordsmanship but as the fight went on, he realized he was gravely mistaken. They weren¡¯t even close to being equal. He understood the Fae was at a level lower than he was but her skills with the sword and her experience with battles more than make up for the level differences. The two continued their exchange of blows. It was a stalemate in hindsight but for the more seasoned eyes, Erin was the clear winner in all the exchanges. She had Arcane Edge and Lightning Magic in her arsenal. If she so wished, the duel would have ended minutes ago. Velkan had alsoe to realize this fact. He was being allowed to live, which begged the question ¡°why?¡±. At another sh of their des, Erin finally used Arcane Edge and easily sliced through his iron sword. Her saber stopped just right in front of his neck. ¡°Where did you learn the sword?¡± Velkan asked. He had stopped moving and threw up his arms in resignation. The bald man was still whimpering in the background. ¡°I taught myself everything. Got advice from a few other masters,¡± Erin answered. ¡°Then you¡¯re must one hell of a genius to be that refined with a sword. If your level was tripled or more, I would have taken you for the Sword Saint.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Erin found herself uttering such words. ¡°Why am I still alive?¡± Erin eyed his expression. Once she was sure Velkan had truly resigned himself to her discretion, she withdrew her de from his neck. "Because it''s still not toote for you to repent. Unlike your peers, you have yet to dirty your hands with the blood of the innocents." "How would you know?" "Experience. Decades of them. Especially in your strikes and swings, resolve to hurt but not resolve to kill." "For someone who had just ughtered her way through without discrimination, I find it hard to buy that reason of yours." "Well, that''s not all the sole reason I let you live," she admitted. ¡°Actually, I was looking for you.¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°To be precise, the Corvas twins. I was looking for you and your twin.¡± ¡°Ah, I see¡­ So you¡¯re the one who was asking around. I heard that some highborn was looking for me but to think it was you¡­ what a coincidence.¡± ¡°Thought you were just some smuggler but a ve smuggler, I¡¯m greatly disappointed.¡± Velkanughed. ¡°You and my sister shared the same sentiment then.¡± Erin raised an eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯re not together?¡± ¡°Not anymore. We used to take every job together but recently, times have be more trying than ever. The yield of monster cores were dwindling. Maven¡¯s Creek and its neighbouring towns depended heavily on monster cores but with the recent anomalies happening, everything is going to shit. Smuggling the usual goods is no longer raking in as much gold as before. My sister and I argued for a long time and eventually, we couldn¡¯te to an agreement. So we parted ways.¡± ¡°Human trafficking¡­ that¡¯s your idea?¡± ¡°It¡¯s easy to talk about moral grounds with a filled stomach. Do you think we all want to be part of something so risky just for a few gold?¡± ¡°You know¡­ a wise man once told me, a person only shows their true self on two asions, when they have everything and when they have nothing. You¡¯re willing to resort to others'' misery to save yourself from your own, that says enough.¡± ¡°And you know this so well?¡± Velkan scoffed. ¡°Give it a rest, Fae. You¡¯re just naive, like the rest of your kind.¡± ¡°We can go at this for the whole day but¡­ I¡¯m not here to talk philosophy with you. I¡¯m¡ª¡± Erin paused. Sounds of dozens of footsteps were approaching the warehouse, Erin picked it up. ¡°Metal greaves¡­ the steps are rhythmic¡­ Pdins.¡± [Experience gained +15% - Level Progression: 70%] Noticing that gain, Erin nced over to the bald man, who had sumbed to his injuries. A cloud of despair washed over Velkan¡¯s expression. ¡°Soldiers¡­ they¡¯re here...¡± ¡°Pdins, to be exact,¡± Erin corrected. ¡°The Ruvans¡­ You led them here?¡± ¡°In a way, yes.¡± ¡°You had connections with the Ruvans¡­ Just who are you¡­?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have connections with the Ruvans. You and your friends abducted some of the orphans from the Ruvan church. You can¡¯t expect them to stay quiet.¡± Velkanughed at himself. ¡°Those damn idiots¡­ They were told to leave those orphans alone...¡± ¡°Well, it is whatever now. Your time¡¯s up.¡± Erin sheathed her saber. ¡°I guess I should let the Pdins take over now.¡± ¡°Just out of curiosity, why are you looking for me and my sister?¡± ¡°Have a job for you. Well, had a job but considering what you have done¡­ I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be getting the job.¡± ¡°Then, my sister¡­ give it to her. Please. If it¡¯s a job from a Fae, it must have a great pay. She deserves it¡­ unlike me...¡± ¡°That was my intention. Your sister, she¡¯s still here? In Quinteburgh, I mean.¡± ¡°I think so. When we went our ways, she said something about seeking employment as a merchant¡¯s guard. It¡¯s barely half the pay we get as smugglers but to her, it was something.¡± ¡°A merchant? Which merchant?¡± ¡°One of those merchants from the caravans. I heard he has got quite the colossal hold of fortune among his peers.¡± ¡°Do you at least have a name?¡± ¡°Harry¡­? Hagan¡­ Something like that.¡± Erin widened her eyes. ¡°Hegan?¡± ¡°Ah yes, Hegan. That¡¯s the one.¡± ¡°Well¡­ the world is a small ce.¡± Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Three-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 17 | Status: Moderate Exhaustion Might: 20 | Arcane: 25 | Finesse: 22 Magic Arts Spirit Magic Lv. 8 | Arcane Edge Lv. 6 | Arcane Armor Lv. 6 | Lightning Magic Lv. 4 Combat Arts Sword Art Lv. 7 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 5 Innate Skills Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 1 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex Unique Talent Mystic de Lv. Ex | Revenant Lv. Ex Level Progression: 70% Remaining Skill Points: 8 Remaining Ability Points: 2 2-29 Velrin 2-29 Velrin Erin had never been more thankful of her acquaintance with Iris. She knew the connections she made would without doubtse in handy in the future but she didn¡¯t think her investment would show its worth this early. When the Ruvan Pdins arrived on scene and witnessed Erin¡¯s involvement in the whole very business, she was to be put under investigation along side anyone who was involved. Iris had appeared before at an impable timing. Through the Umbrum merchant¡¯s promise of favor and some persuasion, Erin was untangled from the mess she herself had thrown herself in. Erin did not regret her own involvement in liberating the enved children but she sure wasn¡¯t looking forward in getting embroidered into the web of politics. The situation took a drastic turn for worse when the awful truth was revealed. The revtion came from one of the few surviving vers. The revtion being corrupted court officials were involved in the very business. Of course, the Pdins did not take it lightly and soon, an abrupt meeting of all the town¡¯s officials was convened, even Edith Rosemary the Guild Master was summoned to this meeting. And since Erin had a hand in this conundrum, she was offered a seat at this meeting but no way Erin was going to ept it. No one pushed for her presence in the meeting further when Iris herself stepped in to take her ce and also to represent the merchants¡¯ side of things. The crux matter was that this whole ordeal kept a secret from the public, for now. With that behind her, Erin was eventually able to breathe easy, but only for a while. Her nightmare wasn¡¯t over there. Upon returning to the church, the sun was setting and Erin was greeted by an enraged Lyra and a pouting Celia. Erin then remembered how she had literally ditched the two and went on her own pursuit without paying heed to their cries of caution. Both of them gave her stern warnings of her reckless actions. While Erin felt only guilt when she was reprimanded by Lyra, she couldn¡¯t help but found it endearing when Celia mimicked Lyra¡¯s gesture at reprimanding her. In the magnificent garden by the side of the church, Erin recounted her tale in the afternoon to Lyra. ¡°You found the Corvas Twins?¡± Lyra asked with a face that couldn¡¯t epass all of her shock. ¡°Not the two of them. Just one,¡± Erin answered while she was feeding sweets to Celia in herp. To make up for ditching her, Celia forced Erin to pamper her for the rest of the day. Erin wasn¡¯t about to refuse her when she gave her a gaze resembling that of an abandoned puppy. Celia even had one of Erin¡¯s tails within her grasp as she uttered the request. ¡°And he¡¯s one of the vers¡­ Great¡­ We don¡¯t even have proper volunteers and what¡¯s probably ourst hope is down the drain too...¡± ¡°There is the other twin.¡± ¡°You said she found a job as one of Hegan¡¯s guards. It must pay well. You think she would take our offer over that? If I was her, I would not take such a risk for just a few extra gold.¡± ¡°I suppose you have a point,¡± Erin muttered in resignation. She couldn¡¯t deny Lyra¡¯s reasoning. ¡°Back to square one,¡± Lyra said with a dry smile. ¡°Anyways, this isn¡¯t Green Scar. This is a huge town. There are a lot of adventurers here. Strong ones. There has to be some who are willing to take on a queer thrill.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think we would be short of volunteers for that if we asked but those who volunteer for the queer thrills are often greenhorns with only campfire tales as their experience. They would be of no use. We will just be sending them to a meaningless death. Those with ample abilities would rather move on to the next town than tackling the problem.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t suppose there will be a draft?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°Lord Howard yton, the viceroy of Maven¡¯s Creek is under the suspicions of corruption. His impeachment would soonere than a draft for an expedition into The Singrity.¡± ¡°What a mess we are in¡­ Erin, I don¡¯t want to say this but¡­ I don¡¯t think we can do anything about this...¡± Lyra said herst few words in whisper as to avoid them slipping into Celia¡¯s ears. ¡°I won¡¯t say that...¡± Erin muttered to herself quietly. Stroking Celia¡¯s head and gazing woefully, she prepared herself for the least favorable oue in the days toe. ¡°I will really have to take on The Singrity myself...¡± ¡°Pardon me, you two,¡± said Saphielle who hade up to them. ¡°There¡¯s a human woman here to see you, Erin.¡± ¡°A woman? At this ce and at this hour?¡± Erin questioned. ¡°From the sound of her words, it¡¯s quite urgent, I gather.¡± Lyra stared at Erin. Erin rolled her eyes. ¡°I have not seduced anyone in the time that I was briefly away and I wasn¡¯t even away for such reasons.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a hook that fishes would swim naturally towards to. I won¡¯t put that notion behind me.¡± Erin sighed in resignation and made her way to her guest. Celia protested at first but when Saphielle offered her more sweets, she relented to her brief parting with Erin. Passing through the arch of the garden, Erin followed the neatly paved path to the front gate where two Pdins stood guard at the sides. Beyond the gate, there was a woman covered in all ck, even the hood over her head. Two short swords were sheathed behind her back in in sight but judging from the way she carried herself, Erin couldn¡¯t see the woman as an adventurer but as one dabbled in covert matters that involved des. ¡°An assassin? No. An assassin would never reveal their weapon unless the disyed weapon is meant to be a decoy, which isn¡¯t the case for this woman. Those swords of her are too polished and well-taken care of to be just decoys.¡± Coming to such a conclusion, Erin held back on appraising the woman and exited thepound of the church to confront the stranger. The Pdins standing guard offered a few nces before returning their gaze to the front. Their responsibility was to keep away or quell any troubles and since Erin had chosen to bring the talk outside of the church, they had no authority to interfere. ¡°Can we go somewhere quieter and away from prying eyes?¡± said the woman in ck cloak. ¡°I¡¯m not sure your two friends over there like me very much.¡± ¡°They¡¯re not my friend and we¡¯re barely acquainted other than a few exchanges of gazes. If we¡¯re having a talk that must take ce in shady ces, I will have none of it. Good evening,¡± Erin said and prepared to leave. She didn¡¯t want to entangle herself into another mess. ¡°Wait!¡± The woman grabbed Erin¡¯s arm. ¡°Please wait. This is important.¡± Erin would have fended off this manner of insistence normally but feeling the slight trembling in her grasp, Erin knew it to be desperation and stayed her hands. She decided to hear what the woman had to say. ¡°Let me go,¡± Erin told her without a hint of sympathy for whatever distress the woman was going through. The womanplied hesitantly. ¡°Now, talk.¡± ¡°My name is Velrin Corvas,¡± the cloaked woman introduced herself. Erin raised an eyebrow. She expected the other twin to show up sooner orter but this was fast. It hadn¡¯t even been half a day. ¡°Velkan is my brother, my twin brother. I¡¯m sure you already know who we are. You were there when he was apprehended by the Pdins, is that true?¡± Erin eyed Velrin¡¯s expression but saw no hint of aggression. Her hands showed no sign of going for her weapons. Erin deemed her to be of no threat. ¡°It¡¯s true. In fact, I was the reason he was apprehended,¡± Erin answered. ¡°I see¡­ that damn idiot...¡± ¡°So? What¡¯s the purpose of your visit?¡± ¡°What other purpose would I have, as the other twin, other than to see my brother as a free man once again.¡± ¡°Lady, your brother helped in the kidnapping of children from various races. A huge offense to the kingdom and its people. A great sin in the eyes of the Ruvans. It¡¯s already a mercy to not have him killed on the spot and instead thrown into a prison.¡± ¡°His involvement in this foul trade was recent. That was just his first day. He probably hadn¡¯t even drawn his first innocent blood. I beg of you, please pardon him.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have a say in this. I¡¯m just someone who was at the wrong ce at the right time.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re a Fae. Your words held weight. Your kind has swayed political decisions in the past.¡± ¡°That is true. Nivia did tell me something like that but...¡± Erin sighed. ¡°I have no intention of dabbling in politics,¡± Erin said and turned around to leave. ¡°Please. He¡¯s the only family I have left. I¡¯ll do anything to see him free.¡± Erin stopped in her tracks and turned back to face Velrin. ¡°Anything you say? Well then, The Singrity, would you dare to set foot in there?¡± Colors were instantly drained from Velrin¡¯s face. ¡°W-why there? It¡¯s a no-man¡¯snd. There¡¯s nothing there but the embrace of death.¡± ¡°Before we speak any further on that matter, are you aware that I have actually been searching for you two¡± ¡°That was you? You were the one looking high and low for us, not that pompous merchant, Iris?¡± ¡°Iris was just helping me.¡± Erin then frowned. ¡°Sounds like you know Iris. Had some history?¡± ¡°We have heard of her. Almost everyone in this town has heard of her. People spoke greatly of her beauty but her character, they call her a Demon. Knowing that she¡¯s looking for you, most times, it can¡¯t be anything good.¡± Knowing the Umbrum¡¯s difficult personality, Erin nodded in agreement in her heart. ¡°Iris aside, what reason could you probably have to trot into The Singrity?¡± ¡°Celia,¡± was the first reason that came to mind but Erin stilled her lips and gave another answer. ¡°The recent aberrations. Namely, the dwindling number of the monsters.¡± ¡°The Singrity is the cause?¡± ¡°Not quite but you don''t need to know more for now. All you need to know is that I needpanions to venture into that hell scape. Help me with this endeavor and I will do what I can in my power to get your brother''s pardon.¡± Velrin hesitated on nodding. Though she said she would do anything to free her brother, she wasn¡¯t an idiot to jump at every chance without asking. ¡°Why?¡± she asked, after a brief moment of mulling. ¡°Why what?¡± Velrin scoffed. ¡°Why are you helping with this problem?¡± ¡°Is it so hard to believe that someone simply wishes to help?¡± Erin retorted. ¡°Yes. I may be young but I am not unfamiliar with the world. There¡¯s no Fae forest for miles. Your kind isn¡¯t affected by this. You could have just move on to the next town if the danger is your concern.¡± Erin chuckled lightly. ¡°You don¡¯t believe in generosity or charity.¡± ¡°I grew up in the dark side of people¡¯s desires. There¡¯s no such thing as generosity or charity.¡± ¡°Good insight,¡± Erin praised. ¡°Honest word, personal reasons. But the fact of the matter remains the same, help me and I¡¯ll help your brother.¡± Velrin bit her lips and clenched her fists. Her brother had given much troubles since they were children. Nevertheless, they were orphans since young. He had been the only family she ever had. She would kill for him but The Singrity was an entirely different matter. She heard terrible things about that ce, things worse than death. Even if she took the offer, sess wasn¡¯t guaranteed. ¡°Who else is in on this expedition?¡± Velrin asked. ¡°So far, no one but you and me. I don¡¯t think it can even be called an expedition.¡± ¡°Even if I agreed to this, there¡¯s no telling that we will seed and if I don¡¯t seed, my sacrifice would have been for nothing.¡± ¡°You got me there, Lady. That¡¯s the impasse I have been facing too. You have reasons to tread into The Singrity and I have mine.¡± The two share a transient moment of silence and as they stare at each other, gauging each other''s respective intentions and abilities. ¡°The expedition members, what are the criterias?¡± Velrin asked. ¡°No idiots,petent, and they follow orders, simple as that.¡± ¡°And the Guild agrees to that?¡± ¡°Look around you, Velrin. Look at your brother. Look at the desperation caused by all of the aberrations. It¡¯s not even my first week in this town and I can already tell this town won¡¯tst long with all the aberrations about. I don¡¯t think the Guild can afford to be particr.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I know a few people.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s convenient. They¡¯re up to the dangers of The Singrity?¡± ¡°Their personalities can be a problem but they all have good reasons for doing this, they will be as obedient as a trained hound. I vouch for their capabilities. They¡¯re all above level twenty.¡± ¡°The Guild and the town itself isn¡¯t in any condition to hand out generous rewards, are you aware of that?¡± ¡°Pardon them. That alone would suffice as a reward. Pardon is something that can never be bought with the amount of gold they earn.¡± A tiny light glimmer in the corners of Erin¡¯s eyes. This was it. This was the break she had been looking for but¡­ there was no telling if her status alone could convince a pardon to be issued for this many individuals. She was a Fae but she didn¡¯t know the extent of her influence. For all she knew, she could be overstepping her boundaries. There was also the Ruvans. They would not let the sinners off easily as per the demonstration she witnessed just yesterday. ¡°But Celia¡­ if this drags on¡­ there¡¯s no telling what would happen to her if she fell into another episode¡­ I have to make a decision now even if it means tangling myself with politics and deeper acquaintance with Iris.¡± Erin took a deep breath and met Velrin¡¯s gaze. Resolution painted her face. ¡°We have an agreement then, Miss Velrin. But first, I wish to meet these people in person.¡± 2-30 Encounter 2-30 Encounter ¡°A shitstorm, have you heard of such a crude word, Lady Erinthea?¡± asked the Guild Master, Edith Rosemary, who was sitting across from Erin in afortable armchair. Erin took a sip of her lukewarm tea before answering. ¡°I haven¡¯t but¡­ I think I guess its meaning with the word itself alone.¡± The two were now in the private room of Edith Rosemary, located adjacent to the Guild Master¡¯s office. It was the hour after supper. Erin hade seeking an audience with Rosemary who was just relieved of her duty for the day. Not wanting to turn away a Fae and an acquaintance¡¯s request, Rosemary invited Erin to her personal quarters. Rosemary popped open a brandy as lubricant for their conversation but Erin¡¯s recent was still fresh in her own mind. Therefore, she graciously declined the brandy and went for the milder option of tea. Aside from the taste of the tea, she was surprised to find how amodating the armchair was. It had room for her tails. When she asked, Rosemary told her it was due to the various kinds of guests she would often receive that she had this armchair made. There was even a chair that could amodate a race with wings. ¡°Race with wings? What sort of race?¡± Erin asked. ¡°Dragon-kin,¡± answered the Guild Master. ¡°You have had Dragon-kin as guests before?¡± ¡°Never but it doesn¡¯t hurt to be prepared in case any of them sprang by,¡± she jokingly told Erin so. Her affable smile disappeared as she downed her ss of brandy. ¡°I hope I haven¡¯t caught you at a bad time, Guild Master.¡± ¡°After what happened this afternoon, you will never not catch me at a bad time,¡± Rosemary replied with a self-deprecating smile. ¡°A quarter of the officials are involved in the very business. Our dear viceroy included.¡± ¡°You mean Lord Howard yton?¡± Rosemary nodded and a sigh followed. ¡°We grew up together, you know. Our fathers were friends.¡± ¡°Were?¡± ¡°They¡¯re no longer with us.¡± ¡°I-I see¡­ Sorry to hear that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, Lady Erinthea. Their passing has already be a bygone topic but not Howard¡¯s¡­ actions. I should have known. I should have seen it. The town¡¯s in dire straits. He¡¯s desperate and he¡¯s not about to let his power slip to the Ruvans. The signs were there... But now, I guess none of that matters anymore.¡± ¡°What happens now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the current viceroy, acting, until the court designated another viceroy. However, my new temporary responsibility is only for the sake of formality. The reality is that the Ruvans will be making a say in almost all affairs now. Of course, I¡¯m not going to just roll over and let things be. I will do whatever I can to prevent all power from falling into the Ruvan¡¯s hands.¡± So far, the Ruvans Erin had met didn¡¯t give her any troubles at all, save for Lucan but ording to Saphielle, he was a special case. The Ruvans in this town were rtively tame and weren¡¯t as zealous as their brothers and sisters in other towns and cities. The modesty of Quinteburgh¡¯s Ruvans wasn¡¯t coincidental. The head church had assigned these individuals by design since this town was a trade route for many merchants, mainly influential merchants. Having their zealotry in full disy of these merchants was only going to harm the church¡¯s reputation. Erin was told all of that by Saphielle. ¡°And I¡¯m sorry, Lady Erinthea,¡± Rosemary suddenly said. ¡°What for?¡± ¡°...I¡¯m thinking of handing the whole ordeal over to the Ruvans.¡± Erin was surprised, sure, but it was only a matter of course after what happened today. ¡°What¡¯s going to happen if the Ruvans took over?¡± she asked. ¡°The town¡¯s guild and officials will lose the trust of the townsfolk. It will also be a stain in the record of the Guild¡¯s history. Ruvanity in this town will be even more prevalent. Before long, the zealots will inevitablye flowing in. You can guess what will happen then.¡± Erin took another sip of the tea. Granted, it didn¡¯t taste as good as Iris¡¯ but Erin wasn¡¯t about to be boorish. ¡°If that¡¯s so, you are still considering handing it over?¡± ¡°What else is there to do? The kingdom won¡¯t dispatch any troops if there¡¯s nopensation for the troops. The court certainly isn¡¯t going to pay out of their own pockets. The same reason goes to other strong adventurers. Only the ¡°charitable¡± Ruvan Pdins are left as a choice. I know it¡¯s not a wise choice but it¡¯s the only one we have, that or we let this town drown in misery until the good townsfolk take matters into their own hands. Thetter choice is definitely a path I do not wish to take.¡± Erin couldn¡¯t refute. What Rosemary had said was only the truth. In the first ce, Erin¡¯s reason for her fervency in heading into The Singrity was a personal one. She didn¡¯t feel like she had any right to criticize the Guild Master¡¯s decision. ¡°I know you have a personal stake in this. That¡¯s why, I¡¯m sorry, Lady Erinthea.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Erin said. ¡°The fault lies not with you.¡± Her ears drooped down. Rosemary let out a dullugh. ¡°Ohe on, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m giving up everythingpletely, Lady Erinthea. Cease with your mncholy. So, what pleasure do I owe for this cordial visit?¡± she asked as she poured herself another ss of brandy until it was filled to the brim. ¡°I would like to know what needs to be done in order to have someone pardoned.¡± ¡°Ah, I see,¡± Rosemary said with a knowing gaze. ¡°So it is about Velkan Corvas.¡± ¡°Not just him, there are others. If I can get them pardoned, they will join me in my ventures into The Singrity.¡± Rosemary was about to take a sip of her brandy but stopped and put her ss back down. ¡°That¡¯s a tall request, Lady Erinthea. If it¡¯s just Velkan, I think I can make it happen but even him alone would take some time with all the Ruvans around. Especially if Aza could be arriving any minute now. Do you even know what the people you wanted pardoned have done?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t. I haven¡¯t met them but before I do, I want to know if I can even make it happen.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a Fae. And you have three tails. You could even kill someone and get away with it.¡± Erin almost choked on her tea. Rosemaryughed. ¡°How green, I didn¡¯t expect this reaction from you, Lady Erinthea.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not joking?¡± ¡°It won¡¯t be exaggerating to say Faerie-kin are in a way, the emissaries of the Spirits. If the Fae so wishes, I heard the elders can condemn a nation into a starvation of Spirits.¡± Erin felt her mind turn nk as she heard that. Her mouth was opened but only stammerings came out. She took a swig of her tea to calm her nerves. ¡°I-I know my kind is influential but¡­ this much¡­ It¡¯s simply too absurd.¡± ¡°Then again, it¡¯s only what I have heard. Rumors, they all are but I think there¡¯s some truth in them. Maybe if it¡¯s you, the Ruvans will relent to such a request.¡± ¡°But who do I have to speak to for that to happen?¡± Rosemary was silent for a while before answering. ¡°...The head priest of the church but¡­ if maybe in the not so distant future, Aza.¡± Hearing that name again, Erin felt as if the name had be nothing more than an omen and a herald for the inevitability of their paths crossing. **** The talk, in the end, gave no closure to Erin¡¯s uncertainties. She knew what she had to do but whether she was able to do it, that was a different matter. If she wasn¡¯t so in need of the Mist Pearls, she would dly hand over the quest to the Ruvans considering the current circumstances. But if she did pass the weight over to the Ruvans, she would miss her opportunity. And hearing everyone¡¯s thoughts about The Singrity, she was extremely doubtful she would survive venturing into that ce all alone, especially it was a ce where even Spirits avoided. She needed a team for her own reasons and she needed a valid cause. After thanking Rosemary for the tea, she left the Guild Master¡¯s private quarter and took the stairs down to the lobby but not before applying Twilight Veil on herself to disguise her Fox-kin appearance. It was now two hours before midnight. It was the time when women were at their most vulnerable, not that she was part of that category but she wasn¡¯t looking forward to the hassle. The reception area was barren by this hour. The only adventurers still around were lounging in the waiting area. From the few words Erin managed to pick up, most of them were discussing their course of actions for tomorrow and the days toe while exchanging a few jokes. The minority were discussing the harlot they were going to spend the night with in the red light districtter. Erin sighed and smiled bitterly at the peaceful moment that wouldst most probably for another few days. Erin was making her way to the exit when she came across a familiar face staring at the notice board by the door. ¡°Ah,¡± Erin uttered, her ears perked up along with her surprise, or it would have looked this way to others if it wasn¡¯t for Twilight Veil. The dark-skinned boy took notice of her presence and he too gave off the same reaction. His eyes were immediately affixed to Erin¡¯s face. Unlike the time he was in ragged clothes Erinst saw him in, the boy was now in proper attire, sporting leather armor and a sword by his waist. Now that he was cleaned up, Erin had to admit, the Augur boy had a face that would make mostdies or even women swoon over him. Even his physique was well-built for a boy of his age. Erin felt a little envious that she didn¡¯t even have half the boy¡¯s charm when she was Argon Raze. ¡°Cynric, was it?¡± she asked. ¡°Yes, I am but¡­ how do you know my name?¡± the Augur boy asked back. ¡°Have we met?¡± he blinked. It put a smile on Erin''s face, knowing the lives she saved had thrived from distress. ¡°Not actually but I¡¯m d you¡¯re safe now and you¡¯re doing well. Anyways, good night,¡± she bade and walked past Cynric. Just as her hand was on the handle of the door, her other hand was grabbed. Of course, it was by none other than Cynric. ¡°Wait,¡± he said. ¡°Forgive me, mdy b-but are you perhaps the one who saved me from my predicament?¡± Erin was confused. A male was grabbing her arm, though not a man but a boy. Still, it had always felt revolting for her when a man touched her or even gave her apliment regarding her appearance. However, she had none of those aversion towards Cynric. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because he¡¯s still a boy?¡± she thought. ¡°Mdy?¡± Erin snapped back to reality. ¡°Ah, well¡­ I guess you can say I was one of them who have helped you.¡± ¡°But you did save me. You are the reason I am here.¡± ¡°One of the reasons. As I have said, I¡¯m merely one of the individuals who have helped you.¡± Erin didn¡¯t lie. She was with Siv when they saved him from the so-called dark forest. ¡°If you wish to express your gratitude, I think the merchants of the caravans deserved your gratitude more than me. Now, if you will, can I have my arm back?¡± ¡°Ah, apologies, mdy.¡± Cynric let her arm go after an apology. ¡°But I had to ask, if I¡¯m not overstepping my boundaries, may I have the honor to know your name, mdy?¡± Despite his somewhat brutish appearance, his manners were adequate enough that it wouldn¡¯t displease a noble. ¡°Of course,¡± Erin replied. ¡°My name¡¯s Argon.¡± She was in disguise. Giving her real name, current, would be confusingter on and she didn¡¯t think exposing her disguise to someone she barely knew was a good idea. ¡°Lady Argon, I am honored to have my life being saved by you. An astounding beauty no less.¡± Erin raised an eyebrow and her thumped for a second. She thought her disguise hade undone but only to realize her disguised appearance was a beauty in its own right too. ¡°If there¡¯s anything I can do for you in return, please don¡¯t hesitate, mdy.¡± Evidently to Erin, she had gained another fervent admirer but she wasn¡¯t sure it was something she should be d about. However, his offer was tempting but Erin didn¡¯t think it was right to drag a mere child into her own problems. ¡°I¡¯ll hold you to that,¡± Erin gave a vague answer. ¡°Well then, good night, Cynric.¡± ¡°I wish you a lovely night too, mdy.¡± Cynric did the unexpected. He bowed and took her hand to his lips,ying a gentle kiss on the back of her palm. ¡°Y-you too,¡± Erin threw a random response and quickly left the building before the red surfaced on her cheeks. ¡°What the hell just happened!?¡± she screamed in her mind on the cold streets of Quinteburgh. She didn¡¯t think she would ever be moved by male¡¯spliment but that was more than apliment, she realized. That was an expression of desire, the boy¡¯s feelingsid bare. Her mind brewed into a storm. She was well-ustomed to the lustful gazes from men at this point but this was the first, a proper expression without any filthy intent behind. ¡°Am I that easy after all?¡± she asked herself. The more she thought about it, the more flustered her heart was bing, but before the turmoil could expand even further, a greater issue presented itself in front of her. There was ady in front of her, dressed in religious garbs with a hood over her head. She resisted the temptation to use appraisal but upon a closer inspection, she knew even Appraisal would not work. She caught a glimpse of the few strands of red hair under the hood and most of all, she felt the tremendous gap of power between them. And just from the way thedy carried herself, it spoke volume of her prowess and experience. Erin¡¯s mind instantly pieced all the puzzles together. ¡°Aza,¡± Erin muttered in her heart. She braced herself for whatever might happen but she restrained her hand from going for her sword hilt. Aza stopped right in front of Erin. She held her gaze up and met her eyes with Erin¡¯s. Her lips parted. Erin stilled her tumultuous mind. ¡°Pardon me,dy but you¡¯re in the way of the door,¡± Aza said without a hint of any hostility. ¡°Eh? Ah¡­ Um¡­ S-sure,¡± Erin stammered in confusion but she was able to move out of the way for the pdin. ¡°She doesn''t know who am I¡ª? Wait, I''m under the guise of Twilight Veil. If she couldn''t tell, this means... she doesn''t possess Spirit Magic.¡± With that verdict of her own, Erin released a breath that she didn''t even realize she was holding. As Aza entered the Guild building and the door closed behind Erin, the Fox-kin could hear a series of loud gasps and mor from within the building. She could even hear the Guild Master rushing out of her room and down the stairs in seconds to receive the pdin. Erin prayed for the Guild official¡¯s fortune in dealing with Aza and briskly sprinted back to her rooms. An hourter, the town began moring about Aza¡¯s arrival throughout the dead of the night. 2-31 The twelve 2-31 The twelve Despite the arrival of Aza and the circumstances of the town¡¯s economy, Quinteburgh was in full bloom of its festive atmosphere, stemming from the harvest season and the merchant caravans. Though the rumors and whispers were the extent of the trouble Aza¡¯s arrival gave to the town, the Guild held quite the opposite opinion. Especially after the discovery of the court officials¡¯ corruption, the Guild and the town¡¯s governing body was slowly losing their grounds in their talks with the Ruvans. But none of those were Erin¡¯s troubles yet, or at least not directly. It was currently a few hours after the dawn bell, and Erin found herself wandering on the outskirts of Maven¡¯s Creek but not without aim. She had received a letter at dawn, the sender was Velrin Corvas. The contents of the letter detailed the venue of the introduction to other individuals who wished to be pardoned in exchange for their service. For Lyra and Celia¡¯s safety, Erin went alone and it was much easier to travel undetected alone. Besides, this was a meeting with criminals and Velrin vouched for their abilities. Erin thought it to be unwise to involve Lyra in such a potentially dangerous meeting. And so, Erin donned her magic disguise and only dispelled it once she had ventured into the sea of trees outside of the town walls. Contrary to the stories she was told, Erin found the forest surrounding Quintebrugh to be brimming with life and a few adventurers lurking about, carrying on with their lives and work. However, appearance could be deceiving. This ce was only a small part of Maven¡¯s Creek and it could most probably be one of the few ces left still teeming with lives around these parts. After taking about half an hour walk from the gates of Quinteburgh, Erin arrived at the edge of the forests that bordered the town. There was a river spanning the length of a three days journey from the hills in the distance to a smallke near the edge of Maven¡¯s Creek. There were plenty of fishes in the water but no fisherman in sight for the catch. Erin remembered the reason she was told by the Guild Master. It was the usual, monsters and bandits but more bandits than monsterstely due to the aberration happenings. Just a little walk upstream of the river, stood a lonely cabin that was most likely once the storeroom of the local fishermen but long abandoned. From the look of the wooden nks it was made of, it was abandoned long before the aberration happened. The cabin was currently upied by a dozen individuals with some lolling around the old building. Judging from their vignt gaze, Erin knew they were there on lookout. Erin recognized one of them as Velrin, from the cloak she wore, but the others wereplete strangers. Noticing the Fox-kin¡¯s arrival, Velrin briskly walked up to Erin and offered her greetings. Immediately, Erin felt all of the gazes were on her. Some even rushed out of the cabin to catch a glimpse of her. As usual and as expected, they all gasped at her presence. She could faintly hear a few mutterings thatplimented her beauty but all that she heard only made her wish to don her disguise right now and then. ¡°Didn¡¯t think you would actuallye,¡± Velrin said. ¡°Why not?¡± Erin blinked. ¡°Alone, outside in the forest, meeting with a bunch of criminals. Who does that? Who wouldn¡¯t think they were walking right into an ambush?¡± ¡°Me, evidently,¡± Erin retorted. ¡°Why send me the letter if you didn¡¯t think I woulde?¡± Velrin smiled faintly. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you don¡¯t have the best rtionship with your family.¡± ¡°If belittling me is your intention, I will be taking my leave, right after I sent you flying into the cabin for wasting my time.¡± Erin heard a few gasps but some whistled in awe at her choice of words. ¡°I am desperate. If you have anyone close to your heart, you will understand. You have no idea how much my brother means to me and how much the pardoning means to them.¡± Erin gave the individuals behind Velrina a good look. It surprised her that the individuals were young. They were all humans and the oldest one looked the same age as Lyra, a human male, sitting atop the cabin roof and eyeing Erin¡¯s every move. The youngest one was a boy of the age fourteen, bearing scars like a decorated soldier would bear their medals. ¡°There¡¯s more than I thought and they¡¯re all just children, Velrin,¡± Erin said with a hint of dubiety. ¡°Which is why we all wished to be pardoned. We saw what this kind life would be if one persisted in this path. We don¡¯t want that kind of life.¡± ¡°And are they aware they will be going into The Singrity?¡± ¡°They are aware.¡± Erin gave the children another brief nce. ¡°They don¡¯t look strong.¡± ¡°We all have our own strength.¡± Erin sighed. ¡°Voluntary adults are one thing but children? I don¡¯t think I can bear all those risks in good conscience. I¡¯m sending children to their death, knowingly I dare add.¡± ¡°If you turn us away now, you¡¯ll be giving us a much harsher fate. You think our lives will be any better? It won¡¯t. You need us as much as we need you. This is an opportunity for both of us. You get your small army, I get my brother¡¯s freedom, and the rest get their pardon.¡± Erin stared at Velrin, and at the others. Her nce switched back and forth. ¡°How do I know I can trust you all?¡± she asked. Velrin scoffed. ¡°You¡¯re a Fae. We aren¡¯t that stupid to go back on a deal with you or any one of your kind. We rather try our luck lying to a king than a Fae.¡± Erin sighed again. She was a little grateful that the Faerie-kin was a power-hungry bunch. Nevertheless, it had be more difficult than she expected. Most of all, she didn¡¯t expect them to be just children or children who had onlye of age. It didn¡¯t feel right dragging them into what was essentially described as hell by the masses. ¡°Told you a Fae ain¡¯t gonna help us. Excuses after excuses,¡± uttered the oldest individual among them who was still sitting atop of the roof. ¡°Edmund, be quiet. We talked about this. I will handle the talking, the rest keep your mouth shut. Do you really want to bungle this golden opportunity for you all?¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be bungled, Velrin. Do you honestly believe this vixen will help us?¡± ¡°This vixen is standing right here,¡± Erin announced. ¡°I would like to ask our friend here the same thing too, what happens if she goes back on the deal? We helped them and she sent us to the church or to court, what then?¡± ¡°Edmund, keep your fucking mouth shut. Your arrogance and presumptuous nature are the reasons why your lover left you in the first ce, lest you forget. Also, your words have cost us a great deal of trouble long before any non-humans are involved. If you cost us this opportunity too, I will throw you to the Ruvans myself.¡± Feeling her murderous aura rising, the boy named Edmund stammered on his response and ultimately went quiet after. Erin narrowed her gaze at Edmund. Her nose twitched as a faint familiar scent drifted into her nostrils. ¡°Why does he smell familiar¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sorry about him,dy.¡± ¡°You can just call me Erin, Velrin.¡± ¡°B-but you¡¯re a Fae,dy. I-I won¡¯t dare¡ª¡± ¡°Just Erin will do fine, please. I insist. I¡¯m not too particr on titles.¡± ¡°W-well, if you insist, Erin.¡± Erin smiled. ¡°So, what can your friends do? What can you do?¡± ¡°Some of them are good in a fight and some of them can go around undetected. The girl over there knows a bit about poison, subtle but effective.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all?¡± Erin blurted out. ¡°I will be impressed if we¡¯re nning an assassination but¡­ against monsters? I doubt those skills would matter. None of you have any Magic Arts?¡± ¡°If one of us did, that person won¡¯t be here. In all likelihood, they would have already been pardoned and are now living grandly from the luck for having been born with affinity for magic.¡± Erin flinched slightly, once again being reminded of how dull, ability-wise, the average humans were. Erin drew her saber, instantly earning the gasp and caution of everyone within her sense. ¡°Be at ease, all of you. I just want to see how capable the lot of you are.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t trust my words?¡± Velrin asked. ¡°I barely know you and you barely know me. Perhaps you honestly believe in their abilities but I think it will be best for me to be the judge of that, won¡¯t you agree?¡± Velrin understood Erin¡¯s point and she nodded admittedly. ¡°Those whose strength is their brawn, step up.¡± Immediately, a boy with a rtively well-built physique stepped up. For someone of his age, the muscles looked almost awfully out of ce for him. Through Appraisal, Erin found out his name was Gaven and all of his skills were martial-rted. Erin nted her sword into the ground and beckoned for the boy to toss out the first strike. ¡°I don¡¯t hitdies, especially if they are unarmed,¡± said Gaven. Velrin scoffed and crossed her arms. ¡°I vividly recalled how keen you are on taking a swing at me just days ago.¡± ¡°What kind ofdy goes bald on their own ord?¡± Gaven retorted. Erin was just watching the banter with a dumbfounded face. Velrin sighed and pulled down her hood, revealing a face painted with meaningful marks in dark purple ink. Even her lips were painted purple and her head was devoid of even a single strand of hair. At a nce, Velrin¡¯s face reminded Erin of a zealot of some shady cult. Velrin¡¯s preference was a stark contrast to her twin brother, Erin thought. ¡°Even you¡¯re staring,dy,¡± Velrin pointed out. ¡°Forgive me for that but it¡¯s not every day that I found someone using their own face as a canvas.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do this to myself. It¡¯s a result of using Abyss Magic.¡± Erin raised an eyebrow. ¡°Enough about me. Are you going to start any day now?¡± At her words, Erin reeled in her focus. She gestured for Gaven to take the first swing. The others watching held their breaths. ¡°You¡¯re not going to me meter?¡± Gavin questioned. ¡°I¡¯m not that petty, boy,¡± replied Erin. The clenching of his fists sent a loud cracking noise into everyone¡¯s ears. ¡°Don¡¯t call me a boy,¡± Gavin said, raising his fist above his shoulders. ¡°You¡¯re fifteen and judging by your scent,¡± Erin took a sniff, ¡°you¡¯re still a virgin.¡± There were those who stifled theirughs. There were those who looked away in embarrassment and then there was Velrin, who did not bother restraining her chuckles. Red flushed Gaven¡¯s cheeks as he went into his stance. ¡°You ask for it. I ain¡¯t holding back.¡± ¡°Ready when you are,¡± Erin responded. Velrin backed away a considerable distance from the two. Gaven practically threw himself at Erin the moment Velrin was far away enough from them. He unleashed the most obvious straight punch at Erin. ¡°Impulsive and too reliant on his brute strength,¡± Erin remarked in her heart. She easily caught Gavin¡¯s punching arm by the wrist and using his own momentum, she tossed him aside without breaking a sweat. ¡°You know next to nothing about your opponent but you used such an obvious means of attack. Have you only been fighting imbeciles?¡± Gaven groaned in frustration as he pulled himself up. He couldn¡¯t deny what Erin said. He had only brawled with people of the same feathers. It was all duels and fighting in a back alley. He knew he stood no chance against a proper fighter like Erin but his pride would never allow him to back down. He put strength and magic into his next attack but that too was easily seen through by Erin. He couldn¡¯t perceive what transpired but all he knew was that his world was upside down and he was lying on the ground a few feet away from the Fox-kin. ¡°Your attacks are much too obvious. I willmend your strength but even a de and an arrow is useless if it never hit its mark. If you expect monsters to sit around and wait for your punch, you are only deluding yourself, especially if it¡¯s the monsters from The Singrity which are known to be immensely more dangerous than the usual kind.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying we¡¯re useless?¡± asked one of the children from the audience. ¡°Yes,¡± Erin answered. ¡°You lot have the spirit and strength but I can tell youck precision and proper training. The Singrity isn¡¯t like your usual monster-infested forests, at your level, you all will only be marching towards your imminent death.¡± Edmund made a loud click of his tongue. ¡°Told ya all she wouldn¡¯t help.¡± ¡°You want to drag my evaluation of you down further?¡± Erin questioned. ¡°Save your sted words for the naives,¡± Edmund said and got down from the roof. Slowly, he trotted towards Erin. ¡°Cease this pretense, Fae. Just admit you don¡¯t intend to help us in the first ce.¡± ¡°Edmund, what did I say?! Shut your¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, Velrin. Let him,¡± Erin said. She stared straight at Edmund. ¡°Instead of feeding yourself denial, show me you have what it takes, boy,¡± Erin made sure to chew out herst word. Edmundughed. ¡°Big words. I¡¯ll show you that the world doesn¡¯t revolve around the Faerie-kin,¡± he said and threw a dagger that was concealed in his long sleeves. Erin stood her ground and received the dagger, just as Edmund blurred from her view. The dagger hit its mark¡ª the audience gasped¡ª but bounced right off of Erin¡¯s throat. ¡°Did he seriously believe a simple iron dagger could do anything against Arcane Armor? No, I don¡¯t think he even knows about Arcane Armor, going by his confident gaze.¡± Per Erin¡¯s expectation, Edmund reappeared behind her with another dagger in his hand. This time, this dagger was coated in magic but not enough to be considered as Arcane Edge. Erin sighed and used her tails to swat him away like a fly before his de could evene close, though Erin doubted the dagger could touch her skin with Arcane Armor¡¯s protection. Edmund tried to get back up but he could only groan as the pain slowly spread to his whole body. ¡°And that¡¯s two down, both with one hit. Well, Gaven took two hits but a single hit was all it took to put him down. And just so you all understand, my ears and tails aren¡¯t for disy.¡± They all nodded. ¡°Now, who¡¯s next?¡± Erin asked. Velrin stepped forward. ¡°Me.¡± Dark energy was curling around her hands. ¡°I should warn you,dy. You best not underestimate me.¡± ¡°Well, this should be educational for me.¡± 2-32 Abyss Magic 2-32 Abyss Magic Velrin Corvas - Human: Westerion Age: 19 | Level: 23 | Status: None Might: 11 | Arcane: 22 | Finesse: 20 Magic Arts Abyss Magic Lv. 3 Combat Arts Sword Art Lv. 5 | Dual de Art Lv. 3 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 5 | Bow Art Lv. 3 Erin was impressed by Velrin¡¯s stats, she admitted it in her heart. The overall values of her abilities and skills were unarguably better than her twin brother''s. Erin thought this to be sort of ironic considering they were twins. Aside from being impressed, Erin also felt a sense of sympathy. Velrin was level twenty-three at the age of neen. She had Abyss Magic. These facts alone spoke volumes of her hardship and suffering. But right now, sympathy was to be cast aside if she truly wished to gauge Velrin¡¯s strength. Silence took over as dark energy gathered around Velrin. The gallery was ill at ease but not surprised, Erin took this as an indication that everyone here knew about Velrin¡¯s Abyss Magic. The more shocking part to Erin was that Velrin¡¯s Abyss Magic was a level higher than her brother¡¯s at level three. Erin wielded her saber with both hands as she lowered herself into a battle stance. She took a defensive posture on the beckon of her instinct. Her Sixth Sense wasn¡¯t shouting but she did feel it whispering in her mind, cautioning her to be wary of Velrin¡¯s Abyss Magic. ¡°Lady, I advise against you using your main weapon. It will be a shame if such a nice sword gets corroded.¡± ¡°Corroded?¡± ¡°Are you familiar with Abyss Magic?¡± ¡°I must say I¡¯m not.¡± ¡°Here¡¯s a simple advice against Abyss Magic, don¡¯t take it with your de, always evade it.¡± Heeding Velrin¡¯s advice and Sixth Sense¡¯s warning, Erin sheathed her saber and drew her other sword, the rusty iron sword she bought yesterday. The edgesweredulled beyond any probability of leaving a scratch on a person¡¯s skin but the weight and bnce were still excellent. ¡°This will do,¡±Erin surmised. ¡°So, shall we start,¡± Velrin said and unsped her cloak from her shoulders, revealing the skin-tight garbs underneath. There was a pair of swords sheathed behind her waist. She drew them and got into an offensive posture. Erin hid her disappointment when she nced towards acertain ce. The undtion was much too modest, only a little less modest than Lyra.But it¡¯s only a matter of course for such a figure if she was wearing such a garb. Velrin pointed one of her swords at Erin. The dark energy congregated at the tip of her sword. ¡°Oh...¡± Erin muttered before diving out of the way. The ball of dark energy shot out from the tip. There was no explosion as it hit the empty ground. It just razed everything inits path, corroding everything it touches into nothing. The destructive capability was high but not as brazen as Lightning Magic or Fire Magic. ¡°Are you trying to kill me?¡± ¡°If I don¡¯t show you the prime of my abilitiesand my conviction, how else can I elevate your evaluation of me?¡± Velrin said and shot out another dark energy bolt. Erin dodged the bolt, known as Abyss Magic: Aura Shot, and brought her sword up to guard against a blow from Velrin who had closed the gap between them as she was avoiding the deadly projectile. ¡°Aura Shot but of Abyss Magic variant. So such a thing is possible, interesting,¡±Erin mused to herself. Velrin proceeded tond blows after blows without giving Erin the opportunity to catch a breath. Although Erin was cornered, that was only in hindsight. Velrin was good with swords but her technique wasn¡¯t even as refined as Nivia¡¯s. Once Erin deemed she had seen enough, she began to parry the blows. The confidence in Velrin¡¯s face began to copse. [Sixth Sense activated. Danger detected.] Erin widened her eyes. At the same time, Velrin kicked her feet up, throwing a slice of dark energy at Erin. The dark projectile missed its target but took a few strands of Erin¡¯s hair. With her feet still in the air from thest kick, she stomped on the ground with all her might. The ground cracked with dark energy and spikes erupted from the ground, seeking its way towards Erin. ¡°You are fucking with me!¡±Erin yelled in her heart and jumped into the air. But the danger wasn¡¯t over yet. She was immediately greeted with two Aura Shots of dark purplish color. Erin clicked her tongue and used Essence re to burn away the Aura Shots before they could reach her. Shended back on the ground and cast a piercing re at Velrin. ¡°You are really trying to kill me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just showing you how much conviction I have. If you can¡¯t even best me, I have no reason to follow you into a ce that mirrors hell.¡± ¡°You have a point¡­ but¡ª¡± Erin blurred from Velrin¡¯s view and reappeared less than five feet in front of her. ¡°You won¡¯tst if I get serious.¡± Velrin stomped the ground and erupted dark spikes around her. Erin d her tails with Essence re and spun gracefully, disintegrating the spikes that threatened to decay her very being. Velrin seized this window and thrust her swords at Erin as soon as her spinning came to a stop, but Erin stopped her swords using her tails, d in Arcane Armor, as a shield. This time, Velrin clicked her tongue and drew back away from Erin. Erin followed her and unleashed a flurry of attacks at Velrin. The Corvas twin managed to receive and parry every single strike but it wasn¡¯t something she could continue doing. Her strength, speed, and technique were no match against Erin¡¯s. She understood Erin was just being lenient. That fact irked her to no end. She managed to trap Erin¡¯s swing with the crossguard of her des. She stomped the ground again and the ground shook with dark energy brimming from the cracks forming. Erin murmured something and stomped her foot too. The dark energy seeping out from the cracks was dissipated by cyan mes also brimming in between the cracks.¡°Huh, what do you know, it works for me too.¡± Velrin pushed Erin away from the de lock and sheathed her swords. She syed out her hands and a big magic circle of dark purplish color manifested in front of her palms. Javelins of the same color slowly emerged from the circle. ¡°Velrin! What are you doing? Are you insane!?¡± shouted Edmund from the sidelines. The others also began to yell at her to stop. The markings on Velrin¡¯s face spread slightly, Erin noticed. ¡°Is that some sort of bacsh from using Abyss Magic?¡± ¡°My bad,dy. I shouldn¡¯t have held back against you,¡± Velrin said, a deviant smile crept up on her face. Erin threw mes of Essence re at the circle but the mes died out before it could burn away the whole circle. ¡°Toorge to be burned¡­ huh...¡± ¡°Witness the power of the abyss,¡± Velrin said and a flurry of javelins shot out from the circle. Erin twisted her body a little and spread her tails apart, and that was all it took for her to evade the javelins. However, when she nced back over her shoulders, the damages the javelins caused were nothing to jest about. It was also fortunate that no one was behind her. Velrinughed. ¡°There¡¯s more,dy.¡± Another set of javelins emerged from the persisting magic circle. Erin sighed and dash straight at Velrin. Everyone gasped at her action with widened eyes, including Velrin herself. Erin d her fist with Arcane Armor and Essence re. Just as the javelins of darkness were about to beunched from the magic circle, Erin shattered it with a straight punch. A louder gasp from the audience ensued. ¡°Whoa, that was too close.¡± Velrin dropped her jaws and slowly stumbled back away from Erin. Her eyes affixed to the Fox-kin in breathless amazement. ¡°Now I understand how you¡¯re able to survive an encounter with the Razor Grizzly. Lord Hegan struck gold by hiring you as his guard. The applications of your skills aren¡¯t bad and your technique is good. However, your reliance on your Abyss Magic is a little too much. What happens if your opponent is immune to Abyss Magic, what then?¡± ¡°There¡¯s not a whole lot of monsters who are immune to Abyss Magic.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a zero, Velrin. And it¡¯s The Singrity we¡¯re going into. There¡¯s no telling what kind of monsters we will be facing. You need a contingency n. Do you have one?¡± ¡°My brain and my trusty des.¡± ¡°Evidently, they¡¯re not so trusty considering it failed to pierce my Arcane Armor.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a Fae. It only stands to reason your spells will be strong.¡± Erin sighed. ¡°That is beside the point. If I was being serious and if I was wielding my main sword, you would have died.¡± Velrin remained silent to those words. ¡°Well, anyone else would like to try?¡± Erin asked as she looked around. The others only gave each other nces. No one stepped forward. Erin sighed, again. ¡°How about this? All of you who have yet to step forward,e at me at the same time.¡± The gallery went into an outcry. Insults were thrown. ¡°The results are already obvious if it¡¯s an individual fight but mayhaps the lot of you are able to impress me with your teamwork?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the catch?¡± asked one of them. ¡°No catch. Come at me with all you got.¡± ¡°What if we hurt you? Badly.¡± ¡°Then I will say congrattions but we can talk about that once that bridge is crossed. As it stands, none of you here are capable of giving me a single scratch.¡± The outcry became louder. ¡°Less rabbling, you lot. Juste at me.¡± ¡°You sure about this?¡± Velrin asked. ¡°Not really but¡­ I am curious about my own limits. So, let¡¯s do this.¡± ¡°You heard the Fae. Charge!¡± With one of them as the impetus, the rest followed, each brandishing their own weapon of choice at the Fox-kin. **** Erin was a little worried about her victory prospects but those worries revealed themselves to be needless in the end. None of the children were able tond so much as a scratch on Erin. Their individual power wasn¡¯t something to be underestimated neither was their teamwork but nevertheless, they couldn¡¯t triumph over Erin and the Fox-kin herself knew why. Erin stared at the children who were slumping on the ground, gathering their breaths. ¡°I think I see the problem in all of you.¡± ¡°Oh yeah? And what would that be?¡± asked Edmund who was in worse shape than before. He had tried to sneak an attack on Erin but the Fox-kin caught him and gave him a good smacking, which was why he was lying on his belly instead of his posterior. ¡°Your over-reliance on your levels.¡± Everyone blinked in confusion. ¡°Level is not everything. The growth of your mind and instincts are independent of your level. You have failed toy a scratch on me because of your level dependence. You expect your level to be some sort of miraculous tool that will grant you wishes. You can have the sharpest de in your hands but it will be worthless to you if you don¡¯t know how to swing a sword.¡± Edmund scoffed. ¡°Tell that to the upper stratum of criminal organizations. Levels are everything to them. You can have the brightest mind but they will choose the most idiotic person in the room for simply having the highest level.¡± ¡°But we¡¯re not making a criminal organization here, we¡¯re going into The Singrity. High levels without the brains toplement it will yield a result no different than going into that ce under-leveled. I believe my abilities are just barely enough to survive the dangers of The Singrity. If none of you here can even hurt me, how will you fare in The Singrity?¡± Every one of them clicked their tongue in a self-deprecating manner. ¡°In conclusion, none of you here are ready.¡± ¡°Is that it? What about my brother? What about the pardon?¡± Velrin asked. Erin smiled wryly. ¡°You are mistaken, Velrin. I¡¯m not the one granting your pardon. I¡¯m merely the advocate. The court¡¯s pardon is an exchange. Your service for this town in exchange for your freedom. They won¡¯t grant you your pardon if you can give nothing in exchange.¡± ¡°So this all for nothing?¡± Edmund asked. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that. Who knows, get stronger, and you might enlist your service with a pardon as your reward.¡± The children began to whisper among themselves. ¡°Speaking of which, what about you, Velrin?¡± Erin questioned. ¡°You don¡¯t sound particrly concerned about your own name. Did Lord Hegan somehow pardonedyou?¡± ¡°My crimes are not pardoned but as long as I¡¯m under Lord Hegan¡¯s employment, I am considered free of all implications.¡± Erin raised an eyebrow. ¡°How did he manage that?¡± Velrin rubbed her fingers. ¡°Ah, of course.¡±Erin shrugged. ¡°I assumed you have already made the same request to your employer?¡± ¡°Yes, I had but my brothermitted a grave crime. The Ruvans are involved in the implication of my brother and they are certainly not swayed by gold.¡± ¡°Figures¡­¡± Erin sighed in her heart. A tinge of sorrow touched her heart. Shesaw the potential in all of them and she saw their convictions, and also their desperation. They hated their current way of life and they were giving their all. However, the results they produced were subpar. Erin wanted to help them but there was only so much she could do. Soon, the time for them to take their leave hade. They all their lives and jobs to return to. Everyone left the ce with downhearted gazes. It pained Erin to see those eyes but there was nothing she could do at the moment. She could vouch for them, persuade the court using her status, but in the end, the one passing the verdict was the court itself, not her. She didn¡¯t think the court would be so generous to pardon them all, even though they were just children, without any benefits to gain from the act. What¡¯s more, Erin had her own problems to deal with. She believed one has no right to meddle in others¡¯ problems if one can barely take care of their own problems. ¡°So much for peaceful sailing...¡± Erin was about to make her return too when a familiar scent drifted into her nose. The pungent scent that had made her on alert during her journey from Green Scar to Maven¡¯s Creek. She drew her saber and went into her stance. She nced around, making sure all of the children had left. She surveyed her surroundings but nothing came into sight. Her nose, however, was picking the pungent scent clearly. It was strange. She knew who it was and what they were capable of and liable to do. However, her Sixth Sense gave her no warning. ¡°I know you¡¯re there. Show yourself!¡± Erin said out loud. From behind the trunk of a tree near the riverbank on the other side, Kane stepped into the sunlight from the shade. His current appearance was a far cry from thest time Erin had seen him. He looked as if he had aged twenty years and his body was riddled all over with the Magic Ry rods. Blood wasn¡¯t trickling from anywhere on his body but scars were abundant. Upon a closer look, his body was smeared in blood but it was long dried-up. ¡°What the fuck happened to him¡­.?¡± Erin quickly appraised him and found that he was still alive and his race remained human, although there was Enthralledbeside his Alive status. His level was now twenty-five but the only skills he had was a level five Brawler, a level three Body Strengthening, and a level three Iron Skin. ¡°Today¡­ I will have my revenge, Vixen!¡± Kane shouted in a hollow voice, his nails extending into ws. 2-33 Paths crossed 2-33 Paths crossed As Kane was about to leap, something held him back. His body froze just as his right foot was raised. His gaze turned nk as if the life of him were pulled from his body. The ws reverted back into mere nails. The sudden turn of events had only made Erin strengthen her vignce and guard. Red lightning began to re up like an aura around Kane. Life returned to his gaze but Erin recognized those gaze not as his own. The pupils shrunk at the sight of Erin. ¡°We met again¡­ well, sort of,¡± Erin remarked. The possessed Kane dropped his feet and straightened his posture. His gaze turned into a re, directed at Erin. ¡°Once again, you have escaped my grasp. Not even my strongest thrall was able to apprehend you.¡± Erin raised her brows when she heard those coherent words. There was no dragging and rasping in between. The reason she could think of was the state of the body the Necromancer was using as a medium. ¡°I don¡¯t know if this is simply a testament of your skill or fortune. Nevertheless, I will have no more of that. You will regret your meddling, I will make sure.¡± ¡°You have already failed to kill me more than twice. I doubt yourpetence and your thralls¡¯.¡± The Necromancer chuckled with a sneer. ¡°I will not kill you,¡± he said. ¡°Sure, and I don¡¯t have a co¡ª cunt.¡± ¡°Your death wille but first, I will make you suffer. I will see to it that you regret being meddlesome. I will make you wish you hadn¡¯t crossed me.¡± As typically condescending as the Necromancer sounded, Erin narrowed her gaze. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± He scoffed with a smile. ¡°You¡¯ll see. Who knows, perhaps those who survive, wille to you,ying all the me on your meddling.¡± He chuckled again. ¡°I won¡¯t kill you but I will hurt you bad.¡± ¡°Failure is the foundation of sess, your persistence is admirable.¡± ¡°Say what you wish, you¡¯re already toote.¡± The Necromancer clicked his tongue and withdrew its consciousness from Kane¡¯s body. The red lightning dissipated. Kane gasped and groaned as he resumed control of his body. ¡°That damn fiend¡­ interfering with my revenge...¡± ¡°Huh¡­ I¡¯m guessing this particr... arrangement is mutual.¡± ¡°Mutual?¡± Kane spat. ¡°Like I will ever work with that abomination. I am just using him.¡± ¡°More like he¡¯s using you.¡± ¡°Enough dys. I will see you dead.¡± Kane grew ws on his hands once again and leaped across the river in a single kick. His ws bared. Erin cast Mystic de on her saber but her vision whirled and the feeling of having one¡¯s soul sundered assaulted her, like her body was torn into pieces from the inside out. Strangely enough, it didn¡¯t hurt. She almost fell from the queer sensation but her tails and Sixth Sense kept her standing. The tranquil blue glow on her de faded off. ¡°Is this how it feels like to have your lifespan shortened?¡± ¡°Die!¡± Kane screamed out his desperation. Erin raised her saber in response but her body wobbled. She threw away her defensive stance and dodged the swipe by an inch. Kane attacked again but she could only dodge. She still had her focus but her body refused toply. ¡°Damn it! Have I been using too much Mystic de as ofte? Come to think of it¡­ I had been using it a lot.¡± Kane thrust out his ws and Erin was barely able to parry it. Indignance painted his expression and heshed out his ws without any rationality. Erin evaded the attacks that she couldn¡¯t block or parry. Even though she wasn¡¯t at her best, her defeat was a far cry, and Kane noticed it too. He cried and shouted but no words were spoken as he assaulted with no traces of elegance or grace. ¡°Fine, Arcane Edge it is then.¡± Erin cast Arcane Edge on her saber and swung at Kane. Kane raised his arm and her saber bounced off his skin. Heughed when he saw the Fox-kin¡¯s weapon was ineffective against him. He countered and almost caught the Fox-kin by her arm but her tails, d in Arcane Armor, fended him off. ¡°Fucking bollocks,¡± Erin cursed. ¡°That¡¯s no level three Iron Skin.¡± ¡°Oh, you have Appraisal.¡± Kane scoffed. ¡°Figures, but my real power transcends the mere numbers projected in one¡¯s mind. Your reliance on your Appraisal skill will be your downfall!¡± Kane roared and charged straight at Erin. Erin sighed and a snigger followed. ¡°Perhaps I will be in a difficult situation if I was still limiting myself to the sword.¡± ¡°What?¡± Kane blurted as he was baffled by the confidence in Erin¡¯s face. Erinzily raised her free arm up and syed open her palm. ¡°Have a taste of thunder, you hopeless brute,¡± she said with an exasperated tone. A bolt of lightning shot out from her palm and struck Kane square in the spot just above his chest. The air rippled and he was sent tumbling backwards across the damp soil. ¡°What¡­ the fuck!¡± Kane groaned as he struggled to get up. ¡°Your spell conjures quick¡­ preposterous!¡± ¡°I agree. I am preposterous but¡­ that will be overstating at this point.¡± Kane got up, his chest from being struck the spell by Erin was charred ck with a small hole. ¡°W-why¡­ am I still... feeling pain¡­?¡± he groaned. ¡°Good to know,¡± Erin said. She shot out another bolt of lightning but this time, Kane dodged low and the bolt went over his head. He snickered gleefully at his trivial sess. Erin wasn¡¯t disheartened. In her experience, the same attack usually lost its effectiveness after its first usage. She infused lightning into her saber and dashed towards Kane with Fleet Foot. Kane shrieked at her speed, too shocked to properly respond against Erin¡¯s fatal assault. Heraised and crossed his arms, or at least he tried to. Erin thrust faster than he could raise his arms. Erin¡¯s de impaled Kane through the point between his throat and chest. There was a lot of resistance from Iron Skin but since it was severely weakened by her prior lightning attack, her de went through. Kane¡¯sst words weren¡¯t even words but a single gasp of disbelief. Hisst gaze was filled with his denial towards his demise. Erin pulled out her sword and coated Arcane Edge on the lightning-infused de. She spun into a wide swing and lopped Kane¡¯s head off. [Experience gained +30% - Level Progression: 100%] [Erinthea - Lv 17 increased to Lv 18] [Ability Points gained +2] [Skill Points gained +2] As soon as Kane¡¯s lifeless and headless body fell to the ground, red lightning red up once again. ¡°Oh¡­ what a sore loser.¡± Erin wasted no time in kicking the corpse into the river and hid behind trees. A few seconds after, an explosion erupted from the river, raising tides of water and throwing fishes into the air. Some fish made it back into the water but somended on drynd. She slumped to the ground, a heavy sigh escaped her mouth. A few curses also leaked through her supple lips. The words of the Necromancer from before were still lingering in her head,tching on to her mind like a parasite. The Necromancer made it clear he wanted her to suffer and going by her experience with this sort of threat, it could only mean that he intended to hurt the ones she cared for. Lyra and Celia were the first ones in Erin¡¯s mind but they were safe in town, safe from the Necromancer at least. With all the Pdins around, there was no one a practitioner of death magic or its minions could slip past the Pdins¡¯ notice. So Erin ruled out the two as the possible victims. ¡°Green Scar¡¯s town...¡± Erin muttered to herself. Unlike Quinteburgh, the borders were merely wooden fences. It could never hope to stop something akin to a monster stampede. Sweat began to drip and anxiety set in the more she thought about it. However, her rising heartbeat slowed down when Aedan came into the picture. ¡°With him there, he would never allow anything to happen to the town.¡± Though Erin told herself as such, she wasn¡¯tpletely assured. Aedan¡¯s powers were greatly limited at present. There was no telling if he was capable of protecting every single townsfolk by himself. ¡°I must warn them,¡± Erin decided. As she prepared to return to town, her ears picked up approaching footsteps. Going by the scent of the polished metal smell, it was either town guards or Pdins, or both. When the faint smell of incense came, she concluded there was at least a Pdin among the footsteps. Erin followed the river and went downstream, opposite of the direction to the town. At the end of the stream was a pond, there was a path on the side that would take her to the east entrance of the town. If she took the same route back to town, she would surely be seen and suspected. She decided to take the long way around and return through the other entrances. As she ran, the Necromancer¡¯s words kepting back to haunt her. She couldn¡¯t get rid of the thought that someone she knew would be hurt in the Necromancer¡¯s attack. The only way she could calm her heart and mind was repeatedly reminding herself Aedan was there. Still, the memory of a city being devastated by a Goblin horde resurfaced in her mind and it only made her trepidation worse. She picked up her pace and rushed towards the east gate. ¡°What¡¯s the rush, mdy?¡± The cold sounding voice froze Erin¡¯s body in ce. She turned her head to her right, where the voice came from. A woman in priestess garbs was there, standing in between trees with a hood over her head. Erin sniffed the air to be sure; she couldn¡¯t pick up any smell from the priestess in front of her. The priestess took a step closer to her. Erin¡¯s eyes widened at the fact that her step made no sound. As the priestess stepped out into the light from the shade, Erin could finally see the few strands of red hair under the hood. Coupled with the immense aura Erin was feeling from the priestess, the clergy woman¡¯s identity became obvious. Erin had just encountered herst night but this time, she didn¡¯t have Twilight Veil to hide her face. ¡°A Fox-kin, three tails, tall, unparalleled beauty, swords¡ª you must be Lady Erinthea,¡± Aza guessed. Her voice was low but it reached Erin¡¯s ears. ¡°You know me?¡± ¡°Of course I do,¡± Aza said, smiling ambiguously. ¡°You¡¯re thetest rage around these parts.¡± ¡°And you must be Aza,¡± Erin replied. ¡°My reputation certainly precedes me. May I know what you¡¯re doing out here, Lady Erinthea? I don¡¯t wish to implicate you but you were running away from my colleagues. Suspicious, is it not?¡± ¡°I was attacked by someone. I retaliate. In hisst moment of death, my assant used a spell to blow himself up but I avoided hisst act of desperation.¡± ¡°And who might be that someone?¡± ¡°Kane. An adventurer.¡± ¡°And why would he attack you?¡± ¡°Ask anyone in Green Scar. He¡¯s a scum and I was always there to stop his foul acts. He built a petty grudge out of that.¡± ¡°Making himself explode as ast act of desperation, that kind of spell is ssified as forbidden. To be able to cost thatrge of an explosion, he must be quite a Mage but I doubt that. I would have heard of him if he was some adept Mage. He¡¯s not.¡± ¡°No longer my problem anymore and neither should it be yours, Aza. Now if you¡¯ll excuse me, I have an urgent matter to attend to.¡± A sword manifested into Aza¡¯s hand and she ¡°blinked¡± into Erin¡¯s path. ¡°I don''t think so, Lady Erinthea. You are a suspect of a likely crime. I can¡¯t let you off, not without a few more questions.¡± ¡°Damn it, I already said I have an urgent matter. I have no time for this farce of yours.¡± ¡°Farce? Could you be one of those that believes all the bad rumors about us Pdins?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. I am short on time, Aza. Please move.¡± ¡°If we¡¯re going down this road, you will regret this, I guarantee you.¡± ¡°Move!¡± Erin raised her voice. ¡°I can¡¯t do that, Lady Erinthea. I¡ª¡± Aza stopped just as she was about to unsheath her sword. She stared nkly at Erin. Her hand hesitating on drawing her sword. She remembered the warning she was given. She remembered those words clearly. She didn¡¯t want to give in to those fears but¡­ this wasn¡¯t about her pride, this was about the risk of raising the ire of a Dragon. She would be going against her Faith and duty if she let Erin go but it was either this or risk angering the Dragon. She refrained from shouting out her frustration with great difficulty. She cared not if she was written up by her masters but her pride on the hand, she would not allow it to be trampled, but who was she to say otherwise of a Dragon¡¯s threat. She had no intentions to harm the Fox-kin but Dragons weren¡¯t known to be rational or reasonable. That was a ho nest she couldn¡¯t afford to poke. Erin remained on guard but confusion stered her face at Aza¡¯s action, or rather, inaction. Aza eventually willed her sword away and rxed her stance. With her crossed look, she stepped out of Erin¡¯s way and walked off, but not before leaving parting words. ¡°Outworlder, your guardian angel¡­ I will return the humiliation, one day.¡± And she disappeared into the trees. ¡°Outworlder¡­ she knew?¡± Erin breathed. ¡°How....? And who¡¯s my guardian angel? She couldn¡¯t be talking about Nyx, could she?¡± More problems had beset upon her. A Pdin, Aza of all people, knew about her secret. And she had a guardian angel, who supposedly was the reason Aza let her go. Aedan came into her mind but she dismissed it. She came upon no exnation that Aedan could be the reason. ¡°Unless Aedan had done something to me without me being aware... He couldn¡¯t have¡­ Wait. Lust Deviant had been dormanttely. The only ones who knew about it were Lyra and Aedan. Lyra is definitely not the reason, which leaves¡­ Aedan¡­ What did he do¡­?¡± The cerebration ended with Erin groaning to herself even louder. She didn¡¯t arrive at an answer. She was aware she had been shelving a lot of problems for her future self but she could only do this for so long before everything came bursting out. However, now was no time to be pondering about those things. She remembered the Necromancer¡¯s words once again and sped through the forest, reaching the east gate just before more Pdins were dispatched into the forest. Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Three-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 18 | Status: Moderate Exhaustion Might: 20 | Arcane: 25 | Finesse: 22 Magic Arts - Spirit Magic Lv. 8 | Arcane Edge Lv. 5 | Arcane Armor Lv. 6 | Lightning Magic Lv. 4 Combat Arts - Sword Art Lv. 7 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 5 Innate Skills - Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 1 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex Unique Talent - Mystic de Lv. Ex | Revenant Lv. Ex Level Progression: 0% Remaining Skill Points: 10 Remaining Ability Points: 4 2-34 Maven鈥檚 Respite 2-34 Maven¡¯s Respite Without minding about being conspicuous in her real appearance, Erin rushed through the streets and straight toward the za where Iris¡¯ ¡°humble¡± abode was. There were a few guards who were about to stop her but upon noticing who she was, they hastily made way for her. With the festivities still ongoing, beelining was impossible. Instead, Erin took to the roofs and traversed from atop of the buildings. She heard a few shouts andints of her antics but as expected, they kept their silence upon realizing her identity. Under five minutes, Erin reached the za of the inn district. The ostentatious tent at the centre was still as ring as she remembered. From the view atop the roofs, the tent was simply unbefitting of its cement. ¡°Hmm?¡± Erin murmured to herself upon noticing thex attitude of the guards around the tent. This sort of attitude was a telltale sign that one¡¯s employer wasn¡¯t in the vicinity. When she asked the guards, they only told her she was in the Gold District for some business affairs. However, they didn¡¯t know specifically where Iris was but to Erin, it was good enough. There were plenty of ways Erin could track Iris down considering her reputation. Her beauty alone was enough to leave a deep impression even on those who weren¡¯t in the know of her standing. Erin was about to rush there without a thought but a glimpse of a few finely dressed individuals passing by reminded her of her own wardrobe. There was no way she would be allowed into the noble area in this manner of attire consisting of a in white tunic under somemon leather armor. Erin entered Iris¡¯ tent and asked the attending maids for some suitable garbs for the Gold District. To Erin¡¯s surprise, the maids obediently heeded her request and graciously gave her, not lent, a set of apparels that spelled femininity and authority. What surprised Erin even more was how fitting the apparels were to her figure. She asked the maids but they all kept their silence. Erin decided to save the question forter and rushed to the Gold District after thanking the maids. The Gold District was quite detached from themon folks¡¯ area and there were even bridges above canals that made the divide excessively obvious. Couple of guards stood at the end of the crossing withrge steel grate gates to further the emphasis of the wealth gap. ¡°Level thirties and above¡­ they ain¡¯t fooling around.¡± The nobles took their security seriously, Erin surmised. The lowest level guard in the district was at least level thirty and the levels went as high as level fifty. ¡°My name is Erinthea and I have business with Lady Iris of the Eternal Moon,¡± Erin announced once she reached the gate. Her sudden appearance put the guards intobat-ready stances. A guard stood in her way, wielding a pike and a look of superiority that was all smiles. He was also one of the few men that Erin had met who was taller than her. ¡°Only nobles and those with a pass are allowed entry into this district,¡± said the guard with a smug. ¡°My business with her is urgent. I suggest you allow me to enter.¡± The guardughed. ¡°Your status as a Fae holds no power here, little girl. Unlike others, I¡¯m not so dimwitted or cowardly to be intimidated by a naive Fae. Your privilege does not scare me.¡± ¡°Damn¡­ is the extent of my influence as a Fae?¡± Erin questioned herself. ¡°What are you still doing here, Fae? You heard what I said, now scram!¡± She knew the consequences would be dire but she didn¡¯t have time to care about consequences now. Just as she was about to draw her sword against the level thirty guard, a voice erupted. ¡°What are you doing, rookie!?¡± The level thirty guard cocked his head back slowly. ¡°C-captain?¡± he stuttered. A man in heavy silver armor approached the two. Erin fought down the urge to appraise him. ¡°Do you not know who thisdy is? Or were you dozing off during the briefing?¡± ¡°B-but sir! She doesn¡¯t have a pass and she¡¯s not a noble¡­ So...¡± ¡°She¡¯s a close acquaintance of Lady Iris and she has the advocacy of two Guild Masters. Putting aside those two facts, she is a starred adventurer. So tell me honestly, were you asleep during the briefing.¡± The guard couldn¡¯t respond but merely gagging on excuses he couldn¡¯t throw out. ¡°Save your excuse, rookie. You are dismissed but before you leave, make sure the chamber pots are spotless. Dismissed.¡± Color was drained from the guard¡¯s face. ¡°Y-yes sir...¡± he said and left with a downcast gaze. ¡°Apologise about that, Lady Erinthea,¡± the captain said with a slight bow. ¡°I will have one of my men escort you to Maven¡¯s Respite. ¡°Maven¡¯s Respite?¡± ¡°A bathhouse.¡± ¡°B-bath house? You misunderstood, captain. I¡¯m here to see Lady Iris. Why¡ª¡± ¡°And there is where herdyship is, Lady Erinthea. We were told to escort you to her should youe looking for her.¡± ¡°I-I see...¡± Erin muttered, confusion written all over her face. ¡°What in heaven¡¯s name is she doing in a bathhouse? Isn¡¯t she here for business?¡± **** Erin realized she had misunderstood what a bathhouse was. She had taken the name literally. The ce she was escorted to was a pce-esque building of one of the most grandiose designs in the Gold District. The security was even stricter than the streets of Gold District itself. One thing that stood out to Erin ever since she entered the Gold District was the absence of Pdins or any clergies. In fact, she didn¡¯t even see a single person in this district wearing a single piece of faith articles. It became evident to Erin that the nobles, in this town at least, shunned the teachings of religions. It wasn¡¯t hard for Erin to guess why. The indulgence of nobles was always at odds with a faith¡¯s creed, such as this ¡°bathhouse¡±. Once inside the bathhouse, Erin¡¯s escort was switched to a stewardess of Maven¡¯s Respite as only guests, aside from staff, were allowed inside the building for an extended period. At Iris¡¯ discretion, Erin was treated as an honorary guest. Erin was once again being reminded of Iris¡¯ influence and power. She held no doubt the Umbrum might even be the wealthiest person in this town. All the rooms in this pce amodates a vast pool for what was known as recreational bathing. It wasn¡¯t as simple as taking a bath. There weredies of marriageable age and above average appearance attending to the guests. Since thedies were the main attraction, it was considerably less popr with the female poption. There were no men of the same criteria to cater to the women. ¡°That¡¯s pretty unfair. And the women said nothing?¡± Erin asked. ¡°Of course they did,¡± replied the stewardess. ¡°But the arrangement isn¡¯t without reason. Husbands are afraid their wives would be seduced by the service men.¡± ¡°And their wives don¡¯t have the same concern?¡± ¡°They have but infidelity of men are all toomon in the kingdom, a human kingdom, Lady Erinthea. And yes, it¡¯s aplete hypocrisy.¡± ¡°So, a patriarchy system at work... Typical. Something just doesn¡¯t change even in different worlds.¡± ¡°However, there is a special service for thedies.¡± Erin raised an eyebrow. ¡°It is quite costly even for a noble. The service of soft boys that are one or two years away from the first crack of their voice.¡± Erin shuddered visibly. The stewardess noticed it and immediately apologized. ¡°Forgive me for myck of discretion, Lady Erinthea. This must have been quite a shock to know for a Fae. Truly, many apologies, Lady Erinthea.¡± Although the stewardess tried to remain calm, it was clear she was greatly terrified by her great blunder of making a Fae feeling ufortable. Erin waved it off and asked that she spoke no more of the subject. And so, they walked on in silence, with one of them in deep trepidation of her future in the next few hours. Erin lost count of the hallways she had walked through before finally arriving in front of a twinrge doors that gave off the feel of utmost superiority inparison to the other rooms in the bath house. The borders of suchrge doors were ornamented with actual gold and silver. ¡°This is our most expensive and luxurious offer in Maven¡¯s Respite,¡± the stewardess said as she gently pushed open the doors. Contrary to the door¡¯s size, the hinges and design made it light enough to be opened with a gentle push. ¡°Ah, Erin. You¡¯re finally here,¡± said Iris joyously as soon as Erin entered the room. ¡°Please,e in. You¡¯re wee to enjoy the baths too.¡± The Umbrum herself was soaking in the waters in all bare and to Erin¡¯s disbelief, she didn¡¯t have anydies or boys attending her. She was alone in the room with no one to attend to her. Setting aside theck of service boy or girls, Erin was treated to a sight of the reality of what wealth could buy. She thought Iris¡¯ abode was ostentatious but this room took the cake. She couldn¡¯t help but let out a gasp of awe. The stewardess took her leave after giving the two a bow. Erin didn¡¯t miss the sigh of relief she let off just as the doors closed. ¡°The water is warm and possesses healing properties, for the mind and body. If it''s payment you¡¯re worried about, you don¡¯t need to. It¡¯s all covered by me. So, enjoy yourself, Erin.¡± As soon as Iris finished her exnation, she spread her arms out and once again leaned back against the edge of the pool and allowed herself to sink into enjoyment with her eyes closed. ¡°I¡¯m not here for pleasure purposes. This is something urgent, Iris. I implore you to listen to me with your full attention.¡± ¡°I am as focused as I will ever be. Just speak,¡± Iris replied without sparing a nce. ¡°Green Scar is going to be attacked by a monster horde.¡± ¡°Ah, so that is the case,¡± came the unexpected response from Iris. ¡°Y-you knew about it? How?¡± Iris tittered. ¡°Do you still need to ask?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, I don¡¯t. But what I do want to ask is why are you just sitting here and doing nothing?!¡± No immediate answer came from Iris. She wriggled herself to a morefortable position before answering. ¡°The town has Aedan, do you not remember?¡± As irked as Erin was by Iris¡¯ nonchnt attitude, Erin refrained herself from leering at the nubile body of Iris who was tantly disying for Erin¡¯s eyes to feast. ¡°He¡¯s capable of repelling a monster horde?¡± Erin asked. ¡°Well, he could definitely repel the horde but¡­ in his current state, he won¡¯t be able to do it without casualties even if all the able-bodies banded up together. No doubt there will be a lot of casualties and death. We have only one option right now if the oue of your desire is to see the town of Green Scare out intact from this conundrum.¡± ¡°And what would that be?¡± ¡°Let the Ruvans know.¡± Erin narrowed her gaze. ¡°You¡¯re joking.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m not, my dear Erin. The Ruvans are the only one who currently have the adequate forces and strength tobat this threat effectively. Especially with Aza in town. Most of the soldiers in Maven¡¯s Creek have only been a guard for their whole life, they have no experience in a battlefield. The seasoned ones are in the employment of the nobles. The nobles surely won¡¯t dispatch their own army just to send aid to a small town in the middle of nowhere.¡± ¡°Even if I use my persuasion?¡± ¡°Even that. They tend to be stubborn at the wrong times. It¡¯s safe to say the nobles would prioritize their gold and resources even if it means raising a Fae¡¯s ire. Therefore, the Ruvan Pdins are your best bet. Well, your only bet to be precise.¡± Erin fell silent. Her mind was whirling, trying toe up with an alternative to seeking the assistance of an obnoxious religious order. ¡°And before you even think about it, I beg you sincerely to not put yourself into harm¡¯s way. You are only an individual, not an army.¡± Erin clicked her tongue. ¡°All things considered, this is the only course of action, Erin. I know the consequences will be unsavory for a lot of people.¡± ¡°How unsavory are we talking about? How much will the Ruvans grow if they seed in repelling the horde.¡± ¡°A church will be built in Green Scar, for one. The people will put more trust in the Pdins more than the nobles and soldiers. Oh, and you may be seeing more Pdins which are deeply zealous about their beliefs in the future. But there is a chance all of these might not happen at all.¡± Erin raised an eyebrow. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I have taken the liberty to look further into Aza. Cost quite a bit of gold.¡± ¡°Judging by the smile on your face, I reckon it was worth it?¡± Iris chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s up for discussion. You see, I was told that Aza has spoken with the Goddess Ruva herself.¡± ¡°Spoken? In what way?¡± ¡°Whatever way they use to speak with their gods. Point is, Aza¡¯s belief in Ruvanity isn¡¯t unfounded or blind, unlike your typical zealots. She¡¯s not doing this for glory, gold, or a sense of purpose. She genuinely wishes to do some good, as long as the means do not cross a certain line. Whatever that line is.¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying everything will just go back to the way it was after the Ruvans¡¯ intervention?¡± Iris shrugged. ¡°Not surely but maybe. Aza doesn¡¯t seek to expand the Ruvans¡¯ influence. In fact, she didn¡¯t think constant expansion would do the faith any good.¡± ¡°She sure sounds different than what rumors typically say about a Pdin.¡± ¡°She sure does but there is a chance this information is nothing but false.¡± ¡°How high are the chances of this information being false?¡± Erin asked. ¡°...Less than ten percent,¡± Iris answered after a short silence. ¡°...Then, that¡¯s good enough for me,¡± Erin said and turned around. ¡°Leaving so soon?¡± Iris asked. ¡°You have somece to be?¡± ¡°To let the Ruvans know, what else do you think?¡± Iris chuckled. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that,¡± she said and conjured up a shadowy snake in her palm. She ced it on the floor and let it slithered away into the walls. ¡°There, that takes care of that. That snake you just saw is a familiar of mine. It will inform my subordinates of what to do.¡± ¡°Just what manner of spell is that?¡± ¡°Familiar summoning but of Shadow Magic varietal. You should learn it too. It¡¯s quite handy, especially when you want to pass on a message, seek someone out, or have someone followed.¡± Iris said thest words with a wink. ¡°So I¡¯ve heard,¡± Erin retorted dryly. ¡°Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me, I should be leaving.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the rush, Erin? Everything has been taken care of.¡± ¡°That doesn''t mean I can''t do more.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing more you can do currently for the circumstances. Unless of course, you have other unrted engagements. If that¡¯s the case, I won¡¯t stop you. Although, you have been quite busy recently.¡± Erin red. ¡°What''s it to you?¡± ¡°I say you deserve some rest. You hid it well but it is not perfect. Your exhaustion is clear to my eyes.¡± Erin couldn''t refute. She was feeling a little bit worn out but the pressing matters at hand did not allow her any peace of mind. ¡°These baths are just right for someone of your condition. So join me, Erin.¡± Erin nced at the vast pool and the decor of the room. It was too extravagant for the taste. There was no way she could rest easy. ¡°I¡¯ll get some rest but just no here, Iris.¡± ¡°You sure? The waters here are really astounding, you know. It¡¯ll make your skin gleam and your tails softer to the touch.¡± Hearing Iris¡¯st sentence, Erin¡¯s ears perked up. ¡°I-it will¡­?¡± Iris opened her eyes. She directed a gaze at Erin and smiled. ¡°Of course. That¡¯s not all. It is said these waters can even alleviate any fatigue and have a positive impact on¡­ certain affairs of the night.¡± Erin was enticed. Even if she didn¡¯t say it out loud, her tails wagging energetically behind her was a dead giveaway. Besides, her shoulders were feeling a bit stifftely and stiff movements would lead to errors in her forms. Also, her tails¡¯ fur was in need of some serious cleaning if she wished to retain the softness. ¡°Then¡­ I guess I do have an hour or so to spare,¡± Erin said. ¡°Splendid,¡± Iris said with a titter that made it obvious of her underlying intention to Erin. 2-35 Healing bath (R18) 2-35 Healing bath (R18) ¡°I-Iris...¡± Erin moaned weakly as she struggled meekly in Iris¡¯ hold. Iris chuckled softly and continued caressing the Fox-kin¡¯s ample bosom from behind. ¡°Foolish Fae, you should have seen thising,¡± she said and nibbled on Erin¡¯s left ear. Cradling the Fox-kin with her body, Iris took her sweet time in unleashing ecstasy upon Erin. Iris herself had been quite busy for the past few days and the most eligible person to be herpanion just strode right to her right when she was at the peak of her arousal and lust. Erin stifled a shriek. ¡°D-damn you¡­ you nned this...¡± Iris chuckled more. ¡°This is a healing bath. I¡¯m just healing you after all.¡± One of her hands moved from downwards, towards Erin¡¯sher regions. ¡°H-how is this healing¡­ eek~!¡± Erin cried out sharply when she felt Iris¡¯ fingers gently caressing her snatch¡¯s entrance. Since half of their body was submerged in water, her womanhood was drenched nheless. ¡°You¡¯re wet, my dear,¡± Iris breathed into Erin¡¯s ear. ¡°We¡¯re in a pool,¡± Erin struggled to say. She tried to push Iris'' arms away but for some reason, her body refused to lend her any strength. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m wet.¡± ¡°I wonder about that. I¡¯m pretty sure bathwater doesn¡¯t lubricate your foils.¡± Erin couldn¡¯t even afford a retort as pleasure assaulted her whole body. Iris was truly seasoned in the arts of the bedroom. With just a few simple and short touches, she had managed to make Erin peaked on her pleasure a couple of times already. Erin was in disbelief of how easy of a woman Iris was making her out to be. As long as she was given pleasure, her body would fall weak, Iris had made her realize. ¡°Your shoulders are stiff, Erin. Just how hard have you been working?¡± Iris brushed her lips across Erin¡¯s shoulders. ¡°And this bountiful pair of yours, appropriate care must be given. Otherwise, they¡¯ll sag in your elderly years.¡± Erin iled her legs and tails but Iris was stronger than she expected. She didn¡¯t know what Iris¡¯ level was but she reckoned there had to be at least more than twenty levels difference. She tried to appraise Iris but the result was the same as before, question marks riddled her sight. ¡°Oh my, how naughty,¡± Iris giggled. She began rubbing Erin¡¯s snatch quicker and caressed her bosom harder. ¡°Aren¡¯t you aware that it is rude to appraise others without their consent?¡± ¡°And what¡¯re y-you¡¯re doing is fine and all?¡± Erin countered. ¡°Point taken, but...¡± Iris leaned in close to her ear. ¡°I¡¯m the one in control here,¡± Iris said and squeezed her mound. Erin let out a shrill despite gritting her teeth to suppress her delighted moans. ¡°I¡¯m quite surprised there had been no one brave enough to try and court you but I guessed that was to be expected. You are a Fae, a Fox-kin with three tails. I doubt there is even a single noble in this town who dared to even invite you for a luncheon.¡± ¡°Your praises...¡± Erin caught her breath. ¡°...are empty...¡± ¡°Maybe. But please, just rx and let yourself go,¡± Iris whispered. ¡°You deserve this. I won¡¯t disappoint you.¡± Erin couldn¡¯t help but feel a tinge of guilt in her heart. She very much liked to enjoy this. Her lover had even given her permission to fool around as long as it was nothing serious. Still, Erin felt her heart ache whenever she was given pleasure by a person other than Lyra herself. ¡°Or do you think I am not up to your standards?¡± Iris threw a mischievous question. ¡°That¡¯s not¡ª¡± Erin¡¯s words were cut short as another round of pleasure assaulted her body. She curled up with delight but Iris held her down firmly to prevent her whole from failing too much from the pleasure. ¡°Going by your reaction, you haven¡¯t bedded anyone seasoned in bed, have you?¡± Maria was a seasoned individual in bed but she was a submissive one and Erin did all the work in bed, so she didn¡¯t count her as a seasoned experience. ¡°Not¡­ your¡­ concern...¡± Erin said. ¡°I beg to differ, darling. Right now, you are my concern. Every. Fiber. Of. Your. Body,¡± Iris breathed everyst word into her ear. Erin¡¯s whole body shook in anticipation, much to her chagrin. She was resisting it with all her will but it was all torn down easily by Iris¡¯ skilled hands and tongue. Iris moved on from her chest to her tails. She grabbed them one by one and began stroking them. ¡°I-Iris~!¡± Erin cried. ¡°N-not there¡­ please!¡± she finally begged. But it only made Iris more fervent in her pursuit in giving the Fox-kin the height of ecstasy. ¡°Why are you doing this¡­?¡± Erin managed to ask. ¡°I¡¯m pent up, for one but¡­ I guess you can say it¡¯s my gratitude.¡± ¡°Gratitude? For what?¡± ¡°Your acquaintance.¡± Iris smiled and inserted a finger into Erin¡¯s snatch. The Fox-kin gave a soundless gasp of pleasure. Her whole body shuddered delightfully. ¡°You have no idea how much your acquaintance alone has helped me in my endeavors. More opportunities were opened up to me simply because a Fae, a three-tailed Fox-kin has associated herself with me almost on a constant basis. For personal and business gain, you have been a delight. The more I get to know you, the more I realized how much I can trust you. In a world where everyone struggles day to day to mask their emotions, you¡¯re one of the very few who doesn¡¯t concern themselves with it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re calling me naive?¡± Iris tittered. She nted a light kiss on Erin¡¯s lips. ¡°I am,¡± she said. ¡°But your naivety is one of the few good things about you. Personally, I find it endearing and I enjoy teasing that side of you.¡± ¡°d to see one of us is having fun,¡± Erin muttered dryly with indignance. ¡°Oh don¡¯t you worry, sweetheart. I will make sure that feeling will be mutual.¡± As soon as she finished her sentence, she worked miraculously with her fingers in Erin¡¯s womanhood. Within seconds, Iris had once again made Erin peak with pleasure. It was Erin¡¯s umpteenth rise of ecstasy and finally, her strength left her body. She slumped forward with her tongue lolled out but Iris was there to receive her. ¡°We¡¯re not done yet, Erin dearie,¡± Iris whispered deviously. Erin was still trembling in the afterglow from the seemingly endless waves of pleasure. She resembled a bare naked shaking calf that had just been born. Erin heard the Umbrum¡¯s deration clearly but she was in no state toe up with retorts. However, she understood her heart and body were still desiring more of Iris¡¯ touch; those touches that drowned her in delight. ¡°Do what you like...¡± Erin muttered meekly. ¡°I intend to, Erinthea,¡± Iris promised. **** Finally back in her rooms, Erin let herself copse into her bed. Sighs of relief escaped her lips. After an hour of recreational bathing in the pool with the shrewd Umbrum, Erin was eventually released in various manners. She couldn¡¯t even walk then, not after the countless waves of ecstasy Iris had her subjected to. At the very least Iris was tactful enough to offer her a filling meal after their recreational bathing. She couldn¡¯t remember the taste since she was too deep in her afterglow and exhaustion but all she knew was that the meal had sated her appetite. At Iris¡¯ discretion after their meal, she assigned one of her trusted subordinates to escort her back to her rooms in the inn district. Erin was thankful Lyra and Celia weren¡¯t present. Had Lyra been here, she imagined all the kinds of demands she would make just to quell her own jealousy. Thinking of that, Erin made herself chuckle at how adorable Lyra could be at times. Erin reckoned the two were most probably at the cathedral having supper along with the children. Erin knew Lyra and her would eventually need to part with Celia and they were making sure Celia felt right at home with the other children and Saphielle before leaving her. Thinking about that left another tinge of guilt in her heart. She didn¡¯t want to leave Celia either but she wasn¡¯t the best person to raise a child and she knew that well. Lying on her back and her gaze fixed at the wooden ceiling, another concern clouded her mind. Her Lust Deviant skill. While she was grateful it had not been acting up recently, she couldn¡¯t help but think of the worst that could happen if it activates again. ¡°No, don¡¯t go down that path again, Erin,¡± she told herself. ¡°You¡¯re better off smashing your head against the wall.¡± To distract herself from questions that no answer could be attained in her current state, she brought up status information in her sights. She had a whole ten remaining skill points and four ability points to spend. Now was the best out of all times to allocate her points. She recounted her battle just this afternoon. Magic had trivialized most of her fights. She didn¡¯t need to discard her old ways. She just needed to find ways to use both of her old and new ways in unison. Her Life Sense spell had certainly helped in locating enemies and dangers that were otherwise invisible to her sense of smell and hearing. She was thinking of allocating all of her points into Spirit Magic. However, her goal, The Singrity, was a ce devoid of Spirits. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better if I increase Lightning Magic then?¡± Erin mused to herself. Lightning Magic had served her well. Hell, it had even saved her life by managing to repel the Razor Grizzly. It was a Magic Art of incredible destructive force. Then, Aza¡¯s face crossed her mind. She shivered and curled herself with the sheets. Aza possessed an intimidation gentler than Aedan¡¯s but was significantly more minacious than his. It was a queer feeling. It feels more hopefulpared to Aedan but also more dangerous than him. But the point of it all was her own safety. She felt extremely defenseless against someone of Aza¡¯s level. ¡°Maybe I should prioritize defense first and foremost? The Singrity is a mass of unknown peculiarities. It might be better to be worrying about defense rather than offense.¡± With that conclusion in mind, Erin allocated eight points into Arcane Armor and raised it all the way to ten. Immediately, she felt more at ease with her surroundings, like she was less concerned if she was suddenly attacked, not that something like that would happen. [Proficiency reached: Arcane Aegis Lv. 1 - acquired] Drawn to the new Magic Art she acquired, Erin rushed to read more about her new addition to her arsenal. ¡°...Huh, a portable Arcane Armor, I see.¡± Immediately after reading the description, Erin tried it out. It functioned just like Arcane Armor, except it was in the form of a battle shield, an aegis, and it wasn¡¯t limited only to herself. It could be cast in other ces, perfect to protect one¡¯s allies. A tear trickled down her cheek. A tear not out of sorrow but of relief. Knowing she had the means to give Lyra some degree of protection should they ever be in a battle. To be further on the safe side, she allocated one point into Arcane Aegis and the remaining single point into Toxin Resistance. After her battle at the Ghoul-gued vige and her encounter with the Razor Grizzly and the possessed Kane, she didn¡¯t think it would be long before something akin to poison became one of the many obstacles she had to face. As for her ability points, she didn¡¯t think much of it and allocated it evenly between Arcane and Finesse. Her physical strength was something she could build up herself without reliance on the System. With that said, her Might was falling behind on her other attributes. And there was another concern that she suddenly thought of. She took out a pouch from the pocket of her leather vest. She loosened the string around it and peeked inside. The contents caused a deep frown on her brows, or rather, theck of contents did. She groaned with a sigh and added an item to her mental list for the day of the morrow. ¡°Looks like I have to find a quest to do or we will be sleeping on the streets in a few days.¡± Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Three-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 18 | Status: Severe Exhaustion, Carnally Relieved Might: 20 | Arcane: 27 | Finesse: 24 Magic Arts Spirit Magic Lv. 8 | Arcane Edge Lv. 5 | Arcane Armor Lv. 10 | Lightning Magic Lv. 4 | Arcane Aegis Lv. 2 Combat Arts Sword Art Lv. 7 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 5 Innate Skills Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 2 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex Unique Talent Mystic de Lv. Ex | Revenant Lv. Ex Level Progression: 20% Remaining Skill Points: 0 Remaining Ability Points: 0 2-36 Underhanded 2-36 Underhanded ¡°Come in,¡± said Rosemary as soon as she heard the knock on her door. She had yet to catch the smallest glimpse of her guest but she could already tell who it was. After all, there were only a few who could approach her room with steps so gentle and graceful, and Rosemary was expecting her. The door creaked open and in walked a Fox-kin bearing three tails dressed in leather armor donned over a simple white shirt and pants. ¡°Good morning, Lady Erinthea. Your beauty is dazzling as always.¡± ¡°Good morning to you too, Guild Master. The nicedy at the reception said you wish to speak with me. Surely it couldn¡¯t be something dire, could it?¡± asked Erin, taking a seat in front of the Guild Master¡¯s desk at her gesture. ¡°It¡¯s nothing of that sort, mdy. I just wish to express my gratitude.¡± ¡°Gratitude? For what?¡± Without answering, Rosemary poured Erin a cup of milk from a jug just by her desk. The jug itself was enchanted with a spell that helped retain the content¡¯s heat, essentially making the milk within the jug perpetually warm. ¡°Milk?¡± Erin took a whiff from where she sat. ¡°But not dairy. Could this be¡­ almond milk?¡± ¡°You are indeed correct, Lady Erinthea. I believe this is the staple milk for the Fae, am I correct?¡± Erin nodded as she took the cup into her hands. She couldn¡¯t have known about that of course; she just remembered the tales Nivia had told her. She took a few sips, her first taste of almond milk. The taste wasn¡¯t anything special but it didn¡¯t taste as weird as she had thought. ¡°Now, where were we¡ª Ah yes, my gratitude. I believe I should thank you for taking care of a few of my headaches.¡± ¡°And what would those headaches be?¡± ¡°Aza and most of her cohorts. They left for Green Scar just before dawn broke.¡± Erin raised an eyebrow. ¡°How do you know I was the one responsible?¡± ¡°Someone managed to make Aza leave Quinteburgh for Green Scar. Definitely not the nobles considering what just happened some two days before. That little amount of information says enough.¡± Erin felt conflicted. She understood she was being praised but at the same time, it was a clear indication of how predictable she was. ¡°Without Aza eyeing my every move, I can work and rest easier. So truly, I am grateful, mdy.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware they have already left town.¡± Erin thought back when she was walking through the streets to the Guild. The numbers of Pdins didn¡¯t seem to have dwindled, so she thought the Pdins have yet decided on their actions even after receiving the news of an imminent monster attack on the town of Green Scar. ¡°I still saw a lot of Pdins roaming the streets. She didn¡¯t bring many with her.¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t need to, Lady Erinthea. If the rumors are anything to go by, she would have been enough in the face of hundreds of monsters of these levels.¡± ¡°What if the levels of the monsters are higher than we expected?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why she¡¯s bringing others with her.¡± Erin took another sip of the warm almond milk. She was starting to like the taste more than the usual cow¡¯s milk. ¡°Is she truly as strong as the rumors exaggerated her to be?¡± ¡°I have heard even Astoria Stormedge, the Sword Saint, reveres her. Her strength is definitely not something themon masses can easily obtain. I don¡¯t doubt her ability to repel the horde but time is another issue.¡± ¡°Then Aedan would have to hold back the monsters until then,¡± Erin told herself in her heart. ¡°But I guess I¡¯m worrying too much.¡± ¡°Rosemary smiled bitterly. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t be concerning myself with that when I can¡¯t even handle the affairs of my town.¡± ¡°Speaking of that, how are you faring with that so far?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t be faring much further if the capital doesn''t send someone soon.¡± ¡°What about the corrupted nobles and the viceroy? Won¡¯t they try to run now that the warden has left town? Isn¡¯t she concerned about being med if those nobles did escape?¡± Rosemary chuckled. ¡°Warden... I guess she is someone like that. Of course, they¡¯ll try to run but I don¡¯t think the vers are Aza¡¯s priority. And the court knows about our circumstances, they can¡¯t fault us even if these corrupted nobles escaped. If they did fault us, I¡¯ll resign my post.¡± ¡°Sounds like you¡¯re important, mydy.¡± ¡°I have shown my worth,petence, and loyalty. They won¡¯t let me go that easily. Well, enough about me, Lady Erinthea. What about you? I hope you¡¯re faring a better fortune.¡± ¡°The Corvas twins are better than the average but not miles better. They didn''tst long in a battle with me, they certainly won¡¯tst in the Singrity.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you have other candidates in mind?¡± ¡°No one in mind at all. The irony of this situation is that I¡¯m not short of volunteers but these people could not eveny a scratch on me. The Singrity will be nothing but a ughterhouse to them.¡± ¡°So we¡¯re back to the start...¡± Rosemary sighed and cast her head down as if the failure was her own. ¡°We can¡¯t even ask the Pdins now. To challenge the Singrity, at least three-quarters of the town¡¯s current numbers of Pdins are needed but if they leave now, those corrupted nobles will surely seize this window to get their positions back. We can now only hope Aza works fast.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry...¡± ¡°Why are you sorry, mdy? I should be the one to be apologetic. You made the hard choice for me, Lady Erinthea. The apology should being from me.¡± Erin leaned back on her chair and stirred her cup while she stared solemnly at the ceiling. ¡°It¡¯s funny. The world around us seems to be drowning but the townsfolk, they weren¡¯t despairing.¡± ¡°We are in the middle of the harvest festival and there¡¯s also the offhand market of the merchant caravans. Everyone¡¯s too busy celebrating to be worrying about the hardships of life. Also, most of them aren''t even of the severity of the current circumstances.¡± ¡°Is that why there are so few people in the Guild right now? Mornings were always packed with adventurers back in Green Scar.¡± ¡°The festivals might have something to do with it but that¡¯s not the main reason, or at least I sure hope it¡¯s not. A lot of adventurers have begun to notice the circumstances we are in. Most have left town. Those who stay are either dumb or they don¡¯t have a choice.¡± ¡°I have taken a look at the request board. The Guild is certainly not doing well.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s a quest you''re looking for, I might just have one befitting someone of your ability,¡± Rosemary said and took out a piece of paper from her desk drawer. She slid it over to Erin with a finger. ¡°It¡¯s a request from the smithy in the Gold District. A request for metal ores that could only be found at a certain ce.¡± Erin put her cup down on the desk. ¡°Where?¡± she asked. She looked at the paper, which turned out to be a map for somece. ¡°A shallow valley, on the path to The Singrity. The roads and terrains are treacherous enough to even deter the ardent adventurers. But I¡¯m sure it would be just right for you.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the pay?¡± ¡°A Gold for every unit. Make sure you bring something to carry those ores with.¡± Rosemary smiled and wrote down a few lines of words on a small piece of parchment. ¡°Here,¡± she said, handing the small paper to Erin. ¡°Give it to the staff. They¡¯ll know what it means.¡± ¡°Thank you, ma¡¯am,¡± Erin returned her smile and gave her gratitude as she took the paper. ¡°You¡¯re wee, Lady Erinthea.¡± ¡°...Can I trouble you with another matter?¡± Erin asked after a short silence. ¡°Trouble away, mdy.¡± ¡°Velkan Corvas, I still wish to help him. I have gotten to know about the Twins¡¯ circumstances. I say he deserves a second chance. I think they all do.¡± Rosemary arched her brows. ¡°They?¡± ¡°The other children acquainted with the Corvas Twins. I have met them. Their hands aren¡¯t clean but they aren¡¯t dirty by choice.¡± ¡°Thew of Yorun Kingdom does not discriminate, I¡¯m afraid, Lady Erinthea. Their age will not appeal to the court. Young or old, they¡¯ll throw them into the same cell.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that too negligent and harsh?¡± ¡°The kingdom is more worried about what the other nations are scheming, especially its rivals, than appropriately categorizing the criminals within the kingdom itself.¡± ¡°These criminals are just children. They didn¡¯t choose the lives they are living. They were born into it. It was either dirty their hands or die in a ditch.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Lady Erinthea. The best I can do is to put in a good word. The court decides all in the end¡­ but if they can do something in return that would benefit the kingdom, maybe they¡¯ll get their pardon.¡± ¡°Such as?¡± ¡°Information provider.¡± ¡°A spy?¡± Rosemary shook her head. ¡°Not in particr. Surely they have seen much of those underworld¡¯s inner workings. If they¡¯re willing to give out this information to the court, they will be granted a pardon. However, the underworld will put a bounty on their heads for ratting them out.¡± Erin scoffed. ¡°That¡¯s no different than their current circumstances.¡± ¡°It is the only way to guarantee a pardon. I¡¯m sorry, Lady Erinthea.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can do for them?¡± ¡°As an adventurer, there¡¯s just one simple to do. Gather more merits and achievements. Earn yourself more stars. Along with your status as a Fae, the kingdom will be forced to listen to you. If they don¡¯t, it will be the same as going against the authority of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild and the Faerie-kin.¡± ¡°Sounds¡­ under-handed.¡± ¡°We live in hard times, Lady Erinthea. The world will not be fair to us, so neither should we be to it.¡± Once again hit with reality, Erin could only nod in agreement. **** ¡°Of course I¡¯ll go with you on the quest. We¡¯re partners!¡± Lyra dered upon being asked. Erin had just returned to her rooms from the Guild. To her surprise, Lyra was sprawling on the bed with a bored look on her face. Upon closer inspection, she noticed a tinge of sorrow lingering in Lyra¡¯s eyes. Around this time, Lyra would be at the orphanage ying with Celia and the other children. ¡°Thought you¡¯ll still be at the church. What gives?¡± ¡°Celia found some friends. Now she prefers to y with them than us,¡± Lyra answered with a conflicted smile. ¡°I suppose we should be rejoicing Celia was able to make friends of her age but¡­ now I feel lonely.¡± ¡°It¡¯s better that she gets ustomed to it now thanter. It¡¯ll make the parting easier.¡± Lyra turned her gaze from the ceiling to Erin. ¡°Sounds like you have a lot of experience with this.¡± ¡°I have,¡± Erin admitted. For the sake of being the Sword Saint, farewells became all toomon in her past life. She had many she could call acquaintances but friends were few and people who she could confide her secrets to were none. Looking at the girl with short and dark bluish hair in front of her,ying on the bed with her limbs spread without the slightest hint of caution, Erin was d she had walked a different path. ¡°Does it have something to do with you being the Sword Saint again?¡± Erin nodded. ¡°You know, your title, the Sword Saint, it sounds more troublesome than it¡¯s worth the more I hear about your story.¡± ¡°It has its moments and merits but I concur, it might have been more troublesome than what it¡¯s worth. Besides, in that life, I didn¡¯t have you to drag me out of my shell.¡± Lyra licked her lips. ¡°Now you¡¯re just trying to seduce me, Erin.¡± ¡°You are imagining things,¡± Erin said with her face turned away. Lyra giggled. ¡°So, we¡¯re going to the market?¡± ¡°Not without you, Lyra,¡± Erin said and extended her hand. Lyra chuckled in glee and took her hand as she sprang out of the bed. She didn¡¯t stop at her hand. She wrapped her arm around Erin¡¯s waist and pulled her close. She gently smacked her lips against Erin¡¯s. ¡°L-Lyra¡­ it¡¯s not even noon yet,¡± Erin said but her lips were quickly sealed once again. ¡°I¡¯m just doing what I should have donest night,¡± Lyra replied in moments they parted for breaths. ¡°At least wait until the afternoon.¡± ¡°No. I can¡¯t stand having that Umbrum¡¯s scent on you a second longer.¡± Erin had a dazed look for a second but then she tittered. ¡°Is someone jealous? I thought I had your permission?¡± ¡°You do have my permission but I said nothing about how I won¡¯t be jealous,¡± Lyra retorted with a pout. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m being unfair and a nuisance but I can¡¯t help it.¡± Erin easily pried herself free from Lyra¡¯s hold and pulled Lyra into an embrace. ¡°I¡¯m sorry too, Lyra. I was at fault for being such an easy woman.¡± Lyra returned the hug by wrapping her arms around Erin. ¡°You¡¯re not an easy woman, Erin.¡± ¡°But I am, Lyra. Maria¡­ Siv¡­ Iris¡­ I bedded them because I couldn¡¯t hold back my lust. I easily gave in to their temptation. If Lust Deviant was active, there could have been more women by now.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re an easy woman, Erin.¡± Lyra reeled Erin¡¯s face close to hers. ¡°Juste back to me at the end of the day, alright?¡± Before Erin could nod, Lyra devoured her lips. Their kiss this timested longer but Erin forced themselves to part, leaving a string of saliva dangling between their lustrous lips. ¡°No, not right now. We have things to do.¡± Lyra finally relented and stepped away from Erin. She chuckled. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll wait but be warned, we¡¯ll be skipping supper today,¡± she said and left the room with a mischievous smile. Erin sighed and clicked her tongue. ¡°Idiot, you¡¯re not the only one who¡¯s holding back, you know.¡± 2-37 Crimson Steel 2-37 Crimson Steel ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± asked Lyra, peeking at Erin¡¯s forlorn gaze as they walked side by side among the streets littered with offhand stalls. Lyra and Erin knew all of these stall owners to a certain degree as they were all part of the merchant caravans. The pair didn¡¯t know their names but nods were exchanged when they passed them by. ¡°Nothing,¡± Erin answered, a smile quickly recing her glum expression. ¡°You can¡¯t hide it from me, Erin. That¡¯s not a look that says nothing.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing, Lyra. I¡¯m just thinking.¡± ¡°Of what?¡± Erin hesitated on a response. ¡°We bought the tools and some potions. We even got our weapons whetted. Surely it¡¯s none of that, no? So tell me, what¡¯s wrong, Erin?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a little¡­ arrogant. I wish to say no more.¡± A grin formed on Lyra¡¯s lips. ¡°Now you got me way too curious. I¡¯m not going to relent until you tell me.¡± She grabbed Erin¡¯s hand and gently pulled her closer. ¡°I-It¡¯s just that¡­ I¡­ I feel so useless.¡± ¡°You, useless? Surely you jest, Erin.¡± ¡°I am not. There¡¯s a huge threat out there. I was always the one people turn to look for help. Although at times, it does feel quite bothersome, I quite like that feeling. Being needed, doing good, helping people. But now¡­ I¡¯m not needed. I can¡¯t even help if I want to. I¡¯ll just be dragging the effort down. What¡¯s more, I left that duty to a band of zealots, who might or might not use this opportunity to bolster their influence. The more I think of it, the more I ask myself; was it the right thing to do?¡± ¡°Erin, you¡¯re not the Sword Saint anymore. It¡¯s okay to feel this way. No one mes you. You did more than anyone in your position ever could already. Besides, we¡¯re just adventurers, not soldiers. By default, this isn¡¯t our responsibility. People pay taxes for a reason.¡± ¡°I know, Lyra. I understand. I am just not used to this¡­ being helpless. It¡¯s a lot of adjustment.¡± ¡°Then take your time, Erin,¡± Lyra rested her head on Erin¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You don¡¯t want to leave any regrets in this life too, do you?¡± A genuine smile bloomed on Erin¡¯s expression. ¡°I suppose not,¡± she said and pulled Lyra closed by wrapping her arm around Lyra¡¯s waist. Gasps came from the people around them. Since Erin did not use Twilight Veil, their disy of affection attracted much attention. Using Twilight Veil was exhausting and she wanted to spend pleasant moments like this with Lyra in her real appearance. Erin had expected to be swarmed by questions from the townsfolk but she had none of those. The people kept their distance and from the looks on their faces, their curiosity was on the verge of bursting. From the exchanges she managed to pick up on the streets, the reason none had dared to approach them with such questions was thanks to Hegan, Joshua, and Iris. The word around town was how overly personal questions would raise the ire of the Fox-kin, which was the truth for most parts. This fact had spread even to the Gold District, causing the nobles to rein in their attempts to induct Erin into their political struggle. While Erin still wasn¡¯t fully trusting of Iris, she was d to have connections in high ces. If it wasn¡¯t for Iris and the other merchants, walking the streets alongside Lyra in this manner was only a pipe dream. They had bought everything they came to the market for and with all the time they had to spare for the day, they spent it together by strolling through the town, decorated with festivities of the harvest season and from the merchant caravans. Since Quinteburgh hadrger space to spare, there were even performances by the side of the streets. The pair even came across the ckwood siblings guarding a stage which Crom was on, giving off a pitch of their products to the townsfolk. Since Siv and her brother were on duty, Erin and Lyra only exchanged simple greetings before moving on. Though stalls of many varieties were aplenty, none of it did catch Erin¡¯s attention. The liquor stalls were certainly the exceptions but remembering a certain night, Erin ultimately restrained herself from even looking at the liquor stalls. The call of temptation was great but bing drunk was no different than her being under the influence of Lust Deviant. Jewellery was another aspect of interest but neither Erin nor Lyra had the gold to spare on such luxuries. They weren¡¯t as expensive as the ones meant for nobles but they were nevertheless a luxury. The streets led them to a turn where a chapel stood lonely in the shades of overgrown trees and vegetation. The chapel wasn¡¯t abandoned but it didn¡¯t look like it had many visitors. The emblem embedded above the entrance was something Erin had seen before. She had seen it only once, on the ne of a certain father, but the peculiarity of that design was ingrained in her mind. What she had thought to be a plump snake chasing its own tail in a circr path, turned out to actually be a dragon. A dragon chasing its own tail. It was a religion that worships a Dragon God or something akin to that notion. ¡°Is that a chapel?¡± Lyra asked upon noticing the lonely little building. ¡°It is, or at least I think so. See that symbol above the entrance?¡± Erin pointed. Lyra squinted her eyes. ¡°Looks familiar...¡± ¡°You remember the father who saved us an earful from that zealous pdin? The ne he was wearing bears that symbol.¡± ¡°You remembered about that?¡± ¡°In my old world, a creature chasing its own tail tends to have some significant meaning. An omen for most times.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s a dragon. A Faith of a Dragon God¡­ Do you think Aedan would know anything about it?¡± Erin chuckled. ¡°If it¡¯s him, I¡¯ll be surprised if he doesn¡¯t know.¡± The chuckle spread to Lyra. ¡°That is true. He sure knows a lot¡­ Say,¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Do you think he can take on the horde? If it¡¯s him, surely he will protect the town, right?¡± ¡°He has to. I¡¯lle for him if he doesn¡¯t.¡± Lyra scoffed at herself. ¡°Never thought I would be relieved of the fact that he existed.¡± ¡°Everyone has their merits,¡± Erin muttered. As they were about to continue their stroll, ¡°Lady Erinthea!¡± a youthful yet gruff voice caught the two. Erin was the first to turn to the voice. She wasn¡¯t surprised as she had long picked up the youth¡¯s scent. She was disappointed at herself for herpse of focus in not noticing the youth¡¯s approach. ¡°Oh...¡± Lyra muttered at the sight of the youth, a boy of dark skin with small horns protruding from his forehead. ¡°Cynric Red Steel?¡± The Augur boy nodded with a broad smile while casting a sparkling gaze at Erin. ¡°Crimson-steel,¡± Erin corrected her. ¡°Whatever. Why did you call out to her?¡± Lyra asked. Neither her eyes nor tone were warm towards Cynric who had interrupted her romantic moment with Erin. ¡°I begged your forgiveness, Miss Lyra. I just wished to express my gratitude towards my savior here, Lady Erinthea.¡± Lyra gritted her teeth with indignance. The boy spoke words that were normallyced with arrogance and vanity but he was sincere, which only voided Lyra of any reason for her to turn him away. Erin had met Cynric just days before but she was in disguise. Judging from Cynric¡¯s words and reaction, Erin was convinced Cynric didn¡¯t notice. Even if he did, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem now. ¡°Here, Lady Erinthea. I hope you can ept this gratitude of mine,¡± Cynric said as he took out a clothed chunk from the sack he was carrying on his back. The clothed chunk was a little bigger than the average man¡¯s palm. ¡°This is?¡± ¡°Crimson Steel ore, mdy,¡± Cynric answered. Lyra gasped in disbelief. ¡°W-where did you get this?¡± She blinked with a dazed expression at the Augur. ¡°From my homnd.¡± ¡°You brought something like this with you?¡± ¡°We youngblood carry this with us as we embark on our pilgrimage of growth. As a charm of fortune. It also serves as a contingency in the events we ran dry of money.¡± ¡°The vers didn¡¯t take it from you?¡± ¡°They did but one of the merchants was kind enough to have it return to me. I believe his name was Joshua. I was certain he would take it aspensation for the troubles I have given him and his peers. As the one who saved me in my gravest moments, I see no other object in my possession to be befitting aspensation for you.¡± Erin sighed. ¡°Cynric, I appreciate the gesture but¡­ isn¡¯t this too much of a payment? I don¡¯t know how much it costs but¡ª¡± ¡°It is the pride of my n and it¡¯s no exaggeration when I say they also represent our lives. We wouldn¡¯t be here if it wasn¡¯t for the rich ore veins my n possessed. You saved my life, Lady Erinthea. You deserve this. An eye for an eye, as humans tend to say. A life for a life. Please ept this, mdy.¡± Erin was still hesitating on receiving such a grand item as a reward. Even though she was still only considering taking it, her mind was already thinking of having a sword forged of Crimson Steel. Also, the nosy nces were ever-increasing the more they stood around and banter. ¡°Just take it, Erin,¡± Lyra urged with her arms folded. Had the token of gratitude being something more humble, Erin wouldn¡¯t have any problems epting it. She could tell Cynric had no hidden intentions but it was still a tough decision to ept what was essentially hundreds of gold. Nevertheless, rejecting Cynric¡¯s gift would be the same as saying his life wasn¡¯t worth a chunk of his people¡¯s pride. Erin understood this very well. She had rejected many tokens of gratitude in her past life. She didn¡¯t care if their pride was wounded. She just didn¡¯t want unnecessary trouble. Due to this fact, she was only widening the rift between her and the others. This was a mistake she had no intention of repeating. ¡°I ept your gratitude, Cynric Crimson-steel.¡± Erin took the clothed item and put it in a sack and slung it over her shoulder. ¡°If you will allow me, I shall have this ore smelted and forged into a sword. Your people¡¯s name shall be engraved on the grove of the de.¡± ¡°I will be extremely honored, Lady Erinthea. The pride of my n to be wielded by a Fae for good. This is already a great aplishment for me as a youngblood of an Augur.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t believe I would wield your steel for unsavory things?¡± ¡°If you were that kind of person, you would have demanded my people¡¯s steel aspensation. Yet, you leave me in capable hands and never look back expectingpensation.¡± ¡°I can assure you I¡¯m not as charitable as you made me out to be.¡± ¡°I disagree, mdy. You are by far the most graceful, benevolent, and beautiful person I have the honor to be acquainted with. You shouldn¡¯t be humbling yourself too much.¡± Erin tried to reply but she ended up stammering. She was once again flustered by the Augur¡¯s words. She had beenplimented by many men thus far for her beauty but the Augur¡¯s praise was different. Many men had praised her while their eyes assessed her body. Some had only given her obligatorypliments due to her being a Fae. Cynric was the only one who praised her beauty without straying his gaze from hers. ¡°Mdy,¡± Cynric uttered. His voice was soft and his gaze was resolute. Erin felt a strange sense of unease looking at him. ¡°If I may be so bold, I¡ª¡± ¡°Alright alright,¡± Lyra cut in between the two. She cast a smile at Cynric but the smile did not reach her eyes. ¡°You did what you came here for, Cynric. Now if you would excuse us, Erin and I were taking our lovely stroll before you oh-so abruptly interrupted us. Good morning,¡± Lyra said and dragged Erin away as she walked briskly down the street. Erin uttered a silent apology to the Augur. Lyra walked a few good meters away from Cynric before pulling Erin along into a narrow alley. There, she finally released her grasp on Erin¡¯s wrist. ¡°Lyra, that was just¡ª¡± Lyra stopped Erin with a palm held up. ¡°Stop right there, Erin.¡± Her palm turned into a finger pointing at Erin. ¡°What was that look?¡± ¡°What look?¡± ¡°You were tinged red on the cheeks, Erin. I have never seen you red in the cheeks in the face of a man¡¯spliment.¡± ¡°I thought we already talked about this?¡± ¡°We did, but that was about women. How would you feel if I told you I slept with a man?¡± Erin shook. The image of Lyra in bed with a man caused a vein to pop on her forehead. Lyra cast her gaze down. ¡°I know I wasn¡¯t clear about it. I¡¯m fine with other women but if it¡¯s a man¡­ I don¡¯t think I can ept that, Erin.¡± ¡°Neither can I, Lyra. But Cynric is just a boy.¡± Immediately after she said that, Erin regretted it. Lyra frowned. ¡°Are you into soft boys?¡± ¡°Soft boys?¡± Erin scoffed. ¡°I do not have that sort of disposition, Lyra. I think...?¡± Erin muttered herst words in her heart with uncertainty. ¡°E-Erin, I think I may have underestimated your boldness in your exploration of your orientation.¡± ¡°Lyra, you are not listening. I am not attracted to whatever kind of boys you¡¯re thinking of. You¡ª¡± Erin paused. She narrowed her gaze at Lyra who was squirming with her legs sped together. ¡°Are you in heat?¡± ¡°Can you me me, Erin? All that talk about this manner of subject¡­ I can¡¯t help but think about us¡­ what we always do in bed¡­ You made me want to have you right here and now.¡± Erin had been holding back all this time. But now, seeing such a Lyra who was flushed in the face, Erin felt all chains on her lust were snapped by such a sight. She dropped everything she was carrying and pinned Lyra on the wall with her hands trapped under hers. ¡°E-Erin? W-we¡¯re still outside, you know.¡± ¡°You have done it now, Lyra,¡± Erin said and silenced Lyra¡¯s objection with a deep and passionate kiss. 2-38 Decide 2-38 Decide Erin would very much like to maul Lyra with all of her passion and desire but her heightened senses made her think twice. Erin pulled herself away from Lyra¡¯s glistening lips with a scoff of frustration and indignance. ¡°Fucking damper...¡± she muttered. Lyra, who was in a trance from having her lips taken, snapped back to reality upon feeling the absence of her lover¡¯s assertiveness. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± she asked. Erin was ncing sideways at the entrance of the alley they were in. ¡°Someone¡¯s looking for me¡­ no, us. They¡¯re looking for us,¡± she answered. She closed her eyes and focused on her hearing. ¡°It¡¯s a man. He¡¯s asking around for our whereabouts. He sounds extremely desperate.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ but going by how everyone is gasping at his persistence, must be a Pdin.¡± Lyra widened her eyes. ¡°Why would a Pdin be looking for us?¡± Feeling the trembling hands of Lyra on her shoulders, Erin turned her gaze back to Lyra with an assuring smile. ¡°I¡¯m going to go ask.¡± Lyra instinctually grabbed Erin¡¯s sleeve just as she was about to dash off. ¡°Lyra?¡± Realizing what she had done, she let go, but her gaze cast at Erin turned solemn. ¡°I will go with you and I will hear no objection from you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s dangerous¡ª¡± was what Erin wanted to say but seeing such a resolute Lyra, she didn¡¯t have the heart to crush her resolve. She nodded and the two rushed out of the alley, into the street. The pair instantly caught the Pdin in their sights, who was frantically asking anyone he came across of the pair¡¯s whereabouts. He was extremely young, probably younger than Lyra by two years or so. Erin recognized him as one of the Pdins stationed around the perimeter of the church cum orphanage. They had crossed paths beyond the simple exchange of greetings, they had never really conversed before. Considering it was a Pdin from the church looking for them, Erin deemed this to be most likely a message from Saphielle. Nevertheless, Erin approached the Pdin slowly and steadily with Lyra a few behind her. There was always the possibility that she could be wrong. ¡°You¡¯re looking for us?¡± Erin spoke out. The young Pdin snapped his head to the voice that called out to him. ¡°Lady Erinthea!¡± he eximed. He ran up to the two with a face filled with relief. ¡°Thank goddess, I found you.¡± Erin and Lyra were weirded out by the Pdin¡¯s upfront attitude. Erin crept her left to the hilt of her saber. ¡°Please,e quick. Saphielle calls for you. There¡¯s something wrong with Celia.¡± The moment she heard that, Erin carried Lyra into her arms and leaped off into the air with all that she could muster. The Pdin was left dumbfounded and Lyra was shrieking at the sudden transition of events. One moment she was on the ground, and the next moment, she was dozens of feet in the air, in the cradle of lover¡¯s arms. Erinnded on one of the nearby buildings¡¯ rooftops. Taking only a second breather, she leaped into the air again. She continued this pace until she reached the church. She forwent going through the gate andnded roughly on the side yard of the church. The ground caved in from the excessive force and mildly shook thend. The first one to rush out of the building was Saphielle, followed by two Pdins. The three rxed their shoulders once they realized who was the cause of the sudden ruckus. ¡°This way,¡± Saphielle calmly said and beckoned the pair to follow her. The two Pdins promptly returned to their stations. In the church, Erin, Lyra, and Saphielle walked hastily down a corridor with doors aligning the left side and windows aligning the right. ¡°Saphielle, what happened?¡± Erin asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know. One moment she was fine. She was just ying with the other children when one of them suddenly came up to me and told me Celia had suddenly copsed. We brought her to the healing hall and I already have a healer attending her.¡± Upon finishing her brief exnation, she stopped in front of a doorrger than the others in the corridor. She skipped any pleasantries and entered the room in stride. Lyra and Erin followed closely behind without question. The healing hall was arge room where people came to heal, as the name stated. It had no tools or anything of the like that could assist in one¡¯s healing. There were only beds, lined up in rows without any partition. Aside from them, Erin could only see a priest and two sisters in the room, in which of the three were standing over the bed Celia was on. ¡°Father, how is she?¡± Saphielle asked as they approached the bed. Erin was way past being cordial and appraised the priest without hesitation. Fortunately, the priest was none the wiser. The priest¡¯s name was Crux, level fifteen, with only a single Magic Art in his repertoire which is Healing Magic; at level seven. ¡°So he must be the healer Saphielle mentioned,¡± Erin surmised. The two sisters immediately said their greetings and took their leave with terrified expressions. Erin didn¡¯t understand why the two needed to leave but at a guess, it might be because of the presence of two Fae in the room. But Erin¡¯s concern wasn¡¯t on the sister but Celia who was lying on the bed with anguish written all over her sleeping face. Lyra fell to her knees by the bedside. She took Celia by her right hand while her other hand gently brushed away the hair on Celia¡¯s forehead. Every once in a few seconds, Celia would groan or il a little in her sleep. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Celia. We¡¯re here with you,¡± Lyra whispered. Celia seemed to writhe in her sleep as a response. Though she seemed calmer, the anguish ever apparent. ¡°Father, how is she?¡± Erin repeated Saphielle¡¯s question as she ced the sacks containing the recently purchased items on the ground. ¡°The girl is fine, physically,¡± answered the father. But her mind... is¡­ for ack of a better word, a mess. I heard everything from Lady Saphielle. It¡¯s a terrible thing that she has gone through. I have done everything that I can but¡­ my trait is only in the body. Her mind and spirit are the ones that needed mending.¡± ¡°Her spirit too?¡± Lyra questioned with an aghast look. Upon hearing that, Erin used Spirit Sight on Celia. ¡°What the fuck¡­!?¡± Erin gasped in her heart. Celia¡¯s whole body was constricted miasma like vines. Erin was baffled. She had checked Celia herself with the Spirit Sight before and there were no such things on her. ¡°Miasma...¡± Saphielle muttered in an equally shocked tone. ¡°How is this possible? I examined her just days ago. There was no miasma within her. Was it induced into her sometime after the examination?¡± ¡°N-no,¡± Father Crux refuted as he wiped a drop of sweat off his forehead. Though he had a higher standing than Saphielle, the other individual was a Fae and this was a delicate situation. One wrong word could sour their rtionship with the Fae and it would be on him. ¡°It has always been inside of her. It was just dormant. Whoever induced the miasma into the girl, managed to hide it well. Its mastery is meticulous. They could even control when the miasma would bloom. They have to be extremely adept in the dark arts for them to even be able to masque it in holy grounds.¡± ¡°What do we do?¡± Erin asked, her tone was calm but within her heart, a storm was brewing. She knew precisely who was the one that induced the miasma into Celia. ¡°So this is what the Necromancer meant¡­ That fucking shit¡­.!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you already know, mdy. To treat her mind, we¡¯ll need Mist Pearls. But that¡¯s only for the mind. As for the miasma within her, only the caster can dispel it. The other option is to seek out an Arch Healer to extract the miasma¡¯s root out of her. If that¡¯s also an invalid method, eliminating the caster will be the only option left.¡± Lyra quickly met her gaze with Erin¡¯s. Lyra knew what Erin would do and she pleaded for her to stay even though she knew her pleas would not be considered. Erin spared not a second longer and turned around to leave. Saphielle stepped into her path. ¡°Erin, no,¡± said the Elf, sternly. ¡°It¡¯s suicide.¡± ¡°Saphielle, you heard him. There¡¯s no other way. I need to get the flowers and I need to kill that son of a bitch who did this to Celia. These two agendas are right in The Singrity. I know you understand the futility in this but I implore you not to lump me in with the logic that you know. I will not be idle while Celia suffers.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to concede. I¡¯m asking you to be sensible, Erin. Spirits are barren in thatnd. A Fae would notst, not without the rightpanions.¡± ¡°I have done my research, Saphielle. No one in this town can survive The Singrity. I can.¡± ¡°This is reckless, Erin. You need, at the very least,panions.¡± ¡°I have tried that. It was a path that led to nowhere.¡± ¡°I know you tried, Erin but you can¡¯t just walk into The Singrity alone.¡± ¡°Then what do you propose I do!?¡± Erin roared and at the same time, she felt a heavy thump in her heart. ¡°I am sick of waiting. How long more do I have to wait? Until Celia experience a new attack? Or another curse surface? This cannot wait any longer.¡± Everyone in the room was startled by Erin¡¯s outrage, even Lyra; no, especially her. The calm andposed Erin the rumors spoke of who showed only the least amount of emotions even in the direst situation was nowhere to be seen. Veins were showing on her forehead. Father Crux had a strained expression. He was a mere priest with Healing Magic. Under normal circumstances, it would be considered an extreme honor to be in the presence of two Fae but the current circumstance was simply the worst to be in. Saphielle regained herposure and met Erin¡¯s enraged gaze. ¡°Erin, even just the paths leading to the Singrity are already more than you could handle. Even if you managed to brave through that, you will be spent by the time you arrive at The Singrity.¡± ¡°Then what should I do?¡± Tears began to trickle down her cheek. Her teeth gritting. ¡°Tell me, what should I do?¡± Her trembling words were slowly turning into sobbings. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do everything, Erin. You can¡¯t solve every problem in the world. Let someone else handle this, someone with the right skills.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t understand, Saphielle. I did this to her. I did this to Celia. That son of a bitch¡¯s aim was me. It was trying to hurt me through Celia. I wasn¡¯t able to help the town that showed me so much kindness. Instead, I left it to a bunch of zealots who might bring dire consequences. Now... I can¡¯t even do anything to help Celia¡­¡± ¡°Erin...¡± Lyra muttered sorrowfully at her lover¡¯s helplessness. For all the time they had been together, she couldn¡¯t believe she didn¡¯t realize how much those failures were eating at Erin. She saw Erin¡¯s grieving on her failures,menting them, she just didn¡¯t know how much it was affecting her. Lyra cursed herself for being blind and selfish to her own desires. ¡°Please, Saphielle¡­ I need to do this¡­¡± Not a single trace of the dignified one-star adventurer could be found on Erin¡¯s current expression. Tears streamed down her cheeks seemingly without an end. She was on the verge of falling on her knees while her hands sped together, forming a praying gesture. ¡°I have to do this¡­ Please, Saphielle, I have to...¡± With all of her frustration and hopelessness released, Erin lost all strength in her legs but Lyra was there to support her as she copsed. ¡°Erin, I¡¯m sorry for not realizing your pain. But¡­ I have to agree with Saphielle. There will be no meaning in your bravery and spirit if you die regardless.¡± ¡°Lyra, you know I can¡¯t die,¡± Erin reminded her in a whisper. ¡°I¡¯m inclined to believe that¡¯s not the whole truth. You can¡¯t die as easily as anyone else, I understand that. But there¡¯s no telling if that skill of yours is perpetual with its grace.¡± ¡°But Celia she¡ª You can expect me to sit by and¡ª¡± ¡°We will find another way,¡± Lyra said, ring into Erin¡¯s eyes. ¡°We can consult with Iris on this. We have run out of options. We will seek her help now as we have discussed before. We will be in her debt but for Celia, shouldering that debt would be nothing, no?¡± Erin was silent. Her experience in her past life told her owing a debt was the first step in having your freedom taken. She wanted to refute but no matter how hard she tried, no words came. This was no longer about her. ¡°Allow me if you will, Erin.¡± Saphielle put her hand on her chest. ¡°I will call out to any of our kin in the vicinity. If they are present and they know how dire things are, they wille and help.¡± ¡°The Fae will help?¡± Lyra questioned. ¡°For the town or the people? No.¡± Saphielle shook her head. ¡°But for a kin, yes, without question. The Faerie-kin is more than just sharing the same blood. We¡¯re a family. If it¡¯s to help a family. They wille.¡± ¡°But is there even any Fae other than us two around these parts?¡± Erin threw back such a question. ¡°...I am not sure, Erin,¡± Saphielle admitted. ¡°There are many of us who are traveling incognito. There has to be someone close by. If there isn¡¯t, I will call upon the favors I am owed.¡± ¡°I will also do what I can to help,¡± Father Crux chimed in. ¡°Anyways, Erin, Lyra, the two of you will remain by Celia¡¯s side in case she wakes up. Right now, the girl needs all the mental support. I will handle the procedures. If you¡¯re tired, you can use the beds here.¡± ¡°Thank you, Saphielle, Father Crux,¡± Lyra expressed her gratitude. ¡°You have my uttermost gratitude,¡± Erin muttered. ¡°This is just the expected course¡± Saphielle replied with a warm smile. ¡°Erin, you are family, Celia and Lyra are your families, so the two of them are family too.¡± ¡°I-I should go¡­ Ruva¡¯s grace be with us,¡± Father Crux said and left the healing hall with hasty steps. ¡°Can we trust him?¡± Erin asked. ¡°He¡¯s faith is deep but he¡¯s no zealot. We can trust him,¡± Saphielle answered. ¡°What can we do in the meantime?¡± Saphielle only had one answer to that question. Her warm smile dimmed. ¡°Pray, my dear. Not to Ruva specifically. Just pray. Who knows, maybe some god will answer your prayers.¡± There was a glint in Erin¡¯s eyes. Her fists that were coiled up in frustration, loosened. Her breaths slowed. The contortion on her face disappeared. Her expression had returned to what the rumors painted it as. She had not prayed but she already received an answer from a god; her goddess. ¡°Fine, Nyx. I¡¯ll y your game, just this time.¡± A dastardly sneer appeared under her facade. ¡°Since you¡¯re bored, allow me to entertain you.¡± 2-39 Overture 2-39 Overture Among the trees basking in the dying light of the day, a group of seven Pdins was streaking through unpaved roads on their mounts. It was none other than Aza and herpanions. They had taken off from Quinteburgh at dawn and an hour after noon, they were out of Maven¡¯s Creek and gradually entering the territory of Green Scar. The pace of their haste was only possible due to the kind of mounts they were riding. The mounts were a type of raptors called Tyrux. They were essentially carnivorousnd birds, much like ostriches only that they were known to even triumph over lions and tigers in terms of ferocities. They were also the fastest runners of allnd beasts. Their taming was only possible thanks to the group¡¯s Anima, mages specialized in summoning and taming beasts to do their bidding. ¡°What¡¯s the situation up ahead, Sera?¡± Aza asked as she looked over her shoulder, to the rider behind her. ¡°My familiars are seeing a lot of movements half a day ahead of us,¡± answered Sera, the team¡¯s Anima. ¡°Beasts, hundreds of them. A horde.¡± ¡°What manner of beasts are present among the horde?¡± ¡°A huge variety, sister. Almost every kind that can be found around these parts. Their behavior is unusual but unison. Someone or something¡¯s controlling them.¡± ¡°Our Necromancer is making a show, eh?¡± Lucan chimed in from the side. ¡°Weeks in the shadow, giving us crumbs, and all of a sudden he¡¯s giving us a performance. Getting kinda desperate, I say. Well, I can''t me him. We already know where he hides and he¡¯s aware of that.¡± ¡°Is the Razor Grizzly among them?¡± Aza asked, ignoring Lucan¡¯s remarks. ¡°No sister, the Grizzly isn¡¯t among the horde.¡± ¡°Sly bastard...¡± ¡°We should have just gone straight to The Singrity, sister,¡± Lucan suggested nonchntly. Aza shot Lucan a sidelong nce. ¡°And what of Green Scar then, pray to tell?¡± Lucan scoffed. ¡°A faithless town has no need of our concern.¡± Aza suppressed her sigh. ¡°That kind of sentiment is why the town chooses to be faithless, Lucan.¡± ¡°It¡¯s faithless because it doesn¡¯t understand our cause or what it needs to be done. The town doesn¡¯t want us. They rejected the grace of Ruva simply they can¡¯tprehend. This is sphemy, sister.¡± ¡°Understanding cannot be forced, Lucan. You can only teach them and let the understandinge to them.¡± Lucan chuckled before sneering. ¡°You are much too lenient on them, sister. They¡¯ll take advantage of it.¡± ¡°You call this leniency, I call this understanding. All the churches have ever done is either pull or push. They never let the people approach on their own ord. If nothinges to an understanding, conflict wille to everything. Now tell me, Lucan. Are you an advocate of conflict?¡± ¡°...no, I am not,¡± Lucan said, his voice slowly trailing off. He felt the dread. Aza¡¯s tone was calm but he knew her enough to know her ire was raised. Had he answered otherwise, he would have been eating dirt. ¡°I overstepped, sister. My apology.¡± ¡°Your apology is noted and we¡¯re not in a temple, we¡¯re in the field, it¡¯smander to you.¡± ¡°Of course,mander,¡± Lucan said with a bow. Though Aza returned her gaze to the front, her mind lingered on Lucan¡¯s words. They were harsh and unrestrained. In all honesty, she hated the likes of Lucan. Apathetic and single-minded. There were many others just like him, or even worse. She truly believed in the Ruvans. She believed in the good Ruvanity hadmitted, albeit more often than not, ites with too hefty of a cost of others. The exaggerating growth of Ruvanity in the west had attracted simr exaggerating individuals. They were extreme in their cause and upromising. Though ironically, their upromising manner was the main cause of thepromises they experienced. The biggest irony of all was Aza herself. Within her circle, she was seen as the most lenient among all other Pdins of her position. Yet, to themon masses, she was the most unyielding in her beliefs. In a way, it was true. She was unyielding but just not in the way everyone was led to believe. However, those were rumors and she had little for rumors with all the malignant deeds happening around the world. The afternoon was slowly approaching dusk and Sera received new particrs from her familiars. The monsters were closing in on the town of Green Scar. ¡°This is too slow. The town won¡¯t have a tomorrow at this rate,¡± Aza concluded. Aza further increased her pace and rushed ahead of herpanions. Everyone was left dumbfounded by the sudden haste on top of their current haste but none of themined and simply increased their speed in tandem with theirmander. **** A knock came to the door of Geron Tagrun¡¯s office. ¡°Come in,¡± Geron said as he continued scribbling away on a paper line after lines. Just beside him was a stack of papers, all documents that he needed to go through before the end of the day. The door creaked open softly and in walked Sam with hesitant steps. She was holding a bundle of letters in her hands. ¡°Samira? What brings you to my office?¡± Geron asked, looking up from the paper but his hand did not stop scribbling. She approached Geron¡¯s desk and ced down a small piece of paper from among the bundle. ¡°This came from your son, Aedan.¡± Words were few on the paper, no more than five. ¡°And these are from the Guild in Maven¡¯s Creek.¡± Geron instantly stopped his scribbling the moment he heard that he had a message from his Aedan. Geron knew Aedan¡¯s secret but nevertheless, he took him in and raised him like a son, despite Aedan being the older one. He also knew Aedan wasn¡¯t one for sentiment and never bothered him with trivial matters. Which only meant that the message intended for Geron could only be a dire one. Geron¡¯s eyes slowly widened as he read the message. ¡°By the spirits...¡± Geron gasped. His breath carried the paper away from his hand. Instead of catching the paper, he rubbed his temple. He then proceeded to open up the other letters in a hurry. We quickly skimmed the letters and what he read only further drained the colors from his face. ¡°Sir, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Sam asked. ¡°Gather the guards, Samira. All of them.¡± Sam wanted to ask why but seeing the grave look in his eyes, she refrained herself from asking and promptly left the room after a word of affirmation. Geron leaned back on his chair with a loud sigh. He looked out to the window, at the darkening sky. He prayed in his heart that the Ruvans would arrive before the monsters do. For once in his life, he had never been so hopeful of the Ruvans¡¯ presence. **** Deep into the night of Quinteburgh, a small shop attached to the side of the Guild sat alone with its paltry illumination. It was an apothecary associated with the Guild where the products were affordable for all ranks of adventurers. But despite the bargain, few frequented the apothecary. Dangers were aplenty in Maven¡¯s Creek but not at the level where adventurers would consider potion for each of their excursions. At most, they would buy a few and had thosest them for at least a week. It wasn¡¯t that the adventurers were negligent with their wellbeing but simply because potions were expensive even at the reduced price. As such, the door would creak loudly from its rusted hinges whenever it was swung open. Olivia, the shopkeeper of the apothecary, looked up from her book as she heard the door gave off a sharp cry of its rust and age. She was a Seer, a consultant for the Guild but whenever she was consulting the Guild, she was a humble shopkeeper. She was surprised to find she had a customer at this hour. What¡¯s more, the customer was a Fox-kin of the Faerie-kin. Erinthea had a solemn look on her face but hints of a firm resolution were ring in her eyes. She scoured the room, the products on every shelf. She had sneaked out of the church and came to the apothecary for one single purpose. She muttered her wish silently for Lyra to stay asleep, who was still apanying Celia by her side. ¡°L-Lady Erinthea!¡± Olivia stumbled her words but she immediately rushed out from over the counter to greet Erin. ¡°How can I be of assistance?¡± she asked as took a deep bow. ¡°Oh, good evening,¡± Erin greeted with surprise. ¡°How unexpected to see you here, Olivia. What¡¯s a Seer like you running a shop all alone?¡± ¡°I¡¯m only a Seer that the Guild consults with from time to time. In the times that I¡¯m not at the Guild¡¯s bidding, I run this shop by myself.¡± ¡°By yourself? No helpers?¡± ¡°Never needed one. Customers are few. This shop was my father¡¯s.¡± ¡°Where is he now?¡± ¡°He passed away a few years ago,¡± Olivia answered dryly with a saddened smile. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that.¡± Olivia forced a smile. ¡°Thank you, Lady Erinthea but his passing is now no more than a memory of the past. How can I help, mdy?¡± Erin stopped her. ¡°Don¡¯t do that. And please, just call me Erin.¡± ¡°You jest, Mdy. I can¡¯t risk being discourteous to a finedy such as you,¡± Olivia said, her eyes weren¡¯t meeting Erin¡¯s. Erin sighed. ¡°Fine. I¡¯m not having this kind of talk again.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ yes?¡± Olivia was unsure of how to respond. ¡°If I may ask, are you going into the forest thiste into the night?¡± Erin raised an eyebrow. ¡°Why do you ask so?¡± She did her best to prevent her tails and ears from perking up. ¡°Uh¡­ You¡¯re in your armor and your hair is tied. The pouches on your belt are all filled.¡± ¡°I always walk around like this. I like being prepared.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this too prepared?¡± Erin chuckled. ¡°Doesn¡¯t hurt to be too prepared. And I have raised the ire of many¡­ corrupted officials, I¡¯m sure you have heard of that.¡± ¡°Y-yes¡­ I have,¡± Olivia answered softly. ¡°Um¡­ so¡­ may I know what it is that you seek in my humble shop?¡± ¡°Before I ask, can I trust you to be discreet about this?¡± ¡°D-discreet? Mdy, even if you¡¯re a Fae, I-I can¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s not anything illegal, Olivia. Be at ease.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Olivia muttered and let out a sigh. ¡°If so, then perhaps I can try to be discreet.¡± ¡°Try?¡± ¡°Eh? No no! I meant no offense, mdy. I was just saying¡ª¡± Erin smiled wryly. ¡°I understand, Olivia. I do. Just calm down.¡± Olivia nodded and took deep breaths. Once Erin was sure Olivia had truly still her nerves, she handed Olivia a paper. Olivia gasped as she read the content. ¡°M-mdy¡­ I don¡¯t mean to pry but¡­ what do you need this for?¡± ¡°How old are you, Olivia?¡± ¡°S-sixteen,¡± she answered, hesitantly. ¡°Young but I guess I can tell you,¡± Erin said and leaned in close to Olivia. The young Seer stepped back instinctively. ¡°M-mdy?¡± ¡°My nights have been quite dulltely. I¡¯m looking for something to reignite the me I once had.¡± ¡°B-but isn¡¯t this too¡­ heavy? Even if you¡¯re a Fae, it could still be too much.¡± Erin smiled once again. ¡°I know my body, Olivia. I have done things just as dangerous.¡± ¡°Then¡­ why do you need this?¡± Olivia asked. Erin stared nkly at Olivia. ¡°M-mdy?¡± Olivia waved at her. ¡°...I¡¯m not looking for a greater me. I¡¯m just looking for a new me with the same intensity. Please no more questions, Olivia. It¡¯s kind of embarrassing to say more.¡± ¡°Ah, I apologize, Mdy!¡± Olivia eximed, bowing her head a few times before Erin stopped her. ¡°Just¡­ tell me, do you have them?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t¡­¡± Olivia answered as her voice slowly trailed away. ¡°I see,¡± Erin muttered. Disappointment crossed her face. ¡°But I can make them.¡± ¡°You can? How long would that take?¡± ¡°Five minutes? It¡¯s easy. I just need to bring heat some rose essence up and¡ª¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need the details, Olivia. Just make them for me,¡± Erin said and put a single gold coin into Olivia¡¯s hand. ¡°Mdy, this is too much,¡± ¡°It¡¯s just right, Olivia. I am asking you with a special request after all.¡± ¡°Well then¡­¡± Olivia hesitated on pocketing the gold. ¡°I should start making them now.¡± ¡°That would be great, Olivia.¡± As Olivia disappeared into the back of the store, Erin slumped to the floor and a sigh escaped her lips in the most discourteous manner. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ Lyra. I have to do this alone...¡± she muttered to no one in particr. "After all... my lust will not discriminate." 2-40 Storm approaching 2-40 Storm approaching ¡°So, Lady Saphielle approached you, requesting your assistance in gathering a party for an expedition into The Singrity. And this party is to move out by tomorrow. Did I miss any detail, Lady Iris?¡± The Umbrum gave her usual unassuming smile that would terrify even the toughest men as she gently sipped on her tea. ¡°Not a detail missed, Guild Master.¡± ¡°And you came to me because?¡± Iris fiddled with the handle of the cup. She traced the outline of the cup¡¯s fine craftsmanship. She didn¡¯t take Rosemary for a collector but she couldn¡¯t argue about the olddy¡¯s taste in the finer things. ¡°This cup, it¡¯s very unassuming. Going by the mild stains on this fine cup, you don¡¯t exactly treasure it but you brought it out as the essory for my amodation. You know about this cup¡¯s fine craftsmanship. You have a good eye, Guild Master. So, I don¡¯t believe for a second that you aren¡¯t aware of my intentions of being in your presence, at present.¡± Rosemary tapped her desk, a symbol glowed on her desk. Four simr symbols in the corners of her room shone in tandem. ¡°Noise suppression spell. Interesting,¡± Iris remarked. ¡°But I don¡¯t understand why you need them for such a simple conversation.¡± Rosemary leaned forward. ¡°Because, you are correct, Lady Iris. I do know why you¡¯re here. You don¡¯t trust Lady Saphielle, an Elf and a Ruvan. You want us to be the intermediary for her request.¡± ¡°Don''t be mistaken, Guild Master. I heard Lady Saphielle is a lovely individual. However, she''s an Elf and a Ruvan, that would make anyone question her allegiance. Your self-assurance of her character stems from your years of acquaintance with the Elf but I barely know the individual. I can''t heed such a huge request from an individual that I''m not personally familiar with.¡± Iris chewed the words of herst sentence. ¡°If I be the intermediary for you, it will show that the Guild, a neutral faction, is showing an inclination. How do you think that would look for the Adventurer¡¯s Guild Association?¡± ¡°But you did it for Erin, Guild Master. Shouldn¡¯t that count as an inclination?¡± ¡°Lady Erinthea is an adventurer. Unlike you, she represents herself and the adventurers, not an organization. Lady Saphielle and you represent a faction. Surely I couldn¡¯t be more clear now of why I¡¯m hesitant. Besides, what kind of scheme do you even think Lady Saphielle is concocting?¡± Iris chuckled. ¡°I have beenbeled as devious by many and I concur. However, even I feel dwarfed by the Ruvans¡¯ scheme. Edith Rosemary, I may be devious, but you know my agenda. And I don¡¯t deny it. I don¡¯t hide it. But the Ruvans? Honesty will be at the bottom of their priority. I don¡¯t mind rubbing shoulders with those zealous bunch. I don''t mind doing business with them too. But Lady Saphielle isn''t presenting me a business. She is offering me a request on the behest of my friend or so she ims.¡± ¡°It was Lady Erinthea¡¯s request.¡± ¡°Or so Lady Saphielle ims,¡± Iris repeated. ¡°Lady Saphielle said Lady Erinthea was engaged in other matters. A very personal matter that requires her utmost attention and care. Lady Saphielle is just passing on a mutual friend¡¯s message.¡± ¡°If Erin really made this request, such a heavy request, she would be conversing with me about it, face to face. If she was busy, I understand. But now it¡¯s almost an hour after the first glimpse of dawn, I have not heard from her. Even stranger, I can¡¯t find her in town or in the forest bordering Quinteburgh.¡± ¡°So, the great Iris of the Eternal Moon was eluded.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m impressed too.¡± Rosemary returned an unassuming smile of her own. ¡°I know you have eyes and ears at every corner of the city. Despite that, you can¡¯t find Erin¡¯s whereabouts?¡± ¡°Herst known whereabouts is the church. So forgive me for being prejudicial towards the Ruvans.¡± ¡°Lady Iris, I understand the degree of your influence and power but you are using the Ruvans here, thergest faith in the west.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not using, Guild Master. I¡¯m only implying.¡± Before the conversation boiled to its peak, the door was flung open. A disquieted Lyra strode right in without a shred of courtesy. Her eyes foregone the presence of Iris and walked right up to Rosemary¡¯s desk. ¡°Good morning to you too, Miss Lyra,¡± Iris muttered. ¡°Miss Lyra, what¡¯s wrong?¡± asked the Guild Master. From her pockets, Lyra produced a small piece of paper onto the desk. ¡°Erin¡¯s gone.¡± The paper¡¯s content was only four words; I will be back. Rosemary took the paper into her hand. Her tired but ever-honed gaze absorbed the few words written. ¡°This is a note from Erin, I presumed?¡± ¡°It is,¡± Lyra answered. ¡°Her style of handwriting is very expectant of her,¡± Iris remarked. ¡°You think something has happened to her?¡± the Guild Master questioned. ¡°I woke up and found this. We never leave each other notes. She didn¡¯t wake me up to tell me where she was going. Adding to the fact that Celia¡¯s condition has worsened. Speaking of which, do you know?¡± ¡°Lady Saphielle has informed me of such¡ª wait. Are you saying Erin went off The Singrity on her own?¡± ¡°She is braved andmitted as she is impulsive and stupid,¡± Iris muttered with an amused expression. The remark drew Lyra¡¯s re. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. I¡¯m right. She seems green towards the matters of intimate love. It clouds her mind.¡± ¡°Lady Iris, please be quiet. Miss Lyra, are you sure Lady Erinthea has gone off on her own?¡± ¡°I am,¡± she answered. ¡°She took all of her weapons and tools with her. And I asked around before I came to you. I came upon a stable and the owner confirmed my dread. Erin bought a horse, the fastest the stable has. The owner even said she looks extremely prepared.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want to hear this, Miss Lyra but¡­ she¡¯s going to die,¡± Iris said. ¡°She¡¯s gifted and stronger than her level suggests but she¡¯s not ready for The Singrity.¡± ¡°I know, which is why I¡¯m here. I want to stop her and I need your assistance. You¡¯re the viceroy regent of Maven¡¯s Creek. You have the power to send troops out immediately.¡± The Guild Master sighed. ¡°That would be difficult, Miss Lyra. With the corrupted nobles and many of the adventurers moving on to a better town, we are not well-manned at present. We won¡¯t be able to maintain order if I send out even just a small number.¡± ¡°I can be of assistance, Miss Lyra,¡± Iris said. Rosemary cast a perplexed nce. ¡°You were skeptical just before.¡± ¡°rification, I¡¯m skeptical of the Ruvans. But Miss Lyra here is not a Ruvan and I know her nature, personally and intimately. She only needs to ask and at my service will be at her disposal,¡± Iris ended her sentence with an amicable smile tinged with her usual grin. ¡°That¡¯s very charitable for a merchant, Iris,¡± Lyra pointed out. ¡°And I thought you don¡¯t believe in charity. In fact, you shun them.¡± ¡°It¡¯s only charity if there are selfless reasons involved.¡± Lyra¡¯s brows twitched. ¡°So it¡¯s not charity¡­ of course you will expect something in return. It¡¯s all just business to you in the end.¡± ¡°Quite so, Miss Lyra,¡± Iris replied. ¡°The reasons for my assistance are personal. I¡¯m sure you are aware of my intimate rtionship with your lover. We shared that intimacy too for a single night, lest you forget.¡± Before Lyra could raise her hand, Rosemary spoke, ¡°not in my office, Miss Lyra. I will have nothing but words exchanged in my office.¡± After a brief moment of clenching her fist, her shoulders slumped and her grip loosened. ¡°Your lover is a gifted individual in battles and she¡¯s a Fae. It will be a shame to waste such a talent and not to mention the response we¡¯ll receive should her kin discover that we knowingly let Erin venture into her death.¡± ¡°You know, I don¡¯t need your reasons. If you have a price, name it. My only concern would be how soon can we embark.¡± Iris curled lips upward. ¡°In an hour,¡± she answered. Just as the meeting wasing to a conclusion, a man rushed into the room. Much like Lyra, the man foregone any courtesy and stormed right to Rosemary. Lyra recognized the man as one of the Guild staff. Beyond a simple exchange of nods, Lyra didn¡¯t even remember the person existed. ¡°Ben, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Rosemary asked. The man named Ben was out of breath, as if he had rushed all the way here in one breath. He struggled to ry his words. ¡°Our s-scouts just¡­ came back. They were investigating the sighting of some gigantic monster lurking about at the border of the forest. It was spotted by a few adventurers. Our scouts saw it too and they rushed back the moment they did.¡± ¡°What did the scouts see?¡± Ben swallowed a gulp. His mouth opened and closed as he struggled to get his voice out. Eventually, his determination overcame his trepidation. ¡°It¡¯s not just some gigantic monster,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s the Razor Grizzly. It¡¯sing towards here, this town.¡± While a dire expression painted Rosemary and Lyra¡¯s face, Iris held a calm facade. ¡°How long before it reaches the town?¡± Rosemary asked. ¡°An hour? The Grizzly didn¡¯t seem to be in a rush. It was slowly taking its time striding towards here,¡± Ben answered. ¡°Would I be correct that the Grizzly was spotted some time after Aza and her party left for Green Scar?¡± Iris asked. Ben nodded. ¡°It¡¯s around that time, y-yes.¡± Iris erupted into augh. ¡°Pardon me, Lady Iris, but do you perhaps find the ordeal funny?¡± Rosemary threw a sharpened gaze. ¡°Just after Erin and Aza left the town, the Razor Grizzly appeared. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a coincidence. The Necromancer sent its horde to Green Scar. He knows Erin is from Green Scar. He was trying to lure her out but instead, he got the Ruvans.¡± Iris¡¯ gaze shifted to Lyra. ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly what happened but I¡¯m willing to wager Erin¡¯s abrupt departure has something to do with the Necromancer, am I correct?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Lyra answered. ¡°And now, he sends the Grizzly to this town. This is a grudge. If the Guild reports are as they presented themselves to be, Erin has managed to make the Necromancer¡¯s life miserable with her constant interference.¡± Rosemary stood from her chair. ¡°I don¡¯t care for what reasons the Grizzly¡¯s presence. I cared for the means to defend this town against it.¡± Iris also rose from her seat. ¡°Then I will help with that endeavor. The Grizzly¡¯s Core will suffice as payment for my service.¡± ¡°Done,¡± Rosemary said and left her room with hastened steps along with Ben. The vast array of apanying footsteps signaled the beginning of a great battle for the town¡¯s survival. Lyra left shortly after but not without sparing onest re towards Iris. ¡°So much work, so little time,¡± Iris mused to herself in solitary. **** As much as Lyra was worried about the Grizzly¡¯s attack, Celia was her first and foremost concern. She had left her alone when she discovered Erin¡¯s sudden disappearance. She left the church in a hurry and now, she was heading back in a hurry. She bolted past the Guild¡¯s lobby, ignoring the attempts of a friendly greeting by the other adventurers. Just as she flung the entrance door open without the slightest reservation, a girl of a small stature ran right into her chest. ¡°Ah! Sorry! Sorry!¡± The girl quickly apologized with her head held low. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I was in the wrong too. I¡ª¡± Lyra paused when she noticed the girl¡¯s neck-length olive green hair. ¡°Olivia?¡± Olivia gazed up. ¡°You! Y-you¡¯re¡­ Lady Erinthea¡¯s lover¡­ right?¡± ¡°Yes, I am. Now if you can excuse me, I¡ª¡± ¡°Were you not with Lady Erintheast night?¡± Olivia asked. Lyra froze. ¡°Why do you ask that?¡± ¡°S-she bought something from me lst night. It has a very strong smell but I don¡¯t smell it on you. I just thought it¡¯s weird. I know the two of you are always together. Which is why I¡ª¡± ¡°Wait, what do you mean Erin bought something from youst night? What did she buy?¡± ¡°An¡­ a-aphrodisiac¡­ She said she wanted some new thrills for nights¡­ that¡¯s why she bought them¡­ I assumed.¡± Lyra grasped Olivia¡¯s shoulder, shocking the poor girl. ¡°How much did she buy?¡± Lyra asked, her voice trembling. ¡°W-what¡­?¡± ¡°How much!?¡± Lyra shouted. ¡°A-a lot! A lot. Enough for a few nights¡­!¡± Lyra¡¯s grips loosened on Olivia''s shoulders but her expression stuck on her realization. ¡°Erin¡­ you fucking idiot¡­!¡± 2-41 Pallid 2-41 Pallid Erin considered it one of her many great fortunes in receiving a map that could help her in getting to The Singrity. Perhapsdy luck had shown her sympathy and maybe it was just pure happenstance. Either way, Erin cared not for the reason. She was just simply relieved that in her time of great need, she had what she needed. However, she didn¡¯t have everything she needed. For one, the only weapons Erin had were her silver steel saber and a magic sword in the guise of a rusted weapon. The former couldn¡¯t be said to be much of a weapon. Till now, she failed to find any ways to lift the spell of the magic sword. Weapons aside, her level was barely the baseline of The Singrity¡¯s threat. For all she knew, she could be torn asunder the moment she entered the basin. As she rode fast and stout through the unpaved path towards her goal, she clutched the satchel on her right hip. The satchel contained vials of aphrodisiac. Those were his contingency in the events that she had truly overstepped her boundaries. She needed power no more than ever and for once, she needed strength not for herself or her pride, but for a girl she hade to love and care for greatly. Ironically, she needed Lust Deviant. Her battle with Aedan had proven that Lust Deviant wasn¡¯t purely carnal. She had mistaken that should Lust Deviant activate, she would be helpless against anyone who meant harm to her but thanks to Aedan, she found it out to be contrary. Her survival instincts took over and channeled the power given by Lust Deviant towards self-preservation. Buttely, in the past few days, Lust Deviant has remained tame. Sheughed at herself for shunning Lust Deviant. Now, she wished with every fiber of her body for Lust Deviant to awaken. Should that fail to transpire naturally, she would force it to. She didn¡¯t know if aphrodisiacs would work but considering she had already colluded with a zealous religious order, this wouldn¡¯t be her most absurd idea. The winds began to change as she closed in on The Singrity. The breeze carried a smell that Erin could only describe as stale and pungent, an odour that would twist one¡¯s expression. A smell that Erin had be far too ustomed to. It was the smell of death. From the map given by Rosemary, she was still miles away from The Singrity but the terrain had already shifted greatly. She was no longer in a forgiving territory. As evidence, arge figure lunged at her from among the trees. She only had a brief moment to appraise her sudden assant but in that split second, she saw its level, twenty-three. Erin pulled the rein on her horse and her mount grazed to a stop, right before the point of her assant¡¯s lunge. Erin dismounted her horse and sent the frightened creature back the way it sprinted from. While this would slow her pace considerably, she also didn¡¯t like the notion of sending the poor horse to its death. With her saber drawn, Erin confronted her assant, a tiger-like monster in all ck that stood over six feet tall, a Dusk w. Erin remembered encountering the same monster in Green Scar but only that they were considerably smaller. The Dusk w looked to be ready to pounce at any moment. However, as it did so, another monster emerged from the vegetation. Erin heard iting but she couldn¡¯t smell it. The deathly smell had made almost all perception through the sense of smell nigh-impossible. The monster that emerged was a few feet taller than the Dusk w. ¡°A Spiked Grizzly?¡± Erin remarked in her heart. The Spiked Grizzly was the same level as the Dusk w but obviously, it was stronger. It trapped the Dusk w under its gigantic paw and ripped its head off with a single bite. The Spiked Grizzly was without a doubt a shrunken rtive of the Razor Grizzly. It looked the same as its gigantic cousin save for itsck of razor for ws and its razor-back. Instead of razors, small spikes adorned its back. As much as she found a slight admiration for the novelty of monsters, she shuffled the Spiked Grizzly off its mortal coil with a decapitation using Arcane Edge: Aura Shot. It was savoring on the Dusk de¡¯s head and didn¡¯t seem to view Erin as a threat, a severe and itsst mistake. [Experience gained +25% - Level Progression: 45%] With the obstacles out of the way, Erin proceeded her journey on foot. She did not run but instead kept her pace to walking. Running would tire herself out much too quickly and it also subjected her to a much shorter window of response time should another ambush ur. In fact, just a mileter, she had already been attacked by Serks, Rot-rats, Rock Apes alike. The monsters were all higher level than their counterparts in Green Scar. Thefort she had was that the monsters didn¡¯t have higher intelligence. They were stronger and faster but only a little. Their movements were far too obvious to elude Erin¡¯s sharp focus. They all fell to her de. [Experience gained +60% - Level Progression: 105%] [Erinthea: Level 18 increase to Level 19] [Skill Points gained +2] [Ability Points gained +2] [Level Progression: 5%] Erin had to admit, she was grateful for the monsters standing in her path. They yielded plenty of experience and hopefully by the time she reached her destination, she would be at a level that she didn¡¯t need to resort to an absurd method. Another peculiar thing she noticed was a set of tracks leading to The Singrity. Judging by the tracks¡¯ slightly deep indent on the soil, it could be a simple cart or a carriage. Regardless, Erin couldn¡¯t understand why anyone would venture through these parts in a vehicle. The manner of terrains around these parts was untamed and unkind. Wheels would be at impasses on many parts. Given the erratic patterns of the tracks, Erin could only surmise the individuals onboard their vehicle to be desperate, enough to choose The Singrity as their destination. Erin doubted the individuals had the same intention as her. Nevertheless, in the current dire strait, it was of paramount importance to determine whether these individuals were friends or foes. As Erin walked, fogs began to appear and since thest Rock Ape that jumped at her a branch directly above her, no other monsters attacked her. The tracks of the vehicle led further in but going by the many splinters she hade across, she gathered it wouldn¡¯t be long before she saw the wreckage of the cart. Erin seized this transient moment of serenity to provide herself with sustenance on the move. She was short on time but she needed all that she could muster. Therefore, having her meal as she walked was the best option she had. While chewing her dry and near vourless provision, she thought back on Lyra. No doubt her lover would be furious by now trying to follow her. Rosemary and Iris would definitely be stopping her. As for Celia, she might still be in her sleep or she could be awake. Either way, her mind wouldn¡¯tst long. The juvenile mind was far too fragile for just any treatment, especially if it was a curse that had taken its roots deep. There was no telling what would happen if they let miasma fester within Celia. At best, she would depart from this world. At worst, she could be turned into a thrall of the Necromancer. The many treatments Celia received from Saphielle had treated the symptoms but to truly treat her damaged mind and dispel the miasma at its core, Mist Pearls would be needed and the Necromancer eliminated. Her thoughts then moved to Green Scar. She was only adequate in arithmetic but by now, the monster horde would have arrived in the town of Green Scar. Her hope lied with Aedan and the Ruvans. She prayed for the victory and for the casualties to be kept to the minimum. In her wishful thinking, she hoped there would be none. Erin¡¯s thoughts of her friends and acquaintances came to an end when a series of growls entered her ears. They weren¡¯t the growls of any beast she was familiar with. She focused her gaze on the path in front of her, blurred by the incessant growing fog. Among growls, there was the sound of flesh being torn asunder and the spill of blood. Considering her distance from the noise, she managed to pick up whiffs of fresh blood, humans¡¯. Her vision of the growling source became clear as she neared. A wreckage of a carriage came into her sights. Monsters were lurking among it, beasts that greatly resemble gray fur wolves of humanoid shapes. Sixth Sense was silent of the danger but her innate instinctpelled her to take cover, and she picked a fallen log beside the unpaved road. The log wasrge enough to hide her from the beasts who were busy devouring the victims of the crash that the beasts themselves presumably caused. Erin was struck with a queer feeling. When saw those beasts, she froze; something that had not happened to her in a long time. Ever since she began honing her swordsmanship, she had be fearless to most threats. Against a stronger opponent, she would feel only thrill and excitement. But here, she felt no excitement nor thrill. If she had tobel her fear, it would be primal. She chose to hide instead of standing her ground. She didn¡¯t understand why, at least not entirely. She appraised the beasts the moment sheid eyes on them. Wulvers, they were called. Unlike werewolves, which were human-turned-beasts, Wulvers were simply beasts with a body that allowed them to be bipedal or quadrupedal. There were six of those Wulvers in the brief nce she had, all ranging around the level in the twenties. Erin had her grip around her saber. Even so, her hands didn¡¯t stop trembling. She didn¡¯t doubt her ability to y all six of those beasts but nevertheless, something in herpelled her body to hide. She struggled to still her hands but her fear moved on. She could no longer hear the growls but the paws imprinting themselves on the soil were clear to her ears. Somehow, the Wulvers had picked on her presence and were slowly approaching her. With a deep breath and great conviction, she dug her nails into her palm and forced herself to confront the Wulvers. She rose from where she hid with a cry. A Wulver lunged at the same moment. Her resolve was met with the Wulver¡¯s, the beast¡¯s jaws inches away from tearing into her throat. But her speed prevailed. Her de, coated with Arcane Edge, carved into the Wulver¡¯s head first. [Experience gained +25% - Level Progression: 30%] When the Wulvers saw one of their own being so easily in, they halted their approach. Their gaze stayed on Erin and they once began to let their growl leak through their clenching bloodstained sharp teeth. ¡°Hesitating are they? Interesting,¡± Erin remarked. Now she understood a little of her primal fear. The enemies in front of her weren¡¯tplete durds. They were relentless but not mindless. They had the capacity to study their opponent. The first Wulver was in all likelihood a test for their prey¡¯s capabilities. Now they knew, they had be cautious. They had the speed, strength, most of important of all, a semnce of intelligence. The Wulvers began to spread out, slowly circling around Erin. Without any choice, Erin drew her other sword too, the rusted de. The de wouldn¡¯t cut in this state but it would serve adequately as a tool for defense, especially against the Wulvers¡¯ vicious bites. The bigger problem was the fact the Wulvers had opposable thumbs. They could easily grasp their opponents. The Wulver directly behind Erin dropped onto all fours with its hind legs bent. Erin quickly turned around with her saber swinging just as the Wulver lunged. The Wulver slowed the swing with one of its forelimbs, enough dy for it to dodge the swing. Another Wulver pounced with her back turned. Erin blocked the bite with her rusted sword. Sure enough, the rusted sword was still dull but still sturdy as its original form. The rest of the Wulvers attacked in this window. Erin let both of her swords go and conjured lightning into her palms. She sent two Wulvers flying away with Lightning Bolts but not enough to kill them. She donned her tails in Arcane Armor and smashed them against the fifth Wulver against its head. It stumbled back. She grabbed her saber and swung down at the dazed Wulver, decapitating it. [Experience gained +25% - Level Progression: 55%] Before Erin could return to her stance, the Wulvers had attacked again. This time, her speed failed her, and the Wulver bit into her right arm. She gritted her teeth against the pain. She plunged her saber into the Wulver holding to her arm with its jaws. [Experience gained +25% - Level Progression: 80%] ¡°Ugh!? Fuck!¡± Erin cursed out as the deceased Wulver¡¯s jaws did not loosen even after losing its life. The Wulver fell to the ground and dragged Erin down with it. The Wulver was heavy and even though the weight was still within Erin¡¯s ability, it did slow her movement considerably. The remaining three Wulvers pounced at her. Erin screamed and lifted the dead Wulver clinging onto her arm with all her might. She bashed the carcass against three of its kind. The force from the swing, coupled with the carcass¡¯ weight, the carcass flew off too but not before tearing off a chunk of flesh from Erin¡¯s arm. The shock came first before the pain and her scream was soundless from all the sudden surge of agony. She was even gasping for air. The three Wulvers recollected their bearings and raised themselves from the ground, but Erin remained on the ground. The incessant had taken away the strength in her legs. Erin was no less determined to see this battle through. She was greatly injured and even now, her primal fear was telling her to run. However, she was hellbent on taking the three down. Her pride as a swordsman took precedence. The feeling was queer but not unfamiliar. She just needed to be ustomed to it once again. The Wulvers had simr looks of conviction to have Erin as their meal. Their growls turned into snarls as they slowly approached the seemingly hopeless Fox-kin. Had they been any less intelligent, they would have charged right at her and fell prey to one of her many creative ways of using her de. They knew their prey weren¡¯t like the ones they fed on from the wreckage. Erin covered herself in Arcane Armor and cast Mystic de on her saber. But then a sinister and hollow roar resounded from the distance. The Wulvers instantly stopped in their tracks. They looked around, terror in their darting gazes. Once the roar resounded again, they howled back but instead of going towards the roar, they ran away from it. Erin sent her gaze to her right, where the roar came from. Aside from the roar, she could hear bushes rustling and branches breaking, and these sounds were only getting louder and louder. Whatever that scared the Wulvers away, it was closing on her fast. Erin forced herself to her feet and ran. Every step hurt her wound. She dispelled Mystic de and Arcane Armor and focused on healing her wound with Spirit Mend, all the while the sounds behind were getting closer. But the moment she heard a clear hiss behind her, she stopped. The creature had caught up to her. Erinughed to herself. She stopped her healing and turned around to face her opponent. And sheughed even louder. The creature was a Serk but not just any Serk. It was a Pallid Serk but pallid only in appearance. It was four times the size of a normal Serk and it had a longer body. The ring difference lied in the cracks all over its body, which were leaking gray smoke. Another cause of concern was its level. The Pallid Serk was level thirty-five, higher than the Razor Grizzly. Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Three-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 19 | Status: Moderate Exhaustion, Gravely Wounded Might: 20 | Arcane: 27 | Finesse: 24 Magic Arts Spirit Magic Lv. 8 | Arcane Edge Lv. 5 | Arcane Armor Lv. 10 | Lightning Magic Lv. 4 | Arcane Aegis Lv. 1 Combat Arts Sword Art Lv. 7 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 5 Innate Skills Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 2 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex Unique Talent Mystic de Lv. Ex | Revenant Lv. Ex Level Progression: 80% Remaining Skill Points: 2 Remaining Ability Points: 2 2-42 Apostles 2-42 Apostles Aza and her team were close but they were greeted with grave news by her scout¡¯s familiars. The small viges and settlements around Green Scar were also facing an imminent attack from the monster horde. These viges weren¡¯t targeted specifically but merely coteral as a result of the horde splitting up. The horde was huge and they weren¡¯t attacking in a single file, a behavior unexpected from monsters. They were nking the town of Green Scar from all sides. The viges would be trampled by the horde as it advances. Against Lucan''s suggestion of letting those viges be and focused on their main course, Aza split her team up, each Pdin would be responsible for defending each nk. Aza herself would proceed onwards, to the main force of the horde. Though she had questions regarding herpanions¡¯ characters but when it came to theirbat prowess, she had the utmost confidence in their supremacy. They rode through a small valley smothered in lush green. This was where they split in their path. Aza watched herpanions depart until their figures were swallowed up by the abundant trees and distance. She prayed silently for their safety and sess. Aza didn¡¯t doubt herpanions¡¯ strength but anything can happen. There were plenty of abilities or magic in this world that ignores the level system. Considering they were up against an enemy of aberrant nature, her worries weren¡¯t unfounded. She was also aware that she was being lured further away from The Singrity. She had no doubts this was another scheme of the Necromancer but she was the only one present that could fend off the horde. Quinteburgh had the merchants¡¯ personal army should the Necromancerunch a simr assault on the town. The small town of Green Scar, on the other hand, waspletely defenseless. Their borders weren¡¯t meant to fend off a monster horde. As merciless as the rumors had painted Aza, she wasn¡¯t one thatcked anypassion. She didn¡¯t know how those rumors started but she had little time for rumors. Aza wasn¡¯t worried about her pace. The road after the valley was neatly paved but even so, the persistence of nature quickly found its way back to the path. Had Aza¡¯s mount been a horse, her pace would be considerably slowed but she was riding a Tyrux. It didn¡¯t have hooves but talons. The slight undtion on the road was no issue for it. If the rider was ever more dexterous, a Tyrux could easily traverse from branches to branches across trees. But that would be too demanding for a Tyrux. Aza began encountering some monsters which strayed too far behind the horde. A sword manifested in her hand and she made quick work of the monsters. For the monsters which were out of her reach, she threw a three-point star-de, which also manifested into her hand out of thin air. The star de traveled in a radius around Aza, dismembering and decapitating all monsters the star de passed through. Once the sword and the star de had done their work, the two weapons were swallowed by the space around them. None of the monsters dared to approach Aza and Aza herself didn¡¯t bother with the monsters that seemed to lose all notion of joining the horde. Her mission wasn¡¯t to cull the horde but to merely fend them off or dissipate the horde. All in all, she was having a rtively smooth journey and none could hinder her advance. Until a certain figure stood in her path. Aza pulled on the reins and forced the Tyrux into an immediate stop. The Tyrux didn¡¯t resist the suddenmand as it too could feel the individual in front of it was a threat of a high degree. The Tyrux was taking steps back from the individual standing in its path. Despite being a carnivore, the Tyrux was shaking like a cornered mouse in front of a cat. Aza hopped off her mount and sent the Tyrux away. With the individual in front of her, the Tyrux would only be a liability. ¡°Name yourself, stranger,¡± Aza demanded as she pulled her hood down, revealing her short hair of a brilliant red. She pierced her scrutinizing gaze at the stranger with her emerald-green eyes. ¡°Auriver Dusktride,¡± replied the stranger. He was a burly man of rough features and dark skin, standing over eight feet. He sported a clean-shaven head and the pair of horns on his forehead made his race even more evident. He was donned in a clerical robe that wouldn¡¯t look out of ce amongst a battlefield. ¡°And pray tell, for what purpose does an Augur of the Dusktride n like you toe standing in a Pdin¡¯s path?¡± Aza asked. Auriver chuckled with a sneer. ¡°I waspelled,¡± he answered. Aza spared no breath to entertain the Augur¡¯s poorly concocted reason. What¡¯s more, she felt a dark aura emanating from him. ¡°Are you the Necromancer?¡± ¡°Necromancer?¡± Auriver raised an eyebrow. ¡°Ah, you mean Ba¡¯al. In that case, I am not the Necromancer but I do know of him. We¡¯re in a fellowship, sort of.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re admitting yourself to be an essory of his offence.¡± ¡°How imprudent. I have no hand in this conundrum he has created. However, I do have a hand in helping him gather his army but¡­ this wasn¡¯t the n. He wasn¡¯t meant to attack a few insignificant human settlements with our painstaking hard work.¡± Auriver made an exaggerated sigh. ¡°He has strayed from the plot.¡± ¡°Regardless, you¡¯re still an essory. Therefore, you are under arrest in the name of her eminence, Ruva.¡± ¡°Still¡­ I guess this isn¡¯t all bad. He did manage to lure a champion of a divine to me. This unounted change does have its silver lining.¡± ¡°Champion of a divine...¡± ¡°Surely you know what I¡¯m talking about, Scarlet de. I am very much like you too.¡± ¡°I see. So you¡¯re an apostle too,¡± Aza said and unsped her cloak, letting it fall to the ground, revealing her slender tunic underneath. The fabric of her tunic was so thin that her skin was almost visible under the right amount of light. However, that appearance of hers didn¡¯tst long as a suit of ck metallic armor with a shade of red manifested over her body, including her head. ¡°Apostle, champion, emissary, whatever. We¡¯re both the divines¡¯ chosen. We are obligated to fight one another, no?¡± ¡°No,¡± Aza answered sharply. ¡°But I will be shirking my duties as a Pdin to let such a dangerous individual like you walk free.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the spirit, Scarlet de!¡± Auriver bellowed joyfully. He smashed his fist together. ¡°Come on, give me your all.¡± Aza didn¡¯t have Appraisal but she could roughly gauge her opponent¡¯s strength and level. She surmised Auriver¡¯s level to be around the range of the lower eighty, same as her. It wasn¡¯tmon to find an individual of such a level but she wasn¡¯t arrogant to think individuals of a tremendous level were a blue moon. She was well aware of the off-chance that many concealed their true power and level. Auriver thrust out his glowing right fist and a stream of red energy shot out. Aza summoned a shield into her hands. The energy stream collided with her shield, pushing her back but not making even the slightest dent on her shield. When the stream dissipated, Aza appraised the damage done to her shield before tossing it away and letting the space swallow it. Auriver fired off another stream of red energy but this time, Aza simply waved her hand and the energy stream disappeared into thin air, much like all of her weapons. ¡°Clever of you,¡± Auriver praised. ¡°To think that would ever be someone who would think of storing magic away.¡± Aza offered no response and took out a chain hook this time. She threw the chain hook at Auriver but it missed. Aza tugged on the chain and the chain itself shortened at a thrilling speed, pulling Aza close to Auriver. The Augur quickly attempted to dodge but Aza reached him before his massive figure could retreat out of the Pdin¡¯s range. She brandished a sword in her hand as she reached her target. She swung but her de left only a mark of her attempt instead of drawing blood. Auriver snickered. ¡°Surely that¡¯s not your finest de, Scarlet de.¡± Aza stowed away her chain-hook and sword and produced a greatsword. Auriver eyed her curiously and just waited patiently for her next move. Aza imbued the greatsword with Arcane Edge and began swinging at Auriver with one hand. He dodged the first swing but was forced to take the second swing due to their speed difference. It didn¡¯t cut through his skin but the pain was still there. Auriver was greatly surprised at Aza¡¯s physical strength. He thought her to be a speed and tactic-reliant fighter but that wasn¡¯t all she was. Auriver stopped dodging and stood his ground. He retaliated by bringing down a flurry of fists at Aza. She wasn¡¯t fazed by the sudden change of strategy from her opponent. She took out the same shield from before and let it absorb all of Auriver¡¯s assault. She parried hisst punch with the shield and thrust the greatsword at his chest. The de didn¡¯t prate his skin but it was enough to send him plunging back. Auriver recovered his bearings quickly but Aza was already in his proximity. He swung his fist but Aza slid under his punch. Arriving behind him, she had already switched out her shield and greatsword with a battle axe, sending the giant de down on his back. His whole body caved into the ground but as expected, even the such a huge de didn¡¯t manage to leave a scar. Aza didn¡¯t stop there. She brought down her axe again but Auriver turned around and grabbed her axe. ¡°Not so fast,¡± he snarled. Aza let go of the axe and the weapon disappeared like all of its predecessors. Auriver took this opportunity and kicked at Aza from where hey. His kick was heavy but much too slow for Aza. She swiftly dodged the poor attempt and drew out a pair of short swords. Auriver pushed himself back to his feet and blocked her flurry of attacks with his arms raised. None of the des managed to even scratch him but he was still forced to take a step back. ¡°That does it,¡± he growled. He predicted where her des wouldnd and reached out, grabbing the two des with one hand. Before Aza could retreat, Auriver sent a punch that finallynded on her. She flew and tumbled across the ground before grazing the soil to a stop. A trail of blood was spilled. ¡°Your strength ismendable but no better than mine. Your speed is the only advantage you have over me,¡± Auriver gloated with a scoff. Aza got to her feet slowly. She was visibly hurt by that one punch and the recovery of her bearings was wobbly. Nevertheless, she pushed herself to her feet. She lifted her visor, wiping her lips of her blood before closing it back up. ¡°It has been far too long since Ist witnessed my own blood. This is¡­ thrilling,¡± she said with a smile as she looked at her blood-stained hand. ¡°It won¡¯t be just your blood but your guts too,¡± Auriver said and shot off like a cannon with a kick off the ground. He flew straight into the Pdin. Aza tried to dive away but Auriver¡¯s sudden burst speed caught her off guard. His fist glowed bright red. He sent a straight at her. He missed but his fist grazed her cheek. His second punch came but she deflected it with her arm. He punched again but he missedpletely this time. Adapting to his new speed, Aza was slowly regaining her advantage. He threw a wide hook but Aza raised her leg and trapped his swinging arm under her foot. She followed up with a knee right into his face. He fell back but he reeled himself back in and threw another hook. Aza caught his hook and used his momentum to toss him away. He ended up tumbling across the ground. Auriver got to his feet without a moment lost. His eyes had not the slightest notion of losing the fire. His fists glowed red again and he thrust both of them out, a bigger stream of red energy was fired. Aza did the same thing and waved both of her hands, and the stream disappeared. ¡°This is preposterous,¡± Auriver said, calmly. ¡°To think even a skill of that mass could be stored away like a mere item.¡± ¡°The preposterous one is you. You¡¯re around my level but your skills and abilities are not much to write home about.¡± Auriver chuckled. ¡°It certainly isn¡¯t anything special but no edge has ever managed to draw my blood. It seems our fight ising down to a matter of endurance.¡± ¡°Is it now?¡± Aza muttered dryly. Unperturbed by the futility of her strikes, her gaze remained ever vignt and resolute. She drew a saber with a long and curved de with a hilt that curved in the opposite direction of the de. Her breathing slowed. The rise and fall of her chest steadily came to a still. She drew air into her body. The de of the saber glistened with a vibrant red. ¡°A new trick, finally!¡± Aurivermended with open arms but his expression curled in the next second. ¡°Huh!?¡± he blurted out as Aza disappeared from his sights, leaving a trail of a fading scarlet glow. Aza reappeared to Auriver¡¯s right but if it weren¡¯t for the disturbance of the wind, he would never have known. She shed and Auriver raised his arm in defense on the beckon of his instinct. The sh drew a cut across his forearm, a shallow cut but a cut nheless. ¡°Impossible,¡± he muttered to himself in disbelief. Aza shed again. Auriver raised his other arm to block the attack. A patch of ckness spread over his left arm. Aza¡¯s de bounced off against the ck patch. The ck patch shrunk back into nothing. Aza lunged again before he could offer a remark. He trained his gaze on Aza¡¯s de. His neck, chest, and waist grew a patch of ckness which all deflected a blow from Aza¡¯s de. But he failed to perceive the blow aimed for his thigh. By the time he realized, Aza had drawn a long cut across. He sent a kick at her way but she had already withdrawn out of his reach. Only then, Aza breathed out and began gasping for air when she was within a safe distance away. The scarlet glow faded from her saber and scarlet vapour oozed out through the gaps of her armor. ¡°I see¡­ Scarlet de. So that¡¯s where your moniker stems from. I will admit, it¡¯s beautiful but it¡¯s a shame such a beautiful thing won¡¯t be around for long.¡± Aza held in her breath once again. The vapour stopped oozing out and her de glowed scarlet. She disappeared from where she stood and only to reappear behind Auriver. The Augur turned around swinging his fist but Aza was long gone. Sensing movement to his left, he swung, but he missed again. A cut appeared on the left shoulder. This pattern reurred a few times. Auriver could only vaguely guess where Aza would reappear but each time, he would either misjudge or mistime his retaliation. Although Aza was finally drawing her opponent¡¯s blood, Auriver nevertheless had the toughest defense she had ever encountered. It wasn¡¯t just his skin but in all likelihood, every fibre of his body bore the same power of defense. Aza wasn¡¯t using a spell that increases her speed or strength but a mere trick and skill that showed the mastery of her body and magic. By holding her breath, she was able topress her magic power, making it far denser than it should be, greatly enhancing her strength and speed. Then, she transferred thepressed power into her weapon. She had amazing control of magic but the awful truth was that she never had an affinity with almost any Magic Art. She was forced topensate for that weakness with creative uses of her limited arsenal. Still, her understanding and mastery of magic led her to be one of the most feared fighters across the continent. This trick of hers bore a significant weakness of its own. It was dependent on how long she could hold her breath. She would need a few seconds of rest in between her flurry of attacks. Auriver caught on to this weakness of hers. He waited patiently for the moment her movement began to slow for even a bit. When she did eventually begin to slow down, Auriver pounced on that window. Aza dodged the grasp that came for her arm but she failed to dodge the punch that followed after the grasp. She crossed her arm, resorting herself to the strength of her armor and body¡¯s endurance. The punch caused ripples to form in the air as Aza was sent flying through the forest, demolishing the trees, razing the ground, and raising clouds of dust and smoke. On the bright side of things, Aza was now closer to the town of Green Scar than before. And she also obliterated quite a number of monsters as she was sent flying. There were still quite a number of monsters in the vicinity but not a single one made a move. Even though they had a defenseless-looking female knight struggling to get to her feet in front of them, the level difference caused the monsters to flee instead. ¡°I¡¯m curious, Scarlet de,¡± said Auriver as he strode towards Aza like he had all the time in the world. ¡°As the chosen ones, we are all bestowed a gift from our patron god. This impervious body of mine is the gift. What about yours? Why aren¡¯t you using it? Do you think I¡¯m not worthy of your Goddess¡¯ gift?¡± ¡°Gift...¡± Azaughed. She pushed herself up to her feet with trembling limbs. ¡°You called it a gift? Then tell me, what has this ¡°gift¡± taken in exchange for that invincible body of yours?¡± Auriver was silent and his face grimaced. ¡°It¡¯s no gift, Auriver Dusktride. It is a piece of divinity. No matter how small, us mortals are not meant to hold such power. It would only destroy us.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t push your insecurities of your worth unto others, Scarlet de. I am chosen. I am worthy to hold such power. What has been taken from me in exchange is nothing but a small price to pay.¡± Aza scoffed. ¡°It¡¯s no gift if one has to pay for it.¡± ¡°Enough, I will hear no more of your deceit. If you won¡¯t use it, allow me to convince you,¡± Auriver said and bent his knee. He gathered strength into his legs as he squatted lower down. ¡°By the grace of Ruva...¡± Aza muttered as she realized Auriver¡¯s intention. Instead of stopping him, she ran from him. Auriver then jumped far and high up into the sky until he reached the clouds. Once he reached the highest point of his jump, he kicked the air into ripples andunched himself straight back to the ground. On this day, a quarter of Green Scar was razed and demolished into an empty crater. 2-43 Divine intervention 2-43 Divine intervention ¡°W-what¡­ happened?¡± muttered an adventurer amidst the newly wrought destruction around him. He looked around. Despair entered his sight at every turn. He winced as he moved, his body riddled with shards of the destruction. Much like his body, his newly bought iron armor was covered with dents and scratches. ¡°J-James¡­ w-where are you? James¡­¡± a woman cried out for her son¡¯s whereabouts amidst the dense smoke and abundant dust that shrouded the town. The woman herself was covered in wounds but she had only her son in mind. ¡°No¡­ no¡­ no¡­! No! Jill!!!¡± a man screamed out his daughter¡¯s name as he cradled her in her arms. His daughter was still breathing but the wounds she had and the blood she had bled left only a fragment of hope for the father. ¡°My arm¡­. My arm!!¡± a boy howled out his agony at his right arm which was bentpletely out of shape. His other limbs bore simr grave injuries but his right arm was the worst, even the bones had been snapped out of the flesh. Simr miseries and tragedies were scattered all across the town of Green Scar. One moment, the adventurers and other able-bodies were busily building up the town¡¯s defense while fending off the monsters that were slowly amassing into a horde. Since they received an early warning of the predicament, they used whatever time they had left to raise the chances of their survival until the Pdins arrived. As the horde was amassing and as the town was fighting for their survival, arge cloud of smoke swept over them, along with an insanely strong gust of wind. An unbridled force followed in tandem, bringing destruction and death to the town. Aedan felt iting. He knew high-level individuals were fighting only miles away from the town. He wanted to go and stop the battle but his father, Geron, had stopped him. Geron wasn¡¯t fully aware of Aedan¡¯s circumstances but he understood Aedan¡¯s core reason for hiding his true power. Therefore, he did not wish for his foster son tomit any rash decisions. Geron knew once Aedan released the seal on his power, the consequences would be unimaginable and it would be extremely difficult to recreate the seal. Aedan went back and forth with Geron. He wanted to help. He wanted to nip the problem in the bud. He insisted. He tried to convince the Dwarrow he hade to care for as a fatherly figure, but Geron would not let him. Aedan had tried to live a humble life. For someone of his history and abilities, a humble life was near-impossible but with the help of Geron and Sven, he pulled through. He came to love and appreciate the mundane days he was living by. Geron could understand all of that, which was why he didn¡¯t want Aedan to risk throwing all of this away. As the father and son were bickering, the destruction came then. Aedan immediately cast Domain on the whole town but in his current state, the range of his Domain was severely shortened and the conjuring phase was slow. He decided to save those who were in the forefront of the lines first before slowly expanding out to cover those behind. However, the wave of destruction overtook his attempt. It came faster than his spell¡¯s conjuring speed. He could only watch as the town he called home was turned into piles of scraps. The upside to the destruction was the mutual fate of the monsters. They were caught up in the destruction too. The town no longer had a monster horde problem to worry about, though the remaining monsters were still plenty. When the dust had settled, he quickly searched for the ones he was closest to first. His father, Geron, was fine. The Dwarrow had donned an armor he once wore in his younger days. Sven was far back into the town. The destruction had lost most of its momentum by the time it reached Sven. Sam and Maria were thankfully also in the clear of the destruction with only mild bruises on them. Selene and Cal were also safe but weren¡¯t without wounds. They were in the front lines but they were also one of the few fortunate ones who were covered by Aedan¡¯s domain. Everyone he called an acquaintance was fine. However, that didn¡¯t mean death was at a null. He didn¡¯t know their name but he remembered passing them by as he walked the streets. No matter how much he tried to tell himself his feelings extended only to a certain few in town, he now knew he didn¡¯t discriminate. He loved this town as a whole. This town was his home and the people were his family. ¡°You did everything you could, Aedan. That¡¯s enough,¡± Geron assuaged him with a hand on his shoulder. ¡°This isn¡¯t your fault. You didn¡¯t cause all of this.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t cause this,¡± Aedan said. ¡°But I am going to find the ones that caused this.¡± ¡°Sir, the monsters areing!¡± shouted one of the adventurers at the entrance, or at least where the town¡¯s entrance was. ¡°The borders are no more! The monsters are flooding in!¡± ¡°Hold them off!¡± Geron barked his orders. ¡°We got to get the wounded to safety first!¡± ¡°But sir, there¡¯s still too many of them! We are all going to¡ª¡± ¡°I said hold them off!¡± ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary, father,¡± Aedan said. ¡°Aedan?¡± Geron stared at his son. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°As I said, I will find the one responsible for this,¡± Aedan dered. There was a glow on the back of his left hand, pulsating heavily. ¡°As for the monsters, I will take care of them too. You just focus on saving the wounded.¡± ¡°But Aedan, that would mean¡ª¡± ¡°I know my limits, father. It¡¯s just a few now. That destruction had taken care of most of the horde. My current abilities will be enough. I promise, father. I won¡¯t break the seal.¡± ¡°Very well, Aedan.¡± Geron sighed and pulled him into a hug. ¡°Make sure youe back and when you do, I want to see you in this form. Not the one I found you in all those years ago.¡± ¡°I wille back, father. This is my home,¡± Aedan said and strode off into the cloud of dust. The dying throes and whimpers of monsters resonated clearly into Geron¡¯s ears beyond the smoke. **** ¡°Stupid bitch,¡± belittled Auriver. ¡°You could have stopped me if you had just used the gift from your patron goddess. Now look around you, you allow all this destruction to happen.¡± Aza looked around calmly in her haggard state. She disagreed with Auriver¡¯s statement in her heart. Her gift wasn¡¯t defense-oriented but her opponent didn¡¯t need to know that. As far as Aza could see, the forest of Green Scar was now a barrennd riddled with only remnants of lives. She couldn¡¯t see the town from here but she didn¡¯t have any doubts the town was swept up in Auriver¡¯s attack. She suppressed her rage that was trying to wriggle its way out of her in the form of a shout. Not that she needed to do much to quell her anger. To survive that attack herself, she had expended a lot out of herself. Her suit of armor was damaged severely from the attack but her health was nowhere near a dire state. Of course, she did receive a lot of injuries but thanks to her Mystic Skin, all damages were converted into Mana depletion. Mystic Skin was a Magic Art of the highest grade and only those with a tremendous amount of Magic Vigour could fully utilize this Magic Art. Mystic Skin could even prevent instant-death attacks such as decapitation and the like. ¡°What¡¯s with that face of yours? Have I said something wrong?¡± Auriver grimaced. ¡°In the end, are you as uncaring as the rumors say?¡± ¡°You cause this destruction, Auriver. Don¡¯t try to shift the me.¡± Auriver sniggered. ¡°I care not who takes the me but I speak the truth, Scarlet de. I cause this destruction, you could have stopped it, but you didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Your qualms are with me. Yet, you involved so many others in this petty feud of yours.¡± Auriver guffawed. ¡°This is war, Scarlet de, whether you like it not. War will always have coteral. Besides, they¡¯re just people, unlike us Apostles. In the eyes of the gods, their lives are probably worth next to nothing. I see no reason to pay them any concern.¡± Aza kept her calm despite the burning rage within her. The rage wasn¡¯t just directed at Auriver but also at herself. In a way, her opponent might have been right. She could have prevented all of this loss if she finished the fight early but her fear of using her divine gifts had caused apse in her judgement. Even now, she was still hesitant about using her gifts. Her fear and hesitation weren¡¯t irrational. There were dire consequences for a mortal using divinity, even if it¡¯s only a tiny fragment. People like Auriver didn¡¯t seem to care or they didn¡¯t believe the price was too much. Aza knew better, that was because she was personally warned by her patron Goddess, Ruva. Aza was told of the cost of using a divine gift. It shook her to her core when she was told. She also saw this as a test by Ruva, a test about sacrifices and her judgement. ¡°So, unless you start using those gifts of yours, I will continue razing thesends,¡± Auriver threatened. ¡°Why are you doing this¡­.?¡± Aza asked. ¡°Power, control, domination, what else is there to say?¡± Auriver answered inly. ¡°Once the world has caught wind of this, the defeat of Aza and all these destructions, they will speak my name in fear and reverence. People who thirst for power will flock to me like the greedy idiots they are. Granted, none of this was the n but you have just served yourself up on a tter for me. Who knows when I will have another chance to fight an Apostle to prove myself?¡± ¡°I see¡­ how stupid of me. Looks I have been remiss,¡± Aza said and went into her stance with the saber in hand. ¡°You are one dangerous person. I shouldn¡¯t have been reserved. Compare to what I will lose, your death will be worth the sacrifice.¡± Auriver continued guffawing as he pointed his finger curtly at Aza. ¡°You should have realized this sooner. Could have saved all those lives.¡± Azalea scowled at the finger pointing at her. It was obviously a taunt and a belittlement but she was running out of patience to not just shred Auriver into bits. As she began to activate her Goddess¡¯ gift, apletely unexpected scene transpired. The space around the stretched-out arm of Auriver disced itself. Immediately after, his arm was dismembered from his body. Auriver himself stared nkly at his now missing arm. ¡°What the...¡± Aza eximed softly. When reality caught up to Auriver, he cried out his agony as he clutched his arm. This was the first time he received such a wound ever since he was being chosen as an Apostle. No de or magic had managed topletely tear through his body. The most anyone had gotten past his defense was only his skin. But let alone his skin this time, his arm waspletely severed. Auriver turned his pained gaze to the presence he had picked up intruding on his fight. His eyesnded on a man with dark red hair in a set of apparel that could be found on just about anymon folks. But obviously, the man in front of him was no meremon folk. The man was slowly sauntering his way towards the two. ¡°Who are you!?¡± Auriver shouted. He wanted to retaliate but considering the man had somehow taken his arm so easily and without his notice, Auriver didn¡¯t think his chance was fair. ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to know. You destroyed my home. Now, I will destroy you but first, I will have you suffer for the innocent blood on your hands.¡± ¡°You¡­.¡± Aza gasped. ¡°You, don¡¯t go anywhere,¡± the man pointed. ¡°We have much to discuss after this.¡± Auriver tried to attack the man while his attention was on Aza, but his fist fell on an invisible wall that didn¡¯t even budge the slightest from his punch. The manzily shifted his gaze back to Auriver. He waved his hand and took Auriver¡¯s other arm. The Augur screamed as he curled up on his knees. The man looked at the back of his left palm, where a symbol was pulsing with a blue glow at a rising pace. The man heaved a breath of relief. He continued his staring, observing the symbol. The glow of the symbol began to die down and the pulsing was also slowing down. He waited until the pulsing stopped before resuming his torture on Auriver. But before the man could im more of Auriver¡¯s body parts, a beam of blinding white light erupted from underneath Auriver. The man understood the purpose of the white light. He waved his hand and the space around Auriver¡¯s neck disced in a wobbly motion. The white light shone even brighter and it swallowed up Auriver. When the disced ce snapped back to its position, the light dissipated in an instant, and Auriver was gone from where he had knelt. ¡°Damn it!¡± the man cursed. Meanwhile, Aza was watching all of this from the side. She could not believe her eyes. She had a notion of what the white light was but she couldn¡¯t be sure. So she asked. ¡°Was that¡ª¡± ¡°Divine intervention, literally,¡± the man answered. ¡°Looks like his patron god deems him too worthy to be killed.¡± Aza had heard of this before, from Ruva herself. The Goddess had given Aza simr assurance but Aza had never found herself in a situation where she needed her patron goddess to pull her out of danger. She was also familiar with the narrative that gods were forbidden to meddle with mortals¡¯ affairs but that was merely a story spread by the priests to prevent themon masses from getting too greedy with their ¡°requests¡±. ¡°Now, Aza,¡± the man turned her attention fully to the Pdin. ¡°You mind exining how you let all of this happen?¡± Aza clicked her tongue. ¡°I can say the same to you, Aedan Tagrun. A True Dragon like you wasn¡¯t able to protect a small town? Don¡¯t mock my knowledge.¡± ¡°I have my reasons, Pdin.¡± ¡°And so do I, Dragon,¡± Aza countered. The two exchanged res. They were bothying the me on one another but deep down, they knew they equally shared the me. Their staring contest went on for a minute before Aedan relented with a scoff. ¡°There are still some monsters left from the horde. Fend them off and be on your way. And tell this to your Goddess, none of her followers are weed to Green Scar,¡± Aedan said and left Aza to her own device. Aza blinked at Aedan¡¯s sudden disappearance. She couldn¡¯t tell how he left so suddenly without a trace but she was exhausted to the brink. She had used up almost all of her Mana just to keep herself alive. But this little amount of Mana was more than enough for her to take care of the remaining monsters of the horde. After that, her next destination was The Singrity. She wanted to know which god was responsible for sending their Apostle and the Necromancer was obviously the person who had the answer. 2-44 Bigger fish 2-44 Bigger fish The Pallid Serk was more than Erin could handle. The only advantage she had against the giant lizard was her ability to strategize but in the face of such a beast and the limited amount of resources she had, it didn¡¯t feel like it was much of an advantage to her. Against the Razor Grizzly, Erin felt that through some miracle and clever tactics, she would stand a chance but she bore no such optimism towards the Pallid Serk in her current circumstances. Erin surprised herself as she did not hesitate to run from it. She was a prideful person but she tried her best to not let it turn into arrogance. Throughout her years as the Sword Saint, she hade to understand there was a fine line between bravery and stupidity. It had made her constantly wonder whether she had been brave or stupid for all those years. And now, running from the Pallid Serk might have been a coward¡¯s move and a wound to her pride, but she wasn¡¯t fighting for herself anymore. She wasn¡¯t here to challenge an unbeatable trial. She was here to save a life. That said, running from the Pallid Serk wasn¡¯t an easy task especially when she had a serious wound on her right arm. It throbbed with pain for every step she took. As she ran, she also put some focus into healing but strangely, the wound wasn¡¯t healing as fast as she assumed it would be. Furthermore, there were a few daring monsters that came attacking her from outside her field of vision. Unfortunately for the monsters, her eyes weren¡¯t the only perceptions she had. Using her heightened hearing and smell, she easily avoided a humanoid monster¡¯s sudden lunge. She did not bother to give the monster a nce and kept running but she surmised it to be an ape-like monster. The next monster to ambush her was a near-furless Dire Wolf with pale skin which aimed for her legs but she promptly sliced its jaws apart. The Dire Wolf¡¯s level was the same as Erin¡¯s but nevertheless, as vicious as the other monsters in the vicinity. [Experience gained +15% - Level Progression: 95%] The second one was a Goblin the size of a human, a Hobgoblin. The Hobgoblin looked sickly and pale like the Dire Wolf and the Pallid Serk. It was wielding a bone-made sword. It had dropped down from a tree into Erin¡¯s path with its sword raised but she parried its blow and kicked the Hobgoblin out of her way. She had intended to kill it but with the Pallid Serk closing in on her, she prioritized her fleeing. The only monster she killed thus far was the Dire Wolf. She had onlye close to killing the others but killing them would require her to stop stall a second in her sprint, which would be enough for the Pallid Serk to catch on to her. Hanging on to the five percent of experience away from a level increment, Erin clicked her tongue every time she failed to finish her assants. Erin nced back and saw the Pallid Serk was neither catching up nor falling behind. The Pallid Serk wasn¡¯t slow by any means. The only reason it had yet to catch on was its sheer size. It was hindered drastically by trees that had grown densely together. It had to deliberately ram into the trees to make way for itself. Even so, its pace was still nothing to scoff at. Erin, with her size and nimbleness, traversed the forest with ease and if she didn¡¯t have the wound on her right arm, she would have easily lost the Pallid Serk on her proverbial tail. ¡°Damn it. Why is it healing so slowly?¡± she cursed. She had been trying to heal her arm for a good minute now but the wound had only stopped bleeding. As she wrought her mind for an answer, a realization struck. She took out her map and gave it a good thorough nce. Sure enough, she was still less than a mile away from the Singrity. However¡ª ¡°No way...¡± she gasped as she used Spirit Vision. No matter where she looked, the Spirits¡¯ presences were tremendously low. In the stead of the Spirits, gray smoke loomed. Plunged with these facts, she came to a single conclusion. The strange phenomenon of The Singrity had grown out of the basin. She hadn¡¯t heard anything about this which could only mean the growth phenomenon was quite recent. The information she had gathered about The Singrity was stale. It made her wonder just how much more had changed. Her mind began to wonder. She thought she had made the minimum preparation but with this abrupt change to what she knew, everything could also have changed. ¡°What if the Mist Pearls no longer grows¡­¡± Her mind drifted to such horror. ¡°No. I must not think that way. Even if things have changed, the changes will be gradual. I might still have time,¡± she convinced herself to keep moving with these thoughts. But herpse of concentration once again caused her a fatal mistake. A Rot-rat lunged out of a bush. It was smaller than the previous monsters but the fastest so far. Its strength wasn¡¯t so great but it threw its whole body at Erin. If she still had her focus, it would be an easy kill but she noticed it toote. She managed to block the Rot-rat¡¯s sh with her swords but it made her stop in her tracks. Before she could swing her swords, the Pallid Serk quickly caught up to her. ¡°Fuck!¡± she shouted out loud at the insane speed of such a huge creature. The Pallid Serk spun its whole body, devastating the trees around it. With the wound on Erin¡¯s right arm, she couldn¡¯t move fast enough to avoid the attack. Its oversized tail mmed into her. Her Arcane Armor absorbed most of the damage but she was still sent flying across the ground. Needless to say, the Rot-rat was pulverized as an afterthought of the Pallid Serk. Erin crashed through two trunks of trees before finally stopping at the third. Her Arcane Armor held on but cracks were all over. Erin was unharmed for the majority but her bearings were thoroughly disordered. She tapped her pockets and heaved a sigh of relief when she felt her vials of potions were still intact. Sheughed weakly at her choice of increasing Arcane Armor¡¯s level all the way to its maximum. She made the right choice. ¡°It¡¯s too early to give myself a pat on the back...¡± Erin reprimanded herself as she felt the ground shake. Lifting her gaze, she saw the Pallid Serk approaching fast. She struggled to regain her bnce and her footing but the Pallid Serk moved fast. Its jaws were wide opened, ready to devour her. Erin threw an Aura Shot at the Pallid Serk with unsteady hands. The projectile hit but the Pallid Serk was unharmed. Had she coated the Aura Shot with Mystic de, it would harm the Pallid Serk but the drawback would leave her a sitting duck. Erin dove out of the way at thest second and Pallid Serk¡¯s jaws crushed through the thick trunk of the tree. Erin sharpened her focus and infused lightning into her saber along with Arcane Edge. While the Pallid Serk was still reining in its own head, Erin plunged her saber right into the top of the Pallid Serk¡¯s head. The monster gave off an ear-splitting cry as it iled about. Erin was prepared to be dragged along in its il of agony but the unexpected happened. Her saber came right off its head as if it was only lodged into some fragile wood as the Pallid Serk iled around erratically. The hole on the Pallid Serk¡¯s head was a crack rather than the usual appearance of a wound. There was no blood. There was only a trail of gray smoke leaking from the hole Erin gave. ¡°What. The. Fuck?¡± Erin blurted out. The Pallid Serk iled about for a few minutes before suddenly freezing up in its movements. The pain in its expression was gone. Agony no longer dyed its gaze. It snapped its head to Erin. Its indifferent gaze slowly contorted into an expression of rage. It roared with a screech of a dying creature instead of a beast¡¯s howl. Witnessing this abnormal urrence, Erin¡¯s premonition of The Singrity¡¯s dangers grew. The overgrown Serk in front of her bore no resemnce towards the Serk she had encountered in Green Scar saved for its appearance, even that aspect was on a blurred line. With a kick of its hind legs, the Pallid Serk pounced at Erin. She dove under the ghastly beast, but its tail was lying in wait for her as she avoided its jaws. She had no choice but to take the tail head-on. She conjured up an Arcane Aegis for more assurance. The tail smashed through the Aegis with ease and tossed Erin into the air, but this was her n. She let her momentum carry her up to trees. Instead of the ground, she gracefullynded on a tree branch higher than the Pallid Serk¡¯s height. Without wasting a single thought, she broke off into a sprint of leaps across the trees. Never had she imagined herself to be running from her opponent without being forced by her opponent¡¯s strength. No matter how strong her opponent was, she had always stood her ground and fought. She desired glory. Her pride demanded to be sated. But all those were in the past. Since glory wasn¡¯t her purpose now, there was no point in struggling against a tilted scale battle. The Pallid Serk could jump but it couldn¡¯t stay in the air. The tree branches were much too soft to support its weight. Erin spared not a single nce at the Pallid Serk and continued making her way to the basin. She could see it now. A basin of trees, shrouded in a dense fog. She swallowed a gulp as she pondered on the threat she would likely face. If all the monsters were as strong as the Pallid Serk, she was, for ack of a better word, fucked. Of course, that was only if she was in her normal state. ¡°Huh? What the¡ª¡± Erin raised an eyebrow at the unfamiliar scent that drifted to her nose. It was a new kind of monster but when she nced around, she didn¡¯t see any monster that she hadn¡¯t seen before. Her Sixth Sense went off and immediately after, a tremor happened. ¡°From the ground!¡± Erin shouted in her mind. The ground below her burst apart and out came a gray snake that spanned the length of more than ten meters and with a width of a log. Its bifurcated jaws widened as wide it could. Erin dodged the bite of the giant snake with a difference of a split second. Shended on another tree branch but she could take no breather. The giant snake, the Grave Wyrm, caught Erin back in its sight. Her Sixth Sense screamed at her. She didn¡¯t know what the Grave Wyrm was going to do but she judged to move first and ponderter. However, even with that cautious mindset, Erin was way toote. The Grave Wyrm spat out a stream of gray murky liquid from its mouth. The stream flew fast and ferocious. It bisected everything it touched, including Erin¡¯s whole right arm. She saw iting but with the strain her wound was tolling on her, her body could not meet the demands of her mind. Erin couldn¡¯t even shout. Her mouth was agape but her scream was voiceless. Her wounds did not cease at just her missing arm. Horror dawned on her face as she realized the properties of the gray murky liquid weren¡¯t just its high pressure. Slowly, from the fresh stump of her right shoulder, her flesh began to decay. Only then, her agony screams regained their volume. ¡°Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!¡± In the face of desperation, there were only curses in her mind. The decay spread to her face and her chest. Her brain and heart rotted together as her vision started to fade. Thest glimpse of her mortal coil was the Pallid Serk battling with the Grave Wyrm for taking its prey. Her body fell off the branch as life slowly left her body. The pain crept all over her body but she was at the point where she no longer hadmand over her body. As her corpse touched the ground, she had shuffled off her mortal coil. ¡°In the end¡­, despite my best efforts¡­ this is how far I could go¡­ Damn it¡­ I really hate being weak...¡± Even the voice in her own mind slowly faded into oblivion. Her memories shed before her but these memories began to dim like a dying light. One by one, her memories crumbled piece by piece until she could remember nothing. And then there was truly nothing. An empty abyss. A hollow and endless space that she felt as if she was thrown into. She didn¡¯t know how long she could fall through. She didn¡¯t know how far the abyss spanned. She had no idea how much time had passed. Soon, the sensation of falling changed. She began to feel like she was drifting in a sea of vast emptiness. The waves took her further and further into the endless darkness. She felt nothing... But all was not lost. A message appeared at the dark end of her life. [Conditions met - Revenant activated] At that message, Erin felt a surge. She didn¡¯t know what kind of surge it was. It just felt like everything was flowing into a single point at a tremendous pace. [Experience lost -10% - Level Progression: 85%] Erin lurched up from the ground instantly after the messages with a sharp scream. She touched all over her body. She frowned at the strange sensation she was having. She was moving both of her arms and the pain she was feeling didn¡¯t seem to have a definite source on her body. Baffled, she gazed down at her hands. Her right arm was no longer missing and devoid of injuries. Her frown deepened. Her gaze moved from her hands to her whole body. Her apparel and armor were still broken from all the abuses and attacks she had suffered but other than that, she found not a single wound on her body, not even a scratch. She whipped her gaze around her. In the near distance, she saw the Grave Wyrm, her killer, munching on the carcass of the Pallid Snake. The day was still bright; the brightness changed not a bit from the time she had died. Her Magic Vigour still had the same amount at the time she had departed briefly. Aside from her experience, the only thing she felt taken from her was her mental vigour. She felt exhausted. ¡°It seems only a few minutes have passed... This is¡­ eptable...¡± While she was grateful of Revenant, she could already understand the weakness of this ability. A lot of things could happen in a few minutes. And if her opponent knew of this ability, she could imagine them lying in wait for her revival and struck immediately after she was revived. It wasn¡¯t as if she could immediately fight back after her revival. So to say, Revenant was only effective if her opponent was witnessing it for the first time or if she had allies covering for her. Erinughed meekly at herself. Her limbs were trembling, whether it was out of fear, excitement, or uncertainty, she didn¡¯t know. She didn¡¯t care. She was alive, that was all she cared about. She pushed herself off the ground and to her feet but she immediately fell back on her rear. She refrained from uttering her pained cries. Her body was still numb. The sensation of the agony before her death was still lingering on her body. Phantom pain, she remembered it was called. With a heavy heave, she brought herself to her feet. She could walk straight albeit with shivering steps. Her right arm was the only part of her body that was still numbed to the core. It was where her injury was the gravest and the phantom paintched on to her right arm greatly. The only choice Erin had was to wait until the numbness subsided but¡­ the Grave Wyrm had once again caught Erin in its sights. It looked baffled for a moment. It even canted its head at her. Nevertheless, it was back to its hunting form. It went low and began to slither towards Erin. Even though she was no longer wounded, Erin was still at a disadvantage. There were more than ten levels of difference between them. Erin sighed and took out a vial of pinkish concoction. She was thankful that shended on her back when she fell from the tree branch. Otherwise, she would have crushed all of the vials in her pocket. She opened the lid and downed all of the contents of the vial. ¡°Let¡¯s hope this works,¡± she prayed as the Grave Wyrm slithered closer and closer. Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Three-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 19 | Status: Moderate Exhaustion Might: 20 | Arcane: 27 | Finesse: 24 Magic Arts Spirit Magic Lv. 8 | Arcane Edge Lv. 5 | Arcane Armor Lv. 10 | Lightning Magic Lv. 4 | Arcane Aegis Lv. 2 Combat Arts Sword Art Lv. 7 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 5 Innate Skills Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 2 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex Unique Talent Mystic de Lv. Ex | Revenant Lv. Ex Level Progression: 85% Remaining Skill Points: 2 Remaining Ability Points: 2 2-45 Breakthrough 2-45 Breakthrough The empty vial slipped through her grip and shattered into splinters once it hit the dirt. Erin felt her body begin to boil. The warmth within her began to rise. Her vision blurred, doubling every object sheid her eyes on. The grip on her sword was also slowly losing its strength. She waited for those words toe. She waited for those intense feelings to return. She waited for her long-suppressed nightmare to reawaken but¡­ she waited for a while, she waited until the Grave Wyrm was only a dozen feet away from her. Yet, the one ability she had shunned all this while did not respond to her. ¡°Fuck, did it fail?¡± she questioned. Even her hands began to tremble. ¡°No¡­ it wanted toe out but¡­ something is holding it back...¡± As she concentrated, she felt her unbridled lust surfacing but there seemed to be something pushing it back. This foreign power within her had been the reason her overwhelming lust had been dormant. Or rather, suppressed. Her death and the aphrodisiac potion she had just consumed had most likely weakened the foreign power. ¡°Just one more push¡­ but first...¡± The Grave Wyrm was charging right at her with its fangs bared. She mustered all of the focus she could in her delicate state and raised her saber against the charging Grave Wyrm. It was futile defiance. Regardless of strategy or scheme, the level gap was simply too vast. No matter how refined or proficient Erin was with the sword, she could never win against the Grave Wyrm. Even so, Erin¡¯s gaze never wavered in the face of despair. She threw lightning magic attacks at the Wyrm but it merely shrugged and continued its approach. The aphrodisiac she had consumed was misleading her instincts. Therefore, she couldn¡¯t move properly. She could only stand her ground and receive the Grave Wyrm¡¯s fatal assault. ¡°I guess there¡¯s only one option now,¡± she convinced herself. Erin closed her eyes, seemingly giving in to her fate. The Grave Wyrm snapped its jaws shut with Erin in between without much trouble. It chewed on the delectable-smelling Fox-kin with delight. The flesh of a proper living being, untainted by the curse of The Singrity, was infinitely more savory than the monsters native to the basin. However, the Fox-kin was only delectable in the Wyrm¡¯s mind. The flesh of a Fae wasn¡¯t as delectable as the scent it gave off. It tasted nder than its usual prey. The Grave Wyrm spat out its half-eaten meal. The mangled corpse went tumbling across the dirt and withered grass. Without giving another nce, the Grave Wyrm slithered away, in search of its next prey. The Grave Wyrm began turning its head around in frustration, searching for the right meal. [Conditions met - Revenant activated] [Experience lost -20% - Level Progression: 65%] [User has entered desire famine state. Lust Deviant activated.] [User¡¯s ability stats increased by 200%] The Grave Wyrm eventually gave up its search with a loud screech into the air. It had deemed this ce to be empty of worthwhile prey. Just as the Grave Wyrm was about to tunnel back into the ground, it heard a bellow ofughter. Following the bellow, a bolt of lightning hit it square on the side of its head. It howled sharply in pain and quickly snapped its head in the direction where the bolt of lightning came from. But it found nothing. The corpse it had discarded half-eaten was nowhere to be found either. The Grave Wyrm wasn¡¯t a very intelligent creature but it did have the basic sense of realizing when there¡¯s a discrepancy in what was expected. The Grave Wyrm scoured the area but it didn¡¯t see the half-eaten Fox-kin anywhere. Then, a realization struck. It looked up into the trees, just as another bolt of lightning came for its face. It swiftly dodged the attack spell and spat its venom towards the point where it presumed the spell came from. But the venom melted only branches and leaves. Learning from its mistakes, the Grave Wyrm turned its gaze to the branches directly above it, where he found a wide-smiling Fox-kin waiting for it. Aside from the Fox-kin¡¯s torn apparel, she was as good as new. ¡°Pity that you spat me out.¡± Erin sneered. ¡°But it¡¯s good that you did, otherwise I would have carved myself out of you¡± She hopped from the branch and threw a wave of Aura Shot. The Grave Wyrm countered with its venom spit but contrary to its expectation, Erin¡¯s Aura Shotsted long enough to end in a draw with the Wyrm¡¯s venom spit. The Grave Wyrm resorted to physical means andunched itself at Erin by using its whole body as a spring. Erin grinned and curled herself with her tails. She focused all of her Arcane Armor on her tails alone. She infused lightning into the Arcane Armor that covered her tails. As the Grave Wyrm took a huge bite, it immediately recoiled away. With its level, no doubt its bite could destroy the Arcane Armor but it would take some time. Furthermore, the tails were infused with lightning. A lot of damage could be done to it if it insisted on chomping down Erin. This was why the Grave Wyrm immediately flinched in a dramatic fashion at the first taste. Nevertheless, the lightning had caused quite a bit of damage to the interior of its mouth. It iled around to assuage its pain. Erin¡¯s grin widened at the opportunity. She threw herself at the iling Wyrm. There were so many ways this could go wrong but in her current state, as long as she came out breathing in the end and the enemy hurt greatly, nothing else mattered. The starvation Erin was facing wasn¡¯t limited to carnal. Lustes in many forms. It was just that Erin¡¯s carnal desire was the strongest at those moments. Right now, her strongest desire was to break through The Singrity. Responding to this desire, the lust that currently governed her was battle lust. Erin drew a long and deep cut across the Grave Wyrm¡¯s body as she fell through the air. There was no blood. Only gray smoke oozed out. The anomaly bothered Erin not a single bit. At present, she herself was in an anomalous state. The Grave Wyrm endured its pain and retaliated. It thrashed about violently, in hopes of getting the absurdly agile Fox-kin. Erin was small to the colossal Grave Wyrm. It had speed and strength as its advantage but its size offset those two advantages. The Grave Wyrm would be triumphant in a freerun against Erin but in the aspects of agility, it couldn¡¯t even begin topete. The Fox-kin, enthralled by her strongest desire, cast aside all shame and honor. Every move was made at the beckon of her instincts. The Grave Wyrm threw itself into the trees. It rolled over the ground, grazing its skin against the rough surface. It even mmed itself against the solid ground, all in hopes of getting rid of the Fox-kin who was leaving cuts everywhere she trod. Erin did not spend a moment stationary. She persisted with her erratic positioning but it was only erratic in the eyes of her opponent. She might not bepletely sound at the moment but her instincts were sharp and astute. The Grave Wyrm could not discern properly on where to strike the always-moving Erin. Even in its thrashing, Erin wasn¡¯t caught in its desperation and tantrum. In spite of the upper hand Erin had in this fight, she could notnd the killing blow. She didn¡¯t have the means to. Her survival instinct forbade her from using Mystic de. The Grave Wyrm was simply toorge in size to receive a decisive strike but Erin didn¡¯t need a decisive strike. The cuts she made would eventually umte into lethal wounds. The Grave Wyrm came to the same realization. The Fox-kin was no longer its prey. Their role was flipped. The Grave Wyrm epted the new reality begrudgingly. It could only run. The Grave Wyrm burrowed back into the ground and Erin was forced to retreat from its body. ¡°Running away¡­?¡± Erin groaned. ¡°Like hell I would let you!¡± she shouted and pursued the Grave Wyrm. Her ears could perfectly tell where the Wyrm was heading to, into the basin, back to its habitat. It coincided with Erin¡¯s goal and she had no qualms about following it. Erin chased it down. In her pursuit, she met a new kind of monster. It was humanoid but slim to the bones. Its frontal limbs were longer than its hind legs. Its skin was chalky white and the head was bald, and not a single fur could be found on the strange creature¡¯s body. Its ears were carved into the sides of its head. The eyes were aplete pitch ck and a pair of fangs were visible even if it had its mouth closed. Pale Stalker was the name Erin¡¯s Appraisal gave. The Pale Stalker was as its name suggested, it stalks its prey. But of course, Erin, especially in her current state, nothing escaped her perception once they were within a certain distance away from her. The absurdity was that the Pale Stalker seemed to have the ability to conceal its presence. It was perched high above on top of a tree branch in front of Erin. Even so, she failed to see the creature with her eyes. It was only the heavy pungent smell that made her aware of the Pale Stalker¡¯s presence, the intense smell of blood. Its body was smeared with blood. The contrasting appearance of its chalk-white skin and deep crimson blood was enough to send fear into the hearts of most people. Fortunately, Erin wasn¡¯t ¡°most people¡±. Even in her devious state, Erin could still read. She stopped her pursuit of the Grave Wyrm as she read the information given by Appraisal on the Pale Stalker. It had a peculiar ability known as; Aura Shot: ws, and the Pale Stalker appeared to have a heightened regenerative factor. The description from Appraisal focused heavily on its agility and how many were ughtered for underestimating its agility. In a way, the Pale Stalker was even more dangerous than the Grave Wyrm despite being only level twenty-five. ¡°Interesting¡­ perhaps you¡¯ll give me more joy?¡± Her legs squirmed slightly in anticipation. Erin decided to strike first. With a single jump, she reached the height of the branch where the Pale Stalker was lying in wait. The palish creature had a dumbfounded look when it realized it was discovered but it reacted appropriately. Erin sliced at it but took only its left arm. The Pale Stalker had leaped to another branch. The arm Erin felled perished into dust and a new arm quickly regrew on the Pale Stalker. It sneered at Erin. Erin wasn¡¯t in her usualposed state and she fell for the taunt. The Pale Stalker swung its arm, throwing two waves of Aura Shot from its ws. Erin threw her own Aura Shot but the Pale Stalker¡¯s won. Erin was knocked back. She stabbed her sword into a tree trunk and flipped herself up on the sword, using it as a foothold. The Pale Stalker lunged at this moment. It threw Aura Shots to cut off the Fox-kin¡¯s escape routes. Its ws bared against her but an ethereal shield stood in its way. It was Erin¡¯s Arcane Aegis. It didn¡¯t hold the Pale Stalker off for long but enough for Erin to execute a daring move. With lightning infused to her own hand, she plunged her crackling hand through the aegis and into the chest of the Pale Stalker. Erin bellowed inughter as she sent surges of lightning into Pale Stalker with Lightning Infusion. The Pale Stalker struggled to get itself away but Erin tugged it back by its arm. The two were both suffering the same manner of damage but the Pale Stalker was suffering it from its innards. Erin had her Arcane Armor to withstand lightning as long as possible. The sharper the agonizing cry of the Pale Stalker was, the louder Erin¡¯sughter was. Palish blood trickled down from the creature¡¯s orifices, smoke oozed out along. Eventually, the Pale Stalker exploded into pieces from the overload of the lightning surge. [Experience gained +15% - Level Progression: 80%] Erin clicked her tongue at the meagre amount of experience she received. The Pale Stalker was tough but its level was low inparison with the monsters in the area. Nevertheless, a smile adorned her face once again when she heard numerous sounds approaching her. Her right hand was charred from her reckless move but the pain only further invigorated her. Her heart throbbed in anticipation at the iing monsters. ¡°Three Wulvers,¡± Erin surmised through the gaits. As a matter of fact, it was the three Wulvers who had run away when the Pallid Serk attacked. They wereing back for her and Erin was more than wee. The first Wulver emerged from the bushes. Heavy wounds riddled its body. It had been participating in a fight somewhere else but that only worked in Erin''s favor. It pounced, intending to suppress Erin¡¯s movement with its weight. ¡°Hoh? Learning now, are we?¡± Erin sniggered. Instead of the Wulver, she fired a bolt of lightning at the tree beside it. The tree fell in between the first Wulver and the second and third, giving Erin enough time to finish the first one off. Erin parried the Wulver¡¯s sh with her Arcane Armor-d tails and neatly lopped the Wulver¡¯s head off with a graceful spin. [Experience gained +15% - Level Progression: 95%] Erin clicked her tongue at the reduced experience she received. The two Wulvers found their way over the fallen tree but they were much toote in assisting their kin. Erin took the remaining two Wulvers head-on. As she fought sword to ws with the Wolf-like beasts, she gathered magic into the de of her saber. The two Wulvers noticed it but the two were none the wiser of Erin¡¯s n. The Wulvers were ferocious in their attacks but they just could not get past Erin¡¯s defense. She had forgone her body¡¯s defense and focused all of her Arcane Armor on her tails. That way, she could attack with her and defend with her tails. If the Wulvers attacked from both sides, she simply wrapped herself in her tails. [Warning: Magic Vigour threshold is under 25%] At that notification, Erin spun with all her might and poise, bringing her sword into a full circle arc. She unleashed the magic she had gathered into her de. Essentially, it was just Aura Shot but it was charge magic and she released as her sword was swinging in a full circle. A circr magic aura radiated from Erin, felling everything around her, including the two Wulvers. [Experience gained +50% - Level Progression: 145%] [Erinthea: Level 19 increased to Level 20] [Skill Points gained +2] [Ability Points gained +2] [Level Progression: 45%] ¡°Finally¡­ it¡¯s here,¡± Erin muttered to herself in reverie. The biding sensation she had been unconsciously feeling all this while. A dam filled to the brim, on the verge of bursting apart with rushing waters. [Evolution conditions met - Commence evolution: Yes / No ?] To those words in her mind, Erin¡¯s grin widened. ¡°Why yes, of course.¡± Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Three-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 20 | Status: Moderate Exhaustion Desire Famine: Lust Deviant, Evolving Might: 20 (40) | Arcane: 27 (54) | Finesse: 24 (48) Magic Arts Spirit Magic Lv. 8 | Arcane Edge Lv. 5 | Arcane Armor Lv. 10 | Lightning Magic Lv. 4 | Arcane Aegis Lv. 2 Combat Arts Sword Art Lv. 7 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 5 Innate Skills Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 2 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex Unique Talent Mystic de Lv. Ex | Revenant Lv. Ex Level Progression: 45% Remaining Skill Points: 4 Remaining Ability Points: 4 2-46 Five tails 2-46 Five tails [Commencing Evolution...] Thousands of glittering drops enveloped Erin as she gave the system her permission tomence her evolution. Though she wasn¡¯t fully aware of what these glowing lights were, she did not reject them. She spread her arms with a look of ecstasy on her face. Whatever these lights were, it was filling her with power. The power and strength within her surge and she let loose the gleefulughter she had been suppressing. Regardless of whether her mind was sane or unhinged at the moment, her wee of the new power was her true feelings. She longed to return to the pedestal she stood upon in her past life and this was a step closer to the pedestal. The light glowed even brighter as more power gushed into her. Her tails swelled from the brimming power she was receiving. At the height of her limit, her tails split further, from three to five. Her surroundings were repelled by an invisible force, raising clouds of dust while also attracting the attention of nearby monsters who were attracted to the strong. These monsters were those that enjoyed praying on other monsters of their levels. And these monsters were not all rushing to Erin¡¯s way. [Evolution Sessful.] [Magic Vigour restored.] The light dissipated. Erin stood with her eyes closed and not a single scratch stained her body but nevertheless, her apparel and armor were still torn and broken, revealing quite a bit of her skin. However, prudence and shame, the two were at the bottom of Erin''s current priority. She unleashed a joyful bellow even louder than before. She brought her hands to her face and slowly traced the outline of her own body as if relishing in her newfound powers in the most sensual manner possible. [Proficiency reached - Toxin Resistance: Lv 2 increased to Lv 3] [Proficiency reached - Arcane: 27 increased to 29] [Due to the user''s high affinity with Lightning Magic, Lightning Magic¡¯s Mana expenditure has been halved.] [Innate Skill unlocked - Mana Harvest Lv. 1 gained] Her new skill piqued her curiosity, even in her current state. She gave it a quick read of the description. She snickered after skimming the words disyed. To simplify the contents, Mana Harvest was a skill that rejuvenates Mana in arge quantity in a single instance by harvesting the Mana in one¡¯s surroundings. The higher the level of this skill, the plentier amount of Mana could be harvested. The requirement of this skill¡¯s usage was simply for the user to be still when cast. The more interesting note was that an abundance of Mana could be harvested from recently fallen enemies. So to say, as long as Erin kept killing, Mana would keeping her way. It was a skill perfect for culling but poor for proper duelling. There was another significant change to Erin aside from her stats. Her current state of mind was still in the grasp of Lust Deviant but she no longer thought everything waspletely out of her control. She was still just a ve to her desire but she could at least now somehow dictate which desire to focus on. She steered her desirepletely to saving Celia. ¡°Mist Pearls¡­ Kill the Necromancer¡­¡± She recited those two desires in her heart as she took the first step after her evolution. Though this new perk wasn¡¯t without its demerits. She felt her desires had only grown ever stronger. Her thoughts drifted to Lyra and she wondered in a reverie of the new things she could think of to spice up their nightlife. ¡°Patience, Erin¡­ Patience¡­ the time wille...¡± she told herself as she tittered gleefully at the thoughts. ¡°Must be patient. These desires will be sated in due time...¡± She would have loved to relish in her new evolution more but time was of the essence and monsters were approaching her. With renewed vigour, she wielded both of her weapons in her hands, the silver-steel saber and the rusted iron sword. With an anticipating grin and twitching ears, she walked slowly to greet her would-be assants with her five tails flourished in a disy of power. A pair of Pale Stalkers descended from the trees but not in front of Erin. Theynded on the ground without making a sound but their pungent odour was a dead giveaway for Erin. A normal sense of smell would not be able to tell the difference of odor in these parts but Erin had a good nose, especially after her evolution. d in Arcane Edge, Erin brought her swords to meet the two Pale Stalkers¡¯ attacks. The saber carved through one¡¯s head and the rusted iron sword blocked the other one¡¯s bite. The Pale Stalker with a carved head had died before its regenerative ability could save it. It could regenerate any part of its body but the brain was the exception. This was amon factor across all monsters, no matter the extent of their healing or regenerative abilities, a dire blow to the brain was an absolute. The Undead kind was an exception, of course. The remaining Pale Stalker realized it had bit off more than it could chew by choosing Erin as its prey. It tried to retreat but its path was blocked by an ethereal shield. ¡°Be my sustenance!¡± Erin shouted as she bisected the Pale Stalker cleanly into two parts. Deep down, Erin knew she would writhe in shape when she regained her sound mind. She cast Mana Harvest to reap the fuel for her magic from her fallen foes. She stumbled her steps from the unfamiliar feeling of Mana surging into her, but she quickly regained her footing. Without waiting for the other monsters to catch on, she took off into a sprint and headed deeper into the forest where her quest awaited. A Dire Wolf came into her path with only its smell as the precedence. The Dire Wolf was certainlyrger than normal but Erin wasn¡¯t intimidated by its size. The Dire Wolf swiped at the Fox-kin but she flipped over its paw and impaled it to the ground with her saber. The Dire Wolf cried out and unleashed its jaws on Erin as retaliation. ¡°Thank you,¡± Erin muttered smugly as she shot out a bolt of lightning through the Dire Wolf¡¯s wide-open mouth. She shot a few more as assurance. [Experience gained +15% - Level Progression: 60%] Just like that, the Dire Wolf fell to the ground lifelessly. Erin retrieved her sword and wiped the de of the beast¡¯s blood with her ragged apparel. But maybe he shouldn¡¯t have. More monsters made themselves known to Erin. An unspoken understanding was cast to the predators. It was futile to ambush the Fox-kin. To her would-be assants, Erin ignored them all and resumed her rush to the basin. The monsters gave a brief dumbfounded look before chasing after her with roars and screeches of indignance for they did not think their presences would be ignored. An overgrown Serk was slowly gaining on to Erin with a speed that she could not afford to ignore. Jaws opened, the Serk pounced at Erin with a vast distance of twenty meters between them. Erin conjured up an Arcane Aegis but the Serk¡¯s easily tore through the shield. However, the shield did repel the Serk¡¯s attack. Just then, another Dire Wolf appeared in the path of Erin and she smirked with an idea surfacing in her head. The Dire Wolf lunged and Erin dodged low by sliding under the beast. The Dire Wolf ended up lunging into the Serk which was chasing her. Erin got up and continued sprinting, not bothering a single glimpse of the bloody scuffle she had just caused. Her other pursuers were also dragged into the scuffle. Soon, blood and spleens were scattering everywhere and Erin only had a triumphant smile as a response. The Pale Stalkers were still on her tail. They traversed on the trees. Therefore, they were not dragged into the bloody scuffle. They were well-aware of Erin¡¯s perception but they stayed hidden and vignt of their delectable prey. They understood the threat Erin posed but her scent much too savory to be overlooked. They hissed in anticipation and delight as they continued their stalking. Besides the Pale Stalkers, she also sensed an elusive creature scuttling around in the ground beneath her feet. It was lying in wait. Erin had her swords drawn all the while as she sprinted. Any monsters could appear from anywhere and she did not spare a moment to drop her guard. Her eyes were on her path forward but she directed the rest of her sense to her surroundings. She couldn¡¯t help butugh at the number of presences she had picked up. They were all predators and they were also each others¡¯ prey. The deeper she ran into the forest, the heavier the fog became. It was so heavy that her sights could barely see a few feet ahead of her but the perception of her ears and nose were as pellucid as ever. The monsters did not only lurk on the ground or trees but also below the earth. Erin could feel the faint tremor that was trailing the path she had traversed upon. The Grave Wyrm came to her mind but she wagered there wasn¡¯t just one of them. Coming to a small hill in her path, Erin prepared to jump but right at this moment, the Pale Stalkers sprang into offense. Erin brought her swords around, decapitating an unlucky Pale Stalker that was right in her de arc. [Experience gained +12% - Level Progression: 72%] Erin cursed silently at the dwindling amount of experience she was receiving. The other three Pale Stalkersnded right around her. They remained their distance and slowly circled Erin. Their eyes were on her saber that was still dripping with their kin¡¯s pale blood. ¡°Come on, what are y¡¯all waiting fer? Supper time?¡± Erin taunted the creatures and followed with a chuckle. Whether the Pale Stalkers had the capacity for literacy, it didn¡¯t matter. Insults and taunts were tongues that could be understood without the use of words. They bared their fangs with a growl. Both Erin and the Pale Stalkers were patient but the same for both of them, time was against them. The other monsters would soon be on them if they lingered in the same spot any longer. The Pale Stalkers attacked first. One went high above Erin¡¯s head. One charged straight at her. And thest one went for her legs. Erin sneered at their attempts with a peal of silentughter. She battered away the Pale Stalker that went for her head with the rusted iron sword. The one on her level was gifted with an Aura Shot that sliced through its head. And she spun and mmed thest one to the ground with her tails. [Experience gained +12% - Level Progression: 84%] The Pale Stalker which was bashed in the head shook off its headache and threw Aura Shots of its own. Erin grabbed the poor creature she mmed it to the ground and raised it in front of her as a meat shield. The Aura Shot carved the Pale Stalker into pieces. [Experience gained +6% - Level Progression: 90%] The experience was halved since he wasn¡¯t the one who dealt thest blow but Erin wasn¡¯tining. She only felt ted. A bug-like monster erupted from the ground as thest Pale Stalker copsed into the dirt lifelessly. It pounced at Erin from her back but Erin didn¡¯t so much as to offer a nce and simply cut the bug-like monster into half with her tail. [Experience gained +10%% - Level Progression: 100%] [Erinthea: Level 20 increased to Level 21] [Skill Points gained +2] [Ability Points gained +2] [Level Progression: 0%] Erin moaned with glee. She didn¡¯t understand why. The sound just came out of her as if it was the most natural thing to do. But then again, this was the first time she was under the influence of Lust Deviant in a proper battle. In her current state, she would fit right into the food web of The Singrity. It was only because there were no other people around that she resorted to this measure. Only monsters would fall prey to her de in these parts. She did wonder what would happen then when her goal was achieved but she decided to think about it when that time came. Thest Pale Stalker ran wild with its ws. It wanted to run but its primal instinct and its appetitepelled it to fight. Erin threw an Aura Shot but it dodged with swiftness in its movement. It saw how its brethren died and it wasn¡¯t going to make the same mistake. Erin unleashed a few more Aura Shots in which all were evaded by the Pale Stalker. Seeing the futility in her own move, she switched to Lightning Magic. ¡°Huh?¡± Erin muttered at the sight in front of her. The Pale Stalker used the carcass of its fallen brethren to block Erin¡¯s Lightning Bolt. ¡°Oh, how clever,¡± she praised. The Pale Stalker threw the roasted carcass at Erin. She cut through the offhanded distraction and was immediately met with the Pale Stalker¡¯s lunge. Erin leaned back to avoid a swipe that could have torn her throat. The Pale Stalker pressed on by grabbing onto Erin¡¯s arms. With its sharp fangs, it tried to take a bite. Emphasis on try because that was all it could do before Erin shrouded herself in lightning. The Pale Stalker was quick to realize its fault but Erin held on to it. The Pale Stalker iled around but its ws could not prate Erin¡¯s Arcane Armor. Erinughed at the creature''s futile endeavor and the risk that she had just taken. She didn¡¯t know if the Pale Stalker¡¯s ws would be stopped by her Arcane Armor. The monsters here were abnormal, to say the least, and her arm had been bitten by a Wulver. But she had evolved and needed to know her power¡¯s current extent. It would have ended badly if her Arcane Armor was useless against the Pale Stalker¡¯s ws. With a swing, Erin lopped thest Pale Stalker¡¯s head off. [Experience gained +12% - Level Progression: 12%] Without taking a breather, she turned around and sent two Lightning Bolts at a Wulver that was slowly creeping up to her. It was trying to take advantage of her when her focus was on the fight but learning her lesson, Erin did not, for one moment, let her focus loose from her surroundings. This was just how dangerous it was bing. But instead of fatigue seeping in, Erin was only getting more excited. She mped her legs and squirm with delight at the thought of all the strong foes she would be facing down the line. Strong foes meant better experience. She was drooling at the mere thought. The thought of standing her ground and facing off her pursuers crossed her mind. ¡°Focus now, Erin! Focus¡­ Focus¡­ Mist Pearls¡­ Necromancer¡­ everything else is secondary...¡± Erin steered her straying consciousness back on track. The current Erin clicked her tongue and traversed deeper into the forest. She came across more monsters that hindered her progress. She slew those that she could not ignore. With Mana Harvest and plenty of victims, her Magic Vigour could be said to be endless in her present circumstances. [Experience gained +54% - Level Progression: 66%] By the beckon of dusk, she had reached the heart of the terror that gued the forest, The Singrity. A basin of dead trees and no signs of green lives as far as the eye could see. The only living things were the monsters that seemed to be trodding on the fine line of death and living. Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Five-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 21 | Status: Desire Famine: Lust Deviant Might: 20 (40) | Arcane: 29 (58) | Finesse: 24 (48) Magic Arts Spirit Magic Lv. 8 | Arcane Edge Lv. 5 | Arcane Armor Lv. 10 | Lightning Magic Lv. 4 | Arcane Aegis Lv. 2 Combat Arts Sword Art Lv. 7 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 5 Innate Skills Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 3 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex | Mana Harvest Lv. 1 Unique Talent Mystic de Lv. Ex | Revenant Lv. Ex Level Progression: 66% Remaining Skill Points: 6 Remaining Ability Points: 6 2-47 Defence 2-47 Defence Night had descended, along with a cloud of dread over the town. Torches were lit all over the town, more than usual, making it look like a pir of light from a distance. Despite the Guild¡¯s best efforts, the news of the Razor Grizzly¡¯s sighting was quickly spread to the townsfolk. After all, adventurers loved to talk and boast. The Razor Grizzly was said to be approaching the town slowly but by dusk, its dauntingrge physique could be clearly seen from the rampart of the town¡¯s stone wall borders. The soldiers were called to arm and adventurers were mandated to defend the town from the colossal beast. The merchants, at their own whim as the official reason, had decided to offer their assistance. They supply the adventurers with adequate tools and weapons for the defence of the town and also send their own fighters to join the fray. By the beckon of night, a perimeter was formed around the town with a focus on the west gate, where the Razor Grizzly stood and gazed menacingly from a distance away. Lines of soldiers and adventurers alike stood in lines outside of the town¡¯s walls as they prepared for the battle. A force of more than two hundred. The soldiers were all armed with the finest steel the town could offer. There was the matter of cost but ultimately, the town¡¯s nobles would cover the cost. Many unruly individuals took advantage of the situation but upon being overseen by the merchants, the unruly individuals lost their audacity. Speaking of unruly individuals, the Pdins were the only forces not only participating in the defence as people were needed to prevent the unruly individuals from taking advantage of the situation, especially the indicted officials and nobles. If the guard duty was left to the adventurers or soldiers, they could easily be bribed but not the Pdins. For once, Edith Rosemary was grateful for their zealotry. With that problem out of her mind, for now, she focused all of her attention on this battle. The defenders cast their vignt yet unease gaze towards the dark sea of trees. The night was without stars but even so, the figure of the Razor Grizzly could be seen by everyone. Even if one couldn¡¯t see the best, its growl was loud enough to reach the inside of the walls. ¡°What are those looming near the Razor Grizzly?¡± the Guild Master, Rosemary asked from the post set up just in front of the west gate. She was scouring the borders through a spyss made of silver. ¡°It is as we fear¡­ Ghouls¡­ remnants of their victims,¡± answered Lyra who stood by Rosemary¡¯s side, armed to the teeth with the finest leather and iron armour with a bow fashioned by one of the merchants¡¯ personal smith. All paid for by Iris. Lyra was reluctant at first to leave Celia¡¯s side but being the one with the most experience against the Necromancer¡¯s thralls, she joined the defence. All nonbatants were held up inside the borders of the town, save for two, Iris and Joshua. Iris, despite not being abatant, was in fact level seventy-three. Her level and experience were umted through her long life instead of taking the lives of men and monsters. Joshua was level fifty-six and at hismand, was a golem puppet in the shape of a human. It had two arms but if needed, it could sprout out an additional pair, or so Joshua imed. The puppet¡¯s name was Silva. Though it didn¡¯t have a level, it was believed Silva was the equivalent of the average level fifties. Itsbat abilities would be a good addition to the defence force. ¡°Some of those Ghouls are using weapons,¡± Rosemary said, still looking through the spyss. ¡°Wights. Be careful of them. They aren¡¯tplete durds like the Ghouls. They have some semnce of their living self, only a little though.¡± ¡°It¡¯s good that we are prepared for these abominations,¡± said the Guild Master¡¯s adjutant who was standing by her side. ¡°Do Wights possess the abilities of their former self?¡± It was Joshua who asked. ¡°Only the techniques but then again, the Wight Erin and I fought was a fighter. Who knows, maybe a Magic Arts can be retained. So best be on our toes.¡± Rosemary turned to her adjutant by her side and asked her to ry the new information to every fighter in the fray. ¡°I say we have more than enough fighters for that big ol¡¯ beast. Wouldn¡¯t you say, Guild Master?¡± Iris said. The Umbrum had formed a circle of shadows around the town. If anything crossed the circle, she would know. And she could also use the shadows to bind the monsters in ce. Her resourcefulness and her mastery over her Magic Arts were the reasons she was on the field. ¡°I would say yes if the Razor Grizzly was the only monster we¡¯re facing,¡± Rosemary replied. ¡°Our true opponent is a Necromancer. Plenty of unseen tricks will be waiting for us. You should know that. I didn¡¯t expect you to be remiss, Lady Iris.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not being remiss. I¡¯m just trying to lighten the air.¡± Iris tittered. ¡°Look around you, Rosemary. Everyone¡¯s nervous. They have all heard the stories of the Razor Grizzly. It had killed adventurers with levels higher than itself. I wager the average levels our adventurers are in the twenties. This might as well as be thest night of their lives,¡± smiling all the way, Iris exined. ¡°Don¡¯t forget the undead,¡± Joshua added. ¡°And those too,¡± Iris muttered with a shrug. ¡°Then this is no different from their usual quest,¡± Rosemary remarked. ¡°The adventurers know the dangers apanying their work. This kind of fear is nothing new to them. The soldiers are dutifully bound. Even if they are afraid, they still have to fight.¡± Iris chuckled. ¡°Such an iron tongue. I betdies swooned over you when you were young.¡± Rosemary offered no response to that remark. ¡°The Grizzly¡¯s moving,¡± Lyra said. ¡°Movements!¡± shouted an adventurer and that sent everyone to their stations. They were briefed on the general situation and they all know their positions. Although there was anxiety, there was no disorder as they scuttled to their respective positions. Lumps of gulps could be on the fighters¡¯ throats. No doubt many wanted toy down arms and run but that would forever stain their future livelihood. ¡°So it has begun,¡± Rosemary said and pocketed her spyss. ¡°Miss Lyra, go to your position.¡± Lyra nodded and ran to the newly built watchtower just beside the entrance. Simr towers were erected around the wall solely for archers to support the ground fighters. Lyra, who was good with the bow and had the Innate Skill, Eagle Eye, was designated to a tower. There were plenty of arrows in the nest of the tower. A loud roar pierced the air and trembled the earth. The fighters flinched with gasps but they stayed in position. Lightning burst forth from the Razor Grizzly, charring its surroundings and also some of the Ghouls. Since the Undeads were in the hundreds and most likely nearing a thousand, the few who were seared to the bones were a meagre loss to the Necromancer. ¡°Uncaring toward their own allies,¡± Iris mused. ¡°How quaint.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Rosemary nodded. ¡°It¡¯ll save the fighters¡¯ stamina.¡± ¡°This could be bad. It means our enemies will never be perturbed by the odds. Seeing their allies fallen would never discourage them. And their undeads, they would fight on until their bones be brittle but our fighters will be exhausted before that happens.¡± Rosemary groaned in response. She didn¡¯t want to admit it but she agreed with the Umbrum. ¡°Then let¡¯s hope it won¡¯te to that.¡± The aimlessly wandering Ghouls and Wights snapped their sights to the town in front of them after the Grizzly¡¯s roar. With screeches and growls of their own, the Undead horde charged. The Razor Grizzly, shrouded in red lightning, fired off a huge lightning bolt towards the gate. ¡°Mages, barriers!¡± Rosemary shouted with great volume. Barriers from all manners of Magic Arts were conjured up in front of the gate. The lightning bolt tore through half of the erected barriers but the other half sessfully stopped the attack magic. The people cheered. ¡°Focus! The Undeads areing! Steady! Don¡¯t let your mind wander! Remember your training!¡± Rosemary¡¯s voice gathered the fighter¡¯s attention to the Ghouls and Wights which had run past the shadow circle of Iris. Iris managed to stop quite a few of the Undeads by coiling shadow tendrils around their legs. However, they were Undeads, fear and pain had be a foreign thing to their senses. Even with their legs bound, they struggled to advance forward. They tore their bodies apart from their legs. Even if they needed to crawl, they pressed forward. ¡°Tenacious bastards,¡± Lyra muttered to no one as she nocked an arrow in preparation. There were two defence lines. The first was about two hundred meters away from the gate. Before the first line was crossed, the mages beset the Undeads withrge-scale attack spells. In a town with more than a thousand people. The numbers of mages were less than a hundred. They stood fifty meters from the second line andunched barrages of attack spells. The second line was a hundred meters away from the gate and should more than a dozen Undeads crossed this line, the gates were ordered to be shut then as good measure. It was the Archers¡¯ main job to make sure that would not happen. Once again, easier said than done. The spells took out quite a handful of the Undeads but there were still more. Fireballs were thrown. Lightning Bolts were shot. Rock Spears were tossed. The Undeads were razed by the incessant offences but they were unperturbed, true to their undead nature. The terrible part was the ineffectiveness of the attack spellsnded on the Razor Grizzly, who was striding forward slowly. The red lightning covering served as a defensiveyer that protected it from the spells. ¡°That¡¯s unnerving...¡± Lyra muttered. The Undeads eventually broke through the first line despite the onught of the mages¡¯ attack spells. Now, it was the fighters¡¯ turn. The adventurers and soldiers were told in the briefing to aim for the heads but that was easier than done. They were already having a hard time trying to sh the Undeads without getting grabbed and trying to aim for their heads was simply a near-impossible task. There were a few fighters who were grabbed while trying their damndest to lop the Undeads¡¯ heads. Some were too eager but ended upmitting a folly and became the Undeads¡¯ meal. There were also some who were much too overconfident in their abilities and skills. They were the first to die among the many fighters. Erin saw all of these happening from where she nested. Even though she wasn¡¯t acquainted with any of the fallen allies, she was still terrified. Memories from the time she fought in the vige of Ghouls surface. Her fingers loosened and a terribly aimed arrow grazed a Wight¡¯s neck. Lyra cursed and forced her hands to steady. She thought of Celia to calm her nerves. ¡°For Celia,¡± she told herself. ¡°For Erin.¡± She nocked another arrow and released the string, sending an arrow through the head of a Ghoul who was about to maul a random adventurer to death. She quickly nocked another arrow and killed another Ghoul that had trod too close to the first defence line. The first Wight Lyra took down required three arrows to the head. She fired seven but only three hits. She wasn¡¯t a poor shot. It was simply the state of the battle. As time went on, it was bing harder to aim for the archers but if the enemies were close to the second line of defence, the archers were instructed to fend the Undeads off regardless of the coteral. The fighters knew about that and they were working their bones to make sure the Undeads never reached the second line. While most of the fighters struggled even against one or two Ghouls, the golem puppet, Silva, was making quick work of the Undeads. It wielded the two swords like a dancer of death on the battlefield. It shed with precision and dodged the Undeads¡¯ grasp with grace. It wouldn¡¯t be a stretch to say Silva was the reason the fighters were able to hold the Undeads back. Iris was also doing her part by slowing the Undeads down. She also tried to slow the Razor Grizzly down by coiling its huge body with shadow tendrils but the colossal beast easily iled the dark chains off. ¡°Fuck off,¡± Iris cursed. ¡°That¡¯s not fair.¡± Herints went unheard as everyone¡¯s focus was on the dire battle. As Lyra was focused on taking down a steel armoured Wight she had set her sights on, she heard a yell from below. ¡°The Grizzly has crossed the first line!¡± Lyra clicked her tongue and aimed an arrow at the Razor¡¯s Grizzly right eye. Per her expectation, her arrow bounced off the thick hide of the Razor Grizzly. These arrowheads were made of good steel but even then, it wasn¡¯t enough to pierce through the Razor Grizzly¡¯s natural defence. Lyra quickly switched her focus back to the Undeads, which were much easier to kill with her arrows. The Mages shifted their attention to the approaching Razor Grizzly. The Grizzly was a huge target and with their training, it was impossible to miss. The attacks didn¡¯t hurt the giant bear of a beast but its pace was hindered by the incessant attack spells. For now, the battle was still at an even ground with a clear victor. The Undeads were tenacious but they were easy to be cut down. Their brittle ws couldn¡¯t hope to prate the armours of the fighters. Their strength was their numbers and they could swarm. Still, circumstances weren¡¯t bleak for the town but that could change as time went on. The Undeads had no need for sleep or rest. Lyra understood that fact well. Lyra did not stop her hands. With every arrow released, she quickly nocked another, drew the bowstring, and released. Exhaustion began to seep into her but she didn¡¯t relent on shooting down the Undeads. The only reason she could keep up was the increments of her level, which kept happening as she slew the Undeads. The Undeads didn¡¯t give much experience but they were plenty. Just as Lyra was looking to the bright side of things, the Razor Grizzly howled to the sky, the red lightning around it red up. Itunched the red lightning bolts not towards the town walls but at the fighters on the field. Lyra gasped. ¡°Oh shit¡­ Erin¡­ whatever you¡¯re doing¡­ you better do it quick¡­ or morning will note for us all...¡± she prayed in her heart. 2-48 The Singularity 2-48 The Singrity Erin leaped through the air with grace. Her saber shes around her with sharp precision. As she nted her feet on the damp soil of the ground, her foes fell apart from her cut that possessed both precision and brutality. The six monsters that lunged at her were all instantly in with that nigh-unseen streak. [Experience gained +90% - Level Progression: 120%] [Erinthea: Level 23 increase to Level 24] [Skill Points gained +2 | 12] [Ability Points gained +2 | 12] [Level Progression: 20%] Erin didn¡¯t sheathe her saber. There were always monsters lurking within the vicinity. There was an instance where she tried to sheathe her sword but the moment she showed signs of easing her guard, monsters pounced from ces her eyes could not perceive, but she still had her ears and nose. The skies hadpletely darkened. There were no stars. Only ominous clouds lingered in the ckened sky of the night. The fog was thicker than ever the deeper Erin dove into The Singrity. Since the stars were absent, her view was dark but thanks to Night Vision, it didn¡¯t matter. The quantity of the monsters had also increased. Not just the numbers but the individual strength was also a stark difference from the usual monsters she encountered outside of the fog. Every monster seemed to have a peculiar quirk that helped it survive in this dreadful environment. Hours had passed. Erin had lost count of the monsters she had fought. It was an endless thrill of battles. The disappointing part was her inability to y the majority of the monsters she encountered. The monsters here were prone to retreat when they felt they were losing. Nevertheless, Erin¡¯s level had increased by three. Her Lightning Magic and Arcane Aegis¡¯ level had also increased by one from repeated usage. Though the same couldn¡¯t be said for Mana Harvest. This skill was undoubtedly her most frequented skill due to the constant need of replenishing her Mana. Yet, not a single level was rewarded from repeated usage. Knowing she could have harvested more if Mana Harvest was at a higher level, Erin tried to allocate points into the skill but she was prevented by the system. [Error. User under potential baleful influence. Allocation of points is currently prohibited.] It was referring to her Lust Deviant state. The system prohibited her current self from tampering with her own stats. While the current Erin was frustrated enough to take it out on the monsters, the future Erin would be extremely grateful for this restriction. Erin¡¯s current self had half a mind to let her sanity revert back to normal but she held herself back. If she went back to normal now, she would not survive The Singrity. Her stats were currently doubled due to Lust Deviant. While Erin understood there would be consequences for allowing Lust Deviant to be active for such a long time, she had no other choice. Time was short and this was the fastest method. Whenever she felt like her sound mind was returning she would consume a vial of aphrodisiac she procured from Olivia just to retain her Lust Deviant state. Whatever was holding the skill back, was now gone. Erin consumed thest vial and headed forward. Her body was warmer than ever. Strangely, even her womanhood was bing wet. Every once in a while, she would squirm with her legs closed as a wave of ecstasy washed over her. The feeling only got stronger for every kill she made. It had arrived at a point where she would peak with pleasure if she slew more than three foes at once. At first, it was hard for her to function with the endless wave of pleasure but gradually, she became ustomed to it. Now, she was crying out with pleasure for every kill she made even if she didn¡¯t pique. The pleasure was simply too much regardless. While her wounds were healed by her level increments, her armor and attire were still tattered. The chilly winds hit her skin but the cold was a stranger to her in her current state. In fact, it was making her more excited. Her tattered apparels were only enough to cover her sensitive spots; she still had that much of a sense but beyond that, it was barren of shame. Erin continued to fight her way through The Singrity in such a state. She came across more Pale Stalkers but not all were hostile to her. Not to say some would not show hostility towards Erin but some were merely engaged with other enemies at the moment. The monsters were in a constant state of battles for their survival. Everywhere she went, there were at least groups of monsters fighting for something; food, territory, mate, or simply for sports. The Pale Stalkers fought Erin with extreme caution. They had understood the threat she posed. They refused to withdrawpletely due to their nature. Theypromise by staying true to their name, stalking Erin throughout her venture. Although Erin was cautious of the Pale Stalkers, her main focus was directed at an entirely different matter; that is to search for Mist Pearl flowers and the Necromancer. Mist Pearls could be found under shades and damp ces. The soils she had trod were all damp but no shades as far as she could see. She had looked inside logs but those were infested by shrooms and strangerge bugs. Although she didn¡¯t know how a Mist Pearl flower looked like, she had Appraisal for that oversight. In fact, the oversight was caused by her reliance on Appraisal in the first ce. ¡°Hmm?¡± Erin murmured at an interesting sight. Under a stack of withered logs, in between thepact spaces, she saw a flower with pale green petals and a bud of a pale purple. A grin appeared on her face when she saw the result of Appraisal. It was as she hoped, the flower was a Mist Pearl. Erin steered her conscience towards that flower. Since Mist Pearl was the impetus of her rampant desire, she rushed towards the pile of logs and quickly scattered it all away with her forty points of Might. Since these logs were withered, they were lighter than she thought. She plucked the flower without a thought. The sane Erin would have screamed at herself for such a thoughtless act but in her current state, she only smiled deliriously at the flower. Before she could think of any way to bring the flower back intact, her Sixth Sense reacted to a dangering from her right. Erin quickly moved from that spot and a st of darkness seared the ce she had been. She turned to her sudden assant that didn¡¯t seem to emit any presence. When she saw her assant, she understood why. It was a skeleton in ragged robes, floating above the ground with a dark aura covering it. It was a Lich, level twenty-six. But Lich wasn¡¯t the only thing written on the race tab. There were also; Familiar of Ba¡¯al. Erinughed. ¡°So your name¡¯s Ba¡¯al. Nice pet you have there, Bal,¡± Erin said, mockingly. ¡°You¡¯re a fool.¡± An insult escaped the Lich¡¯s proverbial lips. Its voice was as ominous and empty as Erin had remembered. ¡°And what does that make you, someone whose ns have been foiled by a fool all this time?¡± ¡°That girl will die...¡± ¡°Not if I find you first.¡± The Lichughed in a hollow tone. ¡°You will not find me. This ce is vast.¡± ¡°Aye, but you shouldn¡¯t have sent your pet to me. Now, all I need is to follow that thin trail of miasma.¡± The Lich turned silent but Erin didn¡¯t miss the twitch on its bare jaws. ¡°Oops, did you think I wasn¡¯t capable of such a thing?¡± Erin tittered. ¡°You lie.¡± Erin pointed her finger towards the northeast. The Lich flinched. ¡°I may not be able to see any Spirits here with Spirit Sight but I can still see miasma perfectly. Especially the thin string that connects your pet and you, the master. You underestimated me, Ba''al.¡± Erin tittered some more. ¡°Silence!¡± The Lich yelled and unleashed javelins of darkness at her. The javelins didn¡¯t hold as much power as the first attack but it was faster by miles. Erin swiftly dodges them by a hair¡¯s breadth and returned an Aura Shot at the Lich. An aegis of the ckest shadow absorbed her attack. ¡°Fuck!¡± Erin cursed but not at the fact her attack was absorbed but the Mist Pearl in her hand was hit by one of the dark javelins. A rage began to brim within her. The Lich sniggered at that sight. ¡°I see¡­ It¡¯s those flowers you¡¯re looking for¡­ Thene to me¡­ I have plenty in my cave.¡± Erin stifled augh at the puerile joke that crossed her mind. Even in rage, her devious mind allowed her to wander into such territory. ¡°But first¡­ a gift...¡± The Lich said and let out a deathly shriek. When it stopped, it stared at Erin with a grin, presumably. ¡°Enjoy,¡± it bade and vanished into the fog. Although the Lich left, Erin had remembered the trail of the miasma that connected the Lich and Necromancer. Monsters could be heard running towards Erin¡¯s way. The deathly shriek was most likely a summon of the monsters. Every monster was now rushing to her. While Erin was thrilled to be gifted such an amount of experienceing her way, there was no way she could fight against that amount of monsters and time was against her. Erin¡¯s battle lust was still going strong due to the constant ingestion of aphrodisiacs but she steered her current self towards the direction of the Necromancer. She reasoned with her current self with the fact that the Necromancer would most likely have strong pets for her to fight. That odd reasoning satisfied her current self and broke off into a sprint towards that direction. Monsters, familiar or new, she slew them all. Her rusted iron sword couldn¡¯t cut but it worked well as a blunt weapon. She had bashed not a few monsters head in with it. The monster amassed into a chaotic horde. It hindered Erin¡¯s progress but at the same time, it also made it easier as the monsters were busy fighting each other. ¡°s, you lot finally appear,¡± Erin guffawed. In front of her view, she saw a group of six Wights running towards her way in a jittery manner. The Wights weren¡¯t as strong as Marcus or William but since they were closer to their master, they were more tenacious. So to say, they were harder to kill. But Erin wasn¡¯t daunted by that fact. She was significantly stronger than the moments she fought Marcus and William. The longer Erin was under Lust Deviant¡¯s influence, the more uninhibited she was. Also, the way she used her abilities was getting even more impetuous. Something she wouldn¡¯t be able to replicate as these moves were rash and wasteful of movements and energy. She infused her saber with lightning and coated it with Arcane Edge. She flipped over the Wights who all attacked her at the same time. As shended, she twirled her saber and spun along, unleashing a lightning-infused aura radially. The six Wights were all caught in the attack. They weren¡¯t just cut into half but also seared into an ugly ck by the lightning. [Experience gained +60% - Level Progression: 80%] That move alone took a quarter of her Magic Vigour. It was absurdly wasteful just to y six lesser Wights but on the other hand, it saved a lot of time, which she was pressed on. She immediately used Mana Harvest to absorb the meagre amount of Mana in her vicinity. Miasma was plenty but Mana wasn¡¯t and she didn¡¯t have the means to convert Miasma into Mana. A few more Wights appeared but before Erin could make a move, the local monsters interfered. The sight made Erin wonder how the Necromancer dispatched its familiars and thralls to the outsidends without the monsters picking them off. She came to the conclusion the familiars and thralls did not just march right out from The Singrity, which raised another question, just what other tricks did the Necromancer had. Erin ignored the conflict and pressed on to the Necromancer¡¯s presumed hideout. Aside from the Wights that appeared from here and there, the local monsters were more of a problem. The more fight she got herself in, the more attention she was attracting. Some were reckless to throw themselves at Erin but some stayed back and observed, like the Pale Stalkers. But Erin cared not for the monsters. She slew only those that werepletely in her path. Her eyes were focused on the small dot in her sight. It was an entrance to a cave and also, where the Lich¡¯s trail of miasma originated from. Her grin widened, revealing a pair of sharp fangs she had somehow grown. [Experience gained +70% - Level Progression: 150%] [Erinthea: Level 24 increased to Level 25] [Skill Points gained +2 | 14] [Ability Points gained +2 | 14] [Level Progression: 50%] [Magic Art: Mystic Tail Arts Lv 1 - Acquired] Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Five-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 25 | Status: Desire Famine: Lust Deviant Might: 20 (40) | Arcane: 29 (58) | Finesse: 24 (48) Magic Arts Spirit Magic Lv. 8 | Arcane Edge Lv. 5 | Arcane Armor Lv. 10 | Lightning Magic Lv. 5 | Arcane Aegis Lv. 3 | Mystic Tail Arts Lv 1 Combat Arts Sword Art Lv. 7 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 5 Innate Skills Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 3 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex | Mana Harvest Lv. 1 Unique Talent Mystic de Lv. Ex | Revenant Lv. Ex Level Progression: 50% Remaining Skill Points: 14 Remaining Ability Points: 14 2-49 Fog Whopper 2-49 Fog Whopper Erin marvelled in silence at the new Magic Art she had acquired from her level increment. The purpose of the Magic Art was clear in its name. A magic rted to the use of her tails. The first spell under Mystic Tail Arts was known as Iron Fang. Erin immediately tested it out on a Dire Wolf who lunged at her from a rtively vast distance away. While Erin was impressed at the gap the Dire Wolf could cover in a single leap, she was also thankful for the beast in bing her test dummy. One of her tails hardened while retaining its suppleness, and jabbed out like an arrow released from a bow. The Dire Wolf¡¯s head was lopped off just like that. It most likely didn¡¯t even see iting. [Experience gained +10% - Level Progression: 60%] Erin tried to do it with more than one but it didn¡¯t seem like it could be done. Erin was ticked off by the severe limitation but sheforted herself with the fact that the Magic Art was only at level one. Although the new spell didn¡¯t seem like much in hindsight, it turned out to be surprisingly useful. Erin crossed swords with more Wights and she slew them all by using Iron Fang in a deceitful manner. [Experience gained +30% - Level Progression: 90%] Erin¡¯s tails looked harmless at a nce, so most of her foes didn¡¯t give them much attention. That remiss proved to be fatal for most of her foes. Aside from its discreet nature, it was also convenient. It didn¡¯t require her to have her hands syed just to cast it like Lightning Magic¡¯s spells. She could also use it on the unassuming monsters who were gaining on her from behind. [Experience gained +40% - Level Progression: 130%] [Erinthea: Level 25 increased to Level 26] [Skill Points gained +2 | 16] [Ability Points gained +2 | 16] [Level Progression: 30%] As expected the Pale Stalkers did not fall for this cheap trick. However, the Pale Stalkers came to understand the various tricks Erin had under her proverbial sleeves. Thus, it increased their caution and vignce. asionally, they would send one of them to probe the Fox-kin but Erin saw through their ruse and fought them off with nothing but her sword skills. The Pale Stalkers scoffed at Erin and she sneered back at them. During such an exchange, her Sixth Sense went off like a bell tower. Erin stopped sprinting and focused her senses on her surroundings entirely. Her nose didn¡¯t pick up any peculiar scent. Her ears heard nothing. She felt no strange changes in the winds. Her eyes also failed as the fog had shrouded the majority of her sight. Yet, warnings were ring off from Sixth Sense. The monsters also stop chasing after her. Instead, they were backing away from her. It was then Erin heard the soil move. She looked down at her feet just in time to see a vine coiling around her feet. Before she could react, the vine tightened and lifted her off the ground. The ground trembled and dead nts parted away, arge nt-like monster with a gigantic bud for a body and multiple vines protruding from below, it emerged from its camouge. It stood over five meters tall. A Fog Whopper. The name was simple, Erin thought. She wished killing it would be as simple as its name. She was being dangled upside down by the Fog Whopper. Many of her tools and potion vials fell out of her pockets. She tried to cut the vines holding her but it was avoiding her attacks. It was fast. The Fog Whopper was level thirty-five. Erin felt no discouragement but only the opposite. She was excited at the amount of experience it could yield but first thing first, she needed to find a way out of her current predicament. She tried using her tails but the vines were tougher than they appeared. It did avoid Erin¡¯s Aura Shot which made her surmise the vines weren¡¯t tougher than all of her skills. ¡°Fuck this ursed nt!¡± Erin shouted as she realized the most dreadful thing about her current circumstances. It wasn¡¯t the embarrassing position she was put in but the Fog Whopper was draining her Mana. She needed to cut herself free fast or she would be drained dry. Even her Arcane Armor began to weaken due to the drain. Parts of the Arcane Armor were even fading off. As Erin attempted to use Lightning Magic, the other vines sprouted out a stinger from their tip. Something green was dripping from the stingers. It went without saying the stingers were poisonous. Erin cast aside her iron sword and quickly conjured up a double-ded polearm made of lightning into her hand. It was the new spell she learned upon reaching level five on her Lightning Magic. Storm ive was its name. She twirled the Storm ive in front of her, shredding all of the vines that darted towards her. She didn¡¯t count how many there were, she just kept shredding them. Her Sixth Sense went off again. She nced back and saw some of the vines had crept behind her. She tried to cut the sneaky vines attacking from her back. She destroyed all but one, which grazed its stinger across her left thigh. [Concentrated poison detected - Toxin Resistance activated.] The poison took effect fast. She could already feel her thigh burning up. If she didn¡¯t have Toxin Resistance, she doubted she could still be moving around. The poison was extremely lethal and her Toxin Resistance was only slowing it down. She reached for the antidote in one of her pouches but it was empty. Erin ignored her poisoned condition for now and focused on taking down the Fog Whopper. The vines were regrowing. Left with no other option, she infused lightning into her whole body. The vine holding her absorbed the lightning in tandem. There was no screech of pain aside from Erin¡¯s own cries. The vine merely tossed Erin away immediately after it was seared by the lightning. [Innate Skill: Lightning Resistance Lv. 1 - Acquired] Erin did not have any opportunity to be grateful for the new skill as she went sliding across the ground from being tossed. The Pale Stalkers seized the opportunity and pounced at her. With the Storm ive still in hand, Erin threw the lightning-made weapon. It spun gracefully as it shredded through the opportunistic Pale Stalkers. The Lightning ive flew in an arc before returning into Erin¡¯s hand. [Experience gained +60% - Level Progression: 90%] Although dozens had attacked, the Storm ive had only in six of them. Erin sniggered and gloated over the Pale Stalkers¡¯ failed attempts. The abominable creatures didn¡¯t spare Erin a nce and ran away. Erin knew why as a huge shadow clouded over her. She nted her whole body to the side, avoiding a few vines plunging into the ground that would have otherwise pierce through her body. She distanced herself from the Fog Whopper and sheathed her saber. She also didn¡¯t forget to retrieve her iron sword. The Fog Whopper couldn¡¯t move much. It was rooted in one ce and its range of movements was limited. Erin was pressed on time but at the same time, it was difficult to fight against her desire for glory and experience. It was a conflicting feeling. At a sensible level, she didn¡¯t want to fight the Fog Whopper but leaving it alive would surely not bode well for the future. It was more dangerous than the other monsters due to its poison and its ability to drain Mana. The more tant evidence was that even the other monsters avoid the Fog Whopper. Erin also didn¡¯t know how far those vines could reach. She wasn¡¯t about to take any chances. She needed to y it now. Erin gathered almost all of her Mana into her palms. She sped her palms together before opening her arms wide, conjuring a Lightning Spear. The Lightning Spear now was unquestionably more powerful than the one she used on the Razor Grizzly. Even the Fog Whopper sensed the severity of the Lightning Spear¡¯s threat. More vines emerged from the soil around it. All of the vines brandished their stingers and darted towards Erin. [Warning: Mana Vigour has reached below 25% of the threshold.] Erin stayed her ground as the vines came for her. She didn¡¯t move¡­ until thest second. She jumped, a second before the vines reached her. The ground beneath her exploded from the barrage of vines. She was in the air, a shivering Lightning Spear in her hands. She didn¡¯t offer any words and threw the Lightning Spear with all of her might. The Fog Whopper tried to submerge itself back into the ground but it was too slow. The Lightning Spear hit its colossal body and arge explosion ensued, blowing everything back, including Erin herself. She underestimated the power of her spell. Dust clouds were raised and she even heard yelps from other monsters. Erin managed to hang on by stabbing her iron sword into the ground before the force could sweep her away further. When the dust settled, there was a small clearing at the heart of the explosion. Erin clicked her tongue and the absence of the experience notification. The Fog Whopper was still alive. Half of its body was blown off. The remaining half was smoking with seared wounds. Erin wasn¡¯t surprised that the Fog Whopper survived. After all, this was The Singrity. Still, it would be easier to finish it off since all of its vines were destroyed and its body volume was much smaller now, making it easier for Erin to kill it with just her usual skills. But before she could even get close to the near-death Fog Whopper, the ground trembled once again. The sound was familiar to Erin. The way the ground shook, Erin didn¡¯t forget. Erin took off in a sprint towards her prey, the Fog Whopper. She drew her saber and coated the de with Arcane Edge. The ground beside the Fog Whopper burst apart and the Grave Wyrm made its appearance with its jaws wide open. It was trying to steal Erin¡¯s kill. Erin didn¡¯t have enough Mana to throw an Aura Shot. The Grave Wyrm shut its jaws tight, crushing the Fog Whopper in its mouth. Erin could only watch from the distance as her prey was snatched. The Grave Wyrm dove back into the ground with the Fog Whopper in its mouth, leaving Erin to grief by herself, though sorrow wasn¡¯t the emotion she felt. ¡°This son of a bitch!¡± [Experience gained +30% - Level Progression: 120%] Though Erin didn¡¯tnd the final blow, she didn¡¯t inflict a lot of damage on the Fog Whopper. She wagered thirty percent was half of the original amount. [Erinthea: Level 26 increased to 27] [Skill Points gained +2 | 18] [Ability Points gained +2 | 18] [Level Progression: 20%] She wanted to hunt the Grave Wyrm down but she suddenly fell to her knees. Her whole body was burning up. She could feel her stamina draining from her. ¡°The poison¡­ Shite!¡± The poison had spread. Though it was still at a stage where she could still bear it, she surmised she could onlyst for another hour but it would be minutes before her movements were affected. Before she coulde up with any ideas, the Wights returned to finish what the Fog Whopper couldn¡¯t. Erin cast Mana Harvest to replenish her Magic Vigour. It was less than she anticipated since the Fog Whopper¡¯s carcass was dragged away. Still, it was enough to deal with the Wights. Erin counted six Wights and she sneered at the futility of the Necromancer sending inferior Wights at her. With a single Aura Shot, she decapitated one Wight while the rest dodged it. [Experience gained +10% - Level Progression: 30%] She held two off with an Arcane Aegis by letting the two running into the ethereal shield. She charged at the rest with a kick. With her current Might, she sent one flying and hit a tree. She swiped and took the head of another Wight after parrying its crude sword strikes. [Experience gained +10%] She blocked the other with her tails and took its head with Iron Fang. [Experience gained +10%] She threw her saber at the Wight who got thrown into a tree. Her saber carved into its head cleanly. [Experience gained +10% - Level Progression: 50%] Erin turned her gaze to the remaining two Wights. In the face of her overwhelming skill and strength, the two Wights almost seemed pitiful to be dealt with, almost. The remaining two Wights recovered their bearings and charged at Erin with their swords raised. The swords used steel but it was as crude as her iron sword. She let the Wights swing at her and per her expectations, the des bounced right off of her. The two Wights looked at each other, confused. ¡°You have a terrible master,¡± Erin remarked with a sneer and used Iron Fang to take the head of one of the two Wights. [Experience gained +10%] Thest Wight looked as if it wanted to retreat but an invisible forcepelled it to stay. It lunged at Erin at such a narrow gap but Erin caught the Wight by its throat. It swung its crude sword. desperately and pointlessly at Erin. With both of her hands, Erin tore the Wight¡¯s head from its neck with a bellow. [Experience gained +10% - Level Progression: 70%] Erin once again fell on her knees after exhausting the remaining strength she could muster. The poison was strong. If it wasn''t for Lust Deviant, she didn''t think she could have the leisure ofsting this long. She gulped and spat out a small pool of blood. She tried to stand up but she was having difficulty doing so. She had lost all feeling in her left leg. Her nose was even dripping blood. Sweat poured incessantly from all over her body. Even pain was spreading but the pain was the least of her worries. She was practically unable to walk now. Erin hit the ground with her fist. For once, the current Erin wished the Lust Deviant would lift itself off. Her current state wasn¡¯t allowed to temper her skills and abilities. Her despair evoked augh from herself. She observed her surroundings closely. She didn¡¯t sense any closing in on her. Most were either engaging in a scuffle with other monsters or they were simply too cautious to approach her after witnessing her prowess. She made her choice at the whim of her current state. She brought her saber to her neck and slit it all the while retaining a smile on her face. Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Five-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 27 | Status: Desire Famine: Lust Deviant, Deceased Might: 20 (40) | Arcane: 29 (58) | Finesse: 24 (48) Magic Arts Spirit Magic Lv. 8 | Arcane Edge Lv. 5 | Arcane Armor Lv. 10 | Lightning Magic Lv. 5 | Arcane Aegis Lv. 3 | Mystic Tail Arts Lv 1 Combat Arts Sword Art Lv. 7 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 5 Innate Skills Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 3 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex | Mana Harvest Lv. 1 | Lightning Resistance Lv. 1 Unique Talent Mystic de Lv. Ex | Revenant Lv. Ex Level Progression: 70% Remaining Skill Points: 18 Remaining Ability Points: 18 2-50 Midnight 2-50 Midnight The defence of Quinteburgh persisted into the dark of the night. While the Razor Grizzly was attacking the west gate, thralls and minions of the Necromancer had begun their assault on the other gates. Although the monsters didn¡¯t reach the number of the Undeads assaulting the west gate, it was still a considerable amount considering the defenders of the other gates were less seasoned and skilled than the defenders of the west gate. Such formation was designated since the best was needed to fight against the Razor Grizzly. The constion for the defenders of the other gates was that their opponents weren¡¯t something they were unfamiliar with. However, night had descended and tides of the battle were beginning to change. The nocturnal monsters were slowly gaining an edge. The north gate was faced with waves of Dire Wolves and Serks. Among the defenders, the most prominent ones were the ckwood Wolf-kin siblings, Siv and Wrev. They were the pirs for this gate¡¯s defense. Their prowess was the only reason the gate had yet to be breached by the monsters. They were the personal guards of Lord Hegan but under their master¡¯s order, they were dispatched as defenders for the north gate. They originally wanted to be stationed at the west gate but since they couldn¡¯t leave the defense for other gates too weak, they were stationed at this gate. ¡°Weak. Weak. Weak!!¡± shouted Wrev as he cleaved through the monsters without stopping to catch his breath. He wielded a greatsword, perfect for culling monsters inrge quantities. Since the monsters were lunging at him one after another. He did not worry about his uracy. Wherever he swung, therge de of his would surely found a target. There were no monsters on the level of the Razor Grizzly so the tension at this side was lower. ¡°Focus, Wrev!¡± reprimanded Siv. She was not using a sword by a polearm with an axe de head. ¡°They may be weak but don¡¯t underestimate the strength in number. Do you still remember what happened to cousin Rir?¡± Wrev clicked his tongue and continued carving through the Dire Wolves and Serks. ¡°Fuck all of this. Why can¡¯t we be at the west gate?¡± Siv sighed and gave up on retorting. Though Wrev acted like the words of his sister were mere wind to his ears, he was actually being more careful with his actions. One of the mostmon causes for adventurers¡¯ death was underestimating their predicament, namely the monsters. He had an older cousin Rir, had. Strongest of all the youngbloods of his generation but ultimately died to a swarm of Rot-rats. He found the Rot-rats¡¯ nest. Being the strongest, his arrogance took over his reasoning. Wrev remembered it well. No funeral pyre was lit for his cousin for he died in a dishonourable way. ¡°I don¡¯t want that,¡± Wrev said to himself. The Dire Wolves and Serks weremon foes he faced in his journey. They were monsters that could be found anywhere on the continent. He knew their attack patterns. He knew their behaviors. However, the Dire Wolves and Serks he was fighting were much too different than the ones he knew. Fear, doubts, teamwork, all of those were absent from them. The monsters were just throwing themselves at him. Even if a monster didn¡¯t have much intelligence, the desire to survive was primal, but not for these monsters. ¡°The Guild Master was right. You all really are nothing but thralls,¡± Wrev muttered silently to himself. While Wrev was having an epiphany of his own, Siv was trying to figure out the trepidation she had been feeling ever since the start of the battle. The abnormal behavior of the monsters were well-known rumors and just before the start of the defense preparation, the rumor was confirmed by the Guild Master to be true. Aside from that abnormality, Siv¡¯s instinct as a beast-kin was going off like a bell tower on the stroke of midnight. ¡°Weird,¡± she thought. ¡°To assault a town of this scale with only this much of an army, what is the Necromancer thinking? Did he underestimate the town¡¯s fighting force? Or...¡± A wave of dreadful aura swept over the siblings and also the other fighters present at the defense lines of the north gate. Some were frozen from the dread and ended up getting mauled by the monsters. Wrev also fell prey to a simr situation but Siv moved fast before the monsters could swarm her brother. ¡°Damn it!¡± Siv yelled. ¡°I told you to stay focused.¡± ¡°I know!¡± Wrev shouted back. ¡°What the hell was that anyway?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know but we best be on our toes,¡± Siv said. She tried using her nose but the monsters¡¯ scent was too overwhelming to tell them apart. However, ever since the evil aura swept past them, the odor had only gotten heavier. The numbers of Serks and Dire Wolves eventually dwindled to an amount that could be fought off with just a small party. But this was where the circumstances escted. ¡°What the fuck is that!?¡± one of the soldiers shouted as he pointed at the trees. Siv and Wrev followed the soldier¡¯s finger and found a Wight striding out of the woods while dragging arge battle axe with it. It was wearing metal armor. Siv surmised the Wight might have been a knight or a soldier when it was still alive. ¡°Siv¡­ that Wight¡­ he¡¯s strong,¡± Wrev said. After killing all the monsters who were surrounding him, he poured all of his attention at the Wight. ¡°Stronger than the Fox-kin who robbed you of your virtue.¡± Siv sighed. ¡°This is no time for jokes, Wrev. But you¡¯re right, this Wight might be stronger than Lady Erinthea.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ oh my god...¡± gasped the only mage at the north gate. He was also the only one with the rare skill, Appraisal. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ level twenty-five...¡± ¡°Hmph,¡± huffed a bulky adventurer who wielded a mace befitting of his size. ¡°I am level twenty-seven. This Wight is nothing.¡± The bulky adventurer charged ahead after his boast. The mage wasn¡¯t done talking. ¡°Wait, the Wight has¡ª¡± me engulfed the de of the Wight¡¯s axe. It swung at the bulky adventurer who had just raised his mace. The adventurer dodged to the side, avoiding the axe¡¯s blow. ¡°Such an obvious move!¡± the adventurer mocked and smashed his mace against the Wight¡¯s head. The head flew off its shoulder with just that one swing. ¡°What a joke. And I expected more!¡± the adventurer guffawed. ¡°Get away from that Wight now!¡± Siv shouted. Having let his guard down, the bulky adventurer was toote to respond. Headless, the Wight still moved. Its axe pulverized the bulky adventurer with a single swing. The mes spread to the adventurers¡¯ mangled corpse and set it alight. What remained of the bulky adventurer was only ashes. Siv watched in horror at the Wight¡¯s abilities. A decapitation did not kill it and its ming axe incinerated its victim to ashes. It was not an ordinary Wight like she was informed. The Guild Master did warn them of expecting the unordinary but their imagination was too feeble. Siv had wanted to help but her instincts had forced her to stay. She wondered what would happen if she had tried to help but immediately, she banished the thought. There was no use pondering about the past when the present was heralding a bleak future. ¡°Can we even beat this thing?¡± Wrev asked. ¡°We have to,¡± Siv answered as she activated her Beast Form. ¡°Or the townsfolk suffer.¡± Seeing his sister¡¯s decision, Wrev too activated his Beast Form. **** Goblins and Kobolds swarmed the east gate. They were weaker and slower than most monsters around these parts but their opposable thumbs allow them to utilize tools to their advantage. Their intelligence wasn¡¯t great but they were no fools either. Tools weren¡¯t the only things they had, there was also poison. Their weapons wereced with poison, oftentimes lethal. ¡°What the fuck is this shit!? Why don¡¯t they just die!?¡± Edmund screamed as a Hobgoblin missed its swing with its wooden club. The Hobgoblin had received multiple arrows to its body but it was still standing. The same went for the other monsters. The Goblins and Kobolds were more tenacious than usual. They were fragile creatures but not at present. Velrin Corvas sighed and kept her eyes on her foes. With two swords in hand, she shed at all of the monsters in her vicinity. Though she found Edmund¡¯sint a headache, his words couldn¡¯t be denied. She was having some trouble herself too. She was only able to kill a Goblin by decapitation. She had cut its throat at first, stabbed its heart when it was still walking. Finally, she lopped its head off. Only then, the Goblin fell. ¡°Since when are Goblins so goddamn strong!¡± ¡°They¡¯re not immortal, Edmund,¡± Velrin responded. ¡°They¡¯re just a little stubborn to die. Cool ya head and keep swinging.¡± The east gate was the only gate without soldiers. Adventurers were also only a few. The main force of the east gate was criminals. These criminals were promised a pardon if they seeded in defending the gate. However, the pardon had a catch. They were to leave the town after their pardon. They would no longer be branded as criminals but it was impossible for the town to trust them just because they were pardoned. The reasoning was valid and the criminals epted since this was the only chance they have. The pardon was even possible in the first ce thanks to Erinthea. Although the person in question wasn¡¯t present at the discussion, Iris and Rosemary understood Erin¡¯s will and wishes well. This was the suggestion put forth to fulfil Erin¡¯s wishes. Of course, the pardon was only limited to the twelve individuals Erin had met. There were other criminals but their pardon wasn¡¯t assured unlike the twelve. Still, they rather take the chance than miss it. If they weren¡¯t pardoned, they would not be executed due to their contributions. It was better than their current lifestyle. Be that as it may, that kind of future was beginning to look more like a mere dream. The Goblins and Kobolds had numbers but nowhere near the amount of the Serks and Dire Wolves. Still, their unexpected tenacity was pushing the defenders back. They were almost halfway to the second line of defense. Spears of darkness impaled the tenacious monsters. Vines of shadows bound their movements. Velrin moved like the wind and fell the monsters before the binding could fade. While the north gate had the ckwood siblings, the east gate had Velrin. She was the pir of strength for this gate. Though her Abyss Magic was only level two, she wielded it like an adept. If she had the training a noble would have, no doubt her Abyss Magic would be higher than level five at this point. ¡°Rumulo!¡± Edmund shouted. Hearing the name of their mutual friend, Velrin turned around just in time to see a Goblin Assassin emerging from the Goblin crowd, aiming for the one named Rumulo. Velrin cast her Abyss Magic but before the spells could reach, the Goblin Assassin had imed its target before retreating into the crowd. ¡°Rumulo!!¡± Velrin cried. She wanted to rush over immediately but monsters took advantage of her momentarily loss of focus and swarmed her. ¡°Move!¡± she uttered the word like an order as she unleashed Abyss Magic around her. It expended a lot of her Mana but it cleared her surroundings. But before she could reach her fallen friend, her path was obstructed by a sudden fireball that came out of nowhere. The fireball was huge. It couldn¡¯t be a fireball cast by anyone from her side. Realization dawned and she turned to face the caster. ¡°What the fuck¡­? Is that a Goblin?¡± Edmund asked in a stutter. What appeared before them was a Goblin, or at least it looked like a Goblin. It was as tall as the average human. The features that made Edmund question the monster of its kind were due to its pair ofrge ws. They were as big as its head. The strange marks covering its body were also a foreboding sign of its deviant nature. No one on this side had Appraisal but they all could feel the difference in strength. ¡°Is that a Hobgoblin?¡± ¡°You idiot. How does that look anything like a Hobgoblin?¡± ¡°Oi oi! Can we even fight that thing¡­?¡± The adventurers began to break down at the sight of the new foe. ¡°A Goblin Warlock...¡± Velrin muttered with a gulp. A Goblin Warlock was as rare as finding diamonds randomly in a cave. It was an evolution path that couldn''t be achieved naturally. One of the requirements to be a Goblin Warlock was to devour the hearts of ten mages and spend its time in a mana dense environment, or so the schrs had said. Aside from the ability to cast spells, it was a formidable fighter in its own right. It was also seen as a leader by the other Goblins. ¡°A Goblin Warlock?! Are you fucking me!?¡± Edmund yelled as he lopped Kobold¡¯s head off. ¡°A pardon ain¡¯t enough for this. We should have demanded more.¡± ¡°Yeah...¡± Velrin muttered. ¡°Much more¡­¡± She swallowed another gulp as she prepared for the toughest fight of her life. 2-51 Descent I 2-51 Descent I As the Sword Saint, the de couldn¡¯t be the only thing Erin knew how to handle. She also had ample experience in other aspects. Barehanded fights were one of the many skills she had aside from the sword. In her past life, she travelled a lot. Oftentimes, she needed to cross the sea and not all waters were peaceful. Some contained creatures of the depth that could easily capsize the transport she was on. Therefore, she had taken it upon herself to learn to swim. Despite having such knowledge, she could not swim to the surface. She was just drowning. No matter how hard she kicked, she only continued to drown. She couldn¡¯t breathe. Her lungs began to burn. Her body soon began to tire. However, she refused to ept her fate. She kept swimming regardless of her despairing circumstances. Just as she met the limit of her breath, the water surged upwards. She felt an invisible force carrying her upwards. In no time at all, she was brought to the surface, out of the water. [Revenant activated] [Experience lost -40% - Level Progression: 30%] And Erin opened her eyes. She gasped but because of her burning lungs, no sound came out of her mouth. Her memories prior to her death gradually returned to her. ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ I killed myself to quicken my death. Strange¡­ Why is it so dark? Could it be that my resurrection took longer than I anticipated? And...¡± At the same time the breeze brushed past her and tickled her skin, she realized she was no longer under the influence of Lust Deviant and the brunt of overexerting herself was catching up to her. Her status was only; Mild Exhaustion. ¡°Fuck¡­ is that the limit of Lust Deviant? I thought it wouldst longer. And...¡± Only now did Erin realize she was moving but she wasn¡¯t moving on her own. She was still lying on the ground. Her senses were dull as she had juste back from her death. As her senses returned to her, she realized she was being dragged by her right leg. Her back grazing the tough and coarse ground. It was so coarse that she felt her skin was burning. And it wasn¡¯t the sky that had darkened. She was in a cave without any source of light but that was nothing to her. She mustered her slowly returning energy and tilted her head up. There were two Wights walking in front of her. One of them was grabbing her by her lower calf, dragging her. There was not the worst part. As the wind blew once again, she felt ticklish. And then it made sense as to why her back hurt so much. ¡°Wait¡­ am I naked?¡± she asked herself. Horror filled her eyes. In the hands of the Wights were her tools and apparels. They had apparently stripped her of her gear and equipment. She was, at present, without a single piece of clothing covering her body. Rage filled her heart and eyes then. ¡°Fucking scums!¡± she roared. The Wights immediately turned around but Erin had already summoned the strength to her body and she twisted her whole body. She went into a spin, releasing her leg from the Wight¡¯s grasp. Since the Wight presumed Erin was dead, the grasp wasn¡¯t strong. As she spun, Erin d her tails with Arcane Armor and turned the Wight dragging her into pieces. [Experience gained +10% - Level Progression: 40%] The other Wight used her own weapon to attack her but it rammed into an ethereal shield. Before it could recover from its concussion, Erin conjured another Arcane Aegis from its back. She ended up sandwiching the Wight between two Arcane Aegises. Erin let her gaze stay on the Wight as she checked on herself. The idea of these monsters doing something to her disgusted her to no end. Her face had contorted into a grimace that would even send shivers into the hearts of monsters. She made doubly sure that nothing was done to her, especially her womanhood. Women had a thing called hymen as a proof of their purity, or so she was told in her past life. However, that proof was fragile and could easily be torn from various simple activities. There were even some women who were born without such proof. But since Erin herself wasn¡¯t even sure if she had a hymen in the first ce, she didn¡¯t think it would be a credible judge. However, she had her nose. If the monsters have done something to her, she would be able to tell by the smell. Erin took a whiff of her fingers after touching her own cunt. She smelled nothing but her own sweat and bodily fluids. She finally released a sigh of relief but her furious gaze was still lingering on the Wight. She picked up her sheathed saber. Although the Wight was struggling, no hint of fear could be found in its expression. She drew her sword in a wide arc and sheathed it again. The Wight didn¡¯t even know what happened and its head slid off its neck. [Experience gained +10% - Level Progression: 50%] Erin quickly put on her apparel and gears. ¡°Ah¡­ Fuck¡­ fuck!¡± she cursed out loud. There was no damage to her weapons but the straps of her armor were torn and her undershirt was torn. That was to be expected since the Wights didn¡¯t have enough intelligence for them to do any meticulous task such as taking apparel off without tearing it. Erin cursed out some more before wrapping her chest with some simple makeshift wrapping. Her pants were now mere shorts but it was still able to cover the important parts. Her appearance was now the embodiment of the insult, a naked warrior. After she was dressed and herposure was regained, Erin surveyed her surroundings closely. Going by the foul air, she had no doubts she was still in The Singrity. Using her Spirit Sight, the density of miasma was even higher than what she felt on the outside. She concluded this cave most likely led to the dwelling of the Necromancer or this cave is the dwelling of the Necromancer. What she couldn¡¯t figure out was why was she dragged into his cave? ¡°Wait¡­ The Necromancer definitely knows of my Revenant skill since I was brought back to life after he had killed me with his thrall. Although... he does not know of the limits. He is under the assumption that I can not be killed through conventional means. So¡­ either he intends to find a way to end me for good by bringing me to his dwelling or¡­ he wishes to know more about my Revenant skill.¡± Erin¡¯sst words weren¡¯t an impossibility. She had a skill that brought her back from the dead, a skill that governs life and death. It was something surely that would grasp the hearts of the schrs, a Necromancer no less. Before she proceeded deeper, she took a step back and brought up her stats information screen. Though her memories in the past few hours were still cloudy, she didn¡¯t forget the umted skill and ability points she had. She had sixteen in both. Now that she was deep within the enemy¡¯s lines, she needed to be at the best she could. She didn¡¯t ponder. She had long decided how she would spend them. For ability stats, she allocated six points in Finesse and Arcane, and two points into Might. She left her remaining four points alone for insurance. [Might: 20 increased to 22] [Arcane: 29 increased to 35] [Finesse: 24 increased to 30] For her skill points, she poured ten points into Lightning Magic, raising it all the way to its maximum level. Immediately, a flood of knowledge in the field of Lightning Magic surged into her mind. [Lightning Magic: Lv 5 increased to Lv 10] Augh unconsciously leaked through her mouth. The spells she had received were nothing to scoff at. She felt strong. She felt that even the Razor Grizzly would not be her opponent now. She created a spark of lightning in her palm. She watched it dance aggressively in her palm without searing her skin, a symbol of her mastery over Lightning Magic. For the remaining skill points, she poured it all into Toxin Resistance, raising it to level eight. Out of everything that had happened, her death by the colossal nt¡¯s poison was still vivid in her mind. It was suffering, to say the least. She didn¡¯t want a repeat of that. [Toxin Resistance: Lv 3 increased to Lv 8] ¡°Good,¡± she told herself, cracking her knuckles and neck. ¡°Now, time to move.¡± ¡°So you live...¡± A voice echoed through the tunnel Erin was in. The voice sounded close yet far away. ¡°Interesting spell¡­ No obvious repercussions. Bodily functions are all back to normal. No degradation of the soul¡­ Truly an interesting spell...¡± ¡°Quit hiding. Come out and face me Ba¡¯al, or hiding is your expertise? Should I call you a hiding-mancer then?¡± Erin taunted. ¡°I am not hiding¡­ I have always been where I am¡­ Just because no one could reach me¡­ it does not mean that I am hiding¡­ In fact¡­ even if I tell you where I am¡­ can you reach me?¡± the Necromancer said and chuckled eerily. ¡°Well¡­ can you?¡± ¡°I can,¡± Erin retorted firmly. ¡°Just tell me¡ª wait. You don¡¯t need to say anything. I¡¯ll find you myself.¡± The Necromancerughed. ¡°Is this bravery or stupidity?¡± ¡°It¡¯s anger, dumb fuck. Also, do you expect me to trust your directions?¡± Erin snorted. ¡°Just because you¡¯re someone who would fall for that kind of trickery, don¡¯t think others will too.¡± ¡°Impudent!¡± the Necromancer raged, sending a tremor throughout the cave and shaking the tunnel. ¡°Fine. Have it your way¡­ It would be all the more¡­ sweeter when you fall...¡± ¡°If you have anything else to say, do it now.¡± ¡°The Mist Pearls¡­ you want them...¡± The Necromancer snickered. ¡°However¡­ if you fail to reach me in time¡­ those will be no more...¡± Erin sighed. ¡°Sure. Anything else? These words may be yourst, Bile.¡± The Necromancer screamed at Erin for the insult before retreating his voice back to where he dwelled. ¡°Idiot,¡± Erin muttered. Bymunicating with her, it had only confirmed her suspicions that this cave was indeed the Necromancer¡¯s dwelling. And themunication spell that he used had also revealed his approximate location to Erin. ¡°You underestimated me.¡± Following the trail of themunication spell, Erin arrived at a forked path, left or right. Erin didn¡¯t stop her tracks and took the left tunnel. There were two reasons for her choice. The first and most obvious reason was that this path was where the trail was leading. Second, the air was fouler in this path. The perfectly gentle path was slowly turning steep as Erin walked deeper. Soon, the path became so steep that one wrong step could make her slide all the way down. She d her tails in Arcane Armor and used them to prevent herself from slipping. Since she was still a novice in using her tails, her pace was slowed. She was in a hurry but if she slipped now, she didn¡¯t want to imagine the result. Although she had revenant, she had also understood the cost. It doubled for every death within twenty-four hours. If she died again, she would be losing eighty percent of her experience. She only had fifty percent now; an insufficientpensation. Remembering the description of Revenant, she shuddered to imagine the consequences considering the nasty personality of her patron Goddess, Nyx. Erin had never feared death but now that she had no way of knowing whates after her death this time, she was fearing death. The steep path eventually came to an end, bringing her to another straight path that extended beyond what her eyes could see. Aside from the miasma and the odour, nothing of note could be found as she made her way through the cave. There weren¡¯t even any guards. It was just empty paths. She became doubtful of the peaceful situation but then she thought about the dangers of The Singrity. The Necromancer probably did not take into ount someone passing through The Singrity alive. Also, she was dragged into the cave while she was unconscious. She couldn¡¯t appropriately judge just how deep she had actually ventured. After walking for more than ten minutes, The path spread out before her in all directions. There were not just two but a total of twenty tunnels. Once again, Erin needed to choose a tunnel. Once again, Erin had no hesitation and walked down the northeast tunnel. Her path began to widen. A fouler smell drifted into her nose. She grimaced with her hand covering her nose. It wasn¡¯t just the odour of miasma. It was the odour for something that had been rotting for a long time. The path led Ern into a vast room of darkness but with her Night Vision, she could see the contents of the room clearly. ¡°What the¡­ fuck?¡± she muttered. What was before her sight were hundreds of egg-like objects scattered all over the room. Half of these objects were burst open as if something hade out of it. As Erin took a closer look at one of the burst objects, she found a few rods and some tubes that transported some sort of fluid. ¡°These rods¡­¡± Erin picked one of the familiar-looking rods to inspect with her Appraisal. ¡°Magic Rys...¡± she gasped when the result was disyed. ¡°This ce¡­ this is where the monsters were converted into thralls¡­ I should destroy this ce.¡± As soon as that thought crossed her mind, her Sixth Sense went off. Erin immediately covered herself with Arcane Armor on her head and chest and cast Arcane Aegis in the direction of where she sensed the threating from. Javelins of darkness smashed against the Aegis and broke through on the fourth javelin, but Erin had already moved from that spot. ¡°Unbelievable...¡± said her assant. It was the Lich from before. ¡°Meet again so soon?¡± Erin responded with a nonchnt smirk. ¡°How did you manage¡­?¡± the Lich asked. Though it asked with its voice, the words were the Necromancer¡¯s. ¡°You left a trail, idiot.¡± ¡°Preposterous! I left no such trail.¡± Erin raised an eyebrow as she activated Spirit Sight again. The trail of the miasma was as tant as ever. ¡°I¡¯m seeing the trail quite clearly though.¡± ¡°Impossible¡­ you could not be higher than level thirty. Yet¡­ you see through all...¡± ¡°Perhaps you¡¯re not as good as you think you are!¡± ¡°Silence! Don¡¯t patronize me! I am a chosen of the gods¡­ You are nothing before me...¡± ¡°A chosen of the gods¡­ You¡¯re an Apostle?¡± ¡°I am,¡± the Necromancer answered. ¡°I have heard the voice of the divines¡­ I had been a mere mindless beast but through the graces of the gods¡­ I have be more than what you humans, Beast-kin, Faerie-kin can possibly imagine.¡± ¡°What a coincidence...¡± Erin muttered dryly but her stance uttered a different tone. ¡°Coincidence¡ª? Ah, I see. So that¡¯s why¡­ You¡¯re a chosen one too. Of course¡­ how else could you be so¡­ unexpected? Perhaps this is fate.¡± Erin groaned. ¡°Spare me the tale and speech. Chosen or not, I am going to kill you.¡± The Lichughed. ¡°You are in my domain¡­ Your god will not be able to help you here.¡± As Erin was preparing to throw an Aura Shot, her Sixth Sense went off again. She immediately leaped from where she stood and something fell with a huge force that created a small crater on the ground. ¡°A Wight¡ª no. This feels too strong to be a Wight.¡± As the dust settled from the exaggerated entrance, an imposing suit of armor stood in the small crater. Tendrils of darkness were wrapping around the armor suit like it was holding all of it together. Within the armor, smoke and mes were exuded constantly from the visor. In its hand was a huge greatsword. As the armor suit straightened its posture, it stood around the height of three meters. ¡°You think the Razor Grizzly was my strongest thrall?¡± The Lich guffawed with a strange glee. ¡°This Ashen Knight of mine before you is my strongest thrall!¡± Its ims echoed out into the vast room. Erin gave no retorts. She didn¡¯t need to be told to know the strength of the Ashen Knight. It was level thirty but the threat it oozed off was more than what she felt from the Razor Grizzly. Her level was higher than before but in the face of this Ashen Knight, she felt that the gap was once again widened. Even now, her Sixth Sense was going like a clocktower stuck perpetually on the stroke of midnight. Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Five-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 27 | Status: Mild Exhaustion Might: 22 | Arcane: 35 | Finesse: 30 Magic Arts Spirit Magic Lv. 8 | Arcane Edge Lv. 5 | Arcane Armor Lv. 10 | Lightning Magic Lv. 10 | Arcane Aegis Lv. 3 | Mystic Tail Arts Lv 1 Combat Arts Sword Art Lv. 7 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 5 Innate Skills Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 8 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex | Mana Harvest Lv. 1 | Lightning Resistance Lv. 1 Unique Talent Mystic de Lv. Ex | Revenant Lv. Ex Level Progression: 50% Remaining Skill Points: 0 Remaining Ability Points: 4 2-52 Descent II 2-52 Descent II The Ashen Knight was not a simple opponent. It was without a doubt a monster but Erin sensed she should not treat this fight like she would against any other monsters. Upon further inspection with her Appraisal, she found out the Ashen Knight was not a mere product of Necromancy. The Ashen Knight was not a soul raised from its grave. It was a soul that was not meant to walk the realms of mortals. One word that stood out in the description given and in its race tab. And the word was; Demon. The Ashen Knight was a type of Demon. It was not a Familiar of the Necromancer since its status read; Enthralled. Erin surmised the Necromancer most likely enved a Demon and put it inside the suit of armor, or something along those lines. The origin of her opponent mattered little. She only needed to know how to defeat it. The Ashen Knight wasn¡¯t the only thing Erin had to worry about. There was also the Lich which was floating in the air, its empty sockets for eyes stuck to her every move. She had yet to see what the Lich was fully capable of. She understood her focus could not be dedicated to only one of them. She must split her focus evenly but that was easier said than done. The Ashen Knight made the first move. It flew right into Erin, its sword raised and ready to swing. Erin cast her newly learned Lightning Magic spell, Thunder Shell. Lightning shields covered her from all sides, forming a sphere around her. The moment the Ashen Knight¡¯s sword came into contact with the sphere, a bolt of lightning was shot out from where the sphere was struck. Erin countered at this precise moment. Her sword struck the chest of the Ashen Knight. With some resistance, her de, d in Arcane Edge, pierced through the armor. ¡°Ah¡­ that¡¯s not good,¡± Erin muttered as she realized the Ashen Knight felt nothing from the blow it received. She quickly retracted her sword and dove out of the way before its sword destroyed the ground where she once stood. The Ashen Knight did not let Erin¡¯s blunder slide away so easily. Ittched on to her movements, voiding her of any chance to cast spells even if her casting was quicker than average. Though the Ashen Knight¡¯s armor weighed more than the average a human could handle and its greatsword was asrge as the average man, its movements were not dull. Erin did not even try to parry the Ashen Knight¡¯s attacks. She didn¡¯t doubt her ability to parry but she worried that her sword would be able to handle the force. All she could do was dodge the oversized de. The Ashen Knight left itself open on many asions but it was long enough for Erin toy a scratch or a shallow cut. Considering the thickness of the Ashen Knight¡¯s armor, this wasn¡¯t a feasible tactic. If Erin truly couldn¡¯t dodge an attack, she would instead parry the greatsword with her tails d in Arcane Armor. She would also use Arcane Aegis asionally as a conventional shield but it would break with only a single strike from the Ashen Knight. She couldn¡¯t retaliate with a meaningful strike. The only way she could break through the Ashen Knight¡¯s offense was tomit herself fully into the offense but if she did that, she would be leaving herself vulnerable for the Lich. The Lich¡¯s eyes did not leave her even once. She knew it was waiting for her to make a misstep. One peculiar thing Erin came to realize was that the Necromancer held no concerns for the pods that housed its pseudo army. The Ashen Knight did not hesitate to swing despite knowing clearly it would destroy the pods. Either the Necromancer had no further use for an army or it prioritized her death over the formation of its army. Erin didn''t know which one was the reason but she didn¡¯t care. This only saved her the troubleter. When the battle of their des grew dull, Erin resorted to magic. She bombarded the Ashen Knight with various kinds of spells. She was a little dumbfounded when she saw the Ashen Knight made no attempts to even try to defend itself against the spells. It was either it was confident or it didn¡¯t understand what the spells could do. Either way, the results were the same. The armor that is its body was dented in a few ces. Cracked in some. Scratches littered the entirety. Its left shoulder pauldron that joined its arm with its body was destroyed by the spells but its arm was still intact. There was no flesh underneath the armor. Only mes and smoke that seemed to be its flesh. Erin cursed inwardly. Her opponent was immune to both physical and magical attacks. Though it didn¡¯t mean she was at a loss, it was still a great hurdle for her to get past. The battle dragged on with no clear winner. Erin was on the defensive and the Ashen Knight continued with its pure offensive assault. The ce was vast without many obstacles to hinder Erin¡¯s movements. The Ashen Knight was stronger than Erin but as for its speed, it was fast but no faster than Erin. Its form didn¡¯t possess much precision. Erin could point out the many ws the Ashen Knight had but considering how nigh-indestructible it had proven itself to be, those ws didn¡¯t have many consequences to it, for now. ¡°I expected more from you,¡± the Lich said. ¡°Is running all that you¡¯re capable of?¡± Erin didn¡¯t respond to the taunt. She couldn¡¯t afford to. Even if her opponent was slower than her, one swing of that greatsword would potentially shuffle her off her mortal coil. With time against her, she didn¡¯t have the luxury to find out what would happen if she died now. The penalty of her resurrection doubled for every subsequent death. If she died now, it would deduct eighty percent of her experience points but she only had fifty at present. Then, Erin felt her Sixth Sense screamed right into her ear. She turned to her right and found the shadows on the wall were moving towards her. The shadows erupted from the wall and flew at her with pointed tips. She tried to dodge but the Ashen Knight cut off her path. ¡°You¡¯re getting...¡± the Lich snickered. ¡°...sloppy.¡± ¡°No other choice,¡± Erin muttered to herself and jumped up high into the air. The shadows struck the ground and the Ashen Knight¡¯s sh met the empty air. ¡°Fool!¡± the Lich mocked and sent six javelins of darkness at Erin. ¡°Am I?¡± Erin challenged. Mana gathered in her left hand and magic swirled around her palm. Lightning broke out from her palm and crackled uncontrobly. She syed open her left hand at the Lich. A small javelin of lightning shot out from her palm. The javelin of lightning collided with the javelins of darkness. An explosion ensued in the collision but the remaining javelins of darkness flew on. Another javelin of lightning was shot out from Erin¡¯s palm. The same thing happened again. The javelins of darkness lost one and continued in their trajectory but Erin¡¯s left palm continuously shot out lightning javelins. Soon after all of the darkness javelins were shot down, the javelins of lightning continued pouring out and the more it poured out, the fiercer the lightning crackled. A Lightning Magic spell called Lightning Barrage. It fires off lightning javelins without pause until the caster¡¯s Mana was exhausted. Each javelin was half as powerful as a Lightning Bolt but the firepowerpensated with its quantity. With Erin¡¯s current amount, she could fire approximately a hundred javelins before her Mana was spent. For the first time, the Lich was forced to move from the spot it had been floating in ever since it appeared in thisrge room. The javelins didn¡¯t stop just because their target moved. As long as Erin didn¡¯t relent, the javelins would keeping. Though the Lich definitely had means to oppose the javelins, it didn¡¯t have the window to conjure its spells. Spellcasting and conjuration took time. That was a spell caster¡¯s one of many significant weaknesses but this weakness wasn¡¯t entirely present on Erin. Her spells did take time to cast and conjure but the speed of her casting and conjuration was simply unheard of. What¡¯s more, she was a novice to magic. Her feat could only be described as being blessed by the gods. In a way, that notion wasn¡¯t false. Before Erin could hit the Lich with her Lightning Barrage, the Ashen Knight put a stop to her bombardment by throwing its greatsword at the falling Fox-kin. Erin was forced to stop her barrage and deflect the greatsword thrown at her. Since she was in the air, it was hard to control how she deflected the sword. The force of the impact transmitted to her hand upon deflecting was enough to her arms for a few seconds. She regained her feeling when shended but if this was an exchange onnd, she would be vulnerable to a fatal strike. Before the Ashen Knight could recover its sword and rushed at her, Erin used this opportunity to recover her Mana by casting Mana Harvest. The Mana in this room surged into and she stumbled from the unexpected amount. Her Magic Vigour was now at its full capacity. ¡°What the fuck¡­?¡± she muttered. She looked around and found the pods near her had all withered like dried-up nts. ¡°I see¡­ In addition to miasma, quite a lot of Mana was also injected into its thralls in order to control them.¡± ¡°What have you done!?¡± the Lich screamed. ¡°What manner of trick was that!?¡± Erin chuckled with a sneer. ¡°Answer me!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure a Necromancer like you could figure it out,¡± Erin retorted. ¡°Eventually,¡± she added with a smirk. ¡°Fine,¡± the Lich said. ¡°Take your secrets to the grave with you.¡± Erin spun gracefully to the side and the Ashen Knight¡¯s sword carved into the ground. Before it could lift its sword, Erin stepped on its de, trapping it under her feet. She could hold it down for long since her strength didn¡¯t amount to the Ashen Knight¡¯s. She infused her left hand with lightning. Coiling it into a fist, she d it with Arcane Armor. With a shout, she threw a haymaker right into the side of the Ashen Knight¡¯s head. ¡°Heh?¡± she blurted out at the unexpected light feeling on her fist. There wasn¡¯t much resistance. The Ashen Knight¡¯s head¡ª more precisely, its helmet flew off from its neck. Yet, she could still feel the Ashen Knight trying to lift its sword. The Lichughed. ¡°You really are a fool. You don¡¯t seem to understand your opponent.¡± Erin sighed. ¡°Well¡­ this is unnerving.¡± She spun again and used her tails to batter the Ashen Knight away. She knew it was weird when the Ashen Knight didn¡¯t even try to dodge but now she knew. Immune had not been the right word. Just like one wouldn¡¯t say water is immune to physical harm. Erin was now left with only one option but even she was hesitant with it. As every time she merely thought about using it, her Sixth Sense would scream. It was a good indicator that she had overused her Mystic de too much. She feared if she used it now, she would be left in a very disadvantageous state. Or worse, she would die. As Erin was concocting a solution, the Ashen Knight had recovered and once again charged at her. She knew she could no longer be on the defensive or this fight would go on forever and she would be exhausted then. She had no choice but to switch to the offense. ¡°I don¡¯t know how tough you are but please¡­ be strong,¡± Erin prayed to the rusted iron sword she drew from her waist. She switched her stance, into one that befitting of a dual sword-wielding; the iron sword in her left hand, the silver-steel saber in her right hand. The Ashen Knight did not wonder about the rusted iron sword Erin drew, nor did it have the ability to do so. It had intelligence but every bit of it was dedicated to killing Erin. The Ashen Knight swung its sword-like an axe. In its eyes, it probably saw Erin only as an object to be cut down. Erin evaded the swing by a hair¡¯s breadth but even then, she felt as if the winds had scratched her instead. Erin did not parry just any strike. She needed to find the one strike that she could parry with the least bacsh to her. ¡°Not yet...¡± Erin told herself. ¡°Patience¡­ haste makes waste.¡± She kept repeating those words to herself to keep herself still. As much as she hated to admit it, she underestimated what a Demon was. It was in the way it fought but the dark aura it exuded. It felt a little simr to how Lust Deviant affected her. A normal individual would definitely lose all will to live if they encounter such an aura. ¡°There it is!¡± Erin¡¯s eyes glinted. The blow from the Ashen Knight came and Erin parried it with the iron sword. She withstood the numbing sensation with a grimace and riposted. She threw a close-range Aura Shot at the shoulder joint of its right arm. The armor tes came apart and scattered everywhere. Erin did not chain her attack. She waited patiently for the result. Unlike the Ashen Knight¡¯s left arm which was still intact despite missing a shoulder joint, the right armpletely fell apart. The Ashen Knight had a hand with smoke and mes as its flesh but like water without a receptacle, it lost its form and dissipated. Erin heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°That is reassuring.¡± ¡°Useless Demon!¡± the Lich cried. ¡°Quit fooling around and finish her!¡± The Ashen Knight wielded its greatsword with its remaining left arm and moved again like nothing happened. The loss of its right arm had not seemed to bother it even by a little. Erin wanted to use the same move but her mildly trembling left hand had curtailed her ability to do so. The Ashen Knight¡¯s strength was truly not something she could trivialize. ¡°Ironic...¡± Erin thought. By crippling one of her opponent¡¯s arms, she ended up doing the same thing to herself but on a temporary basis. It would be quite a while before she could use her left arm again. For now, she would have to make do with her right hand. At that parlous moment¡ª [Proficiency reached - Sword Art Lv. 7 increased to Lv. 8] ¡°Well¡­ maybe my luck¡¯s beginning to turn, hopefully.¡± Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Five-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 27 | Status: Mild Exhaustion, Left Arm (Numbed) Might: 22 | Arcane: 35 | Finesse: 30 Magic Arts Spirit Magic Lv. 8 | Arcane Edge Lv. 5 | Arcane Armor Lv. 10 | Lightning Magic Lv. 10 | Arcane Aegis Lv. 3 | Mystic Tail Arts Lv 1 Combat Arts Sword Art Lv. 8 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 5 Innate Skills Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 8 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex | Mana Harvest Lv. 1 | Lightning Resistance Lv. 1 Unique Talent Mystic de Lv. Ex | Revenant Lv. Ex Level Progression: 50% Remaining Skill Points: 0 Remaining Ability Points: 4 2-53 Descent III 2-53 Descent III ¡°Wee back...¡± Erin uttered silently to herself. Those words were meant for her mastery of swords. Although just a small portion, she could jump in glee at the return of her former prowess. Erin sheathed her iron sword and brandished her sabre at the Ashen Knight. Beyond the ability to open and close her hand, her left arm could barely do anything else. The sheer strength of the Ashen Knight was capable of incapacitating her arm even without a direct blow. The stakes had been raised. If she hoped to advance, she would need to be on the offensive but with only a single arm, the task was simply nigh impossible. The silver lining of the situation was that her opponent, the Ashen Knight shared her circumstance. It was also left with only a single arm to utilize but unlike Erin, it wasn¡¯t the slightest bit perturbed by the loss of its arm. The second course of the battle began without a warning neither did Erin expect one. The Ashen Knight struck first but Erin had already anticipated the course of its strike. She dodged the strike without room for error and kicked the de away as soon as it missed. With its front open, Erin moved in with a wide sh. The Ashen Knight did not move away and let the saber draw a cut across its chest te. The cut was deep enough to send blood spurting out had it been a flesh body but all that oozed out were smoke and mes. The Ashen Knight did not utter a cry or curse and simply retaliated with a swing. ¡°Bollocks,¡± it was Erin who cursed. She flipped over the swing and stabbed her saber into the unmoving Ashen Knight¡¯s neck. ¡°Checkmate¡ª eh?¡± She thought the Ashen Knight would at least make some attempt to resist but it didn¡¯t. It only stared right into her eyes, motionless. Before Erin could twist her sword and sever its head, javelins of darkness rained on her. She flung herself away by using the Ashen Knightrge frame as a foothold and kicked off. Needless to say, the attack came from the Lich. She knew it would be wise to dedicate some of her attention to the Lich at all times no matter how passive it had been. From that exchange, Erin figured out a corrtion between the Ashen Knight and the Lich. When the Ashen Knight attacked, the Lich never attacked with it. Whenever the Lich attacked, the Ashen Knight just stood still in its ce. ¡°Hmm¡­ does this mean Necromancer cannot control the two perfectly at the same time?¡± Erin surmised. The more she thought about it, the more she was convinced of it. In addition to these two, the Necromancer still had a lot of thralls under his control. It wouldn¡¯t be strange to think that he would not have the ability to control all of them to their full capacity. There must be somepromise to his control. Arriving at this conclusion, Erin allowed herself a grin. ¡°What are you acting all smug about!?¡± the Lich bellowed. ¡°Why don¡¯t you find out yourself?¡± Erin retorted and threw an Aura Shot at the Lich. Shock painted the Lich¡¯s expression and the Ashen Knight who was in the middle of swinging its sword just stopped all of a sudden. The Lich raised a wall of darkness to defend itself against the Aura Shot. ¡°Damn fox¡­!¡± the Lich cursed. If it had flesh, its forehead veins would be twitching. Erin hopped over the Ashen Knight like some mere obstacle and dashed straight towards the Lich. ¡°You underestimated me!¡± the Lich roared and raised its arms. The ground beneath Erin shook. Without stopping to ponder, Erin leapt away from her intended path, and spikes of darkness erupted from the ground. Although her left arm was still unable to hold a sword, it was still able to cast spells. All she needed to do was to raise her hand. Sheunched spells of her own to counter the iing spells from the Lich. The two threw spells at each other but the speed of Erin¡¯s casting and conjuration outmatched the Lich¡¯s. A being of magic and miasma and it was losing in a battle of spells. It had no choice but to admit its inferiority. The Lich pointed at Erin with a trembling finger. ¡°Kill her!¡± itmanded with a shout. Before Erin could fire the decisive blow, the Ashen Knight closed its distance in a short instance and unleashed a thrust that was capable of destroying the things outside of the de¡¯s reach. Erin evaded the thrust easily but the power made her wary. She could not suffer even a single blow from her opponents. The Ashen Knight closed in on her and brought its sword around a wide arc. Erin did not move her feet but merely bent her body out of the way. The air stroke her skin harshly but she was otherwise unharmed. She moved in and aimed for its left arm. ¡ªbut her sh met the empty air. The Ashen Knight had leapt backwards, away from the range of Erin¡¯s sabre. ¡°I see¡­ So you¡¯re notpletely fearless.¡± A grin, wider than the previous one, appeared on Erin¡¯s face. The gap the Ashen Knight created itself gave Erin the opportunity she was looking for. Her eyes turned to the Lich. She let go of her sabre and conjured lightning into her hands. A spear of lightning materialized in between her palms. ¡°Let¡¯s see what you will choose,¡± she said and threw the Lightning Spear at the Lich. ¡°Damn it all...¡± the Lich cursed with its teeth gritted. ¡°Since it hase to this¡­¡± Before the lightning spear could hit, the Lich faded out of existence and the lightning spear crashed into the wall behind it. The room trembled from the destruction and dust fell from the ceiling. ¡°I hope this room holds,¡± Erin muttered to herself. It wasn¡¯t just some random muttering. It was a genuine concern. Even if she was in her prime, she doubted she could survive an underground copse. Even if she did survive, she would be buried under tons of dirt and rocks. She would starve to death before she could dig herself out. As grave of a concern that was, Erin had a more corporeal concern at present. The Lich had suddenly vanished and Erin didn¡¯t think she should be celebrating. If the Lich was truly gone, that could only mean the Necromancer¡¯s hold over the Ashen Knight would be stronger. ¡°Maybe that¡¯s why the Lich vanished...¡± she mused. The Ashen Knight suddenly appeared right in front of Erin. She didn¡¯t even have time to show her surprise and her Sixth Sense¡¯s warning came only after the Ashen Knight was in front of her. The mes among the smoke within its body seemed to burn ever brighter and fiercer. Its visor let out arger trail of smoke like the exhaust of a train. Erin eyed the arm wielding the greatsword but she should have eyed the other arm. When she realized it, her whole life shed before her eyes¡­ but she did not meet her end. She dodged the fist that came like the wind but even though it missed, the force sent her stumbling back. Erin couldn¡¯t believe her eyes. She even blinked a few times. The Ashen Knight had regained its right arm. An unsightly groan escaped her lips. ¡°Why do none of you y fair...¡± Of course, she didn¡¯t say those words out loud. She was self-conscious enough to be aware of how fortunate she had been. Though she was weaker than her past self, she was still rtively stronger than a good amount of people that she had met. But she couldn¡¯t help but feel indignant. The Ashen Knight¡¯s sword began to burn with mes that bore the essence of the mes that burned within it. The Ashen Knight cracked its neck and stretched its shoulders. Erin raised an eyebrow. Those actions were unbefitting of the Ashen Knight that she was fighting until now. It had felt like she was fighting a puppet without a will of its own but now, even she could feel the gaze of the Ashen Knight had changed. ¡°What is your name, Fox-kin?¡± the Ashen Knight asked. Its voice was soother than one would expect but just as ominous. ¡°You can speak?¡± The Ashen Knight chortled at Erin¡¯s question, raising the Fox-kin¡¯s brow. ¡°My summoner took great precautions. Everything that he could to ensure I stay loyal to itsmands.¡± ¡°What changed?¡± ¡°He realized that I could not triumph over you with the restraints it had put on me. You forced his hands. As a result, I have regained my freedom.¡± A drip of sweat rolled down from her forehead. ¡°So, you¡¯re no longer under its control.¡± ¡°I am not but I am obligated to fulfil my summoner¡¯s will.¡± ¡°How chivalrous of a Demon.¡± ¡°Of course, I shall fulfil it the way I see fit.¡± The Ashen Knight chuckled. ¡°I will not kill you, Fox-kin.¡± ¡°Let me guess, you want to use me as a meat suit.¡± ¡°...You¡¯re no fool, Fox-kin. You are¡­ peculiar. The harmony between your soul and body isn¡¯t¡­plete. So vulnerable...¡± Erin felt the Demon took a whiff. ¡°And I know you¡¯re of the Nine-tail Fox bloodline. How fortunate I am. And there are no Spirits here to deter me. I must have your body and once I have it,¡± itughed, ¡°I will be the first Demon to be impervious against Spirits. What a splendid development that shall be.¡± ¡°No thanks.¡± The Ashen Knight snickered. ¡°I don¡¯t believe you have a choice in this matter. May I know the name of the one that shall be my new body?¡± ¡°Fuck you.¡± ¡°You have spite. I don¡¯t dislike it.¡± A shiver went down Erin¡¯s spine. ¡°If you surrender, I promise to make it as painless as I am capable of making.¡± Erin could swear that the Ashen Knight licked its lips if it even had a tongue or lips. ¡°After all, I don¡¯t want to damage my new body too much.¡± ¡°Shame.¡± Erin sighed. ¡°I thought you could be reasoned with but you¡¯re just as terrible as before when you¡¯re enthralled.¡± ¡°Hundred times worse, Fox-kin,¡± the Ashen Knight said and swung its greatsword, throwing the mes burning on the de. Erin¡¯s eyes widened. The range of the mes was too wide for her to dodge. She cast every defensive spell she knew and braced for the impact. Her vision went wide from the mes that collided into her defense. She closed her eyes. The intense tremor was felt through every fiber of her body. She couldn¡¯t hold against the attack. She loosened her guard and let the force carry her away. If she stayed adamant and confronted the force, she doubted her body could withstand it. Thrown into the air, Erin used her tails to swing her around and repositioned herself just in time as fell back to the ground. She swallowed a gulp at the sight of therge shallow crater in front of her, still smoking from the mes. ¡°Good, good. It would be a shame if you turned to ashes from that attack.¡± Erin grimaced. ¡°You have be quite chatty, Ashen Knight.¡± ¡°Ashen Knight¡­ Is that what I¡¯m called?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have a name?¡± ¡°I do but I don¡¯t believe mortals couldprehend it. How about this, you can call me Ash. Easy, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°I prefer ass. Maybe a ¡°hole¡± as yourst name.¡± The Ashen Knight, Ash,ughed. ¡°Your humour¡­ I hope I inherit it after I have taken your body.¡± ¡°Are all Demons these chatty or just you?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know. We don¡¯tmunicate in the same manner as mortals. It¡¯s hard to exin but don¡¯t worry. No exnation is needed. We will be one and the same in a while.¡± With a kick that sent the ground raising, Ash flew at Erin with a speed that drew a sweat down her forehead. ¡°You¡¯re more irritating than Aedan,¡± she muttered and leapt out of the way. The charge from the Demon razed the ground it trod on. ¡°Aedan?¡± Ash canted its head. ¡°Now that¡¯s a name that I didn¡¯t expect to hear.¡± Erin froze. ¡°You¡­ You know of him?¡± ¡°Perhaps. You, mortals, tend to share the same name on certain asions. The Aedan that I know of is to be the most suitable vessel for the Sovereign of Demons. But too bad, he disappeared. We couldn¡¯t find him. He either died or went into hiding. It¡¯s a pity it only took that much to cate our Sovereign. But such is our Sovereign.¡± Erin shuddered. She tried to hide it but it was toote. ¡°Oh?¡± Ash noticed. ¡°It seems he¡¯s a mutual acquaintance.¡± ¡°Fuck me.¡± ¡°Looks like your value as a vessel has just gone up. You know where he is. Oh dear me¡­ Your majesty, luck has descended for our kind. Revtion hase and a new dawn is at its brink.¡± Erin bit down her lips and wielded her sabre with both of her hands. Her left arm was still mildly shaking but she couldn¡¯t afford not to fight with both of her hands. ¡°You know, I have intended to forfeit this fight if I have to but¡­ I should have known when I realized you¡¯re a Demon. My mistake.¡± ¡°I agree, Fox-kin.¡± Ash¡¯s greatsword once again burned in ashen mes. [Experience gained +10% - Level Progression: 60%] Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Five-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 27 | Status: Mild Exhaustion Might: 22 | Arcane: 35 | Finesse: 30 Magic Arts Spirit Magic Lv. 8 | Arcane Edge Lv. 5 | Arcane Armor Lv. 10 | Lightning Magic Lv. 10 | Arcane Aegis Lv. 3 | Mystic Tail Arts Lv 1 Combat Arts Sword Art Lv. 8 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 5 Innate Skills Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 8 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex | Mana Harvest Lv. 1 | Lightning Resistance Lv. 1 Unique Talent Mystic de Lv. Ex | Revenant Lv. Ex Level Progression: 60% Remaining Skill Points: 0 Remaining Ability Points: 4 2-54 Descent IV 2-54 Descent IV ¡°This is bollocks!¡± Erin cursed as she avoided the onught of the Demon. The ashen mes engulfed her surroundings. Everywhere she looked, it was devastated by the fires of hell. It was not by chance nor purely her skills that she survived the attack. The Demon wanted her alive but not whole. It would not kill her but it would neither not harm her. In fact, it would be much better if it was attacking her with the intent to kill. ¡°Your speed ismendable, Fox-kin,¡± the Demon praised. With every swing it made, the mes of its greatsword would run rampant. ¡°But how long can you keep up that speed? You can¡¯t run forever. Just submit. I¡¯ll treat you right before I assimte you.¡± Those words that wereced with all manners of intent were no longer hooking Erin¡¯s ire. The Demon had not stopped moving its mouth ever since they began fighting once again. Erin had long ustomed herself to the Demon¡¯s devious nature. What¡¯s more, the Demon¡¯s greatsword of ashen mes warranted much more of her attention. The mes burned so fiercely on the Demon¡¯s greatsword. Yet, she didn¡¯t feel any magic emanating from the sword and the fire was definitely not of this world. She knew she could not treat those mes as she would towards an ordinary me. Those ashen mes could not be doused. A swing had missed her head and struck a pir. The fire spread to the fragments of the pir. The burning fragments were trapped under piles of rubble but the fire burned continuously. Air was not needed to give life to these mes but it did need a foundation. The mes disappeared once they had consumed the object it thrived on. She had read of such mes in tales but to encounter it was a whole other experience, one that she hoped she never had to experience. As the battle between them raged on, Erin appraised the flow. Her advantages; her speed and technique. The Demon¡¯s advantages; its brute strength, its immense power, and its ashen mes. The Demon was not as cunning as she had expected but the overwhelming difference between their destructive power was enough to offset itsck of grace. The Demon saw Erin as an object, not a swordsman. It did not exchange blows even if it could. Erin was neither looking forward to exchanging the blows of their sword. She would not win in the exchange, that was the fact. She could only dodge for now. The ashen mes were strong but for reasons Erin couldn¡¯t understand, the ashen mes were not able to devour magic as easily as they did for other things. The ashen mes had struck her shoulder but the mes did not burn through her Arcane Armor in an instant. She dispelled her Arcane Armor and donned it back on, and just like that, the mes were gone. The force from the Demon¡¯s swing and heat of the mes were still harming her but the ashen mes never managed to burn through her magic. Though that didn¡¯t mean her Aura Shot could cut through the ashen mes the Demon threw at her. The force alone of the Demon¡¯s swing was enough to repel any of her attack spells back. And the Demon did not allow her an opportunity to cast any spells. Her conjuring speed was quick but it still took time, time that the Demon never allowed her to have. An hour passed. The battle was still at a stalemate. The Demon¡¯sck of precision and strategy was not able to subjugate Erin. The Fox-kin herself, on the other hand, wascking the means tond any meaningful blow. Her sword had reached the Demon¡¯s body countless times regardless of the depths of her attack, the Demon wasn¡¯t fazed. It no longer showed any concern towards the destruction of its body which worried Erin. She had surmised the Demon needed a vessel but considering its current indifferent attitude, she couldn¡¯t help but think something had changed greatly ever since the Necromancer released his hold over the Demon¡¯s will. Another subject of concern for Erin was the state of her sabre. Steam was emanating from her de. If this kept up, she feared her de would eventually melt. She even feared her de would break from a single direct contact with the Demon¡¯srge sword. ¡°Eek~!¡± she shrieked as she felt her back was seared by extreme heat. She looked back and found that the path of her retreat was in mes. In fact, the near entirety of the room was drowning in the fire that one would only expect to see in the ce known as Hell. ¡°Truly disappointing, Fox-kin,¡± the Demon remarked. ¡°Your knowledge in magic seems to be quitecking. I expected a battle of magic sovereignty but¡­ I encountered a slippery worm.¡± There was a slight crease in Erin¡¯s brows but as if chancing upon rity, the crease disappeared. ¡°We are in a cave of tunnels,¡± she retorted dryly. ¡°There''s bound to be a few worms here and there.¡± ¡°Your escaped paths have been sealed. Your fate has been decided the moment you met me. There¡¯s nowhere left to run, Fox-kin.¡± Erin clicked her tongue. ¡°Save the drama for the theatre. Just because I¡¯m running around away from you, do you actually believe I¡¯m trying to escape from you?¡± ¡°You bluff.¡± ¡°You think I would knowingly let a Demon walk while I run to safety? You severely misunderstood me, Mister Demon.¡± ¡°Then cease this tomfoolery and face my sword, if you dare.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not that dim,¡± Erin muttered to herself. The distance between her and the Demon was wide at present but the gap would immediately be meaningless once the Demon swung its ming sword. It would be enough for her to cast a Lightning Bolt but that meagre spell would barely be able to do anything to the Demon. ¡°I have enjoyed this exchange. You may not be on par with my strength but¡­ you have given me great insight. However, I have no desire to extend the duration of this farce. If you truly are a blood of the Nine-tail Fox race, face my sword or do you n to dishonour your ancestry further?¡± Erin chuckled. ¡°You found my words funny?¡± ¡°You''re naive for a long-lived being.¡± If the Demon had a face, it would have frowned. ¡°Your words are that of a blundering minstrel. I made that mistake. I won¡¯t make it again. And this honour you spoke of, you''re preaching it in the wrong ce.¡± ¡°Now this is curious¡­ Where¡¯s the pride your kind treasure so much? Never had I expect a blood of an esteemed race to be so¡­ vulgar.¡± ¡°Vulgar? Coming from a Demon?¡± Erin snorted. ¡°I guess hypocrisy extends to Demons too, not just humans.¡± ¡°You darebel me as one and the same as humans?!¡± the Demon roared. The air around it rippled and ruptured the ground. The mes near it were also pushed to the border. ¡°Why do beings like you always think you¡¯re better than humans? Aside from the ce of your birth and the way your names are spelt, no beings are that different from one another. It¡¯s always the same arrogance and hypocrisy. Yet, you lot always thought that your perspectives are unprecedented. It¡¯s just soughable.¡± The fire on the greatsword burned fiercer as the Demon¡¯s hold tightened over the hilt. ¡°You have the tongue of a snake, Fox-kin.¡± ¡°And the words of a fox. Anything new?¡± ¡°Insolent bitch!¡± the Demon exploded. ¡°You dare try my patience?!¡± ¡°Do I dare to try? I think I already did.¡± Erin smirked. The Demon kicked off the ground and shot at Erin like a bullet. It wielded its greatsword with both of its hands. Erin conjured up Thunder Shell around her and dove right into the Demon¡¯s reach. This greatly surprised the Demon but it weed the Fox-kin¡¯s foolishness. It swung its sword with all of its might. Theyers and multitude of shields all proved too fragile towards the Demon¡¯s might. They shattered with ease but that was when a grin appeared on Erin¡¯s face. Though the shields were destroyed easily, the repercussion of the spell would still transpire. A series of lightning exploded like ps of thunder in the Demon¡¯s face. Erin took this chance and flipped over to the back of the Demon. ¡°Sly vixen!¡± the Demon cursed and swung to its back without any restraint to its strength. The force of the swing alone dented the ground but Erin was unscathed as she had ducked low upon anticipating the Demon¡¯s response. Before the Demon could recover from its outburst, Erin stabbed her sabre through the Demon¡¯s right arm while she incapacitated its other arm with her tails. She had disabled both of its arms temporarily. She ced her hand on the Demon¡¯s body and sent surges of lightning into the Demon. A cry that shook the room erupted from the Demon. Erin would not have attempted this trick if it wasn¡¯t for the Demon¡¯s self-exposure of its nature. After realizing the Demon was just as vain as a human could be, she knew its vanity could be taken advantage of. That was the curse of intelligence. Arrogance and hypocrisy were the byproducts of sentience. The only thing she needed to do was to act haughty and frustrate her opponent. When the Demon lunged at her instead of throwing its ashen mes from a distance, she knew she had gotten into its mind and it was time to act. She considered herself a novice in dealing with monsters but against a person, there were many ways to go about it. The Demon struggled to break free from the agonizing lightning infusion but if it forced itself away, it would lose both of its arms. ¡°You think you have won!?¡± the Demon unleashed another roar but sensing the certainty mixed within its vanity, Erin stopped her actions and retreated away from the Demon. She didn¡¯t need her Sixth Sense to tell her. A wide range and self-inflicting attack was an all toomon tactic to fend off enemies that had gotten too close to you. At that moment, the fire in the greatsword red up like tidal waves, engulfing the vicinity of the Demon. Although in doing so, the Demon¡¯s own body suffered a great deal of damage. A third of the chest te was missing and the helmet waspletely destroyed, revealing a poor attempt at the imitation of a head and face concocted of the ashen mes. Erin calmed her breaths before slowly standing to her feet. Although she put up a calmposure, she had expended a lot of her stamina and her Mana. All those dodging and running took a lot out of her and the Thunder Shell was considered an advance spell, the Mana cost was tremendous. With the expanding presence of the Demon, she found it hard to gather any Mana with Mana Harvest from her surroundings. ¡°Such shameless tactics¡­¡± the Demon chewed its words as its voice became ragged. ¡°I expected those from humans, not a Fae.¡± ¡°I have never been so grateful for being misunderstood. Perhaps if the Necromancer was still puppeteering you, I would have been in great peril.¡± ¡°You talk big for someone who could barely harm me.¡± ¡°Barely? Who was the one that was screaming like a girl just now?¡± The Demon looked to be on the verge of unleashing a roar but it stayed silent. Though its face was barely a face, Erin could still tell its re was on her. ¡°Your tricks would not work a second time, vixen.¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± Erin replied. ¡°But it can''t hurt to try.¡± She shrugged. ¡°I have intended to hold back but since you have proven yourself capable, I no longer have the need to.¡± Erin raised an eyebrow. Tendrils of darkness sprouted from the Demon¡¯s body, tendrils of a reddish ck. They spread out and sought after the dposed or burnt corpses of the monsters that were in the egg. The tendrils wrapped around these corpses, crushing them in the embrace before being absorbed into the tendrils. ¡°Oh¡­ great. This is unnerving.¡± The more the tendrils absorbed, the more corporeal the Demon was bing. After consuming all the corpses in the room, the Demon now possessed flesh and skin but nothing close to a human. The flesh and skin were melted like a burnt victim. Wound-like holes littered the abominable body and ashen mes oozed out like smoke from chimneys. The Demon¡¯s head and face weren¡¯t any better after gaining flesh. It was even more grotesque. It had a pair of eyes on the front, a pair at the back, one at booths sides, to a total of six eyes around its head. ¡°Am I going to turn into that when you possess me?¡± Erin asked. The Demon chuckled. ¡°This form is only temporary but it will be enough. If appearance is your concern, you do need to worry. I will be delicate but right after I inflict all the pain you have caused me, enough to make you wish that I had killed you.¡± ¡°Save your boast for when the deed is done. I have in countless people who have deluded themselves to be undefeatable. You will just be one more among the lot.¡± The Demon shook its head. ¡°You underestimate a Demon.¡± It swung its sword and the mes that engulfed the room were instantly extinguished. ¡°Even though I¡¯m only a lesser Demon, you¡¯ll be wise to not underestimate me. We are not as weak and foolish as humans are. And¡­ you think that puny sword of yours could kill me?¡± ¡°I can try.¡± ¡°Fool. I thought you had a spell that could truly harm me but it turns out, my worries are merely my paranoia. At worst, I will only be harmed. You have no means to kill me.¡± Erin sighed. ¡°I really hoped it wouldn''te to this but it looks like you¡¯re my only option, Mystic de.¡± Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Five-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 27 | Status: Mild Exhaustion Might: 22 | Arcane: 35 | Finesse: 30 Magic Arts Spirit Magic Lv. 8 | Arcane Edge Lv. 5 | Arcane Armor Lv. 10 | Lightning Magic Lv. 10 | Arcane Aegis Lv. 3 | Mystic Tail Arts Lv 1 Combat Arts Sword Art Lv. 8 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 5 Innate Skills Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 8 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex | Mana Harvest Lv. 1 | Lightning Resistance Lv. 1 Unique Talent Mystic de Lv. Ex | Revenant Lv. Ex Level Progression: 60% Remaining Skill Points: 0 Remaining Ability Points: 4 2-55 Descent V 2-55 Descent V The Demon swung and a sea of hellfire swallowed the spot where Erin had once been. The Demon shed and the wall behind Erin was pulverized by the sheer force of the Demon¡¯s strength. The ze of the depths razed the room once more but with greater vigour. The room had been rtively vast but with the destruction of the battle between a Demon and a Fox-kin, the room had be vaster than before with walls being carved out piece by piece. Even huge parts of the ceiling had given into the heat of the battle and crumbled. Soon, the whole room would sumb to the destruction and give in to the earth that encumbered the room. But before that devastation arrives, Erin had a much more materialistic worry, that is the increment of her opponent¡¯s prowess. The Demon who was inly and wildly swinging its greatsword had nownded a few scratches on Erin. The Demon¡¯s swordy had be more refined than ever. The acquisition of flesh had also increased its strength. Though its level was still thirty, Erin felt that it was at least five levels higher. The Demon kept a distance away from Erin and kept using the ashen mes toy havoc upon her. Erin could not get close to the Demon and she could neither find time to cast any strong spells. To this end, she could only prance around until opportunity descends by the grace of the fortune god. ¡°Is this all? Are you truly a Fae? Where are your magic tricks?¡± the Demon¡¯s taunt continued even as it unleashed the hellfire upon Erin without stopping. The movement of the Demon itself was swift but the ashen me was only a me in the end. Even if its caster swung it at the speed of sound, the me wouldn¡¯t necessarily move at that same speed. Though Erin was in a state where her chances of winning were bleak, she weed this situation. The Demon race would surely be a huge obstacle in the future and this was the opportunity to learn more about them. She had read many books about Demons and even told a few tales by Nivia but none couldpare the benefits of having the first-hand experience. Demons were a feared bunch, that was the absolute truth. They were the reason religious orders had so much sway in the affairs of politics and economies. The public feared the Demons and presumably, only the faiths had the means to repel them. Erin would understand why in this battle. The tides of the battle shifted greatly in the Demon¡¯s favour. It was unknown to Erin whether Demons had an endless amount of stamina even if the truth was the contrary, Erin knew her own stamina would run out beforehand. The ashen mes once again engulfed the room, shrinking the paths Erin could run to. With a narrower means of evasion, Erin¡¯s wounds began to umte and each following wound was deeper than the previous one. She prioritized her vital points and her limbs. As long as she still breathed and her limbs were intact, she didn¡¯t believe she wouldn¡¯t find the opportunity tounch a decisive counterattack. Fortunately, neither the Demon had any tricks that could be counted as decisive. The ashen me was versatile but even versatility had its limits. Furthermore, the Demoncked the proper techniques of a sword. Without a pristine form, avoiding its greatsword was an easy task, provided if the ashen mes weren¡¯t present and she wouldn¡¯t be destroyed from a single blow. The scale of the fight was neverpletely tipped to one side. Erin was used to being in a disadvantageous situation. She waited patiently. She waited for the right moment to move. Eventually, the break appeared. There was a gap in between the Demon¡¯s movements. Erin seized that opportunity to close their distance. With her sabre d in Arcane Edge and lightning, she shed down diagonally from the right shoulder to the left waist of the Demon. The cut was deep, she knew it for sure but she didn¡¯t stay to see the actual result. She didn¡¯t need to. She didn¡¯t believe it would be this easy to kill the Demon. The sword came down on her but she twisted her body out of the way and immediately thrust out her sabre. Her de gouged a chunk of flesh from the Demon¡¯s shoulder. There was a wince in the Demon¡¯s expression but that was all. Erin knew she inflicted pain on the Demon but it bothered her that the Demon cared little for its wound. The Demon countered with a full swing but Erin bent her body back and let therge de glided over her, though the heat did sear her skin slightly. The Demon aimed for the ground Erin stood on. She leapt up and brought her sabre down. With the overwhelming difference in strength, her attack was easily battered away. A crack began to form on the de of her sabre. The damage was only on her de alone. The strength of the Demon could even be felt by the hands she held the sabre with. ¡°This is really not good.¡± The Demon watched as she faltered. It pounced at the window the Fox-kin showed. The mes red on the greatsword. It swung with a battle cry but the wind was the only victim. ¡°Slow,¡± Erin whispered from the Demon¡¯s back. Before the Demon could turn around, she plunged her sabre through the Demon¡¯s chest and tore her de right through the Demon¡¯s flesh. It would be a mortal wound for many but Erin kept her expectations low for the foreign enemy in front of her. A howl of agony erupted from the Demon. ¡°Impertinent bitch!¡± it roared andmanded the mes to attack Erin but due to the proximity, the Demon itself suffered some damage but it was better than to let the Fox-kin retreat unscathed. But Erin did retreat unscathed. Her speed was still the victor even though the Demon was faster than before. The wound Erin drew was deep butpared to the big picture, it wasn¡¯t enough. Pain was clearly written on the Demon¡¯s face but it didn¡¯t have any sense of urgency. That deep wound brought the Demon no closer to its demise. ¡°You Demons really are resilient,¡± Erin remarked. She had wanted to use Mystic de but she had the faint of suspicion of her hidden skill being useless against a Demon. ¡°I can¡¯t believe how ignorant you truly are. Are you sure you¡¯re a Fae? So unknowledgeable.¡± ¡°Oh, pray tell, what am I ignorant of?¡± ¡°Ordinary magic is of no threat to us. It still hurts to be harmed by it but there¡¯s no real threat. Only a divine power or the essence of Spirits had the ability to harm us in the truest sense. This is why my kind is so greatly feared. No mere mortal could kill us or even fend us off.¡± The Demon sighed. ¡°I can¡¯t believe this. A Fae that isn¡¯t even in the know of their mortal enemies. Are you perhaps some sort of outcast from birth?¡± ¡°Close but no,¡± Erin answered. She withheld her sigh of relief at her cautiousness. ¡°No wonder it looked so indifferent to the wounds it suffered. It suspected I have no means to kill it¡­ Damn.¡± The Demon stared scrutinizingly at Erin. ¡°So, what now? Your power is immense, no doubt, but youck precision. Are you confident your attacks willnd before you make a huge blunder that could cause your demise?¡± ¡°You have no means to kill me, Vixen. Enough with your tricks. You can¡¯t use Spirit Magic here. What else can you do?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a learned person when ites to Demons. For all I know, you could be lying about your kind being invulnerable towards magic.¡± The Demon snickered. ¡°Is this desperation I¡¯m sensing?¡± ¡°Is that denial I¡¯m sensing?¡± Erin retorted with a grin. ¡°You¡¯re really impudent. I wonder if your ancestors are ashamed.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure my ancestors are smiling right now.¡± Of course, that was a lie. Erin knew nothing about her ancestors. She could barely remember her own parents. ¡°I have fought wars with various races long before you were born, vixen. I have been in battles more than you. My experience triumphed over yours. Your tricks would not work twice, whatever is it you have up your sleeves. We all know how this is going to end but the path leading to that destination is still changeable. Just submit and your death won¡¯t be as painful as I have nned, but painful nheless.¡± Erin scoffed. ¡°I wonder about your experience. I know if I had your experiences, I wouldn¡¯t be a level thirty.¡± ¡°Levels don¡¯t denote one¡¯s true power. It¡¯s only an overall and vague measurement. The perception of level equals strength is only the illusion mortals told themselves tofort their inferior nature.¡± ¡°...Really?¡± Erin said after a brief silence. ¡°I have ughtered many who are levels higher than me. They fell because of their reliance on levels. Your kin too. I have even killed my own kind too who have existed longer than me.¡± ¡°That means what to me?¡± ¡°The longer a Demon has existed, the stronger it is, or that¡¯s themon denotation. Once in a while, you have an anomaly like me. A Demon who is only a few hundred years old but stronger than many Demons who were thousands of years old.¡± ¡°Is that supposed to frighten me?¡± The Demon chuckled. ¡°That was the intention. I wanted to avoid tarnishing your beauty as much as possible but it seems¡­ that¡¯s not possible. It¡¯s a shame that I can¡¯t keep your beauty in its entirety.¡± ¡°Why are you so concerned about my beauty?¡± ¡°The face of a beauty alone opens many doors in the human world. They¡¯re just so gullible. Even after thousands of years, humans tend to turn blind in the face of beauty.¡± Erin could only agree. Even in her past life, many great figures have fallen due to the schemes set by beauties who had dug into their hearts. ¡°I thought you wanted to tear me from limb to limb?¡± ¡°Those are just words from impulse. I meant nothing of it, for the most part.¡± ¡°I see...¡± Erin muttered. She released her breaths in a quick burst before drawing everything up and still her breathing. Since she wasn¡¯t able to use much of her spells, she still had some decent amount of Mana to spare but her stamina was on the verge of depletion. She mustered whatever strength she could find within her. Her tired eyes regained their ze from her sheer will. She held on to the belief that despair was only a reality if one had breathed theirst. She pointed her sabre at the Demon. ¡°You should know me by now. I¡¯m not going to surrender. You might as well tear me from limb to limb.¡± ¡°Very well then. As you wish, Nine-tail kin. I¡¯ll be lying if I said I didn¡¯t wish for this.¡± ¡°Cease your infernal yapping ande already. You talk too much.¡± The Demon bellowed. It took off into a dash that created cracks with every step. ¡°I have always enjoyed putting overbearing people like you into despair.¡± The ashen mes spread from the de and covered the whole sword and the arm holding it. It was a reckless move but Erin understood why the Demon made such a move. It saw the crack on her de. It intended to crush her will by shattering her de. Her body was too precious for it. No matter the degree of the humiliation and pain it received, it wanted to have her body in the best state possible. Erin swallowed her uncertainties and met the Demon¡¯s forward assault head-on. The Demon¡¯s greatsword came and she raised her sabre to guard it. Per the two¡¯s expectations, the greatsword shattered the silver-steel de-like ss. The shards glittered like stars in the night before losing their glow once they hit the ground. Erin muttered a silent apology to Sven. She then quickly stepped back and shot a Lightning Bolt at the Demon¡¯s face. Seeing through Erin¡¯s scheme from early on, the Demon evaded the spell with ease and closed the gap between them once again. The Demon grabbed Erin¡¯s free arm and tightened its grasp while searing her skin with the ashen mes. Erin gritted her teeth to endure the pain and sent her tails at the Demon. Each of her tails dug into its flesh but that was all there was to it. The pain was a generous cost for the Demon to end this fight. What¡¯s more, Erin was hurting herself by using her tails against the Demon¡¯s flesh which was seething with the ashen me¡¯s heat. ¡°Guess I¡¯ll have your arms first,¡± the Demon said and swung the oversized sword down at her left arm. Erin smiled as she cast aside the broken sabre she had been holding on to. ¡°What a coincidence, I¡¯ll be having your arm first too,¡± she said and drew her other sword. The silver sabre wasn¡¯t the only sword she had. The rusted iron sword was tough but blunt. However, with Mystic de, it would still cut. A gentle blueced the withering iron de. With her speed, the Demon didn¡¯t have enough time to react. She sliced the Demon¡¯s right arm, the arm holding the greatsword. The realization came all toote for the Demon. Now, it understood it had been yed all along. It had revealed its own key weakness to its opponent. Spirit Magic and Holy Magic weren¡¯t the only means to kill a Demon. Erin snatched the greatsword from the severed arm of the Demon. The Demon tried to escape but her tails dug in deep into its searing flesh. ¡°I won,¡± Erin dered and swung the greatsword at the Demon. The ashen mes drew a ck and vermilion glow in its path. The Demon¡¯s face was nked. It could notprehend its defeat but reality wasn¡¯t so kind to wait for the Demon¡¯s mind to catch up. The ashen mes within the Demon¡¯s body faded, along with the other mes that were engulfing the room. Once the mes had died out, the body of the Demon began to wither. ¡°in by my own arm¡­?¡± The Demon spouted itsst words in disbelief. ¡°As I said, you talked too much.¡± ¡°Uneptable¡­ I will not ept this¡ª¡± the Demon had yet to finish its final words but its body was already crumbling away into dust. The faint breeze flowing in the room scattered the remains of the Demon. Erin¡¯s world blurred and swirled. Her arms trembled as the grip around the burning greatsword loosened. Blood dripped from her nose. She fell to her knees. Her state would lead people to imagine her death to be near but her expression spelt the contrary; she had a triumphant grin on her face. [Experience gained +150% - Level Progression: 210%] [Erinthea: Level 27 increased to Level 29] [Skill points gained +4 | 4] [Ability points gained +4 | 8] [Level Progression: 10%] Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Five-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 29 | Status: Mild Exhaustion Might: 22 | Arcane: 35 | Finesse: 30 Magic Arts Spirit Magic Lv. 8 | Arcane Edge Lv. 5 | Arcane Armor Lv. 10 | Lightning Magic Lv. 10 | Arcane Aegis Lv. 3 | Mystic Tail Arts Lv 1 Combat Arts Sword Art Lv. 8 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 5 Innate Skills Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 8 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex | Mana Harvest Lv. 1 | Lightning Resistance Lv. 1 Unique Talent Mystic de Lv. Ex | Revenant Lv. Ex Level Progression: 10% Remaining Skill Points: 4 Remaining Ability Points: 8 2-56 Descent VI 2-56 Descent VI Just as Erin thought about taking a short breather after her intense battle with a Demon, the room began to tremble. [Sixth Sense activated. Threat detected.] Her tails stood up with her ears at the warning of her skill. ¡°Now what?¡± Erin groaned but forced herself to her feet in order to confront whatever threat was heading her way. But the threat wasn¡¯t something as easy as that. A piece of the ground broke off and fell into the dark depths below. That piece of ground was only a few feet away from Erin. She took a peek and found that under all the ground of this room, there was nothing but a huge empty space. It wasn¡¯t just the ground that was giving out. Even the ceiling was starting to crumble piece by piece. The whole room was finally giving in to the destruction it had sustained. ¡°Oh fuck...¡± Erin muttered. She spent not a second more in the room and dashed towards the sole exit in the room. However, the copse of the ceiling ended up piling a massive amount of debris in front of her, essentially blocking her path out of here. She ransacked her brain for ideas but the ground beneath her feet was the next to crumble in the wake of the room¡¯s copse. Even if she had time to move away, where could she run to? There was no way out of this room. Her window of escape had long vanished. She d her body in Arcane Armor as the ground beneath her feet sumbed to her weight and the gravity of the depths below. The air brushed past her skin harshly. In the face of her plummeting into the depths below, her body felt weightless. The fall was long but it didn¡¯t feel long. She had no idea if such length of a fall would kill her but she was sure it would definitely at least leave her heavily wounded. Or worse, crippled. It would leave her vulnerable for her enemies to do as they please to her. Her Mana was still plenty for a few uses but her stamina was at the lowest it could be. She could barely stand with the current amount of energy. The reason for her exhaustion wasn¡¯t solely due to the fight with the Demon but also her hunger and tiredness. She had been fighting from morning till night. Thest meal she had was a light breakfast on her way to The Singrity. There were plenty of ways to save herself from the fall but her exhaustion had left her without any option. She could only hope that her Arcane Armor was enough to break her fall. But somehow¡­ she doubted her Arcane Armor was capable of such a feat. She didn¡¯t have any basis for her doubts but that was the premonition she had. Even so, there was nothing she could do. ¡°No. Never give up. Not while I¡¯m still drawing my breaths. There must be something I could do. Anything.¡± Her thoughts went to Arcane Aegis, her only other Magic Art specialized in defence. She used all of her skill points and raised Arcane Aegis to level six. She then conjured it beneath her, in hopes it would break her fall. As further assurance, she cast another. After leveling Arcane Aegis past level five, she had gained the privilege to conjure up two Arcane Aegis simultaneously. But of course, this also came at a price of higher Mana expenditure but in the face of her likely death, the price was simply a bargain. However, the fall wasn¡¯t the only thing she needed to worry about. A loud screech grasped Erin¡¯s attention. She looked up and found six winged monsters swooping down at her. They had the appearance of a Wyvern but that was only up until their head, which bore the resemnce of a wolf. Their skin was ck but patches of dark red scattered across their body. ¡°Bloodwings?¡± Erin muttered the name of the winged monsters from the result of her Appraisal. They were norger than a dog and they were inhabitants of thisrge cave of tunnels. Erin found it odd that such rtivelyrge monsters with wings were living inpact spaces. She wasn¡¯t able to tell where these creatures emerged from. A quick nce of her surroundings gave none of the answers she sought. Nevertheless, their reason to be wasn¡¯t her present concern. Their existence was. She quickly fired six Lightning Bolts but the Bloodwings, being aerial monsters, swiftly dodged the attacks. As they closed in on Erin, their jaws span wide-open, revealing the rows of fangs in their mouth. Erin clicked her tongue and cast Thunder Shell. She had wanted to finish the Bloodwings with the minimum usage of her Mana but that was proven impossible. The Bloodwings bit down on the lightning barrier encasing Erin and the moment that followed, lightning was transmitted to the Bloodwings who bit the barrier. Erin dispelled the barrier and swung the Storm ive across the Bloodwings¡¯ elongated necks. [Experience gained +30% - Level Progression: 40%] But she only managed to lop two of the Bloodwings¡¯ heads off. Their instincts were sharp but that was only to be expected since they lived in a dark environment. Out of the remaining four Bloodwings, one rushed at Erin immediately after the death of its peers. It was aiming for the moment between the swings of her weapon. It was obvious to Erin the other three that stayed behind were using its peer to analyze her strength. ¡°Neat strategy for a bunch of creatures but¡ª¡± Erin cast Lightning Barrage, sending dozens of lightning bolts to hunt the Bloodwings down. The rushing Bloodwing was instantly roasted to a cinder while the remaining could only try to run. ¡°Huh?¡± Erin blurted out. Thest one used an unexpected trick. The moment it saw the dozens of lightning bolts heading its way, it did not simply fly around in hopes of dodging the attacks. It stayed behind its peers, using them as shields. When the Lightning Barrage struck, it waited until the spell expired on its own before beginning to retreat. [Experience gained +45% - Level Progression: 85%] ¡°What a human thing to do.¡± The Bloodwing was able to avoid its death at Erin¡¯s hand. However, its death was only dyed and not prevented. Though thest Bloodwing quickly retreated by flying back to where it came, Erin threw the Storm ive in her hand. The speed of the Storm ive wasn¡¯t something a mere level twenty-three monster could outrun. Without even a shriek of itsst breath, the Bloodwing was shuffled off its mortal coil. [Experience gained +15% - Level Progression: 100%] [Erinthea: Level 29 increased to Level 30] [Skill Points +2 | 2] [Ability Points +2 | 10] [Level Progression: 0%] With the new points she just received, she allocated them all into Arcane Aegis, raising it to level seven. She felt the shields bing stronger but she still harbored some doubts. ¡°But this is all I can do. What¡¯s left is to brace myself for the impact.¡± The bottom of the depth, the end of her fall finally came into sight but that only brought a foreboding feeling to her bones. This was the moment of truth and a testimony to how far she hade with her Magic Arts. She closed her eyes and prepared her body for the shock that was about to be transmitted to every part of her body. Even though the Arcane Aegis wasn¡¯t part of her body, she still felt it touching the ground. Naturally, there was no pain but it was an ominous sensation to feel it shattering into pieces without the apanying feeling of pain. The first Arcane Aegis was destroyed and she felt the rebounding force overwhelming her body but not to the amount that it would hurt her. The second Aegis came into contact and just like the first, it shattered into pieces. ¡°I¡¯m not done yet.¡± Erin quickly conjured up another Arcane Aegis before she touched the ground. The gap was barely half a foot but she seeded. As a Fae, she was light despite her physical strength. Yet, her body weight, along with the gravity, shattered the third Aegis and caved into the ground. However, the third Aegis was her saving grace. It broke her fall enough for her to survive the long trip. Still, it was a heavynding. She wasn¡¯tpletely unharmed. ¡°Shit...¡± Erin couldn¡¯t move. The entirety of her body was numbed to the point that even she couldn¡¯t feel her tongue. Even moving her eyes was a difficult task but her eyes widened nheless when those things came into her view. More than a hundred Bloodwings were descending from the hole she fell through. Now that she had a wider view of the hole, she noticed a number of magic circles were present along the wall of the hole. Since Bloodwings were pouring incessantly from these magic circles, she realized those circles were summoning formations. ¡°This is a trap¡­ So he had a contingency n¡­ Damn it...¡± She willed herself to move but the bacsh from the fall, coupled with her exhaustion, even moving a single finger was an impossibility. She could only watch as she awaits what woulde after if the price for Revenant wasn¡¯t met. But before that happened, a strong wave of energy swooped over her. ¡°What¡ª¡± Erin had resigned herself to her untimely fate but that sensation reverted all of her resolutions. The space in front of her eyes began to ripple and swirl. The space split apart and a man walked out of the split space. The man heaved a sigh of relief when heid his eyes on her. ¡°Thank the stars. You¡¯re alive. I was worried when I felt your Lust Deviant took over you and erased my mark.¡± Erin blinked at the unexpected individual. ¡°Aedan¡­?¡± ¡°I know you have questions but first things first,¡± Aedan said and looked up. The Bloodwings were now less than ten meters away from them. ¡°These nasty things...¡± He reached his hand into the rippling space beside him and pulled out a pouch seemingly from the empty air. He scattered the contents of the pouch at the Bloodwings. The contents were grey powder-like substances. Erin tried to speak but a croak was all that she could manage. She knew what those powders are from her Appraisal result. They were Gray Spores, highly mmable substances. ¡°Close your eyes,¡± Aedan said and produced a small spark on his fingertip. The small spark touched a single speck of the Gray Spores dispersed into the air. That spark quickly spread to all the other spores in the air. The dark tunnels were immediately brightened with the most intense ze that these parts had ever had. The small sparks transformed into a sea of mes. The Bloodwings caught on to Aedan¡¯s trick much toote. Even with their aerial prowess, they were too slow to run from the expanding mes. Erin did as she was told. She closed her eyes to avoid being blinded by the intense ze. When she felt the ze had subsided, she slowly opened her eyes. A frowning Aedan was there to greet her first sight. ¡°You look like shit,¡± he remarked. ¡°You asshole¡­¡± Erin muttered weakly. She was starting to regain her body senses. ¡°What took you so long?¡± She extended her arm. Aedan took it and pulled her to her feet. Since she had yet to fully regain her senses, she used Aedan as her crutch. ¡°You knew I wasing?¡± he asked. ¡°I didn¡¯t know but I suspected that you have an array of tricks.¡± ¡°Well, I had prior matters. Trust me, I would havee sooner if I could.¡± Erin¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°You really did put something in that drink, didn¡¯t you? It suppressed my Lust Deviant.¡± ¡°Forgive me for that. It was a precaution in case you went on a rampage with your Divine Gift.¡± ¡°You couldn¡¯t have told me?¡± ¡°It was also a test. To gauge your Patron Goddess¡¯ reaction.¡± Erin clicked her tongue. ¡°And the result?¡± ¡°Nothing absolute.¡± Aedan shrugged. ¡°But I do have some idea of your Patron Goddess¡¯ character. She showed no reaction ever since I suppressed the gift bestowed unto you. Right?¡± Erin nodded. ¡°She doesn¡¯t seem to know her gift was¡­ temporarily made unavable or¡ª she knew what I had done and she simply didn¡¯t mind my deed. I say it¡¯s thetter reason.¡± ¡°And what conclusion have you drawn from that?¡± Erin asked. ¡°Gods are prideful and their wrath is easily incurred, or at least for the gods I personally know. This case is especially true when their grace is belittled. But your Patron Goddess, she didn¡¯t show any response. It stands to reason she has done this for a long time, long enough to be able to tolerate the mortals¡¯ defiance against her grace.¡± Erin sighed. ¡°You know, there¡¯s so much I wanted to ask you, you enigma of a person, but right now¡ª¡± her stomach grumbled. ¡°...t-the Necromancer t-takes priority...¡± She managed to finish her words. Aedan stared. He had a nk look but the corner of his lips were twitching. Red filled Erin¡¯s cheeks and she looked away. ¡°D-do you perhaps have anything to eat and drink?¡± Erin asked in a low and timid voice. Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Five-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 30 | Status: Mild Exhaustion Might: 22 | Arcane: 35 | Finesse: 30 Magic Arts Spirit Magic Lv. 8 | Arcane Edge Lv. 5 | Arcane Armor Lv. 10 | Lightning Magic Lv. 10 | Arcane Aegis Lv. 7 | Mystic Tail Arts Lv 1 Combat Arts Sword Art Lv. 8 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 5 Innate Skills Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 8 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex | Mana Harvest Lv. 1 | Lightning Resistance Lv. 1 Unique Talent Mystic de Lv. Ex | Revenant Lv. Ex Level Progression: 0% Remaining Skill Points: 0 Remaining Ability Points: 10 2-57 Descent VII 2-57 Descent VII And so, Erin recounted her tale to Aedan as she devoured her meal without the slightest trace of elegance. Aedan was only nodding and shrugging through her tale. She was slightly irked at hisck of response but she was so upied and hungry that she did not bother to retort. However... ¡°Is there something on my face?¡± Erin asked as she hungrily wolfed down the sandwich Aedan gave her. ¡°No,¡± Aedan answered with a smile on his face. ¡°I see you have gained more tails. This is truly¡­ curious.¡± ¡°But you don¡¯t seem all that surprised.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a manifestation of the unexpected. What¡¯s there to be surprised about?¡± Erin rolled her eyes and resumed her meal. But Aedan¡¯s stare stayed on her. ¡°What is it?¡± annoyed, she asked. ¡°Nothing,¡± Aedan said, shrugging with a smile. ¡°Then why are you staring at me? You even have a creepy smile on your face. Are my unsightly actions that amusing?¡± ¡°On the contrary, you¡¯re quite endearing.¡± Erin stopped chewing. She frowned and stared at Aedan as he had just insulted her ancestors. His eyes bounced between her twitching ears and her bloated cheeks. ¡°You look like a chipmunk, you know, stuffing your cheeks full. Well, maybe a rabbit will be more suitable considering your ears.¡± Before swallowing, Erin tookrge swigs of water to wash it all down. ¡°I will pretend that I didn¡¯t hear that.¡± ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re a man in your past life? You seem so¡­ adapting, I say?¡± Her tails and ears stood straight as she red intensely at Aedan. ¡°Continue that line of thought and I will smash this bottle into your face.¡± Considering how she spent most of her days in solitude as Argon Raze, there was no one close enough to point out her quirks. Now that she thought about it, she had no notion of how others truly thought of her but only her own assumptions. Of course, there was no way she was going to tell Aedan this. ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Aedan said with his hands raised in resignation. Erin turned away from him and continued chowing down on her meal. The two were sitting on a boulder in the midst of this vast and dark cave. Erin could only rest easy and fill her stomach since Aedan was with her. She didn¡¯t need to be too vignt of her surroundings and could focus on getting her energy back. The silence between them was quick to turn awkward. ¡°That Spatial Magic of yours¡­ what is it exactly?¡± she asked to break the stale mood. ¡°You mean this?¡± Aedan stuck his hand inside a small space that split apart at his will. ¡°It is, as you see, a Spatial-type storage spell. It allows me to store objects in a personal subspace.¡± ¡°Neat trick. Can I learn that?¡± ¡°If you have the affinity. But mind you, an affinity for Spatial Magic is one of the rarest. Even if you do have that affinity, a single spell alone under Spatial Magic is difficult to learn.¡± ¡°What are the chances of having this affinity?¡± Erin asked, hopefully. ¡°One in a million and that¡¯s only having the affinity. Even if you do manage to acquire it, controlling it properly is also another matter. There were quite a few Spatial Magic practitioners who ended up destroying themselves as a result of losing control of their magic. Gruesome stuff. These incidents caused many to distance themselves from Spatial Magic.¡± Many saw this story as a warning but for Erin, she viewed it as a challenge. She now had a new goal in mind, albeit of low priority. Still, Spatial Magic sounded too handy to pass over. Aedan could tell what Erin was thinking, going by the faint grin she had, but he decided to not touch that subject. Reprimanding her would only make her more enthusiastic. ¡°Why didn¡¯t youe sooner?¡± Erin asked. Aedan raised an eyebrow. ¡°You don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening above?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t. I have been fighting from morning till now.¡± ¡°Well then¡­ don¡¯t be surprised when I tell you this.¡± With that as the pretext, Aedan began to exin the circumstances above ground to Erin who was listening and eating earnestly. ¡°That sly bastard...¡± Erin cursed as Aedan finished recounting the situation. ¡°I knew he had an underlying scheme but...¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry too much, Erin. Green Scar is safe and secure now. The Pdins are rushing back to Maven¡¯s Creek as we speak. With Joshua and Iris present, Quinteburgh won¡¯t fall that easily. But I still don¡¯t understand. You¡¯re naive at times but I didn¡¯t think you would take on The Singrity alone.¡± ¡°The Necromancer¡­ he did something to Celia and only by killing him, could Celia be curedpletely of her affliction. I couldn¡¯t wait any longer. So I rushed to The Singrity by myself.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I would call you an idiot for doing things alone but for this case¡­ you made the right decision.¡± ¡°I did?¡± Erin¡¯s brow was raised by her question. ¡°As far as I know, no one in this territory wouldst in The Singrity, except for you and I. I¡¯m sure you already know why. Level difference matters little here unless you¡¯re talking about a difference of more than twenty levels.¡± Erin nodded. The real danger of The Singrity wasn¡¯t the nature of the peculiar monsters nor was it their levels but the environment. The Fog was dense and the average person would have their sight limited to only a few feet in front of them. It was only due to Erin¡¯s heightened senses that she survived the incessant onughts. ¡°But I do have half a mind to reprimand you for exploiting Lust Deviant.¡± ¡°How do you even know about that?¡± ¡°When the mark I put on you was erased, it was erased without any resistance, which means you let it happen by your own will. Still, I¡¯m surprised you managed to find a way to activate Lust Deviant on your own ord. And going by your current situation, it¡¯s not that hard to figure out why you had done something like that.¡± Aedan said all that with acent smile. For obvious reasons, Erin found it annoying. ¡°But how are you nning on returning?¡± ¡°Run,¡± Erin answered as she took a swig from the water bottle. ¡°As fast as I can.¡± ¡°What if there¡¯s a monster who can run faster than you?¡± ¡°...I would kill it then.¡± Aedan sighed with a smile. ¡°You have no proper n, do you?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t have time to make a proper one,¡± Erin retorted. She violently downed a few gulps of water before continuing. ¡°I got tired of waiting. That¡¯s all politics had ever amounted to, waiting, waiting for things that might or might note. I¡¯m done waiting.¡± ¡°What if you failed?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± Erin said, resolutely. ¡°Why do you think so?¡± Erin sneered. ¡°I have you. You aren¡¯t going to let a Fae die, are you?¡± Aedan stared nkly at the smirking Erin. ¡°I see you have finally adopted some of your kin¡¯s characteristics.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m a Fox-kin.¡± ¡°That you are.¡± After a few more minutes, Erin finished her sandwiches and downed the whole bottle of water down her throat. She gasped with satisfaction. ¡°That sure hit the spot.¡± She wiped her mouth in a manner disregarding any grace. ¡°If Nivia was here, she would faint,¡± Aedan muttered. ¡°Here, wear this.¡± Aedan took out a set of clothes from his subspace. It was only then, Erin remembered the state of her garments. Red once again filled her cheeks. She epted the clothes with a face filled with indignance. The clothes were a set of robes. At a nce, it looked out of ce to be worn on a battlefield but appraising the material, Erin was impressed. More than impressed, she was curious about where Aedan got such a material. A normal knife or de would never be able to leave so much as a faint tear. Even fire couldn¡¯t easily burn through it. It was a rare material, that went without saying and the price was eye-widening. Erin wanted to scream but now wasn¡¯t the time for such trivial matters. She decided to save her questions forter after she concluded her business here. She had Aedan turned around before stripping herself of the ragged apparel she had been wearing all this while. As she put the clothes on with haste, her face contorted with questions. The clothes were strangely fitting to her size and figure. She cast a dubious nce at Aedan. ¡°What?¡± Aedan asked when he felt a pair of eyes piercing him. ¡°These clothes¡­ may I know why they fit me so perfectly?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Fairy Silk, my dear Erin. It is tailored perfectly to the wearer, provided the wearer possesses Spirit Magic.¡± Erin raised her brows. She read the description from her Appraisal again but she found no mention of such a function. ¡°Strange,¡± she said. ¡°My Appraisal spoke nothing of such a feature.¡± Aedan chuckled. ¡°Appraisal isn¡¯t almighty, Erin. If Appraisal shows everyst minute detail about an object or subject, you would be reading a book.¡± Erin epted his reasoning without furtherints, not to say shepletely trusted his words. It wasn¡¯t an impossibility that he weaved a set of robes specifically for her but saying this out loud would really paint her in a conceited light. So she let the matter go. ¡°You did well making it this far,¡± Aedan praised. ¡°You sound surprised.¡± ¡°I expected to find you half-dead but you were in a much better state than I expected.¡± ¡°Thanks for the confidence,¡± Erin muttered dryly. ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± Erin clicked her tongue. Her eyes then fell to the pulsating and glowing symbol on the back of Aedan¡¯s left hand. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Oh, this? This is the seal responsible for suppressing my power. This pulsating glow signifies its limits at suppressing my power.¡± ¡°Meaning?¡± Erin asked with a foreboding feeling. ¡°I¡¯m at my limit of using my magic. Any more will only destroy the seal. It will be a few days before I can use any magic again.¡± Erin¡¯s jaws dropped. ¡°So¡­ you¡¯re useless¡ª ouch!¡± Erin shrieked. Aedan had flicked her forehead before she knew it. ¡°Sweetheart, lest you aren''t aware, I still have my strength and speed.¡± Erin clicked her tongue again, caressing her forehead which was left with a faint red mark. ¡°But be at ease, I can still use a few spells that don¡¯t require much Mana. My storage spell is one of them.¡± Erin sighed. She could feel her blood vessels popping from having a conversation with him. ¡°Now, before we proceed, do you require any further assistance?¡± It didn¡¯t take long for Erin to think of one. ¡°Actually, I will be in need of a new sword.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the one on your waist?¡± ¡°This?¡± Erin drew the rusted iron sword. ¡°As you can see, it ain¡¯t going to cut anything.¡± Aedan stared, bemused. ¡°Aedan?¡± Erin waved. ¡°Do you know what this sword actually is?¡± Aedan threw an expected question. ¡°I know this sword isn¡¯t actually what it seems but I do not know how to dispel the seal.¡± ¡°May I?¡± Aedan asked in a gentle tone that shook Erin¡¯s nerves. She hesitated but her curiosity overtook her dubious nature. She handed Aedan the rusted iron sword. ¡°Hmm,¡± he mused as inspected the sword of every edge and corner. ¡°I don¡¯t know the true identity of this sword. This spell is strong. It won¡¯t be easy to dispel it.¡± ¡°Even for you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not an expert with seal-rted Magic Arts, though I do have some knowledge. This spell¡­ It''s intricate. Twilight Veil is quite a simple spell, rtively speaking but whoever cast this, they made it into something else.¡± ¡°So¡­ this sword might be some legendary cursed de or something?¡± ¡°Could be. I can¡¯t imagine someone going through so much trouble just to hide some insignificant object from the world.¡± After finishing his inspection, he tossed it back to Erin. Erin gave a confused expression. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t dispel it and I don¡¯t have any use for it. Since you are the one doing the travelling, who knows, you might meet someone who will be capable of dispelling it. But¡­ you do need a sword right now. So...¡± Aedan reached into the small space that split apart before him. He pulled out a sword after rummaging for a few seconds. The sword was a familiar sight to Erin. ¡°It¡¯s that¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s silver-steel. And yes, it¡¯s made by Sven.¡± The sword in Aedan¡¯s hands bore many resemnces towards her sabre but this sabre was longer. It was as long as her height. Though it looked the same, aside from the length, Erin felt a slight but significant difference. ¡°This was forged in Sven and Geron¡¯s hometown with mes that had been burning for centuries. So to say, this steel is of a higher grade than the ones you had been using,¡± Aedan exined and handed Erin the sabre. ¡°And you¡¯re just giving it to me? Just like that? No charge?¡± ¡°Consider this as your upfront reward for purging the evil that has been guing Green Scar and Maven¡¯s Creek.¡± Erin eyed the grinning Dragon-kin dubiously. She was beginning to understand why Iris and he were an item. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m sure my father will definitely give you this as the reward if you defeat the Necromancer.¡± Erin gave up on retorting. She had wasted enough time to regain her strength and stamina. If she questioned Aedan¡¯s motive further, this would never end. ¡°You¡¯re all set?¡± Erin cracked her knuckles and neck. ¡°As ready as I can be.¡± ¡°Splendid then,¡± he said and pushed her away. Before she could question his abrupt action, her Sixth Sense warned her of an imminent danger. A rock flew past in front of her and smashed into the walls, sending the tunnel into a tremor. She caught her footing and managed to stand upright. ¡°What the fuck was that?!¡± ¡°We are about to find out,¡± Aedan muttered. From the path that stretched out far into the darkness in front of her, arge humanoid figure slowly emerged. A figureposed of many bodies of various species clumped into one single being. ¡°A Flesh Golem?¡± Erin read out the Appraisal in a gasp. She even fought the urge to vomit. ¡°I hope you have a strong stomach, Erin.¡± ¡°I hope that thing has a strong stomach too,¡± Erin said, drawing the silver-steel sabre that spanned the length of her height. A lengthy weapon was ill-advised in a confined space but fortunately, these tunnels were vast. ¡°Because I¡¯m going to cut it wide open,¡± she dered and went into her stance. Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Five-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 30 | Status: Mild Exhaustion Might: 22 | Arcane: 35 | Finesse: 30 Magic Arts Spirit Magic Lv. 8 | Arcane Edge Lv. 5 | Arcane Armor Lv. 10 | Lightning Magic Lv. 10 | Arcane Aegis Lv. 7 | Mystic Tail Arts Lv 1 Combat Arts Sword Art Lv. 8 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 5 Innate Skills Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 8 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex | Mana Harvest Lv. 1 | Lightning Resistance Lv. 1 Unique Talent Mystic de Lv. Ex | Revenant Lv. Ex Level Progression: 0% Remaining Skill Points: 0 Remaining Ability Points: 10 2-58 Chimera 2-58 Chimera The Flesh Golem, an amalgam of dozens of corpses, approached the two with irregr steps. It didn¡¯t seem to understand its own physique and weight. As a result, it could barely walk straight or even walk at all. Erin heightened her stance¡¯s fortitude and swallowed a lump in her throat. ¡°What the hell just happened? I couldn¡¯t smell or hear this abomination approaching, let alone when it picked up a fucking huge piece of rock and threw it at us!¡± ¡°Stealth magic¡­ looks like our Necromancer is quite knowledgeable,¡± Aedan responded dryly. His eyes did not steer away from the Flesh Golem which was having difficulty with its bearings. ¡°Look at it. It can¡¯t even walk straight but it managed to creep up on us.¡± ¡°The stealth magic cast on itsted only until it attacked us. With a little bit more practice and refinement, that stealth magic would be perfect for assassination.¡± ¡°If the Necromancer knew this magic, why didn¡¯t he use it often? I imagine I would have been killed by him if his thralls were enchanted with this magic.¡± ¡°Perhaps it isn''t an easy magic to enchant. Look at this creature. It¡¯s a sloppy work. And the stealth magic enchantment wasn¡¯t enchanted tost. The Necromancer is desperate. It¡¯s throwing whatever he can at our way. We are on the right track.¡± ¡°Right track or not,¡± Erin said, stepping forward. ¡°This abomination cannot be allowed to wander.¡± As Erin was about to strike, Aedan put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Save your strength,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with these insignificant creatures.¡± ¡°Insignificant?¡± Erin tilted her head in wonder. She would in no way call that creature in front of them, ¡°insignificant¡±. The Flesh Golem eventually figured its bnce and began to charge towards them. Each step of it caused a slight tremor to the whole cave but Aedan just stared with an indifferent expression. ¡°Aedan, are you sure¡ª eh!?¡± Before Erin could finish her question, Aedan dashed right into the Flesh Golem¡¯s reach. The abomination swung its gigantic arm with a width of half of its body. Aedan did not move. He waited for the fist to reach him. ¡°Aedan, what are you doing!?¡± Erin couldn¡¯t help but shout at Aedan¡¯s confounding action. Her worries weren¡¯t irrational but that was only if she was in her former world. In this world, levels don¡¯t dictate the entirety of one¡¯s capability but the difference was vast if level gaps were taken into consideration. This was why the Flesh Golem¡¯s fist did not manage to even make Aedan budge a little. Erin stared in disbelief as the realization of the true meaning in level gaps dawned on her. The Flesh Golem also stared in confusion but it didn¡¯tst long. Aedan immediately sent a palm into the Flesh Golem¡¯s face, the air rippled, blowing the upper part of its body away. Just like that, the Flesh Golem fell lifelessly to the ground. ¡°What the fuck...¡± Erin gasped. ¡°J-just what level are you?¡± ¡°High enough to survive a copse of this whole cave, if something like that should happen,¡± he answered. ¡°Does this mean dealing with the Necromancer won¡¯t be a huge issue for you?¡± ¡°He¡¯s a Necromancer. His kind tends to employ tricks that defymon senses. I doubt he can be dealt with something as simple as a punch.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t call your punch simple.¡± ¡°What I meant is Necromancers are practitioners of death magic. They don¡¯t die as the average person does.¡± ¡°Then how do we deal with him?¡± Aedan hung his head in silence and contemtion for a while before producing a small pouch from his subspace. Like the grey spores, he scattered the pouch¡¯s contents into the air. The contents were powder-like substances but they weren¡¯t grey. They were of a bleak cyan. ¡°What did you just do?¡± Erin asked. ¡°Fairy powder. It attracts Spirits.¡± ¡°Attracts Spirits? How? I can barely feel any¡ª¡± Erin paused and blinked. There was a change, a change that she only realized now. The miasma in the air wasn''t as heavy as before. ¡°What happened to the miasma?¡± ¡°Most likely the Necromancer had consumed most of the miasma on this level, leaving it shallow. If it¡¯s here, with the Fairy Powder, we might be able to use Spirit Magic again.¡± Erin¡¯s face lit up. ¡°Then¡ª¡± ¡°But,¡± Aedan stopped Erin¡¯s excitement, ¡°it will take some time before the Spirits can umte to the point that we can cast Spirit Magic.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s disappointing.¡± ¡°Cheer up. We¡¯re close to the Necromancer now at least, very close.¡± Erin was wondering about Aedan¡¯s undertone when she felt the slight shift in the air. She looked towards the direction where the changes came from. She found nothing with her eyes, ears, and nose but she knew there was something in front of them. ¡°They¡¯reing,¡± Aedan said. ¡°I know,¡± Erin replied. ¡°My skin can feel the shift in the air. It¡¯s even giving me the shivers not knowing how many there are.¡± She was able to feel the enemy approaching this time due to the numbers. ¡°Beyond a hundred.¡± ¡°I was being rhetorical.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Erin clicked her tongue. ¡°Even in this kind of situation, you still found some way to be annoying.¡± The first enemy that broke its stealth and lunged at Erin was a hound-like creature with wings and fangs of a bat. Erin paled at the sight of the creature. She had encountered many beasts which seemed to be a fusion of two distinct animals but there was a sharp difference between the many beasts she had encountered and the current creature she was looking at. The hound with wings and fangs of a bat in front of her could only be described as a creature that had been assembled together by a person without regard to the practicality of anatomy. In simple words, it was an abomination much like the Flesh Golem. She quickly nced at the Appraisal¡¯s result. ¡°C-Chimera?¡± Erin blurted out. That wasn¡¯t all to what she appraised. The Chimeras¡¯ status read; Deceased, Enthralled. Her mind nked for a moment but her Sixth Sense dragged her back to reality. She brandished her sabre just in time to slice the Chimera in half as it lunged straight into her de. [Experience gained +5% - Level Progression: 5%] ¡°There¡¯s more of them, don¡¯t let up!¡± Aedan shouted. He spun and kicked at the Chimeras even before they broke out of their stealth, turning into mashes of flesh. Aedan¡¯s voice didn¡¯t enter Erin¡¯s mind. The word ¡°Chimera¡± was still lingering in her mind. In her former world, she had never encountered a Chimera but she had heard plenty about it. Chimeras were basically creatures that were poorly put together with various parts of different animals. They were the perversion of schrs¡¯ desire for unsavory knowledge. They were so grotesque that the research of Chimeras was deemed illegal by many kingdoms and even vers shunned the idea. ¡°Erin, behind you!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to tell me that,¡± Erin muttered in a low voice and swung her sabre in a full circle, decapitating quite a few Chimeras in stealth that had encircled her. [Experience gained +25% - Level Progression: 30%] A rabbit of a child¡¯s size, a tiger¡¯s head, and a goat¡¯s legs sprang at Erin. She threw an Aura Shot but the Chimera used the air as its foothold to leap away from her attack. Erin¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°It can even do that?¡± The Chimera leapt again,unching itself at Erin. She swung her sabre but the Chimera leapt out of harm¡¯s way, again using the air as its foothold. However, the Chimera didn¡¯tst long. Erin used Iron Fang at the unsuspecting Chimera which leapt into the range of her tails. Her tail moved at an incredible speed and impaled the Chimera. [Experience gained +5% - Level Progression: 35%] ¡°Creating Undead Chimeras¡­ how low can this Necromancer sink?¡± Erin mused. Aedan caught her words. ¡°He¡¯s someone who dabbles with a living being¡¯s final rest. I don''t think he has a standard at all. I would advise you to keep an open mind. I¡¯m willing to bet he can sink even lower than this.¡± Erin bisected a Bird-ox Chimera in half. ¡°That is what worries me,¡± Erin said. ¡°I¡¯m getting sicker and sicker the more I understand his nature.¡± [Experience gained +5% - Level Progression: 40%] Aedanpletely pulverized a Horse-wolf Chimera with a single punch. ¡°On the bright side, he¡¯s throwing these hastened and unfinished creations of his at us incessantly. He¡¯s running low on options.¡± Erin carved a Cat-snake into pieces. ¡°I feared what''s the lowest he could offer. I don¡¯t think I even want to know if I can help it.¡± [Experience gained +5% - Level Progression: 45%] Chimeras kept pouring out of the tunnel seemingly without an end. Erin wanted to rush straight to the Necromancer but leaving these Chimeras alive was a dreadful idea she didn¡¯t even want to think of. She had thought wars were terrifying but knowing there was someone who would create Chimeras, embodiments of abominations, she shoved the terrors of wars down a spot. The ideas of an uninhibited schr or a learned person were infinitely more frightening. The two were soon drenched in the blood of their fallen enemies but there was still no sight of an end to the enemy¡¯s numbers. ¡°Erin, I don¡¯t want to leave a single Chimera alive but¡­ I don¡¯t think they will stoping if we don¡¯t cut off the problem at its roots.¡± Erin sliced and diced a persistent Lizard-rooster Chimera into bits. ¡°What do you suggest? Split up?¡± [Experience gained +5% - Level Progression: 50%] ¡°No, splitting up is a fool¡¯s idea. Without me around, you would be quickly overwhelmed.¡± Erin clicked her tongue but she couldn¡¯t refute what Aedan said. She was only able to cull so many of the Chimeras because she had the support of Aedan. He was drawing most of the Chimeras to him. Erin dodged an Elephant-bear Chimera¡¯s stomp that shook the room. ¡°Then what do you propose?¡± ¡°Stand behind me,¡± Aedan said, facing the tunnel which the Necromancer resided in. ¡°We will charge towards the Necromancer.¡± Erin swooped back in and lopped the Elephant-bear Chimera¡¯s limbs off. She then ripped her saber right through its hard flesh, sttering her face with its ck blood. ¡°And what of the Chimeras?¡± she asked, her gaze remained ever vignt at the encroaching Chimeras. ¡°I will take care of what¡¯s in front and any Chimeras that I missed, I trust that you will not let a single one slip by your de or tails.¡± Erin shed him a grin. ¡°Count on it,¡± she answered confidently. For some reason, the responsibility heid upon her didn¡¯t feel heavy. On the contrary, she felt assured. Not a shred of worry could be seen in her expression as she nodded. Erin positioned herself behind Aedan as the Dragon-kin ran right through the horde of Chimeras pouring out from the tunnel. The Chimeras that survived Aedan¡¯s charge were pulverized by either his punch or kick. The Chimeras which escaped his reach were quickly felled by Erin¡¯s swordsmanship. ¡°Doing good, Erin. Keep this up!¡± Aedan praised and continued pulverizing the Chimeras as he made a beeline towards the Necromancer. With Erin right behind him, she culled away the Chimeras that he didn¡¯t manage to. With their teamwork, they were finally making progress. The Chimeras were endless but it wasn¡¯t much of a problem for the two. Aedan had an immense amount of stamina and strength. His punches and kicks didn¡¯t need any form. Even his most effortless punch could break all the bones in a human¡¯s body. His Dragon skin and the height of his level naturally made him impervious to the Chimeras¡¯ attacks. Not a single drop of blood was drawn from him. Erin wasn¡¯tining either. She had a near-endless supply of experience. The Chimeras had only ferocity and fearlessness as their advantages. They did not have any concrete strength to support those two perks of theirs. With Arcane Edge, Erin was able to easily slice through each and every one of them. [Erinthea: Level 30 increased to Level 31] [Skill Points gained +2 | 2] [Ability Points gained +2 | 12] [Level Progression: 4%] Thanks to the Chimeras unrelenting pursuit for their flesh, Erin had managed to ascend to the next level, though her reverie was quickly doused. [Experience gained +2% - Level Progression: 6%] ¡°What a fucking sharp drop. This is bollocks!¡± she screamed in her mind. A Chimera appeared in front of Erin but before she or the Chimera itself had done anything, it exploded on its own, scattering its blood and guts everywhere. ¡°What the hell!?¡± Erin shouted in confusion but her hands didn¡¯t stop cutting down the Chimeras. ¡°As I have said, they¡¯re unfinished and hastened creations. This is the Necromancer¡¯s act of desperation,¡± Aedan exined while plowing through the horde of Chimeras without stopping. As they advanced, Erin encountered more and more Chimeras which just exploded into bits of their own random ord. Some even began attacking their own peers amid the confusion. In no time at all, the pair of a Dragon and a Fox-kin broke through the horde and charged right into their of the Necromancer. ¡°So¡­ you havee¡­ despite everything...¡± the Necromancer said, sitting on a poorly-made throne located on the far end of the room. ¡°And you brought a¡­ friend¡­ a Dragon-kin...¡± The Necromancer clenched his teeth and fists. ¡°Please to finally be of your actual acquaintance, Ba¡¯al,¡± Erin replied. ¡°You looked uglier than I expected.¡± Aedan narrowed his gaze. ¡°Careful, Erin. He¡¯s an Apostle of a Divine.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Aedan red. ¡°And you didn¡¯t bother to tell me?¡± ¡°...I suppose it slipped my mind,¡± Erin answered with a grin and a shrug. ¡°Cheeky little witch,¡± Aedan muttered. ¡°I learned from the best,¡± Erin retorted. ¡°Now¡­ time to end this.¡± The Necromancer, Ba¡¯al, stood up from his throne. ¡°Yes, I agree. The end is nigh¡­ for you that is!¡± ¡°He certainly has a ir for the dramatics,¡± Aedan remarked and stretched his neck with a few cracks. ¡°Well, let¡¯s end this and go home.¡± Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Five-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 31 | Status: Mild Exhaustion Might: 22 | Arcane: 35 | Finesse: 30 Magic Arts Spirit Magic Lv. 8 | Arcane Edge Lv. 5 | Arcane Armor Lv. 10 | Lightning Magic Lv. 10 | Arcane Aegis Lv. 7 | Mystic Tail Arts Lv 1 Combat Arts Sword Art Lv. 8 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 5 Innate Skills Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 8 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex | Mana Harvest Lv. 1 | Lightning Resistance Lv. 1 Unique Talent Mystic de Lv. Ex | Revenant Lv. Ex Level Progression: 26% Remaining Skill Points: 2 Remaining Ability Points: 12 2-59 Retribution 2-59 Retribution ¡°Where are the Mist Pearls?¡± Erin asked. The Necromancer, Baal, guffawed coarsely with an incredulous look. ¡°You think... I would tell you this... easily?¡± ¡°It¡¯s beyond that wall over there,¡± Aedan said and pointed towards a wall at the corner of the rtivelyrge room. ¡°How did you know?¡± Erin questioned with a slight frown forming on her brows. ¡°Picked up the mint and blueberry smell? That¡¯s the smell of Mist Pearl Flowers.¡± Erin sniffed the air. ¡°Oh, that''s what it is.¡± ¡°So what if you know... where it is now?¡± the Necromancer sneered. ¡°You think¡­ you can just walk over there?¡± He took a step forward, allowing Erin to appraise him since he stepped into the range of her Appraisal. ¡°So, you are indeed a Goblin,¡± Erin said, eyeing the Necromancer with scrutiny. ¡°So what if I am¡­ a Goblin?¡± Ba¡¯al asked in a strained voice. ¡°Do you find my kind¡­ repulsive?¡± ¡°Nay,¡± Erin answered. ¡°I find Goblins a tad gruesome but you, as an individual, aye, I find you repulsive, extremely so.¡± The Necromancer, Ba¡¯al, being a Goblin was already something she expected but what surprised her was how human-looking Ba¡¯al was. Goblins generally had a slight hunch and the height of the average child but the Goblin in front of her bore a resemnce closer to humans than its kind. Furthermore, she didn¡¯t think she would get any result from Appraisal but she did. Ba¡¯al - Goblin Shaman Age: 4 months Level: 30 | Status: Undying, Severe Exhaustion Might: 5 | Arcane: 60 | Finesse: 9 Magic Arts Shadow Magic Lv. 5 | Death Magic Lv. 10 | Fire Magic Lv. 2 | Alchemy Lv. 2 Innate Skill Undying Lv. Ex | Crimson Lotus Lv. Ex | Miasma Resistance Lv. 10 | Night Vision Lv. Ex ¡°Erin,¡± Aedan whispered. ¡°Did your Appraisal go through?¡± Erin nodded. ¡°It did. Strange, I would expect his Patron God to put some sort of safeguard on his stats information.¡± ¡°I was thinking the same thing.¡± ¡°And¡­ Something¡¯s strange about him. I can¡¯t quite exin it. He just doesn¡¯t seem¡­ whole.¡± ¡°His soul is breaking down. That¡¯s the result of a mortal ying with divinity, even if it¡¯s just a small piece.¡± Erin raised an eyebrow. ¡°But I don¡¯t feel any different?¡± ¡°...Perhaps your divine gift is merely a gift from a divine but the gift itself isn¡¯t divine. Unlike our dear Necromancer here that had divinity infused into his soul.¡± ¡°He looks like he could be breathing hisst any moment now.¡± ¡°He¡¯s essentially fighting a war by himself andmandeering forces on many fronts. I would be surprised if he didn¡¯t look like he had half of his leg in his grave.¡± ¡°Is this it?!¡± Ba¡¯al screamed. ¡°You are just going to stand there and make a mockery out of me!?¡± ¡°No such thing,¡± Aedan scoffed. ¡°Your existence in itself is a mockery. Why would we bother with the extra effort?¡± Erin stifled augh as she looked away to hide it. ¡°Impudent!¡± Ba¡¯al shouted. He raised his shadows. He drew air into his mouth. A vermilion magic circle appeared in front of his mouth. He spat his breath out and spread his shadows. His breath turned into streams of mes as it passed through the magic circle. The mes tangled with the shadows he spread and raised. Tides of shadow-d mes rushed towards the two. Erin whistled a tinge of amazement and admiration before conjuring up three Arcane Aegis in front of her. ¡°Aedan, get behind the shields!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that,¡± he simply said as the sea of shadow mes engulfed him. The sea of shadow mes broke through all of Erin¡¯s Arcane Aegis but it was enough to weaken the spell for her to endure it with Arcane Armor. ¡°Conjuration of two spells of two different kinds of Magic Art. He¡¯s a coward but he¡¯s certainly adept in magic,¡± Aedan praised, who was unharmed by the shadow mes. ¡°You¡¯re unhurt...¡± Erin gasped. ¡°Level differences, remember?¡± Aedan said. ¡°Unless he struck me directly with the divine power given to him, nothing will be able to prate my skin.¡± ¡°What about your clothes? Howe it isn¡¯t burned?¡± ¡°These trousers and tunic that you see, are actually my battle clothes. They¡¯re made out of nt fibres that grow at the foot of volcanoes. Highly resistant to heat and the toughness is correspondent to the wearer¡¯s Mana.¡± ¡°Um¡­ you have any more of that?¡± Erin asked, hopefully. ¡°Nope, this is all I have. Just so you know, I didn¡¯t make these clothes. They were¡­ parting gifts.¡± Erin clicked her tongue. ¡°Don¡¯t sulk. The robes you¡¯re wearing are already¡ª Iing!¡± Erin quickly cast Thunder Shell and blocked sharpened tendrils of shadows aiming for her head. The Thunder Shell glowed and shot out bolts of lightning at the Necromancer. Three Chimeras leapt into the lightning bolts¡¯ path. The three abominations were instantly charred into cinders. [Experience gained +3% - Level Progression: 29%] ¡°Using its own thralls as shields¡­ not unexpected,¡± Aedan remarked. ¡°And those thralls aren¡¯t worth much for experiences,¡± Erin added. ¡°Did he create them purely for the sake of having meat shields?¡± Aedan shrugged. ¡°I did say he would sink lower.¡± Ba¡¯al bellowed in a hugeugh. ¡°If it¡¯s to kill you, so be it! I would sink lower! As low as I have to.¡± He waved his arms and red lightning spread to the ceiling from where he stood. ¡°What the...¡± Erin gasped as she finally looked up at the ceiling. ¡°What the hell are those? Cocoons?¡± The red lightning coiled around these cocoons. Along with the crackling of the lightning, the cocoons began to il around and undte. ¡°Cultivation pods for the Chimeras,¡± Aedan said with certainty in his tone. ¡°You are¡ª!¡± Ba¡¯al spat out blood mid-sentence but he wiped it off and continued. ¡°You are correct, Dragon. You are too perceptive¡­ for your own¡­ good!¡± The cocoons directly above them unravelled themselves, spitting out the Chimeras within. The Chimeras had red lightning crackling all over their body. Erin¡¯s primal instinct was to quickly cut them down but she hesitated when her Sixth Sense opposed her primal instinct. She widened her eyes at the Chimeras¡¯ status that read; Overcharged. Aedan grabbed Erin¡¯s wrist and leapt away from that spot without sparing a single word. The next second, the three Chimeras glowed brightly in red before exploding with a range of a few meters. ¡°T-thanks,¡± Erin managed to say. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. That¡¯s what I¡¯m here for.¡± Erin decapitated a Chimera¡¯s head off but its body was still glowing more intensely with red lightning. She uttered a brief curse and kicked the headless carcass away just in for it to explode with Erin out of its range. ¡°Great¡­ killing it won¡¯t even stop it from exploding.¡± ¡°Die, you maggots! Die!¡± Ba¡¯al shouted vehemently as he sent more of his suicide bomber Chimeras at the pair. ¡°You called yourself an Apostle but I don¡¯t sense a single trace of divinity from you!¡± ¡°He¡¯s right, you know,¡± Aedan said, dryly. Unlike Erin, he had no worries about the Chimeras¡¯ attack. ¡°Unless one is as sensitive as I am, no one could sense the divinity in you.¡± ¡°How in fuck¡¯s name is that going to help our circumstances!?¡± Erin screamed in response as she dodged the explosive Chimeras with her life. Aedan shrugged as a reply. Erin¡¯s popped a vein on her forehead. ¡°This fucker¡­!¡± But her ragested only a second. She was more focused on avoiding the Chimeras that exploded in proximity. The more frustrating fact was that she couldn¡¯t gain any experience from the Chimeras self-exploding. ¡°Oi, Baly. Is this all you have to offer? I¡¯m disappointed,¡± Aedan taunted. ¡°Fuck you, Aedan! What will you do if he¡ª¡± ¡°Fine, Dragon!¡± Ba¡¯al shouted. ¡°I¡¯ll show you! I not as stupid as you think I am!¡± The cocoons all hatched at once, instantly filling the room. Every one of the Chimeras was overcharged with red lightning. Erin red sharply at Aedan who looked away from her with a drop of sweat rolling down his temple. ¡°You are invincible but what of your lover?¡± Ba¡¯al sneered. ¡°I ain¡¯t his lover, damn it!¡± Erin retorted. Aedan snorted, his gaze directed at Ba¡¯al. ¡°Are you going to bite anytime soon or are you gonna keep barking?¡± ¡°Hmph,¡± the Necromancer huffed. ¡°So be it, foolish Dragon! You will regret this mockery.¡± ¡°Pfft,¡± Aedan blew his lips in response. The Chimeras all converged to Erin, even the ones who had encircled Aedan. Instead of a frown, a grin adorned her natural alluring expression. ¡°It¡¯s about time you reveal your tricks, Aedan.¡± ¡°Ah, I was seen through, huh.¡± Without putting in any effort, he traversed through the swarm of Chimeras and arrived beside Erin. ¡°You¡¯re an asshole but¡­ I trust you.¡± A glimpse of shock swept past Aedan¡¯s expression but a smile reced his shock. ¡°You a natural, dearie. Sometimes I wonder, how many hearts have you broken unaware?¡± Erin rolled her eyes. The Chimeras swarmed them. ¡°Cease your infernal yapping and do something already!¡± she shouted. ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Aedan muttered nonchntly and took out a scroll from his subspace. He undid the seal on the scroll and unfolded it. The scroll glowed intensely and disappeared into glitters. The Chimeras exploded all at once. The room, tunnels, the entirety of the cave, trembled with a violent force that even shook the monsters above ground. The clouds of dust shrouded the room housing the now-broken throne of the Necromancer. ¡°Dragon! Come out!¡± Ba¡¯al shouted in a rasped voice. He took a few breathers before continuing. ¡°I know you¡¯re alive. I doubt the explosion had even left a scratch on you. I know the Fox-kin lives. She¡¯s hard to kill but it will take her quite a while to resurrect.¡± After hisst word, blood came pouring out from his mouth. He fell to his knees but he refused to let his whole body copse. ¡°Whatever tricks you have left in your sleeves, it won¡¯t work against a Dragon, especially a Dragon with a level difference of more than fifty,¡± Aedan said, sauntering out of the smoke unscathed. He made his way slowly to the Necromancer. ¡°You... can¡¯t do anything to me... If you used your magic, I¡­ would have been dead¡­ already. You didn¡¯t use your magic¡­ you can¡¯t use it...¡± Ba¡¯al chuckled. ¡°Which means¡­ you can do nothing to me...¡± ¡°I still have my fists¡± Ba¡¯al tittered. ¡°Irrelevant... You can destroy my... corporeal form but... you can¡¯t kill me...¡± ¡°But I can incapacitate you until Erines back from the dead.¡± ¡°If shees back, that is.¡± Ba¡¯al burst intoughter. Aedan furrowed his brows. ¡°I am a practitioner of¡­ Necromancy... Death Magic. My thralls and familiars... could do nothing against her but me¡­ I can simply harvest her soul¡­ now that she is within the range¡­ of my Necromancy¡­ while she is still¡­ dead.¡± ¡°Counterpoint, if she¡¯s dead, that is,¡± Aedan said. Ba¡¯al was confused at first but his eyes widened at the realization. He nced over to the spot where Erin¡¯s corpse was supposed to be but not even a trace of her blood could be found. ¡°You¡¯re as dim as this cave is, Ba¡¯al,¡± came Erin¡¯s voice from his back but it was all toote for him to move. A de went right through his chest from behind, a single-edged de made of silver-steel. The de was d in Arcane Edge and lightning. ¡°H-how did you survive¡­?¡± Ba¡¯al asked as blood spouted from his mouth. ¡°With your level¡­ that¡¯s impossible...¡± ¡°Magic scroll, dumbass,¡± it was Aedan who answered. ¡°I came prepared, to a certain extent. The magic scroll contains my Spatial Magic spell, Domain. It isn¡¯t as powerful as the one I conjured but itsted long enough to protect Erin from all the explosions you unleashed in a single instance.¡± ¡°Y-you¡­ tricked me...¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t that hard. You are nothing but a frog in a well, a Goblin that has never left its cave. Now Erin, would you do the honours?¡± ¡°Pleasure,¡± Erin answered and unleashed Aura Shot with her de still stuck within Ba¡¯al. The Aura Shot ripped right through him andpletely scattered his upper body into bits. The remaining bottom half of Ba¡¯als body copsed to the ground and the red lightning within spilled to the ground before dissipating. ¡°This feels¡­ therapeutic,¡± Erin muttered with a slight smile. Aedan stared at the ground. ¡°Don¡¯t let your guard down now, Erin. It ain¡¯t over yet.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Erin said. ¡°I didn¡¯t receive any experience. What do you think it¡¯s going to happen now?¡± She used Life Sense but without the presence of Spirits, it didn¡¯t work. ¡°Welp, it was worth the try.¡± ¡°Did you notice his Innate Skill, Crimson Lotus?¡± ¡°I noticed. What is that skill? Appraisal wasn¡¯t able to give any information regarding it.¡± ¡°I could be wrong but it¡¯s most likely a more potent form of Crimson Arc.¡± ¡°Crimson Arc?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a skill mostmonly used by the kings in the east. You could say it¡¯s something akin to pseudo-immortality. It converts one¡¯s soul into pure magic, allowing one to transfer their soul into another body but the Crimson Arc I know it¡¯s a convoluted skill. The transfer of the soul takes plenty of preparation, not something people can do just willy-nilly.¡± ¡°Willy-nilly?¡± ¡°It means random or at a whim.¡± ¡°You think Ba¡¯al found a way to make the transfer process simpler?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think he did anything with it. That could be his divine gift. In simpler words, he could use the carcasses in this room as its vessel.¡± ¡°Then how do we kill it? How do we kill¡­ magic?¡± ¡°Mystic de, you can¡¯t use that?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not an option right now.¡± ¡°Touche.¡± ¡°Touche? Oh, that means ¡°understandable¡±, right?¡± Aedan nodded. ¡°If you can¡¯t use that¡­ then we only have one more option,¡± he said and scattered cyan-coloured powder around them. ¡°The Spirit bait?¡± ¡°Most of the miasma has been absorbed by the Necromancer, leaving the air clean enough for the Spirits to dwell if someone can invoke them.¡± ¡°That someone is you?¡± Aedan nodded and sat on his knees, closing his eyes. He took a deep breath. ¡°Cover me. When the Spirits are invoked, use Essence re to burn that bastard into crisp.¡± ¡°You sure you can do that without¡­ breaking your seal?¡± ¡°This is not a spell. Just an invocation. It doesn¡¯t require me to use my Mana, only my affinity with Spirits. And make sure I¡¯m not disturbed. I need to be still for this.¡± ¡°You have got to be joking, A¡ª¡± A movement in the corner of her gaze caught her attention. A carcass of a Dog-head Snake Chimera in the distance rose from the ground with red lightning crackling all over it. ¡°Well, Aedan¡­ be quick about it. I doubt I could keep up with someone who¡¯s undying.¡± ¡°I have utter faith in you.¡± ¡°You could have at least left me some scrolls first.¡± ¡°Nothing that could help your situation. Plus, these scrolls aren¡¯t easy toe by. I have utter faith in your abilities.¡± As soon as he said that, a red lightning bolt was fired from the Chimera¡¯s mouth, towards Aedan. Erin moved into the lightning bolt¡¯s path and blocked it with an Arcane Aegis. She raised an eyebrow at the slight crack on her Arcane Aegis. A small grin appeared on her lips. Erin sighed and distributed her ability points to Arcane and Finesse fairly. ¡°Welp¡­ round two it is.¡± Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Five-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 31 | Status: Mild Exhaustion Might: 22 | Arcane: 41 | Finesse: 36 Magic Arts Spirit Magic Lv. 8 | Arcane Edge Lv. 5 | Arcane Armor Lv. 10 | Lightning Magic Lv. 10 | Arcane Aegis Lv. 7 | Mystic Tail Arts Lv 1 Combat Arts Sword Art Lv. 8 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 5 Innate Skills Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 8 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex | Mana Harvest Lv. 1 | Lightning Resistance Lv. 1 Unique Talent Mystic de Lv. Ex | Revenant Lv. Ex Level Progression: 29% Remaining Skill Points: 2 Remaining Ability Points: 0 2-60 Self-sacrifice 2-60 Self-sacrifice The Chimera with the body of a snake and the head of a dog snarled at Erin. Though Erin didn¡¯t speak a single word of whatevernguage a snake-dog spoke, she understood the meaning behind the snarl. It was an insult and a taunt, befitting of the Necromancer¡¯s nature. Standing on the altar of the Necromancer¡¯s throne, Erin lowered her body into a stance that allowed her to defend herself and Aedan from all directions. Aedan couldn¡¯t move and neither could she since she needed to be here to make sure Aedan wasn¡¯t disturbed. Ba¡¯al moved fast in his current Chimeric body but not fast enough to escape Erin¡¯s vignt and steadfast gaze. Her sight followed his every movement. The Necromancer clicked his tongue but he didn¡¯t know how with the mouth and tongue of a canine. Realizing the futility in throwing off Erin¡¯s gaze, heunched a direct assault. ¡°Slow,¡± Erin muttered and took a step aside. The Necromancer missed his strike. Erin countered with a sh that was too quick for the Necromancer to follow. He quickly reeled his body away and retreated a good distance from Erin. Erin sighed. ¡°This is disappointing but it is to be expected. I have heard castors who rely on their Familiars and thralls to do their bidding are extremely vulnerable to direct confrontations. It seems to be true, after all.¡± Ba¡¯al hissed seethingly. ¡°You can¡¯t evenpare to the monsters above ground. You¡¯re fast but only faster than a normal animal and no faster than a beast of magical nature. If it weren¡¯t for your Undying and Crimson Lotus skill, this would have been over minutes ago. So do us both a favour; submit already. You have lost.¡± Ba¡¯al hissed even louder and unleashed bolts of red lightning at Erin. To conserve her Mana, Erin decided not to use Thunder Shell or Arcane Aegis. She chose Arcane Edge, Aura Shot as her means of defence. After all, Combat Arts consumed less Mana than Magic Arts in general. She struck down all of the red lightning bolts with Aura Shot but it had only consumed a quarter of Thunder Shell¡¯s Mana consumption. In the midst of her defence streak, Ba¡¯al struck at the intervals of her retaliations but Erin shed not a drop of sweat and instead gave a smile. She spun around and hardened her tails with Arcane Armor, letting Ba¡¯al ram straight into the pseudo wall of steel. She heard the disgruntled cries of a snake and a wolf. The strange amalgamation of noise sent shivers down her spine. Before the Necromancer could recover from his dazed state, Erin lopped his head off. ¡°Huh, figures.¡± Per her expectation, the headless Chimeric body iled around in pain before copsing into the piles of carcasses as streams of red lightning left the body. ¡°No experience¡­ this is just tedious...¡± Although Erin understood she was having an easier time than her fight against the Ashen Knight, it didn¡¯t mean the conclusion would arrive any sooner or easier. The Necromancer was weak in a direct confrontation but its Divine gifts made him durable in a fight. Erin could use Mystic de but the mere thought of it was making her Sixth Sense erupted like a string of fireworks. She took this as a sign that her limit usage of Mystic de had been reached. As handy as the skill was, the drawback was too risky to be a reliable skill. Until the Spirits were gathered, the two were stuck in a stalemate without a clear winner in sight. As Erin waited in dreadful silence, she noticed a faint red glow to her right, a clear indication that Ba¡¯al had found his next body to possess. She sighed and turned in the direction of the glow. The end was just right in front of her but the tenacity of her foe had stretched the distance in between longer than necessary. This time, the Necromancer possessed the body of a four-armed ape with the skin and head of a lizard. Unlike the previous body Ba¡¯al possessed, this one had suffered much from the explosion. Much of its flesh and bones were exposed but given the body¡¯s physique, Erin didn¡¯t think its defence was any less than it was. As soon as Erin saw Ba¡¯al bent his new body¡¯s legs, she immediately understood the course of his action. Ba¡¯al shot at Erin like a bullet using the incredible muscles in his new body¡¯s legs. ¡°Too slow,¡± Erin muttered, with a hint of annoyance in her tone. Those fists that were twice the size of her head came for her but she had yet to move a single inch from where she stood. She forewent her sabre and switched to her fists. One nce was all she needed to know that her sabre would not be able to cut through that flesh easily. She activated Brawler and timed her uppercut perfectly with Lightning Rush. Fleet Foot could only make her move faster from one spot to another. It couldn¡¯t make her perform any other action faster but that was where Lightning Rush came in. Though she could move as fast as lightning due to her body mass, she was still moving fast enough to escape the grasp of Ba¡¯al¡¯s perception. Her uppercut hit him square in the jaws, sending him flying into the ceiling. A roar of indignance and rage swept the room. The roar, of course, came from Ba¡¯al. He punched his way out of the ceiling his head was stuck to from the uppercut Erin gave him. As he fell back to the ground, he bundled his fists up and swung it down like a hammer. Erin used all but one of her tails, hardened with Arcane Armor, against his crass attack. The ground beneath her feet cracked but Erin herself wasn¡¯t fazed. With Ba¡¯al leaving himself open, Erin used Iron Fang towards the spot she felt his ¡°heart¡± was. Ba¡¯al quickly leapt back before her tail could reach but Erin wasn¡¯t disheartened. She didn¡¯t think it would work in the first ce but Ba¡¯al most likely retreated in hopes of preserving this body longer. ¡°Are you so deep in denial that you refuse to acknowledge the reality before you? This is the truth, albeit awful. You are nothing without your puppets and thralls.¡± Ba¡¯al sneered. ¡°If you do indeed have more to spare, you would already have done it. You¡¯re not the type to be reserved.¡± He snickered, red lightning crackling in its four palms. Erin shook her head. ¡°Oh¡­ you are really vexing.¡± She instantly knew what Ba¡¯al was going to do. He picked up the carcasses around him and infused them with red lightning. ¡°Tenacious fuck...¡± she cursed. Ba¡¯al threw the corpses infused with red lightning in his hands. Erin threw her own magic in retaliation. More precisely, she cast Lightning Barrage. Dozens of lightning bolts emerged from the magic circle in front of her palm. The lightning bolts shredded the vtile corpses mid-air and flew straight at the Necromancer. Ba¡¯al didn¡¯t let up. He continued picking up the carcasses around him, infusing them with red lightning before throwing them at Erin. The lightning bolts collided with the vtile carcasses, ensuing in a series of explosions. Some explosions were small. Some didn¡¯t even explode at all. Some explosions even destroyed the other infused carcasses. The reason for the inconsistency was simple. Ba¡¯al was not in his right mind. He was cornered and as Erin had said, his arsenal had run dry. His bestowed skill, Crimson Lotus, was the sole reason he lived this long but it wouldn¡¯t be long before even that skill turns useless. Refusing to submit, he persisted on, throwing the carcasses infused with red lightning at the Fox-kin. The carcasses were plenty enough tost this battle of attrition for half an hour. The room began to shake from the series of explosions. Erin thought the room would copse but at most, only some dust poured from the ceiling. She appraised the rocks thatprised the room. ¡°Huh? Unknown?¡± she gasped in her heart. The description was simple. It merely stated that these rocks were mere simple minerals but infused with the peculiarities of The Singrity for many years, giving its present strange qualities. Erin found it strange the rocks and stones above did not have such properties which drew her to the conclusion that the source of The Singrity¡¯s peculiarities stemmed from underground. [Warning. User¡¯s Magic Vigour has reached below the 25% threshold.] Without stopping Lightning Barrage, she simultaneously cast Mana Harvest, drawing the Mana in the vicinity into her. The amount of Mana she drew in surprised her. It was almost enough to replenish her Magic Vigour to full. The Mana was mostly drawn from the carcasses. Dead husks they might be but since they were puppets before their death, plenty of Mana lingered within their bodies long after their death. If they weren¡¯t used as explosives, the Mana Erin yielded would have been thrice the amount she had gotten. Ba¡¯al roared at Erin. He noticed her Magic Vigor nearly depleted but from a single use of some spell, she recovered most of it back. He sunk lower into his pit of despair. Due to the small piece of divinity he possessed, his Mana was near limitless. He thought he could get an edge with this advantage of his but that hope was shattered. Soon, he ran out of carcasses to throw. There were still plenty of carcasses but all those within his reach were no more. He could only grit his teeth as dozens of lightning bolts bombarded him at once. No matter how tough the Chimera body he possessed was, the lightning spellpletely obliterated it into nothing. Erin felt a touch of warmth on her cheek. It didn¡¯t alert her. Rather, she smiled gently at the sensation. The Spirits were returning but it still wasn¡¯t enough to form a spell. ¡°Give up, Ba¡¯al. The Spirits are returning. Once enough has gathered, you won¡¯t survive.¡± ¡°If I... unleash my... miasma, that endeavour... of yours... would be... useless,¡± the Necromancer responded, unexpectedly. Erin looked towards the direction of the voice and found he was now inhabiting the body of what she presumed to be a Hobgoblin. She appraised the body and found nothing noteworthy to be worried about. The level of the deceased Hobgoblin was only level fifteen. But she did wonder why he chose this body. ¡°If you can do that, you would already have done so. I know your nature. I know your kind. You can¡¯t bluff your way out of this, Ba¡¯al. You have lost, that is the reality.¡± Ba¡¯al chuckled. ¡°That is... not my reality¡­ You¡­ underestimated me¡­ I have not¡­ lost,¡± he said and stuck his hands into his own body. He cried out in pain but he stuck his hands deeper. He began to utter an ominous chant. Erin quickly closed their distance and shed him in half. ¡°You¡¯re slow, Vixen...¡± he said and cackled. The miasma within his body began to leak out. At first, she was worried about the miasma scaring the Spirits away but the miasma was so dense that it leaked out in the form of fluids. ¡°Try stopping this...¡± he taunted. The miasma spread and sought out all the carcasses in the room. ¡°What did you do!?¡± Erin shouted. ¡°If I die¡­ I¡¯m taking you with me...¡± Suicide explosion was the first thing that entered Erin¡¯s mind but the red lightning thatprised his soul was only weakening instead of expanding, an inverse sign of an explosion. The miasma wrapped around the carcasses and pulled them into the darkness that was slowly expanding with Ba¡¯al in the centre. Erin leapt back to where Aedan was and prepared for what was toe. She swallowed a lump as a familiar and dreadful feeling brushed her skin. It was the same feeling when she was fighting against the Demon, Ashen Knight. ¡°No way¡­ Demon summoning¡­ and he¡¯s using himself as the vessel?¡± Erin knew next to nothing about Demon. She didn¡¯t know the signs of a Demon summoning and what was needed to summon a Demon. Herck of relevant knowledge had led to this bleak development. The darkness covered Ba¡¯al whole, slowly moulding him into a form that Erin could not recognize. ¡°Aedan... Are you done yet?!¡± Erin asked urgently. ¡°Demon summoning...¡± Aedan said, out of a sudden. ¡°That¡¯s unexpected¡­ his Patron God will be most unpleased.¡± ¡°Screw his Patron God. How do you intend for me to stop this thing?¡± ¡°Spirit Magic is our only choice now. Thank god he didn¡¯t disperse the miasma into the air.¡± ¡°How close are you?¡± ¡°Very close. Just a few more minutes.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think we have a few minutes,¡± Erin said, grimly. "Seconds, then." The darkness finished moulding Ba¡¯al and it seeped back into his body, revealing a quadruped with half of its flesh seemingly made out of shadows. Erin couldn¡¯t think of any beast or animal the creature in front of her resembled. When she Appraised the creature, she understood that Ba¡¯al was no longer alive. The abomination in front of her was apletely different being, a Demon. [Experience gained +10% - Level Progression: 39%] At the same time she received that notification, she felt the air around her had somehow lightened. She was able to breathe much easier and her surrounding seemed to start singing a sweet melody to her. The Spirits had gathered. ¡°Done,¡± Aedan said. He opened his eyes and stood up. ¡°This is truly unexpected...¡± ¡°Can we still use the same n?¡± ¡°Of course, we can. It¡¯s a Demon. Demons are vulnerable to Spirits...¡± ¡°I feel a ¡°but¡± following.¡± Aedan chuckled. ¡°But¡­ this Demon most probably won¡¯t just stand there and let us drenched it with Essence me.¡± ¡°Do you have another n then?¡± ¡°Simple. I lock its movements and you attack it with Spirit Magic.¡± ¡°Sounds simple enough.¡± ¡°Things always sound simpler than they actually are.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t care,¡± Erin dered. ¡°I have enough of this. This will be hisst surprise. I¡¯ll use Mystic de if I have to.¡± ¡°Well then,¡± Aedan cracked his knuckles, ¡°what else are we waiting for?¡± Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Five-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 31 | Status: Mild Exhaustion Might: 22 | Arcane: 41 | Finesse: 36 Magic Arts Spirit Magic Lv. 8 | Arcane Edge Lv. 5 | Arcane Armor Lv. 10 | Lightning Magic Lv. 10 | Arcane Aegis Lv. 7 | Mystic Tail Arts Lv 1 Combat Arts Sword Art Lv. 8 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 5 Innate Skills Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 8 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex | Mana Harvest Lv. 1 | Lightning Resistance Lv. 1 Unique Talent Mystic de Lv. Ex | Revenant Lv. Ex Level Progression: 39% Remaining Skill Points: 2 Remaining Ability Points: 0 2-61 Night鈥檚 end I 2-61 Night¡¯s end I Deep into the dark of the night, the defence of Quinteburgh was slowly reaching its conclusion. But before that, the devastation was sweeping past the brave defenders''st breath and stand. Spells of various elements bombarded the Razor Grizzly. Immediately after, fighters charged right up into its reach. Swords, axes, polearms, maces, and other arrays of weapons clobbered its tough hide. Some drew a deep cut, some drew a shallow scratch, and some couldn¡¯t even reach their target. The Razor Grizzly was quick for something of its size. A single swing of its paw was enough to kill the average man. Desperation and despair filled the brave defenders¡¯ expressions. The Razor Grizzly swung with its whole body, sending everyone in its vicinity flying away. It was also then the second andst line of defence fell. A horn was sounded. ¡°Fallback!¡± the Guild Master, Edith Rosemary, shouted. The Razor Grizzly took a swipe and took along a huge portion of the ground and the lives of many soldiers and adventurers. The situation had escted into a dire state. The Undeads had all been in but the Razor Grizzly persisted strongly. A single monster brought ruin and despair to all the brave warriors who stood against the uneven odds but their bravery and efforts, in the end, amounted to next to nothing. ¡°Fallback?¡± Lyra questioned, her hands did not stop once in releasing arrows at the Razor Grizzly despite her arrows had never managed to pierce through its skin. ¡°What of the Grizzly?¡± The arrows flew fast and straight but against the Razor Grizzly¡¯s tough hide, they only bounced off. In fact, only a few attacks had managed to harm it. Most were just mere nudges to itsrge physique. Still, these futile attempts did provoke the Razor Grizzly¡¯s ire, causing it to unleash red lightning upon its attackers. The mages¡¯ magic barriers could only do so much against the might of the Razor Grizzly. Rosemary clicked her tongue at such a sight. ¡°I will stay and hold the Grizzly back. The rest of you will retreat beyond the gates.¡± ¡°You want us to leave you behind?¡± Joshua asked with a straight face. ¡°That¡¯s not happening, Guild Master?¡± ¡°The second line of defence has fallen. They are locking the gates as we speak. If you stay here, you will be locked out of the city.¡± The Razory Grizzly roared, unleashing a burst of red lightning at its attackers. Defensive spells from mages fell quickly and the shields of the fighters melted against such force and intensity. Many were wounded and not a small number perished from that single attack. ¡°Your heroism is much appreciated, Edith,¡± Iris remarked. ¡°But I concur with Joshua. Leaving you behind while we scuttled to our safety is just¡­ not the kind of person I am. I dislike owning such a huge debt, especially a debt that will never allow me to repay it.¡± Rosemary looked at Iris with an expression of disbelief. Her gaze went to Joshua and then to Lyra, who all bore the same resolute eyes as Iris. ¡°That¡¯s right, Guild Master. If even a merchant is willing to stay and fight, then how could adventurers like us be willing to run away to safety ourselves?¡± a wounded and bleeding adventurer shouted. The other remaining soldiers and adventurers cheered in unison. In the face of certain death, not even they had the galls to run away now. If they retreated to safety while a merchant was willing to stay behind to defend a city that wasn¡¯t even theirs, these adventurers and soldiers would never be able to regain their honour and integrity. Worst, they could even be trialled for their cowardice, While Rosemary was looking for words to persuade them into retreating to safety, the sound of the gates closing shut reeled her back to reality. ¡°Well, looks like retreating is no longer an option now,¡± Iris said with a nonchnt tone. ¡°Your bravery ismendable, Lady Iris,¡± Rosemary praised but a sigh followed. ¡°But how do you intend on stopping the Razor Grizzly? We have wounded it to the verge of death. We have cut off its limbs for God knows how many times. Its head has rolled more times than the fingers I have on one hand. It recovered from everything we did to it. The Razor Grizzly before us is now different from an Undead. At least even an Undead could be killed from decapitation.¡± The Razor Grizzly was about to unleash another devastating attack but a few swift cuts from Silva, Joshua¡¯s golem puppet, disrupted its aim and focus. The premature devastating attack ended up harming the Razor Grizzly itself. Normally, this would spell the end for the Grizzly but after a few seconds of respite, the grave wounds on the Grizzly all closed up on their own as if time had been rewinded. ¡°Tenacious fellow,¡± Joshua remarked. ¡°Silva, retreat.¡± The golem puppet nodded and moved to Joshua¡¯s side with a single leap. Before anyone could ask for Joshua¡¯s reason to order his golem puppet to retreat, he exined, ¡°Silva is low on Mana. If it takes another hit from the Grizzly, it will be destroyed.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you replenish its Mana then?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°Replenishing it in the middle of a battle will put me in a vulnerable state.¡± ¡°I am of the same state as the poor golem,¡± Iris said. Iris and Silva had been vital in preventing the Razor Grizzly from advancing. Iris¡¯ mastery of Shadow Magic and Silva¡¯s swift and lethal cut were the reasons the Razor Grizzly took this long to break through the second line of defence. In fact, the Razor Grizzly would never be a match for the two if it wasn¡¯t undying. The shadows that constricted the Razor Grizzly¡¯s every move was torn asunder. The Grizzly suffered grave wounds with its forceful method of freeing itself but with its undying state, it paid no heed to its own recklessness. ¡°I thank both of you, all of you, for your efforts,¡± Rosemary praised. She stepped forward, standing in front of others. ¡°Now, please kindly get behind me. It would be a shame to get my own allies caught in my spells.¡± ¡°Guild Master?¡± the adventurers and soldiers blurted out in confusion. Once the Razor Grizzly had recovered from its wound, it charged straight at Rosemary with red lightning enveloping its huge body. Rosemary produced a cane from the back of her robes and conjured a pale blue magic circle at the tip of the cane. ¡°Water Cannon!¡± she shouted. ¡°Was that necessary?¡± Lyra questioned in her heart. Nivia and Erin were the only people she had seen using magic but neither the two had ever shouted the name of the spells they were using out loud. Balls of high-density waters shot out from the pale blue magic circles. Although those spells didn¡¯t do much against the Razor Grizzly, they did manage to push it back. ¡°Aqua Pirs,¡± Rosemary muttered. Pirs made of water erupted around the Razor Grizzly, trapping its movements. When the Grizzly iled around, the water pirs exploded. Lyra could even feel the force of the explosions from here. The Razor Grizzly roared angrily and charged at Rosemary but she calmly waved her cane around and uttered the next spell, ¡°Tidal Barrage.¡± Magic Circles formed above her and streams of pressurized water poured out from these circles. The Razor Grizzly struggled desperately against the strong current but the force of the rushing waters triumphed against its strength. Deep cuts were drawn on its skin and the water also carried it far away from the gate. Rosemary fell to one knee. The others immediately approached her to help but she waved them away. ¡°Just stay back, all of you.¡± ¡°Will you be fine, Guild Master?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°I may not be in my prime any longer but this is nothing. I¡¯ll be fine when I finish my work. Water Prison!¡± she shouted. Water formed out of the air and shaped itself into a container around the Razor Grizzly. The Grizzly tried to pry its way out with its paws but no matter how hard itshed, the Grizzly stayed imprisoned. It bellowed in rage and unleashed the red lightning from its body wildly but all that was of no avail. ¡°Ha!¡± Rosemary heaved a loud breath and raised her arms. The Water Prison containing the Razor Grizzly flew up high into the sky. Gasps of awes came from the adventurers and soldiers. Iris whistled in admiration. Lyra simply stared dazedly. ¡°Impressive,¡± Joshua praised. Once Rosemary had sent the trapped Grizzly as far high up as she could manage, she lowered her arms, willing the trapped Grizzly back down. With Gravity and the force of Rosemary¡¯s spell, the strength of the fall¡¯s impact was drastically enhanced. As the Grizzly hit the ground, a wave of force rippled from the epicentre. The mass of flesh and blood scattered everywhere with the impact. The limbs flew in all directions and the headnded right before Rosemary. A faint growl could be heard from the lone head of the Razor Grizzly. ¡°Most impressive,¡± Joshua added. ¡°Indeed,¡± Iris nodded. ¡°Such a simple spell but as expected of you, Edith. I heard tell of your many exploits and I¡¯m beginning to believe they weren¡¯t exaggerations.¡± ¡°This should buy us some time,¡± Rosemary said, ignoring Iris¡¯ remarks. ¡°Everyone, rest up. Take a long breather. It will take the Razor Grizzly some time to recover.¡± Hearing this, Lyra finally released her firm grip on her bow. Ever since the battle began, she had not let her bow out of her hands. She feared she would lose to her fear and ran if she did. She knew perfectly well how needless her contributions were. Amongst her acquaintances, she was nothing and this battle further proved her self-doubts. While she did have some passion for adventuring, a battle like this was never something she had expected. If it wasn¡¯t for Erin and Celia, she doubted she would stay and fight. ¡°Are you alright?¡± someone asked her. When she looked up from the boulder she sat down on, it was none other than the Guild Master. Lyra nodded. ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just¡­ this is the firstrge-scale battle I have participated in.¡± ¡°Really? I heard you did tremendously well in yourst excursion. I read the reports. Your skills are noteworthy.¡± ¡°You jest, Guild Master. I¡¯m nothingpared to your feat.¡± Rosemary smiled wryly. ¡°That was an empty performance of ady past her prime, Miss Lyra. I have exhausted myself just from a few spells. I probably can¡¯t use any significant Magic Arts for a week.¡± ¡°Even so, it was better than my performance.¡± Lyra cast her gaze down. ¡°My arrows couldn¡¯t even scratch the Razor Grizzly. My presence is of no help.¡± ¡°That does not matter, Miss Lyra. What matters is your heart. In spite of knowing your skills, you didn¡¯t falter. You didn¡¯t run away. That¡¯s the first step. You have shown your resolve. I have seen plenty of people with strength butcking the will and resolve. When faced with even an ounce of hardship, they surrendered without even trying.¡± ¡°I will take your constion to heart, Guild Master.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no constion, Miss Lyra. I merely spoke the truth. I know you feel inferior in thepany of the likes of Lady Erinthea but she is a Fae and she is much older than she looks.¡± Lyra tittered. ¡°You¡¯re still young. You have plenty of room for growth. Keep that in mind, alright?¡± Lyra nodded. Just as the air began to mellow, circumstances took a sharp turn. ¡°Edith, something¡¯s happening,¡± Iris spoke with a firm tone. That was enough to send everyone into alert. Everyone followed Iris¡¯ gaze and theynded on the Razor Grizzly. Parts of the huge monster were squirming and struggling to piece themselves together but now, they had stopped. The mangled corpse ceased all movements and the wounds no longer showed any sign of recovery. ¡°Strange...¡± Joshua muttered. ¡°I no longer sensed any life force emanating from the Razor Grizzly.¡± Lyra cocked her gaze to Rosemary. ¡°Guild Master¡­ did you¡ª¡± ¡°Impossible. I didn¡¯t do anything else other than dropping it from the sky. Whatever happened, it¡¯s not me.¡± ¡°Then it must be the caster himself, no?¡± Iris suggested. Lyra¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Erin¡­ did you seed?¡± ¡°Perhaps our dear Erin had seeded in eliminating the Necromancer? This seems like the most probable reason.¡± ¡°A single Fae that was nowhere even near the level of thirty is able to brave the challenges of The Singrity and slew the mastermind living in the depths. This sounds like a tall tale, Lady Iris,¡± Joshua said. ¡°If it¡¯s her, it¡¯s possible,¡± Lyra said. ¡°She¡¯s special. You can¡¯t deny that, Mister Joshua.¡± ¡°I know she¡¯s special, Miss Lyra but the threat of The Singrity is unprecedented. Even if it¡¯s her, I don¡¯t have the confidence.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter now. The Razor Grizzly is no longer moving. It¡¯s dead. This stands to reason that the Necromancer is in,¡± Rosemary said. ¡°Lady Iris, could I trouble you in assessing the other gates¡¯ situation with your shadow Familiars?¡± ¡°No trouble at all, Edith,¡± Iris replied with a smile but unlike her usualposed smile, there was a slight twitch in the corner of her lips. ¡°Thank you, Lady Iris. Let¡¯s just hope the others are faring better than us.¡± 2-62 Night鈥檚 end II 2-62 Night¡¯s end II Prior to the death of the Necromancer at his own hands and the sudden quietus of the Razor Grizzly, the west gate wasn¡¯t the only side that was caught in a plight. The other gates had its fair shares of troubles. These were the circumstances of the north gate. A Wight with a ming axe, devastated the entire group of defenders, leaving only the ckwood twins to defend the gate all by themselves. The Dire Wolves and Serks were no more but most of the numbers weren¡¯t quelled by the twins but at the burning edge of the indiscriminating Wight. It had no regard for its own allies and its objective wasn¡¯t the town but seemingly whoever came to fight it. The Wight had every opportunity to ignore the twins and went straight for the gate and no one could have stopped it. But it did none of those. Its entire attention was focused on the twins. ¡°Wrev, can you still fight?¡± Siv asked. ¡°You jest, sister,¡± Wrev answered with a ragged voice. ¡°Of course, I can. This much is nothing.¡± Though he said that, the wounds on him couldn¡¯t be considered as shallow. He underestimated the Wight. Everything that he knew about a Wight could not be applied to the one he was facing. It was faster and stronger, and most of all, more tenacious. Though the Wight was faster and stronger, it still wasn¡¯t faster than the ckwood siblings. It had received plenty of their attacks from their ws and weapons but none of those could be considered significant. It had a hole through its chest but that wound showed no sign of weakening it. Couple with the fact that an Undead had no need for rest, the Wight eventually overwhelmed the two siblings in battle. It had done quite a bit of damage unto the two. The silver lining was that the two didn¡¯t need to worry about bleeding out as a cut from the Wight¡¯s ming axe instantly cauterized the wound. Siv looked at her brother with a narrowed gaze. ¡°You¡¯re missing two fingers and your ribs are broken.¡± ¡°I have been worse, sister,¡± Wrev said, forcing a smile. ¡°You have but that was a proper duel with rules and such.¡± ¡°I can still fight, Siv.¡± He tried to stand but his foot could barely find its bnce. Siv sighed. ¡°No,¡± she said. ¡°Stay and recover. I will handle the Wight.¡± ¡°But Siv¡ª¡± Siv did not listen anymore and charged right at the slowly approaching Wight. She was still in her Beast Form. A murky ck aura coated her. Her nails became ws. Her teeth became fangs. Her hair grew past her knees. A dark grey painted her eyes. Aside from the obvious increment to her strength, speed, and senses, Beast Form allowed her to use what wasmonly known as Mystic Arts. It was still unclear as to the differences between Magic Arts and Mystic Arts. Some had said Mystic Arts to be a raw form of Magic Arts. Some believed Mystic Arts to be the origin of Magic Arts. Then again, the differences mattered none to Siv. Siv swiped her ws, sending out waves of Aura Shots at the Wight. It made no effort to dodge or defend and straight-up received the attacks. The attacks pushed it back considerably but it showed no sign of being hurt in its rotten deadpan expression. Siv moved in and dodged under its ming axe. She swung her polearm with an axe-de head and only then did the Wight bothered to block the attack. Siv retreated away from the Wight¡¯s reach and shot out a beam of ck energy with a shout. The beam tossed the Wight further away from the gate but it was back to its feet within seconds. It showed no response to its seared flesh from the attack. When the Wight looked like it was making a retaliation move, Siv closed in and aimed for its head. The Wight¡¯s gaze was straight but it knew of Siv¡¯s intent even though she was in its blind spot. Itzily nted its head and her attack missed its neck. This was how the battle had been going. The Wight allowed attacks to harm him but any attacks that could threaten to dismember him, only then it would defend itself. The Wight did get decapitated but it was still moving. Yet, it avoided having its body parts cut off despite being able to survive the process. Siv came to the conclusion; there was a limit to how many times it could survive being dismembered or decapitated. Still, reality was often harsher than what was depicted in one¡¯s thoughts. The Wight only had its head lopped off twice and its right arm cut off once. Despite having a body of rotting flesh, the skin and flesh were harder than one would expect. Siv had managed to take a swipe at its back but all that did was leaving a shallow scratch that the Wight merely shrugged it off. ¡°Gotta take this Wight down fast¡­ Beast Form wouldn¡¯tst forever...¡± In addition, Siv was losing her speed and strength to her building exhaustion but an Undead had no such concerns. The longer the fight went on, the higher the chance of her loss. With every second that passed, the Wight¡¯s swings only seemed heavier and faster. In the midst of her exhaustion and her injuries, a mistake was bound to be made. And it happened. She took a wrong step. Her bnce was thrown off by her own misstep. Even the Wight could tell this was an opportunity and it took it. With its ming axe raised, it swung with intensity. Siv could only watch as her demise greeted her one-sidedly. ¡°Siv!¡± a shouted came from none other than her brother, Wrev. In his Beast Form, he shortened the distance between him and the battle in seconds. He arrived in between the Wight and Siv. He brought his sword up to block the ming axe. As he expected, the de shattered like ss in the face of the Wight¡¯s strength and ming axe. However, the Wight¡¯s attack trajectory was veered ever so slightly. Instead of his face, the ming axe imed his right arm. ¡°Wrev!¡± Siv shouted. Wrev cried out his pain and battle spirit. He knew his end was decided at that moment but he refused to let fate im him without any struggle. Gathering all his strength into his fist, he sent a straight punch with his left fist into the Wight¡¯s face. The punch was so strong that it tore the Wight¡¯s head off from its neck and broke almost all of Wrev¡¯s knuckles. ¡°I¡¯m not done yet!¡± He roared and bit down on the Wight¡¯s right arm. With all his might, he tore its right arm off its shoulder. He finished with a straight kick that sent the Wight stumbling away from them. The corpses strewn aroung the battlefield tripped the Wight¡¯s bnce and to the soil it fell on. Having exhausted hisst ounce of strength and vigour, Wrev copsed to the ground. Siv wanted to rush to her brother and treat his wounds but the Wight was already back on its feet and slowly limping towards them. The loss of its head and right arm had only raised its ire. Siv didn¡¯t think Undeads were capable of emotion but the Wight in front of her was clenching its fist, trembling. But in the next moment, the Wight stopped moving and fell face-first into the ground. ¡°Wh-what?¡± Siv blurted out in confusion. She did not let her guard down immediately. She traced her gaze on the unmoving Wight. After a few minutes had passed, only then she heaved a long sigh. Relief swept over and she fell to her knees. ¡°We won, Wrev,¡± she muttered. ¡°Wrev?¡± She looked over her shoulder after receiving no response from her brother. Wrev was still justying on the ground but his eyes were closed and there was no rise and fall of his chest. ¡°W-Wrev¡­¡± Siv¡¯s voice shook. **** The north, west, and south gate was holding strong. Though the defenders were losing, they managed to prevent the monsters from reaching the gate despite crossing the second line of defence. However, the same couldn¡¯t be said for the east gate. Goblins were at the front of the gate, swinging their weapons wildly in hopes to broke therge obstacle down. At the helm of the Goblin horde, was a Goblin Warlock. ¡°Edmund!!¡± Velrin shouted. It was not a cry of despair but one of indignance and rage. Surrounded on all sides by Goblins, she fought desperately while she seethed with a vengeful fury. As if responding to her wrath, her Abyss Magic moved like a raging fire in the wind. Exhausting thest bit of her mana, she culled the Goblin horde into half of the original amount. Right from the start, Velrin had known this was in all likelihood, a suicide task. Without knowing the extent of the enemy¡¯s capabilities, many ouws with unknown levels of abilities were gathered as the defence force. If the survival rate was high, it would mean the court would have to pardon not a small number of criminals. No way the court would allow something along those lines to happen. Still, this was their chance at a fresh beginning. However, everything fell apart with the appearance of a rare variant of Goblins, a Goblin Warlock. It wielded magic like no monsters Velrin had evere across. In fact, the magic it used resembled was much too refined for a monster. There was precision in its attacks. It didn¡¯t even fell for the feints Velrin had set up. The Goblin Warlock wasn¡¯t a problem by itself. Even though it was a formidable fighter by itself, it still possessed the weakness of all spell casters. Casters were at their most vulnerable when they were casting spells. That said, the problem was the Goblin army itmanded. It had dozens at its beckon. But the cause of the defeat of the east gate was the cowardice of one person, Edmund. Velrin had a n. She was sure that with the abilities of her allies, the n wouldn¡¯t be difficult to execute. However, she trusted the wrong person. Witnessing the power of the Goblin Warlock, he instead used his own allies as bait while he ran from the battlefield. The n fell apart and so did the defence. The soldiers from inside the walls quickly ordered the gate to be shut. The criminals pleaded but the fear drowned out the soldiers¡¯ mercy. The confusion allowed the Goblin Warlock to overwhelm them and ughter them all. Only Velrin survived but even she wondered how long she wouldst in this despairing situation. Even if she had Abyss Magic, her Mana and stamina weren¡¯t bottomless. At present, Velrin was making herst stand with a short sword in her trembling right hand. Blood was trickling down all over her body. The Goblins¡¯ attacks were weak and shallow but with their numbers, her small wounds eventually umted into a dire state. Even if she sessfully repel all the Goblins, she had lost too much blood. The Goblins were staying their distance. It was unlike them to be cautious but they had a leader now and their leader ordered them to be vignt. They had seen what Velrin was capable of. Even without her magic, she had managed to take the lives of a few Goblins. It was due to her level increments that shested this long by herself. This was why the Goblins did not carelessly approach Velrin. They had the number advantage but their numbers were only a few. They weren¡¯tplete Undeads. They died the moment they were turned into the Necromancers¡¯ thralls. They weren¡¯t raised from their graves like normal Undeads. Therefore, they still retained their own senses. Fear and survival were still primal factors in their veins. ¡°Curse you, Edmund¡­ Curse you...¡± The Goblins took a step away when they saw the fire in her eyes and the contorted expression she painted on her face. At her dying breaths, the promise of vengeance dominated her mind but there was still room for the light of her life, her brother. ¡°Velkan¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ I couldn¡¯t¡­ fulfil my promise...¡± The Goblin Warlock had long turned its attention to the gate, leaving Velrin to its minions. It understood there was nothing more that Velrin could do before she bled out. It knew this much of human anatomy even though it was just a Goblin. This was possible because of its master, the Necromancer. The Goblin Warlock was a mere Goblin at the beginning. In exchange for bing the Necromancer¡¯s thrall, it became a Goblin Warlock. And it was further promised that if the siege of Quinteburgh was sessful, it would be given knowledge and more power. It was simply more than what a simple monster, a Goblin, could ever dream of. But everything came to an end in an instance. The Goblin Warlock felt the blessings from its master were all drained from its body. Disbelief dyed its face but its gaze turned hollow as its life departed along with the Necromancer¡¯s spell. ¡°I¡¯ll be damned...¡± Velrin eximed with the remaining strength within her. She couldn¡¯t believe her eyes as all the Goblins surrounding her instantly fell to the ground and they just stopped moving, as if their souls were sucked out of their bodies. She wanted to celebrate but the loss of her blood did not allow her such luxury. She could only sit down and wait for her time toe. 2-63 End of bind 2-63 End of bind Erin could tell the Demon before her was inferior to the Ashen Knight but somehow, she felt a sense of unease. The Demon was only level twenty-six and judging by the absence of glint in its gaze, Erin understood it did not possess the intelligence the Ashen Knight had. It hadn¡¯t even spoken a word but only growled and snarled at Erin and Aedan. Despite its dim impression, the Demon eyed the pair with vignce and a slight tinge of fear. ¡°What kind of Demon is this?¡± Erin asked. ¡°A young one. Demons gain proper intelligence once they mature.¡± ¡°How long would that take?¡± ¡°A few hundred years?¡± Aedan answered with a shrug. ¡°Whoa, that¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯sing!¡± Aedan¡¯s shout interrupted Erin¡¯s response. The Demon lunged at the two after choosing fight over flight. Its raised paw erged as it prepared to swing. Erin and Aedan hopped to the sides, left and right respectively. The Demon¡¯s ws carved into the ground where the two had stood. Between the two, the Demon snapped its head to Erin. It understood Erin to be the weaker of the two. It bared its mouth wide open and from within, Erin saw a bubbling and expanding orb of dark red light. ¡°Erin, Spirit Armor!¡± Aedan shouted. At the beckon of her Sixth Sense and Aedan¡¯s warning, Erin d herself in Spirit Armor instead of Arcane Armor. The bubbling orb of red light in the Demon¡¯s mouth was unleashed in the form of a condensed and straight beam. It reminded Erin of a high-pressure water spray, capable of even cutting metals. The red beam drew across her chest and sent her tumbling away but her Spirit Armor protected her from being sliced apart. ¡°What in the name just h-happened...?¡± Erin groaned. Before the Demon could unleash another attack, Aedan came from behind and mmed his fist down on the Demon. But his fist found only the empty ground. Aedan looked up to the ceiling, where the Demon had retreated to. It remainedtched on the ceiling using its sharp ws. Its mouth bared wide open, preparing to unleash its attack, but Aedan was faster. This time, it failed to see Aedaning despite being a frontal assault. It was more precise to say Aedan fooled the Demon into thinking he was slower than it. This was why the Demon couldn¡¯t escape from being pulverized by Aedan¡¯s fist, or that would have happened if it wasn¡¯t for its ability to split itself into six pieces and slip away from Aedan¡¯s fist. The six split parts slithered through the air and reconvened in a spot far away from the two. ¡°Careful, Erin! This one is tricky!¡± Aedan cautioned as hended on his feet. ¡°I can see that!¡± Erin retorted. ¡°Then again, all Demons are tricky in their own rights.¡± Erin rolled her eyes. Aedan closed the distance in a blink of an eye between him and the Demon. He reached out to grab the Demon but it once again split into six parts and reconvened into one right behind Aedan. It spat out a ball of dark red energy. Before the ball even touched Aedan, it turned into an explosion that consumed both Aedan and the Demon itself. Though the explosion shook the room and sent rocks flying everywhere, the two came out unscathed. Aedan gave the signal for Erin to act and at the same time, he moved in to grab the Demon¡¯s neck and its frontal right limb before it could split itself. As Erin closed in on the Demon and prepared Essence re in her palm, a slit appeared on the back of the Demon¡¯s body. The slit opened up to reveal itself as a mouth with a bubbling orb of red light within. ¡°Fuck¡ª¡± was all Erin could say before the beam tossed her to the far side of the room. ¡°Damn it!¡± Aedan cursed but he didn¡¯t loosen his grasp on the Demon. A simr thing happened at the front of the Demon¡¯s body. A slit appeared and opened up into a mouth. But before it could unleash the beam, Aedan mmed the Demon into the ground. He proceeded to rain punches down on the Demon. He knew his punches wouldn¡¯t give any actual damage to the Demon but they could stall for time until Erin recovered. Meanwhile, Erin was slowly making her way out of the wall she was thrown into. The Spirit Armor protected her but it was still strong enough to send her flying. ¡°Erin, it¡¯sing your way!¡± She heard Aedan¡¯s words and scattered Essence re in front of her. The Demon stopped short of touching the cyan mes and scuttled away from her. ¡°Don¡¯t you have any magic scrolls that could make this whole thing easier?¡± Erin asked. ¡°I have dozens but they cost too much just to y one lesser Demon,¡± Aedan answered. ¡°Besides, the Necromancer is dead. With their master gone, the thralls would die too. Celia will be fine now. We¡¯ll just need to y this Demon and get the Mist Pearls.¡± ¡°Easier said than done, Aedan. This Demon is too crafty.¡± ¡°That¡¯s how Demons are. Each Demon is different. They have their own tricks that make them difficult to handle. If you¡¯re taking on a Demon alone, you need to be at least ten levels above it. Twenty, to be on the safe side.¡± ¡°That sounds incredibly arduous.¡± ¡°Why else do you think the religious orders hold so much power?¡± Erin grumbled dryly as a response. The Demon was watching the two closely all the while they were conversing. It wasn¡¯t moving. It understood its powerlessness against the pair. It wanted to escape but its primal instinct as a Demon dictated it to stand and fight, true to their nature as being which brought menace and destruction to everywhere they trod. ¡°Are you sure you have nothing that could make this fight easier?¡± Erin asked once more but with a narrow gaze directed at Aedan. ¡°...I do have something, I guess?¡± Aedan shrugged. ¡°I hold the Demon down, scatter the Spirit bait around us, and you set both of us up on mes with Essence re.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying that cyan powder is mmable to Essence re?¡± ¡°Like how Gray Spores are mmable to fire, yes.¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have done that from the beginning?¡± ¡°Though Spirit bait isn''t as expensive as the magic scrolls I have, they are still valuable nheless.¡± Erin cast her gaze on the unmoving Demon. ¡°We have a Demon to y here.¡± ¡°I can see that¡­¡± Aedan said, rubbing his chin with his forefinger and thumb. ¡°You know, this is a good opportunity for you, Erin.¡± ¡°Good opportunity?¡± ¡°This Demon is neither too weak nor too strong. It¡¯s just right for your level. And we¡¯re in a ce where no one else could get hurt. What better way to learn about Demons than to fight one yourself? And time is no longer against you since our dear Necromancer is no longer with us. Of course, I¡¯ll step in if you take too long.¡± ¡°And how long would that be?¡± ¡°A few hours? Three or four?¡± Erin sighed. She wanted to return as soon as possible but there was truth in Aedan¡¯s words, as always. The road ahead would only get harder and harder. There would bound to be a lot of unknown variables in the future and this was an opportunity for her to gain knowledge on some of these unknown variables. ¡°What say you, Erin?¡± ¡°...Fine,¡± Erin answered. ¡°Three hours. I¡¯ll allow myself three hours. If I can¡¯t defeat the Demon then, promise me you will kill it even if you have to use that precious powder of yours.¡± Aedan drew a cross on the left side of his chest. ¡°Cross my heart.¡± ¡°Well then...¡± Erin dispelled Spirit Armor and cast Essence re on her de. ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡± It was unwise to fight without the appropriate armour but the Spirits were severely limited. She needed to be prudent with the usage of her Spirit Magic. When the Demon saw Erin making her move, it extended its frontal limbs out and swung at her. Erin leapt over its arms and closed their distance with Fleet Foot and Lightning Rush. However, as she did so, the cyan mes on her de disappeared. Her bared-de sh left only a shallow cut on the Demon that didn¡¯t even draw any blood. The Demon sneered and unleashed the beam at the cursing Erin. Erin tilted her head sideways and avoided the deadly beam. Before she couldunch another attack, the Demon hopped away from her. It grabbed the rocks scattered about and threw them at Erin. She swiftly and cleanly cut all the rocks down but at thest rock slice apart, the Demon surprised her with its ws. She took a step back and dodged the swipe. She took a step forward and struck back with Lightning Rush and her de d in Arcane Edge. As expected, the Demon had slithered away with its malleable body. There were two reasons she did not attack with Essence re just now. First, she knew her strike would not hit her target. Second, Essence re wasn¡¯t easy to use in tandem with other skills and spells. The shallow amount of Spirits made all manners of Spirit Magic unstable. So to say, Spirit Magic could not be used with other magic. This was a ring issue but Erin refused to let it be her bane. On the surface, Erin¡¯s prospects of victory darkened but the grin forming on her face spelt the contrary. Though Demons had some crafty tricks, Erin discerned amon behaviour in them. She closed in on the Demon with Lightning Rush and Fleet Foot but left her de bared. The Demon stayed unmoving and received Erin¡¯s bare de. A shallow cut formed on its face and then it retaliated with spikes protruding from its whole body. Erin narrowly avoided the spikes and countered with a cut that ended in a sh, slicing away all the spikes. Lightning coated her de. The Demon turned wide-eyed and backed away from Erin but she stayed on the Demon. Even though such magic could not mortally wound the Demon, it could still be hurt and it could still feel the pain. The Demon had an expression of disbelief as Erin followed its every move and manoeuvre. It attacked in the most inconspicuous manner but Erin, as if she had seen iting from far away, dodged those attacks gracefully. With Lightning Rush, Erin stayed close to the Demon, giving it no window to escape. Erin felt her Mana draining at a rapid rate but this would all be worth it, she convinced herself so. Erin managed to catch the Demon vulnerable moment in the flurry and set it aze with Essence re. The Demon shrieked with a piercing cry. It turned one of its limbs into a sharp edge and sliced off the part that was burning with cyan mes. It quickly regrew the part that was lost. ¡°Well, that¡¯s not fair...¡± Erin remarked with curled lips. ¡°You are truly difficult to deal with.¡± The Demon smirked with confidence at the irked Erin but it immediately frowned when it saw the change in the Fox-kin¡¯s expression. Erin looked at her hands and realized she was still d in lightning. She grinned. ¡°Difficult¡­ but not impossible.¡± The frown on the Demon¡¯s face deepened as Erin¡¯s grin widened. She shed at the Demon with her bare de,nding shallow cuts here and there but the Demon showed no sign of avoiding or defending itself. But the moment she used Arcane Edge, the Demon reeled itself away. She surprised the Demon by throwing an Aura Shot. The Demon dodged the projectile by splitting itself up into two and reforming back into at the same spot. Erin took this chance and closed the gap between them. The Demon pulled itself away from the predator-looking Erin but thebination of her Fleet Foot skill and Lightning Rush spell allowed her to stay on the Demon. She deactivated every other spell and summoned Essence re unto her de. The Demon saw the shing and split itself into six before slithering away. Erin¡¯s eyes traced the split parts of the Demon. She did not follow their movement but instead, she judged their destination. She produced a Storm ive into her hands. She twirled the spell weapon and raised it into the air in preparation. When the six parts of the Demon began to reconvene at the spot Erin had predicted she threw The Storm ive. ¡°Check¡ª¡± Erin muttered to herself. Her face bloomed with certainty. She quickly summoned cyan mes unto her de. In the corner of her eyes, she saw Aedan smiling and lightly pping his hands. ¡°Well done,¡± she heard him say. As the Demon reconvened back into one, the Demon slightly nted its body and avoided the spinning ive of lightning by a hair¡¯s breadth. The Demon snorted and taunted Erin with a low growl. Erin chuckled briefly and conjured lightning in her palm. Out of a sudden, a single stream of lightning pierced through the Demon¡¯s body and halted its retreat. It could not see where the lightning came from. All it knew was that the lightning appeared out of nowhere. The Demon turned its head slowly behind and saw the lightning stream connecting to the Storm ive that it had dodged just before. This was Lightning Tether. As the name stated, it tethers two nodes of lightning with a stream. The Demon could escape Lightning Tether easily but in doing so, it would tear itself apart, leaving itself immobile regardless. Before the Demon could think of a way to escape that wouldn¡¯t injure itself further, Erin had approached it with Fleet Foot and Lightning Rush. She ced her hand on the Demon¡¯s head and muttered thest word it would hear. ¡°¡ªmate.¡± mes of a gentle cyan engulfed the Demon whole. Now, it had no means of saving itself. It iled around in agony as the mes slowly reduced it into nothing. It cried with a deathly screech but all was in vain. The cyan mes burned everyst bit of the Demon away, leaving not even ashes behind. [Experience gained +70% - Level Progression: 109%] [Erinthea: Level 31 increased to Level 32] [Skill Points gained +2 | 4] [Ability Points gained +2 | 2] [Level Progression: 9%] Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Five-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 32 | Status: Severe Exhaustion Might: 22 | Arcane: 41 | Finesse: 36 Magic Arts Spirit Magic Lv. 8 | Arcane Edge Lv. 5 | Arcane Armor Lv. 10 | Lightning Magic Lv. 10 | Arcane Aegis Lv. 7 | Mystic Tail Arts Lv 1 Combat Arts Sword Art Lv. 8 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 5 Innate Skills Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 7 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex | Mana Harvest Lv. 1 | Lightning Resistance Lv. 1 Unique Talent Mystic de Lv. Ex | Revenant Lv. Ex Level Progression: 9% Remaining Skill Points: 4 Remaining Ability Points: 2 2-64 In faith 2-64 In faith Erin didn¡¯t know when it happened but as she turned around, everything had turned into one single white space that spanned for a distance way past the limits of her sight¡¯s reach. A sense of unease swooped over her. ¡°Aedan?¡± she called out. ¡°Aedan, where are you?¡± Everywhere she turned, everywhere she looked, it was white. Even shadows existed beneath the sole of her feet. She continued to call out for Aedan¡¯s name but her calls were met with silence. ¡°Pipe down, foolish one. He can¡¯t hear ya.¡± A response came. Erin turned around and found a tall pale man in a three-piece suit, sitting on an elegant chair, with a small round table in front of him. He was stirring a cup of tea as he responded to Erin¡¯ cries. His raven-ck hair was neatlybed and swept back. Erin¡¯s hands went for her sabre but only now did she realize she was unarmed. She nced over her shoulders and saw no tails behind her. She pulled a few strands of her hair to her eyes and saw they were still of a bluish silver. She looked down and saw a pair of lumps dangling in front of his sight. She wasn¡¯t in her former body but somehow, her tails were missing. ¡°Why don¡¯t you have a seat first? She¡¯ll be here shortly,¡± the pale man said as he added a few cubes of sugar into his tea. ¡°Who are you?¡± Erin asked. ¡°Who will be here shortly?¡± The man looked up from his tea and stared at Erin. ¡°Haven¡¯t you been here before?¡± At those words, those memories came back. Erin frowned. ¡°Who are you?¡± she asked. This time, it was with conviction. ¡°You can call me Zack.¡± ¡°Zack?¡± Erin raised an eyebrow. ¡°Do all gods have weird names?¡± ¡°I like this name, Zack. It¡¯s not my real name but it¡¯s the only one I¡¯ll give.¡± Erin¡¯s interest in his name had already moved on. She was already ncing around. ¡°Where¡¯s Nyx?¡± she asked. ¡°She¡¯ll be here shortly. She¡¯s handling the affairs of her other Apostles at the moment.¡± ¡°Her other Apostles?¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t tell you?¡± Erin stared with a narrowed gaze. ¡°She didn¡¯t tell you what kind of god she is at all?¡± Erin didn¡¯t offer a response but her expression told Zack plenty. ¡°Typical of Nyx. She always does have a ir for dramas and mysteries.¡± ¡°You still haven¡¯t answered my question, Zack. Who are you?¡± Zack chuckled. ¡°You are indeed different than most. You¡¯re probably the first mortal who is so demanding with a Divine.¡± ¡°Answer the fucking question, Zack.¡± The smile on the pale man disappeared. ¡°Now you are overstepping, mortal. I allow your impertinence the first time but there won¡¯t be a second time.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so scared right now. I¡¯m shaking in my boots,¡± Erin retorted monotonously. Zack rose from his seat, veins popping on his forehead. ¡°Perhaps I should remind you of the difference in the levels of our existence.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a guest, Zack,¡± said a voice from somewhere. ¡°And a guest shouldn¡¯t be rude. Perhaps you remind yourself of that.¡± Erin and Zack turned their heads in the direction of the voice. The voice came from an orb of light, floating and gently swaying in the middle of the air. Seeing who it was, Zack sat back down. ¡°Nyx,¡± Erin chewed her name. ¡°Erin, it¡¯s nice to see you again.¡± ¡°Such audacity,¡± Zack remarked. ¡°To stand instead of kneeling in front of one¡¯s Divine Guardian.¡± Erin looked at Zack with a frown before giving Nyx the same gaze. ¡°Ignore his words, Erin. I¡¯m a very generous goddess.¡± ¡°Sure...¡± Erin rolled her eyes. ¡°Why am I here?¡± ¡°To reward you, of course,¡± Nyx said with a cheerful tone. Erin flinched. ¡°Oi, that reaction of yours hurts, you know?¡± ¡°You took away my dongle and gave me a twat. Forgive me for being dubious.¡± ¡°You let him talk to you like this, Nyx?¡± Zack asked. ¡°I rather have my Apostles speak their mind than spouting words they don¡¯t mean. But enough of that, we are discussing Erin¡¯s reward here.¡± ¡°What reward? What have I exactly done to warrant a reward?¡± ¡°Your victory over Ba¡¯al, of course,¡± Nyx said. ¡°You defeated an Apostle of another Divine.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me I would be rewarded for defeating an Apostle.¡± Nyx tittered. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t have made any difference, don¡¯t you agree? You wouldn¡¯t have believed me if I told you then now would you?¡± Erin clicked her tongue and indignance steered her gaze away. ¡°This person here is Zack, he is the Divine Guardian of Ba¡¯al or in mortal terms, Ba¡¯al¡¯s patron god.¡± Erin¡¯s eyes immediately shot towards Zack. Anger spread over her face. ¡°What¡¯s with the hate?¡± Zack questioned obliviously. ¡°Your Apostle tormented a dear loved one of mine,¡± Erin said with her voice raised. ¡°And he was building an army. On your orders, I presume.¡± ¡°Whatever my Apostles have schemed together, I am not involved. As long as it isn''t a scheme against me, I do not interfere.¡± ¡°You expect me to believe the words of a person whose intentions are shrouded in mysteries?¡± The Divine¡¯s brow creased. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for the rules among us Divines, I would have crushed you right here and now.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t expect any less of you,¡± Erin retorted with a grin. Nyx burst outughing. ¡°See this, Zack. Isn¡¯t it great to have a fearless Apostle like her?¡± ¡°Stupidity is easily mistaken for courage or fearlessness.¡± ¡°Alright, enough of this.¡± Despite being a mere orb of light, Nyx made a sound that resembled a p of hands. ¡°We all have our duty to return to. Erin, per the agreement among us Divines, I hereby grant you any wish you oh-so desire as long as the wish does not borderline absurdity.¡± ¡°Borderline absurdity? What does that include?¡± Erin asked. ¡°You cannot wish for a Divine¡¯s death,¡± Zack said. ¡°Then I have nothing to wish for,¡± Erin jabbed. Nyx stifled augh. ¡°My dear Erin, I know you have desires. You only need to ask and I shall grant them. This is only a just reward. The price has already been paid.¡± ¡°Can I ask to be left alone by the other Apostles?¡± ¡°If that¡¯s your wish, it would only be limited to my Apostles,¡± Zack pointed out. ¡°The others will stille for you.¡± ¡°The return of my strength and power in my prime?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not possible,¡± Nyx answered. ¡°You won¡¯t allow it?¡± ¡°You misunderstood me, Erin. The System would not allow it.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Not even the Divines know the reason. We¡¯re not the creators. We¡¯re just the concurrent caretakers of this world. We are not omnipotent, as many tend to believe.¡± ¡°You sure you should be telling me this?¡± ¡°You earned it, Erin.¡± ¡°Quit stalling now, mortal. Say ya damn wish already.¡± Erin was hesitant. It wasn¡¯t as if she had no wish to be fulfilled but rather, it was how the wish would be granted. The first thing that came to her mind was Celia¡¯s wellbeing and safety. She wanted to make such a wish but she didn¡¯t trust Nyx enough to wish for that. By wishing that, it might even give Nyx a greater hold over her. Erin also desired power but she was dubious of what kind of condition Nyx would instil. So to say, she didn¡¯t trust Nyx enough to wish for anything. ¡°How about this,¡± said Nyx, suddenly. ¡°You can hold this wish off until you are sure of your desire. See it as a favour, if you will.¡± Erin was relieved but she didn¡¯t show it. ¡°Very well,¡± she said. She was just d she wasn¡¯t forced to make the wish now. ¡°I don¡¯t believe this,¡± Zack said. ¡°You mortals are always so quick on saying yer wishes; power, wealth, girls or men, to bring a loved one back to life¡­ but you, you are different¡­ What¡¯s wrong with you? How do you have no greed?¡± ¡°I beg to differ, your eminence,¡± Erin retorted. ¡°I do have greed. But I already have everything anyone could ever ask for; love, respect, power. Even if I want more, I use my own hands to get more.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t she just the loveliest Apostle any God could ever ask for?¡± Nyx said with a giggle following at the end. ¡°Are we finished here now?¡± Erin asked. ¡°Ah, not quite. Zack still has a few things to say. Don¡¯t you, Zack?¡± Zack grumbled. ¡°His Apostle had done the unspeakable and he¡¯s here to apologize in the stead of Ba¡¯al.¡± ¡°What unspeakable things?¡± ¡°Demon summoning,¡± Nyx said and Erin felt a chill going down her spine. Erin raised her brows. ¡°Are you being serious?¡± she asked inplete disbelief. ¡°Out of everything he has done. Desecrating the dead and more, those are allowed but not Demon summoning?¡± ¡°Demons, at their core, are beings of malice and destruction. They have no other desire than to propagate and consume everything in their path. Imagine if a Demon managed to get a hold of divinity, even if it¡¯s only a small amount. You can¡¯t fathom how devastating the oue would be. Let this also be a warning for you, Erin.¡± ¡°For me?¡± ¡°I will allow every single one of your whims but should you invoke assistance from the Demons, I will not be lenient.¡± ¡°I will never,¡± Erin said, shooting Nyx a resolute re. ¡°Now Zack, if you will.¡± Zack gulped down his tea in one breath and rose from his chair. He approached Erin and syed open his palm as if expecting Erin to take his hand. ¡°On behalf of my emissary, I apologized for the heresy he hadmitted in my name.¡± ¡°Um¡­ what?¡± Erin blurted out in confusion. Out of everything Ba¡¯al had done, she couldn¡¯t believe the Demon invocation was the one he was chastised for. To the Divines, it was a serious crime. But to Erin, it was the least severe out of everything he had done. ¡°Compensation,¡± Zack exined but that was all he said. ¡°Your hand?¡± Zack looked confused by Erin¡¯s reply and turned to Nyx. ¡°This is her first time. She doesn¡¯t know what your gesture meant,¡± Nyx said. ¡°And you didn¡¯t mention this to me because?¡± Nyx bobbed up and down as if she had just shrugged. ¡°I forgot,¡± was her excuse. Zack looked to be on the verge of exploding into a fit of rage but after a heave, his facial expression softened. He turned back to Erin. ¡°Mortal, touch my palm.¡± ¡°What will happen if I touch your palm?¡± Erin asked. ¡°Something that will benefit you in your ventures,¡± Nyx answered. ¡°Enough with your doubts and suspicions, mortal. You will regret this if you pass on this chance.¡± Erin sent a glimpse towards Nyx¡¯s way, who nodded, or at least that was how Erin interpreted her gesture of swaying up and down. Gathering her courage, Erin touched the palm of Zack with two of her fingers. At that moment, information and power surged into her. She stumbled back as if someone had yanked the leash on her. ¡°W-what the fuck was that?!¡± Erin red at Zack. ¡°What did you just do to me?¡± ¡°Congrattions, Erin,¡± Nyx said. ¡°You now possess the affinity for dark magic.¡± The crease on her brow deepened. ¡°Why would I need that affinity for?¡± ¡°My work here is done, Nyx. I paid my dues. I will be taking my leave,¡± ¡°Wait a minute, you¡ª¡± Turning a deaf ear to Erin¡¯s words, Zack disappeared the moment after. Erin drew her re to the only person she could seek an exnation from. ¡°As I have said, Erin. This could help you.¡± ¡°Help me how?¡± ¡°Having the affinity for dark magic means that you are now unhindered by the presence of miasma. You will no longer feel like you¡¯re swimming in a sea of trash in the presence of miasma. Also, creatures of miasma origin, like Undeads, would not show hostility towards you unless you strike first.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± Erin murmured dubiously. ¡°Another very good example is that your Mana Harvest would now be able to absorb miasma and convert it into Mana. Isn¡¯t this extremely beneficial?¡± Erin narrowed her gaze. ¡°Beneficial? What do you think I would look like to others if I absorbed dark essence as Mana?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure your circle of friends would understand. As for others, unless they have the means to perceive miasma, they would never have the slightest notion. Besides, dark magic isn¡¯t forbidden by the Divines.¡± Erin heard something strange and she raised an eyebrow. ¡°Isn¡¯t forbidden?¡± she repeated. ¡°It¡¯s just unsavoury but you won''t be condemned by the Divines for using them. You will be admonished by your fellow people though. Somehow, they treat dark magic on the same wavelength as Demonic invocations.¡± ¡°They¡¯re not the same?¡± ¡°Not even close to being the same. Dark magic, despite its ominous nature, does nothing to the bnce of the world. Unlike Demons.¡± To the gods¡¯ eyes, there was a difference, a huge difference, But to mortals, such as Erin, they were just as evil as one another but Erin didn¡¯t feel like arguing. She just wanted to be done with Nyx and return to the present. ¡°Fine. If what you said is true, then I have no qualms but just don¡¯t expect me to use any dark magic.¡± ¡°Looking forward to that.¡± ¡°Now, if that¡¯s everything, I would like to return to reality.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not done yet, Erin.¡± ¡°There¡¯s more!?¡± Erin screamed in her mind. ¡°It¡¯s time that I introduce the others to you.¡± ¡°Others? What others?¡± Erin had a premonition. ¡°Why your fellow brothers and sisters in faith, of course.¡± 2-65 Seven Sins 2-65 Seven Sins ¡°Am I supposed to be¡­ thrilled by that prospect?¡± Erin asked, as blunt as she could sound. ¡°Normally,¡± Nyx replied. ¡°Sounds tedious. Can I pass?¡± ¡°It will be quick, I promise. It won¡¯t be as tedious as you may think, Erin.¡± ¡°Still not interested.¡± ¡°What is it that humans always say?¡± Nyx mused with a hum. ¡°Birds of a feather flock together?¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying my siblings-in-faith are all tricked into this position?¡± ¡°That is not my meaning when I said ¡°birds of a feather¡±,¡± Nyx exined. ¡°And what you said is not true.¡± Erin red. ¡°Well, at least notpletely true,¡± she admitted. ¡°None of them were forced into this. They chose to be my Apostle because the other choice is death, same as your circumstances. Well, nearly the same.¡± Erin¡¯s re didn¡¯t wane. ¡°What I meant by ¡°birds of a feather¡± is that none of you held any blind faith towards me. You are impartial even to my opinions.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any faith in you at all, blind or not,¡± Erin retorted. Nyx tittered. ¡°It hasn¡¯t even been a month. A lot can change in a short amount of time. Look at you; aren¡¯t you just the prime example of change?¡± Erin couldn¡¯t deny Nyx¡¯s words. A look in the mirror could easily prove the truth in the goddess¡¯ words. It pained Erin to ept it but it was even terrifying to imagine how much more she could change in theing days. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t expect faith toe from you any time soon. Then again, faith is not what I expect of you in the first ce.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care what you expect from me.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m in no rush to garner your trust. We can put that aside for now. Meeting your brothers and sisters of the same faithes first. Now, this might sting a little.¡± Erin reeled herself away from Nyx. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare¡ª¡± But there was nowhere she could run to. Nyx didn¡¯t even approach Erin. The Goddess¡¯ body merely glowed brightly and Erin felt information was seared into her mind like someone had branded her brain with red hot iron. It was agonizing at first but slowly, the pain was reced with a serene sensation like a sea calmly flowing into a river that extends for hundreds of miles. And the faces of people she had never met appeared in her memories. Names appeared alongside those faces. She immediately understood these people were also the Apostles of Nyx. There was an interesting fact she discovered along with this information. ¡°And there, all done. You are all now acquainted with one another. Quick, isn¡¯t it?¡± Erin groaned, her hand clutching her head. ¡°This was not what I had in mind. And these people¡­ Pride, Gluttony, Envy, Avarice, Sloth, Wrath¡­ These are¡ª¡± ¡°The seven mortal sins, as mortals would put it. A concept embraced across worlds because it inevitably exists in all mortals as long as sentience is present.¡± Nyx¡¯s profound revtion did not enter Erin¡¯s mind as she was still recovering from the sudden influx of information into her brain. It wasn¡¯t just their names, faces, and the sins they were attributed to. Erin was even able to feel the location of each of them. She knew precisely where they currently were even if they were in a ce she had never been. And out of the six individuals, only two of them were strictly speaking, humans. ¡°So you¡¯re the goddess of sins, is that what you are?¡± ¡°More of an overseer. It is one of the many aspects I govern, yes.¡± Erin felt like she heard something extremely heavy but to avoid the trouble, she didn¡¯t touch the subject any further. ¡°These six individuals are your allies, family you could even say. Should your paths cross, I sincerely wish you lot would offer a helping hand to one another when that timees.¡± ¡°As long as they don¡¯t give me a reason not to be warm with them, I¡¯ll help.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s a little...¡± Erin rolled her eyes. She knew there would be a catch. She wanted to raise her voice but she calmed down after convincing herself of the futility. She was at the Nyx¡¯s whim and mercy. No matter what she did, it wouldn¡¯t matter. In a way, she considered this true despair. Apletely hopeless situation where she even gave up being angry. It was faster to just nod along whatever the goddess was saying and hope that her request wouldn¡¯t be as obnoxious as her character. ¡°Aera ss, the holder of Wrathmonger,¡± the goddess said. Flipping through the pages of her newly induced memories, the face of a gentle girl with ck hair and violet eyes appeared in her mind. ¡°What of her?¡± Erin asked. She was struggling to hold back on asking who came up with the name. ¡°Out of the seven of you, she is the most recent to join the fray.¡± ¡°You mean the most recent to be inducted by you,¡± Erin muttered. There was no way Nyx wouldn¡¯t have caught that remark but the goddess continued without retorting. ¡°She is currently, shall we say, lost.¡± ¡°That¡¯s very specific.¡± ¡°She was the only one who called out to me on her own ord. Well, not specifically for me at least. Her circumstances were bleak. She prayed desperately for divine assistance. She didn¡¯t pray to a specific god. She just prayed. And I decided to take pity on her.¡± Erin gave a look. ¡°You took pity on her?¡± ¡°She was¡­ just like you, Erin. She was desperate. She would invoke the assistance of any Divine but her heart¡ª even if it was a despairing situation, her heart stayed firm. The other Divines refused to help her because they knew she wasn¡¯t the type to easily bend her knees towards power just because she was offered tremendous help.¡± ¡°And why did you help her then?¡± Nyx chuckled. ¡°As I have said, I don¡¯t desire blind faith and she offered me none of that even after I dispelled her despairing situation. She bore the same gaze as you when you met me in person.¡± ¡°I have yet to hear yourmands, your eminence.¡± Nyx giggled. ¡°After the ordeal I freed her of, she took my gift and embarked on a journey of vengeance.¡± ¡°You want me to help her with her vengeance?¡± ¡°I want you to help her, not with her vengeance, but herself. This path she is treading on, she will only destroy herself. She has potential. It would be a shame if it went to waste.¡± ¡°And why me? What about the others?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the closest one to her. At present, she¡¯s just in the next town to the east.¡± ¡°And what do I get out of this?¡± ¡°Same as before, a reward from me, anything of your desire.¡± ¡°My desire¡­ huh¡­¡± Erin mused. ¡°You know what, I think I know what I want as my reward and I believe it is just right within your power and interest to do so.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Nyx uttered with an amused tone. ¡°Pray tell, my dear Apostle.¡± **** As Erin opened her eyes, she awoke to a ck rocky ceiling. Aside from the unfamiliar sight, she also felt her head wasying against soft, malleable, yet solid. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re awake?¡± Aedan asked, leaning his head into her gaze. Immediately after seeing his face, Erin bolted upright and reeled herself away from where shey, Aedan¡¯sp. Her tails and ears were also perking upright. The Dragon-kin had an unassuming smile as he dusted hisp with gentle waves of his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare tell anyone about this,¡± Erin warned, her ears twitching in ordance with her tone. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t dream of it,¡± replied Aedan, with the unassuming smile still on his face. Erin heaved of sigh of relief and rubbed her temples. ¡°How long was I out?¡± she asked. ¡°An hour at most,¡± Aedan answered. Erin looked around. She was still in the same room where she fought the Ba¡¯al. The only difference she noticed was how much tidier the room was considering the battle that had transpired. ¡°I cleaned the room, somewhat, if you¡¯re wondering about the changes,¡± Aedan exined. ¡°I don¡¯t know when you''ll regain consciousness so I take the liberty to clean the room. The smell was really getting to me and I¡¯m sure it would get to you too.¡± ¡°Nothing attacked us while I was out?¡± Aedan shook his head. She heaved another sigh of relief. ¡°T-thank you...¡± she said, faintly. ¡°I-I honestly appreciate what you did¡­ I don¡¯t believe I would have seeded in this endeavour without your assistance.¡± ¡°Nonsense. I¡¯m sure you would have seeded regardless. Perhaps not as easy but I¡¯m sure you would tough it through. You¡¯re full of wonders, after all.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call them wonders,¡± Erin muttered to herself. ¡°So, what happened?¡± Aedan finally asked. Erin was expecting this question. She shrugged. ¡°I got dragged into some kind of subspace by my patron goddess. What happened to my body then?¡± ¡°You just fainted all of a sudden. I thought you were exhausted but as you slept, I witnessed some strange changes to your Mana flow. And I knew right then, you weren¡¯t simply sleeping due to exhaustion. But thank the stars, you¡¯re fine.¡± ¡°Were you worried?¡± Erin asked, eyeing him with a smirking gaze. Her tails were wagging in anticipation of Aedan¡¯s answer. ¡°I was worried. Things would be hell if you had died. How am I going to exin this to your kin?¡± That wasn''t the answer she wanted to hear. For some reason, it annoyed her. ¡°I¡¯m not talking about others, Aedan. I¡¯m talking about you.¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Yes, you.¡± She pointed at him. ¡°Putting others aside, putting consequences aside, what do you personally think? Were you worried, hmm?¡± Aedan stared. He didn¡¯t think he misunderstood her question but it was an unexpected question. ¡°I was worried,¡± he answered, truthfully. ¡°Not many people could put up with me. And those that could, usually don¡¯tst long. Every acquaintance I had was just so transient.¡± A warmth began to spread within her. She didn''t remember being this happy over someone''s worry of her. She received plenty of others'' worry when she was still Argon Raze. Too many, in fact. She had always hated people¡¯s overbearing worries towards her but somehow, it felt good this time. She realized it wasn¡¯t people¡¯s overbearing nature that she hated. It was their insincerity. She despised those empty worries of theirs that often came out of their mouth for the sake of formality. ¡°So¡­ what did your patron goddess want?¡± Erin recounted her short tale but she made it brief even though it was already a short recount. ¡°That¡¯s your request? And she allowed it?¡± ¡°With somepromise.¡± ¡°And thosepromises being?¡± Erin smiled and winked. ¡°Secret.¡± Aedan recoiled. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why did you suddenly jump?¡± Aedan expelled a breath. ¡°Because you looked extremely alluring for a second there. If I didn¡¯t know you, I would say you were tempting me.¡± ¡°But I wasn¡¯t?¡± Erin replied with a befuddled look. ¡°So even you can get tempted, huh.¡± ¡°I am in retirement, not celibacy. I have desires too, you know. Just don¡¯t do that to strangers or acquaintances that you aren¡¯t particrly close with. I¡¯m sure they will get the wrong idea.¡± Erin snorted. ¡°You sound dead certain about it.¡± ¡°Because I got the wrong idea.¡± Erin looked away. ¡°I-I see...¡± ¡°Well you look amused,¡± Aedan said. Erin frowned. ¡°I look amused?¡± ¡°You were smiling.¡± Erin touched her face and felt the curve in her lips. ¡°In fact, you began smiling when I said I was worried. Were you that delighted?¡± ¡°That¡¯s just your fantasy.¡± ¡°Yeah, sure it is,¡± Aedan retorted with a shrug. ¡°A-anyways, let¡¯s finish up our business here and go.¡± Erin stood up and began walking in a certain direction. After walking a little distance, she stopped, turned around, and retraced her steps to collect her sword before returning to her path. ¡°Mist Pearls is the other way.¡± Erin huffed and made a turn in her path. ¡°That wall over there.¡± Aedan pointed towards a corner. Erin ced her hand in front of the wall. A breeze blew by her fingers. She then gently gave the wall a few taps. A hollow sound returned. ¡°There¡¯s arge room behind this wall. How do we get through? Break it down?¡± ¡°That would be unwise,¡± Aedan remarked. ¡°Unless getting caved in is your wish.¡± ¡°Then what do you suggest? Or are you just going to keep sitting on the ground and watch?¡± Aedan chuckled and pushed himself off the ground. As he made his way to the wall, he inspected the back of his left palm. The symbol was still pulsating with a vibrant glow. ¡°My magic is still out of the question,¡± he thought to himself. ¡°Magic scrolls?¡± Erin suggested. ¡°If you have a million gold at the ready, then yes,¡± Aedan retorted. ¡°This looks like a secret room. A secret room tends to have a secret door and lock.¡± ¡°I know that but I don¡¯t see nor sense anything that could resemble a lever or lock.¡± ¡°Our dearly departed friend was a spell caster. It only makes sense if the lock is also some kind of spell.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see anything, even with my Spirit Sight.¡± Aedan activated his own Spirit Sight and scoured the room. After a few scans, his gazended on a certain part of the wall. ¡°Found it, I think.¡± ¡°Where?¡± ¡°That part right there. See how that particr part is devoid of miasma?¡± ¡°Looks like something is repelling the miasma.¡± Aedan put his palm on that particr part of the wall. He poured only a little of his Mana and like a lit fuse, a glow traced a wavy path until it reached a certain point. The wall shook and began to move. ¡°That was easy,¡± Aedan said. ¡°Are you sure you should be using Mana?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s only a little, it¡¯s no problem.¡± A slit appeared on the wall. The wall shook again before opening up like a double door. Dust and dirt were shaken off the wall and a gust of wind blew from within. ¡°Why would he hide something as insignificant as Mist Pearls in a secret room?¡± ¡°That is if you¡¯re assuming he was trying to hide the Mist Pearls. Maybe he was hiding something else and the Mist Pearls just so happen to be in the mix.¡± The two walked into the room devoid of any light but darkness was never an issue for the two. Although, the darkness didn¡¯t linger long as they noticed a glow looming in the farside of the secret room. ¡°No way...¡± Aedan gasped. ¡°What is that?¡± Erin asked. She saw something but it was still too far away for her to make out its shape. Aedan said nothing and kept walking towards the glow. Erin followed behind. She wanted to ask but seeing his solemn face, she decided to trail behind him without a sound. Along the path, Erin noticed grasses were growing all over the ce. It was even growing on the walls. Appraisal told her these were called Nightspring Grasses. They possess soothing properties to the heart but huge doses could potentially cause the heart to cease beating. Erin swallowed a lump at that discovery. She unconsciously cupped her nose and mouth with her palm. The faint scent of blueberry and mint began to grow stronger and stronger the closer the two got to the glow. Soon, the two were close enough for their eyes to recognize the shape and size the glow was originating from. ¡°What the fuck is that!?¡± Erin asked. The discovery was so shocking that she didn¡¯t notice her own voice cracking. In front of them, across a smallke,y a giant skeleton of a corpse. No matter how she looked at the corpse, there was no way she could see it as anything other than a skeleton corpse of a Dragon. Purple flowers with huge buds were growing all over the corpse with their vines entangling all over the skeleton. She could perceive a constant stream of some manner of dark aura emanating from the skeleton corpse. ¡°That is the source of The Singrity¡¯s peculiarity.¡± ¡°Yeah, I figured as much but I meant, what the hell is that thing?¡± ¡°That, my dear, is the skeleton corpse of a Dragon. An Ancient Dragon at that.¡± ¡°Ancient Dragon?¡± ¡°I guess you can say they are a tier below True Dragons.¡± Erin couldn''t help but notice the sorrow in Aedan¡¯s tone. ¡°This Dragon¡­ I¡¯m sensing you two were close?¡± ¡°Aye, we¡¯re close,¡± Aedan said with a nod. ¡°One of the few that I considered a true friend.¡± Erin was silent. She only stared. ¡°Erin, meet Izayl, the Abyss Dragon.¡± 2-66 Izayl 2-66 Izayl ¡°What?¡± Aedan asked upon noticing Erin¡¯s lingering stare. ¡°Didn¡¯t think you were capable of sentiment,¡± she replied with a shrug. She turned her gaze away. ¡°I¡¯m even doubting my eyes.¡± ¡°Whatever gave you that idea. I¡¯m not devoid of emotions. I just don¡¯t bother with them much.¡± ¡°Just can¡¯t imagine what kind of person he must be to be able to put up with you.¡± ¡°She,¡± Aedan corrected. ¡°Izayl is a she.¡± Suddenly, it clicked in Erin¡¯s mind. ¡°Ah, I see. So the two of you were an item, is that how it is?¡± Aedan¡¯s gaze narrowed against Erin¡¯s smirking eyes. ¡°Am I wrong?¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re not wrong.¡± Aedan admitted. ¡°She was my best friend and she gradually became more than that. She was¡­ different from most. She returned every jab I threw with her own but she was more prudent than me. Knew how to hold her tongue but when she unleashed it, there was no stopping her.¡± ¡°Sounds like you admired her too.¡± ¡°You would admire her too if you knew her. I¡¯m sure the two of you would get along well. Too well, I dare add¡± Erin noticed a drop of tear was forming in the corner of his eyes but she said nothing of it. It would be boorish to. ¡°It¡¯s ironic. She¡¯s the Abyss Dragon. She bore a pitch ck color but she had a heart of gold.¡± ¡°What happened to her?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Aedan said. ¡°We didn¡¯t part on good terms. It was during the reign of Zarkoth. Terrible time. We had conflicting ideas. She wanted to stay and help the war victims and refugees but I wanted to fight on the front lines. It was the angriest I have ever seen of her. We parted ways then and I never heard from her since. I thought she returned to her homnd. To think that she had met her demise here.¡± Erin stepped closer to Aedan and ced her hand on his shoulder. She wanted to say some words offort but she realized this was the first time she was consoling someone not out of obligation. She couldn¡¯t find any words to say. ¡°Do you think she was killed?¡± Erin asked but she immediately regretted it. ¡°Wait, I didn¡¯t mean¡ª¡± Aedan chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s alright. That was a good question. One that I don¡¯t even have the answer to. She¡¯s an Ancient Dragon. Even though she¡¯s not a fighter, her natural prowess makes her a terror to be trifled with. Considering she met her demise in such a ce, out of the sight of everyone, she might have fallen for some scheme that ended in her demise.¡± ¡°But if that¡¯s the case, the clues would have already been washed away by time. There¡¯s no telling what actually had transpired.¡± ¡°I am sure about one thing. The Singrity was a result of her death. This means that she may have died with a lot of negative emotions. Her death is not of her own ord.¡± Erin flinched. It was only for a brief moment but she felt rageing from him. That split second of wrath was enough to let her know that the pinnacle of his strength was something she could neverprehend. In her former world, such power was impossible. The magic advancement of this world made it possible. She doubted she could amount to much in this world even in her prime. ¡°Sorry,¡± Aedan apologized. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to scare you.¡± ¡°I was not scared,¡± Erin asserted. ¡°Much.¡± Aedan tittered behind his palm. ¡°If you say so, missy.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re back to being an arse.¡± ¡°It has its moments,¡± Aedan muttered. His gaze fell to the small body of water that separated them from Izayl¡¯s corpse. Ripples appeared on the surface asionally. ¡°There¡¯s something in the water,¡± Erin said. ¡°Evidently.¡± ¡°You know what it is?¡± ¡°I do,¡± Aedan answered briefly. He then spoke in anguage that Erin couldn¡¯t understand even a single word of it. The speech had a certain tune but Erin was certain it was no song. ¡°What manner of speech is that?¡± she asked after he stopped. ¡°An ancientnguage. Dragon tongue, to put it simply.¡± ¡°I almost thought you were singing.¡± ¡°Trust me, you do not want to hear a Dragon sing, at least not in their own tongue.¡± Ripples began to form incessantly on the small body of water. Bubbles also began to surface. Soon, a creature broke through the water surface. Erin took a step back and put her hands on her sword. As she noticed the indifference in Aedan¡¯s eyes, her grip loosened on her sword¡¯s hilt. Nevertheless, she focused her sights on the creature that had just emerged from the depths. The creature resembled a Dragon with one ring difference, it was humanoid but only on the upper half of its body. The lower half was a snake¡¯s. It was wielding a spear with an undting-shaped tip. It slithered its way tond all the while maintaining its body upright. ¡°A Naga?¡± Erin blurted out her Appraisal result. ¡°Met one before?¡± Aedan asked. ¡°Campfire tales,¡± she answered. ¡°But I don¡¯t recall hearing about them having ck scales and being creatures of dark nature.¡± ¡°Hmm, me neither,¡± Aedan said, curiously. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of miasma inside its body.¡± ¡°I notice.¡± ¡°Are they even alive?¡± ¡°They look alive.¡± The Naga looked at the two with a dubious re. It raised its spear and pointed it at the two. It spoke with a melodious tongue that sounded soothing and threatening at the same time. ¡°What did it say?¡± Erin asked. ¡°The usual, ¡°who are we¡±, ¡°what do we want¡±, those kinds of questions.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to answer it back before¡­ you know, it starts to attack us.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t attack us. See how his hands are trembling? It knows what I am.¡± ¡°Wait, he?¡± ¡°Yes, he. It¡¯s a male. See that tiny hole under his belly. When a male Naga gets aroused, their¡ª¡± ¡°Continue that sentence and I¡¯ll make a hole under your belly.¡± Aedanughed. ¡°Well, you get the point.¡± The Naga, seemingly offended by the fact he was ignored, began raising his voice. Aedan answered his question with a few lines of words. The Naga immediately lowered his spear and stared at Aedan, unmoving. ¡°What did you just say to him?¡± ¡°I told him my name and that I¡¯m an acquaintance of Izayl.¡± Erin looked at him doubtfully but she understood there was no reason for Aedan to lie. The Naga turned to the water and began uttering words that could only be interpreted as a call to others. Not a few seconds passed, more Nagas emerged from the water. ¡°There are dozens of them¡­¡± Erin gasped. ¡°How did I not sense them?¡± ¡°They¡¯re aquatic creatures. They excel in the water. Unless you¡¯re really concentrating, you could not perceive them from above while they are underwater.¡± The Naga looked towards Aedan and began telling him something. Aedan¡¯s brows furrowed as he listened to what the Naga was saying. Erin was dying to know the contents of the conversation but she remained prudent and waited for them to finish. The conversation went on for quite some time before it ended. Aedan had a look of astonishment and relief. ¡°Interesting¡­ but as expected of Izayl,¡± Aedan mused. ¡°Come on, don¡¯t keep me waiting.¡± Erin urged. ¡°What did he tell you?¡± ¡°He was very descriptive and poetic about his story so I¡¯ll just summarize it. They belong to a tribe that was attacked by Zarkoth¡¯s forces. Izayl saved the whole tribe and brought them to safety but she exhausted almost the entirety of her strength and the Demons hunted them down without rest. She lured the Demons down here where she fought them to herst breath.¡± ¡°She died fighting the Demons?¡± Aedan nodded. ¡°To show their gratitude, these Nagas volunteered to stay and guard her corpse for they knew a Dragon¡¯s corpse would be the greed of many unsavoury individuals.¡± ¡°But how did that lead... to this?¡± ¡°A warlock came.¡± ¡°A warlock?¡± ¡°Mages who had reached the epitome of magic and somehow managed to turn themselves into magic too. Magic zealots of the highest order, that¡¯s one way to describe them. They¡¯re no longer beings of flesh and blood but of magic. Anyways, a warlock found Izayl¡¯s corpse with his magic and began conducting all manners of unsightly experiments. Of course, the Nagas tried to fend the warlock off but they were all defeated.¡± Erin¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°The Warlock found a way to harness Izayl¡¯s powers but the Nagas managed to steal the power from the Warlock when he wasn¡¯t looking and used it on themselves. They killed the warlock with that newfound power and they became beings that are neither living nor dead.¡± ¡°Just like the monsters of The Singrity¡­ but they are still sane.¡± ¡°By staying close to Izayl¡¯s corpse. Her dying will was so strong that it remained even after her death. This dying will of hers helped the Nagas retain their sanity. And they have been defending Izayl¡¯s corpse ever since.¡± ¡°What about Ba¡¯al? Did he not try to obtain Izayl¡¯s powers?¡± ¡°ording to our friends here, Ba¡¯al didn¡¯t seem to know how to harness Izayl¡¯s power. They fought but¡­ there was victor or loser on either side. Ba¡¯al gave up but I¡¯m pretty sure it was only for the time being.¡± Erin arched an eyebrow. ¡°He gave up a Dragon¡¯s power? Can¡¯t imagine a person like him would give up.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a misconception that therger a Dragon is, the more powerful they are. Most likely, Ba¡¯al didn¡¯t know Izayl was an Ancient Dragon. He thought it was just a Dragon and if I had to venture a guess, he probably thinks his divine gifts were inarguably better and decided it wasn¡¯t worth the trouble with his current strength.¡± ¡°I see...¡± ¡°Although, what¡¯s interesting is that Izayl had told them much about me.¡± ¡°Well, that exins it,¡± Erin nodded. ¡°She wasn¡¯t just telling my tale,¡± Aedan said, his voice turning soft. ¡°She was singing praises of me endlessly. She told them nothing but my good sides...¡± His voice was trembling. ¡°Sounds like she has forgiven you.¡± Aedan was silent. He shed a tear but he wiped it off before Erin could notice. Little did he know, Erin already had noticed. The Nagas gathered in a circle and began whispering to one another. ¡°What are they saying?¡± Erin asked. ¡°You want me to eavesdrop on them? Oh my, Erin. How boorish of you.¡± Erin rolled her eyes. She began counting one to ten in her head. Otherwise, she would sock him right here and now. The Nagas finished their discussion and turned back to the two. The one that had been leading the exchange approached Aedan with one knee on the ground and a hand on his left chest. ¡°Wow,¡± Erin eximed softly. ¡°They knew how to do that?¡± ¡°Probably Izayl taught them.¡± The Naga spoke solemnly and Aedan listened attentively. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s¡­ a little difficult,¡± Aedan muttered after the Naga finished. ¡°What did they ask?¡± ¡°To relieve them of their duty and make sure no one would ever get their hands on Izayl¡¯s corpse.¡± ¡°I see¡­ Can¡¯t say I didn¡¯t expect this. I would request the same thing too if I was in their position. So, how do you intend to go about this?¡± Aedan stuck his hand inside the space beside him and pulled out a cyan gem. Erin could feel a great deal of energy emanating from the gem. Even the Nagas pulled away from the gem. ¡°Is that¡­ some kind of explosive?¡± she asked. ¡°It¡¯s a Spell Gem. There are many ways to house a spell. Magic Scroll is one of the ways and this is another one, using a Spell Gem. The Magic Scroll method is the most conventional but it has its limits. As for a Spell Gem, this manner of gem is rare but it could house spells that a scroll couldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°And there¡¯s an explosion spell inside this gem?¡± ¡°Essence Nova. It¡¯s basically Essence re but on another magnitude. It will erase everything of dark nature in thiswork of underground tunnels.¡± Aedan exined. He also gave the Nagas the same exnation. The Nagas looked at each other before giving nods of approval to Aedan. One of the Nagas dove back into the water and swam over to Izayl¡¯s corpse. He plucked a few of the Mist Pearl flowers before diving back into the water and swam over to Erin. It got up close to her and kneeled on one of its knees, presenting her the Mist Pearl flowers in its palms. ¡°Umm...¡± Erin was hesitating. She was surprised that the Naga knew what she wanted but she reasoned that Aedan had most probably told them of their purpose of being here. She nced towards Aedan who was gleefully smiling and enjoying her predicament. ¡°A little assistance please?¡± ¡°She had already taken the trouble to pluck them for you. Just take them.¡± Erin didn¡¯t know how the Naga before her was a female but she didn¡¯t dare to ask lest she got another picturesque exnation. ¡°Y-you sure? Won¡¯t that be¡­ disrespectful? This is desecration, is it not?¡± Aedan gave a smile, one that was formed naturally out of memory. ¡°To save the life of a child, I¡¯m sure Izayl would even give her life for it. She won¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°Take,¡± the female Naga said, shocking Erin. ¡°Please,¡± she added. Hesitatingly, Erin graciously epted the flowers. Only after she had taken it, she discovered she had no way of storing them. She did bring a pouch with her but she guessed it must have been left behind when the Wights came and dragged her into the tunnel when she was unconscious, or rather, when she was dead. Seeing Aedan¡¯s grin, she sighed and handed him the flowers, which he ced inside his subspace storage. ¡°I hate you,¡± Erin said. ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Should we take some of these Nightspring grasses too?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± Aedan warned with a firm tone. ¡°They are known to only grow in dark ces which are extremely rich in miasma. Half a kilo can be sold for twenty gold. Surely I don¡¯t need to tell you why you shouldn¡¯t take them.¡± With all those points listed out, Erin could only nod. ¡°I guess this concludes our business here...¡± Aedan said. He gave the Nagas the Spell Gem and instructed them on the usage. ¡°That¡¯s all? You don¡¯t want to stay longer and¡­ mourn?¡± ¡°I may have only a few friends but I have a lot of them over the course of my unending memories. Never have I stopped mourning for those losses. Besides, I will be disrespecting her memories If I stay and mourn. And you, have a life to save.¡± The Nagas said something in which Aedan frowned a little. ¡°I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s nothing good?¡± Erin asked. ¡°They¡¯re giving us an hour to get out of here before they activate the Spell Gem.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just Essence re, we should be fine, right?¡± ¡°The me itself can¡¯t hurt us but the force from the unleashing of the spell would definitely¡­ crush us.¡± ¡°I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s toote to tell you that I do not know the way out?¡± Aedan grunted and took out a scroll from his subspace. ¡°This cost hundreds of gold,¡± he groaned. Erin pretended like she heard nothing, though she couldn¡¯t pretend his arm wasing her way. He was fast and strong. Even with her speed, she couldn¡¯t avoid having his arm wrapping around her waist, pulling her close. ¡°Stay close. We¡¯re teleporting,¡± said Aedan, almost as if he was whispering. Erin tried to make some tiny space between them by pushing him away but to no avail. Once again, she was being reminded of the difference in their power. It felt like she was up against a giant stone wall embedded deeply to the ground. The Magic Scroll glowed. Aedan waved the Nagas farewell and they returned the same gesture. Both sides exchanged onest smile before the space contorted and swallowed up the two. 2-67 Dawn breaking 2-67 Dawn breaking The town of Quinteburgh had survived the night but Maven¡¯s Creek did not. Only those who were within the walls of Quinteburgh were shouting their gratitude to the brave defenders. The various viges scattered about Maven¡¯s Creek were in apletely different state. None were spared from the horde. All in all, this whole conundrum was a huge loss to the eyes of Edith Rosemary. A document detailing the circumstances of a certain individual¡¯s death fell into her sight. There was a rough sketch of the individual at the top left corner of the document with their name written at the bottom. Her gaze lingered on this particr document before moving on to another. Rosemary sighed. The sight of this death was still vivid in her mind, the sight of Siv carrying the body of her twin brother, Wrev, with wavering steps. Rosemary didn¡¯t know the two well but they were Lord Hegan¡¯s most trusted personal guards. He trusted them enough to even assign them to his son¡¯s protection detail. And now, one of them was dead. Another death that remained in her mind was Velrin Corvas¡¯. Coincidentally, also a twin. ording to the reports, one of herpanions betrayed her by deserting the battle and left to fend for her own. The moment Rosemary read the report, she immediately issued a bounty for the traitor¡¯s head. The most surprising detail was that the traitor was an acquaintance of Lyra. More precisely, her former lover. Lyra didn¡¯t hesitate and made a promise to Rosemary that she would personally deliver his head. As the Guild Master, she couldn¡¯t show preferential treatment without a valid cause, so she just wished for Lyra¡¯s sess in her head. Aside from those losses, many of the ones that participated in the defence had suffered great deals of injuries, injuries that couldn¡¯t be treated with simple measures. As she read through the grim reports in a makeshift tent just outside the west gate, one of her adjutants came bringing more news to her. ¡°What is it?¡± Rosemary asked without lifting her head from the report. The crease in her brow deepened the more she read. ¡°The situation within the town is orderly, for the most part,¡± the adjutant answered, a drop of sweat rolling down his temple. ¡°For the most part?¡± Rosemary questioned. Shakingly, he answered, ¡°t-the Pdins did as they said, they kept the townsfolk calm and prevented anyone from taking advantage of the predicament. They even managed to keep most of the indicted nobles from escaping.¡± ¡°Most?¡± ¡°Lord Howard yton and Lord Branon Rowin have escaped, along with some of their men.¡± ¡°Throw away the lord, boy. They¡¯re no longer highborn,¡± she said, in which her adjutant nodded. ¡°And pray tell, how did they escape?¡± ¡°Lord¡ª I mean, Howard yton has a level fifty-six mage in his employment. The mage created an illusion that fooled the Pdins into thinking they were still holed up in their abode.¡± ¡°When did they notice it was an illusion?¡± ¡°The Pdins didn¡¯t. An Augur by the name of Cynric Crimson-steel caught them in the act.¡± ¡°Cynric?¡± Rosemary was surprised. He was the Augur that Erynthea saved. To Rosemary, he gave off the impression of someone who would do their best but often failing pitifully. ¡°How did that happen?¡± ¡°The Augur said he happened to see a group of people wearing cloaks lurking about, always shying away from the sights of the Pdin. He tried to tell the Pdins but they didn¡¯t listen. So, he ended up trying to stop the suspicious individuals himself.¡± Since Howard and Branon escaped, Rosemary didn¡¯t think it ended well for Cynric. With that thought, she asked, ¡°how¡¯s the Augur? Is he wounded badly?¡± ¡°He¡¯s wounded but not badly. On the contrary, he did quite a number on yton and Rowin. He took out six of their men. These men were knights, granted their titles by Howard yton himself.¡± The amazement grew in Rosemary¡¯s heart. If Cynric was capable of such a feat, she wondered how in god¡¯s name was he captured by the vers. ¡°Since this is a statement from the Augur himself, I can¡¯t vouch for its integrity. But ording to him, if it wasn¡¯t for the mage casting an illusion spell on him, he was confident he would be able to stop them from escaping.¡± ¡°What are the coteral damages?¡± Rosemary got straight to the point she was most worried about. ¡°Minimal, Guild Master. A few streetnterns were destroyed and some damages on the road but that¡¯s the extent of the damages. No one was hurt.¡± Rosemary heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Thank the gods¡­¡± ¡°What should we do about this, Guild Master?¡± ¡°Leave it for now. The restoration of the town¡¯s order takes precedence. We don''t have any more men or resources to spare. Moreover, Howard and Branon¡¯s face is quite well-known around here. They won¡¯t be able to run far.¡± ¡°I see¡­ as you wish, Guild Master.¡± ¡°Anyways, what¡¯s the next item?¡± ¡°Um¡­ let¡¯s see¡­ ah. The head priest requested an audience with you, Guild Master.¡± Rubbing her temple, she frowned. ¡°Regarding?¡± ¡°The hero of this conundrum. He seems to be hinting that he wishes to reward the one who made the most significant contribution in the battle. As to why, I am not sure, Guild Master.¡± Rosemary sighed but of exasperation this time. ¡°Have Lord Joshua and Lady Iris deal with this.¡± In her eyes, everyone on the battlefield was deserving of a reward but no way she could give that as a response. The adjutant made a strange sound. ¡°H-heh!?¡± ¡°Is there a problem?¡± ¡°I-is that wise, Guild Master?¡± ¡°I have my hands full dealing with the allocation of the monster cores and notification of the deceased¡¯s next of kin. Most importantly, I have to deal with the profit splitting of the Razor Grizzly¡¯s core.¡± ¡°Lord Hegan, him I understand. But Lady Iris? Doesn¡¯t she have some sort of prejudice towards the Ruvans?¡± ¡°If we¡¯re talking about the hero of this whole conundrum here, it would be undoubtedly Lady Erynthea. Lady Iris, whether she admits or not, had taken a great liking and interest in Lady Erynthea. She would do this for Lady Erynthea. Now, is there anything else?¡± ¡°N-no,¡± the adjutant responded timidly. ¡°Good,¡± Rosemary said. She pointed to a pile of papers. ¡°Now, give this stack to the ones in the treasury department.¡± The adjutant stared wide-eyed at a towering stack of documents. ¡°B-but there aren¡¯t even half a dozen people in the treasury.¡± ¡°I have done all theplicated arithmetic stuff. They are simply responsible for following up the mundane processes. Or would you or any of them prefer to exchange for my position?¡± With that, the adjutant carried the stack away without any further questions. Rosemary watched him disappear behind the gate before resuming the gruelling process of skimming through grim reports. **** Deep into the night, amidst the sea of trees that could distort one¡¯s sense of direction, a radiant glow loomed in the centre. The source of the glow was a two-storey mansion, consumed by a huge ze. This mansion once belonged to a noble but after the house head drowned himself in debt, the mansion was sold to the creditors. One thing leading to another, the mansion was now owned by a certain underworld organization. The mansion was currently, and mainly, used for their illegal ve-trading business. Or at least that was the mansion¡¯s purpose a few minutes ago. It was now nothing more than a beacon of light for every sight in the distance. Corpses were strewn about around and within the mansion. At present, only three breathing souls remained amidst the devastation, in which two were the perpetrators of the fire. The two belonged to the prestigious race known as the Faerie-kin. One was an Elf and the other was a Dryad. The third individual was a mere human, a man with a scarred face nearing his fifties. ¡°You will regret this,¡± the scarred man, forced on his knees, spouted even though there was a de pressing against his neck. ¡°Do you know who we are?¡± An Elf had long and sharp ears. Their hearing was also excellent. However, the man¡¯s threat fell deaf on the ears of the Elf towering over him. The Elf was only indifferently staring at the man without a hint of fear. ¡°Hundreds of ves, freed. That¡¯s thousands of gold wasted. Do you know what you have done!?¡± the man screamed. The Elf responded by drawing a tinge of blood from the man¡¯s neck. The man flinched with a pathetic yelp but the Elf held him in ce by his shoulder. ¡°Nivia,¡± the Dryad called out. ¡°Don¡¯t kill him yet.¡± ¡°I know, Lilian,¡± Nivia replied solemnly but her de did not loosen from the man¡¯s neck. ¡°You will regret this,¡± the man repeated while sobbing. ¡°Not only have you freed the ves but you also destroyed the opium farms in Ruby Valley. No matter where you run now, you are dead.¡± ¡°We have nothing to do with the opium farms.¡± ¡°It¡¯s useless to deny it now. Maybe it wasn¡¯t you but I¡¯m told it was also a woman. So she must be with you.¡± Nivia rolled her eyes in response to the man¡¯s ¡°wless¡± logic. ¡°I do not care whether you believe my words. All I care is that you answer my question truthfully.¡± The man snorted, attempting to express his non-existent dominance. ¡°I don¡¯t know what kind of method you have. I ain¡¯t talking. Do you have any idea who you have messed with?¡± ¡°Not a single clue,¡± Nivia said but it came out more of a mumble. ¡°Marduk,¡± the man said, a grin filled with confidence forming on his face. ¡°You and your friend are dead if Marduk found out what happened here.¡± ¡°Who or what is Marduk?¡± The manughed, although he quickly stopped when he realized it only made his neck grazed against the Elf¡¯s edge. ¡°He¡¯s the king of the underworld. Every faction in the underworld answers to him. Do you think you were the first ones who tried to y heroes? In the end, every one of them was buried by Marduk. You fucked up badly, stupid Faes.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just Fae. There¡¯s no plural even if it¡¯s plural,¡± Nivia retorted dryly. Confusion smeared the man¡¯s expression. ¡°And also, you are the stupid one considering you have just told us what we want to know from you.¡± ¡°Wh¡ª?¡± The realization then crossed the man¡¯s mind. ¡°Y-you¡­ you bitch!¡± The man¡¯s profanitysted only for a second before Nivia slit his neck with a cold gaze. She stepped out of the way to let the man fall to the dirt face first. ¡°You have changed, Nivia,¡± Lilian, the Dryad, remarked. ¡°I suppose I have,¡± Nivia nodded along. It had been a hell of a journey. After receiving the information regarding the kidnapping of her own kin from Iris, she had embarked on a quest of saving her kind. In her journey, she met other Fae; Elves, Dryads, Fox-kin, who shared her objectives. Together, they tracked down the vers and took down many other very chains. After saving her kin, Nivia discovered a deeper vein of the very chain. While most of herpanions decided to retreat to this extent, Nivia and Lilian were the only two who pursued the trail, bringing them to their current situation. Along her journey, she had learned much and the people she had in were more than she ever had in her entire life. It was slowly taking a toll on her mind but her constant level increment helped keep her sane, to some degree. Most of all, it was the waiting arms of Erin that kept her mind firm through all these ordeals. She wanted to quickly reunite with Erin but she put her own kin before everything else. This was the kind of person she was. ¡°Marduk... Have you heard of this name?¡± Nivia asked. Lilian shook her head. ¡°Never,¡± she answered. ¡°But I might have and I just don¡¯t remember.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t remember?¡± Nivia narrowed her eyes. ¡°That¡¯s some poor excuse.¡± ¡°Nivia, I¡¯m twice your age. When you get to my age, you¡¯ll understand.¡± ¡°We finally have a name but it leads to nowhere.¡± ¡°We do have another clue.¡± Lilian pointed out. ¡°An opium farm in Ruby Valley.¡± Nivia raised an eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯m not aware of any ce known as Ruby Valley in Yorun.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because Ruby Valley is the name used by the unlearned ones. Officially, it is known as Sephrodia Valley. It is three days east of Maven¡¯s Creek.¡± ¡°The ver said something about the opium farm being destroyed by a woman. Another person who seeks to right the unjust?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t heard another one of our brethren was on a simr quest. In all likelihood, the woman might not be a Fae.¡± Nivia fell silent. Her gaze spelt out her inner thoughts to Lilian. The Dryad tittered. ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking, Nivia. You wish to seek an alliance with this woman, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Our enemies aren¡¯t strong but that¡¯s because we are inherently stronger than humans in magic. If that woman alone could take a whole of their operation down, it speaks volumes of her abilities. I have no doubt our enemies will only be stronger from now on. Her strength would be a good addition to our efforts.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re that worried about our strength, shouldn¡¯t you have asked your friend? What was her name again? Ellie? Ellia, or something?¡± ¡°Erynthea, with a "y". And no, I couldn¡¯t ask her. She had her own problems to solve.¡± ¡°Is that truly why you didn¡¯t ask for her help?¡± Nivia didn¡¯t answer because Lilian hit the mark. She had different reasons for not asking Erin¡¯s assistance. Truthfully, she had a side that she would never want Erin to know. Erin was strong but she was also kind. Everyone loved her. Such a beautiful soul in Nivia¡¯s eyes. She feared for Erin¡¯s reaction should she discover her other side. While thinking that, Nivia unconsciously licked the blood of the fallen ver off of her de. ¡°You really should stop doing that,¡± Lilian said, seemingly unfazed by Nivia¡¯s action. Nivia remained silent and sheathed her de as nothing had happened. 3-1 Aera Glass 3-1 Aera ss It was near dusk, with the sky growing dark in the distance. At such times, taverns began to be filled with merry and noises. Many men came to relieve themselves of their stress after a hard day of work. However, on the contrary, it was a hellish beginning for many women. For thedies who were forced to take up work during the night just to get by, dusk was the beginning of their dread. Men had turned rowdy after a long day and most couldn¡¯t even contain the lust that had been building since the morning. Though most of them had a wife to return to, the many years of matrimony had dulled their desires towards their respective partner. And these men turned their lustful gaze to the maidens who had no choice but to work the night. Ironically and expectedly, the various maidens¡¯ luscious charm had turned nd after the countless repeating visits. Which was why the men instantly set their amorous sights on the unfamiliardy that had just walked into the tavern of the small lonely town. It went without saying only a girl or woman of an alluring and sensual figure could turn the heads of these many men. Even some of the tavern maids had their gaze robbed by the female stranger due to her face that could be mistaken as a beautiful man if she was wearing gentleman apparel. Thedy didn¡¯t look old enough to be called a woman but neither was she young enough to be called a girl. She was just at the ripe age for her hand to be taken in matrimony. The appearance of this nubiledy stirred the hearts of the tavern¡¯s patrons. Her figure wasn¡¯t a Fae¡¯s equal but it was the envy of most human females who hade of age. Her raven-ck hair was grown out until it reached just slightly above her waist. Her eyes were that of a pair of vibrant violet gems. Her skin was as pale as a sickly patient but her firm gait and stout gaze repelled that notion. In contrast to her bold natural appearance, she was donned in cloth of faith, as white as doves had they not been stained by time and dirt. Although, her headpiece was a circlet with a veil covering her head from all sides. In spite of her humble clothing, it couldn¡¯t begin to conceal the abundance of her charm, drawing envious gaze from the women without a valley. The entire tavern came to pin-drop silence. Thedy of faith¡¯s enticing appearance and her unfamiliar face became the centre of attention but thedy herself paid none of them any heed. She took a seat by the firece. A tavern maid quickly stoked the fire as if she was eager to please thedy. Another approached her to take her order. To everyone¡¯s surprise, thedy of faith requested a mug of ale. ¡°A-a mug of a-ale, sister?¡± the tavern maid questioned in a stutter. ¡°Mead will do too, or rum,¡± thedy of faith replied. ¡°Sister¡­ wouldn¡¯t the Divine be furious at you?¡± ¡°She is generous. She won¡¯t mind,¡± thedy said in a low voice but since no one was making a sound in the tavern, her words were heard clearly. Everyone gasped at her response. Thedy of faith addressed her own god with a tone that was more casual than one would use towards an acquaintance. ¡°If you say so, s-sister,¡± the maid said and bowed before rushing back to her station. Noises slowly returned to the tavern but it was still even less than half the noises before. Everyone was talking about thedy of faith that had graced the tavern with her presence. They were curious of her story but none dared to ask. Gods were real in this world and should any individual wrong a god¡¯s followers, unimaginable fate would be bestowed unto the doer. This was why no one approached thedy, except for a certain man. ¡°Hey there,ssie,¡± the man greeted as he trotted near thedy with wobbly steps. Going by the red that flushed his cheeks, it was evident the man was poisoned severely by his ale. Be that as it may, no one stopped the man. His daring acts were predicted by everyone in the building but no one even attempted to stop the man¡¯s tomfoolery. Thedy of faith noticed this fact. Her brows showed her notice but her lips stayed close. Even her eyes did not stray from the firece. To be precise, her eyes showed no intention of giving the approaching man so much as a nce. The man sat himself down on the empty chair beside thedy of faith. There was no more than a foot between them. ¡°Where ya from,ssie?¡± the man asked with a lustful grin that betrayed his attempt at being amicable. ¡°A small nameless vige to the north just a day from here.¡± ¡°That ce, huh,¡± the man mused, his ale spilling from his attempt at staying upright. ¡°Wasn¡¯t aware there was a sister like yer from there, much less a prettyssie like yer.¡± ¡°I am faith-bound but I am no sister,¡± thedy said. The man didn¡¯t understand her words but he didn¡¯t care about that. He was only getting close to thedy with the intention of inviting her to warm his bed for the night. ¡°What¡¯s yer name,ssie,¡± he asked, taking a swig from his mug of ale. ¡°Aera ss,¡± she answered. The drunk man gasped. At the same time, the tavern maid came bringing thedy¡¯s ale. After settling the mug by a small table beside thedy, the maid quickly took her leave. ¡°Say¡­ yer father¡­ is he¡­ Rayor?¡± the man strung out his question. ¡°I do not of my father¡¯s name,¡± Aera retorted after taking arge gulp of her ale all the while maintaining a calm demeanour. ¡°He wasn¡¯t much of a father. I didn¡¯t even know I have a father.¡± Suspicions began to enter the man¡¯s mind. ¡°What brought ya to these parts?¡± Aera finally gave the man a sidelong nce. Her eyes didn¡¯t linger on his face for long before falling her gaze onto the back of the man¡¯s palm. There was a mark of a ck skull. ¡°That mark on the back of your hand...¡± The man pulled away from Aera slightly at those words. ¡°My father bore the same mark¡­ and so did the people he brought along to the vige.¡± The man had stood up, stepping away. ¡°He and his men bbed a lot and quite loud too. It was something about us being unable to meet the yield for the month. You know what he did after?¡± At this point, the noises had died down once again. A few men had also stood up from their seats, their hands reaching behind their waist. The tavern maid scuttled into the back of the kitchen. The other patrons began looking around, looking towards one another. For the others, there were two kinds of responses. One half was looking for a way out of this tavern and the other half wasn¡¯t in the know of what was about to transpire. ¡°Mister, I am speaking to you. Would you care to know what the person I called my father and his men did?¡± ¡°W-what?¡± Aera downed her ale in a single gulp and rose from her seat. ¡°He grabbed all the women in the vige, including my mother, his own wife, and shared them among his men. Those that defy him were cut down without hesitation, including my brother, his own blood.¡± Before the man¡¯s mind could catch on, many had made their way out of the tavern. Even those who were confused had followed suit. ¡°And he didn¡¯t even have any qualms in fucking his own daughter!¡± Aera shouted, stomping her foot on the ground but she immediately reverted to her calm demeanour. ¡°Forgive me about that. That was¡­ unbing for me.¡± ¡°W-who are you¡­?¡± the man asked. The others were slowly circling around thedy, their swords at the ready. ¡°Marduk, I know he¡¯s the one behind all of my misery and despair. But all of you who voluntarily be his mutts will be equally responsible.¡± ¡°Well, lssie¡­ since you know that name¡­ you can¡¯t be allowed to live any longer...¡± ¡°You¡¯re all weaker than my father,¡± Aera said. ¡°What if we are?¡± one of the men retort. ¡°Then you stood no chance against me.¡± The drunk man in front of her burst outughing. ¡°Big words for a smallssie.¡± ¡°I killed my father with my own two hands, quite easily too.¡± ¡°Enough with your yapping. Men, have at this bitch but keep her alive. We can have plenty of fun with her...¡± the man said, licking his lips. Aera¡¯s hand coiled into a fist and at a speed that no one here could perceive, it plunged into the man¡¯s face and sent him crashing through the tables and chairs. ¡°I never knew¡­ taking a human¡¯s life would give so much experience¡­ this is¡­ very exciting¡­ Is this why you lot do what you do?¡± ¡°Thisssie is strong!¡± one of them shouted. ¡°The boss is dead!¡± cried the one who went and checked on the drunk man. ¡°From that one punch!?¡± ¡°Come on, boys! We have numbers on our side. Attack her together!¡± All of them drew their swords and charged at her. Their battle cries bounced between the narrow walls of the small tavern. ¡°Slow¡­ so slow¡­ all of you,¡± Aera muttered as shezily dodged all of the shes that came for her limbs. Her neck and body were spared as they wanted a warm body to mess with. Aera allowed herself a grin at the disadvantage the revolting men burden themselves with. She grabbed one of the men¡¯s arms and gave it a squeeze like she was dring a damp cloth. The sound of bones breaking and flesh tearing could be heard clearly by everyone. They flinched at that sound but Aera used the man as a club and began swinging the man into the others. More sounds of bones cracking could be heard. Aera was strong, inhumanely so. She was fast, faster than any of the men¡¯s eyes could perceive. None of them was her match. Their levels were in the lower tens at best. Aera herself was only level four despite having lived twenty years of her life. When a Divine responded to her despairing pleas, she used her newfound strength and ughtered all those who wronged her. It would have been impossible for her level to rise that quickly but her opponents underestimated her continuously due to her appearance. Her Divine Gift, Wrathmonger, was a skill that only made her stronger the longer a fight drew out, though there was a limit to how much her power could extend. Still, it allowed her to quickly raise her level to the mid-twenties. She ploughed through the men like nothing. They were nothing in her eyes. They were weeds to be hacked. If her circumstances were better, she would burn them all. Her desire to burn her enemies asunder borderline obsession and desperation. She felt it was too easy for them to be killed by just a single hit from her fist or foot. As she destroyed the men down to thest two, she made a slight blunder and received a de to her neck. It would have sliced her head clean off but Wrathmonger had awakened due to the ughter shemitted and her pent-up rage took over her. She lunged at the one who tried to lop her head off. She pounced on top of the man, brought her fists together, and hammered down on his face seemingly without any intention to stop. She was shouting incoherently as she turned the man¡¯s face into a pulp. The ground shook with each pound and thest man was too shaken to run away. The man tried to move but he stepped on a splinter, a shard of a broken chair¡¯s leg. This noise drew Aera¡¯s attention. She cocked her head to thest man, her face distorted with anger. ¡°D-Demon!¡± the man shouted. His piss drenched his trousers. Aera roared and lunged at thest man. He rolled away on instinct and Aera went through the floorboards. The man recovered his courage and stood up. He ran for the door but a pair of hands burst out from the floor beneath him. It grabbed onto his legs and dragged him down below. The man was thrown to the ground. Aera stared into the man¡¯s eyes with her own zing gaze. mes were burning in those eyes of hers but the mes weren¡¯t crimson nor vermilion. It was ck and purplish. Aera put her foot on the man¡¯s chest. He struggled but her overwhelming strength didn¡¯t even allow him to move an inch. She began to apply more strength to her foot. ¡°P-please¡­ spare m-me...¡± the man begged, blood spurting out from his mouth. ¡°Shut¡­¡± Aera said, softly. ¡°Up!¡± her voice turned into a roar. She stomped on the man¡¯s chest. ¡°Shut,¡± she stomped, ¡°the,¡± and stomped, ¡°fuck,¡± and stomped, ¡°up!¡± and stomped. ¡°Hypo¡ªcritical¡ª fucks! Every¡ªst¡ª one¡ª of¡ª you!¡± she stomped and stomped with every word that her rage dragged out of her lips. The man no longer bore any resemnce to a man. All that could be recognized was that it was something of flesh and blood. Aera raised her head and stared above her. She roared like a wolf would howl to the moon. Purplish marks glowed, tracing her veins. After all were said and done, calm returned to her appearance. She fixed her garbs and her essories. She climbed out of the basement. She rummaged through the corpses she created, gathering whatever coins she could. She put them in a pouch andid the pouch gently on the bar counter. With her own blood, she wrote a few words on the counter, ¡°sorry for the troubles.¡± And she left as if everything was an epic tale out of a minstrel¡¯s tongue. 3-2 Unbridled (R18) 3-2 Unbridled (R18) ¡°Erin,¡± Lyra whispered softly into the Fox-kin¡¯s ears. She took a whiff of her lover¡¯s smooth, long, and fragrant hair. She drew her tongue across her lover¡¯s nape. She picked on those fluffy and twitch ears of her lover. With not a single piece of cloth in between their skin, she fully embraced Erin in her arms, savouring the blissful warmth. ¡°L-Lyra...¡± Erin uttered with bated breaths. There were more words she wished to say but Lyra¡¯s skilful tongue and melodious fingers drowned her thoughts with endless bliss. Moans and cries of pleasure reced the words she wished to convey. ¡°At longst, my love¡­¡± nibbling on Erin¡¯s ears, Lyra spoke softly. ¡°I waited so long for this. For all the worries you have ced on me, I¡¯ll return those worries by tenfold in the form of ecstasy. That¡¯s more than you deserve, my love.¡± ¡°Lyra¡­ F-forgive meee~!¡± Erin shrieked as she apologized. Her lover¡¯s finger had found their way into her dripping honeypot. ¡°N~nope,¡± Lyra teased and arched her fingers inside Erin¡¯s snatch. The Fox-kin bent her body backwards, stringing out a cry of bliss. Lyra took this opportunity to smack her lips onto Erin¡¯s. Her tongue entered hers. She iled her tongue within. Erin grabbed Lyra¡¯s waist and returned the gesture. They engaged in a bout of dominance over each other¡¯s mouths. Neither of them was willing to submit. Both of them desired to be the dominant one over their carnal satiation. Their moans bounced between the thin walls of their room but the noises did not escape the small confine thanks to Aedan¡¯s magic scroll. Erin was confused at first when Aedan gifted her a couple of noise suppression magic scrolls. He had parted ways with her with the words, ¡°have fun¡±. Only now did Erin catch on to his meaning. She cursed him but now, she couldn¡¯t help but give him her gratitude. It was the dusk of a new day when she had returned to Quinteburgh. She quickly realized the events that had transpired in her absence. While she was d Lyra wasn¡¯t hurt greatly, dire news greeted her one after another. There was the death of Siv¡¯s twin brother, Wrev, and also the death of Velrin. But Erin didn¡¯t even have time to mourn and neither did she have time to break the news personally to Velkan. Ignoring her inner conflicts, the town¡¯s officials and the Ruvan clergies swarmed her with questions. She expected this but the deaths of acquaintances left her in no state to entertain those questions that wereced with selfish intentions. It was obvious they had already unanimously deemed her the hero. She could see the greed in their eyes, their intent to use her to further their fame and career. Furthermore, her increased number of tails were raising more questions from the interested parties. Even as they pressed her for answers, she couldn¡¯t give any as she herself didn¡¯t have the answers and she certainly couldn¡¯t tell them the truth. Fortunately, Erin had made some powerful friends. Iris and Rosemary came to the rescue and fend away those pesky flies. Ceremonies and festivals were to be held inmemoration of the town¡¯s victory. However, before any ceremony or festival was to happen, the proceedings of the bereaved were to be settled first. The funeral and mourning of the departed ones follow after. With the intervention of her friends in high ces, it allowed Erin to resolve her own affairs. She rushed back to the church. Thankfully with the Necromancer dead, Celia was faring better than before. And with the Mist Pearls in hand, Celia was cured of her affliction but in the end, whether she could live with the nightmare was entirely up to the girl¡¯s tenacity. Still, the lively smile of Celia dispelled Erin of all her worries. Strength left her and exhaustion flowed into every fibre of her body. For the first time in a long while, she allowed her fatigue to ferry her into dreand. It no longer felt like she was slowly drowning in the sea. The weight was released from her leg and she was floating to the surface. The cool breeze brushed past her and the sun greeted her with a gentle and warm smile. She could finally rest. But when she woke up a day after, she found herself in her room. Her clothing waspletely stripped off of her. Lyra was lying by her side, in the same state. It didn¡¯t take Erin long to figure out what was happening. She did remember she had left without telling Lyra and only leaving a note. If she was in Lyra¡¯s shoes, she figured she would be upset too. Therefore, she closed her eyes and epted her situation. Furthermore, she was also starved. Her own lust was screaming at her, pleading desperately to be sated. She waited for Lyra to unleash her frustration unto her but it never came, or at least it came slowly. For the first few minutes, Lyra¡¯s touch deliberately avoided all of her sensitive spots, leaving the bliss up to her imagination. After half an hour, only did Lyra begin to induce pleasure unto her flesh. Their lips eventually parted and gave way for fresh air. Strings of saliva were drawn between their tongue and lips. Their warm breaths touched each other¡¯s cheeks. Their gaze met and the same thirst and desire could be seen in their eyes. ¡°I love you, Erin,¡± Lyra said. Desperation tinged her voice. ¡°I love you so much. I have never loved anyone as much as I love you.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Erin asked, her fingers caressing her lover¡¯s cheek. Lyra did not answer. She buried her face into Erin¡¯s shoulder and left her marks on Erin¡¯s skin. ¡°Ngh~!¡± Erin moaned. She tightened her arms around Lyra. ¡°L-Lyra¡­ what¡¯s wrong?¡± Lyra stayed silent and imprinted more of her lover on Erin. Knowing something was different, Erin poured strength into her arms and pushed Lyra off. ¡°N-no...¡± Lyra muttered. ¡°P-please¡­ don¡¯t ask me.¡± Her voice was trembling. Even her gaze was turned away. Erin leaned close to Lyra. She lifted her face and met her shuddering gaze. ¡°Tell me, please?¡± muttering ever so softly, Erin gave Lyra¡¯s cheek a peck. The shallow kiss moved to her neck, in which Erin bit down to leave her mark. ¡°E-Erin...!¡± Lyra pleaded and moaned. Erin grinned. ¡°If you don¡¯t tell me, I will never do this to you again.¡± Lyra pouted. ¡°That¡¯s not fair...¡± ¡°We¡¯re partners, Lyra. Or do you not trust me?¡± ¡°I trust you, Erin. That¡¯s why I can¡¯t tell you.¡± Erin blinked. ¡°How does that work?¡± Lyra looked away. Her gaze kept falling down. ¡°Is that guilt I¡¯m smelling?¡± ¡°You can smell it?!¡± Lyra blurted out anxiously. Erin¡¯s grin widened. ¡°Y-you tricked me...¡± Erin pulled Lyra close and rested her chin on her shoulder. ¡°Tell me, my love,¡± she whispered into her ears. Feeling the shivers of love and passion down her spine, Lyra gritted her teeth. ¡°I don¡¯t want to upset you, Erin.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be upset if you don¡¯t tell me.¡± ¡°...Do you remember my... friend?¡± ¡°Your friend?¡± Erin tilted her head. ¡°Ah, you meant that childhood lover of yours?¡± Lyra nodded. ¡°Yes,¡± she said. Erin¡¯s gaze narrowed, her hold over Lyra unconsciously tightened. ¡°What about him?¡± ¡°His name is Edmund...¡± ¡°Edmund?¡± Erin uttered. She remembered a man named Edmund that was with Velrin. ¡°He¡¯s the one? He¡¯s your former lover?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ I didn¡¯t know he was here, Erin.¡± An unbridled feeling brimmed to the surface. It could be nothing else but jealousy. Erin didn¡¯t know what kind of face she was making but she knew it wasn¡¯t something pretty. ¡°Rest assured, Erin. We didn¡¯t even meet. I came to know of him through the Guild Master.¡± Lyra¡¯s face contorted with anger. ¡°Apparently, he betrayed Velrin and the others.¡± ¡°Betrayed? How?¡± ¡°He abandoned hispanions. He fled the battle in fear of his own life. His betrayal resulted in Velrin and the other¡¯s death. It was him. He was the reason. The Guild Master had issued a warrant for his arrest but due to the otherplications, he¡¯s only a wanted man in Maven¡¯s Creek. He¡¯s still considered a freeman in other territories.¡± Though Erin had not known Velrin for long, it just didn¡¯t sit right with her that someone she knew had died due to the betrayal of their ownpanion. ¡°I have promised the Guild Master that I would hunt him down.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because I know him. How far has he fallen¡­ I had to know. I seek resolution, Erin. For us.¡± ¡°Resolution? For what?¡± ¡°...Our rtionship.¡± Confusion and disbelief crossed paths on Erin¡¯s face. ¡°I¡­ It wasn¡¯t exactly made clear between us. Hisst words to me were, ¡®don¡¯t expect me to wee you back with open arms. You will realize that I¡¯m doing this for us both. When you do, youe back to me.¡¯ That¡¯s what he said...¡± ¡°That son of a bitch dares to...¡± Erin¡¯s voice cracked halfway through her sentence but the rest of her words were clear in her expression. Dark thoughts began to form in her mind. She couldn¡¯t forgive him for uttering those words. The darker thoughts in her smiled at the opportunity. The perfect excuse had presented itself to her. She felt disgusted at herself but she couldn¡¯t deny she was grateful for this convenient excuse to get rid of her insecurity. ¡°E-Erin¡­?¡± Lyra waved her hands in front of her face. ¡°Y-your face¡­ it¡¯s scaring me...¡± ¡°Good,¡± Erin said and pushed Lyra down. She trapped her arms under her hands. ¡°Was this what you hoped for? To incite my jealousy?¡± ¡°You¡¯re wrong¡­ Erinnn~!¡± Lyra couldn¡¯t even exin. Her in chest was assaulted by Erin¡¯s tongue and teeth. Erin drew her tongue carefully around the buds and bit them gently. ¡°Mine¡­ these are all mine...¡± Erin chanted. ¡°Even if they are poor, they¡¯re still mine.¡± She bit on the tips harder, inciting a loud cry from Lyra. It was painful. Lyra begged for Erin to stop but as pleasure swept past her body, the pain was drowned out by ecstasy. Soon, her pleas for Erin to stop turned into pleas for more pleasure. Without a reason to hold her down, Erin freed Lyra¡¯s arms from her hold. Her right hand went down and began ying with Lyra¡¯s overflowing honeypot. Her left hand lingered around Lyra¡¯s face, inserting two of her fingers into her mouth. In a trance of bliss, Lyra sucked on the two fingers that had entered her mouth. Her tongue coiled around the Fox-kin¡¯s fingers, savouring them as if it was the sweetest candy she had ever tasted. The pleasure from having her chest mauled and her snatch assaulted in tandem sent her into a sea of pleasure. Only her lover¡¯s name, moans and cries came out of her lips. ¡°Did he do this to you too?¡± Erin asked as she left marks of love all over Lyra¡¯s chest. Though it was phrased as a question, there was only one answer she would ept. However, Lyra gave the contrary. ¡°...Yes,¡± she admitted, hesitantly. A smirk hid behind that hesitation. ¡°I see...¡± Erin said. She stuck more fingers into Lyra¡¯s tightening snatch and wriggled them more intensely. Lyra iled around blissfully. Her fluids went everywhere. Her voice no longer sounded humane. But she cared none of those. Shame was currently in neither of the two¡¯s dictionaries. ¡°Who¡¯s better? Me or him?¡± Erin asked. This was a question she had been dreading to ask. Till now, she was never able to muster the courage. But caught in the heat of passion, she found courage and opportunity. ¡°Oh my¡­ what should I say?¡± Lyra giggled. ¡°Should I just tell the truth or should I lie to please you?¡± A vein popped on Erin¡¯s forehead. Her ears were twitching with her lips. Her tails stood straight and stiffly to show her indignance. ¡°You little¡­ it seems I¡¯m being underestimated.¡± ¡°Do you worst, lover,¡± Lyra taunted. Erin pulled her lips away from Lyra¡¯s chest. She pulled her fingers out from her mouth and snatch. She wrapped hands around her supple thighs and lifted her up. ¡°Eek~!¡± Lyra yelped from the sudden change. Erin snickered. Her lover¡¯s womanhood was just right in front of her face, throbbing desperately as if it was begging to be touched. She could smell the desire that her drenched twat exuded. ¡°I wonder¡­ should I cry your name as I did for him?¡± Erin clicked her tongue. She wasted not a second longer and smacked her lips onto Lyra¡¯s honeypot. Her tongue went in without difficulty. In fact, it was sucking her tongue in. Sheshed out inside the overflowing snatch. Lyra was howling at this point. It was no longer a simple moan. She was howling out the brimming ecstasy in every part of her body. She couldn¡¯t even struggle. Her whole body was simply twitching in bliss as Erin assaulted her womanhood. She reached her peak countless times in the process but her lover did not stop there. Lyra screamed. Her voice reached the loudest she had ever been. The pleasure was just that unbearable. It was too much. Her mind turned into a sheet of white. She could not think about anything else but the pleasure. Eventually, she begged for Erin to stop but the Fox-kin only grew more fervent in her attempts. Lyra kept cumming and cumming until her lover¡¯s face waspletely drenched in her lovely fluids. Left without strength to even let out her voice of pleasure, her body slumped to the bed like a lifeless doll. [Experience gained +10% - Level Progression: 19%] ¡°So, am I better?¡± Erin asked but it went without saying she didn¡¯t expect Lyra to answer. The person in question was in no state to even make a sound much less to form a single coherent word. Though Erin was now satisfied that she had ¡°punished¡± Lyra for her ¡°insolence¡±, she herself was discontent. She did not achieve a single climax in this intercourse. She was pushed to the verge a few times but none of those times had she managed to peak. She wanted to continue but one look at Lyra was enough to dishearten her. Just as Erin was about to resign tofort herself, a familiar scent hit her nose. A smile filled with ideas formed on her face. A knock resounded from the door. ¡°Sorry to bother you, Lady Erin but I wish to speak to you.¡± It was Siv. And Erin could tell what she hade to her for. ¡°Come in,¡± Erin said. Her own snatch throbbed as she thought about the things she would do. 3-3 Comfort (R18) 3-3 Comfort (R18) The Beast-kin were well-known for their excellent sense of smell. Due to this quirk of theirs, even with their vision impaired, they could still perceive their surroundings clearly. In fact, they perceived things better with their nose than their eyes. It was widely believed that their nose could pick up a scent from a mile away. While this was an exaggeration, they could pick up a scent from many yards away, rendering any attempts at ambush redundant. Siv was just like any other of her hide. She could smell a person from a distance away even if they were separated by walls. This was how she had found Erin. She followed her scent. A Fae¡¯s scent was peculiar enough in itself and Erin¡¯s scent was even more so. It was easily distinguishable among the other thousand scents that doused the streets. Siv had only taken a whiff and she was able to pick out Erin¡¯s scent. She followed the trail and it led her to an inn. The trail ended there which she found weird. If Erin had left the inn, she would know. The only conclusion she arrived at was that Erin had put up a barrier that prevented her scent from leaking out of the room. Siv easily made her way past the receptionist without being stopped. Not that there was any chance of that happening considering the woman behind the counter was fast asleep. It was night time but an inn was never closed. The receptionist had given into the call of her dream and dozed off. Siv was irked that an esteemed individual like Erin was living in a ce with such security. But she did not act on her emotion. She calmed herself with the fact that Erin herself had no need of protection. She saw the Fae¡¯s ability firsthand and she was convinced only a few fighters around these parts could stand a chance against her. Along the tight and short hallway, Siv could hear the various soundsing from the other side. The sounds she heard were questionable but it was not in her interest to care. She made her way to the door at the end of the hallway. The door itself was slightly cleaner and sturdy than the others. Even for a magic nescient like her, she could tell a spell was cast over the room. Considering she could hear no sound and smell no scent from beyond the door, she attributed the spell to none other than Erin. Now that she was in front of Erin¡¯s room, she began to hesitate. Doubts surfaced in her mind. It was nighttime. It would be considered rude to intrude but if it was Erin, she would happily amodate but that would be taking advantage of her. Such thoughts were circling in Siv¡¯s mind. Although she told herself she was only here to have a chat with Erin but deep down, she knew she came for something else, something improper. Erin was a Fae and she was a Beast-kin. She kept wondering if she had overstepped her boundary. As doubts began to pile, she came to a more critical realization. Erin, in all likelihood with her fox ears, should know she was standing in front of her room. It would be boorish to leave without saying a word. Taking a deep breath and drawing in courage, Siv knocked on the door a few times. ¡°Come in,¡± an immediate reply came from the other side of the door. Following that reply, the spell came undone. A wave of peculiar scent swept past her. Siv was no stranger to this scent as she herself had produced much of this scent a few days ago when she was alone with Erin. She could still remember that night vividly. It was the night she gave Erin her virtue. As Siv entered the room, she flinched at the sight of a naked Erin, sitting at the edge of the bed with her legs crossed. The Fox-kin¡¯s honeypot was hidden behind her legs but her bountiful mounds were bare. The five tails were flourishing beautifully and assertively behind her. What was even more shocking to Siv was the sight of Lyra, lying on the bed with her tongue lolled out and a face filled with exhaustion and ecstasy. Siv knew Lyra would be here but her current state wasn¡¯t something Siv could ever imagine. She began to wonder just what Erin had done to reduce Lyra into this state. ¡°I-it seems I havee at a bad time...¡± Siv said, her voice was trembling. ¡°Nonsense,¡± Erin countered. ¡°You came at the right time. Though I have to ask, does Lord Hegan know of this? I mean with you being here.¡± ¡°He does. I have asked for a few days to mourn. Just until the day of departure. Am I truly not intruding?¡± ¡°Just the contrary, actually. I was quite careless with Lyra and I have left myself in a precarious situation. And you came at the right time.¡± Siv swallowed a lump and failed toe up with a response. Erin smiled and got up from the bed. She walked towards Siv with her drenched snatch dripping with every step. Siv saw the trail of fluids clearly but she was still too in awe of the circumstances to move or speak, right until Erin was up to her face. ¡°You seekfort, that¡¯s why you came to me.¡± Erin¡¯s hand moved to stroke Siv¡¯s cheek. ¡°Though I can¡¯t say I know anything about loss, I do know a lot about solitude. You have just lost a family, that can¡¯t be easy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the worst¡­ I¡¯m merely exploiting your kindness, Lady Erinthea...¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong about that when I¡¯m the one offering it to you knowingly. Just for this time, exploit my kindness to your content, Siv.¡± Erin whispered Siv¡¯s name to her ears. When Erin¡¯s hot breath touched her ear, she shrieked with a shiver spread to her whole body. ¡°Lady Erin...¡± ¡°Erin, just Erin,¡± Erin whispered ever so softly. Subtly but not underhandedly, she proceeded to undress Siv. ¡°Lady Erin¡­ I...¡± ¡°Just Erin. Throw away thedy because I¡¯m certainly nody right now. I¡¯m just a lustful wench who seeks to satiate her unbridled lust.¡± Siv stared wide-eyed at Erin who was gazing at her with a gaze that could tempt women and men alike. She began to feel her own womanly hood throbbing with anticipation. ¡°I will alleviate your sorrows, Siv and you will alleviate my itch.¡± ¡°Y-yes¡­ mdy...¡± Siv said. Erin sighed in resignation but she didn¡¯t stop undressing Siv. The Wolf-kin¡¯s apparel was simple but the sp and knots were too much for the current lustful Erin. Losing to her lust, she tore off Siv¡¯s armour and clothes without asking. Siv yelped in response but before she could ask any question, she had found herself thrown onto the bed. ¡°E-Erin? You seemed different than normal...¡± ¡°This is who I am, Siv.¡± Erin looked straight into Siv¡¯s eyes as she climbed onto the bed and hovered over her. ¡°My prudence and self-restraint, they¡¯re just there to mask my lust. The elegance and grace you saw in me are just a facade. Disgusted? Disappointed?¡± Siv shook her head. A smile finally appeared on her face. ¡°I am not. We all have a side that we don¡¯t show to just anyone. I¡¯m honoured and d to be given this trust.¡± She slowly wrapped arms around Erin, pulling the Fae closer. ¡°Siv...¡± Erin muttered. ¡°Erin...¡± she muttered back. ¡°Lift this veil of sorrow off of me.¡± ¡°It would be my pleasure, Siv.¡± They shared a kiss and let their mounds pressed unto one another. The two were at the peak of their lust and the contact of their teats sent waves of pleasure through their body. Siv, who was still new to such pleasure, shrieked loudly for every tenant of the building to hear but Erin worked fast in recasting the spell. Erin sighed in relief as she made it barely in time. A secondter, no doubt everyone in the building would be raising questions. Worse, it would attract unwanted solicitation. Their embrace strengthened as their kiss deepened. Their tongue fought for dominance and to Erin¡¯s surprise, she was losing. Her surprise dimmed as she remembered Siv¡¯s first night. She was a natural. This remembrance only heightened Erin¡¯s expectations. Their fingers found each other and they intertwined. Their hands embraced and they pressed their bodies deeper against each other. Soon, even their legs coiled around one another. Their unnatural but passionate embrace turned them over, now with Siv on top and Erin at the Wolf-kin¡¯s mercy. ¡°Oh my, I thought I would be the one lifting your sorrows,¡± Erin said, teasingly. ¡°Your cries of ecstasy and moans of pleasure will be enough to lift my sorrows. It will be my privilege to send you there.¡± ¡°How bold of you, Siv.¡± ¡°My tutor has taught me well.¡± ¡°Your tutor?¡± ¡°You, mdy. It¡¯s jargon amongst my people. It refers to the person who took one¡¯s virtue.¡± Erinughed. ¡°Droll but fitting.¡± Seeing thatugh, Siv sunk her lips into Erin¡¯s once again. Her mind exploded like fireworks. Pleasure scattered all over her head. The Fox-kin¡¯s saliva was nectar to her taste. Her muffled moans were the sweetest melody to her ears. Her faint struggles were yful ils of a newborn. Everything about Erin¡¯s antics was giving Siv pleasure. Not even ten minutes had passed and Siv found herself reaching the peak of her ecstasy. She shuddered like a small quake as pleasure hit. She released herself from the deep kiss and fell to Erin¡¯s side. ¡°You came?¡± Erin asked. ¡°I-I did...¡± It wasn¡¯t only saliva but tears too were oozing out from her. Erin wiped her tears away. ¡°You have done well. You and your brother. You protected a town.¡± ¡°I wish I hadn¡¯t. That way, Wrev would have been alive. I hate myself for thinking that.¡± ¡°Your line of thoughts is moremon than you think. It¡¯s only natural to contemte how different things could have been.¡± ¡°But towards you, mdy, I don¡¯t think about that at all. I don¡¯t even want to.¡± ¡°You truly are a natural temptress, Siv,¡± Erin said and pecked at her lips. ¡°Mdy¡­ may I be coarse with my words?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a little toote to ask about that, Siv. You may.¡± ¡°My cunt,¡± Siv said, lust-filled her gaze. ¡°I want you to give me plenty of love and pleasure to it. I will give you the same.¡± Erin raised an eyebrow. ¡°How would you do that?¡± Siv wordlessly moved to ce herself above Erin with her drenched cunt above her face. She bent down and ced her own face against Erin¡¯s honeypot that wouldn¡¯t stop overflowing with her lovely fluids. ¡°Truly bold and natural you are, Siv.¡± ¡°Enough talking, mdy,¡± Siv replied, sternly. The assertive tone sent shivers down Erin¡¯s spine. Something was awakening within her. Without further exchange of words, the two proceeded to insert their tongue in to each other¡¯s snatch. Only now did Erin realize just how long Siv¡¯s tongue was. It was long enough to reach the spots that normally only fingers could. The pleasure surging into her mind was too much for her to concentrate on instilling pleasure into Siv. She tried to resist but in the end, she submitted to the pleasure. She cried out her delight in front of the Wolf-kin¡¯s twat and unleashed her fluids onto the Wolf-kin¡¯s face. Feeling the vibration of the air from Erin¡¯s shout, Siv herself was induced with ecstasy but she didn¡¯t stop savouring the Fae¡¯s cunt. ¡°Right there, Siv! Right there! You¡¯re so good! So good!¡± Erin cried shamelessly, neglecting Lyra who was waking up from all the ruckus. Upon seeing the sight before her, indignance wrought her face. ¡°What is going on here?¡± she asked but neither of the two paid her any heed. Feeling left out, she grabbed one of Siv¡¯s mounds with one hand and yed with her tail with the other. ¡°M-Miss L-Lyra!?¡± Siv blurted out in surprise. ¡°How dare you make a move on Erin when I was unconscious?¡± ¡°It was Erin¡¯s own gracious offer,¡± Siv shot back. She was, without any hint of subtlety, feeling more pleasure than before with Lyra grappling at her tail and breast. ¡°E-Erin?¡± Lyra was surprised at theck of honorifics. She turned her gaze to Erin, who was still in her own ecstasynd. A smirk adorned Lyra¡¯s lips. She moved to Erin¡¯s below,ing face to face with Siv who was making a mess of the Fae¡¯s womanly hood with her tongue. ¡°M-Miss Lyra?¡± Lyra put her finger on her lips as a silent request for Siv to stay quiet. Without warning, she grabbed Erin¡¯s tails and nibbled on them. The cry that came out of Erin¡¯s mouth then was a shriek that pierced the air and even hurt Siv¡¯s ears a little. The pleasure was just that much for Erin to bear. Erin regained her senses but she was still calming down from the overwhelming pleasure. ¡°Lyra¡­ what are you doing?!¡± ¡°cating my jealousy,¡± Lyra said and continued ying with her tails. Now that Erin had five tails, the pleasure she received from having her tails groped was only stronger than ever. Just like that, the night passed and dawn began to break. The time seemed to fly for others who were deep asleep but to a certain three, it was a near-endless hell of pleasure with none of the three were willing to let the other sleep in hopes of being the one to overwhelm others with ecstasy. Needless to say, thepetition ended in a draw and the three were fast asleep long after dawn. [Experience gained +20% - Level Progression: 39%] 3-4 Glass rage 3-4 ss rage ¡°Kill...¡± Aera muttered to no one in particr. This was all in her mind ever since she started her ughter in the bar. She thought it would subside since the subjects of her hatred were eliminated but unfortunately, that was not the reality. Instead, the wrath within her was as strong as ever. She felt prejudice towards anyone who came into her sights. There was an old couple. They led a happy life judging by the smile they had for each other. Going by their rough hands, they lived a hard but honest life. The old couple were just strolling on the forest road paved by fallen leaves when Aera chanced upon them in her wandering. She was trying to avoid people but of all ces, she met this particr old couple. Blood was all over her and wrath was apparent on her expression, those she knew. Yet, the old couple approached her, offering their hand to help. Still, in the face of her indiscriminate wrath, the old couple was no different than the ones who wronged her. ¡°Are you hurt, missy?¡± the olddy asked while taking small steps towards her. Aera bared her growl against the couple. It was all she could do to warn them. ¡°It¡¯s alright littless. We just want to help.¡± Yet, the old man wasn¡¯t fazed and kept on approaching. ¡°Leave me alone...¡± Aera managed to say. ¡°But you¡¯re hurt. That¡¯s a lot of blood.¡± ¡°Not¡­ my¡­ blood,¡± Aera strung her words out slowly. Still, the old couple did not heed her warning. They kept on approaching her. The anger inside of Aera was brimming, screaming to be let out on the couple in front of her. She held it back by remembering the words of a passing priestess. She couldn¡¯t remember the priestess'' face but she remembered her words and her teachings. The priestess had taught her much about tolerance. At that time, Aera gave not much thought to the priestess¡¯ word and treated it like the ramblings and lectures of any other adult. Now, she was never more thankful for the priestess. She donned herself in the priestess¡¯ garbs in hopes that it would somehow help in restraining her unbridled wrath. The garbs were the priestess show of gratitude for allowing her to take shelter. The priestess¡¯ teaching alleviated some of the hatred lurking in Aera¡¯s heart. Remembering the happy times she spent with her departed mother, the wrath began to die down. ¡°Lassie, we meant you no harm. Let us help, alright?¡± the old man said. Aera, with all her will, disyed a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine alone, old man. Nothing good wille out of helping me.¡± She wondered if smiling did wonders as the hatred had stopped brimming. It was still there but it was no longer screaming. ¡°Missy, are you in some kind of trouble?¡± the olddy asked. Aera nodded. As much as she loved to, she wasn¡¯t able to kill all of Marduk¡¯s men in the town she had just left. She wagered they had probably finished preparing by now and was currently right on her tail. ¡°If they see you with me, you¡¯ll be in trouble.¡± ¡°But we can¡¯t leave you alone. What will happen to you then?¡± ¡°I have foreseen thising. The moment I epted the goddess¡¯ assistance, there was no longer any hope for me.¡± The couple did not understand Aera but they were at least able to figure she had raised the ire of some very bad men. ¡°Leave me be¡­ I¡¯ll be fine,¡± Aera said and began to walk away. But the old couple would not relent. They just weren''t those sort of people. As they moved to stop Aera¡¯s leave, two shadows came in between Aera and the old couple. The ze within Aera red up immediately and she was already swinging her fist before she had known. The breeze rose like the storm and Aera¡¯s fist met a wall of wind. Now that sheid her sights on the two individuals who appeared out of nowhere, she could discern they were Fae. Precisely, an Elf and a Dryad. It was obvious to Aera they were here for her but she didn¡¯t know why. She leapt away from the two Fae but the earth beneath her feet erupted, trapping her feet. ¡°Humans, get out of here now if you value your lives,¡± Nivia said sternly to the old couple. As kind as they were, the stories they had constantly heard about the Faerie-kin was enough to drive them away. They all knew the risk of angering the Faerie-kin. They wanted to help Aera but they were merely ofmon birth. They could do nothing to oppose a Fae. ¡°Calm your heart, human. We are not your enemies. Your hostility is uncalled for.¡± ¡°Silence wench!¡± Aera shouted. Nivia and Lilian were shocked with their eyes wide open. Aera was in priestess garbs, so they expected some degree of tranquillity in her conduct. She also had a face that oozed off serenity but that shout contorted her tranquil appearance drastically. But after that shout, calmness returned to her face. ¡°You expect me to calm down after you made your appearance out of thin air without any warning?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because we sensed a great deal of hate in your heart towards the old couple,¡± Nivia exined. ¡°The Spirits avoid you. We couldn¡¯t just sit by and just leave it up to the whims of fate.¡± ¡°That was awfully kind of you and highly unexpected of you.¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m a Fae?¡± ¡°What other reason could there be for it to be unexpected? And you trapped me in this spell of yours.¡± Lilian eyed Aera curiously. The human before her was overflowing with wrath but she looked calm enough to most people of her inner emotions. ¡°You were attacking us. You expect us to just let ourselves be hit?¡± Nivia questioned. ¡°I had hoped that would be the turns of events,¡± Aera answered. ¡°No loss found.¡± ¡°Nivia, are you sure she would be of assistance to our cause?¡± Lilian asked, directing a dubious gaze at Aera. ¡°She had the resolve and strength.¡± ¡°But I fear we would have our throats slit in our sleep.¡± ¡°You wish for me to join your party of two?¡± Aera asked with raised brows. ¡°Fae¡¯s humour is so strange.¡± ¡°This is not a jest,¡± Nivia said. ¡°We are hunting down the same ilk of people you are hunting.¡± ¡°I see. You seek Marduk.¡± ¡°I seek the one who is responsible for enving my kind.¡± ¡°Then you seek Marduk.¡± ¡°We share amon goal then but neither of us can aplish it without the help of one another. What say you, human?¡± Aeraughed, mockingly. ¡°You found my words humourous, human?¡± ¡°How did youe to the conclusion that I am insufficient by my own strength?¡± ¡°How? You were running from your pursuers. If you¡¯re strong, then why do you run?¡± Aera continued tough. ¡°You misunderstood my circumstances, Fae. I ran not because Icked the strength to eliminate them¡­ I ran because I do not wish to incur any coteral.¡± As soon as she finished her sentence, she broke free of the earth magic spell as if it was frail ss. Vines suddenly erupted from the ground and entangled themselves around Aera¡¯s arms. ¡°Nivia, this person is too dangerous to be called an ally. Her power feels extremely unnatural. It does not resonate with her original essence.¡± Nivia clicked her tongue and drew her swords. ¡°We did note here to fight.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t havee into my path. You should have left me alone!¡± Aera roared and tore herself free from the vines. She quickly leapt away from the earth before another wave of rock bs entrapped her. They were in the middle of a forest in Sephrodia¡¯s Valley. The valley was vast, around twice the size of Maven¡¯s Creek. Even if they were to shout at the top of their lungs, chances would be low that someone would hear them. But that couldn¡¯t be said for Aera¡¯s pursuers. If they fight, it would surely reveal Aera¡¯s location. She didn¡¯t want that but the wrath within her dictated her to fight and kill. ¡°Why can¡¯t you leave me alone!?¡± Aera shouted, picking up a log from nearby and threw it at the two. The log was thrice her size and many times her weight. ¡°Great Spirits!¡± Lilian gasped. ¡°Such strength!¡± Nivia grabbed the Dryad¡¯s arm and tossed themselves out of the log¡¯s way. ¡°My gratitude, Nivia.¡± ¡°Just stay behind me. You¡¯re not adept at moving around on a battlefield.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I have you, Nivia.¡± Nivia ignored her remark. ¡°She might be levels higher than us or she had strengthening magic.¡± ¡°Although I can¡¯t see the Mana flow in her, I don¡¯t feel any irregrities with her Mana flow. But this is curious¡­ She doesn¡¯t seem to be using magic.¡± As they had such an exchange, Aera had picked up arge boulder and tossed it like it weighed nothing. Nivia quick-cast a Wind Magic spell and destroyed the boulder into small fragments. ¡°Then what manner of power is this?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ the Spirits avoid her but they don¡¯t leave her. They¡¯re just hovering around her. They don¡¯t shun her.¡± ¡°Leave. Me. Be!!¡± Aera roared and threw anotherrge piece of boulder at the two. ¡°With the mystery that she is¡ª¡± Lilian raised her hand and stopped the boulder, literally. The huge rock was now merely floating in the air. ¡°She is too dangerous to be left about.¡± ¡°She is not our concern¡­ but I agree. She could be a problem in the future. And judging by her temperament, she could potentiallypromise our cause.¡± Aera charged at the two, her fist raised and her eyes dyed a bloodshot red. Lilian threw the boulder back at Aera but it shattered frailly against her fist. Nivia carried Lilian into her arms and leapt from branches to branches of the trees. Aera¡¯s fist fell on the tree behind where the two Fae had stood, turning the trunk into splinters. ¡°She¡¯s a problem but not one we can solve,¡± Nivia said. ¡°We have wasted much of our time here.¡± ¡°We just leave her be?¡± ¡°We have to. Considering our position, we can¡¯t kill her and we have no way of stopping her. The only thing we can do is to run.¡± ¡°I¡¯m in agreement with your conjecture, Nivia.¡± ¡°You want to run now!? Like I¡¯ll let you!!¡± Aera sprang from the ground and straight to the trees like an arrow. ¡°Oh dear, her strength is truly unprecedented,¡± Lilian remarked. ¡°There are plenty of ways to deal with her type,¡± Nivia said and produced a ball of light in her palm, a Light Drop. ¡°Oh? What do you intend to do?¡± ¡°A trick I learned from a dear friend.¡± ¡°Ah, the Fox-kin, isn¡¯t it?¡± Nivia refused to retort and focused on Aera who was already closing on them. She charged the Light Drop with Mana before lightly tossing it towards Aera¡¯s way. The Light Drop did not even register in Aera¡¯s eyes as she didn¡¯t perceive it as a threat, but she should have. The Light Drop, brimming with Mana, exploded into a blinding radiance. To Aera who did not bother covering her sights, felt the full brunt of the radiance. She cried and fell to the ground. She iled and tossed around like an infant crying for milk but she was crying due to the intense sh that assaulted her eyes. When the agony had subsided and her vision recovered, the two Fae were nowhere to be seen or found. Aera yelled into the air before hammering her fists down onto the ground to vent her frustration. She froze. Her eyes stay wide-open. She brought her hands close to her face. They were trembling and so were her shoulders. ¡°What am I bing¡­?¡± she asked herself, hoping for an answer. ¡°How deep will I fall...¡± She dwelled on her memories, the time a Goddess answered her despair. She epted the Divine¡¯s help without hesitation. Now, she wondered if it was worth it. She wondered if she would even remember the reason for all this violence. However, her sentiment departed when the sounds of a dozen footsteps entered her ears. Upon realization, she grinned. Her wrath once again took hold of her. She stood her ground, waiting for her pursuers toe. ¡°I will fall as deep as I need to. It doesn¡¯t matter if I forget. All it matters is that these sons of bitches met their end, miserably.¡± 3-5 Erstwhile Serene 3-5 Erstwhile Serene The gentle breeze of the noon swooped past the in, bringing petals and pollens into its travels. The scent of grass and flowers tickled Erin¡¯s nose. A gleeful yet calm expression spread across her face as she enjoyed the greeting of nature while basking in the warm embrace of the sun. Children from the orphanage were ying in the fields, warmly overseen by Erin and Lyra, who were enjoying their rightfully earned break from the past few days. Erin was sitting on her knees, a posture that many might find disagreeable. To Erin, it was a testament to her constitution. Should she ever find herself having trouble sitting on her knees, it would mean that her constitution was failing her. It was a good method for masters to gauge the degradation of their skills through the wear of time. Erin¡¯s tails were swaying gracefully along with the breeze and the Fox-kin herself was enjoying thepany of her lover who was resting her head on herp, painting a picture of elegance, intimacy, and serenity. This was a well-deserved rest for Erin and none would dispute with her considering she was the prime reason for Quinteburgh¡¯s survival. There was still much to be done after that huge ordeal. The biggest headache of all was Velkan. She had wanted to tell him of his sister¡¯s passing personally but the guards had been too loose with their lips for rumours and tattles. He flew into a rage, demanding justice and retribution for those responsible. Even Erin herself could not calm him down. In the end, she had no choice but to leave Velkan to his own device. And that was just one of her many headaches, but for now, Erin wanted to think of nothing but to unwind. There was no better way to unwind than to spend a lovely day like this with her lover and their adopted-like daughter, Celia. Erin shocked herself from her meditation as she reached this conclusion. ¡°...No. Calling her as our daughter is a little too¡­ overreaching¡­ Besides, we have to part in a few days.¡± Celia trotted up to the two briskly with a crown made of flowers in her hands. ¡°Ellie, here!¡± she said, holding out the flower crown as her eyes shimmered with anticipation for praise. ¡°This is beautiful, Celia. Thanks,¡± Erin said, tousling the little girl¡¯s hair. Celia giggled. ¡°That tickles, Ellie.¡± But she didn¡¯t push Erin¡¯s hand away. ¡°Would you like to put it on me?¡± ¡°Yes, please!¡± Celia responded with overjoy. Erin lowered her head, just enough for Celia¡¯s small arms to reach. It took Celia a few tries but she finally got it on Erin¡¯s head but she didn¡¯t stop there. The fluffy and slightly twitching ears of Erin was just too much to resist. She ended up touching them, incurring a yelp from Erin as she sprang up. Her sudden yelp also jolted Lyra from her shut-eye. ¡°W-what? What happened?¡± Lyra looked around anxiously but calmed down when she saw Erin covering her ears in a curled up position. Lyra smiled warmly at such a sight. ¡°Don¡¯t do that, Celia,¡± Erin chided. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ellie¡­ They were just too cute...¡± ¡°Apologies epted, Celia,¡± Lyra said and scooped her into her arms. She nted kisses on Celia¡¯s cheeks and Celia yfully iled around in Lyra¡¯s arms. ¡°You¡¯re too soft on her, Lyra.¡± ¡°Am not. Besides, she¡¯s right, you know? Your ears and tails are just so irresistible, especially your tails. You had three but now you have five. Five abundance of fluffiness.¡± ¡°They are not for cuddling.¡± Lyra tittered. ¡°I beg to differ, Lady Erin,¡± Lyra retorted with a grin. Erin recoiled a little. ¡°Lyra,¡± she shouted, as quietly as she could. ¡°There are children here. Save those quips for when we¡ª Eeek!¡± Erin let out a shriek in the middle of her sentence. She turned around instantly to find the children had somehow crept up to her back and were cuddling her tails. Lyra threw herself back and burst into a peal ofughter. ¡°So soft...¡± said one of the children, rubbing her face with Erin¡¯s tail. ¡°So warm too¡­ I wish I can sleep with this.¡± ¡°This is better than the cotton stuff!¡± ¡°Miss, wouldn¡¯t you sleep with us tonight?¡± ¡°Great idea, Selim!¡± ¡°Miss, would you?¡± Celia had a look of envy on her face as she watches the other children hugging Erin¡¯s tails. ¡°W-wait, all of you, that¡¯s¡ª¡± Before she could finish, Celia plunged herself into Erin¡¯sps. ¡°Mine,¡± she said, hugging Erin¡¯s waist. Lyra¡¯s peal ofughter continued but it was raised higher. ¡°Lyra, some help, please?¡± ¡°What? You don¡¯t enjoy this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a matter of enjoying or not.¡± ¡°Is it? Are you saying you don¡¯t like Celia and the children hugging you?¡± Hearing this, the children and Celia all looked towards Erin with gleaming eyes. ¡°Lyra, you little¡ª¡± ¡°Oops,¡± Lyra uttered with a shrug and looked away. ¡°Ellie¡­ do you not like it when I¡ª¡± ¡°O-of course not, Celia!¡± Erin answered quickly before the molehill became a mountain. ¡°I¡¯m more than happy than you like to be so close with me.¡± ¡°So¡­ you like me, Ellie?¡± ¡°Of course. I like you, Celia,¡± saying so, Erin brought Celia into a hug. ¡°What about us, miss? Do you like us too?¡± The other children began to join in. Lyra was about to let another peal ofughter but she covered her lips when she received a stern gaze from Erin. ¡°I like all of you. Who doesn¡¯t like cute children like you?¡± Erin scooped one of them into her arms and blew kisses on their cheeks. This act apparently riled up the other children as they began to line up, waiting for their turn. Lyra was grinning and giggling to her own fancy when Erin shed her a grin that showed her fang. ¡°Hey, the nicedy over there is getting lonely too. And I¡¯m sure she likes you all a lot too. So what do you say, shall we give her the same treatment too?¡± ¡°E-Erin, what are you doing?¡± Lyra asked but she was ignored. ¡°Treatment?¡± one of the children asked with his head tilted. ¡°Give her plenty of hugs too.¡± ¡°Erin, I don¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°Oh my, do you perhaps not enjoy their presence, my dear Lyra?¡± Erin asked, her hand covering her grinning lips. ¡°You truly are a vixen,¡± Lyra muttered with a click of her tongue. In the end, she resigned with a sigh and embraced the onught of the children¡¯s innocence. They swarmed her. And she realized something about Erin that she had been remiss about. The children weren¡¯t heavy by any means but that was only counting them individually. Together, they weighed heavier than a boulder. Unlike Erin, her might wasn¡¯t enough to hold all of the children. They ended up tumbling to the ground but with the soft patches of grass around, no one was hurt. Still, the children did not relent and tried their best to find some way to hug Lyra. ¡°This so adorable,¡± Erin remarked. ¡°Wait until night¡­ Erin¡­ I will return this tenfold¡ª Eeek! Not my belly!¡± Lyra shrieked as her belly was assaulted. Her casual attire was that of a short top that disyed her tempered belly. It served to deter men, for most times, but to the children, it was an opening for them to show their affection. ¡°Now you know how it feels,¡± Erin muttered. As she watched over the children and Lyra warmly, a familiar scent drifted over her nose. Her smile disappeared and her brows arched. ¡°I see you two are having fun,¡± said Iris who had approached the two through means of magic. Otherwise, Erin would have picked up the Umbrun¡¯s scent from yards away. Iris wasn¡¯t wearing her usual indelicate apparel but a robe covered her body enough to not tempt any men who chanced upon her. Although, her face was enough to charm men or even women alike. Erin surmised Iris probably wore something decent considering she would be encountering children. Erin was quick to assure the children to not be worried. She also told Lyra to keep an eye on the children from just an exchange between their gazes. She got to her feet, patted herself of the dirt and grass, and walked towards Iris. ¡°Good afternoon, Iris.¡± Erin was brief with the pleasantries. ¡°A very good afternoon to you too, Erin,¡± Iris greeted back with a wide smile. ¡°Well, what is it?¡± ¡°Oh my, what¡¯s with that tone and stare? Is that how you greet your benefactor? I don¡¯t remember offending you.¡± ¡°This is my repose. Your presence indicates problems and troubles.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t I visit you just for the sake of our friendship?¡± ¡°Are you capable of something like that?¡± ¡°Do I strike you as such an apathetic person?¡± ¡°You don¡¯te this far as a merchant by being sympathetic.¡± ¡°Argh. I¡¯m hurt, Erin. And I thought we made plenty of progress with our rtionship since that night.¡± ¡°What do you want, Iris?¡± Iris sighed. ¡°Now who¡¯s being apathetic, I wonder?¡± Erin narrowed her eyes. Her tails slowly stood up, swaying slowly but intimidatingly. ¡°Alright, you hate my guts. I understand. Although, I wish to be nothing but sincere with you, Erin.¡± ¡°Then you can start by being straight with your requests.¡± ¡°Very well, Erin. I came to you on the dying request of the Ruvan church. Well, the local church, not the main church.¡± ¡°Dying request?¡± Erin raised an eyebrow. ¡°That was an exaggerated expression but the head priest was very vehement when he pleaded to me. He¡¯s born and raised in Maven¡¯s Creek. He¡¯s very grateful for what you have done, although he was nowhere to be seen during and before the battle.¡± ¡°Why was he nowhere to be seen?¡± ¡°Rather than being religious, he¡¯s more of a political figure. The nobles¡¯ daily practices are always at odds with the Ruvan¡¯s beliefs. It was the head priest efforts that things did not escte into a minor scale war. Since his efforts helped the Ruvan stayed in Maven¡¯s Creek, the head church allowed his mingling with the unsavoury nobles.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not hearing a reason.¡± ¡°He was being a guest of one of his noble friends when the horde came.¡± ¡°Alright¡­ but why does he want to meet me?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the hero of Maven¡¯s Creek, albeit not officially. But the main reason is your tails. Everyone distinctively remembered that you only have three tails when you left for the Singrity.¡± ¡°Just tell them that I¡¯m an exception to the norms and don¡¯t be surprised when I did something unexpected.¡± Iris smiled wryly. ¡°That answer won¡¯t satisfy them.¡± ¡°No, but it¡¯s the only answer they¡¯ll get. Unless they n to force it out of me. In that case, they are more than wee to try. I¡¯m also slightly curious of how bold and stupid their greed will make them.¡± Iris¡¯ wry smile broadened. ¡°I¡¯m impressed, Erin. You finally know where you stand.¡± ¡°It has nothing to do with where I stand. I would say the same thing even if I¡¯m not a Fae.¡± Iris recoiled slightly. She nced around as if she feared the leaves and grasses had ears. ¡°Don¡¯t let the others hear you say that, Erin. Rejecting one¡¯s self is an insult to the Fae, especially if you¡¯re a Fox-kin.¡± ¡°I will take your words to heart. Anyways, now that I have made my point, is there anything else, Iris?¡± ¡°There is, actually. I personally am also curious. You are aware that Fox-kin¡¯s tails don¡¯t grow in numbers even as their level increases. They no longer evolve like any other Beast-kin ever since they became part of the Fae.¡± ¡°I am aware of all that but how can I provide the answers when I don¡¯t have any?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just saying that you will meet someone eventually, someone that you can¡¯t disregard with your strength or status. And they will not stop until they get what they want.¡± ¡°Unless you¡¯re referring to Aza, I¡¯m confident that my strength and skill will be enough aspensation. Speaking of which, I didn¡¯t see Aza and her misfits when I returned. Had they yet to return to Quinteburgh?¡± ¡°The church was silent when I asked the same question.¡± ¡°Like that would stop the answers froming to you.¡± Irisughed. ¡°You know me so well, Erin. Apparently, they were recalled back to the main church.¡± ¡°That¡¯s very abrupt and sounds like a tall tale. It¡¯s too convenient, for me that is.¡± ¡°My sources are trustworthy. Although I don¡¯t have any information as to why they were recalled but considering Aza obeyed such an abrupt order, the recall must havee from an oracle, an order from the goddess herself.¡± ¡°Do you know when were they recalled precisely?¡± ¡°Coincidentally, right after the horde all fell dead, give or take around that time.¡± ¡°That was when I killed Ba¡¯al¡­ Is it because I killed an Apostle? It¡¯s too much of a coincidence but it ain¡¯t a solid reason.¡± ¡°Now that I¡¯m over with those pretences. I¡¯m actually here for a very personal reason.¡± ¡°Business is personal for merchants, is it not?¡± ¡°I meant our friendship. Had it not been for your circumstances, I would take you as my paramour.¡± Erin frowned. ¡°Just get to the point, please.¡± Iris sighed, again, but a smile quickly reappeared. ¡°As your friend, I¡¯m obligated to tell you this. Siv has resigned from Lord Hegan¡¯s employment.¡± ¡°Eh? W-why?¡± Erin blurted out with her eyes widened. ¡°We all know the death of her brother affected her greatly. You were thest person she spoke to before she resigned. I was hoping you would know.¡± ¡°I do not know but I intend to find out. Do you know where she is right now?¡± Iris closed her eyes for a moment before opening them up. ¡°She¡¯s in the smithy streets. She¡¯s perusing weapons, it seems.¡± ¡°Then there is where I shall go.¡± 3-6 Willful 3-6 Willful Erin was conflicted about the depth of their rtionship but one thing was clear to her, Siv was a friend and more. That night she spent with Siv along with Lyra, she understood how much the Wolf-kin was suffering. Knowing that she was in a dark ce, Erin could not just look the other way and left her all alone. With her mind made up, Erin quickly left the field to search for Siv. But of course, it was not before she told everything to Lyra in brief. To her surprise, Iris volunteered to take her ce in ying with the children. The children were quick to be enamoured by Iris due to her near-unparalleled beauty and her race as an Umbrun. It was the first time any of the children had met an Umbrun, so it was only natural they were curious of Iris. Erin donned her cloak and cast Twilight Veil on herself to avoid being recognized. Now that she was a well-known individual throughout the town, it was no longer a simple task just to get from one block to the next without being recognized. Even if they didn¡¯t know her, her tails were enough to garner a variety of curious nces and attention. There were even cases where she was stopped by people. It was either the person who wished to express their gratitude or an invitation to a challenge. As a matter of fact, she had received four challenges. She surprised herself that she did not feel any urge to ept the challenges. Instead, she would rather spend her time in peace. It shook her a little but she calmed herself with the fact that a person could change but a bit more unsettling was that she was getting older. Banishing those reminiscences away, Erin retrained her focus back to searching for Siv. Now that her level was higher, Spirit Magic was even more of a breeze to use. Though she felt less focus was needed in casting a spell but in truth, it just meant that she was bing more adept. As usual, Erin made her way through the town by traversing through the rooftops where she had no need to worry about street congestion. Unlike Green Scar, Quinteburgh was vast. She had arrived at her destination in less than half an hour but the smithy street was huge. The scent of metal and mes shrouded was too domineering to distinguish the other scents in the air properly even with her heightened sense of smell. It was the peak of the day, the rush hour for the cksmiths. The noises were polluted by the sounds of haggling and metal hammering. The only way Erin could find Siv was through her sight and intuition. ¡°Hmm?¡± Erin murmured as a very distinctive series of noises entered her hearing. It was the sound of a heated argument. It caught her attention as she recognized the voices. Or at least she recognized one of the voices but the other voice was only vaguely familiar. Erin followed the noise, leaping from rooftops to rooftops, scaling building walls that were in her way. In no time at all, she arrived at the scene. Thankfully, the argument was happening in some cksmith stall but out on the street. Erin immediately recognized the other voice as Crom, the son of Hegan. She undid her spell in hopes of getting the two¡¯s attention. ¡°Please, Siv. I beg of you to reconsider,¡± Crom pleaded, his hands wrapped around Siv¡¯s. ¡°Unhand me, Crom. I am not your personal guard anymore!¡± Siv shouted back. ¡°Please reconsider, Siv. I swear I can make you happy this time!¡± Erin recoiled back. She felt she had heard something scandalous. With every step she took towards the two, she was treading deeper into a marsh of drama. If it wasn¡¯t for Siv, she would have taken her leave right here and then. A crowd would have gathered around them if this was just another quarrel but since everyone recognized Crom to some degree due to his body figure and his expensive attire, themoners knew better than to stick their nose into this matter. Still, they couldn¡¯t help but sneak nces at them. On a closer notice, Erin discovered three capable fighters lying in wait a few dozen feet away from Crom. No doubt they were Crom¡¯s bodyguards as Erin recognized one of them. The two had yet to notice Erin¡¯s presence. Siv would have noticed but she was still too green to split her focus and attention. She was also troubled with her recently departed brother. These were the reasons for her oversight of Erin¡¯s approach. As for Crom, Erin wagered he just wasn¡¯t too bright or sharp considering she was approaching them from his front and he somehow failed to put her presence in his eyes. ¡°Siv, if there¡¯s anything that you are not happy about, just let me know. I can change them.¡± Erin felt her stomach coiled. ¡°I followed your father because I longed to see the world and your father was a great and trustworthy person but now, I no longer aim to see the world.¡± ¡°Then what is your aim? Please tell me, I-I can make it happen. I promise!¡± Erin held back the bile surfacing from her belly. ¡°Vengeance,¡± Siv said, pulling her hands away from Crom. ¡°Can you give me that?¡± ¡°V-vengeance? What do you mean? The horde is dead. How are you going to seek your vengeance?¡± Siv looked away. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand.¡± Her eyes fell on Erin and they widened. ¡°Then please exin to me. I¡¯m sure I can¡ª L-Lady Erin!¡± Only now did Crom notice Erin in his sight. ¡°Good afternoon, Siv, Lord Crom.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Mister Crom¡­¡± He cast his gaze down. ¡°My father is the one with titles. Lovely afternoon to you too, Lady Erin.¡± ¡°Erin...¡± Siv looked surprised at Erin¡¯s presence. ¡°Y-you¡¯re here...¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m here. I came as soon as I got wind of your¡­ demission.¡± ¡°Lady Erin, please convince Siv here to return to me¡ª I-I mean us¡ª I-I mean my father and I.¡± Erin nodded at Crom before turning to Siv. ¡°Before I do any convincing, I would like to know about this vengeance you speak of, Siv.¡± Siv kept silent and her eyes refused to meet Erin¡¯s. ¡°Siv, I can¡¯t bear seeing you suffer. I promise it will be much better if you just talk to someone. Let me help.¡± Siv raised her gaze but only slightly. She sneaked furtive nces at Erin and Crom before turning her back to them. ¡°C-can we speak alone, Erin¡­?¡± she asked. ¡°E-eh? Siv, w-what about me? I can h-help too...¡± ¡°You¡¯re not a fighter, Crom. You can¡¯t possibly understand.¡± Just as she looked as if she was done with her words, there was a glint of realization in her eyes. ¡°And I dislike misunderstandings, so I¡¯ll put this straight. I can never see you as a potential mate, Crom.¡± Erin felt the brunt of Siv¡¯s words even though she wasn¡¯t the intended recipient. The hearing walls also let out their silent condolences. Shocked with her words, Crom stood frozen on the spot with his mouth gaping and only stuttering sounds escaped his lips. Before Erin could apologize for Siv¡¯s words, her wrist was grabbed and she was pulled along. Erin could easily break herself free but she allowed herself to be dragged away. The two did not exchange any words as they moved through the busy streets. Siv purposely chose a route without any eyes. She still had the least amount of senses to be considerate of her surroundings. Eventually, they arrived at a small nest of trees, behind a derelict-looking chapel. Erin realized the chapel was the one with the insignia of a serpent-dragon chasing its own tail. ¡°Why here?¡± she asked. ¡°Quiet. Absent of prying ears and eyes,¡± Siv answered. ¡°No onees to this ce for some reason. Everyone seems to know this ce but no one everes here.¡± Erin took in the scent of this ce. It was as Siv said, no one had been here for a long time. There was barely any other scent other than the florals and the small animals. She surveyed the area with Spirit Sight but found no traces of miasma. There was also no hint of any spells being cast. ¡°Apparently the locals avoided this ce due to some superstition.¡± ¡°What superstition?¡± ¡°...This chapel was here long before Quinteburgh was built. The whole town was built around it. This chapel belongs to some ancient religious order.¡± ¡°Does this story have anything to do with your demission decision?¡± Siv finally let go of Erin¡¯s wrist. ¡°It doesn¡¯t,¡± she said, softly. ¡°Oh,¡± Erin muttered. She didn¡¯t take Siv as someone who was sentimental over history. ¡°I just want to¡­ talk with you. To share with you what I have heard, or do you find it cumbersome?¡± ¡°I will always wee you, Siv, even if you''re just looking for someone to have some idle exchange of words. So¡­ what is this ancient religious order?¡± A faint smile adorned Siv¡¯s face as she shook her shoulders. ¡°No one remembers the name. They only talked about how cursed and wretched this ground is. They avoid this ce due to that belief.¡± ¡°Are we even supposed to be here?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know...¡± Siv said and took a seat on a stump. ¡°I don¡¯t know where else to go...¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Siv?¡± ¡°...Do you ever get angry but you don¡¯t know how to make it stop?¡± Siv said after a brief silence. Erin considered the question before answering. ¡°Wrath is an old friend but not without reason. What¡¯s been bothering you?¡± ¡°I know the one responsible for Wrev¡¯s death is dead but¡­ I didn¡¯t do anything. I wanted to do something. I-I want vengeance but¡­ I know I can¡¯t get it now¡­ and it just doesn¡¯t feel right. My brother¡¯s dead but I can¡¯t even be the one who gave him peace of mind.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Siv...¡± ¡°You¡¯re mistaken, Erin. I¡¯m notying the me on you. I hate myself for being¡­ weak.¡± Per her words, Siv¡¯s smile also turned frail. ¡°Even if the opportunity of revenge did present itself to me, I doubt I could live through that ordeal or see it to the end. My brother will be mad if I join him so prematurely¡­¡± ¡°Siv...¡± ¡°I thought our deaths would be¡­ grand or at least, far into the future...¡± ¡°Your brother died saving this town. That¡¯s a great honour.¡± Siv shook her head. ¡°My tribe begged to differ. This is our pilgrimage but he died before he even discovered anything of worth. To reim that honour, I have to present the head of the one responsible for his death.¡± ¡°The vengeance you spoke of¡­ is to reim your brother¡¯s honour?¡± ¡°It¡¯s ghastly, I know. It is ill-advised to practice some of our more¡­ extreme customs outside of ournds as most humans have their eyes only to a narrow valley. I believe my brother and I have been fortunate for the majority of times, to be able to meet humans who don¡¯t find our kind repulsive.¡± ¡°There is no shame in embracing your roots. I have been told repeatedly that my actions are ill-suited to my status as a Fae. And if it¡¯s vengeance you seek, I think that ship has yet to sail.¡± Siv stared. ¡°You mean¡­ the Necromancer¡¯s not dead?¡± ¡°I mean the Necromancer isn¡¯t the only involved party in the attack.¡± Siv continued to stare, her shoulders trembled and tears began to overflow her eyes. She fell to her knees. ¡°Tell me¡­ who are they¡­?¡± she asked, her gaze boring into the ground. ¡°I don''t know who they are but I know they wille for me.¡± Erin helped Siv to her feet. She also patted her of the dirt and leaves as she continued her exnation. ¡°Building such a horde isn¡¯t easy and I foiled their efforts. They will retaliate. They wille for my head.¡± ¡°Is this an invitation?¡± ¡°It is.¡± Siv chuckled softly.. ¡°Strange... ¡± she said. ¡°I thought you would tell me something like ¡°vengeance is a means to an end¡± or something of that manner. Didn¡¯t think you would encourage it.¡± ¡°Because if something happens to Lyra, no simple words would cate me either. Vengeance won¡¯t bring anyone back but I bet it will feel good when one exacts it.¡± ¡°I might ruin myself along the path of vengeance. I know many people have.¡± ¡°And I will make sure you don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Then would you allow me to be by your side when they do?¡± ¡°I will, Siv.¡± There was no warning. There was no indication whatsoever. Siv just plunged herself into Erin, smacking her lips on Erin¡¯s, her tongue trying to gain entrance into the Fox-kin¡¯s mouth. Erin was barely able to see hering. She could have stepped aside but she didn¡¯t. She was the holder of Lust Deviant and with every day that passed, she was proving to Nyx she was truly deserving of that skill. She could not win against her lust and Siv was a goddess with her tongue. There was no way Erin could resist indulging in her lust and Siv¡¯s. ¡°Can we do it right here?¡± Siv asked, her flushed face was already begging for more. ¡°You only need to ask,¡± Erin answered and began to undo the sps of her that held her robe together. 3-7 Fresh thrill (R18) 3-7 Fresh thrill (R18) Siv was in a daze as if she was drunk. In a way, she was drunk but not of alcohol but love. It started as a deep impression but stories she heard turned that impression into admiration. It wasn¡¯t long before she found herself in a circumstance that evolved the admiration into love. She doubted it was some simple love. She didn¡¯t care if the feeling was mutual. She just wanted to do what she could for her. Siv had never met anyone else quite like her. Erin was the one whoforted her when she was at her lowest. She was the one who gave her hope. And now, she gave her a purpose. Siv didn¡¯t know a word that could describe a feeling stronger than love but she didn¡¯t need to know such a word. She prided herself not in her speeches but her actions and she intended to show Erin just how much she had fallen for her. Their gaze locked. Erin¡¯s hands moved to remove the cloth covering the Wolf-kin¡¯s nubile body with just the right amount of fat and muscles. Siv allowed herself to be undressed by the Fae after the Fae herself had undressed. But that was all she allowed Erin to do before lunging at her. Erin saw her attacking as she received her lunge with a smirk. Unlike Lyra who was always quick to submit, Siv favoured the offence and so did Erin. This conflicting prity was often the straw that broke the proverbial camel¡¯s back in a rtionship but not for these two. They weed the challenge. They looked forward to who would be the one reigning the offence. They fought for dominance, not just with their tongue but also with their hands. They targeted the sensitive spots of one another. Since Erin had a few more sensitive spots than Siv, she gradually became the losing side but she refused to relent. After a while, their passionate scuffling sent them tumbling to the ground. With her superior Might, Siv found the upper hand and quickly distinguished herself as the dominant one. She sat on top of the Fox-kin and began to dine on the pair of bountiful and sinful mounds that had robbed the many eyes of lustful men and envious women. Erin shivered greatly as she felt Siv¡¯s lips, tongue, and teeth hitting her breasts and teats. The shiver turned into a shudder as the Wolf-kin became more forceful. Erin gritted her teeth to prevent herself from screaming. They were out in the public, not in their own room or tent. Even if their noise couldn¡¯t be heard, there was no telling when someone would just randomly stumble upon them. As such a thought crossed Erin¡¯s mind, she hit her peak. The pleasure that coursed through Erin¡¯s veins was doubled, or even tripled. The thrill of being seen was doing wonders. ¡°Forgive me for saying this, mdy but¡­ you¡¯re more of a Beast-kin than a Fae, especially in sexual affairs.¡± Erinughed meekly. The pleasure drowned her efforts of forming any words. She understood Siv¡¯s formal way of addressing her was also her affectionate way. It was a y of their perversion. ¡°You¡¯re a wicked vixen, mdy,¡± Siv said. She stuck one finger into Erin¡¯s drenched snatch while her other hand and her tongue were still ying with the great valley. Erin¡¯s tails iled wildly in response to the ecstasy Siv was giving her. Her ears twitching adorably. She covered her mouth with both of her hands. Siv was just that good. Siv moved down on Erin, leaving trails of kisses along the way, from her chest, past her navel, and to the opening of her honeypot. She grinned at the sight of the fluids that just would stop leaking. It was throbbing, desperately asking for attention. Siv wriggled her finger inside of Erin. The Fox-kin arched her back up as she screamed through her hands. Her entrance spurted out a few squirts of her womanly juices which allnded on Siv¡¯s face. Sivpped up the juices and gave a sigh of relish as she swallowed. ¡°You taste as fine as ever, mdy. Who could ever resist you, my deardy?¡± Erin did not reply. Her mouth was covered by her own hands and if she uncovered her mouth, she knew her moans would be too loud. She wanted to beg but she couldn¡¯t, not without lifting her hands off. The only thing she could do is to wriggle her hips, in hopes that her message would go through. Siv understood Erin¡¯s actions immediately but she did not fulfil her wish. Instead, Siv let out her breath in front of Erin¡¯s entrance. Erin shuddered, her ears and tails straightened from the sudden ecstasy. She cried and moaned but that only made Siv teased her more. She pulled her finger out. When she felt Erin¡¯s snatch pulling her finger back in, she gave a tug to pull her finger out. ¡°So eager...¡± Siv teased. She stroked the ce surrounding Erin¡¯s snatch but took great care to avoid touching it directly. Erin tried to move herself but Siv held her hips in ce. Siv kissed and brushed her lips against Erin¡¯s thighs. It made her wonder just where all her strength came from when they were so devoid of muscles. But that was just how the power of the System works. Siv came close to touching Erin¡¯s throbbing snatch a couple of times but she avoided it every time. Tears were dripping at this point and Erin¡¯s patience was at its limits. She suppressed her moans with her will and lifted her hands off her mouth. She then pressed Siv¡¯s face and lips onto her honeypot. Siv was shocked by the development. She wasn¡¯t ready. She tried topete with Erin¡¯s strength but somehow, the Fox-kin had be stronger than her. The strangest thing of all, she felt her snatch getting wet. She could only guess that Erin had done something. Which she did. Erin had unleashed Lust Deviant. Her own pleasure and stats were heightened but it also raised her partner¡¯s lust. Giving in to Lust Deviant¡¯s effects, Siv began to savour every inch and corner of Erin¡¯s honeypot, brimming with her womanly juices. The more she drank up, the hotter she felt her own snatch was bing as if Erin¡¯s fluids had aphrodisiac properties. Erin bit down on her own tail to avoid her moans and cries getting out. This act ended up giving herself more pleasure. Her tails curled up like a flower during winter, wrapping herself and Siv¡¯s head. The Wolf-kin had trouble breathing but it turned into a spice of pleasure. The thrill of being seen and at death¡¯s door; it was a door that led her to a whole new world of pleasure. Siv found herself reaching her peak as her own snatch leaked her fluids incessantly. At the same time, Erin was also reaching her peak. The two plunged into ecstasy that turned their minds white. When the pleasure washed over them and left them stranded on the shore of afterglow, their whole body went debilitated. Erin¡¯s tails uncurled, revealing two individuals that had no resemnce to their graceful selves. [Experience gained +10% - Level Progression: 49%] Erin mustered whatever remained of her strength and pushed herself to a seating position. Her breaths were warm and quick. The afterglow itself was still coiling her body. Even moving her hands was difficult but she managed as this wasn¡¯t her first time to be zing in an afterglow. She slowly scooped thenguid Siv into her arms. Flinging her arms around Siv, she pulled her close and embraced in a hug. The Wolf-kin responded by linking her hands behind Erin¡¯s neck. Their gaze found each other. ¡°I-I love you¡­ Erin...¡± Siv said softly. Erin was taken aback but since she was half-expecting the confession, she regained herposure in the next second. ¡°I¡¯m d to know your feelings but I¡ª¡± ¡°I know. Your heart already belongs to Lyra. I don¡¯t mind. As long as you let me by your side, I¡¯m willing to be a mere consort or a mistress. I don¡¯t even mind being a ve for your lust.¡± Hearing that, Erin¡¯s face soured. She grabbed Siv¡¯s chin and brought her face close. ¡°Don¡¯t undermine yourself like that. Whatever you think I am, there''s no reason to lower your own worth just to stand by me.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one undermining yourself, Erin. You don¡¯t seem to be aware of how much sway you possess. You saved my life, twice.¡± ¡°Twice?¡± ¡°I contemted on taking my own life as atonement for my failure in protecting my kin.¡± Erin was lost for words. She had underestimated the depth of Siv¡¯s destion. ¡°You were the reason I chose to hold on to my life. After I have my revenge, I will pledge servitude of my whole life to you. I know this dishonoured life of mine ain¡¯t much but it¡¯s all I have to offer.¡± ¡°S-Siv¡­ that¡¯s preposterous. Think about this clearly. You¡¯re¡ª¡± ¡°My brother was my everything when my n sent us out of our homnd. I fought. I persisted. All for the sake of my brother. Now, you¡¯re all I have left. I can reim my brother¡¯s honour but for failing to protect him, I can never reim mine.¡± ¡°Then fuck your n. You¡¯re not dishonoured. You don¡¯t need to reim any honour. Make no mistake, Siv. This vengeance of yours, honour was never my intention. This vengeance is for the sake of mending your heart. And I will not make you my mistress. You¡¯re not just a tool to satiate my lust.¡± ¡°Erin¡­¡± Siv muttered, her cheeks flushed red. Her ears and tail iled happily about. ¡°Those words are just going to make me fall deeper in love with you¡­ How sly can you be? Is this how you made Lyra fall too?¡± ¡°It is not my intention to seduce anyone,¡± Erin said. It was the truth. As someone who had no experience, there was no way she would be confident in her seduction. She didn¡¯t think her words had any part in the seductions. She had chalked it all up to Lust Deviant and the luscious figure Nyx had given her. But now, she was starting to think she was in fact, a natural since everyone was telling her the same thing. ¡°I can only imagine how many more women you will seduce into your harem.¡± ¡°I have no harem.¡± Siv giggled. ¡°Not yet. For a strong individual like you, only one or two partners will never satisfy you.¡± Erin wanted to refute but she couldn¡¯t. That thought did cross her mind at times and she could feel her lust was only growing and stronger. In her past life, harem had been the dream of many men and even women. However, she knew the truth about harems. No one could satisfy their harem entirely and there was always nepotism. These two had always been the cause of a harem¡¯s downfall. ¡°Hmm¡­ but what if I had the stamina¡­ and if I keep my women count low¡­ Wait, hold that thought, Erin! What in the fuck¡¯s name are you thinking? There will be no harem!¡± she argued with herself. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Erin. I will not look lowly upon you even if you take in more women into your fray, or men for that matter.¡± Erin sighed. ¡°Harem is only a pipe dream, Siv. It¡¯s a short path to bloodbath and chaos.¡± ¡°But if it¡¯s you, Erin, I believe you can make it work. You have what it takes to love multiple women and men.¡± Hearing the word ¡°men¡±, Erin began to feel faint. She couldn¡¯t imagine being in the embrace of a man or embracing a man. Though she denied that, the face of a certain man floated into her mind. His grin, his confused expression, his face of worry, his exasperated gesture, she recalled them vividly. ¡°You¡¯re smiling, Erin,¡± Siv said. Erin snapped out of it. ¡°I-I am?¡± Siv nodded. ¡°It was a warm smile.¡± ¡°What the fuck!? A warm smile!? For him!?¡± ¡°Who did you think of?¡± Siv asked. ¡°No one,¡± Erin answered sharply. ¡°So there¡¯s someone other than Lyra?¡± Siv gasped. ¡°Siv. There. Is. No. One.¡± ¡°So there is such a person other than Lyra.¡± Erin wrecked her brain toe up with a reply but before she could¡ª ¡°It¡¯s alright, Erin. I won¡¯t pry. I won¡¯t tell Lyra either but in exchange¡ª can we continue where we left off?¡± Siv begged. ¡°I want to feel more of you. Please?¡± ¡°Yes, we can,¡± Erin answered. ¡°I will make you feel so much pleasure that you will forget everything.¡± Siv smirked back. ¡°Looking forward to it, mdy.¡± 3-8 Short Lunch 3-8 Short Lunch Basking in the glow of the afternoon sun, Aedan munched away his homemade sandwich with a gleeful expression. Nothing but floral surrounded him. This wasn¡¯t Green Scar but somewhere a little bit east to Maven¡¯s Creek. If he was back in Green Scar, he would be sitting behind a counter, staring into nk space as he ate his meals. Thepany of the greeneries changed everything about how a meal would taste. Food was one of the few joys he found in his long life. Food. No matter how much time passed, food never became a dull subject for him. In fact, the course of time had only made food an ever more thrilling subject. It won¡¯t be exaggerating to say that food was his sole lifelong interest and this was something he hadn¡¯t told anyone. Or rather, thest people he had told were long gone. ¡°If only I can get my hands on some good cheese,¡± he remarked to himself. ¡°Mozzare would be nice.¡± It had been a few years since hest had cheese. Now cheese wasn¡¯t an extravagance but due to the recent circumstances, good cheese was hard toe by. And the refinement of dishes wasn¡¯t themon folk¡¯s priority. So long as they had food on their table, the taste and everything else was an afterthought. Aedan considered himself part of themon folk but that was only in name. In truth, his natural constitution had freed him of many burdens themon folk faced, such as hunger and the need for sleep. He could feed on Mana if conventional food wasn¡¯t an option. Monster flesh was also something that his stomach wouldn¡¯t reject but the taste left too much to be desired. As for sleep, he didn¡¯t even need to close his eyes to rejuvenate himself. These two factors were the necessary bane of many but not for Aedan. However, he loved the feeling of sleep and the taste of mortal dishes. ¡°Hmm?¡± As he swallowed thest bite of his sandwich, his eyes went to a certain spot on the soil he was sitting on. A small hill was forming and it grew and grew until a certain rodent popped out of it, a mole. But not just any mole. ¡°Aedan!¡± a stern voice came from the mole but the voice didn¡¯t belong to the small creature. It was the voice of Geron Tagrun, his foster father. ¡°Thank god I finally found you.¡± ¡°Heya, pops.¡± Aedan greeted. ¡°Don¡¯t ¡°heya¡± me, Aedan. You disappeared on us without leaving so much as a note?¡± ¡°I thought you knew that I was gone?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to leave Green Scar. Do you know how worried I was when you didn¡¯te back even after a day?¡± ¡°Well¡­ there were someplications but I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°That is obvious but it was only obvious now, not a few seconds before. Sven was so close in rallying his friends to form a search party.¡± ¡°A search party?¡± Aedan asked. ¡°For who? For me?¡± ¡°Who the fuck else do you think? He didn¡¯t even sleep. He waited for you or at least a message from you.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­ That was remiss of me.¡± Geron sighed. ¡°You¡¯re fine, that¡¯s all that matters. Now, what were theplications that you spoke of?¡± Aedan stroked the back of his left hand firmly but gently. The symbol was pulsating a weak glow that only grew weaker and weaker. ¡°I¡­ I overestimated myself.¡± ¡°Oh my god¡­ is the seal¡ª¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not broken, pops. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Geron heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°But it is on the verge ofing undone.¡± ¡°Say what!?¡± Geron shouted but his mole familiar had a contrasting expression. ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°Long-range teleportation. The Singrity had too much interference. I needed to exert more Mana than usual. It was more than the seal could handle.¡± ¡°Wait, you''ve been to The Singrity?¡± ¡°...yes?¡± Aedan answered after a short silence. Geron took a deep breath. ¡°You and I are going to have a nice long chat after you return. But for now, continue. Why did you pull such a risky move?¡± ¡°Erin was in danger. She would have suffered a great deal of injuries if I didn¡¯t force the teleportation.¡± ¡°You endangered the seal just to save Lady Erin? I-I¡¯m¡­ astonished.¡± ¡°Saving a life is so astonishing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m your father, Aedan. I know you. You won¡¯t risk something like this for just anyone.¡± ¡°Well, Erin isn¡¯t just anyone. She¡¯s¡­ a friend.¡± ¡°A friend? Is that mutual?¡± Aedanughed meekly. ¡°I believe so.¡± ¡°I thought she finds you¡­ irksome?¡± ¡°She does but that was not enough to deter her.¡± ¡°Now that¡¯s impressive. She¡¯s willing to be your friend even though she could hardly stand your antics¡­ So, when¡¯s the union?¡± Aedan sighed. ¡°She¡¯s a friend, Geron. She¡¯s not even a nightpanion.¡± ¡°Have you asked?¡± ¡°She made it clear she has no interest in¡ª¡± ¡°But have you asked?¡± Aedan fell silent. ¡°Have you?¡± Geron kept on questioning. ¡°Can we go back on track?¡± Aedan pleaded. Geron chuckled. ¡°In the end, you¡¯re no different than Sven or others. I think this is why it never feels weird to have you as my son.¡± ¡°Can we please, for the love of everything, go back to the concurrent problem?¡± ¡°Yes yes, what were we talking about again?¡± ¡°My seal?¡± ¡°Oh right. So, what¡¯s your n? Do you intend to fix it? And when will you be back?¡± ¡°This seal is out of my realm. I need to find a specialist. So, I won¡¯t be back for¡­ at least a few months.¡± ¡°I see¡­ In that case, at the very least, pleasee back before winter.¡± ¡°I will do my best, father.¡± ¡°And make sure you prepare a speech when you return. Or else Sven ain¡¯t going to forgive you,¡± Geron said and ended their exchange. The mole gave off a light squeak as if bidding Aedan farewell before tunnelling back into the ground. ¡°Now¡­ who shall I ask to fix this damn seal?¡± Aedan asked no one in particr as he eyed the seal closely. He knew the incantations. He knew the spells used but executing all of them was another story. It would take a specialist with at least a hundred years of experience. The Fae would be anyone¡¯s first thought but the Fae would certainly not wee him. He was trouble, he knew that well and the Fae wasn¡¯t the kind to invite trouble to themselves. The only other faction he could think of was the Umbruns, Iris¡¯ kin. But of course, the Umbruns he was searching for would be known just to anyone, not even someone like Iris. ¡°Damn it¡­ I¡¯m running out of friends...¡± As he contemted his next course of action, he sensed a wave of distress. It was in the Spirits that flowed throughout nature. Spirits would only get this agitated if someone of high Spirit affinity was in trouble. Which meant, there was a Fae, or a few, nearby and they were in trouble. But before he took off and swooped in and saved the day, he would assess the situation first. He encountered an ongoing ordeal. He had no idea what or how this ordeal came to be. It would be folly of him to assume that the Fae would be in the right without at least a minimal inquiry. The Spirits were not reliable judges when it came to individuals with high Spirit affinity. ¡°Around a mile away from here,¡± Aedan analyzed. ¡°One¡­ no, two Fae. An Elf and a¡­ Dryad¡­ Now, this is curious. A Dryad of all things.¡± His piqued interest stemmed from the fact Dryads were the most reserved out of the entirety of Faerie-kin. Of all the Dryads he had met, none of them bothered so much as a nce even as the minimum gesture of greetings. He strained his focus further in search for the cause of the two Fae¡¯s distress. The two were running from something. They didn¡¯t even nce back. It didn¡¯t take Aedan much effort to quickly find the cause. There were a group of humans right on their trail. Going by their gait and their breaths, they were all experienced fighters but without proper training. Such criteria often led to two guesses. One, they were adventurers but no adventurers would be brave or dumb enough to cause Fae any trouble. Second, the more likely guess, they were thugs. The Fae most likely had caused some disturbance to their ¡°business¡±. But of course, this was all just an assumption. Be that as it may, it wasn¡¯t wise to distress the Faerie-kin no matter the reason. The repercussions would simply be too much for anyone to bear. This was close to Green Scar and Maven¡¯s Creek. Should the two Fae meet an unfortunate incident here, the two neighbouringnds would not fare well in theing days. Sighing at the sudden end of his lunch break, Aedan took off into a sprint. Since he had no intention of being covert, his footsteps and the branches he rammed through was creating a series of noise that would draw just about anyone¡¯s attention. The sounds of sprints came to a halt, the same thing went to the two Fae. Both sides were intrigued and their guard strengthened. As far as the sides were concerned, the one making all the loud sounds and heading their way was a bigger threat than each other. Even without the augmentation of magic, Aedan¡¯s natural prowess and constitution far surpassed the realm ofmon sense. His appearance was unseen by many. The humans reacted to his presence but none could catch him in their sights. ¡°What in the Spirits¡­?¡± Nivia muttered as she stared nkly at her pursuers from the shades of dense vegetation. ¡°Certainly no monster,¡± Lilian said. ¡°The Spirits are calm. Whoever is attacking them, it has the favour of the Spirits.¡± Lilian and Nivia were by no means amateurs. In fact, they were better than average. For a greenhorn, Nivia¡¯s control over Wind Magic was already considered adept. Lilian had the wisdom and being Nivia¡¯s elder, she had more experience of the world than Nivia. These two individuals were exceptionals among exceptionals. Even so, they felt intimidated by what they were seeing. The way Aedan moved andid waste to their pursuers was something they could never fathom as reality if they weren¡¯t seeing it with their own eyes. The group of twenty-something individuals was easily dispatched within minutes. But curiously, none of them was dead. They were wounded gravely but no wounds were life-threatening. Their assant had left them alive intentionally. Still, none of them was in any condition to even move their fingers. ¡°It¡¯s a man?¡± Lilian blurted out upon seeing the figure of their apparent saviour. Truth to be told, they weren¡¯t in need of saving as they could easily outrun them eventually but nevertheless, they were saved. ¡°What kind of trouble do you get yourself into, Nivia?¡± Aedan asked. While Lilian was confused at Aedan¡¯s apparent knowledge of Nivia¡¯s name, the person in question herself was shocked with her mouth agape and eyes wide opened. ¡°A-Aedan?¡± Nivia gasped. Although she had never seen him out of his Dwarrow form, the red hair and his distinctive countenance were enough for Nivia to arrive at an urate guess. ¡°Are you truly Aedan?¡± ¡°You know him, Nivia?¡± Lilian asked. ¡°Unfortunately, I do,¡± Nivia replied. ¡°Yes, it is I, Aedan,¡± Aedan answered, pompously. ¡°So my suspicions were right,¡± the Elf said, eyeing him with extreme vignce. Her hands hovering over her des behind her waist. ¡°You¡¯re truly no Dwarrow.¡± ¡°Is that a good reason for you to be this¡­ wary of me?¡± ¡°You took down more than a dozen experienced fighters with ease and you lied about your race, you think those aren¡¯t good reasons?¡± ¡°Correction, I did not lie about my race. As a matter of fact, no one has ever asked me about my race.¡± Aedan shrugged. ¡°Therefore, I never lied.¡± Nivia bit her lips, seething with annoyance. ¡°So¡­ is he a friend or foe?¡± Lilian asked. ¡°Somewhere in between but closer to a foe,¡± Nivia answered. Aedan scowled. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s what I get for saving you?¡± ¡°We were managing just fine without your intervention. And you expect me to believe you saved us for no ulterior motives?¡± ¡°I saved you because of our mutual friend.¡± ¡°Mutual friend?¡± Lilian mused, her eyes set on Nivia. ¡°Could this mutual friend be¡ª¡± ¡°Since when were you two friends?¡± ¡°We have always been friends,¡± Aedan said with a smirk. ¡°Unlike a certain someone, she isn¡¯t so conceited and overly dubious of things.¡± Those words hit every part of Nivia¡¯s nerves. The Elf was about to spring on the Dragon-kin when Lilian moved herself between the two. With a single hand, she stopped the Elf¡¯s reckless action. ¡°Please forgive my kin¡¯s gestures. That was rude of her considering you are indeed our saviour.¡± Aedan frowned and raised an eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯re a Dryad?¡± ¡°I am,¡± Lilian answered with a nod. He turned his frown upside down. ¡°You¡¯re the first Dryad I met that actually bothers to converse with other races.¡± ¡°I am aware,¡± she said. ¡°As you can see, I walked a different path. Or do you perhaps find me daunting and unappealing?¡± ¡°Why would I think that way?¡± ¡°Because that¡¯s the reaction I have received when they realize how much I differ from the Dryads they know or heard of.¡± ¡°As you can see, I too walked a different path.¡± ¡°So it would seem, Mister Aedan.¡± ¡°Just Aedan would do.¡± ¡°Oh my. How gracious.¡± Lilian giggled behind her hand. ¡° Then please, call me Lilian.¡± ¡°My pleasure, Lilian.¡± Nivia couldn¡¯t believe what she was watching. The development was just too sudden and unexpected. She even pinched herself on the cheeks a few times but to no avail, she wasn¡¯t dreaming. ¡°I best be on my way. Your friend here doesn''t take too kindly to my presence. I don¡¯t want to be a bother.¡± ¡°Nonsense, Aedan. Your presence and assistance were very much appreciated. But for the sake of my kin here, I¡¯m afraid it is for the best to part¡ª¡± Lilian was on the verge of finishing her sentences when Aedan dove into her and Nivia, shoving the two to the ground as something flew over their heads, literally. ¡°It seems we would be in each other¡¯spany for a while longer,¡± Aedan remarked. ¡°I concur,¡± Lilian said. ¡°Unfortunately,¡± Nivia grumbled. Aedan nced back, over his shoulder. He saw no one. He didn¡¯t feel any presence other than the two Fae by his side. ¡°A sniper from afar,¡± he concluded. Stretching his neck with a crackle, he readied himself for another round as footsteps of a dozen entered his ears. 3-9 Black shard 3-9 ck shard Before the three unlikelypanions could even catch their breath, a volley of arrows flew at them. Lilian and Nivia saw the arrowsing but only Aedan was quick enough to react. Taking the two Fae by their wrists, he dove out of the arrows¡¯ way, taking the two along before either of them could spell their objection. Before the next volley came, the three took cover behind arge fallen log on the ground. ¡°Oh my, that was rough of you, Aedan,¡± Lilian remarked nonchntly in spite of their current circumstances. Aedan smiled wryly. ¡°It¡¯s good that someone¡¯s enjoying something out of a predicament.¡± ¡°Predicament with someone like you around? You jest,¡± Lilian replied coyly. The next round of volley came. The arrows flew over their heads andnded just right in front of where theyid in cover. ¡°Now it¡¯s not the time for that, Lilian,¡± Nivia rebuked the Dryad. ¡°And these arrows aren¡¯t crude. They¡¯re well made.¡± Aedan did not chime in on their exchange. He peeked out of the log and focused his gaze towards the direction where the arrows came from. ¡°This is¡­ troublesome,¡± he said. ¡°What is it?¡± Nivia asked. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of them.¡± ¡°You can see them?¡± Nivia asked again, her eyes narrowing in mild disbelief. ¡°How many are there?¡± ¡°More than a dozen, around fifty, I wager?¡± he answered. Then he turned his gaze to her. ¡°Just what did the two of you do to garner this kind of response?¡± Lilian looked away giving a finger-to-lip gesture as if she was innocent in the cause of these circumstances. Nivia returned the gaze. ¡°Before you begin to point fingers, I will have you know that we are just doing what needs to be done and what nobody else seems to be doing.¡± ¡°There are only so few underworld factions that could afford to send this many men just to hunt down two individuals,¡± Aedan said, his eyes did not stray from the arrow¡¯s point of origin. ¡°There are even spell casters among the lot.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t spell casters a rarity around thesends?¡± Lilian asked innocently but the coy smile exuded the contrary. ¡°But our friends over there certainly aren¡¯t giving those notions any credibility.¡± ¡°Which shows just how powerful whoever you provoked is.¡± Nivia took a deep breath. ¡°It¡¯s Marduk,¡± she revealed. Aedan stared. His mouth was open and words were about toe out but he sucked his breath back in before letting it out in a form of a sigh. He didn¡¯t need to ask anymore after hearing that name. He still had his ears to the walls around him. He heard plenty of rumours and news. It wasn¡¯t difficult to piece together all the information to form a solid conclusion. In all likelihood, he surmised the two had no idea who they were messing with until it was all toote. ¡°Your exasperated face is irking me for some reason,¡± Nivia said. ¡°I¡¯m the one who''s irked right now!¡± he wanted to shout but that would reveal his precise location to the enemy. He nced at the back of his left palm. The symbol¡¯s pulsating glow was growing weaker and weaker by the minute. The stronger the pulse and glow, the more at risk the seal woulde undone. Even though the glow was weak now, it didn¡¯t mean much as a single pulse would revert back to the seal¡¯s dire state. ¡°Can you fend them off?¡± the Dryad asked. ¡°I doubt it,¡± Aedan answered. ¡°I won¡¯t lose if that¡¯s your real question.¡± ¡°After just seeing what you did, I find it hard to believe that you doubt your chances.¡± ¡°Innate Skills are all I can use right now. And they aren¡¯t exactly fit forbat.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not skilled in Magic Arts?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a long story. And just for rification, I don¡¯t doubt my chances at winning but I do doubt at keeping the two of you safe and winning at the same time.¡± ¡°Oh my. Truly gracious, you are.¡± Lilian tittered. ¡°How dare you,¡± Nivia huffed. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that I can take care of myself. I¡¯m not some burden that you think you need to carry.¡± ¡°You¡¯re Erin¡¯s friend. If she knew that I forsake you in your time of need, she¡¯ll tear me apart.¡± ¡°I am not in my time of need,¡± Nivia denied. Aedan groaned inwardly. A giant orb of me crashed into the trees just beside them. The ming orb exploded and spread its ze to its surroundings, forcing the three out of their cover. ¡°They¡¯re over there!¡± shouted one of the pursuers. Unlike the bandits one would often meet on highways or mountains, these ones were dressed in fine armour and armed with sharp weapons. Some of the thugs quickly caught up to them by using Fleet Foot and enforcing themselves with Body Strengthening. Nivia released an arrow into one of the thugs, piercing the poor man in between his eyes. Lilian summoned roots to ensnare the other thugs in ce. Aedan took this opportunity to dispatch the thugs. He aimed for where their hearts were. A precise and firm jab to the left side of their chests. Blood spurted from their mouths and they fell to the ground dead. ¡°Arrows iing,¡± Nivia shouted. She and Lilian took cover behind the trees but Aedan stood his ground and nted his head, avoiding all the arrows that came at them. ¡°They¡¯re resolute, I¡¯ll give them that,¡± Aedan remarked. The thugs were unwavering in taking lives but all theycked was proper training. They had the ferocity but next to no precision. ¡°The two of you should run. I¡¯ll hold them back.¡± ¡°Not in your lifetime,¡± Nivia retorted. ¡°These people enved my kin. I will not leave any one of them alive.¡± ¡°I concur with Nivia,¡± Lilian said. Aedan sighed. ¡°Fine,¡± he said. He gave into their selfishness as he knew how stubborn a Fae could be. ¡°But I won¡¯t be responsible for anything that happened to you. Don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you.¡± ¡°Worry about yourself, smith,¡± Nivia said and nocked an arrow to her bow. ¡°He¡¯s a smith? Not only is he a fighter but also a smith?¡± Lilian¡¯s eyes were gleaming. ¡°That¡¯s impressive.¡± Nivia grumbled sullenly. ¡°Aye, I¡¯m a smith but I¡¯m nowhere as skilled as my brother and my father.¡± ¡°Cease your chattering. They¡¯reing,¡± Nivia said with a peevish re. ¡°Oh dear, there¡¯s really a lot of them,¡± Lilian remarked at the sight of about a dozen thugs charging at them with their swords drawn and raised. ¡°Don¡¯t kill them! The boss wants them alive. Cut their limbs. We¡¯ll drag them back half-alive,¡± the one who looked to be the leader barked his orders. Standing amidst his henchmen, he snickered proudly at the prospect of his victory. ¡°And for the three of you idiots, surrender and we¡¯ll make it as painless as possible.¡± Aedan picked a stone that was no bigger than his palm and threw it at the leader. A thin fment of blue light appeared in front of the leader, blocking the stone as it shattered into fragments. ¡°Guhahahaha! You truly are an idiot. You think a puny stone can hurt someone like me?¡± Aedan offered no retort and simply picked up another stone of a simr size. This time, he threw it with all his might. ¡°Guhahaha! What a fucking idiot. You just don¡¯t learn, do y¡ª¡± The leader was on the verge of finishing his sentence when the stone pierced through his barrier and right through his skull. The thugs around him gasped in shock and took quick steps away from their leader who suddenly had his head blown into bits. Aedan himself received simr reactions from Nivia and Lilian. They knew he was strong but to use a in stone to break through a magic barrier and turn a person¡¯s head into stter was just another realm of expectation. There were thugs who realized the gap in their strength and quickly turned tails and ran, although most were still trapped in their own fantasy and denial. They pressed on, shouting their battle spirits to masque over their trembling will after such an expected sight. Aedan moved in close to one of the thugs. He dodged a swing from the thug¡¯s sword and struck swift at the thug¡¯s throat. In less than five seconds, he had killed a thug with a single move. He then used the thug¡¯s body to shield himself from the barrages of attack spells that wereunched at him. The corpse he used as a shield turned into a pulp of flesh in mere seconds. He cast it aside and lunged at his next victim. ¡°Eeek~!¡± the thug shrieked. He lost his footing and fell on his posterior. His shivering hand loosened his grip. As a result, his sword fell from his hand. ¡°Get away from me!¡± he screamed as he scrambled away from the approaching Aedan but it was impossible for him to be fast enough to run away from the Dragon-kin. Aedan grabbed the sobbing thug by his leg, swung him around, and threw him into his peers. It would have been aedic sight if it wasn¡¯t for the fact that Aedan had used all of his strength. What came as a result was a picture of a gorefest. ¡°Damn it, this is a red banner!¡± one of the thugs shouted. From his pocket, he took a ck shard that was filled with ominous energy. ¡°What in the name¡­ The Spirits are fluttering about,¡± Nivia said. ¡°Something caught their attention.¡± ¡°What is this dreadful feeling¡­?¡± Lilian mused grimly. ¡°Demons,¡± Aedan answered. The thug jabbed the shard into his own heart. The other thugs took out the same manner of the ck shard from their pockets and they too jabbed the shard into their hearts. Their bodies shook violently as their wounds swallowed the shards into their hearts. From their hearts, streams of tendrils crawled all over their body, slowly forming a cocoon around them. ¡°Demon summoning!?¡± Nivia gasped. ¡°This is absurd. This is not possible!¡± ¡°Believe it, Elf. It¡¯s happening right in front of your eyes,¡± Aedan said dryly. He turned to the two Fae. ¡°I know we¡¯re off to a rough start but I hope you can keep what happened today a secret.¡± ¡°What are you say¡ª¡± Nivia¡¯s sentence trailed off as she witnessed another unbelievable act. Aedan stuck his hand into the rippling space beside him. After fumbling his arm in the space for a few seconds, he pulled out a spear that was a little longer than his height. The spear had a simple design but the materials it was forged out of was nothing short of simple. The tip of the spear was oddly shaped in a helix. ¡°Spatial Magic...¡± Lilian gasped. ¡°And you used it with ease. Just what are you, Aedan?¡± Aedan did not answer. His eyes did not stray from the thugs that were turning into Demons in front of them. ¡°You still don¡¯t want to run?¡± Aedan asked. ¡°Not a chance,¡± Nivia said and released the arrow into one of the thug-turned-Demon. It pierced the Demon¡¯s head but it was not enough to kill it. ¡°Imbued your arrows with Spirits, Nivia,¡± Lilian said. The Dryad put her hands together to form a praying gesture. The Spirits gathered around them, forming suits of armour that was just right for their figure. ¡°You¡¯ll regret messing with us!¡± shouted one of the Demons. With a howl from a single Demon, the other all began to charge at the three. ¡°They can talk?¡± Nivia questioned. ¡°They retain sanity...¡± ¡°They did not invoke any Demons. They fused the power of Demons with themselves.¡± ¡°Is that even possible?¡± ¡°The answer is right in front of you,¡± Aedan said and faced the first Demon that approached him. He dodged a swipe from its ws and spun with his spear, lopping its head off before the Demon could even see the spearing. Nivia fired an arrow imbued with Spirits at a Demon, instantly turning it into ashes. ¡°The tip of your spear, it¡¯s Fairy Steel, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Aedan answered and proceeded to lop the head off of another Demon. Nivia wanted to retort but with the onught of the Demons, she could afford to have her focus wane. Fortunately for them but mostly for Nivia and Lilian, these were not true Demons. They only had a portion of a Demon¡¯s power within them. Compared to a real Demon, they couldn¡¯t even hold a candle. Still, they were more than Nivia and Lilian could handle. Although Nivia refused to admit it in front of Aedan, she was in her time of need. The thugs were all smiles and smug when they first turned into Demons but as the battle went on, they realized how wrong they were. They realized the magnitude of Aedan¡¯s strength. One man alone was easily culling them like a gardener hacking through a field of weed. Furthermore, they were enhanced by the power of Demons and yet, they found themselves on the losing side. As one of them began to turn its focus to the two Fae, all the others followed suit. ¡°Damn it, you two! Run!¡± Aedan shouted but it came out as a roar that trembled the leaves. ¡°I will not run,¡± Nivia said and continued to fire her arrows at the encircling Demons. Lilian was busy casting all sorts of supportive spells that she could on Nivia. She had also cast a few spells on Aedan but as she saw how easy he was faring, she decided to focus all her efforts on Nivia instead. Aedan sighed and stopped swinging his spear. He tossed it back into the subspace and dashed over to Nivia and Lilian. Nivia was doing well at first but the Demons were starting to read her shots, resulting in her missing more and more of her targets. A Demon managed to evade all of Nivia¡¯s arrows and lunged at her but before it couldy its ws on her, it was sent flying by a kick from Aedan. ¡°Aedan!¡± Nivia shouted, releasing an arrow that almost took his ear. ¡°Don¡¯t just run into my aim. I could have shot you!¡± Aedan clicked his tongue and scooped two Fae into his arms. ¡°A-Aedan!?¡± Nivia asked as she iled in his arms. ¡°What the hell are you doing?! Let me go!¡± ¡°Oh my, what is this?¡± Lilian was nonchnt with her tone. Aedan did not offer an exnation and leapt to the branches far high up in the trees. He did not stop there. From atop the trees, he began to traverse from branches to branches and further away from the Demons that were still confused by the sudden development. ¡°Let me go, Aedan! Right now!¡± Nivia demanded. But Aedan kept on traversing from branches to branches. ¡°So¡­ where are we going?¡± Lilian asked with a smile adorning her face. Contrary to Nivia, she was enjoying this privilege. ¡°A safe ce,¡± was all Aedan said as he kept on leaping. Of course, with the thug-turned-Demons right on their tail. 3-10 Incessant 3-10 Incessant The defence of Quinteburgh was a battle to be remembered for the centuries toe, at least for the people of Maven¡¯s Creek. Even after days went by, the scar of the battle was this clear on the town. On the surface, the damages were meagre but the real damagesy in the aspect of resources. For the defence to be sessful, numerous resources were utilized and since the monster horde was all too sudden, there was not enough time for any meticulous arrangement. As a result, the town was faced with many prominent issues such as unounted funds, missing materials, gold beingundered, and many of the usual criminal variety. This problem ultimately fell unto the governor regent of Maven¡¯s Creek, Edith Rosemary. However, in spite of all these problems she had to deal with, she still found time to reward those who were deserving. Namely, the promotion of Erin¡¯s adventurer star status. Being the hero of the town, there was no dispute on Erin receiving a star to her adventurer standing. Unbeknownst to Erin herself, this was history in the making for being the fastest adventurer achieving another star after the first. ¡°And with this stamp, you are now a two-star adventurer, Lady Erinthea,¡± Rosemary dered as she handed Erin back her adventurer tag. ¡°But it¡¯s a shame that you are not one for celebrations and festivals. I know I asked you toe at your earliest convenience but to think you would show up unannounced. If I had known, I would have made some tea and even brought out some fine confectioneries.¡± Upon receiving a star to their status, an adventurer would often make it known to the whole town and throw a celebration as a way to unt the ascension of their status. Even the usually frugal ones would throw a small party for their band ofpanions. But Erin had not done any of those even after receiving her second star. Erin graciously received her tag. ¡°You¡¯re a busy person, I wouldn¡¯t dare to have you do all those for me. And I have nothing against festivities, just not in a time where resources are sparse and can be allocated for something more worthwhile.¡± She gave her tag a few scrutinizing nces before wearing it back around her neck. Rosemary sighed. ¡°I worried for you, Lady Erinthea. People will learn to take advantage of your humbleness if you don¡¯t be selfish for once.¡± ¡°Just because I¡¯m humble, it doesn¡¯t mean that I¡¯m daft too,¡± Erin retorted. ¡°That is true,¡± Rosemary chuckled and nodded from where she sat, behind the Guild Master¡¯s desk. Her eyes darted around the room that was devoid of any other¡¯s presence for the obvious two. ¡°This is something to be celebrated and unted. You don¡¯t even have Lyra with you, or Siv.¡± Erin raised an eyebrow when she heard Rosemary mentioning ¡°Siv¡±. She didn¡¯t think the news would travel fast considering the whole matter wasn¡¯t widely announced or anything. Although, she remembered the scene Crom was making yesterday ¡°Speaking of which, where are they?¡± the Guild Master asked. ¡°Training,¡± Erin answered. ¡°Training?¡± Rosemary blinked. ¡°They missed out on your promotion just for training?¡± ¡°She seems to think that she wascking any worth to be qualified in being mypanion.¡± ¡°Well, I guess I can see her reasoning. Then again, anyone around someone as talented as you would feel inferior.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe I am talented.¡± ¡°Now you¡¯re just being overly humble, Lady Erinthea.¡± ¡°I did believe it was talent at first but as I train more and more, I realized it¡¯s not talent that I have.¡± ¡°Then what is it you have?¡± ¡°Conviction and perseverance,¡± Erin said. ¡°I wasn¡¯t deterred by failure and I didn¡¯t care what people thought of me. I just trained and trained. In my defeat, I found only lessons, not dejection. I became the swordmaster I am today. I once held a title that proimed my skills.¡± ¡°What happened to your title?¡± Rosemary asked with her brows raised. ¡°Excess confidence,¡± Erin answered with a mncholic smile. ¡°I thought no one could challenge me. I was proven wrong. But not once did I feel inferior. I only felt encouraged. I thought my skills were the zenith but I was d I was proven wrong. There was so much more room for me to grow. There¡¯s always a mountain higher, no?¡± Rosemary chuckled. ¡°You are truly humble, Lady Erinthea. Just heed my advice, humbleness can be seen as rude to a certain few. Some of these certain few can be quite¡­ troublesome.¡± ¡°Your advice is duly noted, Guild Master.¡± Rosemary sighed. ¡°So¡­ what¡¯s your next step? Let it be known that I¡¯m in the favour of you making a home in Maven¡¯s Creek.¡± ¡°The valley in the east, that¡¯s my next course.¡± ¡°Sephrodia Valley? Oh my, that¡¯s a steep course.¡± ¡°Terrible ce?¡± ¡°More of an opportunistic ce. And filled with opportunists, good and bad. It¡¯s also known as Ruby Valley for the various magic rubies that came out of their minds.¡± ¡°Magic rubies?¡± ¡°Magic crystals, basically but for some reason, their magic crystals are blood red. It is as beautiful as it is useful. This is how the lord governor of Sephrodia Valley became one of the richest noble in the Yorun Kingdom.¡± Erin felt her stomach churned. Nobles with more riches than they could spend was someone she wanted to avoid at all cost, let alone a noble that was most likely earning more than he could ever spend. She wasn¡¯t being presumptuous when she thought of the Lord Governor setting their sight on her due to her aplishments and her beauty. ¡°As you have guessed, going by your expression, the lord governor of Sephrodia Valley is a libidinous man. Your presence would definitely invite his nature. In turn, he will invite you to his pce of a mansion.¡± ¡°Sounds like you know him well.¡± Rosemary smiled regrettably. ¡°I was one of his many conquests, as he would put it. A folly of my youth that I am most not proud of. He had a way with his words towards those who were weak to promises.¡± ¡°His tongue is not a concern. His fat pockets and his nature are.¡± ¡°I suppose that is correct in your case.¡± ¡°What else can you tell me about Sephrodia Valley?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a valley, for one. Surrounded by mountains that would take days to cross and scale. The only way in and out is through the alleys. There¡¯s one in the valley¡¯s west and the other in the valley¡¯s east. The valley is the closest territory to the eastern borders. In addition to its magic rubies, its natural disposition as a fort had earned the gratitude andmendation of the court.¡± ¡°Sounds like an important piece ofnd.¡± ¡°It is. Which makes the lord governor rich and powerful. Not good traits on a person like him.¡± Erin clicked her tongue but only in her heart. She figured her next course would not be easy given it was a ¡°request¡± from her patron goddess. In fact, Erin would be worried if things seemed smooth. ¡°Well then, I best be going, Guild Master. I have other appointments and I¡¯m sure you have much to do.¡± ¡°I do have much to do but your presence is always wee. Did anyone tell you how soothing yourpany is?¡± Erin pondered on Rosemary¡¯s words. ¡°Not that I know of,¡± she answered. ¡°Now you know, Lady Erinthea. Please give Lady Saphielle my greetings.¡± ¡°How did you¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m merely busy, Lady Erinthea, not daft,¡± Rosemary said, smiling warmly. ¡°I suppose you are,¡± Erin responded with the same manner of a smile. **** ¡°My name is Thoren, son of Kor. I wish to challenge you to a duel,¡± said a warrior-looking man that was too thin on the armour he was wearing and the sword he wielded was coated in dirt and rust. Erin had lost count of the many challenges she received from individuals she hadn¡¯t known before. Her fame as the hero of Quinteburgh had spread far and wide, inviting eager individuals who wished to prove themselves. Unironically, the majority of the challengers were fighters and adventurers that had only recently arrived in town. They had rushed here once they caught wind of the news. At some point, Erin lost to their persistence and epted a few challenges, which all ended in her victory. However, that did not deter the challenges but instead, invited more challengers. Many of the challengers'' reasons for duelling Erin ranged from being sceptical of the rumours that she was a Fox-kin who could evolve to the in fact that she was a Fae who was making a name for herself. In the end, the results were the same no matter their reasons. In all these fights, Erin came to learn one thing that she had a suspicion of all this time. People without proper training were extremely reliant on levels. She thought this practice was only limited to the greenhorns but the truth of the matter was much graver. They gave only minimal effort in their training and they left everything else to the whims and disposition of the System. Erin had initially found this hard to believe but as she pondered upon it, she realized this was only natural as these people grew up with the System. Tossing it all on their hard work and talent was simply an absurd concept that only the most desperate would do. Which was why her challengers were all in the level of twenties. They were no greenhorns. Their shes and pierces were resolute enough tond a fatal wound. The forms of these challengers¡¯ attacks were filled with strength and speed butcked all the grace and precision. Moreover, they were very tant with their intent. They even wore their ruse and feint on their face. Erin had the slightest expectation that the challengers would be good to keep herself in form but it was no different than fighting a farmer in her eyes. Still, the challenges kepting, even while she was spending some quality time with Celia. Hertest challenger was a man named Thoren. He was just like any others before him. They had all the confidence but none of the skill or strength to support that confidence. Through the grip, Erin could tell his physical strength surpassed hers and his speed was faster than his predecessors, but that was all he had. His strength was being used against himself as Erin evaded an overswing that destroyed his own posture. He fell for a ruse that made his swiftness redundant. Not even a minute passed and Erin already had her de hovering over his throat, signifying the man¡¯s defeat. ¡°You truly are as skilled as the rumour says,¡± Thoren said, a content smile on his lips as he raised his hands in resignation. Erin retracted her de and sheathed her sword. She didn¡¯t offer any response and simply walked back to Celia and Saphielle who were watching her duel from a bench nearby. They were currently in a park near the church. It was officially designated as a public space but the proximity of a faith establishment had deterred many potential visitors. Though the view couldn¡¯t be said to be the best, Erin had no intrusion to her quality time with Celia, until now. ¡°Looks like we¡¯ll need to find another ce,¡± Saphielle said with Celia ying merrily with a toy figure in herp. ¡°Can¡¯t we just have someone guarding the entrance?¡± Erin asked. ¡°This is the church¡¯snd, we don¡¯t have the authority to keep anyone out,¡± the Elf answered. ¡°You¡¯re amazing, Ellie!¡± Celia praised. She hopped off of Saphielle¡¯sp and trotted towards Erin¡¯s open arms. ¡°That, I am,¡± Erin said, swinging Celia around in her arms. ¡°I want to see more!¡± Celia eximed. Erin smiled wryly. ¡°That¡¯s not good, Celia. Fighting is not good.¡± ¡°But you looked happy?¡± Celia questioned with her head tilted. Saphielle tittered. ¡°She is correct, Erin. You looked like you enjoyed yourself.¡± Erin clicked her tongue but she turned away from Celia before doing so. ¡°Would I be able to fight like you someday?¡± Celia asked. This time, Erinughed awkwardly. ¡°That¡¯s a difficult thing to judge. Fighting isn¡¯t meant for everyone.¡± ¡°But I want to be just like you, Ellie...¡± Celia said, her head hung low. Saphielle wasughing with her hand over her lips. ¡°Ah~ This is simply just so lovely.¡± ¡°Not if you¡¯re the one on the spot,¡± Erin retorted. ¡°Is that not possible?¡± Celia asked. Erin raised an eyebrow and nced at Saphielle. ¡°Yes, I have been teaching her the letters,¡± Saphielle answered Erin¡¯s question in her gaze. ¡°Such a smart girl you are, Celia,¡± Erin praised, brushing the little girl¡¯s hair. Celia chortled gleefully. ¡°If only times like this wouldst,¡± Erin mused in her heart, a musing of fantasy. Erin had a warm smile as she looked over Celia who was enjoying her head rub but her smile was turned upside down upon the intrusion of another uninvited individual. She didn¡¯t presume the uninvited individual as a challenger as she recognized his scent. Saphielle, with her Elven ears, was also quick to pick up on their new guest. ¡°Looks like you have a new challenger.¡± ¡°I hope not.¡± It was Cynric who appeared from the archway that led to the park from the garden entrance. Erin tried to look as pleased as she could to see him but as she saw the determined gaze on him, she frowned at the realization of the Augur¡¯s purpose for this encounter. ¡°Lady Erin,¡± Cynric said and bowed with one knee on the ground. ¡°If it would be not too much trouble, I would like to have a duel of swords with you.¡± Saphielle tittered but she looked away when the Fox-kin red at her. ¡°Do your best, Ellie!¡± Celia cheered. Erin sighed. ¡°May I know for what reason you wish to challenge me?¡± ¡°I greatly admire you, Lady Erin. For this duel, I would like to request a bet.¡± Erin narrowed her gaze. ¡°What kind of bet?¡± ¡°If I win, I would like to have yourpany for a day.¡± ¡°Oh my, how bold,¡± Saphielle remarked with her cheek nestled in her palm. Erin had a nk expression but that onlysted for a few seconds before a devilish grin formed on her lips. ¡°We shall see, Cynric.¡± 3-11 Visage 3-11 Visage Cynric had left a poor first impression on Erin in terms of his battle prowess but her impression began to change as she witnessed the Augur preparing his battle stance. Itcked polishing but the foundation was firm. Cynric wasn¡¯t the frail boy she had pictured. The Augur¡¯s choice of weapon was a sabre much like hers. Erin also noticed a short sword holstered away behind his waist. Judging by how the sheath was fashioned, the short sword was meant to be drawn in a swift manner. She made a mental note to be cautious of any sneaky attempts even though Cynric did not strike her as such a person but it was better to be safe than feeling apologetic to herselfter. Since Erin felt this duel would be different from the previous ones, she moved to a ce a tad further away from Celia and Saphielle but she was nevertheless still within the park. There were fences that spanned the whole perimeter so no eyes would be prying into her duels. ¡°Lady Erin, I know you think little of me due to my unfortunate happenstance,¡± Cynric said. ¡°Why do you care what others think of you?¡± Erin retorted. ¡°I care no for what others think of me but I do care about your opinion.¡± ¡°Well, you shouldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not something I can help. I want you to understand that.¡± Erin tried her best to suppress her grimace. ¡°Be that as it may, I¡¯ll consider your feelings after you defeat me.¡± ¡°That I will do my best,¡± Cynric answered with a smile. He brought his sword up, paralleling his gaze. ¡°You have been through some rough training,¡± Erin remarked, drawing her sabre without entering a stance. ¡°It is the way of my n. Our skills are honed from birth. The weak perish, the strong thrive.¡± ¡°Impressive as it is, a straw target would never amount to a living, breathing target,¡± Erin said and tossed her sabre at Cynric. The Augur repelled the sword away in a rush, leaving his front wide open. Erin closed in on him with Lightning Rush and sent a palm into his abdomen. The young swordsman went tumbling across the ground but he recovered his bearings and flipped back onto his feet. ¡°What the hell was that?¡± the Augur asked, confusion ridden all over his face. ¡°That was me taking advantage of your inexperience. You lose.¡± ¡°I have not,¡± Cynric responded, a frown creasing into his expression. ¡°If this was a real fight, you would have been dead.¡± Cynric clicked his tongue. ¡°That doesn¡¯t count. Another round.¡± Erin sighed. ¡°Fine, another round but no whining this time.¡± Cynric nodded and entered into his stance once again. He waited for Erin to collect her sword but she didn¡¯t move a single inch. ¡°What are you waiting for? Solstice?¡± ¡°You¡¯re unarmed.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a problem,¡± Erin said, beckoning for the Augur toe with a hand gesture. As a man, this was more humiliating than even the time he was captured as a ve. At least that time he had the excuse that he was ambushed and his enemies had numbers to their advantage. In this duel, there was no excuse he could use. Although he never told anyone, his pride was hurt when he realized his saviour wouldter be the subject of his adoration. He harboured a strange hatred since but had always hidden it behind a smile. Hiding his anger wasn¡¯t a difficult task. Considering the type of upbringing he went through, hiding his anger was an everyday feat. Cynric wanted to disy his unfounded anger towards her. He wanted to show her that he wasn¡¯t the feeble individual she assumed him to be. However, he could never predict what manner of woman could take hold of his heart. Every time their paths crossed, he found himself smiling in the truest sense. Even if she was his adoration, a part of him still held on to the unfounded feeling. At the very least, he wanted to be acknowledged in her sight. For a person of her skills, he knew he wasn¡¯t worthy to even be in the corner of her gaze. The desire to be acknowledged was further and further away now. He heard the rumours of her erratic fighting form but he didn¡¯t believe thempletely. Although now, he knew ¡°erratic¡± wasn¡¯t an exaggeration. Everyone could tell Erin was a swordsman by the sword she carried around with her but to think she would use her sword as a means of distraction tond an attack by way of her hands was simply unprecedented. Gulping down a lump in his throat along with his hesitation, Cynric charged at Erin. He made a simple thrust in which Erin dodged to the side and gave his wrist a light battering. He spun around and brought his de around a wide arc but Erin stepped back just enough for his de to miss her neck by an inch¡¯s breadth. He stopped his swing and brought his de around but Erin flipped over him andnded behind him. Before he could turn around, he felt something soft yet hard colliding into his face. As he was sent stumbling, it took him a few seconds to realize she had used her tail to hit him. ¡°Some things are just not meant to be, Cynric. Live with it,¡± Erin said. ¡°If you¡¯re a man, you will understand that¡¯s impossible,¡± Cynric retorted, his grip tightening around his sword. Hearing that, a vein popped onto her forehead. It wasn¡¯t the fact she was a man that irked her but the fact that she was a man and she couldn¡¯t empathize. After all, the sword had been her everything. To fight for something like love was still a foreign concept. It made her realize just how wasteful she had been as a man. She had wondered how her life as Argon would be if she wasn¡¯t so indulgent in the way of the sword. Erin was brought back to reality when she felt a shift in the air. A ck aura surrounded the Augur and his de was oozing out smoke that seemed to be weaved out of shadows. Using her Appraisal, the ¡°Shadow de Arts¡± was the most possible skill he could be using. She couldn¡¯t deduce much from the description given but it was enough for her to understand it was a cunning skill that exploited those who relied too much on their sights. Of course, Erin was not one of those. Cynric closed in with his sword raised. Erin easily side-stepped the sh but in the next flow of motion, what seemed to be a shadowy visage of Cynric emerged from his flesh body. Aside from the withering colours, it was without a doubt Cynric. A clone, so to say. Along with its ethereal sword, it swung at Erin even though the original was still recovering his posture. Erin was surprised but not taken off guard. She was getting used to the aberrations thrown at her. She did not bother blocking the visage¡¯s sword as her instinct told her it would be futile, not that she would do it considering she didn¡¯t have her sword with her. As Cynric regained his posture, Erin moved to retrieve her sword. ¡°Looks like you are finally going to take me seriously...¡± Cynric said, a grin forming on his lips. ¡°I have always taken you seriously but what you seek is my admiration.¡± ¡°For a person as strong and talented as you, do you even have anyone you admire?¡± ¡°Of course, I¡ª¡± and she stopped. No answer immediately came to her mind. She stood at the zenith of swordsmanship in her past life. No one was worthy to be her subject of admiration. In fact, she wished she had someone she could admire but time after time, there was no such person. Until she became Erin in this world. Thrown off her throne, her status as the apex was taken by many. But the one person that stood out from all those individuals, was a certain Dragon-kin who was spending the rest of his life living a Dwarrow smith in a small town. ¡°Do you?¡± Cynric challenged. ¡°I do,¡± she answered with a smile she didn¡¯t know she had. ¡°I did presume I was unparalleled but he¡­ he taught me the true meaning of power. More than admiration, he was¡­ a friend and a teacher, though he can be quite a bit of an arse at times.¡± Cynric heard the word ¡°friend¡± but he wasn¡¯t convinced. From the way she described him, it sounded more like she was infatuated with him. He didn¡¯t know if she realized that but he wasn¡¯t nning on asking her. In a way, his despair was ever deeper now he knew that because of the man she mentioned, her standards were raised. But of course, these were all simply Cynric¡¯s own inference. Cynric lunged with a grimace that spelt his jealousy. Erin deflected two of his heavy blows and was preparing to receive the third but then she saw his visage parted from him. His visage lunged at her, faster and stronger. The visage swung its sword and Erin raised her sabre to guard. As she had predicted, her sword passed right through the visage¡¯s but the visage¡¯s de drew a shallow cut on her sleeve. The faint sess widened Cynric¡¯s grin but it disappeared when he saw the unperturbed expression of Erin, who rushed at him. He was confused at first but quickly realized her intention. His visage was in her path but she phased right through it. In a panic, Cynric took steps back but blundered his footing in his hurry. Erin battered his sword right out of his hand and the sword in the visage¡¯s hand also disappeared. She shed down but stopped her de just as the edge touched his skin. ¡°You lose, Cynric.¡± ¡°H-how¡­?¡± the Augur asked in sheer disbelief. He lost in the most unexpected manner. His eyes were agape and locked at the sight of his trembling hand. ¡°I willmend you for your swordsmanship and the control of your strange skill. However, youck experience and you relied too much on your skill¡¯s oddity. You don¡¯t even understand your skill¡¯s weakness.¡± ¡°I-I¡­.¡± ¡°If you n to wallow in despair and self-pity, don¡¯t. You want me to acknowledge you? Start by acknowledging yourself. Before thinking of surpassing anyone, ovee yourself first.¡± ¡°If I do that¡­ would you approve of me?¡± ¡°If that¡¯s all you care about, nothing will ever change.¡± Cynric offered no response and simply gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. Erin did not wait for him to recover from his shock and left him to his own device. She strode back to the bench where Saphielle and Celia were watching from afar. ¡°Oh my, how sinful of you, Erin,¡± Saphielle said while tittering. ¡°You¡¯re making everyone heads over heels for you everywhere.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t ask for that,¡± Erin retorted with an eye roll. ¡°I have a certain goddess to thank for that.¡± It no longer surprised her that someone was falling for her again. She was absolutely certain Nyx made her body this way to entice the people she would encounter. ¡°Is he alright?¡± Celia asked, pointing at Cynric who was still kneeling on the ground. ¡°He¡¯ll be fine,¡± Erin said, rubbing Celia¡¯s head with a warm smile. ¡°He just needs some time alone.¡± Celia giggled gleefully in response. ¡°Someone¡¯s bing a rage,¡± Saphielle remarked. Erin took a seat beside Saphielle. ¡°Bing a rage is a pain.¡± Celia immediately hopped into herp. ¡°Is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a hassle to live up to their expectations. And they seem to think you owe it to them for bing a rage even though they decided everything without your opinion.¡± ¡°I suppose that does sound like a pain. But how nostalgic,¡± Saphielle said. ¡°I remember my simr moments like yesterday.¡± Erin raised an eyebrow. ¡°You received challenges to a duel too?¡± ¡°Spirits no, not duels. Attempts at courtships. Way before I don the cloth of faith, everyone wanted my hand in marriage, women and men alike, regardless of race.¡± Erin suddenly felt a wave of relief. She was d she was famous for reasons other than being a maiden ripe for marriage. She didn¡¯t think she could handle all those courtings as she still considered herself a greenhorn in the affairs of love. ¡°I wager it won¡¯t be long before you manage to entice a person of royal blood. Now that¡¯s something I had never achieved.¡± ¡°You made it sound like something to be proud of.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a testament to one¡¯s beauty. Of course, I¡¯m proud of it,¡± Saphielle answered. Erin sighed. In the wake of Saphielle¡¯s words, she feared for the future, especially her time in Sephrodia Valley. ¡°But that¡¯s in the future. For now, I just want to spend whatever time I have left with Celia and the others.¡± 3-12 Vampire 3-12 Vampire ¡°Where is this ce?¡± Nivia asked as she scoured her surroundings of straw houses and wooden fences. The flowers, grasses, and trees had long lost their vibrant colours. It didn¡¯t look any different than the other human viges she had seen but somehow, this one bore a different feel aside from the near-death florals. If she had to put the feeling into words, it would be something like ¡°dested¡± or ¡°hollow¡±. ¡°A safe haven, of sorts,¡± Aedan answered in a dry manner. He didn¡¯t even bother to offer the Elf a nce as he responded. ¡°There¡¯s no one around,¡± Lilian said. ¡°How curious. The housing formation¡­ they¡¯re too¡­ neat, I suppose? And what happened to the people?¡± ¡°Dead,¡± Aedan answered as dry as his previous response. ¡°If you could even call it that.¡± ¡°Their deaths weren¡¯t proper or timely?¡± ¡°Something of that sort,¡± Aedan replied. ¡°Oh¡­ what led to that?¡± ¡°Blind faith¡ª¡± Aedan replied but his eyes were darting all over the vicinity. ¡°¡ªin things they¡¯re not supposed to.¡± ¡°What of the houses¡¯ formation?¡± ¡°Their culture.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t like to recount the tale?¡± ¡°We have more pressing matters than recounting a tale. Our pursuers are still on our trail. We will make a stand here.¡± ¡°Why here?¡± Nivia asked with a scowl. ¡°Good for an ambush. You¡¯re an archer and Lilian here is a caster. I¡¯m the only striker in this misfit group of ours and I¡¯m no vanguard. This is the only n I can think of that would involve your demise. The other ns that I could think of are out of the window.¡± ¡°Oh? And why is that?¡± ¡°You¡¯re a stubborn sod.¡± Nivia lunged but Lilian quickly stepped in between them. ¡°Right right right. We understand, Aedan. We will take up our positions.¡± ¡°But Lilian, he¡ª¡± ¡°Now¡¯s not the time for this, Nivia. We can talk about itter, alright?¡± Lilian said, all the while having a gentle smile. Nivia sighed. ¡°Fine, we¡¯ll continue this after we take care of our pursuers. So, how do we go about this?¡± ¡°Find a ce to hide and strike them from there. Make sure to use abilities that could epass an area. Hopefully, we¡¯ll finish them off in one fell swoop.¡± ¡°But why here? Why this ce? We passed by ces with a lot of nature. An ambush would have worked there too. Whye all the way here?¡± ¡°No prying eyes here.¡± ¡°You¡¯re worried about witnesses?¡± Nivia asked with a brow raised. ¡°I do. Very much. I appreciate it if you don¡¯t pry any further.¡± ¡°Fine by me,¡± Nivia huffed with her arms crossed. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m interested in your story anyway.¡± ¡°Hmm,e to think of it, I don¡¯t even sense animals of any sorts around here,¡± Lilian mused. ¡°Allow me to venture a guess. Whatever happened here, it left a bad mark on nature. But what, that is the question.¡± ¡°Not your concern. Just focus on the enemy.¡± Lilian chuckled. ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right.¡± Looking exasperated, Nivia gave her cheeks a light p. ¡°Anyways, where do we hide?¡± ¡°The enemies will being through here. As long as it offers you a perfect view of this road.¡± With that, the two Fae left and took their respective positions. There was minimalmunication between them as all three of them had excellent hearing and they could always know where each of them was. Nivia took cover on the second floor of a straw house. Though the exterior was pure straw, thete owner had some senses to build the floors and support with wooden nks. But Nivia still wondered if the house would be able to withstand the slightest tremble. Though even if sheined, there was no better choice. Lilian found her position behind a small hut that was used for storage. She was an adept magic caster and she could still cast her spells even if she didn¡¯t have a line of sight of her enemies. This was the most perfect position she could find,unching spells without putting herself in danger. As for Aedan, he was the only one who didn¡¯t hide. He merely took a seat on his knees in the middle of the road and waited with his eyes closed. Nivia and Lilian were certainly bemused and baffled but knowing his prowess, they decided to trust his decision. ¡°I presume the two of you are ready?¡± Aedan asked in a whisper. ¡°I¡¯m ready,¡± Nivia answered, also in a soft voice. She took out a small branch from one of her many pouches dangling by her waist. With a few words of incantation, the small branch transformed into a bow in glitters. ¡°I¡¯m ready too,¡± Lilian chimed in cheerfully. ¡°This is getting exciting.¡± ¡°Be serious about this, Lilian. These are not your typical bandits.¡± ¡°I know. I know. It¡¯s just¡­ It¡¯s been so long since I could use the full extent of my magic.¡± Lilian giggled. ¡°They¡¯re here,¡± Aedan said. The sounds of thundering footsteps moured closer and closer to them. They could easily surmise the numbers in more than a dozen. Along with shouting and curses, the band of thugs rushed straight into the derelict vige without a notion of danger. Exhaustion was clear in their eyes due to the long distance they travelled. Unlike Aedan who had his overwhelming stats, these thugs were in the level of mid-twenties at best. However, they pressed on as if their lives depended on it. ¡°Now?¡± Nivia asked, nocking an arrow to her bow. Mana began to flow into the arrow from Nivia with the bow as an amplifying medium. ¡°No, let theme closer,¡± Aedan answered. ¡°Hmm, they don¡¯t look keen in their endeavour,¡± Lilian remarked. ¡°See that person with a cap? He looks about to die at any moment.¡± ¡°In a moment, they¡¯ll all be dead.¡± ¡°There!¡± one of the thugs shouted. ¡°He¡¯s over there! We found him!¡± Without thinking as to why Aedan was sitting on his knees in the middle of a road with a serene expression, they charged at him. ¡°And that moment is¡­ now.¡± At Aedan¡¯s beckon, Nivia shot out an arrow enchanted with Wind Magic. The arrow flew over one of the thugs¡¯ shoulders and hit the ground. Baffled, the thugs remained vignt as their gazey fixed on the arrow. Perhaps they shouldn¡¯t have. The arrow glowed and that was all the warning they received before the winds were drawn by an unseen force into the arrow along with the thugs. This was the advanced spell of Wind Magic, Vortex. It was normally impossible for Nivia¡¯s current level to cast such a spell but it was made possible thanks to her magic bow enchanted by the elder mages in her homnd. As for Lilian, she cast an Earth Magic that erupted spikes from the ground, impaling all that were in the way of the earth¡¯s growth. ¡°Forgive me, Spirits, for the lives that I have taken,¡± Lilian muttered a prayer begging for forgiveness but she didn¡¯t stop casting her spells. Though she felt remorse but remembering these were the people who enved her kin, she continued with a tranquil mind. The thugs were immediately thrown into disarray as they realized they had been had. Whatever was holding them back from retreating had all left their mind. They no longer care about the consequences should they return empty-handed. Although, Aedan wasn¡¯t about to just let them go. With a single jump, hended in the escaping thugs¡¯ path. Pulling a sickle out of his subspace storage, he lopped off the heads of the thugs in a single swing. The thugs¡¯ screams got even louder as they witnessed Aedan¡¯s inhumane prowess. They could neither fight back as they couldn¡¯t even tell where they were being attacked from. With all paths shut before them, some fell to their knees, pleading to be spared. Some held on to their weapons and charged at Aedan but they all met the same fate. The tides of this battle werepletely in the three¡¯s favour but that was only until a curious presence cut across the air. Aedan¡¯s attention was instantly caught by the peculiar scent. ¡°Lilian, behind you!¡± he shouted. ¡°Hmm?¡± Lilian, who was casting her spells continuously from her cover, turned to her back, just in time to see a hand reaching out for her. She tried to move away but the hand was fast. It caught by her neck and lifted her feet off the ground. ¡°And what do we have here? A Dryad? How curious,¡± said the man who crept up on Lilian. His hair was brown and long. His skin was as pale as chalk and his eyes were blood red. A ring pair of fangs dangling out of his mouth. ¡°A-a vampire?¡± Lilian gasped. ¡°Correct,¡± the vampire answered and chuckled. ¡°Now, you¡¯ll do just nice as a bargaining chip. Your friend there is too much of a hassle to deal with. But with you in my hands, I can¡ª¡± his sentence was left unfinished as a rock flew straight to his head, turning it into a stter of guts and blood. Released from the vampire¡¯s grasp, Lilian kicked the headless vampire away and crawled far away from it. She took a few seconds of a relieved breather before looking to the origin of the rock that shot out of nowhere. All that she could find was a series of holes through the houses. It didn''t take her long to figure out Aedan had thrown a rock that went straight through houses and into the vampire¡¯s head. From the sky, Aedan camending in front of his feet. Cracks were formed beneath his feet but the person himself did not have the slightest notion of being fazed by the hardnding. ¡°Are you hurt?¡± Aedan asked. Shaking herself out of a daze, Lilian chuckled. ¡°Thanks to you, I am fine,¡± she answered. Red faintly dyed her cheeks as she gazed at the visage of Aedan. ¡°Lilian, are you hurt!?¡± asked Nivia who had glided to them with the use of her Wind Magic. ¡°I am fine, Nivia. What about you? Did you have a hard time?¡± ¡°Not even the slightest. Never expect them to be a bunch of simpletons who don¡¯t even have scouts.¡± ¡°It¡¯s obvious they¡¯re doing this because they fear their employer. You two must have caused a great deal of damage for them toe after you in a rush and without any preparations.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t much,¡± Lilian said with a shrug. ¡°Just a few ve houses here and there. A dozen or so, maybe?¡± ¡°Two underground auction houses,¡± Nivia added. Aedan sighed as he buried his face in his palm. ¡°If you weren¡¯t acquainted with Erin, I would have just handed your ass over to them.¡± Nivia and Lilian blinked at Aedan¡¯s words. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you have just said but I feel like I have just been insulted,¡± Nivia said. ¡°It¡¯s not a feeling. I did insult you, kinda.¡± ¡°You¡ª¡± as soon as the word left her lips, Nivia fell silent and turned to the spot where the dead vampirey, or she assumed he was dead. ¡°Just what are you?¡± the vampire asked. His head, which was turned into a stter, was now whole and back on his neck. ¡°Didn¡¯t you turn his head into a stter?¡± Lilian asked. ¡°He¡¯s a vampire but not just any vampire. Only a pureblood can regenerate a whole head from nothing.¡± ¡°A pureblood vampire?¡± Nivia gasped. ¡°They still exist?¡± ¡°Apparently so,¡± Aedan said. ¡°But what is most curious is that this pureblood vampire seems to be working for Marduk. Vampires are a proud race. They don¡¯t bend their knees that easily.¡± ¡°I do not work for Marduk!¡± the vampire shouted, nails turning into ws. ¡°I work with Marduk.¡± ¡°Is that how he convinced you to work for him?¡± Aedan jibed. ¡°Silence!¡± the vampire snarled and threw a javelin made out of blood at Aedan. While the two Fae quickly dove out of the way of the javelin, Aedan stood his ground and received the javelin directly. The result was as expected. The blood javelin found its mark but the mark in question was unhurt. The vampire stared in disbelief. Whatever words he was trying to convey, they all gagged on his shock. ¡°I can never get used to this,¡± Aedan mused. ¡°The utter despair and shock when they realized how futile their abilities are. And how absolutely fucked they are.¡± ¡°This is not possible!¡± uttering his denial, the vampire charged at Aedan and swiped his ws at the Dragon-kin¡¯s face. ¡°Wh-what¡­. Just what in hell¡¯s name are you?!¡± Of course, not even a scratch was found on Aedan¡¯s face. ¡°Not possible! This cannot be! How are you unhurt!? Answer me! What are you!?¡± the vampire kept shouting at the futility of his attempts but before he could make more noises, he was stopped¡ª ¡ªwith a hand around his neck. As easy as it looked, Aedan lifted the vampire off the ground by his neck. ¡°To think a member of a proud race would be reduced to a brat who throws tantrums in the face of difficulty. How disappointing.¡± The vampire could offer no retort as Aedan¡¯s grasp was pressing on his throat, voiding him of his voice. ¡°Lilian, Essence re, if you would be so kind.¡± When asked, only then did Lilian reel herself back to reality from the spectacle that Aedan had just shown them. ¡°E-Essence re? For what?¡± The vampire began to il around as if he had heard the most terrifying thing in the world. But his iling was to no avail. ¡°Cleansing. It¡¯s the only way to get rid of vampires after all, aside from White Silver.¡± ¡°But my Essence re wouldn¡¯t be that strong to burn an entire being.¡± ¡°You let me worry about that. Just a spark will do.¡± ¡°A-alright,¡± Lilian said and produced a small spark of cyan me. Aedan caught the spark with his free hand and in his palm, the spark turned into a giant ball of mes. ¡°How did you do that?¡± it was Nivia who asked. Aedan ignored her question and stayed his gaze on the paled vampire who had given up struggling. ¡°If Marduk finds out what happened, you will all¡ª¡± ¡°He won¡¯t find out what happened. For his sake, I hope he won¡¯t ever find out because I might just have to take some drastic measures.¡± The vampire could tell Aedan wasn¡¯t bluffing. ¡°Just what are you¡­?¡± Aedan grinned. ¡°Well, since you¡¯re so adamant, I entertain thisst moment of yours. What am I you asked?¡± Aedan made the Essence re in his hand grew evenrger, asrge as the vampire. ¡°I¡¯m a Dragon-kin,¡± he answered. ¡°¡°What?¡±¡± Nivia and Lilian gave the same response. Aedan did not wait for his answer to reach the vampire¡¯s reality and proceeded to drown the vampire in the cyan mes. Screams of agony echoed throughout the forest but aside from the three, the vampire¡¯s scream went unheard. 3-13 Last night 3-13 Last night The end of the day had arrived but the town was still in a mour. Some were still working while some were celebrating their survival to this day. The town¡¯s survival of arge monster horde¡¯s attack was a story to be told for generations. Many rode on this narrative¡¯s coattails to garner attention for the sake of their vanity. One person followed the other. Before anyone knew it, it became a festival of who could tell the story better, which gave birth to continuous celebrations. However, none of those were Erin¡¯s concerns. She had saved the town and what happened after was out of her hands. She had her own worries to take care of. More precisely, she had a god to appease. She had dally long enough in this town and she had garnered enough rest. She couldn¡¯t stay here forever. She knew it was only a matter of time before Nyx began to pester her in a very unceremonious way. Still, farewells may have been easy for Erin but now that she was no longer the solitary individual she was, she found it to be one of the most wrenching things to do. It was currently the eve of her departure and thest night in Quinteburgh, she was spending it alone. It was by choice as she needed some time to clear her mind and what better for her to clear her mind than to shadow spar with her sword and thepany of flowers. It had been quite some time since she had time for herself. Shadow sparring would not make her stronger but it would prevent her skills from getting impaired. Dressed in a light attire that showed off the full length of her bare arm and the deep valley of her ample bosom, she swung her sword as if the breeze was her opponent. With her eyes kept close, she used the touch of the wind to find her footing. Even now, she still found her heightened sense of hearing and smell extremely remarkable. It was one of the many aspects she was grateful for. As the heat of her body rose due to her repeated motions of shadow sparring, she reflected on her eventual parting with Celia. She had told Celia of their eventual parting more times than she liked. Celia had merely nodded at those words with a saddened gaze every time. Whatever happens tomorrow, Celia would have to stay. Her journey was no ce for the likes of children. ¡°You look troubled,¡± came a familiar voice that made Erin jump. ¡°Can¡¯t you just approach me like any normal person would?¡± Erin asked, annoyed. She stopped her sparring with shadows and turned to meet her unexpected guest. ¡°Where¡¯s the fun in that?¡± Iris replied with acent grin and a shrug. Wiping the sweat beads gathering on her forehead with a towel, Erin shot the Umbrun a re. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°Nothing in particr.¡± Erin continued to re. ¡°I just want yourpany, how¡¯s that for an excuse?¡± ¡°Coming from a merchant, that sounds unbelievable. And your choice of words is a tad ironic.¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± Iris admitted, vaguely. ¡°Siv¡¯s drinking with her former fellow workers. Lyra is ying with Celia in the church. Just curious about what you were doing.¡± ¡°I was training. Now that you know, will you take your leave?¡± Iris chuckled softly. ¡°Am I that unweed?¡± she asked with a saddened smile. ¡°Am I not your friend?¡± ¡°Pardon me for being sceptical but¡­¡± Erin sheathed her sword. ¡°You¡¯re a merchant first and foremost. You only do things that you have something to gain from.¡± ¡°Now that is just not true, my dear Erin. I am capable ofpassion and altruism too.¡± ¡°Compassion for gold, altruism for prestige.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not wrong about that. Although, it really pains me to know that I don¡¯t even have the trust of my sole friend.¡± ¡°Sole friend?¡± Erin raised an eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯re serious?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the only one that I could truly call a friend. The others are¡­ acquaintances at best, though they seem to think otherwise but that¡¯s their mistake.¡± ¡°What about Aedan? Is he not a friend?¡± ¡°...I do not know what we are actually. We¡¯re certainly not friends and we¡¯re not quite lovers. Though I do recall him addressing me as a friend with benefits.¡± ¡°Friend with benefits? What does that mean?¡± ¡°I have no idea too. He said that it¡¯s better not knowing.¡± ¡°That it must be something very rude.¡± ¡°I am of the same opinion. I did¡­ something to him and got an apology from him.¡± Iris giggled. ¡°Ah~ what a good memory that was.¡± Erin returned a wry smile and took a seat on a nearby bench. ¡°You said truly love Aedan but¡­ not enough to discard your status, I gather.¡± ¡°Love isn¡¯t an easy choice, Erin,¡± Iris said and took a seat just beside Erin. ¡°I don¡¯t remember offering your a seat,¡± Erin said, dryly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you are forgiven,¡± Iris retorted with a titter. ¡°It¡¯s a wonder that you would have any friends at all.¡± ¡°You¡¯re as blunt as ever, Erin.¡± ¡°Really? I haven¡¯t noticed,¡± Erin retorted with her eyes rolled up. ¡°You really need to¡ª¡± she paused. Iris hadid her head on the Fox-kin¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You show me the cold shoulders but you¡¯re quite warm.¡± Erin let her frown shown. ¡°This is unpleasant.¡± ¡°Well, too bad. I ain¡¯t moving unless you make me.¡± ¡°I doubt I could even if I try. You¡¯re no fighter but I don¡¯t think you would have any trouble handling someone of my level.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t know unless you try,¡± Erin¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°You really want me to hurt you, huh.¡± ¡°As I have said, I¡¯m just looking for yourpany.¡± ¡°Last time you sought out mypany, you were looking to warm my bed. But I don¡¯t smell any heat from you.¡± Iris giggled. ¡°This is thest night with you. We may not be seeing each other for a long time.¡± She wrapped her arms around Erin¡¯s shoulders and pulled herself closer together. ¡°...You¡¯re really pushing the boundaries of friends.¡± ¡°You can push me away if you dislike it.¡± Iris tittered. ¡°But you consider me a friend. I am d.¡± ¡°Are you perhaps drunk?¡± Erin asked. She took a whiff and caught a faint scent of liquor. ¡°No,¡± Iris answered. She lifted her head and stared at Erin. ¡°But this will certainly make me drunk,¡± she said and pulled out a bottle of liquor seemingly out of nowhere. Erin¡¯s eyes fell on the peculiar ring on Iris¡¯ left index finger. ¡°Is that ring on your finger a present from Aedan?¡± ¡°I wish it was but no, it isn¡¯t. I had itmissioned from someone else. Don¡¯t tell anyone about this ring.¡± ¡°Why? Do you think someone¡¯s going to rob you for it? You, Iris of Eternal Moon, getting robbed? Can¡¯t paint a single portion of that picture in my mind.¡± ¡°Someone definitely will. This kind of ring can sell for thousands of gold. I use it in front of you because I trust you. Now, would you care to share this drink with me?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t drink.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t? But I¡¯m pretty sure you were drenched in alcohol¡¯s fumes when we spent the night together with Lyra.¡± ¡°Precisely why.¡± ¡°You¡¯re afraid of what happenedst time?¡± Erin grimaced. ¡°That and more.¡± Iris tittered with her fingers on her lips. ¡°That you don¡¯t have to worry. This is a special brew. I purchased it personally from a Fae tribe. You can get drunk but not too drunk.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m supposed to just take your word for it?¡± ¡°I would be thrilled you will. You don¡¯t trust your friend?¡± Erin sighed. ¡°Fine. For the sake of our friendship and since we won¡¯t be seeing each other for a while, I¡¯ll indulge you.¡± ¡°Thank you so much,¡± Iris said with a wide smile. Two opulent ss cups appeared in her left palm at her wish. ¡°How vast is the space of your storage ring?¡± Erin asked. ¡°A trunk full,¡± Iris answered and poured the liquor into the two cups. The fragrance of the liquor emanated from the stream stringing out from the bottle to the cup, drifting into Erin¡¯s nose. She jumped a little from the smell but not at the prospect of getting drunk. It smelled extremely good and for once, she wasn¡¯t assaulted by dizziness just from the smell. She took the cup and brought it to her nose. Her ears twitched along with her nose as she gave a whiff. ¡°Someone¡¯s already enjoying themself I see,¡± Iris remarked with a smile. ¡°You can tell?¡± Erin asked with a slight frown. ¡°Your ears and tails are just that honest.¡± Erin widened her eyes and looked over her shoulder, at her tails, which were wagging around gleefully. ¡°Gosh, I hate it when they do that...¡± ¡°Here¡¯s to the future,¡± Iris said and brought up her cup. ¡°May it be bright and full of wonders.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll just settle with bright alone,¡± Erin replied and nged their cups together. ¡°I can do without the wonders.¡± The two drank their fill respectively. Erin took merely a small sip but Iris had already empty half of the cup. Iris gasped in delight. ¡°Ah~ This is truly some good liquor.¡± ¡°Hmm. I really don¡¯t feel wobbly or anything.¡± ¡°Now do you believe me?¡± Iris asked, coyly. Whirling the liquor in the cup, Erin took another sip. ¡°I apologized for my suspicions,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s only right to be suspicious of me. I know what I have done and what I deserve.¡± ¡°Then maybe¡­ don¡¯t you think you should change for the better?¡± Iris chuckled but her tone wasn¡¯t coy. Instead, it was somehow self-deprecating. ¡°In my line of profession, we don¡¯t put our trust in each others¡¯ character. We put our trust in each others¡¯ interests.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I asked.¡± Iris chuckled. She shot Erin a furtive nce before emptying her cup. ¡°There are things needed to be changed but there are also things better off staying the same. Changes can be and will be exploited. I fear my change might be used by some unsavoury people. But the feeling¡¯s mutual. I would do the same too.¡± she said, gazing at her empty ss. ¡°Wow, were you always this gracious?¡± ¡°Actually, I¡¯m a much better person than I was. In the old days, I was¡­ very spiteful and always felt disgruntled by the ones better than me, even in other aspects. And I preferred the sweet lies and empty praises over the harsh and bitter truth.¡± ¡°And what changed.¡± ¡°You could say time changes all but you could also it¡¯s because I met Aedan. He¡¯s blunt but not because he¡¯s a dimwit.¡± ¡°Blunt people are dimwits?¡± ¡°Of the many people I met, I would say yes. They¡¯re blunt because they don¡¯t understand empathy andck sympathy. Some of them don¡¯t even know what they did when they were receiving res from others as a result of their upfront attitude.¡± ¡°And Aedan¡¯s different?¡± ¡°Different than all of the people I met, definitely. He¡¯s blunt precisely because he knew how people would respond. It seems to be the way he gauges a person¡¯s character. What¡¯s interesting is that he has empathy but no sympathy. He said he was tired of giving out sympathy he don¡¯t mean anything of. I still remember the first time I met him. I was so close to having him killed.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ that was¡­ quite unexpected but¡­ I did imagine you to be capable of something like that.¡± ¡°I still am capable of such things but I would like to believe I am more¡­ behaved, nowadays. He exposed my schemes and made me lose a hefty investment. So, the night of that same day, I sent my assassins after him but he killed them all instead.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ figures.¡± ¡°Then he confronted me. I thought it was going to be thest day of my life.¡± ¡°He spared you?¡± ¡°He destroyed me in a different sense. He assaulted me with words and not once did hey a finger on me, not even brush on my skin. And he left, just like that. His words etched into my mind. Those demeaning words never left my mind. The anger I felt for him grew over the days. He did note back for me, as if he was sure I would never try something like that again.¡± ¡°Did you try again?¡± ¡°I confronted him personally and even brought some muscles with me, expensive muscles. Waited for him at a ce that he frequented. I ambushed him and like what you expected, he came out victorious. And he showed me mercy again. And I didn¡¯t let him walk away likest time. I demand to know why he let me live and his answer was¡­pletely unexpected.¡± ¡°I¡¯m guessing it was something dumb?¡± ¡°You could say that. He let me live because I was a very alluring woman and it would be a shame to kill me before he could have a taste.¡± Whatever expression Erin, all of them dropped at Iris¡¯ revtion. ¡°You¡¯re serious?¡± ¡°I am. I couldn¡¯t believe what I heard either but that¡¯s how our rtionship started. I figure I would take advantage of his lust and get what I can out of him but¡­ I was the one who got taken advantage of. I can¡¯t win against him in a fight or with words. I wanted to win against him in other matters, at the very least. I wanted to be the one looking down but in the end, I was alwayspletely destroyed. In bed, of course.¡± Erin cupped her ears. ¡°I do not need to know that.¡± Iris tittered. ¡°We have developed a strange bond since then. Once in a while, he serves as my muscle, advisor, and nightpanion.¡± ¡°That doesn''t sound like him but at the same time, I can imagine it clearly.¡± ¡°Well, he was a very different person then. He was prideful. He is always thirsting for knowledge and craving excitement. He was lustful. Women were just respite to him, even me.¡± ¡°What changed him?¡± ¡°I do not know what changed him. When I met him again after a long period, he became¡­ docile. His lust was no longer that of a rabbit¡¯s. And he couldn¡¯t care less when someone trampled on his pride. I was surprised but that made me love him even more. He changed but for the better. I do miss his old self from time to time but I certainly like the current Aedan much more.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry,¡± Erin said. ¡°Why are you sorry? You haven¡¯t done anything wrong.¡± ¡°I misjudged you. I had the wrong notion of love. I doubted your love for Aedan but after hearing your story, I am convinced that you truly love him. It was my mistake to think that your love wasn¡¯t real just because I failed to understand it.¡± ¡°In that case,¡± Iris filled Erin¡¯s cup, ¡°I ept your apology. Cheers.¡± ¡°Cheers. Here¡¯s to your love. Hope it ends well.¡± ¡°I doubt that. I think he would sooner fall in love with you than me.¡± Erin narrowed her gaze. ¡°We are not like that.¡± ¡°The way he talks about you. The way he looks at you. I know him and never had I seen that expression of his. Just in¡­ infatuation, if that¡¯s what it is. What about you? Do you feel the same?¡± ¡°Do I feel the same? I don¡¯t like men if you didn¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Well, have you bedded with a man before?¡± ¡°No,¡± Erin answered firmly. ¡°Then how do you know you don¡¯t like men? Aren¡¯t you the least bit curious?¡± ¡°I am not curious.¡± ¡°Not even a little?¡± Iris asked, her grin widened more and more as she furthered her question. Erin didn¡¯t answer. It was a question that she was afraid of answering. She knew Iris was right, she had indeed felt curious but the vestige of her past self was holding her back. ¡°I was once a in lily too. Eventually, my curiosity got the better of me and I decided to have a taste of man. It didn¡¯t turn out as great as everyone said but¡­ it wasn¡¯t bad. Of course, Aedan was different.¡± She frowned and downed her drink. She immediately asked for another round. ¡°If that¡¯s our topic for our conversation, I will need to down the whole bottle.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be reserved, Erin. I still have a few more bottles. And look at us now. We¡¯re getting along just fine.¡± ¡°...I suppose we are¡­ I have definitely misjudged you.¡± Iris grinned, pouring another round into Erin¡¯s cup. ¡°Well, I won¡¯t say youpletely misjudged me¡­ The night is still young. You still have plenty of time to decided whether you have misjudged me or not.¡± 3-14 Farewell 3-14 Farewell ¡°What a surprise, you didn¡¯t bed anyonest night,¡± said Lyra as she gave Erin a sniff. ¡°And why would you think that?¡± Erin asked with her brows creasing. ¡°You know why,¡± she answered. Leaving her lover with a smirk, she walked to the cart to finish up her preparation for their departure. This was the east gate of Quinteburgh and it was currently dawn. Erin and Lyra were about to depart for the next course of their journey. Siv was the newest addition to their group of two, now a band of three. Siv was giving herst words of parting to her former employer and former workmates. Crom in particr, was down on his knees begging for Siv not to leave but he was quickly dragged away by his father¡¯s men. Everyone feigned ignorance on that development, everyone except Siv who responded to Crom¡¯s pleas with a stern denial. After setting down her luggage, Lyra went to spend herst moments with Celia, who came with Saphielle to bid them farewell. Celia¡¯s sleeves were dry but it was apparent they had been wet. Erin and Lyra noticed that quite clearly but touching on that subject would only make things more difficult. ¡°These past few days have been interesting, to say the least,¡± Iris said. ¡°I concur. Sad to see you leave, Lady Erinthea,¡± said Rosemary, the Guild Master of Maven¡¯s Creek and also its provisional governor. ¡°You sure there¡¯s nothing I could say or do to change your mind?¡± Erin offered a smile. ¡°I¡¯m not good with desk work, much less governmental affairs.¡± ¡°You could be my hand. Your presence alone would be enough. Every process will be so much smoother. These people are always eager to get on a Fae¡¯s good side.¡± ¡°All the more reason to leave,¡± Erin said and they shared augh. ¡°How do you stand these people anyway?¡± ¡°I was born into it. Over time, you get used to it.¡± ¡°I hope it doesn¡¯t have toe to that.¡± Their brief exchange ended there as Rosemary excused herself with the reason for her piling work. They promised to exchange letters if the convenience suited them. ¡°Stay a few more days at least,¡± said Iris. Her eyes spelt her sorrow but her lips painted her ever-present amused grin. ¡°The nights will be cold and lonely without you.¡± ¡°I never asked, when are the caravans leaving?¡± Erin asked. ¡°In a week at least.¡± ¡°I thought you had a strict timetable.¡± ¡°We did but after what happened, it will be¡­ unwise for us to just leave things as they are. Besides, these are all merits. A group of merchants saved a town from destruction¡ª sounds like a pretty epic tale to garner attention from people. The good kind of attention, mind you.¡± ¡°d to know you¡¯re doing well.¡± ¡°Quite the contrary, actually. There is still a lot to do and we hit a few obstacles. The bane of business, undocumented spending,¡± Iris sighed exasperatedly. ¡°I am deeply troubled.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t look troubled though, if I may say.¡± Iris chuckled. ¡°Years of practice of hiding my troubles behind a smile. It helps a lot. It keeps people away from taking advantage of my moments of weakness.¡± Erin glimpsed at Iris¡¯ shadow, wriggling in its puddle as if it was alive. ¡°I¡¯m sure they wouldn¡¯t have even if you didn¡¯t keep up that smile.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure about that, Erin. You are still far too green. My level may be high but I am not abatant. My enemies canpensate for the level difference with their fighting experience. A simr case such as yourself.¡± ¡°Me?¡± Erin pointed at herself. ¡°I know you have won against people with levels much higher than yours. A feat continuously made possible by your skills. Remember well, Erin. Never underestimate someone or something that has a lower level than you.¡± ¡°Never had, never will.¡± ¡°Good to know,¡± Iris said. ¡°And as a parting gift, there¡¯s some information I would like to share.¡± ¡°What kind?¡± ¡°News from the east, Sephrodia Valley.¡± ¡°Bad news?¡± Erin asked. Iris nodded. Erin sighed. ¡°Well, hit me.¡± ¡°The Covenant. What do you know about them?¡± Erin shook her head. ¡°Zero. Never heard of them.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s good that I¡¯m telling you this now. The Covenant is a very powerful underworld organization in the Yorun Kingdom. Their influence is the strongest in the east, where their base allegedly lies.¡± ¡°Allegedly?¡± ¡°Just a guess of mine and my guesses are rarely wrong.¡± Erin rolled her eyes. ¡°Be careful of them, Erin. They¡¯re not your typical thugs, though they might not be as skilled as you, their influence is what makes them dangerous. This is especially true for their leader, Marduk. A ruthless man who won¡¯t even hesitate to use children to his advantage. He even once established an orphanage just to turn it into a whorehouseter. Clever but¡­ twisted beyond anyone¡¯s imagination. Do not say his name willy nilly in public. You¡¯ll get yourself in a knot that not even I could easily untangle. Do you understand, Erin?¡± ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll be careful but misery lovespany and troubles always end up finding me. I heard something on the streets these few days, something about bandit activities on the rise in the east. I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s all rted?¡± ¡°That would be them. Recently, their activities have been on the rise and they were not very subtle about it. Apparently, a few Fae had managed to raise all of their ires. They had even put a bounty on them.¡± Nivia came to Erin¡¯s mind when she heard the word, ¡°Fae¡±. Then again, aside from Saphielle and herself, she was the only Fae she knew. ¡°The court did nothing about this¡­ Covenant?¡± Erin asked. ¡°Word is¡ª¡± Iris leaned in close to her ears. ¡°¡ªthey had the nobles backing them.¡± ¡°Corrupted nobles, I am so shocked.¡± Iris tittered. ¡°They are everywhere. It¡¯s terrible but that¡¯s how it is. Greed is a widespread disease. Some even say the Lord Governor of Sephrodia Valley is one of these nobles.¡± Erin drew in a deep breath before exhaling it in a long sigh. ¡°Fuck you, Nyx! You knew about this. I bet you¡¯re having fun watching me suffer, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s exasperating, I know. The rumours only get worse. They say Marduk is the true lord of Sephrodia Valley but this hearsay has a very shallow basis. It¡¯s a silver lining.¡± ¡°That¡¯s an unnerving thought.¡± ¡°It is. And that¡¯s all I have. I hope you can forgive me for not bringing any good news.¡± ¡°It may not be good news but it was very useful. It is good to know. You have my gratitude.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee, Erin. It is my pleasure,¡± Iris said and spread her arms open. Erin flinched with her eyes widened. ¡°That¡¯s a rude response,¡± Iris said. ¡°Well, pardon me but you don¡¯t strike anyone as someone who hugs.¡± ¡°My hugs are reserved only for two very special people.¡± With her arms still spread, she approached Erin. ¡°You and Aedan.¡± Erin did not push Iris away as the Umbrun wrapped her arms around her tight. Their chin rested on the shoulders of one another. ¡°You are really warm, Erin. I will surely miss this warmth.¡± ¡°You are quite sentimental, Iris.¡± ¡°Surprised?¡± ¡°At this point, not really.¡± And they shared a chuckle on each others¡¯ shoulders. ¡°I hope we can meet again soon in the future,¡± Iris said. ¡°You could just make another friend. Lower your standards.¡± ¡°Lowering my standards in making friends has almost cost me my life and my fortune. I¡¯m happy with my current standards.¡± ¡°Then you¡¯ll be waiting for a very long time.¡± ¡°But I¡¯ll be waiting.¡± As they parted from their embrace, Erin felt a tug on her robe. She nced down and found Celia looking at her with sorrowful gleaming eyes. She got to her knees to meet Celia¡¯s gaze. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Celia. I wish I could stay.¡± Celia gripped the hem of her own skirt. ¡°It¡¯s alright¡­ Saphy says what you¡¯re doing it¡¯s important.¡± ¡°She did?¡± Erin asked, sneaking a nce towards the tittering Saphielle. ¡°There are others like me out there who might need your help.¡± Erin smiled. ¡°That¡¯s right. There¡¯s someone out there who needs my help.¡± ¡°I know it¡¯s selfish to keep you here¡­ I-I just¡­ I...¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, Celia.¡± Erin pulled her into an embrace. ¡°It¡¯s alright to be selfish but it¡¯s very good of you to be so understanding. I am very happy for you.¡± ¡°Nn.¡± Celia nodded. ¡°It¡¯s scary out there. Promise me you wille back?¡± ¡°I promise, Celia. One day, we¡¯ll meet again and you¡¯ll be more beautiful than you are now.¡± Celia shook her head, her pigtails swinging with her. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be beautiful,¡± she said. ¡°I want to be strong.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°So I can go with you next time.¡± Erin giggled. ¡°Oh Celia, how thoughtful of you,¡± she praised, tousling her hair. ¡°Sure. If you get strong enough, you cane with us.¡± ¡°Nn,¡± Celia nodded and beamed. ¡°I will. I definitely will!¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good girl.¡± Celia¡¯s smile brightened, drawing awes of adoration from Erin and Saphielle. Erin and Celia shared onest hug as the people around watched over them warmly. ¡°You¡¯re really good with children,¡± Lyra remarked with a snicker. Erin shot Lyra a nce as she parted from Celia. ¡°Why does it not sound like apliment?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just your imagination,¡± she said and turned her gaze to Celia. She too tousled the little girl¡¯s hair. ¡°You be good now, you hear me? Listen to what Saphielle tells you, alright?¡± ¡°You too, Lara,¡± Celia retorted while she enjoyed the pampering she was receiving from Lyra. ¡°Listen to Ellie. Saphy says you are very gutty and often go against Ellie.¡± Both Lyra and Ering cast a re at Saphielle, who looked away with a faint grin on her lips. The bell tolled as they enjoyed thest moments before their departure, beckoning the rising of the sun of a new day. As the three began to depart, they were stopped by an unexpected acquaintance who came rushing his way over. Erin had a feeling that this acquaintance of hers woulde and she hoped she would be gone by then. However, reality wasn¡¯t so kind. Cynric scampered right to the front of the cart. His eyes looked up at Erin, who was on the cart, as she cast her gaze down at him. ¡°Lady Erin,¡± he said. ¡°I will be stronger the next time we meet.¡± Immediately, his words garnered a few widened eyes and some muffled chuckles. A staple sentence from an epic tale, it was near-impossible for everyone to suppress their burst ofughter. For Cynric who was born into and of trees and mountains as opposed to bricks and stones, he knew next to nothing about what was trite and banal. The only one who maintained a straight face without a hint of imminentughter was Erin. ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting,¡± she told him without a stutter. ¡°However, if a person¡¯s heart is your quest, drop that overbearing nature of yours. No one likes to be suffocated. I¡¯m sure you know that feeling quite well.¡± Left stunted by his adoration¡¯s response, Cynric could only nod wordlessly and fare her well with a stuttering wave. ¡°That was harsh, mistress,¡± said Siv, who was the one with the reins of the two horses pulling their cart. The cart and the horses were gifts from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. ¡°But I approve of your stance. He needed to be told of these things or else he would only find himself in a puddle of troubles that he couldn¡¯t just wade through.¡± ¡°Wait a second. Mistress?¡± Lyra questioned. She turned to Erin. ¡°Why is she calling you ¡°mistress¡± What happened between the two of you?¡± ¡°I thought you knew?¡± Erin asked. ¡°I knew you two had some lovely and daring f¡ª¡± Lyra stopped herself as she remembered Celia was still within earshot. ¡°¡ªc-coitus. But it was more than that, wasn''t it?¡± Erin grinned. ¡°Perhaps you¡¯ll find out tonight,¡± she whispered. ¡°Ah~ How envious,¡± Iris mused but she was wholly ignored by her peers since she was the only one who could hear Erin¡¯s whisper. A brief silence ensued as they gave each other onest nce. Not a frown could be seen. Only smiles were present. Amongst the quiet, Lord Hegan stood forward with his top hat toffed. ¡°Siv, I have always appreciated your earnesty and broad horizons. Having you in my service was an honour. Do know that your return will always be weed.¡± ¡°The honour is mine, Lord Hegan but my return, even if it¡¯s a possibility, will be far in the future.¡± ¡°In that case, until we meet again, Siv.¡± ¡°Until we meet again, Lord Hegan.¡± They exchanged bows and nods of acknowledgement. ¡°Farewell, everyone. If the winds blow in our favour, may we meet again in the future. Let the Spirits guide us,¡± Erin bade with words that she learned from Nivia. And with the incessant exchange of farewells and waves, Siv snapped the whip on the horses and the cart began to move. The exchange did not stop until Erin and the others disappeared beyond the horizon. ¡°May we meet again, my sweet Erin,¡± Iris muttered to her heart as she hid her grin behind her hand. 3-15 Interlude 3-15 Interlude Aza strode down the hallway in stride with nces trailing after her as if she was a light beaconing moth in the dozens. Even to her peers, she wasn¡¯t someone that could easily be approached. Some didn¡¯t even dare to offer a single glimpse lest they somehow raise her ire. This was the impression of the Ruvan Church as a whole towards the individual known as Aza. However, only a few knew of her true mellow self, with one of the few being the individual standing atop of the Ruvan clergy hierarchy, the Voice of Ruva. Aza arrived at the front of a grand double door that stood more than thrice her height. She neither knocked nor tapped the double door but only waited with a straight back and aposed expression. Almost a minute passed when a voice came from the other side. ¡°You maye in, Dame Aza,¡± said the voice. ¡°Then pardon my intrusion,¡± Aza responded and gently pushed the door open, making her way into the room that ran contrary to the hallway¡¯s grandeur architecture. The room was humble but that was only at a nce. Every material used in this room was enchanted with all sorts of protection spells, ranging from fireproof to soundproof. ¡°Good afternoon, Dame Aza. Thanks foring back on such short notice,¡± the man sitting behind the desk greeted. He had a gentle face and a gentle smile, along with a gentle style of brown hair, neatlybed to one side. He donned a pair of seemingly in white robes but like the room, it was only at a nce. The robes were weaved out of the most expensive fabric and thread money could buy and enchanted withyers of protection that could fend off the most powerful spells. ¡°Out with it, Vauren,¡± Aza demanded without returning the greeting, despite the person in front of her being her superior. ¡°What¡¯s the urgency?¡± Vauren, the Voice of Ruva, sighed. ¡°Same old Aza, always in a hurry. Patience is a virtue. A person of your standing and integrity should uphold that.¡± ¡°You sent a Wyvern for me. You opened up the Wayward Portal for me. Just to rush me here to lecture me about patience being a virtue?¡± Aza¡¯s gaze narrowed. ¡°We have known each other since we were children. You know I don¡¯t like to be rushed for nothing.¡± Vauren chuckled nervously. ¡°My apologies, Dame Aza. I was just trying to ease the mood.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. Just tell me already. The sooner I can solve the problem, the sooner the mood will ease naturally.¡± Vauren smiled sorrowfully. ¡°It¡¯s regarding the Apostles of other Divines.¡± ¡°I met one but I didn¡¯t get the chance to kill him before his Divine intervened.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t about him, at least he isn¡¯t the crux of the matter. An Apostle has been in by another Apostle of a different Divine.¡± Aza¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°When and where was this?¡± she asked. ¡°Around the time you were making your way back to Quinteburgh. In The Singrity, I add.¡± ¡°The Singrity... Curious.¡± ¡°The deceased Apostle was of the same Divine as the Apostle you fought.¡± ¡°Which Divine was it?¡± Vauren shrugged. ¡°Her Grace did not say. You know how she is.¡± Aza sighed. ¡°So, what¡¯s the problem here?¡± ¡°The other Apostles have most likely received the same news from their respective Divines. They fear they will be left behind in this pursuit since blood has been shed. Now, the Apostles are hunting each other. Would you like to take a guess on what¡¯s the first target that came to their mind?¡± ¡°This capital,¡± Aza answered with confidence. Vauren nodded. ¡°Sadly, yes. Just the other day, an Apostle found its way into our fray.¡± ¡°What happened to this Apostle?¡± ¡°He left on his own after knowing you weren''t around. I¡¯m very grateful for that kind of sensibility but I fear the seeding Apostles wouldn¡¯t be so tacit in their pursuit. I¡¯m even certain that some Apostles are aiming for an all-out war and would not bat an eyelid towards coteral.¡± ¡°What of the viges outside the walls?¡± ¡°We have a few Pdins stationed here and there but you and I both know that amounts to nothing if an Apostle attacks.¡± Aza¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Then what? We just leave them to their own fate?¡± ¡°Of course not. Which is why I summoned you back.¡± Aza arched an eyebrow. ¡°Pray tell your ns.¡± ¡°I want you to form a unit of your own. I want the fellowships to be individuals acknowledged by you. They would be tasked to defend this city from anyone that meant harm through whatever means necessary.¡± ¡°And what does it entail?¡± ¡°You will decide the verdict and you will be the executioner, no matter who the opposition is. Even if it¡¯s one of us.¡± Both of her brows were raised at that exnation. ¡°That¡¯s a terrible idea, Vauren.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the best one I can think of. We may not be at war on the surface of things but the reality isn¡¯t so kind. We are at war now. It¡¯s quiet. It¡¯s subtle. Nevertheless, this is war. If we don¡¯t take the necessary precautions, we will lose and the innocents will suffer along.¡± ¡°But through whatever means necessary? That¡¯s the first step of bing a tyrant. It was your biggest fear and you swore me to do whatever necessary to not let that happen.¡± ¡°I was young and naive. I doubt being kind and merciful would save this city. As I have said, we¡¯re fortunate that our first intruder held some sense. Chancing on the seeding one being just as sensible is the sheerest folly.¡± ¡°Power corrupts, Vauren. Giving us so much freedom in our duty would only entice the extreme individuals. They would abuse this power.¡± ¡°Which is why you are responsible for choosing the individuals. Ruva trusts you. I trust you. You should trust yourself too.¡± Aza cast her gaze down. ¡°You have no idea how many times I was tempted into doing what I¡¯m not supposed to do, simply because no one will be able to stop me. That thought only grew over time.¡± ¡°Our enemies will not wait nicely. We must act immediately if something catches our suspicions. We do not want Ruva¡¯s grace to be tarnished. You are the one and only Apostle of Ruva.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t belittle yourself, Vauren. You are an Apostle too. You speak for her.¡± ¡°Aye, I do speak for her. I am the voice but you are the hand. You are the only one who can do this. People fear you but they also trust you. Please, Azzy. I would not suggest this if there was any other way.¡± Aza drew in a deep breath before letting it out in a long sigh. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll do it.¡± ¡°Splendid, Dame Aza.¡± ¡°But I¡¯ll do it myself.¡± ¡°W-what?¡± Vauren blinked. ¡°B-but why?¡± ¡°This kind of authority, I trust myself the best.¡± ¡°But there¡¯s no way you can be at multiple ces at the same time.¡± ¡°Now that isn¡¯t entirely true.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Vauren uttered in realization. ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°Now, please excuse me, I have much to prepare.¡± ¡°But of course. I won¡¯t take much more of your time. You may leave, Dame Aza.¡± Aza bowed and strode out of the room with a determined gaze, leaving Vauren to his own thoughts, one that was whirling with hope but also with not a small amount of worry. ¡°Azzy, please don¡¯t overdo it this time...¡± he prayed in his heart while having his hand wrapped around the rosary. **** It was noon or sometime after that. Aera couldn¡¯t tell. She could barely walk straight, let alone keep track of the day. Ever since that fateful day that changed her life as she knew it, she had yet to stop for a wink of sleep. At best, she had only taken some time to rest her feet. Her new disposition had made her too high-strung to even close her eyes. Her senses were heightened and she was perceiving her surroundings in a very fine manner. Those senses weren¡¯t smelling, hearing, or even taste. It waspletely something she was unfamiliar with. A sixth sense, she hade to ept it as. For someone who lived a rtively dull life, all this information picked up by her sixth sense was too much for her to bear but for the sake of her vengeance, she pressed on. Eventually, her feet gave out even though she had rested her feet an hour ago. The exhaustion stemming from her entire body and spirit had reached its limits. She positioned herself just right so when she fell, she would be leaning against a tree. ¡°Can¡¯t faint here...¡± she muttered to herself. ¡°T-they must pay for what they have done...¡± Although she didn¡¯t know where her feet were taking her, her instinct continuously whispered in her ears that she was treading on the right path, the path that will lead her to the subject of her vengeance. Sometimes, the voice almost felt as if it was real but in her state, stained by her vengeful desire, it was hard to tell certain aspects apart. She tried her best to stay awake but s, she reached her limits. Her body was unresponsive to hermands. Her limbs would not budge the slightest. She could only bite her lips and hope that she would regain control of her body soon. Of course, her exhaustion was slowly pulling her into dreand. However, she was jolted wide awake by her senses. There was danger approaching. Driven by the instinct of self-preservation, she regained control of her body. She pushed herself up from the ground and steadied her wobbly footing. The danger she felt was unlike any other. Instead of telling her to fight, it was telling her to run. Although, in her state, running wasn¡¯t an option. She didn¡¯t think it would be possible to outrun this enemy. From the unpaved path of dead leaves and dry barks, a woman stepped into her view, a woman dressed in an all-ck elegant robe. Her hair was white and her skin was as pale as chalk. Her eyes were red like her nails. The most ring feature of all was the pair of fangs protruding from her lips. The appearance of the woman was all too familiar for Aera as she quickly realized the woman before her, was the fabled creature, a vampire. ¡°Finally, I caught you,¡± the vampire said with a mellow voice but a devilish grin. ¡°To think a human can move for so long without sleep. I thought your level would be high but it turns out, you¡¯re either just desperate or stupid.¡± The vampire chuckled. Aera didn¡¯t want to fight if she could help it but she saw the mark on the back of the vampire¡¯s left hand. The same mark her father bore. ¡°You¡¯re Marduk¡¯s people?¡± ¡°Aye, Marduk sent me. I was surprised when he sent me to chase after some random girl. Now I know why. The sleep humans needed slowed the chase drastically. But whatever now, I¡¯m here and you cannot run away. Don¡¯t even try.¡± Aera¡¯s gaze moved down to the ground. Her arms began to tremble as she wrapped them around herself. ¡°Why¡­?¡± ¡°Why? Why is all this happening? You raised the ire of the one person you should have never raised. me your own narrow mind for that.¡± ¡°Why do all of you keep throwing yourself to your deaths...?¡± Aera muttered, clutching at her trembling shoulders. ¡°I never wanted this¡­ but you would allow me to stop.¡± ¡°What are you thering about now?¡± the vampire sighed and then shrugged. ¡°Whatever. You breathe yourst ounce of free air. Don¡¯t worry, I have orders to keep you alive but nothing about keeping you woundless.¡± She chuckled to herself. ¡°Foolish of you, vampire...¡± ¡°My name is udia but I guess it¡¯s useless to tell you considering what will happen to you. Truly, I pity your fate. You¡¯re¡ª eh?¡± udia ended her sentence in a stutter as Aera had closed the gap between them in a split second. ¡°Fuck!¡± was all udia could utter before a fist crashed into her face and sent her sprawling across the ground. As a vampire, udia regained her bearings and flipped herself back on her feet before she came to a stop in her sprawl. udia tittered as she wiped the blood off her nose. ¡°Alright, I admit. I underestimated you and I let my guard down. However, this fluke of yours wouldn¡¯t happen again.¡± Aera cracked her knuckles. ¡°It¡¯s no fluke and believe me when I say I will turn your insides out and feed your guts to yourself.¡± ¡°Oooh, scary,¡± udia mocked with her hands raised and slightly waving. ¡°Well then, have at me.¡± The blood veins of Aera beneath her skin began to glow a vibrant red. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will have all of you.¡± 3-16 Adherent of wrath 3-16 Adherent of wrath The journey of the three continued in silence. It was too quiet for Aedan¡¯s liking. It wasn¡¯t that he disliked the quiet. Quite the contrary, he enjoyed the quiet providing his shadow was his solepanion. However, Aedan continued his steps without minding the awkward silence as much as he could. Though he had an inkling of what caused the silence, this was a circumstance where knowing the cause was not enough to treat the problem. Eventually, the awkward silence was broken by one of them after curiosity took over. ¡°M-may I be so bold to ask as to where we¡¯re going?¡± Lilian asked with a trembling voice. Along with Nivia, they trailed slowly behind Aedan¡¯s steps through the sea of trees. They didn¡¯t question his lead at first but after hours on end of a walk seemingly without end, Lilian felt that she just had to ask. Aedan¡¯s pace came to a halt as he looked over his shoulder and offered the Dryad a perplexed nce. ¡°Why the sudden polite manner of speaking?¡± he asked. ¡°Are you seriously asking that?¡± Nivia returned the question with a re. ¡°Nivia, don¡¯t speak to him like that,¡± Lilian chided. ¡°Why? Because he¡¯s a Dragon?¡± ¡°Have you forgotten what the elders have taught us?¡± ¡°I did not,¡± Nivia shot back. ¡°They taught us Dragons are a menace. They pigends for their personal gains and none could fight back. Since no one could fight back, they keep doing it.¡± Aedanughed dryly as he heard that. ¡°I can¡¯t speak for the other Dragons but I personally don¡¯t do that¡ª anymore.¡± ¡°Anymore?¡± Nivia questioned. ¡°So you¡¯re admitting that you were once as juvenile and despicable as the story tends to depict?¡± ¡°Nivia!¡± Lilian rebuked. ¡°I seem to have garnered your ire. I don¡¯t recall doing anything that would raise anyone¡¯s ire.¡± ¡°Have you heard of the stories of your kind?¡± ¡°More times than I wished?¡± Aedan retorted. ¡°Then you should know why. Your kind does whatever they want even if it¡¯s at the expense of others¡¯ well being just because you knew no one would challenge you.¡± ¡°Well then, on behalf of all my incredibly distant rtives, I apologized.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t something an apology could mend.¡± Aedan sighed. ¡°You know, I thought you already know what I am. Colour me surprised when I noticed how shocked you were.¡± ¡°I did suspect you to be some rare mythical being in disguise, but to think you¡¯re a Dragon out of all possibilities. And what were you nning, living a mundane life as a Dwarrow, what do you get out of it?¡± ¡°Peace and quiet but¡­ we all can see how that''s turning out at present.¡± Nivia¡¯s gaze narrowed. ¡°That¡¯s a tall tale.¡± ¡°The truth gives no shit about what others think.¡± A vein popped on her forehead. Lilian immediately moved between Aedan and Nivia. ¡°That¡¯s enough, Nivia. He saved our lives. It¡¯s rude to doubt the one we¡¯re indebted to.¡± ¡°After what we¡¯re taught about Dragons, you¡¯re going to trust him?¡± ¡°We¡¯re also taught to not judge a race basing upon the action of a few.¡± She then turned to Aedan. ¡°Forgive her for her imprudence, Aedan. And also, I beg your pardon if the change in my demeanour offended you.¡± ¡°Just cast aside what you have heard about Dragons. They¡¯re mostly the doings of the immature brats. The adults don¡¯t meddle with other races. They don¡¯t pigends as itcks the challenge.¡± ¡°I-I see¡­ It¡¯s just¡­ even to us Fae, Dragons are literal legends. Even some of the Elders have neverid their eyes on a Dragon. It¡¯s hard not to be in awe in the presence of a legend.¡± ¡°Okay¡­ now this is ufortable. Just treat me like you would a close friend or the very least a close acquaintance, please. I¡¯m not one for titles and I certainly do not wish for my travellingpanion to treat me like an individual on a grand pedestal.¡± ¡°As you wish¡ª I mean, of course, Aedan.¡± Aedan smiled. ¡°Thank you, Lilian.¡± ¡°Ugh...¡± Nivia groaned. ¡°What are these flowers blooming around the two of you¡­?¡± ¡°So¡­ where are we heading to?¡± Lilian asked. ¡°Not sure where this path is leading but I¡¯m following a trail of bloodlust.¡± ¡°A trail of bloodlust?¡± Lilian blinked. ¡°Bloodlust from whom or what?¡± ¡°A vampire.¡± ¡°Another one?¡± ¡°And you¡¯re telling us that now?¡± Nivia barged in with a deep scowl. ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t think you would still be following me considering you have already outrun your pursuers.¡± ¡°That¡¯s beside the point,¡± Nivia retorted angrily and her scowl deepened further. ¡°Well, don¡¯t me me for not telling you then.¡± Aedan shrugged. ¡°I didn¡¯t even hear anything around us.¡± Nivia sniffed the air. ¡°I don¡¯t even smell anything. Are you ying the jester with us?¡± ¡°I doubt you would smell or hear anything. She hid her tracks well but bloodlust isn¡¯t something that could be smelled or heard. It¡¯s something you feel.¡± Nivia red at him dubiously, unsure if the insult wasced on his words. ¡°Wait, she? You can even tell its gender apart?¡± ¡°Yes, I can. I am a Dragon, after all,¡± he boasted with a grin. ¡°I have years to hone my senses in addition. Of course I can do something like this at the very least.¡± ¡°You¡¯re unbearably vain,¡± Nivia muttered. ¡°Perhaps,¡± Aedan responded. ¡°Why are we following a trail of bloodlust?¡± the Dryad asked. ¡°She¡¯s heading east, which is where I would be going even if I¡¯m not following her bloodlust. Second, she bore the scent of the vampire I just killed. Third, she went past us without giving us so much as her slightest attention. She obviously served the same master as the vampire I killed and yet, she ignored our presence. Curious, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡± ¡°It makes sense actually,¡± Lilian said. ¡°Apparently, there¡¯s a woman out there who shares the same goal as us.¡± ¡°And you have met this woman, I presumed?¡± Lilian nodded. "What sort of person is she?" ¡°Unpleasantdy, that¡¯s what she is,¡± Nivia chimed in. ¡°She attacks anyone in her sights. If it wasn¡¯t for her, those thugs wouldn''t have caught up to us.¡± ¡°I recall correctly, you were the one who wanted to meddle with her,¡± Lilian pointed out. ¡°Oh, shut up,¡± Nivia huffed with her arms crossed. ¡°I just thought she could join our cause. It would be easier if we had more people.¡± ¡°Sounds like a jolly fellow,¡± Aedan remarked. ¡°You sound interested.¡± ¡°I am. My instincts are telling me it would be a fateful encounter.¡± ¡°You took an interest in a woman you haven¡¯t met simply because of your instincts¡¯ bbering?¡± ¡°I trust my instincts.¡± ¡°I''ll take it back,¡± Nivia said. ¡°You¡¯re not unbearably vain. You¡¯re just simply unbearable.¡± ¡°Since we¡¯re now in the clear of pursuers, you¡¯re free to run along now. No need to follow me anymore. With that said, I fare the two of you well in your journey,¡± Aedan bade and took off in the direction they had been walking towards. ¡°Come on, Nivia. Let¡¯s follow him,¡± Lilian proposed. ¡°Are you serious?¡± Nivia asked in disbelief. ¡°Sephrodia Valley is this way. We would be going in the same direction anyway. It doesn¡¯t hurt to have a Dragon as our travellingpanion considering whose wrath we have just incurred.¡± Nivia groaned and sighed. ¡°Fine. We¡¯ll follow him but only until Sephrodia Valley.¡± Lilian nodded with a giggle. ¡°As you say, Nivia.¡± And so, the two ran after Aedan. **** The vampire, udia, lept a good distance away from where she stood as Aera¡¯s fist turned the ground into a vast crater of around a hundred feet in diameter. ¡°What a monstrous strength,¡± udia remarked and took a sniff. ¡°But you don¡¯t smell like someone who¡¯s higher than the level of forty. You¡¯re around the level of twenty, maybe on the higher end.¡± ¡°Levels mean nothing to me,¡± replying in a brief manner, Aera kicked off the ground and threw herself at udia. The vampire gracefully dodge to the side with a sigh and an exaggerated exasperated gesture. ¡°You have strength but it¡¯s no use if you don¡¯t have precision. We have been at this for quite some time now. Will you ever learn?¡± Aera swung her backhand at udia but to the vampire, the feral attack was all too easy to see through. udia dodged the backhand by a hair¡¯s breadth with a grin to show her absolute confidence. ¡°You¡¯re fast but far too slow to the eyes of a vampire,¡± she said and retaliated with a palm strike into Aera¡¯s abdomen. Aera absorbed the strike with a wince and immediatelyunched a counterattack by swinging her fist wildly. udia deflected her feral retaliation with a scoff and sent her tumbling across the ground with a straight kick. Digging her fingernails into the soil, Aera forced herself to a stop. With a growl, she once again lunged at the vampire with reckless abandon. Her fist barely made contact with udia¡¯s face but the vampire herself easily swung a kick to her jaws. Aera was about to go tumbling but she had gotten used to the vampire¡¯s strength and she held her ground. ¡°What!?¡± udia blurted out in surprise. Aera countered with a haymaker. udia was too astounded to respond appropriately and she could only block Aera¡¯s fist with her arms crossed. She instantly regretted it. She could feel her bones cracking against Aera¡¯s strength. She thought she could keep her feet nted on the ground but instead, she was sent flying through the air. She flipped a few times before crashing into a tree. ¡°What was all that boasting for¡­?¡± Aera asked with sincerity. ¡°I expected iron but you¡¯re even softer than the rocks I have destroyed.¡± Blood spurted from her mouth as udia struggled to retort. Even getting to her feet was tasking. Indignance wrought her face as she refused to ept the damages Aera was able to do to her. ¡°Preposterous!¡± she snarled. ¡°How are you this strong!?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know...¡± Aera said. ¡°Perhaps my goddess is incredibly generous. Without her assistance, I would not have been able to spill so much blood. Is this what she wants...?¡± ¡°What are you babbling about?¡± ¡°What am I babbling about?¡± Aera gave a look of confusion with her head tilted. ¡°Do you believe in gods¡¯ work?¡± ¡°What¡¯s there to believe in?¡± udia scoffed and spat. ¡°Gods are a sham. Despite everything they have done, people still see them as benevolent. What aplete joke. Are you trying to tell me your god gave you this strength?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the truth.¡± ¡°Utter bollocks. Whatever you¡¯re trying to sell, I ain¡¯t buying. Maybe I should show you how wrong you are to believe that your god is benevolent when I tear you from limb to limb.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe gods to be benevolent.¡± udia frowned in bewilderment. ¡°What are you saying now?¡± ¡°If my goddess was benevolent, she wouldn¡¯t have waited until my mother was killed before helping me. No, she is anything but benevolent.¡± ¡°Then you still pray to this god?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Aera answered. ¡°Because benevolence is not what I seek right now. If anything, malevolence is what I need right now. Malevolence that I could instil upon those who wronged me.¡± ¡°I see¡­ You have gone mad. You''re nothing more than another mad dog who seeks vengeance.¡± udiaughed. ¡°I have put down mad dogs like you who came seeking vengeance on us before. You will just be another one among the lot.¡± ¡°That¡¯s still too early to judge, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°You think you can defeat a Pureblood like me?¡± ¡°I have not the slightest notion of what a Pureblood is and I do not care. Neither do I wish to know. You work for Marduk just like my father. You will die.¡± ¡°Threatening a Pureblood vampire?¡± udia guffawed with her head thrown back. ¡°You¡¯re delusional.¡± ¡°Even the ones who stand in my way would unjustly incur my wrath. I can barely tell the time. Aye, I am delusional but you are still going to die.¡± ¡°Not if I kill you first!¡± udia shouted and lunged with her ws bared. She swiped at a speed that was too fast for Aera to dodge, or at least that was what she thought. There was no hint of focus in Aera¡¯s eyes but she nted her head back just enough to dodge the vampire¡¯s attack. ¡°Impossible!¡± the vampire cried. ¡°I don¡¯t believe this!¡± She swiped again and Aera dodged her ws again. ¡°You¡¯re very¡­ predictable. Predictability... is that what it is?¡± ¡°Silence!¡± she barked and thrust her ws¡ª ¡ªbut Aera caught her by the wrist. ¡°And I was having so much trouble following your movements just before¡­ This change¡­ I don¡¯t dislike it.¡± ¡°Let go, you filthy bitch!¡± udia roared and swung her ws. Aera caught her other hand but she pulled herself in and sank her fangs into Aera¡¯s bare neck. udia¡¯sugh of triumph was muffled by Aera¡¯s flesh. ¡°Silly little dog. You let your guard down. As expected of a feral bitch¡¯s intelligence,¡± she said all that but Aera only heard mumblings from her. ¡°Stupid am I?¡± Aera asked dryly and easily tore udia off of her. Pieces of her flesh were torn alongside udia''s fangs but Aera showed no sign of agony at such an injury. ¡°W-what¡­ Just what are y-you? How are you not feeling anything?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ One of my goddess¡¯ gifts, perhaps? But it¡¯s useless for you to know.¡± ¡°What are you¡ª!¡± udia¡¯s befuddlement turned into a twist of agony halfway through as Aera tore her arms off of her. Before her cries of agony went on any longer, Aera gripped her by her throat and silenced any noise that could escape her lips. The vampire ended up gagging on her own suffering. ¡°If you weren¡¯t so reckless, I¡¯m sure you would have killed me. Such a pity,¡± ¡°M-m-mer-c-cy...¡± udia struggled to say but Aera¡¯s grip around her next made it too difficult. Aera began to weep, her cheeks trembling. ¡°Why do all of you keep parroting my mother¡¯sst words¡­?¡± udia¡¯s eyes slowly widened at Aera¡¯s sudden change of temper. ¡°Why¡­? Why¡­.?¡± Aera¡¯s look of sorrow twisted into a scowl of deep hatred. ¡°Why!?¡± she roared at udia¡¯s face before mming her whole body into the ground. Hundreds of bones breaking could be clearly heard even among the noise of the ground turning into a crater. Blood sprouted from the vampire¡¯s mouth, nose, eyes, and ears like a fountain. ¡°You don¡¯t get to say those words...¡± Aera growled with her other hand raised and coiled into a trembling fist. ¡°You don¡¯t get to beg for mercy after everything you and your ilk have done!!¡± And Aera sent her fist down unto the vampire¡¯s face, clobbering her bloodied face into a pulp of mangled flesh and bones. Each clobber sent a wave of tremor through the ground, causing the animals in the surrounding area to take off into a sprint. Even the birds flew off into the sky. Watching from a ce outside the unhinged Aera¡¯s range of deranged attention, were Aedan, Nivia, and Lilian. The three had arrived ever since Aera and udia had begun their short fight. They were hiding behind a bush. ¡°Well¡­ you¡¯re still thinking of talking to her?¡± Lilian asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Aedan said. ¡°Now I¡¯m even more interested in talking to her, considering she bore a simr trace of divinity as Erin.¡± 3-17 Placate 3-17 cate Aedan had taken only a single step out of the bush and Aera¡¯s re was already drawn to his direction; a re of bloodshot eyes. The bleeding bite wound on her shoulder was even more ring than her eyes. Aera got off of the mangled vampire, udia, and walked with even steps towards her sudden unexpected guest. ¡°Who are you¡­?¡± she asked in a growl. ¡°Someone who doesn¡¯t mean you any harm,¡± Aedan answered with his hands thrown up. ¡°As for my name, you can call me Aedan.¡± ¡°Aedan¡­ your name is nice to the ear but it is Irrelevant...¡± she said in a raspy voice. ¡°Just get out of my sight.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t do that. I have something to ask you and you need to get that wound looked at.¡± ¡°Leave me alone...¡± Her re narrowed. ¡°Or else...¡± she added. ¡°Or else what? Or else you¡¯ll attack me? You¡¯ll turn my face into a bloody pulp as you did to that vampire over there?¡± ¡°...Yes,¡± she said with a faint nod. ¡°So¡­ you have been watching me¡­ Then, you should know what I¡¯m liable to do...¡± ¡°I don¡¯t doubt your words but there are some things that I must know. As for your wound, I can heal it for you.¡± ¡°Leave¡­ me¡­ alone.¡± Aedan took another step forward. ¡°You really want to get hurt¡­?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for violence, fairdy.¡± ¡°Fairdy¡­ Do I even look like ady now, let alone a fairdy...?¡± ¡°You¡¯re suffering¡­ I can tell. I can also help you.¡± ¡°Help me!?¡± Aera screamed. ¡°You think that¡¯s what I want!?¡± ¡°...Clearly not,¡± Aedan admitted. ¡°I don¡¯t need your help!¡± she roared. Her foot kicked off the ground and she leapt into the air, her fist raised. Aedan caught her fist as it came down. She pulled her hand back and thrust out another punch. Aedan pped that fist away without any effort. His nonchnt demeanour only made the mes of her fury grow. She cried like a beast andunched both of her fists at him. Aedan opened his palms to block the fists but he underestimated Aera¡¯s strength. ¡°What the f¡ª!¡± Aedan¡¯s curse was cut off as he was sent flying through the air. He flew over the two Fae and crashed into the trees far away from Aera. ¡°Oh my...¡± Lilian gasped. ¡°That¡¯s unnerving.¡± ¡°What an idiot,¡± Nivia muttered. ¡°He should have listened. But as expected of a Dragon¡¯s pride.¡± ¡°Nivia, we¡¯re exposed,¡± Lilian said and pointed at Aera¡ª ¡ªwho was staring straight at the two. ¡°I should have known. The two of you are too stubborn to leave me alone.¡± ¡°You misunderstood, kind missy,¡± Lilian said. ¡°It was not my decision nor was it hers to bother you. We have actually advised this man here to avoid you as you do not like to be disturbed.¡± ¡°You led him to me...¡± ¡°As I have said, you misunder¡ª¡± Lilian didn¡¯t get to finish her exnation when Nivia pulled her aside and Aera¡¯s fist devastated the poor grasses where Lilian once stood. ¡°She doesn¡¯t listen,¡± Nivia remarked. ¡°Neither do all of you,¡± Aera retorted with a shiver in her voice. ¡°I told you all to stay away from me! And why do you all keep appearing before me!¡± Lilian raised a wall of rock before her but it was easily broken through by Aera¡¯s feral swing of her fist. Roots erupted from the soil and constricted all four of Aera¡¯s limbs but the wrathful Apostle tore free of the restraints without difficulty. More roots erupted from the soil and vines descended from the trees and surrounded Aera from all sides. With a warcry, Aera broke free of all the constrictions and the mes of her fury burned ever greater. Aera rushed at Lilian without a shred of hesitation to kill all too apparent in her eyes. Nivia stepped in front of Lilian and fired an arrow at Aera. The arrow bounced off of the charging Aera. Nivia clicked her tongue and quickly nocked another arrow, this time imbuing the arrow with Wind Magic. She released her fingers on the string and let the arrow fly to its mark. Aera didn¡¯t dodge the arrow as she didn¡¯t presume much of the arrow. And she paid the price. The magic-imbued arrow pierced through her skin and dug into her flesh. Aera came to a stop and looked at her left shoulder that was pierced by an arrow. She plucked the arrow out of her shoulder and snapped it into halve with her grip. Coupled with the vampire¡¯s bite wound, blood trickled down her body incessantly like a leaking rusty faucet. But none of it was stopping Aera¡¯s rampage. She roared and charged at the two. ¡°She¡¯s seriously mad,¡± Nivia remarked. ¡°Interesting observation, Nivia,¡± Lilian responded. ¡°Oh shut up,¡± Nivia grumbled. She nocked another arrow and like before, she imbued it with Wind Magic. Closing one of her eyes, she fired the arrow. In response, mes appeared and enveloped Aera¡¯s fists. She punched the arrow aimed for her and instantly turned it into ashes. ¡°Fire Magic?¡± Nivia blurted out. ¡°Oh my. Now that¡¯s different,¡± Lilian muttered. ¡°That¡¯s no Fire Magic. That¡¯s literally her mes of fury.¡± Nivia clicked her tongue again and withdrew her arrow into the quiver. She holstered her bow and drew her twin swords. ¡°Cover me,¡± she said and dove right into Aera¡¯s assault. Aera swung her ming fist but Nivia dodged under the hook and countered with an upper sh. Perhapscking the piercing power of an arrow, her sh drew only a shallow cut on Aera¡¯s skin. Aeraunched another swing but Nivia used the wind to push herself away from the attack. She also moved right back in by riding on the wind. Aera guarded a sh with her forearm and guarded another with the other arm. She tried to grab the Elf but she was too fast for Aera, not that Aera herself was slow in her movements. Nivia was just that nimble. She could follow the Elf¡¯s movement but that didn¡¯t mean her body also could. Just as she found the Elf¡¯s vulnerable moment, her movement was slowed by roots that shot out from the ground. The roots couldn¡¯t hold her forever but it was long enough for the Elf to escape the danger. They exchanged blows which none of them was able to deal any meaningful damage to one another. Nivia had her blunder momentspensated by Lilian¡¯s use of Earth and Nature Magic. Aera received only shallow cuts but her ring wound around her shoulder was beginning to take its toll. Her movement began to slow drastically as the Elfnded a clean kick right to her jaw. She stumbled back, tripping on a pebble before falling to the ground after. It was a blunder that wouldn¡¯t have happened had it not been for her grave wound. However, this blunder changed only a little of the battle¡¯s tides. nting a foot firmly to the ground, Aera retaliated with a wide hook. Lilian reeled Nivia away from Aera¡¯s swing using the vines shemanded through the trees. ¡°Ow!¡± Nivia cried, clutching at her cheek. A fresh red scar was apparent on her skin. ¡°She got you?¡± Lilian asked. ¡°No,¡± Nivia answered. ¡°But the heat of her mes grazed me. It¡¯s truly no normal mes. It felt like a de, a searing de.¡± The mes on Aera¡¯s fists turned violet and spread to her whole arm. The veins on her face glowed the same vibrant colour. ¡°Violet mes?¡± Lilian gasped. ¡°What manner of Magic Art is this?¡± ¡°Damn it,¡± Nivia cursed. ¡°How do we get ourselves in this situation?¡± ¡°Allow me to apologize for that,¡± Aedan said¡ª from behind Aera. The wrathful Apostle spun around to meet a palm smacking right into her face. She was quick to stick a foot behind her, preventing herself from stumbling. She countered with a straight but Aedan dove under her punch and tossed himself at her. Tackling her to the ground, the two went rolling across the soil. The violet mes turned his clothes to ashes but his skin was left unharmed. A tinge of confusion appeared on Aera¡¯s face but she recovered quick enough to dodge an attack from Aedan. Realizing his attack missed, he retreated a few steps away from Aera. ¡°Such cowardice...¡± Aera mocked with a scowl. ¡°Dare to hit but don''t dare to be hit.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re just bitter that you¡¯re too slow to match my movements.¡± Her scowl deepened at Aedan¡¯s words. The violet mes grew in response to her emotion. ¡°Aedan, what are you doing?¡± Nivia shouted. ¡°We¡¯re supposed to assuage her, not the opposite.¡± ¡°There¡¯s more than one way to douse a me than pleasant words,¡± Aedan replied with a smirk. ¡°Don¡¯t interfere. I angered her. It¡¯s my responsibility.¡± Seeing his grin, Aera¡¯s face contorted further with anger. She rushed at Aedan with the mes burning fiercer and fiercer. Aedan was nonchnt as usual. He battered a feral jab away and countered with a straight into her jaws. Barely fazing her, Aera retaliated with a hook of her other arm. Aedan raised his elbow and let her knuckles crack against the joint. Aedan struck his palm at her chin from below. She flinched but not enough to make her stumble. With a cry of rage and indignance, she threw wild hooks at Aedan but the Dragon-kin deflected her blow with her momentum. Neutralizing the series of her attacks, he retaliated with a palm strike into her abdomen. Aera felt all the air within her was forced out of her lungs. Dazzled by the momentary loss of air in her body, Aedan threw a straight right at her where her ribs were. The cracking sound was a good indicator of his straight¡¯s effectiveness. Without a stop in his consecutive sessful attacks, he sent another straight to her jaws. This time, Aera was caught off guard and she stumbled back, breaking her posture. Before she could recover, Aedan seized this window to once again tackle her to the ground. A surprise one after another, Aera couldn¡¯t respond appropriately. Aedan quickly had Aera trapped in his grasp. He looped his arms around Aera¡¯s and connected his fingers behind her head. Topletely restrain her movements, he even wrapped his legs around her waist. At a nce, it looked like apromising position that should only be done in private but in truth, it was a very effective method to restrict one¡¯s movement using one¡¯s own body. ¡°Let me go!!¡± Aera shouted into the air after struggling in futility for a while. Her strength was indeed great but in the end, levels weren¡¯tpletely irrelevant like she believed. Aedan¡¯s level outmatched hers by many folds. Even with a power granted by a Divine, she could not break free of his hold. A small object appeared in his hand which he took it out from his subspace storage. The object was of a small vial with a thin needle attached to one side, a syringe. Within the vial was a translucent red liquid. ¡°Let¡¯s hope this works,¡± Aedan said and stuck the needle into Aera¡¯s neck, injecting the liquid into her. Feeling the prickling sensation and the strange liquid entering her body, her rage red up and gave her enough strength to break free of Aedan¡¯s hold. It was only possible since Aedan had also loosened his grasp. Nevertheless, he was thrown through the air and tumbled across the ground. ¡°What did you just do to me?!¡± Aera roared at the Dragon-kin. ¡°You¡¯re about to find out,¡± Aedan answered briefly. Not satisfied with Aedan¡¯s response, she charged at him but halfway through, the violet mes disappeared from her arms. ¡°W-what¡­?¡± she blurted out. ¡°W-what¡¯s happening¡­?¡± she said as her world began to spin. The steps she took were no longer straight. ¡°Thank you, Erin,¡± Aedan muttered under his breath. ¡°What did you d-do to m-me¡­?¡± Aera asked, her wobbly steps taking her everywhere except the direction she desired. ¡°Do you still wish to fight? Do you still desire to kill me?¡± ¡°I¡ª I¡ª I¡­ I don¡¯t¡­¡± she said. ¡°...Why? What¡¯s happening¡­?¡± She clutched her wound and her face showed her pain as she winced. ¡°It hurts¡­ It hurts so much¡­ It didn¡¯t hurt before...¡± ¡°Just get some rest. You¡¯re with friends now. Let us help.¡± ¡°I have¡­ no¡­ friends...¡± were herst words before her eyelids went shut and she copsed to the ground. ¡°Well, now that¡¯s over with,¡± Aedan said and sighed, letting himself fall to the ground on his rear. ¡°What did you do?¡± Nivia threw the same question as she slowly approached the sleeping Aera. ¡°Was that some kind of magic potion that puts her to sleep?¡± Lilian asked. ¡°Let¡¯s just say I gave her something that suppresses her power. She fell asleep because her power was what¡¯s keeping her awake.¡± ¡°A potion to suppress one¡¯s power...¡± Nivia mused. ¡°Is that even safe?¡± ¡°It¡¯s safe,¡± Aedan said. ¡°Have you used it before?¡± ¡°Of course. How else would I know it¡¯s safe?¡± Nivia eyed Aedan dubiously. ¡°How many people have you used it on?¡± Grinning, Aedan answered, ¡°just one.¡± 3-18 Onwards 3-18 Onwards The sun hung on the peak of the sky with its beaconing warmth of light. Not a single piece of dark cloud in sight. A sure sign of a gentle day toe until night descends. It was the perfect weather for anyone to travel in. Along the road to the east, a cart, pulled by a pair of horses, was slowly wheeling through the unpaved yet levelled soil at a humble pace. On the cart sat three women, each who were all beauties in their own right. But it was certainly a sight that would cause disbelief if retold to others; a sight to behold for any passer-by. It was rare to see a Fae mingling with a Beast-kin and a human, let alone sharing the same cart like the best of friends. ¡°So we¡¯re heading east to find your sister in faith on the orders of your Divine Patron. This faith sister of yours is the holder of a skill that is the embodiment of wrath. She¡¯s currentlymitting a series of deeds that will eventually lead to her own destruction. We¡¯re going to rescue her from her own makings. Did I get anything wrong?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°None,¡± Erin answered. ¡°And what do you get out of this?¡± ¡°Whatever I wished, or so she says. I can ask for just about anything that doesn¡¯t defy the goddess¡¯ narrative, knowledge for one; specifically knowledge of this world¡¯s circumstances. Something I truly need in this world.¡± ¡°What about gold?¡± Siv asked. ¡°That¡¯s also an option but that would only invite trouble.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true¡­ It will be a weight that would drag us back on our journey, literally.¡± Erin drew in her breath, absorbing the rich and fragrant air nature had to offer. A warm and blissful smile formed on her face with the sunlight sshing its gentle warmth on her skin. ¡°You really enjoy doing that, don¡¯t you,¡± Lyra remarked in amusement as she stared dazedly at her lover. ¡°I¡¯m just showing my gratitude towards mother nature,¡± Erin responded in kind. ¡°In my past life, I spent most of my time in the wilderness. The confines of man-made structures just felt suffocating to me. I realized now that it may have been caused by the unsavoury people that live within the walls.¡± ¡°Sounds like the people in your past world are nothing but arses.¡± Erin tittered. ¡°There were kind people but they were much too few.¡± ¡°Your past life sounded very pitiful, if I may say, mistress,¡± Siv chimed in the coach seat. She was responsible for holding the reins while Erin and Lyra sat in the cart. Siv was no longer in the dark of Erin¡¯s secret, save for the fact that she had been a man. As Siv was to be theirpanion in their indefinite journey, Erin saw fit to be honest with Siv and told the Wolf-kin of her past life and how she was reincarnated by a goddess into this world. She had also briefed Siv of their current objective, which was to assist her sister in faith somewhere in the east. ¡°It does sound pitiful now that I''m retelling it. It didn¡¯t feel that way when I was living through it. Perhaps it¡¯s because the sword was the sole reason for my life then. Everything else was secondary, even friends and...¡± Erin nced at Lyra. ¡°Lovers,¡± she finished her words. ¡°No other indulgence in your spare time?¡± Siv asked, her eyes stayed on the road. ¡°I spend all my time on the sword. If I wasn¡¯t training with the sword, I would be meditating and reflecting on ways I could improve my swordsmanship.¡± ¡°You were celibate then?¡± A slight frown formed on Erin¡¯s brows. ¡°...Well, I did have desires but due to the fear of hindering the improvement of my swordsmanship, I became afraid to act on these desires.¡± ¡°I bet you''re a serial heartbreaker,¡± Lyra said. ¡°With your skills and all, you¡¯re bound to be an eligible lily. How many have asked for your hand?¡± Erin looked away. ¡°I didn¡¯t keep count but I can safely say it¡¯s more than a hundred.¡± Lyra¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°That many and none of them managed to get you to look their way? By the gods, I apud your self-restraint.¡± ¡°I can smell their underlying intention from a mile away. I didn¡¯t sense any genuinity in their pursuit for my hand. Not to mention, most of them are nobles or involved with power-hungry factions. Though I do feel regret for those who wanted me from the bottom of their hearts.¡± Lyra grinned, hiding her giggle behind her hand. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± she shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m just feeling proud of myself for being the one who managed to steal your first. And I didn¡¯t think it would blossom this beautifully.¡± ¡°That makes two of us...¡± ¡°So, since we have nothing better to do right now, how about teaching me some magic?¡± Lyra threw a question that made Erin frown with her eyes widened. ¡°That was sudden. Where did thate from?¡± ¡°It ain¡¯t sudden. I have been doing a lot of thinking about it. There¡¯s only so much I can do with my bow. What if I met some enemy that my arrows cannot pierce through? Magic can help with that.¡± ¡°She has a point, mistress,¡± Siv added. ¡°I know she has a point but I barely understand magic myself,¡± Erin replied. ¡°But I saw the way you wield your Magic Arts. I have only seen that kind of adroitness in adepts.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m trying to say. All those came naturally to me. I don¡¯t even know how I did all those. My best exnation would be instincts. That¡¯s not something I can teach.¡± ¡°Alright...¡± Lyra muttered. ¡°Then¡­, what can you teach me about magic? The surface of it, I mean.¡± ¡°Magic Arts are the manifestation of an understanding or an idea. The clearer picture you have of what a spell can do. The easier you would be able to conjure it.¡± ¡°Well¡­ I understood nothing. Did youe up with that yourself?¡± ¡°Of course, not,¡± Erin huffed. ¡°Nivia taught me that.¡± ¡°And you understand it?¡± Erin shrugged. ¡°Most of them. I may be a swordsman but I have seen my shares of magic in my past life. Granted they aren¡¯t as grand as the magic in this world, but at least I have a clear picture of what they¡¯re supposed to be.¡± ¡°Maybe your past life isn¡¯t that pitiful after all, considering you are able to witness those kinds of grandeurs.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t all pleasure and sunshine. Those grandeurse in packages.¡± ¡°And those packages are?¡± ¡°Conflict,¡± Erin answered. ¡°The magic I have seen in my past life¡­ they¡¯re often used to exploit what can be exploited until there is nothing left to be exploited. If that isn¡¯t pitiful, I do know what else it can be.¡± ¡°Purposeful,¡± Siv said. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t been through all that, would you still be the person you are today?¡± Erin chuckled. ¡°I guess not. You know, you are very wise, Siv. Can¡¯t imagine what you must have gone through.¡± ¡°I gleaned my wisdom from dealing with liars and reavers. Prejudice towards my kind too.¡± ¡°How did you deal with them?¡± Lyra asked. Siv glimpsed over her shoulder. ¡°Hmm? Deal with what?¡± ¡°The prejudice. How did you do it? You can¡¯t just reason with these kinds of people.¡± ¡°Words have no effect. And I don¡¯t have any gold. But I do have strength. I put them into the rightful ce with my strength.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t that just make it worse?¡± ¡°Worse for me but even worse for them. They could barely move or talk after they challenged me. Of course, they twisted the events when they mouthed it off to town guards. Fortunately, my tenacity and strength made an impression on Lord Hegan who was passing by. I know the letters and I can fight. It was worth a lot. So he hired me and my brother as his personal guard. Compared to before, it was a smooth journey from then on. An insult thrown at me is an insult thrown at Lord Hegan. So no one dares to look at me like I am some feral beast anymore.¡± ¡°And now you¡¯re here with us.¡± Lyra chuckled. ¡°On a path of vengeance. A little bit wasteful if you ask me. After all that hardship, you willingly step down from the stairs to greatness.¡± ¡°I have no doubts you would do the same if Erin was beset by the same fate as my brother.¡± Lyra went silent. She cast her gaze down. ¡°...I suppose I would,¡± she admitted in a faint voice. ¡°Oh,e on. Brighten up, please,¡± Erin cheered. ¡°I am not drowning in this mood for the rest of the journey. Fine, I¡¯ll teach you some magic, or at least what I know how to teach.¡± ¡°You may have to dy that,¡± Siv said. ¡°We have troubles ahead.¡± Immediately, Lyra had her bow drawn and an arrow nocked, ready to pull on the string. As for Erin, she was still sitting calmly with her hand on the hilt of her sheathed sword which was resting on herp. ¡°Bandits are lying in wait on the hill to our right after that plump tree,¡± Siv reported. Lyra raised an eyebrow. ¡°This close to the town? That¡¯s unexpected.¡± ¡°Just the contrary actually,¡± Erin said. ¡°The number of monsters have dwindled tremendously after the attack of the horde. A thinner number of monsters meant a safer environment for the bandits to lurk. And the town¡¯s manpower will be devoted to its restoration, leaving the roads unguarded. The news must have travelled far and wide by now. Bandits will surelye and take advantage of this opportunity. I expect our journey wouldn¡¯t be without these pesky rodents every once in a while.¡± ¡°This is good,¡± Siv said, cracking her knuckles. ¡°We can ensure our skills will not rust.¡± Erin sighed. ¡°I was hoping it would be peaceful but I guess this is unavoidable. Besides, you¡¯re right, Siv. This will keep our skills from rusting.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the n?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°We act natural,¡± Erin said. ¡°Since we¡¯re women, we are worth more to them alive and intact than dead and mangled. They will underestimate us and approach us with the slightest vignce. We will strike when they are close.¡± ¡°Understand,¡± Lyra said. She used her Eagle Eye to scout the trees ahead of them. ¡°I¡¯ll take the two to the left on the trees.¡± ¡°I can handle the fool in our path,¡± Siv said, readying a dagger in her hand. ¡°You¡¯re nning to get close to them?¡± Erin asked. Siv threw Erin a grin. ¡°I am nning to throw it. I am confident. I¡¯ll show you that I¡¯m not helpless without a polearm or sword.¡± Erin grinned back. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to seeing it.¡± ¡°Wanna see who¡¯s faster?¡± Lyra challenged. ¡°The prize?¡± Siv asked back. ¡°A night with Erin, alone?¡± ¡°You have yourself a bet.¡± ¡°There will be no bet,¡± Erin intruded. ¡°This is not apetition and I¡¯m not some sort of prize.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Siv mused. ¡°So you wished to have us both at night. I understand, mistress.¡± Lyra giggled. ¡°So that¡¯s how it is...¡± Erin rolled her eyes and sighed. ¡°For fuck¡¯s sake...¡± she muttered. As the yful bickering on the cart went on, the horses had pulled them into the grasp of the bandits. As Siv had said, there was a fool in their path; the bait in tricking the clueless travellers to unmount their horses, and drown in their scheme. ¡°P-please¡­ I need help...¡± pleaded the presumably weary man in ragged clothes. ¡°Get out of our way or we won¡¯t be so kind,¡± Erin said, standing up from her seat and flourishing her five tails. ¡°A F-Fox-kin...¡± The weary man sighed, dropping his act. ¡°This could have been a lot easier if you Faerie bunch wasn¡¯t so perceptive.¡± Heughed. ¡°Well then, you should know we have you surrounded. Surrender and we¡¯ll let you live.¡± ¡°In your hands, it¡¯s better to be dead than alive,¡± Lyra retorted. The man shrugged. ¡°Suit yourself,dies. Alright, men!¡± he shouted. ¡°Fire!¡± ¡°Thunder Shell,¡± Erin chanted in her heart. A sphere of lightning encased the three and the arrows that were fired at them all snapped upon hitting the lightning barrier. The barrier rippled in the ces it was shot and lightning bolts were fired in return to the archers. ¡°What in the hell¡¯s name?¡± the man blurted and gasped. ¡°This is high tier magic. What¡¯s an adept like you doing here in the boonies?!¡± ¡°High tier magic?¡± Erin chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m ttered.¡± She got down the cart and dashed towards the man. The man brandished a concealed dagger behind his waist and received the blow from Erin, which battered the dagger off of his grip. Before he could recover from the shock, Erin had plunged her sword through his chest. In hisst moments, he saw his remaining men were easily dispatched by the Fae¡¯spanions. As his eyes closed, Erin kicked the man off of her sword. She took out a small patch of cloth and wiped her de of his blood. [Experience gained +15% - Level Progression: 65%] Erin¡¯s eyes stayed on the corpse of the man she had just in. She gazed at her own hands, which were perfectly still. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°Nothing,¡± Erin answered. ¡°I was just wondering when it started, killing a person without any feeling of remorse.¡± ¡°Why would you have any remorse in killing these vermins?¡± ¡°They were helpless before me. They could do nothing. They were so insignificant that the chances of losing did not appear in my head.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°This could breed arrogance. Arrogance can lead to a lot of things. It could breed narcissism, which would likely lead to a superiorityplex. It could also breed mistakes; mistakes that might cost me my life or the lives of others.¡± ¡°You have us, Erin. And we have you.¡± Lyra wrapped her hands around Erin¡¯s. ¡°We will look out for each other. Remember, you are not alone anymore.¡± ¡°And this is the best thing that has ever happened to me so far. Thank you, Lyra.¡± Erin smiled. Lyra smiled back. ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± ¡°What do we do with the corpses, mistress?¡± Siv asked. ¡°Leave their pockets be and shove them to the side of the road. This will send a message. Other travellers will be assured of seeing the corpses of bandits while the other bandits will be struck with fear. Also, they will serve well as the foundation of the monsters¡¯ repoption.¡± ¡°Of course, mistress,¡± Siv said and began dragging the corpses to the side of the road. ¡°And I was afraid you had gone soft,¡± Lyra remarked. ¡°Gone soft...¡± Erin chuckled inwardly, thinking of the surprise Nyx had lying in wait for her in the future. ¡°Like that would ever happen.¡± ¡°Mistress, I think we¡¯re being followed,¡± Siv said. Lyra nced at the distance where they came from. ¡°I don¡¯t see anyone.¡± ¡°We are being followed,¡± Erin affirmed. ¡°I can¡¯t sense them too but it would be weird if no one¡¯s following us. They were extremely fervent in their pursuit for answers from me but they can''t get it when I¡¯m in town. I have Iris and Rosemary fending them off. But now we¡¯re outside the walls, I imagine they would only take this opportunity to continue in their endeavours.¡± ¡°Or they could be thepanions of the Apostle you killed,¡± Siv suggested. ¡°...That¡¯s also a huge possibility.¡± Erin sighed. ¡°Shall we root them out then?¡± Siv asked. ¡°No,¡± Erin answered. ¡°They are most likely connected to people with power. We don¡¯t have a proper reason to act. They haven¡¯t done anything legally wrong. There¡¯s nothing we can do right now. We can only wait until something happens.¡± ¡°But what happens now?¡± ¡°We keep vignt and make sure they won¡¯t catch us by surprise when they decide to act. We¡¯ll y their game, for now.¡± Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Five-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 32 | Status: None Might: 22 | Arcane: 41 | Finesse: 36 Magic Arts Spirit Magic Lv. 8 | Arcane Edge Lv. 5 | Arcane Armor Lv. 10 | Lightning Magic Lv. 10 | Arcane Aegis Lv. 7 | Mystic Tail Arts Lv 1 Combat Arts Sword Art Lv. 8 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 5 Innate Skills Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 7 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex | Mana Harvest Lv. 1 | Lightning Resistance Lv. 1 Unique Talent Mystic de Lv. Ex | Revenant Lv. Ex Level Progression: 65% Remaining Skill Points: 4 Remaining Ability Points: 2 3-19 Wonted 3-19 Wonted The journey of the trio continued on with simr events transpiring one after the other. Bandits were abundant and the trio were nubiledies to these malevolent eyes and hands. The trio could fetch a high price if they were sold as ves. The bandits could even have some fun with them before selling them off. However, many bandits underestimate the trio¡¯s strength. Even if the bandits could deduce the trio¡¯s strength, their greed and lust overtook their sensibility. Once again, their cart was attacked by bandits who, again, used the same tricks as thest ones. The bandits put their most feeble-looking man or woman in the cart¡¯s path and attempted to lure them off by pretending to be pleading for aid. Of course, Erin and herpanions never once fell for this old and mundane trick. Even the tactics employed by the bandits were of no major difference to the previous ones. A bait on the road, archers in the trees or hills, and the rest waited in the dense vegetation by the roadside. The bandits¡¯ scents were also a ring trait of theirs to Erin and Siv. They could smell them from a considerable distance away. Aside from their smell, the bandits also left a lot of marks that pretty much spelt out their presence and activities. The only people they could probably fool were greenhorn adventurers. Erin finished her reminiscence as she cut down two bandits who came at her from left and right with axes in their hands. They were shouting as they charged at her. Not that they would seed in their attack if they didn¡¯t shout. For the utmost caution, she cut off their hands before going for the fatal cut across their throats. [Experience gained +10% - Level Progression: 35%] ¡°Only five per cent each? That¡¯s low¡­? No, I shouldn¡¯t think like that. I didn¡¯t kill them for the experience,¡± Erin mused her disappointment in her heart but immediately reprimanded herself for her shallow perspective. Death throes and cries came from behind her as herpanions bestowed the same fate unto the other bandits. Erin set her sights on thest bandit, the leader, who was crawling away from Erin with drenched ragged trousers. ¡°Have mer¡ª¡± the bandit¡¯s plea for mercy was silenced by a de through his head in between his eyes. ¡°Do they have nothing else to say?¡± Erin questioned. A cold gaze met the bandit¡¯s corpse as she pulled her sabre out of the corpse¡¯s head. Like always, she wiped the blood off her de with a disposable rag. [Experience gained +15% - Level Progression: 50%] ¡°In their head, they probably think they are not doing anything wrong and deserve a second chance,¡± Siv answered Erin¡¯s musing. On her end, she too was ending the life of a bandit who also pleaded for mercy at thest moments of his life. ¡°If they could think otherwise, I doubt they would have be bandits,¡± Lyra chimed in as she retrieved her arrows from the bandits she shot. Erin sighed. Just from the short amount of time from the moment she left Quinteburgh, she wagered the humans she had killed were more than the count in her past life. From her first encounter with bandits on this journey, she didn¡¯t show it and neither did she tell Lyra and Siv but she felt terrible about killing the bandits. It felt different when she killed the various opponents she faced in a duel. They fought tooth and nail with her. They came into the duel knowingly with their lives on the line. It felt different from killing monsters. It felt different when she killed to save a life. She was in no rush to save a vige likest time nor was she in a rush to save children from being sold into very. Time wasn¡¯t against her. Now, she was killing to save her own life. She understood this was no delusion or premonition of hers. In her past life, she had witnessed acquaintances straying to a dark path from the countless lives they had taken. At first, they killed for good reasons but slowly, their reasons warped as they began killing purely for the sake of it. They were some of the strongest fighters and no one could stop them. It took considerable time and resources before they were put down. At that time, Erin could not understand how people could change in those kinds of manner. However, now she knew. She convinced herself these bandits were no different than the mindless monsters and they should be culled for good reasons. She managed so far but she knew there was something dark within her who was swaying her to just let go of her guilt and enjoy the killings. Coupled with her Lust Deviant, this dark thought would surely change her into something of the most malevolent. ¡°Come on,¡± Erin said. ¡°Let¡¯s just keep moving.¡± She climbed up to the coach stand and waited for the two. ¡°Are we still being followed?¡± Lyra asked as she climbed onto the cart. Siv followed suit. ¡°I¡¯m still feeling tingly. So I would say yes. If even mistress couldn¡¯t feel their presence, safe to say their skills are at least on par with hers.¡± Erin whipped the reins on the horses and they began to move. ¡°You do know you don¡¯t have to keep calling me mistress, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°It would be inappropriate to call you otherwise, mistress. Until my vengeance is over, you are my mistress.¡± ¡°How about a friend?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re a friend, you would be a terrible one for beguiling me into this wretched path. If you¡¯re a friend, I would want you to stop me but I don¡¯t want to be stopped.¡± Erin smiled wryly. ¡°I suppose it would.¡± ¡°Is there a rule about friends aren¡¯t allowed to help their friend¡¯s vengeance?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°It is a code I decided to live by,¡± Siv answered. ¡°Having a personal code keeps you from straying away from the path you meant to walk from the beginning.¡± ¡°Wow, you really are wise.¡± ¡°An advice imparted by the elders in my homnd just before I left.¡± ¡°Alright, settle down,¡± Erin said. ¡°We ain¡¯t in the clear yet. I can already smell the ones waiting for us ahead.¡± ¡°I¡¯m surprised these bandits thrived this long with only the slightest caution,¡± Siv mused. ¡°Their bane but our blessing.¡± ¡°And we¡¯re getting a lot of experience from this,¡± Lyra said. ¡°I¡¯m just a few bandits away from a level increment.¡± ¡°Just don¡¯t get too excited. We¡¯re not doing this for the experience. We¡¯re doing this for self-preservation,¡± Erin reminded. ¡°I know. I know. It¡¯s just that you don¡¯t actually get this kind of opportunity,¡± Lyra said. A tinge of sorrow clouded her face. ¡°After staying in the same level range for so long¡­ it¡¯s hard not to get excited.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t say I understand that feeling. I¡¯m just saying we shouldn¡¯t getcent. I have bested many odds that weren¡¯t in my favour simply because the opposition becamecent with their prospects of victory.¡± ¡°Um¡­ Sure?¡± ¡°She meant we shouldn¡¯t get too overconfident and never underestimate our enemies,¡± Siv exined. ¡°Ah, I see. That was much more simpler.¡± Erin raised an eyebrow with a light scowl. ¡°You should read more.¡± Since she had her back to the two, they couldn¡¯t see her scowl. ¡°I read enough. I need to fight more,¡± Lyra retorted. Erin fought back another sigh iing. She realized she had been sighing a lot and that was surely not a good sign. As she threw her head up to take in the fresh air, a hawk flew past her sight. ¡°Huh,¡± she muttered. Her mutter instantly caught the attentive Siv. ¡°What¡¯s wrong,¡± the Wolf-kin asked. ¡°I could be mistaken but a hawk just flew over us.¡± ¡°Is that something we should be worried about?¡± ¡°It is if it¡¯s the same hawk for the fourth time in a row.¡± ¡°A Familiar?¡± Lyra suggested. ¡°I don¡¯t sense any magic from the hawk,¡± Erin replied. ¡°Could be just a normal hawk but trained,¡± Siv said. ¡°Is that something probable andmon for bandits?¡± ¡°Bandits in general, yes but there are hawks in certain ces that just couldn¡¯t be tamed no matter the methods used unless a spell is involved. I¡¯m not certain about the hawks in these parts.¡± ¡°You want me to shoot the hawk down to be safe?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°Let it be,¡± Erin said. ¡°If it¡¯s just a normal hawk, then all is well. We¡¯ll let them think vulnerable just like we have been doing. We keep our eyes open, wider than before. Have your weapons at the ready but don¡¯t show it.¡± ¡°I know it sounds weirding from me but¡­ what if these bandits are different?¡± ¡°All the more reason we shouldn¡¯t shoot the hawk. We will reveal the degree of our prowess to them if we show them we took notice of their hawk.¡± Siv sniffed the air. ¡°I smell wolves, Dire Wolves.¡± ¡°Along with humans,¡± Erin added. ¡°Wolves by humans¡¯ side. Trained wolves...¡± ¡°Then the hawks definitely must have been their scout,¡± Lyra concluded. ¡°They might have an Anima in their fray,¡± Siv said. ¡°What¡¯s an Anima again?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you do not know, Lyra.¡± ¡°I have heard about them but with everything that has happened thus far, I forgot about it.¡± ¡°I remember reading about them,¡± Erin said. ¡°They used Familiars to fight or something like that.¡± ¡°Close. An Anima is a mage who uses pets or Familiars to do their biddings.¡± Siv exined. ¡°The mostmon Innate Skill an Anima has is Beast Tongue. It allows the person to talk to animals. It makesmanding their pets or Familiars easier.¡± ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s splendid...¡± Erin muttered. She sighed and nced behind them, where their other troubley. She still couldn¡¯t see their stalker but she was sure they were still following them. She was absolutely certain someone was on their tail but she wasn¡¯t sure how many there were. The horses pulled the cart closer to the point where the bandits with trained Dire Wolvesy in wait. Although Erin¡¯s Sixth Sense was silent, she didn¡¯t have any good inkling of what awaited them in front. She was essentially new to this world and her first-hand experiences consisted of only Maven¡¯s Creek and Green Scar. She dreaded for her premonition to be proven true as they neared the ambush point. However, she was also looking forward to it. If the bandits weren¡¯t as weak as the previous one, she thought maybe¡ª just maybe, she wouldn¡¯t feel so terrible about killing them. ¡°Um¡­ Erin, you¡¯re grinning,¡± Lyra pointed out, who had taken a seat beside her on the coach stand before she knew it. ¡°Oh, pardon me. Was I really grinning?¡± Lyra nodded. ¡°Are you beginning to enjoy this?¡± she asked. ¡°I just hope they can give me a challenge.¡± ¡°You wish for difficulties?¡± ¡°Maybe then when I kill them, it won¡¯t make me feel like a tyrannical bully who¡¯s just ying with the lives of the ones more inferior than me.¡± ¡°Never expect you to have so little fate for yourself.¡± ¡°I thought I knew myself¡­ recent events have proven the contrary. I thought I was a celibate but it turns out I¡¯m just a scious person who was too afraid to take the first step. I thought I had learned to control my emotions but I didn¡¯t. I have merely learned to cast them aside. Everything I knew about myself are just lies that I told myself because the truth¡­ hurts.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Erin...¡± Lyra cupped Erin¡¯s cheeks with her hands. ¡°You are so¡­ stupid!¡± And she yelled before bringing her forehead down on Erin¡¯s. The clear sound of their heads colliding drew the attention of a wide-eyed Siv who was sharpening her weapons. ¡°What was that for!?¡± Erin asked as she halted the horses. ¡°You know what that was for,¡± Lyra replied. ¡°Whoever you were in the past, you are not that person anymore. You are Erynthea now. People change all the time. Things change all the time. Change is inevitable. I learned that when I first met you because you changed my life for the better. If you¡¯re worried, then share those worries with me. Or do you think nothing more of me than just a nightpanion?¡± Erin smiled, sorrowfully and warmly. ¡°There¡¯s no way I can think of you only as someone to share a bed with. I¡¯m sorry I made you worried.¡± ¡°Change is terrifying and difficult but it¡¯s all something we had to go through,¡± Siv said. ¡°We will be by your side, mistress. We can face the changes together.¡± ¡°It is easier than done...¡± Erin mulled. ¡°But¡­ at least I won¡¯t be facing it alone.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the spirit, Erin,¡± Lyra cheered. The light in her eyes dimmed as she cast her nce towards the path ahead of them. ¡°Well¡­ it seems they have run out of patience waiting for us toe to them.¡± ¡°It appears so,¡± Erin said, flourishing her tails. ¡°There goes the surprise.¡± ¡°The oue will be the same nheless,¡± Siv dered. ¡°Mistress, if you¡¯ll allow me, I¡¯ll handle the arrows thate our way.¡± ¡°If you think you can, I will trust you with this.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take the archers and the scouts then, like always,¡± Lyra said. ¡°Then I will take the rest.¡± Erin cracked her knuckles. ¡°Now then, let¡¯s do this.¡± Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Five-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 33 | Status Affliction: None Might: 22 | Arcane: 41 | Finesse: 36 Magic Arts Spirit Magic Lv. 8 | Arcane Edge Lv. 5 | Arcane Armor Lv. 10 | Lightning Magic Lv. 10 | Arcane Aegis Lv. 7 | Mystic Tail Arts Lv 1 Combat Arts Sword Art Lv. 8 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 5 Innate Skills Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 7 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex | Mana Harvest Lv. 1 | Lightning Resistance Lv. 1 Unique Talent Mystic de Lv. Ex | Revenant Lv. Ex Level Progression: 50% Remaining Skill Points: 6 Remaining Ability Points: 4 3-20 Portrait 3-20 Portrait ¡°Well well well, looks like we found gold, fes!¡± the bandit leader shouted with a sneer. Instead of waiting at the point where they prepared their ambush, Erin halting the carriage had changed their decision to begin their assault prematurely. The bandits did not bother hiding their noises. The rustling of the leaves and branches was more than enough for Erin toprehend the bandits¡¯ numbers. There were a lot of them but the brief glimpse she had of the few bandits, she saw their levels were nothing to write home about. The leader of the bandits was the only one with a level that she considered to be a threat, a minor threat though. The leader of the bandits had an appearance that fit her prejudice of a bandit leader. Bald with a thick moustache. Heavy build. And a weapon that was bigger than their own physique. ¡°Let us be or you¡¯ll meet a terrible fate,¡± Erin warned from where she sat. Her hands were still holding the reins but she was more than prepared to draw her sword when the moment called for it. The bandit leader guffawed and so did his men who were hiding nearby. Their chuckles were too quiet to be heard but not for the ears of Erin and Siv. ¡°I have been watching all of you. I know you killed plenty of my ilk before here but you should know that I¡¯m not like them.¡± he boasted and swung a huge wooden club to let it rest on his shoulders. ¡°He looks impressed with his strength,¡± Lyra remarked mockingly. Siv nodded. ¡°Another frog in a well. Though, it does make it easy for us.¡± ¡°Impressive strength but is that all you got?¡± Erin sneered. The bandit leader chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s enough for what I''m about to do if you don¡¯t want to y nice with me.¡± ¡°Erin, I found all the archers,¡± Lyra whispered to Erin. ¡°I can strike anytime.¡± ¡°I¡¯m also ready, mistress,¡± Siv said. ¡°I¡¯ll defend us from the arrows.¡± Lyra looked at Siv dubiously. ¡°There are ten archers. You can defend us from all ten arrows.¡± ¡°I can,¡± Siv answered confidently. ¡°I faced worse odds during my training.¡± ¡°I trust you, Siv,¡± Erin said. Lyra shrugged. ¡°If you say so, then I suppose I should give her my confidence too.¡± ¡°Thank you, mistress, Lyra. Also, they have eight Dire Wolves, all adults and slightlyrger than average. I smell something else. It¡¯s definitely another monster but I don¡¯t recognize the scent.¡± Erin nodded slightly in acknowledgement. ¡°Look here,ssies.¡± The bandit leader sighed. ¡°Whatever you¡¯re nning, it won¡¯t work. Do you think this is the first time we took on seasoned fighters like you?¡± ¡°You have some sense, I can see that,¡± Erin said. ¡°Why thank you for thepliment. Always love to hear it from a prettyss, especially a Fae.¡± He licked his lips. ¡°Which raises the question, why are you standing around talking to us instead of just attacking? All your men are already in ce. You don¡¯t need to buy time. Which can only mean, a direct confrontation would most likely cost you a lot. That can be inferred as yourck of confidence in your chances. Am I wrong?¡± The bandit leader fell silent, his smirking grin contorting slowly into a grimace. ¡°Maybe you¡¯re just like the others I fell with my sword. Are you going to cower and squeak as I have you at the mercy of my de?¡± ¡°You and your kin are all the same...¡± the bandit leader chewed his words. ¡°So arrogant¡­ each one of you¡­ And I have made all of them regret it.¡± ¡°I see...¡± Erin said, getting up from her seat before climbing down the cart slowly. Her hands moved to her sword and her eyes tracked the bandit leader¡¯s every single instance of his movement. ¡°I can say the same to you. Everyone has a mouth but not everyone has the ability.¡± ¡°I know how to break you. Let¡¯s start with your friends, Men, release!¡± At the bandit leader¡¯s beckoning, arrows came flying at the cart from the trees. Siv merged the hilts of two swords together, forming a double-ded sword, which she used to deflect all the arrows by spinning the sword around her. Lyra let out a whistle of awe but reel back her focus instantly after. She nocked and released two arrows at once into the trees. Before the sounds of bodies hitting the ground came, Lyra had already fired two more arrows in the other direction. Soon, bodies of bandits dropped like flies from the trees. The breathing ones on the ground were too stunned by their prowess to do anything. They looked at each other and their pleading gazes went to their leader, begging for him to save them from their horrible decisions. Lyra and Siv ignore the bandits¡¯ pleas and begin plunging their des into their flesh. The bandits had the numbers but the two had the skills. The two had survived a horde consisting of hundreds of monsters. Bandits of this level were nothing to them. As all of these were happening, Erin was striding steadily towards the bandit leader with a firm gaze that didn¡¯t waver. She had seen Lyra and Siv¡¯s stats and knew they had worked hard during the short time they had left in Quinteburgh. ¡°What the f-fuck¡­?¡± the bandit leader gasped and gagged on his words. ¡°Y-you were holding b-back all those times?¡± ¡°Honestly, killing the likes of you is making me feel bad,¡± Erin mocked with a headshake. ¡°Makes me feel like a bully.¡± ¡°Fucking Fae¡­! I¡¯ll carve your lungs out and feed it to the wolves! Men, release the Dire Wolves!¡± he shouted. Erin chuckled and scoffed at the bandit leader¡¯s desperate attempts. It was a sign of arrogance but she couldn¡¯t help it when nothing about the bandits impressed her by a single bit. She once again flourished her tails for all to see, even incurring a small squeak from the bandit leader who fell to his rear from the sheer pressure of a Five-tailed Fox-kin brandishing her presence before him. The Dire Wolves that were charging at her instantly came to a stop. The Dire Wolves yelped like a couple of puppers before scurrying off in random directions. The bandit leader stared nkly as the Dire Wolves ran far into the distance with their tails between their legs. ¡°W-what¡­ the Dire Wolves a-are running a-away....?¡± ¡°Look, I have seen too much red today. If I can help it, I would like not to see it for the rest of the day. I feel like I would go mad for all the red I see.¡± The bandit leader turned his gaze back to Erin. His lips, shoulders, and legs were trembling. He took a step back out of the cry of his instinct but as he realized it, he forced his step back. ¡°No¡­, I can¡¯t back down now¡­ This is already myst chance¡­¡± he muttered quietly to himself but Erin caught his words with her ears. ¡°You were forced to do this?¡± Erin asked. ¡°Be silent! What does it matter to you anyway? Don¡¯t feign your kindness in front of me!¡± ¡°Perhaps I can help. If someone is forcing you to do this, they will be an enemy to me.¡± The bandit leaderughed with a toneden with despair. ¡°People have said the same but when I told them who my boss is, they turned on me. You will be just like them.¡± ¡°I like to believe that I¡¯m different.¡± The bandit leader snorted. ¡°Go fuck yourself. I have enough of you.¡± ¡°What can you do? Your men are too afraid to even speak, let alone fight.¡± ¡°You ain¡¯t seen nothing yet! Men, unleash the troll!¡± The sounds of chains dragging across the soil could be heard along with a series of thumps apanying it. ¡°Have it your way then,¡± Erin muttered dryly and shrunk the gap between them. ¡°Best I kill you before your pet troll gets here.¡± ¡°Fuck!¡± The bandit leader cursed and reacted all too slow as the Fox-kin had already drawn her sabre and brought it around a wide arc. Fortunately for him, his levelpensated for his slow reaction. He drew back from Erin¡¯s swift assault with a cut across his cheek as the penalty. ¡°Fucking bitch!¡± he swore and swung his oversized club in retaliation. Erin leapt and found her footing on the club. ¡°Your swing is true and firm. Unexpected.¡± ¡°Fuck off!¡± he roared and tried to fling the Fox-kin away but she was off his bat as he began swinging. His eyes immediately took aim and brought his club down at the nimble Fox-kin in front of him. Erin flipped away from the club and resumed her posture as shended gracefully. ¡°Alright. I will admit that you¡¯re not as weak as I expected, Roy.¡± The bandit leader froze. ¡°You know my name?¡± ¡°I know more than that.¡± A glint appeared in his eyes. ¡°So, you have Appraisal. That just makes you even more vexing.¡± Recovered from the surprise, he charged at Erin with his club raised. Erin prepared herself for the attack but upon closer notice, she deduced it to be a ruse. She raised her sword to guard the attack that never came. Instead, Roy sent a kick at her. She returned the kick with her own, deflecting the bandit¡¯s kick. The bandit leader had a look of disbelief. His ruse had never failed until now. In that instance, he understood Erin was truly unlike his other victims. He poured Mana into his club, giving it a faint blue shine. ¡°Arcane Edge? No, it¡¯s too unrefined to be an Arcane Edge,¡± Erin remarked. ¡°It will pulverize your skull all the same,¡± the bandit leader retorted and destroyed the tree behind Erin. Her head would have met the same fate had she not dodged under the attack. From below, she thrust her sabre but the bandit leader nted his head and avoided his death. Without retracting her thrust, she swiped but the bandit leader foresaw her intention and pulled his head away from her de. She lunged with a flurry of strikes but the bandit leader met her attacks with his club. ¡°Oissie, you¡¯re underestimating me here.¡± ¡°You have training.¡± ¡°Aye, I do. A captain of a noble''s private knight order, formerly.¡± ¡°And how do you end up here?¡± ¡°It shows your naivety if that¡¯s your question. Times got too peaceful and men like me became too expensive to keep around. Reced by a man half my size and wit. A skill that even a farm boy could beat. I was then shamed and framed by my former employers just so they could avoid paying me my pension.¡± ¡°And you resort to the same kind of depravity as the ones who wronged you. Irony is all around.¡± ¡°Seize your false sense of sympathy, Fae. Your pity does not help. It never helps.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not pitying you. I¡¯m reprimanding you. How many innocents have you killed just because you were cheated out of your pension?¡± ¡°Innocent?¡± he scoffed. ¡°You think they are innocent? You don¡¯t get to thrive in this world by being innocent. Seize your hypocrisy.¡± ¡°Seize your bratty tantrum.¡± ¡°B-bratty t-tantrum?¡± ¡°Is that not what it is? Something went wrong in your life and you took out your anger on those who weren¡¯t involved just because you were too afraid to retaliate against the ones who wronged you. It¡¯s just pathetic. I feel embarrassed just from recounting it. How do you even live with yourself?¡± ¡°Dastardly bitch!¡± the bandit leader roared. ¡°It hadn¡¯t been a pleasure knowing you,¡± Erin bade and threw an Aura Shot that was too fast for the bandit leader to react. Even if he could see iting, he didn¡¯t have the speed to dodge. His head rolled off his neck and went tumbling across the ground. His headless body remained upright for a few seconds before copsing. [Experience gained +15% - Level Progression: 65%] Her shoulders loosened their tension when the System affirmed the bandit leader''s death. The corner of a rolled-up parchment was sticking out of the deceased bandit¡¯s pocket like a sore thumb. It couldn¡¯t not catch Erin¡¯s interest. Taking it with her index and middle finger, the parchment unrolled itself to reveal a portrait of her face. ¡°What in the hell¡­?¡± she muttered to herself. Confusion dazed her gaze. The art was immacte and it looked no different than the real image safe for the colours. ¡°Is this¡­ a bounty?¡± she asked herself as she flipped the portrait. It was nk on the other side. The parchment only had her face and no written words could be found. ¡°Erin, the troll!¡± Lyra shouted and the ground trembled intensely after. Her lover¡¯s shout drew her attention. She turned around and saw a humongous humanoid creature ploughing through the trees and plunged right into the battlefield. The creature bore the appearance of an ape and a goblin but with the height of a two-storey building. Erin cast Appraisal on the troll and its stats surprised her. ¡°Level thirty-six? How in the hell did they even manage to put a leash around that thing?¡± ¡°An Anima,¡± Siv reminded her as the Wolf-kin took three bandits at once. She separated her double-sword and deflected two of the bandits¡¯ blows and riposted the third one¡¯s strike. With all the three staggered by her defence, she hopped and sent a kick into their jaws. Shended into a roll and thrust her swords through two of the bandits as she stood up. The remaining bandit watched with his eyes widened and his legs shivering like a newly born kid. Before the bandit could decide how he should go about his sealed fate, a foot the size of a tree came down on him and turned him to a stter of flesh and bones. ¡°Is it not tamed?¡± Siv questioned in a mutter. ¡°Fuck! The troll¡¯s not listening to my orders!¡± screamed a bandit who was hiding in a bush behind a fallen log. When the other bandits heard that, they began to run off with tails between their legs like the Dire Wolves they had tamed. As if to show its dissatisfaction of having been captured by the lowly bandits, the troll began unleashing its wrath on the fleeing bandits. The horses pulling the cart also began to shriek and struggled to gallop off but the cart¡¯s wheels were stuck deep in the damp soil it was treading on. ¡°Well, that¡¯s not good,¡± Erin mused. She flicked her sabre off the bandit leader¡¯s blood and turned to face the troll. Blowing with her lips shut, a piercing yet sweet noise caught the troll¡¯s attention and turned its gazes toward Erin¡¯s way. ¡°Siv, Lyra,¡± Erin called out. ¡°Let¡¯s kill this thing together.¡± ¡°Of course, mistress.¡± ¡°Thought you never ask,¡± Lyra responded and nocked three arrows onto her bow. 3-21 Glyphs 3-21 Glyphs ¡°The troll is level thirty-six. I trust that it isn¡¯t too much for you two,¡± Erin asked while eyeing the troll¡¯s every move, down to the rise and fall of its chest. ¡°I have faced worse odds,¡± Lyra responded. ¡°I think we all have.¡± Siv nodded in agreement. ¡°This much difference is nothing.¡± ¡°Very well then,¡± Erin said. She took out a small brown ball from one of the satchels by her waist. ¡°I will stun the troll with this smoke bomb. While it¡¯s dazed, Lyra, get its eyes. Siv, you and I will be aiming for its limbs after Lyra¡¯s arrows found their marks. Once it¡¯s incapable of moving much, we¡¯ll go in for its head or throat, whichever is the easiest at that moment.¡± The troll eventually lost its patience with a roar and charged at the three earth-trembling steps. ¡°Now!¡± Erin shouted and threw the smoke bomb at the troll¡¯s face. It tried to batter the bomb away but in doing so, it exploded prematurely right in its face. The troll let out a vexed growl and iled its arms wildly around. Lyra released the three arrows she nocked. The arrows flew straight and true. The troll raised its hand with its palm open in defence. ¡°That was quick...¡± Erin muttered as she noticed the troll¡¯s quick recovery. However, the troll¡¯srge palm blocked only one of the three arrows. The remaining two found their mark in the troll¡¯s left eye and its chest. It threw its head back as it cried out in pain over the arrow in its left eye. It pulled out the arrows in its palm and chest without hesitation but struggled with the arrow stuck in its eye. Siv moved in and cut her double-ded spear against the troll¡¯s legs. The troll howled and turned its raging attention towards the Siv. It stopped fumbling with the arrow in its eyes and swung its palm down on Siv. Erin threw an Aura Shot with her sabre, which exploded against the troll¡¯s hand. It groaned loudly and stumbled back. Siv rushed in and drew a few more cuts at the troll¡¯s legs, eventually bringing it down on its knees. The troll tried to grab Siv but Lyra fired another arrow into its right eye. It bellowed agony and swung its arms in arge motion, digging the ground up around it. Lyra¡¯s assist brought Siv enough time to retreat and avoided getting caught up in the Troll¡¯s tantrum. As Siv and Lyra pulled themselves away from the iling troll, Erin dove into the troll¡¯s reach. It managed to pull out the arrow in its left eye just as Erin closed in. With both of its eyes shot, the troll was now blinded. Still, it seemed to know where Erin was as it sent its fist towards the direction she came from. ¡°Well, that was redundant,¡± Erin remarked. She hopped over the troll¡¯s fist and let it crash into the ground beneath her. She flipped andnded on the back of the troll¡¯s hand. She ran the length of its arm until she reached its head. She took aim and prepared to thrust her sword but the unexpected happened. A series of connecting and intertwining glyphs appeared all over the troll¡¯s body. The glyphs glowed a bright crimson. The troll¡¯s left eye immediately regenerated into its original state, unwounded. It wasn¡¯t just its eye but also its legs, palm, and chest where Lyra and Siv had wounded it. The troll nted its head away from Erin¡¯s thrust. She jumped off when she failed her strike but the troll managed to grab her by her legs. ¡°Oh, bollocks...¡± Erin muttered before being taken for a swing. She crashed through trees after trees. She bore all the damage with Arcane Armor and Arcane Aegis but with the intensity of the troll¡¯s strength, her magic could only do so much. ¡°F-fuck!!¡± she screamed. ¡°Erin!¡± ¡°Mistress!¡± The two shouted in worry. Lyra fired an arrow at its eyes again but having predicted her intention, the troll dodged her shots. Siv came from the troll¡¯s rear but it knew instantly as it spun around and greeted her with a stomp. Siv tossed herself aside to avoid her demise. Erin was still in the troll¡¯s grip but the two¡¯s intervention gave her enough time to recollect her thoughts. Erin used Iron Jab under her Mystic Tail Arts on the troll¡¯s hand. The troll shrieked and released Erin from its hand. She spun in midair with her sabre d in Arcane Edge and took the troll¡¯s right hand clean off. Shended as the troll cried but it didn¡¯t forget to retaliate by sending a kick at Erin. Erin conjured Arcane Aegis in front of her but the troll¡¯s strength was too great for the ethereal shield to bear. It shattered like ss but Erin had dove away from the troll¡¯s kick. The troll took this moment to pick up its fallen hand and attached it back on its wrist. The glyphs appeared and glowed red, and the troll¡¯s hand was mended back to its wrist. ¡°What in hell¡¯s name was that?¡± Lyra asked, as befuddled as the other two. ¡°It healed its own wounds¡­ Were trolls always capable of magic?¡± ¡°No,¡± Siv answered. ¡°The magic is not its own. The glyphs are the source. Someone inscribed magic glyphs onto the troll, giving it the ability to use magic. Mistress, what did your Appraisal say?¡± Erin squinted her eyes at the troll, which was still captivated by its newly mended hand. ¡°Hmm...¡± she murmured. ¡°Unable to appraise? How the fuck...¡± ¡°The glyphs most likely consist of magic that obstructs Appraisal,¡± Siv exined. ¡°It¡¯s not something ordinary bandits are capable of.¡± ¡°Whatever the case is, taking down this troll takes precedence. We must kill it one fell swoop to prevent it from healing itself,¡± Erin said. Once the troll was bored of its newly mended hand, it once again charged at the tree. Its eyes turned to the tree beside it. It pulled the tree out of its roots and turned into its weapon. ¡°Smart,¡± Siv praised. ¡°For a troll.¡± ¡°This troll isn¡¯t aplete durd. I doubt it will fall for the same tactic. We¡¯ll need a new one.¡± The troll brought the tree down. Siv and Lyra dove out of the way but Erin received the blow with her sword raised. The force poured through her arms and into her legs, cracking the ground beneath her sole. ¡°Fuck...¡± she uttered. ¡°Erin, what are you doing!?¡± Lyra shouted. ¡°Something dumb apparently,¡± she retorted. She wanted to get a feel of the difference in level. She faced several high-level monsters head-on in The Singrity but in those moments, she was under the effect of Lust Deviant. Her stats were doubled. It wasn¡¯t an appropriate measure. The troll was only three levels higher than her but it felt more than that. Although she did manage to lop its hand off, it wasn¡¯t without difficulty. She doubted she would have cut it if she didn¡¯t d her de with Arcane Edge. The result she could draw from her dangerous experiments was that the higher the level, the more significant the difference of level would be, even if the value was only by one or two. Erin managed to push the troll away with a quick conjuration of Lightning Bolt. The troll staggered but it recovered quickly. The ce where it was hit was only slightly charred. Erin leapt away before the troll could swing again. ¡°For a sure kill, we need to seal its movements,¡± Erin said. ¡°I can seal its legs,¡± Lyra said. ¡°I can take care of its arms.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Erin nodded. ¡°Then hopefully, I¡¯ll be able to get its head.¡± The troll swung the tree around but Erin skillfully cut the tree with Arcane Edge into half as it swooped over her. The troll had a moment of confusion as it looked at its shortened weapon. Angered and irritated, the troll threw the remaining half of the tree at Erin. She d her tails in Arcane Armor and spun, hitting the tree back to the wide-eyed troll. The troll caught the tree in its hands and tore it into half with a roar as if to warn Erin to not insult its intelligence. Lyra leapt into the sky and fired two arrows, infused with magic. The arrows pierced through the Troll¡¯s feet each and dug into the ground underneath. Its sudden loss of movement made the troll topple to the ground. It used its hands to prevent its face from hitting the ground. With her spear detached into two des, she rushed in and plunged each de through the troll¡¯s hands. The troll howled as it struggled to break free of the restraints. It managed to break its left foot free but Erin was already within reach of her sabre. A faint mist of cyan colour shrouded her de, apanied by a vibrant glow that trailed after the mist. Infusing Mystic de on her sword, she leapt and swung down on the troll¡¯s neck. The troll tore its left-hand free just in time to block Erin¡¯s sword. However, the effect of Mystic de was near unparalleled as it cleanly sliced through the troll¡¯s arm and neck. She quickly ended Mystic de¡¯s effect after. Erin held her breath as the glyphs glowed but she let it out upon receiving the notification of the experience gained. [Experience gained +20% - Level Progression: 85%] Since Lyra and Siv had a part in the troll¡¯s death, Erin received only a portion of the experience but she wasn¡¯t unhappy. It made her relieved that the two wouldn¡¯t be left behind. ¡°This was¡­ thrilling,¡± Siv remarked. ¡°Too thrilling,¡± Erin responded. ¡°It would be bad if it didn¡¯t die from a decapitation.¡± ¡°What will you do if that doesn¡¯t kill him and the glyphs just unwind everything?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°There¡¯s a rushing river near here. I will lure it there and cut it into pieces and let the currents take the pieces away from each other.¡± Lyra brows were raised. ¡°Sounds like you fully expected it toe back to life.¡± ¡°Expecting the worst prepares one for the worst.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t argue with that.¡± Lyra shrugged. ¡°Take a look at this,¡± Erin said and disyed the portrait of herself for the two to see. ¡°Excellent brushwork,¡± Lyra praised. ¡°A picture of you? Is this a bounty bill?¡± Siv asked. ¡°I doubt that,¡± Lyra said. ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like any bounty bill I have ever seen. There are no rewards listed. It doesn¡¯t specify if she¡¯s wanted dead or alive.¡± ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s a more discreet kind of bounty, known only to a few.¡± ¡°Someone wants you dead,¡± Siv said. ¡°But they don¡¯t wish to reveal themselves. The clues are pointing to some secret faction.¡± ¡°I did uncover an underworld faction within Quinteburgh when I freed the ves. Everyone became extremely vignt for any suspicious person. They waited for me to leave town before sending people after me.¡± Erin sighed. ¡°Great¡­ Trouble is already here.¡± ¡°Our stalker¡ª could it be someone that wants you dead, mistress?¡± ¡°At the moment, suspects are endless. It could even be one of the challengers who were not satisfied with the duel¡¯s conclusion.¡± ¡°You made a lot of enemies.¡± ¡°Nothing unfamiliar there. I have made thousands of enemies in my past life. My curse follows me to this life. Maybe my soul is cursed to the core.¡± ¡°Your enemies are my enemies, mistress.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Erin,¡± Lyra assured. ¡°If theye for you again, I¡¯m sure we will see them from miles away. In my case, it would be a literal sense.¡± ¡°I have seen my fair share of assassins, mistress. I know how they work and what they are liable to do.¡± ¡°Oh right,¡± Lyra blurted. ¡°You former masters must have a lot of enemies. How many attempts on your former masters¡¯ lives have you stopped?¡± ¡°Individual effort, two. The other times are all shared efforts between my fellow workmates.¡± ¡°Anyone one of them that uses familiars enchanted with special magic glyphs?¡± Erin asked. ¡°There was one time where the caravan was attacked by a Colossal Hog. We managed to kill it but as we inspected the carcass, the hog turns out to be specially bred and much work has been done to its body to turn it into an efficient killer puppet.¡± ¡°Oh...¡± Lyra muttered. ¡°That sounds so twisted.¡± ¡°Have you ever found out who was responsible?¡± Erin asked. ¡°That¡¯s the intriguing part. Lord Hegan did but he never told me. He said I was better off not knowing.¡± ¡°But did you find out regardless?¡± Lyra asked. Siv scowled but only slightly. ¡°...I did,¡± she admitted. ¡°Who?¡± Erin asked. Siv leaned in and beckoned the two toe close. ¡°Before I tell you, promise me to not utter the name out loud, even if it¡¯s just like a whisper.¡± Lyra nodded and shrugged while a shiver went down Erin¡¯s spine. ¡°It¡¯s an underworld faction called the Covenant.¡±
Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Five-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 33 | Status: Mild Exhaustion Might: 22 | Arcane: 41 | Finesse: 36 Magic Arts Spirit Magic Lv. 8 | Arcane Edge Lv. 5 | Arcane Armor Lv. 10 | Lightning Magic Lv. 10 | Arcane Aegis Lv. 7 | Mystic Tail Arts Lv 1 Combat Arts Sword Art Lv. 8 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 5 Innate Skills Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 7 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex | Mana Harvest Lv. 1 | Lightning Resistance Lv. 1 Unique Talent Mystic de Lv. Ex | Revenant Lv. Ex Level Progression: 85% Remaining Skill Points: 6 Remaining Ability Points: 4
Lyra - Human: Westerion Level: 27 | Age: 20 Might: 22 | Arcane: 10 | Finesse: 30 Magic Arts - Wind Magic Lv. 1 Combat Arts - Bow Art Lv. 7 | Fleet Foot Lv. 3 | Brawler Lv. 2 | Sword Art Lv. 1 Innate Skills - Eagle Eye Lv. 5
Siv - Beast-kin: Wolf-kin of the ckwoods Tribe Level: 29 | Age: 55 (18 in Beast-kin years) Might: 35 | Arcane: 5 | Finesse: 25 Magic Arts - None Combat Arts - Sword Art Lv. 4 | Fleet Foot Lv. 3 | Brawler Lv. 5 | Polearm Mastery Lv. 6 | Body Strengthening Lv. 3 Innate Skills - Night Vision Lv. Ex | Beast Form Lv. 2 3-22 Hiding 3-22 Hiding ¡°The rope will hold?¡± Nivia asked, throwing a worrisome nce at the unconscious and bound Aera. After subduing her, the trio had her bound and brought her to a cave a mile away from where they fought. The cave was home to a bear-like monster known as Serrator but Aedan¡¯s presence scared it off the moment he came into the monster¡¯s sight. The cave was well hidden. It was perfect for the purpose of a temporary hideout. Aedan glimpsed briefly at the Elf over his shoulder. ¡°I sure hope so,¡± he answered as dryly as ever before turning his attention back onto the fire he was stoking. The Serrator was a monster that had its fur to keep itself warm. As such, its habitat was a damp and draughty ce. It was difficult to start a fire, let alone stoking it. But Aedan managed. Lilian was throwing the same manner of a nce as Nivia at Aera. ¡°The rope isn¡¯t magical or any sort?¡± she asked. ¡°Nope. Just a very ordinary rope but I made it myself. So I can guarantee its quality at least.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you have any ropes with the appropriate spells in your repertoire?¡± ¡°As a matter of fact, I don¡¯t,¡± Aedan admitted. ¡°I do have some chains but it would be too big for someone of her stature.¡± ¡°What sort of chains would that be?¡± ¡°The ones used to restrain gigantic monsters.¡± ¡°Oh, I see,¡± Lilian muttered. ¡°How did youe by such an item, if I may ask?¡± ¡°I saved a ship from a fleet of pirates. The captain gave me the chains as gratitude.¡± ¡°Sounds like you have a lot of stories to tell.¡± ¡°Not that I¡¯ll be telling any of them soon.¡± ¡°What about spells?¡± Nivia asked. ¡°Don¡¯t you know any useful spells that would help restrain the crazydy over there?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t use any spells at the moment.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know how?¡± ¡°I said I can¡¯t, not that I don¡¯t know how. There¡¯s a difference.¡± ¡°Yeah yeah yeah,¡± Nivia brushed his excuse off. ¡°Nivia, you¡¯re being rude here,¡± Lilian reprimanded. ¡°And he¡¯s not?¡± Lilian sighed at Nivia¡¯s behaviour before turning back to Aedan with a warm smile. ¡°This cave reeks. Do you think it will be enough to hide our scent?¡± ¡°From what? Monsters?¡± ¡°Vampires. There¡¯s no telling if there¡¯s only one vampire out there looking for the girl.¡± ¡°There¡¯s also no telling if there¡¯s truly more than one vampire out there.¡± ¡°Aedan, please. I fear for our safety. If a vampire attacks and the girl goes into a maniacal rage again, I doubt our chances ating out intact.¡± ¡°If there¡¯s more than one vampire out there, I would know. Their scent isn''t exactly subtle amidst the wilderness. Now, please be quiet and let me stoke this goddamned fire in peace. It¡¯s been quite a while since I made a fire.¡± ¡°V-very well. I¡¯ll let you be,¡± Lilian said and retreated a few steps away from Aedan and took a seat on a boulder that could be said to be the least tainted ce in the cave. ¡°Are you sure we¡¯re safe?¡± Nivia questioned. ¡°I¡¯m hearing a lot of noises outside.¡± ¡°Those noises won¡¯t trouble us,¡± Aedan muttered back in a tone that only those with sharp ears could hear. ¡°How can you be sure?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to believe me. You¡¯re wee to scout the area yourself if you¡¯re that worried.¡± ¡°Maybe I will,¡± Nivia huffed and strode out of the cave with her weapons in tow. Aedan sighed. ¡°Finally, quiet again,¡± he remarked and resumed mending the mes. The dampness of the cave was making the mes¡¯ growth difficult. Even the slightest negligence from Aedan would put the mes out. ¡°I thought Dragons can keep themselves warm without any fire,¡± Lilian mused. ¡°It¡¯s not for me,¡± Aedan responded, cursing once in a while when the fire dimmed again and again. Lilian giggled. ¡°Oh my. This is very considerate of you, Aedan. But it¡¯s alright. We have spells to keep ourselves warm when nightes.¡± ¡°No, save your Mana. We might have some brutish visitors when nightes. And just in case if Aera wakes up and goes feral again.¡± ¡°Aera?¡± Aedan pointed at their bound prisoner. ¡°The girl,¡± he said. ¡°Ah,¡± Lilian uttered in realization. ¡°So you have Appraisal. Now that¡¯s not very nice, Aedan. You must know so much about us now. All of our secrets are exposed. And we know nothing about you. Dear me, truly.¡± ¡°Nivia is still green but you¡¯re not. I don¡¯t believe you don¡¯t have any means to repel Appraisal but you aren''t using it for some reasons.¡± For a brief moment, Lilian¡¯s expression froze but it returned to her gentle smile. ¡°You are correct, Aedan,¡± she admitted, giggling behind her hand. ¡°You¡¯re very smart, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I am more or less as smart as the average person,¡± Aedan retorted. ¡°The only difference being I have experience. I have seen enough to know what to expect.¡± ¡°I believe you. You sure sound a lot like the elders back home,¡± she said, slowly nudging her way closer to the Dragon-kin. ¡°Why are youing closer?¡± Aedan asked. ¡°Let me,¡± Lilian said, extending her open palm, gesturing for the stick Aedan was using to stoke the fire. Aedan handed her the stick without hesitation. Lilian¡¯s hand moved and twirled like a master painter around the mes. She added a few dry leaves and sticks in between her strokes. Eventually, the mes began to burn bright and never shrink as they grew. ¡°This is how you do it,¡± she said proudly as she handed Aedan back the stick. ¡°Was it fun watching me fumbling around like an idiot?¡± Aedan asked with a narrow gaze. ¡°Very much,¡± Lilian answered. ¡°Seems like you can¡¯t see through everything, after all.¡± ¡°Never said I can. Those were words being put into my mouth,¡± he retorted and slumped back on the wall, letting a gasp of relief. ¡°What a day¡­ so much for peace...¡± Lilian snuggled her way beside him, their shoulders separated only by their thin piece of clothing. ¡°If you¡¯re cold, the fire is over there.¡± Aedan pointed. ¡°And it ain¡¯t even dusk yet.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not cold, just lonely.¡± ¡°Nivia is just outside. A few yards away from the entrance, by an old stump.¡± ¡°You can tell all that, I¡¯m amazed.¡± ¡°I could be just fibbing.¡± Lilian chuckled. ¡°You don¡¯t look like you¡¯re fibbing.¡± ¡°I¡¯m curious. At this point, people normally have gotten sick of me but you seem to be all the more interested. Do you perhaps have that kind of orientation?¡± ¡°Maybe I do,¡± Lilian retorted with a grin and rested her head on his shoulder. ¡°Or maybe I just miss the warmth of a man.¡± Her fingers traced from his navel to his chest. ¡°What about your husband?¡± ¡°Oh my.¡± There was a look of genuine surprise as she gasped but amusement took over. ¡°How much more will you expose of me?¡± ¡°You fell out of love with your human husband, I reckon.¡± Lilian guffawed. ¡°Oh my, oh my. Just how do you see these things?¡± ¡°Yourck of condescending attitude when talking to other races. It¡¯s often a result of having a rtionship with a different race your kind normally deem inferior. Your flirtatious attitude says you miss the action or you''re just curious. Considering your age, I''m leaning on thetter. And you¡¯ll only miss the action if you have a taste of it before. There¡¯s also the way you keep fiddling your left ring finger with your thumb despite not having a ring on it. That says plenty about your marital status.¡± ¡°But how do you know he¡¯s a human?¡± ¡°A ring on the fourth finger of the left hand is a human tradition. No other races use rings except the Augurs. However, Augurs put the ring on the fifth finger of their right hand.¡± ¡°Dear me, you are going to make me forget about my husband with that silver tongue of yours.¡± She giggled. ¡°You are correct about me falling out of love with my husband. Don¡¯t feel bad for him. He isn¡¯t exactly faithful either.¡± ¡°Infidelity?¡± ¡°He was tempted. He was sweet on a barmaid from a tavern he frequents. If he did not fear my tribe¡¯s retribution should he have an affair, he would have left me a long time ago. Now, he¡¯s just waiting for me to break the vow first. I¡¯m tired of this. I just want to be free. Aedan, can you grant me that freedom?¡± ¡°If you broke the vow first, what would be the repercussions?¡± ¡°The scorn of my people but I already had that when I lost my virtue to an Augur in my younger days. So, no repercussions that I¡¯m not ustomed to.¡± ¡°Then any man would have been fine, no?¡± Lilian snorted with a deep scowl. ¡°I¡¯m offended, Aedan.¡± With both of her hands pped on Aedan¡¯s cheeks, she turned his head to face her. ¡°What kind of woman do you take me for?¡± ¡°Is that a trick question?¡± ¡°Answer me,¡± she demanded. ¡°A pariah who¡¯s in heat.¡± ¡°Even if I am¡ª¡± she squeezed his face. ¡°what makes you think I would just pounce on any man?¡± ¡°I spoke too much. Forgive me.¡± ¡°No,¡± she said, smirking and bringing her lips closer to his. ¡°You will not be forgiven this easily.¡± Aedan reeled back. ¡°Please don¡¯t. I do not wish for burdens.¡± ¡°So you see love as a burden.¡± She chuckled. ¡°You know, I have seen a lot too. And I know you¡¯re a lustful man who has a string of women at your beck and call. So, what¡¯s one more among the lot?¡± ¡°That¡¯s who I was, not who I am. And I don¡¯t want to knowingly invite conflict if I can help it.¡± ¡°But my husband no longer has me in his heart. He won¡¯t be troubling you.¡± ¡°He will. He¡¯s a man. You are still his wife, regardless if he still has you in his heart. His pride as a man would be hurt if his wife is stolen from him.¡± Lilian chuckled. ¡°That is very tempting to see it happen. Shall we try it just for the sake of spiting my husband?¡± ¡°You¡¯re enjoying this.¡± ¡°He lied to me about being his only love. This is something I can never understand about humans. As Fae, we lived for centuries and we will only have one to three partners for our lifetime. But humans¡ªthey lived considerably less than a fraction of our lifespan and yet, their partners could even go more than a dozen. Do you know the feeling of knowing someone has lied to you for as long as you know them?¡± ¡°All too well,¡± Aedan answered. ¡°Then you should understand my feelings. He¡¯s a petty man.¡± ¡°Offering your body to someone else just to spite your husband, doesn¡¯t that make you just as petty? And how many partners did you already have?¡± Lilian sighed, dropping her smile. ¡°I wish you would stop sparring with me and just grant my request.¡± ¡°And I wish you stop being so forward with your desires.¡± Lilian gritted her teeth and seethed. ¡°You just love to be vexing, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°As long as it keeps the flies away, yes.¡± ¡°Too bad. I find this side of you very¡ª¡± She ced her lips beside his ear, just barely touching. ¡°¡ªpiquant.¡± Before a retort came from Aedan, the groan from Aera who was writhing around in her restraints caused the two to separate from their spar of words and emotions. ¡°Just when things are getting interesting,¡± Lilian grumbled but her grin spelt the contrary of her words. Tossing in her sleep and letting out a few moans, Aera awoke to ck patches everywhere her eyes went, safe for the one spot when the fire burned. She struggled but immediately gave up after only a few tries. ¡°See, the rope works,¡± Aedan said, merrily. ¡°Thank the Spirits, it did.¡± ¡°Evening,¡± Aedan greeted the groggy Aera who still had her eyes half-closed. ¡°I trust that you have a good sleep.¡± Aera¡¯s eyes followed the voice and found two familiar faces. ¡°It¡¯s you two,¡± she said, in a calm and soothing voice, aplete opposite of her former demeanour. ¡°Where am I?¡± ¡°In a cave. Do you remember anything?¡± Aedan asked. ¡°I remember everything,¡± she answered and then she groaned. ¡°Maybe not everything. My head hurts.¡± Lilian looked at Aedan as if pointing her finger at him. ¡°You were the reason I was unconscious,¡± Aera said. ¡°Yeah, I had to. Sorry about getting physical and the ropes. You were very difficult to deal with and we had to make sure.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± she replied. ¡°I wasn¡¯t being very¡­ sensible and I would like to express my gratitude for restraining me and my apologies for the troubles that I have caused.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°I was so¡­ angry. It was very unlike me. I couldn¡¯t stop the wrath budding inside me until you¡­ did something. And the Fae Lady, I would also like to apologize to you. I have given you much trouble despite you and your friend¡¯s good intentions.¡± ¡°Oh my,¡± Lilian breathed. ¡°She is certainly different than she was. Was she under some sort of spell then?¡± ¡°She is,¡± Aedan answered. ¡°But the spell is only lifted temporarily.¡± ¡°You mean she might go into that¡­ state again?¡± ¡°Very likely but...¡± Aedan held out the same syringe for Lilian to see. ¡°I¡¯m prepared if that happens again.¡± Lilian breathed a sigh of relief and turned to Aera. ¡°So, Aera, that¡¯s your name, right?¡± Lilian asked. Aera nodded. ¡°It is the name my mother gave me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a beautiful name, befitting of a beauty like you. If you¡¯re willing to share, would you care to tell us your story?¡± ¡°It would be very long. And it¡¯s less of a story and more of a nightmare. A folly of youth.¡± ¡°I stand by what Aedan said, you¡¯re among friends now. You can rest easy.¡± ¡°Aedan?¡± ¡°This person here. I am Lilian. If you do not know, I am a Dryad.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s your Elven friend?¡± Aera looked around, as much as she could in her state. ¡°I remember someone like her being with you.¡± ¡°That would be Nivia, she¡¯s just outside.¡± ¡°Can she be here when I tell my story? I think you all deserve to know after I have put you all through. And I want to apologize to her too.¡± Lilian gasped heartily with her hand to her chest. ¡°You are such a good girl. Just what happened to you?¡± ¡°Everything,¡± Aera answered. ¡°Ever since I was born. My life had all been a lie. It would be a long story.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve got all night and we¡¯re in no hurry,¡± Nivia said as she strode to the fire and took a seat by it. ¡°The area¡¯s safe, for now. So you better tell us everything we want to know.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Aera said. ¡°But before I tell you my story, you have to know about my father, Rayor, who is the cause of everything that¡¯s wrong with my life.¡± 3-23 Campfire tale 3-23 Campfire tale ¡°My father¡¯s name is Rayor. I¡¯m sure you have already realized that by now. He¡¯s probably one of the most despicable men you¡¯ll ever meet. His level is in the forties, or so he ims. If that¡¯s true, he¡¯s probably in the mid-range by now. He¡¯s very adept at Wind Magic for a human. He is the head of the local bandits from my homnd. Even before he came into the service of the one known as Marduk, he was already an established man, not in a benevolent sense. The locals fear him and the bandits revered him for his ruthlessness and his strength. He had bested many who challenged his rule over that smallnd.¡± Aedan, Lilian, and Nivia listened attentively despite having different reactions to Aera¡¯s story. Nevertheless, they kept silent and let her words flow. ¡°I was born in a vige that thrives on its own thanks to the fertile soil and the river nearby that has never run dry for a hundred years. However, my vige is far from towns and cities. We were often attacked by monsters and bandits. My f-father took the liberty to offer the vige protection from the monsters and the bandits not under his banner. In exchange, he demands payment from the vige every month.¡± ¡°What kind of payment?¡± Aedan asked, giving Aera a cup of warm water. He had released her from her binds prior to the beginning of her tale after deeming her to be of no threat to them. But of course, Nivia had voiced her rejection but was woefully ignored. Aera gently sipped from the cup before answering. ¡°Money, food, liquor, or women...¡± her voice trailed off. ¡°Monstrous,¡± Lilian remarked with her teeth gritting against each other. ¡°Humans¡¯ depravity never ceased to make me shudder,¡± Nivia muttered. ¡°Women¡­ could it be...¡± Aera nodded to Aedan¡¯s musing. ¡°Yes. My mother was one of the women who got offered to the bandits. It is how I was born,¡± Aera exined. ¡°That must have been dreadful, to find out you were the child of a loathsome man,¡± Lilian said. ¡°I hope you weren¡¯t being given terrible treatment by the other vigers.¡± ¡°Actually, they were quite sympathetic to me and my mother. I wasn¡¯t treated terribly but...¡± Aera gripped tightly on the hem of her robe. ¡°Their sympathies can be¡­ overbearing at times¡ª ah, forgive me. I have derailed from my story.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. Just take your time,¡± Aedan said. ¡°Things were peaceful...¡± Aera continued her tale. ¡°Peaceful?¡± Nivia questioned. ¡°Rtively speaking,¡± Aera replied. ¡°But it got worse when Rayor went into the employment of Marduk. I don¡¯t know how that happened but that was when the descent started.¡± ¡°How did it get worse?¡± Aedan asked. ¡°Since our soil is fertile, we were tasked to grow something for Rayor¡¯s new employer. Before you ask, no, I don¡¯t know what it is. They did not tell us. We were just ¡°asked¡± to grow the flowers.¡± ¡°You at least remember what the flower looks like, don¡¯t you?¡± Nivia asked curtly, incurring a reprimanding re from Lilian. ¡°It¡¯s red¡­ The leaves are simr to clovers and¡­ the flower itself is¡­ shaped like a horn.¡± ¡°A horn? An animal¡¯s horn or the instrument kind?¡± ¡°Instrument.¡± ¡°A morning glory then?¡± ¡°What¡¯s a morning glory?¡± Nivia gave a stare of disbelief before turning her gaze away and sighed. ¡°Forget I ask,¡± she muttered. ¡°But aren¡¯t morning glories purple?¡± Lilian pointed out. ¡°Obviously, these aren¡¯t normal morning glories,¡± Aedan said. ¡°Anyways, please continue, Aera.¡± ¡°Because they wanted to grow these flowers, our supply of wheat and barley dwindled. The vige began to starve. The hunger slowed and sometimes blundered our efforts in growing the flowers. We failed to make the assigned amount and Rayor got berated by his employer. He and his men visited the vige the night after. All of them were drunk. Heshed out his anger on the vigers. A few fought back and that only made Rayor angrier. He killed those who fought back and that in turn caused all of the vigers to run. Some stayed and fought. My mother and I weren''t so fortunate. My mother, in order to protect me, offered her to the bandits. They have their way with her and Rayor¡­ my own blood father¡­ turned his lust on me...¡± ¡°This is sickening...¡± Nivia muttered, infuriated. ¡°Your father raped you?¡± Lilian asked in a direct manner. ¡°He tried and he came close.¡± Thest word left Aera¡¯s trembling lips and a tear flowed down from the corner of her eye. ¡°And then what happened?¡± ¡°I prayed. I couldn¡¯t fight back. So I prayed. I prayed and I prayed. No gods answered my prayers. Then again, I never had any favours with any god.¡± ¡°But you wore the cloth of faith, no?¡± Nivia asked, dubiously. ¡°These weren¡¯t mine. I had to wear something after Rayor tore my clothes apart when he¡­ when he...¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. You don¡¯t have to say it. We understand,¡± Lilian assured. Aera smiled, or at least she tried to. ¡°As my fate seemed to be at its bleakest, a goddess answered my prayers. She didn¡¯t care if my belief in her was true. She appointed me as her apostle anyway. I was instantly bestowed immense power in exchange for my sanity, as you have seen. I-I¡­ I killed my father right then. I didn¡¯t stop there. I killed them all. They ran when they realized they stood no chance. They led me to their base and they ran again. And they led me to their other bases. Just like that, I ended up destroying their bases one after another. As I wreaked havoc on their bases, it was then I discovered about Marduk and the faction he leads, an underground organization he called, the Covenant. I had an aim from then on. After that, I chanced upon you two.¡± ¡°You gained power in exchange for your sanity? What were you thinking?¡± Nivia rebuked. ¡°I was thinking I want to live¡­ and I want to punish the ones who wronged me,¡± Aera retorted without meeting the Elf¡¯s eyes. ¡°And that¡¯s a good reason to exchange your very self for it?¡± ¡°Nivia, that¡¯s enough,¡± Lilian chimed in. ¡°No, it¡¯s not enough. Don¡¯t stop me, Lilian. She didn¡¯t just put herself at risk. Her loss of self also came this close to hurting others, especially the elderly couple who tried to help her.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t expect you to understand my reasons. I was told empathy is the privilege of the ones who share your pain.¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t understand my reasons for reprimanding you. Power without guidance or inhibition is an invitation to catastrophe. For purely personal reasons, you are willing to garner coteral damages. How are you any different from the ones who wronged you?¡± Aera lifted her gaze and met Nivia¡¯s re. ¡°You¡¯re saying I¡¯m the same as the shite that is my father?¡± ¡°A few decades ago, there was a small kingdom in the southeast. The sole daughter and child of the king was terribly ill, and there was no cure. The king made a deal with some dark forces to save his daughter''s life. And his daughter''s life was indeed saved but in doing so, he doomed his own kingdom. All of his people became experiment prisoners of the dark forces. The king''s daughtermitted suicide after knowing she was the cause of her father''s decision. You pursue your own goals without caring about the damages you inflicted to your surroundings. Is that any different? Well, is there?¡± Aera put down her cup and clenched her fists. Taking a deep breath, she released her clenched fists. ¡°Take that back,¡± she said. ¡°No,¡± Nivia retorted. ¡°Nivia, stop it,¡± Lilian raised her voice. She turned to Aedan. ¡°Aedan, would you kindly please mediate?¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing to mediate,¡± Aedan said with a shrug. ¡°Nivia speaks the truth.¡± ¡°You agree with me?¡± Nivia threw him a question with a befuddled nce.¡± ¡°Why are you so surprised about it?¡± ¡°I thought you¡­ despise me?¡± ¡°Despise is a strong word. Even if that¡¯s the case, why would I refute a mutual perspective?¡± ¡°You also think I¡¯m just as evil as my father?¡± Aera directed the question at Aedan. ¡°I won¡¯t say evil but your uncaring attitude about everyone else but yourself is very simr to how you describe your father.¡± ¡°I am not my father,¡± Aera said firmly, gritting her teeth. ¡°You¡¯re right, you¡¯re not your father, yet.¡± A crease formed on her brows. ¡°I won¡¯t be like him.¡± ¡°But you will if you continue down this path.¡± ¡°I am not evil.¡± ¡°Not yet.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t sink that low.¡± ¡°Hard to see that when you already have your feet in the puddle and eyes tainted by mud.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Aera screamed and threw the cup at Aedan, in which he let it break against his face. Nivia rolled her eyes whereas Lilian gasped with her hands covering her mouth. ¡°Oh my god...¡± Aera gasped. She looked down at her trembling hands. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. I-I¡­ I don¡¯t know what came over me...¡± ¡°That¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong, Aera,¡± Aedan said, wiping the small pieces of the cup¡¯s fragments off his face. It went without saying his face did not sustain any wound or scratch from the cup. ¡°You know what came over you. The decision you made without considering the consequences, that¡¯s what came over you. Imagine if it was someone else, with your strength, the cup could have killed them.¡± ¡°I-I¡­ I¡­ I¡¯m so sorry. I didn¡¯t know... I truly didn''t know.¡± ¡°But now you do. You might have saved yourself from a horrifying experience but in doing so, you might have put others into the same plight you escaped from. Your vengeance will do more harm to the ones uninvolved than the ones who wronged you. Bear that firmly in mind, or else youe to regret it for the rest of your life.¡± Aera nodded. ¡°I will...¡± ¡°Good.¡± Aedan pped his hands. ¡°Now, let¡¯s get some rest while we can before our enemiese knocking on the door.¡± ¡°There are people on our tail?¡± Nivia asked. ¡°Not at the moment but I wager they aren¡¯t the type to give up so easily. So get some rest while the enemies are most likely still licking their wounds.¡± **** As night fell, the taverns in Quinteburgh became rowdy and merry but the opposite was the woe of the dungeon beneath the town. As one would expect of a ce called a dungeon, it was used as a prison that housed the unruly ones and the ouws. Amongst the wicked-permeated bunch, a boy by the name of Velkan sat in the darkest corner of his cell, weeping in grief and sorrows of his loss. His world crumbled and his hope shattered when he heard of his sister¡¯s passing. Despair imed his emotions and senses. Ever since then, he had shut his soul from the outside world. His stomach growled for sustenance due to the days he went by without touching his meals. Even so, he continued to dwell in his destion and solitary. Another night came and another day went by without any acquaintance with the material touch of the world. His shadow was his onlypany every night safe for the guards that patrol the dungeon but that was about to change tonight. ¡°Child,¡± a voice called out to him from the other side of the cell door. But like all the other times he had visitors, he did not pay them any heed. ¡°Velkan Corvas,¡± the voice said his name. But he offered the same response. ¡°Erynthea,¡± the voice said another name. This time, Velkan raised his head to meet his visitor¡¯s face. He gasped at the sight of his visitor¡¯s appearance but no voice came out from his dry throat. It was dark but he had long been ustomed to it. He could vaguely make out his visitor was a man in his thirties, dressed in a tailored suit only nobles would wear. But what made him gasp was the aura the man exuded. Velkan didn¡¯t have Appraisal but he could tell the man was at a level unfathomable by the average individual. When the feeling of awe and fear subsided, Velkan cast his gaze back down, staring at his chain-bound hands. ¡°What of her?¡± he asked with a hoarse voice. He could remember thest time he had tasted water. ¡°I know you resent her. It is to a point where you give anything just to see her suffer.¡± Velkan did not respond. His gaze stuck to the floor as he listened. ¡°She caused your sister¡¯s death. Had the Fae not spur your sister, she would have lived.¡± Velkan stayed silent. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to get your revenge? To right the wrongs? I can make it happen.¡± Velkan was still silent. ¡°You don¡¯t believe me?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not the first one who tried to exploit my emotions for personal gain. So why don¡¯t you just fuck off?¡± The man sighed and his shoulders slumped. ¡°Well, can¡¯t fault me for trying,¡± the man said and took off his waistcoat. A pair of grey feather wings sprouted from his back. Velkan jumped up from where he sat and recoiled from the man. ¡°W-what the f-fuck?¡± A glint streaked over the feathers as the wings hardened. The man twisted and his wings sliced through the iron door of the cell. Velkan yelped. He tried to use his magic but the chains were constantly sapping away his Mana. ¡°What are you trying to do?¡± ¡°Questions questions questions,¡± the man said, entering the cell with his wings tucked behind him. ¡°This would have been a lot easier if you just gave me the answer I wanted to hear.¡± Velkan charged at him but the man¡¯s wings moved at a speed that surpassed his cognition. It hit him and he went mming against the wall. The man produced a small horn-shaped trinket out of his pocket. He lifted Velkan off the floor with only a single hand. Velkan iled about but the difference in level caused all of his efforts to be futile. ¡°This is going to hurt a lot but have fun with it,¡± the man said and plunged the horn into Velkan¡¯s chest. Velkan gasped but he only gagged. In an instant, dark veins spread from where he was stabbed, rapidly enveloping his whole body. The man had let him go and before he knew it, the man had disappeared from his sight, leaving him to writhe in pain alone as a transformation underwent on his entire being. 3-24 Supper 3-24 Supper ¡°Are we still being stalked by our mysterious friend?¡± Lyra asked, taking a spoonful of rabbit stew into her mouth as she spun her gaze around. Siv offered her a brief glimpse before turning her attention back todling herself a bowl of rabbit stew from the pot. Just an hour before nightfall, the three found shelter under the shade of a tree with overgrown branches and leaves, perfect for cover and deterring any sneaking gazes. ¡°Well, is there?¡± Lyra asked again, poking Siv by the shoulder with the other end of her spoon. ¡°Our usual stalker is still on our tail,¡± she answered after a sigh. ¡°Any new ones?¡± ¡°As far as I can tell, no.¡± ¡°As far as you can tell?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re not satisfied with my answer, you¡¯re free to consult Erin.¡± ¡°Oh, now it¡¯s ¡°Erin¡±?¡± Lyra mocked. ¡°What happened to ¡°mistress¡±?¡± ¡°She isn¡¯t here. I will only address her as ¡°mistress¡± face to face.¡± ¡°Precisely,¡± Lyra snapped her fingers. ¡°She isn¡¯t here. So how am I going to ask her?¡± Siv finisheddling her potion of the stew and took a seat across Lyra, who scooted over to her side. ¡°You have gotten high-strung. What gives?¡± Siv asked. ¡°What gives?¡± Lyra asked back. ¡°After you have just told us something you¡¯re not supposed to, you¡¯re asking me what gives?¡± ¡°I¡¯m starting to think I may have exaggerated my intentions.¡± ¡°If this faction is as dangerous as you made it out to be, shouldn''t you be worried too?¡± ¡°Who says I¡¯m not worried?¡± ¡°Do you need a mirror for that question? You¡¯re literally just making stew without ncing around you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s called being anxious.¡± ¡°Same meaning, no?¡± ¡°Close but not quite.¡± ¡°Hell if I know if that¡¯s the case.¡± Siv chuckled wryly. ¡°You really should read more like Erin have said.¡± Lyra recoiled with a frown. ¡°She said that to you?¡± Siv nodded, taking a spoon of the stew in relish. ¡°When?¡± ¡°Quite recently.¡± ¡°W-what else did she say about me to you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here. You can ask me,¡± Erin said. Lyra shrieked and jumped from her seat. Her bowl of stew flew from her hands but Siv caught it before it could flip and spill everything. Erin tittered as she strode towards the fire. ¡°Our stalker friend is still hiding and they don¡¯t seem to care if we knew about their presence. As for other threats, no other bandits are in the vicinity and the monsters run away the moment I flourish my tails.¡± Lyra red at Siv. ¡°You knew?¡± Siv shrugged and concentrated on eating her stew. Lyra shifted her re to Erin. ¡°How long have you been listening?¡± she asked grumpily. She received her bowl back from Siv who handed it to her. ¡°Fox ears, Lyra,¡± Erin answered. ¡°I can hear every word you have been saying.¡± ¡°Ah...¡± Lyra stuttered, red filling her cheeks. She coiled up her legs to her chest and took small sips from her bowl of stew. ¡°Forget everything you hear, please,¡± she begged. ¡°Why? Do you think I¡¯ll be offended?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s because it¡¯s embarrassing.¡± ¡°For who?¡± ¡°For me, dammit,¡± Lyra cursed. Erin giggled and took a seat beside her. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be. It¡¯s normal to talk about the ones you love, after all.¡± ¡°Do you talk about me all the time?¡± ¡°Ah¡ª I¡­¡± Erin¡¯s voice trailed off. ¡°I don¡¯t...¡± she admitted. ¡°Why not? You don¡¯t love me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ Well, it¡¯s really petty to say.¡± Lyra put down her bowl and leaned in close to Erin. ¡°Out with it,¡± she demanded. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ jealous¡­ I don¡¯t want them knowing the things about you that only I know,¡± Erinid it bare, crimson flushing her cheeks. Lyra¡¯s cheeks were dyed even redder and they two looked away from each other to avoid showing their reddened cheeks. ¡°Mistress, you are oddly innocent at times,¡± Siv remarked. ¡°I was living in celibacy before I became¡­ me.¡± ¡°Anyways, what were you saying about our stalker? They aren¡¯t concerned about their discretion?¡± ¡°It seems that way. I couldn¡¯t see them but I felt our gazes met. They didn¡¯t run. They probably don¡¯t mean us harm.¡± ¡°Regardless, this is quite rude. If they have questions they could just ask.¡± ¡°They kinda did ask. I refused to tell them anything.¡± ¡°Then they should just live with that. Like many others do.¡± ¡°Obviously, they aren¡¯t used to having ¡°no¡± as an answer. And they didn¡¯t run when they were found out. No guilty conscience. This boils down to fewer likely suspects on who the stalker works for.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t think it could be one of the challengers?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°The more that I thought about it, the more unlikely I found it to be. If they desire a rematch, they wouldn¡¯t use such a roundabout way. They would ask directly.¡± ¡°That¡­ sort of makes sense,¡± Lyra muttered. ¡°Here, mistress,¡± Siv said, handing Erin a bowl of stew. ¡°Smells good,¡± Erin praised. She put a spoonful into her mouth. ¡°Hmm! This is good. Whose recipe is this?¡± ¡°My n¡¯s. My great grandmother¡¯s, to be precise.¡± ¡°It¡¯s very delicious, truly.¡± ¡°I am honoured, mistress.¡± ¡°I can cook too,¡± Lyra grumbled faintly. ¡°Then I¡¯ll be looking forward to your cooking in the evening of the morrow.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Lyra uttered. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t actually¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, Lyra. I¡¯ll eat whatever you cook,¡± Erin assured her. ¡°That was what Edmund said too,¡± Lyra mumbled but her low voice did not escape Erin¡¯s ears. ¡°He didn¡¯t like your cooking?¡± she asked. ¡°I forgot the salt and he treated it like I served him something from the garbage pile. Should have known what kind of person he was then but...¡± ¡°But you were in love,¡± Erin finished her sentence. ¡°...Yes,¡± Lyra admitted. ¡°And we were still green to the outside world. We only have each other. I still can¡¯t believe how low he had sunk. If only we have any information regarding his whereabouts.¡± ¡°He couldn¡¯t have run far. The only way he could run is east. The closest town is another day from here. Considering he had nothing but a weapon and a few coins on him, he¡¯ll settle in the town for quite some time before moving on.¡± ¡°You believe he could be in the next town?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t but I hope he¡¯s there. It will save us the trouble. The sooner he¡¯s no longer an issue the better, for your health, Lyra.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­ I just¡­ feel disgusted that I¡¯m acquainted with someone like him.¡± ¡°This former lover of yours¡­ What¡¯s he like?¡± Siv asked. ¡°Why do you wish to know?¡± Lyra questioned back. ¡°So I can be appropriately prepared when our paths eventually cross.¡± ¡°You¡¯re eager,¡± Erin said. ¡°Of course,¡± Siv answered. ¡°My kind do not smile upon deserters. They are trialled.¡± ¡°What do they do with deserters?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°The most lenient punishment is exile.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ what about the least lenient?¡± ¡°Decapitation and your head will be mounted on a stick for all to see.¡± ¡°That¡¯s... severe.¡± ¡°Desertion is a severe offence.¡± ¡°So¡­ where shall we mount his head?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°No,¡± Erin uttered. ¡°We are not doing that. I don¡¯t think we¡¯re even allowed to do that but that¡¯s not the point.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just joking, Erin,¡± Lyra said. ¡°Still,¡± she added. ¡°We will decide his fate in response to the degree of his cooperation. If he¡¯s willing to give himself up, we will hand him to the guards.¡± ¡°Unlikely,¡± Siv said. ¡°If he was the type to give himself up, he would have by now. He would probably run the moment he saw us.¡± ¡°He can try to run,¡± Lyra responded. ¡°Let¡¯s see how far and fast he can run.¡± ¡°Alright, enough of this. Please remember, he¡¯s not our priority. Before our mind wanders to hunting others, they are people hunting us.¡± ¡°I thought it¡¯s just you?¡± ¡°Do you think they will let you, an acquaintance of mine, off if they chance upon you?¡± ¡°We¡¯re all targets now,¡± Siv said. ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯m very sorry about this,¡± Erin apologized. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean for this to happen.¡± ¡°You did nothing wrong, Erin,¡± Lyra said, taking Erin¡¯s hand into hers. ¡°You were doing some good. These¡­ monstrous people should be the ones feeling sorry and ashamed.¡± ¡°Thank you, Lyra. This means¡ª¡± she cut her words midway and spun around to her feet. No words were exchanged. Lyra and Siv dropped their bowls and rose to their feet with their weapons at the ready. ¡°How many?¡± Lyra asked, nocking an arrow. ¡°Just one,¡± Erin answered. ¡°But I doubt our odds. This one is¡­ strong. My Sixth Sense is screaming.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t smell anything out of ce,¡± Siv said. ¡°But¡­ I feel its presence. It¡¯s overwhelming.¡± ¡°This presence is¡­ familiar...¡± Erin muttered, her eyes stuck to a bush between two old trees. The bush rustled in the face of the breeze but it kept rustling after the breeze passed. Lyra aimed her bow at the bush while Siv positioned herself towards it. The three waited in trepidation but not one of them had fear written on their faces. The bush rustled some more and eventually, a paw of a small animal stuck out of the bush. ¡°A rabbit?¡± Lyra muttered. ¡°Or a squirrel?¡± The leaves parted as a ball of fur rolled out of the bush. Nay, it was a rodent-like animal that possessed overgrown fur, giving the appearance of a literal furball. It had the peculiar ears of a rabbit. Its limbs were simr but it was hard to be sure with all the fur covering its body. It could have passed as a normal animal had it not been for its ephemeral appearance. ¡°This is¡­ curious,¡± Siv muttered. ¡°Are those fur? Is it a rabbit?¡± ¡°What the¡ª Where have I seen this before?¡± Lyra asked no one in particr. ¡°A Guardian?¡± Erin mused out loud. ¡°What¡¯s a Guardian?¡± Siv asked. ¡°I am a Guardian.¡± Erin drew her sword. ¡°What do you want?¡± She brandished her sabre. Lyra pulled the string of her bow. ¡°Now I remember,¡± she said. ¡°Met your ilk some time ago. Not a friendly fellow.¡± ¡°Understandable,¡± the Guardian said. ¡°He did show a great deal of hostility.¡± ¡°He tried to kill me,¡± Erin corrected. ¡°On valid grounds,¡± the guardian retorted. ¡°Outworlders are known for their lust for power and using any means to obtain it.¡± ¡°But I am not like them.¡± ¡°And I concur.¡± Erin lowered her sword. ¡°You do?¡± ¡°Though there are a few who share my sentiment, it¡¯s only the minority. A few of us believe you are different from the other Outworlders. I am here to let you know there are some of us rooting for you.¡± ¡°Rooting for me? Rooting for what?¡± ¡°Which is also why I¡¯m here. To tell you. The other Guardians deemed you too dangerous to be left alive but since you have the protection of the True Dragon, they can¡¯t intervene directly.¡± ¡°True Dragon? You meant Aedan?¡± Lyra blurted. ¡°I believe that¡¯s his mortal name. So yes, it¡¯s Aedan.¡± ¡°What?¡± Siv gasped. ¡°Aedan is a True Dragon?¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying they will intervene indirectly?¡± Erin questioned. ¡°Precisely what I am saying. Ever since you killed an Apostle of another Divine, you have started a war between all Apostles of different Divines. The Guardians are exploiting this war.¡± Erin raised her brow as realization crossed. ¡°They are spurring the Apostles toe after me?¡± ¡°Not just you, there are other Outworlders who are Divine Apostles too.¡± ¡°Why are you telling me this?¡± ¡°Because we don¡¯t want you to think you were being wronged by my so-called ilk and risk pushing you to the dark edges. And also, we wish to employ your assistance in curbing the Outworlders who lust for power.¡± ¡°And there¡¯s the catch,¡± Erin said. ¡°I should have known. There¡¯s always an ulterior motive to a seemingly charitable action.¡± ¡°The actions of these greedy Outworlders would destroy the world as a whole. It¡¯s not just the concern of us Guardians.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you lot supposed to be doing what you¡¯re asking her to do?¡± Siv asked. ¡°The powers of Outworlders are not to be underestimated. In the past, there were Outworlders who managed to kill a Guardian despite the difference in levels. Outworlders are an enigma. It¡¯s only right to put an enigma against another enigma.¡± Erin sighed. ¡°It¡¯s just one problem after another.¡± ¡°I have said what I came here to say. I implore you once again, Erynthea. Consider our request. Farewell,¡± the Guardian said and vanished into glitters. ¡°So¡­ are we going to take up his request?¡± Lyra asked. Erin sheathed her sword and slumped to the ground. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. This concerns everyone in this world. Whether we like it or not, we are all involved.¡± ¡°Mistress, if I may be so bold to say, you sound and look exasperated but I don¡¯t feel those feelings from you.¡± ¡°As tedious as these things are, it¡¯s a fact that there is an opportunity for growth in the face of conflict. After all, civilization advanced this far because of the many problems we faced. We grow to ovee these problems. I have no doubt solving these problems will get me one step closer to my former strength when I was the Sword Saint.¡± Siv¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You were a Sword Saint?¡± ¡°Oh right, I haven¡¯t told you that either. Well, we have the rest of the night ahead of us. Maybe it¡¯s time Iy it all out to you two.¡± ¡°Me?¡± Lyra pointed at herself. ¡°Yes, you too. I still have yet to tell you what is likely my biggest secret.¡± ¡°What secret¡­?¡± ¡°Well, before I was Erynthea, I was actually a¡ª¡± 3-25 Morning affair 3-25 Morning affair The birds sang the songs that beckon the light of the morning. The sun scattered into thousands of paths as it shone through the trees. The breeze carried a chill but not too exaggerated. Erin basked in the morning tenor in silence with her knees on the ground and her eyes shut. To many, she looked like nothing more than a vulnerable damsel, asking to be assaulted. However, to the trained eyes, she was more than ready to act at a second¡¯s notice. Her nose and ears perceived more than her eyes ever could. Morning came an hour and more ago. Erin had taken the liberty to scour the area before resuming their journey. She also used this moment to meditate in order to reorganize her thoughts and wits. She needed this afterst night. She had revealed her biggest secret to the two women she hade to care a lot about. One had taken the revtion without much surprise but the other was almost too distraught to even talk to her. They went to bed without resolving the unease between them and when Erin had woken first, her feet carried her to the forest to clear her mind. Which brought her to the present. No matter how much she tried to clear her mind and rearrange her thoughts, guilt kept finding its way back. And she couldn¡¯t send it away knowing full well she deserved the feelings of guilt. At the same time, she felt indignant that her lover couldn¡¯tprehend her difficulty in expressing the truth. Be those as it may, there was a queer feeling that made a smile appear on her face. As epiphany was close to her reach, her meditation was rudely interrupted by the presence of a few individuals approaching her. They were not the ones that had been following her all this time but a fresh group. Going by their snail pace and hesitation, she could only rule it as them sneaking up on her. She opened her eyes and got to her feet. She turned to the direction where she sensed theming from. Though the dense vegetation impeded her sights, their scent was carried to her nose by the breeze. ¡°Show yourself,¡± she said, loud enough to be heard a few yards away. When there was no response, she unsheathed her sabre and charged the de with her Mana, giving a thin glow of a vibrant blue. As he swung, the blue glow was released from the de and flew at a tree in the shape of a lunar moon. The Aura Shot grazed the tree and a boy revealed himself after tripping on a branch due to purposely misguided Aura Shot. ¡°Wait! Wait!¡± the boy instantly shouted before getting back up, prioritizing his well being over his dignity. ¡°I mean you no harm!¡± The boy had the appearance of the average Westerion and nothing about him left an impression on Erin, save for his attempt at sneaking up on her. ¡°Speak your reasons or meet your end at my de,¡± Erin said, letting the chill of the morning seep into her voice. ¡°I-I was just being a nosy fellow, that is all!¡± the boy frantically exined. ¡°That¡¯s very convincing,¡± Erin retorted and filled her de with the blue glow once again. ¡°I-I swear! It¡¯s not every day that I see a Fae. Besides, you¡¯re a very prettydy, mdy. I just want to get a closer look at you and maybe have a few nice words with you.¡± Erinughed, the blue glow shone ever vibrantly on the de. ¡°Do you take me for a fool, young man?¡± she said and shifted her gaze to a boulder a few feet beside the boy. She pointed her sword to that ce. ¡°M-mdy?¡± ¡°Tell me the truth now or you and your friends will meet your end here.¡± ¡°M-my friends?¡± Erin sighed. She flourished her tails and incurred a yelp from the boy. ¡°Stop ying me for a fool. I¡¯m in no mood for that. Your friend by the boulder. Your friend behind that stump. And the one above the tree. Did I make myself clear?¡± The boy swallowed a lump in his throat and signalled for hispanions to show themselves. A bright light engulfed the surrounding in a blinding sh and as it dissipated, two more boys and a girl appeared in the ces Erin had pointed out. The three left their position and slowly make their way to the boy. ¡°I told you this was a bad idea,¡± the boy with the bow that had been in the trees whispered to the girl. ¡°Tell that to Cole,¡± the girl responded without giving him a nce. ¡°That is some interesting trick,¡± Erin remarked, training her gaze on the four. ¡°It is no trick,¡± the girl retorted indignantly. Going by her robes and staff, she was a spell caster. ¡°It is an adept tier of Light Magic.¡± ¡°Mary, shut up,¡± the boy said. ¡°Forgive my rudeness, mdy. I am Cole. This girl here is Mary. The one with the bow is¡ª¡± ¡°I am not interested in your names,¡± Erin interrupted. Her Appraisal had already revealed the four¡¯s names. ¡°I merely wish to know your reasons for stalking me.¡± ¡°Before I do that, can you please put away your sword first?¡± Erinplied with Cole''s request and sheathed her sword but upon doing so, she d her body in lightning. The four recoiled with a shriek. ¡°There, I sheathed my sword. Now talk.¡± ¡°Um...¡± ¡°Why? Do you have any more requests?¡± Erin asked and snapped her fingers, sending a small streak of lightning towards the ground just slightly away from his feet. They all gasped as none of them could follow the speed of her spell¡¯s conjuration. Cole quickly shook his head. ¡°Nope, n-no more requests.¡± ¡°Now talk,¡± Erin demanded without dispelling the lightning enveloping her. ¡°We truly don¡¯t mean you any harm, mdy.¡± ¡°Not what I want to hear,¡± Erin said and fired off a lightning bolt that hit a stump beside them, exploding it into splinters and barks. ¡°Alright! Alright!¡± the boy shrilled. ¡°There was a man in Valenolk. He was asking for information regarding a Fox-kin around these parts. He said he would pay good money for any information as long as it¡¯s true. He would pay more if the information was more abundant.¡± ¡°Valenolk?¡± ¡°The nearest town from here. They¡¯re known for their grape mead. It¡¯s good and it costs not even a fraction of the cat piss the nobles drink.¡± ¡°Cole!¡± the girl rebuked him. ¡°S-sorry,¡± the boy quickly apologized. ¡°Who is this man that was asking for such information?¡± ¡°I have never seen him before and neither have the locals. He was wearing expensive clothes. He could be a rich merchant or a noble.¡± Erin fell silent and began to cerebrate with her fingers rubbing her chin. ¡°It¡¯s the truth,¡± the boy added. ¡°What else can you tell me about this man? Any specifics? Like what kind of clothes he¡¯s wearing aside from being expensive?¡± ¡°U-um¡­ I-I don¡¯t know...¡± ¡°You never seen the kind of clothing he wears or you simply do not what it¡¯s called?¡± ¡°Thetter...¡± Cole admitted. ¡°Do you remember what colour it is?¡± The boy stuttered and the girl jumped in. ¡°It was brown, blue, and white. The coat¡ª or I think it¡¯s a coat¡ª is brown, the dark kind. He wore another coat under the brown coat. It¡¯s blue and it has buttons. Dark too but slightly lighter than the dark brown coat¡¯s colour. Under the blue coat was a white shirt with buttons too. He wore gloves. They¡¯re white too. And the long pants were the same colour as the first coat. And he wore some kind of leather shoes that didn''t look like it would bode well against harsh roads and mud.¡± ¡°I see¡­ a three-piece suit. That is a very expensive set of clothes. What about his hair colour?¡± ¡°Dark brown, like one of his coats. Combed and swept back. Yellowish-brown eyes.¡± ¡°His height?¡± ¡°As tall as you or maybe taller.¡± ¡°Do you perchance know his level?¡± ¡°What? Of course not. How would I have known? I don¡¯t have Appraisal.¡± ¡°When there¡¯s a huge gap in levels, you will feel overwhelmed by the other person. Did you or your friends have that kind of feeling?¡± ¡°No,¡± she answered. ¡°We didn¡¯t get close to him. We just heard him telling this to some other people. We thought maybe we could¡ª¡± ¡°So those words weren¡¯t meant for you. You do realize you will get in huge trouble for this, especially if you let that man know you have been eavesdropping.¡± ¡°Lookdy, we¡¯re short on money and we have debts to pay. We¡¯ll do anything to get paid,¡± the archer spoke up. ¡°We¡¯ll take our chances.¡± ¡°This story again...¡± Erin muttered to herself with a sigh. ¡°Hey, we have already told you everything we know. Let us go now,¡± the girl said. ¡°Mary!¡± the boy shouted at the girl. ¡°Are you out of your mind?! Don¡¯t talk to the Fae like that!¡± ¡°No, she¡¯s right,¡± Erin said. ¡°You all can leave now.¡± ¡°W-what? Just like that?¡± the boy asked. ¡°You¡¯re serious about letting us go?¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee to stay and continue to be questioned by me. Though I have to tell you, from then on, failure to answer my questions would be met by my de. Also, if you ry my whereabouts to the man, I will find you and I won¡¯t kill you but I will make you a cripple for life. Are we understood?¡± ¡°Yes yes! Completely understood. We will be leaving now.¡± The boy shook his head and took a deep bow. ¡°T-thank you very much for letting us go, mdy.¡± The girl scampered off first before the boy could even finish his sentences. The others followed suit and the boy was left as thest to run off into the distance. Erin trained her gaze on them as they disappeared into the horizon. ¡°That was kind of you, mistress,¡± Siv said, appearing from behind a tree. ¡°But a harsh fate awaits them.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°It would have been better to just silence them. They will definitely sell your information to the man they spoke of.¡± ¡°And the man will most likely kill them to silence them, is that what you¡¯re saying?¡± ¡°If only. It¡¯s worse,¡± Siv said. ¡°He will kill them but he will take his time. He will question them thoroughly first before killing them.¡± ¡°Sounds like you know who this man is.¡± ¡°Their description did bring someone to mind. Lord Hegan had us learn the appearances of the most heinous ouws and bandits in case we chanced upon them and we could respond first.¡± ¡°Smart. So, what¡¯s the man¡¯s name?¡± ¡°Varus. Sadistic man but thorough. He will extract what he wants to know from those four before killing them in the most imaginative way. Would have been better if you killed them before they sent themselves to hell.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t do that, Siv. If I kill them, even if it¡¯s for a good reason, I don¡¯t think I will be able to stop myself from killing again even if it''s under another so-called good reason. This is where I draw the line, Siv.¡± ¡°Trouble will be waiting for us ahead.¡± ¡°Then so be it. It isn¡¯t as if we are helpless before troubles. We will handle them. If those four had any smarts in them, they will do well to heed my warning.¡± ¡°Your benevolence is admirable, mistress.¡± ¡°If Aedan was here, he would definitely call it something else.¡± ¡°What would that be?¡± Siv asked. Erin chuckled softly. ¡°Naivety,¡± she answered. ¡°I don¡¯t disagree. It is a very naive way of thinking.¡± ¡°Your naivety led you to be a better person.¡± ¡°Oh, Siv,¡± Erin sighed. ¡°Always with a word at the tip of your tongue to sour my self-deprecation.¡± ¡°It is an honour. Someone has to defend your pride. No matter who you were, you¡¯re a Fae now and I would hate it if there are people smearing your integrity.¡± Erin smiled. ¡°Well, at least I can rest easy now in that aspect.¡± ¡°So can I, mistress but I digress.¡± Siv¡¯s expression turned solemn. ¡°Have you talked with Lyra yet?¡± Erin¡¯s smile faded. ¡°She wasn¡¯t awake when I was.¡± ¡°She is now. Will you please go and just talk to her? Letting this drag on will just keep souring this rtionship between the three of us.¡± ¡°Well. I¡ª oh¡­ great.¡± Siv shared the same shift of tone with Erin and turned towards their back where they saw a shadow-moulded snake slithering up to them. The snake dissipated into a cloud of smoke as it approached them, leaving behind a small paper. Erin sighed. ¡°What is it now, Iris?¡± she mumbled to herself and picked up the paper. Upon reading it, she groaned. ¡°What did it say?¡± Siv asked. ¡°Velkan Corvas has escaped prison and he seems to be heading east.¡± ¡°We¡¯re heading east.¡± ¡°Precisely,¡± Erin said. ¡°Oh,¡± Siv uttered. ¡°This is worrying.¡± 3-26 Reconcilation 3-26 Reconction Lyra sat on a log and gazed out into the distance as she slowly munched away on her bread. The sight was hindered by the trees and the horizon could not be seen. Lyra tried to find a position with a far enough view but her efforts ended in futility when she finished her breakfast. She sighed and returned to the camp which was only a stone''s throw away from where she had her meal. Upon returning to the camp, she found Erin and Siv waiting for her by the fire. ¡°Good morning, Lyra,¡± Erin greeted. Lyra only took a nce at Erin before turning away. She sat down opposite the two and began making arrows out of sticks she had collected the prior night. ¡°I¡¯ll go scout the area,¡± Siv muttered to Erin. ¡°Please reconcile when I get back.¡± She tipped her head to Erin and promptly left the two alone together with the campfire as theirpany to the coldness between them ¡°Lyra¡­ I¡¯m sorry for keeping it from you.¡± ¡°d to know that you¡¯re sorry but if an apology is enough, then misery wouldn¡¯t have existed,¡± Lyra retorted coldly. ¡°Then¡­ how can I make you forgive me?¡± Lyra cocked her head to Erin with a face of disbelief. ¡°You can start by trying to sound like you¡¯re actually sorry instead of trying to fake it.¡± ¡°Do I truly sound that way to you?¡± ¡°You dare tell me that you aren¡¯t aware of it yourself?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say I¡¯mpletely unaware¡­ It¡¯s just...¡± ¡°Just what?¡± Lyra challenged. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare tell me it¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I never had this kind of conversation. I was basically celibate when I was Argon Raze.¡± ¡°You mean when you were a man,¡± Lyra corrected her and shifted her nce back to carving her arrow. ¡°I led a solitary life, Lyra. I don¡¯t know about these things. I don¡¯t know how you would take the news. I was afraid you would leave me...¡± ¡°What makes you think I would leave you if I knew?¡± Lyra asked, without raising her nce. ¡°My insecurity...¡± Lyra raised her head. ¡°You? Insecure? You were the Sword Saint. How can you be insecure?¡± ¡°The sword was all I knew. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m supposed to feel or expect. The worst oue was all I could think of. I have tasted the delicacy of having love in my life. I don¡¯t want to return to the time when I don¡¯t know what that feels like. I love you too much, Lyra.¡± Lyra grimaced. She stopped carving and threw the arrow to the ground. ¡°What about how I feel? Do my feelings not matter? After everything we have been through, do you trust me that little?¡± ¡°I do trust you. Which was why I decided to tell you everything, despite knowing how upset you would be. I know I should have told you all of these long ago.¡± ¡°Your words sounded regretful but not your voice, Erin. Are you aware of that?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because¡­ I trust you, Lyra. And I know... even if you¡¯re upset with me¡­ you would never leave me.¡± Lyra scowled. ¡°You are unbelievable.¡± ¡°I share your sentiment. I find it hard to understand too. I am not afraid now.¡± Erin moved close to Lyra, who tried to back away but Erin pulled her back by her wrist. ¡°I am not letting you go until you forgive me.¡± ¡°Fuck you,¡± Lyra spat and smacked her palm into Erin¡¯s cheek, who received the p without any resistance. ¡°That hurts¡­ you have truly gotten stronger,¡± Erin said with a smile. ¡°You¡¯re enjoying this...¡± ¡°I am,¡± Erin admitted. ¡°Bickering of a couple is something that I had only watched from the sides before. Envy always found me when I witnessed such sights. Now that I am a part of it¡­ it just feels me with joy. We bickered because we still love each other. If you had fallen out of love with me, you wouldn¡¯t have stayed.¡± ¡°Fucking unbelievable, you are,¡± Lyra said as she shook her head. ¡°You expect me to believe I¡¯m your first despite having such a tongue.¡± Erin pulled Lyra closer with her smile turning into a grin. ¡°You made me this way. I will have you take responsibility.¡± Lyra¡¯s face twisted with indignance at Erin¡¯s words but she eventually released her scowl andughed. ¡°You¡¯re right¡­ Though I still hate it that you hid so much from me but I still love you.¡± ¡°Lyra...¡± ¡°But this doesn¡¯t mean I forgave you,¡± Lyra said. ¡°Then I won¡¯t let go of you,¡± Erin retorted, tightening her grip around Lyra. ¡°Fine by me,¡± Lyra replied. And they both shared a chuckle. ¡°Now, be truthful with me,¡± Lyra said. ¡°What else are you hiding from me?¡± ¡°...You are not my first infatuation.¡± Lyra wrapped her hand around Erin¡¯s and gave it a yful squeeze while retaining a smile. ¡°Is it now?¡± Erin nodded with a cramped smile, pulling her hand off Lyra¡¯s grip and returned by cing her hand on top of Lyra¡¯s. ¡°I had many infatuations in the past when I was Argon Raze but I never had the guts to act on these infatuations.¡± Lyra let out a giggle. ¡°I am d. Things might have been different if you had acted on these infatuations.¡± ¡°You¡¯re jealous that you might no longer be my first?¡± ¡°No,¡± she denied, shaking her head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid we wouldn¡¯t have met.¡± ¡°I think we would have regardless. I would have still challenged that man and gotten outmatched. We would still meet and we would still fall in love.¡± Erin brought her hands to cup Lyra¡¯s cheeks. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Lyra.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t forgive you this easily. You have to try harder.¡± ¡°Oh, woe is me.¡± They brought their faces close to each other. Their lips slowly pulled towards one another as if they were meant to join together. But as their lips came close to touching¡ª ¡°Have you forgotten about the note already?¡± Siv asked as she intruded on the two¡¯s moment. Erin sighed. ¡°Can¡¯t you have waited?¡± she asked. ¡°Velkan won¡¯t wait.¡± ¡°Wait, Velkan?¡± Lyra questioned. ¡°You mean Velkan Corvas? What about him?¡± ¡°He has escaped from prison and he ising to us.¡± ¡°But why?¡± ¡°At a guess, he believes I am responsible for his sister¡¯s death.¡± ¡°But you weren¡¯t responsible for it. They would have been drafted regardless of your idea.¡± ¡°Velkan is most likely not in any sound mind to make sound decisions or have sound thoughts,¡± Siv said. ¡°You sound so sure,¡± Lyra said. ¡°Because I have also lost my brother. I know how he feels.¡± Being reminded of that, Lyra uttered an apology and remained quiet. ¡°Unless he has means to travel without rest, it would take two days at the very least to catch up on us.¡± ¡°He is an Abyssal, mistress. I would put it past him performing such a miracle.¡± ¡°Abyssal?¡± Erin questioned. ¡°Jargon for practitioners of Abyss Magic.¡± ¡°It¡¯s that versatile?¡± ¡°Schrs believe Abyss Magic to be the closest source of power to Demons that mortals like us could wield.¡± ¡°Is that what was written?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just their words of mouth.¡± ¡°Then we shouldn¡¯t be so worried. Our minds need rest too. guing our minds with these needless worries will put our well being at risk. We must remain vignt constantly but take great care not to let it mould into anxiety.¡± ¡°Of course, mistress.¡± ¡°Wait,¡± Lyra uttered. ¡°I thought Necromancy had the closest familiarity with Demons.¡± ¡°That is a misconception. Necromancy is considered dark magic but in truth, it is actually a part of nature magic. Death is part of nature, it only stands to reason, Necromancy, Death Magic is part of nature magic. It is the practitioners that gave Necromancy a terrible reputation. Then again, dark magic is merely a subjective view concocted by mortals like us. Every magic that seems dark of nature isbelled as dark magic.¡± Lyra stared. ¡°I don¡¯t think I have ever met a Beast-kin as learned as you, Siv.¡± ¡°I had always been a tad different than my fellow kin. My kind thirsts look up to the strong but I also look up to the wise. Though I had been afraid, leaving my homnd was the one an event I regard as a change for the better in my life.¡± ¡°Why are you telling us this now?¡± Erin asked, raising her brows in concern. ¡°Because I love you, mistress.¡± Siv turned to Lyra. ¡°And you too, Lyra. I consider you a friend.¡± ¡°So do I,¡± Lyra replied. ¡°I want to be truthful to the ones I care about.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m grateful for that, Siv,¡± Erin said. ¡°There is one more secret that I think you two deserve to know.¡± Erin and Lyra showed a solemn expression that was tinged in slight worry. ¡°We had a proper name for my kind but it is known only to a few, my fellow kin and those who deemed worthy of our trust. Rakar, that¡¯s the name of my kind. It means beast in the feral sense.¡± ¡°Why hide it?¡± Lyra asked. Siv looked at her. ¡°Because it stems from a history that we are not proud of. We were once a feral and warring race. We even fought among ourselves. The constant fighting dwindled our number to the point that the only way to ensure the continuation of my kind is to seek peace with the other races. Rakar was a name given by our former enemies and before we sought peace, we took the name in stride. Now that we changed, the name became a stigma.¡± ¡°To prevent the prejudice of our kind to rise to the extremes, we took to calling ourselves Beast-kin in an attempt to be more¡­ amicable to the other races. Though many have forgotten what my ancestors did, the hatred is ingrained into them.¡± Erin held Siv¡¯s hand. ¡°You are among friends now, Siv.¡± ¡°I know. The two of you are the first ones that I have shared so much about myself with.¡± Lyra hesitated for a while but receiving Erin¡¯s encouraging gaze, she pulled Siv into an embrace. ¡°Thank you for sharing, Siv.¡± Siv was taken aback but quickly reciprocated her hug. Erin was watching over the two warmly. A tear rolled down her cheeks. A wry smile spread across her lips¡ª but it faded as her eyes darted to the corner of her sight, trailing the rustling of the branches and leaves of the dense vegetation. ¡°I¡¯ll bite. Let¡¯s see how long it would take before you ran out of patience,¡± Erin mused silently to herself as she grinned with a hint of challenge at their stalker. **** There was a small house amidst a vige ridden with corpses. Inside the house, there was a man lying dead on the floor. His head was ttened until every bit and matter inside the head was squeezed out. The symbol of his gender was crushed until no trace of the former shape could even be surmised. The unhinged door of the house dangled weakly with creaks every once in a while as the wind blew past. Suddenly, the wind blew hard and the door flew off its hinges. A well-dressed man with grey feathered wings flew into the house. His arrival was sudden and harsh but his feet found their bearings as if he hadnded gently. The man shook his shoulders and his wings faded off into nothingness. The man took out a jacket with a wave of his hand and donned it over his waistcoat. He walked deeper into the house and came across the dead man with a sttered head and crushed crotch. From his pocket, the man produced a ck crystal shard. ¡°You¡¯re an infuriating man but...¡± the man mulled. ¡°Your work is not done and your debt has yet to be paid.¡± The man stabbed the ck shard into the dead man¡¯s chest. He pushed the shard until it waspletely lodged inside the corpse¡¯s body. The winged man stepped back from the corpse and took a seat across it. He waited with a nd gaze. Tapping his feet, he nced around the house to pass the time but found nothing that could sate his boredom. After some time passed, the corpse began to tremble violently as if lightning was coursing through it. As the corpse trembled, ckness spread from its chest where the shard was lodged. The ckness covered its crushed crotch and shape began taking form and the blood slowly seeped back into the body. The sttered head bulged as if air was pumped into it. The blood also flowed back into the head. While all these were happening, the ckness was engulfing the body entirely and the winged-man was still tapping his feet impatiently. He was even drumming fingers as he watched. When the ckness hadpletely engulfed the corpse and shed itself off, the man stood up from his chair and walked over to the now mended corpse. Grabbing it by the neck, the man raised it off its feet and mmed it into the wall, shaking the whole house. The corpse opened its eyes with a long and deep gasp. The now alive corpse iled and struggled in the winged man¡¯s grasp but to no avail. The winged man lost his impatience and brandished his wings, instantly cating the resurrected man¡¯s futile struggle. He stared with widened eyes at the wings as his lips shivered, struggling to find his words. ¡°Come to your senses already, Rayor,¡± the winged man said. ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to die unless Marduk says so.¡± ¡°Varus...¡± Rayor muttered. ¡°How am I alive?¡± Varus tapped his chest. ¡°You have been granted a second chance. This grace would not happen again. Understand?¡± Rayor nodded. ¡°Now, regarding your daughter,¡± Varus digressed and released Rayor from his chokehold. ¡°Marduk has taken an interest in her. Find her but don¡¯t kill her. If you have to hurt her, make sure she is not too badly damaged.¡± ¡°Why does he want her?¡± Rayor asked, eyeing Varus dubiously. ¡°Not your concern, Rayor.¡± ¡°She¡¯s my daughter, Varus. It is within my very right to be concerned and to know Marduk¡¯s reasons.¡± Varus merelyughed in response. ¡°You¡¯re despicable, Rayor. After everything you have done to her, you could still say such a thing with that kind of face. Looks like you won¡¯t have any trouble in bing ustomed to your new strength,¡± Varus said and left the house, throwing the house into further disarray as he took flight. ¡°Fucking dog!¡± Rayor cursed. ¡°Wait till I truly get ustomed to this power of mine,¡± he vowed as he turned his hand into ws without much effort. 3-27 Followed 3-27 Followed The sun shone as bright as ever as the three made their way through the sea of trees. Per their prior agreement, it was Erin¡¯s turn to handle the reins. She gave her utmost attention to the road but her eyes were closed. Though Lyra and Siv had nothing but confidence in her ability to navigate the wagon, the passers-by nced at them with worry. They were on a highway leading to Sephrodia Valley. They hade out of the small road an hour ago and merged on the main road. They slowly came across other travellers along the way. Some offered them nothing more than a nce of curiosity while some were much daring in their expression for their curiosity. These daring expressions had left a terrible taste in Erin¡¯s mouth. Her solution was to close her eyes and let her other senses guide her and wade the wagon through the pretentious intrigued passers-by. It worked. The peculiarity of her actions intimidated many and to those that weren¡¯t intimidated, they gave up in their pursuit for her attention when they received no response. As noon came, Erin took a turn from the straight road, down to a narrower and quieter path. This path was without other presences but merely more mellow, which Erin appreciated wholeheartedly. ¡°Our stalker is truly persistent, mistress,¡± Siv said, ncing towards the rear every once in a while. ¡°This kind ofmitment¡­ feels like a man chasing his love,¡± Lyra chimed in. She immediately frowned at her own words. ¡°Could our stalker be the Augur who you saved, Erin?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s him, then I¡¯ll be extremely impressed by how far he has advanced his skills in such a short period of time.¡± ¡°But do you believe it¡¯s him?¡± Lyra asked again. ¡°...I don¡¯t,¡± Erin answered with her eyes still kept closed. ¡°He is direct and forting. He never resorts to something as discreet as stalking.¡± ¡°Certainly not discreet to us,¡± Siv said. ¡°They followed us this far. How much further will they follow us?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°Until opportunity presents itself,¡± Erin said. ¡°There must be something heavy and huge at stake for the stalker to be thismitted. Might be personal.¡± ¡°Our stalker is under duress?¡± ¡°Or our stalker is simply infatuated with this sort of activity.¡± Erin scoffed. ¡°I don¡¯t know which is worse.¡± Lyra sighed, slumping back on her seat. ¡°There¡¯s just always something one after another.¡± ¡°This is how life is. It¡¯s tedious sometimes but¡­ it staves off dullness.¡± ¡°Staves off? Stave?¡± Lyra questioned with her brows raised. ¡°It means ¡°avoid¡± or ¡°prevent¡±. You should definitely read more,¡± Siv said. ¡°I¡¯m not a schr, Siv. I don¡¯t have that kind ofmitment in me. My mind would just wander off everything I try to even read a page.¡± ¡°What if it¡¯s something I wrote?¡± Erin asked. ¡°You wrote something for me?¡± Lyra asked back. ¡°It¡¯s just an ¡°if¡±, Lyra. If I¡¯m the author, would you read it?¡± Lyra chuckled. ¡°Definitely,¡± she answered. ¡°Mymitment to you¡­ I see it as an incredible honour. So¡­ when will you start writing?¡± ¡°Maybe tonight?¡± ¡°Hold that thought, mistress,¡± Siv said. Her gaze narrowed into the distance. ¡°Someone else is following us.¡± ¡°Could it be Velkan?¡± Lyra asked. Siv shook her head. ¡°Unlikely. I know Velkan¡¯s scent. This isn¡¯t him.¡± Erin took in the smell of the air. ¡°I don¡¯t smell anything.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because he¡¯s hiding his scent amidst nature. I didn¡¯t grow up amidst bricks and stones but the wilderness. I know what a carcass is supposed to smell like. This person masked his scent with it. I can still smell the freshness of his own flesh underneath the carcass¡¯ scent¡± ¡°Curious. I have long caught the scent but I thought it was just an animal which had gone through its dead peers in search of food.¡± ¡°Animals are not as filthy as most would believe. They have a different way of cleaning themselves. Our new stalker knew little about this topic. He is not used to the wilderness. Our old stalker seems to have noticed and is trying to tell us.¡± ¡°Now this is getting interesting,¡± Erin mused. ¡°Our old friend worries for us.¡± ¡°Disregarding that, what¡¯s to do about our new friend?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°Hmm...¡± Erin mulled. ¡°I¡¯m starting to feel his bloodlust. Either he¡¯s letting it known intentionally or he doesn¡¯t know his bloodlust is leaking. Either way, don¡¯t stop the wagon. We¡¯ll let hime to us.¡± Lyra and Siv nodded. The three resumed their journey with the appearance of a group of ignorant greenhorns that thought they were above the world and everything else. As soon as they let their vulnerability show, they all felt their stalker advancing on them at an rming rate. In addition, the other travellers they passed by were giving them predatory gazes, as if thinking they could somehow be taken advantage of. For the sake of luring out their stalker, Erin resisted herself from intimidating those rude eyes. They prepared for the eventual attack but the stalker stopped just before he could reveal himself. ¡°Did he find out we were pretending?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°No,¡± Erin answered. ¡°There are still people around us. Whatever he wishes to do, he intends to go about it without witnesses.¡± ¡°Well met, travellers,¡± a sudden voice spoke to them from beside them. Erin turned to meet the boorish person who intruded upon them. She saw a man in simple but well-knead clothes. He had two horses pulling a carriage filled with piles of items. Siv and Lyra looked ready to jump at the man but Erin stopped them. ¡°What do you want?¡± Erin asked the man bluntly. ¡°Now now,ssie. I¡¯m just a humble peddler looking for some coin,¡± the man exined, offering the three a bright smile that only turned out suspicious. ¡°I am Jon and I can see that you three are in dire need of some of my wares to aid you in your journey.¡± ¡°And how did youe about with that conclusion?¡± Jon chuckled. ¡°Your wagon is barren save for yourpanions and packs of clothes.¡± ¡°It is enough.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what they always say. By ¡°they¡±, I meant greenhorns. You don¡¯t even have a map or apass. How about those two for the price of one?¡± ¡°I am a Fae, good sir. I have my spells.¡± ¡°Yes, you do but¡­ do you intend to rely on your spells for the rest of your journey? What if you run out of Mana and be lost?¡± ¡°Then that will be my problem, not yours.¡± The manughed. ¡°As a decent man, I see that as my problem too; a problem that I could have prevented if I had managed to convince you.¡± ¡°No,¡± Erin said sternly. ¡°Come now,ssie. How about I throw in some provisions? This is an incredible bargain, just for you since I find you to be prettier than even the nobledies I know.¡± ¡°I am well aware of that but my mind won¡¯t be changed. Now, scamper off.¡± ¡°Mdy, please. This is more for your own good than it is mine.¡± ¡°The answer is still no, chuckles,¡± Lyra said, pulling out a knife instead of nocking an arrow. ¡°Leave us alone.¡± The man recoiled with his hands raised. ¡°Alright alright, you made your point,ssie. I won¡¯t be bothering the lot of you no more.¡± The man pulled on his horses and slowly distanced himself away from them. ¡°Nice touch there, Lyra,¡± Erin praised. ¡°Was it?¡± ¡°You pulled out a dagger instead of your bow. This will give our stalker the wrong notion of your abilities.¡± ¡°Our stalker won¡¯t be that naive, could he?¡± Erin shrugged. ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡± As the three waited for that moment, the time between noon and dusk eventually came. The people on the road gradually lessened until it was just them on the road. Even the self-proimed humble peddler from before had turned into a different path. Their stalker immediately made his way to their wagon without the slightest care of the noise he was making. ¡°He¡¯s eagre,¡± Siv remarked. ¡°Too eagre,¡± Erin added. Lyra readied her bow but without an arrow nocked. Their horses came to a sudden stop. The horses began to shriek as if fear had encroached on them. The horses iled around, raising and kicking their hooves at the empty air. Erin took a whiff of the air. Her face soured into a grimace. ¡°What is that smell?¡± Siv also grimaced and covered her nose. ¡°I don¡¯t know this scent.¡± When they heard noises from their back, they turned around but found nothing. ¡°It¡¯s moving fast,¡± Erin said. ¡°Whatever was stalking us, it is no longer a man but a beast.¡± Lyra raised an eyebrow. ¡°The man turned into a beast?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the only conclusion I coulde to.¡± ¡°A Skinwalker, perhaps,¡± Siv said. ¡°Skinwalker?¡± ¡°A Mancer with the ability to wear the skin of their fallen foes. There exists a religious group that worships the Divine known as Mordius, the Primal Maw. Mordius¡¯ apostles have that kind of power.¡± ¡°A Divine Apostle...¡± Erin mused. ¡°It has finally begun...¡± ¡°This is what the Guardian warned us about, isn¡¯t it, mistress?¡± Erin nodded. ¡°Unfortunately, it might very well be.¡± ¡°Could this man be an ally of the apostles you slew?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°Their Divine was named Zack. This one¡¯s different.¡± ¡°Strange,¡± Lyra said. ¡°I expect a Divine Apostle to feel more threatening. This one feels¡­ dull. Even now, I can vaguely guess where he will attack from and how he will attack.¡± ¡°Probably merely a novice to the belief who¡¯s still afraid of his own shadow. I can smell his restlessness¡­ his trepidation.¡± ¡°But he¡¯s also resolute,¡± Siv said. The sound of twigs snapping bounced between the trees. ¡°He¡¯sing,¡± Erin said. A log flew at the wagon from the depths of the forest. Erin signalled Siv and Lyra to stand down and got off the wagon. A sharp glint of the sun could be seen for a split second and the wind split with a screeching noise. The log fell before Erin¡¯s feet, cut into half. ¡°His strength is nothing remarkable and his aim is a little off,¡± Erin remarked. She took a deep breath and stepped off the road. ¡°Wait there,¡± she ryed the two and trod further into the trees. Erin took another whiff of the air. This time, she caught the peculiar scent. Had Siv not told her, she wouldn¡¯t have known. She thanked Siv in her heart and followed the scent. As she trod closer to the scent, the carrier of the scent distanced himself further away from her. As she began to run, so did the carrier. The possibility of a trap appeared in his mind but she continued giving chase. Her right foot snapped a string tied to a small branch. The branch flew off as other branches twisted and turned. A creak resounded from her right. Without giving a nce, she drew her sabre and shed to her right, cleaving a log into half. The Skinwalker had stopped running after his trap failed to even hurt Erin. She could tell the Skinwalker was slowly making his way to her. She could still smell his fear but more than that, he was unrelenting in spite of his fear. Erin waited patiently with her sword drawn and s, a boy emerged from the trees, dressed in typical greenhorn adventurer apparel. As their eyes met, Erin somehow felt it in her bones that the boy in front of her was indeed an apostle of a Divine. ¡°Didn¡¯t expect someone so young,¡± Erin said. ¡°I¡¯m old enough,¡± the boy answered. ¡°I also didn¡¯t expect someone like you to be such a beautiful woman.¡± ¡°Someone like me?¡± ¡°Devils from ruined worlds.¡± ¡°I see¡­ Someone has been ndering me.¡± ¡°They would not lie.¡± ¡°And you are so sure?¡± ¡°Enough words. As the Apostle of Mordius, it is my duty and honour to rid this world of devils like you.¡± Erin sighed. ¡°You really wish to do this? Know that you are not even half of my match. Leave now.¡± The boy scoffed. ¡°You¡¯re as arrogant as they say. Pity that you didn¡¯t bring your friends. I did,¡± the boy said and snapped his finger. A wolf in the shape of a human emerged from the shadows of the trees. Something fell from the trees. Going by the print of the soil, Erin surmised it to be an unseeable sort of snake monster with a length of a hundred feet. ¡°You do not want to do this,¡± Erin warned them. ¡°The oue would be something undesirable by us both but for my own perseverance, it will be.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a matter of want. It¡¯s a matter of need,¡± the boy retorted. ¡°I dedicate your death to the continuity of the world¡¯s perseverance.¡± Erin sighed again, tightening her grip around her sword. ¡°You were warned.¡± 3-28 Grove 3-28 Grove The sun was bright, giving no hope for the rain to make its appearance for the day. Yet, the path spread before Aedan was dark and damp as he had chosen to take the path that wasn¡¯t frequented by my travellers. When prompted for the reason, it was to avoid Marduk¡¯s eyes. Nivia and the others followed without anyints as they all knew just how much of a threat Marduk was. They would rather be ufortable on the journey than to continuously put their lives in danger. ¡°Remind me where are we going again?¡± Lilian asked as she trod the uneven grounds and damp soil of the slopped path taking them deeper into the depths of the forest. ¡°East,¡± Aedan muttered dryly as a response. Lilian sighed. ¡°And to think just some days ago, you were so amicable and charming.¡± ¡°That was merely courtesy of our first acquaintance. Why? Does my current demeanour repel you?¡± Lilian shook her head. ¡°On the contrary, I appreciate your honesty.¡± Aedan returned a smile. ¡°I see. Good to know my bluntness is appreciated.¡± Nivia, who was walking behind the two alongside Aera, groaned. ¡°This strange budding rtionship between the two of you is sickening.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s lovely,¡± Aera said with a faint smile. Nivia stared in disbelief. ¡°Are you serious?¡± she asked. ¡°Love is a wonderful thing, is it not? It can be twisted sometimes but... I believe love is one of the best gifts nature has bestowed us.¡± Nivia frowned. ¡°...You are so different from how you were.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know. This is how I always am.¡± Nivia turned away from her but her gazended on Lilian and Aedan, who was still having a strangely loving exchange. She cast her gaze down and let out a sigh. ¡°Do you perhaps find the notion of love to be an unsavoury idea, mdy?¡± Aera asked. ¡°Don¡¯t call me mdy.¡± ¡°But you are a Fae. It would be rude not to do so.¡± ¡°I have a name. Use it.¡± ¡°Very well then, Lady Nivia.¡± Nivia sighed again. ¡°I think I prefer the other you.¡± ¡°Now that would be terrible. I would be impulsive and dangerous.¡± And then her stomach grumbled. ¡°And hungry,¡± she added with a blush. Nivia turned her gaze to Aedan. ¡°Oi, Dragon. It¡¯s past noon. Shouldn¡¯t we be stopping somewhere to have the opportunity to fill our bellies?¡± ¡°That is my intention,¡± Aedan replied without meeting her gaze. ¡°But not here. Just a bit further ahead.¡± ¡°Is there a specific ce we¡¯re heading to?¡± Lilian asked. ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel like you chose this path for discretion purposes.¡± ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you bright?¡± Aedan praised. Lilian tittered. ¡°That meant a loting from you.¡± Nivia rolled her eyes while Aera watched over with warm eyes. The path took the four deeper into the forest and the lights became more and more scarce until it bore the veil of dusk when there were still hours away from it. ¡°Are we lost?¡± Aera asked. ¡°For his sake, we better not be,¡± Nivia said. ¡°Nope,¡± Aedan answered. ¡°As a matter of fact, we have arrived.¡± He pointed ahead. Streaks of light could be seen ahead of their path. An arch of branches and leaves was ushering them to ground that possessed an entirely different countenance from the path they had taken. Passing through the arch, they came to arge opening filled with lush of various colours. A vast but shallow pool of water in the centre of the opening. Birds and various small animals lurked around without caring for the four¡¯s presence. Across the shallow pool, arge tree stood over a few storeys tall, casting an enormous shadow over the grounds but the abundance of light streaks did not fill the ce with gloom. ¡°Oh wow...¡± Nivia gasped in awe. ¡°What is this ce?¡± Birds of vibrant colours and petite nature flew to Aera and perched on her shoulders. Aera smiled gleefully and lent a finger to the birds, which they hopped on to. Nivia crouched over a chipmunk munching on some kind of seed. She watched the rodent with a scrutinizing gaze as questions filled her mind. ¡°It¡¯s not afraid of us¡­ Why hasn¡¯t it ran from us?¡± ¡°This is beautiful...¡± Lilian breathed. ¡°And the number of Spirits fluttering about¡­ Is this¡­ a Grove?¡± ¡°A Grove?¡± Aera asked. ¡°A gathering ce for Spirits,¡± Aedan exined. ¡°Nature¡¯s cradle, some would call it. A sanctuary for the Faerie-kin. Only those with a high affinity for Spirits could find and enter these Groves. And yes, this is a Grove.¡± ¡°Oh my, you know plenty about Groves,¡± Lilian said. ¡°But if this is a Grove¡­ how do we not know of this?¡± Nivia asked. ¡°We know every Grove near our forest but how did this escape our notice?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because this Grove is artificial,¡± Aedan answered. ¡°Artificial?!¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± Aera asked. "I''m afraid I know very few words." ¡°It means something man-made, unnatural,¡± Lilian answered. ¡°This is simply unprecedented. I didn¡¯t know this was possible. You¡¯re saying you made this Grove?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a sole effort,¡± Aedan said. ¡°Is there a particr reason as to why this Grove was made?¡± ¡°...It was a warring period. We needed ces where we could rest our bodies without being cautious for the whole time. This idea was born.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s ¡°we¡±?¡± Nivia questioned. ¡°Acquaintances¡­ friends¡­ but none of that matters. They¡¯re all dead,¡± Aedan said and walked towards the tree. ¡°That''s terrible to know,¡± Lilian said with her finger on her lips. ¡°I hope they''re resting easy now. How did they pass if I may ask?¡± ¡°Time,¡± Aedan answered briefly as he reached the tree. He ced his palm on the trunk and spoke a few lines of words that only he understood, leaving the others with question marks above their marks. Upon finishing his incantation, a door manifested near where his palm rested. ¡°Whoa...¡± Aera eximed. ¡°So this is magic...¡± ¡°Really?¡± Nivia turned to Aera in disbelief. ¡°After everything, this is what amazes you?¡± ¡°Throwing fireballs and making a punch stronger isn¡¯t a fresh sight for me. This is,¡± Aera said. Nivia sighed for the umpteenth time. ¡°The most astonishing part is that a Grove can even be artificially made at all.¡± ¡°As a Fae, shouldn''t you be more open to such ideas and possibilities?¡± Aedan asked, pushing the door open. ¡°You¡¯re asking me that seriously? A Grove is a miracle of nature. Recreating a miracle of nature is just¡­ unbelievable and near sphemy. How do you even manage to lure all the Spirits here?¡± ¡°Lure is a strong word,¡± Aedan said. ¡°Anyways,e in.¡± He entered through the door. The others followed his words and entered the tree. What greeted their view was a room filled with decent furnishingspletely stocked with an abundance of supplies and other trinkets or simply disy ornaments. It looked like a living quarter and more. Envy would cross themoners¡¯ faces should they see this room. That said, the room appeared to berger than how it looked from the outside. ¡°Spatial Magic¡­ neat,¡± Lilian muttered in awe as she looked around the room. ¡°I believe this kind of magic is quitemon in Fae¡¯s home forest.¡± ¡°It is but¡­ somehow, it feels so much more amazing to see this kind of magic outside of the forest. It humbles us.¡± What surprised Nivia the most was the condition of the room. She wiped a finger across a shelf and found no trace of dirt. ¡°You have a caretaker for this ce?¡± she asked. Aedan didn¡¯t answer and simply went over to an hourss that was ced on a table surrounded by couches on three sides. He turned the hourss and then gently tapped the top of it. Glitters immediately filled the room. The air and space ripple and cracks began to form over it. It shattered like ss but the reality stayed as it is as if nothing had happened. ¡°Was that the Temporal Spell?¡± Lilian asked, her eyes glimmering. ¡°And the spell is fixed into the hourss. Honestly, how many more wonders will you surprise us with?¡± ¡°Why would you use such a grand spell in vain?¡± Nivia asked but her brows were creased as opposed to Lilian¡¯s excitement. ¡°This is a safe haven and a hideout. Time would degrade everything here, such as the provisions, the tools, and the weapons,¡± Aedan exined. He headed to a wardrobe and opened it, revealing a stash of weapons of fine qualities. ¡°My my, you never cease with your surprise, Aedan,¡± Lilian said. She approached the wardrobe, examining the weapons disyed in it. ¡°And these are all forged with good materials and by excellent smiths.¡± Aedan took a pair of sheathed short swords and a bow from the wardrobe and tossed them to Nivia. ¡°Here,¡± he said. ¡°I think these will suit you nicely.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just going to give these to me without demanding anything in return?¡± Nivia asked. ¡°There¡¯s nothing that you have that I want. Besides, making sure we''re well-equipped and stocked is one of the reasons we are here.¡± ¡°I beg your pardon? I have nothing you desire?¡± ¡°What? Was I unclear?¡± ¡°How dare you¡ª¡± Nivia¡¯s fuse was cut short as a vine wrapped around her mouth, muffling her voice. ¡°I am so sorry about this, Aedan,¡± Lilian said with a slight bow. ¡°She just never learns. I wonder who she takes after. She can be so handful.¡± Nivia attempted to break the vine around her mouth but Lilian summoned more vines to constrict her whole body. ¡°On behalf of her, I thank you for your generous hospitality. This ce will do more than just fine for a ce to rest our weary bodies and be prepared for our journey tomorrow.¡± ¡°You are most wee, Lilian,¡± Aedan responded with a smile. ¡°Are we truly safe here? Couldn¡¯t anyone just stumble right into this ce?¡± ¡°Unless one has the approval of the Spirits, it is impossible to find this ce. We are safe here. You can rest easy, Aera.¡± Aera nodded after some brief thinking and took a seat on one of the couches. Finally, her shoulders slumped and a long breather came from her. She cupped her hands together and brought them to her mouth. She breathed into them as her hands trembled. She began to cry. Tears rolled down her cheeks and incessantly. No oneforted her. No one felt that it was right to intrude. These were tears of relief and everyone understood that. Still, Nivia was the only one who was ruining the mood by struggling in futility in her binds. ¡°Let me go!¡± she seemed to have yelled out such words but Lilian paid her no mind. ¡°Well, there are plenty of rooms. Pick whichever you like,¡± Aedan said. ¡°There¡¯s a bathroom down that hall. Water can be drawn from the well outside. And there¡¯s a heat induction rod in the bathroom for you to heat up the water. Though, be careful with that. Don¡¯t go burning yourself as you use it. There is some food in the kitchen. Upstairs is nothing but storage full of various trinkets. You¡¯re wee to take whatever you find fancy.¡± ¡°Really? We can take whatever we want?¡± Lilian asked. ¡°It¡¯s not like anybody else would be using them. The only person who knows of this ce and is still alive, is me. So, make yourself at home,¡± Aedan said and disappeared into the kitchen. ¡°We will depart at dawn tomorrow,¡± he said aloud from the kitchen. ¡°Dear me, he¡¯s so gracious,¡± Lilian muttered to herself. A muffled voice came from her right. ¡°Oh right, you¡¯re still tied up,¡± Lilian said and undid the spell on Nivia. ¡°What in the tarnation was that for?¡± was Nivia¡¯s first question upon her freedom. ¡°You were being rude and unruly, Nivia.¡± ¡°How could you stand him?¡± ¡°Why do you hate him so much?¡± ¡°Are you blind?¡± Nivia questioned with a face of disbelief. ¡°He took every opportunity to mock me. He does that to everyone. Even you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a part of his charm and I don¡¯t dislike sparring with him using words. You need to thicken your skin, Nivia. If you think Aedan is ill-mannered, there are so many other people that are a million times worse.¡± Nivia couldn¡¯t retort. Deep down, she knew she was easily intimidated and provoked but her intelligence and honour being insulted was something she found extremely hard to ignore. ¡°I think you being around him will do you some good. Not every person out there would be intimidated by our status as a Fae. In fact, our status even spurred some of the prejudices too. Keep that in mind, Nivia. We¡¯re no longer in our forest.¡± ¡°I know that,¡± Nivia grumbled and let herself fall onto one of the couches. ¡°Splendid,¡± Lilian pped her hands together. ¡°Now, how about I make us some sandwiches?¡± 3-29 Skinwalker 3-29 Skinwalker Erin resolved her gaze and directed it towards the boy in front of her. The boy possessed a naive demeanour but something did not feel right to Erin. She drew her sword, pivoting her sabre in a show, and pointed the tip at the boy. She wanted to say something but refrained at thest second. Her gaze stayed at the boy but her other means of cognition were split to the werewolf and the invisible viper at her sides. She had appraised all three individuals. The boy was only level twenty with a set of abilities that wasn¡¯t much to note about save for his Assimtion and Morph skill. The werewolf and the viper were slightly below the boy¡¯s level but the two felt stronger than the bandits she had previously faced. The two weren¡¯t the boy¡¯s familiars like Erin had presumed but the boy¡¯spanions as the two both had names, levels, ages, and set of abilities in their stats¡¯ disy. She still couldn¡¯t figure how they eluded her senses but she decided to find out after she was out of danger. Erin also held on to her doubt that there were just the three of them lying in wait considering how the viper and the werewolf escaped her perception. The werewolf lunged first and the viper sprang at her just a second after. Without giving either a nce, she flourished her sabre in a quick motion. The werewolf and the viper withdrew in recoil as a shallow cut appeared on them. ¡°W-what¡­?¡± the boy muttered in a stutter. ¡°W-what just happened?¡± The werewolf and the viper stared in caution instead of lunging at Erin again. The viper was invisible but it knew Erin could perceive its presence without using the visual medium. Had they been mindless monsters, they would have attacked again but their instinct as a human restrained their recklessness. ¡°You are not aware of your opponent¡¯s strength and yet you issued a challenge in spite of it. Are you truly a fool?¡± ¡°D-don¡¯t belittle me!¡± the boy yelled and coiled his palm into a fist. Erin immediately understood the gesture as a secretmunication sign. At that moment, a threatening presence appeared from behind. She flipped into the air as an ape-like creature lunged at her. The ape creature crashed into the ground as a result of Erin¡¯s quick reaction. At the end of patience, she thrust her sabre out to the ground as shended, impaling her de into the ground through the ape creature¡¯s head. [Experience gained +20% - Level Progression: 105%] [Erynthea: Level 33 increased to Level 34] [Skill Points +2 | 8] [Ability Points +2 | 6] [Level Progression: 5%] The boy gasped aloud at the death of one of hispanions. The werewolf and the viper expressed a simr gesture of shock and sorrow. The corpse of the ape creature shuddered for a while before stopping and its form reverted to its human figure. Contrary to Erin¡¯s expectation, the ape was a man. ¡°M-Mance...¡± the boy muttered, presumably the deceased man¡¯s name. ¡°You were warned,¡± Erin reminded him with a sullen tone. The werewolf and the viper regained their senses and attacked Erin with renewed determination. Erin executed a wide sh but the two dodged her obvious attack and circled to her opposite nks. She cast Lightning Bolt at the viper and blocked the werewolf¡¯s jaws with her sword. The lightning spell missed the slippery viper and struck the log behind it. The viper lunged again but Erin¡¯s tails swiped at it. The viper did not know what Erin¡¯s tails were capable of but it backed away from the tails on the cry of its instincts. The three were, without doubt, apostles of a Divine. However, they were inexperienced. They only had their Divine Gift as their advantage. Their fighting experience was so poor that Erin doubted that they had actually fought any opponents that were more than half their levels. Without the viper interfering, Erin grabbed the werewolf by its throat. The werewolf released Erin¡¯s de from its jaws in order to gasp for breath. Erin only tightened her grip. The werewolf began struggling to get itself off from Erin¡¯s firm grasp. Itshed its ws on Erin but her maximum level Arcane Armor nulled every ounce of lethality the werewolf¡¯s ws possessed. She mmed the werewolf into the ground by its neck, caving the soil beneath them. The viper tried to intervene but a sharp re from Erin stunned in its ce. She ced her sword by the werewolf and pressed the de onto its neck. She nced at the boy. ¡°Stop! Please!¡± a plea was shouted but not from the boy. Erin turned her gaze to her left and found a girl with ck hair that was only slightly older than the boy. The girl could be none other than the invisible viper. ¡°Please, let him go...¡± the girl continued to beg. ¡°And why should I?¡± Erin asked. ¡°W-we were wrong!¡± the boy said. ¡°W-we¡­ we were just...¡± Erin narrowed her gaze at the sudden change in their demeanour. Before she knew it, the werewolf she had in her grip had reverted to a boy. The boy in her grasp was shedding tears and quivering. After some contemting, she released the boy from her grip and stood up. ¡°You are all so naive.¡± ¡°We were wrong, mdy!¡± The girl fell to her knees and nted her on the ground. ¡°Please forgive us.¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t know,¡± the boy in front of her said. ¡°They said you were evil and had to be purged.¡± ¡°By ¡°they¡±, are you referring to the ones who called themselves Guardians?¡± The girl and the two boys nodded. ¡°I see...¡± she muttered. She nced towards the man she had just killed. And then she looked at the three. Doubts brewed in her mind. ¡°Please¡­ spare us...¡± the girl pleaded continuously. Erin sighed. Her thoughts arrived at a conclusion. ¡°You truly are naive,¡± she said and plunged her sabre into the boy at her feet. The other two gasped in surprise at her action. ¡°Do you believe that I¡¯m a fool?¡± she asked and twisted the de while still lodged in the boy¡¯s chest. The boy¡¯s body convulsed as his appearance slowly changed into that of a middle-aged man¡¯s. [Experience gained +20% - Level Progression: 25%] ¡°...Fuck!¡± the other boy cursed in a way unlike a child would. The boy looked at his deceasedpanion before looking at Erin. His frown loosened and disappeared. He sighed and a grin reced his meek expression from before. ¡°Well yed¡­ Fae...¡± the boy said, pping his hands slowly. The girl also sighed and grinned. ¡°Well¡­ at least we tried,¡± she said and dispelled her appearance as a girl, revealing her real self to be an aged woman. Due to theck of care for her body, Erin couldn¡¯t tell her age by appearance alone. Relying on Appraisal, she found out the woman¡¯s age was forty-two and the ¡°boy¡± in front of her was fifty-one. ¡°What gave it away?¡± the boy asked. ¡°Your ability is shapeshifting yet you two possessed such righteous and forthright attitude. It¡¯s such a mismatch. Your Divine Guardian won¡¯t choose the two of you for such a dishonest ability if you possessed such an attitude.¡± The boyughed. ¡°So perceptive and smart¡­ What shall we do now, I wonder?¡± Erin frowned in response to the boy¡¯s tone. They didn¡¯t sound like someone who was cornered. If anything, they sounded assured. ¡°Not perceptive enough to have ditched her two lovely women behind,¡± the girl said with a nonchnt attitude. Erin¡¯s eyes widened. She wanted to finish off the two right here and now but Siv and Lyra¡¯s lives took precedence. She turned and sped off to the way she came from. There was a slight chance the two were lying but as she drew near, she sensed other presences in addition to Lyra and Siv¡¯s. She quickened her pace and imbued her sabre with Arcane Edge, ready to swing at a moment¡¯s notice. Dread filled her soul as one of the presences disappeared. Sound and smell faded from her recognition in response to her unfounded despair. Fearing for the worst, she poured all her Mana into Fleet Foot and flew through the forest. Her feet began to hurt as a result of overexerting her body but that little pain was not enough of a reason to slow down. She carved through the trees in her way instead of making the slightest turn around it. Eventually, she arrived back at where Siv and Lyra waited. Wrath was trailing her shadow and her de was filled with murderous intent. However, the sight that greeted her dispelled her dread and her despair drooped. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re back,¡± Lyra greeted with a smile. In front of hery a corpse. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Siv asked. She was trapping a man on the ground with her knees. Her double-ded sword pressed against the squirming man¡¯s neck. ¡°You¡¯re fine¡­?¡± Erin muttered. ¡°Of course we are,¡± Lyra answered. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t we be?¡± Erinughed but not of glee. It was an expression of relief and it sounded like augh devoid of sanity. Hearing herugh, Lyra frowned. ¡°Is everything alright?¡± she asked. ¡°Yes, everything¡¯s alright It¡¯s just¡­ I underestimated you two,¡± Erin admitted, wiping a tear off the corner of her eye. Her gaze turned cold as she turned her attention to the struggling man under Siv¡¯s knees. She motioned for Siv to release the man. As soon as Siv did so, the man transformed into a leopard and tried to flee¡ª but he was a mere level fifteen. Erin¡¯s level and speed far exceeded his and she easily stopped the man¡¯s efforts by stomping his head to the ground. The brutality shocked even Siv and Lyra. ¡°Please¡­ have mercy¡­¡± the man pleaded. Erin applied more weight to her foot as she red at the man with nothing but wrath and murderous intent. She couldn¡¯t forgive the man. It was the angriest that she had been. She didn¡¯t just want to kill the man. She wanted him to suffer. As the man moaned in agony, a strange pleasure arose within her. It felt good. It felt simply ecstatic to see the man suffer. As she put more strength into her feet, a hand grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the man. Erin immediately turned around to see who dared to interrupt her duly punishment but she froze upon seeing Siv and Lyra¡¯s frightened gazes. ¡°I¡­ I...¡± Erin tried to exin but she couldn¡¯t find the right words. She was horrified at what she had just done and tried to do. The man got up in a rush and ran off with wobbly steps, or at least he tried to. Lyra took notice and immediate action by firing an arrow into his heart from his back, instantly killing the man. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­ I lost control...¡± Erin said as she slumped to her knees. ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Siv said. ¡°That¡¯s why you have us. We won¡¯t let you fall.¡± She crouched down to Erin¡¯s eye level and held her hands. ¡°You¡¯re not alone anymore.¡± ¡°Alright alright.¡± Lyra barged in between them. She threw arms around Erin and pulled her into a hug. ¡°You¡¯re getting ahead of yourself now, Siv.¡± ¡°Right back at you, Lyra,¡± Siv retorted. Erin tittered at such a warm sight. ¡°Thank you, you two. I¡¯m so d I have you two.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m thankful that I met you, Erin,¡± Lyra said, nting a kiss on Erin¡¯s cheek. ¡°We¡¯re out in the open, Lyra.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. You can do it too,¡± Erin weed Siv with her other open arm. Siv groaned in indignance and gave in to her desire. She too then nted a kiss on Erin¡¯s cheek. ¡°This is so inappropriate,¡± she mulled. ¡°Which is why it feels so good,¡± Lyra said. ¡°So¡­ what happened to our stalker?¡± Siv asked. ¡°The new one, I mean.¡± Erin shrugged. ¡°Probably escaped. I rushed here when I realized you two were attacked.¡± ¡°Well then, for their sake, they better run far away and never return,¡± Lyra said. Erin nodded with a wry smile. ¡°They better...¡± she mused in her heart. **** The boy ran without stopping or even sparing a nce to his back. He just ran. Halfway through his retreat, his spell had lost its effect and his appearance reverted to its original form, an appearance of a man in his sixties but he was only in fact in his fifties. His haggard appearance was due to his life¡¯s circumstances. He led a very dull life and was a nobody. No one would raise any fuss should his demise evere but that changed when he was approached by a Divine and was chosen as the Divine¡¯s apostle. He was then introduced to his fellow apostles. Under his Divine¡¯smands, he hadmitted various kinds of acts regardless of where the needle pointed in apass of morality. Some time passed after his turn of fate. An ancient ethereal creature, a Guardian, approached him and hispatriots with a proposal of purging an evil from the world in return for granting whatever his desire. His Divine granted him permission to carry out the quest from the Guardian. The years of being an Apostle had gotten to his head and he couldn¡¯t care less about right or wrong. He just wanted to further elevate his status in this world. However, his fortune came to an end as his target, a Fox-kin, turned out to be extremely formidable. He didn¡¯t care about the rewards anymore. He even exposed his ownpanions to the Fox-kin just so he could distract her and run away. ¡°Bale, are we just going to leave the others behind?¡± a question came. Without stopping, the man turned his head when he heard his name called. ¡°Agatha, you¡¯re here?¡± he blurted out in the nk of the moment. He had run without ascertaining the fate of his fellow apostles, even Agatha¡¯s, the woman who was the viper. ¡°What do you mean by that?!¡± Agatha shot back with a grimace. ¡°Are you saying you intend to ditch me along with the others?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I meant all,¡± Bale quickly excused himself. ¡°I was just¡ª¡± His attempts at concocting an excuse were cut short as he could no longer feel half of everything below his neck. His world spun at that moment and he seemed to be tumbling across the ground. The moment his eyesid on his own headless body was also the moment his life came to an end. ¡°Bale!¡± the woman named Agatha shouted. She tried to shift into her viper form but a hand was quick to grab her by the throat. A strange sensation seeped into her body as the hand wrapped around her neck. Her body instantly lost all strength to even il about. The man who had killed Bale lifted Agatha off the ground. The man bore features that made one doubt his authenticity as a human. A quarter of his face seemed to have melted off, giving him an appearance of a burnt victim but Agatha had seen burnt wounds before this was no burn wound. In addition, her assant¡¯s eyes were deep crimson red and his pupils dyed ck. ¡°W-what are you!?¡± Agatha managed to ask. ¡°Shush,¡± the man responded. He sniffed the woman. ¡°I smell faint traces of Spirits off of you. Been close to a Fae, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I-I can exin! J-just let me go first¡­ I won¡¯t run. I swear.¡± The man pressed his finger on his lips. ¡°Shh¡­ I don¡¯t need your exnation,¡± he said and brought the woman¡¯s head to his mouth. And he took a huge chunk of her head. The woman died without knowing why or how and with her eyes wide open. The man chewed the woman¡¯s brain, flesh, matter, and bones altogether. He was savouring the taste with his eyes closed. ¡°Hmm¡­ she met a peculiar group of adventurers it seems¡­ A Beast-kin, a Fae, and a human¡­ But no Aera¡­¡± After finishing tasting the woman''s brain, he spat back out everything he put in his mouth. ¡°Disgusting,¡± he muttered, wiping his mouth of the blood and brain matter. It was clear he did not enjoy what he did but time was against him and he knew the consequences of failure would be too terrible for even someone like him to imagine. He then looked at the man he decapitated. He picked up the head he lopped off of the man. ¡°Well, let¡¯s hope you¡¯ll have something more significant in this disgusting brain of yours,¡± the man with the deformed face, Rayor, mused to himself. 3-30 Valenolk 3-30 Valenolk Dusk approached with a chill breeze and clouds. The sky had been clear of clouds but now, they had gathered. Erin stared at the sky with an uneasy feeling but she brushed it off. She had a queer encounter during the day, one that ended with loose ends. Perhaps in fear of retaliation, Erin remained vignt more than before on their journey. Though at the end of the day, her uneasy feeling was unwarranted as they safely reached Valenolk without any more encounters. At most, it was just a bunch of people staring at her in awe along the road. As they were near a town, the presence of people also increased drastically. Having enough of the various types of gazes, she cast Twilight Veil on herself to disguise her Fae¡¯s features. Her facial structure and features remained the same. Her eyes and hair changed to match the locals¡¯ to be inconspicuous. Her hair was now only neck length and dark brown of colour. Her eyes were no longer amber but blue. Even without her Fae features, Erin was still a beauty to behold. The stares may have lessened but it was still a numerous amount of dazed expressions. Reaching the entrance gate of Valenolk, they were stopped by guards with shabby armour and weapons. ¡°Halt!¡± the tallest guard among the five stopped Erin¡¯s cart. The other people wereing and going through the gate as they pleased, which gave rise to Erin¡¯s suspicions of the guard¡¯s purpose in stopping her. The other guards raised their weapons and their focus on Erin. ¡°Your papers, please,¡± the tall guard demanded. Erin had expected some crude words but the guard¡¯s tone was humble. Erin gestured for Siv and Lyra to be at ease before responding to the guard. ¡°Why are we stopped?¡± she asked. ¡°This is a small town,ss,¡± the guard answered. ¡°Everyone knows each other here but I do not know you or your friends. So, your papers are in order to pass.¡± Valenolk was even smaller than Green Scar¡¯s town and the soldiers stationed around seemed even less experienced. Erin expected offhanded treatment but the guard was surprisingly ruly and courteous. Not a hint of arrogance or annoyance was present as he answered her questions. Erinplied and handed the guard their adventurer tags. The guard¡¯s brows were raised at the sight of their tags. ¡°You are adventurers? How unexpected,¡± the guard mused as he handed Erin back their adventurer tags after examining them briefly. ¡°Do we not look like adventurers to you?¡± Lyra asked from the back. ¡°I have not met any adventurers that could afford a horse, let alone a cart and two horses,¡± the guard replied. ¡°You must be very skilled.¡± ¡°I am nothing much but Erin here is a¡ª¡± Lyra boasted as she pointed at Erin. Siv slightly nudged Lyra with her elbow. ¡°What?¡± Lyra shot. ¡°We do not need the attention,¡± Siv told her sternly in a whisper. ¡°Forgive me, good sir,¡± Erin said, diverting the guard¡¯s attention back to her. ¡°She¡¯s a little excited. It¡¯s her first time being this far from home. We are merely seeking an inn for the night and we¡¯ll be on our way on the dawn of morrow.¡± ¡°I see,¡± the guard said. ¡°Regardless, it¡¯s a silver each to pass through our town.¡± ¡°Pardon me, sir,¡± Siv interjected. ¡°But the entrance tax of an adventurer is covered by the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.¡± ¡°I am aware but we do not have an Adventurer¡¯s Guild here. So, either you produce a silver each or you sleep in the woods tonight.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no guild here? Impossible,¡± Siv uttered. ¡°There was one but monsters are few here. So, the guild closed eventually. Adventurers still pass through here but they never stay for more than two days,¡± the guard exined. ¡°Isn¡¯t a silver a bit too much?¡± Lyra questioned. ¡°We¡¯re merely passing through.¡± ¡°No one¡¯s forcing you to pay,ssie. You¡¯re free to circle around our town.¡± Lyra clicked her tongue in response. The three all knew in order to go around the town, it would take more than a week as the town was built over a forest. The forest was essentially a vast bridge of a vastke. Whoever built the town over the forest knew travellers would have to pay to pass through if they did not wish for their travel to be extended by a week. It was a clever scheme. Erin sighed. ¡°Fine,¡± she said. ¡°What?¡± Lyra blurted out. ¡°You¡¯re going to pay? This is a robbery!¡± Erin gestured Lyra to calm down and winked at the two. Siv nodded and smiled with an understanding gaze while Lyra stared on in confusion. Erin looked at the guard and smiled. ¡°Good sir, we have a long and arduous journey. We have encountered many men who have tried to kill us. You are the first decent man we havee across in a while. I will be grateful if you would overlook our fees, kind sir.¡± ¡°Lass, you better give up. I am not easy¡ª¡± Erin smiled turned sultry and the man¡¯s mouth stopped moving. Keeping her sultry smile, sheid her hand on the man¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Please,¡± Erin whispered sweetly. ¡°I am sure you are not like the other men. I can tell you are special. After all, you don¡¯t look at us the same gazes as your boorish subordinates.¡± ¡°Y-yes,¡± the guard replied with a stutter. Siv¡¯s understanding gaze had flipped and confusion riddled her face. Lyra mouth and eyes were agape. She tried to say something but no words came out as she watched how Erin ¡°persuaded¡± the guard. ¡°Well then, good sir. Would you allow us through the gate now?¡± The guard nodded. He turned around and ordered his men to open the gate. While his men held some apprehension and doubts, none of them seemed willing to argue with the tall guard. The tall guard was level fifteen while the others weren¡¯t even past the level of ten. They all nodded their heads and opened the gates for Erin and her cart to pass through. The tall guard¡¯s gaze trailed after Erin as they entered the Valenolk. Even after they were some distance from the gate, the guard¡¯s gaze was still on them. ¡°What did you do?¡± Lyra asked after they turned right on the junction of the street. Erin sighed. Her sultry smile disappeared and a face of disgust spread on her face. ¡°I was hoping I didn¡¯t need to do that.¡± ¡°Just what was that?¡± Lyra threw her question. This time, she spun Erin around by her arm. ¡°Answer me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a gift¡ª of sorts...¡± Erin answered hesitantly. ¡°From who?¡± ¡°My Divine Guardian...¡± ¡°A charm spell,¡± Siv muttered. Erin nodded at Siv¡¯s guess. ¡°And you ept this gift?¡± Lyra questioned further. ¡°It wasn¡¯t something that I could refuse. It wasn¡¯t a choice. It¡¯s part of Lust Deviant.¡± Lyra released Erin¡¯s arm and slumped back to her seat. ¡°What a tasteless god,¡± she grumbled with a huff. ¡°It¡¯s not all bad,¡± Erin said. ¡°It¡¯s tasteless but it¡¯s handy.¡± ¡°Undeniably,¡± Siv added. ¡°Don¡¯t start,¡± Lyra warned with a re at the Wolf-kin. Since the town was small, they didn¡¯t need any directions from the townsfolk for them to find an inn. The inn was a lodging that doubled as a tavern. Erin entered the inn alone, leaving Siv and Lyra to look after the cart and the horses. Her entrance turned a few drunken gazes at first but as the first few drunken gazes whistled in awe, all the other patrons followed. Though not everyone was gazing at Erin, it was still a considerable number of gazes filled with varying intentions. Erin strode to the counter without entertaining those gazes like she always did. The individual behind the counter was a rough man in his forties. His scars and muscles told Erin enough of the man¡¯s history. That said, the man wasn¡¯t without desires as Erin¡¯s appearance caused a stir in his brows. ¡°Evening, sir,¡± Erin greeted. ¡°Sir?¡± The man chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m no sir. I am Hank, a mere humble bartender but a former soldier of the kingdom¡¯s army. How can I help ya, prettyss?¡± Hearing the bartender¡¯s boast, the patrons groaned loudly as if they had listened to the boast for the hundredth time. ¡°I would like a room for three, the best you got. And also we need a ce to let our horses rest.¡± ¡°Aye, for sure.¡± The man nodded and produced a key from under the counter. ¡°The finest and biggest room. For a prettyssie like ya, I say four silver.¡± Erin raised an eyebrow. ¡°What¡¯s the normal rate?¡± she asked. ¡°Six silver,¡± the man answered. ¡°Then, here¡¯s six silver,¡± she said and slid the man six pieces of silver coins over the counter. ¡°Whoa, ya sure about this,ssie?¡± ¡°I am,¡± Erin replied firmly. ¡°This is awfully generous of you,ssie. Tell ya what, I¡¯ll throw in a free breakfast.¡± ¡°That is much appreciated. Just have it packed. Mypanions and I will be leaving at dawn.¡± ¡°Aye, can do. Anything for ya,ssie.¡± ¡°Oi, missy!¡± one of the patrons shouted. ¡°Come and have a drink with us. Our treat.¡± ¡°Silence, you drunkards!¡± Hank roared. ¡°She is my guest now. If any of you here try something funny, you¡¯ll get it from me.¡± Hank ended his threat with a wink at Erin. Erin simply smiled wryly in response. Without any more fuss, Erin parked the cart behind the inn and made their way to the second floor where the lodging rooms were. They greeted a tavern maid as they walked to their room. The maid swooned as Erin smiled at her as a greeting. The three entered their room, with Siv being thest, and as soon as she shut the door, Lyra turned and met Erin with a peculiar re. ¡°What?¡± Erin asked. ¡°Is it just me or does your alluring effect seems to have be stronger recently?¡± Lyra asked in return. ¡°That maid was captivated by your smile.¡± ¡°If it had be stronger, I wouldn¡¯t know. It¡¯s not like I use it at every appearance of a problem.¡± Siv did not participate in the exchange and headed just straight for the bed. As her body touched the soft mattress, she let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Cotton¡­ not bad,¡± she mused to herself. Erin was a little surprised at Siv¡¯s attitude but her attention was ultimately on Lyra, who was giving her a very fretful look. ¡°I¡¯m worried, Erin. What if your¡­ desire spins out of control in a very difficult situation?¡± ¡°Then you need not worry. That would not be happening.¡± ¡°Why are you so sure?¡± Erin smiled. ¡°Because I made sure of it. I was bestowed with another gift by my Divine Guardian. This gift was something that I chose myself.¡± Lyra narrowed her eyes. ¡°What is this gift that you have failed to tell me about?¡± She took a step forward. ¡°Truly sorry about that,¡± Erin chuckled nervously and took a step back in response. ¡°Well¡­ I have convinced her that Lust Deviant would be very inconvenient for her and me. If she wishes to see great results from the quest she has given me, Lust Deviant has to go. She was reluctant and bitter about it but she agreed with my reasoning. However, I was told it couldn¡¯t be done. She couldn¡¯t remove it without killing me. Lust Deviant was ingrained in my soul. Lust Deviant is the bridge between her and me as her apostle. You¡¯re following?¡± Lyra nodded after a brief moment. ¡°So, she came to apromise.¡± ¡°Whatpromise?¡± ¡°Mystic de, my ultimate ability as I view it, draws on my life force as thepensation. Now, it draws on a different source.¡± ¡°Your lust...¡± ¡°Yes, my lust¡­ As the aspect of lust, my lust is so great that it could serve as sustenance for a spell. Although, my lust would build up faster and stronger if there¡¯s no more to draw from me.¡± ¡°W-wait¡­ that means that we can¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°Of course, we can,¡± she stopped Lyra with her words. ¡°You of all people should know not to underestimate how strong my desires are, Lyra.¡± Lyra broke into a devilish grin. ¡°Of course. It slipped my mind. That was terrible of me. Please punish this insolent woman of yours who doubted you.¡± Erin pulled Lyra close until their bosoms touched, and she wrapped her arms around Lyra''s waist. ¡°I intend to,¡± she whispered into her ears. **** The evening sky was painted ck as the night arrived and so did a certain cloaked man. The cloaked man approached the gate into Valenolk. It was almost midnight and the soldiers standing guard were now only three. The tall guard from before was no longer there. ¡°Halt!¡± a scrawny guard stopped the cloaked man from afar. The suspicious figure was barely in the light of the torches that illuminated the gate but it was enough to rouse the guards¡¯ attention. ¡°Say yer name and business and not a step closer, stranger!¡± ¡°A Fae passed by here. Where did she go?¡± the cloaked man asked. ¡°There¡¯s no Fae here, stranger. Say yer name and business or we won¡¯t be so polite with ya.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ you are not lying. The Fae has hidden herself,¡± the cloaked man mused to himself. ¡°No matter. I will find you.¡± ¡°What are you on about, stranger? Answer me!¡± ¡°As you wish.¡± The cloaked man lifted his head and his hood, revealing his face which had a portion disfigured. ¡°My name is Rayor and I¡¯m looking for my daughter. I heard she was travelling with a Fae.¡± The guards shrieked at Rayor¡¯s face. The scrawny guard drew his sword in an instant but Rayor¡¯s hand moved faster. In a split second, the scrawny guard¡¯s head slid off his neck and his body copsed. The rest of the guards shrieked louder, attracting the attention of the guards from the other side of the gate. Rayor chuckled to himself. ¡°Time to see what I¡¯m capable of,¡± he said with a grin. 3-31 Half-breed 3-31 Half-breed Mist of lust-filled the entire room as Erin and Lyra slowly submitted to the desires their journey had prevented them from indulging in. Now, such concerns were behind them for a temporary moment. They looked each other in the eyes. They cupped their cheeks in their hands and pulled themselves into a deep passionate kiss. Their hands went to undress the cloth of one another. As Lyra was about to undo the sash of Erin¡¯s robe, she was pushed away gently. At the same moment, Siv rose from her sleep and stood up from the bed. Lyra knew something was wrong. ¡°What is it?¡± Lyra asked. The queer dread painted the faces of Siv and Erin pale. ¡°Something terrible,¡± Siv answered. ¡°I know this feeling,¡± Erin said after swallowing a lump in her throat. ¡°I can never forget this. It¡¯s a Demon. There¡¯s a Demon approaching us.¡± Just then, screams erupted from the streets. ¡°This is bad...¡± Siv muttered as she donned back her gears. Lyra also tidied up her apparel and readied her weapons. ¡°Alright, a Demon¡¯sing. What do we do? Can we fight and triumph over this Demon? Erin tightened the sash that Lyra was just untying. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Demons are unpredictable. I can¡¯t be sure until I fight it.¡± ¡°You want to face it alone?¡± Lyra questioned. ¡°What about us? We can help.¡± ¡°No, you two stay here. I¡¯m not asking. I will call for you two if I deemed it appropriate for your levels.¡± Siv nodded. ¡°Very well, mistress. We will wait for your signal.¡± ¡°Lyra?¡± ¡°...Fine. I¡¯ll wait. I trust you and don¡¯t make me regret it.¡± Erin smiled. ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± she said and dove out of the window as soon as she was done with her preparations. She did a few spins in the air beforending on her feet. She quickly tied her hair into a ponytail. ¡°Fae...¡± a crude hollow voice called out. Erin raised her head to meet the owner of the voice, the Demon. ¡°Evening,¡± she greeted. The townsfolk were running away from the Demon. In a short amount of time, Erin could tell there was barely anyone else on the street save for the few guards running towards them from a distance away. ¡°Evening,¡± the Demon returned her greeting. ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you a rare one? A five-tailed Fox-kin.¡± Erin blinked curiously at the Demon¡¯s response. She was even more baffled when she noticed the Demon had a name, Rayor. His race was Human but the word ¡°Demon¡± was beside it in brackets. His status was Demonification: Half. His level was forty-five. He had the usual set of abilities such as; Sword Art, Fleet Foot, Body Strengthening, Brawler, and the likes. The ones that stood out were Soul Weapon and Abyss Magic which both were level five, Mana Drain at level four, and Physical Resistance at level six. ¡°I am looking for my daughter,¡± the Demon, Rayor, said. ¡°I heard she was travelling with a Fae. Are you the Fae in question? My daughter was wearing clerical robes but she¡¯s not a woman of faith. She¡¯s a little younger than you. Slightly shorter than you. Long dark brown hair. Thin with the right amount of fat. Beautiful, very beautiful.¡± Erin held back her disgust when the Demon licked his lips after uttering thest words. ¡°So, have you seen my daughter?¡± ¡°No,¡± Erin answered. ¡°I have not seen her and I am not the Fae in question.¡± ¡°You are not lying...¡± the Demon proimed. ¡°It appears I have followed the wrong trail¡­ Damn it!¡± Seeing the Demon¡¯s slight burst of outrage, Erin used Mystic de on her sword. ¡°Do not fear,¡± the Demon said. ¡°I will be leaving now.¡± Doubts crossed Erin¡¯s face. She found it hard to believe but the Demon wasn¡¯t lying going by his expression. He was merely frustrated that he had made a mistake. That said, Erin didn¡¯t feelpelled to let the Demon walk, not after she saw the trail of bodies the Demon had left behind him. Erin brandished her sword in spite knowing full well of her winning chances. ¡°Oh? You intend to fight me despite my intention of letting you go?¡± ¡°You¡¯re a Demon and I have seen your work. I can¡¯t let you go in good conscience.¡± Rayor chuckled. ¡°You fancy yourself a hero, eh?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a hero. Just someone who¡¯s foolish and looking to do the right thing despite knowing full well of her meek chances.¡± Rayor¡¯s chuckle turned intoughter. ¡°Oh,dy¡­ I like the fire in you. You¡¯re making me hard¡­ but unfortunately, I¡¯m a Demon now and I am repulsed by your kind.¡± ¡°I consider it fortunate then,¡± Erin retorted and lunged. Rayor chuckled and sent tendrils of darkness at Erin. She swiftly cut down the seven tendrils and shot a Lightning Bolt at Rayor in return. Hezily lifted his hand to his face and caught the bolt of lightning with a smirk. He crushed the lightning spell in his hand. As he lowered his hand, Erin had disappeared from his sight. He felt the air shift behind him and spun around with a sword made of Abyss energy in his hand. The Abyssal sword collided with Erin¡¯s de but only for a second before Erin¡¯s de cut right through it. Rayor was surprised but he didn¡¯t freeze. He reeled his neck away from Erin¡¯s that was half a foot away from cutting his neck. ¡°How did you do that?¡± Rayor asked in disbelief. ¡°You can¡¯t be at a higher level than me.¡± ¡°Levels aren¡¯t everything,¡± Erin answered and lunged again. Rayor conjured more des of the Abyss and met Erin¡¯s shes. He knew his victory would be certain if he could touch the Fae but after seeing her speed and form, he knew it would be difficult to put that n into practice. The Fae wasn¡¯t faster than him, neither was she stronger than him. Yet, she was overpowering him. Her sabre cut down each of his swords created by the Abyss Magic spell, Abyssal Arms, repeatedly without fail. Abyss Magic was an advanced tier of Arcane Arts. However, Rayor had limited knowledge of Arcane Arts in general. He gained Abyss Magic after he was turned into a Demon but he knew little of what he could with Abyss Magic. Abyss Arms was the only spell under Abyss Magic that he could wield properly as it was the closest thing to his original way of fighting. Erin wasn¡¯t faring too well either, contrary to Rayor¡¯s perception. Mystic de had a hefty cost and also, she could tell her sabre would not be able to bear the strain from Mystic de for long. In fact, she could see a small crack in her de already. She was only winning at the moment due to Rayor being unustomed to his newfound powers and also because of her affinity with Spirits. Rayor didn¡¯t realize that his abilities were heavily suppressed by the Spirits in their surroundings that were gathering around Erin. In spite of all these advantages, it was only a matter of time before the tide made a drastic shift. Rayor epted the fact he would truly lose in closebat. As a result, he distanced himself from Erin by taking off into the air after sprouting wings from his back. It was the first thing he learned to do after bing a Demon as Demons, in his point of view, were widely known for their ability to fly. ¡°Bollocks,¡± Erin cursed and dispelled Mystic de. It was useless to have it on right now. Rayor let out a bellow ofughter. ¡°Levels aren¡¯t everything, you say? I will prove you wrong.¡± A scythe of darkness manifested in his hands. He raised it overhead and threw the oversized scythe at Erin. Erin dove out of the scythe¡¯s way instead of cutting it down. She didn¡¯t doubt she could do so but she wished to conserve fuel and the integrity of her sabre. As she prepared tounch a counter-strike, the scythe did not stop right after it hit the ground. It continued to roll towards Erin. She widened her eyes and dodged the scythe by a hair¡¯s breadth. She then noticed a long chain of darkness was attached to the scythe and Rayor¡¯s hand. ¡°Oh? Dodging now, are we? What happened to that glowing de of yours?¡± He taunted and willed the scythe to continue chasing down Erin. Shutting the pompous voice from her mind, she directed focus on the scythe that followed her incessantly. The scythe was slow but she couldn¡¯t dodge it forever and the scythe was causing more and more damage the more it ran amok. As she began to formte a n, she noticed the scythe¡¯s jittery movement. A grin appeared on her face. Immediately after dodging the scythe, she threw an Aura Shot at Rayor who was in the air. The scythe disappeared and Rayor easily dodged the Aura Shot. ¡°Oh? Dodging now, are we?¡± Erin mocked. ¡°There¡¯s a discrepancy between you and your attacks. You are unfamiliar with your powers, it seems.¡± ¡°Am I?¡± Rayor challenged. He conjured a scythe and a sword of darkness this time, both with chains attached to the weapons and his hands. He threw the scythe but kept the sword with him. ¡°Fuck!¡± Erin muttered and flipped away from the scythe. She couldn¡¯t reuse the same trick again. Rayor could easily deflect her attacks now with the sword in his hand. ¡°I¡¯m going to wipe that smirk off your face and make you eat it!¡± she made such a vow in her heart. Just then, the town guards had arrived. It was a small group of around twenty individuals with five of them being archers and the rest being swordsmen. There were no Mages in the group. The archers immediately fired their arrows at themand of their captain. Rayor scoffed and let the arrows hit him. The arrows merely bounced off of him due to his Physical Resistance skill. ¡°That hurts¡ª a little.¡± Rayor patted himself like he was brushing off the dust as a disy of his impervious state. Erin narrowed her gaze. The guards gasped and despair began to seep into their hearts. Fear was already gripping their hearts when they realized they would be confronting an enemy that was obviously levels higher than them. They knew not their enemy was a Demon. Had they known, they wouldn¡¯t have approached Rayor so carelessly. ¡°Come to join the fun?¡± Rayor threw a sarcastic question at the guards before willing the scythe to change its targets from Erin to the guards. ¡°No!¡± Erin shouted. ¡°Fuck! All of you run!¡± But no one ran. They were all too stunned and astounded at the scythe rushing towards them. It was a never before seen spectacle to them. The gravity of the threat had yet to reach their reality. Erin threw herself into the scythe¡¯s path and destroyed the scythe with Mystic de. Before she could retaliate, Rayor tossed the sword in his hand like a javelin, not at her but the guards. She quickly moved herself between the guards and the sword. ¡°A F-Fox-kin?¡± a guard gasped. Half of the guards only noticed Erin¡¯s presence now since they were so focused on Rayor. Erin cut down the sword but Rayor already had another scythe and sword of darkness in his hands. ¡°This is a Demon. None of you are his match. So run!¡± Erin screamed at the stupefied guards. ¡°That thing¡¯s a D-Demon?¡± ¡°What the fuck!? No one told me about this!¡± Hearing that Rayor was a Demon, half of the guards immediately dropped their weapons and ran. The other half were either conflicted over their sense of duty or were simply too afraid to move. Rayor guffawed. ¡°What am I even looking at? You call yourself guards? What a joke!¡± ¡°Oh shut it, you,¡± Erin said and threw her hand up with two fingers extended. ¡°What are you ying at¡ª¡± Rayor¡¯s question was cut off when an arrow pierced into his shoulder. ¡°I-it hurts¡­?¡± Rayor was only a halfbreed Demon, not a full-fledged Demon. Erin had thought it weird that Rayor had Physical Resistance when Demons were impervious to all manners of attack except for Spirit Magic and Holy Magic. She surmised Rayor had it because he still wasn¡¯tpletely invulnerable to the usual means of attack. Erin leapt into the sky and closed their distance by channelling a huge amount of Mana into Fleet Foot and Lightning Rush. Rayor tried to fly away but another arrow came. He had to block the arrow as it was aimed at his head and it was shot with high precision. The split second he spent to block the arrow was enough for Erin¡¯s de to reach him¡ª but his speed was higher than Erin¡¯s. Erin¡¯s de sliced right through his weapons, found his flesh, but only a shallow cut was drawn. Rayor had a triumphant grin stered on his disfigured face as he was about to fly out of Erin¡¯s range. His grin disappeared when he saw Erin¡¯s grin. He noticed a ball of cyan mes in her free hand. She syed her palm that was carrying the ming ball at Rayor. The ball of mes burst into a stream of fire at him. He was fast but not fast enough to escape the speed of mes. His wings caught the cyan mes and it quickly spread to his whole body. Rayor screamed in agony as he iled around in the air. The mes consumed his wings and he fell back to the ground. He rolled around frantically, trying to douse the mes but nothing worked. Erin closed the gap and prepared to finish him but he dove out of Erin¡¯s sh and ran for the water. Valenolk was a narrow town as it functioned as a pseudo bridge between twonds. Rayor didn¡¯t need to run far before reaching the water. Erin threw an Aura Shot but Rayor had already jumped into theke with the Aura Shot grazing by his back, sttering dark red blood on the edge of the paths. ¡°Damn it,¡± she cursed. She could sense Rayor was still alive and could tell where he was underwater. However, she didn¡¯t dare to give chase as she didn¡¯t know how well she could perform underwater. Initially, she was surprised Rayor was still able to move despite being consumed in the mes of Spirits but considering he was only half Demon, the effectiveness of Spirits on him was also halved. All in all, Erin was simply d no more lives were lost when she intervened. After confirming Rayor had swum out of her range of perception, she let loose a sigh of relief and sat on the floor in the middle of the streets. As the noise of the battle had died down for quite some time, the townsfolk beganing out of their homes and shelters. [Experience gained +15% - Level Progression: 40%] 3-32 Tokens of gratitude 3-32 Tokens of gratitude ¡°Lady Erynthea, I cannot thank you enough,¡± the viceroy of Valenolk, Chief Dreyfus said. ¡°Your timely presence in my town is a blessing. This town would have beenpletely destroyed by that wretched Demon had it not been for you.¡± Erin smiled awkwardly in return as they shook hands. From the few words she heard from the Demon, Rayor, himself, she could guess as much. She was partly the reason for Rayor¡¯s presence in town but she wasn¡¯t about to divulge that, not after Chief Dreyfus had invited her to his house to express his gratitude for fending off the threat. It wasn¡¯t just the town¡¯s viceroy but the whole town. They cheered and shouted her name after she gave them a brief introduction, though she couldn¡¯t say anything about her being the reason Rayor found his way into town. It became even harder for her to bear when they nned to throw a feast for her tomorrow as a celebration and thanks. Ultimately, she rejected them by telling her she was in a hurry and was leaving town at the dawn of the morrow. Currently, she was sitting across from Chief Dreyfus in the parlour room. Lyra and Siv were back at the inn as Erin didn¡¯t fully trust the viceroy¡¯s intention yet. If the viceroy was scheming something heinous, she would have an easier time getting out by herself. Erin surveyed the room thoroughly as soon as she entered. She found no traps nor any traces of poison. As for security, there were only two guards in the room. The guards were wielding pikes and standing straight in the corners. A brief nce at the two told Erin enough of their prowess. She didn¡¯t even need Appraisal to gauge their levels. They didn¡¯t hold any ill-will towards her but they did hold a different manner of intention. She shot the two guards a re as their gazes were stuck on waving tails and her alluring figure. The guards readjusted their gazes upon being discovered. ¡°I hope the tea is to your liking, mdy,¡± the viceroy said with a cordial tone but he cast a rebuking sideways nce to his guards. ¡°But of course, if you so wish, I could get a different one for you, mdy.¡± ¡°The tea is fine, Chief Dreyfus,¡± Erin said, taking a sip of tea served by the viceroy. It wasn¡¯t exactly terrible but it was nothing special either. The viceroy¡¯s home was nothing like what Erin hade to expect. The colours and design were dull. There was no luxurious carpetid out in the room and no intricate painting hanging on the walls. Perhaps Valenolk was a town smaller than Green Scar and it had nothing much to offer. Their main trade was the tax from travellers who wished to go through the town. Since the town was essentially built on ake, Erin expected the fisheries to be a thriving business but that was not the case. The viceroy told her theke was filled with all manners of aquatic monsters. Erin heaved a breath of relief as she made the right choice of not going after Rayor. ¡°Thank you once again, Lady Erynthea. I sincerely thought this would be the end of Valenolk. I¡¯m just the chief of a small town. We don¡¯t even have soldiers that are beyond the level of twenty. You have really saved us all.¡± Erin groaned inwardly as the viceroy¡¯s praise was bing incessant. ¡°Is there anything I can offer you, mdy?¡± ¡°Your words of gratitude are more than enough as a token of appreciation,¡± Erin responded to Chief Dreyfus who had begun bowing fervently. ¡°I did not fight the Demon to earn a reward, Chief Dreyfus. I¡¯m merely doing what I believe is right.¡± ¡°Strong and humble, that was truly unexpected of you, mdy¡ª Ah! I meant no offence by that.¡± ¡°I am not offended, just tired. I wish to return to my room and get some rest.¡± ¡°Of course, Lady Erynthea but if I may¡ª would you allow me the honour of amodating you for the duration of your stay in Valenolk. It is the least I could do for your efforts.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary, Chief Dreyfus. I have already paid for my room and it¡¯s nighttime. I wouldn¡¯t want to trouble your servants. After all, it will be a busy day tomorrow for everyone after the havoc the Demon had wreaked.¡± ¡°What you say is true but it does not matter, mdy. Your contentment takes precedence. You are a Fae and the saviour of this town. I¡ª¡± ¡°Enough, Chief Dreyfus,¡± Erin said and stood up from her chair, her tails flourishing behind. The guards were immediately intimidated into brandishing their weapons. Their actions were valiant but foolish, and their hands were trembling. ¡°You idiots!¡± Chief Dreyfus screamed. ¡°What are you two thinking!? Lower your weapons now!¡± The two guards hesitated but eventually lowered their weapons, though their hands were still gripping tightly to their pikes. ¡°I am truly sorry for this, Lady Erynthea. It¡¯s just that¡­ their levels are too low and they simply felt daunted by your slightest movement. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive them.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. They are simply doing their job by defending their master. They should be praised instead for their bravery. It is I who should be apologizing for my actions. That said, if my contentment takes precedence, then you will let me be on my way. I thank you for your hospitality but as I said, I would like to get some rest now. Evening, Chief Dreyfus.¡± And Erin walked out of the room without waiting for a reply from the viceroy. There was no one to escort Erin out. She knew the way and everyone was still in awe and fear of her presence to move. Though not many knew the significance of the number tails a Fox-kin possessed, the viceroy did. From the first moment heid his eyes on Erin, he had been in disbelief of the number of her tails. It was simply unbelievable as Fae was already a rare sight, much less a Fox-kin with more than three tails. Chief Dreyfus slumped to his knees after he heard Erin leave his house and the door closed behind her. He heaved a heavy breath. He then red at the two guards. ¡°I will ask again, what were the two of you thinking!?¡± he demanded with a stern tone. ¡°Do you two have the slightest idea of what would happen if she took offence to your actions? Do you!?¡± ¡°W-we¡¯re sorry, sir¡­ It¡¯s just¡­ it is as you said, we couldn¡¯t help it. There has to be at least more than twenty levels of difference between our levels. We¡ª¡± ¡°Enough,¡± he cut the guard¡¯s exnation off. ¡°We¡¯re fortunate that this one isn¡¯t easily offended. Bless her heart. It would be worse than the Demon if she¡¯s angry.¡± ¡°I-it would, sir?¡± one of the guards asked, timidly. ¡°If we garner the ire of a Fae, a five-tailed Fox-kin at that, thisnd would wilt and monsters will swarm this ce like moths flying towards a light.¡± ¡°T-that is indeed terrible¡­ sir.¡± ¡°Which is why the two of you are going to apologize to her personally first thing in the morning tomorrow. Bring the finest wine we have in the cer.¡± ¡°S-sir?¡± ¡°We can¡¯t risk a Fae having a poor opinion of our town. But if she had a good one, our town would surely prosper.¡± The viceroy¡¯s demeanour changed as he expressed his proposal to his two guards. He had gone from shouting to nowughing at his own ¡°brilliant¡± idea. The two guards could do nothing but obey their master¡¯s whims. **** The dawn came in the blink of an eye to Erin. After her fight with the Demon, she was exhausted to the brim. He won the fight with only a few light scratches but the energy it took to think and dodge the Demon¡¯s attacks was no less insignificant than receiving heavy injuries. She had fallen into a deep sleep after returning to her room but not before she exchanged a few words with Hank, the bartender. Apparently, the revtion of her true race caused quite amotionst night with the owner cum bartender of the tavern. The owner had returned her money as thanks for repelling the Demon but Erin insisted that it was not necessary. In the end, they settled it with half of what Erin had paid. She didn¡¯t want to argue any further and epted thepromise. In the room, she found Siv had already drifted into sleep and Lyra was waiting for her with a pouting face. Erin understood why she put on such a face. They were in the middle of their passionate embrace when the Demon had boorishly interrupted their moment. And now, Erin had expended all of her lust using Mystic de and she was tired after the fight. The sun was still peeking out of the horizon as Erin was preparing the horses and loading up her possessions and the supplies needed for the journey. It was very early in the morning but most people were already out of their bed and preparing to start their day. This was the life they led as themon folks. They couldn¡¯t afford to stay in bed. They didn¡¯t even know of such luxury. This was why Erin was already surrounded by the townsfolk, all of who were eager to show their gratitude to Erin by offering a variety of items, from simple trinkets to ornated weapons. She had thought she could at least leave town before the whole town was awake but they were all awake way before she was. In the end, she sighed in resignation and received the town¡¯s gratitude while smiling warmly at every turn. As if the townsfolk weren¡¯t enough, the two guards from the viceroy¡¯s mansion came and gifted her a very expensive bottle of wine. Judging by the whispers and gasps from the gallery, Erin understood this bottle of wine was truly special. Even Siv was encouraging her to keep it even though she won¡¯t be drinking it. She eventually epted it when Siv told her she could use the wine as a bribe in the future. By the end of it, an hour had already passed and it was the longest amount of time that Erin had kept a smile on her face without dropping. She groaned as she rubbed her sore cheeks. ¡°Imagine all the gold we could earn from selling all of these,¡± Lyra muttered as she saw the pile of gifts from the townsfolk on their cart. Siv nudged her with her elbow. ¡°These are not yours to sell and why are you even thinking about selling them. These things could prove to be useful in our journey and the future.¡± ¡°I know they could be useful but how are we going to bring all of this with us? Erin, what do you think?¡± ¡°What do I think?¡± Erin sighed as she loaded thest of her things. ¡°Nothing has changed.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°This is how it was in my past life too. A presence to be revered wherever I go. It feels like I''m reliving the same life.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true, Erin.¡± Lyra wrapped her arms around Erin from behind. ¡°You have us now. And you¡¯re not alone.¡± Erin smiled. ¡°I apologized. That was very¡­ pessimistic of me. I am really fortunate to have you two.¡± Lyra chuckled. ¡°Oh, Erin¡­ you can be so silly sometimes. It really makes me think how you even fare in your past life.¡± ¡°With a lot of pain and suffering. Everyone is out seeking to exploit me if I show even a glimpse of my vulnerability.¡± ¡°With us around, that would never happen. Oh, and I earned a new skillst night.¡± ¡°Last night? You mean after we fended the Demon off?¡± ¡°Now I remember,¡± Siv eximed. ¡°It was Seeker¡­ was it?¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me then?¡± Erin asked. ¡°Well¡­ you took a long timeing back and I kinda got¡­ frustrated and you were fast asleep before I could remember.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ sorry,¡± Erin apologized. ¡°Never mind about that now. Can you appraise me and see what the skill does?¡± ¡°Wait, you don¡¯t know what the skill does?¡± ¡°Of course I don¡¯t. It¡¯s a new skill, how would I have known what it can do? Or is that not how it is?¡± ¡°That is how it is,¡± Siv affirmed. ¡°It takes some time for us to figure out what a skill or ability does but it would be a different story if it was amon skill or ability like; Sword Art, Body Strengthening, Fleet Foot, and the such. But since that¡¯s your question, mistress, may I assume that such is not the case for you?¡± Erin nodded. ¡°That is a correct assumption. The information just flows naturally into my mind whenever I learn something new.¡± ¡°That is enviable,¡± Siv said. ¡°Alright, enough about that already. Just tell me already what Seeker does,¡± Lyra jostled. Giving into Lyra¡¯s insistence and nudging, Erin cast Appraisal on her. Seeker was an Innate Skill and it was a level one. Giving a proverbial tap on ¡°Seeker¡±, its description appeared in a box of texts. Seeker - Allows the user to mark a target with one¡¯s own Mana and track the target wherever it goes until it goes out of range. Arrows or projectiles fired by the user will always find their mark on the marked target. The range of Seeker increases with the level of the skill. Erin whistled in delight and awe. ¡°Lyra, my dear, you are going to like this.¡± 3-33 Expansion 3-33 Expansion The shallow waves washed Rayor to the shore. He had slightly more wounds than when he escaped Erin. Hundreds of monsters lived within theke. They immediately attacked when he was in the water but they didn¡¯t do much as he was partly Demon. He knew that well before he dove into the water but he couldn¡¯t see any other way to escape. His wings were instantly burnt to ashes by the cyan mes. He remembered how much the mes hurt. He was no stranger to the pain fire could bring but the cyan mes brought a whole level of pain to him. That was because he was half Demon and though he didn¡¯t know much about Demons, it wasmon knowledge among the learned ones that Demons¡¯ biggest weaknesses were Holy Magic and Spirit Magic. If he had been a full-fledged Demon, the cyan mes would have already killed him way before he could dive into the water. Hey on the shore of theke with his back on the damp soil and his eyes staring into the vast blue sky that didn¡¯t have a cloud in sight. Contrary to the peaceful sky, Rayor¡¯s inner thoughts were in turmoil. Every piece of his mind was burning with rage. He clenched his fists hard and gritted his teeth. His slightly reddish veins turned into a darker shade in response to his emotions. ¡°That bitch¡­! I¡¯ll fucking kill her!¡± he made a silent vow in his heart. The brief moment he spent lying on the shore had healed all his wounds. He had dawdled enough, he told himself. As he pushed himself to his feet, a stinging pain assaulted his head. ¡°Rayor,¡± a resonating voice followed. ¡°Varus?¡± ¡°Do not be rmed. I am merely talking to you by way of telepathy.¡± ¡°How is this possible?¡± ¡°Do you think Marduk will let a heavy investment like you prance around without any supervision?¡± ¡°....What do you want?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to remind you of your job, that is to find your daughter and bring her to Marduk. It appears you are distracted.¡± ¡°That bitch almost killed me! If it wasn¡¯t for this power, I would have been literally scarred for life!¡± ¡°That should not be your concern, Rayor. Do make me repeat myself. Do your job or someone else will.¡± ¡°And the Fae just walks free? She has five tails. Even three tails were already a rarity. Surely Marduk will be interested in her, no? It¡¯s not often we find a Fae so far away from their forest, let alone a five-tailed Fox-kin.¡± ¡°Marduk already knew of her but she¡¯s not your responsibility. Someone else will be tending to her, not you. You just need to remember your own job and do it. No more mistakes this time.¡± And Varus¡¯ voice left his mind. Rayor stomped the ground as he bellowed in an indignant fury. ¡°Damn these sons of bitches! You take me for an errand boy!?¡± He wanted to reject the orders but doing so would return him to his death. It was only on Marduk¡¯s ¡°generosity¡± that he was still alive. If the Demonic power was taken from him, he would go back to being a corpse. In the end, he could only suck in his pride and follow what he was ordered to do, regardless of his personal grudge. **** An arrow streaked past the trees, swerving around those in its path, and found its mark, a Rock Ape feasting on a citrus fruit while perching on a branch. The arrow hit the Rock Ape but it merely bounced from a rock-hard shell that covered almost every inch of its body except for its neck. ¡°Damn it,¡± Lyra cursed. ¡°I didn¡¯t miss it but I didn¡¯t hit its neck.¡± ¡°At least you hit the Rock Ape this time,¡± Erin said. ¡°You¡¯re getting better. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be a master of the Seeker skill in no time at all.¡± Erin, Lyra, and Siv had resumed their journey. An hour had passed since they left Valenolk. Not a cloud in the skies. It was the perfect weather for any trip. Siv was holding the reins while Erin was sorting out the gifts they received from the grateful townsfolk of Valenolk. They had enough food and water tost time a week and also various other trinkets that could prove to be useful in their journey. There was even a hook tied to a rope among the pile of items, an unusual choice for a gift. Perhaps the townsfolk knew they were adventurers, so they gave them items that would help them in the trip. ¡°What of our stalker friend? Are they still stalking us?¡± Lyra asked as she nocked another arrow. Normally, she wouldn¡¯t be using arrows so wastefully but since there were arrows among the gifts, she could afford to waste some arrows for training. ¡°Curiously, they stopped following us the moment we entered Valenolk,¡± Erin said. ¡°And they seem to have stopped following us since.¡± ¡°That is indeed curious,¡± Lyra muttered. She looked for another target that she could mark with Seeker. ¡°Perhaps they have merely passed on their duty,¡± Siv presumed. ¡°You¡¯re saying someone else took over the stalking duty?¡± Siv nodded at Lyra¡¯s words. ¡°It happened a lot when I was still in Lord Hegan¡¯s employment. To avoid arousing suspicions, the stalkers would have a rotation shift.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sensing anyone tailing us anymore,¡± Erin said. ¡°If there is someone still tailing us, they are doing a very good job at it.¡± Lyra raised an eyebrow. ¡°That sounds possible and a tad worrying.¡± ¡°There is also the possibility that our stalker friend simply became better at stalking.¡± Lyra lowered her bow. ¡°I¡¯m just going to go with the assumption that our stalker friend had given up. That¡¯s a less worrying thought.¡± ¡°But also more dangerous.¡± Lyra sighed. ¡°Erin, are you alright? You looked more tense than usual.¡± ¡°I fought a Demon that was stronger than me. Admittedly, that was thrilling. However, I didn¡¯t manage to kill it. For all I know, it could be already hunting me down for revenge as we speak.¡± ¡°And this time, you will kill it, Erin. We¡¯re here. We can help.¡± ¡°I concur with Lyra, mistress.¡± ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be counting on the two of you when that timees,¡± Erin said and sat on her knees. Her handsid on herp and her eyes closed. Lyra and Siv instantly knew what they had to do. They sharpened their focus and stayed ever the more vignt towards their surroundings. Erin was using this respite to meditate. As she meditated, she finally got to do what had been on her mind all this time, allocating her points. She had eight and six unused skill and ability points, respectively. Since her future opponents would most likely be Demons, she raised her level eight Spirit Magic all the way to ten, using up four skill points. She raised Arcane Edge¡¯s level by one as it was the quickest range-type attack she could use with Aura Shot. She used the remaining points on Mystic Tail Arts. The Magic Art was proving itself handier than she had given credit for. Whenever she was unable to use her sword or spells, her tails were always the alternative. As for her ability points, she allocated them evenly on Arcane and Finesse. It was bing more and more impossible topete with her opponents in terms of raw physical strength the higher her opponents¡¯ levels were. It was better to focus more on what her body and spirit were adapted to. That said, she didn¡¯t intend topletely neglect her physical strength. Strength was still needed to efficiently wield her weapons and allow her to fight a battle longer. The points weren¡¯t her only objective. She also needed more means in fighting. She deemed it was nigh time she learned another magic that could greatly assist her inbat. Although, this was where she met an impasse. She didn¡¯t know how to do that. Nivia wasn¡¯t with her. The only way she could think of was to search her memories. The moment when her sabre began showing cracks under the strain of Mystic de surfaced in her mind. She needed a better sword but the sword she was using could be considered the best by far. Even the swords among the pile of gifts werergely inferior to the sword she was using. It wasn¡¯t just the quality. The sword Aedan gave her even had a polished appearance. Huge efforts were poured into the forging of this sword. Such a weapon was given to her. She couldn¡¯t be more honoured but she also harboured some doubts whether Aedan would be asking her for some favour in exchange in the future. Knowing him, she was almost absolutely certain that would be the case. ¡°No no no. What am I doing? I shouldn¡¯t get side-tracked thinking about that guy!¡± Erin figuratively shook her head to get herself back on her original train of thought. ¡°I need a weapon. It doesn¡¯t need to be better or neither does it need to be as good. Just enough to not fail me in battles and get me through a predicament.¡± As if responding to her thoughts, the Spirits in the vicinity converged on her and gathered around. Erin chuckled. ¡°Oh my, such courteous and helpful fellows. Alright, I¡¯ll ept the assistance.¡± Lightning began to crackle between her hands. Lyra and Siv were caught off guard by the sudden development but they calmed down when they saw the faint grin Erin had. They were assured that she knew what she was doing. The Spirits shirked away from the lightning-like little animals when they were offered something unknown by humans. Erin calmed their fears and beckoned them to approach lightning. She found it amusing that the Spirits could get scared. She guided the Spirit into the streams of lightning. Though the small fluffs of light were hesitant, they trusted Erin. One by one, they hopped into the lightning streams. True to her words, the lightning merely coiled around the Spirits and did not harm any of them. It was a surreal sight to Erin, even though she couldn¡¯t see with her eyes closed. Her perception was more than just something her eyes received. It was something she could smell, hear, feel, taste, and sense. All thesebined into one, painting a clear picture in her mind. She painted a picture of a sword in her mind. Responding to her mind¡¯s painting, the Spirits arranged themselves to fit that picture. Erin helped the Spirits by moulding a frame of the sword using the lightning streams. She had done this before. Mystic de was also born of such a method. She had a clear picture of what she truly wanted. That was the main ingredient, a clear and true idea of what she desired and needed. She desired and needed a weapon that could serve her well and endure the countless strains she would be putting it through. It also needed to be something she could store away easily and take it out just as easy. It would be an ethereal and ephemeral weapon. The shape of a sword was slowly taking form in the union of the Spirits and the lightning streams. However, it was only half of what Erin had envisioned. It wasn¡¯t enough. It needed to be better. At its current state, it would even be better to use a normal sword. She called upon the aid of more Spirit and they were more than happy to oblige. Erin found it endearing. They were more alive than she thought. These endearing Spirits, at the same time, were also the bane of Demons. It was really hard for Erin to fully see them as a couple of fluffs. Erin poured more of her intent into the sword that the lightning and Spirits were forming into. There were no raging storms or typhoons. There were no wild shes of lights. There were only gentle waves of glow as the lightning and Spirits came together. ¡°It¡¯s almost finished,¡± Erin said. But as soon as she said that, the sword of lightning and Spirits fell apart and the lightning disappeared in a sh and the Spirits scuttled some distance away. Lyra shrieked but Siv merely jumped a little. Erin opened her eyes and looked down at her hands. Her palms were charred. ¡°Ow...¡± she muttered. ¡°What happened!?¡± Lyra asked. Worries tinged her face as always. Siv was looking uninterested but she was just as worried. ¡°Mistress, you should be a little restrained about this. Being too adventurous could get one killed, or worse.¡± ¡°I tried to¡­ create a new magic...¡± Erin said, clutching her own palms. Creating new magic wasn¡¯t just something anyone could do on the fly but Siv and Lyra were already used to Erin being an exception in many cases. ¡°You did not seed?¡± Siv asked. Erin nodded. ¡°I failed,¡± she admitted. ¡°But why do you look so happy?¡± Lyra pointed out as she saw the grin Erin had. She widened her grin. ¡°Because I know I won¡¯t fail the next time.¡± Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Five-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 34 | Status: None Might: 22 | Arcane: 44 | Finesse: 39 Magic Arts Spirit Magic Lv. 10 | Arcane Edge Lv. 6 | Arcane Armor Lv. 10 | Lightning Magic Lv. 10 | Arcane Aegis Lv. 7 | Mystic Tail Arts Lv. 3 Combat Arts Sword Art Lv. 8 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 5 Innate Skills Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 7 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex | Mana Harvest Lv. 1 | Lightning Resistance Lv. 1 Unique Talent Mystic de Lv. Ex | Revenant Lv. Ex Level Progression: 40% Remaining Skill Points: 0 Remaining Ability Points: 0 3-34 Stalker 3-34 Stalker ¡°This is so tediously dreadful,¡± Lucasined as he sighed. It was now some time afternoon. He had been standing guard at the gate since dawn. ¡°There''s no such thing as tediously dreadful, you dunce. And what¡¯s so dreadful about this?¡± his friend asked. ¡°We¡¯re being paid to just stand around. At most, we just question anyone who looks remotely suspicious. This is a bargain.¡± ¡°Do you not know about what happened to the previous guards?¡± ¡°I know what happened to them. A Demon killed them right where we are standing. It sent the whole town into a panic. Thank god there was a Fae in town. Not only is she skilled, but she¡¯s also quite a looker too I heard. She¡¯s more beautiful than those highborndies.¡± ¡°Oren, what happens if another Demon just shows up or something equally bad happens?¡± Oren scoffed. ¡°What are the odds of that happening?¡± ¡°Have you not heard about what¡¯s happening recently? Monsters have been acting strangetely. Just a few days ago, Quinteburgh was attacked by a horde of monsters.¡± ¡°The town pulled through, didn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yes, they did but that¡¯s because the merchants from the caravans were there. They provided them with weapons and their own soldiers. If a monster horde came at us, we would be dead.¡± Oren sighed. ¡°You¡¯re always looking at the other side of the bright side.¡± ¡°Thanks to that, we survived so far. And I haven¡¯t even heard a thank you from you yet.¡± ¡°Oh, please. Like you¡¯re the reason we survived so far. In your dreams, Luke.¡± ¡°You ungrateful¡ª¡± Lucas paused and cast his gaze to the road stretching from the gate. Clouds of dust were approaching them. In front of the clouds, there was a ridering at them at a very high speed. ¡°Is that a girl? She seems to be in a hurry,¡± Oren said. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. We need to stop her.¡± Lucas stood in the middle of the gate. ¡°Halt! Show your papers and state your purpose!¡± But the girl didn¡¯t slow down. ¡°Damn it,¡± Lucas cursed. ¡°She¡¯s not slowing down.¡± ¡°Luke, you may want to get out of the way. You are going to get crushed.¡± ¡°To hell with that. What sort of guards will we be if we shirked away?¡± ¡°A non-suicidal guard. Luke, get the fuck out of the way!¡± Lucas stood his ground and brandished his spear at the approaching female rider. ¡°Ah, fuck it!¡± Oren groaned and tackled his friend out of the way. The rider did not so much as slow down and dashed past the gate, heading into the town. ¡°Oren, what the fuck!? We can¡¯t just let her enter!¡± ¡°Luke, you were about to be trampled! You¡ª¡± The sight behind his friend cause Oren to turn rigid. ¡°D-Demon...¡± ¡°What?¡± Lucas immediately turned around after hearing his friend¡¯s mumble. And sure enough, a monster that could only be described as a Demon was running on fours towards the town. ¡°Oh my god...¡± he gasped. ¡°Oren! Sound the rm!¡± And the two guards quickly ran into the town to alert the residents but not before closing the gate, despite knowing full well of the futility in the action. **** A sword of lightning and Spirits slowly manifested into Erin¡¯s hands but before it could fully form into aplete shape, everything came crumbling apart. Lightning spilt from her hands and Spirits were blown away, though the Spirits quickly reconvened around Erin. Erin sighed. ¡°What the fuck...¡± Disappointment tinged her voice. ¡°That¡¯s the¡­ fifth time, isn''t it?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°You don¡¯t need to keep count,¡± Erin grumbled and resumed her work. It had felt so close to obtaining the result she wanted but the final piece of the puzzle just couldn¡¯t fall into ce no matter how she tried to fit in. She knew what kind of magic she wanted. She knew how to create it. But she just couldn¡¯t find out what was stopping her magic from forming. Mystic de came naturally to her when she was in a plight. She had a clear picture of what she desired. Just like that,bining her other Magic Arts together, Mystic de was created. She tried following that same process but the results did not end up like Mystic de. Something was definitely missing but she just couldn¡¯t find out what. The impasse she found herself in was frustrating, to say the least. Despite this, Erin tried again and again but the results were always the same. Sweat had started drenching through her robes. ¡°You should rest, Erin. You wouldn¡¯t get any better like this. You do look cute though.¡± Erin shot her lover a re. ¡°Don¡¯t start. Do you find my failures amusing?¡± Lyra tittered. ¡°I just find it adorable. You were always looking so perfect. You always somehow get over an obstacle that was seemingly impossible for you. Seeing you blundering about right now is really¡­ endearing, especially the cute sounds you made two attempts ago when the sword fell apart.¡± ¡°This is serious, Lyra.¡± ¡°I¡¯m serious too, Erin.¡± Lyra scooched over to Erin¡¯s side. ¡°I¡¯m just saying it¡¯s alright to fail. You¡¯re not alone anymore, remember that. Share your troubles with us.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even know how to share my troubles, especially this one.¡± Lyra began ying with Erin¡¯s hair. ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean, dear.¡± Erin¡¯s shoulders shook. ¡°Oh? What was that? Did you just jump?¡± ¡°...No,¡± Erin denied. ¡°Really, dear?¡± And Erin quivered again with her ears standing straight. Lyra chuckled. ¡°You loved being called that, don¡¯t you, dear?¡± Erin forced herself not to move but the wagging of her tails and the twitching of her ears gave her away. ¡°See, you¡¯re just adorable, my sweet Erin.¡± ¡°Enough, Lyra!¡± Erin swatted Lyra¡¯s hand away from her hair. ¡°I can¡¯t focus like this.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just trying to cheer you up, Erin. You were so engrossed with your failure and your expression was¡­ disheartening to look at. I don¡¯t want to see you so disappointed with yourself.¡± Lyra¡¯s words stung her heart. Erin realized how much she had been worrying Lyra and Siv, though Siv wasn¡¯t the best at disying her emotions. Nevertheless, she wasn¡¯t travelling alone anymore. What she did and how she acted, every one of her actions would also affect herpanions. This was something she had trouble remembering. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Erin said. ¡°I just want to get stronger faster so I can protect the two of you when the timees.¡± ¡°I will appreciate it if you don¡¯t underestimate us, mistress,¡± Siv said without ncing back as she was handling the reins. ¡°We can get stronger together, Erin. This isn¡¯t a burden you should be holding alone. Trust us more, Erin. Who knows, maybe we will be as strong as you someday, or even stronger.¡± Erin chuckled. ¡°I like that idea but it''s easier said than done. I have been through hell and forth to attain the skills I have today.¡± ¡°Nothing is certain, that¡¯s what I believe. But we certainly won¡¯t be stronger if we keep hiding behind your shadow.¡± Erin smiled wryly. ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± she muttered. ¡°Mistress,¡± Siv called. Her sullen tone told Lyra enough of what to expect. ¡°I know,¡± Erin replied. ¡°Our stalker friend is finally showing themself.¡± ¡°They¡¯reing to us?¡± Lyra asked. Erin nodded. ¡°Be on your guard.¡± Siv stopped the wagon and they all entered their stances to receive their untimely guest. After a minute passed, a horse could be seen galloping towards them from a distance. The rider wasn¡¯t slowing as they got near and near Erin and the rest. ¡°They seem to be in a hurry,¡± Siv said. ¡°I can smell their anxiety¡­ There¡¯s fear too.¡± The rider, donned in a ck cloak, came to an immediate stop in front of them. From this range, Erin could hear the rider¡¯s heavy breathing and she found out the rider was a she. The rider descended from her horses and quickly walked up to them but she stopped just shy away from being in Erin¡¯s sword reach. The rider uncovered the hood covering her face, revealing her identity to the three. The rider was wearing sses with a silver frame. She had brown hair that reached her shoulders. Her face was in and couldn¡¯t be said to be a beauty of any sort. Contrary to her in face, her attires were elegant and sumptuous. Siv didn¡¯t recognize the face. Lyra had only a bell ringing in her memories. However, Erin instantly knew who she was. ¡°Miss Olivia,¡± Erin gasped. Siv raised an eyebrow. ¡°Olivia? The Seer the guild in Quinteburgh always consult?¡± Lyra¡¯s face brightened. ¡°So that¡¯s why you look so familiar. And you are the one that has been stalking us?¡± Olivia kneeled before them. ¡°I bear you all no ill-will. It was under themands of my lord that I have been following your movements.¡± Erin narrowed her gaze. The sharp change in Olivia¡¯s demeanour was a huge surprise. ¡°Who are you? Is your name even Olivia?¡± ¡°It is my name. My full name is Olivia Harlyx. I¡¯m part of a bloodline that worships the Dragon God.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not possible,¡± Siv said. ¡°The Dragon God is dead. There has been no Dragon God since. The seat had been vacant for thest centuries.¡± ¡°You are correct. There is currently no Dragon God but we still adhere to hismandments.¡± ¡°I am not following this,¡± Erin said. Lyra raised her hand. ¡°Me too.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not important right now, Lady Erynthea. I havee bearing grave news.¡± ¡°...Speak,¡± Erinmanded. ¡°A Demon is heading your way, as we speak.¡± ¡°I know that already,¡± Erin retorted. ¡°It¡¯sing for vengeance.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not the same Demon, Lady Erynthea. It¡¯s not Rayor.¡± Erin red dubiously at Olivia. ¡°You know his name¡­ How do you know his name?¡± ¡°Mdy, that¡¯s not important. I will answer your questionster but right now, we need to prepare for the Demon. This one is even more dangerous than Rayor.¡± ¡°You expect me to just take your word for it?¡± ¡°Mdy, the Demons that hade after you and wille after you, they are all sent by Marduk. You have to believe me.¡± ¡°Marduk...¡± Siv gasped. ¡°He has Demons as his henchmen?¡± ¡°They are not full-fledged Demons. They are halfbreeds and they used to be humans. Marduk had found a way to turn humans into Demons. These halfbreeds aren¡¯t as strong as full-fledged Demons but they are also less vulnerable to the known weaknesses of Demons. That is Marduk¡¯s intention.¡± Erin¡¯s re didn¡¯t waver. ¡°You know a lot...¡± ¡°I do, which is why you must trust me, Lady Erynthea.¡± ¡°...Fine. Let¡¯s say I trust you for now. What can you tell me about this Demon?¡± ¡°Mdy, we can talk as we ride. There¡¯s no time to be standing around¡ª¡± ¡°Tell me, now,¡± Erin demanded, coldly. Olivia kept ncing behind her as she spoke and Erin¡¯s request had just made her even more nervous about their dire circumstances. She also knew they wouldn¡¯t be going anywhere if she didn¡¯t tell Erin what she wanted to know. ¡°Very wel...¡± she said with a shivering tone. ¡°This Demon was also a human and it¡¯s someone you knew.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Velkan Corvas...¡± Siv and Lyra gasped. ¡°Velkan¡­ His friends in the Covenant helped him break out of prison?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t with his consensus. One of Marduk¡¯s lieutenants snuck his way into the dungeon and turned Velkan into a Demon. Velkan was then inculcated with the idea that you¡¯re responsible for his sister¡¯s death.¡± ¡°I am the cause of his sister¡¯s death. It was my endorsement that she put herself out there.¡± ¡°Regardless, Velkan is now a Demon. Unlike Rayor, he became a Demon that would not see any reason and just mindlessly hunted you down. He will not stop until he kills you himself.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s this lieutenant you spoke of?¡± Siv asked. ¡°He goes by the name Varus,¡± Olivia answered. ¡°He¡¯s a Seraphim.¡± As Siv was the only one who had the most knowledge of this world among the three, Siv was about to exin what a Seraphim was when she heard Erin speak. ¡°He¡¯s an angel?¡± Erin asked. ¡°Angel?¡± Olivia repeated Erin¡¯s guess. ¡°No, he¡¯s not but Seraphims had been confused for Angels in the past as they have wings on their back and they live on floating inds. Much like the Dragon-kin, they are a secluded and reserved race. Seraphims are known for their quick growths in levels, making them a race as esteemed as the Faerie-kin and the Dragon-kin.¡± Erin groaned as she buried her face in her palm. ¡°This just keeps getting worse and worse.¡± ¡°Mdy, I don¡¯t mean to rush but we really need to move now. Otherwise, the Demon will find us. It might even be crossing Valenolk now.¡± Erin widened her eyes in realization. ¡°And you didn¡¯t care to mention this sooner? We need to go back to help them.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary, mdy. Velkan¡¯s mark is you. It only wants you. It would only hurt those who get in his way. As long as they don¡¯t try to fight him, the town will be safe. If you return to town, you will only make it worse for them. The best course of action would be to run as far away as possible.¡± ¡°No,¡± Erin said. ¡°M-mdy?¡± ¡°I will not run. This is a Demon, halfbreed or not. I can¡¯t let it run around. I won¡¯t be able to sleep well at night imagining the destruction it could bring, knowing that I could stop it if I didn¡¯t run.¡± ¡°But you can¡¯t stop him. Velkan¡¯s level is lower than Rayor¡¯s but it doesn¡¯t make him less dangerous. In fact, it is the opposite.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, Olivia. I¡¯m staying. Velkan wants me. No one else should suffer for me,¡± Erin said. She got off the wagon and drew her sword. ¡°Siv, Lyra, you¡¯re with me?¡± ¡°Of course, mistress.¡± Siv nodded and readied the twin swords that she merged into a double-ded spear. ¡°With pleasure, Erin.¡± Erin turned to Olivia. ¡°What about you? You can run if you wish.¡± Olivia sighed. ¡°My lord has ordered me to assist your whims. And that is what I shall do.¡± ¡°What can you do?¡± ¡°I¡¯m good with Water Magic and I¡¯m an alchemist. I have various kinds of potions with me. Corrosives and explosives, for example.¡± Erin chuckled inwardly. ¡°The more the merrier, as they say. Wee to the party, Olivia.¡± 3-35 Percipitated 3-35 Percipitated A monstrous creature of a shape between a beast and a human climbed its way atop of a small and shallow hill. Velkan, now a Demon of a hideous form, looked around his surroundings. His mind was no longer his own but his unrighteous fury and Marduk¡¯s. Under the two¡¯s influences, he hunted down Erin to enact his facious vengeance. He followed his mark¡¯s scent to this hill but here the scent ended. Confusion and anger stirred together as he became lost in his next course of action. He began to thrash around and crater the ground with his fists like an ape. All of a sudden, the ground glowed in symbolic patterns all around him. An explosion ensued after the glow, swallowing him up in the wake of the destruction that spanned a radius of more than three hundred feet. ¡°Whoa...¡± Lyra gasped in amazement. ¡°What was the liquid you drew those symbols with?¡± Erin, Lyra, Siv, and Olivia were hiding some distance away on another hill, overlooking the explosion that Olivia had triggered. ¡°Dranic ores ground into sand mixed with grey spores, then dissolved in a magic solution. Once it''s dried, it¡¯s hard to even scrape it off even if you used something sharp and hard. It¡¯s great to use as booby traps,¡± Olivia exined. ¡°Mistress, did you see what level was the Velkan-Demon?¡± Siv asked. ¡°I couldn¡¯t. It was too far but I doubt the explosion barely hurt it.¡± Olivia red with a frown at Erin. ¡°Then why did you ask me to set that trap? The potion used to hide your scent and Dranic ores aren¡¯t cheap. They cost me a fortune.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t fault me for trying and hoping I was wrong.¡± Erin shrugged. ¡°And that¡¯s the tax for stalking me. Consider us even now.¡± Olivia scowled dumbfoundedly. ¡°I can¡¯t believe my lord favours you,¡± she said with a scoff. ¡°I can scarcely believe it myself too.¡± The force of the explosion created a ripple around the epicentre. The rippling force swept past the four, blowing their hair and apparel up. Erin¡¯s nose twitched after the strong gust settled. ¡°Olivia¡­¡± ¡°I know, Lady Erynthea...¡± ¡°Not good...¡± Siv mulled along with them. ¡°What¡¯s not good?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°The gust just blew away the potion that was masking our scent,¡± Erin answered. ¡°Oh¡­ that¡¯s unfortunate¡­ terribly so.¡± From the smoke that was the remnant of the explosion, the Velkan-Demon erupted into the air from the cloud of dust. As he fell, he was falling towards Erin¡¯s way. ¡°He¡¯sing!¡± Lyra shouted. She aimed her bow at the Velkan-Demon falling through the air. She marked him with Seeker and released her fingers on the pulled string. The Velkan-Demon let the arrow hit him but it bounced right off his skin. ¡°It¡¯s ineffective?¡± Lyra blurted out her surprise. ¡°Erin, what level is he?¡± ¡°He¡¯s only thirty-two but¡­ I can¡¯t read the rest.¡± Erin frowned. ¡°It¡¯s all scrabbled. I can barely read his name.¡± ¡°His Demonification is greater than Rayor¡¯s,¡± Olivia said. ¡°Well, that¡¯s bad¡­ and a little good at the same time,¡± Erin muttered, drawing her sabre. The Velkan-Demonnded before them and a small crater with cracks formed beneath his feet due to its weight andnding force. He looked to be a Demon with an uncanny appearance of a gori and some kind of reptile, capable of being two or four limbs as he moved around. His face had a faint trace of his former self. The Velkan-Demon howled with a hollow voice, sending shivers down their spines. ¡°He¡¯s even uglier up close,¡± Lyra remarked. ¡°Wait for my mark,¡± Erin said and rushed towards the Velkan-Demon. She threw an Aura Shot to stunt him as she closed their gap. Once she was within reach, she set him on fire with Essence re. The cyan mes quickly grew into arge ze. An inhumane scream pierced the air as the Velkan-Demon screeched in agony. Siv even had to cover her ears to withstand the grief of a diabolical beast. Erin was affected by the scream too but her slight level advantage helped her in withstanding the screeches even though she was right in front of him. ¡°The mes of the Spirits aren¡¯t doing anything!¡± Olivia pointed out with a loud voice. ¡°I can see that, Olivia.¡± The cyan mes were instilling pain upon the Velkan-Demon but it was obviously not burning into his flesh. Upon closer inspection, Erin found a thinyer of dark purplish energy preventing the mes from burning through. ¡°Abyss Magic: Mystic Skin?¡± Erin squinted her eyes at the information disyed about the darkyer of magic. ¡°That¡¯s an advanced tier of¡ª¡± ¡°I know!¡± Erin cut off Olivia¡¯s exnation with a shout. The Velkan-Demon, still in mes, lunged at Erin with its huge fist. It wasn¡¯t a w like Rayor¡¯s but simply a fist that was as big as his torso. Erin flipped over the hook and sliced at his shoulder as she spun into anding. She had purposely cut him without the use of Arcane Edge or any magic augmentation. ¡°in attacks have no effect. He¡¯s at least three-quarters Demon,¡± Erin surmised. ¡°But he¡¯s notpletely vulnerable to the Spirits either. This leaves me with one option.¡± ¡°What do we do, mistress?¡± Siv asked. ¡°You two stay back for now. There¡¯s nothing you can do.¡± As soon as she finished speaking, the Velkan-Demon attacked again. His primary means of attack was his oversized fists. It was strange for Erin to see something so heavy but moving so fast. The fists did not slow him down. At a nce, the fists looked like they weighed nothing but when Erin parried a punch, she felt a tremendous weight. She couldn¡¯t believe how Velkan was moving around with that much weight. Her hands even felt slightly numb from parrying the punch. As Erin traded blows with the Velkan-Demon, she was also slowly luring him away from Lyra and Siv, she couldn¡¯t care less about what happened to Olivia though. With her superiority in levels, Erin was able to continuously parry the blows. She tried dodging at first but the fists were toorge for her to dodge thempletely to go unscathed. She eased her numbing pain by using Spirit Mend on her hands. With Spirits all around, the fight wasn¡¯t as hard as when she fought the Ashen Knight. Once Erin deemed she was suitably far away from Siv and Lyra, Olivia not in consideration, she used Mystic de and sliced the Velkan-Demon¡¯s left arm off. The Velkan-Demon was too shocked to even scream. Erin brought her sword around and aimed for his other arm. But the Velkan-Demon leapt into the air to escape from Erin¡¯s de. Before the Velkan-Demon touched the ground, Erin seized this short window to cast Lightning Spear. She threw the thundering spear at him as hended. The attack spell inflicted no wounds but the remnant of the lightning held him in ce. With Mystic de coated on her de, she went in for the kill. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Velkan,¡± she apologized in a whisper. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Velrin.¡± ¡°V-Velrin?¡± the Velkan-Demon spoke with a stutter. Erin felt sympathy and sorrow brimming for Velkan but she didn¡¯t stop her swing. She couldn¡¯t risk Lyra and Siv¡¯s lives for a brief moment of sympathy and sorrow. However, the Velkan-Demon shuddered and he split himself apart before Erin¡¯s de could. His sudden and unforeseen manoeuvre allowed Erin¡¯s swing to only cut the air. ¡°What the fuck is it now?¡± she cursed as she watched the split forms of Velkan slowly morphing into a whole form of their own. The one on the right morphed into a smaller version of what Velkan was, with the other difference being his fists were only half the size before. The one on the left morphed into a simr form but ws for its right arm and a de for its left arm grew in ce of fists. The other difference was its face. The resemnce wasn¡¯t the face of Velkan but the face of thete Velrin. ¡°What in the twisted irony of fate is this?¡± The Velrin-Demon pounced at Erin who was still trapped in her disbelief. She broke out just in time to deflect her lunge. Sparks flew when her ws collided with Erin¡¯s de. Erin had dispelled Mystic de as she wasn¡¯t sure cutting her opponent was of any use. The Velkan-Demon attacked from her left nk. Erin raised an Arcane Aegis in defence. The fist collided with the magic shield. Erin stayed on her feet without being moved. Since the Velkan-Demon had split apart, the current Velkan-Demoncked the same strength as before. However, the Velrin-Demon attacked at this moment. She swung her arm-de, slicing the thin air apart. The sound of the air being cut was enough to let Erin know she made the right choice of dodging it. The twin Demons worked in unison. They attacked with a rhythm instead ofing at Erin without any strategy. Erin was impressed and terrified at the same time. Their teamwork didn¡¯t seem possible for a pair of mindless Demons but Erin¡¯s disadvantageous state proved that notion wrong. They were relentless with their assault and there was next to no opening to the interval of their attacks. Erin¡¯s advantage was her skill and level. The Demons¡¯ levels were halved when the Velkan-Demon split into two. Still, Erin would rather fight one Demon with a level near hers than two Demons half her level. As the fight went on, Erin understood something about the twin Demons. The Velkan Demon was slow, obvious, but strong. The Velrin-Demon was physically weaker and less durable as Erin managed to easily kick her away but she was faster than her twin and her arm-de was sharp enough to cut through Erin¡¯s Arcane Armor and Arcane Aegis. Erin was being pushed back, literally. On her current course, a wall of rocks stood behind her and her path was bing narrower as the trees grew close to one another in these parts. She had no trouble cutting down the trees but it would slow her considerably and left herself open for the Velrin-Demon¡¯s rapid attacks. Though Erin was on the route to a defeat, her chances of victory weren''t zero. In fact, it was actually an optimistic portion. The twin Demons werepetent but they had a routine. And once Erin figured out their pattern, she could turn the tides. The two were mindless Demons in the end. Erin blindsided the Velkan-Demon with a st of Essence re. He tried to put out the mes by iling around but it was fruitless. Since his level was reduced, the pain was even more unbearable for him as the heat of the cyan mes seeped into his skin. Erin parried the iing shes from the enraged Velrin-Demon without a fault. Even the Velrin-Demon had a look of astonishment when she realized her attacks werepletely annulled. Erin grabbed the Velrin-Demon''s arm-de while she was still in astonishment. Erin coated her hand with Spirit Armour and Arcane Armour before she touched the de. With her higher value of Might, Erin pulled the Velrin-Demon in and lopped off her arm-de with Arcane Edge. The Velrin-Demon screeched in anger and lunged at Erin with her ws. Erin parried her ws and plunged her own arm-de through her torso. Erin then ripped the arm-de right across the Velrin-Demon¡¯s body. Dark blood spilt out along with ckened guts. The Velrin-Demon stared at Erin with rage and refusal of her fate but her gaze went dark. [Experience gained +15% - Level Progression: 55%] Erin let out a heave of relief when the experience notification came out. If that didn¡¯t work, Erin didn¡¯t know what else would. She half expected the Velrin-Demon to split further into two. She couldn¡¯t be more grateful her fears didn¡¯te true. ¡°Vel-Velrin...¡± The stuttering hallowed voice entered Erin¡¯s ears once again. She held down a shudder and faced the Velkan-Demon. ¡°Vel...rin...¡± The Velkan-Demon approached his twin¡¯s crumbling corpse that was being carried away by the winds. He tried to grasp at the ashes but all slipped right through his bulky fingers. ¡°She¡¯s dead, Velkan and should you be. You¡¯re no longer meant for this world.¡± Now that Erin was sure her Mystic de could kill them, she doused her sabre with a blue sheen. ¡°It¡¯s time for you to rest, Velkan. I¡¯m sorry that I couldn¡¯t keep my promise. I truly am.¡± The Velkan-Demon paid no attention to Erin. He was trying to gather the ashes of his twin but to no avail. He started wing at the ground with his fists when the ashes were cleared off by the winds. He began screeching lowly in a trance. ¡°Forgive me, Velkan.¡± Erin raised her sword, prepared to swing down but before she could, her Sixth Sense bellowed. Erin immediately dove away from Velkan as a pair of wings sprouted out from his back. ¡°Velrin!!!¡± he howled into the skies and his demonic wings grewrger as if reflecting the volume of his grief. His fingers morphed into talons, turning his fists into ws but retaining the size of the fists. Erin watched in horror as the worst surprise was just beginning. The face of Velkan was pushed to the side, making way for another face on his head. It was the face of Velrin. A single head shared by two faces. Two pairs of eyes. Two noses. However, still a pair of ears and a single mouth that was now as wide as two mouths. Erin had never felt so shaken even in the face of her strongest adversary. She was witnessing the true horrors of a Demon. The two-faced Demon turned its four eyes at Erin. It stared intensely at her, slowly creeping towards her. It walked like a gori with its frontal limbs supporting its hind legs. The wings wavering behind it as if signifying the calm before the storm. ¡°Level twenty-seven...¡± Erin muttered exasperatedly in her heart. ¡°How the hell did your level increase just like that?¡± ¡°Erynthea!!!¡± The two-faced Demon roared with a voice that was more hallowing and terrifying than before. ¡°This is so unnerving,¡± Erin mused aloud and went into her stance. Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Five-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 34 | Status: None Might: 22 | Arcane: 41 | Finesse: 36 Magic Arts Spirit Magic Lv. 10 | Arcane Edge Lv. 5 | Arcane Armor Lv. 10 | Lightning Magic Lv. 10 | Arcane Aegis Lv. 7 | Mystic Tail Arts Lv 3 Combat Arts Sword Art Lv. 8 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 5 Innate Skills Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 7 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex | Mana Harvest Lv. 1 | Lightning Resistance Lv. 1 Unique Talent Mystic de Lv. Ex | Revenant Lv. Ex Level Progression: 55% Remaining Skill Points: 0 Remaining Ability Points: 0 3-36 Cerulus 3-36 Cerulus Erin could no longer see the stats and numbers of Velkan, a clear indication of his loss of humanity. Even his name had been erased and reced with a moniker that better fitted his current appearance, Two-Faced Demon. Aside from its ominous name, only its level remained, higher than its split state but lower than its whole form. Going by her previous experience fighting Demons, Erin wasn¡¯t confident that her level advantage would be much of an advantage at all. Their mercurial nature was a huge factor in making them the threat that the world hade to fear. Erin pinned her sharpened gaze on the two-faced Demon in front of her. Initially, she had an inkling of what she could expect from her opponent but after the drastic transformation it just underwent, Erin didn¡¯t dare to cross anything out of her expectation list. She didn¡¯t rule out the possibility of it growing another pair of arms as they exchanged blows. The silence and respite came to an end as the two-faced Demon threw itself at Erin by beating its wings. A gust was brought along as it flew. Erin turned away to prevent the sand and dirt from getting into her eyes. Through the sounds and the discement of the winds, Erin deflected a swipe and dodged under a sh. She swung up in retaliation, but the Demon¡¯s wings pulled him away from harm¡¯s way. Erin chased it down, but smoke of darkness spilt from its agape mouth. The soil and trees dissolved into nothing at the touch of the ck clouds. Erin reeled herself away before the smoke could even graze her. Her Appraisal told her it was not a Demonic magic but Abyss Magic, Withering Breath. As she was engrossed in the terror of such a spell, javelins of darkness shot towards her. She noticed them in time and cut them all down. The Demon moved in right at this moment. With the Mystic Skin of Abyss Magic stillced around it, the Demon thrust its ws at Erin. The Fox-kin summoned Thunder Shell to meet the ws. Sparks of lightning flew and thunderbolts shot back out at the Demon, sending it tumbling head over heels across the ground. Erin closed the distance and swung her sabre at the Demon which still hadn¡¯t begun recovering its bearings. However, its wings carried it away from Erin¡¯s sh. The Demon regained its bearings and lunged. A barrier of lightning appeared between them as the Demon crashed face-first into the obstacle. Before lightning could be sent back, Erin dispelled the barrier and brought her sabre around a wide arc. ¡°What the fuck!?¡± Erin cursed in disbelief. The Demon caught her de with its wide mouth. It didn¡¯t stop her swing fully but it slowed her swing down considerably to render her attack wasted. The Demon itself suffered some damage but the wound quickly mend itself back. Erin was about to retreat but the Demon held on to her de with its jaws. ¡°Damn,¡± she muttered and reluctantly let go of her sabre before she could be swung around by the Demon while dangling from its mouth. The Demon tossed her sabre away and lunged at her once again with reckless abandon. Erin thought of using Thunder Shell again but the Demon covered its front with its wings that glowed a vibrant dark purple. She threw an Aura Shot instead, disconcerting the Demon¡¯s aim, before diving out of the way. The Demon ended up crashing into the ground as a result of Erin¡¯s Aura Shot. Erin took off sprinting into the woods to retrieve her sabre. The Demon got back on its feet immediately and chased after Erin. Erin leapt to the trees and traversed from there. It was faster and less prone to be hampered by anyone or anything. However, her foe this time had wings. The Demon quickly caught up to her before she could even have her sabre in sight. The Demon swooped in from above the trees. Erin, without ncing back, fired a blind Lightning Bolt that only graze the Demon¡¯s shoulder, leaving only a ckened mark. The Demon rammed through the branches in its way without being slowed for even the slightest. Erin was no match for its flight speed. The Demon swiped but Erin dropped down to the ground to avoid being grabbed. The Demon dove after her. The Demon unleashed Withering Breath, sending clouds of ck smoke rushing towards Erin. At this distance, the smoke caught up to Erin instantly. Erin stifled a scream when a puff of Withering Breath grazed her left calf. [Darkness Resistance Lv. 1 - Acquired] Erin¡¯s face brightened for a brief moment but only to remember she had spent all her points. She made a mental note then to always leave some points lest a simr circumstance happened again. ¡°Better than nothing at least,¡± she mused to herself in her heart. The Demon continued releasing Withering Breath as it gave chase. Erin was already using the full potential of Fleet Foot but the Demon and its spell were still reaching her. Erin cast Lightning Rush in tandem and sped out of the reach of the Demon. It screeched loudly when it lost her out of its reach. Erin prepared a Lightning Spear spell as she continued to run lightning surging through her. The Demon had also raised its speed. Purplish glowing veins spread across its wings. The Demon was getting close enough to grab Erin but she leapt to trees again and the Demon followed with a loud grunt. She dropped back down to the ground and the Demon followed. She ran straight and the Demon pursued with a growling shriek. Noticing its annoyance, Erin turned around abruptly and conjured up an Arcane Aegis. The Demon swerved around the ethereal shield but Erin was waiting for this movement from it to strike. She threw the Lightning Spear in her hand. The Demon was fast but not fast enough to dodge the Lightning Spear. The spell hit the Demon¡¯s legs, destroying its bnce, and it went rolling into a tree. Knowing the Demon had its head stuck in the tree¡¯s trunk, Erin grinned without offering the Demon a nce and continued her search for her sabre. The Demon broke out of the tree it crashed into with a howl and a screech that expressed its frustration and anger. It shook itself out of its daze and resumed pursuing its prey but not before picking up a stray log strewn about on the ground. A sharp glint reflected into Erin¡¯s eyes. Erin found her sabre, stabbed into the ground underneath arge tree. ¡°How the hell did itnd this far?¡± Erin beamed with hope at the sight of her sword. She waded her way through with the branches and dead leaves in the way. Since the trees grew too close around here, Erin had stopped running and started walking briskly. There were even a few deep holes in her path that had been hidden from in sight underneath the barks and dead leaves. Erin¡¯s ears helped her get across safely to her sword. Before Erin could retrieve her sword, the Demon flew in like an arrow. It looked that way to her since she had slowed down. The Demon¡¯s ws grasped around her arms tightly before she could move in the sea of dead leaves and barks. The Demon growled victoriously and took her into the skies, far above the trees. Erin shrill in terror and amazement as her world became vast and nothing could stop her from hitting the ground hard should the Demon decide to release its ws. ¡°Still better than being carried up the way above the clouds!¡± Erin thrashed around in the Demon¡¯s grasp but it held on to Erin firmly. It seemed to threaten Erin as it growled and loosened its ws slightly. ¡°Why the wait? Just kill me and be done with it, Demon. Or did you lose your nerves even when you¡¯re now a Demon?¡± Erin didn¡¯t know if her taunt worked but there was a reaction from the Demon as it looked at her with a sidelong nce. It brought her face close and opened its mouth. Erin knew it was about to use Withering Breath. At that moment, an arrow flew towards them. ¡°Lyra!¡± The Demon noticed it early enough to fly out of the arrow¡¯s way but the arrow curved in its path and followed the Demon. The Demon snarled and battered the arrow out of the air using one of its wings. However, there was some strange greenish liquidced all over the arrow. The greenish liquid burned a hole through the Demon¡¯s wing in seconds like acid. The Demon screeched in agony and released Erin from its grasp. ¡°Bollocks!¡± Erin shouted as she fell through the air. Her limbs iled freely in the air. She resorted to using all her defensive spells to cushion her fall and she felt her Mana pool drain at an rming rate. As she prepared for a world of pain, a familiar scent entered her nose just before she reached the trees. ¡°We won¡¯t make it at this speed! Fly faster, Olivia!¡± Erin heard Lyra shouted. ¡°No,¡± Siv refuted. ¡°Miss Olivia, just throw me over. I¡¯ll reach her faster that way.¡± A shadow sped through the skies towards her. Erin couldn¡¯t see it properly with the strong gust rushing past her eyes. She felt her speed of descent slow dramatically. The shadow loomed over her view. ¡°My turn, mistress,¡± Siv said, receiving Erin in her arms. ¡°I suppose we are even now,¡± Erin replied with a smile. They embraced each other tightly as they fell. Erin¡¯s drop path was nted from Siv¡¯s intervention, so it wouldn¡¯t be deadly but the pain would still be profound. Erin cast Arcane Armor and Arcane Aegis over her and Siv. Though she had a sturdy defence, the force from breaking through all the inches of branches, logs, and finally the ground, sent pain through their bodies as they came to a stop from their fall. Erin groaned. ¡°Let¡¯s hope this won''t happen again¡­¡± ¡°Agreed, mistress,¡± Siv grumbled in response as she tried to stand up. The ground trembled as somethingrge was dropped to the ground somewhere in the forest from the skies. ¡°You think that would hurt it?¡± Siv asked. ¡°Hurt? Yes. Permanent? Doubt it.¡± A howl echoed across the forest from their left. ¡°Where¡¯s Lyra?¡± Erin asked, looking around. ¡°She¡¯s on Olivia.¡± ¡°Ah¡ª Wait, what? On Oliva? What did you mean by that?¡± Siv pointed to the sky. Arge shadow soared through above the trees just then. It was brief but Erin saw the shape perfectly. ¡°A Dragon?¡± Erin gasped. She didn¡¯t doubt herself for even a moment as the feeling had the slight oppressive aura she knew from Aedan. The Dragon flew around the skies for a while before it descended in front of Erin and Siv as gently as it could. Lyra hopped off to the ground from the back of the Dragon. ¡°Erin, you¡¯re alright!¡± Lyra eximed, running into Erin¡¯s arms. ¡°That¡¯s Olivia?¡± Erin asked as Lyra dove into her arms. ¡°Yes, Lady Erynthea,¡± the Dragon with blue scales answered. ¡°I am Olivia Harlyx Cerulus, the sixth child of the Water Dragon Tribe, Cerulus.¡± Olivia¡¯s appearance palette did resemble the seas to Erin. ¡°How is this possible? Your race tab said you were a humanst I appraised.¡± ¡°Mdy, there are many ways and tools to trick the eyes of Appraisal. It¡¯s best you don¡¯t rely on it too much when you arrive in Sephrodia Valley. People are dreadfully cautious over there as secrets are overflowing in the valley.¡± The Demon¡¯s howl robbed their attention and broke Erin¡¯s sense of inquiry towards Olivia. ¡°Your advice is noted but there¡¯s a more important matter for now,¡± Erin said. ¡°Allow me to help, Lady Erynthea.¡± ¡°And why would you do that?¡± Erin asked. ¡°Because it¡¯s the will of my lord.¡± ¡°Your lordmands you to help me?¡± ¡°...no, he didn¡¯t,¡± Olivia admitted. ¡°But it does not matter. As an adherent of the Dragon God, I can know my lord¡¯s will. Your well being is one of my lord¡¯s many wills. I am simply doing my duty as his follower.¡± Erin nced at Olivia, her stats flourishing into her sight. She couldn¡¯t believe what she was seeing. Olivia¡¯s level was fifty-two and her age was two hundred and thirteen. Though only level fifty-two, her ability values were three-fold of what a level fifty-two was supposed to be if Erin went by her own standards. Olivia had quite a number of Arcane Arts, many of which were level ten. The lowest level she had was her Omni Resistance at level two. In terms of Arcane Arts, Olivia was by far the most impressive Erin had known aside from Aedan, not that she knew what or how many Arcane Arts he had. ¡°Is this your true strength?¡± Erin asked. ¡°It is, mdy,¡± Olivia answered. ¡°I may not be a fighter but I know my worth. Besides, I still have my potions.¡± ¡°Where are they?¡± Erin looked around Olivia but she wasn¡¯t wearing a single piece of clothing or gear. ¡°Right here, Erin,¡± Lyra said with a bag slung around her shoulder. ¡°She gave it to me before she¡­ turned.¡± ¡°Mistress, the Demon¡¯s getting closer,¡± Siv said. ¡°Fine, Olivia.¡± Erin sighed. ¡°You can help but you follow mymands. If you don¡¯t, I¡¯llin to your lord, personally.¡± Olivia flinched at Erin¡¯s threat and knowledge of her lord. ¡°O-of course, mdy.¡± ¡°Wait. Mistress, you know who¡¯s her lord?¡± Siv asked. ¡°We¡¯ll talk about that after we kill this Demon.¡± Siv turned to Lyra, who was grinning. ¡°You knew too?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t that hard to figure it out,¡± Lyra said. ¡°After all, how many Dragons have wee across?¡± Siv stared in disbelief at Lyra. ¡°Who?¡± Lyra shrugged. ¡°I suppose one can say he¡¯s Erin¡¯s secret adoration.¡± 3-37 Sky endeavour 3-37 Sky endeavour A man in a dark room was sitting in an armchair with an inclined backrest. The man was wearing a white wooden mask with no holes or any patterns on it. Above the masked man, was arge projection screen, produced by a magic crystal after shining a light through it. The image on the screen was moving constantly and the scenery kept changing as if it was a record of a memory through a person¡¯s eyes. Currently, the screen depicted the bright skies and a blue Dragon flying in all its glory with two individuals hanging on the Dragon¡¯s back. ¡°Oh dear¡­ this is unexpected,¡± said a thin man in sses and ragged robes beside the man in the inclined armchair. He was holding a bundle of papers in one hand and a pencil in the other. ¡°To think a Dragon would appear out of nowhere.¡± ¡°It is still well within expectations, Mister Dusk,¡± the masked man said. ¡°She has been nothing but unexpected in our observation so far. Unexpected urrences are just what we expected.¡± ¡°I understand, Marduk, but this Dragon will onlyplicate things further. This bizarre Fox-kin you''re so interested in isplicated enough as she already is. Her data is always tortuous. The presence of this Dragon will only make the data even more skewed. We won¡¯t ever be able to urately gauge her strength and power at this point. Not even our people with the High Appraisal or Analysis skills managed to get much information from her. This can only mean she is greatly favoured by a Divine or Divines.¡± The masked man, Marduk, chuckled. ¡°We are in no hurry, Mister Dusk. We can take our time collecting data.¡± ¡°But we can¡¯t just waste our precious resources without getting any new information in return. We only have six Demonification Crystals left and it¡¯ll take another year before we receive the next batch.¡± ¡°As I have said, Mister Dusk. We are in no hurry. We have waited for long and we havee this far. Our patience has been continuously rewarded. Haste will only make more waste. And she¡¯s a Fae. She¡¯ll probably outlive us all and our legacies.¡± The thin man clicked his tongue. ¡°I¡¯m not concerned about our lifespans. I¡¯m concerned about¡­ the others. Give them a little bit of power and they all get drunk with it. I fear their recklessness would only be a matter of time before it exposes us. If that happens, all of our efforts and patience will be for nothing.¡± ¡°You need to learn to trust your men, Mister Dusk. Your distrustful nature might just be your downfall.¡± ¡°I trust you, Marduk, but not those fools,¡± Dusk said with a sigh and sat down on a stool. ¡°I still remember the time when I asked some of them to procure something for me. They read the numbers upside down and didn¡¯t realize their blunder until they brought the items before me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mean those fools. I mean Varus and Rex. I trust them to handle those fools.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t trust them either. They¡¯re too¡­ smart and powerful for their own good.¡± ¡°They can be as smart and powerful as they wish, so long they don¡¯t be defiant.¡± ¡°I¡¯m surprised they''re not nning to take over already. Those two are probably the highest level individuals in this region. If those two went rogue, not even the whole army of Yorun Kingdom could stop them.¡± ¡°This is what you just don¡¯t understand, Mister Dusk. Just because one has the capacity for leadership, doesn¡¯t mean one will have the wish to lead. It¡¯s the same for the other way. One who doesn¡¯t have the capacity for leadership will still wish to lead. It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t understand. You just need to do your job and trust me. Can you do that, Mister Dusk?¡± Dusk stared at the screen. The depicted circumstances were bing more and more unfavourable with every minute. ¡°I don¡¯t think I have a choice, Marduk. Like you said, we havee this far.¡± ¡°Well then, just sit back and enjoy the performance.¡± A streak of lightning shed in the corner of the screen. ¡°It seems the climax is approaching.¡± **** The clouds split apart, making way for the colossal beast that was the Water Dragon, Olivia. Her wings grazed the wind and her tails brushed through the strong breeze. Herrge frame cast a vast shadow unto thend. Animals and monsters dispersed and ran upon witnessing her silhouette with the bright sky as the backdrop. ¡°Slow down!!!¡± Lyra screamed as she struggled to hold on. She was shivering more than she was during winter. She was trying not to look down. Spikes protruded out of Olivia¡¯s body from her spine, all the way from her head to the tip of her tail. Lyra was grabbing onto one of those spikes to prevent herself from falling off. She could only use one hand as her other hand was holding Erin¡¯s robes. ¡°You ask for the impossible, Miss Lyra,¡± Olivia replied. Her mouth wasn¡¯t moving but her voice seemingly came out from it. ¡°If I am any slower, the Demon would be able to catch up.¡± Right behind Olivia¡¯s literal tail was the two-faced Demon that Velkan had grotesquely transformed into. During its fight with Erin, the Demon had somehow sprouted a pair of wings. ¡°How long are we going to be flying!?¡± Lyra shouted, with her eyes closed. ¡°Until mistress finds and retrieves her sword,¡± Siv answered. She wasn¡¯t having as much difficulty as Lyra in regards to staying on Olivia. Her natural prowess as a Beast-kin helped a lot in her bncing. Moreover, this wasn¡¯t her first time being in the air. She had been on airships while under the employment of Lord Hegan. The airships¡¯ means of travel was to cross continents that were separated by the vast endless sea. ¡°I should have stayed on the ground and helped Erin find her sword!¡± Lyra continued shouting her regret. There had already been a few times that she almost fell off Olivia but Olivia¡¯s excellent aerial manoeuvre kept her on. ¡°You and I have mistress¡¯ scent on us,¡± Siv exined unhurriedly. ¡°If you followed her, you would have undermined the n.¡± At present, they were luring the Demon away from Erin by using her robes that was permeated with her scent. Erin herself used one of Olivia¡¯s potions to hide herself from the Demon as she went searching for her sword. Of course, she wasn¡¯t naked but wearing a in shirt and trousers. She had to cut a hole around the back of the trousers to make room for her tails. Olivia could be faster than the Demon but any faster would throw Siv and Lyra off of her and she needed to be within the Demon¡¯s range of smell to keep its attention on her. ¡°E...ryn¡­.thea¡­.!¡± the Demon screeched horrifyingly as it gave chase. ¡°Fucking disturbing!¡± Siv cursed as she bent over to cover her ears. The Demon summoned clusters of dark arrows andunched them at Olivia. More specifically, towards the top of Olivia where it smelled Erin¡¯s scent from. The arrows of darkness rode the winds Olivia left in her wake. The arrows did not fly straight. They flew wherever Olivia went. ¡°This is going to be slightly troublesome,¡± Olivia muttered. She didn¡¯t need to turn her head around to tell she was being chased by an attack spell. ¡°Hold on to your dear lives!¡± ¡°Wh¡ª?¡± The first word of Lyra¡¯s question wasn¡¯t even formed as Olivia stopped beating her wings and let gravity reim her. Lyra¡¯s scream was left trailing through the abrupt descent. The arrows of darkness flew over her as she suddenly plunged down from the air. However, the arrows made a sharp turn around and chased after her. ¡°It¡¯sing right back at us,¡± Siv pointed out calmly. She was in the same difficult position as Lyra but she maintained herposure. ¡°Lyra, can you shoot the arrows down?¡± Lyra didn¡¯t answer. She was cowering and all curled up while gripping the spike and Erin¡¯s robes as tight as she could. ¡°No worries there, Lady Siv,¡± Olivia assured. She opened her jaws wide and blue lights began to gather in her mouth. The arrows of darkness flew closer as they trailed after Olivia¡¯s descent. The mass of blue glow congregating in Olivia¡¯s mouth shot out in a straight line. It was no light at all but water glowing with Olivia''s magic. The stream of high-pressure water took down a few arrows but more wereing. The stream didn¡¯t stop in a single shot but persisted as Olivia proceeded to fell all the arrows down with the continuous stream. After destroying all of the arrows, Olivia took flight again and soared back up into the clouds. ¡°Did I just hear you say dy¡¯ when you addressed Siv?¡± Lyra asked once Olivia regained altitude and horizontal bnce. ¡°Yes, I did,¡± Olivia answered. ¡°It¡¯s the least respect that I have to show. Lady Siv is royalty after all.¡± ¡°She¡¯s what?¡± Lyra nced at Siv with stupefaction. ¡°Y-you¡¯re r-royalty?¡± ¡°My kind has no concept of royalty but I am the daughter of my tribe¡¯s chieftain and my tribe is the ruling tribe of all other Beast-kin tribes in the west. In human¡¯s culture, I can be considered a princess.¡± ¡°My word...¡± Lyra gasped but her stupor was knocked out of her when the Demon howled. She shook herself straight and looked to the Demon. ¡°Why are you flying towards the Demon!?¡± The Demon¡¯s left arm grewrge and morphed into a de. It swung its gigantic arm-de at the side of Olivia¡¯s body. It drew a trailing teal glow in its wake across Olivia¡¯s scales; she was left without a scratch. Olivia flew past the dumbfounded Demon and not without smacking the Demon hard with the tip of her tail. The Demon went rolling in the air but it didn¡¯t take long for it to get back its bnce. It flew after Olivia with a roar of indignance. ¡°You¡¯re unhurt?¡± Lyra blurted out. ¡°I am a Dragon,¡± Olivia answered Lyra¡¯s disbelief. ¡°The stories are true...¡± Siv mused. The Demon let out another roar and another wave of dark arrows at Olivia. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare do that again! Please! I¡¯ll fall this time!¡± Lyra screamed and pleaded. ¡°Fine,¡± Olivia retorted with rolled eyes. Her tail glowed the same teal as her scales. Snow began shedding off her tail like a mild winter storm. The arrows of darkness froze as they entered the freezing mist. However, half of the arrows flew past the midst unaffected. Siv sighed and pulled Lyra into her arms. Lyra didn¡¯t know why Siv suddenly embraced her but before she could ask, Olivia spun like a barrel as the arrows flew into range. Olivia destroyed the arrows with her wings as she spun. Siv let go of Lyra once her bnce returned. Lyra fell to her knees with a green face. The Demon kept chasing but it could never reach Olivia. Whenever it came close, the Dragon always outmanoeuvred it. The Demon began to feel anger and frustration. In response, its vile power bestowed it with a slight transformation. Siv frowned slightly at the sight. ¡°Miss Olivia, the Demon seems to be faster and a tad bigger than before.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Olivia responded briefly. ¡°I will once again entrust you to make sure Miss Lyra doesn¡¯t fall off.¡± And she made a sudden hundred-eighty turn mid-flight. She pped her wings hard and sent the winds flying towards the Demon in the form of des. The Demon was too slow to dodge and ended up getting shredded into pieces¡ª but only for a moment. The Demon instantly pieced itself together as if some unseen thread was holding its body together. Olivia clicked her tongue. ¡°Figures,¡± she muttered. ¡°Miss Olivia, how long can you fly for?¡± Siv asked. ¡°A week, if the winds are fair.¡± ¡°Inbat?¡± ¡°...That I do not know. I have rarely participated in fights. In the times that I have, it never dragged out for long. But I will hold out as long as Lady Erynthea needs me to be.¡± Siv prayed in her heart for her mistress to be quick. ¡°Is there nothing I can do?¡± ¡°Demons are dangerous, Lady Siv. Without the protection of the Spirits or any protection at all, you will sumb merely to its presence if you remain in proximity.¡± ¡°My mistress is out there working her blood and sweat off and I can¡¯t do anything to help.¡± ¡°The opponent is a Demon. It¡¯s impressive enough that you didn¡¯t run at the sight of it.¡± The Demon seemed irked at the fact it wasn¡¯t being taken seriously as its expression contorted. It opened as wide as it could. ck smoke poured out of its mouth. ¡°Withering Breath!¡± Lyra shouted. She was treading the boundary line of consciousness but when she saw the ck smoke in her unfocused vision, she was wide awake. Carried by the winds, the ck smoke drifted swiftly towards Olivia. She used the winds to disperse the smoke but the Demon used its own wings to push the smoke back at her. ¡°It¡¯s learning,¡± Siv remarked. Just then, a streak of lightning was shot out into the sky from a distance. Olivia, Siv, and Lyra all saw that brief streak. ¡°Finally,¡± Lyra muttered in relief. ¡°That¡¯s the signal,¡± Olivia said. Siv nodded in acknowledgement and tossed Erin¡¯s robes away. The Demon ceased its Wither Breath when it saw Erin¡¯s robes slowly drifting to the ground through the air. It could tell the scent came from the robes. Realizing it had been tricked, the Demon screeched like a storm. It was about to chase down Olivia out of rage when a bolt of lightning struck its back. The attack barely left a scratch on the Demon but it was enough to draw its attention. The Demon turned around and flew straight at its assant, not knowing what was awaiting it at the source. 3-38 Brick by brick 3-38 Brick by brick The forest was vast and trees were abundant. The flowers were in full bloom in the current season. Erin dreaded the thought of how she would ever find her sword in such conditions. She did see her sword but the Demon on her tailplicated her search and she was forced to start from scratch and worse, she didn¡¯t even know where to start. There were also some tall bushes that only added to the difficulty. The sword was her pride and weakness. She felt invincible with it but without it, she felt powerless. She could not defeat the Demon without her sword. She tried casting Mystic de on her hand but it gave off only a faint cerulean glow and the spell fell apart. ¡°Fuck fuck fuck¡­ where the hell is it?¡± she muttered to herself as she searched high and low for her sword. She could have borrowed it from Siv but she feared the strain from her Mystic de would be too much for just any simple steel sword. Moreover, steel wasn¡¯t a good Mana conductor. Using magic on a steel de was an inefficient task. The roars from Olivia, the shrieks from the Demon, and the faint shrills from Lyra, all of these made Erin even more anxious in finding her sword. No doubt Olivia could overpower the Demon but she didn¡¯t have any means to kill it. She didn¡¯t have any Spirit Magic nor did she have Holy Magic. Curiously enough, Olivia did have Holy Magic but after thest Dragon God died and the throne was left empty, she lost her Holy Magic and so did the other followers of the Dragon God. Erin reprimanded the Dragon God¡¯s heir in her heart but she could also understand why he didn¡¯t seed to the throne. The responsibilities that came with the throne weren¡¯t things that could be taken lightly without being fullymitted. Otherwise, he would just be another loathsome god among the many. And knowing the personality of the heir, Erin just couldn¡¯t see him in the position of a leader. Chuckling to her wandering thoughts, a sharp silver glint caught her eyes. There were many glints in the forest but this glint was particrly sharp. She squinted her gaze at the glint. Her face brightened and hope returned to her expression. It was her sword. She had never minded how dull her sword looked as long as it was nice to wield but the quality aesthetic of her sword made it possible for it to be found. She rushed over with Fleet Foot and retrieved her sabre with a jump of glee. At the same time, a strong gust blew over her. ¡°Erin, this is no time to be jumping around!¡± she reprimanded herself and headed for the clearing they had designated in their n. She crossed the distance of nearly half a mile under a minute by giving her all with Fleet Foot and Lightning Rush, leaving a charred trail behind her. Once Erin reached the middle of the clearing, she used Mana Harvest to quickly recover her Mana though she barely filled her Mana pool to three-quarters of its threshold. Mana wasn¡¯t abundant in these parts but she would just have to make do. She fired a Lightning Bolt into the clouds as the signal for the recovery of her sword. She saw Olivia, in her Dragon form, taking notice but not the Demon. It barely reacted to her Lightning Bolt. Erin conjured up a spear of lightning and threw it at the Demon with all her might. She wasn¡¯t an expert at throwing but as it was a spell, she didn¡¯t need to do all the work. The Lightning Spear corrected its flight path slightly to make sure it at least grazed the mark of its caster. The Lightning Spear hit the Demon square in the back and Erin finally had the Demon¡¯s attention. Erin could feel its re from afar. She could feel its anger at being yed for a fool, chasing down her garment thinking it was her in the flesh. The Demon wasted no time and flew straight at its prey. Erin still hadn¡¯t the faintest idea on how to kill this Demon for good. She did receive experience when she ¡®killed¡¯ the Velrin-Demon but the other part was still walking. Her Mystic de could cut through anything but it was another matter if cutting truly meant the death of its victim. ¡°No, I shouldn¡¯t be thinking too much. I won¡¯t know if I don¡¯t try everything first,¡± she told herself. The Demon¡¯s level dropped when it split apart. It regained some of its levels when it absorbed its split part. Erin had the idea of just cutting it until its level couldn¡¯t go any lower. Erin took out a vial of bluish-green liquid from Olivia¡¯s potion satchel pack. It was the corrosive substance Lyra hadced her arrow with when she shot at the Demon¡¯s wings. The liquid was mixed with Fairy Dust, making it effective against Demons. As the liquid contained Fairy Dust, an idea sprang to Erin¡¯s head. The Demon was close now. It bared its fangs and ws, gliding towards her without a bloody thirst apparent on its double-face. Erin swung and parried its ws as the Demon flew past her. She turned around and deflected another blow from the Demon who was moving around with its wings. The Demon threw a heavy blow that knocked Erin off her feet but she didn¡¯t lose her bnce. She flipped in the air andnded gracefully with her tails fluttering behind her. She popped open the vial and sshed its content at the Demon charging at her. She cast Essence re and ignited the small cyan spark into a zing wave, swallowing the Demon as it neared Erin. The Demon screeched in agony but just like before, the Mystic Skin of Abyss Magic protected it from any real harm. However, the mes weren¡¯t the only thing burning it but there was also the corrosive liquid trying to melt its way through. Erin closed in and sh at the wailing Demon, drawing a shallow cut on its arm. Her de wasn¡¯t even d in Arcane Edge or Mystic de but she cut through its flesh. ¡°Hmm¡­ is it only protective against Spirit Magic?¡± Erin mused at her observation. The Demon tried to take flight but the agony embracing it caused it to instantly crash back into the ground. It couldn¡¯t focus on using its wings properly. Erin lunged and thrust her sword but the Demon parried her strike with its arm-de that had grown in size just seconds before Erin¡¯s strike touched. Still engulfed in the cyan mes, the Demon pounced at Erin but she leapt away easily as the Demon was too distressed by the cyan mes. It eyed Erin hatefully as it endured the encroaching pain. Erin raised an eyebrow when she noticed the Mystic Skin started to tear but immediately patched itself up before the tear got any worse. She used Spirit Sight and found that the miasma surrounding the Demon was gradually decreasing and so was its Mana but at a quicker pace. She was surprised to find out the Demon was still using Mana. ¡°Nothing¡¯s perfect, I guess,¡± she muttered to herself. She felt a sense of superiority as the Demon fared worse than her in a drawn-out battle. The Demon was reaching its limits. A Demon drew its power constantly from another realm, making them an inexhaustible powerhouse but this Demon couldn¡¯t. It was an artificial Demon. It could do no such thing. It howled into the sky. Erin saw the shallow lingering miasma among the forest slowly flow towards the Demon with its howl as the beacon. ¡°Oh no, you don¡¯t.¡± Erin cast Mana Harvest and drew the miasma to herself instead of the Demon. She then turned the miasma she absorbed into Mana. The Demon snarled at Erin¡¯s actions but she smirked in return. Tears began to form over its Mystic Skin and some of these tears stayed torn. Out of desperation, the Demon hurled itself at Erin. Erin backstepped its blow and lunged back in with a sh so fast that the Demon saw only a sh. A fresh wound opened up on its torso but without the aid of Spirits, the wound closed up immediately. Erin didn¡¯t mind and kept shing at the Demon, giving it wounds that healed just as quickly as she shed. The Demon soon realized what Erin was trying to do. She was trying to exhaust its Mana faster than it already was. The Demon distanced itself away from Erin but she kept their gap closed with Lightning Rush. She conserved her own Mana by slicing and shing without using Arcane Edge. Every sh and slice ran deeper after the other. The Demon was also slowing down. Not just its Mana but also its stamina was running low. The quarter of itself that was a human became its bane. ¡°This... shall... not... standdddd!!!¡± the Demon roared. Erin felt her skin scrawled from that roar alone. ¡°What is it trying to do now?¡± The Demon¡¯s wings disappeared and its right arm seemed to shrink into its shoulder. Its left arm-de lengthened and erged, to the point it became thrice its body size and more than thrice its body¡¯s length. It began to spin with its long arm-de using its body as the axis. The strength of its spin was whipping up a tornado. ¡°For fuck¡¯s sake, Velkan!¡± Erin yelled. ¡°Your sister will be so disappointed in you.¡± ¡°Si...lence¡­!!!¡± the Demon howled, spinning its way towards Erin, gouging the ground in its wake. Erin sighed. ¡°For what it''s worth¡­ I¡¯m truly sorry¡­ but it doesn¡¯t excuse what you are doing.¡± Erin d her de in Mystic de and shed. The tornado was still charging towards her but it split horizontally into half as it was still spinning. It only stopped spinning a few seconds after it was split into half and the whirling winds dispersed. Simr to the tornado, the Demon was split into horizontal halves. The upper half instantly withered and crumbled into ashes. [Experience gained +20% - Level Progression: 75%] Erin was about to heave a sigh of relief but her Sixth Sense reacted to an unseen danger. She raised her sabre just as tendrils of darkness sprouted from the stump of the Demon¡¯s lower half. She blocked most of the attacks but a few grazed her. The Demon¡¯s lower half stood up and began growing back its upper half. Erin swooped in and bisected the regenerating Demon with Mystic de. [Experience gained +10% - Level Progression: 85%] She observed closely on the two halves she cut. The left half withered into ashes but the right half held on to its colour. Erin shed at the right half but it pulled itself away from her by sprouting out tendrils. Erin chased it down as it started regenerating. Using Lightning Rush and Fleet Foot, she reached the half before it could grow big and impaled the small mass of Demon flesh. [Experience gained +5% - Level Progression: 90%] The mass of flesh withered into ashes except for a small part. Erin didn¡¯t miss that small lump of flesh but before she could reach it, it dug itself into the soil. ¡°Oh fuck...¡± Erin uttered. She examined the underground with Spirit Sight. The small lump of flesh was spreading itself all over the ground. The ground began to tremble and Erin leapt away before it erupted. ck tendrils emerged, followed by clumps of dirt and rocks, all held together by the ck tendrils. It was using the fertile soil as its body. Erin was surprised to learn its level was now only five but its appearance did not seem like anything with a single-digit level. The Demon Earth Golem looked intimidating, but only for a second. Half of it crumbled as it tried to stand up but it repeatedly failed to hold everything together. When the tendrils used too much force to hold themselves together, it ended up crushing its body. It cried when it realized its actions were futile. Erin was even starting to feel sorry for it. ¡°Well¡­ it is only level five¡­ But even so, it¡¯s too dangerous to leave it alone. I must destroy everyst bit of it.¡± Erin popped open another vial of the bluish-green liquid and sshed it on the struggling Demon Earth Golem. The tendrils iled around as if begging for Erin to spare them. Some of it tried to leave but it couldn¡¯t divide itself on its own ord even though it could survive from being split into small bits. ¡°Rest in peace, Velkan,¡± she said and threw a ball of cyan mes at Velkan. The fire grew wildly and swallowed the tendrils, dirt, and rocks. Shrieks, shrills, screeches, all manners of agony voices came from the burning lump. It could even il around. The fire burned quick and in a matter of minutes, everything was charred to cinders. [Experience gained +3% - Level Progression: 93%] Erin waited until the fire hadpletely consumed everything and left nothing whole after it faded, then she slumped to the ground, heaving a long sigh of relief. ¡°Fucking...¡± she breathed deeply and held it for a few seconds, ¡°finally...¡± she let it out. She closed her eyes just as Olivia¡¯s shadow loomed over her. A faint smile touched her lips as she let her shoulders sag. 3-39 Three way (R18) 3-39 Three way (R18) Erin awoke to the gentle touch of the evening sun. The pallid vermilion sky greeted her sight when she opened her eyes. She was surprised to find herself not lying in a cave or under a tree. Instead, she was lying in a clearing. As she sat up and looked around, she discovered piles of logs and leaves by the edge of the clearing. It resembled a result of some hurricane¡¯s devastation but at a small scale and it was quite recent. Her nose twitched as an aromatic scent caught her fancy. ¡°You¡¯re just in time for supper,¡± Lyra¡¯s voice came from her back. It was also where the smell came from. Erin turned around and found Lyra and Siv sitting around a campfire and spit-roasting a rabbit above the fire. Lyra was in-charge of turning the stick and Siv was seasoning the rabbit as it spun. Erin was also surprised to find their wagon in good shape with the horses unharmed. It went without saying they lost some of their supplies when they moved the horses and wagon hastily to a safe spot. ¡°d to see you¡¯re fine, mistress,¡± Siv greeted as she fluttered a pinch of salt on the rabbit. Erin smiled wryly at Siv. As she tried to get up, a headache assailed her. She clutched her head as she wobbled. She stopped moving and went back to sitting for now until the headache subsided. ¡°How long was I asleep?¡± Erin asked while she examined her body. She wasn¡¯t hurt but she felt her strength in her limbs were meagre and her breaths were ragged. ¡°Only a few hours,¡± Lyra answered. ¡°I assume Olivia made this clearing, didn¡¯t she? ¡°Yes, she did. You should have seen it, Erin. It was so¡­ surreal. She was just spinning her whole body in the same spot and the winds did the rest.¡± ¡°Speaking of Olivia, where is she?¡± ¡°Up above the hills over there,¡± Lyra pointed with a nudge of her head. ¡°What is she doing all the way up there?¡± ¡°Resting, or so she says. She also said no to worry, she could still see everything from there.¡± ¡°Huh...¡± Erin looked at the hills. She saw Olivia though she was but a tiny dot in her view. ¡°Olivia said we¡¯ll be safe here. Bandits and monsters won¡¯te near us, she assured us.¡± ¡°She¡¯s right,¡± Erin affirmed. ¡°Unless the bandits or monsters are high levels, they won¡¯t approach a ce that was obviously marked by somerge monster. Then again, if the monsters or bandits are high levels, it doesn¡¯t matter if we¡¯re in the open or in a concealed ce. We would be found regardless.¡± ¡°I suppose that¡¯s true...¡± Lyra muttered. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Erin asked, moving closer to Lyra. ¡°Can¡¯t you smell it?¡± Siv chuckled but she said nothing and continued seasoning the rabbit. Erin took a whiff of Lyra. Her scent was as sweet as always but it was warmer than usual. ¡°Ah,¡± Erin gasped softly at the realization. She wrapped her arms around Lyra¡¯s waist and leaned into her ears. ¡°I see. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m at my limit too.¡± Lyra let out a small shriek of glee at Erin¡¯s answer. Erin turned to Siv and simpered. ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll have you as dessert too, Siv.¡± Siv merely nodded but her tail was wagging excitedly and her ears were twitching vigorously. ¡°What about Olivia?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°She can watch for all she wants,¡± Erin answered without hesitation. ¡°Oh my, Erin¡­ Getting bolder, are we?¡± ¡°I told you...¡± she whispered. ¡°I¡¯m at my limit. I think Mystic de is asking for its due...¡± ¡°I see...¡± Lyra responded with a shivering tone. ¡°Will you be gentle?¡± ¡°No,¡± Erin promised. **** The three devoured their supper wholeheartedly. The rabbit was no delicacy but it was filling. They had a rough day and their bellies were crying for any form of sustenance. Aside from their empty belly, their bodies were also craving the pleasures of the flesh. Night arrived with a clear sky with no premonition of a storm or the slightest rain. The three cast aside all of their shame and reservations as they undressed themselves right out in the open. They set aside their neatly folded apparel and spread arge nket on the grass, enough to amodate the three of them and more. Erin, Lyra, and Siv; they all knelt on the nket and gazed passionately at one another. Their hunger for rapture was apparent in their eyes. [User has entered Carnal Starvation. Lust Deviant activated.] [User¡¯s stats increase by half.] Erin raised her brows at the messages. It had been a while since she saw these words but she no longer heeded them. She no longer needed to be told. Her throbbing cunt and shivering teats were enough indications of her lust. Erin beckoned for Siv and Lyra toe near her. They obeyed and stirred their bodies close to Erin. Once they were closed enough for Erin to feel their bosoms and warmth on her shoulders, she brushed her hands across their brimming honey pots. Lyra on the right and Siv on the left, both gazing at Erin with ardent eyes. The two gasped amorously and longingly. Erin took a step further by inserting two fingers into each of their snatches. Siv immediately lost her strength with a loud moan and copsed forward, resting her head on Erin¡¯s shoulder. Lyra stifled her moans as she shuddered stiffly but Erin pried open her lips with a deep kiss. She pulled Lyra closer by her honeypot with curled fingers. Erin¡¯s tongue went deeper into Lyra¡¯s mouth and she squealed delightfully. Lyra let her mouth be ravaged by Erin¡¯s aggressive tongue. She didn¡¯t fight back. She didn¡¯t want to. She was content with Erin¡¯s domination over her. She retaliated feebly as a way to encourage Erin to be harsher and the Fox-kinplied. Lyra moaned continuously as Erin attacked her mercilessly. The Fox-kin also wriggled her fingers more vigorously in Lyra¡¯s snatch. ¡°Erin¡­! Erin¡­! Erin!!¡± Lyra cried louder and louder as Erin quickly brought her to a climax. Her honey sprayed out from her starved cunt like a pipe burst. She lost her voice to the relentless pleasure that assaulted every fibre of her body. She gripped Erin¡¯s arms tightly. She felt like her body would fly off into the clouds due to the pleasure if she didn¡¯t have anything to hold on to. Siv and Erin weren¡¯t human. They felt Lyra¡¯s climax but they endured it with a smile. ¡°That was quick,¡± Erin teased, smirking. She didn¡¯t stop moving her fingers. ¡°P-please Erin¡­ I only just¡ª¡± a shrill from her own mouth cut off her sentence as Erin curved her fingers. As Erin devoted her efforts to Lyra, Siv wasn¡¯t feeling as much as Lyra but it was still not a feeble amount though it could take her to the peak. Siv fondled her own bosom while Erin¡¯s fingers swam in her cavern. She moaned and breathed into Erin¡¯s ears but her mistress did not turn her way. Feeling left out, Siv began nibbling on her mistress¡¯ shoulder and then her neck. She bit down with her fangs and left shallow red marks all over. When that didn¡¯t get her mistress¡¯ attention, Siv moved on to the ample mounds that weren¡¯t too enormous or humble. Craving for her mistress¡¯ gaze and tongue, Siv made it hurt as she bit down on the left mound. Erin moaned in pain and pleasure. She broke off her kiss with Lyra and turned to Siv, who got her attention. Lyra was left hanging with rasped breaths and an indignant expression. She decided to imitate Siv by biting on Erin¡¯s shoulder and neck, and kneading her right mound. Now, Siv and Lyra had each of Erin¡¯s breasts in their hands and at their mercy. However, Erin had their womanhood at her leisure and quite literally, fingers. Erin grinned devilishly pulled Siv closer in the same manner as she did to Lyra. Erin smacked her lips on the Wolf-kin¡¯s. She plunged her tongue through the Wolf-kin¡¯s inviting luscious lips. Unlike Lyra, Siv fought back with her tongue, instead of just letting Erin ravage her mouth freely. As Siv groped her mound tighter, Erin dug her fingers deeper in response. They both moaned and groaned gratifyingly into each other¡¯s mouths. When Erin felt like she was losing, she stuck one more finger into Siv¡¯s dripping honeypot. The Wolf-kin howled like the beast she was as her mind went nk. Erin instinctively brought her other hand to assault Siv but Lyra didn¡¯t let her hand go. Erin¡¯s fingers were still drenched in Lyra¡¯s honey and Lyra herself sucked on her fingers without a shred of hesitation. Feeling empty in her womanhood, Lyra took it upon herself to fill her throbbing cavern. Erin stuck another finger inside Siv¡¯s snatch, to a total of four fingers. The Wolf-kin gasped soundlessly as the sudden surge of pleasure took her voice. Erin curved four of her fingers at once and Siv screeched like a maniacal beast. She had ascended to the peak and her cunt spouted her love juices like a rushing waterfall. Miraculously, Lyra did not receive her portion of Siv¡¯s peak of pleasure. ¡°Mistress...¡± Siv muttered in between her breaths. ¡°Yes?¡± Erin asked. She took out two fingers and left two fingers lodged inside Siv¡¯s honeypot. ¡°M-more...¡± she begged. Erin epted the challenge with a sneer. She thrust herself on Siv but Lyra pried Erin away from the Wolf-kin and pulled the Fox-kin to herself. Siv was pulling Erin back but Lyra had already wrapped her arms around Erin¡¯s shoulders as they started another round of exchange with their tongues and lips. Siv wasn¡¯t about to give up and she decided to attack the two¡¯s bare cunts. Erin and Lyra shrieked in unison from Siv¡¯s assault but they didn¡¯t part. Instead, they worked together by capturing Siv with their thighs. Siv grinned at their attempts and increased her strength with her tongue. When that wasn¡¯t enough, she used her fingers. She did to the two what her mistress did to her. She began with two fingers on each and slowly made her way to four fingers. Erin and Lyra gave up and parted from the deep and passionate battle of their mouths. Theyy on their back, recollecting the breaths they lost from the heated exchange. Siv pounced on the two and continued her assault. ¡°Siv, wait¡­ don¡¯t!!¡± Lyra implored but Siv smiled cruelly and quickened her assault, leaving Lyra twisting and arching her body in ecstasy. As for Erin, she weed Siv¡¯s assault. She returned the favour by pulling Siv into a kiss. She could easily pull Siv away from Lyra but she didn¡¯t. She wanted them all to have an equal amount of pleasure. With her Lust Deviant skill, the pleasures were actually shared amongst them, making them ted more than the usual sessions. Erin engaged in a tussle and struggled with Siv for the upper hand. Their heat, sweat, and saliva mixed tortuously in their lustful scuffle. When Lyra had recovered her strength enough, she joined in and took her revenge. At some point in the melding and moulding of their flesh, their chests had started pushing against one another. Erin and Siv chuckled at their mire but Siv cast her gaze down. Among the three of them, Lyra had the most humble chest. Seeing the other two having a more rounded curve, Lyra hid her chest under her arms. However, Erin dug her face through Lyra¡¯s arms and nibbled softly on her perky teat. Lyra bit her lips to hold back her shrills but Siv came and nibbled the other teat. She couldn¡¯t bear it and cried out her ecstasy just as she peaked on her pleasure. She copsed on her back, panting from her climax but Erin and Siv didn¡¯t let her go just from that. ¡°Please¡­ no more...¡± she beseeched them. ¡°I can¡¯t stop...¡± Erin said. ¡°Neither can I,¡± Siv whispered into Erin¡¯s ears from behind. Before Erin could turn around, Siv caught her tails and began fondling and licking them. They iled and fluttered from ecstasy but they didn¡¯t hurt Siv who was tangled in them. Erin went limp from being assaulted on so many of her sensitive points. The pleasure was immense and it robbed her of her strength to stay upright. She fell right into Lyra¡¯s body and arms. The humble-chested woman grinned diabolically and began ying with the ample mounds that fell into her face. Siv bit softly on her mistress¡¯ nape while ying with her tails with one hand. As for her other hand, it crept down to her mistress¡¯ womanhood which was guarded by her closed thighs. It was easy for Siv to squeeze her hands through and reach her mistress¡¯ drench snatch. Erin was in a daze from the numerous pleasure and she didn¡¯t feel Siv¡¯s hand closing in on her overflowing honeypot. Without a warning, Siv stuffed her mistress¡¯ cunt full with three fingers. Erin convulsed like lightning was coursing through her body. When that stopped, she moaned and groaned with a voice that even put monsters and beasts to shame. Her eyes rolled back as her body arched. When that wave passed, another tide came, turning into a wave as it approached. She shuddered violently from the waves that rushed into her. Her honeypot exploded from the brimming rapture, a shower of her womanly essence rained down on Siv¡¯s hand and Lyra¡¯s legs. She screamed out her lungs from reaching her peak. She clenched her fists tightly and her toes curled inwardly. Her climaxsted for a whole minute. When she was done, she lost all feeling of her body and her tails withered like the sails losing the wind and hoists. [Experience gained +20% - Level Progression: 113%] [Erynthea: Level 34 increased to Level 35] [Skill Points gained +2 | 2] [Ability Points gained +2 | 2] [Level Progression: 13%] At the same moment Erin¡¯s climax assailed her, Siv and Lyra were experiencing Erin¡¯s plight and pleasure. As their senses for pleasure were bonded by Lust Deviant. The same level of pleasure assaulted Lyra and Siv too. They were puzzled over Erin¡¯s exaggerated reaction but as the Lust Deviant bestowed them empathy, they realized they underestimated the pleasure Erin felt. Siv and Lyra sought sce in the arms of each other as they awaited the towering wave of pleasure. Their climax came. They shuddered. They screamed. They twisted and turned their bodies. Their sce was one another but that wasn¡¯t enough. The extreme ecstasy separated them and they both writhed in the relentless assault of rapture. They stayed on their peak as long as Erin. When the waves rescinded, the three were exhausted beyond their limits and they fell asleep with their bodies and limbs entangled. 3-40 Slaughter 3-40 ughter ¡°Why are we running!?¡± Nivia shouted but Aedan did not slow down for even a moment. This was the third time she asked since Aedan suddenly scooped Aera into his arms and started running without an exnation. Aera was unconscious in Aedan¡¯s arms as he doused her with a speck of potent sleeping dust. He gave no warning when he put her to sleep. It had caused the two Fae to gasp in confusion and horror but Aedan paid no mind to their inquiries. They were running the top of a hill range, festered with all sorts of wild nts and short trees. The path wasn¡¯t a smooth one and any misstep would mean their death or at the very least, a few broken bones that would leave them crippled. Yet, Aedan ran without slowing down. He was already running considerably slow as he was carrying Aera in his arms and if he ran too fast, Nivia and Lilian would lose sight of him. ¡°Aedan, dearie, I would appreciate it if you just tell us,¡± Lilian implored as she struggled to keep up with Aedan and her breaths. Her stamina would be the worst among them if her level¡¯s assistance wasn¡¯t taken into ount. ¡°Shut up and just keep running if you don¡¯t want to be left behind!¡± Aedan yelled back at their inquisitiveness. Nivia deepened her scowl that was always there for Aedan. However, Lilian frowned. ¡°I understand,¡± she said and turned to Nivia who was running by her side. ¡°Nivia, just focus on running.¡± ¡°Now you¡¯re on his side?¡± Nivia questioned in disbelief. ¡°Since when¡¯s thest time you heard him raise his voice no matter how hard you two bickered?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t bicker! We¡ª¡± A dreadful feeling washed over Nivia and Lilian as they heard the wails of the Spirits. Shivers went down both their spines. ¡°What the hell was that?¡± Nivia asked with a trembling tone. ¡°Just keep running,¡± Aedan retorted firmly. ¡°Wait!¡± Lilian shouted and came to a stop. Aedan, perhaps sensing a worthwhile intent in her voice, obliged her sudden request. Nivia stopped running as well. Lilian did not answer Aedan¡¯s inquiring gaze and instead, began a chant. Aedan raised his brows when he heard the chant. ¡°A Familiar summoning...¡± ¡°Way better than your idea of running on foot,¡± Nivia grumbled as she was catching her breaths. ¡°Be quick about it, Lilian,¡± Aedan urged. ¡°They¡¯re catching up.¡± After Lilian finished her chant, a glowing circle of magic inscription appeared. Thousands of glitters gathered inside the circle, slowly moulding into a form of a horse-like creature. It had six legs instead of four. It had the antlers of a buck. It had a pair of tusks like a mammoth. ¡°What in the Spirit¡¯s name is this?¡± Nivia asked. ¡°A Kiral,¡± Aedan answered in ce of Lilian who fell to her knees after the summoning. The Kiral was twice the size of the average horse. It could fit more than two people on its back. Nivia got on to the Kiral first and Aedan passed Aera into Nivia¡¯s arms. He then helped the weakly Lilian onto the Kiral but not before giving her a kiss on her forehead. Nivia stared at him in shock and Lilian had the same expression but it quickly turned into a smirk of triumph. ¡°Think nothing of it,¡± Aedan said. ¡°Can¡¯t do that, dearie,¡± Lilian smiled coyly but it turned worried. ¡°Will you be alright?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t protect all of us, only one. Yes, I¡¯ll be fine if I¡¯m by myself. Now go. I¡¯ll stop your pursuers.¡± ¡°W-wait. He¡¯s noting with us?¡± Nivia asked but she was ignored. ¡°Be safe, Aedan,¡± Lilian nodded at Aedan. ¡°Be seeing you.¡± ¡°Be seeing you too, Lily.¡± Lilian tittered. There was a tinge of sorrow in her eyes but she wiped it off before it could draw a tear from her eyes. As soon as they said their goodbyes, the Kiral reared before taking into a sprint that put even the fastest predator beast to shame. Not ten minutes had gone by when the sounds of his pursuers entered his earshot. He had felt their bloodthirst long before he could smell or hear them. Whoever or whatever was hunting him and hispanions, they weren¡¯t just somemon monsters or ouws. He was familiar with this thirst, this feeling. He wished he was wrong but now that they were close, he wasn¡¯t. The pursuers made themselves known as they emerged from the distance. They were an array of individuals from nearly all walks of life. There was even an Umbrum, a Dwarrow, an Augur, a Beast-kin, and so many more. There were nearly a dozen people. They were all enthralled with a spell by someone Aedan couldn¡¯t discern. The Beast-kin was the fastest in the group. He was currently the one closest to Aedan. He ran with all four of his limbs. There was intelligence in his eyes but not a trace of control. He had a feral gaze that was literally bloodshot. Upon closer inspection, the Beast-kin was infused with some augmentation spell that increased his stats in exchange for his life. ¡°Mindless pawns...¡± Aedan mused as he took out a crescent-shaped de. He threw the de at the Beast-kin, who dodged it by leaping over the spinning de. However, Aedan willed the de to return as the Beast-kinnded on the ground. The de finely sliced through the Beast-kin in half and returned to Aedan¡¯s hand. The Umbrum saw the deft skills of his mark who killed hispeer with. The Umbrum stopped at a distance and began chanting a spell, a vast fireball appeared overhead. The other individuals saw what the Umbrum witnessed but they didn¡¯t stop and kept rushing at Aedan. The next person that came within Aedan¡¯s range was a tall human female who wielded a spear. She thrust with a lunge that carved out the ground where Aedan had stood. Aedan trapped the spear under his foot and shed the human female¡¯s throat open. His movement was so fast that she only knew what transpired after she felt the warm red liquid oozing out from her neck. Aedan kicked the body aside just as another Beast-kin lunged at him. Aedan simply raised one arm and got the Beast-kin by his throat who flew into Aedan¡¯s grasp. He simply clenched his hand tightly and crushed the Beast-kin¡¯s throat. He then tossed the Beast-kin¡¯s corpse at a charging Dwarrow that was twice the size of the average human. The gigantic Dwarrow battered the corpses aside with a flick of his arm. He drew the mace from his back and swung down at Aedan. Aedan rolled aside as the mace created a shallow but vast crater while raising clouds of dust. The dwarrow immediately swung its mace again but Aedan backstepped from the barbed steel ball that was the tip of the mace. Using that moment, the Dwarrow brought mace around and threw it at Aedan. The Dragon-kin clicked his teeth and met the mace with his fist, shattering the steel object into fragments. ¡°Ow,¡± Aedan muttered dryly. The Dwarrow stared and stood frozen in his ce. In his augmented state, his strength was around the level of the mid-sixties but his mark fended off an attack from him like swatting a fly. The Dwarrow whimpered and turned to run but Aedan closed their distance in a blink of an eye. Gripping the Dwarrow by the head, he mmed it into the ground, deepening the crater and turning the Dwarrow¡¯s head into a stter. The smell of the blood hit his nose and the memories of his old days came flushing in. His shoulders shuddered at those memories but he pulled himself out of the dark clouds just as the Umbrum mage finished his chant. The fireball was now the size of a naval ship. ¡°Fucking idiot...¡± Aedan muttered. He quickly picked up one of the pieces of fragments from the mace and threw it at the Umbrum. The fragment flew into the Umbrum¡¯s face before he could unleash the spell. The fireball convulsed and exploded from the disturbance of its conjuration. The fire spread fast and wide, swallowing a radius of a quarter-mile. Aedan was faster and was further away than the fire¡¯s reach by the explosion was stretched to its limits. Aedan was about to heave a sigh of relief when his skin crawled from the sensation he had been feeling. He thought it came from the militia-like group but it came from one individual. A figure walked through the mes that engulfed the hilltop and were only slowly spreading from there. The figure was a man with dark veins and a good portion of his face was disfigured. Most curious of all, Aedan saw the name given by his Appraisal, Rayor. ¡°Where¡¯s my daughter?¡± Rayor asked as he got within twenty feet from Aedan. Aedan shrugged. ¡°Not here,¡± he said. ¡°I don¡¯t know what your rtionship is with my daughter but she ain¡¯t worth it. I¡¯m on borrowed time,d. I have always enjoyed a good fight but not right now.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a Demon¡­ but you can still talk and think like normal. The Covenant is really impressive.¡± Rayor frowned. ¡°How did you know that name?¡± he asked as he sharpened his gaze. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Someone who¡¯s going to end your miserable life, Rayor.¡± Rayor¡¯s face twisted with anger. ¡°I don¡¯t have time for this. Since you knew about the Covenant, I can¡¯t let you live.¡± Aedan threw his hands up. ¡°I¡¯m so afraid,¡± he said, mockingly. ¡°Maybe not?¡± Rayor bellowed in rage and charged at Aedan as if he was fired from a bow. Aedan widened his eyes at Rayor¡¯s unexpected speed. He raised his arms in defence but Rayor¡¯s fist found his torso first. Aedan went sliding face-first across the ground. ¡°How about now? Are you truly afraid now?¡± Rayor sneered. Aedan pushed himself to his feet, dusting his clothes off the dirt. ¡°Well...¡± He stretched his neck. ¡°You hit hard¡­ and fast but that won¡¯t be enough.¡± Rayor grimaced and lunged like an arrow flying across the air. With a rock he picked up as he was standing up, Aedan threw it at the charging Rayor. However, Rayor curved around the rock and continued speeding towards Aedan without slowing for even the slightest. Aedan saw his fisting but without his skills and spells, he couldn¡¯t dodge it. The fist collided with his face and lifted him off his feet. He flew into the trees, breaking through the trunks before tumbling to the ground ¡°Fffuck!¡± The scream came from Rayor, whose knuckles were broken from that single punch. He could break iron and steel with his fist but he broke his own knuckles when he punched Aedan square in the jaws. ¡°How¡­ is this possible!? I¡¯m supposed to be stronger than when I fought that bitch of a vixen!¡± ¡°Vixen?¡± The word caught Aedan¡¯s fancy. Wiping his lips as if he had drawn blood, which he didn¡¯t, Aedan got to his feet without a single wound or bruise. ¡°What the hell are you?¡± Rayor gasped in disbelief. Not only was his mark not dead but he was also without any injuries. ¡°The vixen you called a bitch, does she have five tails and a gaze filled with only precision and contempt towards you?¡± ¡°You know her?¡± ¡°I do but it seems like you do too. To quote you, I can¡¯t let you live.¡± ¡°Arrogant twat!¡± Rayor roared and shot towards him with spikes growing all over his arm. Aedan leaned aside and Rayor missed his punch. Aedan then trapped his arm and twisted it as far as he could. Blood spouted from the joints and a screech of agony erupted from Rayor¡¯s mouth. Aedan didn¡¯t with just a twist. He tore Rayor¡¯s arm off his shoulder and the half-Demon howled agonizingly. Before his demonic energy could regenerate his arm, Aedan grabbed him by the throat and mmed him to the ground. The force was so great that it wiped out the spreading mes from the Umbrum¡¯s spell. Rayor attempted to turn his remaining arm into a shape that could help his predicament but Aedan stomped on his remaining arm by the shoulder, crushing it. Rayor screamed but Aedan crushed his throat too with a punch. ¡°Erin can be a vixen¡­ I can attest to that first hand. She can be a bitch. She was one to me, but know this¡­ she¡¯s a friend¡ª¡± Aedan snarled at the mangled Rayor. ¡°¡ªI have few enough friends. I won''t let it be fewer.¡± Rayor lunged from where hey, or at least he tried. Aedan headbutted him back to the ground. With the difference in their levels, Aedan¡¯s physical strength was more than enough to handle Rayor. He was a Demon but only half. He had the ferocity and adaptiveness of a Demon but not their nigh-invincibility. As Rayor kept regenerating, Aedan kept destroying. Rayor wasn¡¯t a full-fledged Demon. His Mana wouldn¡¯tst forever and Aedan had an abundance of stamina that allowed him to keep at it for days. ¡°Please stop! Stop!¡± Rayor started to beg at a certain point. His figure no longer had the resemnce of his former and it was not due to his transformation into a Demon. Aedan¡¯s hands werepletely dyed red and his face was smudged in just as much red. ¡°And why should I stop? You threatened and hurt an acquaintance of mine.¡± ¡°Please¡­ enough...¡± ¡°You can still talk. Obviously, it ain¡¯t enough. Come on, where¡¯s all your ferocity back then? Let me guess, one more punch and that¡¯s the end for you, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°If you kill me¡­ he¡¯ll send someone stronger...¡± ¡°I¡¯ll beat that someone into a pulp too, like what I¡¯m doing to you now.¡± ¡°You¡­ can¡¯t¡­ He¡¯s a¡ª¡± Before Rayor could speak any further, his veins began turning glistening grey and his body shuddered violently. Aedan squinted his eyes and found something was lodged in his chest and that thing was releasing a glistening grey fluid into his veins. ¡°White Silver...¡± Aedan gasped in realization. Aedan could do nothing but watch the most lethal poison in the world doing its atrocious wonder. It turned Rayor into a dry husk in a matter of seconds. As the wind blew, it carried him off as ashes. Aedan finally heaved a sigh of relief but the relief was superficial. He cast his gaze at the sky. It was clear but he could see the dark clouds looming in the distance. He sighed again but of exasperation this time. ¡°Erin¡­ What have you got yourself into?¡± he mused to himself. 3-41 Distinction 3-41 Distinction ¡°It¡¯s too quiet,¡± Erin mused as she stirred from her meditation state. The road had be uneven and rough, making the wagon shake more than usual. Though Erin wasn¡¯t bordered by the constant shaking, she was bothered by the unusual silence. ¡°Quiet? Really?¡± Lyra asked, who was just sitting across from Erin on the wagon at the back. ¡°My ears are hurting from the constant rattling. It¡¯s far from being quiet.¡± ¡°Mistress meant the sounds of nature,¡± Siv answered from the coach seat. She was handling the reins. Erin had wanted to take over the reins but Siv insisted on being the one handling it. When asked for the reason, Siv simply said it was gratitude forst night. In fact, Siv had been quite reserved since the morning. Erin couldn¡¯t understand Siv¡¯s sentiment but she didn¡¯t press the matter. ¡°Perhaps that¡¯s because we have a Fae and a Dragon travelling in our band?¡± Lyra pointed at Erin and Olivia, who had turned back into her human form and was now riding on her own horse closely by their wagon. ¡°After all the noises the three of you madest night, I¡¯ll be surprised if there¡¯s even an ant left around,¡± Olivia presumed with a scowl shot at Lyra. ¡°Do the three of you know no shame or restraint at all?¡± ¡°You sound disgruntled,¡± Lyra said. ¡°Were you irked that we didn¡¯t invite you to join?¡± ¡°No,¡± Olivia answered sharply. ¡°Like I would engage in such activities other than my promised one.¡± ¡°You¡¯re betrothed?¡± ¡°I meant that I would not mate with anyone simply for the pleasure of the flesh.¡± ¡°Ah, pity. You¡¯re losing out on most of the fun in life, then.¡± ¡°There¡¯s more to love than the pleasure of the flesh.¡± ¡°But the pleasure of flesh adds a lot of spice to love. Wouldn¡¯t you say so, Erin?¡± ¡°Hmm? What?¡± Erin mumbled in response. She was looking out into the trees and she was barely paying attention to Lyra¡¯s bickering with Olivia. ¡°You weren¡¯t listening?¡± ¡°I was listening, just not to you and Olivia.¡± Lyra scoffed. ¡°I¡¯m hurt, Lyra. After all, we have been through, I¡¯m tossed aside now that you got your time¡¯s worth?¡± Erin rolled her eyes. Lyra tittered. ¡°My heart is hurt, truly, my dear Erin. What could you ever do to mend this poor heart of mine?¡± She was swooning with her head leaned back like a maiden falling in love for the first time. ¡°Did you hit your headst night?¡± Erin asked. Lyra let herself fall right into Erin¡¯s arms. ¡°Perhaps,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ it felt extremely goodst night¡­ It felt better than ever. It was nothing like the time we did it with Iris. It was¡­ genuine.¡± Erin smiled and wrapped her arms around Lyra. ¡°I understand¡­ It felt great for me too, knowing that I have two such magnificent women who loved me so much. I feel so fortunate.¡± ¡°Oh, dear lords...¡± Olivia groaned and looked away. ¡°Have some decency,¡± she grumbled. While Olivia was vexed by the two¡¯s disy of affection, Siv was red to her whole face with her tail wagging excitedly and her ears twitching perkily. Erin grinned when saw that, finally understanding why Siv insisted on taking the reins. She was so embarrassed and overjoyed fromst night that she couldn''t bear to meet her lover¡¯s gaze now. ¡°Anyways,¡± Olivia faked a cough to degrees from the uncouth subject. ¡°Where is our destination, Lady Erynthea?¡± Lyra and Erin looked at her with nk faces. Even Siv nced over her shoulder to stare at her. ¡°What?¡± Olivia asked. ¡°Did I say something wrong?¡± ¡°You¡¯re being presumptuous, that¡¯s what¡¯s wrong,¡± Lyra answered. ¡°You said ¡®our destination¡¯. Are you implying that you would be travelling with us from now on?¡± Erin asked back. ¡°It is my lord¡¯s wish, though unspoken,¡± Olivia answered. ¡°The Dragon God¡¯s followers may have dwindled but there are still a handful of us. The heir can¡¯t possibly send out orders tailored specifically to each individual. The followers need to take the initiative.¡± Lyra scowled and scoffed. ¡°Knowing your lord, I doubt that,¡± Erin said. ¡°He can be an arse but he isn¡¯t officious and he doesn¡¯t disrespect my privacy. What¡¯s more, he ain¡¯t your true lord. He¡¯s only the heir, for now.¡± ¡°It¡¯s only a matter of time before that happens, Lady Erynthea. When it happens, I wish to be the one with the most merits.¡± ¡°Only a matter of time, you say¡­ How long would that be in your mind?¡± ¡°Half a century, at least. I¡¯ll wait for more than a hundred if need be.¡± ¡°Is there a limit to how long he can drag his candidacy out?¡± ¡°No. This isn¡¯t something chosen by the followers or anyone. He is chosen by the will of the world.¡± ¡°That sure sounds suffocating. Basically, you¡¯re saying his fate is sealed?¡± ¡°Not necessarily. If he ascends the throne, there will be so much he could do, so much he could change.¡± ¡°At what cost?¡± Olivia fell silent. ¡°I don¡¯t know much about the gods or divines but I do know that poweres at a cost. Nothing is free in this world, there¡¯s always a catch, always a price.¡± ¡°I know that...¡± Olivia murmured. ¡°I won¡¯t admonish your faith but I would appreciate that you don¡¯t instil it unto others¡¯ will. I¡¯m sure you could find another way to please your Lord and umte merits.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not possible...¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°...Because this is the only revtion of my lord¡¯s will that I have received in my dream,¡± Olivia admitted. ¡°Either this is his only concern that he couldn¡¯t handle it himself or he simply doesn¡¯t have any other concerns.¡± ¡°Unbelievable,¡± Lyra scoffed and slumped back to her seat. ¡°Then that¡¯s your problem, not mine,¡± Erin said. ¡°I appreciate your faithfulness but I have a feeling your presence here would only invite more problems.¡± ¡°Lady Erynthea, I¡¯m sure you know by now that the Apostles of other Divines are hunting you, goaded by the Ancient Guardians. My presence here could help you tremendously.¡± ¡°She¡¯s right, mistress,¡± Siv said without ncing away from the path. ¡°I know she¡¯s right but that¡¯s not enough of a reason. I don¡¯t feelfortable travelling with someone that I barely know, let alone entrusting my life. I¡¯m not even getting paid to escort you.¡± ¡°I need no escort but your concerns are understandable, Lady Erynthea.¡± ¡°How do I know that you¡¯re telling the whole truth or the truth at all?¡± Erin asked. ¡°You can tell by my heart, mdy,¡± Olivia said. ¡°There¡¯s not an urate assessment and that¡¯s only reliable only on simpletons or people who are unaware. I wager you can tell a story of lies without batting an eyelid.¡± ¡°Then what would it take for you to trust me, mdy? Are my words as a True Dragon insufficient?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ True Dragon¡­¡± Erin pondered. ¡°Well, I suppose you can start by telling me about the difference between a Dragon and a True Dragon. I have consulted books and people, either they know only a little or know nothing at all. It¡¯s a mystery and an itch.¡± ¡°My lord heir... did he not tell you anything in spite of being acquainted almost¡­ intimately?¡± Erin took a deep breath to calm herself down from Olivia¡¯s choice of words. ¡°I didn¡¯t pursue it and he¡¯s not one to share stories. I have tried asking but he was very¡­ evasive with the subject.¡± ¡°As he should be,¡± Olivia said. ¡°The enigma of my kind is what protected us for all these years. People fear the unknown. If they absolutely fear us without a hint of any possible means to defy us, they wouldn¡¯t dare to do anything.¡± ¡°By people¡­ you mean¡ª¡± ¡°Humans.¡± ¡°Humans again¡­¡± Erin sighed. She feltplicated agreeing with Olivia as she was once human and she understood the greed of her former kind well. ¡°But if it¡¯s you, Lady Erynthea¡­ Perhaps it won¡¯t be an issue. But...¡± Olivia turned to Lyra with a dubious gaze. Lyra scoffed. ¡°How rude,¡± she snarled. ¡°Olivia, I trust Lyra more than you,¡± Erin said. ¡°Of course,¡± Olivia said and retrieved her suspicions towards Lyra like an automated golem. ¡°Quite stalling now, Olivia. We haven¡¯t got all day.¡± ¡°Are we in a hurry?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°No,¡± Erin responded. ¡°But I have a feeling that we will be busy in a while and before that, I want to know as much as I can about the Dragon-kin and the Dragon God.¡± ¡°Before I began¡­ will you trust me after I tell you something about my kind?¡± Olivia asked. ¡°That depends on what you¡¯re going to tell me,¡± Erin retorted and red. Despite her superior level, Olivia felt intimidated by Erin¡¯s countenance. She even swallowed a lump in her throat. ¡°Very well,¡± she said. ¡°But I must inform you that it might not be what you expected. It could be¡­ mundane.¡± ¡°Let me be the judge of that.¡± The clouds began to gather and hid most of the sun. ¡°Where should I start¡­?¡± Olivia mulled. ¡°I suppose the misconception would be a good one.¡± ¡°Misconception?¡± Lyra questioned. ¡°There is amon misconception that needs to be addressed. Dragon-kin are not Demi-human Dragons.¡± ¡°What?¡± Lyra blurted out. ¡°They are not half-human and half-Dragon like many hade to believe. Dragon-kin actually refers to Dragons who are sapient. When a Dragon gain high intelligence and the capacity to rationalize, the System instinctivelybels them as a Dragon-kin.¡± ¡°But this form of all yours is human,¡± Erin pointed out. ¡°You¡¯re not half-human at all?¡± ¡°This is merely a transformation-type magic. It¡¯s called Humanification.¡± Prompted by her answer, Erin appraised her once again, making sure the skill ¡°Humanification¡± was indeed on the long list of Magic Arts she had. Even now, Erin couldn¡¯t remember half of it. ¡°As a Dragon-kin, while it isn¡¯t a Magic Art we are born with, we are required to learn it as it¡¯s paramount to our survival. As much as we like our secluded lifestyle, not all respect our boundaries and wishes. Especially the humans. As I have said before, we blend into human societies to watch over them lest they be foolish and daring enough to attack my kind.¡± ¡°Have they ever?¡± Erin asked. ¡°Once. An empire in the north, hundreds of years ago. I was but a child then. I had only just weaned. But this story is one that my kind would keep telling to their offspring and their offspring, and so on and so forth. The empire, whose name I have forgotten, were very advanced in the field of arcane technology, machinery fueled by Mana and Magic Arts. They attacked a small group of us as a deration of war but before they can be fully prepared tounch one, my kind rained down on them like a storm. They razed the empire to the ground, leaving only a handful of survivors that didn¡¯t even reach a hundred. Their inventions and crafts, which they deployed in a hurry, left only a scratch on their Mystic Skins.¡± While Erin enjoyed hearing some history, the triumphant and vain smirk Olivia had was vexing to her eyes. But she couldn¡¯t say anything about that as being proud of one¡¯s ancestors was something natural. Lyra, on the other hand, wasn¡¯t that interested. She even yawned halfway through. ¡°That¡¯s great and all but when are you going to tell us about the difference between a True Dragon and a Dragon-kin?¡± Olivia¡¯s parade was doused by Lyra¡¯s insistence. She glowered at Lyra but ultimately said nothing of her curtness. ¡°A True Dragon refers to a Dragon of a pure bloodline. Wyverns, Smanders, Komodos, Drakes, Serpents, they are all distant descendants of Dragons. They are Dragons out there who looked no different than a True Dragon but they are at best only three-quarters of Dragon blood. They are severely weaker than and inferior to a True Dragon. We called them False Dragons.¡± ¡°False Dragons?¡± Lyra muttered. ¡°I have never heard of them.¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have. Among themon minds, these False Dragons are known as and categorized as lesser Dragons, middling Dragons, and greater Dragons. Make no mistake, their denotations are merely references of their levels, not the amount of True Dragon blood they have in them.¡± Erin smiled wryly at Olivia¡¯s peculiarity with the ¡°True Dragon blood¡± part. ¡°A Dragon-kin is always a True Dragon but a True Dragon is not always a Dragon-kin. Do I have your understanding?¡± Olivia asked. Erin nodded. ¡°I see.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± Lyra said. Olivia sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t expect a human to.¡± ¡°Oh ho? Was that an insult?¡± ¡°Merely stating the facts,¡± Olivia retorted with a faint grin. ¡°Perhaps your head is only filled with the pleasures of the flesh.¡± ¡°This bitch...¡± Lyra seethed. ¡°It seems I have been too lenient to a stranger.¡± Erin rolled her eyes. Another fight had started before she realized. ¡°Iing,¡± Siv muttered quietly but the winds carried her words to all of their ears. The two ceased their bickering and readied themselves for the imminent threat. ¡°Erin?¡± Lyra called. ¡°I don¡¯t know where they are but there¡¯s definitely something ahead, something strong¡­ divine even.¡± ¡°Apostles?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the most usible given their ability to hide from my senses.¡± ¡°Mine too,¡± Olivia murmured. ¡°This is bad. Their levels might be as high as mine, or higher.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t smell anything too but my bestial instincts are telling me of a great threat ahead.¡± ¡°Allow me,¡± Olivia said and stood on the back of her horse. ¡°Please take care of Lucas.¡± With that request, she leapt into the air, unleashing her true form of an azure-blue Dragon, taking flight into the skies. ¡°At least, we have eyes from the sky now.¡± Erin sighed. ¡°Great Spirits¡­ is a peaceful day too much to ask for?¡± Lyra readied her bow and arrows. ¡°An opportunity for growth.¡± ¡°You sound excited.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because I haven¡¯t truly got a real chance to test out my new skill and I have levelled up quite nicely from the Demon yesterday. Hopefully, this time our opponents have someone or something of my level.¡± ¡°Hopefully,¡± Erin repeated in a faint grumble. ¡°It is what it is¡­ Let¡¯s do this.¡± 3-42 Perilious 3-42 Perilious ¡°Anything?¡± Lyra asked, looking around her with an arrow nocked to her bow. Erin shook her head. ¡°Not yet,¡± she said, sharpening her gaze on the trees that surrounded them. It had been ten minutes since Siv and Erin picked a dreadful response from their instincts but they had yet to discern their enemies¡¯ identity and whereabouts. Erin used Life Sense but the only responses were the nts and bugs. Their feeling of trepidation only worsened as their wagon moved slowly on the uneven and coarse road deeper into their impending plight. ¡°A storm¡¯s brewing,¡± Siv said. ¡°The erratic winds are not doing us any favour.¡± Erin looked up to the sky, where Olivia was surveying the area in her true form. ¡°Seems like Olivia found nothing too.¡± ¡°How do you know?¡± Lyra asked with furrowed brows. Erin stared at Lyra in disbelief. ¡°We discuss this just this morning. Weren¡¯t you listening?¡± Lyra lowered her head. ¡°I was hungry. I was just eating without¡­ I didn¡¯t think... and¡­ the afterglow was still...¡± she tried to exin in a stutter. Erin sighed. ¡°Fine. Just listen closely now. If Olivia sees something, she will give a growl. If it¡¯s confirmed an enemy, she will screech. If it¡¯s a treacherous danger, she will shout.¡± ¡°Oh...¡± Lyra muttered. ¡°I understand.¡± She nodded. Just then, Olivia growled. Her voice resonated clearly across the sky and even shook the air mildly. Both Lyra and Erin immediately turned their gazes forward. Siv slowed the wagon down by pulling on the reins. In hindsight, everything looked normal but as Lyra squinted her eyes, she recognized an anomaly with her Eagle Eye. ¡°There,¡± she pointed. ¡°That patch of soil in front of us. It¡¯s a trap.¡± ¡°What kind?¡± Erin asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s just that the soil looks different in that patch.¡± ¡°And it¡¯s in our path. Siv, can we go around it?¡± ¡°Our wagon is too big for that,¡± Siv said. ¡°However, this sort of trap has a dy in their trigger. There will be at least a second before it springs. If the wagon has enough speed, we will be able to outrun the trap before it springs.¡± ¡°In that case, fly.¡± Siv nodded and whipped the horses into sprinting. They took off rushing at once and it was the fastest the wagon had been. Erin and Lyra braced themselves on the railings at the back. Siv held the reins tighter than ever as the wagon moved at an unprecedented speed. The wagon trembled fiercely due to the trap being triggered. Wooden Spikes erupted from the ground but the wagon safely made it through without being severely damaged. Erin quickly used a rope from the pile of gifts they received from the Valenolk townfolks and fastened the items in ce, as much as she could but a few inevitably fell off the wagon. At that moment, Erin heard an array of noises and soundsing from the trees. ¡°They¡¯re moving!¡± Erin apprised. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of them.¡± ¡°Who are they!?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°They ain¡¯t humans, that I know.¡± As Lyra nced around cursory, her eyes widened. ¡°Duck!¡± she shouted. The three lowered their bodies and a huge log flew over them like a javelin. ¡°There!¡± Lyra pointed to where the log was thrown from. ¡°It¡¯s an Iron Ape!¡± ¡°An Iron Ape?¡± Siv mused out loud. ¡°We¡¯re not in the south, Lyra. Are you sure about that?¡± ¡°Absolutely, damn it!¡± Lyra yelled back. ¡°What other ape-like monsters have a silvery sheen to their hide?¡± ¡°What¡¯s an Iron Ape?¡± Erin asked. ¡°They¡¯re just like Rock Apes. Their skin is less tough than a Rock Ape but they are more agile and their lustrous grey skin gives them the name, Iron Ape. However, they¡¯rerger than I expected.¡± ¡°Are they...¡± Erin mused in wonder. ¡°Lyra, do you still have eyes on the Iron Ape?¡± Lyra looked around but she shook her head. ¡°It disappeared.¡± ¡°It¡¯s toying with us.¡± Lyra paled as she looked over Erin¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Erin¡­ behind us.¡± Erin turned around and saw Dire Wolves had emerged from the trees and were now chasing them down. The Dire Wolve¡¯s levels were around the average of twenty. While they wouldn¡¯t normally pose a problem but it couldn¡¯t be said if they were the only threat present. ¡°Bollocks...¡± Erin cursed. ¡°Mistress, in front of us!¡± Siv¡¯s words turned Lyra and Erin¡¯s gaze to the front, where a gigantic lion with ming manes stood in their way. It was twice the size of the wagon. Smoke and embers wereing out from its gaping jaws. The lion was lowering its stance, readying itself to pounce. ¡°Level forty-two...¡± Erin gasped. ¡°Infernal Lion?¡± ¡°Siv, we need to stop!¡± Lyra yelled. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear what Erin said? It¡¯s level forty-two! We won¡¯t even make it budged even if we rammed into it!¡± ¡°Impossible, you nitwit! We¡¯re going too fast to stop in time,¡± Siv retorted. ¡°And if we stop now, we will be dead!¡± ¡°We don¡¯t need to stop,¡± Erin said, calmly. ¡°Just keep the horses running.¡± ¡°Mistress, are you sure?¡± Siv asked. Before Erin could answer, Olivia came swooping down without a sound but the air she disced was enough to reveal herself. Although, it was still far toote for the Infernal Lion. It tried to dodge Olivia¡¯s grasp but it was too slow. Olivia caught the Infernal Lion with the ws of her hind limbs like an eagle catching prey, and tossed the Infernal Lion far away into the forest. ¡°The Dire Wolves are Familiars,¡± Erin said. ¡°Obviously!¡± Lyra responded in a shout as the Wagon went over a hump in the road. ¡°If they aren¡¯t, how would they even have the galls to approach you?¡± ¡°Maybe they were just extremely hungry?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Interesting point...¡± Olivia swung around in the air andunched des of wind at the Dire Wolves behind the wagon. The Dire Wolves were much too slow in levels to dodge attacks from a level fifty-two True Dragon. The des shed through almost every single one of the Dire Wolves. The ones that were left, Lyra shot them down in quick turns. The Dire Wolves were too fast for the arrows but imbued with Seeker, the arrows found their mark eventually no matter how many times and how fast the Dire Wolves dodged. ¡°More in front!¡± Siv shouted. ¡°What the...¡± Erin muttered as she looked to the front. A wave of near-humanoid monsters was charging at them. ¡°Are those Pale Stalkers? ...No, Blood Stalkers.¡± ¡°You know of them?¡± Siv asked. ¡°I have encountered a lot of them in The Singrity but they were called Pale Stalkers. Their skins were chalks instead of reddish-ck like these ones.¡± ¡°What levels are they?¡± Lyra asked, nocking her arrows and catching her breaths to still her nerves. ¡°The Pale Stalkers?¡± ¡°No! These ones!¡± ¡°Ah, they¡¯re around twenty to thirty...¡± Twenty to thirty¡­ and there¡¯s at least a dozen of them...¡± ¡°Fear not,¡± Olivia¡¯s voice rang clear and true in their ears as she glided down and swooped in with her jaws widened. Blue glitters began gathering in her open mouth but before she could fire the bided energy, the ground below her exploded. A colossal snake-like monster erupted from the hole, lunging at Olivia with its mouth opened wide. ¡°By the Spirits!¡± Erin gasped at the size of the monster. It was asrge as Olivia. ¡°A level fifty Storm Mamba?¡± she blurted out. Olivia twisted her body out of the way and the Storm Mamba missed its lunge as its mouth mmed shut. Olivia¡¯s urgent manoeuvre resulted in her inability to fire the magic in her mouth. She took off into the sky to avoid the Storm Mamba¡¯s vicious thundering fangs. The Storm Mamba¡¯s whole body glowed blue and lightning crackled across its length. It shot to the sky like a spring chasing after Olivia. ¡°Mistress, the Blood Stalkers!¡± Siv¡¯s voice reeled Erin¡¯s attention back to the imminent threat in front of them. Erin clicked her tongue and summoned lightning into her hands. She then unleashed the lightning in a barrage unto the Blood Stalkers running madly towards them. [Experience gained +40% - Level Progression: 53%] Her attack spell struck down four of them but the rest swiftly dodged the barrages of lightning bolts though they received some graze wounds due to their imperfect dodges. Lyra fired her arrows and all of them hit their marks but it wasn¡¯t enough to bring the Blood Stalkers down. Lyra cursed herself and quickly nocked another round of arrows. She released the string and the arrows flew towards their mark. The Blood Stalkers bent their bodies nimbly and the arrows streaked past them but the arrows turned overhead and flew back to the Blood Stalkers, striking them in their hearts from their backs. [Experience gained +9% - Level Progression: 62%] Erin raised an eyebrow at the partial experience she received. She didn¡¯t think it would be counted considering she had only grazed them but the System seemed to deem her minor contribution valid. Four Blood Stalkers were still charging towards them with crazed expressions. Erin picked up an iron sword from the pile of gifts and charged it with Mana. As one of the Blood Stalkers leapt at them, Lyra sent it back to the ground by shooting an arrow into its chest and Erin tossed the Mana-charge iron sword into its head. The Blood Stalker fell to the ground dead and tumbled into the other Blood Stalkers¡¯ path, tripping all the three over. [Experience gained +7% - Level Progression: 69%] The Mana-charged iron sword exploded, then. The Blood Stalkers screeched in agony due to the small fragments pierced into their bodies. As the wagon was rushing past the wailing Blood Stalkers on the ground, Erin drew her sword sliced off their heads in a swift manner. [Experience gained +30% - Level Progression: 99%] ¡°There¡¯s that,¡± Erin sighed in relief. ¡°What else?¡± ¡°That,¡± Siv said and pointed. ¡°Oh...¡± Erin muttered. There was a gentle slope in front of them but at their speed, it would not bode well for the wagon. But they couldn¡¯t slow down. Dire Wolves had reappeared behind them. If they slowed down, their horses and wagon would be attacked. ¡°I¡¯m having a terrible recollection,¡± Lyra said, staring at the amassing Dire Wolves that seemed to be pouring out of the forest. ¡°How are there so many of them?!¡± Erin reappraised the Dire Wolves again. Since the wagon was now travelling a smoother road, she could get a better read of the Appraisal¡¯s results. ¡°They are summoned-Familiars. The summoner must be close¡ª wait.¡± She narrowed her gaze at one of the Dire Wolves which appeared to be one size bigger than the rest. ¡°Fucking hell¡­ I should have known.¡± ¡°You found something?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°The big one in the middle of the pack. That¡¯s a Skinwalker, an Apostle of Mordius.¡± ¡°Them again? What¡¯s their problem with you?¡± ¡°Probably because of the Ancient Guardians¡¯ urging.¡± ¡°Hold on tight!¡± Siv shouted as they approached the gentle slope. They all braced for the inevitable but before their wagon reached the slope, the ground shook and another Mamba burst out from the soil with its mouth spanned to its widest. The horses at the front became its meal as the Mamba shut its jaws. The Mamba burrowed back into the ground, bringing along the horses with the wagon still attached. As a result, the wagon flipped. Erin, Lyra, and Siv were thrown into the air as the wagon was dragged underground along with the horses. Using her tails, Erin pulled Lyra into her arms and leapt at Siv using the flying debris. With the two in her arms, Erin flipped to gather bearings andnded gracefully on both of her feet on the foot of the slope. ¡°Wow...¡± Lyra gasped in awe. ¡°That was¡­ exhrating.¡± ¡°Are you two hurt?¡± Erin asked. Lyra shook her head, still in a mild daze over what just transpired. ¡°I¡¯m fine, mistress,¡± Siv said. Hearing their answers, Erin gently let them off her arms. ¡°There goes all the gifts...¡± Erin mulled. ¡°We¡¯re alive and unhurt, that¡¯s all that matters, mistress.¡± ¡°We lost our food and water too.¡± ¡°Just likest time, mistress.¡± Erin recalled back the time she and Siv separated from the merchant caravans after being thrown off the cliff. On the same night, she had the honour of taking Siv¡¯s virtue. Remembering that, Erin felt awkward but she put it off with a cough. ¡°Anyways¡­ we can¡¯t go anywhere right now,¡± Erin said. ¡°Why?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°That Mamba,¡± Siv answered. ¡°Aren¡¯t we sitting ducks if we don¡¯t move?¡± ¡°It appears it had us surrounded but it¡¯s not approaching us,¡± Erin observed with her ears. ¡°Maybe because the soil here is tough and full of rocks. It can¡¯t burrow into the ground here. We¡¯re safe here but¡­ we can¡¯t stay here forever.¡± ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate...¡± Lyra muttered. ¡°What do we do?¡± ¡°We wait,¡± Erin said. ¡°They hunted us with such ferocity. It¡¯s only a matter of time before the Mamba loses its patience and emerged from the ground.¡± ¡°Did you see its level?¡± Erin shook her head. ¡°I was focused on making sure none of us gets hurt. I didn¡¯t get a good look at it.¡± ¡°What about Olivia?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hope she¡¯s as good as she made her ancestors out to be.¡± Erin stretched her neck and arms. ¡°For now, we¡¯re on our own.¡± 3-43 Interlude II 3-43 Interlude II A man of the cloth was sitting on his knees in a room without windows or any sort of aperture. The room was empty for the majority portion. An altar stood lonely in the middle and the man was kneeling in front of it. Candles were lit on the altar around a small statue of a man in simple robes but his face was severely disfigured. The priest was muttering the prayers of his god with his eyes closed when the still wind in the room began to move, fluttering the candle mes. He opened his eyes. ¡°Varus,¡± the man said. The Seraphim, Varus, had somehow appeared beside the man of the cloth. Varus was wearing an extravagant set of attire that was a far contrast to the priest¡¯s attire. ¡°Elliot,¡± Varus greeted. ¡°Seems like I caught you at a bad time.¡± ¡°And that means anything to you?¡± the priest asked with a vexed tone. ¡°Nope, not in the slightest,¡± Varus admitted it in a tant manner. ¡°Never could understand how a man could devote his free will to a being of a higher power just so he won¡¯t be¡­ lost in life.¡± ¡°And I don¡¯t expect you to ever understand that. Why are you here?¡± ¡°A job.¡± ¡°No,¡± the priest, Elliot, instantly refuted. ¡°A hundred gold.¡± ¡°My answer is still no. Your ilk dabbles in the forbidden practices of harnessing Demonic essence. My god will look upon me more than just unfavourably if I involve myself in your business. My soul will be condemned.¡± ¡°Your god will do no such thing. I haven¡¯t told you the best part, Elliot. The mark is someone you know of but hasn¡¯t had the pleasure to meet.¡± Elliot turned his gaze slowly to Varus. ¡°And who might that be?¡± ¡°A Fox-kin who goes by the name of Erynthea. Familiar sounding? It should be. She''s the one who killed Ba¡¯al, your fellow Apostle.¡± Elliot scoffed. ¡°Ba¡¯al. A menacing yetughable name.¡± ¡°It isughable if we interpret it in themon tongue.¡± ¡°I was never close to my fellow Apostle. What''s more, she is already a mark among my fellow Apostles. We will hunt her down in due time. What¡¯s the rush?¡± ¡°She has been a nuisance in a lot of my employer¡¯s ventures. He wants her dead or alive. If you can deliver her alive, double the reward.¡± Elliot furrowed his brows. ¡°And whye to me of all others?¡± ¡°Because our mutual friend will be passing by the main road leading to your vige in about a day if the road is fair and without troubles for her.¡± The priest sniggered. ¡°Even if she¡¯s a Divine Apostle, she¡¯s still a Fae. I doubt I can capture her alive knowing her abilities. And if I kill her right then and there, the Spirits will be greatly displeased. My vige is small and secluded. We will have no one to turn to when the Spirits be displeased.¡± ¡°Oh, Elliot¡­ need I remind you that you are not among your peers right now and I have around a hundred and twenty-two reasons for you to reconsider my offer.¡± Elliot rose to his feet with rage ring on his face. ¡°You dare threaten my vige in my presence!?¡± Chains emerged from the darkness of the room and coiled themselves around Varus. Varus wasn¡¯t the least concerned about his supposed predicament. ¡°These simple chains will not hold me, Elliot. I notice there are barbs on them, do you presume these shallow juts will cut me? Or did you forget the difference in our levels?¡± ¡°You underestimate me, Varus. I am a Divine Apostle,¡± Elliot said, clenching his fist and the chains closed in around Varus. ¡°I know but do you know that our mutual friend is not just a Divine Apostle. She¡¯s also an Outworlder.¡± The chains stopped moving as Varus widened his eyes. ¡°You lie¡­¡± he said. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t lie about this. I speak only the truth just like how I said when there are two hundred and twenty-two reasons for you to reconsider.¡± Elliot¡¯s rage had receded partially but the chains were still hovering around the Seraphim. ¡°If you managed to kill her, you will garner the favours of the old deities. You know how much they hate Outworlders. Well, most of them.¡± ¡°I remember our level difference which begs the question, why don¡¯t you kill her or capture her yourself? Won¡¯t you garner your employer and the deities¡¯ favour, then?¡± Varus simpered. ¡°I would if I wasn¡¯t in an established nation like the Yorun Kingdom. People of my level are¡­ constantly being observed by the Arch Mages in the capital. I¡¯m no fool, Elliot. You¡¯ll have to try harder.¡± Elliot didn¡¯t offer a response and merely red at Varus in deep contemtion. ¡°Well, I leave you to your own thoughts but remember, I speak only the truth.¡± Varus took out a dealing card from his coat pocket and threw it into the air. Symbols began glowing on both sides of the card and the glow grew into an intense sh. When the bright light faded, Varus was gone. The chains disappeared as Elliot soughed his exasperation and plight. Only then did he realize how much he was shivering despite his resilient and defiant disy. It was inevitable when being in the presence of a high-level individual, especially one who was renowned for their heinous nature. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± he breathed in resignation. He didn¡¯t want to do it but for the sake of his vige, he had to. He dusted his attire with a few light pats and promptly left the prayer room, to prepare for his eventual battle against the Fox-kin, Erynthea. **** The thunder roared to herald the arrival of a rainstorm. Lightning shed in the shrouds of the grey clouds that were congregating in the sky. It was only afternoon but it could be mistaken as dusk in the present weather. A storm was brewing and a downpour was imminent. Amidst such a bleak prospect, a six-legged horse-like creature with antlers was speeding through the vast and seemingly unending forest like there was no tomorrow. On the back of the creature, sat three individuals who were all great beauties in their own right. One was a human and the other were Fae, an Elf and a Dryad. The human, Aera, was simply slung on the back in her unconscious state. ¡°Lilian, we need more haste!¡± Nivia shouted as she nced over her shoulder and saw her pursuers with a number that greatly outmatched theirs. Her dread only grew when she noticed a raptor-like creature with a long slithery tail and a skull for a head was in the midst of their pursuers. It had wings but it wasn¡¯t flying though it sure was running like it was flying. ¡°Impossible! With us three on her back, this is as fast as Joan can run!¡± Lilian replied with a simr volume of voice. ¡°Joan?! You named her Joan?!¡± Lilian rolled her eyes. ¡°That¡¯s not important, Nivia.¡± ¡°Yeah, it isn¡¯t. What¡¯s important is that we have a Vile Raptor behind us.¡± ¡°Spirits guide us¡­¡± Lilian muttered solemnly in response. ¡°No other choice¡­ Nivia, keep them off for a few minutes.¡± ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Nivia asked. ¡°Flora Eruption,¡± Lilian answered as she gulped. ¡°Can you even cast a spell of that magnitude?¡± She took out four blue shimmering stones from her pouch. ¡°These four Mana cells will be enough.¡± ¡°Mana cells? Where did you even get them?¡± ¡°I made them myself.¡± ¡°You know how to make Mana cells?¡± ¡°You would know too if you weren¡¯t so eager to leave home.¡± Nivia clicked her tongue ¡°I have been to every corner of the forest. It¡¯s not my fault that it couldn¡¯t be any bigger.¡± Lilian tittered. ¡°You were always a very adventurous child. Just buy me some time. Five minutes or less.¡± Nivia sighed. ¡°I can manage five minutes,¡± she said with a nod. Lilian cupped her hands with the Mana cells inside her palms and closed her eyes. She began chanting and lights started pouring from the gaps between her intertwined fingers. Nivia hopped in her seat and twirled around, sitting with her back against Lilian¡¯s and her eyes facing their rear. She nocked two arrows to her short bow and drew the string. She murmured a chant and glittering winds were infused into the arrow. After heaving a deep breath, she released the bowstring,unching the arrows at their pursuers. The arrows flew true to their marks, guided by the winds. One of the pursuers attempted to cut it down with his sword but the arrow circled him and struck his heart from behind. The other arrow pierced through the throat of a Tiger-kin who tried to repel the arrow with his paws but he was much too slow to perceive the arrow correctly. The arrows continued in their travels even after taking down their marks. They went for their next marks. Some of the pursuers stopped giving chase upon seeing the death of theirpanions and the peculiarity of Nivia¡¯s ability. It was an adept tier of Wind Magic, Guiding Breeze. It functioned a lot like Seeker except that the caster had to manually steer the arrows themself. For someone of Nivia¡¯s talent, it was a facile task for her. While the majority of the pursuers were still giving chase, Nivia was relieved that her opponents were less than before, albeit only a minor difference, and her pursuers were slowing their haste out of caution. She willed the arrows to hunt down the remaining pursuers. However, before the arrows could find their marks, the Vile Raptor swiped the arrows off the air with its tail. It snickered at Nivia. ¡°Did you justugh at me?¡± Nivia muttered in disbelief. She nocked another arrow to her bow and drew the string. She uttered a chant different from thest and imbued the arrow and bow with magic. She released her fingers and the arrow flew off the string like a projectile being shot out of a cannon. The arrow plough through the trees in its way without being slowed down by the slightest. A few of the pursuers were unfortunate enough to be in the arrow¡¯s path and they were pulverized into bits and pieces. The Vile Raptor smirked and spun its whole body, smacking the fierce arrow into the ground with its tail. The ground burst into clouds of smoke and its tail remained unharmed. ¡°By the Spirits¡­¡± Nivia gasped. ¡°Just what level are you¡­?¡± The Vile Raptor screeched its sense of superiority into the air before resuming the chase. Invigorated and inspired by their bestial ally, the pursuers began running with more haste than before. Nivia clicked her tongue. She withdrew her bow and unsheathed her twin short swords. She shed at the air before pushing it with her elbow, sending des of winds towards her pursuers. As this spell was significantly slower than her arrows, it had merely slowed her pursuers down instead of harming any of them at all. The Vile Raptor simply let the wind des brush past it without drawing a single cut. The Vile Raptorughed at Nivia¡¯s helplessness in an uproarious manner, unbefitting of a mindless beast but closely resembling the nature of a human. It grabbed a fallen long with its tail and threw it at Nivia without a look of strain on its face. Nivia cast a quick spell and used the wind to repel the log away before it coulde crashing down on her. Before she could think of retaliating, the Vile Raptor leapt into the air with its wings spread. They weren¡¯t pping but they were slowing the body¡¯s descent. As the Vile Raptor slowly glided near Nivia, it closed its wings and let itself dove down like a hawk swooping in on a prey. Nivia could only widen her eyes. She didn¡¯t know any magic or had any skill that could pull her out of this predicament. She could only pray. ¡°I¡¯m done!¡± Lilian uttered as she opened her eyes and syed out her arms. The Mana cells were no longer in her palms but a lump of blue orb took their ce. Lilian¡¯s voice was a blessing and tremendous relief to Nivia¡¯s ears. ¡°By the blessings and the authority of the Great Spirits, I herebymand thee to rise to my call, Flora Eruption!¡± she chanted out loud. Roots and vines immediately erupted from the ground and trees grew at an unimaginable rate. The rampant growth of the nts and trees caught the Vile Raptor in its descent and the other pursuers were crushed by the frenzied flowers that ruptured into their bodies in response to their desperation for the much-needed nutrients for their rampant growth. The Vile Raptor struggled to break off of its natural prison but the nts were growing faster than they could destroy. In a matter of seconds, the might of nature''s growth began crushing the Vile Raptor to make room for the abrupt growth. The screams, throes, and shrieks of their pursuers could be heard vividly but silence ensued after a while. A smile appeared on Lilian¡¯s face shortly before her consciousness left her. Nivia immediately turned around and cradled Lilian into her arms to prevent her from falling off the Kiral. Nivia heaved a huge sigh of relief. ¡°That was¡­ close¡­¡± She patted her chest to ease her beating heart. ¡°Aedan¡­ where are you? I need you¡­¡± she muttered, although there was no one close or awake to hear those words escaping her lips. 3-44 Feral Assault 3-44 Feral Assault Erin, Lyra, and Siv had their backs against one another, entrusting their nks to each other. Their gazes scoured and swept the area surrounding them. They were deep in the enemy''s lines and they only had the faintest idea of their enemies¡¯ capabilities. ¡°The winds are blowing too hard,¡± Erin said, wielding her silver-steel sabre with both of her hands. ¡°It¡¯s hiding the enemies¡¯ movements.¡± ¡°I¡¯m of the same quandary,¡± Lyra mulled grimly, drawing her bow with an arrow nocked. ¡°I can see the disturbed soil and branches but I can¡¯t see the enemies.¡± ¡°The winds are definitely erratic,¡± Siv added, upying both of her hands with her custom-made swords that could be joined on the grip end, turning it into a double-ded sword. ¡°I caught their scent but I can¡¯t tell where it came from.¡± ¡°Our opponents are very well-prepared.¡± Erin squinted her gaze at the seemingly tranquil trees. ¡°They are being very careful. They most likely know what we¡¯re capable of.¡± ¡°But we don¡¯t know much about them,¡± Lyra grumbled. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so despairing, Lyra,¡± Erin reassured. ¡°Our enemies are the Apostles of Mordius. Their primary abilities are Skinwalker and some kind of Familiar Summoning spell. They seemed over-reliant on them considering we have yet to see them use any other kinds of Arcane Arts.¡± As if offended by Erin¡¯s inferences, the Mamba emerged outside the patch of hard rocks the trio was treading on. The Mamba had an earthen tone to its skin and it had rows of sharp teeth as opposed to only a pair of fangs. Though the Mamba had appeared, only Erin stayed her gaze at it as the other two were keeping watch of their fronts. For all they knew, they could be surrounded on all sides and one stray gaze would cause their demise. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Erin mumbled as she appraised the Mamba ring at the tree. It was lunging at them or attacking from a distance. It was just ring, studying its prey. ¡°You found something about that giant snake?¡± Lyra asked without looking away from her front. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not a Mamba¡­ It¡¯s not a snake at all¡­ It¡¯s a Wyrm, an Earth Wyrm.¡± ¡°Worm? That doesn¡¯t look like a worm at all.¡± ¡°A Wyrm, Lyra. With a ¡®y¡¯, not an ¡®o¡¯.¡± ¡°Ah, that kind of Wyrm,¡± Lyra nodded in her newfound understanding. ¡°Say, isn¡¯t a Wyrm a quasi Dragon?¡± ¡°They are,¡± Siv answered. ¡°They are simr to Wyverns, Drakes, Smanders, and the likes. They are all quasi Dragons, descendants.¡± ¡°So¡­ aren¡¯t we in colossal danger right now?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°It¡¯s only thirty-two, surprisingly,¡± Erin said, returning the Wyrm¡¯s re. ¡°And it¡¯s a Familiar, not some Skinwalker.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not attacking or anything. Is it appraising us?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t have Appraisal but I would say yes, it is definitely weighing our abilities. It¡¯s cautious.¡± ¡°Are you going to disappoint it?¡± Erin grinned. ¡°On the contrary, I¡¯ll ovee its expectations. It should not have been cautious, it should have run.¡± Erin begancing the de of her sabre with lightning and Arcane Edge. With a near-precise timing, the Dire Wolves from before emerged from atop the gentle slope. There were seven of the Dire Wolves and the one in the middle was a sizerger than the rest. Like the Earth Wyrm, the Dire Wolves approached the three slowly and with extreme caution. ¡°The wolves are here,¡± Siv muttered as she evaluated each of the Dire Wolves. Her scrutinizing nce fell on the one in the middle. ¡°That¡¯s certainly not a normal Dire Wolf. It smells more like a human than a beast. Mistress, I recall you said it was a Skinwalker?¡± ¡°No mistake there,¡± Erin affirmed. ¡°Level?¡± ¡°Twenty-seven.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s just right for Lyra and I. I don¡¯t sense any other enemies around us but I would advise constant vignce. That said, mistress, the Earth Wyrm is all yours.¡± ¡°With pleasure,¡± Erin responded with a sanguine smirk. She taunted the Earth Wyrm with a gesture before charging at it. The Earth Wyrm roared and lunged at Erin. Erin leapt to the air and avoided the Earth Wyrm¡¯s nosedive. As the soil was far too rigid, the Earth Wyrm cratered the earth instead of burrowing into it. It quickly pulled its neck and head away as Erin brought her sabre, carving into the ground. The Earth Wyrm spun its body and swung its tail at Erin. She flipped over the swipe and threw an Aura Shot at the Wyrm, which it dodge by moving its upper body out of the way. As Erinnded, she fired a Lightning Bolt. The Earth Wyrm evaded the lightning attack too and lunged at her again. It didn¡¯t perform a nosedive this time but a straight charge with its head as the point. Erin twisted her body out of the way and countered with a firm sh. The Wyrm wriggled its neck away and girdled Erin¡¯s proximity using its own body as the means. Once it hadpletely encircled Erin, the Earth Wyrm tightened the enclosure formed of its own body with Erin within. However, the Earth Wyrm made a very apparent grimace as it had seen Erin¡¯s figure blurring out of the enclosure. It gazed up into the air and found the Fox-kin falling towards it with her cyan-glowing sword raised. The Earth Wyrm shrieked and slithered away in fear but when its eyes fell on Erin¡¯spanions, it grinned and dove towards them instead of escaping. In the paralleling moment, Siv and Lyra were repelling the Dire Wolves hungering for their flesh. In order to conserve her arrows, Lyra switched to a short sword. She was considerably less skilled with a sword but the Dire Wolves weren¡¯t too to threaten her inexperience. As for Siv, a kin of a wolf, she dispatched four of the Dire Wolves with just two instances of motion. She was a formidable fighter in her own right and she understood the behavioural patterns of the Dire Wolves. She knew their moves before they had even made them. Once she was finished with her portion, she moved to Lyra¡¯s, who looked at her with a scowl for snatching her supposed prey. Just then the ground shook as the Earth Wyrm performed a nosedive towards the ground but neither Siv nor Lyra paid it any heed. Lyra was ring at Siv with a miffed look. ¡°You¡¯re wee,¡± Siv said. ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything,¡± Lyra retorted. ¡°Hope you won¡¯t mind. You were slow.¡± ¡°I mind and I can take care of them without your help.¡± Siv shed Lyra a smirk. ¡°I¡¯m sure you can.¡± ¡°So dispassionate¡­ for two mere heathens,¡± the remaining Dire Wolf, the Skinwalker, mocked. It shifted back to its human form, a young man around their age with a robust body that didn¡¯t seem possible for someone of his age. Lyra and Siv halted their bickering and cocked their gazes to the Skinwalker. ¡°Heathens? Us?¡± Lyra scoffed. ¡°Why? Simply because we don¡¯t pray to the same god?¡± ¡°Yourpanion killed my faith-sworn brother and sisters.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure they had iting.¡± The Apostle¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°Dispassionate¡­¡± Siv mused, eyeing the Skinwalker with aloof and demeaning eyes ¡°You are wrong about that, good sir.¡± ¡°I am not,¡± the Apostle refuted. ¡°We¡¯re not dispassionate. We simply¡­ do not regard you as much of a threat.¡± ¡°Are you not aware of what I am?¡± ¡°What you are, does not define you. Your actions do. As far as feats go, we see no reason to be¡­ overly cautious of you. As adventurers, we have faced worse odds and survived.¡± ¡°Bollocks. You two are afraid of me.¡± ¡°You ain¡¯t some undead or Demon.¡± Lyra snorted. ¡°I had fought both. You are nowhere close to them. Stop ttering yourself so much.¡± ¡°You darepare me to fiends of the dark arts?!¡± the Apostle bellowed. ¡°Let me show you how much worse I ampared to them.¡± ¡°Did he realize he just insulted himself?¡± Lyra whispered to Siv. ¡°Not bloody likely,¡± Siv responded in a murmur. ¡°I can hear you both!¡± he screamed. Fur grew rampantly all over his body. Muscles amassed into clumps, erging his body. His teeth morphed into fangs. The figure of a human slowly distorted into that of a wolf¡¯s but instead of walking on fours, it stood on two of his hind legs like a human. ¡°A Werewolf?¡± Lyra questioned. ¡°Or a Wulver?¡± ¡°Neither,¡± Siv answered. ¡°Werewolves or Wulvers don¡¯t have horns and a long whip for a tail. That¡¯s an abomination.¡± The Apostle scoffed in its beast form. ¡°Your mockery of my Divine¡¯s gift is nothing more than an expression of your petty envy,¡± he said, baring talons of a raptor instead of a wolf¡¯s ws. ¡°My envy is nothing more than your pitiful facy.¡± ¡°Enough of your deceit!¡± the Apostle roared and pounced at Siv with his limbs spread and its jaws agape. Siv dodged low and aimed a thrust into his chest but her sword bounced right off the hide. The Apostle leered conceitedly and swiped both his ws at Siv. She defended herself with her swords but his blow sent her tumbling across the ground. She flipped herself to her feet and traded blows with the Apostle. With only that brief exchange, Siv understood her opponent was just as her mistress said, over-reliant on their so-called Divine gifts. A collection of ws in his movements. Siv had no doubt her opponent¡¯s stats were higher but his experience couldn¡¯t be said to be a quarter of hers. She even thought an actual Wulver or a Werewolf would be more of a challenge. Noticing Siv¡¯s offhanded demeanour, the Apostle screamed and protruded spike juts along with his forelimbs and spine. His talons also grew in length. The sudden change caught Siv off her guard and the talons were inches away from gouging into her face, but the Apostle ended up missing his mark like an arrow to his head disrupted his precision and posture. The arrow bounced off his head like Siv¡¯s sword but it saved Siv¡¯s life. ¡°You¡¯re wee,¡± Lyra said. ¡°Thank you,¡± Siv replied amicably, gaining Lyra¡¯s displeasure and indignation. The Apostle snarled and charged at Lyra like a dog running fervidly towards a bone. Lyra fired an arrow enchanted with Seeker without drawing the bowstring to its limits and yet, the arrow flew far and true. The Apostle could tell the arrow was aiming for his eyes. He remained collected and simply sidestepped the arrow, grinning at Lyra¡¯s poor marksmanship. However, he frowned as his fur stiffened in response to his instincts. He quickly sprang off the ground and the arrow streaked past under him but it turned around sharply, chasing its mark that was the Apostle. The Apostle howled furiously and swiped the arrow from the air as hended on his feet. Before he could snap the arrow into half in his grip, the Apostle cried out and tossed the arrow away. There was somethingced on the arrow and it burned his hand. ¡°Thank you, Olivia¡­¡± Lyra muttered under her breath. She hadced the upper part of a few of her arrows with an acid that burns only flesh but impassive towards the likes of wood, earth, and metal. It was the same substance she received from Olivia that she used to burn off Velkan¡¯s demonic wings. As Lyra was about to nock another arrow, a great sense of dread emanated from her right. She turned to look and found the Earth Wyrm charging towards her. At the same time, the Wolf Apostle lunged at her. ¡°Fuck!¡± Lyra cursed herself. Instead of giving up, she nocked another arrow to her bow and sharpened her gaze by pouring Mana into her eyes as she activated Eagle Eyes. It was a sinct lesson from her lover, Erin. Her eyes began to throb with a mild ache but she bit her lips to bear with it. Firstly, she hopped and flipped into the air, dodging the Great Wyrm¡¯s precipitous assault. The Wolf Apostle followed Lyra into the air by kicking his paws off the ground. Without solid ground beneath his feet, Lyra fired the two arrows at his eyes. The Apostle grimaced as he realized Lyra¡¯s scheme. He crossed his arms to guard against the arrows but the arrows split in their paths. They were not going for his eyes but his ears. The Wolf Apostle let out a deathly piercing shriek that grated the air. The Great Wyrm screeched in difort over its ally¡¯s agony throes. It even started iling violently in response to the agonizing bellows. Lyra was in danger of falling into the Wyrm¡¯s thrashing. A cyan sh streaked through the air in the blink of an eye and Erin appeared beside Lyra, carrying her lover to safety and leaving blood stters behind her trail. Erin had taken advantage of their miseries and sliced their vital spots with Mystic de. When her feet touched the earth with Lyra in her arms, her body and soul throbbed in response to the sudden flux of experience. [Experience gained + 66% - Level Progression: 165%] [Erynthea: Level 35 increased to Level 36] [Skill Points gained +2 | 4] [Ability Points gained +2 | 4] [Level Progression: 65%] Erin widened her lips into a smile and she unconsciously nted a deep kiss on Lyra¡¯s mouth. She sucked her lover¡¯s lips and tongue in that short exchange of their love and passion. When their lips and tongues parted, Erin grinned with bated breaths. Lyra was staring at her in astonishment. ¡°W-what was that for?¡± she asked. ¡°Nothing,¡± she answered with a giggle. ¡°You¡¯re simply wonderful. I just wanted to maul you.¡± ¡°Mistress,¡± Siv called out. ¡°I¡¯m afraid we still have another one to deal with.¡± She wasn¡¯t gazing at her mistress but something a distance away from them. Erin put Lyra down and the two followed Siv¡¯s gaze. Their eyesnded on arge intimidating figure sauntering out of the woods. It was humanoid but only that part about it was remotely human. If one had to give a brief description of the trio¡¯s new enemy, it was a humanoid ox standing at a height of around ten feet, wearing armour and wielding abrys half of its size. ¡°What in god¡¯s name is that?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°That¡¯s a¡­¡± ¡°A Rakar¡­ like me,¡± Siv answered in her mistress¡¯ stead. ¡°That¡¯s an Ox-kin.¡± ¡°What?¡± Lyra blurted. ¡°Why is he or she that hideous?¡± ¡°I have no idea but I know when Iy eyes on a rtive kin of mine.¡± ¡°Rekindle¡­ that¡¯s why. A Divine gift,¡± Erin muttered bleakly. Erynthea - Faerie-kin: Five-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 36 | Status Affliction: Mild Exhaustion Might: 22 | Arcane: 44 | Finesse: 39 Magic Arts Spirit Magic Lv. 10 | Arcane Edge Lv. 6 | Arcane Armor Lv. 10 | Lightning Magic Lv. 10 | Arcane Aegis Lv. 7 | Mystic Tail Arts Lv. 3 Combat Arts Sword Art Lv. 8 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 5 Innate Skills Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 7 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex | Mana Harvest Lv. 1 | Lightning Resistance Lv. 1 | Darkness Resistance Lv. 1 Unique Talent Mystic de Lv. Ex | Revenant Lv. Ex Level Progression: 65% Remaining Skill Points: 4 Remaining Ability Points: 4 3-45 Ox-kin 3-45 Ox-kin ¡°That¡¯s not possible,¡± Siv baulked ¡°You know of this skill?¡± Erin asked. ¡°All Beast-kin do,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s an Innate Skill once inherent to the Rakars but somewhere down the bloodline, that skill was lost. We don¡¯t know why. Not a single Rakar has it until now¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t dispute that but¡­ I can feel the divinity emanating from it just from the word alone.¡± ¡°What does that skill do?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°It draws power from the first generation of our kind when we were still nothing but feral wild beasts,¡± Siv answered. ¡°It greatly enhances the stats but we will lose almost all of our sense of reasoning.¡± Lyra gulped upon hearing Siv¡¯s exnation. ¡°And what level is he?¡± ¡°Thirty-seven,¡± Erin answered. ¡°And he has Fire Magic at level seven and Spatial Magic at level two. That¡¯s concerning.¡± ¡°Well, bollocks. We¡¯re no match for that thing at all. Erin, this honour is all yours, I suppose?¡± ¡°Watch out!¡± Siv screamed and dove out of the way, taking Lyra along with her. Erin swiftly stepped to the side on her toes and avoided the Aura Shot from the Ox-kin. ¡°T-thank you¡­¡± Lyra said as she was gathering the breaths that she had dispelled from the brief fright she had. ¡°Is my presence paltry?¡± the Ox-kin huffed with a deep voice, befitting his stature. He even shook the earth slightly whenever he took a step. ¡°What an odd gathering of a party this is. A human, a Beast-kin, and a Fae working together. I must have been remiss with the current state of the world.¡± ¡°Considering you onlye out after yourpanions are dead, I say you have indeed been remiss,¡± Lyra mocked. ¡°Lyra, what are you doing?¡± Siv questioned. ¡°Insolent human!¡± the Ox-kin hissed. ¡°It would appear you know nothing of honour.¡± ¡°If that means leaving mypanion to die without helping, I guess you¡¯re right, I wouldn¡¯t know anything about that.¡± The Ox-kin chuckled with a sneer. ¡°To be able to kill the ones who killed my fellow Apostles, I would say it¡¯s an honour but¡­ that would be lying. There¡¯s no honour in vengeance but I sure can find peace and pleasure in it. Now, die!¡± The Ox-kin instantly disappeared and reappeared in front of them with itsbrys raised. Siv and Lyra gasped but Erin brandished her sword without a hint of faltering in her stance. She twirled her sabre in the motion of gentle waves, parrying the Ox-kin¡¯s blow without causing much coteral to anything at all. ¡°Warp,¡± Erin muttered. ¡°A handy spell.¡± ¡°Perfect for hunting a wretched and devious Fae like you.¡± ¡°I fought them fair and square,¡± Erin said with her eyes locked with the Ox-kin¡¯s. ¡°If anything, they were the ones who employed underhanded tactics.¡± ¡°As they should. Otherwise, it would have been over for them before the fight even started.¡± ¡°Take it as you will. I killed them because they are a threat. I take no pleasure in killing but I will kill if I have to. I¡¯ll kill a thousand more of your fellow Apostles if I have to.¡± ¡°Spoken like an Outworlder, indeed,¡± the Ox-kin scoffed and swung hisbrys in a wide arc. Erin flipped into the air and while she was upside down, she shot a Lightning Bolt into the Ox-kin¡¯s face. The spell hit its mark and the Ox-kin stumbled back but it didn¡¯t even graze him. Erin lunged immediately after her feet touched the ground. She thrust but the Ox-kin easily parried her strike. She repented with a roundhouse sh that almost caught the Ox-kin¡¯s elongated face. The Ox-kin shed upwards but Erin took only a single step back and the shed missed her entirely. She was only hit by the faint gust the powerful sh brought with it. ¡°Such impertinence,¡± the Ox-kin snarled and thrust out his arm, trying to grab Erin but she fended his hand off with an Aura Shot of her own. ¡°Argh!!¡± he cried as he retracted his arm. ¡°Siv, Lyra, I won¡¯t insist but I will very much appreciate your aid,¡± Erin said without ncing away from her opponent. Lyra grinned. ¡°No need to tell me twice.¡± ¡°Your trust, I will not break it, mistress.¡± ¡°Jump,¡± Erin muttered and hopped into the air. Siv and Lyra followed without any hesitation. As they jumped, the Ox-kin blinked right in front of them and swung hisbrys that managed to carve the ground with the aftershock. While in the air, Lyra fired three arrows in quick session but the Ox-kin caught two of the arrows with his free hand and dodged thest arrow. ¡°He even knew which one wasced with the acid?¡± Lyra blurted her disbelief as theynded on the ruined ground. ¡°Witness the true strength of a true Apostle!¡± the Ox-kin boasted in a loud voice and summoned a giant ball of mes into his palm that was thrice his size. Erin threw an Aura Shot to disrupt the conjuration but the Ox-kin roared at the magic projectile thrown by Erin, destroying it with just his voice. Erin clicked her tongue and charged at the Ox-kin instead. Siv followed closely behind with her swords fused and readied into a double-ded spear. The Ox-kin guffawed and threw the fireball at Lyra before quickly shifting his focus to Siv and Erin. Of course, Erin did not leave Lyra alone without any means of protection. Shields of magic manifested around Lyra as the fireball crashed into her. Arge explosion ensued and swallowed Lyra and the shields. However, Erin had not a tinge of worry on her face as she shed at the Ox-kin¡¯s leg. Siv followed her mistress¡¯ example and shed at the other leg. The Ox-kin groaned as he struggled to dodge their shes but he could only avoid one. He chose to dodge Erin¡¯s as he deemed to be the greater threat and sacrifice his left leg to Siv¡¯s double-ded spear. Siv¡¯s sh only cut into his flesh and he smirkedcently at his apparent right choice. However, Erin didn''t give up just because she missed her swing. She spun around and sent her tails at him. She cast Arcane Edge over Iron Fang under Mystic Tail Arts and stabbed into the Ox-kin¡¯s leg while he was still being smug about Siv¡¯s meek sh. The Ox-kin howled in agony and iled hisbrys around. His momentary loss of focus allowed Lyra to shoot an arrow,ced with the acid, at his shoulder. For that fleeting moment. he widened his eyes at Lyra who waspletely unscathed by the explosion. The arrow bounced his tough hide but the acid ate right through it. The Ox-kin screamed some more and beganshing hisbrys wildly without a shred of prudence. ¡°Fuck all of you!¡± the Ox-kin shouted and spewed mes from the palm of his hand. He let the mes run wild around him, anything to keep Erin and Lyra away from inflicting more wounds on him. Although, his outrage ended up consuming him as well as the mes spread without discrimination. Erin grabbed Siv by the cor and leapt away to safety before the mes could sweep them into the Ox-kin¡¯s outrage. ¡°Lyra, you¡¯re unharmed,¡± Siv muttered in surprise. ¡°Of course, I am. Erin would never imperil my well being, right?¡± ¡°That goes without saying¡­¡± Erin answered with her voice trailing off. Lyra¡¯s face ckened in shock. ¡°You didn¡¯t think I was going to survive?¡± ¡°I know you will definitely be fine but I wasn¡¯t sure you will bepletely unscathed. I didn¡¯t think I had reached that level in my Magic Arts.¡± ¡°Thank the Spirits you did.¡± ¡°Heathens!!!¡± The Ox-kin¡¯s bellow of fury interrupted their moment and they turned their attention to him. ¡°He¡¯s tenacious,¡± Siv remarked. ¡°Mistress, will you be able to use Mystic de?¡± ¡°I prefer not to, Siv. I can¡¯t keep relying on something so unreliable. Besides, we¡¯re not in some immediate peril. He¡¯s around my level. He makes for a good sparring partner.¡± ¡°You are truly inconceivable, mistress.¡± ¡°Sparring¡­ is that what you¡¯re seeing this as?¡± Lyra questioned. ¡°It¡¯s a chance for growth.¡± Lyra sighed. ¡°I can¡¯t argue with that. Let¡¯s do this then,¡± she said and nocked an arrow. ¡°Um¡­ a problem here.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m down to myst four arrows.¡± ¡°Then make it count. Siv, would you care to join me?¡± ¡°Of course, mistress.¡± The Ox-kin bellowed once more and this time, the mes were eradicated by the might of his voice. ¡°Enough of your tricks, heathens!¡± ¡°Oh, shut up, you roasted beef,¡± Lyra spat. ¡°You¡¯re the one who cooked yourself in the midst of your blind rage.¡± The Ox-kin grimaced and disappeared from their sights. ¡°Siv!¡± ¡°Understood, mistress.¡± In unison, they lunged towards Lyra¡¯s way with their weapons at the ready. True to their forethought, the Ox-kin reappeared in front of Lyra with itsbrys raised. Before he could swing his axe down, Erin streaked in between them with Lightning Rush and Fleet Foot. The Ox-kin snorted in displeasure but he swung his axe down regardless of Erin¡¯s timely intervention. With lightning coated around Arcane Edge, she parried his blow and riposted with a jab of her sword. As her sword was a sabre, her jab wasn¡¯t too effective but her swordsmanship alonepensated for her sword¡¯s inflexibility. It cut deeply across the Ox-kin¡¯s right arm. ¡°You wield the sword better than Arcane Arts for a Fae,¡± the Ox-kin ridiculed as he hopped out of Erin¡¯s de reach. ¡°An aberrant nature befitting of an Outworlder.¡± ¡°My mistress is pleased to hear that,¡± Siv said from behind him. The Ox-kin stuttered and turned around with hisbrys swinging. Siv dodged low and struck at his belly but he spun to the side and countered with a diagonal sh. Siv twisted her body out of the way and flipped into the air, aiming her next strike at his face. As the Ox-kin moved itsbrys to guard Siv¡¯s attack, Erin plunged herself to his nk. The Ox-kin tutted and shifted his guard to block Erin¡¯s blow. Siv¡¯s strike slid off an invisible rippling barrier before her de even touched his skin. ¡°What an irritating skill,¡± Siv muttered as she retreated from her assault. ¡°Distortion Barrier?¡± Erin blurted out the Appraisal¡¯s result while locking des with the Ox-kin. ¡°So, you have Appraisal,¡± he snorted. ¡°The longer I am acquainted with you, the more I see you for the truly awful person you are.¡± ¡°Why? Because I can see through all your secrets?¡± Erinughed. ¡°Ashamed of them, are we?¡± ¡°Silence!¡± he shouted and pulled hisbrys out of the de-lock. His body glowed in red and he unleashed a flurry of attacks on Erin. Erin moved like the gentleness and pliancy of a breeze over the Ox-kin¡¯s blows. If she couldn¡¯t dodge a blow, she staved him off with a quick cast of Lightning Bolt to his face. She waded through all of his blows and shed across his waist. A streak of blood trailed on the ground after her swing. The Ox-kin cried in pain and anger. ¡°How!!??¡± he screamed. Erin grinned as she glimpsed at him over her shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s always the same with you people. You¡¯re nothing without your levels and the System though I will praise your tenacity. Take pride in that.¡± ¡°Fucking wench of a Fae! You dare insult an Apostle!?¡± ¡°I¡¯m an Apostle too, roast beef.¡± Before he could retaliate and disappear from her view, Siv came forward and unleashed her flurry of attacks on him before he could use Warp. Although Warp had a rapid conjuration process, it still had a conjuration process. It took time, even if it¡¯s only a second and a single second was enough for Siv to close their distance. With his umting injuries, the Ox-kin began to have trouble fending off even Siv¡¯s attacks. Adding on to his bubbling predicament, Lyra interfered with two arrows fired at his eyes. He was forced to deal with the arrows directly but that opened him to Siv¡¯s assault. His left eye ended up being gashed by Siv¡¯s spear. The Ox-kin bit down on his agony and returned the favour to Siv but Erin swooped in and sliced at his arm. His Distortion Barrier held Erin¡¯s sh off but only for a few seconds as the spellsyered upon one another on her de sessfully cut through his Spatial Magic. ¡°Craven!!¡± the Ox-kin shouted into the air and a loud screech echoed in response. He swung hisbrys in a circle out of desperation to create some distance between him and the three women who were bing his bane. He bent his legs, lowering posture, beforeunching himself straight into the air with a single jump. [Experience gained +10% - Level Progression: 75%] ¡°Oh, splendid.¡± The Storm Mamba from before soared to the Ox-kin¡¯s aid and let himnd on its back before flying off higher into the sky. ¡°That fucking coward!¡± Lyra cursed. ¡°He¡¯s escaping. Are we going to chase him down?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Erin answered. ¡°An opportunity to nip a problem before it can bloom? I¡¯ll oblige.¡± ¡°But how are we going to chase him?¡± Siv simpered the moment she saw the faintrking smile on her mistress¡¯ face. Erin chuckled and pulled Lyra and Siv into her arms. ¡°Brace yourselves,¡± she said and leapt into the sky like a graceful spring. Instead of a snake, a Dragon flew under them and theynded on the back of Olivia. ¡°Lady Erynthea, are you unharmed?¡± Olivia immediately asked. ¡°She¡¯s fine and so am I and Siv. Thanks for asking,¡± Lyra answered in a vexed tone. ¡°Olivia, don¡¯t let those two escape,¡± Erin said solemnly. ¡°As you wish, mdy.¡± And Olivia pped her wings like the roar of storms, thrusting through the air as they gave chase to their prey. Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Five-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 36 | Status Affliction: Mild Exhaustion Might: 22 | Arcane: 44 | Finesse: 39 Magic Arts Spirit Magic Lv. 10 | Arcane Edge Lv. 6 | Arcane Armor Lv. 10 | Lightning Magic Lv. 10 | Arcane Aegis Lv. 7 | Mystic Tail Arts Lv. 3 Combat Arts Sword Art Lv. 8 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 5 Innate Skills Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 7 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex | Mana Harvest Lv. 1 | Lightning Resistance Lv. 1 | Darkness Resistance Lv. 1 Unique Talent Mystic de Lv. Ex | Revenant Lv. Ex Level Progression: 75% Remaining Skill Points: 4 Remaining Ability Points: 4 3-46 Mend 3-46 Mend ¡°I think we lost them,¡± Nivia said as she nced behind her shoulder. She saw nothing but endless rows of trees and patches of grass and leaves scattered all over the ground. She pulled on the reins and brought the Kiral to a stop. ¡°That¡¯s good¡­¡± Lilian muttered weakly while she was breathing raggedly. Despite having used four Mana cells to rpense the tremendous Mana expenditure of Flora Eruption, she still left herself in a fatigued state as a result of Mana deficiency. She had even passed out for nearly half an hour but the heavy shaking from the ride eventually woke her up. ¡°Can you walk?¡± Lilian smiled feebly. ¡°I will manage.¡± ¡°I seem to have missed a lot of events,¡± said Aera who had been awake shortly after Lilian had passed out. She was also woken up by the intense shaking. ¡°I never got to ask, how long was I out?¡± ¡°Two hours or so,¡± Nivia answered. Though she was sure they were no longer followed, she still scoured the area with her watchful gaze just to be sure. ¡°Why was I even asleep?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t remember?¡± Aera shook her head. ¡°Well, you can ask Aedan when hees back,¡± Nivia said. ¡°If he¡¯sing back at all.¡± ¡°Speaking of him,¡± Aera looked around, ¡°where is he?¡± ¡°Not here,¡± she answered sparsely. ¡°Will he be back?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know,¡± she muttered cynically. Once Nivia was sure they were absolutely safe, not just from their pursuers but also the wild creatures, she hopped off the Kiral with a faint groan. The ride had been too harsh for her fettle. She helped Lillian off the Kiral after she loosened her joints and muscles from the harsh ride. Leading the Dryad by hand, she guided Lilian to a shady spot under arge tree. Aera helped herself off without any need for assistance. She showed no sign of being severely troubled by the awful experience. Though she was asleep, she was still on the Kiral but she didn¡¯t feel sore on any parts of her body. There was even a single small bruise on her feeble-looking body. Not long after Aera got off the Kiral, it neighed like a horse and disappeared into glitters of cyan lights. ¡°I have truly reached my limits¡­¡± Lilian said. ¡°How long of a rest do you need?¡± Nivia asked as she gentlyid Lilian sitting under the tree. ¡°An hour will be enough,¡± she gave a in response. ¡°You should get some rest too, Nivia. You have also worked hard.¡± ¡°Not as hard as you have, Lilian. I¡¯ll be fine. Just rest, I¡¯ll keep watch.¡± ¡°If you insist, Niva¡­ then I¡¯ll be resting my eyes for an hour,¡± Lilian and she fell asleep the moment she shut her eyes. ¡°What should I do in the meantime?¡± Aera asked, walking towards them with awkward steps. ¡°Just don¡¯t get into any trouble,¡± Nivia offered a vague answer without offering her a nce. She woefully ignored Aera and climbed onto arge boulder nearby, sitting atop to get a good sense of their surroundings. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best,¡± Aera replied with a wry smile and walked to a shade under a tree just across from Lilian. She tidied her rustled hair. She patted the dust off her robes and straightened them. She sat down on her knees with her hands on herp on top of one another before closing her eyes. Nivia couldn¡¯t help but stare at Aera¡¯s overly refined conduct. She had been acquainted with a few human nobles before and none of them was as delicate as Aera. Especially in their current circumstances, etiquette simply felt redundant to be practised. ¡°Were you highborn?¡± Nivia asked. ¡°Huh?¡± Aera opened her eyes. ¡°Did you ask me something, mdy?¡± ¡°I said, were you highborn?¡± she repeated with a tinge of annoyance. ¡°Umm¡­ no. I am not.¡± ¡°Then who taught you all of those etiquettes? They are human court etiquettes, practised by nobles. You seem to know and conduct them better than the nobles I have met.¡± ¡°I learned it from a travelling priestess that was on her pilgrimage. She knew a lot of things and I was excited to learn from her. She even offered to teach me how to fight but I rejected her. Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have.¡± ¡°A priestess who knows how to fight?¡± Nivia frowned in dubiety. ¡°What kind of priestess was she?¡± ¡°An odd one, definitely. She kept her prayers and faith to herself. She didn¡¯t push it onto others like most other clergies I met.¡± ¡°That sure sounds odd,¡± Nivia muttered in agreement. ¡°Did she say which Divine she prays to?¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t.¡± Aera shook her head. ¡°She said nothing about her god. I have only heard her pray but she didn''t tell anyone about why she prays or who she¡¯s praying to.¡± ¡°No one in the vige was curious enough to ask?¡± ¡°People were definitely curious but we didn¡¯t want to risk spurring her into tedious preaching. We decided to just leave her be.¡± Nivia chuckled dryly. ¡°That I can empathize with.¡± ¡°And for a woman of the cloth, she was very¡­ unfettered with her tongue. She was loose with profanities and fancy words. She even taught me a lot of words that nomon folk would ever use and words that ady should not be using.¡± Nivia furrowed her brows. ¡°What did your mother have to say about the priestess?¡± ¡°I was told to stay away from her lest we get roped into whatever problem she had brought along with her. We gave the priestess the usual greetings a paranoid and unweing vige would give to strangers.¡± ¡°Paranoid? I guess the priestess taught you that word?¡± ¡°She did, among other words.¡± ¡°I would love to meet this priestess. She sounds interesting.¡± ¡°She¡¯s journeying east. She told me that before she left the vige.¡± ¡°Why east?¡± Aera shrugged. ¡°She didn¡¯t say but I think she expects me to go find her if I have the chance.¡± ¡°Perhaps after my business is done with the Covenant, I¡¯ll embark on a journey to find this priestess.¡± ¡°W-why?¡± ¡°Maybe I can get Erin toe along. It would be a fun adventure, won¡¯t you agree?¡± ¡°I-I wouldn¡¯t know¡­ I have never been anywhere far from the vige. This is actually the furthest I have been away from the vige¡­¡± Nivia shot her a curious nce. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to pry but¡­ what do you intend to do after you havepleted your vengeance?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I don¡¯t even believe I¡¯ll be able to see it through until the end.¡± Nivia frowned. ¡°You think you¡¯re going to die?¡± ¡°No¡­ I want to die.¡± Nivia fell silent at Aera¡¯s response. ¡°I think,¡± she added. ¡°My whole life has been destroyed. I would like to believe I¡¯m merely on borrowed time from my Divine Guardian. It¡¯s only a matter of time before shees iming my due.¡± Nivia didn¡¯t know what to say. She had never once participated in such a conversation in her rtively long years of life. Back in her home forest, she left all these kinds of talks to her elders. Once she left home, she had never used any of her sympathies in the truest sense. None of the people she met deserved any sympathy for the false pretences they were constantly putting up. She was sick and tired of those performances. Still, she was beginning to realize how awful of a person she was, to not know any appropriate thing to say to an acquaintance who was feeling more than just down. ¡°She won¡¯t take your life if that''s what you''re worried about,¡± a familiar voice came from their nks. Nivia immediately stood up with swords drawn but her face and shoulders ckened upon realizing who it was. A man with short and dark red hair emerged from the trees as if he had merely stumbled upon them in his walk. ¡°Aedan,¡± Aera beamed. ¡°You came back.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t think I was going to?¡± ¡°T-that¡¯s not what I-I meant!¡± she stammered. ¡°I was just¡ª saying¡­¡± she trailed off. Aedan simpered. ¡°I know and I wasn¡¯t directing that inquiry at you.¡± He turned to Nivia. ¡°I was asking you, Nivia. Only you would have that kind of notion.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not wrong,¡± Nivia admitted tantly. She could feel her face grimacing on its own but she forced it to remain ckened. ¡°But am I wrong to assume that? We¡¯re just a liability. You have no reason toe back.¡± ¡°But I do have a reason.¡± ¡°And what would the reason be?¡± Nivia challenged. ¡°Please don¡¯t say ¡®Erin¡¯. You don¡¯t get to use her as the reason for your whims.¡± ¡°She is the reason,¡± Aedan answered. ¡°But not the sole reason.¡± ¡°Humour me, then. What other excuses will you be throwing?¡± ¡°Sentiment.¡± Nivia snorted with a chuckle. ¡°You? Sentiment?¡± ¡°Although I don¡¯t find your character pleasant¡­,¡± Aedan sighed, ¡°I do enjoy yourpany.¡± Nivia frowned in confusion and she unconsciously took a step back. ¡°Despite being a fleeting moment, I was brought back to my adventurous days with my parties. By the stars¡­ those were the days¡­ We enjoyed adventuring with one another but we also fought a lot. We bickered at every opportunity. We tailored insults specifically for each other. We¡¯re not perfect¡­ but we grew together and became better together, through thick and thin, as the saying goes.¡± ¡°You¡­ you jest¡­,¡± Nivia murmured in response, casting her gaze away from him. ¡°Like I¡¯ll believe that¡­¡± Aedan grinned faintly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for everything I have said. I was¡­ bitter and tired.¡± ¡°What changed your heart?¡± Aera asked. Aedan made his way to Aera and sat down beside her with his legs crossed. He shrugged at her question. ¡°Fear, I suppose.¡± ¡°Fear?¡± Nivia uttered. ¡°What do you have to fear?¡± ¡°Losing the three of you,¡± Aedan admitted, gazing at his feet. ¡°I thought the three of you didn¡¯t matter. I thought I was just concerned with losing the trust of a friend but¡­ I considered the three of you friends too. Maybe I''m just going senile after reliving a brief moment of the past.¡± Nivia felt her brows twitching but she didn¡¯t know for what reason they twitched. ¡°I have lost a lot of friends, family, loved ones¡­ To time, enemies, some untimely events¡­ It¡¯s all fucking bollocks¡­ Point is, I have lost a lot of people that I cared about. When I thought I would lose the three of you too¡­ I was afraid. I didn¡¯t think of Erin¡¯s face then¡­ I thought of our brief time together. And I know there''s a part of me that don¡¯t want this to end.¡± ¡°I also enjoyed the time we spent together,¡± Aera said. ¡°All of us.¡± ¡°Unbelievable,¡± Nivia scoffed. ¡°Do you expect us to overlook every fight and squabble we had?¡± ¡°No,¡± Aedan said. ¡°Those are just part of the journey. It would make everything pointless otherwise.¡± Nivia groaned in chagrin and turned her back to Aedan with her arm crossed around her bosom. ¡°Think what you will,¡± she huffed. ¡°I still find you vexatious.¡± Aedan smiled warmly. ¡°I suppose amends aren¡¯t meant to be easy. At least, we aren¡¯t fighting over a woman. Are we?¡± ¡°Just give her some time,¡± Aera said, resting her hand on hisp. ¡°She¡¯ll see reason. In the meantime, why don¡¯t you get some rest? You must be tired.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t rest yet, not while there¡¯s an immense battle happening just miles away from where we are.¡± ¡°Another battle?¡± Nivia responded as she sprang to her feet. ¡°Where?¡± ¡°East of here and slightly to the south.¡± ¡°Are we safe here?¡± ¡°If they keep it to the east, we will be but¡­ we¡¯re heading east and I doubt that a battle of such scale would stay in one ce. It will definitely be erratic.¡± ¡°So we will eventually and inevitably plunge ourselves into the battle?¡± ¡°We could hide and wait until the battle is over.¡± ¡°And how long would that be?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just know it¡¯s immense. Even my skin is crawling from just sensing it.¡± ¡°Could it be the Covenant?¡± Aera asked. ¡°As I have said, I don¡¯t know but given that we were chased by a whole battalion of the Covenant¡¯sckeys, I say that¡¯s very likely.¡± ¡°I sense a ¡®but¡¯ following,¡± Nivia mused. ¡°There is one, isn¡¯t there?¡± ¡°But¡­ I also sense traces of divinity from the battle and the Covenant dabbles in the arts pertaining to the Demons. Divine Apostles fighting the Covenant or simply Apostles fighting Apostles. Whichever it is, it¡¯s dangerous for all of us.¡± ¡°You too?¡± ¡°Never underestimate divinity, even if it¡¯s a small amount. The miracles it can be done with it are unfathomable.¡± ¡°No¡­¡± Aera muttered suddenly and stood to her feet just as abruptly. ¡°It¡¯s her¡­¡± ¡°Who?¡± Nivia questioned. ¡°My fellow Apostle¡­ I sense her presence from over there.¡± ¡°An Apostle of the same Divine Guardian as yours¡­¡± Aedan mulled. ¡°The Apostle of Lust, is it?¡± ¡°Wait,¡± Nivia halted the exchange. ¡°Who are you talking about?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Aera answered, disregarding Nivia¡¯s inquiry. Her shoulders were shivering with an unknown emotion brimming. ¡°I must go there. She needs me¡­ I must help.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t go there,¡± Aedan said. ¡°You will be¡ª¡± All of a sudden, a loud roar erupted from the east. A small wave of force swept past them as if an explosion had just urred. Aera recoiled and stiffened in response. Nivia almost fell off the boulder. Lilian was jolted awake, squealing, from her slumber. ¡°You gotta be joking¡­¡± Aedan gasped. ¡°What was that?!¡± Lilian asked with a horrified expression. ¡°That felt extremely oppressing. It kinda felt like¡­¡± she looked at Aedan. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a Dragon.¡± ¡°So that was a Dragon¡­¡± Aera muttered in a hollow voice as she hugged her shoulders. ¡°Why is a Dragon here in this region?¡± Aedan sighed. ¡°That¡¯s what I wish to know too. Looks like our break has been cut short.¡± ¡°We¡¯re going there!?¡± Nivia blurted out. ¡°Erin could be there.¡± The glint in Nivia¡¯s eyes took a sharp shift. ¡°Oh¡­ then we should head over there fast.¡± Aedan rolled his eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll go on ahead,¡± he said and took off into a sprint. ¡°Wait!¡± Nivia shouted but Aedan had already left. ¡°For the love of the Spirits¡­ I swear¡ª!¡± ¡°Looks like it¡¯s up to me again,¡± Lilian muttered exasperatedly as she began her chant to summon the Kiral. 3-47 Sky duel 3-47 Sky duel The winds bellowed in Erin¡¯s ears. The breeze streaked past her skin. The gust fluttered her tails about, showing off their magnificence and grandeur. This wasn¡¯t Erin¡¯s first time being high up in the skies, above the clouds. In her time as the Sword Saint and Argon Raze, she had been invited to numerous and various kinds of gathering. More often than not, the gathering tends to be on short notice and it took ce on a whole othernd, separated by the sea. The water route was the staple choice but if her inviters were rich beyond one¡¯s imagination, they would send flying mounts for her. She was no stranger to the air route. However, Olivia was massive and she had a fully rational mind of her own. It was apletely different experience. Erin couldn¡¯t help but be a tad nervous. She held on to the spikes protruding out her back. ¡°Did we lose them?¡± Lyra asked, breaking Erin out of her spell of unease. She was just as nervous as Erin but she had no problem disying them. ¡°The fog is dense but so is their scent,¡± Siv answered. She was crouched low and her eyes paced forward without a hint of restlessness. Unlike the two, her hands were free and she relied solely on her own footing to stay on Olivia. ¡°We¡¯re not losing them?¡± ¡°We¡¯re gaining on them, in fact.¡± Erin nodded along and swallowed a breath. She tried loosening her grip on the spikes but her muscles cramped in response as if they were begging for Erin not to let go. She tightened her grip and expelled a sigh. Her queer weakness vexed her. It wasn¡¯t the height that she was afraid of but the absence of control over her own fate that was making her nerves quiver. Whenever Olivia took a dive or soared upwards, she could feel herself freezing with fear. Lyra would scream in the sharpest voice she could but Erin would remain silent and let her heart shriek. ¡°Are you nervous, mistress?¡± Siv asked. Her eyes were studying her. ¡°A bit,¡± Erin replied after she steadied her breaths. ¡°You¡¯re afraid of heights?¡± Lyra asked in absolute wonder. A grin touched her lips slightly. ¡°No,¡± Erin shot. ¡°I do just fine with heights.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Lyra was sceptical and it was apparent on her face. Olivia glided through the clouds and steered to avoid a peak of the many mountains in the range. As she nted horizontally to fit herself through a narrow gap between two peaks, Erin grabbed on to all the spikes she could by using her tails as extra grips. Her lips stay shut and she closed her eyes gently. Once they were through and Olivia repositioned herself back, she gasped softly and slowly peek through her eyelids. She found Lyra looking her way, all smiles and smirk. ¡°You are afraid of heights,¡± Lyra said with a giggle. She had a rough time too but the sight of Erin trembling in fear made her forget all about her own fears. ¡°How unexpected.¡± ¡°I have told you, Lyra. It is not the height that I¡¯m afraid of. It¡¯s¡­¡± No other words came to her defence. Her tails and ears weren¡¯t doing her defence any favours. They were true to her heart and desires. No matter howposed her expression stayed, her tails and ears were there to give them all away. ¡°It¡¯s?¡± Lyra pressed with her smirking face. ¡°Oh, forget it,¡± she huffed and turned away. ¡°It¡¯s nothing to be ashamed of, mistress,¡± Siv said. Sorrow crossed her face. ¡°My brother was the same. He loves to give a good disy of his capabilities but¡­ his weakness gripped him tighter than the chains of fate. If only he would allow me to unbind them, then perhaps he would be¡­¡± Siv sniffed, wiping a tear that had squeezed its way out of her eye. ¡°Anyway, you get my meaning, mistress. There¡¯s no shame in showing one¡¯s w. That¡¯s the first step in conquering it.¡± ¡°I am not troubled by heights, damn it,¡± Erin refuted, ruffled. ¡°I¡¯m just notfortable with being on the back of a living, moving, rational being way up in the skies. For all we know, she could just flip and drop us if she so wish and there¡¯s nothing we can do.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t do that, mdy,¡± Olivia said, through the psionic medium. Her voice rang clear in everyone¡¯s mind. ¡°But if it¡¯s only the human, then mayhaps I would.¡± ¡°You¡¯re hearing her, Erin?¡± Lyra tutted. ¡°Some kind of Dragon she is.¡± ¡°And you are everything I expect of a human,¡± Olivia retorted. ¡°You daughter of a¡ª¡± ¡°Enough!¡± Erin raised her voice. ¡°Save your quarrels until this is over. We must remain vignt. There¡¯s no telling if we won¡¯t be ambushed.¡± ¡°Right, of course, Lady Erynthea. A thousand apologies,¡± Olivia said with her head lowered but not her elevation. God forbid if she lowered her elevation too, Erin secretly prayed. ¡°She started it,¡± Lyra grumbled. ¡°And you will finish it by shutting your lips.¡± Lyra flinched. Though it wasn¡¯t umon, Erin¡¯s solemnity still terrified and thrilled her. It was like she was seeing a whole other Erin, most probably her character before she was Erynthea. Lyra was curious about her lover¡¯s bizarre past as a man in his forties nearing the fifties. Most of all, she wanted to know how Erin could remain chaste for so long. Erin could have been ugly, Lyra thought, but she had seen the ugliest of men having beautiful women as their wives. She imagined Erin as a man in her daydreams. She imagined how much of a difference there would be if her lover was a man. Having her once broken by a man, she imagined she would not have fallen for her with ease but she didn¡¯t doubt she would fall for her in due time. Was your pecker small? Lyra had wanted to ask but even she wasn¡¯t so thoughtless. ¡°There,¡± Siv shouted with her finger pointing to the front. The ck shape of a serpent with a bull walking on two feet atop whirling behind the thick mist. ¡°Alright, this is it,¡± Erin said, drawing her sabre and imbuing herself in Arcane Armour and lightning. ¡°I¡¯m going ahead. Olivia, I could fall. So be at the ready.¡± ¡°Of course, mdy.¡± Nodding to Lyra and Siv, she kicked herself off and shot towards the Storm Mamba. The winds grazed her skin and the chill steeped into her nerves. They were high in the skies. The air was akin to the breath of winter at this height but with her blood pumping in a thrill, her whole body felt warm. The Storm Mamba had yet to take notice of her or Olivia. The winds were blowing against the Mamba. As such, their scent could not reach its nose. The winds brushing past them were shrilling in their ears. The Mamba could not hear Olivia flying behind it. The tip of the serpent¡¯s tail came into her reach and she grabbed it with her tail. It was the right choice to invest in Mystica Tail Arts, she mused to herself. Her tails felt more and more like her limbs as she increased the Magic Art¡¯s level and her Arcane stat. At this point, she wagered she was more attuned with her tails than her legs. Her legs could not get something from a shelf but her tails could. The Storm Mamba shuddered as Erinnded on its back. It screeched, warning the Ox-kin resting atop. Lights of magic shrouded him as he remained still. The lights came from a glowing stone hovering above his head, showering him in glitters. His wounds from before were gone. The stone ceased to glow and the winds carried it away. The Rakar got to his feet, turned around, and brandished itbrys. He had even gotten back his left eye. ¡°Is my eye not enough? You seek my head too?¡± the Ox-kin scoffed. ¡°Yet you dare deny your bloodthirst to my face. Does this simply not show how baleful of an individual you are?¡± ¡°You tried to kill me. Don¡¯t twist the narrative. It¡¯s only right and sound to make sure your attempted murderer does not get away. And who¡¯s to say you won¡¯t go after the innocents just to spite me. I won¡¯t put that past people like you.¡± The Ox-kin snorted. ¡°You would put me on such a low ground? You¡¯re despicable and shameless.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not the one who¡¯s running away. You are.¡± She flourished her sabre. ¡°I will allow you to strike first.¡± ¡°Impudent!¡± the Ox-kin snarled and blinked in front of her, hisbrys swinging. Erin dodged low and countered with an upward sh. She missed, to her surprise. Their battle was staged on flimsy and unsteady ground. Her footing was all wrong and she could do nothing to fix it. The Ox-kin, however, had no such issue. She didn¡¯t know if his hooves yed a part but he didn¡¯t look perturbed by the shaking and undting of their foothold. They traded blows and crossed their des. With each sh, Erin felt her strength leaving her. Receiving an attack without proper footwork was a parlous task and she was paying for the consequences. She could not put her instincts into their right ces. Adding to her plight, the scales of the Storm Mamba was slippery. A moment¡¯s loss of focus would bring about frightful oues. She trod carefully as she danced with her sword and her opponent. She had to be graceful and quick on her steps. Her opponent was heavy but no less slow and twice her strength. A single blow to her body would mean the end. The blow wouldn¡¯t kill her but she would be knocked off and fall to her apparent death. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Fae!?¡± the Ox-kin mocked. He rained his blows down on Erin. His grin widened with every sh of their des. ¡°You¡¯re slower than before and your strikes ain¡¯t true anymore. You disappoint me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t live to appease you,¡± Erin retorted calmly in contrast to her dire frown. There was little to no room for her movements. She returned her form to the past ways. The form she used when she was Argon Raze. A form that made only the smallest movements with the most effectiveness. She backstepped and parried a flurry of attacks from the Ox-kin. She raised her sword and against a sh swung from over the shoulder. She veered the blow away and struck. The tip of her de touched the Ox-kin¡¯s shoulder before he retreated in his steps out of caution. Erin simpered. ¡°I can be less as slow and half as true and you still won¡¯t stand a chance against me.¡± ¡°How pretentious. Spoken like a Fae,¡± he spat and charged. Erin twirled and deflected each blow as she moved backwards. When she came to a stop, she spun around the Ox-kin with the little amount of room her feet had. Arriving behind him, she shed. The Ox-kin turned around quickly to parry her sh. Her de shook from the impact and the vibration flowed to her but she offset it by shocking herself with lightning before numbness overtook her hands. The Ox-kin stared in disbelief. The Fox-kin was crafty and resourceful. He thought her to be a fool when she chose to fight him on the back of the serpent. He had severely underestimated her. Even at a disadvantage, she was gaining the upper ground. He thought her to be arrogant and naive but no, she was none of those. She understood better than he ever did. Her choice was made out of utter confidence in herself, something he never had, which led to his present appearance. He roared to drown out his apprehensions. He tore himself out of his prison made of his shaken confidence. He set hisbrys alight and swung. He witnessed Erin bending her pliant body to avoid hisbrys. In that brief moment where gravity tugged on her fabrics, he saw her shapely and bulging mounds that were hidden beneath her humble clothes. He also saw her gainly figure that women had gone to lengths to achieve but never so perfect as hers. He felt a jolt in his loins and he grimaced. Ever since he swore his life to a Divine, he had cast aside his yearning for the pleasure of the flesh. Long into the vows, he hade across nubile and alluringdies but none was able to sway his discipline, until now. There was something different about her. He cursed himself of his weak will. He admonished himself of his desire¡¯s advent. The Ancients were right, she was too much of a dangerous individual to be left alive. It wasn¡¯t just her thirst for blood nor her unbridled potential. Her allure might just be the biggest factor of them all. He steeled himself and his heart. ¡°grant, outrageous, and bold,¡± the Ox-kin muttered. ¡°You are chaos and imbnce in the making.¡± The mes on hisbrys burned stronger and brighter. Erin blew her lips. ¡°Whatever to ease your guilty conscious, bull,¡± she scoffed. ¡°My name is Aretov.¡± ¡°I do not care.¡± ¡°You should,¡± he said. His veins glowed in the colours of the mes. ¡°Because I will be the one to send you to the other side.¡± ¡°Moments ago, you were running. But now you somehow gained the confidence to promise my death. Did you have a stroke from your own mes?¡± ¡°Mock all you want. Your death is near.¡± Erin sighed. ¡°Word, that¡¯s all they are. Be silent and show it in your actions¡ª¡± She dyed her de in lustrous cyan sheen. ¡°¡ªbefore I show it to you.¡± 3-48 Sky duel II 3-48 Sky duel II Aretov bellowed, summoning his battle courage and wits. He would be needing them direly in this fight. They would be his lifeline. ¡°Spell augmentation¡­¡± Erin muttered. ¡°Are you too afraid to take me on without the meddling of spells?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t spar in words with you, Fae,¡± Aretov said. ¡°You won¡¯t have that satisfaction. I will not give it to you.¡± ¡°Fine by me,¡± Erin said and lightning spewed from her syed palm into a bolt. Aretov smashed it away with his bare fist and lunged. He raised hisbrys overhead, nted. Erin moved in with a thrust. He swung diagonally to avoid carving into the Storm Mamba¡¯s flesh. An idea flowed into Erin¡¯s head but she immediately waved it off. Unless she could finish the Storm Mamba with a single strike, she reckoned she would be pulled along as the Mamba plunged to its death. She steered her mind back to the fight. She dodged low and shed upwardly, a move that had turned stale. Even Aretov clicked his tongue at her. He practically throwing hisbrys at this point. He threw it without letting go and let the momentum carry him. This knack allowed him to use less strength but doubled the impact. Erin parried most of the blows and dodged whenever she could. Once, she was in favour of deflecting her opponents¡¯ strikes but now, she favoured avoiding them. It suited her body more and less tasking to her limbs. Although, circumstances had forced her to readopt her roots. Sheced herself in lightning to counteract the numbness she would incur from receiving Aretov¡¯s strikes and blows. Their levels were close but Aretov was obviously the vastly superior one in Might. Her Magic Arts and her agility were her upper hands but spells were difficult to evoke in her current predicament. It was hard enough to bnce herself, let alone spread the focus to magic. Nevertheless, she did not stop trying. Whenever an opportunity present itself, she would grab it and attempt to cast a spell. ¡°Fight me with the true arts ofbat!¡± Aretov roared. Erin retorted with a sh, aimed at his re. He stopped her de but a spell was conjuring in her other hand. ¡°Sly witch!¡± he spat and shoved her away before the spell could be formed. Erin showed no discouragement and dove with her sabre thrust out. Aretov swivelled his axe and parried the thrust. ¡°You will not use the tricks befitting a witch and a vixen!¡± As soon as those words left his mouth, a bolt of lightning grazed his cheek, fired from the tip of Erin¡¯s forefinger. ¡°Save your breath. Your brain will thank you,¡± she rebutted him with a blow of her lips. He scowled. ¡°Insolent brat!¡± He shot towards her, hisbrys winded behind him. Erin leaned away from a swing and sidestepped a blow that stopped just before touching the Mamba¡¯s skin. She kicked the axe away and riposted, drawing a shallow cut across his left upper arm. Aretov seethed and swept his other hand at Erin. She flipped back and battered his hand away with her tails as she spun to her feet. He growled andshed in a feral manner. Erin warped her body through his swings and curved the path of one of his attacks. She plunged forward and chipped his left thigh. Aretov¡¯s contorted with indignation. He stomped like he was getting rid of some puny creature but he only hurt the Mamba. It screeched and wriggled its tail, throwing the two off their bnce. Aretov lowered his stance in order to not get thrown off. Erin also lowered her stance and held on to the teensy gaps between the scales with her tails. Once the Storm Mamba had ceased its struggle and realigned itself, Aretov tossed himself at Erin with bloodshot eyes. He cried though there was no need for it. Alerted to his cry, Erin twisted herself out of thebrys¡¯ way. The gigantic double axe stop short of carving into the Mamba¡¯s flesh. Erin breathed a sighed of relief andunched a lightning bolt into Aretov¡¯s face. ¡°Cursed you!¡± he screamed as he staggered backwards. He recovered from his brief daze before Erin¡¯s thrust could find his neck. His hand reached out to grab hers but she withdrew her arm before he even touch her. ¡°If only I can use my magic,¡± Aretov thought to himself. Much like Erin, he found it hard to use any spells with the constant wobbling. If he could throw a fireball right now, Erin would no doubt be pushed off the edge. He saw his opportunity then. Erin was close to the edge and her legs were shivering to keep herself upright. He couldn¡¯t stop his grin from surfacing. He decided to act before Erin moved herself out of her disadvantage. He began swinging his axe upwards in a chain motion, forcing Erin to back away in her steps. Erin groaned at herself for her blunder. She had put herself in a position where her opponent could just swing mindlessly and she would still be on the low ground. She could try parrying it but she feared her sabre would fly out of her hands and worse, she would be sent flying off of the Mamba. She forewent trading blows with him and ran. She ran to the crest of the Mamba¡¯s head. ¡°Running!?¡± Aretov snarled. He couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. She had run instead of shing des. He wanted tough but he reminded himself of her craftiness. This was a ruse, he convinced himself. ¡°Where are you running off to? You intend to jump off? Not a chance. Silica here will swallow you up if you do.¡± Erin stopped in her tracks around the neck of the Mamba named Silica. ¡°What¡¯s stopping me from just plunging my sword into her neck?¡± Erin threatened as she turned around and faced him. ¡°Your senses, I say. She would writhe and il before deathes to her. In those moments, she could gobble you up, fling you into a mountain, or drag you along with her in the descent. You can¡¯t fool me, heathen.¡± ¡°Well, figures.¡± She shrugged. ¡°There¡¯s no harm in trying.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t disappoint me now,¡± he said. ¡°I have high expectations for you. I don¡¯t wish to feel like a bully when I¡¯m done with you.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t,¡± she murmured. She cast her gaze to the clouds. They were just barely out of her each and darkening. The smell of sulfur wafted into her nose. As she reached out, a spark of lightning kissed her fingertips. She recoiled in shock but she smiled when she understood the potential she was offered. ¡°Calling to the heavens?¡± Aretov mocked. ¡°Your Divine won¡¯t respond. They can¡¯t interfere in our battles¡± Erin doubted the validity of his words but she didn¡¯t show it. Instead, she sheathed her sabre and syed her arms apart. ¡°Are you surrendering?¡± Erinughed. They loved to talk, all her opponents did. Perhaps it helped stave off the fear of her peculiarity, she spected. But it was his own fault for denigrating her without a proper assessment. She had just created a gap between them. She conjured lightning into her hands and the lightning from the clouds responded. They descended from the clouds and poured into her through her spread arms. ¡°W-what?!¡± Aretov uttered in astonishment. He hadn¡¯t the faintest notion of what she was attempting and he decided it was best not to find out. There was some distance between them but he could reach her before her spell could bepleted. With the ze in his veins, the distance seemed all the shorter to him. He dashed with hisbrys raised but he stopped when the taken only a single step. He reeled back and an arrow streaked past him in front of his eyes. He turned. A Dragon was flying beside the Storm Mamba. On the Dragon¡¯s back were the Fox-kin¡¯spanions. The archer girl had fired herst arrow as could be seen from her empty quiver. However, it brought Erin enough time toplete her conjuration. ¡°st!¡± he uttered. He was toote but he didn¡¯t give up. He threw hisbrys instead of his body. A barrage of lightning bolts flew towards him. His axe was instantly struck off into the depths below. His desperate attempt had failed him but that was not his only desperate attempt. He unleashed a roar to the skies and his zing veins zed brighter. The lightning bolts rammed into him. He kept shouting, enduring all the bolts of thunder striking him. Blood trickled down from his eyes but he let his veins burn in the ze of his Fire Magic. Dozens of lightning struck him incessantly but his feet moved not an inch from where he stood. Erin took great care to not hit the serpent too, lest it flipped them off its back. As the rain of lightning came to an end, Erin fell to her knees, exhausted and panting. Aretov too fell copsed but he fell only on one knee. Smoke sizzled from his body but not a single singe could be found on his skin. He coughed and blood sputtered from his mouth. He wiped off the blood on his mouth and stood to his feet. ¡°Any more tricks?¡± He sneered. ¡°I have a few more,¡± she said in between her breaths. ¡°Let¡¯s not find out, shall we?¡± He chuckled and warped in front of her. A sudden nauseating sensation struck her and it wasn¡¯t from her exhaustion. She knew exhaustion and it had never felt like her head was spinning in a whirlpool. Aretov raised his arm and swung, smacking the back of his fist into Erin¡¯s head, sending her flying off the Mamba. ¡°Erin!¡± Lyra screamed after her lover. She was about to jump off of Olivia but Siv came and dragged her back. ¡°No!¡± Siv said. ¡°You¡¯ll just kill yourself!¡± ¡°But she¡¯ll die!¡± she cried as she struggled in Siv¡¯s hold. ¡°Olivia, save her!¡± A wave of lightning swept past them. Olivia raised her left wing to guard against the sudden storm assaulting them. It was an attack from the Storm Mamba. It was trying to prevent Olivia from going after Erin. ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± Olivia replied. ¡°If I dive down after Lady Eryn, I will be throwing myself into its trap.¡± ¡°Noo!¡± Lyra continued to shout her despair. ¡°Damn you! Damn you, Olivia! Just swoop down and get her!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t!¡± Olivia yelled back just another attack came from the Strom Mamba, thunders in the form of Aura des, rushing at them. ¡°We can¡¯t just leave her to die!¡± ¡°She won¡¯t!¡± Siv reminded her in a shout. ¡°She has that certain skill, remember?¡± Lyra calmed down. It had gone over her mind. ¡°We¡¯ll pick up her bodyter,¡± she muttered. She couldn¡¯t believe she had somehow forgotten about that. She felt like an idiot. The spells shing entered Erin¡¯s ears. Spells were thrown at one another by Olivia and the Storm Mamba. It was a battle where Olivia could easily triumph but she wasn¡¯t trying to win the battle. She was trying to rescue Erin. The Storm Mamba was doing everything in its power to not let that happen. Erin watched them bing smaller and smaller in her sight as she fell. She was not screaming. There was no fear of her imminent death to be seen in her eyes. Her death wasn¡¯t even a concern as she had Revenant. Her mind was focused on the headache assailing her head. It was tearing her brain apart and it felt it would be a literal expression. The air turned warmed and she could breathe easier. She was nearing the ground and in seconds, her blood and guts would paint the soil and the nts would savour her remains as fertilizers. In defiant of the agony encroaching her head, she willed herself to focus the crux of the matter at hand. She had to stop her fall without turning herself into a mash. She wouldn¡¯t die but she was not looking forward to that experience. She tried grabbing at the air but it just flowed through her fingers but grabbed it again. She had seen Nivia do it a couple of times she was under her brief tutge. She knew how Nivia had done it. Now she only needed to replicate the feeling. Magic was the manifestation of an idea into reality. Easier to say, harder to do. She acquired her Lightning Magic after being shocked by a magic crystal infused with lightning magic. People had acquired other affinities down the line and there was no reason for her to be an exception. Right now, she needed a magic that could save her from her fall. She kept grabbing at the air despite her repeated failures. She didn¡¯t allow her despair to rule her mind. It wasn¡¯t about dying. It was about her own pride. She refused to keep letting Nyx raise her from perdition at a cost she had yet to fullyprehend. Suddenly, her vision whirled severely and the battle raging above seemed to have been drawn close to her. It was like reality distorting and bending into her face. She reached out and grabbed the ledge of the fabric of reality. And it snapped back into its original form. She felt herself being dragged along. ¡°W-what!?¡± Aretov cried, stumbling away from Erin with widened eyes. Erin had the same manner of gaze. She was also astonished that she was somehow back atop the Storm Mamba. Exhaustion surged into her body and she copsed on one knee. [Warning. Mana has reached 25% below the threshold.] Such text popped into her head. Her pool was dry and barely any magic flowed through her veins. That spell, trick, or whatever that was, consumed more than a quarter of her Mana pool but there wasn¡¯t where her astonishmenty. Alongside, another line of words brought utter bewilderment to her. [Spatial Magic: Level 1 - Acquired] 3-49 Unceasing 3-49 Unceasing ¡°It took me twenty years to grasp its nature and another twenty years to perfect a single spell. But you¡­¡± Aretov ground his teeth, seething. ¡°You just learn it from being in my presence?¡± ¡°Oh, stop ttering yourself,¡± Erin belied him. ¡°If anyone¡¯s presence is the cause, it most certainly won¡¯t be yours.¡± A face floated to mind. A face with a perpetualnguid and disdainful expression. She tittered. She had been thinking far too much of himtely, she hade to realize. ¡°Cursed you¡­. Cursed you and your blood!¡± Aretov shouted. Indignation wrought his face. He couldn¡¯t ept she, born not of the world, could grasp the understanding of Arcane Arts better and faster than he, a native. ¡°The blood of an off-world dares to help herself to the pie¡­! Uneptable! You don¡¯t belong here!¡± Erin shrugged at his insults. She activated Mana Harvest to replenish her depleted Mana pool but she didn¡¯t feel invigorated. Her spell had failed her. There was Mana aplenty in the air but she could not absorb them. It was as if the world was moving too fast to grasp at them. Mana Harvest required not only her to be still but also the world, she came to understand. The Spatial Magic spell, Warp, had a high Mana expenditure and her current amount was just a few drops shy of being sufficient. She could use two Lightning Spears with her current reserves but not a single spell of spatial nature. It was down to her swordsmanship once again. ¡°Come on, then! Have at me!¡± The Ox-kin kept shouting. ¡°I don¡¯t need a weapon. My fists are enough of an honour for your kind.¡± Erin rolled her eyes. Her adversaries seemed to all bear the same characteristics. ¡°Throwing curses and insults at my way won¡¯t make you any better than your former self nor will it hoist your courage. You¡¯re so shallow, all of you.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± he said. ¡°Looks like I¡¯ll be having the first move.¡± mes enveloped his fists and his nose puffed out steam. His first punch caught the air but the mes were tossed from his fist. Against the brushing cold wind, the fireball arced towards Erin. She doused the bright vermilion mes with a spark of the fire of Essence re. ¡°Spirits are in abundance in these parts. I can easily burn away your inferior spells.¡± ¡°Burn my fists then!¡± he roared and lunged with his arm winded behind him. He swung as he neared Erin. She dodged low and he met her manoeuvre with a knee. A shield of magic spread between his knee and her face. The shield was like steel to his flesh knee. He winced and threw an uppercut. Erin danced through his crude attempt and sliced off his arm with her gleaming blue de. Blood spurted out from the wound but a me charred it into a closed-off stump. He whirled around andshed a feral hook at Erin. ¡°Fool,¡± she muttered. The rushing breeze took her voice as it passed by her. She brought her sabre to Aretov¡¯s arm. Her silver steel came close to carving into his flesh when all of a sudden, he vanished with the space blurring. Her tails rose behind with Arcane Armour dressing them. Something hot and hard smashed into her makeshift barrier. She was thrown off her feet. She tumbled for a few good feet but she flipped to her feet on the fourth roll. ¡°Didn¡¯t see thating, did you?¡± Aretov jeered with his chin jutted out. That hasty trick had left him gasping for air and kneeling on one knee. It had taken a lot out of him. ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± Erin admitted. ¡°But that would be yourst surprise.¡± ¡°I think not,¡± he huffed. ¡°You will not dishearten me. You can not.¡± ¡°Take it as advice, then. I wouldn¡¯t trust your mind and neither should you.¡± ¡°st!¡± he shouted. His fist was raised and the space shuddered. Erin kept her sword close to her as the Aretov vanished from her sight. She closed her eyes and felt the thousands touch of the winds. The winds to her right began scratching her. She opened her eyes and shed towards her right. Aretov cried. Blood sttered into the air but the rushing breeze carried it off. His arm tumbled across the back of the serpent before slipping into the descent below. Now, both of his arms were lopped by the very same de that killed his siblings by faith, or so he was led to believe. mes came alive on their own and closed off hisrge gaping wound that was once attached with a limb. He gagged at his words and fell on both of his knees. ¡°Do you believe there¡¯s honour in death?¡± Erin asked. ¡°Why do you care?¡± he replied, panting. ¡°It¡¯s not your death that¡¯s imminent.¡± ¡°Which is why I¡¯m asking you. Do you think there is honour? For me, there¡¯s nothing great about death. It¡¯s a literal means to an end. All these talks of honour of and in death are a bunch of lies cowards told themselves to face death with dignity and so what.¡± ¡°Death is not the end,¡± Aretov said, his breath calming. ¡°It¡¯s just another journey but before one could embark on another journey, one has to finish the present journey first and I have not finished my journey.¡± He red, seething with fury. ¡°But it would seem your journey is finished with you. Thanks for the lesson.¡± Erin nodded in acknowledgement for the few but significant lessons she learned from this fight. Namely, her Spatial Magic. She swept his head clean off his neck without hesitation. She hesitated enough long before the fight started. Blood had to be spilt and it was either hers, her loved ones, or her enemies. She could only choose to save two and she split the blood of her enemies. [Experience gained +50% - Level Progression: 125%] [Erynthea: Level 36 increased to Level 37] [Skill Points gained +2 | 6] [Ability Points gained +2 | 6] [Level Progression: 25%] Erin watched the headless body slither off the back of the serpent and the winds carried it off into the distance. ¡°May death be fair to you as life had been,¡± she mumbled some nonsensical prayer she had heard from some religious individual¡¯s lips. Aretov had fought to hisst breath for what he believed in, that was something Erin could respect but she wouldn¡¯t give it. The person was a fool just like any other. For the sake of honour and those fooleries, they had died. The only stakes at hand for him were his pride and honour, things that she would once give her life to but no more. It had been her sheerest folly. ¡°Now, what to do with you?¡± she mulled as she nced at the ck scales of the Storm Mamba. It was still drifting gracefully in the air like it was a vast sea for it to swim. Aretov was dead but it remained. Aretov was not its summoner, Erin concluded. She looked over to herpanions, who were flying half a mile beside the serpent. They waved at her and she waved back. They bore relieved smiles and reassured gazes. The Storm Mamba screeched, turning Erin¡¯s head. The Mama began stirring its body. Erin thought it was trying to shake her off but it wasn¡¯t. She could hear the pain in its screeches as if it was trying to resist something. The only thing it could be trying to resist as a summoned was an order. Erin cast her gaze forward, a mountain came into view. It was dyed in snow and hidden in the embrace of the cold icy mist. ¡°Erin, jump!¡± Lyra shouted as Olivia steered towards the Storm Mamba. Erin didn¡¯t need the reminder but she didn¡¯t retort. She would spar with her lover after she got off the Storm Mamba. However, lightning erupted from the Storm Mamba¡¯s scales. The lightning was weak but appeared to bear viscous properties. The lightning was tethering Erin to the Mamba. ¡°Spirits be damned!¡± she swore. ¡°What the fuck is this!?¡± She struggled off a tether but two more take their ce. ¡°Erin, what¡¯s wrong!?¡± Lyra asked at the top of her lungs. ¡°The lightning is holding me here!¡± Erin evoked the cyan mes of the Spirits but the lightning conjured faster than it could be burned away. ¡°Confound this!¡± ¡°Use that same Spatial Magic you used when you fell!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t. It costs more than what I have in my reserves.¡± ¡°Then what can we do?¡± Siv watched the predicament with all herposure. She came to the only solution. ¡°Olivia, kill the Storm Mamba.¡± ¡°What?¡± Olivia blurted. ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the only way. Mistress will be fine.¡± ¡°Good idea, Siv!¡± Erin gave her approval. ¡°Kill this damn legless lizard!¡± ¡°Very well,¡± Olivia said and raised her with her jaws opened. Magic converged inside her mouth. Erin¡¯s smile turned upside down when she saw a colossal shadow looming close to Olivia. ¡°Watch out!¡± she screamed, pointing. But it was toote. Olivia turned her head toote. A vulture, asrge as the Storm Mamba, plunged through the thick mist and dug its talons into Olivia. She screamed and turned the bided magic at the vulture, unleashing the stream of high-pressure water through its neck. The head came off and blood oozed off the empty and open neck. Erin spared no nce at the vulture and set her gaze to her front. They were close to the wall of rocks and snow and she was nowhere near getting herself off of these viscous lightning tethers. Olivia had just managed to fling the dead vulture off of her and the brief struggle had wasted the sparse time they had. Erin closed her eyes and d herself with all of her defensive spells. The Storm Mamba rammed into the mountains of snow and a roar of boulders and rocks shook the air and earth. The momentum threw Erin off and she went spinning in the cold air. Fortunately, the Storm Mamba crashed near the crests of the mountain range. She ended up falling onto the peak but she bounced across the stretched surface of the icy mountain before the inches of deep snow stop her roll. She was half a feet away from the edge and one more turn would have thrown her off, down the steep slope of the mountain. Pain assailed her once the numbness from her fall left her. She tapped the side of her waist and felt her sabre. She breathed in relief. It would be disastrous if she had lost her sabre in such weather. She stood but slumped back to the ground. She cursed her body and her wounds. She groaned and grunted but she was thankful. It could have been worse but it didn¡¯t. Her spells faded off before she will them away. Her Mana pool had run dry and she was naked off her magic enhancements amidst the faint snow atop the mountain range. She steadily got to her feet and cast her gaze around. Aside from the edges, there was nothing but snow and boulders as far as she could see. The mist had thickened to the point that even the colossal figure of Olivia was nowhere to be found. Even her shadow was buried underneath the mist that was nowparable to a mild blizzard. The cold ravaged her and she shuddered against their touch. Her tails fell on her, covering her shoulders as they draped over her back like a cape. Warmth returned to her but not enough to stave off the unforgiving cold. ¡°Lyra! Siv!¡± she shouted into the air. ¡°Olivia! I¡¯m right here!¡± But only the wind responded with a gust blowing right into her face. She flinched and almost fell but her dextrous and supple legs kept her upright. Relieved that her legs still had strength in them, she trod through the snow. Another aspect of her new body that she hadn¡¯t taken into ount was her tolerance towards the weather. Her tempered body of Argon Raze would never shiver in such a cold but shiver she did in this body. It wasn¡¯t as cold as real winter but still more than her body could handle. ¡°You look lost,dy.¡± She hadn¡¯t trod far from where she fell and someone had found her. She had looked around and found no presence of life but there was one now. She turned around and saw a man in thick fur and leather clothing,pletely prepared for the cold. She couldn¡¯t see his features as he wore a white wool mask to keep his face warm. She could neither smell his scent but that was a given since the winds were erratic. She smelled only the cold air and snow. They smelled sour and slightly bitter, surprisingly. ¡°Craven,¡± she spewed, reading from her Appraisal. ¡°Indeed.¡± The man nodded. ¡°You¡¯re the Storm Mamba¡¯s master.¡± Erin sighed in exasperation. ¡°Is that no end to you people. Just where do you all keep climbing out from?¡± Craven took her words as jest though he knew better. He sniggered. ¡°I wished for your fall but younded right here. Lady Luck is at work here.¡± ¡°Indeed it would seem. She brought you right to me. She likes me. Saves me the trouble.¡± ¡°Correction, I brought you to me. She favours me. I was hoping to finish you off when you didn¡¯t plunge into and down the slopes.¡± ¡°I was hoping to finish you off too and those who dare to entertain the thought of doing me or mypanions harm.¡± ¡°Sadly, that will remain a dream as this is the end for you, mydy.¡± ¡°What do you¡ª¡± Before her question could be asked, it was answered. Hundreds of white Serks appeared from underneath the snow and beyond the cliffs. She quickly nced through their stats and found out they were all Craven¡¯s familiars. ¡°A hundred Serks is off no threat to you, I will concur. I know of your exploits. You¡¯re talented beyond one¡¯s imagination but even talents have their limits. You¡¯re cold and tired. Now, let¡¯s see how much of that narrative would change, shall we?¡± ¡°Piss off,¡± Erin muttered weakly as she drew her sabre with trembling hands. She was indeed cold and tired.
Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Five-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 37 | Status Affliction: Extreme Exhaustion Might: 22 | Arcane: 44 | Finesse: 39 Magic Arts Spirit Magic Lv. 10 | Arcane Edge Lv. 6 | Arcane Armor Lv. 10 | Lightning Magic Lv. 10 | Arcane Aegis Lv. 7 | Mystic Tail Arts Lv. 3 | Spatial Magic Lv. 1 Combat Arts Sword Art Lv. 8 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 5 Innate Skills Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 7 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex | Mana Harvest Lv. 1 | Lightning Resistance Lv. 1 | Darkness Resistance Lv. 1 Unique Talent Mystic de Lv. Ex | Revenant Lv. Ex Level Progression: 25% Remaining Skill Points: 6 Remaining Ability Points: 6 3-50 Craven 3-50 Craven Her breaths stained the air white. She puffed and huffed at a pace that caused her vision to whirl faintly. She gripped her sword with both of her hands and she need not grip it tight. Her hands practically felt frozen stiff to the hilt. She wished the same was true to her posture. It was the opposite of stiff. It was frail and quivering. She was cold and tired, her opponent¡¯s words rang true. Her legs were akin to stone, every bit as stiff and heavy but the sole grace was that she could still move them. Perhaps ¡°moving¡± would be putting it mildly, she was swinging them as that was the only way they would listen. Her tails, however, were cold but warmer than the rest of her body. Firstly, she used Mana Harvest to recover her Mana pool. As she did it furtively, the amount she gained wasn''t little but neither could it be considered as much. She had yet to grasp her enemy''s capabilities. She knew his level and the Arcane Arts he had but not his intelligence. One''s wits can be the factor that decides a battle or a fight. Aside from the matter of wits, her exhaustion was brimming. Even if she had recovered her Mana, she was still physically and mentally drained. She tried calling upon the Spirits¡¯ aid but the silence was her response. She could feel the Spirits¡¯ presence but they all turned a deaf ear to her. She could swear that some of them even scoffed and snorted at her invocation. The Spirits she knew would not bear such discourtesy. These were Spirits but of a different kind, one that did not take kindly to her. She wondered what manner of Spirits these were but her opponent would never allow her to. ¡°Tenacious and unyielding,¡± said the heavily-dressed Craven. He took a seat on a frozen boulder. He didn¡¯t wince against the mighty cold surface he ced his rear on. ¡°I heard-tell of your tale. A strange tale. I could scarcely believe it myself. It began in Green Scar and no songs or tales before that. For a person of your skills and character, it¡¯s hard to imagine you only muster attention long after your grown years. It was as if¡­ you do not exist before you made yourself known in Green Scar.¡± ¡°Impressive study but¡­ I don¡¯t care.¡± Erin stretch and winded her stiff neck, loosening the gaps between her bones. ¡°Your knowledge doesn¡¯t intimidate me but please continue. The more words my opponent speaks, the higher the chance of their fall.¡± And it was a true presumption. She had fallen before an Undead and a serpent beast, both of which had uttered not a single word. ¡°I was merely giving you a moment to be on terms with your demise but it seems that wouldn¡¯t be necessary.¡± He tittered. His gaze fell to the ground. He rubbed his hands avariciously. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to your cries and pleas, Lady Fae.¡± The white Serks began to move. They crawled across the deep snow with ease. They were a tad smaller than the Serk she had seen but their red eyes socketed among their white body sent thrills down her spine. It made their bloodthirsts abundantly clear. Snow Serks, they were called. Erin gently brought her sword low, saving her strength. Even the weight of her weapon had started to feel heavy to her failing strength but nowhere as heavy as a rock. Her eyes swam around her surrounding, counting the numbers and plotting a scheme for each and every Serk. Her strength and magic would be of minimal use to her in her current state. She needed at least one hand to cast a spell but in her current state, she could not wield her sword with a single hand. Tricks were all she could rely on. A Serk lunged from her right. She kicked the snow to its eyes and threw her de up, letting the weight draw the arc. The Serk fell on her sides in two halves. [Experience gained +2% -Level Progression: 27%] ¡°At least be worth trouble, damn it!¡± she cursed in her heart. It would truly be much more bearable if the experience offered was a plethora of. The other Serks saw their fallen brethren and snarled with their rows of sharp fangs bared for Erin to see and in hopes to ruffle herposure but Erin returned a snarl of her own. If she had fangs as sharp as them, she would have also bared them. She went low and a Serk flew overhead. She stood and pivoted her sword, fending off the Serks circling her. She let her sword fall as the Serk who missed her head returned with another leap. It leapt right into her de, cleaving itself into clean halves. [Experience gained +2% - Level Progression: 29%] She swatted a Serk away and kicked another one to the ground. She caught one with her hand and came close to snapping its neck but she threw it away in favour of her defence. She flung two away whose jaws mped down on her raised sword. She frightened four away with a graceful but deadly disy of her swordsmanship. They trembled before her gaze and her refined dance that brought their deaths. The opportunistic ones crept behind her but they fell to her tails. They were pesky flies to her leery and nigh-sentient tails. She lurched forward and kneed her weight into a Serk. It went tumbling and crashing into its gathering brethren. Before her breaths could be caught, a Serk pounced at her leg. She raised it and stomped down, turning the Serk¡¯s head into mush. [Experience gained +2% - Level Progression: 31%] Blood sttered across the vivid snow, dyeing the field red with the colours of life that ironically, and unironically, symbolized death. A painting of a Fox-kin¡¯s desperate attempts at living while the Serks threw themselves to their deaths without a say for their own fate. Erin herself was drenched in the colour of life and death. A nce from above, she would look like the masterstroke of the painting. She plunged her sabre into the snow and poured her weight unto her sword. She breathed fast but steady. Her respite was shorted that the term itself already implied and she wished not to waste a breath on a second. She swung in a certain direction without any prior hint. An Aura Shot flew out from her edge, rushing towards Craven. However, a translucent shield appeared before him and absorbed the Aura Shot. It was an Arcane Aegis, ording to her Appraisal but it looked significantly different than hers in appearance. ¡°Well fought,¡± Craven said with a smirking snort. He was pping slowly and steadily, much like her breath. ¡°Never have Iy eyes on an individual so tenacious and cunning since my chance encounter with the then and young Scarlet de.¡± ¡°If that''s true, then the fighters of this world disappoint me.¡± She chuckled. It was wasted breath but she had to. She couldn¡¯t help herself. ¡°In my old world, this amount of tenacity is quitemon. Perhaps the richness of magic and the System¡¯s aid had left you all¡­zy and artless.¡± ¡°Are we?¡± he jabbed back with a disparaging shrug. ¡°You¡¯re sitting on a block of ice while your minions, against their will, fight for your sake and vanity. Are you not?¡± He guffawed, pping his belly. It made a hollow sound. ¡°You are everything the reports and rumours say you are. Your ridiculing words yed a huge part in your victory streaks, no doubt.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t deny,¡± Erin said, breathing with her hand clutched at her chest. ¡°It works. You all just can¡¯t help it. So eager to prove me wrong.¡± ¡°The pride of a Fae and the caprice of an Outworlder, truly a frightening and thrillingbination. The sooner you are rid of this world, the better. You are a blight and a menace to this world, just like the Deities had told me. Don''t give me that look. I''m only doing this for the greater good.¡± Erin cackled despite how hard it was for her. ¡°Let us all be honest here.¡± She reined her sword close to her body and pointed the de at Craven as if it was her forefinger. ¡°That''s not why you want me dead. I intimidate you. I am better than you. And you know it. I make you all feel small and little and irrelevant. I invalidate everything that is special about you. You are nothing before and beside me. This is why you and your ilk want me gone, not because I¡¯m dangerous to this world. That''s just an excuse to cate your guilt-ridden conscience. Who¡¯s the greater menace? An Outworlder of a Fae with a still de and mercy aplenty in her heart or a man who fights in the name of his god and glory and for reasons that he himself couldn¡¯t be bothered to verify.¡± The serenity in Craven¡¯s face left. The wrinkles of anger and the creases of indignation stained his face. ¡°You¡¯re quite fond of your tongue and your voice.¡± ¡°My lovers are quite fond of my tongue and my voice too. They would moan and cry my name for it.¡± ¡°As venomous as a viper¡¯s fangs. You are all and more than what I expected. You shall definitely meet your end here.¡± ¡°Hit a nerve, did I?¡± ¡°My nerves are steel.¡± ¡°I cut steel before. With ease too, I dare add.¡± ¡°Tear her apart!¡± Craven shouted. The Serks shrieked at themand and swarmed Erin in droves. She syed her sabre out and twirled on a single foot with the sharp edge facing the flesh of the multiple Serks. Her tails spun with her, battering away all the Serks her sword missed. Her mind rumbled with messages from the Systems, informing her like a mother¡¯s nagging of her vast experience umtion. She offered a glimpse and saw the sharp rose of her progression. It had risen to fourty-five percent. She smiled at her offhanded yet effective trick but it wasn¡¯t evesting. A Serk read her movements well and timed its own just as well. It ducked under her de and over her tails. Its fangs found her sulent right leg. She had only just felt the poke of the Serks¡¯ fangs and she was already responding to it. She smashed her foot against the cunning Serk and sent it rolling into its brethren. She heard its neck crack amidst the drowning noises of the Serks squeals and screeches. To affirm her hearing, she was graced with a message. [Experience gained +2% - Level Progression: 47%] Her trivial tionsted briefly as a Serk hopped on her back, steering itself clear of her tails. She grabbed its head before it could sink its teeth into her flesh but another came for her arm. She tossed the Serk behind to the side. Another Serk came for her other arm. She greeted its open mouth with her de skewering it whole. [Experience gained +2% - Level Progression: 49%] She breathed deeply in the fleeting break of the Serks¡¯ relentless assault. The Serks left her no window to cast any spells that could shift the tide. Even if she did have the window to, the tide would just shift right back to her disfavour. When she expelled her breath, the Serks had resumed their feral onught. She weed them all with a de eager to meet their necks and heads and sometimes limbs if they were quick in their steps. But her reception would notst forever. It was only her and hundreds of Serks. Her de would likely dull before their spellbound nature does. Sheshed her sword wildly and shouted like a madwoman. Her tails flounder like a dog chasing its tail. The Serks backed away, frightened at her erratic change. Craven eyed her with wonder and confusion. Had she finally lost her mind, he guessed. Erin bared her dull fangs with a grin when they retreated and formed a gap between them. Craven¡¯s face darkened with disgrace and rage. He shouted the same line he had given the Serks before as Erin¡¯s sabre glowed a clear and vivid violet. She noted the change in her Mystic de¡¯s hue but she didn¡¯t question it. She plunged her sword deep into the snow, deeper than she had when she was using her sword to support her weight. The fading glow of violet spread across the field and rippled the air. The mountain trembled like the wails of a hundred distanced infants. The ground beneath them began to cave. The Serks cried and scrambled to safety. Craven shouted for them to stay but none was heeding his words anymore. Red-faced, Craven turned to Erin. ¡°Have you gone mad?¡± he shouted. He had a loud voice, surprisingly. ¡°You¡¯ll kill us both!¡± ¡°I beg to differ,¡± Erin said with a smile. ¡°Just you. I¡¯ll die too but it¡¯s you who will remain dead long after minutes and hours passed.¡± ¡°What are you bbering about!?¡± He looked around, searching for a solid ground to stay on but all were out of range, too far for his short legs to bring him to safety. ¡°You are mad! You are mad! You should face your death alone and with dignity. Your Divine will frown upon you for this. He will be furious for this dishonourable duel when you ascend to meet him.¡± ¡°Quite the contrary, whatever your name is. She will be delighted and most probably smiling from ear to ear right now.¡± Erin tore her sword out of the snow, ripping the ground with her de. That was the final stroke and the ground stopped shaking. A look of relief crossed Craven¡¯s face but shifted into despair as the feeling below his feet turned hollow. He felt nothing beneath him. He looked down and found himself falling into a deep abyss that swallowed all the lights that poured into the darkness. He looked across. Erin had her eyes close with a smile touching her triumphant face. She feared not her death. She made no attempts to cover herself in spells to ease the fall. She had her arms and tails spread apart, weing her dashing descent. ¡°You really are mad¡­.¡± Craven muttered. He knew quite an array of spells but none that could help him in a fall, especially of such heights. Regardless, he began chanting all of them, hoping that one would bring the salvation he sought after but he couldn¡¯t even finish the chant of a single spell. A sharp fragment of the mountain walls broke off after the ground crashed into it. It fell straight down into depths and Craven was in its path. Like one would trample on an ant and not take notice, the fragment continued falling with blood spilling by in its wake. 3-51 Frost Cavern I 3-51 Frost Cavern I [Condtions met. Revenant activated] [Experience lost -10% - Level Progression: 39] The cold ripped through her skin and she woke, lurching from where shey and shuddering. She gasped deeply. Her hands clutched her body, not to stave the cold but the lingering phantom pain. She lifted her gaze, slowly and wearily. The light was spilling from the hole she fell through but lost its glimmer halfway down. She had fallen into a cavern that spanned the length of a mansion. Tunnels, craters, holes, and crevices filled the cavern. It looked homely in both meanings. Eerie too, Erin thought. She looked around, ice was all she saw. The walls, ceiling, and ground weredened withyers of snow and ice. Though the light withered halfway, the snowkes fell until they hit the ground. One such ke was a pebble and it bounced off of her shoulder. She took the ice pebble into her hand. It looked queer. There was no glint in it, not a streak. The ice wasn¡¯t what was queer. She was shrouded in darkness. It took her quite a while to realize. She could see in the dark as one could see under the light of dusk. Once she had gathered her bearings, recollected her senses, she rose to her feet but they betrayed her by turning jelly. She fell back into the ice, face-first. She pushed herself to her rear and wiped ice kes off her cold burning face. She moaned when she tried to rise again. She dawned on another realization. Her whole body was numb and she could feel the pain creeping up. She had a long fall. In all likelihood, she might have broken everything there was to be broken in her body. Revenant mended them all back as good as new but not her senses. They remembered and they would make sure she remembers too. ¡°This is no gift,¡± Erin spat. A hot puff of white spewed from her mouth. ¡°This is a lease¡­ a debt¡­¡± There was always the sweet release at the end of every suffering and affliction. The promise of death, a promise she could no longer make. Her so-called Divine Guardian had seen to that. To do her or his bidding, Erin would live until her goddess deemed otherwise. She cursed her but she thanked her. She cursed Nyx for not granting her relief and an end but she thanked her for making sure her loved one¡¯s smiles stayed. ¡°No doubt Lyra would be devastated, to say the least, if she heard of my demise,¡± Erin mused in her throbbing heart. She tapped around her waist and the empty feeling raised all the rm in her head. She spun around. She looked to the snow-covered ground. She hoped for it to be there or somewhere close. She wished it in her heart and the stars heard her prayer. A silver stuck an inch out from the snow. She dipped her hand into the snow and pulled out her silver steel sabre. The sheathe was nowhere to be found. The de of her sword was cracked more than before but the de was still whole, good for a few more cuts and strain from her spell before it gave in. Her face brightened in joy, nheless. At least if something came at her, she could properly defend herself with the weapon she was most familiar with. Her heart was racing due to the chill. She didn¡¯t feel afraid. She wouldn¡¯t die and she wouldn¡¯t spend long in this despairing-looking ce. She had experienced worse and she had always found a way out. Her only dread was her imminent agony. She retreated to a corner where it offered her the widest view of the cavern, the best spot to look out for any possible threat with nothing behind her but a wall. The cavern was deprived of the Spirits that favoured her. A different kind of Spirits lingered around, one that did not respond to her summons. Therefore, she couldn¡¯t use Life Sense. She could neither smell nor hear any other presence but she didn¡¯t believe she was truly safe. Time and time again it was proven that there were many ways to trick her nose and ears. There could be some beast lingering in another corner, waiting to strike and she would never know until she showed her back. When the pain from her passed-and-went death came, she curled into her belly and screamed. The ice and snow shook with her agony. Her tails iling vigorously, mming into the ground along with her fists. She felt her bones break and pierced through her flesh and nerves. She felt all the warmth leaving her. She felt empty where her limbs were. She felt¡­ everything one would presumably go through when they had their body ruptured from the pull of the earth. She passed out from the surging pain and woke in a simr manner but no pain threatened to torture her again when she woke this time. Only the cold tormented her then. Her garbs were torn from the fall. She tore them into a makeshift brassiere and a loincloth. She soothed herself in warmth with her tails. They were cold too but much warmer than her bare body. She wondered that was so but she didn¡¯t question it. The answer wouldn¡¯t help her even if she knew. Her stomach rumbled and the empty cavern bred the unsavoury noise. Had she not been alone, she imagined burying her head into the snow to avoid the embarrassment. ¡°I need to make a fire,¡± she told herself. The smoke would let Olivia know where she was but what could she use to make smoke? She looked around again but everything was encased in ice. If she didn¡¯t get herself warm soon, she too would be encased in ice. ¡°I need to make a signal¡­ but how?¡± She looked at the hole, donned in a cape her tails fashioned by draping over her shoulders. ¡°No, not a smoke. Just a signal is enough.¡± She could climb the steep slope around the pit with her quick feet and hopped from one narrow step to the other but the ice was slippery and her numb tired limbs made it into a feat that proved to be too perilous to even try. A single mistake equalled death and with every death she faced, a piece of herself was lost, or so she felt. And it wasn''t as if sess was guaranteed if she kept trying. She spread her arms and stood perfectly still. Amidst the cold, there was warmth. It was the warmth of the Mana drifting in the nature and wild. Mana wasn¡¯t scarce here, she thanked the stars. She activated Mana Harvest and drew in as much Mana as she could. Immediately, she felt a tinge of warmth returning to her freezing body. She was hungry but the Mana helped with the hunger. She still felt it but it wasn¡¯t too bothering. However, her exhaustion was in and undeniable. She might not be dying or deprived of Mana, she was tired, extremely so. As she raised her arm and herself, her world whirled and her feet scrambled to keep her straight. She found her footing before she toppled. Her limbs weighed rock to her joints. Her eyes could barely stay open. Still, she found her strength and will. Lightning erupted from her palm and ascended through the pit into the sky above. A storm roared as her spell hit the clouds. A sharp sh surged into the pit and dyed the cavern for a brief moment. Her eyes widened and her hands moved to her sabre, which she stabbed into the snow as a recement for her belt and scabbard. It was only a glimpse but that was all she needed. There was something at the far end of the wall. It blended well with the walls and snow. It had looked all the same in her eyes but the brief sh of thunder revealed all that was wrong. She lowered her head and bent her knee. She closed her eyes and slowed her breathing. Sheid her sword gently on the snow. She tucked her hands under her armpits. And it moved. She heard it. It had many legs, more than four. It was quick and unbothered by the snow. It was skittering towards her. It moved so silently that the walls did not bounce the noise. She strained her ears further and moved not a hair. She didn¡¯t know what it was hunger was something she could hear in all creatures¡¯ steps. This one moved eagerly the moment she showed weakness. It moved only when it saw Erin weak. The creature is weak but cunning. She couldn¡¯t see the creature well but she didn¡¯t need to. She would let ite to her. The skittering on the snow got louder and louder until it was just a few feet in front of her. She stayed her hands. The creature was fast and she was tired. She wasn¡¯t sure if she would be faster than the creature in her current state. The creature hissed with a jittery stutter in its throat, a cry simr to an insect. The creature was a bug-type monster, Erin surmised. It had more legs than an insect did. It had eight, she counted. A spider, she wagered The creature hissed again and this time, she could feel and smell its breath. She moved. Her hands darted for her sword as she conjured an Arcane Aegis between her and the insect. The creature proved to be faster as its fangs shed into her barrier before her sword touched its flesh. She opened up the wretched creature from down to up, a clean slice but slower than she liked. [Experience gained +5% - Level Progression: 44%] She raised her gaze, then, and saw the creature for what it was. It was a spider but in an odd shape. The legs were long, longer than its body, and arched. Its head and body were broad and t as a pancake. A tailless whip scorpion, she remembered such a creature was called but no tailless scorpion she knew was encased in ice and pale blue. Whiplegs, Appraisal told her the grotesque creature¡¯s name. ¡°Fitting,¡± she muttered. The creature before her was anything but weak and meek in hindsight. Its appearance alone would stiff its prey with fear. It had no reason to be cautious other than one, there was something far worse in this cavern. She was sure they were watching over her. Her performance as a meek prey was no longer cogent. ¡°Olivia¡­ you better hurry.¡± To keep herself warm and the creatures in the dark away, she swung her sword with the cold air as her opponent. She wasn¡¯t practising a form. She was merely moving to keep herself from rusting. Hopefully, she hoped, the disy of her swordsmanship would unnerve whatevery in the dark. An hour passed as she swung her sword in an empty form. The winds remained unchanged and the air was only getting colder. She had shot out more lightning bolts into the sky but it attracted no one¡¯s attention. Either the mist was thicker than the sh of lightning or they were engaged with the enemy. She didn¡¯t know which would be better so she hoped for neither. She hoped for them toe and sweep her off this forsaken ce. A stone tumbled down the wall and it made her rise with her sabre brandished and lightning crackling in her other hand. She saw a stir but gone it was before she could sharpen her gaze. From a tunnel down her right, a snarl travelled the dark chill and reached her eyes. Shivers went down her spine. And the winds shifted and change but not from above but from a hole on a wall to her left. The shift was strong and brazen. Something was moving and in droves. Whatever they were, they were moving towards her and something told her they weren¡¯t friendly. ¡°I can¡¯t stay here,¡± she came to such a conclusion. ¡°But where would I go?¡± She looked at the tunnels and holes. None looked to be her salvation. Surely a creature of a different manner of oundish resided in each of these dark ces. Her eyes fell on a tunnel with a height around twice hers. She didn¡¯t know what awaits her in the depth but it was spacious and should anything unsightly and menacing emerge, she would have plenty of space to respond in kind. Besides, the air was warmer down this tunnel and the warmth was a great sway in her decision. She waited half an hour more in the cavern and the sounds around her only grew louder. They sounded hungry and eager. She couldn¡¯t stay here. The numbers alone would overwhelm her even if she was in her prime. The tunnel was her best bet. Holding her breath, she trod into the tunnel just as the hole to her left burst, spewing streams of palish green creatures like a gushing hose. The creatures were glowing and they seemed to be weightless. They barely made any sound as they ran and scrambled. Erin felt her hair and her tail fur standing stiff. Frost Wraith, the creatures were called. They were half the size of the Whiplegs but there was a hundred of them and more as they kept pouring out of the hole. She banished all hesitation out of her head and ran down the tunnel without looking back. 3-52 Frost Cavern II 3-52 Frost Cavern II Erin ran as long and far as her vigour and legs would allow her. Sometime after she started running, she realized how little she hesitated in her honour and pride before retreating. She would have never run from her enemies if a fruit still dangled between her legs. She would have stayed stubborn and faced the uncountable enemies even if it meant her death. Much had changed since. The thoughts of Lyra and Siv¡¯s sorrow overwhelmed her pride and honour but her death was but a stranger now. What she feared more was the uncertainty should she fail to pay her dues. It haunted her to no end. Answers were easy to find and she could find it herself but deigned it a folly. She was curious of the consequence but she held no intention to find out. Knowing her god, it wouldn¡¯t be anything pretty or just. She ran until her calves and thighs burned in the sore mes despite being surrounded by ice and snow. Her muscles were already withering from the phantom pain and now, they writhed, pleading for Erin to stop. The coldness did not supplement her breaths well. She was quick to lose and slow to regain. Her pace dragged drastically. She did not use Fleet Foot as she was afraid her exhausted body would not be able to endure the further strain. The sounds of the hollow howls and silent steps were drawing nearer and nearer. Shivers once again ran down her spine. She caught only a brief nce at those translucent ghastly apparitions before she turned tail and ran. They were not of anything she had seen. She knew nothing but this enemy. It was not certain if their flesh could be harmed by magic or steel and Erin wasn¡¯t eager to find out. Mystic de would definitely cut them apart but she was in no state to fight. There was also the issue with her de. She wagered if she used Mystic de once more, her sabre would break under its strain. The tunnel stretched without an end in sight. There was no marking of any sort to mark her trail. If there had been turns and corners, she would have found herself in a maze but thankfully, it was a straight path, leading her to nowhere. Or so she thought. She ran without heed. Her mind was on her pursuers and the likelihood should her legs fail to carry her any longer. Her sole trod on emptiness. Her mind red with rms. She lurched forward to grab the ledge. She managed but only for a moment before her hand slid off the smooth unmarred ice. She tried using her sword to slow her abrupt descent but there was no ample space for her arm to stretch or to wind her sword. Sheid the edge against the wall in hopes of slowing her fall even if it was only by the slightest. When her de could only shave the ice, she wrapped herself in her tails and caged herself in the walls of Arcane Aegis. The end of her descent was less harsh than she prepared herself for. She crashed throughyers of thin frail ice before hitting the ground. The thin ice broke her fall and she felt next to no force surging into her muscles as shended. She unwrapped herself and bared her sword around her. Her eyes darted all around her. She scoured the new room she had fallen into. In a corner, a white-furred creature sat straight and nced over its shoulder. Their eyes met and a curse left Erin¡¯s lips. The white creature, a Frost Troll, leapt to its feet, dropping the bone it was gnawing on. It jumped and smacked its chest repeatedly at Erin¡¯s presence. Erin let her sword hover below her waist and she took a step back. The Frost Troll howled and charged at her. She syed her hands and conjured an Arcane Aegis, allowing the Troll to smash its face against it. Blood sprayed from its face as it stumbled backwards, shrieking in pain and fury. Erin lunged at that moment. She hadn¡¯t the strength or stamina topete with the Frost Troll. If she wished to not reawaken her wretched resurrection spell, she knew she had to employ an array of devious means. She dispelled the shield and thrust her sword. The Frost Troll dodged at thest second and grabbed at the de. She veered her thrust and cut low across the Troll¡¯s reaching arm. The Frost Troll cried, clutching its wounded arm. Erin darted forward and shed horizontally. The Troll bared its teeth and trapped the de with its jaws. Erin released the hilt from her grip and conjured lightning into her hands. The Frost Troll feasted its eyes and released the sword from its mouth but lightning travelled faster than its plump legs. The Troll went tumbling across the snow as a bolt of lightning hit it square on its chest. Erin flung the sword back into her grip with a light kick. The Frost Troll climbed to its feet in a flurry. It smashed and dug the walls beside it, scooping chunks of rocks into its hands. It tossed them towards Erin, who fell half with Arcane Edge and dodged the rest. She threw an Aura Shot in retaliation but the Frost Troll moved faster than its weight suggested. Erin cursed silently under her breath. The Frost flung snow and stones at her as it charged. Even in her weariness, the snow grazed her skin and the stones hit only the air and ground. The Frost Troll pounced when it saw its attack to be futile. Erin deflected its pounce with Arcane Aegis and cut high at its throat. The Frost Troll pushed itself from the aegis and avoided the slitting of its throat. Erin pressed forward with her sword raised. The Frost Troll attempted a swipe but Erin outmatched its speed and drew a shallow cut across the back of its hand. It growled at the sight of its own blood. Erin lunged with a thrust. It battered the de away at the cost of its palm, slitting across the edge and blood gushing. Erin grinned and unleashed a series of strikes and shes on the Frost Troll. It hopped away from Erin¡¯s flurry and kicked up a patch of snow. She let the snow blind her eyes. She raised her guard to her left and the Frost Troll roared in confusion. Most probably it had thought Erin was like any other prey, the eyes were their only means of perception. Keeping her eyes closed, she strode forward with her sword swinging. The Frost Troll backed away further, fury filling its eyes. Erin stepped to the side and the Frost Trolls fist struck the snow-covered ground. Clouds of white glittering smoke were raised, blurring their sights. The Frost Trollshed wildly in front of it but Erin held her stance and her steps. Even with the smoke, she could still ¡°see¡± through the snow as clear as a cloudless sky with her ears. When the Troll found only the air with its feral swipes, it moved forward and swung its arms in a whirl. Erin stepped silently to the side, out of the Frost Troll¡¯s path. When the Troll turned around, she moved around it. When it spun to the other side, she once again moved out of its sight. It swipe the falling clouds of snow and she hid in the smoke as long as the snow drifted. When the snow settled and all was revealed in the Frost Troll¡¯s eyes, she struck from where its eyes weren¡¯t. The Troll stirred at the cry of its bestial instinct, garnering only a cut across its left shoulder. It howled and swung in a wide arc but Erin was gone, leaving only the air for it to strike. A silver sh streaked through its outstretched arm and blood followed in a tendril. The Frost Troll screamed, stumbling on its feet. Erin nted her sword into the ground and leaned her weight on the hilt, gathering her breaths. Her muscles throbbed in agony,ining for a rest. The Frost Troll stumbled in its suffering and fell on its rear. Red sttered across the white patches. It hopped back up with rage burning in its re it was sending to Erin. It lunged at her with its jaws spanned wide open. Erin kicked her sword into her grip and shed into the air with a gentle step forward. The Frost Troll went limp in its lunge and dropped into the snow headless. Its head rolled until it hit a wall,nding on the stump. Its dead eyes stared at Erin in disbelief of its final moments. [Experience gained 11% - Level Progression: 55%] Erin snorted at her yield. It was paltry. The cavern was wrought with danger but the danger wasn¡¯t in the monsters that resided here. They were only part of the danger, a small portion. The danger was the cold and her exhaustion. The Frost Troll was only level twenty-one and it was unustomed to fighting against strong opponents. It had brawn but a brain too inadequate topensate what itcked and what it had. She looked up the hole she fell from. The horrifying sounds had ceased but Sixth Sense was telling her the danger was still atrge. A bell rang constantly in her head. Sometimes it was loud, sometimes it was low. Nevertheless, it rang for seeming perpetuity unless she cleansed the cavern of all menace. Her mind was already drained of its fortitude but she allowed it to ring. If it rang loud, a threat was near. As long as it rang like a disappearing afterthought, she let her body and mind rest. With the headless Troll a few feet away from her, she sat on her knees and ced her sword on herp. She let the stillness douse the mes that burned her limbs. Her serene mind pacified the storm raging in her head. Her respitested only for a quarter of an hour before she was pulled from her rest. She wrapped her hand around the hilt and opened her eyes. From the wall on the far side of the room, the ice jutted out a limb. More limbs followed in the protrusions. A head burst out of the encasing. The head wasrgely human but its ears were long and pointed and sticking close to the head. Its hands were ws and its legs bore talons in ce of toes. Its eyes were ck as a crow¡¯s feather and its skin was as pale as ice. There was no fog in its breath. The humanoid creature was as cold as it looked. A Frost Fiend, the Appraisal told Erin as such. It was level twenty-five, an easy opponent but only if its level was the consideration. Pressing on her sword hilt, she pushed herself to her feet. Shebed the walls with her gaze, looking out for any more Frost Fiend hiding underyers of ice. She saw none. The walls all look the same. In fact, not even the crust and crack in the ice could differentiate the walls. The likeness was too queer to not be ominous. The Frost Fiend growled and Erin¡¯s attention was reeled back to it. Its ws glowed the colours of winter and it plunged its arm into the ground. The bells roared in her head then. She dove into the heap of snow to her right as the ground protruded a trail of spikes her way. She quickly climbed to her feet and moved away from the wall as the Frost Fiend ced its hand on the frozen wall. Spikes erupted and trailed towards Erin. She rolled across the ground and bounded to her feet. She threw an Aura Shot but the Frost Fiend stomp the ground and raised a wall of ice to guard against the de¡¯s aura. The wall shattered with the Aura Shot and a bolt of lightning shed through the shallow smoke of ice. The Frost Fiend saw it toote and the bolt tossed it against the wall behind it. Before it could get up, Erin was a foot away from it. The Frost Fiend mmed its palm to the ground but its head hit the ground before its palm. [Experience gained 15% - Level Progression: 70%] Erin dropped to her knees. Her sword kept her from plunging entirely into the snow. Spatial Magic wasn¡¯t just Mana draining. It was even taxing to her mind. She felt as if all her brief respite was shaved off of her with just a single use of Warp. She would love nothing more than to close her eyes and sleep but the brethren of her fallen foe would y her in her slumber. The walls in the room stirred and limbs protruded from the iceyers. Frost Fiends emerged from their slumber. ¡°Fucking hell¡­¡± she cursed, panting. ¡°Just what is this ce?¡± 3-53 Forsaken Hall I 3-53 Forsaken Hall I Her stomach growled loudly and the vast room bounced the unruly noise around. Aside from the cries of her empty belly, only her ragged breaths filled the cold and deathly silence. The blood from her wounds had turned stiff and solid from the extreme chill of the air. She was pouring her whole weight onto her sword which she had stabbed into the snow, the only reason she remained on her feet. Before hery the carcass of the strange apparition creatures she had in. The pale freezing blood of her fallen foesced her cracked de. The cold had made her sword brittle but it was also her foes¡¯ freezing blood that was keeping her de whole. She snorted andughed weakly at the irony, the mistress of fate. She observed her level progression; Level: 38 Level Progression: 90% Remaining Skill Points: 8 Remaining Ability Points: 8 She had gained a level from the countless queer foes she slew. They yielded not a measly amount of experience and Erin felt deserving of it. She had braved a peril and slew them all at her weakest. Her foes were queer but that was all the advantage they had. Once they were no longer queer and unfamiliar to Erin, she made quick work of them. At the end of the day, they were mindless monsters. Theycked the craftiness of sapients. If her opponent had been humans, they would not have fought her but instead ran around until she exhausted herself. Only then would theye and finish her off. One of the merits of the cold was that her wounds bled only briefly before the blood turned into ice and essentially sealed her wounds. It was not ideal but she wasn¡¯t fond of searing her wounds shut with Lightning Magic. She didn¡¯t enjoy taking a rest in the cold even though rest was what she needed. She also needed to move to keep herself warm. It was a dilemma and she decided on taking a rest for now until she recovered enough to limp. Her limbs were no longer as heavy as they had but that wasn¡¯t a good thing. His limbs were light but in the sense that he started feeling less and less of them. She flexed her fingers and toes even as she sat and rested. The fur on her tails had also begun submitting to the cold. No longer were the fur fuzzy and warm but stiff and cold. She moved her tails like banners dancing in the breeze. She let her eyes close but not her mind. She kept her mind awake. The sounds of other creatures lurked near. As the tunnels and caves were cast and empty for the most part, it was hard to tell where the sounds and noises came from. The cold still air touched her skin. Gradually, patches of ice formed on the parts of her body that were bare to the freezing cold. She melted those ice with Lightning Magic. A waste of Mana but with Mana Harvest, she was never short on it though it was still a finite endeavour. As she rested, she once again called upon the Spirits of this ce but once again, they shunned her calling. Frustrated and cold, she gave up invoking the foreign Spirits that refused to even humour her. To take her mind off the numbing and chilly pain spreading across her body, she busied herself with the points she had umted. Eight in total for two both skill and ability points. Without a moment¡¯s contemtion, she allocated all of her skill points into her newly acquired Spatial Magic. She had seen Aedan¡¯s proficiency with Spatial Magic. Much of his strength was suppressed but he could still do so much with it. Joy swept over her as she thought about the prospects of her Spatial Magic. However, her joy dwindled when she realized four points were consumed and Spatial Magic increased only by a single level. She halted herself from investing any more points into it. She was startled by the hefty cost but she wasn¡¯t bemused. It was only reasonable that one of the strongest and most versatile magic wouldn¡¯t be so easily acquired or mastered. As if to agree with Erin¡¯s assumption, a single piece of knowledge surged into her head and she winced. It had felt like a boulder being smashed into her brain when the knowledge came. Her head had never ached as it did before whenever she increased her Arcane Arts¡¯ levels. This was the first and it left her in wonder. She acquired a new piece of knowledge but even so, she could hardlyprehend it. She understood only the name, Spatial Sense but she could grasp its purpose. A skill that allows the user to grasp one¡¯s surrounding with precision. Such was the exnation given by Appraisal but it was much too vague. It read like an ability that belonged to the Innate Skills category but it wasn¡¯t. It was a spell under Spatial Magic and it consumed Mana upon activation. As she activated the spell, her vision whirled and she almost fell if she didn¡¯t have her sword to keep her bnce. She immediately dispelled Spatial Sense. ¡°Too much¡­¡± she muttered. Her breaths quickened just as they started to slow. She did indeed grasp her surroundings with precision but the exnation neglected how precise it would be. It was more precise than even her tempered mind could handle. If it was a mind of somemon folk, surely they would have died from the influx of details flooding into their brain. The copious details clumped in her brain just from a mere second of Spatial Sense. In response to her bulging mind, her wounds began throbbing harder than before. [Cold Resistance Lv. 1 - Acquired] Her eyes widened at the new Innate Skill she obtained. A godsend, to say the least, though she never believed in any of the gods, not even her own. She didn¡¯t know if she should feel grateful or wary. It all seemed too convenient but then again, she grasped her surroundings, she grasped her situation. ¡°Could this be a result of using Spatial Sense?¡± she asked herself but she didn¡¯t know how to answer. She could use Spatial Sense again but she decided against it. In her feeble state, she doubted her mind and body could handle any more strain. And she was in no state to argue what was presented before her. She poured all of her remaining skill points into Cold Resistance and instantly, she felt warmth returning to her. Her tails became soft and fluffy as they should be. Her lungs loosened their pipes to growing warmth. She could breathe normally again. Although the cold was still extreme, at least she could move without creaking her joints like cogwheels left unoiled for years. She allocated five points into Arcane and three points into Finesse. There was no reason for that decision. It just felt right to do so, or she simply couldn¡¯t be bothered any longer as warmth was returning and she wanted to bath in it without her mind being troubled. Erin allowed herself a quarter of an hour of rest and no more. She stood and readied herself when a quarter of an hour passed. The cold was still inhospitable but she could move with full function, she assuaged her despair with such reasoning. As the air was still and silent, her ears and nose couldn¡¯t serve her directions. She could only roll the dice of fate and pick a path at random. She decided upon a tunnel that seemed to lead upwards and surprisingly, steps were built into the slope, though she would still need to be cautious as the steps were ice and ice was slippery. The tunnel was narrow but she fancied the tightness. She stabbed her tails into the walls as an extra grip in assisting her ascent up the cold and slippery steps. ¡°Bloody hell,¡± she cursed as she climbed the steps that began to spiral some way through. Her breaths broke and she began gasping. Now it wasn¡¯t the cold that was the issue but her health. Her wounds pulsed with agony with every step. She was even drawing a drip of sweat down her temple. Her body burned with exhaustion and the cold wasn¡¯t helping. The respite was only a respite. Her strength was already declining halfway through the climb. She veered her thoughts from her exhaustion and wounds to the two most important people in her life, Lyra and Siv. She reminisced of their nights together. She recalled how warm and soft their touches were. She wrapped her arms around her shoulder and imagined it was them she was wrapping her arms around. She squeezed her upper arms as if to make Siv squeal. The Wolf-kin was daring but she was just as meek if the position was flipped. Lyra was the opposite. She loved being the dominant one but she was destined to be bottom. Whenever she tried to reign the bed, Erin flipped her over as easily as flipping pancakes, not that she had flipped pancakes before. She could almost hear theirughter but herpse of concentration caused her to slip. Fortunately, she merely dangled in the air as her tails prevented her from hitting the ground. She pped herself on the cheeks as a light reproach. The spiral steps went on forever or at least it felt like it. Erin had no way of telling how far or long she had climbed. The walls and steps looked the same no matter where she trod to, a pale blue amidst white hue. Her body felt hot and cold at the same time. The heat came from her exhaustion and the cold came from the ce she got herself lost in. She didn¡¯t where she was. All she knew was this was a mountain piled under inches of snow. Her greatest fear at the moment would be never finding the way out. She was high abovends but the inside of the mountain was like a dungeon. Every turn and corner led to nowhere. She would freak if these steps took her to a dead end. She imagined herself punching the wall until her fists bled and her body extorted of herst strength. As she contemted giving up and dug her way through the sides, the steps came to an end. The spiral steps brought her to a hall. It was no cavern but a hall, a set of artificial structures carved out of the naturally formed ice and rocks. Pirs of stoneced with ice stood tall and proud despite the corrosion brought by time and weather. The carpet that stretched throughout the hallway was buried deep in snow and stones. The walls were of the mountain itself but dug and carved to frame the hall that it presently was. But none of these grandeurs was the reason Erin held her breath abruptly. There was a battle, or battles, Erin couldn¡¯t tell the specific but a huge battle was fought here. That, she was certain of. The evidence was the corpses and carcasses strewn about the hallway but like everything in the womb of the mountain, it was frozen. Everything was swallowed by the cold. As a seasoned participant in battles, not even she couldprehend what kind of battle had taken ce. The fallen soldiers still had their banners up and there were four different sigils in total, four sides to this battle. Monsters were part of the deaths. Erin didn¡¯t know if the beasts were merely caught in the crossing of sides or were they employed by these people. Dread overwhelmed her as she stumbled further in and her Sixth Sense tolled in her head. She couldn¡¯t see where or what the threat was but it was there. She half-expected the corpses and carcass toe back to life but nothing terrible as that happened. ¡°Another plunderer of Lady Sephrodia¡¯s treasures?¡± a hollow voice resounded in the hall. Shivers crawled across her skin and down her spine. Erin shuddered and went into her battle stance, brandishing her de against an unseen enemy. ¡°Wait¡­ Sephrodia?¡± Erin mused to herself but she pondered only for a brief moment as her worries were set on the unseen foes. ¡°Greed is their bane¡­¡± said another voice, just as hollow. ¡°Their bane will be our honour and duty.¡± ¡°Honour and duty¡­¡± It was another hollow voice. ¡°Honour and duty, always,¡± came another hollow voice but this one had a deeper tone. ¡°I am no plunderer,¡± Erin said out loud. ¡°I¡¯m just trying to find my way out of here.¡± One of the voices chuckled. ¡°Same words, same promises. Empty meaning, all of them.¡± ¡°My words are true,¡± Erin asserted. ¡°I know nothing of this treasure you spoke of.¡± ¡°They all made the same promise but they brought their armies back.¡± ¡°Every time,¡± a voice affirmed. ¡°Every time.¡± ¡°Always.¡± ¡°Plunderers and liars. Mercy shall not be given.¡± ¡°No mercy,¡± the voice said in unison. Erin sighed. ¡°They never listen. They never do.¡± Erin resigned herself to another battle and gripped her hilt tightly. 3-54 Forsaken Hall II 3-54 Forsaken Hall II ¡°By the authority bestowed to me and my brethren by Her Grace, Lady Sephrodia, I hereby sentence you to die.¡± The word ¡°die¡± carried a heavy air along with it. None of the voices spoke for a second. Only the cold responded with its dry and freezing whisper. Erin tutted. ¡°Save your breaths, relics. Cease with the farce and get this over with.¡± She pivoted her sword and rolled her arms to loosen her stifling joints. ¡°Farce!?¡± one of the voices roared. ¡°You dare mock the righteous judgement of Her Grace, thief!?¡± ¡°I mock your judgement. I am no thief,¡± she chewed her words but spoke each of them clearly. ¡°Call me a murderer, humbug, arse, vixen, or anything else. But I will not allow myself to bebelled something I am not.¡± ¡°You deny being a thief? Then why are you here if not to plunder?¡± ¡°I lost my way during a fight. I don¡¯t even know this ce existed. Show me the path out of this forsaken ce and you will remain disturbed, on the honour of my race as a Fae.¡± Silent fell at Erin¡¯s pledge. Erin couldn¡¯t even hear a faint muttering. The deathly silence was as ufortable as the voices¡¯ usations. There was no face for her to gauge but the distrust in their tone was clear. She knew her promise would not be easily swallowed but she held on to hope. ¡°Do not be deceived, brothers!¡± boomed a voice, breaking the silence thatsted for around half a minute. ¡°Greed exists in all, Fae or not.¡± Erin rolled her eyes. She felt stupid for giving them the benefit of a doubt. ¡°But if we passed on the wrong judgement, Her Grace¡¯s honour will be forever sullied.¡± ¡°But Her Grace¡¯s final possessions will be safe. Lady Sephrodia is long dead. We¡¯re not here to defend her honour. We¡¯re here to defend her possessions and stay true to her wishes.¡± ¡°Lady Sephrodia will not smile upon us if we wronged a judgement. I fight for her smile. What of you, brothers?¡± ¡°The girl is a Fae. They are favoured by the Spirits. If they went back on their promises, they will earn the Spirits disfavour. I say the Fae speaks true.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a guarantee of truth, brother. If she speaks false, we stand to lose everything we have wrought.¡± ¡°Hear,¡± a pack of voices trembled in agreement. ¡°We will be condemning an innocent.¡± ¡°Our history of intruders are all liars and deceivers. The risk is far too great if she walks free. If another armyes, it will berger and we won¡¯t be able to protect the vault. I¡¯m sorry, brother, but I say she dies.¡± ¡°She dies,¡± the pack of voices uttered. ¡°...Very well,¡± the refuting voice resigned. ¡°She dies¡­¡± ¡°Finally,¡± Erin groaned, stretching her neck. ¡°I have always hated a trial. Too little integrity and far too much pretence.¡± ¡°Think what you will of us, Fae. Our Lady¡¯sst wishes take precedence.¡± The hall trembled and the pirs glowed. Glitters fell and gathered in the centre of the hall, forming a circle of incantation. The inscription of runes was unfamiliar to Erin but she didn¡¯t think it would be something amicable. The circle conjured a portal and from the portal, a figure walked out in a strut. The figure bore much resemnce to a human but its skin was pale blue and so were its eyes. Its snow-white hair draped down to its waist. It stood over seven feet with brawns honed to suit its body. It wore only a loincloth that spanned to its knees. ¡°Ice Golem?¡± Erin muttered at the Appraisal¡¯s result. The being before was no human at all nor a sapient. A simple familiar created solely to serve its masters. It was tailored to its masters¡¯ preference, hence its appearance. Another portal formed just in front of the Ice Golem. The portal was small, twice the size of Erin¡¯s palm. A pole protruded out and the Ice Golem grabbed it, drawing it out of the portals as if it was unsheathing its weapon. A sword was attached to one end of the pole. It was a ive, as long as the wielder¡¯s height. The de itself was a vivid blue and it gave off a glint of ice and snow. ¡°Kill her,¡± one of the voices spoke in a tone as cold as the hall was. ¡°This is pathetic,¡± Erin spat and moved herself directly in front of the Ice Golem before it could enter a stance. She heard the voices gasped at the usage of Warp. Enveloping her edge with Mystic de, she shed upwards without a shred of hesitation. Another silence fell and this onested shorter. The silence broke as the Golem¡¯s hands slid off its wrists. [Experience gained +30% - Level Progression: 120%] Erin snorted with augh. The Ice Golem was level forty-six. The experience yielded denoted the Golem to be a formidable opponent, or it would have been one. Erin¡¯s impatience gave her a dull but instantaneous and safe victory. [Erynthea: Level 38 increased to Level 39] [Skill Points gained +2 | 2] [Ability Points gained +2 | 2] [Level Progression: 20%] ¡°Impossible!¡± one of the voices thundered. ¡°Absurd!¡± Erin copsed to one knee and felt heat rising in her body. ¡°There,¡± she said. ¡°Now I am truly what you all used me to be.¡± The de of her sabre shattered, then. She was surprised over her de¡¯s ruination but over the fact, the dested longer than she had anticipated. ¡°You served me well,¡± she whispered to her sabre and stuffed the hilt inside of her holster belt, or what was left of one. The rest of the Ice Golem¡¯s body followed. It copsed into two halves, split vertically from the loins to the crown. The halves fell onto opposite sides. It shattered like ss upon hitting the ground. The ive also fell but Erin caught it with both of her hands. Gripping the pole firmly, she swung the ive around and overhead. It was heavier than the sabre but not too heavy to disrupt her bnce. The handle was cold but warmer than the air she was basking in. ¡°This absurd!¡± the voice yelled, louder than before. ¡°That Golem was crafted out of Queen¡¯s cial. Not even Obsidian Steel edge would be able to give such a clean cut. What sort of trickery did you use?!¡± ¡°Am I obligated to answer that?¡± Erin retorted. She tried casting Mystic de on the ive but it shuddered in her hands and she immediately dispelled it. A poor match for her ultimate trick, it would seem but at least she had a weapon. ¡°What are you?¡± asked a voice. ¡°Just a traveller who got lost. Now, will you allow me safe passage or do you have another champion you wish to send to me?¡± Their response did note immediately. They saw what she was capable and they were currently doubting if any of their champions would prevail. Truth to be told, Erin could not use Mystic de without a proper medium and the ive was not one. And neither could she use another Warp if she wish to conserve Mana but she kept that part to herself and let the relics wallow in anguish over a wrongly preconceived notion. ¡°Very well. The deceiver invites her own demise and who are we to deny her request?¡± Gone was the dutiful voice. The speaker became a voice of personal pleasure. They were in chagrin and Erin could smell their indignation. ¡°If she kills the rest too, we will be absolutely defenceless.¡± ¡°Nonsense, she could not,¡± a voice said. ¡°Whatever trick or spell she used, the Mana expenditure is bound to be costly for such an effect. Unless she¡¯s a fool, she would not use them again.¡± Erin clicked her tongue. Her feint crumbled before it even began. There was a general consensus and understanding among the voices. Erin could almost hear them nodding. ¡°Bring forth the next executioner!¡± a voice bellowed. The pirs lit up in dazzling radiance and the glitters drop to the ground, forming another circle of incantation. The same portal was conjured and the same foe strode out of the whirling, glittering darkness. An Ice Golem with shorter hair, neck-length, and a sword half a head shorter than the wielder. Erin shot a Lightning Bolt at the snow below the Ice Golem¡¯s feet, raising it into murky clouds of white and grey. The Ice Golem swung its sword with a single hand and the smoke was cleared. Erin was already within range and she thrust the ive out. The Ice Golem parried the ive and cut low. Erin flipped over therge de and threw a stab as she turned in the air. The de of the ive graze the Golem¡¯s cheek and blue goo oozed out. [Spear Art Lv. 1 - Acquired.] There was no anger or pain in the Golem¡¯s eyes. It wasn¡¯t bothered by the shallow wound it received. It responded as naturally as a level-headed fighter would. The Golem raised its sword from the low cut it performed and hacked down with all its strength behind it. Erin sidestepped the strike and buried the ive head into the Golem¡¯s ribs; if it even had ribs. However, she drew a cut and her thrust slid off the Golem¡¯s flesh. The Golem lurched and scooped a hand at her. A double-ded spear, born of lightning, appeared in her other hand. She fended the arm off with Storm ive. The lightning ive bounced off the Golem¡¯s flesh but so did the Golem¡¯s arm. She quickly retreated before the Golem could grab her in its next attempt. She dispelled the Storm ive after cursing for its ineffectiveness but she quickly reprimanded herself for scolding something inanimate. The Golem followed in her steps, quite literally. It brought its sword up and swung down. Erin spun to the side and ram the ive into its neck but the result was the same. The head grazed the skin but failed to pierce into the flesh. The Golem swung to the side. Erin flipped backwards and avoided being sliced from the loin to the crown-like thest Golem. ¡°Damn it!¡± she muttered, panting. The current Ice Golem was only level forty, a single level higher than her. It shouldn¡¯t have been a problem but she was tired and hungry. Every step made felt like a needle sticking into her nerves. Her arms were akin to rusted levers grinding against rusted cogwheels. The Ice Golem lunged without a hint. Erin parried a blow and her hands shook with numbness from that parry. The Golem swung again and she twirled out of the de¡¯s path. She returned with a jab but the Golem punched the head away with its fist. It retaliated by shing wide. Erin dodged the fatal cut with a nt. She countered with another thrust that proved as futile as before. Erin kept her distance but the Golem took only a single step at it had covered three of hers. The Golem unleashed a flurry and Erin dodged all the strikes and shes without obtaining a single scratch but her muscles screamed in despair over her exhaustion. She refrained from swinging the ive and shifted to spells but the Golem did not give her window to cast any major spells. All she could manage was the feeble Lightning Bolt that the Golem could just batter it away with its bare hands. The longer she fought, the slower she became. It was the Ashen Knight and the Wight all over again. Helpless as ever. No matter how far she came, her foes kept pushing her back. It was as if she had not grown at all. Soon, she found herself at the mercy of the Golem who was mming its sword against her guard as if it was pounding a dented metal back into form. The Golem was not aplete durd. Realizing its futility in its repetitive action, it swung sideways and flung the ive from Erin¡¯s hands. She fell back but the Golem chased and swung. She sidestepped a blow but the next came quick. She spun away but the Golem followed her with a thrust. She was about to twist herself out of the thrust when she decided to stand and take the thrust. She tutted and let the sword carve into her waist but she held it from carving into her organs by grasping the de with her bare hand. She reached for her deless sabre hilt. She drew it out of her belt. ¡°Never again,¡± she vowed to herself. She gripped the de tighter and cast Spatial Sense. The pain she felt tripled and she screamed but she did not let the de go. Lightning spilt from her hand, drifting across the deless hilt. The lightning caught the queer Spirits in the air. Crystal began forming and gathering. She thought of the sabre she had just lost, a gift from Aedan, a de of silver steel. A de that could withstand the strain of Mystic de. The lightning roared and a de of thundering crystal shaped into a de that fitted snugly into the hilt. ¡°Obey me!¡± she shouted. The room trembled for a brief moment. The Spirits seemed to cry and rushed towards her. They heeded her call. The coarse de shed the rough bumps and edges off the de, leaving a smooth and gleaming surface of silver and cyan. And she swung, bringing the de forged of lightning, ice, and Spirits around a wide arc. And she dispelled Spatial Sense, dropping to both of her knees. The de exploded into millions of tiny crystals that became glitters of the air. And the Golem¡¯s head slid off its neck and the body dropped to its knee in front of Erin and in the same manner. [Experience gained +25% - Level Progression: 45%] [Unique Talent: Bespoke Lv. Ex - Acquired] 3-55 Bespoke 3-55 Bespoke Erynthea grinned. The air seemed to quiver and whimper. She snickered and the air rippled faintly to her fancy. She weakly reached out her hand a pale blue of glowing snow enveloped her arm. She wriggled her arm and the pale bluish glitter dispersed. She twisted her arm, not enough to hurt, and the glowing motes whirled with it. She clenched her hand into a fist and the gleaming slivers converged at her hand. ¡°S-she¡­ she wills the Exalted Spirits!¡± a voice eximed. ¡°Exalted Spirits?¡± Erin mumbled in her heart. ¡°Is that why these Spirits were so heedless of my call?¡± Another pile of questions brimmed in her mind but no answers to meet them. ¡°Impossible!¡± ¡°Uneptable!¡± ¡°This must be a ruse. She¡¯s not even half a millennial old. This is absurd!¡± The voice began mouring at one another. Their confusion and grievance bounced across and between the four walls that marked the confines of the hall. The voices were mostly expressing their disbelief over Erin¡¯s control of the so-called Exalted Spirits. She herself couldn¡¯t understand the gravity of the absurdity and she couldn¡¯t care less. She wanted to rest. She wanted to rid herself of this ce. Everything else was secondary. Erin syed open her palm as the voices continued with their debate and discord. The Exalted Spirits gathered at her palm and shaped themselves into a sword that greatly resembled the silver steel sabre Erin had lost but only in its outline. The sword was as white as the snow with a few sprinkles of pale blue. The de and hilt were moulded of magic but it felt steel through and through to her touch. She sliced the air around her, testing its weight and bnce. Everything felt attuned to her instincts and mastery. ¡°So this is Bespoke,¡± she mused. Truly a bespoke, the finest. The cost was even negligible but not non-existent. As long as there were Spirits, she could use Bespoke. She tried conjuring an armour but only her head ached and her nerves throbbed all for naught. Erin braced her body and mind as she cast Spatial Sense and Life Sense at the same instance. Both of the spells went off. She shuddered from the influx of information but she withstood it by bitting down her lips and gripping her sword tightly. She felt the most at ease with a sword in hand, especially one that she was familiar with. The sword may be spell-forged but it felt as if she had held it for her whole life. The pirs that were aligned abreast and parallel to one another reacted to her Life Sense. ¡°Nowhere left to hide,¡± she muttered and threw an Aura Shot at the pir closest to her. The pir ruptured and a burst of light exploded from within, leaving nought in its destruction. She heard a brief gag that resembled a throe of death and then there was silence after a heap of gasps. ¡°Let me out now or I will destroy everyst one of you.¡± ¡°Unleash them all¡­¡± said a voice. ¡°What? If we do that and she kills them all, the vault will be left unguarded!¡± ¡°We will perish if we don¡¯t unleash them all!¡± the voice began to shout. Erin chuckled and threw another Aura Shot. Another pir exploded and crumbled into a pile of debris. ¡°Bickerter.¡± ¡°Destroy us all and you¡¯ll never find your way out!¡± a voice screamed. Erin stared at one of the pirs and cut it down with Aura Shot. Another pir came falling apart into two and into eight upon hitting the solid ground underneath the snow. ¡°I¡¯ll take my chances. Better than leaving the bunch of you ancient farts alive. Well, I don¡¯t even know if you lot can be counted as the living.¡± ¡°Impudent. Such impudence from a Fae!¡± ¡°Are there no end to hypocrites?¡± Erinughed. ¡°I supposed I¡¯m not one to criticize.¡± ¡°This vixen¡­! Brothers, unleash them all!¡± ¡°Unleash them all,¡± all the voices shouted in unison. This time, ten circles of incantation were conjured but Erin did not let the spells take their course as they were. She augmented her feet with Fleet Foot and amplified her speed further with Lightning d. She cut the pirs within the reach of her spell sword. Aura Shots destroyed those that were beyond the point of her sword. When the circles had invoked their champions, there were only three; a Frost Golem, a Dire Serk, and a Ruinous Troll. The Troll stood over ten feet but appeared to be the least threatening of all. It was level forty, three levels below its peers. Its height was its sole imposing factor but it lugged in its movement. It was too heavy to even lift its own limbs. ¡°You shall be the first to fall,¡± Erin dered in a low voice and charged, raising her sword in one hand and preparing a spell in the other. The Golem lunged first and the Serk followed. The Ruinous Troll tottered behind. The Frost Golem wielded a mace with the ball as big as its head. The Dire Serk quickly surpassed the Golem¡¯s speed and took the charge. It snarled with its jaws spanned. Its eyes spoke its ferocity and hunger. The Golem readied its mace. Erin smirked and greeted the two with Lightning Barrage. A flurry of thunder strikes beset the Golem and the Serk, and Erin leapt over them as the lightning kept them upied. She headed towards the lumbering Troll. The Ruinous Troll¡¯s eyes turned red and in a flicker, it disappeared. In actuality, it didn¡¯t. It simply moved too fast, leaving an empty shadow for those who were too slow to perceive. Erin saw an empty shadow but her Sixth Sense had told her of the danger. She surrounded herself in Storm Shell and d her sword in Arcane Edge and lightning. Her world spun as the Ruinous Troll rammed itself into her spell barrier. She tumbled head over heels in the shell but she held her stance and waited. The Thunder Shell repelled the force back onto the Troll. She heard it stumbling and roaring from the counter. She shed without sight of the Troll. Her de caught flesh and she smelled the waft of blood. She spun tond on her feet, assessing the damage she inflicted. Her sword cut the Troll¡¯s left shoulder and it went beyond its flesh. Blood was spurting. The Troll groaned and red. It huffed and puffed with white painting its breath. Its veins plunged through its skin. The Troll was in a lot of pain but the summoner¡¯smands took precedence. It growled and lunged with its wound gushing red. Erin hung her sword low and horizontally as the Troll disappeared from her sight. Lightning crackled. The breeze split. A streak of white screeched in flesh and metal. Blood sttered and a shattering cry erupted. The Troll tumbled to the ground but its feet were left nted on the snowy ground. The Ruinous Troll crawled as it growled in agony but Erin gave it mercy and ended its misery with a thrust through its head. [Experience gained +25% - Level Progression: 70%] She managed a snort as her exhaustion once again beckoned for her to resign herself to her fate. Adrenaline could only do so much and her will, while strong, wasn¡¯t unbreakable. Sooner orter, her body would give and she remained vulnerable to her foes and the elements. Fatigue tangled her body with its vines and tugged at her every move. ¡°Finish her!¡± a voice roared. ¡°She¡¯s weak! End her now!¡± Erin was already preparing another spell. The Dire Serk and the Frost Golem spurred into action as the lightning strikes faded. The Dire Serk reached Erin first and she parried its fangs and ws. She electrocuted herself to dissipate the numbing aftershock of the sh. She then threw a Lightning Spear at the approaching Frost Golem. It held up its mace to guard against the spell but it was thrown off its feet and flew across the hall. Erin spun around and repelled a swipe from the Serk. The Dire Serk pounced and Erin slid under. She dispelled her sword to make room for the narrow manoeuvring. She ced her hand on the underside of the Serk and summoned her sword back into her hand. A deafening shriek resounded from the Dire Serk as Erin open it up from its throat to its loins. Guts and blood spilt like a rushing river reaching the end of its flow. She was showered in the pungent gruel but as it was warm, she didn¡¯t mind it too much. [Experience gained +30% - Level Progression: 100%] [Erynthea: Level 39 increased to Level 40] [Skill Points gained +2 | 4] [Ability Points gained +2 | 4] [Level Progression: 0%] Erin allowed herself a passing moment of respite but it ended quicker than she expected. She spun around just in time to parried the mace aiming for her head. She stumbled but the Frost Golem didn¡¯t. It brought around the mace and threw another swing at Erin. She hopped away as the mace dug into the ground like a streak of thunder descended. She retaliated but the Golem hefted its mace up from the ground without drawing a breath. Erin nted her sword but she was still sent soaring. Her feet found the ceiling before her head. Kicking off the ceiling, shended near-gracefully back on the ground. The Frost Golem was already on her, its mace swerving in an arc. She twisted aside and let the mace whip past under her arms. She mended her bearings and brought her sword down from overhead. The Golem hauled itself back but Erin kept herself close. The Golem snapped back its mace but Erin trampled on the macehead, wedging it into the ground and snow. Silver and blue streaked across the air. The Golem¡¯s right arm came tumbling off its shoulder. The Frost Golem shrilled in absolute terror and scuttled away from Erin. She scoffed andughed derisively at her foe. The distinction between her sane state and her Lust Deviant state was narrowing. Lust Deviant was still sitting idly by but she moved and whirled as if she was taken by a lust for blood and glory. For every cut she drew, her exhaustion was forgotten for a cursory instance. To think she had struggled so much for thesest two months. How could she ever hope to reim her title if she couldn¡¯t withstand this kind of trial? ¡°I am weak,¡± she said to herself. ¡°I am bloody weak.¡± She pointed at the Golem with her sword. ¡°But you are weaker¡­ Disappointingly so.¡± The Frost Golem held its remaining arm up as a sign of surrender but Erin chortled out loud at its pleas. Sheughed andughed until the Golem lunged with a contorted expression that was filled with indignation. Erin went low and sprang to the air in a flip. She spun over the lunging Frost Golem andnded on her toes of a single foot. Her other feet hung low in the air. The Golem split apart from the head to the loins and crumbled just as fragile as the pirs. [Experience gained +30% - Level Progression: 30%] Erin turned her red to the remaining pirs. There were three. ¡°W-wait! Wait!¡± one of the voices entreated. ¡°We¡¯ll tell you the way out. Just leave us be!¡± The other two voices assented with hums as if they were nodding. Erin eyed the pirs for a while before dispelling her sword but she conjured lightning in her other hand. ¡°Talk,¡± she said. The lightning in her hand grew with a searing screech. ¡°It¡¯s at the end of the hall. The doors lead to the vault. At the far end of the vault, there¡¯s another door, the stairs within lead to the surface.¡± ¡°Do they now?¡± she questioned. The lightning swallowed her hand and continued to grow. ¡°They do!¡± a voice answered hastily. Erin shrugged and threw the lightning in her hand at one of the pirs. The pir exploded into pieces and clouds of smoke. ¡°Liar,¡± she uttered. Of course, she couldn¡¯t if they were lying from their non-existent heartbeat but she didn¡¯t doubt their foolish attempt at fooling her. ¡°We¡¯re sorry!¡± cried a voice. ¡°The exit is in the vault but it¡¯s under a red carpet embroidered with silver fringes.¡± ¡°Why would a carpet have silver fringes?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know! But it¡¯s the truth! There¡¯s a trapdoor underneath, a tunnel leading to a cliff on the mountainside. I swear on the good name of Lady Sephrodia.¡± ¡°Good name¡­¡± Erin spat. ¡°Please, leave us alone. We don¡¯t want trouble.¡± ¡°Neither did I but you didn¡¯t care, not until you¡¯re at your wits¡¯ end.¡± ¡°P-please, let us¡ª¡± Erin pierced the pirs with her re and sent two Aura Shots at the remaining pirs, slicing them apart and they copse into debris. The hall lost its light and dimmed but Erin bore no worries for it as she didn¡¯t even realize the hall was brightened with a spell as her Night Vision did not distinguish the difference well. [Experience gained +10% - Level Progression: 40%] She simpered at the experience gained. It was as meagre as they were. Wiping herself of the guts hanging on to her and cleansing herself with Spirit Mend as much as she could, she ambled with a limp towards the doors at the end of the hall. 3-56 Repose 3-56 Repose The Vault the voices had been speaking of was a white room spanning ny yards from end to finish, littered junks and treasures alike all the way. It was quite vast with a width of around thirteen yards. The murals on the walls were the source of the room¡¯s light which seemed to shine through objects despite the walls being buried under the junks and treasures. To Erin, the Vault wasn¡¯t a storage of someone¡¯s articles but a sanctuary that weed her presence like a mother¡¯s open arms awaiting her child. Warmth permeated the room. All the cold from ice and snow were expelled from her body and left behind at the doorway. Her Sixth Sense went to sleep the moment she stepped foot into the Vault as if to tell her there was nothing she needed be wary of in the room. There was a chandelier hanging in the middle of the room, exuding warmth from the red crystals lodged in the stead of candles. A smile of sincerity and relief touched her lip. The dragging of her weight returned to her. Every part of her body felt heavy. She doddered across the room, passing by trinkets and objects of various ages and merits, but she gave them all only a glimpse and they were gone from her mind she passed them. There was a sofa wide enough to fit up to ten and a chair with a seat that could be rotated on the axel pole fitted underneath. There was a pile of weapons in an opened chest but a nce told Erin enough of the weapons¡¯ quality and state. It was forged of good metal and by great smiths but time had imed its due. The edges were dull. The des were frail. The hilts were loose. Gems and pieces of jewellery were among the heaps of trinkets but sparkling stones were of little use to her current state. Moreover, she doubted she could sell any of them without being questioned and she didn¡¯t trust the ck dealers. She would be putting a mark on herself should she give in to a transient moment of greed. Still, the room was utterly filled to the point the walls and floors were barely visible. She wasn¡¯t even treading the floor but an array of stuff that Erin couldn¡¯t be bothered with giving them a second look. She was wading through them all like she was crossing a waist-deep river. She stumbled her way to a spread of nkets and quilts on the ground. She tore off her ragged clothes down to her bare skin. Exhaustion washed over her onest time before she finally gave in and copsed into the nkets and quilts. She revelled with a sigh and rolled herself in the nkets and covered herself with the quilts. She knew Lyra and Siv would be waiting for her but she would have them wait longer. Her body had faced enough strain and it was nigh time she gave herself some well-deserved rest. It was long before sleep imed her mind as soon as she shut her eyes. Her dream came and went, and she was awake before she couldprehend her fleeting and cursory dream. A few minutes went by in her head but it was longer than that. She knew due to her stiff and sore limbs as she tried to move and untangled herself from the nkets. Somehow, she had ravelled herself with the nkets. She wondered how many times she tossed and turned in her sleep for her to end up in such a state. She yawned and stretched her arms. She nced around. Everything was as they were when she fell asleep. Not a thing was amiss. She shed the nkets from her body and rose from the quilts she had slept on. The breeze brushed by her and she shivered. She then remembered she was in her birthday suit. She meandered around the room, searching for any garments that fit her body. Garbs and robes were plenty but it was always too bulky or too ostentatious, neither were great forbat as one was prone to the slightest mishaps and the other was much too bright to hide any feints or ruse. There were also plenty of metal armour suits scattered about but she was never one for metal armour as they greatly hinder herbat prowess and were ill-suited for her form, especially now she employed a form that utilized a wide range of movement with her lithe body using the minimal amount of strength. When her search bore no fruit after half an hour, she decided to rummage through the piles instead of just skimming the surfaces. However, in doing so, moving a single object from its ce would sometimes cause the copse of other piles in session. Sometimes she was even buried underneath all the junks and treasures. After an hour of waddling and rummaging, her most promising find was a steel chest embroidered with gold frames and ornaments. What made it promising was the hem of a garb sticking out the slit between the cover and the trunk. There was a padlock bolting the chest shut. Erin considered destroying it with magic. She lessened her measure to just slicing the padlock off upon realizing magic would be overdoing her attempt. But before she could pick a measure, she noticed how loose thetch was and with a soft pull, the padlock came right off the opening. She shrugged, tossing the padlock aside, and flung open the chest. Dust erupted in faint and small clouds. Erin fanned the dust clouds away with her tails. ¡°By the Spirits¡­¡± she gasped as she gazed upon the chest¡¯s contents. It was a pile of dresses and robes that one would wear to ballroom ceremonies and parties. The garments were just as ostentatious as the others but it was the fabric that hooked Erin¡¯s interest. She scooped one into her hands and caressed the garb¡¯s texture with her fingers. It was silk but unlike any silk that she knew. She tried tearing it but her strength failed her. She cut the fabric using the corner of the chest the silk remained as smooth and whole as ever. Her Appraisal skill did not tell her much save for the fact that it was silk of excellent quality and spell-woven by a seamstress cum mage. She sifted through the chest and each of the robes and dresses was woven of the same fabric and by the same seamstress. Her only notable disappointment was that the garbs were all women¡¯s articles. But this was a supposed storage room that belonged to a woman after all. Time was lost to Erin as she sorted the robes and dresses by her fondness and preferences. She picked the ones with the palest colours and possessed the least adornment. She would dly wear them but the sleeves were bby and the skirts were draping loosely on the ground. It would not do inbat, that was in to see. These garbs were the best ones at hand and she didn¡¯t like the idea of meeting Lyra and Siv in nude, though Lyra wouldn¡¯t have objected if she did. After some thought and discarding some wild ideas, she decided to fit the right garb herself. Erin conjured a sword with Bespoke and began slicing and splicing the dresses and robes to fit her preferences. She knew nothing about embroidery or proper needlecraft but she had sewn clothes before. In her past life, she would spend most of the nights in forests and it was up to herself to mend her own clothes, pouches, and waterskins. But of course, her experience with needlework was significantly less delicate than the crafts practised by maidens and crones. Still, she was delicate enough to not make the oue of her own tailoring hideous. A good hour was spent in the work and the result was something she didn¡¯t expect. It had turned out better than she anticipated. For the top, she had cut off the sleeves and skirts of a white dress embroidered with fading pink flowers, turning into a sleeveless tunic with the hem just above her knees. The frills of the dress were also removed, giving the makeshift tunic a in but refined appearance. However, the elegance was cast off the moment she donned a torso armour of dark boiled leather. Apparently, the leather was harvested from a monster known as a Stygian Boar. Their hide was tougher than iron and nearly as tough as steel but half as thick, making it ideal to be worn underneath clothing. Though by a twist of irony, their hide became highly sought-after due to their dashing, bleak colour. Surprisingly enough, she couldn¡¯t find bracers or greaves crafted out of boiled leather, only metal. So she forewent those armour parts. Erin wore a grey robe over the tunic and armour. The robe wasrgely untouched but there were still some adjustments. She had made a slit on both sides from the waist forth down until the end. Although revealing, it allowed some room for her movements. The frills and embellishments were also removed entirely from the robe. She fashioned a sash from a violet robe and tied it around her waist to avoid giving the robe a bby appearance. Of the same cut but different streak, she wrapped the sash around her bosom. She wondered if there was a way to reduce their size but strangely enough, she found herself appalled by that thought. Lyra enjoyed fondling them and Erin herself was quite fond of them too. She had been secretly fondling them whenever she was washing her body, though she suspected Siv and Lyra might have known and were just ying dumb to save her from the embarrassment. The pair of mounds were just too irresistible and they felt so soft and supple in her hands but it had been days since she wasst able to wash her body. The adjustments made were simple enough but it was the fabric¡¯s tenacity that dragged out the process. She had initially tried cutting them with the des scattered about in the room but even the sharpest proved to be a task. Eventually, she used the sharpest de she could find and d it in Arcane Edge to cut the fabric. As Arcane Edge increased the de¡¯s sharpness and destructiveness by a few folds, she needed to be even more delicate than she was used to but still less delicate than proper weaving. Needles presented another problem. There were plenty of needles of various shapes and sizes but like the des, none could cut the fabric without the use of Arcane Edge. As needles were small and thin, Erin needed to be delicate with the amount of Mana she poured into them, else wise the needles would explode from over-infusing. It was a shame she didn¡¯t have a mirror to see herself in this fine garb she had fitted from herself. She was sure she could find one if she looked deeper into the piles but that wasn¡¯t her priority. She would have many opportunities to look herself in the mirror after she got herself out of this forsaken ce. Moreover, she was hungry. The sooner she was rid of this ce, the sooner she could fill her belly. It was one of the greatest disappointments of the Vault. There was nothing edible. The things that were closest to being edible were the leather boots she found buried underneath a pile of sleeping gowns. It was an odd cement for boots but she didn¡¯t question it further aside from the asional wondering. But to her better judgement, she settled only merely wearing them. Finding the carpet wasn¡¯t difficult as it epassed a tenth of the room¡¯s floor. Lifting the carpet up was the difficulty here but ultimately, she managed after a quarter of an hour, clearing and moving the junks and treasures aside. Just like the voice had told her, there was a trapdoor underneath but the trapdoor wasn¡¯t what she imagined. It was a third of the carpet¡¯s width and breadth, wide enough to fit six people at once. The door was some old wood, so opening it wasn¡¯t difficult but keeping it open was. After affirming there was no danger under the door and the fall was short, she flung open the trapdoor and hopped into the darkness below before the door came falling shut with a loud ngour of wood and stone. 3-57 Out of the cold 3-57 Out of the cold The cold returned as Erin set foot into the tunnel below the vault. The warming spell ended at the trapdoor. The tunnel belonged to the unforgiving climate of the mountain caverns. However, the cold no longer pricked her skin like a thousand sizzling hot needles. The cold couldn¡¯t be said to beforting but it was no longer freezing. With that feeling, Erin crossed the tunnel with a lightened heart. The onlyints she had from her body was her empty belly, growling louder and louder with every passing minute. In her past life, she would often go for days without food and her body gradually became ustomed to the abuse. But this wasn¡¯t the body of Argon Raze. She was Erynthea now, a Fox-kin. This new body of hers was still from being tempered. She wondered how long would it take for this body to be as tempered as she once was as Argon Raze. Erin was pulled out of her thoughts when a ssh of chill hit her face. She looked ahead and saw light spilling into the tunnel. It was the exit. The lights filled her beaming eyes and she broke off into a sprint. The ground was buried in snow of two inches deep, so it was impossible for her to slip. She ran with her eyes fixed on the light ahead. A smile crept unknowingly to her lips. She ran and ran. Her belly growled even louder but theint didn¡¯t even reach her sensitive ears. The run had been short but it felt like an eternity when she reached the exit. She plunged into the radiance, mixed of warm and cold swallowed her. She was out. She was finally out of the caverns and she burst into a guffaw of relief and various other emotions. Erin looked around her new environment. The sun was still shining brightly in the sky but not for long. She ended up on a cliff, a small one. The cliff was around the midpoint of the mountain''s height but there was still a long way down. Erin had half a mind to just toss her off this cliff and let Revenant revive when she hit the ground. She immediately banished that idea from her head. Her hunger was starting to mess with her thoughts. The cliff spanned only a quarter of a mile, or she estimated. The storm was milder but nevertheless, the winds still blew strong. At the very least, she could see what was in front of her. And her eyes turned wide. She saw figures in front of her. They were still silhouettes, masqued by the mellow blizzard. Although, she recognized two of the silhouettes. After all, those two silhouettes were always in her sight, rarely out of it. From the depths of consciousness, she streaked through the falling snow and hazing chill. ¡°Erin!¡± Lyra eximed. ¡°I knew it was you!¡± ¡°Mistress,¡± Siv had a milder tone but her face lit up like the dawn of a morrow. ¡°You¡¯re safe.¡± From thick snow, Erin emerged into the two¡¯s sight. She was dressed inpletely different garbs but her gainly figure and tails were too rare of abination for her to be mistaken for anyone else. Lyra and Siv were dressed thickly in fur coats. ¡°Lady Erynthea,¡± Olivia spoke from behind the two. Her look was one of surprise. ¡°You are¡­ in good health.¡± She was in her robes, the same as the one Erin hadst seen of her. The cold didn¡¯t seem to be bothering her as her Cold Resistance was at level nine. Lyra shot Olivia a re. ¡°You wish her dead?¡± ¡°You misunderstood me, human. I know this mountain. The caverns inside are treacherous. Dangerous monsters and even more dangerous traps, or that¡¯s how the rumours went. Either the rumours are false or¡ª¡± ¡°The threats are nothing in the face of mistress,¡± Siv boasted. Her face remained calm and her expression was tranquil. ¡°We can talk about my encounters and experiencester,¡± Erin cut them off. ¡°For now, let¡¯s get the fuck off this mountain. I¡¯m hungry.¡± ¡°In what way?¡± Lyra asked, hopefully. ¡°In every way,¡± Erin answered. Lyra tried to maintain her still facade but her shoulders betrayed her efforts by pping as if they were a pair of wings taking flight. **** With Olivia, they descended the mountain with ease but due to the strong winds, Olivia couldn¡¯t descent too quickly or else Erin and the two would get blown off Olivia¡¯s back. Erin took this moment to ask about their situation. She heaved a sigh of relief when she learned that nothing terrible befell on them in her absence. They were attacked by two more Apostles but Olivia swiftly dispatched the two with her overwhelming level and her repertoire of Arcane Arts. From then on, they spent the whole time searching for Erin but to no avail. As the snow was thick and the mountains were white, they could barely see anything from afar. Even with Lyra¡¯s Eagle Eyes, she could barely make out anything with a great amount of snow hindering her sharp sight. And if they got too close to the peak, the winds became too harsh for Olivia to control her flight. Olivianded in front of the mountain¡¯s passing. It was so narrow that it could have been a tunnel but there was no ceiling but the steep cliffs of the mountains on both sides. Therefore, it was counted as a passage at best. There was no snow at the foot of the mountains. The climate returned to its usual warmth. There were only two hours before dusk and they decided to camp here for the night. There was a small river nearby, a string of bushes blossomed with cherries, and a natural shade formed from the queer growth of the trees. They pluck the berries and supplemented them as supper. They also went down to the river to clean themselves. The river was cold, to their surprise. As they followed the flow of the river, they realized the river came from the mountains. And so, they spent only a little amount of time in the river. The cold did not allow them the luxury to converse as they cleaned themselves. Lyra and Siv were too upied with teeth chattering to the cold. The sky had darkened and the orange glow had turned pale. The fire was ready and the four of them sat around it, each with a bowl of cherries in their hands and a cup of water by their side, fetched from the river. ¡°Sephrodia¡¯s Tomb?¡± Olivia repeated Erin¡¯s words. ¡°Maybe not a tomb,¡± Erin corrected herself. She was recounting her experience in the caverns over their meals and the fire. ¡°It might not be a tomb. I don¡¯t see any burial or coffin but there was a room full of treasures. It had everything. Gems, clothes, furniture, weapons¡­ all sorts. Why would Sephrodia have a storage room hidden from the world in the recess of a mountain? Olivia?¡± ¡°Sephrodia was already a legend of tales when I was born. I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t know much about her.¡± ¡°What about your elders or your kin who came before you?¡± ¡°They might know but they never told me about Sephrodia and I never thought to ask.¡± ¡°Of course, you wouldn¡¯t,¡± Erin retorted in her heart. ¡°And it has yet to be plundered?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°People have tried but there were guardians. Remnant souls of some old blokes.¡± ¡°What happened to those guardians?¡± The question was from Lyra but from the way she was staring at Erin with gleaming eyes, she had already guessed the oue. Everyone did. Otherwise, Erin wouldn¡¯t have been here. ¡°I killed them.¡± ¡°You are truly remarkable, mistress,¡± Siv praised. She had said nothing but praises all this while. Her admiration for Erin had only soared into the realm of reverence. ¡°Not only did you braved through such treacherous trials but you had acquired Spatial Magic.¡± ¡°And a Unique Talent too,¡± Erin added another item to the list of Siv¡¯s praise. Olivia and Lyra feasted their eyes. Siv was nodding in silence but proudly as if the achievement was her own. ¡°Will you be so kind as to show us, mdy?¡± Olivia asked. Her eyes were glittering in anticipation. Unique Talent was true to its name. Not everyone could have one even if their levels were high. Olivia didn¡¯t have one and she was a True Dragon. Her eagerness was rational despite a step away from her usualposure. Erin set down the bowl of cherries in her hand and syed open her palm. She recalled the feeling back then. She recalled the sword she had created from the Spirits. Cyan lights appeared and gathered around her hand, moulding into a shape of a sword that greatly resembled the sabre she lost. Lyra gasped in awe. Olivia also gasped but she did so under her breath. Siv gave a look of deep reverence. ¡°What is it called?¡± Siv asked. ¡°Bespoke,¡± Erin answered. ¡°I can create weapons using the Spirits and the Mana expenditure is quite generous. Although¡ª¡± She held the sword close to her eyes. ¡°¡ªit¡¯s not as strong as the one I conjured in the mountains.¡± ¡°Perhaps the quality of Spirits is taken into ount,¡± Olivia said. ¡°Of course,¡± Erin blurted out as she remembered one of the significant encounters. ¡°The Spirits were different in the mountains. Stronger, if that¡¯s the word. They were very defiant. Those dead remnant souls said something about Exalted Spirits. Apparently, that¡¯s what they are. You know anything?¡± ¡°Exalted Spirits¡­¡± Olivia mused. She had not touched her bowl of cherries. Erin wondered if she wasn¡¯t hungry and she simply forgot to eat. ¡°They are Spirits of a higher distinction. When Spirits remained in an environment, undisturbed for centuries, the Spirits would go through a phase known as exaltation. The Spirits will be known as Exalted Spirits. They lose their temte favourability.¡± ¡°Meaning?¡± Lyra asked, blinking in confusion. ¡°They¡¯re no longer necessarily positively predisposed to Fae. They gain sentience, some schrs suggested.¡± Erin nodded in understanding and gestured for Olivia to continue. ¡°They are particr with who they listen to and they are known to be very particr. There were cases where the Exalted Spirits killed all those they deemed unworthy. An interesting fact about them was that Exalted Spirits of a different environment will have different preferences.¡± ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s disappointing.¡± Erin sighed. ¡°Lady Erynthea, how did you manage to tame these Exalted Spirits?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­¡± Erin muttered. ¡°I was angry. I was in despair. I was in over my head. And somehow, they just¡­ decided to listen to me.¡± ¡°Did you not any spells then?¡± ¡°Did I?¡± Erin asked herself as she sifted through her memories. ¡°Come to think of it, I was using Spatial Sense. It heightens my senses further and I was feeling everything at a very minuscule level. I think¡­ I think felt their hesitations. I heard them talking. Imanded them to listen to me and they seemed to give in to me then. That¡¯s all I remember.¡± ¡°This will be a fascinating subject for a schr but it¡¯s a shame, I¡¯m no schr, Lady Erynthea. I can¡¯t figure out the turning point.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to,¡± Erin said. ¡°I don¡¯t expect everything can be exined with logic. The possibilities of magic are endless and random. And most of all,¡± Erin sniffed the air, ¡°we¡¯re not out of danger yet.¡± ¡°What did you smell?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°Death,¡± Siv answered. ¡°Death ahead. A battle has taken ce ahead.¡± ¡°And how close is that to us?¡± ¡°Five hours¡¯ walk,¡± Erin answered. ¡°Will we be safe for the night?¡± ¡°We will be if we don¡¯t let out guard down and stay vignt.¡± Erin turned to Olivia. ¡°How much further is Sephrodia Valley?¡± ¡°Four days but the governed domain is only a day away.¡± ¡°The governed domain?¡± ¡°Thends some miles outside of the valley fall under the governance of Sephrodia Valley¡¯s viceroy. Once we entered that domain, we will be safe from bandits, apostles, and others. The only threat left will be the wild monsters and the Lord Governor himself. Be careful of him, mdy. He will court you and he will not let up easily.¡± Erin grinned. ¡°Then misfortune shall befall the valley,¡± she responded coldly. 3-58 End hurdle 3-58 End hurdle A bleak morning greeted the group on the morrow. It was past dawn by the morning mist had yet to be lifted. A shallow stream of fog lingered in their path, bringing along the whiff of death and battle. Erin and herpanions were travelling on foot and for once, she was thankful. If they were on horses, their mounts would go mad from the atmosphere and the smell. As they headed down east, the remnants and traces of battles became ever the more apparent. Corpses riddled in their path and they would either cross over them or moved them off the path. Even nature wasn¡¯t spare in the mindless conflict. Trees were burned and fields were razed. The river that ran along their path was tainted by the bloodshed. ¡°What happened here?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°Bandits?¡± ¡°Not just bandits,¡± Siv said. She pointed to a few corpses. ¡°Look at those bodies. Prayer beads and robes. These are godly men and women.¡± ¡°Bandits attacked some religious sect?¡± ¡°Mordius¡¯ Apostles versus the Covenant¡¯s goons,¡± Erin surmised. ¡°Most likely they¡¯re here for me but instead, they found each other first got into a scuffle.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a massacre,¡± Olivia corrected. ¡°The corpses are strewn about almost too randomly. Neither of the sides had any formation. A battle would have looked more proper. This is inly a massacre, albeit one of both sides.¡± As more corpses came into view, a crushing feeling gripped Erin¡¯s heart. A woman was hung alongside a man. They wore different manners of garbs but they were killed in a way as cruel as the other. An old man was impaled by arrows, sticking the corpse to a tree. There was a boy, or she think it was a boy as the head was nowhere to be found. Everywhere she looked, there was death. She was not unfamiliar with death and battlefields but getting ustomed was a different story. There was also another matter, the one that gripped her heart the tightest. She had only seen the bodies of those who consented to the bloodshed, going by the dead¡¯s garbs, so far. She dreaded to stumble upon the bodies of some farmer and his family who just happened to be residing down the road. Coteral, that was the true horror of wars to her. Moreover, she was the intended mark. If there was coteral, she wouldn¡¯t be able to help to feel responsible for those deaths. She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists as they waded through the remnants of the massacre. All these death for one person. If she was unhinged, no doubt she would feel honoured and in her past life, she knew a few people would feel honoured in her shoes. She could never understand how those people shun any guilt that would befall them. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Erin,¡± Lyra said, taking Erin by the hand. ¡°You¡¯re not the one at fault.¡± ¡°Did I say anything?¡± Erin asked. She was sure she did not utter her thoughts out loud but considering how disturbed she was by her fears, she doubted herself. ¡°You said nothing but that¡¯s why I know,¡± Lyra exined. ¡°Your tails and ears are drooped, mistress,¡± Siv cut in. ¡°Lyra is just fibbing.¡± Erin touched her ears and tails. It was as Siv said, they were plopped down. ¡°Why you¡­!¡± Lyra grumbled. ¡°Have some consideration, damn it!¡± ¡°Quiet, you two!¡± came Olivia¡¯s reproach. ¡°We¡¯re still amidst enemies¡¯ lines. Keep your wits about you.¡± ¡°You smell or hear anything?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°Death and fire, that¡¯s all I could smell,¡± Erin replied. ¡°Our enemies could be hiding themselves using those two aspects.¡± ¡°And say, aren¡¯t you suppose to be very strong, Olivia? You¡¯re even more worried than us,¡± Lyra pointed out. ¡°Of course, I am,¡± Olivia said. ¡°You should be as worried as me too. These people aren¡¯t just anyone. They are Apostles of a Divine and these bandits belong to the Covenant. You are a fool to not be your most vignt.¡± ¡°These are all Apostles?¡± Erin asked. ¡°Some are Acolytes.¡± Olivia pointed at those who were dressed in robes but with iner embroideries. ¡°They are sort of the followers of the Apostles but everyone just calls them Apostles all the same without bothering with the distinctions.¡± ¡°Do Acolytes have Divine Gifts?¡± ¡°That would depend on the respective Divines. Some do but some don''t.¡± ¡°Great. Another unknown variable to the equation,¡± Erin muttered. ¡°You speak like an arithmetic schr.¡± ¡°Magic was stagnant in where I¡¯m from. Arithmetic is all the rage.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not born in a Faerie Forest?¡± Erin smiled. ¡°I wasn¡¯t.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ surprising.¡± ¡°Mistress is full of surprise,¡± Sivplimented. ¡°Not only that.¡± Erin clutched her sabre¡¯s hilt. ¡°I also happen to be a lodestone of surprises.¡± ¡°Enemies?¡± Lyra asked upon noticing Erin¡¯s hand on her sword. Erin nodded. She drew her sword but only then did she remember the de was broken. She sheathed it and conjured a sabre of a simr contour with Bespoke. ¡°I don¡¯t smell any changes,¡± Siv said. ¡°I don¡¯t sense any danger either.¡± Olivia unleashed her wings, raising small clouds of dust and dirt. ¡°But I don¡¯t doubt your words, Lady Erynthea.¡± The only reason Erin could tell was because of Life Sense. She had been using it once every few minutes ever sincest night. It had been a hectic day and the hectess did not leave her mind in peace. She couldn¡¯t sleep well. She was always on the edge. She resorted to meditation to pass the night. As she meditated, she cast Life Sense every quarter of an hour. When they resumed their journey at dawn, she shortened the interval after the scent of blood intensified. ¡°How many?¡± Siv inquired. ¡°Four. In the trees. They¡¯re moving around.¡± ¡°Any mages?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t tell but they¡¯re using magic tools to conceal their presence. So best to regard them as mages and fighters alike.¡± Lyra readied her bow but then she remembered she had run out of arrows. She cursed her luck and holstered her bow. Siv drew her swords and wielded them in reverse, fixing her gaze at the trees. She strained her eyes but she still couldn¡¯t see the slightest disturbance in the leaves and branches. Her admiration bloomed even greater towards her mistress. Erin noticed the misunderstanding but she was too upied with the imminent threats to correct it. ¡°Allow me, mdy,¡± Olivia said. ¡°It will be safer I am the vanguard. Surely you understand, mdy?¡± Erin nodded. ¡°Just be careful.¡± At her permission, Olivia dashed forward to the trees where Erin sensed the presence from. Her wings cut through all that stood in her path as she streaked through the dested battlefield. She arrived below the trees before one could blink. She tossed and shook the trees by using Wind Magic. What fell from the trees was no person but straw puppets. Olivia snapped her eyes to Erin. ¡°It¡¯s a trap!¡± she yelled. Erin surrounded herself, Lyra, and Siv in Storm Shell. Olivia immediately beat her wings and flew but the trap had already been sprung. Chains erupted from the ground and wrapped themselves around Olivia as if they were alive with minds of their own. Olivia was pulled back to the ground with strength that rivalled hers. Their enemy was as strong as her or they simply had the means to nullify the difference of levels. Her trepidation worsened when she realized the chains weren¡¯t forged of normal metals but magic. This was an Arcane Art and one that was strong enough to restrain her. She tried assuming her true form but the chains dispersed her every attempt at conjuring a spell. More chains erupted from the ground and they darted towards Erin and the rest. ¡°The chains nullify magic!¡± Olivia shouted her warning but it came toote as the chains pierce through Storm Shell without suffering the repercussions. The chains easily found Lyra as she was the slowest of them all. The chains wrapped around her legs and hung her upside down in the air. Siv avoided two attempts but fell prey to the third when one erupted from her feet and caught her leg. Erin escaped her plight by using Warp. She moved herself a few hundred feet away from where the chains erupted. The chains did not follow her but instead stayed and eyed her like a snake would at their prey. ¡°Spatial Magic, this is unexpected,¡± said a man in clergy garbs as he emerged behind a tree. His arms were wrapped in chains, simr to those that had erupted from the ground. A glowing talisman was hung around his neck. He gave the talisman around his neck a gentle tap and an invisible shroud was lifted. Erin could finally smell and sense the godly man¡¯s presence. ¡°But whatever, I have waited for quite a long time. This will not perturb my efforts.¡± ¡°Erin, just end this man. Don¡¯t worry about us!¡± Lyra cried. ¡°Lyra¡¯s right. We will be fine,¡± Siv said. ¡°Run and your friends will die,¡± the man told Erin sternly. Erin¡¯s Lust Deviant reacted to the man¡¯s presence and that was enough to discern the man¡¯s identity. ¡°Another Skinwalker.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not primitive. Mordius is not my Divine Guardian,¡± the man answered. ¡°My god is much more particr and discerning.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care whose Apostle you are. Let go of mypanions.¡± ¡°I do not wish to harm them. You are my target. If they don¡¯t interfere, no harm will befall them. And if you run, I¡¯ll them.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m supposed to take your word for it?¡± ¡°I wish you would not generalize me. I¡¯m a man of integrity and my word. I¡¯m not like the other thugs of an Apostle you have faced.¡± ¡°Bollocks,¡± Erin scoffed. ¡°You all see yourselves under different lights but you are all the same. If you¡¯re different, why would you be wanting to kill me?¡± ¡°You are right in that regard, Lady Erynthea.¡± Erin was taken aback. The man did not belittle her like all the others. ¡°This isn¡¯tpletely personal. This is partly vengeance and partly to save lives.¡± ¡°Fancy reasonings but I have heard fancier reasons apanying worse deeds. Atrocities are alwaysmitted in the name of god or the greater good.¡± ¡°You have killed a brother-in-faith of mine. Ba¡¯al, his name was. Only a newly appointed Apostle but you ended his life. Granted, he had iting. Most of them do.¡± ¡°A person like him has a caring friend?¡± Erin snorted. ¡°You must be very magnanimous but I¡¯m not buying your act.¡± ¡°Think what you will but if I have a choice, I would have preferred to leave you alone. Sadly, you have made too many enemies. Some of them are powerful enough to even threaten an Apostle into doing their bidding.¡± ¡°Is that your bill of goods you¡¯re trying to sell?¡± ¡°It is the truth. If I don¡¯t kill you, my vige will perish. I can¡¯t say no to that man. No one can.¡± ¡°Your Divine approves?¡± ¡°You killed Ba¡¯al so he doesn¡¯t have a reason to stop me.¡± The man turned sorrowful. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It is your life or my people¡¯s. I will make it quick and painless.¡± Erin¡¯s face twisted with anger. ¡°Don¡¯t fuck with me,¡± she muttered, clenching her fists tight. ¡°You think that suffices as a reason that I should just throw everything away and die?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe any amount of excuses will suffice.¡± ¡°Yet, you still gave them. What¡¯s the point of telling me things you don¡¯t believe in. Is being a hypocrite the point of your life?¡± ¡°Enough of your japes. I will do what I have to do.¡± ¡°Then so will I,¡± Erin said. Lyra and Siv widened their eyes. They were blinking as if they feared they misheard Erin¡¯s words. ¡°You think I won¡¯t kill your friends?¡± Erin chuckled. ¡°Will or won¡¯t, it matters not. Point is, you can¡¯t kill them. You won¡¯t be able to, Elliot.¡± She chewed his name. The priest, Elliot, raised an eyebrow. ¡°Says who?¡± ¡°Wrath.¡± Elliot sensed it, then, but she was fast and the boulder she threw flew even faster. He sent out a bundle of chains to destroy the boulder but he was too slow in his reaction. The boulder exploded and sent him tumbling across the ground. The chains around Olivia, Lyra, and Siv loosened. Ady in clergy robes appeared from the sky as hernding formed a vast crater. Her aura was enveloping her like a bonfire. Steam exuding from the pores of her skin. Her teal eyes met with Erin¡¯s amber eyes. ¡°Aera,¡± Erin muttered. ¡°Erynthea,¡± Aera returned the greeting. They both exchanged a nod. 3-59 End hurdle II 3-59 End hurdle II ¡°Two of you?¡± Elliot blurted in disbelief. While he had more than ten levels of advantage against Erin, she was still a Divine Apostle much like him. And now, there were two of them. He rummaged through his memories to recall the things he had heard about Erin. A swordmaster and a talented mage. Capable of conjuring spells in a quick manner. Possessed a tempered mind which rendered taunts and insults ineffectual. He had the level advantage but it felt as if that¡¯s all the advantage he had. What was more concerning was the fact that he knew nothing about the other Apostle. ¡°Lost your nerves already?¡± Erin mocked. She even snorted for added effect. ¡°Can¡¯t say I expect much from an Apostle of a god named Zack.¡± The priest bit his lips but he did not let the insult dictate his move. Though a person of the cloth, he had his fair shares of battles. Disconcerting an opponent was one of the staple tricks in reigning victory. He could tell Erin was a seasoned fighter and warrior. The moment he lost hisposure would be the moment he lost this fight. ¡°You¡¯ll have to do better than that, mdy,¡± he muttered in his heart. ¡°Z-Zack?¡± Siv drew out the name she just heard in a stammer. ¡°Is he¡ª¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Erin answered her question before itpletely left her lips. ¡°The one responsible for the monster horde that attacked Quinteburgh shared the same god as this priest here.¡± Hearing the answer, Siv clenched her swords with an iron grip. ¡°Mistress¡­ if you would allow me¡­¡± ¡°No,¡± Erin said. ¡°W-what?¡± Siv blinked. ¡°Why? But you promise me.¡± ¡°You are no match for him, Siv. He¡¯s level sixty-three.¡± Siv gasped. She knew the priest was strong but after a certain amount of level gap, it was impossible to tell just how wide the gap is unless one possesses Appraisal. Knowing her limits, she backed down with any more refutes. She could only grit her teeth and hoped Erin would exact her vengeance for her. ¡°But don¡¯t you worry.¡± Erin flexed her wrists and cocked her neck. ¡°I will let you have the final strike.¡± ¡°I will be grateful for that,¡± Siv said, ring burning daggers at the priest. It went without saying Lyra had no part to y in this performance either. She cursed herself deeply for being useless but at the same time, she knew it was futile to be rueful as this whole circumstance was a deviation from the norm. ¡°That''s very presumptuous of you, Lady Fae. The eggs are in the basket but they have yet to hatch,¡± Elliot remarked. Chains began manifesting all over his body but none was entangled. ¡°This may be a tough fight for me but I don¡¯t believe it will be my loss.¡± Aera lunged before any retort was thrown. Her fist came like the first strike of thunder during a storm. The chains dangling around the priest¡¯s body moved, wrapping themselves around Aera¡¯s arm before flinging her to the side. Before the chains could tighten and crush her arm, Aera tore the chains off of her. The chains mended themselves and slithered back to their master. The next to pounce was Olivia who had circled around Eliot. She struck from his nk, her wings beating the air with an intensity as if to pulverize all that was in its way. Elliot flicked his hand like a conductor gesture for the start of a tune. Chains erupted from below and darted towards Olivia. She retracted her wings and spun out of the chains¡¯ path but the chains veered sharply and shadowed her manoeuvre. She manifested her tails and swiped the chains away but more chains emerged from the ground and fastened themselves around her tail. As she struggled to break free of the chains around her tail, more chains enveloped her from each of her nks. ¡°You are not my mark,¡± Elliot told her. The chains began to glow and runes appeared in rows around the prison formed of chains. ¡°Stay out of my way,¡± he muttered and turned his full attention to Erin and Aera. ¡°Damn you!¡± Olivia screamed as she mmed and rammed into the chain prison but to no avail. It was looping the force applied to the prison into enhancing the durability and toughness of the prison. The chain prison shook and wobbled but it showed no sign of breaking despite the abuse it was taking. ¡°Aera, don¡¯t let yourself get caught¡ª!¡± Before Erin could finish, Aera had moved again. Rage drove her. Fury was her decision. She threw herself at Elliot with her fists wounded up. The priest gave her a dull look before willing a chain to smack her to the side. ¡°Stand down,¡± he uttered. ¡°If I wished for it, you would already be dead.¡± Aera roared with her fangs bared and sprang. Chains were waiting at where her fist wouldnd. She twisted her body and brought her foot around. The chains moved and stopped her foot from touching even a strand of the priest¡¯s hair. She spun again and threw a wide hook. A chain shot out and mmed into her. Aera went tumbling across the ground but she flipped to her feet immediately. ¡°Scum,¡± she growled. ¡°Everyst fucking one of you¡­¡± Her voice trembled with a deeply rooted fury. Elliot stared sternly at Aera. ¡°I have no quarrel with you, woman.¡± Aera merely shouted in response as she threw her fists but she was far fromnding her punches. Instead, her fiery aura flew off her fist like a batch of bullets being shot out of a barrel. The chains rushed towards the aura bullets, desperately defending their master from harm. Not a single aura bullet found its mark. ¡°I¡¯m disappointed in you, Lady Erynthea,¡± the priest said as he nced at Erin, turning away from Aera. ¡°I didn¡¯t take you for the type to let your friends take the brunt while you stand around and just watch.¡± ¡°Disappointing you is melodious to my ears,¡± Erin retorted and took a step forward. ¡°Quite a hypocrite, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Me? A hypocrite?¡± ¡°If you truly wanted to kill me, you would already have. However, you chose to stand there and mess around with mypanions. Juste at me if I¡¯m your mark.¡± ¡°You think I¡¯m an idiot?¡± Elliot scoffed. ¡°You want me to rush to my death?¡± Erin grinned. ¡°Now we are on the same page,¡± she said and wielded her spell sword with a level form. Her spell sword gradually morphed from the shape of a sabre into a shape that resembled a greatsword. However, it did not have the weight of a greatsword, only the reach and size. A tinge of nostalgia struck her as she fiddled with the hilt. ¡°Wee back,¡± she muttered to herself. Chains with barbed tips streak towards Erin like snakes slithering towards their prey. Erin rushed in and swung her sword at the chains. The chains veered away from her sh and nked her. She spun and brought her sword around a nearplete arc. The ground beneath her feet exploded and chains flew through the smoke, aiming their barb tips at her head. She parried most of the chains and dodged thest three. However, a single chain managed to graze her shoulder. She allowed herself a wince and continued with her assault. Aera attacked at the same time after she recovered her bearings. The madness was still inside her eyes and her aura burned ever fiercely. Elliot syed out his arms, sending the chains swooping towards the two. Erin bent her body in ways her former body couldn¡¯t and twisted herself out of harm¡¯s way. As for Aera, her aura grew like a raging me, repelling all the chains that came for her. A dozen chains erupted from beneath Aera and instantly trapped her in the same prison he trapped Olivia in. Elliot felt the wind shift ominously then. Erin was right in front of him before he knew it. Elliot knew Erin possessed Spatial Magic as she used it to avoid his ambush but he didn¡¯t know she would have enough Mana to use another Spatial Magic spell considering her level. He also knew Erin purposely aimed for the moment he used Chain Prison as he wouldn¡¯t be able to use other spells then. He cursed himself and tried to dodge but Erin¡¯s de split the air and his left arm. Before the de could continue in its path and find his neck, he managed to repel Erin away as the conjuration of Chain Prison waspleted. However, Aera wasn¡¯t trapped. He had underestimated her speed, which bore an irregr rhythm. The wrathfuldy pounced across the field and instantly closed the distance between them. Her attacks were straightforward but Elliot doubted he could be unscathed from receiving a single punch. After all, she was also a Divine Apostle. It was tedious and difficult enough for Elliot to fight against one Apostle in spite of the level difference and he was facing two at once. He mmed a bundle of chains into Aera before flinging himself further away from the two. Aera followed but he kept her at bay by framing his chains into a bush of thorns. He took out a potion and downed the content in one gulp. The bleeding on his empty left stump slowly came to a halt. Though he knew Erin wouldn¡¯t be able to use another Spatial Magic spell, he still kept a wary gaze on her. ¡°Is this all you got?¡± Erin taunted. Elliot snorted. ¡°Such a mellow face but your eyes are so thirsty for blood.¡± Sweat was pouring from his head and his breathing was rasped. He glimpsed at his left stump once every few seconds. His mind was split between treating his wound first or prioritizing his mark. For the sake of the big picture, prioritizing his mark would be the sensible option but that¡¯s only providing he could eliminate his mark as soon as possible. Knowing Erin¡¯s prowess, that was unlikely, and she wasn¡¯t alone. But he could neither retreat to heal his wound. The Fae would pursue him. He was stuck in a dilemma in which he was the root of it. ¡°Damn it!¡± he cursed himself and Varus. He never wanted to be a part of this squabble but now he was, for the sake of his vige. ¡°I thirst only for the blood of my enemies.¡± ¡°How gracious of you, mdy,¡± Elliot said. ¡°I tried, you know? I tried¡­ I wanted to avoid killing¡­ but they are all so eager to throw themselves to their death at my hands. What was I supposed to do? Let them kill me? I¡¯ll be fine with it if it¡¯s just me they are after but who¡¯s to say that they won¡¯t go after my loved ones too?¡± ¡°Is this an excuse I¡¯m hearing?¡± he responded. He was buying as much time as he could. The longer Erin spoke, the more he could recover. He had the Innate Skill, Natural Recovery at level five. He could heal faster than the average person but if a battle was the judge, it still wasn¡¯t as fast as he wished. ¡°I tried. I have really tried to avoid bloodshed but none of you would leave me alone. I tried to talk them out but they rather converse with force and blood. And somehow, I¡¯m always in the wrong for responding in kind. Are you going to sing the same tune to me too?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± he answered. ¡°Good. Seeing as you¡¯re not entirely unreasonable, this shall be my final warning and yourst chance. Back off.¡± ¡°I appreciate the sentiment but I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t do that.¡± Chains rose like a tidal wave behind him. ¡°The one who kept me under duress, you can¡¯t fight him. No one can. I¡¯m truly sorry that it was to be this way. I held no grudges nor resentment towards you. This is not an obligation. This is personal.¡± ¡°I understand but I don¡¯t sympathize. You¡¯re not the first to give such a reason and certainly won¡¯t be thest. And I will never sympathize with the likes of you. This is personal too.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d you understand. Your death will weigh significantly less on my mind now.¡± At the end of his sentence, the towering chains behind him crashed down and rolled towards her like a raging stream. At the same time, Aera broke through the bush of barbed chains and lunged at Elliot. He sent the chains her way but her burning aura protected her from all harm. ¡°Forgive me,¡± he muttered and closed his eyes as he began chanting. ¡°Bollocks!¡± Erin uttered as an ominous feeling washed over her along with her Sixth Sense screaming in her head. 3-60 End hurdle III 3-60 End hurdle III Announcement If you like reincarnation stories, please do check out my other novels. One''s about a person reincarnating as a Dragon with little to no memories of his past life and the other one''s about a hitman reincarnating as the Prince of Demons. | Red chains as wide as the average person burst forth from the ground. They reminded Erin of the Wyrms she fought but these chains were more vicious despite being inanimate objects. Barbs covered the chains, sawing through all that it moved through. Contrary to her foreboding feeling, only two red chains appeared and the caster herself was looking more haggard than before. She saw him downing another potion. She sensed his Mana rose in proportions right after. ¡°He¡¯s hurt and his spells take a lot out of him,¡± Erin surmised. ¡°But his spells¡¯ conjurations are near instantaneous. This is going to be tedious.¡± Aera, like always, lunged at the red chain with reckless abandon. The barbs extended as Aera¡¯s fist collided with the chain. However, the barbs crumbled in face of her strength. The red chain twisted out of Aera¡¯s trajectory but she pivoted her body with a foot on the ground and brought her leg around. She mmed her foot into the chain. It shook and the force dragged it across the ground. The chain snapped back into position andshed towards Aera with newly-conjured barbs. Aera simply kept shouting and throwing herself at the priest. The red chain came into her path but neither she nor the chain was the victor in the repetitive sh. Aera didn¡¯t have the wits nor speed but her strength and durability were unquestionable. No matter how many times she was hit, it left not a single scratch on her. Erin made her move together with Aera though thetter was not in unison with the former¡¯s strategy. Still, Aera¡¯s relentless assault was enough of an assist for Erin. The other red chain darted towards her. She quivered slightly at the sight of the elongated barbs. The chain wormed its way across the ground like a snake with a saw for a body. Elliot was left wide open but Erin couldn¡¯t get close with the red chain squirming about and she didn¡¯t have enough Mana for another Warp. Her Fleet Foot and Lightning Rush were useless in the endeavour as the red gave her no space to manoeuvre. The priest waited for her to exhaust her uses of Warp before unleashing the red chains. She could replenish her Mana by using Mana Harvest but in order to do that, she would need to be still and the red chain, the priest would never overlook that window. ¡°If these are just Magic Arts¡­¡± She unleashed a wave of cyan mes at the red chain. The mes engulfed the red chain in no time. However, she knew reality was rarely favourable. The red chain shook itself off the cyan mes. There were evidence of damages on the chain but only barely. It wasn¡¯t the result of Essence re being ineffective but merely due to the difference in level. She clicked her tongue and resorted to another n. With her de d in lightning and Arcane Edge, Erin ran across the red chain as she sliced at the body of the humongous chain. The result was as expected. She chipped the chain but the slight damage mended itself immediately. Mystic de would be useless too if the chain could mend itself. Attacking the chain was futile, she deemed. She forewent striking the red chain and made her way straight for the caster. She dodged the red chains attacks, flipped through a window of the red chain¡¯s coiling, andnded in a position where she was offered a direct line of assault to the priest. She threw Aura Shots in quick session. The aura des flew like arrows towards Elliot. The priest retained a calm facade and took out a coil of ck chains from within his robes. The ck chains were not spells but actual solid objects, albeit imbued with magic. He wielded the ck chain as proficient as he wielded the spell chains. The Aura Shots were struck down deftly. ¡°I have underestimated you,¡± Erin confessed. ¡°My apologies.¡± ¡°No, you did not underestimate me,¡± he refuted. ¡°If you had, you wouldn¡¯t have been so careful to strike from afar.¡± ¡°I was just being cautious but I¡¯ll take yourpliment. Say, couldn¡¯t you have used that chain earlier before I took your arm?¡± ¡°Yes, I could have,¡± the priest said. ¡°It was my mistake into thinking your de would not cut through my flesh due to the level difference. Truly, my mistake.¡± ¡°Well, if you have any more tricks left, now¡¯s the time to use them, before I take your other arm.¡± Elliot snorted. ¡°You¡¯re more obnoxious than I presumed from the whispers.¡± ¡°I¡¯m your enemy. I¡¯m supposed to be obnoxious to you.¡± Before he could manage another scoff, Aera had somehow ovee the red chain¡¯s assault and charged her way to him. The red chain was just on her tail but Aera had her gaze locked on Elliot. The red chain mmed into her back but she merely wobbled and continued running. Elliot clicked his tongue and brandished the ck chain at her. Aera grabbed the head that was swinging towards her. Instead of tugging the chain, he let it go. The chain slithered itself up to Aera and bound her limbs together. He then willed the chain to toss Aera aside. The fiery aura of hers began to ay. She roared and struggled but to no avail. Simr to Olivia¡¯s circumstances, Aera¡¯s brute force was rendered futile by the chains. The more she struggled, the stronger the chain tightened. Elliot shrugged and took out another coil of ck chain. ¡°I see¡­¡± Erin muttered. The ck chain was no different than the chains he conjured from magic but seeing as how he was unable to use other spells when using the red chains, Erin could understand why he had the ck chains at the ready. ¡°You¡¯re well prepared. If my foes were half aspetent as you, I don¡¯t believe I would still be alive today.¡± ¡°Your words exude arrogance but your actions are much too humble. Is this how you defeat your foes?¡± ¡°Some of them.¡± Erin chuckled. ¡°Are you going to keep stalling?¡± ¡°I lost an arm. I¡¯ll take every advantage that I can get.¡± He uncoiled the chain and crack it against the air. Erin sighed. ¡°I take no pleasure in killing. I truly don¡¯t. It really doesn¡¯t have to be this way, Elliot.¡± ¡°But it does, mdy. That vige is my home. I have to do this.¡± Erin nced towards Olivia and Aera, who were both trapped in the binds of chains. She wondered how easy it would be for the priest to just end their lives right here and now. It made her all the more understanding from the fact that he did not use them as hostages. ¡°You¡¯re strong. You don¡¯t believe you are able to defy the one who threatened you?¡± ¡°They are some of the strongest individuals on this continent, not just this kingdom. An army would have difficulty fighting them even with the former¡¯s advantage in numbers.¡± ¡°Truly so?¡± The priest nodded. ¡°Truly.¡± The red chains slowly encircle Erin. ¡°I have another proposition for you.¡± She raised an eyebrow. ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°I was ordered to capture you or kill you if the first wasn¡¯t an option. Seeing as how you¡¯re a reasonable person, what say you?¡± ¡°You want me to let myself be captured?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t have to kill you and you won¡¯t have to kill me. Nobody will need to die.¡± ¡°I doubt I will live long in the hands of those who threatened you. So I don¡¯t think I will be going with you ordingly.¡± ¡°It was worth asking,¡± Elliot said, shrugging, and willed the red chains to attack. Erin dodged the strikes at thest moment and lunged in retaliation. The red chains chased after her. She led them under a fallen log hefted by a stump and a boulder on its ends. The chains rammed through the log. She made a sharp turn and the chains followed without fail. She turned around flipped over a chain. The other chain followed. She ran in an arc and the chains slithered in her track. She stopped and ducked low, letting the chains swoop overhead. She then took off into a dash towards the caster, Elliot. The chains recovered their directions and stalked after Erin. However, the chains shuddered and crashed into the ground as if they were paralyzed. And they were, by themselves. They had be entangled with one another in the chase. Erin grinned and put her all into her feet, dashing straight towards Elliot. The priest dispelled the red chains and summoned the lesser chains, which Erin cut down all without a drop of sweat. He left a chain by his side and coiled it around his arm, entangling with the ck chain in his grip. The chains in his hand straightened and solidified, and he met Erin¡¯s sh with the straightened chains. ¡°Neat trick,¡± Erin praised. But Elliot deflected the shallow praise with a tut. ¡°But are you sure you want this to be turned into a melee?¡± ¡°I¡¯m very sure,¡± he said and lunged. As he shed low, a chain struck from high above. Erin muttered a curse and blocked the low sh with her sword while she parried the chain with her tails d in Arcane Armour. As Elliot shed horizontally, a chain swiped from the opposite direction. Erin spun and deflected the twin blows with her sword. She shed down but chains appeared out of nowhere to defend her strike. The chains disappeared once they fulfilled their purposes and Elliot struck. The chains mimicked his movements in an inverse manner. The fight was treading the line of stalemate. Elliot had the higher stats but Erinpensated for the level difference with her skills and experience. Be that as it may, the odds were gradually tipping in Erin¡¯s favour as Elliot¡¯s wound was taking its toll. His stump throbbed with every sh of their blows and the throbbing would upset his bnce. As the exchange of melee went on, the victor became more apparent. Erin shed in a wide arc and she sent Elliot staggering back with his hand trembling from exhaustion and numbness. He was gripping his weapon so tightly that he had drawn some blood. ¡°You¡¯re a monster,¡± said the priest who was struggling with his breath. ¡°I can see why they want you. If they can¡¯t have you, no one else can. How typical of them.¡± ¡°An insult and apliment, which is which?¡± ¡°Take it how you will. That¡¯s the truth.¡± He expelled a deep breath with a forlorn look tinged with resignation. He dropped the chain in his hand and fell to his knees. At the same, the chain prisons disappeared along with his will to fight. Olivia had aplicated look but there was empathy in her eyes. As the priest had submitted himself, she also retracted her wings and hostility. She had won, that was apparent to Erin but the battle-fiend side of her was discontent. In a fair confrontation, her chances of victory were null. The fight was disappointing. Various circumstances were in ce that impede her opponent¡¯s true potential. It was already taking a lot out of him to suppress Olivia, a Dragon-kin, and also Aera, a Divine Apostle. Moreover, he was up against a Divine Apostle that was also a Fae. His defeat was clear from the start but he had chosen to fight. ¡°I¡¯m sure you have a good reason for doing what you did,¡± Erin said, ¡°but I have my own to take care of. I''m sorry.¡± The priest scoffed. ¡°Don¡¯t be. This is just how¡ª¡± Before Elliot could finish his sentence, a punch knocked him off the ground and sent him tumbling across the ground. ¡°Aera!¡± Erin shouted. Aera did not respond to Erin. Her gaze was fixed on the priest whose jaw was dislocated and blood trickled endlessly from his ruptured mouth. Yet, he remained unmoved and resigned to his fate. ¡°Kill me,¡± he taunted meekly. ¡°Just rid me of my misery.¡± ¡°Aera, don¡¯t!¡± Her face was nk but the rage was apparent in her eyes. Even she herself couldn¡¯t understand where the rage wasing from. Wrath took hold of her body and she moved to the beckon of her fury. And it was telling her to pulverize the Apostle in front of her. She roared and threw herself with her fists bared. But she stopped midway as Erin stood in her path. ¡°Move¡­¡± Aera muttered with a quivering voice. ¡°No.¡± ¡°I have to kill him¡­ He¡¯s wrong¡­. He¡¯s one of them¡­¡± ¡°He will die but not like this! Come to your senses, Aera!¡± ¡°Move!!¡± Aera screamed. ¡°No,¡± Erin whispered. She stepped closed enough to Aera to cup her cheeks. ¡°You can be at ease now, Aera.¡± ¡°Move¡­!¡± Erin leaned in. ¡°No,¡± she whispered again and her body moved by itself, driven by an instinct that couldn''t have originated from anywhere but her ursed skill, Lust Deviant. Erin cupped Aera''s cheeks and nted her lips lightly on Aera¡¯s lips. In an instance, the fiery aura dissipated, seemingly dispersed by that one single kiss. Reasoning returned to Aera¡¯s eyes. At that moment, Erin felt a great change within her. [Conditions met. Lust Deviant has evolved into Lust] 3-61 Solace 3-61 Sce Announcement Shameless self-advertisement corner here: Please check out my new(rtively) novel if you''re interested in isekai stories about a non-human and non-humanoid protagonist; | ¡°Erynthea¡­¡± Aera breathed. Her cheeks were flushed red but not of fury or anger. It was reverence and relief among many other things. ¡°Is it truly you?¡± The traces of their kiss were still present with the bridge of saliva dangling between their lips neither of them paid it any heed. Erin smiled in return and stroked her head. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me, Erynthea.¡± Her gamble paid off. She wasn¡¯t sure that it would work but knowing Nyx, Erin knew she wouldn¡¯t want her Apostle to run around wreaking havoc and bringing a bad reputation to her name. Therefore, she sent her to Aera. What was even more surprising was that her Divine Gift had evolved. She had yet to read the description but she could feel it within her that something had changed and it was for the better in terms of power but she doubted it very much in terms of ethics. Aera broke into a smile as tears began trickling down her cheeks. It was as if her ferocity and fury from before were all just an illusion. Though they had never met, it felt like they had known each other for a long time and this was some kind of long-awaited reunion. In a way, it was a reunion. Tears brimmed in Aera¡¯s eyes and her face melted into sorrow as she burst into a fit of bawling. It was like all her sadness came gushing out at once. Erin was taken aback by the sudden development but it wasn¡¯t as if she didn¡¯t know why Aera was crying. Nyx had bestowed her enough information to get a sense of Aera¡¯s background. Her family and home were razed to the ground by her very own blood father. Anyone would have broken down and sunk into a pit of despair. It was a miracle that Aera held it together until now. ¡°What do we do with him, Lady Erynthea?¡± Olivia asked as she approached. Erin gently tore Aera away from her, stroking her head one more time, before turning her nce to the priest, who was at his final breaths and on his knees. His breathing was still ragged and the colour on hisplexion was only getting worse. At first, Erin thought it to be odd that the priest would submit himself to his defeat this easily. He had lost an arm and he was up against two Apostles but looking at the Arcane Art he had, it didn¡¯t make sense for him to lose. But she came to understand why as she noticed his status that read, Terminally Ill: Great. He was sick and he was dying. It also made sense now why he was a priest. Even in her former world, people turned to gods when they were faced with a problem that was beyond their mortal capabilities. ¡°Just kill me,¡± the priest said. He didn¡¯t even nce at them as he said his piece. ¡°I have already failed this task and I don¡¯t have much time to live. Spare me or kill me, it makes no difference to me but at least if you kill me, you can be assured that I won¡¯t stab you in the back when you turned your back to me.¡± Olivia narrowed her re while Erin kept aposed gaze. ¡°Will you stab me in the back?¡± Erin asked. ¡°...If I wanted to¡­ I won''t be able to. You cut my head off or this Dragon here will pulverize me before my chains can get anywhere close to you or your friends.¡± ¡°Shall I grant his wish, mdy?¡± Olivia asked. ¡°No,¡± Erin said. She looked to Siv and beckoned for her toe. Siv approached and Lyra trailed slowly behind her. For some reason, Lyra had a look that was the opposite of relief and mellow as if she was still in trepidation. Erin wanted to ask what was wrong but she held it off for now. She had a more pressing matter at hand. ¡°Siv.¡± ¡°Yes, mistress?¡± ¡°He¡¯s all yours.¡± At Erin¡¯s words, Siv¡¯s eyes turned cold as she locked her gaze on the priest. Her hands moved to the swords by her sides. ¡°Have we met, missy?¡± the priest asked upon noticing the anger boiling within Siv. ¡°No, we haven¡¯t,¡± she answered. She drew her swords and pressed the edges against his neck. ¡°But your brother by faith is responsible for my brother¡¯s death.¡± ¡°Ah, I see¡­ so that¡¯s how it is. It¡¯s revenge you want. Well then, get on with it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to beg?¡± ¡°Beg for what? My life?¡± He snorted. ¡°If you don¡¯t kill me, I would be dead anyway. If anything, you are doing me a favour here. It will save me the pain from witnessing the fate that would follow after.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t feel guilt or anything?¡± ¡°Why would I? It is a sin of my brother, not mine. Moreover, people have been stepping on others to thrive and survive. Even animals and nts do this. This is the way of living beings. My brother by faith was just trying to thrive. I assumed he just wants to be acknowledged but granted, his method was misguided.¡± Heughed. ¡°What am I even saying here? Ignored all that. That¡¯s just the rambling of a dying man. Ignore it and end this misery of mine. Just be quick with it.¡± Siv had been resolved to exact his vengeance but now it was before her hands, she could not do it. It was wrong, her heart told her. The person in front of her wasn¡¯t the one that wronged her. It was his master. Taking out her rage on him would make her no better and she doubted it would even be satisfying considering his circumstances. She gritted teeth as hesitation seeped deeper into her bones. This man was not a scum like his siblings-in-faith. He was not evil. He was just doing what he thought was necessary for the survival of his vige. Eventually, Erin intervened. She ced her hands on Siv¡¯s and shook her head. Siv heaved a deep breath and lowered her swords from the priest¡¯s neck. ¡°Changed your mind?¡± the priest asked. ¡°No,¡± Siv answered. ¡°I have merely rified and sorted out my thoughts. You are not my subject of vengeance. Your master is,¡± she said and sheathed her swords. After giving Erin a slight bow, she retreated to a shade under a tree with a gloomy expression. ¡°Well then, mydy.¡± The priest nced at Erin, curiously. ¡°What will you do now?¡± ¡°What I need to,¡± Erin answered and brandished her spell sword in a streak. Her movement was so swift that even Olivia gasped at her sudden action. The priest retained his curious expression as his head slid off his neck. [Experience gained +50% - Level Progression: 90%] ¡°W-why did you do that?¡± Lyra asked, startled by Erin¡¯s decision. A few drops of blood even sshed onto her face. ¡°Insurance,¡± Erin replied and dispelled her spell sword. She wiped the blood off Lyra¡¯s face with the sleeves of her robes. ¡°Insurance?¡± ¡°He¡¯s desperate and dying. His fate was decided the moment he was threatened to kill me. He had nothing left to lose. He was at rock bottom and there is nowhere else to go but up.¡± ¡°You think he will try something insane?¡± ¡°I do not think. I know he will because I would make the same choice as him. Better to die trying than to die standing.¡± Lyra stared at Erin with a ghastly face but as she noticed how Ern¡¯s hands were trembling, she knew Erin had made a decision she herself didn¡¯t approve of. ¡°I frightened you. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°No, you need not be sorry,¡± Lyra said, turning her eyes away. ¡°You did what you have to for our sake. You did it because¡­ because we¡¯re weak.¡± ¡°Lyra¡­¡± ¡°If we were strong, you wouldn¡¯t need to make such a hard decision.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a hard decision, Lyra. It was your life over theirs¡¯. I would pick yours without question even if I¡¯m given another chance.¡± ¡°It still doesn¡¯t feel right¡­¡± Lyra muttered. ¡°He wasn¡¯t a bad person. He was just unfortunate.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, Lyra.¡± Erin looked around her, the sight of blood and ruination entered her sight wherever she turned. She didn¡¯t want to admit it but she was more affected than she realized. She kept imagining someone she knew was involved in bloodshed like this. ¡°We¡¯re not back in Green Scar or Maven¡¯s Creek. Where we will be going, the stakes will only increase and I can¡¯t afford to constantly weigh my principle against the lives of you and Siv.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Lyra nodded. ¡°But it doesn¡¯t take away how useless I was.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that, Lyra. You¡¯re¡ª¡± ¡°I know where I stand, Erin. Look at me. Look at my level and my stats. Look at them properly and tell me that you don¡¯t think I¡¯m out of my boundaries.¡± Erin glimpsed at her stats. Lyra was currently level thirty and she had a Unique Talent, Seeker. If she was to bepared to the average individuals, her stats would be impressive but since her subject ofparison was Erin, her stats were dwarfed. The discrepancy was enhanced further with the addition of Olivia into their party. It wasn¡¯t to say Lyra was weak. She wasn¡¯t. In fact, people her age that was level thirty and above were one in a thousand. Increasing one¡¯s level wasn¡¯t easy and most often died in the process. Erin would have been the same if it wasn¡¯t for Revenant. Lyra wouldn¡¯t have felt so inferior if their opponents were at most around the tier of the Razor Grizzly but that was not the case. Their foes were Demons, Apostles, and thugs from a vast underworld faction. ¡°Miss Lyra, you are an idiot if youpared yourself with Lady Erynthea.¡± Olivia was blunt with her words. She shot Olivia a re. ¡°I¡¯m an idiot?¡± ¡°Are you not?¡± Olivia shot back. ¡°Your concerns are understandable but you seem to forget that you are only a human.¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying that I should just roll over and ept that I¡¯m weak.¡± ¡°I said nothing of that sort. I¡¯m saying that you are using the wrong subject ofparison. Aside from Lady Erynthea, Demons, Apostles, or those people from the Covenant, how do you think you will fare against the average people?¡± ¡°How would I know?¡± ¡°Exactly. You do not know. So take it from someone who does know. You are stronger than a lot of people of your level and age. Do you even know what kind of people reached your level at your age?¡± Lyra did not shake or nod her head. ¡°The people with money and resources. Highborn children. Your growth may not be anything specialpared to Lady Erynthea but I can assure you, you¡¯re very special in your own right. You just get yourself out of your pit of doubts.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s say you¡¯re correct, Miss Olivia. Even if I¡¯m special and stronger than most, it is still not enough.¡± Olivia scoffed. ¡°If that¡¯s how you feel, nothing will ever be enough for you. You would only keep wanting more.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t deny that I can handle a bow better than anyone here but that¡¯s all I¡¯m capable of. Have you seen what Erin¡¯s capable of?¡± ¡°There is a reason that expeditions and excursions are in groups and parties. If you think you should be the only one handling everything, then perhaps it¡¯s time for you to spend some time away from Lady Erynthea to get back your senses of normalcy.¡± ¡°No!¡± Lyra cried. ¡°Absolutely not!¡± ¡°Then I sincerely wish you would stop whining from now on,¡± Olivia said and take her leave, joining Siv under the tree. ¡°Can you believe her, Erin?¡± Lyrained. ¡°She has a point, Lyra. You¡¯re overthinking it.¡± ¡°You agree with her?¡± ¡°Lyra. I¡¯m an Outworlder. I have experience and memories from my past life. I was a man obsessed with the sword to the point that I even neglect what makes me a man. I have made sacrifices and I would be lying if I said I didn¡¯t have any regrets. If I haven¡¯t met you, I would think that the sacrifices are all for naught. It¡¯s alright, Lyra.¡± ¡°I understand your point, Erin, but it¡¯s not that easy. I can¡¯t help it.¡± ¡°Nothing¡¯s ever easy, Lyra. That¡¯s just life but we¡¯re here for each other, are we not?¡± ¡°So you say¡­¡± Lyra¡¯s gaze wandered to Aera, who had been hiding behind Erin like a girl hiding behind her mother¡¯s skirt. ¡°Anyway, who is she?¡± ¡°Aera?¡± ¡°Her name¡¯s Aera?¡± Lyra raised an eyebrow. ¡°You two seemed to have known each other for a long time. You even kissed her so passionately.¡± Jealousy was apparent in her voice. ¡°She¡¯s the Apostle of Wrath. My sister by faith.¡± ¡°An A-Apostle of W-Wrath?¡± Lyra stammered. Suddenly, her sense of inferiority disappeared and a dreadful premonition took its ce. ¡°W-wrath¡­ you say? Is she¡­ safe to be around us?¡± ¡°You¡¯re being rude, Lyra.¡± ¡°Surely you have thought the same, no?¡± ¡°I did but not anymore.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because I can control it.¡± ¡°I deeply apologize if I cause you any trouble,¡± Aera said. Her voice was so small that Lyra thought she misheard something. ¡°I know how much of a burden and inconvenience I must be considering my sudden appearance.¡± Aera¡¯s mellow tone and gentle expression was a stark contrast to her demeanour not a few minutes ago. Seeing such an Aera, even Lyra felt she was too harsh with her. ¡°Speaking of your appearance¡­¡± Erin finally looked at Aera with scrutiny. She had expected Aera to look worse for wear but she wasn¡¯t. Her face was slightly dirty and her robes weren¡¯t as filthy as Erin expected. Someone had taken good care of her. However, what really pulled her focus was the fabric of Aera¡¯s robes. It was Faerie Silk. And as she took a whiff of the robes, her shoulders jumped at the familiar scent. ¡°No way¡­¡± she muttered. ¡°You were travelling with someone else?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°I-I was¡­ How do you know?¡± ¡°Your back isn¡¯t filthier than your front, which means someone was always watching your back. People who travel alone tend to have a filthy back because no one pointed it out to them. Where are yourpanions?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­ I left them in a hurry after I sense Erynthea was in danger. I rushed here without looking back. I hope they are fine. I shouldn¡¯t have left them without saying anything.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that,¡± Erin said. ¡°They¡¯re here.¡± She nced over to the rustling bushes to her left, amidst the dense woods. 3-62 Intertwine 3-62 Intertwine ¡°We lost her!¡± Nivia yelled despite Aedan and Lilian were only standing two feet away from her. ¡°We¡¯ll catch up to her, you say?¡± Lilian looked at Aedan with aplicated expression that seemed to be ming and consoling him at the same time. ¡°I was wrong, apparently,¡± Aedan admitted with a nk expression. Aera had suddenly run off without any exnation. Although Aedan knew why she ran off, he couldn¡¯t not admonish her for her sudden departure. However, he could neither get angry as he had done the same thing. It was just yesterday when they noticed the great battle happening in the distance. They were far away from where the battle took ce but due to the battle¡¯s sheer intensity and scale, they felt it. Most of all, Aedan felt the aura that was oozing off from the battle. Aera felt it too. Originally, he had intended to take off on his own and let Nivia and the rest catch upter. However, the battle died down when he was halfway there and he realized he had made a hasty decision. And so, he resorted to waiting for Nivia and the rest. When they caught up to him, Nivia gave him an earful and Lilian reprimanded him in her own way that seemed more like flirting than a scolding. All in all, they returned to their usual pace and walked leisurely towards the direction of the battle. The day after that, it was when they had just finished their breakfast when Aera took a sudden shift in her demeanour. Her Wrathmonger skill was activated. Nivia and Lilian moved to stop her but Aedan advised them to leave her be for now as they could catch herter when she was more of herself. Aedan didn¡¯t show it but he was surprised at Aera as he thought the concoction would prevent her Divine Gift from taking effect. But it didn¡¯t. Perhaps the effectiveness varied between individuals or there was an external factor at y. Aedan suspected thetter. He came to the conclusion that something terrible happened to Erin and she was near enough to trip the proverbial wire that was Aera¡¯s Divine Gift. Aera hadn¡¯t been moving fast when she had suddenly taken off and Aedan judged that they would eventually catch up even if they didn¡¯t rush but he didn¡¯t expect the speed Aera was capable of with her Divine Gift. She was even leaving burnt marks in her wake and it looked like she had plough through everything in her path. It would not bode well for her body if she kept at this speed. Despite its name, a Divine Gift was no gift. The closest thing he could rte a Divine Gift to was a monkey¡¯s paw but the price was more subtle. ¡°Aedan, are you listening to me!?¡± Nivia was still shouting when Aedan hadpleted his reminiscing. ¡°Yes? What were you saying?¡± Aedan retorted as calm as he could. ¡°I said what do you intend to do now?¡± ¡°Simple. We keep following her.¡± ¡°How? We lost her trail.¡± ¡°Yes, we did but not her scent.¡± Aedan tapped at his nose. ¡°Did you forget?¡± She did but no way she would admit that. ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have just said so earlier?¡± Nivia mumbled as she crossed her arms and looked away with her cheeks pouting. Aedan simpered. ¡°Then how else can I catch a glimpse of your cute pouting face?¡± Red filled Nivia¡¯s face immediately but since she wasn¡¯t looking at him, she didn¡¯t think he would know. But of course, Aedan knew. He could tell as she was red to the ears. ¡°You¡¯re not right in the head,¡± she spat. ¡°Nivia, Aedan¡­¡± Lilian called out to them with a sigh. ¡°Is this a good time to be flirting with each other?¡± ¡°We are not flirting!¡± Nivia turned around and shouted. ¡°How did youe to that conclusion?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, you two aren¡¯t flirting but my question still stands. Considering what he had just wade through, do you think is safe to let Aera run off by herself?¡± ¡°She¡¯s in that state,¡± Aedan answered. ¡°She¡¯s as safe as she can be. It¡¯s those who approach her who wouldn¡¯t be safe.¡± ¡°Our enemy is the Covenant,¡± Lilian said. ¡°I doubt they wouldn¡¯t have any means tobat a Divine Apostle.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t doubt it either but even if they have the means, they won¡¯t use it without a good cause and a greater return of profit. Their resources are vast but not bottomless. The Covenant treats crime as a business, not to stroke their ego like the street thugs you see on streets.¡± ¡°For the sake of the argument, what if they did use such a means?¡± Aedan shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Nivia snorted. ¡°You don¡¯t know? That¡¯s new.¡± ¡°Even gods aren¡¯t almighty or all-knowing, let alone inferior beings like us.¡± ¡°You, inferior?¡± Nivia scoffed. ¡°Humility does not suit you.¡± ¡°I disagree, Nivia,¡± Lilian said. ¡°Humilityplements him.¡± A mischievous smile spread across her lips. Aedan pretended as if he did not notice Lilian¡¯s grin. ¡°Anyway, we don¡¯t need to hurry. She won¡¯t go far. Whatever tipped her off, the cause is near.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ The Spirits are in a good mood,¡± Lilian observed. ¡°It seems a Faerie-kin is near.¡± ¡°Erin!¡± Nivia blurted out. Before she could break off into a sprint, Lilian grabbed her wrist. ¡°Slow down there, Nivia. You are not Aera. You can¡¯t plough your way through like she does.¡± ¡°But Erin is there!¡± ¡°It might be her or it might not be. And if Erin is everything you say she is, shouldn¡¯t you have some faith in her abilities and prowess?¡± ¡°I do have faith but my haste has nothing to do with my faith!¡± ¡°Oh, dear¡­¡± Lilian muttered. ¡°I thought I was mistaken at first but it would seem that I¡¯m not. Spring truly hase for little Nivia.¡± Her expression turned gentle and a warm smile touched her lips, unlike the grin she had before. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Nivia eyed Lilian with an annoyed gaze. Lilian tittered. ¡°Do you even not realize it yourself?¡± ¡°Realize what?¡± ¡°She is young,¡± Aedan added. ¡°She is,¡± Lilian agreed with a nod. ¡°Enough with this furtive exchange of you two! What are you two bbering about?¡± ¡°You love Erin, don¡¯t you?¡± Aedan asked bluntly. ¡°Of course, I do!¡± Nivia retorted just as bluntly. ¡°Oh, my,¡± Lilian mumbled. ¡°She can¡¯t distinguish. This will be difficult.¡± ¡°Seriously, what are you two talking about?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll understand eventually,¡± Aedan said, patting her head lightly with a rueful smile. ¡°Don¡¯t patronize me,¡± she growled, swatting Aedan¡¯s hand away. ¡°I¡¯m not a child.¡± ¡°Not a child, eh?¡± Aedan¡¯s eyes fell on her chest. ¡°Evidently so.¡± Nivia¡¯s face curled into disgust as she tutted. ¡°You¡¯re hellbent on making me hate you, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Make you hate me? Are you implying that you don¡¯t hate me now?¡± Red filled her face once again and her eyes turned bloodshot as she red at Aedan. ¡°That¡¯s enough, Aedan,¡± Lilian cut in. She showed her usual warm smile but her smile did not reach her ears this time. ¡°You had your fun. You¡¯re torturing her. Let¡¯s get a move on, shall we?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Aedan replied with the same tone and walked on ahead. Once he was a few yards away from the two, Nivia leaned in close to Lilian¡¯s ears. ¡°How can you fancy someone like him?¡± she asked. ¡°He¡¯s literally asking to be hated.¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s just how he is.¡± Lilian shrugged and started moving too. Nivia trailed behind with her gaze set on Aedan. ¡°How does he not get on your nerves?¡± ¡°It¡¯s all in good fun. He meant nothing of it.¡± ¡°I think he meant every word that came out of his mouth.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, shouldn¡¯t you be d? Weren¡¯t you saying that you hate those who don¡¯t mean what they say?¡± ¡°I-I said nothing of sorts!¡± Nivia hurriedly spoke in denial but the red on her cheeks was evident that she lied. Lilian said nothing of it and just tittered behind her hand. ¡°I think we made progress. He¡¯s opening up to us.¡± ¡°Is he?¡± ¡°Is he not? He¡¯s been talking to us more frequently. He smiles more too. And his teasing isn''t riddled with thorns anymore. Don¡¯t you agree?¡± Nivia stared at Lilian with a frown. ¡°You have really been watching him closely, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°As you have said, I fancy him. What kind of woman doesn¡¯t watch closely over the man she likes?¡± Nivia groaned. She had no experience in that field. She didn¡¯t have any retort. ¡°Honestly, I thought you would fancy him too. At the very least, you would find him agreeable.¡± ¡°How would I ever find him agreeable?¡± ¡°You hated empty praises. You hated people¡¯s grand assumption of your upbringing. You hated their gossip. Aedan¡¯s honest. He doesn¡¯t mince his words. He doesn¡¯t care if his opinion would upset others. I thought you and him would get along.¡± ¡°I appreciate his honesty,¡± Nivia huffed. ¡°But he¡¯s too harsh. It would have been better if he was gentler with his words.¡± ¡°Ah, I see. So you wish for him to be gentler with you. I¡¯ll tell him that the next time we sit down and speak.¡± ¡°D-don¡¯t you dare!¡± Nivia yelled. When she realized she had raised her voice, she looked towards Aedan, afraid that he had heard everything. But as far as she could tell, Aedan was walking without a shift in his posture. Lilian tittered yfully at Nivia¡¯s flustered manner. ¡°I¡¯m just kidding. Gosh, you¡¯re so uptight, Nivia. Maybe it¡¯s time for you to find a lifepanion.¡± Nivia¡¯s frown deepened and Lilian¡¯s grin widened. ¡°I¡¯m joking,¡± the Dryad said. ¡°Well, half-joking. You need a friend, Nivia. Otherwise, you won¡¯t survive in thends of humans.¡± ¡°I¡¯m doing well.¡± ¡°So far. But the ce we will be going is one where no one can survive without friends.¡± ¡°They¡¯re going to kill me, a Fae?¡± ¡°There are things out there worse than death, Nivia. You won¡¯t be killed. You won¡¯t be harmed, physically speaking at least. But they can break you in ways that do not break anyws. I¡¯m not trying to frighten you, Nivia but that¡¯s the kind of ce we are heading to. That is Sephrodia Valley. Do you understand what I¡¯m saying?¡± ¡°I-I do¡­¡± Nivia answered softly. She journeyed this far by herself and she witnessed countless kinds of happenings in the human realm. She understood what Lilian was saying. She knew how terrifying and horrible humans could be, which was why she adopted such a stance in the first ce but if she wished to continue to thrive in the human realm, she needed to change. But it was easier said than done. People don¡¯t change easily. Besides Erin and Lilian, there was no one else she could call a friend outside of the forest. ¡°Who would want a high-strung person like me as a friend?¡± she muttered quietly to herself. Lilian had no answer to that muttering of hers. She simply offered Nivia a sympathetic smile as they walked. All of a sudden, an ominous aura swept past them and sent them into a frantic state. ¡°What was that?!¡± Nivia asked, looking around. ¡°That was divinity¡­ wasn¡¯t it? Was that Aera?¡± ¡°No,¡± Aedan answered from a few yards in front of them. ¡°It¡¯s someone else, another Divine Apostle. We better make haste.¡± ¡°Shall I summon¡ª¡± ¡°No,¡± Aedan answered before Lilian finished her question. ¡°Save your Mana. You¡¯ll need it.¡± ¡°Then how do we make haste?¡± ¡°Simple,¡± Aedan said and approached the two. Lilian had a look of realization while Nivia bore a baffled expression, but she soon came to a realization as Aedan wrapped his arm around her waist and he did the same for Lilian. ¡°Hold on tight,¡± he whispered. ¡°And hold your breath.¡± ¡°No. No. No. Aedan. You let me go right now or I¡¯ll¡ª!¡± Needless to say, Nivia didn¡¯t get to finish her warning. The next thing she knew, they had stopped. She had no idea how far Aedan had run. She was just d that they stopped. She fell to her knees, gasping for breaths when Aedan released her from his arm. It was then a familiar voice entered her ears. A voice she had longed to hear. 3-63 Under the moon 3-63 Under the moon Erin couldn¡¯t remember thest time she had a moment to herself that wasn¡¯t surrounded by perilous circumstances. But that was all in the past. Not to say she didn¡¯t care about the past or the future but the present was too tempting to not give her utmost attention. She was currently soaking herself in a natural hot spring. It reminded her of the hot baths of Maven¡¯s Respite in Quinteburgh but this was a thousand times better. She could already feel all of her fatigue and exhaustion leaving her body. Most important of all, she could finally give her tails a good cleaning. They were dirtier than she realized but that was only to be expected considering all that she had been through. As she closed her eyes and sat on her knees in the pool of hot water, Erin began to meditate and reminisce about the ngour just minutes ago. By fate¡¯s whim or intention, it had brought them together. She couldn¡¯t believe she would cross paths with Aedan within such a short frame of time. More than that, she was thrilled to have finally met Nivia again. They embraced together, feeling the touch and warmth the two had been craving for. But what was surprising was Nivia¡¯s reaction as she tried to kiss her on the lips. The Elf shirked away with a horrified face. Erin immediately apologised for her behaviour but the deed was done and the reunion quickly turned awkward. Fortunately, Lilian, a Dryad from the same forest and travelling with Nivia, approached Erin and kissed her full on the lips. Although this led to some protests andints from Lyra, the awkward mood was dispelled. Before the reunion could turn into a full-blown exchange of adventuring memoirs, Aedan proposed that they should set up camp first. Everyone agreed and got to work. They found a nice clearing just ahead of them and that was where they set up their camp. Aside from the weird air that lingered between Erin and Nivia, there was also the strange mood between Aedan and Olivia. Thetter had greeted the former on one knee upon meeting each other but Aedan said nothing and simply ignored Olivia¡¯s reverent greeting. Olivia didn¡¯t press her case either but the two gradually became the centre of attention of the group. Everyone was wondering what happened between them and Erin was no exception. It was supposed to be a tearful reunion but as they sat around the fire and ate their supper, barely anyone spoke a word. Everyone was tired. It had been a hectic and strenuous day. Not to say they weren''t relieved or happy, they were simply too exhausted to be celebrating the reunion. Having enough of the bleak atmosphere, Erin excused herself from the group and headed into the woods for a stroll. It was then that she stumbled upon the hot spring in a small de. She didn¡¯t have any reservations and stripped herself down to the bare and entered the water. She wasn¡¯t afraid of anyone trying to sneak a peek. She was past caring about something trivial like that. She couldn¡¯t help butugh as she lounged in the hot spring, thinking of how the reunion had transpired. She thought there would beughter and smiles but all she got was a heavy air of gloom. Besides that, everyone was tired. Everyone here had faced countless obstacles in various forms. Even if there was no such awkward mood, she doubted the reunion would have been festive. She herself wasn¡¯t an exception. So much had happened and so little time she had to organise her thoughts. Her gaze finally fell on her new-ish skill, Lust. It had once been Lust Deviant but now it was just simply, Lust. Aside from the old description carried over from its predecessor, the new lines of descriptions caught Erin¡¯s interest and curiosity. User can entice others to do their bidding, so long that the order is not overly defiant of the victim¡¯s disposition and nature. User no longer loses their sense of self-control when entering carnal starvation but they will still feelpelled. In summary, Erin had better control over her Divine Gift but it was a shame that she still couldn¡¯t trigger that stat boost effect on demand. She wondered why her Divine Gift evolved. She tried asking Nyx but there was no response. She imagined Nyx must be enjoying the hell out of the current circumstances. There was a sudden rustle in the bushes but Erin wasn¡¯t startled. Unlike before, she now always had her weapon with her. Strangely enough, she was calm and her shoulders were slumped all throughout the meal. It was unlike how she usually was where she kept constant vignce of her surroundings. And she knew why. It was because of Aedan. It was because he was there that she could unwind and be at ease. ¡°Truly reliable,¡± Erin mused. Throughout her past life and this one, she was always the one worrying about others¡¯ safety. She was the one responsible for others¡¯ well being. But in Aedan¡¯s presence, she didn¡¯t need to be that kind of person. At those thoughts, she felt her heart thumping. She felt her cheeks flushing but she didn¡¯t deny the feeling. She couldn¡¯t. She didn¡¯t think her disposition had changed but when she thought about Aedan, her heart would race. Erin scoffed at herself. ¡°Damn¡­ I really have fallen, huh¡­¡± she muttered to herself as she scrubbed her tails gently. ¡°In what way?¡± A voice came in the form of a question from behind her. Erin chuckled. She was surprised. She had smelled himing. Yet, she made no attempt to cover herself up or ask him to leave. ¡°Fallen in love, I suppose,¡± she calmly answered, casting Aedan a sidelong nce. ¡°Would you like to know who?¡± Aedan recoiled a little. ¡°You seemed different.¡± ¡°People and time change, especially after so much has happened.¡± ¡°And how much did you change?¡± Erin grinned and beckoned Aedan to join her. ¡°Come,¡± she said, patting the spot beside her. ¡°The water is hot. A nice hot bath will do you some good.¡± ¡°You¡¯re starting to sound like Iris.¡± ¡°Oh, my, Aedan.¡± Erin tittered. ¡°You have a beautiful and lovelydy in front of you and you dare talk about other women?¡± Aedan shot her a startled look. ¡°You¡¯re truly different now.¡± Seeing his frown, Erin felt a small sense of triumph in her heart. It felt good seeing him flustered after how much he had pricked her with his sharp tongue. She had been looking forward to get back at him. ¡°Well, fine then. If you say so,¡± Aedan said and took off his garbs. He folded them neatly and ced the pile a few feet away from the hot spring before joining Erin by her side. ¡°F-fuck!¡± Erin swore in her heart. She didn¡¯t think Aedan would actually listen. Perhaps it was the heat that fuelled her audacity but that excuse would only work if Lyra or Nivia were the ones who stumbled upon them in their current state, which they would eventually. Aedan had most likely left the camp at roughly around the same time as her, she reckoned. The ones back at the camp would definitely get suspicious ande to look for them. She didn¡¯t want to raise cain when she had just begun to loosen up. Moreover, this was the first time she saw him naked. He wasn¡¯t as brawny as she thought but considering this form of his was made up by magic, she didn¡¯t think it mattered if he was muscr or scrawny. Aedan simpered. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Like what you see?¡± Erin turned away. ¡°You¡¯re imagining things,¡± she said in a fluster. It was her turn to blush. Though she turned her face away, it was futile. Her tails and ears were giving her emotions away. Aedan stifled his chuckle. ¡°Truly adorable, you are.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you have met women or girls more adorable than me.¡± ¡°Well¡­ I can¡¯t deny that.¡± Anger red up in her as she heard his retort. She turned around and pierced him with her re. Aedan smiled. ¡°Are you jealous?¡± Realising her response was too exaggerated, she mellowed and squirmed away from Aedan. ¡°So what if I am?¡± she found herself saying before she could filter her thoughts in her mind. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Aedan muttered. ¡°I see¡­¡± Erin wanted to retort but she knew anything she said in defence would only implicate herself. She decided to change the subject instead. Faking a cough, she asked, ¡°Anyway, I didn¡¯t expect we would cross paths.¡± ¡°Fate is whimsical, indeed. Maybe we¡¯re meant to be together.¡± ¡°In your dreams.¡± ¡°Perhaps but I digress. You lost your sword.¡± ¡°Sorry about that.¡± ¡°No apologies needed, Erin. I expected that, knowing your nature. Anyways, are you in need of another sword or¡ª¡± ¡°I have this,¡± Erin said and conjured up a sword with Bespoke. ¡°A new spell? Or a new Magic Art?¡± ¡°Unique Talent,¡± Erin answered proudly as she dispelled the sword. ¡°Can¡¯t say I¡¯m surprised.¡± Aedan shrugged. ¡°... So, you¡¯re heading to Sephrodia Valley too?¡± Erin asked, meekly. ¡°Just passing through,¡± he answered. ¡°I¡¯m heading further east. It will really be a long time before we see each other again after Sephrodia Valley. If you have any more questions, now¡¯s the best time to ask.¡± There was a load of questions she wanted to ask but she picked the one that was more recent. ¡°The mountains behind us, I found a cavern within. Know anything about it?¡± Aedan raised an eyebrow. ¡°You went there? How?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a long story and it wasn¡¯t intentional. Judging from your response, you know something about it?¡± ¡°I know enough. I know this ce, the whole valley, it used to be one vast in on top of a singlerge mountain. There was a city upon that in, a small kingdom of sorts. Sephrodia was the city¡¯s chancellor. She was essentially the king. She had a string of lovers, all men. She was greedy. She could never bear to part with her possessions even if had no use of them anymore, her lovers included.¡± The shock was evident on Erin¡¯s face. ¡°She¡¯s that kind of person?¡± ¡°She was.¡± ¡°Were you one of her lovers?¡± Erin asked with a narrow gaze. ¡°I wasn¡¯t,¡± Aedan answered, cackling. ¡°Anyway, back to her greediness. Since she couldn¡¯t bear to part with her possessions, she had vaults built around her territory. These vaults were stored with her possessions. You stumbled upon one of those.¡± ¡°I met the vault¡¯s guardians,¡± Erin said. ¡°They were some kind of remnant spirit of the dead or something. From the way they talked, they made it sound like Sephrodia was some chivalrous and benign person.¡± ¡°They¡¯re probably her lovers and from their perspective, she is benign and chivalrous. I know, it¡¯s a fucking irony. That''s not the extent of her foul deeds. One of the vaults was a prison, a ce where she imprisoned the men she no longer desired but she didn¡¯t want to let them go. On certain asions, she woulde to the prison andy with one of them or all of them at once.¡± ¡°No one did anything about her?¡± ¡°Plenty of people tried but you see, Sephrodia was an incredibly beautiful woman. Some say she was even the most beautiful. But of course,¡± Aedan looked at Erin, ¡°I disagree.¡± Erin rolled her eyes but she felt a little happy, though she didn¡¯t show it. ¡°On top of that, she was resourceful and cunning,¡± he continued. ¡°She sold her sheath to any men worth having and a lot of these men were willing to do anything to put their swords into her sheath. It was like they were under a spell but they weren¡¯t. She was just that beautiful. I¡¯m ashamed to say that even I was tempted. However, I saw her madness before anything happened between us.¡± ¡°What happened to her?¡± ¡°Nothing. It wasn¡¯t exactly karma but maybe not karma specifically for her. The war with the Demons happened. The one where people started summoning heroes from other worlds. The valley it is today, is a result of that war. That war created a valley out of a single mountain. That was how devastating the war was.¡± ¡°But the city in the valley, it¡¯s thriving.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because of the aftermath. Magic crystal veins appeared in the valley. Thend became fertile due to the magic exhausted from the countless battles. It became a den of prosperity. The ancestors of the current lord viceroy of Sephrodia Valley is the one who discovered all those richness in the valley. That¡¯s the history.¡± Suddenly, Aedan¡¯s expression turned sullen and solemn. ¡°You¡¯re heading into the city but not for leisure matters, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t do it anymore, Aedan. I can¡¯t keep turning a blind eye. The Covenant¡­¡± ¡°You knew about them¡­ Well, of course, you do.¡± ¡°The Covenant sent two demons after me. One of them was someone I knew. They ckmailed a dying old man, a priest, to kill me or else they would raze his vige. I had to kill the old man and I may have doomed his vige. They¡¯re responsible for the death of Aera¡¯s family too. I can¡¯t let all those deeds go unpunished. I don¡¯t know if their base is in Sephrodia Valley but at least a huge portion of their operation is there. I will destroy them with or without your help, Aedan.¡± ¡°I would love to help you, Erin but¡­¡± He showed her the seal on the back of his left hand. ¡°The seal is failing. I have to fix it before itpletely breaks down. I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°Why are you sorry?¡± ¡°Because I can¡¯t help you, as a friend.¡± ¡°As a friend¡­¡± Erin mused quietly, a hint of bitterness spread across her tongue. ¡°I don¡¯t need your apology. This is my decision. You are not in any wrong for not being able to help me.¡± ¡°Still, I feel guilty, Erin,¡± Aedan said,ying his hand on top of hers while she was brushing her tails. ¡°And I lied.¡± ¡°About what?¡± ¡°About you¡­ as a friend.¡± Her heart thumped again. ¡°The truth is... I don¡¯t see you as a friend, Erin¡­ You might not like it if you hear it but¡­¡± ¡°How do you know that I won¡¯t like it?¡± ¡°Erin¡­?¡± She stopped scrubbing her tails andid her other hand on top of his. ¡°I don¡¯t see you as a friend either. After all that you have done for me, how could I still see you as a mere friend?" "I see..." "I can¡¯t lie to myself anymore," she said, staring at him with not a hint of jest. "I don¡¯t want to lie to myself anymore. I won¡¯t deny it any longer.¡± ¡°Did your orientation change while we were apart?¡± Aedan asked. ¡°It hasn¡¯t¡­ maybe it has. I don''t know. But the truth is¡­ the feeling that I had for Lyra and Siv¡­. I realised¡­. I have those same feelings too whenever you surfaced in my mind.¡± Aedan sighed. ¡°My gosh, Erin¡­ You really are a vixen,¡± he said. ¡°I know.¡± Under the brazen gaze of the bright full moon, their lips and tongue found each other as they brought their lips together and pressed against each other. 3-64 Under the moon II 3-64 Under the moon II Announcement Check my new novel here; It takes ce in a modern fantasy setting. ¡°We kissed¡­¡± Erin muttered as she parted from Aedan¡¯s lips. Even if she tried to deny it, the thin translucent string dangling between their lips wouldn¡¯t allow her to. Though this wasn¡¯t her first kiss, it was her first time with a man. Was she thrilled? Was she ted? She couldn¡¯t tell but what she did know was that she didn¡¯t find it appalling. Aedan nodded. ¡°It would seem that we did.¡± There was nothing between them but the steam of the hot spring that seemed to reflect their current feelings. The warmth from their rising body temperature was hidden amidst the heat of the water. Be it their warmthing from their heart or the hot spring, it mattered not to them. They both knew the truth. ¡°Do you dislike it?¡± Aedan asked, brushing her cheeks with one hand and stroking her tail with the other. Even though he was only lightly touching her, the sensation was tremendous for Erin. But she didn¡¯t push him away. ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± she said. ¡°Then do you want another?¡± There was no verbal response from Erin. She simply leaned forward again and lightly touched her lips against his. ¡°Someone¡¯s enjoying herself,¡± Aedan teased. ¡°If you n on being an arse, I will hit you.¡± ¡°If you can.¡± Erin struck. No word of warning came from her but caught her wrist just before knuckles collided with his face. ¡°You are a lot stronger than you were.¡± ¡°Still not as strong as you.¡± She then flicked her fingers, lightly hitting Aedan¡¯s brows. ¡°Ow,¡± he muttered dryly. ¡°How sly of you.¡± ¡°Still craftier than you.¡± They both share augh. ¡°Why?¡± he asked, vaguely. But Erin saw through his intent. ¡°Is there ever any proper logic in love?¡± Aedan giggled. ¡°I suppose there¡¯s none but still, I would love to hear a reason.¡± ¡°Just so you can stroke your vanity with that reason?¡± ¡°You know me so well.¡± Erin sighed. ¡°Oh, Aedan¡­ You¡¯re such an arse. If you want a reason¡­ I guess you being reliable would be one.¡± ¡°Just because of that?¡± ¡°You¡¯re capable. Whenever you¡¯re around, I feel like I¡¯m not the only one carrying all the burden. You understand and you¡¯re honest¡­. My arse has been kissed for reasons more false than a mogul¡¯s humility. And also, you don¡¯t hide your intentions, at least not from me. But I have to know, have you ever looked at me in that sort of way?¡± ¡°That sort of way, you say?¡± Erin nodded. ¡°Well, I certainly have.¡± His gaze fell, his eyes veering downwards. ¡°Like now. I¡¯m still a person with desires and I was the type that enjoys the finer things in life.¡± Before Erin herself knew it, she was panting from Aedan¡¯s gaze. ¡°It¡¯s truly strange. I can¡¯t even stand the thought of other men gazing at me with that sort of intent, let alone be gazed by them at my bare body. But if it''s you¡­ I don¡¯t find it unpleasant.¡± ¡°Count myself fortunate then, to have gained your favour and love.¡± ¡°My love? How presumptuous of you, Mister Aedan.¡± ¡°How coy of you, Lady Erin.¡± And they shared another chuckle. She loved him, Erin realised. She didn¡¯t know if her love for Aedan was the exact same as her love for Lyra and Siv but the point was, she truly loved him. A part of her wanted to show him just how deep her love went but now wasn¡¯t the right time. ¡°They¡¯re watching, you know?¡± Aedan said. Erin blinked. ¡°They? Who?¡± Aedan nudged at the direction of the camp with his head. ¡°Really?¡± Erin probed the area with Life Sense but she didn¡¯t pick any presence. ¡°I don¡¯t sense anyone. I don¡¯t smell or hear anything either.¡± ¡°Lilian''s quite skilled in the Spirit Magic. But I¡¯m better.¡± Aedan grabbed a pebble by the hot spring and tossed it into the bushes. ¡°Ouch!¡± came a cry a secondter. Erin immediately distanced herself from Aedan in a scurry. ¡°Now you¡¯re just breaking my heart, Erin.¡± ¡°Now isn¡¯t the time for your jokes, Aedan!¡± or so her re said to him. As Aedan had predicted, the rest of the group emerged from behind the bushes. Red filled Erin from her feet to her forehead. Lilian was sporting a smile, the only one who found the whole situation amusing. Siv bore an indifferent expression as if she had expected such an oue. Aera was the only one uninterested. She merely looked bored and tired. Olivia had a solemn face as if she was deep in thought. Thest two, Lyra and Nivia, were the ones who had the biggest reactions. ¡°Oh, my,¡± Lilian sighed in amusement. ¡°Can¡¯t say I hadn¡¯t anticipated this but to think they are so brazen to be kissing under the moonlight with nothing to hide behind or under. Brazen, indeed.¡± ¡°So, mistress enjoys this kind of y¡­ I see,¡± Siv muttered. ¡°I enjoyed no such y!¡± Erin wanted to shout but that wasn¡¯t the problem here. ¡°E-Erin¡­¡± Lyra was stammering. The shock and betrayal was apparent in her eyes. Her shoulders were trembling. ¡°W-why¡­?¡± Erin felt her heart throbbing with pain from the guilt. ¡°Lyra, I¡ª¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you ask me to join!?¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Erin blurted out dumbfoundedly. ¡°W-what are you saying, human!?¡± Nivia shouted. ¡°That¡¯s not the point here!¡± ¡°Oh, shut up, you virgin elf,¡± Lyra barked, surprising Nivia. ¡°Erin and I had talked about this. And don¡¯t bother asking the details. You wouldn¡¯t understand and you wouldn¡¯t like it.¡± Finishing her retort at Nivia, she approached Erin in stride, taking her garbs off in the process. She then hopped into the pool, positioning herself right between Erin and Aedan. She shot Aedan a re andtched herself onto Erin as if to assert her ce. ¡°L-Lyra?¡± Erin tapped her shoulder. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°What does it look like? You sneak off somewhere to get fucked but you didn¡¯t tell me anything.¡± ¡°That was not my intention. I came here to take a bath and rest. He followed me.¡± ¡°So he¡¯s the one who¡¯s trying to fuck you?¡± ¡°What? No! No one else is fucking anyone here, damn it! Calm down, Lyra!¡± ¡°Really? Then what¡¯s all the sweet nothings between you and Aedan for? I may have not heard everything you and Aedan told each other but I heard enough to know this, you fancy him. You do, don¡¯t you?¡± At Lyra¡¯s words, all eyes were on Erin, except for Aera, who looked ufortable to be in this situation. Though she liked Erin, her love was a different kind. Olivia wasn¡¯t that different from Aera. The two were outsiders of the rtionship web before them. But Olivia had an interest. The person-of-interest in this ordeal was her lord after all. Erin looked to Aedan for help but he too sported an anticipating look. ¡°Traitor,¡± she muttered under her breath as she realised no help would being from Aedan. She turned to Lyra with a resolute face. ¡°Yes, I do like him and not as a friend.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Lyra said. ¡°But who do you love more? Me or him?¡± ¡°I-I can¡¯t answer that. That¡¯s an impossible question.¡± ¡°So you love Aedan as much as me? Is that it?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not it. I-it¡¯splicated, Lyra. I can¡¯t¡ª¡± Suddenly, a loud p resounded, turning everyone¡¯s attention to the one pping. It was Lilian. ¡°Alright. That¡¯s enough, everyone. We all had our fun and our meal. What say we all take a nice dip in the hot spring and let it wash all of our troubles and fatigue away? Sounds good?¡± She didn¡¯t wait for the others¡¯ reply and was already taking her robes off. ¡°Whoa¡­¡± Erin gasped unconsciously. Her mind was so focused on other matters that she didn¡¯t get the chance to truly appreciate Lilian¡¯s figure and that fact she was wearing a loose robe didn¡¯t help either. Lilian was a little on the plump but she still had a figure that would invoke envy and jealousy in the hearts of women. From Erin¡¯s perspective, the extra meat on her wasn¡¯t a demerit but a bonus. ¡°Oh, my, Erin. If you keep staring at me like that, I¡¯m going to start blushing.¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard to keep my eyes away when you have such a voluptuous figure, Lilian.¡± Those words came out of her mouth as natural as breathing. ¡°Dear me,¡± Lilian gasped. ¡°You¡¯re even bolder than what I have heard from Nivia.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t twist my words, Lilian!¡± Nivia finally let out her voice after she was stunned into silence by Lyra. ¡°Please don¡¯t misunderstand, Erin. I didn¡¯t mean it that way.¡± Erin couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. Nivia was still the same as before, for the most part. She noticed Nivia¡¯s gaze was friendlier than before when she was ncing at others. Namely, Aedan. Knowing him, he must have said a lot of things that would get on Nivia¡¯s nerves but to her surprise, Nivia showed no such hostility towards Aedan. ¡°What are you all waiting for?¡± Lilian asked, stepping into the hot spring with nothing on. The remaining four outside of the hot spring stared at Aedan as if to answer Lilian¡¯s question. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t mind him. He¡¯s not interested,¡± Lilian said. ¡°Are you?¡± But she still asked as she turned to Aedan. ¡°That¡¯s beside the point,¡± Aedan responded. ¡°It¡¯s just a shame that you will be left out while everyone else is enjoying a nice hot bath.¡± ¡°They¡¯re ufortable.¡± ¡°Are they?¡± Lilian looked at the four. ¡°If mistress allows, then I shall join.¡± ¡°I am not ufortable,¡± Olivia answered. ¡°He¡¯s my lord. If he¡¯s not ufortable with it, then I won¡¯t be either.¡± ¡°H-He can stay¡­¡± Aera said. Erin caught a glimpse of the faint blush on Aera¡¯s cheeks. ¡°Well, how about you, Nivia?¡± Lilian asked. ¡°Are you bothered? As a proud Fae, surely you won¡¯t be bothered, right?¡± Erin, Lyra, and Aedan, all stared at Lilian, impressed by her schemes. Erin also began to doubt if Lilian was a Fox-kin, not a Dryad. ¡°O-of course, I¡¯m not bothered!¡± Nivia asserted loudly. Spurred by the Dryad¡¯s boldness and persuasion, Siv, Olivia, Aera, and Nivia relented to the mood and took off their clothes and joined the rest inside the hot spring. Erin found herself fixing her gaze on Nivia. The Elf had the most uniform figure among them but now that she was without clothes, Erin could finally see how lean and fine Nivia¡¯s body was. It was even better than Erin herself. ¡°W-what?¡± Nivia asked upon noticing Erin¡¯s stare. ¡°You¡¯re marvellous, Nivia. I can tell you¡¯re not just talented. You¡¯re also quite a hard worker.¡± ¡°Obviously,¡± Nivia retorted, looking away. Her cheeks flushed like a pair of ripe tomatoes. When everyone had entered the hot spring, Aedan stood up. He had his eyes facing the night sky. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s best that I leave you all to your own concerns. If you all will excuse me¡ª¡± ¡°You are not excused,¡± Lilian said, dragging Aedan back down into the spring by his arm. A heap of gasps echoed. ¡°They already gave their consent, Aedan. What¡¯s the rush? Or are you tempted by them?¡± ¡°You¡¯re a vile and guileful woman, Lilian,¡± Aedan said. ¡°Isn¡¯t that your preference?¡± Lilian asked, sniggering. ¡°Is it?¡± Erin threw the same question. Aedan sighed, exhausted. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°It is a valid question considering there¡¯s Iris and Maria.¡± ¡°And there¡¯s also you.¡± Aedan shot back. ¡°I supposed it is, then.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Erin said and turned away, shifting her attention to Lyra and Siv. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Lilian gasped delightfully. ¡°How nice. It''s always good to see love blossom.¡± ¡°You have a weird hobby, Lilian,¡± Aedan said. ¡°Is it weird to want to see lovebirds being honest with each other?¡± Aedan pried his arm away from Lilian and stood up. His body glistened under the moonlight from the water dripping down his skin. Everyone looked away, except for Erin and Lilian. Lilian could be heard chuckling and Erin found herself unable to pry her eyes away from Aedan but she at least resisted moving her gaze further down. ¡°I think I had enough.¡± And he left the hot spring and strode back to the camp, not before leaving towels behind that he had retrieved from his personal subspace. ¡°How considerate, despite being irked,¡± Lilian remarked. ¡°I can see why you like him, Erin.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your aim, Lilian?¡± Erin asked, her gaze narrowed. ¡°Nothing as bad as what you are imagining. I just want people to be free and honest with love. Is there a bad thing?¡± ¡°Some people don¡¯t agree with that idea.¡± ¡°Not the people here. Or else they wouldn¡¯t have stuck with you or put up with Aedan. Let¡¯s be honest here, you and Aedan are the focal points here. They are either in love with you or him.¡± ¡°I am not in love with Aedan!¡± Nivia spoke up but she soon realised that she shouldn¡¯t have. Lilian giggled. ¡°My, my. Why do you think we are implicating you with Aedan, Nivia? Wouldn¡¯t it be more obvious for us to guess that you fancy Erin instead? But you thought of Aedan, why is that?¡± Nivia opened her mouth but only a stutter came out. ¡°Aera over there fancies Aedan too.¡± Aera didn¡¯t refute and simply lowered herself deeper into the water until just above her lips. ¡°Let me guess, you fancy Aedan?¡± Erin said. ¡°I do,¡± Lilian admitted. ¡°But I¡¯m also interested in you, Erin. Just what are you?¡± she asked, smiling. 3-65 Under the moon III 3-65 Under the moon III ¡°Is that why you drove Aedan away? To question me?¡± Erin shot back with an inquiry of her own. Lyra and Siv both sensed something was bubbling between Erin and Lilian, and it wasn¡¯t the pleasant kind of development. As much as they felt awkward to be around such an exchange, the best they could do was to keep silent and support Erin when they could. For now, they heeded the mood and soaked their unease away in the hot spring. Lilian tittered in response to Erin¡¯s usation. ¡°You certainly don¡¯t dull your words before they leave your tongue. You¡¯re just like Aedan in that aspect.¡± ¡°Lilian, what are you doing?¡± Nivia asked, ncing worriedly between Erin and Lilian. ¡°I¡¯m not doing anything. I¡¯m just having a friendly chat with another Fae while we soak our weariness away in this nice hot water. Unless of course, you have reasons to think otherwise.¡± ¡°I do,¡± Erin answered. The memories of her time with Iris surfaced. The Dryad in front of her was much like the Umbrum in terms of their mannerisms but Iris¡¯ motive was more apparent. She was a businesswoman and having a good, rtively speaking, rtionship with a Fae was certainly beneficial to her in the long run. Her schemes and shrewdness were for the sake of increasing her reputation. But Lilian didn¡¯t have such motives. Erin couldn¡¯t figure out why the Dryad was so wary yet curious about her affairs. ¡°Hmm. Good answer. You¡¯re very blunt. I like that.¡± ¡°Are you going to tell me why you¡¯re so interested in me or do you intend to keep running circles with me?¡± Lilian burst outughing. Erin waited for her to stop with a narrowed gaze. Olivia and Aera were also soaking in the hot spring. Though they find the two¡¯s interaction diforting, they said nothing but simply tried to enjoy their time. After all, they both had a long journey and who knows when would they ever be able to enjoy such a luxury again. They did move a few feet away from the two so as to not get dragged into whatever problems they were having with each other. ¡°Since you put it that way, I¡¯ll be blunt with you too. Aside from Aedan, I¡¯m the oldest here, older than that Dragondy over there.¡± Olivia squirmed her further away. ¡°I have acquired a lot of wisdom and knowledge. Inevitably, I came to know about a lot of things. I am not interested in you, Erin. Not really, no. I am suspicious of you.¡± Nivia tried to interject but she was silenced by a finger Lilian put up. As much as Nivia adored Erin, Lilian was her elder. She respected her. She wanted to defend Erin but she also didn¡¯t want to strain her rtionship with Lilian. At present, she was trapped in a dilemma. Erin noticed Nivia¡¯s conflicted look. She smiled at Nivia and assured her that everything would be alright with her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re a Fae raised out of the forest,¡± Lilian continued. ¡°Not exactlymon but not imusible. However, I¡¯m privy towards matters of outcasts as I¡¯m sort of one myself. I know all the Fae living that are raised outside of the forest. The outcast, they are called. You are an outcast, or at least your story indicates that you are one. But I have no knowledge of who you are or who your parents might be. The outcasts that I know on this continent are all Elves, Dryads, and Sprites. There are no Fox-kin living outside of the forest. I¡¯m sure by now you can see where my suspicions came from. Forgive me if I have overstepped.¡± ¡°You are forgiven, dear Lilian,¡± Erin retorted. ¡°You have every right to be suspicious of me. If I was you, I would be suspicious too. But I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t tell you my circumstances, no offence. I can see that Nivia trusts you but I don¡¯t. We have only met. I barely know you. I¡¯m sure you have good intentions. So I will allow you to know this, if you¡¯re not an arse, an ouw, a ruffian, or any of those sorts, then you have nothing to fear from me.¡± Lilian simpered. ¡°If only it was that easy, Erin. Nivia told me that you only had a single tail when both of you met but now, you have five. Fox-kin lost their ability to evolve when they became part of the Faerie-kin. What am I to make of that?¡± ¡°Make of what you will. I said my piece. My conscience is clear.¡± Her tails rose from the water they were soaking in and flourished behind her as a peafowl would. Her ears were also standing stiff. ¡°I have a long arduous day. I have been through a lot. If you are hellbent onbelling me as a potential threat, then I shall respond in kind.¡± Lilian flinched and threw up her hands. ¡°Alright, alright!¡± she said in a panic but she was still smiling. ¡°You have made your point. I understand. That was indeed quite rude of me. I sincerely apologise.¡± Erin cast a sidelong nce. ¡°Sincerely and truly?¡± Lilian nodded. Her smile was twitching. ¡°Sincerely and truly. I can see how favoured you are by the Spirits. I thought you were just using some kind of spell or magic item to tempt the Spirits but I can see that your affinity with the Spirits is genuine. I rest my case.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not suspicious of her anymore just because her affinity with the Spirits is real?¡± Siv questioned. There was a small growl in her tone. ¡°Of course. The Spirits are the foundation of the Faerie-kin. It¡¯s because of them that Faerie-kin have survived through all the trials of time while other races perished. Civilizations rise and fall but the Faerie-kin stood strong through all those ruinations. Without the Spirits, the Fae would have fallen long ago. We owe everything to the Spirits. If the Spirit truly approved of Erin here, who am I to refute that?¡± ¡°You sound a lot like someone I know,¡± Lyra remarked. ¡°Iris, the Umbrum, am I right?¡± Lilian responded. ¡°You know her?¡± ¡°Of course, I do. She¡¯s the one who provided the Fae with the location of our taken people after all. And funnily enough, Nivia said the same thing too.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you do resemble her quite a lot,¡± Nivia grumbled. ¡°Well, I suppose it¡¯s only natural. I was briefly and intimately acquainted with her for a period of time.¡± Nivia¡¯s ears perked up at her words. ¡°And you did not think to tell me this until now?¡± She red. ¡°You really do resemble Iris a lot,¡± Erin said. ¡°Were you two lovers?¡± Lilian chuckled behind her hand. ¡°You met her. How many lovers do you think she has? True lovers, I mean.¡± Erin nced in the direction of Aedan, who was back at the camp. She could smell where he was. ¡°Precisely,¡± Lilian said in response to Erin¡¯s wordless answer. ¡°I¡¯m just her nightpanion. Aside from warming her bed, I was her teacher as she was mine.¡± ¡°How does that work?¡± Erin asked with an eyebrow raised. ¡°I taught her about the history and the culture of other races and she taught me about money and business. Thrilling and fascinating subjects they were but it¡¯s a shame that it invokes the worst of people and disinterest in me.¡± ¡°Lady Iris has a teacher?¡± Siv blurted out. ¡°She never mentioned it.¡± ¡°I doubt she ever will. She takes great pride in her own ability. She hates charity but she seems to have the ir for conjuring an illusion of charity.¡± ¡°She sure does,¡± Erin agreed with a mumble, speaking from experience. She had only just started to familiarise herself with the world when Iris introduced herself into her life. ¡°Which one of you is older?¡± Nivia asked. Siv¡¯s expression turned pale. Lyra looked away. Erin wore an amused smile. Nivia, noticing the three¡¯s odd reactions, seemed to have realised her mistake toote. ¡°Curious now, are we?¡± Lilian smiled at Nivia, but the smile did not reach her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Nivia apologised and cast her gaze down. Erin was mildly surprised. She didn¡¯t think Nivia was capable of having such submissive behaviour. Lyra was trying her best to hold in herughter. ¡°No no no. You don¡¯t need to apologise. You did not do anything wrong.¡± Lilian continued smiling. The edges of her smile didn¡¯t even reach halfway to her eyes. ¡°Since you¡¯re so curious, I¡¯ll tell you. I am older, sadly. I¡¯m old enough to be her mother. Thankfully, Iris was very¡­ indiscriminate. She made me feel like I was centuries younger than I was.¡± ¡°Lilian. I¡¯m sorry. Please don¡¯t talk about that anymore.¡± Nivia was quivering. Erin could clearly see the hierarchy in their rtionship. Lilian was Nivia¡¯s senior, guardian, sister, and more. If she didn¡¯t have such a terrible personality like Iris, Erin would have loved to get along with her. But sadly, Erin found her character difficult to handle. ¡°Oh, my. It seems that I have garnered your disfavour, Erin. What am I to do?¡± ¡°You can start by letting me enjoy the hot spring in peace.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Lilian said with a nod and stood up. ¡°You¡¯re leaving?¡± Nivia asked. ¡°I never do like hot baths,¡± she answered and wrapped herself in a towel Aedan had left behind for them before walking back to the camp. ¡°Are all the old Fae like her?¡± Lyra asked after Lilian was gone from their sights. ¡°She¡¯s a peculiar one,¡± it was Olivia who answered. She waded slowly over to Erin. Aera was trailing behind her like a child hiding behind her mother¡¯s back. ¡°The seasoned Fae are mostly much more mellow and soft-spoken.¡± Erin¡¯s curiosity was piqued. ¡°You know her, Olivia?¡± she asked. ¡°Only by reputation. She¡¯s very unreserved unlike most of the other Fae. It was only recently that she became a true pariah amongst her people, a stigma of her kin.¡± ¡°What did she do?¡± ¡°She married a human,¡± Nivia answered. ¡°A Fae marrying a human¡­¡± Siv muttered. ¡°That is curious.¡± ¡°Lilian was always intrigued by the other races. She seems to think they¡¯re brilliant. They survived for so long without the help of the Spirits. The human that is her husband somehow managed to fascinate her heart and she was too deeply in love to see the human for what he truly is.¡± ¡°Is their union annulled?¡± ¡°Not officially. Neither could be bothered with making it official.¡± ¡°Marriage, the end of all rtionships,¡± Lyra remarked. ¡°Why are people in such a rush to reach the end. There¡¯s nothing to do after that.¡± ¡°Humans are short-lived creatures,¡± Olivia said. ¡°Their haste is due to their desire to continue their legacy before they expire. Hence, why humans tend to be in a hurry to tie the knot.¡± ¡°What a boring way to live and not to mention, it¡¯s very ironic." Lyra scoffed. ¡°People had doomed themselves for tying the knot too early. They could barely feed themselves but they are voluntarily creating more mouths to feed. They ended up ending their legacy due to their impatience for creating their a legacy.¡± ¡°Humans are indeed the epitome of irony. Do you know the Yorun Kingdom was built on top of a civilization that met its end at the hands of its own creations? They created golems that would fight their wars for them but the golems gained sentience and turned on their makers. The golems ended up using humans to do their bidding.¡± ¡°And your kind just watched?¡± ¡°We tried to warn your kind but none would listen. When the worst happened, my kind was forced to intervene and save your kind from the brink of total annihtion.¡± ¡°Sounds just like humans,¡± Erin chimed in, smiling sorrowfully. Even in a different world, the humans still drew so many parallels with the humans in her former world. No matter where she went, humans always had the same ideas and went down the same path of destruction. Hearing this story, she was convinced only the worst awaited her in Sephrodia Valley. 3-66 Graced by the night (R18) 3-66 Graced by the night (R18) There was a small cliff standing just above the trees, overlooking the camp. Erin sat on the edge with her legs dangling off the ledge. She was gazing at the crescent moon, enjoying its beauty and the humble grace it bestowed to the otherwise darkness that shrouded the forest. The scenery brought about a mncholic feeling to her heart. It was currently midnight and everyone was fast asleep but not Erin. She couldn¡¯t sleep. She tossed and turned in her bedroll but never could find the beacon of dream. And so, she decided to take a stroll and wander around the forest until she felt sleepy enough. She found herself ambling to the peak of the small cliff. She considered meditating on the cliff but her heart was already calm enough and she wanted to enjoy the scenery. She ended up just sitting inly on the cliff. No one was looking out for the camp. They didn¡¯t need to. Lilian had cast a spell that used the Spirits to fend off the lesser monsters. The big ones were naturally deterred by Aedan and Erin¡¯s presence. As for human threats, the Spirits would warn them if anyone approached them with ill intentions. Erin smiled at the peaceful scene below her. Sleeping out in the wild without a lookout was the sheerest folly of greenhorns but in this world where magic thrived immensely, it was a privilege. Life might not be perfect here but it was so much better than the life she led as Argon Raze. She no longer had any thoughts about returning to that old life of hers. There was nothing to go back to. The way of the sword was her livelihood then but she had brought it with her into this life. The more she lived as Erynthea, the more it felt like her time as Argon Raze was nothing but a dream. Erin chuckled at the thought. ¡°Perhaps it was a dream. A vivid one,¡± Erin mused in her heart. With nothing else to do, she opened up her stats window. She had wanted to check her status and the numbers when she was in the hot spring but Aedan and the others¡¯ sudden appearance toppled all of her ns. Now that she had her peace and quiet again, she could now take a thorough look at her status window. No matter how many times she nced at it, it was still a marvel every time. It was like a codex and record of all her achievements, feats, and hardships. She wondered what it would look like if she had one when she was still Argon Raze, probably not as impressive as it was now, she gathered. She was currently level forty and ten percent of experience away from bing level forty-one. She had four skill points and ability points each to spend. For his ability stats, she didn¡¯t think too deeply about it and allocated three points into Arcane and one point into Finesse. Her main strength came from her Magic Arts even more so now with Bespoke. No doubt if her Arcane had a higher value, Bespoke would also be stronger. As for Finesse, the absence of nimbleness and flexibility was the death of many spell casters as they relied on their party members to defend them while they cast spells. Moreover, she had encountered far too many moments where she was unable to cast significant spells due to the pressure put out by her opponents. Finesse not only increases her speed but also her nimbleness and agility. Increasing Finesse alongside Arcane would surely help her in casting major spells without putting herself into a much too defenceless state. Also, the mastery of her tails¡¯ movements appeared to be affected by her Finesse stat the most. She wondered how high her Finesse needed to be for her to use her tails like they were her arms. For her skill points, she allocated two points into Mystic Tail Arts and raised it to level five. Immediately, she could already feel the effects. To test it out, she scooped out a stone with her tail and flung the stone into her palm. The stone hit the side of her palm instead ofnding in the middle. ¡°I still have ways to go but it¡¯s a good start,¡± she told herself. Satisfied with the results, she brought her tails to herp and stroked them like how a mother would stroke her children. Her skin crawled but not in an unpleasant manner. Her tails were her sensitive spots but not quite as sensitive as her womanhood but enough to make herself peak just from continuous stroking, especially in such a mood. ¡°You have a knack for onanism or something?¡± a voice came out of nowhere. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault that my tails are so sensitive,¡± Erin retorted without a tinge of surprise. ¡°As a Fox-kin, I have the responsibility to groom myself, especially my tails.¡± Aedan sniggered. ¡°You knew I wasing? I was sure I hid my presence well.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know but I believed you woulde. And you did.¡± ¡°And why would you think that?¡± Erin smiled warmly at him. ¡°Because I would,¡± she said, gesturing for him toe join her by her side. Aedan shrugged and went along with Erin¡¯s invitation. Unlike Erin, he sat cross-legged on the edge of the cliff. ¡°You can¡¯t sleep?¡± Erin asked. ¡°I don¡¯t exactly need sleep,¡± Aedan replied. ¡°And I have much to tell you.¡± ¡°I have much to ask too but I doubt I will get all the answers I want.¡± ¡°What I want to tell you is prevalent.¡± ¡°Sephrodia Valley?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you have already heard from Iris about the viceroy¡¯s character.¡± Erin simpered. ¡°Are you feeling jealous perhaps?¡± ¡°I¡¯m worried. Maybe a little jealous but I doubt I need to.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t think I would fall in love with other men now that I have fallen in love with you?¡± ¡°Is it men that you havee to ept or just me?¡± Aedan retorted with a grin. ¡°What if my answer is the former?¡± Aedan grabbed Erin by the wrist and pulled her into an embrace. ¡°Then I¡¯ll be extremely jealous.¡± Erinughed into his chest. ¡°Oh, my, Aedan. You can ept me having girls as my lovers but not other men?¡± ¡°As hypocritical as that is, yes. But I can¡¯t and won¡¯t do anything about that if you do have other men as your lover.¡± Erin was racing faster than she had ever been. She couldn¡¯t believe how hard Aedan had fallen for her. She felt like she had him in the palms of her hands. She could see the bitter aftertaste on his face. Her hand moved to caress his cheek. ¡°How far the mighty have fallen. Never think you could be so sentimental.¡± ¡°I am not without desires and emotions, Erin. I¡¯m just sceptical of letting them run free.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t live like that forever, Aedan. You can¡¯t even call that living. You¡¯re no different than a vegetable.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even remember how old I truly am. My body ages and dies but my mind keeps on living. A life without an end and the sweet release of death, can you call that life at all?¡± Erin¡¯s hand found Aedan¡¯s and she fit her fingers right between his. ¡°Things are beautiful because they have an end. Gratitude and cherishment are derived from the fact that all things have an end. Otherwise, people will just take everything for granted or they go insane from neverending repetition.¡± ¡°You died once today?¡± ¡°Sadly, I did. It felt terrible. There was so much pain but no relief at the end. And to think there are people out there seeking immortality. Do you think these people woulde to regret their choice?¡± ¡°Eventually, they will. Maybe after hundreds, thousands or even millions of yearster. Eventually, they all will realise that immortality is not a gift but a cross. Even gods have gone mad from the erosion of time. So what does that say about us mortals?¡± ¡°You consider yourself a mortal?¡± Erin teased. ¡°I don¡¯t believe I¡¯ll live forever but I do believe it¡¯ll be a long time before my time trulyes.¡± Erin sighed. ¡°You¡¯re one depressing and sad little man.¡± Aedan smiled softly. ¡°I thought you wanted to hear my memoirs.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you have any happy stories?¡± ¡°I do.¡± ¡°Well, tell me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s about the time I met a curious, elegant, heavenly, ravishing, and yet fierce Fox-kin who had unconsciously stolen the hearts of many whoid eyes on her and she herself was none the wiser.¡± Erin lightly punched Aedan in the belly. ¡°I was not none the wiser. I just don¡¯t care.¡± ¡°Dear me, Erin.¡± He tittered. ¡°Why do you assume I¡¯m talking about you?¡± Erin squeezed his chin between her fingers. ¡°Because you¡¯re getting hard down there.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I was hoping you wouldn¡¯t notice.¡± ¡°How can I not when you''re so perky and excited. Most of all, you¡¯re quite big.¡± ¡°Really? Coming from a man, I don¡¯t feel good about that and¡­ does that mean your pecker was small?¡± Aedan grinned. Erin¡¯s brows twitched in response. She poured her weight into Aedan and flipped around in hisp. In a turn, he was lying on his back and she was on top of him. His manhood was bulging through his trousers in an obvious manner with his current posture. She hovered her face over Aedan¡¯s by nting her hands beside his face, staring at him with an annoyed frown. Aedan was still grinning. ¡°Did I hit the mark?¡± ¡°You just can¡¯t stop being an arse.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the result of living for more than thousands of years. Or do you prefer that I whisper the typical sweet nothings to you like the average loving couple?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll hit you if you do that,¡± she said and moved down to his trousers. She swallowed a lump in her throat when she saw how high the tent was pitched. He was definitelyrger than hers was, she had to admit. Not that she had a tiny one. But Aedan¡¯s size was only within her expectation. He was a Dragon. She reckoned his true size would be many timesrger than the one she was looking at. Hesitantly, she pulled down his trousers and his stiff lively rod sprang out from its confines. She gasped unconsciously. It was truly different from the one she used to have. The skin was peeled back and it was throbbing like a living thing as if it was shivering in the cold. ¡°Even I will get shy if you keep staring at my rod like that.¡± ¡°Oh, shut it, you,¡± she huffed. She climbed onto his crotch and pulled her garbs aside but not taking them off. She wasn¡¯t wearing any loincloth and her snatch was drenched with her juices of anticipation but Aedan made no remark about that despite her juices dripping onto his crotch like a loose faucet. Erin felt like closing her eyes and just be done with all these but if she did that, it wouldn¡¯t feel genuine. She needed this to be true. She bit her lips and slowly lowered herself onto his rod. She felt it touching her entrance and her whole body shivered. ¡°Erin, you don¡¯t need to rush this. We have plenty of time.¡± ¡°No, we don¡¯t. We¡¯ll be apart from one another after we reach Sephrodia Valley and who knows when we¡¯ll see each other again? And I¡¯m not rushing anything. I need to do this. Otherwise, I can¡¯t be at ease.¡± ¡°Be at ease of what?¡± ¡°Of severing the ties to my previous life. This is thest step. With this¡ª¡± in one fell swoop, she plunged herself down onto Aedan¡¯s rod. She stifled a shriek while her whole body shuddered. It was like lightning surging through her whole body without Lightning Resistance. Aedan let out an ecstatic groan with a loud gasp. ¡°¡ªI havepletely epted who I am now,¡± she said with ragged breaths. She had done it. She had finally done it. Shey with a man. A man¡¯s tool was inside her and it was filling her to the brim. It was bigger than she anticipated, though it didn¡¯t hurt as much as she thought it would. It was her first time having something inside of her even after so many sessions with Lyra and Siv. Lyra did propose that kind of y by using some kind of small wooden rod but she shunned that idea. But now, she had done it herself. ¡°By the divines, Erin,¡± Aedan gasped. ¡°You¡¯re so wet yet tight. Amazing...¡± ¡°You¡¯re¡­ amazing¡­ too, Aedan¡­¡± she said in between breaths. She felt herself tightening up when Aedan praised her. It was slightly painful but more than that, pleasure dominated her senses. Gradually, the pain disappeared and at that moment, a violet aura much like the shade of Mystic de donned her whole body and her tails flourished behind her as if to melt into the moon in the background. The pleasure she was feeling was rising. Soon, even the brush of the wind against her skin was sending her to the edge of ecstasy. Judging by how Aedan was groaning and gasping, the same was happening to him. [User has entered Lust Deviant state. User¡¯s ability values are increased by half.] 3-67 Graced by the night II (R-18) 3-67 Graced by the night II (R-18) Erin hugged her shoulders tight and her whole body shuddered intensely. Her hips were bucking and grinding against Aedan¡¯s crotch as she trembled uncontrobly. She tried to calm herself down but any attempt at doing so only made her more sensitive to Aedan¡¯s warmth and touch. His rigid heat was permeating to her whole body from inside of her. The heat touched every point of her nerves, incurring moans and groans of ecstasy from her mouth. She was panting and gasping for breaths. Though she could wield a sword and fought for nearly an hour, though her stats increased tremendously, she was nearing her limits just a few minutes in. She knew the exhaustion wasn¡¯t real but merely a product of her troubled mind due to being exposed to a whole new experience. ¡°Slow down, Erin,¡± Aedan said, putting his hands on her hips and feeling her shivering soft thighs. ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere. Take your time.¡± ¡°Be quiet,¡± Erin retorted. She was still catching her breaths after the initial moments receded. ¡°I am taking my time. You¡¯re just too fucking big. I can barely move. How the hell are you so big?¡± ¡°Too much for you?¡± ¡°No,¡± she shot. She could feel how hot her body was bing. ¡°But I am curious. How do your other lovers take on your size?¡± ¡°It hurts a lot at first but once you get used to it, it¡¯s just a garden of pleasure onwards.¡± Erin scoffed, doubtful of Aedan¡¯s im. She eventually let go of her arms when the pain started dissipating and she feltfortable enough. She caressed her underbelly gently. She could feel his size and length if she firmly pressed into it. A part of her was still in disbelief that she was copting with a man but every time she moved even a little, that disbelief slowly faded into non-existent. ¡°Well, apologise about that.¡± Aedan chuckled softly. ¡°Can¡¯t make any changes now since I can¡¯t use too much of my magic.¡± Erin raised an eyebrow. ¡°You can change your size?¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t my true form, Erin. I am a True Dragon, remember?¡± ¡°You mean your true form is actually that of a Dragon? An actual Dragon?¡± Aedan nodded. ¡°How big are you?¡± ¡°True Dragons never stop growing, physically and spiritually. Mentally too. And since I have lived for hundreds of years in this body, I have grown to the size of a big hill. I¡¯m sure you can imagine how big my¡ª¡± ¡°Alright, stop right there.¡± Erin put her finger on his lips. ¡°You have made your point and I get the idea.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d you do,¡± he said and took the finger touching his lips. He then sipped the finger into his mouth and let his tonguep all over it. Erin shrieked but she didn¡¯t forget to keep her voice low. ¡°W-what are you doing?¡± She pulled her finger out of his mouth. ¡°You''ve never done this before? Sucking your partner¡¯s toes or fingers?¡± ¡°T-toes? What are you¡ª No, that¡¯s not the problem here. You startled me. You could have told me. And no, I have done this before.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t think you would be so surprised.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯m giving my all just to amodate your size. Have some tact,¡± she said with red filling her cheeks and eyes that spelt indignation. Aedanughed. He pushed himself off the ground and sat up. ¡°W-w-wait¡ª!¡± Erin¡¯s protest was cut short by the volume bottoming her out. She lurched forward and instinctively wrapped her arms around Aedan. ¡°Y-you son of a bitch!¡± she hissed, gritting her teeth, as another run of pain and pleasure swept over her mind and body. She had only just gotten used to his size but when the position was switched, everything was different. She needed to readjust everything. ¡°You kiss your mother with that dirty mouth of yours?¡± Erin red at him and smacked her lips onto his. She clenched his lower jaw from both sides and plunged her tongue into his mouth as she slowly pushed him down. However, Aedan resisted her scheme with just an arm stretched out behind him. Erin withdrew her lips and tongue from Aedan. ¡°I kissed you with this dirty mouth of mine,¡± she said, grinning. ¡°And I enjoyed every second of it.¡± He returned the grin. She scowled. ¡°You just love to infuriate me, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I just love teasing the woman that I fancy.¡± Hearing his words, Erin felt her snatch staying true to its name, mping down on Aedan¡¯s rod as pleasure through her body. She shivered and curled up, leaning her head against his shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re loosening and tightening. Just how excited are you?¡± ¡°Shut. Up.¡± Those words left her mouth in between her ragged breaths. ¡°You are so chatty¡­ It¡¯s dampening the mood.¡± ¡°Dampening the mood, you say? I¡¯m not the one moving my hips here.¡± Erin tutted and held her tongue. She couldn¡¯t deny it. She realised she was the only one moving. She shook her lower body side-to-side and up-and-down, trying to find the one spot that she instinctively knew would send her to rapture. She was throbbing vehemently down there and it wasn¡¯t calming down anytime soon. She could barely fit his size and now that she was further tightening up, the pain only increased. Pleasure was following closely behind wherever pain was. The cold winds of the night brushed past them. Aedan still had his shirt on but regardless of that, the cold would not bother him either way. Erin was also still wearing her robes but with how extremely sensitive she was, the fabric did nothing to alleviate the cold. It was only Aedan¡¯s embrace that filled her with warmth, figuratively and literally, though he was only embracing her with a single arm. Still, she felt as if she could burn herself touching him but even if that was the case, she didn¡¯t think that she would mind. She pulled him in and engaged in another round of intense exchange of passion and heat through their lips, tongue, and saliva. Aside from those two things, moans and pleasure were also exchanged. Erin was pouring her weight more and more onto Aedan as their exchange intensified. Be it intentional or not, Aedan didn¡¯t relent to her weight. There was no significant meaning behind his refusal to give in. He just wanted to see how hard and far she could go. They eventually reined themselves in and gave one another a window to gather their bated breaths. White puffs of smoke were pumped from their panting. They could feel each others¡¯ breath on their skin and that only made them desire more. Since Erin had reeled herself back, Aedan could finally use both of his arms and he used them to pull Erin into another embrace and they further exchanged more of their heat and fluids. Erin did not stop moving her hips for a single second even during their long deep kiss. As they were as close as they could be any further would just be them literally melting into one, Erin¡¯s tails came into Aedan¡¯s sight. He reached out and grabbed one of the iling strokes of fur with his hand. Erin yelped and trembled violently once more as her cavern clenched down on Aedan¡¯s manhood. He groaned out his agony and ecstasy as he felt the full tightness of his partner. He didn¡¯t resist the duality offered by his partner. He further weed it by gripping another bundle of fur. Erin stifled another moan, tears trickling down her cheeks from the relentless pleasure that assaulted her very being. ¡°A-Aedan¡­¡± Erin moaned. ¡°Don¡¯t¡­¡± Hearing such a voice from her, Aedan couldn¡¯t help but tease her some more. Despite her protest, her tails curled towards Aedan as if begging him to give each of them the same treatment and attention. Aedan smiled andplied with Erin''s true wish. He began nibbling on her exposed neck while caressing and stroking her tails. Words of protest kept leaking from her mouth but her bodynguage and gesture went contrary to her words. She hugged him tighter and her tailstched and coiled themselves around his hands, offering him great ease in touching them. She stifled another shriek and wrapped her arms tighter around Aedan. An acute sensation was bubbling within and it gave her an unexinable unrest. She was near her peak. ¡°Aedan¡­¡± she whispered breathlessly into his ears. ¡°It¡¯sing¡­ I¡¯ming¡­¡± Aedan lightly pecked her cheek and stroked her head, slowly moving to her ears. ¡°What do you want me to do?¡± he asked. ¡°Hold me tight¡­¡± she answered. ¡°And¡­ don¡¯t you let go of me.¡± ¡°Or else?¡± he teased. She responded with her arms, legs, and tails wrapping around him like a gift. ¡°Or you will bear¡­¡± she moaned in the middle of her sentence, ¡°...my scorn and my wrath.¡± ¡°Sounds exciting,¡± Aedan said. ¡°But I rather bear your love and joy.¡± ¡°Arse,¡± that was herst word before lightning ran through her nerves and pleasure encroached on every part of her body. Her muscles braced as she shuddered violently in Aedan¡¯s embrace. She screamed out her pleasure into Aedan¡¯s chest, muffling her voice of ecstasy. Aedan did as he was told, he held her firmly in his arms. In return, his member was also held firmly by Erin as if she never wanted to let him go. Her tails were thrashing wildly from the incessant pleasure but Aedan let her tails be even though it was inadvertently hitting him. When the waves of pleasure receded, Erin gasped desperately for the air she was devoid of when she was peaking. Her body went limp in Aedan¡¯s embrace. Her tails lost their vigour and slumped lifelessly on the ground. Her ears were also drooping on top of her head. ¡°By the gods¡­¡± Erin cursed. This was the first time she cursed in the name of the gods. ¡°I have done it¡­ I came with a cock¡­ A cock made mee¡­¡± she said, panting. Her whole body was numb. She could move her fingers and all but she couldn¡¯t feel it moving. ¡°Do you hate it?¡± Erin nced at Aedan with a narrowed gaze. Her eyes were watery with tears. ¡°Do you even need to ask?¡± ¡°I just like hearing your voice.¡± ¡°Is this how you get all those women to sleep with you?¡± ¡°Not all the time but it seemed to have worked this time.¡± Erin meekly raised her hand and went to p his cheek with all the strength that she could currently muster. It ended up being nothing more than a gentle stroke of loving intent. ¡°Someone¡¯s tired.¡± Aedan mocked. ¡°Shall we go to sleep now?¡± ¡°Why? You can¡¯t go on anymore?¡± Erin retorted, shing a smirk. ¡°Oh?¡± Aedan epted her taunt and leaned into her ears. ¡°Lest you didn¡¯t notice, I have yet to peak.¡± Erin widened her eyes. Her smirk faded off as her shoulders quivered. She suddenly remembered that fact. Since she was numbed by her orgasm, she didn¡¯t feel his rigid heat until now. He was still as hard as a rock inside of her. Her juices began dripping again and her cavern throbbing for more. ¡°Shall we go for another round?¡± Aedan asked, returning a smirk. Erin scoffed. ¡°Of course. Just so you know, one time is never enough for me.¡± Using a finger d in Arcane Edge, she undressed Aedan by slicing his shirt into pieces. ¡°Will you be paying for that?¡± A yful alluring grin touched her lips. ¡°I am paying for it or am I not enough?¡± Aedan snorted. ¡°Fancy yourself a wench now? Well, you are a vixen. I suppose there¡¯s not much difference.¡± ¡°You really do enjoy wagging your tongue like that, don¡¯t you? Well, so be it. I''m going to drain you dry, boy. I won¡¯t let you off until you beg for mercy and apologise.¡± She untied the sash around her waist and let her robes gently slip off her body, slowly exposing her all for Aedan¡¯s baffled gaze. It was Aedan¡¯s turn to widen his eyes. The moon was behind Erin. Her tails were illuminated by the beam, framing the glorifying aura they exuded. Her ears were perking lively against the starry night sky. Erin herself was bared and unveiled from the darkness by the moon¡¯s grace, leaving only meek shadows on her body as Aedan beheld every part of her. He lost nearly all of his reasoning then. Due to their levels¡¯ difference, he had been resisting the influence of Lust as they copted but now that he was gazing at Erin in her full glory, no mortal could ever resist her allure as long as they weren¡¯t frigid. She had plenty of scars on her body, which she could have easily gotten rid of with Spirit magic but she didn''t. The scars did nothing to diminish her beauty by a single bit. In further contrast, the scars only enhanced her allure some more in Aedan¡¯s eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Aedan uttered. Erin blinked. She didn¡¯t think she would get her apology that quickly and easily. She wondered if there was another reason he was apologising for. She soon got her answer when she felt her cavern being stretched out some more, making her wince. He was still getting bigger inside of her. Aedan said nothing more and pounced on Erin. She fought back but the scuffle waspletely one-sided despite her stats increment. They both tumbled to the ground. Due to their levels, they weren¡¯t hurt from the rough tumble. Erinnded on her belly with Aedan on top of her. Erin tried getting up but Aedan pressed his weight and strength on her, trapping her arms under his wrist. ¡°I have held back enough but you just have to tempt me¡­ you damn vixen¡­¡± Aedan breathed. ¡°Not even you could resist my charm, huh?¡± Erin scoffed. ¡°I have never imed otherwise,¡± he whispered into her ears in response. He grabbed firmly onto her hips and raised them to meet his vigorous rod. His hands moved slightly upwards, gripping the pair of bountiful hills that guided him the entrance to her womanly cavern. The soft supple flesh in her hands was maddening to his touch. He wanted to just ravage her here and now but he knew if he did, he would truly hurt her. Erin felt his eager and mildly quivering tool touching the entrance of her cavern. She stopped struggling and positioned herself more aligned with Aedan¡¯s posture. ¡°Well, do it, then.¡± Her smirk swelled with a condescending gaze. ¡°Make a mess of me. Breed me like the vixen I am, if you can,¡± she scoffed. Her tails were even encouraging Aedan as they wrapped around him and pulled him closer. She knew he had been gentle with her all this time. He had let her take the reins but now, it was his turn. His fingers dug into her skin as he gripped her rear tightly. ¡°You ask for this,¡± he said and threw all of his reasoning and mercy out the proverbial window. With all of his might, he mmed his cock into the deepest depth of her cunt. Erin too lost all of her control and howled at the moon with a voice filled with pain and pleasure that had been too muddled to distinguish which was which. 3-68 After grace (R-18) 3-68 After grace (R-18) ¡°They¡¯re still asleep¡­ You did something, didn¡¯t you?¡± Erin asked as she was reining in her breaths while basking in the afterglow. At least more than an hour had gone by as they went at it without any restraint to their voices and actions. She had made enough voice to be heard from a mile away and yet, Lyra and the rest were still sound asleep. Naturally, her suspicion went to Aedan. ¡°Do you think that I won¡¯t take any precautions?¡± Aedan said with a roguish smile. He was gently ying with Erin¡¯s hair as shey in his arms as they huddled their bodies together on the field under the mncholic moon that was slowly fading into the horizon. ¡°No, I-I didn¡¯t think that way,¡± she retorted with a slight stutter. Since they had cast their restraint aside, Aedan was merciless with her as he pounded her from behind. The me couldn¡¯t be put solely on him as Erin herself did nothing but further fuelled his hefty desires with vulgar speeches. Now, she was suffering the consequences. Her rear was a tad red and her hips were incredibly sore. She could easily make all this aching go away with a spell but in a way, she rather enjoyed the feeling. The aches and receding pleasure of the afterglow was part of the experience after all. ¡°But I did think, and wonder, did you know we were going to fuck since you had put down the precaution beforehand?¡± ¡°Yes, I knew. Or rather, I believe we were going to melt ourselves into one with the heat of our love and passion. After all, you looked extremely disappointed when I got out of the hot spring.¡± ¡°So, you knew I was going to find a nice and quiet ce when everyone¡¯s asleep and touch myself?¡± Aedan nodded. ¡°Such a crafty bastard, you are.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be getting used to that part of me by now?¡± ¡°I can get used to a lot of parts of you, even the biggest,¡± she said, glimpsing down there ever so briefly, ¡°but never that side of you.¡± ¡°You wound me, sweetheart.¡± Erin squirmed in his arms. ¡°As if you can be so easily wounded, darling.¡± ¡°Dear me, you¡¯re picking up my bad quirks.¡± ¡°Like hell, I am.¡± She lightly kicked his foot but she made herself wince. ¡°Ah, damn¡­ You really were merciless with me. Don¡¯t you know how to treat ady?¡± She rubbed her hips, trying to soothe her pain. ¡°Do you want me to treat you like ady?¡± he asked. ¡°Of course, not,¡± she huffed. ¡°How are you fine after all that? You couldn¡¯t have used magic.¡± ¡°I have been through worse and I should be asking you the opposite. How are you not fine? Surely a fight is harsher and many times more severe, no?¡± ¡°A battle is different. The expenditures and injuries umted in the pleasure of the flesh had its own charms and disbenefits.¡± ¡°You can just heal yourself, can¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want that¡­¡± she mumbled in response. ¡°Sometimes¡­ it¡¯s good to feel the pain of the battle. It helps to retain the experience and in imprinting the lessons into your mind.¡± ¡°I see¡­ So, you don¡¯t want to forget this moment.¡± His hand moved from her hair to her face, caressing her cheek. ¡°Why would I ever want to forget this?¡± she asked, sping her hand on his hand that was caressing her cheek. ¡°You were amazing and¡­ considerate, despite how ruthless you were at times. I think I would like to have a different sample.¡± Aedan raised an eyebrow with a frown. Erin broke intoughter. ¡°I¡¯m joking, Aedan.¡± She continuedughing. ¡°Your expression shifted so quickly. Does it bother you that much that I will be sleeping with other men?¡± ¡°It does,¡± Aedan answered with a straight face. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think you need to worry about that. I still find the touch of other men sensually revolting but if it¡¯s you¡ª¡± she brushed his hand and stroked down his arm, ¡°I don¡¯t find it revolting at all. Curious, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Indeed, it is. More than curious, I am exhrated to know that I¡¯m so special in your eyes.¡± Erin chuckled. ¡°Am I the same in your eyes?¡± she asked, smiling. ¡°I¡¯m afraid you would be disappointed with the truth.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t,¡± she said. The smile did not leave her face. ¡°I know I wouldn¡¯t be the same in your eyes. You have lived for a long time and I¡¯m sure you had or have someone irreceable in your heart. I won¡¯t be obtrusive.¡± Aedan¡¯s lips curled into a bright smile. ¡°This,¡± he said. ¡°This is what I find so lovely about you. This side of you¡­ it came so naturally¡­¡± ¡°Just this side of me?¡± ¡°Of course, this is just one of the many sides that I love about you. Gosh, you¡¯re even ying coy with me now?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t let you run that tongue of yours uninhibited. I¡¯m not going to just coil up in your palm or embrace.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t expect you to. Feel free to struggle and resist as much as you want. It only makes it more fun.¡± ¡°Is this how you were before you retired?¡± ¡°I was more than what you are seeing right now. Even more ruthless and merciless.¡± Erin shuddered upon hearing that. Just thinking of the prospect itself was giving her an indescribable feeling of pleasure. ¡°You¡¯re still raring to go?¡± Aedan asked, surprised at her rousing scent that had just receded a few minutes ago. ¡°I couldn¡¯t help it. Siv was more intense than you. Lyra was more passionate. And we have only done it four times. It¡¯s not enough for me. Also, my Lust had yet to subside.¡± She flipped over and got herself on top of him, riding his hips. Aedan tittered. ¡°You really are the Apostle of Lust. I don¡¯t think your Divine Guardian had chosen the wrong individual.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk about her,¡± she said, squeezing his cheeks between her hands. ¡°You are with me now. Think only of me.¡± Her eyes glowed with a cyan hue for a brief second. Aedan felt something was reaching into his head and unshackling all of the chains that were binding his reasoning. As soon as the chains were loosened, his reasoning ran wild. He reached up and grabbed her bountiful pair of mounds, eliciting an ecstatic moan from her. ¡°Remember,¡± he said, panting. ¡°You wanted this. Don¡¯t me me when you can¡¯t walk the next day.¡± Erin simpered amorously. ¡°I would like to see you try.¡± With that exchange, the two melted into an embrace with the heat of their lust, love, passion, vexation, and everything else they could pour into the forge of coitus to fuel their coption thatsted until dawn. The precaution Aedan set in ce had lost all its effectiveness hours before dawn. Needless to say, a jaded mood befell the group on the next day. Olivia was the sole exception as she was the only one who slept through all those noises. **** The door to the massive library of ancient texts and crucial records of history was flung open with a punch. A man with blondebed hair strode in with heavy steps towards a masked man sitting on a lean-back armchair beside a shelf. The masked man had a book in hand and a cup of tea on a small round table by his side. His mask was lifted a little to allow himself to enjoy the tea. ¡°Things didn¡¯t go well, I presumed?¡± muttered the masked man without offering the blonde man a nce as he continued devouring the contents of the book. ¡°You presumed correct, Marduk,¡± the blonde man retorted with a snort. He grabbed a chair from a nearby table and sat down just beside Marduk. ¡°You knew this would be the result?¡± ¡°Of course, my dear Varus.¡± Marduk chuckled. ¡°I have never believed they would seed in capturing the Fox-kin, not even Elliot. But on the off-chance that they did, good for them and me. Spare us the troubles. s, things went just as I expected.¡± Varus crossed his arms. ¡°Then why send them at all?¡± ¡°To stall her.¡± ¡°Stall her? For what?¡± ¡°We¡¯re moving our bases of operations.¡± ¡°You were serious about that?¡± ¡°Quite serious, Varus. So, pack up your things. We¡¯ll be leaving tomorrow.¡± ¡°Why? I didn¡¯t think you would give up, sir¡± Marduk sighed and closed the book he was reading. He set it aside on the round table as he fitted the mask back into position. ¡°I still have every intention to deal with her but just not while I¡¯m here. Do you not know what will happen to thend a Fae dies on?¡± ¡°Everyone knows that story well, sir.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no story, Varus.¡± He turned his gaze to Varus. ¡°It¡¯s a fact. A lot of people know it¡¯s a fact but only a few truly grasp the severity of that fact. If I am going to deal with her, I need to be far away from here before I even start anything. Understood?¡± ¡°Loud and clear, sir,¡± Varus nodded, snickering. He was lightly reprimanding himself in his heart for doubting his employer just now. ¡°May I know what you have nned for her, sir?¡± ¡°You may not, Varus.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t trust me, sir?¡± ¡°It has nothing to do with trust. The n is long andplicated. It will do you no good to know anything about it. And if you¡¯re half as smart as I believed you are, you will be able to figure it out yourself eventually.¡± Varus scoffed. ¡°I suppose I would, eventually speaking. So, what now? I¡¯ll just be packing my bags in the meantime?¡± ¡°And if you can help it, try not to raise any troubles or draw any attention. The relocation cannot bepletely concealed from the public. We do not want any extra eyes on us right now. Do you understand?¡± ¡°I sure do. What about Rex though?¡± ¡°He¡¯s your problem. Make sure he doesn¡¯t do anything stupid.¡± Varus scowled in disbelief. ¡°Since when is he my problem?¡± ¡°Since I decided so, Varus.¡± Varus chuckled. He rose from his chair with a scornful smirk. ¡°With all due respect, sir, how are you so confident that I won¡¯t just crush you into a pulp right here and now?¡± ¡°We¡¯re going there again, really?¡± ¡°Unlike before, I have more money than I could ever spend now. Even if I kill you, I will still be rich and who¡¯s going toe after me? Rex? Dusk? Even if you had some sort of precaution set in ce after your death, I doubt it would matter much to someone like me. So, humour me, where does your confidence stem from?¡± Marduk met Varus¡¯ gaze behind his expressionless mask. ¡°Because I am your shield. Granted, you¡¯re worth more than the entire army of a small nation. However, you¡¯re just one person and you are far from being the strongest individual in the world. Without me, you would be dead eventually at the hands of the incessant challenges you would be receiving without me as your employer.¡± ¡°Oh, truly? Maybe I¡¯ll try my luck.¡± ¡°Feel free to do just that.¡± Marduk stood up from his armchair. ¡°Now, if you have nothing else to report, make yourself scarce.¡± And he walked past Varus with sure steps after patting him on the shoulder, taking the book along with him to return it to its rightful ce, a small shelf under a dim pir of light. Varus snorted in a reluctant resignation and sat his arse back down on the chair. ¡°I do have another thing to report. It¡¯s regarding the vignte group the Scarlet de is leading, the Venerers. They have just arrived here, in Sephrodia Valley.¡± Marduk nced over his shoulder. ¡°You should have started with that. How long have they arrived?¡± ¡°I came as soon as I heard.¡± ¡°The Scarlet de, is she with the group?¡± ¡°Nope, she ain¡¯t. It¡¯s just her cronies. Considering that we are relocating, their timing is really impable. I doubt we can move without garnering their attention if they are as good as the reports say they are.¡± ¡°This is truly impable timing.¡± Marduk clenched his fist. ¡°Who leads this party?¡± ¡°Lucan.¡± ¡°Ah, him. Hisbat abilities are unquestionable and he has more wits than the rumours say. Still, he¡¯s quite a restless fellow. Just create a diversion for him, but don''t make it too obvious. Do it now.¡± Varus sighed and stood back up. ¡°Of course, boss.¡± 4-1 Hasty farewell 4-1 Hasty farewell The day had started off bleak. A wagon, pulled by four horses, was traversing slowly through the thick fog of the morning and across the damp soil caused by the humid night before. But as noon arrived, the weather took a sharp change for the better. The frigid arid morning was reced by balmy vibrant noon. The heat was great but not too hard on any travellers on the road. However, the change of weather did nothing to change the weary mood of the group on the wagon. Or rather, the weather wasn¡¯t the cause of their weariness. The cause was the fervid coitus between Erin and Aedan. The group had been woken up around the wee hours of the night by the sounds of their intense mating. The only one who was full of spirits and zeal when morning came was none other than Aedan. Not a singleyer of a ck ring could be found under his eyes. To amplify the inequity, he had not slept at all after exuding that colossal amount of vigour. Comete noon, everyone in the back of the wagon had sumbed to their exhaustion and were now soundly asleep, save for Aedan and Erin. ¡°This is unfair,¡± Erin groaned as she drifted between sleep and wake. She was sitting beside Aedan on the coach seat but only Aedan was handling the reins. ¡°You didn¡¯t even yawn.¡± Aedan yawned right then and there. ¡°There,¡± he said, grinning. Erin nced behind her. Everyone was soundly asleep in their seats. Siv was the only one sleeping on the floorboards. Her legs and arms were all curled into her belly and her tail was tucked between her legs. It was an endearing sight and it invoked a sigh from Erin. ¡°If you want, you can join them,¡± Aedan muttered. ¡°We still have half a day before we reach the first frontier.¡± ¡°Frontier? What frontier?¡± ¡°A checkpoint of sorts. Unlike Maven¡¯s Creek and Green Scar, Sephrodia Valley is tightly guarded. Or at least the innernds are, which we will be arriving in about half a day. Until then, you can sleep all you want.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t do that, What if there¡¯s an attack?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about bandits or monsters around here. For the monsters, your presence and I are enough to deter them and for the bandits, there are no bandits around here. There are patrols thate around twice a week and these patrols are level twenty at the lowest.¡± ¡°Twenty isn¡¯t exactly low.¡± ¡°It is for thebatants in Sephrodia Valley, that¡¯s how thriving the territory is, enough to attract strong individuals.¡± ¡°Good to know and all but bandits and monsters are not the reasons for my vignce.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s Marduk¡¯s men or Apostle you¡¯re worried about, don¡¯t. Neither of those two would dare stirring up troubles so close to the innernds of Sephrodia Valley.¡± Erin blinked and tilted her head. ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°It is the rumoured base of operations of Marduk¡¯s cabal, the Covenant. The Apostles, no matter who their Divine Guardian is, won¡¯t risk incurring the ire of the Covenant. Well, they won¡¯t challenge you brazenly out in the open at least but they¡¯ll still try to kill you. Just in a more subtle way.¡± ¡°Jolly good to know,¡± Erin grumbled and stifled a yawn. ¡°As for Marduk¡¯s men themselves¡­ well, you won¡¯t shit in the ce you eat, right?¡± Erin stared at Aedan in disbelief and frowned. ¡°That¡¯s a very terrible analogy.¡± ¡°Maybe but you get my meaning, no?¡± Erin refused to nod, not after that terrible and disgusting analogy of his. Suddenly, the wagon gave a judder as it went over a small hump on the road. Erin let out a faint yelp and her brows furrowed from the throbbing ache around her crotch. She clenched her fists and gritted her teeth to prevent herself from squealing. Aedan chuckled with his lips closed and his gaze turned away. ¡°Can¡¯t you just alleviate that pain with Spirit Mend?¡± ¡°This is nothing,¡± she retorted with a scowl. ¡°I¡¯m not going to make it a habit of treating the slightest bit of wound or pain. It¡¯ll dull my senses towards life-threatening circumstances. I have already lost nearly all sense of urgency towards death. I don¡¯t want to lose my fear of pain too.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what you told mest night.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say that¡¯s the only reason.¡± Aedan shrugged as he tittered softly. ¡°I suppose you didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Having another ndestine affair again?¡± Lyra said as she suddenly emerged from the back and wrapped her arms around Erin, resting her weary head on Erin¡¯s shoulder. Her hair was ruffled and her eyes were barely open. Her eyelids fluttered like a butterfly¡¯s wings as she struggled to keep herself awake. ¡°ndestine?¡± Erin raised an eyebrow, her hand moved to tousle Lyra¡¯s hair. ¡°That¡¯s a fancy word.¡± ¡°I have been talking with Lilian and she had talked with a lot of fancy folks. Apparently, you are what one would call entric, Erin.¡± ¡°She certainly is,¡± Aedan muttered. Lyra¡¯s eyes snapped open and she lifted her head off of Erin¡¯s shoulder. She then turned her gaze sharply to Aedan, scowling lightly. Aedan met Lyra¡¯s glowering gaze but only briefly. It wasn¡¯t even a proper nce but only a sidelong nce. Still, that was enough of a response for Lyra. ¡°He wasn¡¯t too rough on you, was he?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°What?¡± Erin was caught off guard by her. ¡°W-what do you mean?¡± ¡°It was your first time with a man, is it not?¡± ¡°Y-yes?¡± For some reason, Erin felt ufortable answering the question. She had no qualms recounting her experiences with Lyra or Siv but with Aedan, it brought for an unexinable embarrassment. ¡°My first time was terrible, you know? I act like I felt good because I didn¡¯t want to hurt his feelings but¡­ maybe I should have not put up with it and just be honest with him about his terrible performance. So, tell me, was Aedan good?¡± ¡°Was I?¡± Aedan chimed in. Erin grimaced. ¡°Why are we talking about this?¡± ¡°Because your lover is worried,¡± Lyra answered. Erin took a whiff. ¡°Worry, my foot. You¡¯re just intrigued. I can smell your anticipation.¡± Her eyes widened. ¡°You want toy with him?¡± ¡°Not just him alone¡­¡± Lyra¡¯s gaze was swimming as her voice trailed off. ¡°But if it¡¯s with you too¡­ maybe I am a tad curious?¡± ¡°I thought you said you hate men?¡± ¡°A lot has changed, Erin. Discovering you were a man, for one. And¡­ if he¡¯s a man that you approved¡­ I don¡¯t mind.¡± Aedan finally burst out chuckling. ¡°Did I say something funny?¡± Lyra asked with a confused frown. ¡°You forgot to ask my opinion, that¡¯s what I found funny.¡± Lyra narrowed her gaze. ¡°How is that funny?¡± ¡°What makes you think I want to bed you?¡± A spurt of stifledughter resounded from the back of the wagon. As the three nced back, they saw Lilian sitting on the bench with her eyes closed but her shoulders were trembling uncontrobly and a cackle on the verge of bursting forth from her lips. ¡°You were awake,¡± Aedan said. Lilian dropped her farce and sat up straight. Her eyes were devoid of tiredness and spanned wide open as if her exhaustion had all been just an illusion. ¡°Oh, my. You didn¡¯t know I was awake?¡± she asked with a simper. ¡°Surprisingly, no. I couldn¡¯t tell.¡± ¡°I feel extremely honoured that I managed to elude the senses of a True Dragon,¡± Lilian said with a slight bow of her head. ¡°Either you¡¯re extremely skilled in the Magic Arts of concealment or¡­¡± His gaze wandered to the back of his left hand. ¡°The seal is deteriorating much quicker than I already feared.¡± ¡°Oh, dear¡­ Is that something we should be worried about?¡± Lilian asked, her smile disappearing. ¡°Not if I can help it.¡± He turned to Erin. ¡°Sorry, sweetheart but I can¡¯t apany you to the city after all. We will have to part here.¡± ¡°Here? Why?¡± Erin questioned with an addled gaze. ¡°Don¡¯t you need to go through the valley regardless?¡± ¡°You are right in that regard but there are more ways than one to go through the valley,¡± Aedan said and pulled on the reins, putting the wagon to a stop. The abrupt shift of momentum woke everyone up, except for Siv who didn¡¯t even stir. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Nivia immediately jumped to her feet upon her wake with her twin short swords brandished and her gaze sharpened. ¡°Change of ns. I¡¯m leaving early,¡± Aedan exined curtly and hopped down from the coach. ¡°You¡¯re not going with us until the city?¡± ¡°Not anymore. Things have changed for the worse. I need to be quick.¡± ¡°What is your n?¡± Erin asked, plopping down from the wagon. ¡°Olivia,¡± Aedan answered. Erin¡¯s brows sprang up upon realisation. ¡°I see.¡± The person-in-question popped her head out of the wagon¡¯s makeshift cloth window. ¡°Yes, m¡¯lord?¡± Olivia¡¯s expression was still groggy but her voice was firm and full of zest. ¡°You¡¯reing with me. You will be my mount. We are flying to the eastern nations.¡± Olivia¡¯s grogginess disappeared in an instant as she shook her face wide awake. ¡°Pardon me, m¡¯lord, but did I hear you right?¡± ¡°You did. So, get down from there and release your shell of a form already.¡± Olivia did just that but when she had disembarked from the wagon, she walked towards Aedan with a look of reluctance. ¡°My lord, is this wise? What of your consort?¡± Aedan frowned. ¡°My consort?¡± ¡°His consort?!¡± Erin and Lyra eximed in unison. Lilian could be heard tittering inside the wagon. Aedan sighed. ¡°She¡¯s no consort of mine, Olivia. And what of Erin?¡± ¡°If I¡¯m gone, who will protect her from harm, my lord?¡± It was Erin¡¯s turn to sigh. She picked up a pebble from the road and tossed it at Olivia. The moment Olivia instinctively grabbed the pebble falling her way, Erin thrust her palm. Olivia swiftly dodged Erin¡¯s palm thrust but her neck touched something firm and cold as she moved away from Erin¡¯s palm. When she cast her gaze down, she saw Erin¡¯s sword, conjured from Bespoke, was pressing against her neck. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Nivia gasped in awe. She had heard that Erin had grown a lot ever since theirst acquaintance but seeing her growth in the flesh was a whole different story. Erin was only just barely her level of skill thest time they sparred but now, Nivia could tell Erin had long surpassed her in both swordsmanship and magic. Aedan smirked. ¡°Does that answer your question, Olivia?¡± Olivia nodded and Erin dispelled her spell sword. ¡°Levels and the repertoire of spells are not everything, Olivia,¡± Erin said. ¡°You can¡¯t protect me if you¡¯re not using your true powers and form, and I sincerely doubt you can show your true powers and form in the city.¡± ¡°She has a point,¡± Aedan attested. ¡°And a True Dragon by my side will just attract more attention.¡± ¡°Of course, mdy. I have been remiss. Forgive me,¡± Olivia apologised and bowed deeply. Aedan rolled his eyes. ¡°For heaven¡¯s sake, stop with those etiquettes of yours. No one here cares about them.¡± ¡°But I do, m¡¯lord. It is not for them but for me. You are my lord. She is your consort. And they are your friends. I need to show my humble respect.¡± ¡°She is not his consort, Lizard!¡± Lyra baulked at Olivia from the coach seat. ¡°Get that into your head.¡± ¡°Your opinion is duly noted, human,¡± Olivia retorted dryly to Lyra¡¯s growl. Erin ignored the banter between Olivia and Lyra and walked right up to Aedan. ¡°If I had known you would be leaving so soon, I would have prepared better.¡± ¡°Prepare? For what? You were nning on giving a speech?¡± ¡°Something like that.¡± Aedan smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t need that, Erin. I just need this.¡± He wrapped his arms around Erin and pulled her in for a deep passionate kiss. Lyra and Nivia gasped. The two wanted to jump in and give their retorts but they couldn¡¯t think of anything to say. Lyra herself had already given her approval and Nivia had no business in their rtionship. And so, they both resorted to just staring at the two embraced in a deep kiss. Olivia was indifferent to their show of affection as always. Aera, Siv, and Lilian were still inside the wagon but for some reason, Lilian was snickering as if she was seeing everything that was transpiring. The kiss between them only ended when Erin forcefully pushed Aedan away. ¡°That¡¯s too much,¡± sheined, wiping her lips. ¡°And there are others watching.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like they don¡¯t already know about us.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not into that kind of y, Aedan. At least not on this asion,¡± Erin said herst sentence in a whisper. ¡°How improper of you two,¡± Nivia huffed with her arms crossed, looking away as red filled her cheeks. ¡°Oh, before I forget.¡± Aedan ruffled around his pockets for a while before taking out a sigil medallion of sorts and handing it over to Erin. ¡°Once you reach the city, show the officials this medallion.¡± ¡°What is this?¡± Erin asked, inspecting the medallion pressed into her hand. Olivia¡¯s expression turned solemn suddenly and she cut in, ¡°M¡¯lord. We should leave now.¡± Aedan nodded. ¡°We should.¡± ¡°Someone¡¯sing,¡± Erin said as caught a thunder of hooves approaching in their direction. ¡°The patrols?¡± ¡°It can only be them,¡± Aedan affirmed. They spared not another moment lingering around on the road. Aedan took Olivia by the hand and disappeared into the dense foliage beside the road. No proper farewell was exchanged but to Erin, she was already given one the night prior. They all climbed back on board the wagon with Erin taking the reins and Lyra sitting by her side. ¡°I see them,¡± Lyra said just as the wagons started moving. 4-2 Sultry recollection 4-2 Sultry recollection The patrol numbered around a dozen soldiers. Each of the soldiers was on a warhorse. They were dressed in their respective armours and garbs that suited their role. From afar, Lyra had discerned two spell casters and four archers in the patrol party. ¡°Even their horses are armoured,¡± Erin remarked. She couldn¡¯t see as far as Lyra but she was able to pick up glinting off from the horses. ¡°Are they anticipating war?¡± ¡°They look strong,¡± Lyra muttered gravely. ¡°I can even see their metals gleaming from all the polishing. They are well-fed and well-maintained.¡± By now, everyone in the wagon was wide awake. They hadn¡¯t had their fill of sleep but they couldn¡¯t afford to benguid without Aedan or Olivia, especially now that potential troubles were closing in on them. ¡°They will definitely stop us and question us,¡± Siv said. ¡°Soldiers of the big cities always do. They seem to always have a bone to pick with adventurers and merchants.¡± ¡°Not with us three Fae onboard,¡± Lilian pointed out. ¡°They will stop us but they will not question us, unless, of course, they¡¯re idiots.¡± ¡°They got assigned to patrol duty. They most likely are idiots,¡± Nivia grumbled. Erin was staring off into the distance, in the direction the patrol wasing from, as she took each other of their remarks into consideration. She had no doubts that they would be stopped as they were a band of misfits on a single wagon. Even a simple peasant would raise all sorts of questions about their odd assortments of a party. ¡°Soldiers are definitely trouble,¡± Aera muttered. Her voice was soft but full of volume. Everyone heard her. ¡°Bad experience with soldiers?¡± Lilian asked, smiling forlornly. Aera nodded, barely. ¡°They seem to think they are above thew just because no one¡¯s looking. They didn¡¯t even help protect the viges like they were supposed to. If they had done their jobs¡­ my vige wouldn¡¯t have to ask for protection from bandits and ouws.¡± No one retorted to Aera¡¯s story. They all knew her background. All the words offort and constion had already been spoken and crossed her mind but none seem to dispel the forlorn air wafting around her. They could only nod in sympathy. ¡°Let¡¯s hope they will just let us pass without raising any fuss,¡± Erin said, though she highly anticipated the contrary. ¡°I hope so too, mistress.¡± Siv¡¯s hands were already on her swords in spite of her words. ¡°You wield twin des too?¡± Nivia asked as she took notice of Siv¡¯s choice of weapon. ¡°My true skills lie in the arts of the spear but I am handy with the twin des too.¡± A small smile bloomed on Nivia¡¯s lips. ¡°If there¡¯s ever a chance, would you like to spar with me?¡± ¡°If it doesn¡¯t trouble my mistress, I would love to.¡± Nivia frowned. ¡°Why do you call her your mistress?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a vain and selfish reason of mine. I would appreciate it if you don¡¯t ask.¡± ¡°Is it something venereal?¡± Lilian asked curtly. ¡°Lilian!¡± Nivia reproached the Dryad sharply. ¡°It is not, Lady Lilian.¡± Siv was calm in her response as if unfazed by the carnal undertones of the Dryad. ¡°Is that so?¡± The smirk on Lilian¡¯s lips spelt her doubts. ¡°But if you say so, then¡ª¡± ¡°Quiet now,¡± Erin shouted softly from the front. ¡°The soldiers are close.¡± The moment the patrol caught sight of their wagon, the soldiers shifted their horses into a gallop and rushed over to them. The thundering of the hooves shook the ground and sent the little animals in the area scurrying away. The one curious aspect of the patrol party that caught Erin¡¯s interest was that two of the vanguards were Beast-kin and one of the spell casters in the back was an Umbrum. This was the first time Erin saw races other than humans in the ranks of soldiers. ¡°Umbrum spell caster, curious,¡± Lilian mused, fascinated. ¡°Let me do the talking,¡± Erin sternly reminded her. The soldiers promptly moved to surround the wagon on all sides when they reached them. The eyes of the soldiers were all fixated on the wagon as if it was something queer and unusual. The wagon itself wasn¡¯t anything exquisite but neither was it something in and shabby. There were no striking patterns or colours, just in white and beige. The wagon was actually one of the many items stored in Aedan¡¯s subspace. The wagons were in parts when he had taken them out. He assembled the wagon in less than an hour. As for the horses, they were lured in by Lilian using her charms as a Dryad. Each of the soldiers bore an expression that looked frail to a single touch as if they would lunge at them at the slightest jitter. ¡°They look restless,¡± Lyra said as she inspected each of the soldiers. ¡°Something¡¯s wrong.¡± ¡°Whatever is it, just let me take care of it, alright?¡± Erin whispered. Lyra nodded. ¡°State your name and business, stranger,¡± bellowed the leader of the patrol as he trotted up near to the driver''s bench on his horse. As he was looking up at the coach, he saw only Erin''s ears but not her tails that she had tucked behind her. His belittling gaze told Erin he saw her as nothing more than a lowly Beast-kin who probably stole the wagon she was on. Erin sighed and let go of the reins. She rose from her seat and allowed her tails to flourish in their full glory as she stood up. With the sun ring on her, she almost seemed to be glowing. In an instant, all the horses reared and cried at the sight of Erin¡¯s magnificence. Two of the soldiers were even thrown off their rearing horses. The leader of the patrol was staring at Erin with his jaws dropped and his eyes gaping. He began to pale when he saw Nivia sticking her head out from the back. ¡°By the Divines¡­ a five tail Fox-kin and an Elf¡­ They¡¯re Faes¡­¡± one of the soldiers gasped in awe and terror. ¡°Fae,¡± Nivia corrected them in a low voice. ¡°H-how many of you are there?¡± the leader asked unconsciously. ¡°I beg your pardon?¡± Erin dared him to repeat. Realising what he had just said, the leader straightened himself and met Erin¡¯s narrowed. ¡°I mean how many there are in your party, if I may be so bold to ask. I need to know. I hope you will take no offence to that question, Lady Fae. It¡¯s just a formality.¡± ¡°There are six in my party, including me. All women.¡± ¡°A-all women¡­¡± one of the soldiers muttered faintly. The envy in his voice was apparent to Erin¡¯s ears. Erin shot that soldier a brief nce. The soldier shrieked quietly as his shoulders jumped. ¡°A-and your name, mdy? And your business too, if you don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°My name is Erynthea and I¡¯m an adventurer, so are mypanions here. We are just on a journey like any other adventurers.¡± Erin took her time and nced at every soldier in the group. ¡°I must say, this is quite a greeting here. What seems to be the problem?¡± The leader looked hesitant in answering her but upon noticing the twitch in her brows, he gave in. ¡°The local bandit ns around the borders are all up in arms. Someone had issued a bounty to all those bandit ns. The lesser bandits are using this opportunity to sneak their way into the city. We are trying our best to suppress this conundrum before the good people of the valley take note of it. We are given orders to not be lenient with any suspicious travellers.¡± ¡°Suspicious, huh. Well then, I¡¯m sure my party and I are exempted from that criteria, no?¡± ¡°Mdy¡­ we are just doing our¡ª¡± ¡°Good soldiers of Sephrodia Valley,¡± Erin interjected. ¡°I will not take any offence if you all would kindly let me and mypanions through. This will not be mentioned to any of my fellow kin. You have my word.¡± ¡°O-of course.¡± The leader bowed. ¡°Everything seems to be in order, Lady Erynthea. You may pass.¡± He signalled for his men to allow the wagon passage through. After they all had bowed towards Erin, they galloped until the forest swallowed them in the distance. Erin sighed. ¡°I feel like I have just done something awful,¡± she remarked. ¡°Nonsense, Erin,¡± Lilian said. ¡°You just did what is expected of you. I can see you¡¯re not quite used to unting your status. You should do it more because, in that big city, you¡¯re nothing without status if you don¡¯t have the level as a supplement.¡± Erin took the reins and whipped the horses into moving. The wagon began to move once again. ¡°They¡¯re just doing their job.¡± ¡°Or that¡¯s what they want you to think,¡± Aera muttered begrudgingly in the back. ¡°She speaks true, mistress,¡± Siv said. ¡°If you had been any other race, they''de up with whatever reason they could think of andpel you to give them money.¡± ¡°They get away with that?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°Sort of,¡± Siv answered. ¡°If they get found out, they would just share the gold they plundered.¡± ¡°None of them had the conscience to refuse the bribe?¡± ¡°If they¡¯re the only ones who refused when everyone else didn¡¯t, what do you think is going to happen to them?¡± ¡°Ah, I see. So much for feeling safe in the presence of these so-called patrols.¡± ¡°With these soldiers, you¡¯ll lose only your gold. With bandits or monsters, you¡¯ll lose your life too. It¡¯s just the lesser of two evils. Mistress is strong and so are we. We don¡¯t need to worry about these bullies.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not the soldiers I¡¯m worried about,¡± Erin said. ¡°Aedan said the Covenant would not be brazen and that means they will be sending assassins.¡± ¡°Let theme,¡± Aera remarked ominously as she clenched her fists tightly. ¡°Save us the trouble in searching for them.¡± ¡°Your vengeance wille, Aera but I have no intention of letting you perish along with your vengeance.¡± Aera made no remark to that. She just returned to her usual silent brooding mood. ¡°Is it a good idea to just unt your status at every issue in the city?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°What if someone has a better status?¡± ¡°Better status than Erin and I here? Well¡­ let¡¯s just hope that someone is reasonable,¡± Lilian answered with a shrug. ¡°Like Aedan?¡± Erin chuckled. ¡°He¡¯s anything but reasonable. I¡¯m sure we all can attest to that afterst night.¡± Lyra cast her gaze down. ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡± ¡°We sure can attest to that,¡± Lilian breathed with a simper. ¡°So, my dear Erin, when are you going to share your experience with us? How is he?¡± Nivia instantly bounced up from her seat. ¡°She is not going to share anything about her experience with that man. Lilian, please, have some decency, will you?¡± ¡°Stop being a prude, Nivia.¡± Lyra was looking at Erin with the same kind of anticipating gaze as Lilian. ¡°As much of an arse he is, I still would love to know about your experience with him, Erin.¡± Feeling cornered, Erin looked to Siv for help. ¡°I would love to hear about it too if it would help in my performance of the bedroom arts.¡± Erin scoffed in disbelief. ¡°You too, Siv?¡± ¡°What harm can it do, mistress?¡± ¡°My sanity,¡± Erin wanted to retort but for some reason, that answer refused to leave her lips. ¡°Her dignity, for one,¡± Nivia answered in her stead. ¡°No one¡¯s around. It¡¯s just us. The walls have ears but trees don¡¯t,¡± Lilian pointed out. ¡°Anything you tell us will not be known by anyone else but us unless you see fit otherwise.¡± Eventually, Erin relented to their insistence. ¡°Fine,¡± she sighed. ¡°What do you want to know?¡± ¡°How big is he?¡± was the first question asked and it could only be from no one else but Lilian. Erin choked on her breath and went into a short coughing fit. ¡°What kind of question is that?¡± Though she asked, she could see the brimming curiosity in each of herpanions¡¯ faces, including Nivia¡¯s but she was doing her best to hide it. ¡°Quite big¡­¡± Erin answered in a faint whisper. Despite not hearing her answer clearly, everyone knew what she said considering how soft she was with her voice. ¡°Size isn¡¯t everything,¡± Siv said. ¡°Lady Iris told me so.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Lilian nodded. ¡°If they don¡¯t know how to use it, it would just hurt. You¡¯ll be surprised at how many men are not aware of this fact.¡± Rueing her curiosity, Nivia retreated to the far back of the wagon with a flushed face and a nauseous expression. And so, the rest of the journey to the city was filled with these types of questions. The ¡°interrogation¡± only ended after Erin had spilt everything, right down to the details of her afterglow. After that, save for Aera and Nivia for obvious reasons, everyone held longing and envious gazes towards Erin. 4-3 Rune Drake 4-3 Rune Drake It hadn¡¯t been an hour before Erin and herpanions stumbled upon another group of soldiers. They had noticed the soldiers¡¯ presence from afar but it took about half an hour for them to stumble right up to the soldiers as their paths were gradually nting more and more. They were slowly descending into a valley. ording to the map Aedan had left them, after the slope, a steep cliff was waiting for them straight ahead and it had been the bane of many unwary travellers as the cliff was extremely difficult to distinguish with its moss-covered surface and the green backdrop. However, Erin didn¡¯t have that worry as she was told beforehand and the soldiers¡¯ presence voided the dangerous masquerade of nature. The soldiers did not pay Erin any mind despite noticing the wagon¡¯s approach. If anything, they were waving for her to move along. Despite that, Erin couldn¡¯t help but be curious when she saw an uprooted tree, puddles of blood, and bits of flesh. ¡°You¡¯re going to get involved?¡± Lyra asked. She was lying on the coach bench with her head on Erin¡¯sp. Drowsiness returned to her after the group ran dry of questions to ask about Erin¡¯s night with Aedan. She had tossed herself onto Erin¡¯sp without asking but Erin herself didn¡¯t seem bothered by it. ¡°You disapprove?¡± ¡°I thought you don¡¯t go looking for trouble.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t and I didn¡¯t. This one found me and whether we like it or not, we are part of it. I can¡¯t be at ease after seeing those ring sights.¡± Erin stopped the wagon beside the soldiers. She gestured for the others to be at ease when they realised the wagon had stopped. The soldiers also realised the wagon had stopped beside them but none of the soldiers looked their way, save for one. Going by the cloak the soldier was wearing, Erin surmised he was the officer of this group. He was sporting a vexed look as if he was tired of another curious onlooker. ¡°Well met, officer,¡± Erin greeted with a slight nod. The officer¡¯s demeanour instantly changed when he saw Erin¡¯s perky white ears and the tails behind her dancing tenderly to the breeze. ¡°G-good afternoon, mydy,¡± he greeted back, bowing with a hand to his chest. When one of the soldiers noticed their officer was bowing to Erin, the rest also turned to look, following after one another. Confusion riddled their faces but as Erin rose from her seat, inadvertently pushing Lyra¡¯s head off herp, the soldiers all bowed with their hands to their chests at the sight of her ears and tails. Erin was starting to feel drunk from her unfounded authority and she had to refrain from grinning terribly. ¡°She¡¯s getting used to it,¡± Lilian muttered yfully from the back of the wagon. ¡°What seems to be the problem, officer?¡± Erin asked, ignoring Lilian¡¯s remark. ¡°It¡¯s nothing to be concerned about, Lady Fae,¡± the officer said after rposing himself and donning back his seasoned face. Erin raised an eyebrow and nced at the w marks left amidst the blood puddles. She alternated her gaze between the w marks and the officer. ¡°Y-you need not trouble yourself, Lady Fae, is what I meant,¡± the officer corrected his words when he saw Erin¡¯s bouncing gaze. ¡°What manner of monster could leave such devastating crude marks.¡± ¡°A Rune Drake, mydy.¡± Erin immediately looked behind her. Lilian¡¯s solemn face and Siv¡¯s light frown told her enough of this Rune Drake¡¯s degree of threat. He turned back to the officer. ¡°Did you happen to know this Rune Drake¡¯s level?¡± ¡°The adventurer party that reported the sighting of this Rune Drake said it was level fifty-two.¡± ¡°I¡¯m guessing this behaviour of the Rune Drake is unusual?¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t exactly unusual, mydy. Monsters often roam or wander into paved roads but they usually don¡¯t attack travellers as they know the repercussions. This is a fear instilled into their bloodline and instincts over the course of hundreds of years since the founding of Sephrodia Valley. If they acted outside the range of their usual behaviour, it could only mean there¡¯s an external reason.¡± ¡°Such as?¡± ¡°Adventurers attacked their habitats without restraint or something precious to the monster has been stolen from it. Its egg would be a good example.¡± ¡°Could it be that someone stole the egg of this Rune Drake?¡± ¡°Unlikely, mydy. An egg of a Rune Drake is big and very distinctive. If one is seen carrying around with that egg, they will be persecuted and driven out of the city by everyone.¡± ¡°What if they hide the egg they stole inside a subspace storage spell?¡± ¡°The egg is as big as the average man¡¯s torso. Storing such arge item inside a subspace would imply the person has a very high level in Spatial Magic.¡± A drop of sweat trickled down the officer¡¯s face. ¡°That would deeplyplicate things.¡± ¡°Then I hope that won¡¯t be the case,¡± Erin said. ¡°Well, I won¡¯t be bothering you anymore. Keep up the good work, good sirs.¡± ¡°O-of course, mydy.¡± The officer bowed again and so did the others. They promptly returned to their work as the wagon slowly made its descent on the meandering slope leading down the steep cliff. ¡°What are the chances that we will encounter that Rune Drake?¡± Lyra asked, resting her head on Erin¡¯sp the moment the wagon started moving again. ¡°Will we?¡± Aera asked worriedly. ¡°Stop it, Lyra. You¡¯re scaring Aera,¡± Erin lightly admonished Lyra. ¡°Her? Afraid of a Rune Drake? Like hell.¡± Lyra scoffed. ¡°If you¡¯re not going to sleep, then get off myp.¡± Lyra perched herself up and stared at Aera. ¡°You¡¯re afraid of a Rune Drake? I saw how you fought that sham of a priest. Why would you be afraid of a Rune Drake?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like fighting,¡± Aera said, casting her head down. ¡°I don¡¯t want to fight if I can avoid fighting.¡± ¡°Five gold says you can kill that Rune Drake with two punches.¡± ¡°Ten gold, one punch,¡± Lilian chimed in with a smile. Aera looked at the two with gaping eyes. ¡°Enough, you two!¡± Nivia raised her voice. ¡°We¡¯re not a party of debauched gamblers here.¡± ¡°Gamblers, no.¡± Lyra shrugged. ¡°Debauched, yes.¡± Nivia scowled. ¡°You haven¡¯t changed at all, Lyra. Still as unprincipled as ever.¡± Lyra sneered in return. ¡°And you¡¯re a virgin as always.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with being the only virgin in this wagon?¡± ¡°I¡¯m still a virgin¡­¡± Aera said softly with a hand raised awkwardly. ¡°You are?¡± Lilian uttered in mild disbelief. ¡°Didn¡¯t your father¡ª¡± ¡°He tried to,¡± Aera said grimly. ¡°He pulled out his cock but Nyx answered my prayers before he could tear my maiden seal.¡± ¡°What kind of father would ravage his own daughter,¡± Siv mulled with a frown. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. He¡¯s dead. Aedan killed him.¡± Herst sentence was said with a faint smile. But Nivia took the smile as some kind of a foreboding sign. ¡°You¡¯re infatuated with him. You fancy him.¡± She nodded. ¡°I do,¡± she said, her smile widening. ¡°It would seem you have a corrival, Erin,¡± Lyra jibed. Aera cast away her smile when she realised what she might have entailed. ¡°L-Lady Erynthea, I didn¡¯t mean¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, Aera,¡± Erin assured her. ¡°I am not offended nortled. I have long epted that part of him long before I was infatuated with him.¡± ¡°He had other lovers?¡± Aera asked. ¡°Disgustingly so,¡± Nivia grumbled as she thought of a certain Umbrum. ¡°What¡¯s so good about him anyway?¡± Lilian tittered. ¡°Someone¡¯s not being honest with herself.¡± ¡°And who would that be?¡± Nivia shot back with a re. Erin sighed and rolled her eyes at the bickering happening behind her. It was at times like these that she wondered if it was a mistake to bring love into her life. Mud alwayses after the rain, she assuaged herself with that expression as she tried her best to focus on the steep meandering road down the cliff. The bickering did not end even after the wagon made its way to the foot of the cliff. However, it ended when a roar resounded in the distance and everyone was instantly prepared to strike at any moment. ¡°It sounded close,¡± Nivia said. ¡°The Rune Drake?¡± ¡°What else can it be?¡± Lyra responded. ¡°Unless there are monsters as dangerous as the Rune Drake about in this forest, no other monster would dare reveal its own position.¡± ¡°Judging by the direction the roar came from, it is in our path.¡± Lyra chuckled and looked at Erin, who was wearing a grave expression. Lyra dropped her smile. ¡°Erin, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Blood,¡± it was Siv who answered. ¡°There¡¯s a faint smell of blood, human. They¡¯re still alive.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we go help them?¡± Aera asked. ¡°You want to fight?¡± ¡°There are people in danger. I will fight if I have to.¡± ¡°What if they¡¯re bad people like bandits?¡± Lilian threw the question at Aera. ¡°They¡¯re not bandits,¡± Erin said, gripping the reins tightly. ¡°I smell perfume and polished metal.¡± ¡°Ah, nobledies,¡± Lilian smirked. ¡°Then what are you waiting for Erin? Go and save the damsel and make her swoon over you already.¡± Erin rolled her eyes exasperatedly and whipped the horses into a charge. Therge and old trees gradually parted as they advanced down the road at the speed of the wind. The wagon might not look like much but the materials were actually quite sturdy. It could even hold the full brunt of a medium-sized monster¡¯s charge, so long that the monster wasn¡¯t using magic. ¡°Whoa¡­¡± Lyra gasped in awe when the Rune Drake came into their sights. It was as tall as two houses and as long as five. ¡°This is¡­ what? Thrice the size of the Razor Grizzly?¡± ¡°Thrice and more,¡± Erin corrected her in a mutter. The Rune Drake bore a huge resemnce to a crocodile except that it had longer limbs, shorter but wider jaws, and a tail adorned with a single file of spikes with a barbed tip. True to its name, it had rune-like birthmarks covering its entire body. It had toppled a carriage over, torn the horses to pieces, and ate someone going by the arm dangling on the corner of its jaws. Erin instantly appraised the inferior Dragon and got its stats information. It was level fifty-four, two levels higher than it was reported. Its affliction status read Enraged. It had a vast array of skills and spells but the one that caught Erin¡¯s eyes was the Runic Mystic Arts. Runic Arts - A Magic Art with a history that could be traced back thousands of years ago. Other spells and skills could be enhanced or given additional properties through the use of Runic Arts. ¡°Well, that sure doesn¡¯t sound apprehensive at all,¡± Erin muttered out loud, catching everyone¡¯s curiosity towards her abrupt random mulling. ¡°What did you learn?¡± Lyra asked. Erin then exined the Rune Drake¡¯s level and the peculiar Magic Art it had. ¡°As expected of an inferior Dragon,¡± Lilian said. ¡°It possessed such ancient magic. This drake may prove to be formidable even against all of us.¡± The Rune Drake was currently fighting a heavily-armoured knight in bloodstained armour with a pair of longswords. Two lightly-armoured guards were tending to a young girl and a woman, a pair of mother and daughter, Erin reckoned by their simr faces and blonde hair colour. The heavy knight wasn¡¯t faring too well as his shes and thrusts barely touched the Rune Drake but the Rune Drake was swatting him around like a ragdoll. The knight was level forty-five and he had a level ten Arcane Armour, a level six Sword Art, a level eight Arcane Edge, and amongst many other staple skills a fighter should have. Still, it wasn¡¯t enough against a monster like the Rune Drake with triple the amount of skills and spells he had. Also, the higher the level, the more significant the difference is in a level gap. Above the fifties level, even a two-level difference would be a tremendous gulf of difference. But of course, this did not wholly apply to an irregr like Erin. The Rune Drake appeared to be restraining itself when it was attacking the knight. It almost seemed as if the Rune Drake was afraid of striking the knight too hard and its eyes were not entirely focused on the knight. Its gaze was swimming around the wreckage of the carriage. ¡°Something indeed has been stolen from the Rune Drake,¡± Erin said. ¡°You can tell?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°Its gaze. It¡¯s looking around, searching for something.¡± ¡°What could it be? It couldn''t be its egg, could it?¡± ¡°Whatever it is, we¡¯ll find out after we quell its rage. Lyra, get its attention.¡± ¡°On it, my love,¡± Lyra said and nocked her bow with arrows she received from Aedan. While she was d that she had arrows to use now, she was mildly disappointed that the arrows were just normal arrows. 4-4 Rune Drake II 4-4 Rune Drake II Lyra held her breath as she pulled on the string and poised her shot. The moment she expelled her breath, her fingers released the string and the two arrows nocked were sent streaking through the air. The arrows found their mark but only one stayed lodged on the mark, the one that struck the Rune Drake¡¯s eye. The other arrow simply bounced off the Rune Drake¡¯s tough hide. The Rune Drake reared and cried out in agony. Its tail floundered and thrashed its surroundings. The knight gaped his eyes and mouth at the abrupt but weed assistance out of nowhere. He followed the path of the arrows and saw a beige wagon not far from him. His saviours were a group of adventurers, he gathered, but the wagon made him second guess himself as adventurers who could travel in a wagon were few. A wagoncked versatility, a trait that adventurers deemed to be their lifeline. Erin stopped the wagon before it entered therge road where the Rune Drake was rampaging. She hopped down and brandished a greatsword she conjured with Bespoke. Though a sword nearly asrge as her, the weight of the spell greatsword was less than half it looked. ¡°Siv, Nivia, you twoe with me.¡± ¡°What about me?¡± Lyra asked as she took a step off the wagon. ¡°You wait here in the wagon with Lilian and Aera. You have range. Use it.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Lyra nodded and got back on the wagon without a singleint. If this was before everything, she would haveined and insisted on joining them on the front lines but she was wiser than before. The conflicts she had braved through had made her grow. ¡°Nivia, I trust that your skills did not get rusty during the time apart from each other.¡± ¡°I have only gotten better, Erin,¡± she retorted. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see how much you have grown. It¡¯s really good to see you again, Erin.¡± ¡°What¡¯s with the sudden warmth?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t this remind you of the first time we sparred?¡± ¡°Um¡­ no?¡± ¡°I-I see¡­ S-so it¡¯s just me¡­¡± ¡°Nivia, what are you¡ª¡± ¡°Mistress, it''sing!¡± Siv¡¯s shout of warning turned Erin¡¯s attention to the Rune Drake that was charging towards them. The eye that was struck by Lyra¡¯s arrow had recovered and left not a scar. ¡°It healed its eye?¡± Erin blurted out. ¡°But it didn¡¯t have any healing-rted magic or spells?¡± ¡°Runic Arts, Erin,¡± Lilian reminded her. ¡°That means what you see it can do doesn¡¯t mean it is all that it can do.¡± Erin sighed. ¡°That¡¯s a tad unnerving but¡ª¡± she pointed at the Rune Drake with her sword. ¡°¡ªalso kind of thrilling. Nivia, Siv, nk its sides. I¡¯ll charge straight at it.¡± Siv and Nivia nodded and dashed to their positions. The Rune Drake roared and came to a stop in its charge. It drew magic into its mouth before unleashing it in a torrent. The torrent carved through the rocky paths and chased after Siv but the Wolf-kin wasn¡¯t the least perturbed. Erin shifted the Rune Drake¡¯s attention to her with a lightning bolt to its face. It immediately switched its target to Erin, who blocked the torrent beam with an Arcane Aegis. Though Arcane Aegis took the spell attack without breaking instantly, Erin was pushed back considerably but she persisted with Arcane Aegis. When the Rune Drake realised its attack would never prate Erin¡¯s defence and the Beast-kin and the Elf were closing in on it, it ended its attack and leapt into the air. ¡°Watch out! It¡¯s going to curl into a ball and roll towards your wagon!¡± shouted the knight who was rushing towards them. The Rune Drake did as the knight said and curled into a ball as it made its descent, falling towards Erin. She grinned and surrounded herself with a barrier of lightning tes. The Rune Drake crashed into Erin, ploughing right through Thunder Shell. However, the Rune Drake wasunched faraway by Thunder Shell¡¯s counter effect. The Rune Drake went rolling and sprawling across the ground, all the while making the whole area tremble. ¡°What a handy spell,¡± Erin heaved a sigh of relief. She felt her heart stopping when the Rune Drake ploughed right through Thunder Shell without being slowed much. ¡°Spirit Bind!¡± Nivia shouted after muttering a short chant under her breath. Cyan tendrils made of Spirits emerged from the ground and wrapped themselves around the Rune Drake¡¯s limbs and its tail. Before it could free itself from the binds, Siv unleashed a flurry of shes upon the Rune Drake. It roared and flung Siv back with a radial emission of its tremendous magic aura. ¡°I¡¯m not through with you yet!¡± the knight cried and plunged his swords into Rune Drake¡¯s side as it struggled in its restraints. The Rune Drake protruded magic spikes from its whole body in retaliation. The spikes pierced through the knight¡¯s armour and grazed him in many ces but none of the vital spots. Still, the knight was incapacitated by his fresh wounds. The Rune Drake eventually broke free of the tethers after another violent fit of struggle. It turned its gaze to the incapacitated knight and drew magic into its mouth. The knight could only stare in despair with his unmoving limbs. As the Rune Drake unleashed the bided magic in its mouth, a gust of wind knocked its head up, spewing the magic into the air. Siv swooped in and carried the knight to safety. The Rune Drake veered its aim back to the knight but Erin appeared right in front of it with her sword swinging. The Rune Drake scrapped its spell breath and hopped back to avoid Erin¡¯s decapitating sh. Nivia dove in under the guise of the wind and drew a deep cut across its hind limbs. The Rune Drake screeched and pounded its tail wildly. Nivia cast a wind barrier around her just right as the tail smacked into her. She went bouncing and tumbling across the ground but came to a safe stop. Erin lunged at the Rune Drake, her de d in Arcane Edge. The Rune Drake lunged in return but with its hind limbs wounded, there was not much strength in its lunge, though its sheer size made up for its injuries. Erin leapt and flipped over the Rune Drake¡¯s lunge. The Rune Drake covered itself in the magic spikes again but Erin enclosed herself in Storm Shell as she fell onto its back. The Magic Spikes pierce through Erin¡¯s Storm Shell with ease but the counterforce was unleashed back at point-nk. The Rune Drake yawped painfully as it was mmed into the ground so hard that a crater was formed. It rolled over, trying to tten Erin but she had already leapt away from it. Erinnded gracefully on her feet and stretched her limbs, mulling over her performance. Her spell conjuration had improved. She could cast spells quicker and easier now but casting significant spells while moving was still a near-impossible feat for her. ¡°Mistress¡­. Something¡¯s happening,¡± Siv observed. Erin looked up from her stretching and found the rune marks on the Rune Drake were glowing. The wounds it umted disappeared along with the glow. Erin wanted to just rush in and sh the drake down but that was extremely unwise as she knew not what else it could do. Moreover, she realised she didn¡¯t need to kill the Rune Drake. She had only got herself involved to save those people. Besides, killing the Rune Drake might topple a bnce in the forest she knew nothing about. She would only kill it if it was absolutely necessary. ¡°Siv, Nivia, get everyone to the wagon,¡± Erin said, summoning lightning to her sword. ¡°Everyone?¡± Nivia asked. ¡°You mean those humans?¡± ¡°Yes, them. We are going to run. Now, move. I¡¯ll distract the Rune Drake.¡± ¡°Can the wagon even fit these many people?¡± ¡°I can run, so can you. You have Wind Magic. And once you have finished helping them, I¡¯ll need your help here.¡± ¡°I am to risk myself for humans I don¡¯t even know?¡± ¡°Nivia, please. I beg of you. Help them.¡± Nivia couldn¡¯t retort further when she saw Erin¡¯s pleading doleful gaze. ¡°That¡¯s not fair,¡± she muttered but she followed Erin¡¯s instructions regardless. After making sure the victims were slowly being moved to the wagon by Siv and Nivia, she turned her attention back to the Rune Drake who was eyeing her curiously and cautiously. They were both wary of each other¡¯s prowess and abilities. ¡°Why are you helping these thieves, Fae from the ounds?¡± the Rune Drake growled. Erin blinked. She looked around but it appeared that she was the only one who heard it talk. ¡°I can understand you?¡± ¡°Of course, you can. You¡¯re imprinted by a True Dragon. You have gained the ability toprehend the Dragon Tongue.¡± ¡°Oh, Aedan, you fucking piece of shit. You did not tell me about this,¡± Erin cursed and seethed. ¡°I ask you again, Fae. Why are you helping the thieves?¡± Erin shrugged. She dispelled her sword and walked calmly towards the Rune Drake. ¡°E-Erin, what are you doing!?¡± Lyra shouted from the wagon. Erin gestured for Lyra and the others to be at ease. She turned back to the Rune Drake. ¡°Something has been stolen from you. That much is obvious but what exactly was stolen from you?¡± ¡°My headrest.¡± Erin blinked. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, your what?¡± ¡°Headrest. Pillow, I think that¡¯s the word humans use.¡± ¡°I see¡­ What kind of pillow? Surely it¡¯s not like the ones people used, yes?¡± ¡°It is arge blue square silk bag stuffed with cotton and embroidered with golden fringes.¡± Erin frowned in great confusion. ording to the Rune Drake¡¯s description, it sounded exactly like a normal pillow but just erged. She couldn¡¯t tell if the Rune Drake was being serious or simply gulling her. Nevertheless, she went with the conventional response. ¡°What makes you think they are the ones who stole from you?¡± ¡°They smell and dress like the ones who stole from me.¡± ¡°I see¡­ So nobles stole from you¡­ Figures. Well, in any case, these aren¡¯t the ones that stole from you. I saw nothing among the wreckage that could be your headrest and I have appraised every one of them, they did not have Spatial Magic to store your headrest inside a subspace storage.¡± ¡°Or you could be lying for their sake, Fae.¡± ¡°And why would I do that¡± ¡°A Fae isn¡¯t immune to the temptation of human greed. I have seen Elves, Dryads, Spriggans, Druids, and various other Fae sumbing to the temptation of human greed.¡± Erin sighed. ¡°Looks like words just aren''t a solution for this conflict.¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t agree more. Enough stall now, Fae!¡± The Rune Drake snarled and pounced. Erin unleashed Lightning Barrage, which she had been preparing in secret while she conversed with the Rune Drake. Hundreds of lightning bolts descended upon the inferior Dragon. It roared amidst the barrage, expressing its humiliation over being outwitted. The wagon sped past them without slowing or stopping with Siv on the reins. The Rune Drake shook off the barrage of lightning and turned around to chase after the wagon. The lightning bolts were still bombarding it but it was barely hurt and it could still move. But before the Rune Drake could take off into a sprint to give chase, a strong whirl of wind fell upon it and surrounded it. The Rune Drake tried ramming through the winds but with lightning that was dragged into the whirling, the Rune Drake was flung away from the offhanded magic fence. The Wind Magic spell was cast by Nivia, who had stayed behind like Erin had asked her to. ¡°What¡¯s next?¡± Nivia asked, panting. ¡°Watch,¡± Erin said and summoned lightning into her from the clouds. She slowly hovered off the ground as the lightning was amassed in her palms. She spread out her arms, forming a spear of lightning. As the lightning spear gradually lost its shape, Erin held the shape whole with the assistance of the Spirits. She then imagined a spear as she cast Bespoke. The spear of lightning in her cradle instantly turned into a solid spear moulded of lightning and Spirits. The thundering whirlwind dispersed just as Erin finished conjuring the spear. ¡°You insolent Fae! You dare trick a Dragon!? I will make you suffer!¡± the Rune Drake roared. It dug out a huge piece of the ground and flung it towards Erin. Erin threw the spear right at the same time it tossed therge piece of soil and rock at her. Her spear tore through the ground fragment without losing momentum and streaked directly towards the Rune Drake. It tried topete with the spear with its magic breath but it wasn¡¯t even apetition. The spear went right through everything, including the Rune Drake¡¯s head, and exploded in the far off distance it travelled to. ¡°By the Spirits,¡± Nivia swore. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°Bespoke¡­ but I didn¡¯t expect it to be this strong.¡± [Experience gained +40% - Level Progression: 60%] 4-5 Single cast 4-5 Single cast ¡°I am not doing that again any time soon.¡± That was Erin¡¯s honest thought after using Bespoke to conjure a weapon that she treated as a one-off spell. The result was more than she expected and the bacsh was even twice as worse. While the Mana consumption wasn¡¯t too terrible, it did leave her mentally and physically exhausted. She was even forced to ask Nivia to carry her to their wagon. Erin felt a tad embarrassed after all that bravado and she returned looking all so sluggish like she was afflicted by a severe cold. However, no one thought that way. In fact, The nobledies and the guards she saved were nothing but grateful for her actions. They were even bowing until their heads were only a foot away from hitting the wagon¡¯s floorboards. Herpanions, especially Lyra and Siv, were unsurprised that she managed to kill the Rune Drake. Erin gave a very brief exnation of why the Rune Drake acted the way it did and the noble woman¡¯s knight vowed to investigate that matter after they reached the city. ¡°Thank you, Lady Erynthea,¡± said the noblewoman, bowing. ¡°Thank you so much for saving us. How can I ever repay your kindness, Lady Erynthea?¡± The noble woman¡¯s daughter was also bowing along. She was a near-perfect duplicate of her mother with the only difference being she was young. The two guards and the knight weren¡¯t in the wagon but on their own horses, all summoned by Lilian using her powers as a Dryad. The wagon could not amodate all of them and so it was decided that the two guards and the knight would be riding their own mounts. ¡°You can start by introducing yourself, madam.¡± Though Erin said that, she already knew their names from her Appraisal but heeding the advice she was given, she acted none the wiser so as to not reveal her Appraisal skill. ¡°Ah, of course. Where are my manners? How unbing of me. I am the High Lady of House Valdrun, Melissa Valdrun.¡± Erin fought down the urge to scream out her surprise. She learned from Iris that a High Lady or a High Lord was a position that was second only to the king. They were essentially the monarch of their own region as no one other than the king could challenge their authority. The reactions were varied among Erin¡¯spanions. Lilian didn¡¯t look too surprised but she was a little taken aback. Nivia had a dubious nce that seemed to say she did not believe the woman¡¯s im at all. Lyra waspletely frozen stiff and so was Aera. Siv was the only one that did not look the slightest bit astounded at the revtion. And as if she had only said something trivial, the High Lady continued with her greeting without a break in her rhythm. ¡°You may call me Melissa, Lady Erynthea. This lovely youngdy here is my daughter, Aeria Valdrun. Say hi, Aery.¡± ¡°H-hello¡­¡± the little girl greeted shyly. She tried getting up to greet with the usual greeting befitting of a young girl but the mild shaking of the wagon made her fall back on her rear. Having adorably botched her greeting, she dove into her mother¡¯s embrace and stuck her reddened face into her mother¡¯s bosom. Everyone shared a chuckle, even Nivia, but she immediately stopped herself when Lyra shed her a grin. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Melissa,¡± Erin greeted back. ¡°And you may simply call me Erin, too.¡± ¡°Heavens, no. I can¡¯t do that, Lady Erynthea. You¡¯re a Fae and my saviour. And you have five tails. I can¡¯t be disrespectful.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t it be more disrespectful to not obey your saviour¡¯s wish and request? Moreover, you¡¯re a High Lady. It isn¡¯t that disrespectful for you to be simply calling me without any honorifics.¡± ¡°If you insist, Lady Fae, then I shallply, Erin.¡± ¡°Thank you, Melissa.¡± Erin refrained from heaving a sigh. She had never liked being formal with words. It was exhausting and a tad pretentious in the tone, something she rather reserved from those she deemed to be her enemies. ¡°Allow me to introduce mypanions. The Elf here is Nivia. The Dryad is Lilian. This lovely girl beside me is Lyra. The ones on the reins are Siv and Aera. Siv is the beast-kin.¡± Siv glimpsed behind her briefly and nodded at the High Lady. Aera mimicked Siv in a haste after seeing her doing it. Melissa greeted them in turns with a bright smile that wasn¡¯t forged. ¡°I must say, Erin, yourpanions are very¡­ atypical.¡± ¡°Atypical?¡± ¡°Yes, it is so. Pardon me for saying this. I don¡¯t mean it in a bad way. I¡¯m sure you have heard of the ill-will between humans and Fae but it would seem that rumour does not apply to yourpanions. And I have also heard that Beast-kin are coarse and unrefined but Lady Siv over there is even more refined than most of my acquaintances. Yourpanions are very interesting and so are you, Erin.¡± ¡°Thank you, Melissa,¡± Erin said. ¡°It soothes my heart to know that no one¡¯s presence here is conflicting with each other.¡± ¡°I most certainly do not wish for that either, Erin.¡± Then, Erin¡¯s amicable expression turned solemn ¡°I have to ask, and I¡¯m sorry in advance if it offends you.¡± ¡°Oh, no. It¡¯s alright. Ask away, Erin.¡± ¡°Valdrun is far away if I¡¯m not mistaken.¡± ¡°You are not, Erin. It is in the far north.¡± ¡°For a High Lady of a ce far away, you sure seemed to be travelling light. You don¡¯t have an army of escorts. You don''t have an insignia painted on your carriage. Why is that?¡± Melissa tittered. ¡°The reason¡¯s quite simple actually, Erin.¡± ¡°You are being furtive, that I know, Melissa, but is there a reason for you to be furtive?¡± The High Lady¡¯s eyes narrowed and sharpened. The air in the wagon shifted drastically. ¡°If it¡¯s trouble you¡¯re worried about, then you can be at ease, Erin. As far as I can tell, you are just adventurers. Anyone knows adventurers are motivated by gold. And you¡¯re a Fae, Erin. I can assure you that no one will being up to you to ask about me. Does that suffice as an answer?¡± Erin donned back her smile. ¡°It does, Melissa.¡± And so did the High Lady. ¡°Splendid, then. I hope that¡¯s all you have to ask of me. I certainly don¡¯t want any misunderstanding between me and my saviour.¡± ¡°There is none,¡± Erin assured her. ¡°For now.¡± The mood returned to normal after Erin shed her inquiry. Lyra and Aera looked to be suffocating when Erin was questioning Melissa. They were panting when the tension dispersed. Aeria, perhaps too young to understand, was still sporting her embarrassment as she was still huddled up in her mother¡¯s arms. Better than Erin could hope for, the mood in the wagon was improving after the initial looming awkwardness from Erin¡¯s inquisitive gesture. Aeria was gradually losing her shyness and slowly opening up to them. It was Lyra who took the initiative to talk with Aeria and the reason was that she reminded Lyra of Celia. Erin wondered briefly how Celia and the others were doing. She made a mental note to write letters to them after they reached Sephrodia Valley. Melissa was doing her best to talk with each of Erin¡¯spanions and she was very ardent with Lilian and Nivia despite thetter¡¯s reluctance. She was asking an array of questions that Erin didn¡¯t even think of and it was at this point that Erin learned a very important fact about the Faerie-kin. ¡°Is it true that all Elves are female?¡± Melissa asked. Erin was leaning against the canopy of the wagon, resting her exhaustion from using Bespoke when she heard that question. She opened her eyes and jolted up. ¡°Not just the Elves, Melissa,¡± Lilian answered. ¡°The Dryads and Fox-kin too.¡± ¡°Oh, my. That¡¯s very fascinating to hear. I thought it was all just the hearsay of the expectant lechers. So it is true.¡± ¡°I did not know that!¡± Erin cried. ¡°You didn¡¯t?¡± It was a question asked by nearly everyone in the wagon except for Aera. Erin shook her head. ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± she affirmed. ¡°I had no idea at all.¡± ¡°You did not know, Erin?¡± Melissa asked, utter confusion painting her face. ¡°She was raised outside of the forest,¡± Lilian exined. ¡°So I hope you can excuse her for any indelicate actions of hers.¡± ¡°Indelicate? Like you¡¯re one to talk, Lilian.¡± For some reason, it was Nivia who baulked in response. ¡°So you didn¡¯t know? Truly?¡± Lyra was making doubly sure of what she heard. ¡°Yes, I didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Since the beginning of¡­, you know?¡± ¡°Yes, since that time.¡± Lyra looked to Nivia. ¡°You were the one who taught her all about Fae ethics. Why didn¡¯t you tell her then?¡± ¡°Don¡¯ty the me on me. How would I know she didn¡¯t even know that? Everyone had at the very least heard that as a rumour. I didn¡¯t know that she waspletely unaware of it.¡± ¡°Alright alright! Please don¡¯t start another fight. Not in the wagon at least.¡± Erin cut in before the two could explode into another fit of argument. ¡°So, about Fae being all females¡ª¡± ¡°Not all Fae. Just Elves, Dryads, and Fox-kin,¡± Lilian said. ¡°Sprites too,¡± Nivia added. ¡°Them too. The others are all males.¡± ¡°The others? Such as?¡± Erin asked. ¡°Spriggans, Druids, and Gnomes.¡± ¡°What about the Fox-kin? Sure they have males since they were once part of the Beast-kin.¡± ¡°They did have males but the children that were born after their assimtion into the Faerie-kin, no more males were born among them.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying it¡¯s either all-female or male?¡± ¡°Yes, that is what I¡¯m saying.¡± ¡°How do you even reproduce and conceive between two Elves?¡± ¡°With the help of the Spirits. We receive their blessing once they confirm the love of a couple and the Spirits will choose the suitable among the two to conceive.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Erin muttered. Though the information wasn¡¯t exactly view-changing, it was a very surreal one, as surreal as when she found herself in the body of a Fox-kin girl. No, just a Fox-kin. There was no male Fox-kin. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I need a moment,¡± Erin said and excused herself to the driver¡¯s seat. As the seat was only big enough for two, Aera switched ces with Erin and went to join the others in the back. Erin heaved out a huge sigh like she always did after the end of a battle. ¡°Did you know?¡± she asked while she was rubbing her temples on both sides. ¡°I did, mistress,¡± Siv answered. ¡°I¡¯m actually quite dumbfounded that you didn¡¯t know.¡± Now that Erin thought about this whole new fact she learned, she never once heard anyone being gender-specific in addressing Elves and Fox-kin. ¡°Was there no race in your old world thatprised only a single gender?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s sapients we¡¯re talking about, then yes, as far as I know at least.¡± ¡°Forgive me for saying this, mistress but that sure sounds like a very dull world to be living in.¡± Erin smiled wryly. ¡°It has its moments but yes, it was very¡­ colourless.¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°Was it that shocking?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a precedent for me. It¡¯s very shocking.¡± ¡°Then maybe you¡¯ll also be surprised to know that Dragons are actually androgynous.¡± Erin choked on her own saliva and breath as she heard that. She snapped her eyes to Siv. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious,¡± she said, on the verge of shouting. Siv then broke out into a gleeful cackle. Erin blinked, confused for a moment before she finally regained her senses and came to a realisation. ¡°You weren¡¯t serious.¡± ¡°Not at all, mistress.¡± Siv shook her head, simpering. ¡°Have I done something to offend you, Siv?¡± Erin asked with a narrowed gaze. ¡°Why would you ever think that way, mistress?¡± ¡°You are angry, Siv.¡± ¡°You are just imagining things, mistress.¡± Erin sighed for the umpteenth time and abruptly pulled Siv into her bosom by her wrist. Erin was quick to cover Siv¡¯s mouth to avoid her squeal from escaping. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Siv. I¡¯m sorry for whatever I did or could have done.¡± She said her apologies as she was embracing Siv and caressed her head. ¡°You called Lyra lovely but you didn¡¯t call me that,¡± Siv muttered softly. ¡°That¡¯s what you were angry about?¡± ¡°I know what I have said before about our rtionship, but¡­ I¡¯m starting to regret it¡­¡± Erin hugged her tighter. ¡°What are you regretting about, Siv?¡± ¡°Vengeance¡­ I¡¯m still angry and I still want revenge for what happened to my brother but¡­ I wished I didn¡¯t let it rule over me then and made those stupid conditions about our rtionship.¡± ¡°Listen, Siv.¡± Erin tipped her face up with a single finger by her chin. ¡°I may be your mistress for your vengeance but that doesn¡¯t limit me to solely being your mistress. I¡¯m not your employer, Siv. I¡¯m your friend, your lover.¡± Siv shuddered as she heard Erin¡¯s promation. ¡°Truly?¡± she asked, like a maiden who just fell in love for the first time. ¡°Truly, Siv,¡± Erin assured her and softly brushed her lips against Siv¡¯s. ¡°I love you, Siv.¡± ¡°I love you too, Erin.¡± And they shared another kiss, not minding the gazes they were unintentionally garnering. 4-6 Longing 4-6 Longing They could finally see the city that had only ever been looming in their anticipation but s, it was there before them, the heart of Sephrodia Valley. Lyra, Aera, and Nivia were sticking their heads out from the side of the wagon, trying to get a good nce of the city. The three exuded awes of fascination with their expressions and sighs. The valley itself had a lot of hills within and various luxurious buildings were built on top as if they had no fear of the hills crumbling down any time soon due to the whims of nature. The city wasrger than what they all had expected. It spanned further than even what Lyra could see with her Eagle Eye. It wasn¡¯t just the size but also its grandeur that was huge. Even the most rundown parts of the city didn¡¯t look too sordid, unlike the slums of Quinteburgh where it looked like a graveyard with buildings in the stead of grave tes. The city was the epitome of flourishing but Erin knew better than to take the city¡¯s appearance at face value. ¡°It¡¯s huge,¡± Siv muttered while sitting in Erin¡¯sp and leaning against her ample bosom. ¡°It certainly is,¡± Erin agreed and nodded. ¡°I heard a lot about how big it is but¡­ it¡¯s really different when you look at it yourself. But it is still no bigger than the capital¡± Erin raised an eyebrow. ¡°If this city is this big, how big is the capital?¡± ¡°Now that¡¯s a city on apletely different scale, mistress.¡± ¡°Twice this city?¡± Siv chuckled. ¡°Five folds, mistress.¡± ¡°Five fucking fold?¡± Siv nodded. ¡°How did they even manage that?¡± ¡°It took hundreds of years for it to get to that scale. But even then, it still can¡¯t bepared to the Zagan Empire. The capital city of the Empire was believed to be half of the Yorun Kingdom in size.¡± ¡°That outrageously and insanely huge. Where¡¯s the sensibility in that? Can it even be governed?¡± ¡°It can and the Empire is even older than the Yorun Kingdom. They persisted for a long time through the use of magic and good allocation of personnel resources. The Empire has a dozen individuals above level eighty and each of them is enough to keep the peace and order of a single region.¡± Erin was once again reminded of the absurd difference between this world and her old world. Level wasn¡¯t everything but at the same time, it was everything. Levels alone could dictate the course of your livelihood and status. People would trade an army for a single high-level individual. In her former world, it didn¡¯t matter no matter how strong an individual was, an army would always triumph against a single individual, always. But that wasn¡¯t the case in this world. Aedan was a very good example. Though she had yet to see his full strength, she didn¡¯t doubt he was capable of razing an entire nation to the ground if he didn¡¯t have a shred of good conscience. ¡°A power that rivals an army¡­¡± Erin mused in her heart. As someone who strived for the betterment of her abilities and prowess, that prospect did sound thrilling and enticing but everything had a price. Aedan had one too. His strength had garnered the attention of the Demons and he was forced to suppress it to hide from the Demons. You¡¯ll make a fine vessel too, Erin was suddenly reminded by the words of the Ashen Knight as she fell into deep thought. She had forgotten all about it until now and she had missed the chance to ask Aedan about it. It certainly wasn¡¯t something she could just dismiss as trivial but there was no one she could turn to for any boration on those words of the Ashen Knight. ¡°There should be a library in the city, right?¡± Erin asked. A library, that was her solution. For a city of this scale, there had to be one and the kinds of books it had would surely be incredibly varied. She would find some answers there, she hoped, but her main goal was still the Covenant. ¡°Of course, there are quite a few but...¡± ¡°But?¡± ¡°Only one of them is open to the public. The other libraries require a permit if you¡¯re not a schr. It is what I heard from Mister Crom.¡± ¡°What if I unt my status as a Fae?¡± ¡°The libraries are one of the few ces where one¡¯s status as a Fae is null.¡± A ce with possibly a lot of state secrets was Erin¡¯s conclusion to their upromising stance. This made Erin even more eager to visit these libraries if they were so tightly guarded. ¡°How do I get a permit?¡± ¡°From a grand schr of a prestigious institution¡ª¡± ¡°Or from a prominent noble, such as myself, the High Lady of Valdrun,¡± Melissa answered. Erin nced behind her shoulder. ¡°You will?¡± ¡°Of course. You are my saviour, Erin. This is the least I could do. If you have any more requests, please don¡¯t hesitate.¡± ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll have that permit.¡± ¡°My pleasure, Erin.¡± After that, Melissa beckoned for her knight. He trotted up close to the wagon on his horse and leaned his ears close to his mistress as she whispered to him. Erin heard everything Melissa said and it was hard to suppress her incredulity over what she heard. Melissa wasn¡¯t just getting her a permit for the libraries but also a pass that would allow her into ces that were otherwise off-limits to outsiders. Going by Melissa¡¯s grin, Erin knew she intended for this to be a surprise and it had already worked, Erin was certainly surprised. **** Though the city was in sight and there was no more than half a day''s worth of journey, they were forced to make camp for the day due to the harsh undting terrains. The horses needed to rest and be fed, especially the horses drawing the wagon. Fortunately, their camp this time did not require them to be vignt of their surroundings as patrols would frequent by every half an hour as they were now very close to the city. They only needed to make a fire to keep themselves warm and even that was an easy task thanks to Melissa. The High Lady of Valdrun took a stone te carved with magic inscriptions from her subspace storage that was enchanted onto the wedding ring she was wearing. Of course, Erin had noticed it before even without using Appraisal since she could sense magic emanating from the ring. She didn¡¯t know it was specifically a subspace storage spell but she could sense Spatial Magic since she had that Magic Art now. Anyway, the stone te was actually a campfire made portable. With just a touch and a few seconds dy, mes appeared on the te and it had a quick-cooling function after the fire was doused. It cost around twenty gold in the market. To repel the monsters, the nobles would use a monster-repellent dust that one only needed to throw into the fire and the smoke would do the rest. The monster-repellent dust ranged from a single gold per pouch to ten gold per pouch depending on the quality. It was way beyond what Erin could afford but she didn¡¯t need any repellent. Her presence itself was already a repellent. As for human threats, they still need to resort to the ssic way of having a person stand guard. After a light supper, Lilian continued telling the stories she had been telling since they were on the wagon. As Melissa and her daughter were very interested in her stories, no one couldin. Erin pardoned herself from the camp with some meek reason, that no one pointed out, and headed off into the trees. She found arge boulder some ways from the camp and climbed on top of it. She sat cross-legged and straightened her posture, assuming into her meditation. With her eyes closed, she summoned her stats window into her sea of consciousness. It was still a queer sight for her to be ¡°seeing¡± despite having her eyes closed. She looked through her stats thoroughly, feeling a great sense of aplishment witnessing how filled the window was. She was currently level forty-one and she had six points remaining in both her Skill Points and Ability Points. Erin allocated all six of her ability points into Arcane, raising it all the way to fifty-five. The reason for that was Spatial Magic. It was a Magic Art that required more investment than any other Arcane Arts she had acquired so far. A single level required a total of four points to be raised and if the pattern was to be followed, level five onwards would require double the points. It was a very handy Magic Art but the consumption was heavy on her magic vigour and also her mental vigour. Warp alone took a third of her Mana pool and if she wanted to have Mana left for other spells, she could only use warp twice at most. Increasing her Arcane stat would decrease her spell¡¯s Mana consumption and increase the limit of her magic vigour. If she wished to utilise her Spatial Magic more, Arcane was the stat she needed to focus on. As for her Arcane Arts, she raised Spatial Magic¡¯s level by one, consuming four of her skill points at once, and poured the rest into Mystic Tail Arts, raising it to level five. A new array of knowledge surged into her mind as these two Magic Arts increased in levels. And when the flood of knowledge ended, Erin opened her eyes, beaming with a smile. She had acquired a spell that she had been longing for ever since she saw Aedan using it. That spell was Vault, the subspace storage spell. She immediately hopped off the boulder and picked up a few stones that were around the size of her palm. She then tossed the stones into Vault. The space rippled as it swallowed the stones. On the fifth stone that she tossed, it bounced right off the space. Four palm-sized stones were her current limit. There wasn¡¯t much space but she wasn¡¯t expecting there to be a lot in the first ce considering Spatial Magic was only level three. Still, this was a tremendous gain. She barely used any Mana when using Vault. She only needed to sharpen her focus. Four stones'' worth of space was more than enough to store valuables such as money. After she finished evaluating her Spatial Magic, she moved on to Mystic Tails Arts, where she had gained two new spells. The first spell was simply called Steel Tails. It basically just hardened her tail. She tried touching her tails while using Steel Tails but she didn¡¯t feel any changes to the texture. But when she hit the ground with her tails, she could definitely feel the change then. Steel Tails increased the defence of her tails but not its strength. So, it was more of a defensive ability than an offensive one. As for the second spell, it was called Mesmerise. It was a spell that allowed her to daze her opponents and the duration of the daze was dependent on the Magic Art¡¯s level and also her Arcane value. She was too thrilled with this spell as Lust could do the same trick but better. ¡°Erin!¡± Erin veered her gaze suddenly to the voice that called out to her in a manner that was just as sudden. ¡°Siv? Lyra? What¡¯s wrong?¡± she asked. ¡°What do you mean what¡¯s wrong?¡± Lyra asked back. ¡°We heard a loud noise.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Erin muttered and nced over at the small crack she made on the ground. ¡°That was nothing. I was¡­ in over my head for a moment there.¡± ¡°See, mistress is fine, Lyra,¡± Siv said. ¡°You are too paranoid for your own good.¡± ¡°For very good reasons, Siv,¡± Lyra retorted. ¡°What about Nivia and the rest? I hope I didn¡¯t startle them too much.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t, mistress. Lady Melissa and her guards were certainly startled but Lilian immediately calmed them down by assuring them it was nothing. Lyra was the only one who was truly worried.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s so terrible about that?¡± Lyra shot. Erin chuckled. ¡°Forgive me, Lyra. Your concern is understandable. I am well aware that I am reckless but it is a part of me, Lyra. So I can¡¯t change that.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t expect you to,¡± she said and threw herself into Erin¡¯s arms, wrapping her own arms around Erin. ¡°Lyra¡­¡± Erin breathed. ¡°Is there another reason that you would like to share with me for rushing here other than to ascertain my safety?¡± Lyra impishly gazed up at Erin¡¯s eyes. ¡°Like you can¡¯t smell it off me already¡­ idiot¡­¡± Erin simpered and leaned into her ears. ¡°I want to hear it directly from you, Lyra,¡± she whispered. ¡°...Fuck me,¡± Lyra uttered softly. Before Erin could ask, Siv had alreadye up beside her and threw her arms around Erin. ¡°Me too, mistress. I want your love too.¡± ¡°And so you shall have, my dear Siv,¡± Erin promised, wrapping an arm around the waist of the Wolf-kin who was in heat. 4-7 Longing II (R-18) 4-7 Longing II (R-18) It had been far too long for Lyra. She had waited for those gestures for nearly what felt like an eternity for her. They were out in the open with nothing but the reliable shades of the trees and boulders to hide behind, and Lyra couldn¡¯t give a single damn about their bare environment. She was at her limit. She was wearing leather armour and a belt harness. They were not easy to take off and required a degree of precision but Lyra¡¯s desperation and fermented longing had overwhelmed her senses and prudence. She grabbed them tightly and simply yanked them off with all the strength she could muster. It wasn¡¯t just her armour and harness, she also simply tore her shirt and pants, and also her undergarments. The cold breeze of the night sshed against her naked body but she was far too hot and bothered to be feeling the night¡¯s chill. It wasn¡¯t fair, Lyra thought. The sight of Erin sharing such a fervid kiss with Siv ached her heart and inmed her jealousy. They had stripped and disrobed one another as they passionately exchanged the greetings of their tongues and breaths, only parting their lips briefly in order to rid themselves of everyst piece of fabric between them. Such an ardent disy by her lover with another woman and she wasn¡¯t included in it. Lyra couldn¡¯t help but let her jealousy burn into a pyre. She moved in front of the two and forcefully pushed them apart. The two were neither surprised nor annoyed at the abrupt interruption. They were only grinning at her as if everything had been a farce to spite her. Lyra grimaced and unbridledly shoved Siv aside. The Wolf-kin merely staggered a little due to the difference in strength and if she so wished, Lyra wouldn¡¯t have been able to make her budge at all. Lyra fixed her re on her lover with indignant fury in her eyes. ¡°Not fair,¡± Lyra muttered. This was unlike her. She knew how head over heels she was for Erin but never to this degree of being so feverish and absentminded, at least not before they were right in the middle of their love-making. But somehow, her body was already incredibly warm and her honeypot was already drenched beyond belief. Erin snickered and put a finger on the entrance of Lyra¡¯s womanly cavern. She gently stroked her finger across the entrance and flicked the bud lightly. And that was all it took for Lyra to moan at the top of her lungs as a torrent of juices sprayed out of her womanly cavern. Her shoulders trembled violently and her legs quivered intensely. Her mouth was gaping open as she breathed heavily from her instant and fierce orgasm. This was the quickest she had ever peaked on her pleasure and it wasn¡¯t just some light shock of ecstasy. It was an unimaginable precedence but Lyra couldn¡¯t care less about that. It was just one orgasm. It wasn¡¯t enough. Her gaze only sharpened further as her orgasm receded and left in the afterglow. ¡°So this is Lust¡­¡± Erin mused, peering at her own fingers that were creating strings of Lyra¡¯s orgasm juices. Unlike Lust Deviant, the effects were much more potent and focused, instead of just spreading it radially like before. Moreover, she had control over it. She was still with her sound mind but not Lyra. Her gaze was already nk with lust and she was tottering towards her like a mindless ghoul. Erin chuckled and sucked her fingers that were soaked in Lyra¡¯s juices, intentionally in front of the person-in-question herself. Something snapped in Lyra¡¯s mind, then. She lunged at Erin. She practically threw herself into the Fox-kin¡¯s arms. She let the entirety of her weight rest on her lover but she wasn¡¯t afraid that her lover would topple under her force. After all, her lover was the most aberrant and strongest person she had ever met, and she couldn¡¯t be prouder of her lover. She trapped her lover¡¯s head between her hands and mmed her lips harshly onto her lover¡¯s. Her reckless and unrestrained action brought along some pain but the anticipation and desperation had killed all the pain she should be feeling. Her lover¡¯s bountiful mounds were deformed against her pressing in chest but that only served to increase her vehemence further. She left her lover¡¯s lips and went down to her neck, shoulders, and finally, her lover¡¯s prideful mountains with the lovely little peaks all perky and throbbing for attention. Lyra simpered and proceeded to devour the pair of supple mountains, licking and biting on them. Her hands trailed down from her lover¡¯s head to her lover¡¯s ample rear which she grabbed a handful of and gave the pair a good squeeze. Her lover moaned into her mouth and she squeezed them even harder. She wanted to hear them more but before she could go any further with her uninhibited disy of love and lust, a pair of arms came restraining her from behind, trapping her arms behind her head. ¡°That¡¯s enough, Lyra,¡± Siva whispered into her ears from behind. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be so heedless of mistress. You are being quite impertinent, Lyra.¡± ¡°S-Siv? What are you¡ª Ah~!¡± Lyra could even finish her question before she was being assaulted on her t bosom, her lover¡¯s retaliation. She didn¡¯t have much volume to her breasts but she did have a high sensitivity and the one capitalising on that sensitivity of her was none other than Erin, her lover. It was sheer impossible to suppress her voice of ecstasy as her lover gnawed and nibbled on her shallow bosom. Her thighs were rubbing against each other and her body was squirming with the pleasure constantly washing over her. ¡°Mistress¡­ I wanted to have a taste of her too¡­¡± Siv asked, pleading with her gaze. Erin snickered. ¡°Of course. We are all friends and lovers here,¡± she said and stopped feasting on Lyra¡¯s bosom. She knelt before Lyra with her face levelled with Lyra¡¯s crotch. She took a deep whiff, relishing in the smell of the lubricating honey that was gushing out of Lyra¡¯s honeypot. Receiving her mistress¡¯ permission, Siv forewent Lyra¡¯s consent and began leaving kisses and bites on her neck and shoulders as her hands went to fondle and pluck Lyra¡¯s sparse breasts. ¡°I always wanted to do this, Lyra. I hope you don¡¯t mind.¡± Lyra scoffed in disbelief. ¡°You¡¯re telling me that¡­. now!? You¡ª Oooh~!¡± She shrieked when she felt Erin¡¯s fingers and tongue brushing and stroking the entrance of her womanly cavern. ¡°Damn you¡­ Siv! Is this retaliation for all the times that I¡ª Eeeek~!¡± ¡°All the times that you what, Lyra?¡± Siv asked, simpering as she mped down on Lyra¡¯s teats with her fingers. ¡°I¡¯m not holding any grudge, Lyra. This is just my due response. I love you too, Lyra. Admittedly, not as much as I love mistress but you made her happy and you¡­ you were indiscriminate. You weren¡¯t averse to me as a Beast-kin. Your spite merely stems from your adorable jealousy.¡± ¡°Adorable jealousy?¡± Lyra managed a snort but was quickly reced by another moan of pleasure. ¡°Like hell, I¡¯ll be jealous of you with¡ª Hmm~!¡± She was assaulted by another pulse of rapture as she let loose another torrent of her juices, drenching Erin¡¯s face in it but the Fox-kin was deterred and continuedpping her tongue and wriggling her fingers all over Lyra¡¯s cunt. ¡°See? So adorable,¡± Siv said and kissed Lyra lightly on the cheek. ¡°Seeing as how we can no longer live without mistress, I want the two of us to be something more than just acquaintances or friends.¡± ¡°L-lovers?¡± Lyra asked breathlessly from the orgasm she just had. ¡°Well, there¡¯s no other word for that, is there? Lovers, it is.¡± ¡°But I already have Erin¡­ She¡¯s the only one that I truly love.¡± ¡°Now you¡¯re just being a hypocrite, Lyra.¡± ¡°I am not,¡± she baulked but meekly. She was stilling down from her high and Erin was still devouring all that was leaking from her honeypot. ¡°I don¡¯t mind her fucking anyone else but¡­ I want her to love only me¡­¡± ¡°So you can be this adorable.¡± Siv tittered, a rare sight for even Lyra and Erin. ¡°I understand your feelings, Lyra. I truly do. I want something like that too but knowing mistress¡­ She¡¯s too much for just the two of us to handle. If she can handle the love of a Dragon, then how much can we handle?¡± ¡°As much as she has to offer. I don¡¯t care if it breaks me. I just want her love¡­ as much as possible.¡± ¡°In that case,¡± Erin said as she rose to her feet, ¡°I shall grant your wish, Lyra.¡± She kissed Lyra on the lips lightly before shoving her to the ground with a gentle push. Lyra allowed herself to fall and she had plenty of time to brace herself. But before she could reposition herself as shey on the grass, Siv came and restrained her arms. Erin dropped to her knees in front of Lyra and spread her legs apart, slowly moving their respective cunts towards one another. ¡°E-Erin¡­?¡± Lyra breathed hard. The desire and lust in her lover¡¯s eyes were unlike any of the previous times. It was significantly stronger but there was also more focus she saw in those eyes of her lovers. ¡°W-wait¡­ I am not prepared.¡± Suddenly, Lyra was feeling afraid despite how many times she had done it. She was far from being a virgin. She was experienced but against Erin, she couldn¡¯t help but feel like a maiden about to have her first-ever coitus and it would not be a gentle one. Perhaps it was the tails that were flourishing like the pale mes of the night. They were as intimidating as they were majestic. Lyra felt like a small animal up against arge predator. She wondered if this was how most of the monsters felt when being in Erin¡¯s presence. ¡°You know¡­ it¡¯s a little frustrating to let Aedan have his way with me just because he has an impressive cock. That fucking bastard¡­ I can¡¯t wait to meet him again and repay him for all that he has done to me¡­¡± Erin¡¯s voice was shuddering as much as her body was in anticipation. ¡°But for now¡­ I¡¯m going to unleash that frustration on you, my dear sweet Lyra¡­¡± ¡°So he was better than me¡­¡± Lyra brooded with a scowl. ¡°Different doesn''t mean better, Lyra.¡± Erin snickered. ¡°Siv is right. Your jealousy is truly adorable.¡± Lyra tried to avert her gaze but Erin leaned forward, looming over her, and steered her gaze back with a finger. ¡°No matter how many lovers I will be having in the future, I will never abandon you, Lyra. I will never forget you. The same goes for the others.¡± Erin raised her gaze and looked at Siv. ¡°I intend to see this queer rtionship of ours through until the end.¡± ¡°Mistress¡­¡± Siv muttered with a flush. She bared her dripping honeypot over Lyra¡¯s face as she leaned forward to kiss Erin. Lyra didn¡¯t need to be told as Siv¡¯s damp entrance was enough indication as to what she should do. With her arms no longer restrained, she returned the favour by clutching Siv¡¯s hips firmly and pulling her cunt down on her mouth and lips. Siv howled out her pleasure like a wolf as ecstasy surged through her body. She even snapped her thighs shut with Lyra¡¯s head in between as she endured the pleasure washing through her. Instead of toning down, Lyra only increased the intensity with herpping and nibbling, causing Siv to shut her thighs even tighter. Erin smiled warmly at the two¡¯s debauched yet wholesome interaction and proceeded to rub and brush her own drenched cunt against Lyra¡¯s. With just the first stroke between both of their cunts, Lyra was already peaking again and her juices sttered all over her own legs and Erin¡¯s crotch. But Erin didn¡¯t stop there. No, it was too early to stop. They had only just begun and Erin hadn¡¯t even had her first orgasm. ¡°Right there, Lyra¡­ Right there¡­ Yes, that¡¯s it. That spot¡­¡± Siv was moaning her pleasure and directing Lyra¡¯s aim at the same time. She was even grinding her hips to feel more of Lyra''s tongue and teeth. Every once in a while, Siv would lean forward and exchange brief but passionate kisses with Erin or take a few bits or nibble on her bouncing and undting perfect mounds that could mesmerise nearly everyone with just those motions alone. Erin would shriek softly in response to those acts of hers and sometimes, Erin would even repay the favour by dining on her own malleable and ample mounds. She would moan and cry louder than her mistress did. They knew their voices of ecstasy would definitely be heard by all those back at the camp but they didn¡¯t care. Lyra and Siv were starved for Erin¡¯s love and Erin was starved for theirs. Though she had more than enough of Aedan¡¯s love, she couldn¡¯t be truly satisfied until she also had the two¡¯s love. It did not matter how much love any of them could provide. All that matters was that she had savoured and relished all of their love, regardless of the depths of their love. This was her lust. She wanted them all. She needed them all. She absolutely refused topromise for even a bit. It was only a matter of time, she told herself. It was only a matter of time before she couldpletely devour them all, Nivia, Lilian, Aera, Aedan¡­ and even Olivia too. She wanted to taste them all. She couldn¡¯t deny her lust any longer. Her chaste nature was a lie she crafted for herself to keep herself in check. As she fucked Lyra hard and ravaged Siv intensely with just her mouth, Aedan drifted to her mind. She wanted him too¡­ She wanted to fill him inside of her again¡­ But she was no longer by her side¡­ at least not for now. ¡°Come back¡­ please¡­¡± Erin found herself muttering and secretly wishing for some unforeseen circumstances to bring him back to her. She didn¡¯t want him to go anywhere. She refused. His ce was right beside her and he belonged to no one but her, she dered so in her heart. 4-8 The Heart of Sephrodia 4-8 The Heart of Sephrodia Erin and the rest of herpanions along with the unforeseenpany finally arrived in the heart of Sephrodia Valley. The high walls that encircled the city and the bustling noises that represented the lively presence of city folks brought everyone on the wagon and the horses back to their affable mood. Needless to say, the rest of the journey was ridden out in silence and awkwardness due to a certain three¡¯s unbridled indulgence in their lusts. No one lost any sleep as the certain three at least had the decency to keep their voices as low as possible as the night deepened. However, the sounds of their flesh stroking and smacking against one another were resounding in the background like the cries of the crickets. The three only came back to the camp when it was morning. Nivia had given them an earful of her scolding of their reckless and imprudent actions. None of the three said anything in their defence as they all knew they were in the wrong. They quickly apologised to Melissa and she was quick to forgive their transgression as Aeria did not hear anything due to the prudence of Lilian, who had cast an illusion magic on her. But even though they were forgiven by the High Lady of Valdrun, Nivia did not and her rambling did not stop even after they got into the city. Melissa parted ways with Erin from there then. Soldiers and knights of her own houses that were stationed in this city hade to escort her. ¡°If you ever have the time, you must absolutelye to the Valdrun estate here. We will be serving the finest dishes of your liking,¡± Melissa had said as they bade their farewells and before parting ways. Erin epted the invitation with a vague smile and nod. She didn¡¯t if Melissa got the hint but she was just d she did not offend a High Lady. ¡°Thank the Spirits that the High Lady of Valdrun is tolerant and forgiving,¡± Nivia grumbled as they travelled down the main street of the city on their wagon. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a matter of her having a tolerant and forgiving nature.¡± Lilian tittered. ¡°I say she fancies our dear Erin here.¡± Erin raised an eyebrow but she didn¡¯t give a retort. She was just focusing on handling the wagon. As they were in a city, not the wilderness, the handling of a wagon was a tad different and slightly less easy. And the curious and awed nces from the people on the streets weren¡¯t helping her concentration either. She was used to this kind of attention but due to this being a city, the attention was significantly more and she thought it couldn¡¯t get any worse than it was in Quinteburgh. ¡°Lilian, High Lady Melissa is married and with a daughter,¡± Nivia reminded the smirking Dryad. ¡°Need I remind you that if anyone heard you, you would be put on trial regardless if you¡¯re a Fae.¡± ¡°Oh, shucks. I¡¯m sure that would never happen. If it did, I just need Erin to use that silver tongue of hers to convince the High Lady.¡± Nivia sighed, shaking her head. ¡°Why did I even choose to take you along?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t, Nivia. I chose to follow you by my own ord, remember?¡± ¡°And that makes it worse. I should have stopped you.¡± ¡°The past is the past, Nivia.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the future I¡¯m worried about, Lilian!¡± ¡°Lady Nivia¡­¡± Aera called out meekly. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s wise to raise your voice in the middle of the street, considering your status as an Elf.¡± ¡°The girl¡¯s brighter than she looks,¡± Lilian praised, along with a few pats on Aera¡¯s back. Nivia clicked her tongue and turned away from Lilian, crossing her arms and legs as she sulked with a huff. ¡°They have gone quiet,¡± muttered Siv, who was sitting beside Erin on the driver¡¯s seat. ¡°Either they have stopped arguing or they have killed one another.¡± ¡°Someone¡¯s in a good mood,¡± Erin remarked. ¡°Good mood, definitely. But the same couldn¡¯t be said to my body, mistress.¡± She groaned as she tried to move in her seat. ¡°You were never this rough, mistress. Even Lyra was exhausted by you and you were still not satisfied. Truly unrivalled, mistress.¡± Lyra was sound asleep in the back of the wagon. Every once in a while, she would mutter the words she cried out in pleasure fromst night in her sleep. Aera and Nivia would turn red from hearing those words and Lilian, as expected, would chuckle in amusement. ¡°It¡¯s not all pleasure, Siv. I felt dread too¡­¡± ¡°Why, mistress?¡± ¡°What if I couldn¡¯t stop myself and I kept going until I thoroughly exhausted both of you?¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound so bad, mistress. I will regret nothing should that ever happen and I¡¯m sure Lyra shares the same sentiment, mistress.¡± ¡°Dear me¡­ I have turned the two of you into ves of my lust.¡± ¡°And we are your willing ves, mistress,¡± Siv returned the jest with a bow from her seat. ¡°There is still more than two hours away from noon,¡± Nivia grumbled loudly from the back. ¡°For the love of the Spirits, can you two please restrain yourselves at least until night?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Erin said. ¡°Forgive us. It is very heedless of me.¡± ¡°Just don¡¯t do it again¡­¡± Nivia muttered with a fading voice. ¡°I¡¯ll try, Nivia.¡± ¡°Where are we going anyway?¡± Nivia asked. ¡°The Adventurer¡¯s Guild. Where else will we be getting our bearings?¡± ¡°And you know where the Guild is?¡± Erin shrugged and pointed above them. Nivia furrowed her brows and stuck her head out of the wagon, looking towards where Erin was pointing. ¡°Ah¡­¡± was all the sound she made when she found what Erin was pointing at, the Adventurer¡¯s Guild building. The crest of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild could not be mistaken that was proudly standing atop the spire. The building was taller than all the surrounding buildings and it looked more like a tower than anything. She had heard of the size of the Guild¡¯s building through the other Fae but this was definitely not the size she was expecting to behold. Suddenly, screams and explosions drew Nivia out of her brief recollection. ¡°Spirits be awed, what was that?¡± Following that loud and abrupt noise, people were running from the direction those sounds came from. Smoke could be seen trailing off into the sky from that direction too. ¡°What just happened!?¡± Lyra asked, upon her wake due to the trembling sound that swept through the street. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Erin said. ¡°But it can¡¯t be anything good and it¡¯s in our path.¡± ¡°Best we look for another route, mistress,¡± Siv rmended. ¡°We can¡¯t go against the running crowd and I¡¯m sure we can do without the troubles ahead and leave it all to the city guards.¡± ¡°I agree with Siv, Erin,¡± it was Aera who nodded her head and responded. ¡°Can we not get into a battle for a whole day at least?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Lilian murmured. ¡°I think that will be hard seeing as our Erin here tends to attract problems.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t argue with that,¡± Lyra muttered in agreement. ¡°Thanks for the confidence,¡± Erin retorted. She was just about to steer the wagon in the other direction when the shouts of the civilians reached her ears. ¡°God damn it! The thugs have gone crazy!! Where are the city guards!?¡± ¡°Holy fucking hell! They summoned a Demon!¡± ¡°Oh my god! I don''t want to die!! God help us!!¡± Thugs, Demons, thisbination was very indicative of a certain group¡¯s effort. Erin sighed exasperatedly. She felt like fate was being intentionally fortuitous with her as the Covenant was her aim but she didn¡¯t expect to be diving into it this early on. She had yet to even get her footing firmly nted in the city and she was already being thrown an issue rted to her objective. ¡°Demons¡­¡± Nivia was muttering with a grave expression. ¡°We can''t let an abomination like that run amok.¡± ¡°I suppose we can¡¯t¡­¡± Erin agreed reluctantly. Lilian was tittering. ¡°I don¡¯t im to be a seer or a prophet but you¡¯re just too attractive to conflicts and troubles. They can¡¯t resist throwing themselves at you.¡± ¡°Shut it, Lilian!¡± Erin snapped at the Dryad. ¡°Not another word from you.¡± Lilian nodded but her grin was still on her face. ¡°What do we do, mistress?¡± Siv asked. Erin hung her head in contemtion for a while. ¡°...Nivia, you¡¯reing with me.¡± ¡°Me?¡± Nivia blurted out. Erin ignored her astonished response. ¡°The rest of you will stay on the wagon. Keep your wits about you. We don¡¯t know what other surprises there are waiting around the corner.¡± Lyra and Siv did not utter a word ofint and simply nodded to Erin¡¯s orders. ¡°Wait a minute, Erin. Why me?¡± Nivia asked with her voice raised. The screams of the running civilians were drowning out all of her grumbling protests. ¡°I intend to do this swiftly. You¡¯re fast and agile and I¡¯ll also be needing your Wind Magic. Now stop gawking ande on,¡± Erin took the roofs of the buildings as soon as she was done speaking. On the roofs, she was immediately greeted by gawking individuals with crossbows who were just watching the streets as if they were frozen in ce. Their attires and the sigil patches on their chest told Erin these people were part of the city guards. However, none of them was doing their parts as city guards. They were just gawking. ¡°Who goes there?!¡± shouted one of the crossbowmen but every crossbow on the roof was trained on her. Erin flourished her tails in response to the crossbowman¡¯s question. At the same time, Nivia was just joining Erin by her side with a scowl after scaling the building with her Wind Magic. ¡°At least wait for me,¡± Nivia grumbled. The guards¡¯ reactions were just the kind Erin expected. They gasped in horror and astonishment. They quickly lowered their crossbows and begged the two Fae for forgiveness with jumbled words. ¡°Cease your apologies. People are running scared and likely dying down there. Why are you all just standing around and gaping like idiots without doing anything?¡± ¡°We were ordered not to, Lady Fae!¡± the guards said. ¡°We were told to just wait for reinforcements and not do anything until they arrive!¡± ¡°Are fucking serious about that?! Can you not see what¡¯s happening!¡± ¡°We have no choice, Lady Fae! The orders are absolute and this isn¡¯t the only ce something like this was happening!¡± This definitely smelled like the work of the Covenant but for what reasons, Erin had yet to arrive at a guess. Erin red at the guards. She wanted to ask for their assistance but seeing their dumbfounded expressions made her change her mind. They didn¡¯t even look capable of taking care of themselves, let alone the well-being of others. This selection of personnel was quite deliberate, Erin surmised. She scoffed at the guards and rushed towards the scene of the chaos¡¯ source without ncing back. ¡°For guards of a big city, they don¡¯t look extremely bright,¡± Nivia remarked as she followed Erin closely behind. ¡°All the easier for the criminals to move around in broad daylight. Bigger city, bigger yield. This is more of a den of criminals and less of a city. But that¡¯s precisely what we¡¯re here for.¡± ¡°Damn humans¡­ they just can¡¯t quell their greed,¡± Nivia groused. Another explosion ensued and Erin and Nivia could see the smoke erupting from the explosion, throwing debris high into the air. ¡°Nivia!¡± ¡°I know!¡± Together, the two used attack spells that they could conjure and threw in split seconds, destroying all the debris before it rained back down on the ground. ¡°What in hell¡¯s name¡­¡± Erin muttered as they arrived at the source of the bem. A corner building that seemed to have been some sort of general goods store was in mes while thug-looking individuals were thrashing the ce, inside and outside. There was an indescribable madness in their eyes, bloodshot. They were destroying and attacking everything and everyone that wasn¡¯t as crazed as them. In the middle of those bloodshot thugs, an eight feet tall humanoid Demon was ying with a corpse, tearing out the organs one by one as if it was finding the human anatomy incredibly interesting. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with them? The Spirits are being suffocated by these thugs,¡± Nivia observed. ¡°They are spellbound and that Demon was a human. This is too brazen for a furtive faction.¡± ¡°A distraction.¡± ¡°Definitely.¡± ¡°But for what?¡± Erin shrugged. ¡°We¡¯ll figure that outter but first, we¡¯ll have to take care of the garbage in front of us. Are you ready?¡± Nivia cracked her neck and flexed her shoulders. ¡°Always am, Erin,¡± she said and drew her short swords. ¡°Good. Eliminate the thugs first and we will take on the Demon together after that, got it?¡± Erin did not wait for an answer and hopped down from the building as a sword manifested into her grip. Nivia sighed and followed suit. 4-9 Demonic happenstance 4-9 Demonic happenstance The moment Erin and Nivianded before the devastation, the creators of the said devastation shifted their focus to the two Fae. Gone was the erratic madness in their eyes, reced by a seemingly concentrated unrelenting resolve that borderline obsession and insanity. They gripped their weapons tighter and sharpened their gazes. ¡°Strange and curious¡­¡± Nivia muttered, lowering her posture to assume her battle stance. ¡°They don¡¯t look surprised.¡± Erin squinted her eyes as she peered at each of the bandits and also the Demon. ¡°They¡¯re expecting us¡­ or perhaps me.¡± ¡°A trap?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s find out,¡± Erin said and shot a quickly-conjured Lightning Bolt into the face of the eight feet tall humanoid Demon. Nivia cast a strong gust spell that raised a cloud of dust from the scattered debris. The Demon shot out of the smoke and flew straight towards Erin. ¡°Erin!¡± Nivia shouted. Erin gestured to Nivia to stay away and met the Demon¡¯s charge with a Thunder Shell. The Demon broke through her spell instantly and rammed into her. The retaliation of the spell¡¯s effect barely made the Demon shrug and did nothing to stop its charge. Erin went tumbling but she found her bnce and footing after only a single flip. The Demon pressed on with its charge and swung its gigantic ws at Erin. She flourished her tails with Mesmerise, dazing the Demon for but a second, and she sliced off the ws that came for her. The Demon shrieked but did not dwell on its agony longer than necessary. It dodged under a sh that aimed for its neck and sidestepped a cut that could have bisected it into two. It tried charging at Erin again but she scattered Essence re around her, deterring the Demon. She then capitalised on its fear and lunged for its neck again. The Demon clicked its tongue and jumped to the roofs, avoiding its death. ¡°Coward,¡± Erin muttered under her breath but she hoped the level fifty Demon would hear it. And the Demon did hear her derision. It grimaced with indignation from the roofs. Erin taunted the Demon with a gesture for it toe down from the roofs. While she was ridiculing the Demon, one of the crazed bandits rushed at her, yelling with his sword raised. She easily deflected that bandit¡¯s blow and decapitated him without even being able to see her de¡¯s movements. The Demon reappeared in front of her before she knew it and it lunged with its other ws swinging. Erin dodged low and counter with an uppercut of her sword, taking its other arm too. The Demon instantly grew a new pair of arms and retaliated with a swipe. Having anticipated that, Erin made quick work of the Demon¡¯s new pair of arms. The Demon widened its eyes in fear at the failed surprise it had nned. Erin lunged with a thrust that was meant for its head. The Demon tutted and stomped the ground hard. Erin lost her bearings but she used her tail to keep herself upright and thrust her sword through the raised smoke. But she cut only the air. When the smoke cleared, she saw the Demon was already in the distance, running away. ¡°Take care of things here, Nivia!¡± Erin shouted and chased after the Demon without waiting for a reply from Nivia. She heard Nivia shouting something in response behind her but her focus was set on the escaping Demon. She chased the Demon through the streets and alleys, eliciting shouts and cries from the city folks they passed by. Erin was also directing some of her focus to the roofs and the side of the streets. She had passed by not a small amount of guards but none of them moved their muscles to help her. She would have assumed they were simply afraid of going up against a Demon but their expressions did not spell fear but relief, almost as if they were relieved that she was chasing a Demon through the city they were supposed to be guarding. Erin remembered there were Seers in the city that were constantly surveying the city. It was impossible to not havee up with a response by now but Erin neither saw nor heard any guardsing to help apprehend or subjugate the Demon. The chase eventually led Erin to a quieter part of the city where the people were also fewer in number. She saw the Demon disappearing into a wide alley behind arge derelict building. The area reminded her of the slums in Quinteburgh but with the ring difference being if the people bothered covering up and painting over the blemishes. ¡°Definitely a trap,¡± Erin muttered and followed the Demon into the alley nheless, but not before using Life Sense. Aside from the rats, bugs, and insects, there was only one person in the alley. With light cautious steps, she trod into the alley. The Demon was just standing in the middle of the alley, beckoning for Erin toe at him with the same gesture she taunted him with and he was even grinning. ¡°Hmm,¡± Erin hummed unamusingly. ¡°Erynthea¡­¡± the Demon uttered. ¡°You know me, what a surprise.¡± ¡°The boss was right.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure he is.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not very bright for a Fae.¡± ¡°If you have a trap, just spring it already. Time is important to me but I don¡¯t expect people like you to understand.¡± The Demon chuckled. ¡°Yes, there it is¡­ those mockeries and insults of yours¡­ The boss has told me all about that trick of yours.¡± ¡°Did your boss also tell you that you talk too much?¡± The Demon¡¯s grin disappeared instantly and a scowl took its ce. ¡°Huh, he did¡­ My deepest apology and condolences from me. I didn¡¯t mean to hurt your frail feelings and fragile ego.¡± ¡°I can see why so many people want you dead.¡± ¡°And yet, they¡¯re the ones who ended up dead.¡± The Demon snorted. ¡°Unfortunately so¡­ I really wish I could kill you¡­¡± ¡°Giving up already?¡± ¡°Actually, I was just stalling for time.¡± As the Demon said that, the space behind her rippled and parted like mere fabric. Another humanoid Demon stepped through the portal. This Demon was also level fifty and it looked just as hideous as the other one. This one was shorter but more brawned in its physique. ¡°Another human-turned-Demon with his sense of self¡­ Marduk really wants me dead, doesn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°You should not have said that name, foolish fox,¡± said the burly Demon. ¡°And the boss doesn¡¯t want you dead¡­ Not yet.¡± ¡°I¡¯m very frightened right now,¡± Erin retorted dryly and lunged at the burly Demon with a sh but halfway through her sh, her sword disappeared. The burly Demon snickered and swung its fist into Erin. She spun her lithe body out of the fist¡¯s way and responded with a Lightning Bolt but not even a spark was produced on the tip of her finger. ¡°Oh, bollocks.¡± The burly Demon swung its fist again but it didn¡¯t even graze Erin. ¡°This is going to be inconvenient.¡± ¡°Stop spouting nonsense, idiot Fae! Your magic has been sealed and there¡¯s nowhere for you to run.¡± ¡°Why do you think I would run? Don¡¯t assume your own thoughts onto me, it¡¯s disgusting.¡± ¡°This fucking bitch!¡± ¡°Rudon, don¡¯t!¡± shouted the tall Demon. Erin dodged low and went under the burly Demon¡¯s hook. Coating her fist in Essence re, she sent a straight into the Demon¡¯s abdomen. It didn¡¯t send the Demon mming into the wall as she expected but it did make the burly Demon writhe around in pain, trying to douse the cyan mes on its belly. The tall Demon roared in frustration and charged at the Fox-kin with its ws raised. Erin did not move and simply stood there to be wed, except that the tall Demon steered his ws to the walls and Erin threw a haymaker into its face with her cyan me-coated fist. The punch barely made the tall Demon stagger but it did inflict a lot of pain, though the tall Demon was handling it better than its peer. ¡°You truly can¡¯t kill me.¡± ¡°Not yet, Fae,¡± the tall Demon growled. ¡°We can¡¯t kill you but that doesn¡¯t mean that I can¡¯t break every single bone in your body.¡± ¡°That would most likely kill me.¡± The tall Demon had enough of Erin¡¯s jibe and charged at her furiously again. Erin dodged each of the Demon¡¯s grasps and strikes with graceful precision. Though Erin couldn¡¯t use her Arcane Arts, her Abilities were still pertinent and there were still her intrinsic prowesses. However, without magic, she could feel herself tiring out significantly faster. Eventually, when the burly Demon joined in, Erin reached her limit in her hand-to-handbat. The Demons managed to graze her shoulder and her thigh with their ws and a punch caught her across the jaw and also square in the belly sending her flying and tumbling across the ground. ¡°You¡¯ll regret letting loose that tongue of yours,¡± snarled the tall Demon. ¡°Do please shut up,¡± Erin groaned as she pushed herself to her feet with some strain. ¡°Lest you talk yourself into a wall and proceed toy the me all on me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d the boss forbade us from killing you. That will be too easy for a bitch like you.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I wouldn¡¯t have walked right into this all so obvious trap of yours. Your mistake, your bane.¡± ¡°Is that ignorance I hear or a bluff?¡± ¡°Take that as you will. It matters not to me.¡± Erin chuckled, wiping away the blood on her lips. ¡°But your mistake and bane is the fact that you think that I knowingly walked into a trap without any contingency in mind.¡± The burly Demon¡¯s expression warped with rage. It blinked towards Erin and held her off her feet in a chokehold. ¡°The boss knows everything about you, stupid bitch! Your Spirit Magic doesn¡¯t amount to much inbat. Your Essence re is no more lethal than a small firework without Fairy Dust. You¡¯re nothing without your sword and magic.¡± Erin sneered. ¡°That¡¯s not all I am nothing without,¡± she scoffed and spat the blood in her mouth onto the Demon¡¯s face. ¡°You fucking bitch!¡± the burly Demon roared and swung its fist. But Erin caught the Demon¡¯s fist like she was simply stopping the punch of a child¡¯s strength. The two Demons widened their already nightmarishly wide eyes. ¡°I was hoping that it wouldn¡¯t have toe to this,¡± Erin said and swatted the hand away that was choke-holding her. She then palm-thrust the burly Demon and sent it flying across the alley, skidding across the coarse filthy ground. A message reading; User has entered Martial Lust (Lesser) state, stats increase by half, appeared in her mind. As if that message resonated with her inner thoughts, she burst outughing erratically. ¡°Thank you, god¡­¡± she muttered perfunctorily. The tall Demon was staring at Erin with a trembling gaze. ¡°What in hell¡¯s name is this¡­? The boss said nothing of this!¡± Panic was apparent in the Demon¡¯s eyes. ¡°Pathetic,¡± Erin scorned. ¡°Full-fledged Demons would not be cowering like you two are doing now. They will be disappointed but don¡¯t disappoint me now!¡± she bellowed and tossed herself straight at the tall Demon. She snatched a pipe off the wall as she streaked towards the Demon. Water came spilling out from the fickle vandalism she justmitted. The tall Demon roared to keep its wits with itself and charged at Erin. She swiftly dodged its feral jab and mmed the pipe into its face. Though it did not leave any permanent damage, there was an intense fleeting pain. She dodged under a swipe and stuck the pipe into the Demon¡¯s ribs. It screeched agonisingly and mmed both its fists down but Erin was long gone from that spot. She came up behind the Demon and kneed it behind its head. The Demon stumbled but it immediately countered with a wild wide hook but it found nothing but air. Erin surprised the Demon with an uppercut to its jaws. That punch was strong enough to send the Demon off its feet and Erinunched the Demon into its fellow Demon and the two went tumbling together in a tangle. ¡°Is that the best you two Demons can do?¡± Erin howled with her arms spread. ¡°I am so disappointed. I heard grave things about Sephrodia Valley but it¡¯s this all that I should be expecting from this city?¡± The tall Demon got to its feet and straightened its posture. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you conceited vixen. There¡¯s more toe. In fact, they are already here.¡± At the tall Demon¡¯s words, a spatial portal opened behind Erin and out walked another humanoid Demon but this one had four arms, each with a sword in hand. Erinughed with an oundish glee. ¡°Oh¡­ this is perfect.¡± 4-10 Amyra 4-10 Amyra Erin¡¯s lust was stronger than ever before but it wasn¡¯t any less unbridled. In fact, her lust was more focused. By epting the devious part of herself, Erin¡¯s control over her lust increased tremendously. Though her personality was a far cry from how she was and seemingly lost in this martial lust of hers, she still had a grasp on her rationality and propriety. She felt that she could rein herself in if the circumstances required her to do so. However, her current circumstances were all in favour of her unleashing her unrestrained martial lust unto her opponents. The newly emerged four-armed Demon quickly found itself in a plight as the five-tailed Fox-kin promptly dominated the battle flow. She had snapped one of its arms with her bare hands and snatched a sword from the now three-armed Demon. The sword was heavy but not too much for her to handle and it was made of the same steel the Augur boy, Cynric, gave to her. With that Crimson-steel sword in hand, Erin defaulted the Demon into a pair of arms and she took another sword into her other hand. In just under a minute since the Demon¡¯s emergence, she hadpletely turned the tide of the fight. Erin was shaking intermittently as she looked at her opponent ardently. This was Martial Lust state, quite like her Lust Deviant state before but the ring difference was her control over her mind and the price of this state, which was something she realised she had slightly misunderstood. The price for this state wasn¡¯t paid along the process but paid in the future. In other words, she took on credit when she entered the Martial Lust state. And this led to another change in her divine gift. She could no longer relieve her lust simply by participating in intense battles. While battles would quell her martial lust, they would also inme her carnal lust in return, and vice-versa. It was a never-ending cycle of lust, a befitting trait for her as the Apostle of lust. The confident and poised expression of the former four-armed Demon turned into absolute horror and despair as Erin overwhelmed it. Erin¡¯s expression was the opposite of the Demon¡¯s own. She was grinning widely and bearing a poised yet lewd expression. Every strike and blow she made was akin to having her womanhood stimted by her lovers. Under Martial Lust, a fight was simr to coitus but the pleasure wasn¡¯t mutual, it waspletely one-sided. The burly Demon intervened at some point but Erin wasn¡¯t the least concerned about that Demon¡¯s participation in the fight. With a sword in each of her hands, she was more confident than ever in her chances of victory. The burly Demon ploughed into a wall in the first seconds of its participation and its arm was lopped off its shoulder. The two-armed Demon fell further into despair as it fought desperately but it was simply no match for Erin¡¯s swordsmanship despite all the advantages it had. Eventually, Erin took the third arm from the former four-armed Demon but before she could take itsst remaining arm, the tall Demon intervened. Erin clicked her tongue and flipped over the tall Demon¡¯s lunge by bouncing the walls andnded some distance from the Demons. ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me this is all the reinforcements you have,¡± Erin mocked. ¡°Three level fifty Demons against one under-level puny vixen and this is the result? How tremendously disappointing.¡± ¡°Be careful what you wish for, you cocksure fox,¡± the tall Demon snarled. ¡°Tell you what, you tell me your boss¡¯ whereabouts and his ns, and I won¡¯t humiliate you any further, how does that sound?¡± ¡°If you know our boss, you know we would rather suffer this humiliation than expose him.¡± ¡°As you wish.¡± Erin shrugged. ¡°But please, do send in more of you lot. This fight is getting stale and I doubt I would garner much experience from just the meagre three of you.¡± The tall Demon chuckled. ¡°I have killed a lot of cocksure bitches and arses like you. How I wish I could add you to that count but I just have to settle with you being half dead.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a bitch but you¡¯re the one barking and failing to bite anything.¡± ¡°I¡¯m gonna enjoy breaking you without killing you.¡± The tall Demon snickered. ¡°Luden! Gather everyone here now!¡± it yelled, seemingly at the air but Erin knew it wasmunicating with someone through telepathy means. ¡°I know what the boss said! Just send everyone here now!¡± ¡°I¡¯m well aware of the consequences but do you? This bitch is more than I can handle.¡± ¡°Just shut up and send the rest here! The Venerers be damned! We¡¯ll just have to be gone before they arrive.¡± ¡°Tell the captain we will pay him more! Hold the guards for just a while longer!¡± Erin raised an eyebrow. ¡°That¡¯s a very convenient detail to know.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, little fox.¡± The tall Demon snorted. ¡°It changes nothing. You think you¡¯re the only one who knows? A lot of people do but none could do a damn thing to change anything.¡± ¡°Well, they aren¡¯t me.¡± Four more portals appeared in the alley and all that came out of these portals were humanoid Demons with their respective sense of self retained. Erin saw one that had a mouth that split open vertically and mist of some kind was constantly oozing out of that gaping mouth of its. ¡°Damn you, Oslo,¡± uttered one of the Demons, pointing at the tall Demon. ¡°You owe us for this one.¡± ¡°We work for the same boss, idiot. This is your job as much as it is mine.¡± ¡°But I have my own designated ce and time!¡± ¡°Fine. Help me with this and drinks are on me tonight.¡± That Demon snorted and nodded begrudgingly. ¡°I¡¯ll be holding you to that, Oslo.¡± From the conversation alone, Erin gathered that these Demon transformations were most likely not permanent and it was reversible. ¡°Hiding in in sight,¡± she mused in her heart. A headache followed suit when she thought about what this piece of information entailed. ¡°What¡¯s this, Oslo? You can¡¯t deal with a single puny fox?¡± scoffed one of the newly-emerged Demons but it disappeared from the other Demons¡¯ sight. That Demon reappeared in a hole on the wall with a loud rumble and Erin¡¯s foot on top of its head as ity motionlessly on the ground. [Experience gained +10% - Level Progression: 90%] ¡°Only ten percent? Is this a fucking joke?¡± All the newly-emerged Demons gasped. None of them saw Erin¡¯s movements. ¡°I really wish I¡¯m fighting real Demons instead of you mongrel breeds. They are very unpredictable and severely more dangerous but you lot? Barely an inconvenience.¡± ¡°What a foul cocksure tongue you have, little fox.¡± Erin sighed with her eyes and rolled with her swords shing. The Demon with the vertical mouth spread its jaws wide open and unleashed a wave of dark mist that swallowed the whole alley. Erin instantly realised it was miasma. She grimaced and quickly covered her mouth and nose. The Demonsughed and rushed at her upon seeing her distress. However, Erin shed all of the Demons who rushed at her with a wicked smirk and flourished her swords around her. Blood as ck as the night sttered across the walls and the ground. A head of a Demon went rolling and two Demons were cleanly bisected vertically in half. [Experience gained +10%] [Experience gained +10%] [Experience gained +10% - Level Progression: 120%] ¡°Not even a surprise for me at all?¡± Erin taunted them silently. ¡°How truly disappointing.¡± The surge of power from the increment of levels was simply tantalising. It made her want to just seek out Lyra or Siv and kiss them until they were gasping for breath and then proceed to make love right then and there. But she reeled her desires in before they could go out of her control. [Erynthea: Level 41 increased to Level 42] [Skill Points acquired +2 | 2] [Ability Points acquired +2 | 2] [Level Progression: 20%] ¡°Impossible!¡± cried the Demon with the vertical mouth. ¡°This bitch ispletely unaffected by miasma! What kind of absurdity is this!?¡± ¡°The kind that spells your end,¡± Erin retorted and closed the gap between them in the blink of an eye. The Demon shrieked and counterattacked without anyposure. Bolts of darkness were shot out from its mouth but Erin evaded them all without any difficulty. The Demon tried retreating but Erin kept the distance between them close and red streaks of glint crossed the Demon¡¯s sight and those were thest things it saw before its world crumbled apart as its body crumbled into three pieces. [Experience gained +10% - Level Progression: 30%] ¡°Damn it¡­ Damn it¡­¡± muttered the tall Demon, who had reverted to its human form and did the other Demons. ¡°This is impossible¡­ this is impossible¡­¡± The thug¡¯s level had dropped to below thirty once they were no longer in their Demon forms. ¡°Oh, shut it. It is possible,¡± Erin retorted in a mutter. She appraised their status for good measure and nothing seemed to be indicating they had something nned or hidden. They were genuinely at their wits¡¯ end. As if to assert her victory, Erin felt the suppression of magic was lifted. Thest of her assants had given up but she could not sense that person¡¯s presence anywhere. She dispelled her Martial Lust state and her weight seemingly returned to her body after the ted sensation left her. ¡°P-please¡­ have mercy¡­, Lady Fae,¡± pleaded Oslo, the person who was the tall Demon. While Oslo was on his knees and begging for his life, his two friends had already turned their backs to him and started running. But before Erin could give chase, a figure descended from the roof, arge figure. That figurended before the two running thugs and swung the cleaver they were carrying, bisecting the two thugs across their waist. Erin appraised that individual, though her instincts were warning her not to but how could she not appraise the individual that she knew not to be an ally or foe. The individual before her was a woman, a female Augur, to be precise. She was level fifty-two with a Might value of seventy and most of her Arcane Arts were rted to the amplification of her physical strength and prowess. Her hair was red like the setting sun during dusk and her skin was as dark as copper. Even from a distance, Erin could tell the Augur was a head taller than her and significantly burlier than her too. Amyra was the Augur¡¯s name. The Augur trod leisurely towards Erin and Oslo like she had all the time in the world. She barely gave the two men she just killed any more attention than she already had. She was grinning widely as she approached Erin, dragging the gigantic cleaver along. Her wardrobe was the brazen kind, consisting of only a strapless leather corset armour and a pair of trousers. ¡°Are you going to kill this scum?¡± asked the Augur, Amyra, pointing at the shivering thug with her cleaver. ¡°What¡¯s it to you?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t n on killing him, may I?¡± Erin frowned. ¡°Why would you want to do that? Before that, who or what are you?¡± ¡°Surely you already know that, don¡¯t you, little Fae? You have already appraised me after all.¡± Erin clicked her tongue. ¡°I did, Amyra, but what are you?¡± ¡°I am an adventurer just like you, Erynthea.¡± ¡°You know me?¡± Erin took notice of the absence of ¡°Lady¡± in the Augur¡¯s addressing of her name. She was the first person that wasn¡¯t a Fae, to be addressing Erin without a title. ¡°Of course, I do, and so do a lot of people. Your reputation precedes you. Your rise among the adventurers is a very thrilling and inspiring tale. Anyway, what of this thug? Shall I kill him or will you?¡± ¡°P-please don¡¯t¡­ I¡ª¡± ¡°Silence,¡± Erin muttered and kneed him in the face, silencing him. ¡°Why are you here, Amyra?¡± ¡°To help you since none of the guards in this city seems to be doing anything. Useless bunch they are. Suspicious, don¡¯t you think? Anyway, I heard there were Demons, where are they?¡± ¡°These thugs are the Demons. Well, quasi Demons.¡± ¡°How exciting and you killed all of them.¡± Amyra licked her lips, ncing at Erin up and down. ¡°That¡¯s very fascinating of you. The rumours didn¡¯t exaggerate.¡± ¡°Um¡­ thanks?¡± ¡°So, can I kill this thug Demon person?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Amyra but I need this one alive. I have a lot of questions that I need to be answered.¡± Amyra chuckled. ¡°Good luck with that.¡± ¡°What does that supposed to mean?¡± ¡°It means that simr incidents have happened and those involved were taken in for questioning but it never went anywhere. They all died an undue death.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Erin nced at Oslo. ¡°Then I should extract his memories before that happens,¡± Erin said and clutched the thug¡¯s head with her hand. Immediately after, the thug began to shudder as ck veins covered his body. Amyra moved before Erin could. She grabbed Erin by her arm and leapt to the roofs just as fifteen feet ck spikes erupted from all over the thug¡¯s body. The ck spikes then melted into ck goo as abruptly as they appeared. [Experience gained +5% - Level Progression: 35%] ¡°Hmm. They usually explode into bits and pieces,¡± Amyra remarked. ¡°This one¡¯s new.¡± ¡°They were indeed watching¡­¡± Erin muttered. ¡°Say, is it just you or does all Fae have a spell or a method to extract memories?¡± asked the Augur. ¡°Oh, that? I was bluffing. I wanted to test something.¡± ¡°I see¡­ Smart.¡± Amyra¡¯s grin was even wider. Erin couldn¡¯t help but be bothered by how the Augurv was looking at her. ¡°Erynthea,¡± she called out. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Be mine,¡± she said. ¡°You are fit to be my lover.¡± Erin blinked, dumbfounded. 4-11 Lodestone 4-11 Lodestone Order was returning to the streets of the subjugation of the thugs. Only now did the city guardse running to help and ascertain the situation. The guards tried asking Erin for a statement but she ignored them and simply walked on. Some of the guards attempted to stop her but they were held back by their superior officers. ¡°Don¡¯t get on a Fae¡¯s bad side,¡± Erin heard one of the officers telling his peers. Erin chuckled under her breath, relishing in the privilege of a Fae. ¡°Who is this?¡± was Lyra¡¯s first question upon Erin¡¯s return. She was staring at the brawny and towering woman beside Erin. Her eyes were particrly fixed on the slightly curved long horns protruding from the giant of a woman¡¯s forehead. Erin smiled wryly at Lyra¡¯s priority. She was asked the same question when she reunited with Nivia, who was walking behind her with a re that appeared to be permanently glued to the Augru. Amyra¡¯s confession had been curtly rejected by Erin but she didn¡¯t relent. She insisted that Erin woulde to like her as they spend time together. Since Amyra wasn''t exactly a bad person, Erin didn¡¯t see much of a problem to let her tag along on the condition that she would noty her hands on her or herpanions. Before Erin could introduce her new acquaintance, of sorts, the Amyra herself beat her to it. ¡°Amyra,¡± the Augru answered as she unt her adventurer tag between her fingers. There were five stars stamped on her tag. ¡°A five-star adventurer,¡± Siv breathed. ¡°Why, hello there,dy¡± Amyra greeted with a wide grin and raised brows as she took notice of Siv, who hopped down from the wagon. ¡°Aren¡¯t you just refined for a Beast-kin.¡± ¡°Thank you for the ttery, Miss Amyra.¡± ¡°Bah, drop the miss. Amyra alone will do just fine.¡± Siv frowned faintly and looked to Erin for aid. Erin shrugged and returned the aid emptily. ¡°If you say so, Amyra. I am Siv of the ckwood Tribe, by the way.¡± ¡°Lyra,¡± Lyra introduced herself dryly. Hearing the unfamiliar voice in the midst, Lilian also came out of the wagon and climbed down. ¡°Oh, my,¡± she gasped as sheid eyes on Amyra. ¡°Aren¡¯t you a tower of a woman? And here I thought Erin was big.¡± Erin scoffed soundlessly and re at Lilian for that remark of hers. While she wasn¡¯t as tall as she was when she was Argon Raze, she was still tall for a woman, standing around the height of five feet ten. ¡°Another beauty?¡± Amyra gasped flippantly at the sight of Lilian. ¡°Damn, little fox, how many beauties do you have in your harem?¡± Though Erin didn¡¯t like to see herpanions as her harem, she couldn¡¯t deny that they were indeed her harem, especially now that she was looking at Nivia and Lilian in a lustful way. She had long cast aside her denial. She wanted to fuck them too but she didn¡¯t want to just force herself on them. Lilian certainly wouldn¡¯t mind but Nivia on the other hand, Erin didn¡¯t want to disappoint ir force her. ¡°There is one more girl inside the wagon and she¡¯s a beauty too,¡± Lilian answered for Erin. ¡°I¡¯m sure she is.¡± Amyra chuckled. ¡°Ah, where are my manners? My name¡¯s Amyra and you are?¡± ¡°I am Lilian, a Dryad.¡± ¡°A Dryad, huh. Fascinating,¡± Amyra said, licking her lips conspicuously. ¡°I heard Dryads are very good in the arts of the bedroom. Is that true?¡± Erin could see Nivia¡¯s face deforming to a scowl of disbelief and absolute disgust. ¡°Well¡­ you¡¯re wee to find that out on your own,¡± Lilian responded. ¡°Oh, I certainly will.¡± ¡°Alright, enough of this.¡± Erin cut in between Amyra and Lilian before the mood could escte any further into debauchery. ¡°We have a timetable here and time is of the essence.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Amyra said. ¡°My apologies for that, Erynthea.¡± Or so she said as she did not look the least apologetic at all. With the introductions out of the way, they all climbed back onto the wagon as more and more city guards came ambling to the ces that they were needed around an hour ago. Even though they werete in their appearance, none of the guards was making any haste. Neither did the guards look worried at all despite walking into potentially life-threatening situations as if they knew everything had already been resolved. This was just how things were as the wagon travelled through the city. Many other ces had also suffered from random acts of violence by the local thugs without any good reason at all. It wasn¡¯t even a territory dispute between opposing factions. Erin could hear the numerous spections and suppositions from the concerned citizens as they gradually approached the Adventurer¡¯s Guild building. ¡°What a waste of resources,¡± Amyra remarked who had taken upon herself to travel with Erin as she too was heading towards the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. She wasn¡¯t in the wagon with them but on her own mount, which was a bison-like beast that was called a Gaurus. It was a magic beast even. It was staying in Amyra¡¯s shadow and the Gaurus¡¯ appearance caused quite a bit of trouble as the horses went wild but Lilian managed to calm them down. Erin raised an eyebrow at Amyra¡¯s mulling. ¡°A waste of resources? How so?¡± ¡°Practically more than half of the space in that building is unupied. They didn¡¯t need this much space but they have it anyway just so they could unt it to the world.¡± ¡°They?¡± ¡°The Guild officials.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± Erin murmured uncertainly. ¡°The ursed vanity of humans,¡± Nivia grumbled in the back. ¡°That¡¯s a bit ironicing from an Elf.¡± Erin thought Nivia would baulk in response but surprisingly, she didn¡¯t. ¡°At least our vanity meant something,¡± Nivia retorted without raising her voice. Even Lilian was finding it astonishing at the change in Nivia¡¯s temperament. ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± Siv said, drawing everyone¡¯s attention to the front. The wagon stopped right before a hillock of steps that led right to the main entrance of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild building. Just as they were deciding on who would be handling the wagon, an amicable-looking man trotted up to them. He had the sigil of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild on the pocket of his vest. He introduced himself as the valet for the guild. Erin turned to Amyra who gave her a nod, attesting to the man¡¯s im. And so, they handed the wagon over to the valet and climbed up the fifty and so steps. ¡°They¡¯re all looking at us¡­¡± Aera muttered softly and pulled the hood of the cloak she was wearing over her head. She was ncing around worriedly, wary of each gaze that was thrown her way. ¡°Let them,¡± Lilian said. ¡°They can¡¯t do anything to us anyway.¡± All the passers-by and onlookers of various races, mostly human, were staring Erin¡¯s way as she climbed the steps. Various remarks were made about her and herpanions but most of those remarks were about her. Specifically, her unparallel beauty and her exploits. The news of her heroism in Green Scar and Maven¡¯s Creek had travelled far and wide, reaching even here. As much as Erin hated being leered at by those lecherous gazes, she did feel proud of her beauty and hearing those praises, though she wished they could be moderate with those praises. There were also a lot of remarks and gossip directed at Amyra but all of it was about her brutish appearance and how unbing it was for a woman to be taller and more muscr than most men. Instead of feeling down, Amyra looked smug about it. When they entered the building, all the gazes were turning to them one by one. Erin couldn¡¯t enjoy the luxurious scenery that was the guild¡¯s magnificent interior as the muttering, chattering, and gossip were all that she could focus on. Most of them were just pointless crude and lecherous remarks as usual but there were a few important pieces of knowledge among the gossip. They were attributing the random outburst of the local thugs to the appearance of the Venerers and Erin¡¯s presence. Some of these mullings even sounded a little bit too certain. Erin made a mental note of these people¡¯s faces. ¡°This looks more like an affluent inn than an Adventurer¡¯s Guild,¡± Lyra muttered as they walked down the rtively long hallway in order to reach the reception desks. ¡°Because a good portion of the adventurers here is noble children,¡± exined Siv. ¡°And how old are most of these highborn children?¡± ¡°Fourteen at the very least.¡± ¡°Fourteen and already looking forward to dying in some ditch where their bodies would only be found after several days?¡± Amyra chortled out loud. ¡°You don¡¯t hold back at all, Lyra. Aren¡¯t you afraid that a noble kid would hear you?¡± ¡°No,¡± she said andtched herself onto Erin¡¯s arm, rubbing her face against Erin¡¯s shoulder. ¡°How brazen.¡± ¡°It¡¯s from being a crime.¡± ¡°Not to the untaken men or women. Look, you are already the envy and jealousy of some of them.¡± Lyra grinned faintly at those gazes of envy and jealousy. ¡°Let them seethe.¡± They eventually arrived before the reception counters. There no were lines nor queues but there were a lot of people waiting in front of the counters on benches or simply sitting on the floor. There were ckboards on top of each counter that disyed a set of numbers in white. The numbers would change by themselves every few minutes. ¡°No queues?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°Don¡¯t need one,¡± Amyra said and pointed at a certain device. It was an orb on a stand with a lever attached to the side. ¡°See that thing? Pull the lever and you will receive a number on a small piece of paper. Then just wait until the number on the paper appears on one of those ckboards.¡± ¡°Impressive,¡± Erin said. ¡°But how does that work?¡± Amyra shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Magic, I suppose?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a lot of people around. Will we be waiting long?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hope not,¡± Amyra said and was about to go and pull the lever when a female clerk scuttled right up to Erin and herpanions. ¡°Lady Erynthea!¡± eximed the female clerk as took Erin¡¯s hand and shook it. As the female clerk was quite loud with her exmation, her voice drew quite a bit of attention to them, more than they already had. ¡°Pardon me.¡± Nivia came in between the clerk and Erin, pping the clerk¡¯s hands off of Erin¡¯s. ¡°You should introduce yourself first before doing what you just did.¡± ¡°O-of course, I beg your pardon, Mdy Elf. My name is La.¡± The clerk turned her attention back to Erin after introducing herself. ¡°Lady Erynthea, we have been expecting you.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s we?¡± ¡°The Guild, of course. The Guild Master wishes to speak to you¡­¡± Her voice trailed off. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°H-however¡ª it¡¯s quite embarrassing to say this¡ª the Guild Master is away at the moment. She¡¯ll be back in an hour.¡± ¡°Unbelievable,¡± Lyra and Nivia muttered in unison. ¡°Bur rest assured, the Guild Master had given me strict instructions to take good care of you and yourpanions while you wait for her. If you would follow me, I can escort you to a private waiting room where there will be less¡­ disturbance¡± Immediately, Erin could hear the cries of injustice and jealousy being resounded from the surrounding onlooking adventurers but none dared to voice their dissatisfaction directly since the other party was a Fox-kin with five tails. ¡°Very well.¡± Erin nodded. ¡°Lead the way, Miss La.¡± The clerk nodded back with a relieved smile and began leading the way. ¡°Looks like this is where we part ways,¡± Amyra said, waving at Erin and herpanions. ¡°You¡¯re noting with us?¡± Erin asked. Amyra blinked. ¡°I can?¡± ¡°You did help me with those¡­ thugs. This is the least I can offer as thanks. That wouldn¡¯t be a problem, would it, Miss La?¡± ¡°Oh, not at all, Lady Erynthea,¡± affirmed the clerk. ¡°Oh, Erynthea¡­¡± Amyra sighed, shaking her head. ¡°You¡¯re going to make me fall for you even more. I¡¯m starting to see how you managed to have so many beauties in your harem.¡± There wasn¡¯t much reaction from the surrounding adventurers as they had already spected the women around Erin were in some kind of rtionship with each other but they were a little bit shocked to hear that the women were all Erin¡¯s. ¡°I appreciate the offer but I¡±m afraid I have important matters to attend to at the moment. Perhaps we could get a drink when night falls.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t drink,¡± Erin said. ¡°Shame. Well, till we meet again, sweetheart,¡± Amyra bade and disappeared into the crowd. Hearing the word ¡°sweetheart¡± from Amyra¡¯s lips spurred the onlookers to intensify their already absurd head narratives. Before Erin could correct or say anything to clear up the misunderstanding, not that she cared to, an unsavoury individual had intruded upon the group. ¡°So the infamous Fox-kin, Erynthea, has a harem? How scandalous.¡± Erin sighed and turned in the direction of the voice and so did the other girls. All of them were wearing a frown as if they already knew this would be trouble. The voice belonged to a man that was just as burly as Amyra, wearing only trousers and harnesses. The man¡¯s features were as crude as his temperament. Right beside the man on both sides, in his arms, were two nubiledies in low cut mage robes. ¡°Ronan,¡± La muttered the intruding man¡¯s name under her breath. Lilian was stifling herughter. ¡°You really are a lodestone for troubles, Erin.¡± ¡°Oh, shut up,¡± Erin retorted. 4-12 Ronan 4-12 Ronan ¡°What do you want, Mister Ronan?¡± asked La who was looking at the brawny half-naked man with eyes that was filled with irritation. Ronan shrugged. ¡°Just here to get a good nce of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild¡¯s rising star, Erynthea. And I must say, the rumours did not exaggerate,¡± he said as he ogled at Erin¡¯s body from top to bottom. Even without using Appraisal, Erin could tell this man, Ronan, was a few levels higher than her but not as high as Amyra. The man had a ymore sword asrge as him strapped to his back. She could feel magic oozing off that gigantic sword. Despite that being the case, Erin didn¡¯t think she would lose in a fight against him with swords. Just from the way he moved and carried himself, she knew he was just like most people of this world, entirely dependent on their levels. ¡°This man is being quite rude with his eyes, mistress,¡± Siv said, ring at Ronan with her hands touching the hilt of her swords. ¡°I agree,¡± said Nivia. Her hands were also touching her weapons. ¡°This man needs some discipline.¡± Lyra said nothing but her re alone was apparent about her impression of Ronan. ¡°He reminds me of my father¡­¡± Aera muttered quietly. Hearing that, Lilianmoved in front of Aera, hiding Ronan from her sight. Erin breathed a small sigh of relief. Despite her constant quips and teasing, Erin was d that Lilian was actually quite shrewd and thoughtful. She was still smiling but her smile wasn¡¯t reaching her eyes. She was just as vexed as the rest. ¡°You had your look, Mister Ronan,¡± La said. ¡°Now, if you will excuse us, we¡ª¡± ¡°Not so fast there.¡± Ronan stepped into La¡¯s way, releasing the two scantily-d female mages from his arms. ¡°What¡¯s the rush? I know you are just going to the private waiting lounge and since you will all be waiting regardless, why not have some fun with me? I¡¯m quite a goodpany. Ask anydies around here, they will attest to my¡­ skills.¡± By now, a small crowd had formed around them. Curious were painted on all of the gazes towards the development of thismotion. ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary, Mister Ronan. Please move aside.¡± ¡°Oh,e one. Don¡¯t be like this. I¡¯m sure you all will like it after just¡­ tasting it once.¡± ¡°Pray tell, good sir, whatever in the name of the Spirits are you implying with those words of yours?¡± Lilian responded as she stepped forward. Erin could sense angering from Lilian, who was thest person Erin expected to be angry. Ronan stepped forward too, walking past La as if she was never in his sight. ¡°I¡¯m saying that Lilies like you knew not true joy, which you can only get from the opposite gender. Perhaps you have terrible past experiences with men but I can assure you that I can right those wrongs.¡± Lilian tutted. ¡°I doubt that. You are nothing but a vain, presumptuous, and delusional man.¡± ¡°Such a sharp tongue from such a gentle-looking face.¡± Ronan hooked a few strands of Lilian¡¯s leaf-green hair with his fingers. But before he could get a whiff of her hair, Erin barged in between them. ¡°Enough of this,¡± she said. ¡°What¡¯s this? Jealous of your friend?¡± ¡°Like I would be.¡± ¡°No need to be coy, dear Erynthea. I can tell from your face that you are not unfamiliar with the touch of a man and you are craving for it.¡± ¡°I am familiar with and craving for a man¡¯s touch.¡± That bold statement of Erin¡¯s elicited a lot of gasps and spections from the gallery. A Fae had just outright admitted that she had had a rtionship with a man and was longing for more. ¡°Well, since you¡¯re so honest, allow me to sate that desire of yours then.¡± ¡°You? Why? Were you a man? I wasn¡¯t aware.¡± Everyoneughed. It wasn¡¯t a loud chortle. Everyone was just chuckling and giggling but with that much of it, the room was drowned inughter. Even Nivia, Siv, and Aera wereughing, albeit in their own subtle manner. ¡°Do you think I would be lenient on you just because you¡¯re a girl and a Fae?¡± ¡°I do not. How about this? A duel with me. No Magic Arts. Just our swordsmanship.¡± ¡°Erin, you can¡¯t be serious. He¡¯s¡ª¡± Erin merely smiled at Nivia, assuaging her worries by a tad. Ronan frowned. ¡°What are you saying?¡± ¡°I trust that sword of yours behind your back isn¡¯t just for the sake ofpensating the one under your belly.¡± The chuckles and giggles kepting. ¡°Are you mocking me? Is that what you¡¯re saying?¡± ¡°I¡¯m saying I¡¯m challenging you to a duel with swords. No spells. If I win, you leave us the hell alone and never approach me or mypanions. Or else I will unleash the wrath of the Spirits on you.¡± Herst sentence sent shivers down the spines of a lot of people. Ronan snorted. ¡°If I win?¡± ¡°Use your imagination,¡± Erin said, flipping her hair lightly. If this was her a week ago, she would not have done what she had just done. She was bing more and more used to using her feminine charms. Ronan grinned. ¡°Very well. I ept.¡± **** The duel was taking ce on arge open field behind the Guild. Though there was a room specifically dedicated for the adventurers to do some light training, Erin had deemed that room to be unsuitable as it had too less of space with all the training equipments strewn about. Therefore, therge field was used as the designated ground for the duel. As Ronan and Erynthea were quite well-known in their own rights, many people hade to watch the duel that was about to unfold. There were even people taking bets for the duel and the majority appeared to be in favour of Ronan¡¯s victory as the people had actually seen him in action as opposed to Erin¡¯s obscured feats. ¡°That loathsome human¡¯s skill is nothing to scoff at. Please, rethink this. What if you lose?¡± Nivia implored desperately. Erin just smiled and kissed Nivia on the cheek lightly. ¡°I won¡¯t lose, Nivia. Have faith in me.¡± ¡°Mistress won¡¯t lose,¡± Siv affirmed. ¡°Calm down, Nivia,¡± Lyra chimed in. ¡°This deplorable man is nothing before Erin.¡± ¡°Deplorable or not, this man isn¡¯t all just boast,¡± Lilian said. ¡°That sword of his is magic and his level is higher than yours, Erin.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Erin briefly. ¡°You can¡¯t use your spells.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re still confident that you can defeat him? He is no monster or beast. He¡¯s a human with a thinking brain. He wouldn¡¯t be a simple opponent.¡± ¡°Him being a human makes it all the easier,¡± Erin responded confidently and strode into the ring that was drawn with chalk just a few minutes ago by the Guild officials. Ronan also stepped into the ring at the same time after being tended to by his magepanions that were dressed like a pair of trulls. ¡°Where¡¯s your sword?¡± he asked with a belittling gaze. ¡°Aren¡¯t you a swordswoman or was the rumour false?¡± ¡°Who knows?¡± Erin replied curtly. ¡°Cheeky vixen,¡± Ronan spat. A tall and muscr man in a suit and vest came into the ring, He was a Guild official and he was the acting referee for this duel. He was level sixty-five at the time of his retirement or so Erin heard from the whispers among the gallery. ¡°Listen up,¡± shouted the Guild official. ¡°No Magic Arts are allowed in this duel. Only the body and the sword are allowed. No killing but the guild will not take any responsibility should either of you kill the other. As for the winning conditions, a strike that would have been fatal will be considered a win. Being forced out of the ring, even if it¡¯s just a toe, will be considered a loss. You are allowed to surrender and it goes without saying that will be your loss. And of course, cheating is an immediate disqualifier. Understood?¡± Erin and Ronan nodded. ¡°Remember, no killing,¡± the official warned them again. ¡°Ready?¡± They both nodded. Erin was unarmed. The Guild official could see that but despite so, waved his hand and started the duel. ¡°Begin!¡± he shouted. At the Guild official¡¯s signal, Ronan dashed towards Erin while drawing his ymore with one hand. Erin was unmoving. She stood motionlessly with a small grin on her lips, small enough to be seen only by Ronan and that was her intention. Ronan knowingly swallowed that taunt and wound his sh wider than it was necessary. Erin was still motionless. Ronan was already a few feet away from her but she stood without any hint of moving. The audience was making their wild and facious spections and guesses as always as Erin''s seemingly impending defeat drew near. However, at thest second before the edge of Ronan¡¯s ymore could touch her, a sword appeared in her hand literally out of thin air. She parried the blow with swift precision and riposted with a thrust. The crowd cheered, even the ones who had bet on Ronan. They didn¡¯t wish for Erin to win but neither did they wish for her beauty to be marred. Ronan was astonished but not callow. He veered his head away from the thrust and brought his ymore around in retaliation. Erin dodged low and countered with a literal uppercut. Ronan pulled back and avoided the sh but he immediately lunged back in with a downward cut. Erin spun out of the way and lunged with a swipe. Their steel shed with a sharp ngour and sparks flew. The audience held their breaths as the swords came to a lock-still. ¡°Not bad, vixen,¡± Ronan sneered. ¡°But not good enough.¡± Erin shrugged with a faint hum and pulled her sword out of the lock. The abrupt absence of her weight tilted Ronan¡¯s bnce and left himself open for a brief second. Erin pounced on that window but he was quick to recover his bearings and deflected Erin¡¯s strike with a heavy blow. Her sword flew out of her hand but she caught it with her other hand and parried Ronan¡¯s quick thrust. She didn¡¯t stop there. She moved in with a jab that was blocked. She then aimed low with a cut that was deflected. Despite none of her blows touching him, she wasn¡¯t deterred and pressed on heavily with her flurry of attacks. Ronan was faster than someone would expect of his size, not even taking into ount his weapon of choice. However, his advantage in speed had been rendered useless by Erin. It was hard to brandish and swing a sword that was asrge as himself with Erin keeping her distance so close to him, leaving next to no gap in between them. Inparison to him, Erin¡¯s physique was small and significantly more agile and nimble. She was able to dance and pranced around him all the while having the leeway to be on the offensive. It was vexing Ronan to no end. Hisrge sword was no different to a shield in his current circumstances. ¡°Damn you¡­¡± Ronan growled. He was gradually being pushed back. He could not retaliate. If he did, it would be Erin¡¯s win before it would be his. Erin had kept her silence all this while. She didn¡¯t even need to verbally taunt this opponent of hers as she did to most of her other opponents. Her current opponent was someone who had clearly never fought anyone stronger than him before and he was just as she expected, overly reliant on the System. ¡°Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!¡± Ronan was cursing louder and louder as he was being nearer and nearer to the edge of the ring. He was going to lose, to a puny Fox-kin of all people. He could not ept this, no one of his temperament and pride could. In a fit of desperation, he roared and raised his ymore high up into the air. Erin backstepped away from Ronan¡¯s sudden eruption of rage and frustration. His aura red along with his fury. Madness took him and he lunged at Erin with the intention to kill. ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± shouted the Guild official upon noticing Ronan¡¯s delirious state. But Ronan wasn¡¯t listening. He had been humiliated by someone he had belittled. It would take a lot of magnanimity for him to naturallye back to his senses. The Guild official was about to step in but Erin gestured for him to stay. She dispelled her sword and rushed in to meet Ronan¡¯s crazed assault. She dodged under his swing and countered with a knee to his chin. As he stumbled back, she twirled in the air and sent a foot into his face, staggering him some more. For the finishing touch, she flipped and mmed her foot down on his head, smacking him face-first into the ground. ¡°Too easy,¡± she muttered, loud enough for Ronan to hear, not that he could hear it since he was unconscious. ¡°Set!¡± the Guild official dered. ¡°The winner of this duel is Lady Erynthea!¡± The crowd cheered louder than ever but there were also a lot of jeers mixed in. Regardless, Erin only had her attention and eyes on herpanions. Nivia had a bright smile on her face. Siv and Lyra were grinning all the way throughout the fight as they already knew it would be her victory anyway. Aera was pping delicately as if to not let anyone know she was pping. Lilian was smiling so warmly like a married woman watching over her spouse, which kind of made Erin ufortable. 4-13 Wanted 4-13 Wanted There were a lot of jeers and abuse thrown back and forth among the audience due to the bet in ce. Small infighting even erupted from that squabble but Erin made no move to stop it. It was neither her fault nor her responsibility after all. ¡°The Guild Master is ready to see you now, Lady Erynthea,¡± the female clerk, La, strode up to Erin and told her the moment the duel ended. It immediately became apparent enough to Erin that the Guild Master might have orchestrated this whole farce. But for what reason, Erin did not know. However, it certainly did make Erin wary of whatever scheme the Guild Master might cook up in the future. ¡°Just you, Lady Erynthea,¡± La said when Erin¡¯spanions started following. ¡°Bollocks,¡± Lyra and Nivia said in unison. ¡°Suspicious,¡± Siv muttered. ¡°It¡¯s nothing of that sort, mdies,¡± exined La. ¡°The Guild Master believes a subject or topic can be quickly discussed and resolved with just two people in a room rather than a room full of people.¡± Lilian tittered. ¡°Sounds like a very wise person, this Guild Master.¡± ¡°That will depend on who you ask, Lady Lilian,¡± La replied. ¡°Lady Erynthea, if you would follow me?¡± Erin nodded and followed La. She glimpsed back and gestured for herpanions to stay put but be on constant vignce. The Guild Master¡¯s office was on the fifth floor of the building but they weren¡¯t taking the stairs. It would take too long by stairs, the clerk had told Erin. ¡°Then how do we reach the fifth floor? Jump?¡± La giggled at Erin¡¯s response and simply pointed in front of them. There was a small tform with magic inscriptions carved onto it behind the reception hall. It was ced at the middle bottom of a spiral staircase that spanned until the uppermost floor of the building. Before Erin could even ask what the tform was, she was inadvertently given a physical demonstration. ¡°Don¡¯t move around too much,¡± La lightly told her as they stepped onto the tform. The inscriptions shone and a beam of light shot upwards, raising the two along with the light beam. Erin did not feel empty under her feet. It still felt like she was standing on something solid even though there was nothing under her feet but light and air. It was a little unnerving and diposing but she held herself upright until they reached the fifth floor. They disembarked from the elevator of light and walked down a corridor full of doors and rooms that was paved with marble floors and pirs. As they walked, Erin noticed spells of various kinds were imbued or enchanted into this corridor alone, but she couldn¡¯t tell what spells they were exactly. ¡°There are a lot of spells in ce,¡± Erin muttered. ¡°They are necessary, Lady Erynthea. The Adventurer¡¯s Guild has a lot of enemies after all. Most of these spells are counter-spells against espionage.¡± ¡°And the remaining some?¡± ¡°Defensive spells against those who wish to do an employee of the guild any harm.¡± This level of security was truly unlike anything Erin had ever known. She couldn¡¯t help but be awed and slightly worried at the same time. It was an acknowledgement of the danger that lurked in this very city. They came upon a door at the end of the corridor. The door did not look different from all the doors they passed through. This one was simplyrger. There was no doorknob on the door. Without knocking or even announcing her presence, La simply pushed open the door and walked in. Erin followed suit. As soon as Erin entered the room, a piece of rock flew her way. Erin brandished her spell sword of Bespoke and cut down the rock. Immediately, two more pieces of rock came and Erin too quickly cut those rocks down. Arger piece of rock came at Erin after those smaller rocks. She twirled out of the way, letting the rock fly out of the door. Her tails moved in front of her, shielding her from dust that could have blinded her. When her tails withdrew, a cluster of stone shards shot towards her like a volley of arrows. She simply conjured Arcane Aegis and let the stones shatter into fine grains against the shield of magic. ¡°Impressive,¡± said a sharp-pitch voice that wasced with a tinge of elderliness. ¡°Most impressive. It would seem that the rumours did not exaggerate. Absurd, yes. Untrue, no. It¡¯s not often you see a person living up to the rumours.¡± ¡°Guild Master!¡± La shouted once the flurry of attacks stopped. ¡°What in the Divines were you trying to do?! Was the performance before not enough!?¡± ¡°So I was right,¡± Erin muttered in her heart. ¡°You called that a performance?¡± the Guild Master scoffed with a mocking flinch. ¡°That¡¯s a travesty of martial arts and a farce. Anyone with a proper brain and training could beat that sham, Ronan.¡± La sighed exasperatedly. She looked at Erin with an apologetic and tired smile. ¡°I beg your forgiveness, Lady Erynthea. Regrettably, this entric person right here is none other than the Guild Master of the Sephrodia Valley¡¯s branch, Rigetta.¡± ¡°Pleasure,¡± Erin responded dryly but her face was a stark contrast to her indifferent-sounding tone. Aside from the sudden assault and the Guild Master¡¯s blunt tongue, what was more astonishing was the appearance of the Guild Master. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Lady Erynthea? Never seen a Dwarrow before?¡± asked the Guild Master, who was a female Dwarrow, which meant she bore a short stature. Erin wasn¡¯t stupefied by the fact that the Guild Master was a female Dwarrow or she had an entric character. Neither was it because she was sitting on her desk as she was swinging her legs that were dangling off the edge. What was stupefying was the fact that the Guild Master looked just like a little girl around the age of twelve and Erin was sure without a doubt the Guild Master wasn¡¯t a teenager even if she didn¡¯t use Appraisal. As if reading the confusion from Erin¡¯s gaze alone, La exined, ¡°Madam Rigetta has a high affinity with the Spirits for a Dwarrow. She¡¯s able to use the power of the Spirits to retain her youthful appearance.¡± Erin quickly confirmed this fact with her Spirit Sight. Sure enough, the Spirits were swarming and spinning around Rigetta like she was amp and the Spirits were moths. ¡°Heavens, La,¡± Rigetta scoffed frivolously. ¡°You made it sound like I¡¯m exploiting the Spirits for some petty selfish gain.¡± La rolled her eyes and ignored Rigetta¡¯s entricity. She just led Erin to the reception couch in front of the desk and began pouring two cups of tea that was on a trolley beside the couch. ¡°Can we get to the point of this meeting already?¡± Erin asked as she took a seat on the couch but she refused the tea. It didn¡¯t smell like any tea she knew and knowing just how entric the Guild Master was, Erin was further discouraged from epting the tea. ¡°Of course, Lady Erynthea,¡± Rigetta answered with a bow and hopped off the desk. She beckoned for La to leave and the clerk quickly did so after bowing to Erin. La left the room with a sympathetic expression, which Erin caught but made no remark of it. Not verbally, at least. ¡°I know why you¡¯re here, Lady Erynthea,¡± Rigetta said as she plopped herself right down on the couch across from Erin. ¡°You do?¡± ¡°I have heard of the endeavours and plights you face on your journey to this city and in this city alone.¡± Erin made a face. Rigetta grinned slightly. ¡°News travels fast, mdy. You certainly have a knack for enticing troubles. Well, rest assured, I won¡¯t pry. But I will say this; don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t?¡± La waved a hand and magic inscriptions revealed themselves in a dazzling glow that covered the walls, floor, and ceiling of the room. ¡°Don¡¯t prod the hos¡¯ nest. You have seen what the faction can do. You have even encountered some of their unsightly experiment subjects.¡± ¡°Those thug-turned-Demons?¡± The Guild Master nodded. ¡°Demoids, everyone has taken to calling them as such,¡± Rigetta continued after the glow died down. ¡°They retained their sanity and reasoning. Though they are not as powerful as a full-fledged Demon, they are still significantly stronger than the average fighters. And they can assume back their human forms at will. Unless one was a Priest or one possessed the Spirit Sight skill, there¡¯s no way to tell them apart from the usual thugs. As you can see, mdy, the Covenant is not a faction you can take on by yourself,¡± ¡°I¡¯m already taking them on and I don¡¯t think they will leave me alone even if I leave them alone first.¡± ¡°You have a point there, mdy,¡± Rigetta said and drank the cup of tea on the table. ¡°You don¡¯t like tea?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not thirsty.¡± ¡°Suit yourself, mdy.¡± Rigetta took another sip of the tea before putting the cup down. ¡°Are you aware of what¡¯s happening in this city?¡± ¡°Not entirely but I know there are random acts of violence and the guards are doing nothing to stop them.¡± ¡°Thosemotions are distractions. The Covenant can¡¯t bribe the whole city to turn a blind eye. They are moving their base of operations to another ce.¡± ¡°Moving? Why? Where?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know where but I know why.¡± Rigetta pointed at Erin. ¡°You are the reason they¡¯re moving.¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m a Fae?¡± ¡°They can¡¯t kill a Fae, certainly not one that is extremely favoured by the Spirits. This whole valley will be cursed and it wouldn¡¯t just be the people, thends that will be cursed too. Not even the magic tools and items will be spared from bing a stigma.¡± ¡°Non-living things and inanimate objects can be cursed too?¡± ¡°Why else will there be cursed swords and weapons and such?¡± ¡°I suppose that makes sense¡­ probably.¡± ¡°So, until the Covenant haspletely moved away from Sephrodia Valley, they can¡¯t afford to kill you nor incur your unbridled wrath, though your normal wrath seems to be alright alright for them. They can only dy and stall you. If I¡¯m being presumptuous here, I say they are trying to keep you trapped in this valley and finish you off once and for all after they are done with their moving.¡± ¡°And how would they go about that?¡± Rigetta shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s just a presumptuous guess of mine.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not hearing a reason as to why I should stop pursuing the Covenant. In fact, I¡¯m hearing a reason as to why I should keep fighting them.¡± ¡°The city is already in enough chaos as it is. Your attempts to uncover them will only lead to more disaster and coteral.¡± ¡°Maybe if the guards did their job, there won¡¯t be so much disaster and not so much coteral.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right about that. Things would certainly be better if the guards could do their job but¡­ ironically and unironically enough, they were paid to not do what they were supposed to be doing as guards.¡± ¡°By the Covenant?¡± ¡°Yes but not exactly. Through one of their many allies in high ces. The highest, I dare say. The viceroy of Sephrodia Valley, of course, Lord Rn Grid.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s the viceroy''s name. Finally.¡± Erin cleared her throat. ¡°So why is the viceroy doing such a thing?¡± ¡°Greed and bribery,¡± Rigetta scoffed. ¡°Need I say more?¡± ¡°Bribe with what? Money?¡± ¡°Among other things. Rare stones. Spell tomes. Women. Human resources. Just about anything, there is that could be gifted. And beware, Lady Erynthea. Rn Grid has a liking for fine women like you.¡± ¡°What will happen if I just¡ª¡± Erin drew her fingers across her neck, ¡°¡ªto him?¡± Rigetta tittered. ¡°As there is no concrete proof of the viceroy¡¯s misdeeds, you will sour the rtionship between the Faerie-kin and the humans, more than it already is. Depending on who you ask, that can be a good thing.¡± ¡°Not for me,¡± Erin muttered. Conflict would only breed catastrophe and she preferred peace over violence if it could be helped. Though she loved a good duel and fight, wars and mass killings were just means to a terrible end. ¡°Also, be careful of the Venerers. We have three of them in this city. ¡± Erin raised an eyebrow. ¡°Who are they?¡± ¡°Ruvan Pdins but these Pdins answer directly to the Pontiff himself. Only the Pontiff and the Venerer¡¯smander can dictate their deeds and actions.¡± ¡°Sounds like a very dangerous group. The Guild¡¯s doing nothing?¡± ¡°I concur but it¡¯s the Ruvans and we¡¯re just a bunch of idiots who pledged neutrality. And that¡¯s all I have to say, Lady Erynthea.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it? That¡¯s all?¡± Rigetta nodded. ¡°I just want to make sure that we are on the same ground and page. I just want to make sure that you are aware of my understanding. But please, for the sake of this city and the adventurers, don¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°I can¡¯t do that, Ma¡¯am. It¡¯s not just about me. Innocents will suffer regardless of my decision. I might as well be doing something after all.¡± ¡°Is there nothing I can do to change your mind?¡± ¡°Unless you n to stop me physically, no.¡± ¡°Well, if I can¡¯t stop you, maybe I can give you some advice.¡± Erin crossed her legs and straightened her posture. ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± ¡°You are still an adventurer, Lady Erynthea. You are now a two-star adventurer even. Everything you do will be reflected upon the Guild. So¡­ if you want to help these poor people who were ruined by these plights¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªdo so under the pretence of it being a quest from the guild.¡± Rigetta chuckled with delight. ¡°Yes, precisely. I¡¯m d you caught on quickly.¡± ¡°I was just about to propose the same thing, Ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°Oh, please stop calling me Ma¡¯am. I¡¯m only eighty-five years old. Just call me Rigetta, or Riggy if you will.¡± ¡°How old is that in human years?¡± ¡°Around thete twenties or so, I reckon. It¡¯s around a hundred and forty in Fae¡¯s years.¡± Erin stopped her counting when the numbers became too much. She was never good with numbers and arithmetic. ¡°Well then, Riggy, I¡¯ll be taking my leave now.¡± ¡°Ah, I almost forgot. I already have something prepared for you. How about you start with this?¡± she said and unfolded a rolled-up paper onto the table. The paper was a handbill of a bounty, issued by the Guild itself. ¡°This person here is a suspected novice member of the Covenant and the one responsible for the Rune Drake¡¯s queer behaviour.¡± ¡°This person looks familiar¡­¡± Erin mused as she stared at the face printed onto the bill. ¡°He should be. This man here is Edmund. He¡¯s the former lover of one of yourpanions, Lyra, if my investigations are true.¡± Erin frowned as she recalled. ¡°Oh, right. This fucking sod exists.¡± 4-14 Meeting 4-14 Meeting Erin told herpanions everything the Guild Master, Rigetta, had told her after she reunited with them. She had also told them of her own impression of Rigetta. Their reactions were mild and nothing out of the bounds. However, when Erin presented the bounty handbill for them to see, Lyra had erupted with rage. ¡°That son of a bitch finally did it now!¡± Lyra shouted and tossed the handbill of Edmund¡¯s bounty. ¡°Wanted for murder, theft, desertion, vandalism, and rape! Rape, for fuck¡¯s sake! Was taking advantage of me not enough for him!¡± ¡°Lyra, calm down, please,¡± Erin implored as she looked around awkwardly while silently apologising to all those who might care. ¡°And a suspected member of the Covenant,¡± Siv added. Erin and herpanions were currently in the dining hall of the Guild. While the food here wasn¡¯t exactly delectable, it was cheaper. It was priced this way as a privilege for adventurers. There weren¡¯t many adventurers in the dining hall at the moment but there were a few and all of them turned their way when Lyra erupted with her fury. ¡°Right, of course,¡± Lyra said, calming down. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± She slumped back down onto the bench. Lilian was tittering as always when she picked the handbill up from the floor. ¡°So this is your old me,¡± she mused, studying the portrait of Edmund on the paper. ¡°I don¡¯t see anything good about him. He isn¡¯t thately. Is he strong or reliable?¡± ¡°He¡¯s not,¡± Lyra muttered. ¡°Sentiment?¡± Lyra nodded hesitantly. ¡°I see,¡± Lilian said andid down the handbill onto the table. She then took a swig of wine she ordered in a mug. Nivia was staring disapprovingly but whatever she wanted to say had already crossed the Dryad¡¯s mind. So the Elf kept her silence and drank her fruit juice in small sips. ¡°What¡¯s our next move, mistress?¡± Siv asked. ¡°Lodging,¡± Erin¡¯s answer was brief. ¡°Ah, that would be difficult,¡± Lilian muttered. ¡°It will?¡± Nivia asked with a brow raised. Lilian nodded. ¡°We need to find an inn that can provide good service while being discreet. If we just rent a room without any thoughts, the innkeeper might just sell us out to whoever wants our heads. Well, Erin¡¯s head.¡± Nivia scowled but she didn¡¯t refute Lin¡¯s words. ¡°Lilian¡¯s right,¡± Erin said, slouching in her own chair as the bench was full. There was room for more on the bench but they would need to squeeze together, so Erin just took a chair from another table. ¡°Can¡¯t we go after Edmund first?¡± Lyra asked, who was fletching her arrows with materials she bought from an all-around goods store inside the Guild itself. Erin smiled warmly at Lyra. ¡°I know you¡¯re angry but we have to make our base first.¡± She patted Lyra¡¯sp before turning into a sensual caress. ¡°You have be very boldtely, Erin¡­¡± ¡°I suppose I have,¡± Erin answered without a shred of hesitation. ¡°E-Erin¡­¡± Aera called out in her meek voice. Erin stopped her caress with a regrettable look and turned her gaze to Aera. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Is this¡­ Edmund person truly part of the Cov¡ª group?¡± As they discussed before, they would avoid saying ¡°Covenant¡± or ¡°Marduk¡± out loud in public and Aera barely stopped herself in time. ¡°For his sake, it had better be a false im,¡± it was Lyra who answered. Erin saw Aera¡¯s fists, which were clutching tightly, loosened. ¡°I see¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t just her fists. Erin could also feel Aera¡¯s rage for a fleeting moment when she asked about Edmund¡¯s affiliation. She might have been quiet and reticent, her grudge and vendetta still going on strong in her heart, like a beast lying in wait with her ws hidden. ¡°Siv, do you have any suggestions for any trustworthy inn here?¡± Erin asked. ¡°All inns be trustworthy when you have mountains of gold coins to offer but unfortunately, we don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Well¡­ that is unfortunate.¡± Just then, the group received an unwee guest who came stalking up to them with a slight limp. Erin had taken notice of his presence long before that person even came close. She had hoped that person hadn¡¯te to the dining hall in search of her but simply here to get a bite to eat. ¡°Vixen!¡± shouted Ronan as he strode towards her table. Everyone in Erin¡¯s group looked ready to wallop the sore loser of a man but Erin gestured for them to stay and rose to meet the man herself. ¡°Ronan,¡± she greeted dryly, looking over his shoulders but she didn¡¯t see the two scantily-dressed mages behind him. ¡°Didn¡¯t we promise each other to not¡ª¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what kind of trick you used in that duel but I assure you, I will expose you.¡± ¡°Trick? What trick are you talking about?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t y dumb with me!¡± Ronan roared, stomping his foot. ¡°How else can you win against me without the use of Magic Arts?¡± Erin looked at him in disbelief. He was even bigger of a sore loser than she had expected. ¡°You will rue this day, I guarantee you. Pray that we do not meet outside the Guild or else you will taste the true difference in our strength and skills.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure I will. Now, if you would be so kind and sensible, please adhere to the deal we made beforehand.¡± ¡°Like hell I will! You only won because you cheated.¡± Erin rolled her eyes. She looked around quickly and saw the same exasperated expression on the curious onlookers. Some were looking forward to the esction of the confrontation. Some were hoping the confrontation would devolve. A very few were looking away in second-hand embarrassment due to Ronan. ¡°Are you listening to me?!¡± Ronan shouted. Erin veered her reluctant gaze back to the petty man. ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± she answered and turned around to leave. ¡°That¡¯s right. Walk away those tails of yours tucked between your legs.¡± ¡°My tails aren¡¯t tucked between my legs. Are you delusionally blind?¡± ¡°Pray that we do meet outside of the Guild!¡± he repeated vainly. ¡°The same goes for yourpanions!¡± ¡°Oh, dear,¡± Lilian muttered grimly under her breath. Erin snapped around and pierced Ronan with a re, her tails flourishing behind her lividly. ¡°You dare threaten my friends?¡± Ronan shrieked and backed away hastily and involuntarily despite how much he wanted to stand his ground. ¡°W-w-what do you i-intend to do!?¡± he quacked. ¡°Do you know where we are?!¡± ¡°Now you¡¯re using the Guild¡¯s rules as your shield¡­ pathetic,¡± Erin spat as she approached him with her raging aura donned. Anyone with a little bit of aptitude for magic or Spirits could tell the air around Erin was dangerous and vtile. It wasn¡¯t often they see the rage of a Fae or the Spirits. Those who were wishing for the confrontation to devolve had be piqued by the novel urrence they were witnessing. ¡°I warn you, Fae! I have friends! If you dare to hurt me, I will¡ª¡± ¡°You will what?¡± Erin challenged him as she unleashed a focused and controlled oppressive aura upon him. Ronan stumbled backwards with a sharp shrill, tripping on the chairs and benches. He ended up tumbling to the ground. ¡°Stay back!¡± he tried to roar but it came out like a squeal. ¡°You can¡¯t do this!¡± ¡°Can¡¯t do what, Ronan?¡± Erin red down at him. ¡°What did I do? Did I push you? No, I didn¡¯t. Ask anyone here. You tripped on your own.¡± ¡°Bullshit! You did something!¡± ¡°If there¡¯s anything I have done, is responding to your threats made against mypanions and my lovers. Allow me to return those threats of yours.¡± Ronan mbered away from Erin when she leaned slightly forward. ¡°Pray that we do not meet in a dark alley or an empty street, lest you find out how much of a nobody you are without levels and the System.¡± Ronan seemed to have a lot of things to say in response but under her re and the oppression of the Spirits, he could find his voice, his gall, and his spine. He was simply pressing his lips together with an indignant expression. Satisfied with the state she was leaving him in, Erin turned on her heels and walked back to her table. She heard Ronan getting back up to his feet and she was prepared to respond to his retaliation. However, she heard him scuttling out of the dining hall in the next moment and she heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°He will, without a doubt, get back at us outside the Guild, anyone of us, for today,¡± Siv said as Erin plopped right back down her seat. ¡°Absolutely,¡± Lilian agreed with a nod. ¡°Men like him enjoy holding grudges, even more than a woman.¡± ¡°We can just cripple him if he decides to do just that,¡± Nivia suggested. Lyra looked at Nivia weirdly. ¡°What?¡± asked the Elf. ¡°Nothing.¡± Lyra shocked her head. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I was just about to say the same thing.¡± ¡°That¡¯s disconcerting to know.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I feel the same.¡± ¡°Are we really going to cripple him if he confronts us outside this building?¡± Aera asked. ¡°Oh, sweet Aera¡­¡± Lilian tittered. ¡°Of course, yes.¡± Erin was smiling, expecting sensibility from the dryad but she received the opposite instead. ¡°Lilian. He¡¯s fucking arse but he¡¯s no criminal. Crippling him is too harsh of a response.¡± ¡°Is it, my dear Erin? Imagine what he would do to us if we let him be. Have you seen the way he looked at you?¡± ¡°How could I have not?¡± ¡°Then you should know that crippling him would be saving a lot of potential victims. What if he caught Lyra alone and off guard and did unspeakable things to her? Crippling him then would be toote and too lenient.¡± ¡°We could file a formalint to the Guild.¡± ¡°That will only restrict his adventurer¡¯s privileges. He can still move around as he pleases.¡± ¡°But crippling him¡­ it¡¯s too much.¡± ¡°Do you hate doling out due punishment that much?¡± ¡°Quite the opposite, Lilian. I know I will enjoy it and I¡¯m afraid that I will not be able to stop.¡± Lilian¡¯s smile turned solemn and doleful. ¡°I see¡­ That is known to happen.¡± ¡°Kerva?¡± Nivia said. Lilian nodded. ¡°Who¡¯s Kerva?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°A Beast-kin,¡± answered Siv. ¡°I didn¡¯t think the Fae would know this story too.¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t we?¡± Lilian said. ¡°It¡¯s a story that involves Fae and a Beast-kin after all.¡± ¡°What is this story about?¡± Erin inquired. ¡°It¡¯s about this Beast-kin named Kerva,¡± Nivia began. ¡°He fell in love with an Elf but the Elf saw the Beast-kin as nothing more than a savage. Still, Kerva was a stubborn and persistant person. He kept approaching the Elf every day and tried his best to court her. Till one day, the Elf relented to his advances, on the condition he would help her get rid of the poachers in her forest. Kerva was no saint nor was he benign but when he started subjugating these poachers, he gradually developed a liking for doling out justice and punisment to the unjust and wrongdoers.¡± ¡°The story¡¯s unsettling enough as it is,¡± Erin remarked. ¡°It gets worse. By the time Kerva had garnered the Elf¡¯s fancy and favour, he didn¡¯t even care about her anymore. He abandoned this childish goal his embarked on a trip to dole out punishment and justice to evil, on the standards of his judgement. Long enough, it stopped bing about ridding evil. Turns out, Kerva simply enjoys killing and ridding evil was just a convenient excuse he told himself to keep the nightmares away in his sleep. In the end, instead of casting away the pretence, he enhanced it. He became obsessed with the pretence of ridding evil before the evil had even budded.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just a lunatic whocks any self-awareness,¡± Lyra said. ¡°At least the Elf dodged a terrible that could have befallen on her.¡± She turned to Erin. ¡°You¡¯re not Kerva, Erin. I know you.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s just it, Lyra¡­ I don¡¯t know me. Every day, I¡¯m discovering something new about myself and I¡¯m afraid of what I might discover eventually. What if¡ª¡± ¡°No, Erin.¡± Lyra plunged forward and sat on Erin¡¯sp, wrapping her arms around her. ¡°There¡¯s no what if. You will not be Kerva. We will not let you. You¡¯re not alone, alright? You have us. Kerva doesn¡¯t, does he?¡± Nivia shrugged. ¡°Probably not?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not sure?¡± ¡°It is just a story, Lyra.¡± Erin smiled mncholically. ¡°Let us hope so.¡± 4-15 Sir Clause 4-15 Sir use Their horses and wagon were waiting for them right at the bottom of the smoothened stone steps in front of the Guild¡¯s building. They were all surprised as none of them had called for the wagon to be brought around. The Guild official that had taken care of their wagon was there and beside him stood a man in an attire that exuded authority and nobility. Erin and herpanions turned extremely vignt against that man but when Erin saw the sigil on the man¡¯s shoulder, she gestured for the girls to be at ease. The Guild official scuttled back to the building after giving Erin a cursory bow. Thevish man stepped forward with a hand on his chest as he bowed deeply. ¡°Greetings, Lady Erynthea. I am Sir use of House Ritus. I havee to assist you in your search for lodging at the behest of Her Excellency, High Lady Melissa Valdrun.¡± ¡°How do you know we are still in search of lodging?¡± Nivia asked with her arms crossed and her gaze narrowed. ¡°I don¡¯t, Lady Nivia. But if my service is not required, I will take my leave, if it pleases you.¡± They all exchanged stares briefly before unanimously dumping the decision-making to Erin. Somehow and somewhere along their journey, Erin had be the leader of the group in actuality. Erin held back a sigh. Though she still had yet to trust Melissa fully, she was willing to give it a chance. The Spirits were indifferent to her when Erin had snuck an appraising peak at her. ¡°Your assistance is weed, Sir use. Do you have an inn in mind?¡± Sir use nodded with an impassive expression. ¡°The Golden Inn. It is the most acimed inn in the entirety of the city. Lady Erynthea, you and yourpanions will receive amodation there for an indefinite period. It goes without saying, the cost will be paid by Her Excellency.¡± Erin nced at Siv. ¡°The security and services are indeed the best in the city,¡± she said, recounting what she was told by her former employer, Lord Hegan. ¡°However, it is partially owned by the viceroy.¡± Sir use came to an immediate understanding from that sentence alone but dictated by his sagacity, he did not press for the reason. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that all of the high establishments in the city are partially owned by the viceroy.¡± ¡°Fancy inns are out of the question then,¡± Lilian muttered. ¡°Any inns you would rmend that are not owned by the viceroy?¡± Erin asked. ¡°There are many, mdy, but¡­¡± ¡°But?¡± ¡°They would not amodate you.¡± Erin stared. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Including you, mdy, there are three Fae in your party and not to mention the number of your tails. Keepers of themon inns will be too anxious and disquieted to amodate you, mdy, let alone three Fae. They are afraid they would risk your ire and displeasure with the quality of their service.¡± ¡°Damn it,¡± Erin uttered under her breath. ¡°We split up then?¡± Nivia proposed. ¡°Get our own inns?¡° ¡°No,¡± Erin turned the idea down immediately. ¡°That just makes us easy marks.¡± Sir use nearly raised an eyebrow but he kept his expression still. Whatever their problems were, it was not his business. His orders were to only assist Erin and herpanions in finding lodging and report back to Her Excellency afterwards. ¡°Well, then, we are in a bind.¡± Lilian shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose Aedan had given you any advice, Erin?¡± ¡°Aedan¡­¡± Erin mused. Then, her eyes lit up like amp. Digging her hand into a satchel pouch by her waist, she fished out a medallion, which she presented to Sir use. ¡°What do you know about this medallion, good sir?¡± Sir use¡¯s eyes widened at the medallion, filling his vacant expression with incredulity. ¡°Where did you get this?¡± he asked with a dubious gaze as he leaned closer. ¡°A beloved of mine,¡± Erin answered. She felt Lyra¡¯s hands sping her vacant hand the second after she said those words. She snickered in her heart at Lyra¡¯s adorable jealousy. ¡°This beloved person of yours didn¡¯t exin anything?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, he had urgent matters to attend to and left before he could exin. Well, I doubt he would exin it even if he had the time. He does have a ir for the dramatics.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± he said. ¡°This medallion serves as a title deed.¡± Lyra plopped her head onto Erin¡¯s shoulder. ¡°A title deed?¡± ¡°Proof of ownership of a property,¡± Erin answered and gave Lyra a peck on the cheek. That brief and abrupt disy of affection in front of some noble they barely knew shocked not only Lyra but also the others. As usual, Lilian was tittering with an amused expression. Shrugging with a grin, Erin turned her attention back to Sir use. ¡°So, how does this work?¡± she said, shaking the medallion. Sir use held out his hand. ¡°If I may, Lady Erynthea.¡± Erin stared for a while before handing the medallion over. Once it was in his hand, Sir use poured his Mana into the medallion and the engravings shimmered. Letters and numbers written with light flew from the medallion, forming a list of words and numbers in columns and rows. Aera gasped in awe. She was the only one in the group who showed any wonderment. ¡°So that¡¯s what it is,¡± Siv muttered. ¡°You know what it is, Siv?¡± Erin asked. ¡°I was referring to the magic used, mistress. It¡¯s simr to the spell imbued in an adventurer¡¯s tag but this one is simply more¡­ archaic. The receptacle is bigger and the engravings are more intricate as opposed to thepact adventurer¡¯s tag.¡± The spectacle also attracted a few curious gazes from the passers-by but when they realised it was highborn business, they turned the other way. Only fools would poke their noses into the affairs of nobles. ¡°Is that an address for a house?¡± Erin asked, sweeping the disy of words in light with her eyes. ¡°For a mansion, to be exact, Mdy,¡± Sir use answered as he handed the medallion back to Erin after the shimmering died down. ¡°I know the address. I can lead you to that mansion, if it pleases you, mdy.¡± Briefly ncing at herpanions, Erin gave her decision after getting their wordless answers. ¡°Very well, Sir use. Lead the way.¡± Sir use bowed slightly and waved his hand. A magic circle appeared on the ground and a raptor-like beast with a saddle emerged from it, which he hopped onto. ¡°I got to learn how to do that,¡± Erin muttered in her heart. **** They travelled deep into the city but they then took a turn that led them away from the roads that were taking them to the residential district. They were going off on a tangent. They were no longer heading towards the residential district at all but Sir use assured them this was the right way. They passed by various districts, including the red light district. Though the red light district only came to life when night came, that didn¡¯t mean the brothels didn¡¯t take advantage of the day. The women of the brothels dressed in sensual but thick attires as they stood outside the buildings, waving and blowing kisses at any potential customers. Erin took notice of a brothel that catered to lilies exclusively. There was a sign that read; No men allowed unless it¡¯s for official business. She caught sight of the courtesans on the balconies. Unlike the women of the other brothels, these ones were wearing shirts and pants and they all at least had some brawns to their shapely figures. When those women met Erin¡¯s genial smile and brazen gaze of desire, they shirked. Their preconceived notion of Fae was of the usual, which was why they were caught off-guard by Erin¡¯s amicability. Confused and bewildered, they hesitantly returned her smile and wave. ¡°Are we not enough?¡± Lyra asked, who was sitting right beside her on the driver¡¯s bench while the others were in the back. Erin¡¯s smile turned wry. ¡°Will you be mad if I indulge myself in casual pleasures?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± she answered and threw her arms around Erin. ¡°I don¡¯t care who you take into bed. As long as you return to me by the end of the day, I don¡¯t care who you fucked, Erin. Just¡­ just promise me you won¡¯t bring any men to bed.¡± Erin raised an eyebrow with a smirk. ¡°Aedan?¡± Lyra sighed. ¡°Aedan¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll make an exception for him and I¡­ I¡­¡± ¡°You want to have a taste of him too?¡± Lyra nodded sheepishly. ¡°You don¡¯t approve?¡± Erin chuckled softly. ¡°If it¡¯s him, I certainly don¡¯t mind. Unless of course, he steals you away from me or you let yourself be stolen, Lyra.¡± ¡°That will never happen, Erin. He may have my body but my heart is yours.¡± Erinughed with a hand covering her lips. ¡°You¡¯re starting to sound like a noble, Lyra. Lilian taught you that, didn¡¯t she?¡± The answer was apparent as Lilian was tittering in the back of the wagon. ¡°Y-you don¡¯t like it?¡± Erin kissed her lightly on the lips. ¡°I don¡¯t hate it but I prefer the usual you, Lyra.¡± And before they could kiss again, Nivia shouted, ¡°By the Spirits, please have some decency you two.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°Prude,¡± Lyra muttered, separating herself from Erin. ¡°Better than being a nymph,¡± Nivia huffed. And they all shared augh, save for Nivia, of course. Even Aera was giggling softly in the corner. As the city was incrediblyrge, it had the privilege and luxury to amodate a few patches of woods, which was where they were heading towards. There was one particr area that was incredibly dense with trees, looking almost like a forest had sprouted amidst all the man-made buildings. ¡°Where is this ce?¡± Lyra mused, veering her gaze around. It wasn¡¯t aplete garden of trees. There were many houses and mansions strewn about in the forest but long abandoned, judging by the vines and mosses that decorated the homes. ¡°It used to be the amodation district for the Fae dignitaries,¡± Sir use exined, who was riding on his raptor-like mount, leading the way in front of them. ¡°Used to be?¡± ¡°Back when humans¡¯ rtions with the Fae aren¡¯t as strained as they are now. There was even a Fae embassy but everything fell through.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Nivia snorted. ¡°What do you think happened?¡± But she was immediately batted in the head by Lilian. ¡°Be nice,¡± Lilian chided. ¡°Forgive her, Lyra, dear. It fell through because humans wanted the Faerie-kin¡¯s knowledge without any¡­ limitation, shall we say. It¡¯s very ironic and hypocritical. The humans reproached the Fae for being greedy and power-hungry. The humans were actually the ones who cut off any formal rtions with the Fae. That¡¯s how it is in the Yorun Kingdom at least.¡± ¡°That¡¯s worse than I thought,¡± Erin said. Siv nodded. ¡°Terrible.¡± ¡°For the humans,¡± Lilian responded. ¡°They shut us out because they are afraid of the possibility of the Fae taking over. Truly ironic, considering the humans were the ones who had it nned.¡± ¡°Wait, humans were the ones who cut off rtions?¡± Nivia asked. Lilian blinked and stared at Nivia with a tilted gaze. ¡°You don¡¯t know? It¡¯s in the texts, Nivia. Did you not read?¡± ¡°Which one?¡± ¡°Dear Spirits¡­ You did not finish your sybuses, did you?¡± Nivia turned her gaze away. ¡°I read more than half of them.¡± Erin could see Nivia¡¯s shoulders were mildly trembling Lilian¡¯s usual gentle and unassuming gaze turned dour. ¡°Youngdy, after we have found our lodging, I will be teaching you the remaining texts and you will be reciting all of them.¡± ¡°What?¡± Nivia blurted out. ¡°That¡¯s outrageous, Lilian. We have more pressing matters than¡ª¡± ¡°This is not a discussion, Nivia of Willowde.¡± Lilian¡¯s voice reverberated and she wasn¡¯t shouting. Even the horses and raptor beast went wild from her voice alone but she quickly calmed them down with her magic. ¡°Do I have your understanding, Nivia?¡± Nivia nodded briskly. Lilian¡¯s amicable gentle smile returned. ¡°Splendid, Nivia. I¡¯m sure with your talents, you will be able to grasp everything before long. Well, even if that¡¯s the case, you will still need at least two days to finish the sybuses.¡± Then, she noticed the eyes on her. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t mind me, darlings. This is nothing serious. Just carry on with what you¡¯re doing. Unless of course, the lot of you wish to join?¡± And everyone pried their eyes away from her without a word. 4-16 House of Aeryo 4-16 House of Aeryo The mansion eventually came into view as they traversed through the abundance of trees and came to a de. At the centre of the de was a mansion, smaller than a lesser noble¡¯s mansion but big enough to house Erin and herpanions. Unlike the other homes, this mansion was surprisingly unabandoned. They could see servants walking about the estate, tending to whatever needed to be tended. Vines still found their way around the mansion but they were left as it were for aesthetic purposes, presumably by the caretakers. ¡°That¡¯s the mansion?¡± Lyra pointed. ¡°It is, Miss Lyra,¡± Sir use answered. ¡°There are people there. Humans.¡± ¡°It would appear so. To my sparse knowledge of the estate, it¡¯s just the servants. The lord of the mansion had not returned for years. The custodian, the head butler, has been the one in charge of the maintenance of the estate since.¡± ¡°Let us hope the custodian will be understanding.¡± Erin held back a sigh at Lyra¡¯s words. Now that Lyra had said it, Erin knew the contrary was bound to happen. When they hadpletely gone through the small forest, they passed into a road paved with smoothened stones andnterns on maple wooden poles aligned on the sides. The road led directly to the gates of the mansion. Erin felt a huge thump in her soul as the wheels trod onto the paved road. ¡°What in the name¡ª¡± Erin flinched forward, clutching her heart at first. But gradually, everything loosened. She was doused with respite and alleviation. She could breathe so much easier than normal as if the air was untainted by whatever filth was spilt out of the city. ¡°Mistress, are you alright?¡± Siv asked. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Erin said. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ the concentration of the Spirits here is¡­ unbelievably high.¡± ¡°It is¡­ my dear Erin,¡± Lilian agreed, nodding. She reached out her hand, feeling the density of the Spirits that were fluttering about. ¡°This ce will do nicely against intruders and Demons.¡± Even Sir use couldn¡¯t bepletely unfazed when he heard the mention of Demons but he still kept his nose out. It was not his ce to question their circumstances, not if he wished to keep his job. ¡°This is¡­ This is a Grove,¡± Lilian scoffed in disbelief. ¡°He had another Grove made. That arse of a lizard. He truly does have a ir for the dramatics.¡± ¡°What¡¯s a Grove?¡± Lyra asked before Erin could. ¡°To be sinct, a Grove is a ce smothered in Spirits, making it a safe haven for the Fae,¡± Lilian exined. ¡°It is usually naturally formed but in this case, this is artificial but no less effective than a natural one.¡± ¡°Aedan?¡± Lilian tittered. ¡°Aedan,¡± she affirmed. ¡°That son of a bitch,¡± Erin muttered inwardly with a smile. ¡°Alright, Aedan. Colour me impressed and surprised, you arse.¡± As they approached the gate, a boy ran up to the wagon from the gates, where he had been presumably standing guard at. The boy could not have been older than fifteen and he was standing in the wagon¡¯s path inmoner¡¯s attire with a sword by his waist. Erin pulled on the reins, halting the wagon. Sir use also came to a stop and he hopped off his raptor mount. Erin followed suit but gestured for the rest to stay on the wagon. ¡°Allow me to handle this, mdy,¡± Sir use said and stepped forward to the boy. ¡°Turn around right this instance,¡± the boy said with a firm and robust voice in spite of his youthful appearance. His left hand was gripping the scabbard and his right hand was gripping the hilt. ¡°Whatever business you have with the estate, you will find none as his lordship is absent. And in his absence, no outsider is allowed entry into the estate.¡± ¡°Boy, you will address me with respect and honour. I am Sir use of House Ritus, vassal to the High Lady of Valdrun.¡± ¡°With all due respect sir, unless you have a writ from His Majesty The King, you are not allowed to set foot into the estate, even if it¡¯s a decree from the viceroy himself, High Lord Rn Grid.¡± ¡°This is preposterous, boy. What proof do you have for your ims and why would the King pay any heed to some mere estate?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not privy to the details, sir, but I can tell you the King¡¯s providence was solicited by the Arch Priestess of Aeryo.¡± ¡°The Aeryons?¡± blurted Sir use. ¡°Ah, I see,¡± Lilian said as she descended from the wagon and joined Erin by her side. ¡°This estate is considered a sacred ground of the Aeryons.¡± ¡°The Aeryons?¡± Erin questioned. ¡°The Dragon God faith, my dear.¡± ¡°This is a temple?¡± ¡°It is not a temple, Lady Fae,¡± answered the boy. ¡°This is a sanctuary for the believers of Aeryo.¡± ¡°Aeryo is dead, boy,¡± Sir use said. ¡°And Lady Erynthea here as a title deed for the estate. As it stood, she is the rightful owner of the estate.¡± ¡°I refuse to believe his Lordship would sell off the sanctuary. The title deed you im the Fae to be in possession of has to be a forgery.¡± ¡°It is not, boy. I have seen and confirmed it myself.¡± The boy clicked his tongue. ¡°Show me.¡± Erin finally sighed. ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have led with that?¡± she grumbled and took out the medallion for the boy to see. The boy¡¯s brows were raised as he nced at the medallion in Erin¡¯s hand. When he nced at Erin, his gaze narrowed. ¡°Where did you get this?¡± ¡°It was given to me by Aedan.¡± ¡°His Lordship?¡± the boy gasped. ¡°Impossible. He would not do that. Who are you to his Lordship?¡± ¡°His lover,¡± Erin¡¯s response came without any hesitation. ¡°We are well aware of his Lordship¡¯s proclivities but having someone he would call a lover certainly isn¡¯t one of them.¡± ¡°And how would you know, little lizard?¡± ¡°Little lizard, me?¡± the boy scoffed. ¡°How dare you call me a lizard! I¡¯ll have you know that I am a¡ª¡± the boy paused, his eyes widening. When he spoke again, his voice was soft and hollow. ¡°You knew?¡± Erin nodded. ¡°Impossible.¡± Then the boy struck a realisation. ¡°You have Appraisal.¡± Erin shrugged. ¡°Am I the only one who has Appraisal?¡± Sir use was bouncing his gaze between Erin and the boy. ¡°Forgive me if I had misunderstood, mdy, but are you saying this boy is a¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªDragon, yes. He is indeed a Dragon.¡± ¡°Is he truly one?¡± Lilian mused. ¡°The aura he¡¯s exuding is that of a human¡¯s.¡± ¡°Aedan and Olivia hid their identities well. The Dragons are good at disguising and concealing themselves. I¡¯m sure you did not know Aedan was a Dragon until he told you himself, is that not the case?¡± ¡°I suppose you do have a point, Erin.¡± The boy¡¯s face was drained of colours as he looked in terror. ¡°Now that you know what we are¡­¡± ¡°Calm down, boy. As I have said, I¡¯m¡ª¡± ¡°I can¡¯t let you or yourpanions leave.¡± Erin blinked. ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know who you really are but since you have found out about us, you are not leaving this ce.¡± The boy drew his queer sword. It had a single-edged de with a circr handguard. The boy was already charging before the de had fully left the scabbard. ¡°Forgive me for this, your Lordship,¡± he muttered under his breath. ¡°Stay behind me, mdy!¡± use shouted and positioned himself in front of Erin. ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary.¡± Lilian gently pulled use back by his shoulder but it only looked gentle. ¡°Erin is more than capable of defending us and herself and I believe your job here is done, Sir use. She¡¯ll be fine and our opponent isn¡¯t that capable.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be absurd, Lady Lilian. If I didn¡¯t at least see you all to safety, Her Excellency will¡ª¡± use¡¯s words were interrupted by the sound of the sh of metals. Erin had charged ahead and met the boy¡¯s de with her own and she was the winner of that sh. The boy went tumbling and sprawling across the ground from Erin¡¯s blow. ¡°See, Sir use? Nothing to worry about. Now, please, for your sake and ours, make yourself scarce before you see or hear something you shouldn¡¯t have.¡± Swallowing a lump in his throat, use nodded. ¡°Very well, mdy, As you wish. I¡¯ll be taking my leave.¡± ¡°As you should, good sir. Give my love to Her Excellency, and Erin¡¯s love too. I¡¯m sure she will be thrilled.¡± use nodded again and bowed slightly before speeding out of the de on his raptor mount. ¡°He¡¯s gone now, Erin dear. You don¡¯t need to hold back now.¡± ¡°Thank you for that, Lilian,¡± Erin said and conjured another sword in her other hand as she red at the boy. ¡°I have had enough of presumptuous people like you,¡± she chewed her words as strode toward her opponent. ¡°Why can¡¯t you just listen?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t belittle me, Lady Fae. Being presumptuous is the reason I have survived so far in this harsh world.¡± ¡°At the expense of others.¡± ¡°Better than at the expense of my kin.¡± The boy d himself in his aura like ayer of armour. ¡°Just how many people have you silenced?¡± The boy twitched at that question but he did not offer any answer. Instead, he lunged with his sword raised. Erin easily parried the boy¡¯s strike and dodged a blow. ¡°If that medallion does not suffice as proof, what other kind of proof will suffice?¡± The boy spun around and unleashed a flurry of strikes and shes upon Erin. ¡°The word of mouth from his Lordship himself.¡± His attacks were all deflected or evaded again but he didn¡¯t relent. ¡°Then, I demand to speak with the estate¡¯s custodian.¡± Erin dodged under a sh and flipped to the side and thrust. ¡°If it¡¯s anyone¡¯s judgement, it would be his.¡± The boy let the thrust graze his cheek and threw himself at her with a swipe. ¡°And you will sneak off somewhere when my attention is turned away?¡± He tutted. ¡°I¡¯m not that naive, Lady Fae.¡± Erin veered that swipe and riposted. ¡°You¡¯re not naive, just foolish.¡± Her de nearly grazed his cheeks again but he dodged low and went for her legs. Erin spun and mmed her tails into the boy. He went spinning in the air butnded on his feet. He shook the damage off and lunged once more with a strike. Erin charged at his strike. Instead of her de, she met his strike with her foot, raising it over the de before putting her foot down in a literal manner. With his de trapped under her foot, she pressed her sword onto the boy¡¯s neck. ¡°Enough of this farce, boy. I will speak to the custodian. Summon him or I will use the power of the Spirits.¡± ¡°This may be a Grove but it doesn¡¯t cater to you, Lady Fae. And you think this is enough to threaten me?¡± A pair of wings shot out from the boy¡¯s back. Erin¡¯s Sixth Sense began ring at the appearance of those wings. She leapt back just as the boy lurched forwards with his hands, now ws, bared at her. She cast Storm Shell in front of her and the boy was blown backwards by the repelling effects of Storm Shell. His wings pped and he regained his bearings before he tumbled too far away. Erin could hear the unrest of those in the wagon but whispered for them to be at ease, by way of Nivia¡¯s enhanced sense of hearing of an Elf. ¡°Has it not crossed your mind for even a single moment that I might have been nothing but truthful?¡± Erin asked. ¡°Do you know how the city would react if they knew Dragons were living amongst them?¡± ¡°The city would not know. I¡¯m not a thief. Even if I am, do you honestly think I would be able to snatch it from Aedan without his consent or knowledge?¡± ¡°His Lordship may be mighty but not even gods are perfect, let alone only the heir and avatar.¡± ¡°Avatar?¡± Erin mumbled inwardly. ¡°Another strange new word.¡± ¡°I am sorry, Lady Fae, but I can¡¯t risk¡ª¡± the boy wasn¡¯t able to finish his sentence as some invisible force pulled him backwards and dragged him across the ground, ploughing him through the pavement. ¡°That¡¯s enough, Can,¡± bellowed a voice. It belonged to an old man with a thick grey beard, who was walking past Can and towards Erin in stride. He wore a set of robes that was draped loosely around him and the excessive length was dragged across the ground. ¡°Greetings, mdy,¡± the old man said with a bow and a hand to his chest. Sensing not hostility but instead, amicability from the old man, Erin dispelled her swords. ¡°And you are?¡± ¡°Cassius, mdy. I am the custodian of the estate. I have been expecting your arrival, Lady Consort of his Lordship.¡± Erin frowned. ¡°Consort?¡± Lilian burst outughing. ¡°What did he just say!?¡± screamed Lyra from all the way on the wagon. 4-17 House of Aeryo II 4-17 House of Aeryo II ¡°I beg your pardon, Mister Cassius, but I am not Aedan¡¯s consort,¡± Erin said with a huff and a rage that was on the verge of bursting. Though she was furious, there was a small part of her that was thrilled but never will she ever let it be known. She had epted her feelings for Aedan but that was still too high of a hurdle for her to pass. ¡°You¡¯re not, mdy?¡± asked the custodian with a genuine worried look. ¡°Why would you presume so?¡± Erin returned the question. ¡°His Lordship had said the only one who will be receiving the title deed to his manor would be someone hepletely trusted and someone akin to a life partner. A consort or a wife, so to say.¡± ¡°Did he just ask for my hand in marriage without asking for my hand in marriage?¡± Erin¡¯s thoughts rumbled. ¡°Well, Mister Cassius, I am his lover but he had said nothing of that sort to me. He had a penchant for surprises and theatrics even though he seemed so aloof for most times.¡± ¡°That does indeed sound like his Lordship,¡± the elderly said. ¡°Why don¡¯t we continue this conversation inside the manor? I¡¯ll have the servants prepare the fire and some light meals while we furbish your rooms.¡± ¡°That will be extremely appreciated, Mister Cassius.¡± ¡°Very well, mdy, but before that, allow me to solve this terrible misunderstanding on my part.¡± Cassius¡¯ amicable smile disappeared when he turned to Can, who was slowly scrambling to his feet. ¡°Can, what were you thinking?¡± ¡°What?¡± he retorted. ¡°I was doing my job. I was guarding the estate and manor from a potential threat.¡± ¡°She has the medallion, Can.¡± ¡°She could have stolen it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a very unlikely possibility, Can. You could easily ascertain the truth through the Spirits. May I know why you didn''t?¡± Can cast his gaze down with an abashed expression. ¡°I-I couldn''t, Cassius¡­¡± "Didn''t you already learn it from Rury?" "I... forgot how to..." Cassius sighed. ¡°You¡¯re dismissed, for now, Can. Torvan will be recing you,¡± he said and spared Can not another nce as he reeled his attention back to Erin. ¡°Sorry for the wait, mdy. This way, if you would, please.¡± Erin gave Cassius a nod of acknowledgement and headed back to the wagon along with Lilian. Together, they headed towards the manor while Erin was hastily exining in detail to the rest of the girls of her interaction with the boy, Can, and the custodian, Cassius. ¡°When did Aedan ask for your hand in marriage?¡± was Lyra¡¯s question after Erin had finished her exnation. She was sitting beside Erin on the driver¡¯s bench, leaning towards her as she asked that question. ¡°I am curious about that too,¡± said Nivia, from the back of the wagon. ¡°He did not, alright?¡± Erin retorted loudly but not loud enough to be heard by anyone outside of the wagon unless one had a heightened sense of hearing. ¡°He gave me this medallion and said I should show it to an official when I arrived in the city. Nothing else, alright?¡± ¡°An indirect proposal? How sly,¡± Lilian tittered, finding it all amusing as usual. ¡°How envious. He really trusts you a lot, doesn¡¯t he? I wish I had a man like that.¡± Nivia red at her with a frown. ¡°If you stopped acting like that roguish Umbrun, maybe you will, Lilian.¡± ¡°Mistress, does this mean you are promised to Master Aedan?¡± Siv asked. Erin refrained herself from rolling her eyes. ¡°No one here is promised to anyone. It¡¯s a misunderstanding, damn it.¡± ¡°More like a disagreement,¡± Lyra grumbled. ¡°There¡¯s no misunderstanding. It¡¯s clear that Aedan wishes for your hand in union and you just rejected him.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure that¡¯s not his true intention. He¡¯s an arse. He¡¯s probably doing this just so he can have a goodugh about it when we meet again.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s not it?¡± Lyra questioned. Erin cracked her knuckles. ¡°Fair enough.¡± Lyra finally calmed down. Though she didn¡¯t care who Erin chose to have in bed, save for men, marriage was another line she refused to cross. She liked what they all had now and a union would destroy everything and being the carefree and indulgent individual she was, she would have no ce in such a life. She shuddered to even think about that possibility. In the end, all things muste to an end and she knew this rtionship she had with her beloved Erin would change in the future. For better or worse, she was afraid to find out. ¡°Lyra?¡± She jolted out her rumination and snapped her gaze to her caller. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Erin asked. Lyra nodded meekly. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± she said. Erin sped her hand on top of Lyra¡¯s own. ¡°I¡¯m not going to leave you, Lyra. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡± ¡°I know you won¡¯t, Erin, but¡­ what if someone took you away from me?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t I¡¯ll let them?¡± ¡°By force, Erin. What if the people who took you away were so strong and not even you can put up a fight? What then?¡± Erin shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know but I do know that the enemy, or enemies, had better be prepared for one hell of a resistance. I have you and Siv and everyone else. Taking me away won¡¯t be easy.¡± Lyra smiled mncholically. ¡°I wish I have your confidence.¡± ¡°You will, Lyra.¡± As they conversed, with Cassius leading the way on foot, they had arrived before the gates and now that they were this close to the estate, Erin couldn¡¯t but squint her eyes and she peered at the entirety of the estate. The gates opened outwards by themselves and the sight before them rippled with glitters as Cassius walked through the arch after beckoning them to follow. ¡°Don¡¯t be rmed,¡± he had said right before he promptly disappeared into an invisible portal on the archway, with him seemingly swallowed by the space itself. The girls gasped. Siv and Lyra regained theirposure quickly. Nivia was left in disbelief with mouth agape. Aera had gasped the loudest as she was the one most unfamiliar with these Arcane Art wonders. ¡°Now, this is interesting,¡± said Lilian with an awed gaze and simpering. ¡°Indeed it is,¡± Erin agreed. ¡°Interesting?¡± Nivia scoffed. ¡°Lilian, are you not aware of what spell this is?¡± Lilian shrugged. ¡°Enlightened me?¡± ¡°This is a tant copy of the Fae¡¯s Spirit Formation. They know about our people¡¯s means of defence and how we are hiding from the world. Shouldn¡¯t we be, I don¡¯t know, rmed about this?¡± ¡°No reason to be,¡± she replied calmly. ¡°If they reveal our secrets, they will be revealing themselves. Moreover, this is a Grove. Do you think the people here will be untrustworthy or foolish to think harm upon the Fae?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Fae¡¯s Spirit Formation?¡± Erin asked, cutting into the exchange. ¡°A vast illusion on the scale of a town or even a city. It is cast on a terrain. It¡¯s how us Fae hide our home forest from the world,¡± Lilian answered. ¡°And should you be telling us this?¡± Lyra asked as she pointed at herself, Siv, and Aera. ¡°No,¡± Nivia answered for Lilian. ¡°Fae¡¯sw actually forbade us to.¡± Lyra looked at Lilian, concerned. The Dryad giggled. ¡°Nivia here neglected to mention that exceptions are provided for those we deemed to be trustworthy and I trust you all. I hope you all will have the same amount of faith in me.¡± ¡°We do trust you, Lilian,¡± Erin said as she drove the wagon through the archway of the gates. ¡°We just find that crafty side of yours annoying and a tad unsettling.¡± There was a mild sense of difort like their whole bodies were being squashed but afterpletely passing through the archway, the difort was reced by a relieving touch of a gentle warm breeze that carried the scent of flowers and honey along with it. Suddenly, the dull and mundane estate they were seeing from a distance had transformed into a small lively and garishmunity filled with various flora, fauna, and people. There were small buildings and houses that decorated the grassy street, leading to a manor in the distance, and that manor was huge. This time, the whole group gasped loudly and ironically, Aera was the only one who didn¡¯t gasp as she was exhausted by the prior surprise and the tension of the short battle she witnessed between Erin and the boy. Just a week ago, she was just amon vige girl that could be found anywhere and now, she was on a journey of revenge and the detour she embarked on was simply full of wonders. Her mouth was agape nheless even though she didn¡¯t gasp out loud. They did not stop at the portal. The wagon continued to move despite their astonishment. Erin was astounded but not to the point that she forgot to move. The residents'' races were varied. Most curious of all, there were no humans. Lyra and Aera appeared to be the only humans. Since that was the case, there were a lot of gazes on the two but so far, there was no hostility shown, just caution and vignce. ¡°Wee to Eden,¡± announced Cassius as they traversed down the vast street, passing by huts and houses that each had their own purposes aside from being someone¡¯s residence. This ce was almost like a functioning town with its own economy and everything. Erin raised an eyebrow. ¡°Eden? Does it have some underlying meaning to that name?¡± ¡°Most likely not, mdy. I have been told that his Lordship doesn¡¯t give much thought when ites to naming something.¡± ¡°Aedan named this ce?¡± Erin mused in her heart. ¡°The name of this dimension probably bears a name of trivial origin.¡± ¡°This dimension?¡± Lyra blurted out. ¡°You mean this is a different dimension? We¡¯re not on Evarenan?¡± ¡°We are still on Evarenan, just not on the same ne of existence. It would be hard to exin to you if you knew nothing about the concept of space.¡±¡¯ ¡°I don¡¯t¡­¡± Lyra admitted. ¡°This ce is old¡­¡± said Nivia as she looked around in amazement. ¡°And the Spirits¡­ they are Exalted. Just how long has this ce existed for?¡± ¡°As long as the Fae Forests, Lady Nivia,¡± Cassius answered. ¡°Perhaps even longer than Willowde.¡± Erin only realised Willowde was the name of Nivia¡¯s home forest and also herst name after she appraised Nivia. She muttered a silent apology to Nivia. ¡°Willowde is thousands of years old,¡± Nivia said. ¡°Then I suppose so is Eden. Truth is, I do not know exactly. This ce has been here since I was born and I¡¯m already over a thousand years old.¡± ¡°A thousand years old?¡± Lyra eximed. ¡°Are you perhaps a¡ª¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m a Dragon.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s bloody terrific and unbelievable,¡± Lyra scoffed in stupefaction. ¡°And just on a hunch, you are not the only Dragon here, are you?¡± ¡°Can is a Dragon too.¡± ¡°Can?¡± ¡°The one who Lady Erin fought, which I¡¯m very impressed by.¡± Cassius¡¯ gaze shifted to Erin. ¡°You held your own against a Dragon. I suppose it is to be expected from his Lordship¡¯s paramour.¡± ¡°Just what is this ce?¡± Lilian asked. ¡°Is this some kind of refuge?¡± ¡°It started off as one, aye, but it grew to what it is today, a home to those whose ancestors were vagrants, exiles, lost ones¡­ those sorts.¡± ¡°Oh, what¡¯s this? Are my eyes deceiving me?¡± an incredibly familiar voice cried out loudly. Erin pulled on the carriages, halting the carriage, and spun her head to her left where she heard the voice from. A female Augur emerged from the small woods just some ways from the road. She was wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around her love body with another towel loosely draped over her shoulders, barely covering the private spots of her bountiful chest. Her scarlet hair was dripping wet and her dark skin had a lustrous gleam to her damp body. Her incredibly toned body was bared for all to see and the person herself didn¡¯t look the slightest bit perturbed by her state. ¡°Amyra?¡± Erin muttered in utter shock. ¡°I¡¯ll be damned. It really is you, my lovely foxy belle.¡± Cassius was rolling his eyes as he looked away. ¡°For Aeryo¡¯s sake, Amyra, please stop wandering around uncovered after a bath. You¡¯re a Priestess, for crying out loud. And please stop taking your baths in theke.¡± Erin coughed and retched, choking on her own saliva upon hearing that shocking revtion. 4-18 Winged plight 4-18 Winged plight It was supposed to be a simple journey. They were Dragons. They were the ones who stood at the summit of power. Even if their true strength was impaired, they were still a force to be reckoned with. However, Aedan and Olivia could not have foreseen such an oue from a furtive individual. What was supposed to be a breeze trip had evolved into a major upheaval of events. Never could they ever guess Marduk would reach this level of desperation, to send his lieutenant to oversee all those who were leaving Sephrodia Valley from high up in the sky. When they realised such an individual was guarding the sky, it was already toote by then. They were already discovered. Though they weren¡¯t the ones Marduk was looking for, he sure wouldn¡¯t let a pair of Dragons escape as they were powerhouses. Most important of all, Aedan still had Erin¡¯s Mana trace on him due to the coitus they hadst night. ¡°God fucking damn it!¡± Aedan cursed under his breath and leaned himself against a wall under the cover of rocks that formed a tall and slightly curved cliff that was the edge of a hill range. ¡°Just who was that, milord?¡± asked Olivia, who was leaning against a boulder while clutching her ribs and breathing heavily with a pained expression. ¡°Varus,¡± Aedan muttered grimly. ¡°A goddamn Seraphim. Marduk¡¯s lieutenant.¡±He¡¯s over level eighty,st I heard.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not good, m-milord¡­¡± ¡°Are you alright, Olivia?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll live, milord,¡± she answered with strained breaths. ¡°Can you move?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, milord. Even if I can, I¡¯ll just slow you down.¡± Aedan frowned and grimaced. He grabbed her by the arm and drew her face close to his. ¡°I am not leaving you behind, Olivia. Don¡¯t you ever bring that notion up ever again, do you understand?¡± She smiled weakly. ¡°I understand, milord¡­¡± She then tittered. ¡°You really have changed¡­¡± ¡°Time changes all, Olivia,¡± he said andid her back against the boulder. ¡°But it wasn¡¯t time that changed you. It was her, wasn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Really, Olivia? You want to talk about that now when we¡¯re being hunted by a bloodthirsty Seraphim?¡± ¡°Just trying to alleviate the air, milord.¡± ¡°Well, don¡¯t. Save your breath.¡± A strong gust of wind blew past them, stirring the dead leaves on the ground and rustling the bushes. ¡°Are we exposed?¡± Olivia asked. ¡°Not yet.¡± They were currently camouging their Mana with the natural Mana flowing in the air but that was only effective beyond a certain range. For a high-level individual like Varus, he could easily sniff them out once he got close enough to them. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s move,¡± Aedan said and held out an arm to Olivia. She shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ll manage by myself. Milord, you should focus on scouting.¡± ¡°Alright, then. Just.. try not to fall.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t, milord.¡± Right as she said that, another strong gust of wind blew past them as she was pushing herself off the boulder. In her already feeble state, the gust was strong enough to blow away her bearings and she fell into the small puddle of dead leaves, shed from the surrounding trees. ¡°Sorry, milord,¡± Oliva uttered. Aedan offered no verbal response and simply kicked Oliva to the side, just as Varus came streaking through the dense foliage like an arrow. Clenching his fist tight, he backhanded the Seraphim to the trees before they collided. The air rippled from that blow and Varus went tumbling and ploughing through the trees and ground. ¡°Stay down, Olivia,¡± Aedan warned without throwing her a nce. ¡°But Milord, I can¡ª¡± ¡°Stay down. That¡¯s an order,¡± he steeled his voice at her and strode towards the angel wannabe. des of gleaming silver flew towards Aedan in a volley but Aedan fended all those projectiles off by stomping his foot hard to the ground and letting the shockwave do the rest. Silver streaks of light rained down on him from above. Aedan dove forward and avoided being shredded but trees and bushes weren¡¯t so fortunate. The moment he rolled to his feet, he was greeted by a gleaming grey wing. He dodged low and the straightened feathers sliced through the air. A kick followed. Aedan crossed his arms in front of his face but the force behind the kickunched him off his feet. He flipped in the air andnded on his hands and feet without tumbling or staggering. His winged assant did not wait for him to fully recover his stance. Emerging from the trees, Varus came down on him with a spinning sh of his wings. Aedan tossed him backwards but that was not enough. He withdrew a stave from his subspace storage and stuck the metal pole into the whirling vortex that was Varus. Not much to his surprise, the stave was sliced into half without much difficulty but it did its job of stopping Varus¡¯ spin. The Seraphim brought his left wing close to his eyes and assessed the bruise. He couldn¡¯t believe he was hurt, something that hadn¡¯t urred for a long time. ¡°What manner of metal is that?¡± he asked. ¡°Mithrill alloy,¡± Aedan answered and threw the severed halves of the stave at Varus. The Seraphim dodged the staves instead of blocking and he was d he did. He didn¡¯t see how far the staves travelled but judging from the sounds, they went far and they went through multiple trees. He feared not even his wings could block the throw. Another projectile came at Varus and it was a stone this time. But as it was thrown by Aedan, even a stone should not be underestimated. Varus veered away from the stone streaking past him, nearly grazing his neck. Aedan was upon him when he regained his focus. He blocked a haymaker from Aedan with his wings and he felt the bones of his wings cracking. However, Aedan¡¯s punch was not enough to break through his defence. With a cry of defiance and indignation, Varus pushed Aedan back as he spread out his wings and pushed him further back as he beat his wings. The raging gust sent Aedan tumbling but he didn¡¯t tumble far before he found his bearings and held his ground. ¡°Now this is a surprise,¡± mused Varus, as he stretched his shoulders and wings. The bruise on his left wing had already faded and his cracked bones were already mended. ¡°And here I thought Rex and I were the only high-level individuals in this kingdom. Adding to that, you have a Dragon for apanion. Just who are you?¡± ¡°First name, Piss. Last name, Off.¡± retorted Aedan as he straightened his posture and patted his garments of dirt and dust. Varus cackled. ¡°What a fun personality you have. The boss will be pleased to have you and yourpanion under his employment. I will be d too to have someone interesting like you as my colleague. You will be well-paid and there are a lot of other benefits.¡± ¡°You can tell Marduk to go fuck himself,¡± Varus frowned slightly before letting out a sigh. ¡°If you know his name¡­ then I assume you know about the Covenant and who I am.¡± ¡°Aye, I know who you are. Varus, the exile of Silverlock of the Sknds. Cast out by your very own family for your violent and psychopathic tendencies. You killed your cousins in a duel for a girl¡¯s hand. You massacre the envoys of the Augurs because they arranged a marriage with the girl you were pursuing. It¡¯s a wonder that they didn¡¯t just outright execute you.¡± Varus tutted. ¡°Because they need me. My banishment is just a farce to cate those old coots¡¯ dissatisfaction with me. When they are gone, I will return to the Sknds with an army of my own.¡± ¡°Marduk¡¯s army, you mean.¡± ¡°You lot have been giving him more credit than he deserves. Marduk is nothing without me or Rex. He¡¯s a sheepmandeering wolves because the wolves themselves found it amusing.¡± ¡°I can see why you work for him now. You are just like him. He hasn¡¯t changed a bit.¡± Varus raised an eyebrow. ¡°You know him?¡± ¡°I do.¡± Aedan drew a sword out of his subspace storage. ¡°I know him better than anyone else. Well, I knew him , to be precise.¡± ¡°You¡¯re truly going to fight me?¡± Varus scoffed. ¡°You¡¯re strong but I can tell you¡¯re ill and enfeebled. You can¡¯t win.¡± Varus flourished his wings. The surroundings trembled from the aura he unleashed. ¡°I have no intention to,¡± Aedan said and tossed his sword at Varus like a javelin. Varus was about to swat the sword away when Aedan teleported to the sword with it already being in his grip. He dodged low, avoiding Varus¡¯ wing sh. He retaliated with an uppercut but the Seraphim slid back by only a few inches and lunged back with a thrust of his wings. Aedan pivoted on his toes, evading the wings, and swung his sword into Varus¡¯ neck. A ngour of steel echoed as Aedan¡¯s de shed into an ethereal shield, Arcane Aegis, right before the sharp edge could carve into Varus¡¯ flesh. Varus snickered. ¡°Thank the Divines you were debilitated. If you weren¡¯t, I would have been dead,¡± he said and whirled around with his wings straightened. Aedan quickly tossed the sword behind him and teleported to the sword to get himself away from Varus¡¯ deadly counterattack. ¡°How disappointing,¡± Varus spat. ¡°I was looking forward to a challenge but¡­ you are holding back too much. Just what is hindering your prowess?¡± ¡°Is your nose as big as your wings?¡± Varus chuckled. ¡°You love to jest and quip, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t. It¡¯s a necessity. How else can I keep my sanity in the presence of idiots and cretins?¡± Varus¡¯ brows were twitching. ¡°I take back my previous offer. Instead, I¡¯ll be offering you a drawn-out painful death.¡± He clenched his fists until his knuckles were cracking. ¡°Death, huh?¡± Aedan shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t doubt your ability to bring me suffering, as you are already doing it, but I do sincerely doubt your ability to bring me death.¡± ¡°Fancy yourself as some kind of an unkible immortal?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t fancy myself as unkible. I''m just stating a fact.¡± ¡°Allow me to verify that fact by myself,¡± Varus said and shot toward Aedan. The grey gleaming wings blurred and shed across Aedan¡¯s eyes but no faster than his rate of perception. He leaned away from the strike, just enough to not be harmed. He twisted his body and brought his sword around and lunged for the opening. However, the tip of his sword met with a small wall of steel, a buckler that was twice the size of a palm. ¡°Do you honestly think my wings are all that I have?¡± Varus jibed. He spared not another second and countered with another whirl of death. Instead of backing away, Aedan rushed right into the spinning wings. ¡°What the¡ª¡± The Mana-empowered wings shredded through Aedan¡¯s flesh and carved through his bones but not with ease. Aedan¡¯s body itself was steel for skin, flesh, bones, and even blood. As a result, Varus mangled his own wings from the relentless assault he unleashed upon Aedan. The wings were also stuck in his body. More specifically, one wing was stuck around his ribs and the other wing had carved halfway through into his head horizontally. Yet, Aedan was still alive, breathing, and moving. He also smirked. A small canister appeared in Aedan¡¯s free hand and he pulled the pin on top with his teeth. Once the lid of the canister popped open after the pin was pulled, red fumes gushed out from the canister. ¡°Grey Spores!¡± Varus eximed as he tried to pry himself away from Aedan but his wings would not budge. ¡°With finely crushed Crimson Roots as the catalyst,¡± Aedan added and grazed the de of his sword against Varus¡¯ mangled wings, producing sparks as the steel grated against the magic protective fmentced on the feathers. The red fumes caught the sparks and grew them into arge ze in seconds. 4-19 Morning spar 4-19 Morning spar Erin couldn¡¯t remember what she was dreaming about but she knew had enjoyed it as she awoke with a smile on her face. She felt refreshed and her heart was beating like the calm waves of the morning sea. Adding to her already wonderful morning, her memories of the night prior made their return. The smile on her face widened at the recall. She looked to her right and left. There was a beauty on each of her sides, Lyra and Siv. They were all naked in bed, huddling close in Erin¡¯s embrace. Scars and bruises of love riddled their bodies due to Erin paying the debt of using Lust Deviant, now a derivative skill of Lust. Erin allowed herself to soak in the warmth andfort of the bed for a while longer as she walked down the memoryne of yesterday. It had been an abrupt and surprising reunion with Amyra. She was an acquaintance of Aedan, no less. She was a Priestess of Aeryon but no matter how Erin looked at her, there was nothing godly about Amyra. She was a lily, unsurprisingly. What was surprising was that she hadid her hands on quite a few married women despite being a woman of the cloth. She also happened to be one of the caretakers of the manor Erin was now currently staying in with herpanions. At Cassius and Amyra¡¯s insistence, a feast was thrown for Erin to celebrate her arrival as the supposed consort of their Lord, Aedan. At first, Erin tried to clear up the misunderstanding but ultimately, she gave up after realising the futility of it. They were all utterly convinced she was someone special to Aedan, someone akin to his consort even though she was not, so she just let the misunderstanding flow. The misunderstanding did bring a lot of benefits to it. All the servants in the manor were looking at her with reverence and treating her like she was the seconding of their Lordship. The garments Erin had hastily discarded were all neatly folded and ced on a table. There were even new garments hanging on the folding screens. On the dressing table was a basin of warm water along with some towels. On the table in the corner of the room was a variety of buns and fruits. Everything had been prepared upon her wake. Erin smiled warmly and mncholically. It reminded her of when she was still Argon Raze and being in the employment of nobles and rich merchants. Being the sword saint, the treatment she received was luxurious, to say the least. She remembered how many of the maids were fawning over her but being nothing but an adherent to the ways of the sword, she didn¡¯t respond to any of those advances. She felt a tinge of regret but looking at her right and left, that regret quickly faded. ¡°I won¡¯t trade this for anything else,¡± she muttered in her heart while caressing her bedpanions¡¯ faces. The treatment she was getting now wasrgely the same except that this was severely more luxurious. Her only worry was that the servants might be overly zealous. She could see the fervour in their eyes, men and women alike. They were treating her as more than just the mistress anddy of the manor. She doubted they would refuse her if she ever asked them to bed. ¡°Damn it, Erin. Control yourself,¡± Erin reprimanded herself and got off the bed after some light and brief difficulty due to her trying not to wake Siv or Lyra up. She was merciless and relentless on them the night prior. After cleaning herself up and having a light breakfast, Erin put on a simple all-rounded robe and headed for the courtyard that was at the back of the manor. She intended to do some exercise and self-training there. She passed by Nivia and Lilian on the way, who were both still asleep in the library. Nivia was studyingte into the night and Lilian was tutoring her. The servants had taken the liberty to drape them in nkets so as to not let the cold afflict them, not that they would be affected by the cold since they have the protection of the Spirits. As she neared the courtyard, she began hearing loud noises echoing from the courtyard. Rushing out of the manor and into the courtyard, she found Amyra raining down punches on Aera, who could do nothing but defend herself with her fists raised. The two were wearing thick cushioned sparring gloves, so Aera wasn''t truly hurt but with the intensity of Amyra, she would get hurt sooner orter. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Erin asked, stopping Amyra¡¯s onught of ¡°harmless-looking¡± punches. ¡°Oh, this? Just trying to toughen this poor damsel, Lady Erin,¡± said Amyra in a very pompous manner. ¡°She has potential but she¡¯s not using them. A waste, won¡¯t you say?¡± Erin could see they had been doing this for more than an hour going by the sweat that had umted on their garments. More precisely, Aera¡¯s garments. Amyra was barely wearing anything aside from the waist up aside from a ck leather brassiere. ¡°And just so there¡¯s no misunderstanding, I did not ask for this. She did.¡± Erin raised an eyebrow and stared at Aera. ¡°S-she¡¯s not doing anything bad, Erin¡­¡± Aera exined in a stutter. ¡°I was the one who asked her to spar with me¡­¡± ¡°Why?¡± Aera clenched her fists and cast her gaze down. ¡°How else can I get my vengeance¡­? I can¡¯t keep relying on that skill forever.¡± Amyra blinked. ¡°Vengeance? What¡¯s this vengeance?¡± Aera looked up in shock and covered her mouth. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t mean to say that. I¡ª¡± ¡°Is this something I¡¯m not supposed to hear?¡± Amyra asked. ¡°Only if you n on being bbermouth,¡± Erin said firmly with a re just as firm. Amyra chuckled and feigned a bow. ¡°Of course, I won¡¯t bber, mdy. No one in this Grove will. They would not betray the consort of his Lordship.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not his consort.¡± ¡°Fine, lover it is then. Same difference anyway. What was I saying? Ah, that¡¯s right. You won¡¯t have to worry about any of your secrets being exposed. We are family here. We are kin to one another.¡± ¡°Interesting but let me be my own judge of your trustworthiness.¡± Amyra tittered. ¡°You have a very naive and gullible face. This is unexpected.¡± ¡°The contents of a book cannot be discerned only by its cover.¡± ¡°It certainly couldn¡¯t. Say, I heard you won against that sham of a swordsman yesterday at the guild. It¡¯s a shame I couldn¡¯t be there to witness it. I was looking forward to seeing your¡­ swordsmanship. And too bad, I didn¡¯t bring my weapons with me or I would have loved to spar with you.¡± Erin curled the corner of her lips. ¡°It would seem you are not unfamiliar with unarmedbat. I¡¯m not bad with my fists either, Amyra.¡± ¡°Oh? Am I hearing it right? You are epting my challenge?¡± ¡°E-Erin?¡± Aera stammered. ¡°Are you perhaps angry? We¡¯re really just sparring.¡± Erin chortled. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Aera. I¡¯m not angry. I just need to loosen my body. Besides, the day is about to get hectic from now on. This will be a nice warm-up,¡± Erin said, cracking her knuckles and stretching her neck and shoulders. Amyra grinned, hitting her fists together. ¡°I don¡¯t doubt your confidence, mdy, but are you sure you can measure up to me in unarmedbat?¡± Seeing the Augur¡¯s widening grin, Aera quickly scuttled out of the ring that was defined by a circle of pebbles embedded into the ground. Perhaps feeling the chill, she covered herself up with a robe as she sat on the ground with her knees to her shoulders. ¡°Quite an adorable creature, isn¡¯t she?¡± Amyra snickered as she glimpsed at Aera. ¡°I think I might just devour her soon.¡± Erin loosened her robe but not taking it off as she stepped over the pebbles. ¡°I won¡¯t underestimate her if I were you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not. I¡¯m just interested. She¡¯s no sheep, I can tell. She¡¯s more than a wolf. She¡¯s a tiger, a very ferocious tiger that is hiding her fangs and ws.¡± Erin flourished her tails and went into her brawling stance. ¡°Enough about her. You¡¯re fighting me now.¡± ¡°You sure you want to do this?¡± Amyra asked as she too went into her brawling stance. ¡°You are mydy. I don¡¯t want to be used of some petty offenceter if you lose.¡± ¡°You think I would lose?¡± ¡°Oh, no. I merely think I would win.¡± ¡°We shall see, Amyra.¡± As soon as Erin finished forming her words, the Augur rushed at her like the lunge of a viper. But instead of fangs, she used fists. Erin spun to the side and hit Amyra lightly on the back of her head with her tails. ¡°I think that¡¯s a score for me. Are we basing the victory on scores?¡± Erin asked with a smirk. ¡°Fuck the scores,¡± Amyra huffed, returning the smirk. ¡°We fight until one of us admits defeat, what say you, mdy?¡± ¡°I say why the hell not.¡± Amyraughed and lunged with a hook. Erin dodged low but Amyra anticipated her move with her knee. Erin blocked the blow with her arms crossed but she was sent staggering a few feet away. Before she could recover, Amyra was already upon her. She tried sidestepping but the Augur cut off her path with arge swing. She blocked the swing with both of her hands but another swing came. She nted backwards to avoid the second hook and reined back in with a jab. Amyra easily swatted her fist away and countered with a wild hook. She tossed herself away from Amyra to avoid being knocked the daylights out of her. ¡°Careful now, mdy. You shouldn¡¯t underestimate your opponent,¡± Amyra taunted. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s not the other way around?¡± Amyra cackled and licked her lips. ¡°I love adorable girls but such spite on a beautiful face like yours is also very exhrating.¡± ¡°Are we fighting or flirting?¡± ¡°Who says I can¡¯t do both?¡± Amyra charged without a warning. She was faster than her physique might suggest. Erin ducked under a hook, blocked an iing uppercut, barely dodging a knee, and parried a straight that ended up grazing her cheek. ¡°Not taking the offence, little fox?¡± Erin scoffed. ¡°I¡¯ll consider doing just that if you ask nicely, you great beast of a woman.¡± Amyra chuckled and leapt with a haymaker. Erin deflected the blow with both of her arms but it left her open for a kick. She clicked her tongue and spun, sending her tails to parry the kick. She then sent a quick jab to Amyra¡¯s right upper arm. The Augur came swinging again but Erin trapped her arm in an arm-lock and flipped herself, tossing Amyra to the ground in the process. The ground beneath the Augur gave into her weight and a small crater was formed underneath. Before Amyra could gather her bearings, Erin caught her outstretched arm and bent it behind her back as she pinned her to the ground with a knee on the back of her neck. ¡°Surrender yet?¡± Erin asked. ¡°You¡¯ll have to try harder than that.¡± With a huff, Amyra pushed Erin off by just simply standing up. She grabbed Erin¡¯s leg before she fell far and swung her around. ¡°My turn.¡± Erin tutted and mped Amyra¡¯s hand between her calves. She then stopped the spin forcefully by stabbing her tails into the ground. Using that as the fulcrum, she turned Amyra¡¯s momentum against her and ended up being the one swinging Amyra and she tossed the Augur out of the ring. Amyra went tumbling before crashing into an old but sturdy tree. ¡°Whoa¡­¡± Aera gasped in awe while pping her softly at Erin¡¯s performance. ¡°I guess it¡¯s my victory, isn¡¯t it, Amyra?¡± [Might: 22 increased to 23] [Experience gained +5%] Begrudgingly, Amyra pushed herself to her feet and met Erin¡¯s smug gaze. ¡°I supposed it is, mdy,¡± she muttered. ¡°But how about another round? No tails this time.¡± Erin tittered. ¡°No tails? Then how would I ever win against you? Besides, my tails are a part of me just as how your superior brawn is a part of you.¡± Amyra snorted. ¡°What a vixen.¡± ¡°Obviously.¡± Before the confrontation between the two battle fanatics could spiral further into havoc, a maid came running into the courtyard all the while shouting, ¡°His Lordship has returned! His Lordship has returned.¡± ¡°W-what? Aedan¡¯s here? Didn¡¯t he leave for¡ª Oh, great¡­ this can¡¯t be good.¡± 4-20 Binding 4-20 Binding Erin tightened her robe and dashed out of the courtyard. She hopped over the steel fences that defined the manor¡¯s space instead of exiting through the main gate. She uttered a silent apology to Aera and Amyra for her sudden departure. She had not even given the two a nce as she scurried off after the maid informed them of Aedan¡¯s abrupt arrival. She forewent the paved roads and took to the trees. In seconds, she arrived at the small vige that was just in front of the portal which she and herpanions came through. There was already a crowd forming in front of the portal, barring Erin from catching a glimpse of Aedan. She was about to shout at the crowd to make way when the crowd itself parted and made way for an anxious-looking Olivia. Erin¡¯s smile was turned upside-down when she realised her premonition hade true. In Olivia¡¯s arm was Aedan, who looked like he should be dead with the kind of wounds he had but his chest was still rising and falling. Hisplexion was pale to the point that he resembled a corpse. Olivia herself was also wounded but it was nothingpared to Aedan¡¯s condition. ¡°Olivia¡± Erin called out as she joined Olivia by her side in her haste. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°The Covenant,¡± Olivia gave a sinct answer without stopping as she made a straight dash for the manor. ¡°How is he?¡± Erin asked, looking at the haggard Aedan in his arms. Never could she have imagined Aedan to be in such a state. Judging from the soot and singed marks, he was caught in some kind ofbustion. ¡°He¡¯ll live but it¡¯s the seal that is the issue. It¡¯s breaking.¡± Erin sensed a shiver went down her spine. She had been told repeatedly by him of the consequences should the seal break. ¡°Is there something I can do?¡± she asked. ¡°Get Lilian and tell Cassius to prepare the healing chamber.¡± Erin didn¡¯t ask any more questions and did as she was requested. She went ahead of Olivia and returned to the manor first. She found Cassius waiting in the front yard along with a row of servants. Upon seeing Erin¡¯s troubled face, they knew something was wrong. ¡°What has happened, mdy?¡± asked Cassius. ¡°Aedan has been gravely injured.¡± ¡°The lord has?¡± ¡°He will live but that¡¯s not the main issue here. The seal ising off and Olivia has asked you to prepare the healing chamber.¡± Cassius nodded after a slight pause in his actions. When he turned around to face the servants, his voice boomed loud and clear as he gave out clear and concise orders to each of the servants. Immediately after, they disappeared into the mansion in a rush. Cassius gave Erin a bow after telling her of the healing chamber¡¯s location and also disappeared back inside with a look of trepidation. They all knew the stakes here. Erin didn¡¯t linger either as she quickly headed to the next person on the list. Lilian was awake when Erin found her in the library. Going by her groggy expression, she had just woken up and she carried an apprehensive air with her wake as if she sensed the brewing storm and woke up from it. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lilian asked with an expression devoid of her usual mischievous humour. ¡°Aedan¡¯s back but he¡¯s hurt badly. The seal on him is breaking. Olivia had asked for your presence at the healing chamber.¡± ¡°Take me there now,¡± Lilian said. Nivia was stirring in her sleep as the two left the library in a hurry. The healing room was a room located under the manor, a great portion of the dungeon. As its name implied, it was a chamber for healing purposes among many other purposes. When Lilian and Erin arrived at the healing chamber, the servants were already there arranging the various materials and tools in the room. There was a stone altar at the centre of the chamber that was engraved with a great deal of runes. The same kind of runes were etched on the walls and ceiling of the chamber. ¡°The preparations are ready,¡± said Cassius, who was standing in one corner of the room. His arms were syed apart. Mana was poured from his body and onto the walls and ceiling, making the runes glow faintly. After a quick Appraisal, Erin understood the runes were there to prevent any Mana from leaking out of the room. A series of hasty heavy steps resounded loudly from outside and inching closer to the room. The doors were flung wide open as Olivia barged into the room with Aedan in her arms. She headed straight for the altar andid Aedan on it as gently as she could albeit still a little rough judging from the heavy thump of a sound. Erin stood by the altar and glimpsed at the seal on the back of Aedan¡¯s left hand. It was more faded than thest time she had seen it. Her hand moved by itself to part the few strands of hair off of Aedan¡¯s sweat-soaked face with the thumb stroking his forehead. She could hear how hard her heart was beating. She was afraid and she couldn¡¯t remember thest time she held this much fear in her heart. Though his wounds were already better than they were a few minutes ago, the circumstances weren¡¯t any better. Bliss and sorrow shed within Erin¡¯s heart as she gazed at Aedan¡¯s pallid face. ¡°You fucking son of a bitch. To think I would feel so much towards you, a fucking man. Now that you have my heart, don¡¯t you dare wither on me or else I swear you will never have any peace!¡± ¡°Lady Lilian, how well-versed in sealing spells under Spirit Magic?¡± Olivia asked. Lilian¡¯s brows were raised. ¡°Well-versed enough to know the implication behind your words, Olivia. Are you sure that¡¯s wise?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no other choice.¡± ¡°What if I fail?¡± ¡°The runes etched in this room will give you ample time to try again and again until you seed.¡± ¡°What¡¯s this sealing spell you two are speaking of?¡± Erin asked. ¡°The spell is called the Binding of Absolution, or simply the Binding,¡± Lilian answered. ¡°It¡¯s how the Fae punished a criminal who hadmitted a great offence against the Faerie-kin as a whole. It basically suppresses the victim¡¯s Mana nighpletely and greatly reduces their level before throwing them into a prison cell where they would live out the rest of their life.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re about to cast such a spell on Aedan?¡± ¡°If you have any other suggestions, I¡¯m all ears. In an hour, that seal will break and everyone in the Grove knows the consequences of it.¡± ¡°What will be of him then?¡± Erin asked. ¡°Will there be anyplications to his body, sould, or mind?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t lie, Erin. I know not of the side effects well and this spell has never been used on such a high-level individual. The highest known level that the Fae had cast this spell on was a level eighty-one individual. He died after a month due to the rapid decline of his health. His level had been what was keeping him alive all this time. A simr fate could befall on Aedan if this spell is cast on him and that is if, a huge if, this spell would even work on him in the first ce. If the spell fails to work on him, I will be left exhausted. Also, it requires the assistance of Exalted Spirits, which I¡¯m not quite confident in without using a catalyst.¡± ¡°The more you speak, the more I think this is a bad idea,¡± Erin said. ¡°It¡¯s the only one we have, Lady Erin,¡± Olivia responded. ¡°Can it be taken off after it has been cast and how long does it need to stay on?¡± ¡°It can be taken off but the process will be just asplicated and tricky as the conjuration, and that¡¯s taking the side effects into consideration. The Binding spell will stay until a more suitable sealing is avable. What say you, Lady Erin?¡± ¡°Me? Why do you ask me? I¡¯m not the one who¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°You are Lord Aedan¡¯s paramour. You are the most suitable person to be making the decision for him.¡± ¡°The person whose life is about to be ruined is not me. You should ask Aedan instead of me.¡± ¡°But Lord Aedan is unconscious.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll just have to wake him up,¡± Erin said and flicked her tail at Aedan¡¯s crotch. Olivia gasped while Lilian muttered a grim yet humorous, ¡°Oh, my.¡± All the male servants winced and covered their crotches as Aedan jerked up from the altar with a yowl. ¡°That was very heartless of you, Erin,¡± Aedan groaned. ¡°Me, heartless? Says the one who¡¯s pretending to be asleep while others are running around like headless chickens in this precarious state of things for your sake.¡± ¡°I was not pretending, mind you. I was drifting between wake and sleep until you came along and socked my cock and jolted me wide awake. Couldn¡¯t you have just woken me up in a milder manner?¡± ¡°That was me being mild,¡± Erin retorted sternly. ¡°And now is no time for such trivial arguments. I¡¯m sure you know what¡¯s going to happen.¡± ¡°Of course, I know. I knew this day woulde.¡± Erin raised an eyebrow. ¡°You mean you have always known you wouldn¡¯t be able to fix the seal in time?¡± ¡°I mean I am not naive to think that the path ahead will be a breeze. There¡¯s bound to beplications and detours. I have foreseen this.¡± ¡°You will be weakened.¡± ¡°I may not have been a weakling for a long time but I still remember my days as a nobody quite vividly. I will never forget my lowest moments. Besides, if I¡¯m weakened significantly, you can thrash my arse around to your whims.¡± ¡°Tempting offer.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it?¡± Aedan smiled and turned his gaze to Lilian. ¡°I am ready, Lilian. Do it.¡± ¡°Aedan¡­¡± Lilian said softly. ¡°You are aware of the repercussions, are you not?¡± ¡°I am well aware, Lilian, but it''s nothingpared to what will happen if I don¡¯t do this. Are you worried about me, Lilian? I am ttered.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be. I doubt you are actually ttered considering how you could easily charm three Fae.¡± ¡°Three Fae?¡± Erin blurted out and red at Aedan. Aedan smiled with a cramped face. ¡°Lilian, as Erin has said, now¡¯s not the time for discussing such trivial matters.¡± ¡°Yes, trivial indeed,¡± Erin grumbled in her mind but immediately reprimanded herself for being unfair to Aedan. She wasn¡¯t exactly chaste herself. ¡°Fine, Aedan. If that¡¯s your wish, then I shall do it,¡± Lilian said and ced a hand on Aedan¡¯s right shoulder. ¡°Erin,e here.¡± ¡°Me?¡± Erin pointed at herself and walked over to Lilian. ¡°I know nothing about this spell.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to. I just need to borrow your affinity with the Exalted Spirits here. Being Aedan¡¯s paramour, you would have a great affinity with the Exalted Spirits here.¡± ¡°What do I need to do?¡± ¡°Just ce a hand on his other shoulder and give me your other hand.¡± Erin ced her right hand on Aedan¡¯s left shoulder and surrendered her left hand to Lilian¡¯s right hand. ¡°For what¡¯s about to happen next, keep your hands on Aedan¡¯s shoulder until I tell you otherwise,¡± Lilian said and gripped Erin¡¯s hand tight. She then nodded at Olivia, who then nodded at Cassius and the servants in the room. Cassius and the servants dropped to their knees and sped their fists together on their chests. They began to chant¡ª no, they began to pray. They were praying to their future god. Erin could hear their prayers and somehow, she knew the words and she joined in their prayers. Lilian was surprised but kept it to herself and continued with the conjuration of the sealing spell. The Spirits around them manifested in dazzling glitters, draping over the three like one big veil, shrouding them from the grim world around them. Lilian began chanting in anguage that Erin recognised as the Ancient Faerie Tongue but had no knowledge of. If she wasn¡¯t so busy with the Covenant, she would love to have Lilian teach her. The Spirits began to converge on Aedan¡¯s corbone. They seemed to sear themselves onto his skin but the calm expression on Aedan¡¯s face told Erin the searing was only in appearance, not in actuality. The glowing glitters started to fade. ¡°Is it over?¡± Erin mused. ¡°Not even close, Erin. This is the only beginning,¡± Lilian said. ¡°Just¡­ try not to faint.¡± 4-21 Absolution 4-21 Absolution The runes etched on the altar began to glow ringly as they absorbed the Exalted Spirits Erin and Lilian had gathered. Magic in the form of mist arose from the altar like steam and smoke. These tendrils of mist appeared to have minds of their own as they slithered towards Aedan through the air, entangling themselves around his neck and shoulders like a bunch of cobras. Aedan groaned painfully as he gripped the edge of the altar tightly. ¡°Aedan? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Erin asked in a panic. ¡°Keep your hands on me and Aedan!¡± Lilian shouted before Erin couldmit a blunder which she came close tomitting. ¡°If you let go, we will need to start over again and all of our efforts till now will be wasted.¡± ¡°My apologies,¡± Erin said. ¡°Still, is Aedan alright?¡± ¡°He better be. The worst has yet toe.¡± Aedan scoffed. ¡°W-well¡­ fuck me, then¡­¡± Lilian tittered meekly. ¡°At least you could still jest, Aedan.¡± ¡°Never will stop, dearies¡­¡± Aedan responded just as meek. The mist tendrils tightened their hold around Aedan and he let out more moans. At that moment, the mark on the back of his left hand became vivid and started to shudder, but only the mark was moving. Aedan¡¯s hand was perfectly still despite the mark shuddering like a quake. ¡°The seal is breaking,¡± Olivia announced loudly for everyone in the room to hear. ¡°Fortify the suppressant spells!¡± The servants in the room began to chant louder and the runes began to glow brighter. Veins spread out from the runes, reaching towards other runes, forming a shape akin to a web. The glow became even more intense as if the glowing light was trying to escape from the surface and spilt into the air. Cracks began forming on the walls but the runes were glowing as bright as ever despite the growing cracks. The runes did not cease their glow even when the surface they were etched on was no more. The shuddering mark on Aedan¡¯s hand trembled even greater. Eventually, the mark floundered around and shattered into splinters and pieces like ss, but Aedan¡¯s hand was not marred by even a single scratch. An unseen force swept through the room, throwing the tools, objects, and apparatuses into disarray but no one was hurt or greatly faltered. The lights of the runes in the room cast the unseen force right back into Aedan, turning the room further into tumult. Erin felt an indescribable pressure weighing down on her and she nearly gave in to the sudden absurd weight. She poured Mana into her legs to keep herself upright. ¡°Cast Spirit Armour on your body,¡± Lilian said, seemingly untroubled by the unseen pressure. The instant Erin used Spirit Armour, the weight disappeared as if it had only been an illusion. ¡°What was that?¡± she asked. ¡°Side effects,¡± Lilian muttered briefly in response and shifted her focus back to the conjuration of the spell. One of the mist tendrils grew barbs and drifted close to Aedan¡¯s skin with only an inch of a gap in between. ¡°Here¡¯s the hardest part, Erin,¡± Lilian said. ¡°You see that barbed mist tendril?¡± Erin nodded. ¡°For every scar it makes on Aedan¡¯s body, it signifies ten levels. That means a single scar means a decrement of ten levels. Do you understand?¡± Erin nodded again and she was panting and sweating through her robe at this point. ¡°We will need to be precise with the number of scars needed. If we put too few, the seal will be redundant. If we put too many, we can kill Aedan, maybe.¡± ¡°Hey, this is your opportunity, Erin,¡± Aedan jibed despite his haggard state. ¡°Shut up, Aedan. Do not tempt me right now because I might just do it.¡± Aedan chuckled weakly. ¡°When do we stop?¡± Erin asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to exin,¡± Lilian answered. ¡°But I can tell you when to stop. So be prepared.¡± Erin bobbed her head up and down. She had been nodding her head to every word of Lilian. ¡°Alright, alright, alright¡­ I can do this. I¡¯m prepared.¡± ¡°Very well, we shall begin now. Aedan, are you ready?¡± Lilian asked in a solemn tone. ¡°Yes, mydy,¡± Aedan answered with a feeble smile. ¡°Erin?¡± ¡°I¡¯m ready too.¡± Lilian closed her eyes. ¡°Then, let¡¯s begin.¡± ¡°Do I have to close my eyes?¡± Erin asked. ¡°If you think it helps with your concentration, then yes.¡± Erin closed her eyes and she became more sensitive to everything around her. Even the brush of the air was sending shivers up her spine. She shuddered and reopened her eyes at once. ¡°W-what the hell¡­¡± she gasped, panting. ¡°Be at ease, Erin. That¡¯s normal. Take your time. It¡¯s better to drag than to rush. When you¡¯re ready again, just tell me.¡± ¡°I-I¡­ I¡¯m ready,¡± Erin said and closed her eyes again. ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Yes. I was just startled. Are there any more surprises waiting for me?¡± ¡°Plenty but it varies between individuals, so I can¡¯t say for sure. Prepare for a huge sting, for one.¡± Erin sighed. ¡°Well, that¡¯s just great. Let¡¯s just get on with this.¡± They resumed the conjuration and the barbed tendril turned translucent as it inched closer to Aedan¡¯s skin. ¡°The first one,¡± Lilian whispered and the barbed tendril gently caressed against Aedan¡¯s corbone but the gentle touch was enough to leave a scar in a lozenge shape. Aedan winced and shivered but held his body from trembling too much. As Lilian had told her, Erin felt a stinging pain around her chest and she quivered. She wanted to cry out but she held her voice. It was more painful than she expected. It felt as if she was stung by something sharp but incredibly thin and long. ¡°If that¡¯s the case¡­¡± Erin willed her Spirit Armour to concentrate its protection around her chest, in exchange for lessening the effects on other parts of her body. The pressure returned but it wasn¡¯t as bad as before. ¡°Alright, the second scar,¡± Lilian whispered and the barbed tendril left the second scar. Aedan winced with his teeth gritted and Erin groaned softly to the reduced pain in her chest. ¡°The third scar.¡± Aedan¡¯s wince turned into a moan. Erin, on the other hand, was getting used to the pain and she groaned softer. ¡°The fourth scar.¡± Aedan¡¯s moan became a cry. ¡°The fifth.¡± Aedan was shouting. ¡°The sixth.¡± He bellowed. ¡°The seventh.¡± He choked and retched on his voice of pain, though he nodded his head and waved for them to continue. Erin could do nothing but to obey his wishes and Lilian continued with a begrudging look. ¡°The eighth.¡± He yelled through his teeth, his grip forming cracks on the altar¡¯s edge. Erin snuck a nce and cast Appraisal on Aedan. She still wasn¡¯t able to perceive much information about him aside from his race and name, though she could see some of his Arcane Arts now, one of which was Abyss Magic at level ten and she could see other level ten Arcane Arts. ¡°By the Spirits¡­ Just how powerful are you?¡± ¡°The ninth.¡± Aedan shrilled through his closed lips, crushing the altar¡¯s edge with his grip. The runes lost their mould but not their glow. They persisted in the air without the surface they were etched on. ¡°The tenth.¡± Aedan gasped soundlessly with his jaws hanging wide-open. His lips were shivering. Erin raised an eyebrow. The word ¡°unknown¡± on the level tab was beginning to shake and shift. The letters seemingly fell off and numbers slowly appeared but it was all still a blur to make anything out of it. ¡°The eleventh.¡± The eleventh mark was seared onto Aedan and by this point, Aedan only jittered as his shoulders and chest heaved up and down rapidly. The numbers and the other details on the Appraisal¡¯s disy gradually became clearer and clearer. Erin felt a tad guilty at what she was doing but her curiosity got the better of her and she knew Aedan wouldn¡¯t mind. She even half-suspected he already knew what she was doing and she was right when she saw Aedan¡¯s delicate smirk as he caught her sneaking a glimpse at him. ¡°The t-twelve¡­¡± Lilian began to stammer and her breathing quickened. ¡°Lilian?¡± Erin called out worriedly. ¡°I¡¯m fine. This is nothing. I have been through worse. We have to continue. Though I must say¡­ it¡¯s already the twelfth mark, just how high is your level, Aedan?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t k-know¡­ I stop caring after two hundred¡­¡± ¡°T-two hundred!?¡± Erin eximed in astonishment. Her ears and tails perked up in tandem with her shock. ¡°Levels go as high as two hundred?¡± ¡°One hundred is the usual limit for most races,¡± Lilian said. ¡°There¡¯s only so few that have ever broken that limit. The Seraphims and the Dragon-kin for example, are races that are not bound by that limit. We might be going beyond twenty scars.¡± ¡°Twenty? He¡¯s fucking pale as a corpse right now.¡± ¡°Just keep going,¡± Aedan said. ¡°If we stop now, it will all be for nought.¡± ¡°But Aedan¡ª¡± ¡°Erin, please. This is important and dire. Don¡¯t let your feelings get in the way.¡± ¡°...Fine. Just don¡¯t die on me. Or else I¡¯ll hunt your next incarnation down and make you pay.¡± Aedan giggled. ¡°Careful with your words, Erin. I might get hard.¡± Erin tutted and pressed her nails down on his shoulder. He winced but he was still giggling. ¡°Thirteenth.¡± His giggle turned into an agonising moan. His back arched in his suffering. The conjuration went on and on. The scars went beyond twenty. Olivia had to step in and provided the two with Mana along with her aid in gathering more of the Exalted Spirits. They had a brief pause due to Lilian running out of breath. Herplexion was slowly getting paler. Had it not been for Olivia¡¯s aid, she would have already passed out. Olivia cast Spirit Mend on the two of them and they were able to continue with renewed vigour. Cassius and the rest of the servants in the room watched in trepidation. They all desired to help but they all had their own stations. If one of them left, the array of runes of the room woulde undone and Aedan¡¯s magic would leak out of this room. ¡°The twenty-fifth!¡± Lilian shouted. Erin felt the pressure being lifted. ¡°Alright, let go now!¡± Erin pulled her hands away from Aedan and Lilian at thetter¡¯s words. The mist tendrils lost their shapes and forms and melted right back into the altar. The glowing runes also died out with a sizzle of smoke. Gradually, the rest of the room followed and everything went still, quiet, and dim. Serenity returned to the room. Lilian and Erin were panting. Their sweat was pouring from them as they had just got out of a body of water. The beads of sweat on their body gave their skin a lustrous sheen that looked tantalising, especially to Aedan who was looking at them with a feverish gaze. ¡°W-what¡¯s happening now¡­?¡± Erin asked. Even she herself could feel the fever rising within her body. She returned his feverish gaze with her own. ¡°It¡¯s one of the side effects,¡± Lilian said, panting with warm breaths that exuded her lust. ¡°Judging from each of our expressions, I say we¡¯re in heat.¡± Cassius was quick on the uptake. ¡°Alright, everyone, Clear the room. We¡¯lle backter to clean,¡± he said loudly with a p of his hands. Olivia was the first to leave after noticing the air between the three. The rest of the servants followed suit in a brisk manner. Cassius was thest to leave and he gave the three an understanding nod before closing the door behind him. ¡°Why is this happening to us?¡± Lilian shrugged as she loosened her robes and let them slip off her shoulders. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m just thankful we got the least harmful side effects out of all possibilities.¡± ¡°How harmful could it have been?¡± ¡°Murderous.¡± ¡°Ah, that is very harmful indeed.¡± Erin chuckled. Lilian tittered in response and the humour spread to Aedan too and they all shared augh. ¡°Say¡­¡± Aedan looked Erin straight in the eyes. ¡°You won¡¯t mind, right?¡± Erin shook her head. ¡°Not at all.¡± ¡°Even with me in the equation?¡± Lilian let her robes slippletely down her body. Her enormous mounds sprang free from their restraints, snatching both of Aedan and Erin¡¯s feverish gaze. Erin pulled on the sash around her waist and her robe fell off her body. ¡°Even with you, Lilian. In fact, I have wanted to have a taste of you ever since we met.¡± ¡°Oh, my. How wicked of you, dear Erin.¡± ¡°Right back at you, Lilian,¡± Erin said and pulled the Dryad into her embrace with an arm wrapped around her waist. The pair¡¯s ample mounds deformed against the volume of one another¡¯s mounds. Aedan ripped off his tattered garment and slipped out of his trousers. ¡°Are you sure about this, Erin?¡± ¡°It¡¯s toote to be having second thoughts now, Aedan.¡± Erin grinned, stroking a finger up Aedan¡¯s standing and ungiving breeding rod that was throbbing with excitement. ¡°I suppose it is.¡± 4-22 Passion on the altar (R18) 4-22 Passion on the altar (R18) Lilian had heard all the juicy details of Erin¡¯s night with Aedan. She had heard of how terrifyingly massive his manhood was but as Erin seemed nescient of a man¡¯s touch, she didn¡¯t believe Erin¡¯s every word. She was only taking Erin¡¯s recounting as a basis for her expectations. However, she realised Erin was exaggerating at all. If anything, Erin was underselling. Putting aside monsters and gigantic races, Aedan¡¯s manhood was thergest she had ever seen. Lilian was drooling before she knew it. Aedan was still sitting on the altar, unclothed. Not a single piece of clothing was on him. His manhood stood at full mast. Lilian was also staring at it intently. It wasn¡¯t until Erin waved in front of her face that she finally snapped out of her wonder and daze. ¡°Lilian, are you alright?¡± Erin asked. ¡°You seem out of it. Would you perhaps like to lie down?¡± Lilian tittered. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Erin. I¡¯m just enamoured by Aedan¡¯s measurement. It¡¯s simply too¡­ out of proportion.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know,¡± Erin muttered softly. She couldn¡¯t help but feel a prick to her pride hearing Lilian¡¯spliment. She had not received such apliment when she was a man even though there were many asions where her rod was bared for women to see. Aedan smiled weakly. ¡°As a man, it honours me to hear the praise from an experienced woman like you.¡± He was still exhausted from the conjuration but his manhood was telling a different story. Lilian curled her lips into a derisive grin. ¡°Are you perchance calling me a whore, Mister Aedan?¡± ¡°So what if I am?¡± Aedan managed a smirk in return. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Lilian left Erin¡¯s arms and knelt before Aedan with his rod being on her eye level. She tittered as she blew onto his rod, making him and his tool shudder lightly. ¡°I¡¯m going to suck you dry like the whore I am in your eyes.¡± ¡°Do your worst, you whore of a Fae,¡± Aedan retorted. Lilian snickered and lifted her bosom. With his throbbing rod in between, she pressed her mounds together and an ecstatic moan instantly escaped Aedan¡¯s lips. Erin was just watching from the sidelines as Lilian worked her mounds up and down on Aedan¡¯s towering rod. Her eyes were practically glued to the pair motion of Lilian¡¯s bosom. It was tantalising and bewitching. It was even more so with Aedan¡¯s manhood in between. Her honeypot began dripping just from watching them. Her hands crept to her snatch and she started caressing her womanly folds. Her soft moans caught Aedan¡¯s attention, and he then beckoned for Erin toe to his side. She was beside him in no time at all. She had used magic to instantly close the gap between them. She pressed her bare bosom onto Aedan¡¯s shoulder and arm as she leaned forward. ¡°How lucky of you, Aedan,¡± she said while rubbing her mounds against his arm. ¡°I heard a man having flowers in both hands is a blue moon asion. But here you are, having two of the most beautiful women servicing you.¡± Aedan chuckled. ¡°Have youe to ept who you are?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know but I do know that I don¡¯t mind doing this.¡± She grabbed his chin and pulled him into a deep and passionate kiss with her arms wrapped around his head. Her tails moved with her desires and wrapped around his body. ¡°It would seem that I can¡¯t afford to be lenient,¡± Lilian said, increasing her fervency and also began to lick at the tip of his rod that was sprouting out of the valley. Not even her enormous mounds could swallow his sizepletely. Her caverns were flooding from the thought of this rod entering her. Eventually, she couldn¡¯t stand it anymore from the moansing from above. She stopped and rose to her feet. She pried Erin¡¯s tails off of Aedan and embraced him from the other side. ¡°How rude of you two to leave me out of this.¡± Aedan broke the kiss from Erin and turned to Lilian. ¡°All you need to do is ask, mdy.¡± Erin stared at Aedan with a pout but he didn¡¯t even look her way. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s mdy now?¡± Lilian giggled. Aedan groped one of her enormous mounds and squeezed it until a moan came from Lilian. ¡°Hmm¡­ what kind ofdy had such audacious breasts?¡± She wrapped her arms around his head. ¡°Let¡¯s find out.¡± Erin clicked her tongue and shove the two into a lying position on the altar before they could kiss. She looked at the two with her shadow looming over them. ¡°The two of you are being very presumptuous in my presence.¡± ¡°W-we are?¡± Lilian stammered, surprised by Erin¡¯s abrupt change. ¡°Jealous?¡± Aedan teased, not bothering to get back up. Erin¡¯s tails red up behind her as her whole body glowed with a faint violet. ¡°Yes, I am jealous and also irked. You are mine, Aedan. I have yet to give you permission to fornicate with another woman but the two of you are already going off on your own.¡± ¡°I¡¯m yours? When?¡± She clenched down on his rod. ¡°Since you plunged this absurd cock of yours into my womb.¡± Lilian shuddered. ¡°Was always this fierce in bed?¡± she asked. Aedan shrugged. ¡°Perhaps we are about to find out.¡± Without a word, she began stroking Aedan¡¯s manhood with a sublime rhythm, eliciting moans of pleasure from the enfeebled Dragon¡¯s lips. She did not leave Lilian out and plunged three of her fingers into her damp snatch and started wriggling inside of the Dryad. Cries of ecstasy erupted from Lilian¡¯s mouth as her slightly plump body arched marvellously. ¡°Feeling it already, you two?¡± Erin scoffed. ¡°By the Spirits, Erin¡­¡± Lilian gasped. ¡°This side of you is so fucking¡­ enrapturing!¡± She shrieked as juices spurted out from her snatch. Erin gave her fingers a fewps before sticking them back inside of Lilian. ¡°Nooo!!!¡± Lilian cried. ¡°W-wait¡­! I just cummed!¡± Erin sneered with a grin. ¡°Good,¡± she said and worked her fingers, drawing out howls of rapture from the Dryad. Aedan, on the other hand, was enjoying Erin¡¯s service with a very tranquil expression as if he was sunbathing on a beach. His peaceful expression was a blow to Erin¡¯s pride as all of the women she fingered were a mess. She couldn¡¯t exactly finger Aedan and she was still reserved about the other hole. She settled with a handjob but she could see that it was not enough to disconcert Aedan. Erin stopped fingering Lilian and left her to writhe in her phantom climaxes. Erin had already activated Lust and this was why she was able to dishevel Lilian this much. However, her skills against a man werecking even with the aid of Lust. A frown and a grimace crossed her face. She knew she shouldn¡¯t be feeling so petty about this but she couldn¡¯t help it. She wanted to see Aedan squirm and beg for her mercy like she did to the others and like he did to her on their first night together. ¡°Maybe I should suck his cock as Lilian did. But¡­¡± Though she had taken a cock into her cavern, she was still fearful and irresolute about taking it with her mouth. She feared she would change too much and not a single trace of who she was would remain. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be hesitating or daydreaming, dear Erin,¡± Lilian whispered from behind her. In the absence of her mind, Lilian had snuck behind her and sprang her ambush. She caught her tails and nibbled on them. ¡°Wait, Lilian! Don¡¯t bite my tails! I¡¯m¡ª¡± her words were cut off by her own cries of pleasure. ¡°They¡¯re so soft, Erin,¡± Lilian breathed in delight, rubbing her face against those fluffy tails of Erin. ¡°I can soak myself in their embrace for a whole day. Ah~ How I miss my Fox-kin friends¡­¡± ¡°Let go of them¡­¡± There was not much strength in Erin¡¯s voice. The pleasure was too much for her and it was taking everything out of her to not give in to her lust. She wanted to be the one giving pleasure with the reason being her pride. She wanted to be the dominant one in this y. Lilian saw through her intention and pounced on the opportunity to not let Erin have the upper hand. She began kissing Erin¡¯s neck and shoulders, brushing her lips here and there. ¡°Oh, Aedan, could you be a dear and take revenge for me?¡± ¡°R-revenge?¡± Erin stuttered. ¡°W-what are you spouting about?¡± ¡°You made a mess of me so easily and I don¡¯t think it¡¯s of your own effort. So, I¡¯m a little bit mad.¡± Lilian¡¯s hands gripped her ample mounds tightly and worked them like dough. It was Erin¡¯s turn to moan without restraint as Lust was also having an effect on herself. One of Lilian¡¯s hands went down and Erin¡¯s moans turned into cries of lustful joy. ¡°I believe it¡¯s my turn,¡± Aedan said as he approached Erin with his rod aligned to her entrance. ¡°W-wait, wait, wait, wait!¡± Erin shouted. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Aedan asked. ¡°Can we not do it like this? It¡¯s already too much with Lilian¡¯s kisses and groping. If you put it in me right now, I¡ª eeeek!!¡± Erin shrieked halfway through her words as Lilian pinched on the perky peaks of her mounds. Lilian giggled. ¡°What a lovely sound you¡¯re making, Erin.¡± Her fingers continued to fiddle with Erin¡¯s teats. ¡°Lilian¡­ stop this¡­¡± ¡°Why? Aren¡¯t you enjoying this?¡± She touched Erin¡¯s snatch and drew a few strings of juices. ¡°Look. You¡¯re making strings and you¡¯re dripping wet. Is it because Aedan is watching?¡± Erin was too busy panting and moaning to respond as Lilian started ying with her mound and honeypot. Aedan was watching but not with thescivious gaze as Lilian had expected. His gaze was warm and it was falling on Erin¡¯s face instead of her bosom or crotch. ¡°Aedan, love, you¡¯re wee to join,¡± Lilian said, beckoning Aedan to Erin¡¯s leaking honeypot. ¡°Or are you content with just looking at her face?¡± Aedan shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m waiting for her permission,¡± he said with a grin. ¡°I¡¯m not going to do anything until she asks me to.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Lilian tittered and squeezed Erin¡¯s mound and rubbed her snatch harder. ¡°Not a bad idea. Let us see how long she¡¯llst.¡± ¡°You tossers¡­¡± Erin was melting in Lilian¡¯s hands at this point. Her snatch had been throbbing for Aedan¡¯s breeding rod ever since they started. There was no need for forey for either of them but they did it anyway to tease one another. Erin was the obvious loser in this y. Aedan leaned forward but not quite close enough for any of their body parts to touch. ¡°Come on, Erin. If you want something, you need to say it. I have lost my strength and powers. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m as smart as I was to get your subtle hints,¡± he said with a wide grin. ¡°You fucking¡­¡± Erin gritted her teeth. Lilian¡¯s hands were not stopping but they weren¡¯t enough. She was aroused and the Dryad¡¯s hands kept her at that level, hanging her at the brink of rapture. ¡°Damn you two¡­¡± Lilian nibbled on Erin¡¯s neck, leaving marks all over and drawing out moans from the stubborn Fox-kin¡¯s lips. ¡°Just say it, Erin. You only need to say it and Aedan will give it to you.¡± ¡°C-cock¡­¡± Erin muttered. ¡°Louder,¡± Lilian teased. ¡°Cock¡­¡± ¡°Whose?¡± Erin tutted. ¡°Aedan¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°And what do you want to do with Aedan¡¯s cock?¡± Erin widened her eyes and red at Aedan¡¯s vigorous rod. She unleashed the full brunt of Lust¡¯s effect and broke free of Lilian¡¯s hold with the increment in her stats. Her tails swatted Lilian away without truly hurting her and she pounced on Aedan. ¡°Enough of this!¡± she growled and mmed her crotch down, impaling herself onto Aedan¡¯s cock. Aedan threw his head back and groaned. In his current state, he was drawn extremely close to his release. He was holding the floodgates down through his sheer force of will, incurred by his pride for not wanting to cum first before his partner. Somehow, he seeded. Erin was silent. Her mouth was agape but no voice escaped. She was quivering, her whole body was. She hade upon taking the full length of Aedan¡¯s massive rod. Her eyes were rolling back from the ecstasy surging through her body. ¡°This is where the fun begins,¡± Lilian remarked with a titter. 4-23 Passion on the altar II (R18) 4-23 Passion on the altar II (R18) In the vast corridor of a certain mansion, a well-dressed man was takingrge steps in his stride as he hurried down the corridor. He made a left at the end and came before arge door, which he effortlessly opened wide with a single shove. He strode into the room heavily as if to announce his presence to everyone in the room. The room was white and bright. It was so white that a mere speck of dirt would instantly be spotted but not such taint was present in the room. In the middle of this room, there was arge transparent tube filled with water and carved with runes on the exterior. A naked man, covered in grave wounds, was suspended in the tube. The man had wings but they were in tatters. In spite of his injuries, the man was alive but barely. ¡°How did this happen, Dusk?¡± asked Marduk as he sifted Varus¡¯ marred body for clues. A thin man in a white coat with a weak chin hidden away by his goatee stepped forward. ¡°Grey Spores,¡± answered Dusk. ¡°Grey Spores?¡± ¡°Traces of Grey Spores were found on him when he was brought in.¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying Grey Spores are the cause of Varus'' current state?¡± Dusk nodded. ¡°That would appear to be the case but not just these aren¡¯t just any Grey Spores. These ones are pure, incredibly so.¡± ¡°Pure? As in?¡± ¡°Speaking in chemical terms, sir. The quality is extremely high. These Grey Spores can only be found in the deepest and darkest depths of caves. A pound of these can be sold for a gold.¡± ¡°So the rumours about Grey Spores capable of harming high-level individuals are true.¡± ¡°Yes and no, sir. Grey Spore itself can never be enough to harm an individual with a level higher than sixty no matter the purity. The alchemist themself is a factor. Whoever made thispound is at least a master alchemist. They know the precise temperature, amount, and everything.¡± ¡°Better than you, Dusk?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know. I¡¯m not a specialist. My field is general but this alchemist is worthy to be my rival. Such quality Grey Spores are the work of a master alchemist¡¯s prudent touch and mesh. And not just any master alchemist, an alchemist with great knowledge in thenguage of runes too.¡± ¡°An enchanter? The work of a master alchemist that is also a great enchanter? What are the odds of this Grey Spore being the product of two masters?¡± ¡°Very unlikely. Their knowledge needs to be in absolute harmony to the point their minds are like one. So the maker being two individuals is even less of a probability.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Fascinating, isn¡¯t it, sir?¡± Dusk asked with gleaming widened eyes. ¡°Fascinating indeed but not my concern as of now.¡± Dusk shirked back after realising his unwarranted enthusiasm. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. My apologies, sir.¡± ¡°How did Varus get here in this condition?¡± ¡°His man. He brought three men with him. Only one came back. He carried him back here in this state.¡± ¡°And where is this man right now?¡± Dusk nodded instead of answering. He quickly gestured for one of his assistants to go and fetch the three here. In mere minutes, the assistant returned in tow with a smartly dressed individual but his face did not distinguish him from what one would expect of a street thug. He was scarred and tempered but when he saw Marduk, he stiffened up and straightened his posture as if the smallest slight would spell his demise, which was true. ¡°S-sir¡­¡± the smartly dressed thug stammered in his greeting. ¡°Tell me what happened,¡± Marduk said without even sparing any of them a nce. ¡°Leave nothing out.¡± ¡°We were just doing as you bade, sir¡­¡± ¡°Of course, you were. Or are you implying that you might be doing something else other than your job?¡± ¡°N-no such thing, sir!¡± ¡°Then skip the memoirs, idiot. Tell me who did this.¡± ¡°There was a Dragon.¡± Marduk raised an eyebrow and turned his gaze to the shivering man. ¡°A Dragon, you sure?¡± The man nodded fervently. ¡°Absolutely sure, sir. It was no Wyvern. It was a Dragon, a female Dragon. And she has a humanpanion. Varus intercepted them as they were leaving the valley. Varus stopped them by force and the two retaliated. Varus managed to wound the Dragon and she turned into a human, along with her humanpanion, and they ran and hid in the forest. Varus went after them. I wanted to follow but he asked me to stay.¡± ¡°And then what happened?¡± ¡°There was an explosion, a veryrge explosion. I thought it was Varus¡¯ doing but when he didn¡¯te back for a long time, I went to check. I found him covered in wounds and quickly brought him here.¡± ¡°How did you bring him back here?¡± ¡°I carried him, sir.¡± ¡°Did anyone see you?¡± ¡°No, of course not, sir.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Marduk said and stared at the thug. In seconds, the thug¡¯s whole body ruptured and his flesh and blood went everywhere, dying the white floor red. ¡°Useless.¡± ¡°He did his best, sir,¡± Dusk pointed out. ¡°I know he did, which is why I no longer needed him. Fucking idiot. Even if no one saw him, he would be leaving a very tant trail.¡± ¡°You need not worry about that, sir. I have taken the liberty to take care of that problem.¡± ¡°Good. So, when will Varus recover?¡± ¡°In a week.¡± ¡°That¡¯s too long.¡± ¡°His injuries are grave. If he wasn¡¯t a Seraphim, the explosion might have already killed him.¡± ¡°Can you hasten the recovery?¡± ¡°I can but at the cost of his future health.¡± ¡°What kind?¡± ¡°If I make haste, he might not be as strong as he was when he recovers.¡± ¡°Fine, one week it is, and no more. I want a full recovery of Varus in one week.¡± ¡°Of course, sir.¡± Marduk turned around and began to leave. ¡°Oh, Sir? One more thing.¡± Marduk stopped in his tracks. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Rex is here. He¡¯s in the parlour.¡± ¡°You did not tell him toe see me?¡± ¡°I have but you know how he is.¡± Marduk sighed. ¡°Unfortunately, I do.¡± **** On the other side of the valley, deep in a small grove of trees and under the shade and concealment of the almighty Spirits, there was a mansion residing in its deepest recess. In the basement of this mansion, in a certain room that was sealed tightly to prevent any sound from escaping, a man and two women were fervently exchanging their passion and love with each other with nothing in between their skin and fluids. ¡°By the Spirits, yes!!¡± Lilian cried out gleefully in rapture. ¡°Yes, fuck me! Fuck me! Fuck me with that tongue of yours, Aedan!! Don¡¯t you dare fucking stop!¡± She was currently sitting on her knees with her snatch over Aedan¡¯s face, who was still lying on the altar after Erin pushed him down. ¡°Holy shit, Aedan!! It¡¯s so good!! So fucking good!¡± Erin herself was screeching and moaning at the top of her lungs with pleasure spilling out of her mouth. She was still riding his crotch with his cock deep inside of her. She rocked and swayed her hips like there was no tomorrow. Pleasure tainted her face silly. Her drool and tears of ecstasy went everywhere as she iled around like a sex maniac. She even humped and bumped herself repeatedly and vehemently on Aedan¡¯s rod. She couldn¡¯t stop herself, not that she wanted to. Aedan waspletely engulfed by two mouth-watering beauties with him being unable to do anything but wag his tongue and bucked his hips. With his levels severely reduced, these two were enough to overwhelm him. However, this wasn¡¯t to say he was no longer a match for these two, especially since one of them was still rtively new to the touch of man and he had more than a thousand years¡¯ worth of experience. Moreover, his lust was at its peak thanks to Erin¡¯s Divine Gift. ¡°Oh, fucking god!!¡± Erin spat as she bounced up and down and rocked her hips back and forth on Aedan¡¯s cock. ¡°I¡¯m close¡­ so fucking close¡­ Just cum already, you damn lizard!!¡± Aedan could not retort as he had a drenched honeypot pressing down on his face and mouth. He could only manage a few muffled moans. Lilian giggled and moaned louder than ever in response to Aedan¡¯s attempt at forming words. His voice reverberated into her soaked cunt, making the pleasure surge within her. She curled up as a torrent of pleasure ripped through her body. She climaxed just from that and it wasn¡¯t her first peak. Just with his mouth alone, Aedan had made the Dryad cummed for a total of four times now, including this one. ¡°Damn the Spirits, Aedan¡­!¡± Lilian cursed in between her heavy breaths. ¡°Just how many women have you seduced with this tongue and mouth of yours?¡± Though she asked, she didn¡¯t give him any leeway to respond. ¡°Not enough,¡± Erin responded in his stead, still whirling her hips around his crotch. She was panting hard due to her approaching climax that she refused to give in to. ¡°He¡¯s fucking two Fae right now. He¡¯s too dangerous. I must drain him dry or else he will go after others.¡± ¡°Let me have a turn already, Erin.¡± Erin squirmed harder than ever. ¡°You get your turn after I make him cum.¡± ¡°Aedan, dear, please cum already. I want to have a taste of your cock too.¡± Aedan chuckled into Lilian¡¯s pulsating snatch and unleashed the floodgates. His load came gushing out, filling Erin¡¯s cavern, which made her cum in return. Erin¡¯s body went into a fit of spasms as her climax enveloped her. With nothing else to hold on to, she curled up and hugged her shoulders to weather the violent climax that she had been holding in for a long time. When she finished cumming, she lost her strength for a moment and fell forward. Lilian was there to catch her but not for charity. Lilian drew Erin in and plunged her tongue into the Fox-kin¡¯s mouth. As Erin was stilling down from her high, she did not resist nor retaliate against Lilian¡¯s assault. She simply let the Dryad vite her mouth until she was satisfied. Erin slowly pushed herself off of Aedan¡¯s rod andy beside him while still basking in the afterglow. Lilian instantly jumped on Aedan¡¯s now vacant crotch and instantly impaled herself on his rod. ¡°Oh, fucking hell!¡± Lilian shouted with a tremble. ¡°You¡¯re still so big and hard even though you just cummed a minute ago.¡± ¡°My levels may have dropped but I¡¯m inherently a True Dragon,¡± Aedan said with a smirk as he thrust his hips upwards. Lilian shrieked from the sudden assault and red at him with indignation.¡°What does that suppose to mean?¡± ¡°It means¡ª¡± Aedan was not able to finish his sentence. ¡°Silence, you lizard.¡± Erin had sat on him in a simr manner as Lilian had. Due to Lust, everyst trace of reserve she had was gone. Though she was in control of her mind and body, she couldn¡¯t not obey her rampaging lust. The fight with Amyra had quelled her battle lust but filled her carnal lust in return. But once her carnal lust was satiated, her battle lust would be replenished. It was a never-ending cycle but she wasn¡¯t particrly worried since she found it exhrating and enjoyable. Fight and fuck, fuck and fight, this was who she was now and her partners were all above average, in her personal opinion. If she could, she would rather do this forever but she had too many othermitments. Regardless, she wished to immerse herself fully into the pleasure in the meantime and not care about other matters. When Aedan¡¯s tongue began twisting and twirling on her snatch, she mped her thighs up and nearly squeezed Aedan¡¯s to death. ¡°Are you trying to kill me?¡± Aedan managed to get his words out but only briefly. ¡°Oh, stop being so dramatic,¡± Erin scoffed with a blush that he couldn¡¯t see. ¡°Like you could be killed so easily.¡± And she once again gently muffled Aedan¡¯s mouth with her dripping honeypot. She even started grinding her hips against his face. Lilian¡¯s gaze wandered as she humped herself on Aedan¡¯s cock without any restraint, hampered only by her own exhaustion from her previous multiple orgasms. Her wandering gaze found Erin and their eyes told each other of their respective intentions. They lurched forward without lifting their crotch and smacked their lips together and engaged in another round of deep and heated exchange of saliva. Even though their voice did not echo out of the room, everyone in the manor did feel their passion and intensity through the subtle rocking of the whole building. 4-24 Inquisitive Luncheon 4-24 Inquisitive Luncheon It was an hour after midday when everything in the manor returned to normal and all the servants resumed their tasks. In the dining hall, lunch was prepared with dishes befitting those of nobles. The dishes¡¯ aroma permeated the room and all the rooms across from the dining hall. Anyone would be drooling at such an array of dishes presented on the long dining table but not this group. Aedan, being the master of the manor, was sitting at the end of the dining hall table, while Erin, being the mistress of the manor, was sitting on the other end. Theirpanions sat between the pair. They were all giving them frowning and scowling nces, save for Lilian who was happily indulging herself in the dishes as if she wasn¡¯t part of the problem whatsoever. Nivia, the one with the deepest frown and scowl, faked a cough. Lilian snapped out of her trance of enjoying her lunch. ¡°Yes?¡± she said after she swallowed her bite. ¡°Yes? Is that all you have to say?¡± Nivia, who was sitting across from her, asked with a re glued to her. Erin was taking small bites of her food as she nced around the table. She felt the sting of guilt every time she nced at Nivia. The sting hurt even more when she met Lyra¡¯s disappointed gaze. Siv was as aloof as ever with her impassive gaze. ¡°...I¡¯m sorry?¡± Lilian said. Nivia raised her brows. ¡°You ditch me in the library just so you can have a threesome with Erin and Aedan in the dungeon and all you have to say is sorry? Are you joking right now?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not¡ª¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right, Lilian. Nivia has a point,¡± Lyra chimed in. ¡°Why wasn¡¯t I invited?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not my point, Lyra!¡± Nivia shrieked. ¡°Wow, Lady Erin. You¡¯re even wilder than I expected,¡± remarked Amyra who had joined them at the table, wearing the least bit of clothing out of everyone at the table. ¡°Can you be silent, Amyra?¡± Nivia cast her scowl at the Augur. ¡°Why are you even here anyway?¡± ¡°I have yet to have my lunch and I was invited by my lord and mydy.¡± Erin and Aedan nodded when Nivia looked at them. ¡°And what¡¯s wrong with the three of themying together? We¡¯re in our private abode and some of the servants get kind of loud during the night at times too.¡± Nivia shook her head, refusing to believe what she just heard. ¡°Why do I feel like the insane one here?¡± Nivia groaned, clutching her head. ¡°As Amyra said, I don¡¯t see the problem here,¡± Lilian said. ¡°Sure, I cause some problems but I don¡¯t see the point of your anger, Nivia.¡± ¡°The point here is that you are being more and more unbing for a Fae! What will the others say about you upon your return? Have you no desire to return to the forest?¡± Lilian shrugged, her nce gradually nting towards Aedan. ¡°Not anymore, I have to admit.¡± ¡°N-not anymore? You followed me on this journey for the reason of righting the people¡¯s perception of you. And you want to give it all up now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m tired, Nivia. The Fae¡¯s strict code isn¡¯t meant for me. And I¡¯m not giving up. I¡¯m just moving on.¡± Her gazepletely shifted to Aedan as she spoke. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious¡­ Lilian, you¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough, Nivia,¡± Erin said. ¡°Erin, you can¡¯t possibly agree with her, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not my decision, it¡¯s hers, but I didn¡¯t stop you for that. Look, I apologise for what happened just now and I can exin. Well, not me but Aedan can exin.¡± Nivia sighed and folded her arms. ¡°Exin,¡± she said and slumped into the backrest of the elegant chair. Aedan proceeded to exin everything from his and Olivia¡¯s sudden arrival to the threesome they were having in the dungeon. After he was finished, it was Erin¡¯s turn to tell Aedan of their current goals and objectives. He raised an eyebrow at the mention of bounty-hunting the past lover of Lyra. ¡°That¡¯s very terrible, Master Aedan,¡± Siv was the first to respond after Erin retold the story. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine how it would feel like losing everything you have umted over thousands of years.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t lose everything, Siv,¡± Aedan said as he took a bite of his steak. ¡°Just a good portion of my powers and I didn¡¯t lose them. It just sealed within me. And please, drop the master.¡± ¡°If you say so, Aedan.¡± The others were still in silence, absorbing the heavy knowledge they were just imparted. ¡°A Seraphim¡­ A Seraphim is in the city¡­¡± Nivia was mumbling such words. She had yet to touch her te. ¡°The Covenant has a Seraphim¡­ This is going to end so badly¡­¡± ¡°Great¡­ looks like there won¡¯t be much time for sex in the future¡­¡± Lyra muttered quietly while taking small bites of her lunch. Aera had a clueless expression as usual. Despite having the heaviest reason foring here, she was often the misced one in the group. Her choice of attire did not help her in fitting into the group either with her clergy robe. Amyra, the real priestess, was barely wearing anything. She wore enough to cover her private parts which were a pair of leather shorts and a leather brassiere. Her equable temperament was nowhere to be seen upon the mentioning of a Seraphim¡¯s presence in the city. It looked queer to Erin to see Amyra having such a serious expression considering she had known for only a day at most. Erin was mildly regretting discussing this over lunch but she wanted to let them, no, she had to let them know as soon as possible. The sooner the better. ¡°Perhaps we should finish our meals first before we advance any further with our discussion,¡± Olivia proposed after being silent for the entire time. Everyone nodded and they silently and quickly finished their meals. Deserts were brought in after the main course and everyone¡¯s mood brightened. It was shaved ice in a bowl mixed with assorted cut fruits. Nivia was finally smiling at her first taste of the desert after having that deep scowl and frown on her face ever since they entered the dining hall. After deserts were over, they moved to a parlour room that had couches arranged in a circr fashion, allowing everyone to face each other as they conversed. Lyra and Siv were sitting on each side of Erin. Nivia was sitting beside Lilian. Aedan was sitting opposite Nivia with Olivia and Aera by his sides. Amyra was sitting on a couch by herself and she was making full use of it by lying sideways on it, facing Erin directly. ¡°What¡¯s the course of our action now?¡± Lilian asked. ¡°As far as I know, we were not followed,¡± Olivia said. ¡°They may have seen our faces but they don¡¯t know where we are. The rest of you will be safe outside the Grove, rtively. Just keep doing what you were all doing before. Don¡¯t stray from your routine. As long as Aedan and I remain in the Grove, they can never find us, not unless they wish to turn this whole valley upside down.¡± ¡°Will they do that?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°Flip the valley upside down, I mean.¡± ¡°...No,¡± Olivia answered after a brief hesitation. ¡°You hesitated.¡± ¡°I did,¡± Olivia admitted. ¡°Great¡­¡± ¡°What happened to this Seraphim?¡± Amyra asked with her head resting on her palm. ¡°If he wasn¡¯t a Seraphim, I would say he¡¯s dead,¡± Aedan said. ¡°But since he¡¯s a Seraphim, he¡¯s probably alive. Gravely wounded, but alive. If he¡¯s truly with the Covenant, the eyes in the city might have doubled or tripled by now.¡± ¡°How will this affect our hunt for the Covenant¡¯s members and operations?¡± Aera asked in a cold rigid tone. ¡°It will be even more difficult.¡± Aera clenched her fists, making a loud crack of her knuckles. ¡°What about our bounty that is my dear past lover, Edmund?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°It¡¯s a Guild¡¯s bounty. They will still be suspicious but there is not much they can do about it.¡± ¡°Where do I even find this sack of shit in the first ce?¡± Lyra grumbled. ¡°We don¡¯t even know where to start looking now that I think about it. Erin?¡± ¡°I was nning to track him down using your scent, Lyra,¡± Erin said. ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°If he was your lover, much of your scent had to have been imprinted on him.¡± Lyra shuddered slightly. ¡°I¡¯m getting the shivers just remembering his touch,¡± she muttered. Erin embraced Lyra with her tails and pulled her close. ¡°Then I¡¯ll be making sure you forget them when nightes.¡± Lyra shuddered even harder at Erin¡¯s words. Nivia rolled her eyes. ¡°I think I know he might be,¡± Aedan said. ¡°You do?¡± Lyra questioned. ¡°It¡¯s a ce where people like him loiter in.¡± ¡°People like him?¡± ¡°Wanted individuals.¡± ¡°Where is he then?¡± ¡°The slums, the midnight district, or whatever the locals called it but the district looks just like any other, except that it¡¯s a ce where criminals and ouws gather.¡± ¡°And the officials do nothing about it?¡± Aedan rubbed his fingers. ¡°Ah, of course. But why?¡± ¡°Where¡¯s the best ce to hide a tree?¡± ¡°A forest?¡± ¡°There you have it.¡± ¡°So¡­ they¡¯re hiding something by letting this district continue to thrive? Aedan nodded. Lyra scoffed. ¡°That¡¯s a bit much, isn¡¯t it? What could they be hiding?¡± Aedan shrugged. ¡°No clue but that¡¯s not our concern. All you need to know is that this ce is where you¡¯ll find Edward.¡± ¡°Edmund,¡± Lyra corrected him. ¡°Where is this district?¡± Erin asked. Olivia took out a map from a pouch dangling by her hips and spread it on the round table before them. The map was much too big to fit into that pouch that was no bigger than a person¡¯s palm but yet, it did. ¡°Whoa,¡± Lyra eximed. ¡°Is that the famous infinite pouch?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a normal pouch carved with runes and enchanted with the Spatial Magic spell, Vault. I haven¡¯t a bull¡¯s notion of where the name ¡®infinite pouch¡¯ came from.¡± Olivia shrugged. ¡°Anyway, this is the map of Sephrodia Valley.¡± Everyone leaned in to take a closer look at it, except for Amyra. ¡°This here is Eden. We are here,¡± said Aedan as he tapped on one end of the map. ¡°And this is the slums, the midnight district.¡± He tapped at a spot northwest of Eden. ¡°That¡¯s quite far,¡± Nivia mused, peering at the map. ¡°And what¡¯s this ce behind the slums?¡± ¡°That would be Midnight Creek. It used to be a lovely garden but some idiots dabbled in dark arts, and the whole ce was abandoned due to superstitious fears. This kind of ce tends to attract those hiding from thew. Which is why the nearby boroughs turned into a gathering of ouws and criminals.¡± ¡°They certainly are not hiding from thew any longer,¡± Lyra mumbled. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s say he will be here but where exactly?¡± Erin asked. ¡°There are three taverns in the slums.¡± With a pencil he asked from Olivia, he circled three spots on the map. ¡°These three are practically the centres of the slums. If he¡¯s like any other men, he will be at one of these taverns when nightes.¡± ¡°He certainly will be in one of those. Have I ever mentioned that he cheated on me when we were still lovers?¡± Erin raised an eyebrow. ¡°He did?¡± Lyra nodded. ¡°He got so drunk that he mistook a fucking wench was me. Her bosom was fucking huge and she was plump. And he dared tell me that he had mistaken her for me. Fucking bollocks. He will be there, getting drunk to force himself on some poorss or loose wench.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not surprised,¡± Lilian muttered with a titter. ¡°Boys will be boys.¡± ¡°So, we will be going to the slums tonight?¡± Aera asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Erin answered. ¡°Lyra, Siv, you two will take this tavern here. Lilian and Nivia will take this one here. Aera and I will take this one. Clear?¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t I go with you?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°Because I¡¯m the only one who can make sure Aera doesn¡¯t go berserk. Or do you want to go together with Nivia instead?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go with Siv,¡± Nivia said. ¡°Sorry?¡± ¡°I said I will go with Siv,¡± Nivia raised her voice. Erin looked at Siv. ¡°Do you have any qualms about that?¡± ¡°None, mistress. I¡¯m fine with whoever is my partner. Of course, as long as it doesn¡¯t concern the affair of the bedroom.¡± Erin and Lilian chuckled while Nivia had a slight regretful look on her face. ¡°Wait, so I¡¯ll be going with Lilian?¡± Lyra blurted out the obvious in disbelief. 4-25 Street Clash I 4-25 Street sh I The sun was only halfway set on the horizon when the taverns and bars were already overflowing with merry and filled to the brim with tired yet mirthful customers. The eatery district was already bursting with life by dusk and it would only be livelier as the night went on. Across a certain double-storey tavern that was gloomier and less merrily than its peers in the eatery district, a human with short dark blue hair and a buxom Dryad with pale green hair stood in the shadows of an alley with their gazes fixed on the tavern. ¡°Ugh,¡± Lilian grunted. ¡°You can smell the stench of those appalling alcohols from all the way over here. How uncouth of them. What¡¯s so great about beer, rum, and such anyway?¡± ¡°Would it kill you to keep your mouth shut?¡± Lyra grumbled with a scowl without turning her gaze away from the tavern. Lilian tittered. ¡°I have been quiet for the past two hours. What¡¯s the point of having a voice but not using it?¡± If she didn¡¯t need to be vignt about the people going in and out of the tavern, Lyra would have rolled her eyes. Lilian was the kind of woman that Lyra had the most trouble with. Lilian had a gentle face, paired with meek eyes. However, her tongue was as sharp as a de and her smile was as sly as a fox. Lyra never said it outright but Lilian terrified her. She could never know what the Dryad was thinking. She cursed Nivia in her heart for dumping Lilian into her care. ¡°Say, when was thest time you saw your boy lover?¡± Lilian asked with a smirk. ¡°Past lover,¡± Lyra corrected her. ¡°It was months ago. Two, maybe? Why?¡± ¡°Two months may be a short time for the Fae but certainly not for humans. He could have changed a great deal.¡± ¡°He did indeed change a great deal.¡± ¡°I meant appearance-wise, Lyra.¡± ¡°Unless someone disfigured him or scarred his face terribly, no way I wouldn¡¯t recognise someone I have known since childhood,¡± Lyra said with her fists clenched. ¡°Are you truly sure about that?¡± ¡°You doubt me?¡± ¡°Just speaking from experience, darling.¡± Lyra grimaced. ¡°I didn¡¯t know we were lovers. Don¡¯t call me darling.¡± Lilian simpered. ¡°Why not? You hate it?¡± ¡°Yes, I do.¡± ¡°Oh, my. Do you hate me?¡± Lilian asked. Lyra gave her a brief nce, appraising the Dryad¡¯s body from up to down, before turning her gaze back to the tavern. ¡°Your personality disagrees with me,¡± she answered. ¡°Having too much sweetness would rot your teeth and spoil your blood.¡± ¡°I understood nothing of your words.¡± Lilian feigned an exasperated sigh. ¡°This is why I much prefer Erin¡¯spany.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not here for leisure, Lilian.¡± ¡°I know. I know. But there¡¯s no harm in finding small leisure in business now, is there?¡± ¡°Not this business,¡± Lyra mumbled in response. ¡°Do you still love him?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Lyra red at Lilian with a frown. ¡°What the fuck are you talking about right now?¡± ¡°Do you still love him? Do you still love Edmund?¡± ¡°Would I be hunting him down like the dog he is if I¡¯m still in love with him? I find him absolutely hateful.¡± ¡°Humans did say love and hate are different sides of the same coin. You won¡¯t hate him this much if you don¡¯t love him.¡± ¡°Now you¡¯re just spouting nonsense,¡± Lyra scoffed and veered her gaze back to the tavern. ¡°Why are you so meddlesome with my love affairs? Is it any of your business?¡± ¡°It is, isn¡¯t it? The bounty is your past lover. Should you have some sort of lingering affection for him, won¡¯t it be logical to assume that you mightpromise this hunt?¡± ¡°You¡¯re unbelievable. Why would I¡ª¡± ¡°I told myself the same thing too when I found out about my husband''s infidelity. I told myself that I no longer have any love for him every night before I went to bed. However, when I met him again, my resolve of all those nights broke at the sight of him. I once again melted in his embrace, believing his sweetened lies knowingly because I still craved for his love. It took me a long time before I was finally able to rid myself of him. Even now, I could not say with absolute certainty that I havepletely fallen out of love with him. So, are my doubts still unbelievable?¡± ¡°You left your partner for his infidelity. I left mine for his unsavoury and criminal disposition.¡± ¡°That¡¯s where you¡¯re mistaken, Lyra.¡± ¡°Mistaken?¡± ¡°I did not leave my husband because of his infidelity. I left him because he couldn¡¯t help but be dishonest with me. He just kept having the need to lie to me even about the most minor things. Tell me, was Edmund ever dishonest with you?¡± ¡°...I don¡¯t know,¡± Lyra answered after a brief silence. Lilian raised an eyebrow in amusement. ¡°I don¡¯t remember. I don¡¯t want to remember my time with him.¡± ¡°Truly?¡± ¡°Truly,¡± Lyra replied firmly but her trembling fists spelt the contrary. ¡°I see¡­ Well, let us hope we won¡¯t be the one stumbling upon him.¡± Lyra muttered an agreement with Lilian inwardly. Although she denied and refuted it, she didn¡¯t know how she would react if she saw Edmund again. They were together since birth and they were inseparable. They knew everything about each other or so Lyra thought. She could never forget the day when Edmund just came up to her and asked if she was willing to make some coin at the expense of the innocents¡¯ misery and anguish. She remembered vividly how disgusted and appalled she felt then. She remembered how nonchnt and indifferent Edmund was when he talked about profiting off of others'' misfortune. She had wanted to nod her head but thankfully, she didn¡¯t. If she had, she would never have been where she was now. She would never have been able to meet Erin. For that, she had no regret about leaving Edmund but as for lingering affection, she was still unsure about that. ¡°Lyra,¡± Lilian called out. Lyra snapped out of her deep contemtion. ¡°What?¡± she responded. Lilian pointed across the street, at a man in shabby clothing with a cowl hiding his face, standing by the entrance of the bleak-looking tavern. Even from such a distance, the man could be seen fidgeting and ncing around restlessly. ¡°Suspicious fellow but¡­ I can¡¯t see his face,¡± Lyra said. ¡°The Spirits really don¡¯t like this one in particr. They are avoiding him like a gue.¡± Only one thing sprang to Lyra¡¯s mind. ¡°He¡¯s a Demoid?¡± She drew her bow and clutched it tightly in her grip. ¡°I don¡¯t sense any Demonic energy from him but I can¡¯t be sure. Question is, why is he not in the tavern but simply loitering about at the entrance? Is he waiting for someone?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t he wait inside the tavern?¡± Lilian giggled. ¡°Not if you are waiting for your mark.¡± ¡°A mark¡­ Who could it be?¡± ¡°I think we both already know.¡± ¡°Edmund¡­¡± Lyra muttered grimly. ¡°But why?¡± ¡°The bounty states; wanted dead or alive. Alive is worth more. If he¡¯s brought in alive, who knows what kind of things he will reveal just to get a lighter sentence.¡± ¡°So we¡¯re bringing him in alive?¡± ¡°If the Covenant is our goal, bringing him in alive would certainly be the best choice.¡± Lyra groaned. ¡°This is going to end so badly. He acts dignified and willful but he¡¯s actually quite opportunistic and shameless. He won¡¯t hesitate to roll on his back and show his belly if it meant his survival.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good thing for us, no?¡± ¡°For the mission, yes. For our sights and peace of mind, we might need to cleanse our soulster after associating ourselves with him.¡± Lilian. tittered. ¡°Sounds like an interesting person.¡± Lyra recoiled with a frown. ¡°Don¡¯t even joke about that.¡± ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Lyra¡¯s frown was upturned when he saw a man walking down the street. The man was approached by the fidgeting person slowly. The man was well-dressed but not too ostentatiously, just enough to let others know he was well-off. The man had a clean-shaven face with neatlybed ck hair, apanied by a smirk that looked like he was born with it. ¡°Edmund¡­¡± Lyra gasped under her breath. ¡°What are the odds¡­¡± ¡°That person is Edmund?¡± Lilian asked. ¡°He doesn''t look like the poster.¡± ¡°As you have said, appearance can change. It would seem that his appearance did change but not enough to fool me.¡± ¡°For a wanted man, he seemed too¡­ insouciant and at ease.¡± ¡°Typical of him,¡± Lyra said and drew her bow as she took aim. Edmund noticed the fidgeting man¡¯s approach and he looked startled by the man. His face paled and he began stepping away from the man. When the man picked up his pace, Edmund turned around to run. The man tossed away his cowl and broke into a sprint with a starting leap. Lyra released her fingers on the string, letting loose an arrow towards the man that was lunging at her former lover. The arrow struck the assant in the shoulder and he went tumbling to the ground, but still managed to take a swipe at Edmund¡¯s feet. He tripped and fell face-first to the ground. ¡°Oh, wow¡­ that was neat,¡± Lilian remarked. Lyra snickered. ¡°I feel calmer already. Well, we found our mark. Inform the others.¡± Lilian nodded and took out a small piece of blue paper from her valley. She tore the paper in half and a small burst of glitter erupted for a split second. ¡°That takes care of that.¡± Edmund scrambled to his feet, whipping his head around to see where the arrow was shot from. Friend or foe, that question could be seen on his face, looping in his head. The fidgeting man became the shuddering man as he began to shudder while getting up on his feet. Dark red mist oozed out of the pores of his skin and his body gradually morphed into something inhumane. ¡°K-Kelso¡­ please¡­ We can t-talk this through. W-why are you trying to kill me?¡± Edmund asked, stammering. ¡°Nothing personal,¡± the Demoid, Kelso, replied with a harrowing voice. ¡°Orders¡­ from above¡­¡± ¡°Bollocks! W-what have ever I d-done to warrant my death?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know¡­ Don¡¯t care¡­¡± Kelso answered dryly and pounced. His body was already outside the boundaries of what one would consider human. He was now a quadruped beast like that of a bear but with long limbs, and he was now twice the size of a man. Due to this district being the unofficial hideout of ouws, the streets were awfully quiet and empty at night to not give the officials a hard time hiding the fact that ouws were being left intentionally to their own devices. Even if there was somemotion, no one would bother showing their face to sate their curiosity. Edmund screamed as he dodged Kelso¡¯s sh of a gigantic paw. ¡°Kelso, wait! Let me speak to¡ª¡± ¡°Silence¡­¡± Kelso uttered and swung down both of his paws. Edmund dove out of the way but the shockwave hit him and sent him sprawling across the ground. Before Kelso could deliver the finishing blow, two more arrows came flying at him. He swatted the one aiming for his eyes but let the other one hit its mark which was the spot under his armpit. Kelso did not groan or moan. He simply plucked the arrow out of his body and turned his attention to the approaching pair. ¡°A Fae and a human¡­ Funny¡­¡± ¡°Very much so,¡± Lyra responded and fired two more arrows at him. This time, Kelso hopped aside, or at least that was his n but the earth erupted around him and trapped his movements. The arrows sunk deep into his torso but he did not make any sound that signified his pain. ¡°Fucking Demons¡­ That¡¯s not fair,¡± Lyrained but she had already nocked her next round of arrows. ¡°L-Lyra?¡± Edmund gasped. He couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. ¡°I-is it truly you?¡± Lyra did not give him a nce. Her gaze and arrow were trained on the Demoid in front of her. ¡°Answer me!¡± Edmund screamed. He was immediately hit by something in the cheek and he tumbled backwards. ¡°Silence, fool,¡± Lilian admonished him. ¡°And keep your silence if you wish to live.¡± Edmund growled and gritted his teeth but he did not utter a single word. Though a Fae, she was one of the most terrifying people he had the displeasure of encountering. A mere re from her was enough to make him want to whimper. ¡°Who¡­¡± the Demoid asked as he pulled out the arrows. Lyra snorted. ¡°The lover of your death.¡± As Kelso canted his head in confusion, a shadow descended from the rooftops and loomed over him. 4-26 Street Clash II 4-26 Street sh II The small piece of blue paper Erin had with her tore itself into half while she was spying at a certain tavern from above the surrounding buildings. It was Lyra¡¯s side, Erin instantly knew since it was the blue paper that was torn. If it was the red paper, it would mean Nivia¡¯s side. Erin rose to her feet in an instant and scooped Aera, who was at her side, into her arms without a word of warning. However, Aera didn¡¯t need any forewarning as she quickly realised the reason for Erin¡¯s act of urgency since they had already discussed their n of action prior. Contrary to her seemingly feeble and meek appearance, Aera was heavier than one would expect of her. Of course, Erin kept her mouth shut about that as she streaked across the rooftops, dashing in the direction of Lyra. The buildings and homes were cramped due to the limited space and that worked in Erin¡¯s favour. She could make a beeline to her destination without taking any tedious yet necessary detours. Erin arrived at Lyra¡¯s side in no time at all. She gentlyid Aera to her feet and hopped off the roof. She brandished her spell sword as she fell through the air, raising her de that she quickly d in Arcane Edge. She also wanted to use Essence re but that would be too conspicuous and ruin the element of surprise. She was silent the whole time as she sprung her surprise attack. The Demoid took notice of Erin¡¯s presence far toote as his focus was on Lyra and Lilian. He spun around with a swing of hisrge paw. Erin blocked it with her sword, cleaving through his arm but ultimately failing to deliver the killing blow. The Demoid rolled himself away and sprang to his feet once he was a good distance away. ¡°Who¡­¡± Kelso, the Demoid, asked. He was bleeding profusely from his cut left arm but he did not seem bothered by it. Erin raised an eyebrow. She did not hide or conceal her appearance. Her ears and tails were in full view. Yet, the Demoid in front of her was asking such a question. ¡°No¡­ not important,¡± he said and shifted his gaze to Edmund. His bleeding stump still showed no sign of healing. He took off in a dash towards Edmund¡¯s way. ¡°Oh, no, you don¡¯t.¡± Erin was about to intercept when the chopped-off arm flew into her path. ¡°What the fuck?¡± she blurted out. The arm burst apart in a stter of blood and an ape-like monster with red eyes emerged from the bloody explosion. It immediately lunged at Erin. ¡°The absurdity of Demons¡­¡± Erin muttered and threw a ball of cyan mes at the Ape Demon. It swiftly dodged the all too slow fireball and bared its fangs at Erin. She sighed and cut the Ape Demon in half with her de coated in Essence re. [Experience gained +5% - Level Progression: 60%] She felt at ease upon reading that message and also the sight of the Ape Demon getting reduced into nothing but the mes of the Spirits. While Erin was dealing with the Ape-Demon, Lyra and Lilian were preventing Kelso from getting close to Edmund, who was too frightened to even crawl properly. The pathetic sight of him made Lyra wonder how she was able to fall in love with him before. He had always been a ball of mess but what she found endearing before, she now found it unpleasant. But since he was now her mark, she set aside those past feelings and focused on the present. Lilian sent vines to hamper the Demoid¡¯s movements but he easily tore himself out of them. However, the short period of him being immobilised was enough for Lyra to shoot arrows at his head. Lyra grinned when she saw how protective he was of his head. A weak spot, she surmised. Kelso dug out a piece of the ground and flung it at the pair. Lyra rolled under and forward, dodging the rubble but Lilian was far too slow in her movements. Aera appeared right at that moment. She dropped down from above and smashed the rubble into pieces with a straight drop-kick. Kelso did not care whether he seeded in harming any of them. He just wanted to stall them. However, Erin had caught up to him after finished dealing with the Ape Demon. ¡°Annoying¡­¡± Kelso muttered as he shot out blood bolts from his bleed stump. ¡°Oh shite!¡± Erin eximed and quickly conjured Arcane Aegis to block all of those blood bolts. Fortunately, her spell shield only broke at thest wave of the blood bolts. Unfortunately, the Demoid was upon Edmund, aiming his stump at the whimpering man on the ground. ¡°Fuck it,¡± Erin muttered in her heart and instantly appeared before Kelso with Edmund behind her. She had traversed that distance with Spatial Magic, Warp. She castyers of Arcane Aegis in front of her as the barrage of blood bolts began. ¡°Demons¡­ disgusting¡­¡± came a cold voice from behind Kelso and in the next moment, he was sent skidding across the ground from a kick to his head. ¡°Aera¡­¡± Erin breathed in relief and dispelled the Arcane Aegises. ¡°Nice kick¡­¡± ¡°Erin, allow me,¡± Aera asked but she did not wait for an answer before hurtling towards Kelso. The Demoid flipped to his feet and swung his paw. Aera dodged low and countered with an uppercut to his jaws. The Demoid staggered but no trace of pain appeared on his face. He recovered fast and lunged with his fangs bared. Aera spun to the side and buried her fist into the side of his head. The air seemed to ripple as her fist collided with his flesh. The Demoid flew off his feet and fell head over heels. The Demoid bounced to his feet and threw a volley of blood bolts at Aera. Instead of dodging them, she dashed into the volley. Most of the blood bolts scraped and grazed her body but the few that hit her square, left deep bruises. However, it did not slow her dash even by a little. ¡°Impossible,¡± Kelso growled. He started looking for an escape path but when his gaze met with Erin¡¯s, he knew that was impossible. He knew the Fox-kin could easily kill him but she didn¡¯t. He was doomed regardless of the oue of this fight with this seemingly frail girl. Unlike his peers, Kelso did not take arge dose of the potion that gave him Demonic powers. He had been reserved about it even after seeing the sess of his friends. Many would kill for his privilege but he remained reserved as ever. He realised that he shouldn¡¯t have taken it at all. He wasn¡¯t here on his own ord but on the orders of the one who gave him this power. Even if he could escape, his fate was already sealed. In the midst of the mulling of his regret, Aera drove a haymaker into his belly. He threw up all that he ate for supper. The little girl followed her ferocity with a wide hook to his jaws that turned his world upside down. He went down and he wasn¡¯t able to get back up as quickly as before. ¡°It¡¯s over for me¡­¡± Kelso told himself. He resigned to his fate but persisted in his struggle. Aera grabbed one of Kelso¡¯s legs and swung him around, before mming him back to the ground. She pulled him in and kneeled on his torso with his back on the ground. She clenched her fists tightly and started raining down punches after punches on him. Her veins began to glow a dark purple as she pummelled the Demoid. Kelso tried to defend and pry her off of him but her strength was unmatched by him and he was shocked to learn just how strong she was. He stood no chance against her and coincidentally, he didn¡¯t have many tricks under his sleeves despite being a partial Demon. The pummellingsted for a good while and Erin knew the end was near when she received a message from the System. [Experience gained +10% - Level Progression: 70%] It wasn¡¯t much since she didn¡¯t deliver the killing blow but she didn¡¯t mind. This wasn¡¯t her concern and priority anyway. When Aera had stopped and got off of the Demoid, half of his body had been turned into a pulp of mangled flesh. Just to be sure, Erin doused the corpse with Essence re. Aera was panting with her zing gaze fixed on the burning corpse of Kelso. Her fists were still clenched tightly and her veins were still pulsating the dark purplish glow. ¡°Aera, you can be at ease now,¡± Erin said. ¡°Well, for the time being, at least.¡± Aera let out a sigh and loosened her fists. She nodded as her shoulders slumped. ¡°T-thank you, Lady Fae. Thank you so much,¡± said Edmund, who came trotting up to her. ¡°You have my undying gratitude for saving me.¡± Erin responded with a smile and also a kick into his abdomen. He tumbled to the ground, clutching his belly while curling up. ¡°Pathetic.¡± ¡°I beg your p-pardon, Lady Fae, but¡­ what have I ever d-done to cross you?¡± he asked, struggling to raise his gaze, only to be met with Erin¡¯s cold gaze. ¡°Truly contemptible,¡± Lin said as she walked up beside Erin along with Lyra. Edmund looked at them with confusion. ¡°W-what are you saying?¡± Erin scoffed. ¡°You don¡¯t remember me, do you?¡± ¡°R-remember you? I don¡¯t believe we have met before¡­¡± ¡°You might not remember me but surely you remember your friend, Velrin.¡± ¡°V-Velrin? I don¡¯t¡ª Ah¡­¡± He wanted to hide it but his face had already betrayed him. ¡°You remember now?¡± ¡°Velrin¡­ It¡¯s you¡­ But how could it be¡­ You don¡¯t have five tails. You¡ª¡± His words were cut off by a kick to his jaws. He moaned agonisingly as he floundered around in pain. ¡°Shut up.¡± Erin red. ¡°From now on, you only speak when spoken to. Understand?¡± Edmund nodded with tearsing out of his eyes. He couldn¡¯t even speak if he wanted to. His jaws were dislocated. Even moving his jaws slightly was agonising. He could only weep and nod his head. ¡°Lilian, can you bind his limbs with your vines?¡± ¡°I certainly can, Erin, but why?¡± ¡°Because I don¡¯t think he will be very cooperative with us. No doubt he would attempt to slip away given the smallest opportunity.¡± ¡°He sure will,¡± Lyra affirmed. ¡°As someone who wouldn¡¯t bat an eye on profiting off of innocents¡¯ misery, don¡¯t expect anything good from him.¡± Lyra¡¯s words drew a re from Edmund but he kept his silence and looked away. ¡°Well, things went easier than expected,¡± Lilian sighed after binding Edmund with her spell vines. ¡°So, we just drop him off at the guild or¡ª¡± Lilian didn¡¯t get to finish her words as Aera shoved her to the side. Something streaked through the air, missing Lilian, and continued onwards toward Edmund. Erin simply swatted the projectile out of its flight with her tails. She nced at the thing she battered to the ground. It was a thin de, shaped like a toothpick but muchrger in size. Erin couldn¡¯t tell what it was made of and before she could, the stake turned into dust. ¡°What the hell was that?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°That Demoid ain¡¯t the only oneing after Edmund,¡± Erin said, ncing around. Everything looked serene and quiet but she knew better. The residents here were well aware of what was happening but as they didn¡¯t want to lengthen the list of their present crimes, they stayed out of sight and out of mind. For that, Erin was thankful since that meant she didn¡¯t need to worry about theming after Edmund. Another stake flew towards them but this time, Lilian was ready and she flicked that stake away with one of her many spells. ¡°Erin, my dear, leave this cowardly sniper to me. You and Aera just bring that boy back to the guild.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Erin asked, slinging Edmund over her shoulder without a care for his physical well-being. ¡°Perfectly sure,¡± Lyra answered. ¡°But I must insist on Lyra''spany.¡± ¡°Lyra, can you?¡± Lyra sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t have a choice, do I? Besides, Siv and Nivia are most likely on their way to us. It will be four against one.¡± ¡°Very well,¡± Erin said. ¡°I will leave him to you but please, prioritise your health. Retreat at the first sign of doubt.¡± Lilian tittered. ¡°Back at you, Erin.¡± They exchanged nods at each other and Erin took off with Edmund and Aera. Lyra watched until Erin and Aera disappeared down the street before turning her gaze to Lilian. ¡°So, how do you intend to find this stalker of ours? I can¡¯t see him even with my Eagle Eye.¡± ¡°You forgot, Lyra. A Fae is sensitive to the presence of Spirits and Demons. Tracking a Demoid down is child¡¯s y.¡± 4-27 The Wulver 4-27 The Wulver ¡°Spirits be damned,¡± Nivia muttered under her breath as the small piece of blue paper in her palm was torn into half by some unseen force. ¡°Of course, it would be Lyra who found him.¡± Siv turned her dumbfounded gaze to the grumbling Elf. ¡°You sound upset, mdy. Did you want to be the one who found our mark?¡± ¡°Does it matter now?¡± Nivia asked with a frivolous tone as she flounced out of the valley and broke into a sprint in the direction of Lyra and Lilian. Like the other pairs, Nivia and Siv too were on the lookout for Edmund in an alley across from a tavern. Unlike the other taverns in this god-forsaken district, this tavern was pretty much close to being abandoned save for a few peculiar individuals who were drawn in by the desting atmosphere this tavern was exuding. Nivia took to the roofs after she ran out of the tavern¡¯s sight. Had she taken to the roofs immediately, she would have attracted far too much attention, not that she truly would considering the residents here couldn¡¯t even be bothered with a murder that happened right in front of them. Siv was following closely behind and she was keeping a close eye on the undertone of Nivia¡¯s subtle gestures. ¡°Did you perhaps wish to gain mistress¡¯ favour by being the one who stumbled upon Edmund, mdy?¡± Siv asked as they dashed and leapt across roofs after roofs. Nivia did not answer. Her face seemed to turn but not enough to glimpse behind. ¡°That¡¯s a very adorable thought, mdy. Quite puerile too.¡± Nivia skidded to a halt and spun around with fury in her eyes. ¡°You are being uncharacteristically chatty, Siv.¡± ¡°She¡¯s a friend and my mistress and you are harbouring some very¡­ interesting feelings and intentions towards her.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Nivia asked as she stomped right up to the Wolf-kin. ¡°I¡¯m just trying to know if this conflicting intent of yours would bring harm to my mistress in the future. You are unable to be honest with yourself.¡± ¡°Regardless of my honesty, these are trivial feelings. Nothing you need to be wary about.¡± ¡°Trivial at first but love is vtile. I have seen people going down a very dark path due to the kind of feeling you deemed trivial. I once had a business acquaintance who betrayed his peers at work due to love. His betrayal nearly cost my former employer everything. Funny enough, my peers and I saw the madness of love in his eyes long before the thought of betrayal had even blossomed in his head. We left him as it is because we shared your sentiment then, we thought it to be trivial.¡± Nivia scoffed and turned around. ¡°Unlike you, a Fae has better and more refined discipline than other races. You need not worry about me,¡± she said and resumed her haste. Siv sighed. ¡°For everyone¡¯s sake, I certainly hope that would be so,¡± she muttered and followed after Nivia¡¯s haste in silence for the rest of the short trip. **** ¡°There they are,¡± Siv muttered as they turned into a corner. She saw Lyra and Lilian, huddling together behind an abandoned cart by the roadside. Her gaze immediately focused on the holes scattered in the area around the pair. The realisation came quickly to her. ¡°Are they under attack?¡± Nivia asked, drawing her short bow. ¡°Get down!¡± Siv shouted and dropped to the ground. Nivia didn¡¯t retort andplied without hesitation. A stake flew over her head the second after she ducked down. ¡°It¡¯s Nivia and Siv!¡± Lyra eximed. ¡°You two, get to cover now! We have a sniper!¡± Lilian shouted. As soon as she said that, another stake nearly found its way into Nivia¡¯s head if she hadn¡¯t nted her head sideways. The stake dissolved into nothing after a while. Nivia felt a shiver go down her spine. ¡°I sense Demonic energying from the projectiles,¡± Nivia said, flipping over a rundown wooden booth in the middle of the road and taking cover behind it with Siv. ¡°We already know,¡± Lilian responded. ¡°Which is why I intend to use that to track our friend down.¡± Siv was looking around. ¡°Where¡¯s mistress and Aera? And where¡¯s the mark?¡± ¡°Erin and Aera are bringing the package back to the guild as we speak,¡± Lilian answered. ¡°As long as we stood our ground here, the sniper wouldn¡¯t dare toe out of his hiding ce and follow them.¡± ¡°Surely there will be others chasing after them, no?¡± Nivia questioned. ¡°Not likely. They only dare to do this because we¡¯re in a district where the locals are a bunch of ouw scums and they wouldn¡¯t give a damn to anymotion happening in their yard. The guards will be forced to take action if these lovely folks decide to pursue Erin outside this borough.¡± ¡°The guards didn¡¯t do anything thest time the Demoids went on a rampage. Why will it be any different this time?¡± ¡°Since the guards did nothing thest time, it is precisely why they will take action this time, or risk losing the trust of the entire city and receive their suspicions in tandem.¡± ¡°So Erin is safer than she will be if she¡¯s here?¡± Lilian shrugged. ¡°Nothing¡¯s for certain but she¡¯s definitely in a spot much better than us.¡± Another stake flew over her head then. ¡°Definitely,¡± Nivia mumbled. ¡°Can you begin the tracking spell now?¡± ¡°Our sniper would know they got marked the moment the spell is cast, so be ready,¡± Lilian said and began chanting after she took out a green crystal and held it close to her heart in a grip. Nivia cast a Wind Magic spell that stirred the breeze in the vicinity, raising small and faint clouds of dust. ¡°Lyra, I trust that you can see through the smoke with Eagle Eye.¡± ¡°This smoke is nothing,¡± Lyra retorted and nocked an arrow to her bow. The arrows she was using were crafted using Elder Wood, feathers of well-fed geese, and silver-steel as the head. ¡°Seek out the darkness,¡± Lilian whispered with her eyes closed. ¡°Beckoning!¡± she uttered and syed her hand open. The green crystal evaporated into a shimmering mist but it did not disappear. Instead, it persisted and flowed in a certain direction, towards a tall building that looked to be an inn before its neglect. Right after a shot from the sniper, Lyra rose from her cover and aimed her bow in the direction of the mist¡¯s flowing path. ¡°I see him¡­ No, her. It¡¯s a girl. She¡¯s on the fourth floor of that building. She¡¯s wearing all ck. Wouldn¡¯t have noticed her if I didn¡¯t know where to look.¡± ¡°Can you take her out?¡± Lilian asked. ¡°We shall see,¡± Lyra said and released the string. The arrow was imbued with whatever amount of Mana she had. The arrow flew straight and true. The cold hash breeze of the night couldn¡¯t sway the arrow¡¯s path thanks to the guidance of Seeker. ¡°Did it hit?¡± Nivia asked after hearing a faint explosion in the distance. ¡°...No,¡± Lyra answered after a short silence. ¡°But she¡¯s running now.¡± ¡°Just like that?¡± ¡°We are not her mark in the first ce or she was merely stalling us,¡± Lilian mused. ¡°From assisting Erin?¡± Lilian shrugged. ¡°That would be the most likely case.¡± Nivia looked in the direction of where the sniper was. ¡°What now? Regroup?¡± she asked the Dryad. ¡°Not possible,¡± Siv said, her nose twitching against the air. ¡°Behind you, Lady Lilian.¡± Lilian spun around and sent spears moulded of earth towards her assant. The earth-moulded spears were mostly cut down by the assant¡¯s ws but one found its way past the assant¡¯s defence and hit them square in the chest. The assant went tumbling head over heels away from Lilian. ¡°A werewolf?¡± Lyra gasped with her bow raised and drawn. ¡°No, a Wulver?¡± As Lyra had said, the assant was a humanoid wolf with a pair of elongated fangs and ws longer than its sharp teeth. ¡°What¡¯s a Wulver doing here and attacking us specifically?¡± Nivia asked no one in particr but she seemed to have grasped the answer a moment after. ¡°I sense demonic energy from it. Enthralled by something demonic?¡± ¡°Enthralled by a Demoid, to be precise,¡± Lilian corrected and summoned pirs of earth to surround the Wulver with bloodshot eyes and dark red veins crawling all over its body. The Wulver smashed and tore through the pirs with a swing of its ws. Lyra released her shot at that moment. Her arrow found its mark, the Wulver¡¯s throat, but it didn¡¯t pierce through but its flesh. The Wulver pulled the arrow out and turned its attention to Lyra. It growled furiously at her. Its wound healed itself up in a matter of seconds. ¡°Damn,¡± was all Lyra could say before the Wulver lunged. She rolled out of the way and quickly nocked another arrow to her bow while Lilian fended it off with her spells. Barrages of earth and floral spells rained down on the Wulver but it easily swatted all the pesky magic away with its excessivelyrge ws. It didn¡¯t help that the Wulver was imbued with demonic power. Lyra fired another arrow that was aimed at the Wulver¡¯s eyes but as always, the arrow did not find its mark when it came to a crucial point. However, the arrow made a full turn and hit the Wulver in the back of its head. Though a non-fatal wound, it was painful enough to stagger the Wulver. Siv swooped in with a leap, the twin swords gripped firmly in her hands. The des glowed a faint blue as she swung at the staggering Wulver. The edges scraped against the monster''s hide, barely making a cut on its flesh. Siv tutted and shifted her attack into thrusts. The Wulver recovered at that moment and caught Siv¡¯s attacks. A st of wind from the side broke the Wulver¡¯s bearings. Before it could turn to look, Siv twisted her swords and the des spun in the Wulver¡¯s grip. It shrieked in pain and let go. Using its torso as a foothold, Siv flipped away from the Wulver with a kick. The Wulver tried to catch Siv but vines sprouted from the ground and coiled around its arms. The Wulver tore itself free but immediately, the Wulver was sent flying off its feet when a ball of dense air collided with it. The Wulver flipped andnded on its feet but the barrage of assault had only just started. ¡°Not bad, Lady Nivia,¡± Siv praised and assumed a low stance with her swordsbined into a double-ded stave. ¡°Save thepliments forter,¡± Nivia grumbled quietly and devoted her focus to the Wulver in front of them. ¡°How nice this is,¡± Lilian said with a smile. ¡°Erin was always the one taking all the glory. This is quite a nice opportunity for us to prove ourselves, is it not?¡± ¡°It is,¡± Siv was the only one who responded while the rest were too fixated on the Wulver who could pounce on them at any given moment. Lilian tittered. ¡°Nivia, be a dear and give us some covers would you?¡± Nivia nodded with an annoyed expression but said nothing. The winds began to stir and the area was gradually being engulfed in a thick mist. The Wulver charged at them the moment it noticed Nivia casting spells. Lilian grinned and summoned vines to hold the Wulver down while walls of earth surrounded it. The Wulver broke free of its restraints with ease and destroyed the obstacles without breaking a sweat. However, the mist had already grown too thick for it to see anything through it. It sniffed at the air but caught none of their scents. Despite being a monster, it understood its foes had used the opaque mist to keep track of the wind¡¯s direction, avoiding their scent from exposing them. Arrows streaked through the mist and flew towards the Wulver¡¯s eyes. The monster tutted and swatted the arrows aside with a loud snarl. It spun around, trying to get a sense of its foes¡¯ location, but to no avail. From the back, something sharp attempted to draw a cut but did nothing more than a simple scrape. The Wulver turned around toote and saw no one. ¡°You wanna y?¡± the Wulver spoke with a rasped voice. ¡°Let¡¯s y.¡± 4-28 The Wulver II 4-28 The Wulver II ¡°Did it just speak?¡± Lyra asked in a whisper. She did not let the Wulver out of her sight. With her level higher than ever, she could see the Wulver clearly through the mist with Eagle Eye. ¡°Not very surprising,¡± Lilian responded dryly. Though she couldn¡¯t see the Wulver, she could feel its presence through the Spirits by pinpointing the spot where the Spirits were trying to avoid. ¡°Focus, you two!¡± Nivia shouted at them as quietly as she could. Like Lilian, she was also tracking the Wulver through the Spirits. ¡°The ability to speak doesn¡¯t amount to much,¡± Siv remarked. She was able to perceive the Wulver by scent. The winds were blowing the Wulver¡¯s scent to her but not the other way around. ¡°That said, its speech capability isn¡¯t the ring issue here. The Wulver¡¯s hide is tough and so is its flesh. Our weapons and magic won¡¯t be able to pierce into its core easily.¡± ¡°Its flesh and hide are strengthened by the demonic power within,¡± Lilian said. ¡°We¡¯ll need to burn away that demonic energy from within. To do that, I will imbue an arrow with Spirits and Lyra will shoot it in its eye. Siv, Nivia, you two will be responsible for giving Lyra that window. Do we have an understanding?¡± They all gave their affirmation with nods and a quiet ¡°yes¡±. Vines sprouted rampantly from the ground below the Wulver. It tried to leap away but the vines already tangled themselves up around its limbs, pulling the Wulver to the ground. With the Wulver temporarily incapacitated, Siv moved in and shed at the Wulver¡¯s head but it ducked, tearing its left arm free at that moment. The Wulver proceeded to cut itself free as Siv spun into a flurry of shes. With the binds torn, the Wulver thrust forward with its ws bared. Siv¡¯s flurry of shes was stopped by the Wulver¡¯s arms, unable to cut through its nigh-impervious hide. Siv clicked her tongue and flipped backwards, kicking the Wulver in the lower jaw in the process. The Wulver went staggering but no real injury came to it. It recovered fast and was onto Siv before she could find her bearings properly. Siv pivoted her stave and battered a swipe away from the Wulver. She twisted her body to avoid another swipe. She raised her stave when the Wulver threw its jaws at her. The teeth mped down on the grip but sparing Siv¡¯s throat. A vine snuck behind the Wulver and coiled itself around its throat. Before the vine could tighten, the Wulver tore the vine off its neck. Siv used this chance to distance herself from the Wulver to recover her breaths. The Wulver was about to follow but a wall of rock rose in its way. The Wulver roared and pulverised the wall with a single punch. Through the smoke and debris, a sharp glint streaked towards the Wulver¡¯s eyes. The arrowhead was only an inch away from the Wulver¡¯s eye when it swiped the arrow out of the air and snapped in its grip. The Wulver howled at the sky, the red veins glowed and began pulsating. ¡°So be it,¡± the Wulver said. ¡°Echolocation?¡± Lilian muttered. ¡°That¡¯s not good. Nivia, clear the mist. There¡¯s no use for it now.¡± Nivia tutted but did as Lilian said. Lyra was the first to be tracked by the Wulver. It turned her way and rushed towards her on fours. Walls of earth were raised in his path but it rammed through each and every one of the walls. At the end of the walls wererge bushes of thorned vines but they were nothing against a Wulver strengthened by Demonic power. It easily pulled the vines out of the ground and tossed them aside. Lyra was there to greet the Wulver with only a few of distance between them. Her bow was raised and drawn. ¡°Idiot,¡± she muttered and released the string. With that little distance between them, the Wulver could not dodge the arrow unless it was twenty levels higher or it possessed Spatial Magic. The arrow did not pierce deep but it did pierce through its flesh, into its bloodstream. The Wulver wobbled away from Lyra before throwing its head back and howling painfully to the night sky. The arrowhead wasced with Fairy Dust that was further imbued with Spirits. The Demonic energy within was instantly dispelled and dispersed by the Spirits that went into its body. The glowing red veins began fading but its eyes were still bloodshot. The Wulver plucked the arrow out from its eye just as Lyra was nocking another arrow. The Wulver lunged without a moment¡¯s hesitation at her. Nivia dropped in between them from above with the winds whirling strongly around her. The Wulver snarled and swung its ws at the Elf without the slightest reluctance. Nivia spun to the side, avoiding the ws. She countered with a round sh of her twin daggers, drawing deep cuts across the Wulver¡¯s shoulder and arm. The Wulver pierce Nivia with a re but it wasn¡¯t able to re for long before the next volley of assault came. Siv, in her Beast Form, lunged at the Wulver with a barrage of strikes and blows. The Wulver had more than ten levels of advantage against Siv but she wasn¡¯t alone and coupled with her experience, the Wulver was overwhelmed by her attacks. Even without demonic power, the Wulver itself was a formidable foe but much more vulnerable now without demonic intervention. The Wulver could do nothing but be on the defence while Siv threw attacks after attacks upon it. If there was not much level difference between them, the Wulver would have already perished under their coordinated offence. Level wasn¡¯t everything but it was a significant element in a conflict orbat. Nivia joined in on the unfair onught, further outnumbering the Wulver. It was doing its best to dodge or block Siv¡¯s blows but now with Nivia in the fray, it could do neither with its defence. Nivia was using Wind Magic spells to destroy its defence while Siv concentrated on the offence. If Lilian hadn¡¯t exhausted her Mana from the quick and sessive spell-casts, this fight would have been over. ¡°Don¡¯t forget about me, the one who got your eye,¡± Lyra taunted with the most scornful smug she could manage. She shot her arrows with impable precision and timing, striking only the Wulver. The arrows didn¡¯t strike the head as she had wanted but they did pierce into its flesh. Now devoid of demonic power, the Wulver could not easily heal its wounds. Eventually, the Wulver drained itself of its vigour and health. It dropped to its knees. Wounds covered its body with blood pouring incessantly from its injuries. ¡°It didn¡¯t even try to flee until the end,¡± Lyra remarked as she approached the weakened Wulver cautiously. ¡°It probably couldn¡¯t,¡± Nivia said. ¡°It¡¯s enthralled. It won¡¯t be able to even if it wanted to.¡± ¡°Poor thing,¡± Siv muttered. ¡°Siv, darling, please don¡¯t tell me you want to spare the creature,¡± Lilian questioned in between her heavy breaths. It had taken a lot out of her to use magic in quick session. ¡°No such thing, Lady Lilian. Sympathy isn¡¯t synonymous with mercy.¡± ¡°Wise words.¡± Lilian tittered. ¡°But the words are familiar.¡± ¡°They are Lady Iris¡¯ words.¡± ¡°Ah, of course.¡± ¡°Who wants toy the final strike?¡± Nivia asked. ¡°I shall,¡± Siv answered and ced her des against the Wulver¡¯s neck. It did not budge or flinch in face of its imminent death. There was no hint of light in its eyes anymore. ¡°May you find peace in death,¡± Siv said and beheaded the Wulver by crossing her des. The Wulver¡¯s head went rolling and its body dropped lifelessly to the ground. ¡°It¡¯s not over yet,¡± Lilian said. ¡°This is just the thrall. The master must be nearby. We should regroup with Erin before there¡¯s any further trouble.¡± ¡°Good thinking,¡± Lyra responded with a long sigh. ¡°And what trouble would that be?¡± asked a female voice from behind them. They all immediately turned around with panic striking their faces. They did not notice the girl¡¯s presence until she spoke. A girl in silver-steel armour that lightly covered her body emerged from the shadows. Her hair was pale blonde and her eyes were like a pair of turquoise. She had a slightly above-average stature for a woman but the oppressive aura she exuded was far from normal. She had an amicable smile on her lips but there was nothing amicable about her aura. Nivia¡¯s gaze widened at the insignia adorned on the female knight¡¯s shoulder tes. ¡°Ruvan Pdins¡­ A Venerer?¡± ¡°Hmm, our reputation certainly does precede us. Well, I don¡¯t dislike it. Save us the trouble of constantly introducing ourselves from the ground up. By the way, you can call me Saril.¡± ¡°How can we help you, Miss Saril?¡± Siv asked as she stepped forward. ¡°Well, you can start by answering my questions. What¡¯s a band of misfits like you four doing in this god-forsaken borough?¡± Saril asked, her smile widening. ¡°Adventurer¡¯s business,¡± Lilian answered. ¡°What kind of adventurer¡¯s business would bring the lot of you here?¡± ¡°A bounty mark and here is the proof.¡± Lilian took out the bounty poster from her valley and unfolded it for the pdin to see. ¡°Edmund¡­ wanted dead or alive¡­ I see. However, that doesn¡¯t seem to exin how you got involved with a Wulver that possessed a faint trace of demonic essence. And where is this mark of yours?¡± ¡°The mark is currently being transported back to the Guild as we speak by ourpanions,¡± Siv exined. ¡°We stayed behind because the mark has some very meddlesome friends.¡± ¡°Your mark is someone who¡¯s involved in heretical affairs. Don¡¯t you think it would be more appropriate to deliver your mark to the temple instead of the guild?¡± ¡°Will you have our money then?¡± Lyra countered. ¡°Doing good is supposed to be a charity, not a paid work.¡± ¡°Easy for privileged people like you to say.¡± Saril raised an eyebrow. ¡°Privileged, heh?¡± Nivia scowled at Lyra. ¡°Please understand, Miss Saril,¡± Siv said. ¡°Gratitude and honour alone would not bring food to the table.¡± ¡°Only if you do not ept Ruva into your heart,¡± Saril retorted. ¡°We have our own gods that we pray to.¡± ¡°But Ruva is the greatest of the Divines. To deny her grace is tomfoolery and a notion of evil.¡± ¡°Dear me,¡± Lilian sighed. ¡°Everyone who isn¡¯t a Ruvan is evil? And here I thought, us Fae were pompous pricks as the humans tend to say about us.¡± ¡°You mock the name and grace of Ruva¡­¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t mock your god, Miss Saril.¡± Lilian tittered. ¡°I mock you. For a devout servant of a Divine, you¡¯re unfavoured by the Spirits.¡± Saril furrowed her brows. ¡°An insult towards a Divine¡¯s servant is an insult to the Divine themself.¡± ¡°Nonsense. There¡¯s a pathetic and petty logic used by the aristocrats as an excuse tomit foul deeds. Are you saying you¡¯re no different than them, Miss Saril?¡± The pdin¡¯s trembling hand fell on the hilt of her sword by her waist. Her smile disappeared and a scowl took its ce. ¡°Take that back¡­¡± Nivia tapped Lilian¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Lilian, maybe we should¡ª¡± ¡°Oh, hush now, Nivia. I still have plenty of things to say. I¡¯m sick of these imperious fanatics. We even took down a foe of Demonic elements, which is supposed to be the responsibility of the godly warriors. Yet, we are being questioned and disparaged for helping in doing their job. As a Dryad, a Fae, I refused to be belittled. Anything to retort, Miss Saril?¡± ¡°You¡¯re quite impertinent and rowdy for a Fae¡­¡± Saril muttered with a darkening expression. ¡°I should smite you in the name of Ruva right here and now.¡± Lyra and Siv held their breaths with pale faces. Nivia frowned as she bounced her worried gaze between her friend and the Pdin. As for Lilian, she was still looking at Saril disparagingly. ¡°You can try,¡± Lilian taunted. Saril snorted and raised her syed hand. ¡°As you wish, I shall¡ª¡± ¡°You will do no such thing,¡± said a deep feminine voice. They all turned towards that voice and saw a female Augur strutting towards them. ¡°Smite them and I¡¯ll fucking smite you too, little Ruvan,¡± Amyra dered with a bold smirk. 4-29 Duel of faith 4-29 Duel of faith ¡°And who are you, Miss?¡± Saril asked as she slowly turned towards Amyra, who was dressed in a sleeveless crop top and a pair of leather pants. Lilian and the others gulped at the appearance of Amyra. Depending on the Augur¡¯s response, the circumstances could evolve or devolve drastically. ¡°The name¡¯s Amyra, an Acolyte much like you, Miss Pdin,¡± Amyra answered with a smirk that held all the confidence in the world. The cleaver-sword she was hoisting on her shoulder added to her show of confidence. ¡°And what reason would you have to interfere with the procession of a Venerer¡¯s duty?¡± ¡°They are my fellow Acolytes too and you are treating them unjustly. How can I not interfere?¡± ¡°I see¡­ So you¡¯re saying that you should be included in the procession and my judgement too?¡± Saril drew the two swords by her waist belt. ¡°I¡¯m a Venerer. Do you understand what it means to show your hostility towards me?¡± ¡°My lord will be severely disappointed in me if I run from just this much of an arse,¡± Amya retorted, unholstering her cleaver-sword. ¡°Your Divine must have been a barbaric one considering they would have an Acolyte with a tongue like yours.¡± ¡°My Divine is dead, so I wouldn¡¯t exactly know,¡± Amyra replied with a shrug and a faint chuckle. ¡°So you¡¯re an Acolyte of Aeryo,¡± Saril scoffed. ¡°Always wanted to meet a follower of a dead god.¡± ¡°Despite our god being dead, the Divinity still runs strong amongst his followers. Can you say the same should the same fate befall on your faith?¡± Saril red into a ring radiance and charged toward Amyra. The Augur grinned and swung her cleaver-sword with a speed as if it weighed nothing. Saril veered away from Amyra¡¯s sh and went around the Augur. From behind, Saril thrust her swords as the blinding glow dispersed. Amyra spun around and blocked the thrusts with her cleaver-sword. She pushed back and a flurry of shes upon Saril. Light once again engulfed the pdin and she streaked away from Amyra in a meandering manner. The light dispersed when she came to a stop. ¡°Light Magic, not bad,¡± Amyra said. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since Ist saw it.¡± Nivia stepped forward. ¡°Amyra¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± she said, stopping Nivia with a hand raised. ¡°Just go. I¡¯ll handle this jester.¡± Words were on the tip of Nivia¡¯s tongue but Lilian came forward and held her back with a hand sped on her shoulder. ¡°I understand, Amyra. Thank you,¡± Lilian said. Without any more words, Lilian grabbed Nivia by the wrist and strode in the direction of the Guild. Lyra and Siv followed briskly behind with each of them giving Amyra a good nce before disappearing into a turn. ¡°I did not give you permission to leave!¡± Saril shouted and chased after them with her body engulfed in light. However, a wall of rock and thorny vines was raised in her path and she had to stop to avoid getting hurt. She could survive the collision but that would leave her too injured to fight with the Augur. She was about to smash the wall down when arge ball of mes flew at her. She spun around and hacked the fireball into half. The cleaved spell crashed into the wall and exploded. Amyra was chuckling. ¡°Neither did I give you the permission to leave, Miss Pdin.¡± ¡°I have a name, you wretched Augur,¡± Saril said, her expression darkening. ¡°Really? I don¡¯t care.¡± Fire enveloped the de of her sword. ¡°However, I will give you the chance to back off.¡± ¡°Only those without honour or pride are capable of even entertaining such a thought,¡± Saril retorted and light enveloped her des. ¡°Acolyte or not, you will be punished for your obstruction of a holy procession.¡± ¡°Holy procession? Giving your unjust acts a grand and godly name doesn''t make it holy or justified.¡± ¡°I will not hear another mockery from you,¡± Saril said and swung her swords, throwing the lights on her de like Aura des but the aura were beams of light. ¡°Then, by all means, make me stop,¡± Amyra responded and cut down the beams of light with her ming de. Saril¡¯s expression deformed into a grimace. She swung her swords wildly, unleashing a barrage of light Aura des toward Amyra. ¡°What a fancy but trite trick.¡± Amyra swung her sword only once and arge wave of fire consumed all of the Aura des sent by Saril. The Pdin widened her eyes. ¡°Impossible,¡± she uttered. ¡°How can Light Magic be defeated by mere Fire Magic!?¡± Amyraughed. ¡°Why can it not be? Nothing is absolute. It¡¯s the same for Spatial Magic. It¡¯s rare and powerful but it doesn¡¯t mean it is invincible. Are all Ruvan Pdins as conceited as you?¡± She scoffed. ¡°What am I saying? Of course, you are.¡± ¡°You dare to insult themander too?¡± Saril tightened her grip and clenched her teeth. ¡°Unforgivable. I will see you dead for insulting Commander Aza.¡± ¡°Aza, the Scarlet de? So the rumours are true¡­ But then again, who else can lead a bunch of crazy dogs like you if not the Scarlet de?¡± Saril streaked towards Amyra with a dazzling radiance as her veil, her swords d in a solid fment of light. She fell silent along with the sounds of her action as if her body weighed too less to make any noises. Amyra leaned back and avoided a high cut from the pdin. She sidestepped a downward sh and dodged under a broad swipe that took out the broken street lights behind her. She gripped her cleaver-sword tightly and retaliated with an uppercut sh that found nothing but air. She quickly spun to the side and avoided a thrust from behind. ¡°You¡¯re fast for a woman of your size,¡± Saril remarked dryly. ¡°I¡¯m quite the average in my tribe, as a matter of fact. It¡¯smon for my people to be moving with such a speed in spite of our rtively huge sizes. It¡¯s just you humans are much too tiny and too slow, like a tortoise.¡± Bolts of light rained down on Amyra but the Augur responded to that aggression without her grin faltering. The fire on her de only grewrger the more spells she cut down. Saril frowned. ¡°Magic Eater?¡± ¡°Oh, you know that spell? Colour me impressed.¡± ¡°You have such a vicious spell in your repertoire¡­ And you dare call yourself an Acolyte.¡± ¡°Vicious? Really?¡± ¡°A spell that consumes others¡¯ Mana to fill their own. Wouldn¡¯t you call that vicious?¡± Amyra sighed and chuckled exasperatedly. ¡°You and your ilk truly have no self-awareness, do you? How is it any different from normal eating? We consume life to fill our own. Magic Eater is the same, only the difference is the thing being consumed is magic. The way I see it, the lot of youbel anything as evil or vicious if it¡¯s not something you can get your hands on. It¡¯s vicious because none of the Ruvan has this Magic Art, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Silence!¡± Saril shouted and threw arge bolt of light. It was half the size of a building. ¡°Have you learned nothing yet, Miss Pdin?¡± Amyra winded her sh, preparing to swing. ¡°I have,¡± Saril muttered and charged at Amyra while the light bolt was also flying towards the Augur. ¡°Bold move,¡± Amyra remarked. Her grin widened. ¡°But that¡¯s all there is to it.¡± She summoned an equallyrge ball of mes in her free hand and threw it at the vast ball of light while she rushed forward to face Saril head-on. The two vast balls of light and fire shed and exploded into a blinding radiance that consumed the vicinity. Arge portion of the ground was disintegrated and were the nearby buildings that were caught in the explosion. By the goodwill of fate, there was no coteral in the oue of the sh. The radiance blinded Saril momentarily and she had to narrow her gaze to avoid being fully blinded. However, Amyra had her eyes closed and she was still charging at her without slowing down. ¡°What the¡ª¡± Saril couldn¡¯t even say much as she was forced to raise her swords to guard against the Augur¡¯s sh. She caught the sh but the force behind it was too much for the ground beneath her to handle. Thebined weight formed a crater under her and she lost her bnce. Amyra spun and sent a kick into her abdomen, and she went tumbling across the ground until she hit amp pole. ¡°You¡¯re good. You have training. You have experience but I reckon you have only ever fought those weaker than you. Good thing I have sparred a lot with my lord.¡± ¡°H-how¡­¡± Saril asked as she pushed herself to her feet with strained breaths and trembling arms. ¡°How can you know where to strike when you can¡¯t see¡­?¡± ¡°Because you narrowed your gaze before I closed my eyes and I knew then that you won¡¯t be moving from where you stood. I don¡¯t need to make any changes to my and just need to strike at the spot where I have already resolved to.¡± ¡°Preposterous¡­ What the fuck are you even saying?¡± ¡°Whoa there, such a vulgar tongue for an Acolyte. Pot, kettle, I see.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see you dead!¡± Light engulfed Saril and she flew towards Amyra with her swords raised. ¡°No more tricks. Just metal against metal!¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Amyra said with a shrug and dispelled the mes on her de. The crimson-steel of her de gave a ring red sheen against the graceful smile of the crescent moon. ¡°Not that there will be any difference.¡± ¡°Your arrogance knew no bounds, Augur.¡± ¡°I have boundaries. You just can¡¯t see it from where you stand.¡± Their des met and sparks flew in all directions. The ngour of steel resounded sharply in this dested neighbourhood. The unsavoury residents cowered in their dpidated homes, praying for their own safety and the off-chance of not gettingpletely embroiled in a conflict that was not theirs. Saril cut high and low but Amyra deflected the pdin¡¯s blows swiftly despite the weight and size of her cleaver-sword. Saril pushed forward, frenziedly shing her twin swords but Amyra swatted her reckless swings away with a single swing. Saril reined in her swords and lunged with a cross-cut. Amyra dodged low and countered with an upward sh. The heated edge of her sword found flesh but only lightly scraping it. Nevertheless, Saril stumbled backwards, wincing. Amyra pressed on with a wide sh. Saril raised her swords in response but Amyra went low and curved her sh. Saril followed the Augur¡¯s de but Amyra reined in her sh and lunged with a thrust. Cursing under her breath, Saril drew back and swung her swords wildly to fend off Amyra¡¯s crafty offence. However, Amyra summoned a ball of mes into her free hand and flung it towards Saril. The Pdin cut the fireball down with one sword and locked des with Amyra¡¯s shrewd strike with her other sword. Saril grunted against Amyra¡¯s heavy blow that she barely held her ground against. ¡°You tricked me!¡± she snarled while holding her de against Amyra¡¯s own. ¡°Everything¡¯s fair in love and war, as humans love to say.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t war.¡± ¡°But it is and you and your fellow Venerers are the heralds. A silent and subtle war but a war nheless. You¡¯re not the only faith in the city. You should know that.¡± Saril clicked her tongue. ¡°Surrender now and I can still be lenient with your punishment.¡± Amyra chortled. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be lenient, Miss Pdin, because I sure won¡¯t,¡± she said and steered her de, breaking out of the de lock. She then thrust forward with her entire body. Saril was caught off guard by the Augur¡¯s reckless action and she failed to respond ordingly in time. Amyra battered her sword out of her hand and caught her other hand by the wrist. She yanked the Pdin off the ground, and mmed her a few times against the decrepit pavement, before tossing her into a dpidated building nearby. ¡°Stay down,¡± Amyra warned. ¡°I know you¡¯re still alive. You¡¯re a Pdin after all, but heed my advice, stay away from the affairs of Aeryon or you¡¯ll suffer the wrath of my lord.¡± Though she was still alive, Saril could not speak. She could only stutter and gagged at her words due to her fractured bones and a punctured lung. If she had been a low-level individual, this type of injury would have been fatal but s, her level was keeping her alive. For now. 4-30 Bludgeon 4-30 Bludgeon Though they were out of the district of ouws, Erin and Aera found themselves walking through a borough that was strangely quiet. Erin could sense people inside the buildings, sleeping or merely resting their weary bodies after a long day of work but there was barely anyone on the streets. The ones present were drunkards, meandering their way aimlessly until their sobriety or unconsciousness caught up to them. It felt weird to her bones but Erin shook her head from the feeling and pressed on with Edmund trailing behind them. He was conscious and walking, though Erin had wanted to knock him unconscious as he would not seize his infernal yapping. Erin found a bundle of rope hanging by a fence. She took it and then used it to bind Edmund¡¯s hands. She had a cloth handy in one of her satchel pouches which she used to tie around his lower head, essentially silencing him aside from the desperate mumbles through the cloth. He eventually fellpletely silent when Aera made a show of pulverising his reproductive organ by crushing two simr-sized stones with a single hand. ¡°Is this the slum of the city?¡± Aera asked as she looked around. It was definitely a living quarter but there were only ts and dozen-storey buildings, not a single house or hut in sight. ¡°Themon folks'' living space, most likely.¡± ¡°But I see no cabin or cottage. Surely a city of this scale has the capacity to house themon folks properly, no?¡± ¡°Even if it does have such capacities, it doesn¡¯t necessarily mean the governing power will allow it.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Greed. Enough is never enough, even if they already have more than enough.¡± Aera grimaced. ¡°This is sickening.¡± ¡°Human greed knows no bounds.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a human but I don¡¯t have such desires.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a shame that humans like you and Lyra are a rarity.¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t they just be nice and be happy with what they have?¡± Erin smiled sorrowfully. ¡°Indeed, why can¡¯t they¡­?¡± she mused and stopped in her tracks, gazing forward. Aera clenched her fists and assumed her fighting stance. ¡°Foes?¡± Erin gestured for her to be at ease. ¡°Uncertain,¡± she said. ¡°We¡¯ll find out.¡± A group of soldiers approached them from an alley they emerged from. There was nothing out of the ordinary about them save for the fact that they were the first patrol Erin and Aera had encountered in their path ever since they came out of the midnight district. The soldiers looked surprised at Erin. More precisely, their eyes were focused on the bound and gagged man behind her. ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this?¡± asked the officer of the group, pointing at Edmund. ¡°Mdy Fae,¡± he added with a gulp after noticing Erin¡¯s gently fluttering tails. ¡°He¡¯s a bounty mark issued by the Guild,¡± Erin answered and took out and unrolled the wanted poster of Edmund. The officer read the print quickly but carefully as if he was used to seeing this, which he was. If anything, he had already suspected this to be the case as this was how the adventurers tend to transport their bounty mark alive. He had only asked Erin for formality purposes. While the officer was surveying the handbill, the other soldiers couldn¡¯t take their eyes off Erin. By now, Erin was used to this but Aera wasn¡¯t. Half of the eyes were on Aera, who was a beauty in her own right. However, one particr pair of eyes was set on Edmund. ¡°Everything seems to be in order.¡± The officer nodded at Erin. ¡°Carry on.¡± He waved for Erin and Aera to move along. Erin nodded back and resumed walking, tugging at the rope Edmund was bound to. As the pair walked past the patrol group and Edmund was passing by, Erin yanked on the rope hard. She pulled Edmund into her arms as sharp steel sliced through the air. Edmund shrieked through the cloth muffling his mouth. ¡°Olly!¡± shouted the officer once he realised what one of his men had done, or tried to do. ¡°What the fuck were you trying to do?¡± The soldier named Olly did not respond to hismander and merely stayed his gaze on Edmund. ¡°Olly, stand down!¡± the officer shouted even louder. ¡°This is an order!¡± The soldier didn¡¯t even bat an eyelid at his superior booming orders. His gaze turned bloodshot as he strode towards Erin with his sword unsheathed. The officer clicked his tongue and stormed forward. ¡°Damn it, Olly. Stand the fuck¡ª¡± the officer¡¯s words were quite short as was his body. One of the soldiers hade up and beheaded the officer without a shred of hesitation. The other soldiers didn¡¯t look surprised at the development. They shrugged and simply stepped over their superior¡¯s headless body, drawing their swords as they drew closer to Erin. Erin sighed and drew her sword out of thin air. ¡°Aera, take Edmund and run.¡± ¡°Impossible,¡± Aera said. Erin nced behind and saw a humanoid bug-like monster with six red eyes appearing from the shadows. She sniffed at the air and still could catch the abomination¡¯s scent despite the narrow distance between them. ¡°I can barely smell the beast or sense the magic enveloping the area.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a spell cast on the area?¡± ¡°It would appear so. It was done very subtly. I wouldn¡¯t have realised if it wasn''t for the fact that I can¡¯t smell the abomination before us.¡± ¡°What kind of spell?¡± Erin appraised her surroundings but she didn¡¯t get any proper information in return. ¡°Can¡¯t tell but at a guess? Awareness inhibition spell. There might be more enemies nearby.¡± ¡°What do we do?¡± ¡°Protect Edmund. He seems to have some kind of damning knowledge if the Covenant is willing to go this far. Take care of the soldiers, Aera. I¡¯ll handle this¡­ Demoid.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a Demoid?¡± ¡°I can sense faint traces of Demonic power from it and it seems to have rationality behind those eyes. A Demoid is a very likely possibility.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a very ugly-looking Demoid. Is it supposed to be a beetle or an ant?¡± ¡°I shall inquire if the opportunity arises.¡± The soldier named Olly lunged first, his sword swinging. Aera moved in and caught the de with her bare hands. Olly let go of his sword and charged toward Edmund as he brandished a dagger from underneath his garment. Aera was already between him and Edmund in a sh. She caught the dagger and tugged it out of the soldier''s hand. She grabbed him by the neck and flung him into his peers, who all stepped out of the way and let his face greet the concrete ground. ¡°So you¡¯re all part of the Covenant?¡± Aera asked. None of them answered. They simply trod forward with passive gazes. ¡°Fine, stay silent as you wish. Not that my mind would change if you deny it,¡± Aera said and sprang at the soldiers. The soldiers took out a glowing stone from their breast pockets and cast the stones before her. The glowing stones turned into bolts of magic and struck Aera, sending her tumbling backwards but she was without wounds. There was pain but she was unhurt. ¡°That hurts,¡± she groaned with an irked frown. The soldiers weren¡¯t deterred by the redundancy of their tools. They simply took out another set of glowing stones and slid it across the ground towards Aera. The stones turned into chains and coiled around her, binding her to the ground. With her limbs bound, the soldiers strode towards Edmund in a harmonised march that looked a tad too surreal to Aera. She would have kept staring if there were no magical chains binding her like some sort of beast. Her veins began glowing a bright shade of violet and she tore herself free of the magical chains. With a roar, she threw herself at the marching soldiers. Her roar drew their attention and they turned their swords at her. Shended in the middle of the group, surrounded on all sides. They swung their swords at Aera but the des bounced off of her with firm ngours. The glowing of her veins brightened as she threw a punch, sending a soldier far across the street. The soldiers looked at each other and cut their palms with their swords. Their blood smeared across their des and the steel absorbed their blood, turning it into a red shimmering glow. Aera felt her stomach churning and her blood freezing. She was surprised at the price they paid for power but at the same time, she expected no less from an organisation that ruined her vige in the most abhorring manner. The soldiers came at her once again with their red des and this time, Aera dodged their shes instead of receiving them with her body. She spun to avoid their wild cuts and bent her body to evade their wide swipes. One of the soldiers left the joint offence and slipped past Aera, going straight for Edmund. Violet mes erupted in her hand and she thrust out her palm. A bolt of violet mes was shot out from her palm, piercing through the torso of the opportunistic soldier streaking towards Edmund. His body copsed to the ground and stayed unmoving. While Aera was dazed and baffled by her own ability, the other soldiers sprang at her together. Their des went through her body, all five of them. She flinched and staggered from the numerous des that pierced her torso. However, no blood was spilt. Her wounds leaked only mes, violet mes. She grabbed hold of one of the swords and melted the de with just her ming grip. The soldiers let go of their swords and fell back but Aera pursued them, enveloping her other arm in violet mes. Two of the soldiers threw themselves at Aera while the other three slipped past her and rushed towards Edmund. ¡°Do you simpletons never learn?¡± she growled and pounced at the three who ignored her as she herself ignored the two who threw themselves at her. She grabbed the head of a soldier and swung him into the soldier. Thest remaining soldier of the three lunged at Edmund with a dagger brandished but flew at the soldier and rammed into amp pole. The soldier¡¯s body snapped upon collision with the pole. Under the effect of Wrathmonger, Aera couldn¡¯t care less about the soldier¡¯s death and turned her attention to the rest. She pounced at the closest soldier and ttened his head with her palms. A soldier rushed in and struck with a concealed dagger. She raised her arm in defence and caught the dagger with her palm. She winced with a grimace and swatted the soldier with a backhand. The soldier flew far but she didn¡¯t care how far he went as she knew she had killed him with that single backhand that snapped his neck. The remaining two soldiers tried their luck by slipping past Aera and went straight for their true target but their efforts were in vain as Aera caught them with ease. She pierced a soldier¡¯s torso by thrusting her arm through it. She pulled his spine out and swung it against thest remaining soldier. The soldier tumbled to the ground from being struck in the face with the spine of his peer. Without any hesitation, she stomped the soldier¡¯s head, turning it into a stter. When all the soldiers were dealt with, Aera turned her violet zing gaze to Edmund, who yelped upon receiving her re. He tripped on his own feet and fell to the ground. He squirmed and mbered away from Aera as much as he could with his bound hands. He took notice of a dagger within reach and lunged for it. However, though Aera moved a secondter, she was the first to reach the dagger. Instead of kicking the dagger away, she stepped on Edmund¡¯s hands. Edmund cried out agonisingly. Aera¡¯s grimace deepened at his wailing and raised her fist. But before Aera could strike his pathetically sobbing face, Erin''s pained voice caught her attention and she turned towards her fellow apostle just as the Insect Demon battered Erin¡¯s sword out of her hands. 4-31 Adversary 4-31 Adversary The insect-like Demoid before her was different from the Demoids she fought before, Erin felt it in her bones. The strangest thing of all, she wasn¡¯t able to grasp the Demoid¡¯s intent like the others. She appraised the Demoid and saw its level was only fifty. From what she had seen, all the Demoids were level fifty at the very least as if this level was the requirement for bing a Demoid or one¡¯s level would be raised to the bare minimum of fifty upon bing a Demoid. Regardless of the truth, Erin¡¯s focus was on this Demoid¡¯s hidden insidious prowess. She could hear the noises behind her, the sound of Aera¡¯s battle with the Covenant¡¯s henchmen disguised as the city patrol guards. She wanted to help but she didn¡¯t dare to turn her attention away from the Demoid in front of her. It had two pairs of arms with a total of six limbs. These two pairs of arms transformed into sickle-like ws as it strutted towards Erin in stride. Erin cast Mystic de on her sword and lunged with a wind-up sh and lightningcing her body. She streaked in front of the Demoid, leaving behind fading sparks in her trail. She swung but the Demoid bent its body in a way that no human could and cleanly avoided its certain death. It spun in such a queer position and countered with an uppercut of its sickle w. Erin retreated a step and the sickle w caught a few short strands of her palish silver hair. She clicked her tongue, adjusted her grip with her sword, and she lunged again with a thrust. The Demoid spun out of the way and drew back in with a roundhouse sh. She nted her body, barely dodging the w that threatened to mar her pretty face. She riposted but the Demoid moved like a breeze, gently moving itself out of harm¡¯s way before retaliating in the fiercest yet gentlest manner possible. Erin brought her sword around in a wide arc, slicing off the Demoid¡¯s w. The Demoid shrugged indifferently in response to its fresh stump. ¡°Irritating,¡± Erin muttered under her breath. She dispelled Mystic de for now as she deemed it detrimental to keep it materialised without any assurance of proper usage. Moreover, the Demoid¡¯s carapace wasn¡¯t as hard as she expected. Even without Arcane Edge or any spell enhancement, she doubted the carapace could block even a normal steel de. A ss cannon, she remembered Aedan¡¯s telling about such abatant. An individual who devotes everything to the offence without any care to their defence. This Demoid certainly fits the bill. The Demoid lunged right after it saw Erin dispelling Mystic de. Its fresh stump left a trail of dark red blood as it moved. It unleashed a flurry of attacks upon Erin. She met its onught with parries just as incessant as the Demoid¡¯s attacks. The sickle ws were only tough on the outer half of the arms. If Demoid shed with Erin¡¯s swing with the inner half of its arms, she could carve through it like a cake. However, it was easier said than done. ¡°Fucking hell¡­ This bastard is good,¡± Erin begrudgingly admitted so in her heart. If the circumstances were different, she would be thrilled about this duel but time was of the essence. There was no telling if the Covenant wouldn¡¯t send reinforcements as time passed. Activating Lust could easily tip the scale in her favour but... she didn''t want to rely on her divine gift every time she met an impasse. She would be no different than those she mocked and when she regained her status as the Sword Saint, it would not be truly of her merit and efforts. Time was against her but she wasn''t in a dire strait like the time in the alley. And she wasn''t alone. "I can do this," she told herself. She switched her usual passive defensive stance into an aggressive offensive stance. She d her whole body, including her sword, with lightning. Her speed tripled and her swings became a blur. The Demoid spared the same look of indifference and calmly deflected the attacks while dodging those it couldn¡¯t parry. Erin¡¯s offence was not getting through. ¡°What in the name¡­?¡± Erin began to feel something was wrong. At first, she had thought she was just bitter about meeting a swordsman better than her but as the fight went on, she realised the stalemate wasn¡¯t because the Demoid was the better swordsman. It was something else. Something magic, she surmised. However, she saw no skills or spells in the Appraisal result of the Demoid that could exin its prowess. No matter what kind of feint Erin threw, the Demoid anticipated it and responded to it ordingly. It responded almost too well to her offence. It was as if it knew Erin¡¯s swordsmanship like the back of its hand, not that it had hands. She glimpsed over to Aera¡¯s sight and was at least consoled by the fact that Aera was fairing way better than she was. She even felt a bit of sympathy towards the fake guards who had Aera as their opponent. Erin would have loved to watch but her own foe was not giving her a moment to breathe. Erin countered with a wild cut that took out an appendage sprouting on top of the Demoid¡¯s head. It went staggering for a few feet but found its bearings not too far away. A small spurt of blood gushed out but the Demoid showed no sign of agony or any expression of pain. Instead, it pressed on with its assault as if all was normal. ¡°Detached from pain. A tailored fighter?¡± Erin mused in wonder over the Demoid¡¯s secret behind its abilities. The Demoid strode towards Erin withposed haste. It shook its shoulders, perhaps to loosen its joints that were numbed by the ceaseless heavy movements. Erin matched the Demoid¡¯s fervour with a different stance. She flipped over the Demoid andshed out her de with elegant brutality. The Demoid repelled her blows without a change in its cold and unyielding gaze. Whenever she used Mystic de, the Demoid would retract its arms and resort to evasion instead of crossing arms. Erin continued to hop and flip around as she struck from every direction possible but the Demoid¡¯s guard was impervious to her attacks. ¡°Fuck,¡± she uttered when the Demoid stuck out a foot and nearly tripped her. She avoided the trip but her evasion left her open for retaliation. The Demoid happily obliged this opportunity. ¡°Fucking bollocks¡­ I¡¯m losing with swords of all things¡­¡± Erin grumbled inwardly as she was kept being pushed back by the Demoid¡¯s relentless assault. If she hadn¡¯t protected herself with Arcane Armour and Arcane Aegis, she would have suffered deep cuts and lost two of her limbs. Whenever she used Mystic de, the Demoid was quick to shift its tactics into a form of continuous evasion. Even with her speed enhanced by Lightning d and Lightning Rush, the Demoid dodged her Mystic de offences with near-perfection. The moment Erin exhausted her chain of offence, the Demoid retaliated with ruthless and bottomless vigour. Erin was a tad thankful for the Demoid¡¯s average value of Might or else she would have already met her end with its relentless strong blows and vicious swings. Her tails also contributed a lot to her survival. When she felt her grip gradually going numb from the one-sided assault, her tails became her swords. With the level she was right now, controlling her tails was easier than before but still not as well as she could move her limbs, but still better than the average people¡¯s match. With Steel Tails, her tails were able to parry and block the Demoid¡¯s strikes and blows. Surprisingly, her tails blocked better than a sword in her hands. Her tails didn¡¯t go numb from the blows. If the Demoid wasn¡¯t so sly in his attacks, Erin wagered she could keep her on going with her tails for defence. Erin tried using Mesmerise but the Demoid wasn¡¯t even the least bit affected and that was something Erin expected but it didn¡¯t hurt to try. At a certain point, the Demoid knocked her sword out of her hands. It opened itself wide and pounced at her with all of its sickle-ws thrust towards her. Erin smirked and rushed forward to meet the Demoid¡¯s offence. Before the sickle ws could gouge through her skin and into her flesh, her spell sword reappeared in her hand in a blink of an eye but not just one sword. With two swords suddenly in hand, she swung with great ferocity and speed while fortifying the des with Mystic de. In that one single swing, she cut the Demoid¡¯s arms off. [Experience gained +10% - Level Progression: 65%] [Finesse +2 - Finesse: 44] [Sword Art: Level 8 increased to Level 9] [Arcane Edge: Level 6 increased to Level 7] Erin raised an eyebrow at the increment of her Sword Art and Arcane Edge¡¯s level, which had not increased in level for a long time now. It was truly difficult to raise an Arcane Art¡¯s level after five without using points directly. In addition, she received experience points and two ability points for Finesse, both of which she was thrilled about. It also served as a testament to the prowess of this Demoid. She felt a tad sorrowful that this duel was drawing to a close. The Demoid did not scream or cry despite the conditions of its arms. It stared nkly at its chopped-off limbs without any change in its nonchnt expression. If anything, it looked confused over its next course of action like an obedient pet at a loss over theck of orders from its master. Perhaps that analogy wasn¡¯t too far off for this Demoid¡¯s circumstance, Erin thought. ¡°Still going to fight?¡± Erin asked. The Demoid cocked its head, seemingly confused over Erin¡¯s question. ¡°Well then, it¡¯s been a good duel, but I¡¯m afraid this is the end.¡± Erin charged forward with her sword swinging but before she could cut off the Demoid¡¯s head, she stopped in her tracks and dodged low, avoiding a stake that would pierce through her head. The Demoid lunged at that moment, baring its razor-sharp teeth that it had been concealing with its impassive expression all this while. ¡°Fuck off!¡± Aera appeared from behind with a roar, burying her fist into the Demoid¡¯s face. The Demoid went flying across the street and tumbling along the paved roads. Its blood smeared the surprisingly clean pavements. Erin cast Storm Shell around her as another stake shot towards her. The stake shattered against the lightning barrier and a thunderbolt was shot back to the sniper. As the projectile was lightning, it disappeared into the distance within seconds. After a few seconds, Erin received a message in her head. [Experience gained +20% - Level Progression: 85%] Erin scoffed with a chuckle. ¡°Well, that was easy.¡± She turned her attention away from the deceased far-off sniper and back to the Demoid that was getting to its feet from Aera¡¯s punch. ¡°Now, let¡¯s end this poor bastard¡¯s¡ª¡± Aera was steps ahead of Erin as she had already pounced on top of the Demoid, suppressing it on the ground with Might that far surpassed the Demoid¡¯s own. ¡°Aera, stand back,¡± Erin said. ¡°Let me¡ª¡± Aera had already started raining down punches onto the Demoid before Erin could finish her words. The Demoid wasn¡¯t unresponsive to the barrage of fists it was receiving but it could neither do anything in response. It had no arms and its razor-sharp teeth were disced and knocked out of its jaws by the uninhibited punches from Aera. ¡°Aera, stop it!¡± Erin shouted, dispelling her spell swords. ¡°Don¡¯t stop me!¡± Aera yelled back, not turning her gaze away from the Demoid she was bludgeoning with her fists. ¡°Enough, Aera!¡± Erin yanked Aera off of the Demoid by her shoulders. She quickly stepped in front of Aera, staring her down away from the incapacitated Demoid. ¡°Let me turn that fucking abomination into aplete pulp!¡± ¡°No,¡± Erin replied sharply. Instead of a kiss, she cast Lust inbination with Mesmerise on Aera. The unbridled fury in Aera¡¯s gaze faded and she slumped to her knees in an instant like a golem puppet drained of its fuel. The rage in Aera¡¯s eyes was reced with a listless desire for the Fox-kin in front of her. She wanted to act on this desire of hers but she could barely even turn her head, let alone move her entire body. ¡°Well¡­ that worked too well,¡± Erin remarked. She patted zed-eye Aera on the head with a faint smile before turning her attention to the half-dead Demoid sprawling on the ground. Its fingers were moving but barely. It would twitch but that was all it could do as its gaze followed Erin¡¯s movements. The Demoid opened its toothless mouth. It coughed out blood instead of words. ¡°Poor bastard,¡± Erin muttered and decapitated the Demoid without dragging out the mood a second more. [Experience gained +25% - Level Progression: 110%] [Erynthea: Level 42 increased to Level 43] [Skill Points gained +2 | 2] [Ability Points gained +2 | 2] 4-32 Memory Stone 4-32 Memory Stone ¡°I suppose congrattions are in order, Lady Erynthea,¡± praised Rigetta, the Guild Master of the Sephrodia Valley branch. ¡°It¡¯s just one person,¡± Erin responded dryly to thepliment as she took a seat on the couch across from Rigetta. Her eyes fell on the hemispherical crystal orb on the table that was shrouding the room with an anti-espionage spell. ¡°I have read the reports. It was quite an endeavour. Thankfully, only his lower jaw is broken and a few of his ribs shattered. Painful but he¡¯ll live. Seems like he was bludgeoned by something small but tough. What happened?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just say he had too high of a regard for himself.¡± Rigetta chuckled and leaned forward in her seat. ¡°Tea?¡± she offered. Erin shook her head. ¡°Suit yourself.¡± Rigetta shrugged and poured herself a cup. ¡°To think they will be so troubled by a bounty mark with a dead or alive requisite. This Edmund fellow must know quite a lot about the Covenant¡¯s inner workings.¡± ¡°He ims that he knows nothing and he doesn¡¯t know why those people want him dead with such ardour.¡± ¡°Maybe he must have seen something he¡¯s not supposed to without realising it himself. We get quite a lot of such cases.¡± ¡°Then how would we be able to extract what we want from him when he doesn¡¯t even know it himself?¡± ¡°The Guild is well-prepared. As we speak, his memories are mostly being copied into a Memory Stone.¡± ¡°A Memory Stone?¡± ¡°It¡¯s basically a magic stone that can store the memories of an individual. The memories stored within can be viewed by others. But it requires the expertise of a Mind Magic user. It¡¯s hard to properly exin it in words. You¡¯ll understand when I show it to youter.¡± ¡°What happens after his memories are¡­ copied?¡± ¡°He will be thrown into the Guild¡¯s prison while we process his offences against the guild. After that¡¯s done, if his crimes and misdeeds are also offences outside thews of the Guild, he will be handed over to the city. But there will be a long period of waiting in between due to the typical slow procession you can expect from governmental administration. But by then, it will already be toote for the Covenant as we would have already gotten what we want from Edmund.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Erin muttered with a downcast gaze. ¡°Pardon me if I¡¯m being presumptuous, Lady Erynthea, but you don¡¯t sound very¡­ thrilled or happy. This is a job well-done despite the kinds of odds that were against you.¡± ¡°You trust all of the staff in this building?¡± Rigetta smiled wryly. ¡°I know what you¡¯re implying. To be honest, I don¡¯t trust everyone but there¡¯s nothing the Covenants nts can do about it. At best, the nts can only pass on information they had gotten their hands on. If it¡¯s exposed that the Guild ispromised, the Adventurer¡¯s Guild Union will pull out of this city. If there''re no adventurers, where will the nobles get their precious metals, rare stones, and peculiar monster materials? The Covenant may not care but their partner-in-crime, the viceroy, does. Rn Grid will not let it happen. Does that assuage your worries, mdy?¡± ¡°Not entirely but I do feel a lot more relieved.¡± Erin cast out a long breath. ¡°So, how long will the memory extraction take?¡± ¡°Memory copying, not extraction. There¡¯s a difference. Edmund will still have his memories after we are done with him.¡± ¡°And how much longer do I have to wait?¡± ¡°About an hour or two, depending on the individual¡¯s mental fortitude.¡± At that moment, a knock resounded from the door. Rigetta waved her hand over the hemispherical crystal orb and the spell melted right back into the orb. The distant chatter and rustling noises returned to Erin¡¯s ears from outside of the room. ¡°What is it?¡± Rigetta asked, with the doors staying closed. ¡°The otherpanions of Lady Erynthea has reached the guild. They are without major wounds.¡± ¡°Ah, delightful news. Thank you. You may leave.¡± Erin felt the Guild Staff bowing behind the doors and took her leave with small firm steps. ¡°Your friends are back safe and sound.¡± ¡°As they should. Things will only get more difficult from now on, they should be able to manage this much. Anyway, what¡¯s the next quest?¡± ¡°Be at ease, mdy. The next one will be issued ordingly to the information we will be getting from Edmund. Until then, get some rest. You earned it. I understand your urgency but I don¡¯t think being hasty will get you far, mdy.¡± Erin sighed. ¡°I suppose it won¡¯t.¡± **** ¡°Erin!¡± Lyra eximed in delight as she threw herself into Erin¡¯s open arms upon their reunion in the guild reception area. It was deep into the night. Not a single sane soul was lingering in the guild other than the staff members and the adventurers who had their ownplicated circumstances. Erin caught her overly-excited lover and swung her around before pulling her into a deep embrace. ¡°You¡¯re safe¡­ Thank the stars¡­¡± ¡°The stars have nothing to do with our well-being. We made it through with our own strength and skills,¡± Nivia grumbled in the background. ¡°Of course, you all did well,¡± Erin said. ¡°I¡¯m very proud of you all.¡± Lilian tittered. ¡°If we wish to continue walking in the trail left behind by you, we need to at least be able to lift some of our own burdens.¡± ¡°You did well too, Aera,¡± Erinplimented her fellow Apostle with a bright smile. Aera nodded meekly. She was standing beside a pir, a few feet away from the group. Her gaze appeared to be constantly shying away from Erin¡¯s eyes. ¡°What¡¯s with her?¡± Lyra asked, reluctantly pulling herself away from Erin. If they weren¡¯t in public, Lyra would have turned the embrace into a fervent bout of their tongues and lips. ¡°She nearly killed Edmund.¡± Lilian¡¯s brows were raised. A small grin formed on her lips. ¡°Oh, my. What happened?¡± she asked. ¡°Must have been his tongue or his eyes. Even the Spirits found him annoying when he was silent and brooding.¡± ¡°We had just fought off our assants and he went on rambling about how we might as well just kill him before he brought Aera and I down with him.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like Edmund at all,¡± Lyra remarked. ¡°Was he drunk?¡± ¡°On his delusion of grandeur, yes.¡± ¡°What kind of delusion?¡± ¡°He was under the impression that we oblige his noble sacrifice. He told us to tell you that he was sorry for all that he had done and¡­¡± ¡°And?¡± Lilian urged. ¡°Well, he asked for a kiss from me as his dying request.¡± Lyra balled her hands into fists, clenching them tightly as she seethed with fury. ¡°That son of a bitch¡­ Even at his presumedst moments of his wretched life, he had no true remorse and only sought to fulfil his own lust and desire.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t imagine how he¡¯s still alive, given Aera¡¯s temperament,¡± Lilian said. ¡°I was barely able to save him. As a constion, his jaw was broken and a few of his ribs were shattered.¡± ¡°At least get his limbs,¡± Lyra mumbled. ¡°That thought did cross my mind but we didn¡¯t have a wagon or a cart.¡± ¡°Where is this unsavoury person right now?¡± Siv asked. ¡°Currently being processed by the guild. We will be notified once that¡¯s over.¡± ¡°That¡¯s perfect, then,¡± said a booming voice from the hallway that led to different rooms on the ground floor. A towering woman with dark skin and long dark crimson hair strode towards Erin and herpanions. The pair of horns sticking out from the woman¡¯s head made her stride even more imposing. ¡°Amyra, fancy seeing you here,¡± Erin greeted. ¡°Oh, right,¡± Lyra blurted out. ¡°We encountered a Venerer but Amyra appeared and helped us stall the Venerer while we ran.¡± Erin¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You encountered a Venerer?¡± ¡°Not here,¡± Amyra said, putting a finger on her lips while gesturing her other hand at the guild¡¯s annexed pub. Erin and herpanions moved to the pub, taking a seat in the further corner from the entrance before they continued with their conversation. Amyra took the liberty to order arge mug of ale for everyone but since everyone else declined, only Amyra was drinking. ¡°So, who¡¯s this Venerer that you all encountered?¡± Erin asked after everyone had settled in their seats. ¡°Saril, I believe her name was,¡± Amyra answered after downing half a mug¡¯s worth of ale in a single gulp. ¡°She¡¯s an Acolyte. She¡¯s quite handy with Light Magic.¡± ¡°You fought her, I assume.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t just fight her. I defeated her.¡± Amyra scoffed with a simper. ¡°I think you would have an easy time against her too, Lady Erin.¡± ¡°It¡¯s ¡®Lady Erin¡¯ now? What happened to just ¡®Erin¡¯?¡± ¡°That was before I knew you were m¡¯lord¡¯s consort.¡± ¡°I am no one¡¯s consort.¡± ¡°Fine, lover, whatever. My point stays the same, mdy.¡± ¡°A priestess of Aeryo defeated an Acolyte of Ruva¡­¡± Lilian mused. ¡°If anyone saw this fight, it would be the main gossip of the city among the highborn for the months toe.¡± ¡°No one saw us,¡± Amyra said. ¡°Pity. Could have used this gossip to put the arrogant Ruvan Pdins in their ce. It could limit their movements.¡± ¡°The Venerer lives?¡± Siv asked. ¡°Of course. I can¡¯t exactly just kill a pdin no matter how annoying I find them to be.¡± ¡°Then if her defeat gets into the ear of themander of the Venerers, what would the response be from them?¡± Lyra snorted. ¡°If theye for us, we will just show them we¡¯re not like their usual victims that they could just bully into submission.¡± ¡°Theirmander is the Scarlet de, Aza.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Lyra muttered. Erin felt her heart thumping at that name. ¡°The Scarlet de¡­¡± Lilian mulled. ¡°The Elders talked a lot about her. For an individual above the level of eighty, she has quite a small repertoire of Arcane Arts. Yet, her prowess was still talked about till this day by the Fae Elders.¡± Amyra finished the rest of her ale in one big gulp and mmed the mug with a sigh of delight afterwards. ¡°Aza¡­ The person who could have been the Sword Saint if she didn¡¯t have priormitments with a faith.¡± Siv and Lyra gazed at Erin as the two were privy to Erin¡¯s past life and her past status as the Sword Saint. ¡°But she¡¯s a problem we can worry aboutter. Right now, what of the bounty fellow? Edward, was it?¡± ¡°Edmund,¡± Nivia corrected her. ¡°Yea, him. What of him right now?¡± ¡°He¡¯s being processed,¡± Erin answered. ¡°They are copying his memories into something they called a Memory Stone.¡± ¡°Howvish, a Memory Stone,¡± Lilian eximed excitedly. ¡°It can easily cost up to a hundred gold depending on the region. They¡¯ll also need a skilled Mind Magic user to use the stone properly. If they¡¯re willing to use such a luxurious item, they must be convinced that Edmund saw something very implicative.¡± ¡°Considering the assassins that hade after Edmund, I don¡¯t think it would stop at being implicative. Whatever he saw or knew, the Covenant was willing to send Demoids after him.¡± ¡°He better be worth it¡­¡± Aera muttered under her breath. Erinid her hand on top of Aera¡¯s tightly clenching fists. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Aera. Regardless of his worth, you did well.¡± ¡°Only because you were there, Erin. If you weren¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t think I would be able to stop. These Covenant roaches¡­ They¡¯re everywhere yet nowhere in sight. It¡¯s frustrating. It¡¯s even more so when one of them is right in front of you but you can¡¯t kill him because he has valuable information.¡± ¡°The sentiment is mutual, Aera,¡± Lyra said. Aera looked surprised at Lyra¡¯s affirmation with her outburst of emotion. She nodded and turned her flushed face away before it could be seen. ¡°Well, we have nothing to do but wait for now. Are you sure none of you here would like to drink?¡± Amyra asked. ¡°Fae can¡¯t drink alcohol that isn¡¯t properly distilled by the Spirits,¡± Nivia said. ¡°Then how about the three of you? Lyra, Aera, and¡­¡± ¡°Siv.¡± ¡°Yes, Siv. A drink?¡± The three shook their heads. ¡°Well, you lot are no fun. Am I going to be drinking alone despite having prettydies around?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You need not drink anymore,¡± Erin said and stood up. She turned behind her as a Guild Official trotted up to them with silent yet hasty steps. ¡°Looks like the procession is over.¡± 4-33 Idleness 4-33 Idleness It had been pouring since dawn and the rain showed no signs of receding even as noon marched on the horizon. The day had started off bleak and depressing and it continued on in such a fashion right through midday. However, there was no such misery within the borders of the Grove. The sun was shining brightly as ever in thesends within the grace of the Aeryeon faith. Under the amicable weather, Erin was polishing her swordsmanship and refining her mastery over her tails by sparring with an imaginative foe. It had been two days since Erin and herpanions had apprehended Edmund and handed him over to the Guild. Edmund¡¯s recent memories of one month had been transcribed over to a Memory Stone and were currently under review. Erin had skimmed over the memories and it was quite a spectacle witnessing the function of a Memory Stone. When Mana-based light was shone over the Memory Stone, a series of moving pictures was cast onto a nk te of white leather. The moving pictures were a retelling of Edmund¡¯s memories. The caster shining the light was able to stop the pictures and revert the motions of the pictures. Calling it a spectacle was an understatement to Erin. However, nothing fruitful hade of the memories yet as there was too much to be reviewed as it was a month¡¯s worth of memories. Erin had wanted to ask for another quest in the meantime but under Lilian¡¯s advice and after taking a step back to allow herself a breather, she decided to use the waiting period to rest up. But of course, Erin had a very different meaning of rest. Due to her near-defeat at the hands of that insect-like Demoid, she went straight to honing her swordsmanship and her tails¡¯bative ability after returning to the manor. She did spare three hours to rest her weary body and she took another hour to finally go about writing letters for Celia and Saphielle. It had never truly urred to her until now. It dawned on her when she began writing the letters. She had no trouble understanding the speech and writing of this world despite having no prior education in thenguage of this world. ¡°The grace of the gods,¡± Aedan had told her after she consulted him about this sudden inquiry of hers. ¡°Learning anguage properly is probably harder than learning magic or any kind of martial arts. I doubt any Divine Guardians would wish to see their investments making a terrible blunder just because theycked the capability to write.¡± However, this didn¡¯t mean that Erin had a perfect understanding of thenguage. Speaking and writing were two different stories. Unlike speeches, one needed to be meticulous and precise when it came to writing as no one could perceive undertones from writing. She ended up taking two hours just to write two letters and wasting a few good papers in the process. To expel this petty frustration in her heart, she strode to the courtyard and began hacking away at the empty air with her spell sword conjured from Bespoke. At present, no one at Erin¡¯s party was resting. Erin herself was honing her swordsmanship in the courtyard. Lyra and Siv were out hunting in the small woods that surrounded the Grove as training. Aera was sparring with Amyra in some ce that wouldn¡¯t give in to their strength and destruction. Nivia was in the library, studying under the tutge of Lilian. As for Aedan and Olivia, Erin had no idea where the two were. She had tried searching for them but she couldn¡¯t find them. She had asked the servants of their whereabouts, only to be told they were somewhere in the manor as no one had seen them leave. Erin caught their scent within the manor but due to the odd mellow flow of air inside the Grove, it was difficult to tell where their scent wasing from. The sweat she had umted from her vigorous training had soaked through her shirt by the time she was finished with her shadow-sparring. She dropped to the floor and began pushing herself up and down using her palms and the muscles around her abdomen. She also did various other exercises that would help in maintaining her strength. It was currently some hours past noon when she was done with her routine. She took off her sweat-soaked garments without a shred of hesitation and patted herself dry with a towel she prepared beforehand. She had made sure no one was around before shedding her clothes. After wiping herself dry, she swiftly put on a simple robe that looked no different from a sleeping gown. Now that she had fresh garments on, she sat on her knees in the centre of the courtyard with her hands resting on herp and her shoulders aligned with one another. She closed her eyes and eased herself into her meditation state. With her eyes closed, she brought up her status information screen in her mind. She was now level forty-three and she had two new points in both Skill and Ability. Her shadow-sparring had taught her how much she could do with her tails. She couldn¡¯t deftly control them like her limbs but they were undeniably tougher than her limbs. She was still unused to using her tails in the heat ofbat efficiently but she could see the potential in their investment. With that thought in mind, she allocated all of her Skill Points into Mystic Tail Arts, raising it by one level. Her shoulders jumped from the new knowledge that flowed into her brain but she kept the rest of her body still from her tion. The new skill she acquired was something called Windframe. It allows her tails to move as swift as the wind and it would only be swifter the higher the level of Mystic Tail Arts was. Without any fuss, she allocated one Ability Point into Finesse and Arcane each. After she was done assigning her points, she hopped to her feet at once and began testing her new skill. ¡°Whoa¡­¡± she gasped in awe over the magnificence of Windframe. Her tails move like the wind but of the gentle kind. To her surprise, the Mana consumption couldn¡¯t be said to be high but neither was it low. Adding to that, she could feel the mental strain of using that skill. Shebined Winframe and Steel Tails and the result was striking and splendid. It couldn¡¯t bepared to her sword but it was adequate to tip the scale should she find herself at a disadvantage or outmatched like she was against that damn insect Demoid. Till now, she was still haunted by the fact that it would have been her loss if the Demoid was truly aiming for her life. Now that she had time to breathe and recall her fight, she realised the Demoid was better than her and if it wasn¡¯t inhibited by some stupid reason, she would have died. As much as she hated to admit it, she could never reattain her title as the Sword Saint without being high-level. Level gaps mattered less in low levels but the higher levels went, the more the difference in levels would matter. She could not keep relying on her skills topensate for the level difference. Aside from the Covenant, she also had the Venerers to worry about now. The leader regent of the Venerers, Lucan, had a terrible character ording to Rigetta. Though his ego was huge and his personality was tripe, his skills were unquestionable. He was impulsive but he was no fool. His level was in the mid-range of the sixties thest time Rigetta had investigated him and that was nearly a year ago. ¡°By now, he would at least be in thete sixties or the early seventies,¡± Erin mused the words Rigetta had told her. Erin sighed and readjusted her ruffled garments. Shebed her long white hair unfussily and stroked her tails softly before walking off the courtyard. The path leading back to the manor wasid with myriad colours of flowers by the sides. They were all flowers that Erin had never seen before and they all appeared to be favourites of the Spirits as they swarmed these flowers. If she used her Spirit Sight, she could easily hurt her gaze from staring directly at the flowers, not that it would hurt her in actuality. ¡°Good afternoon, mdy,¡± greeted Cassius the moment Erin came through the manor¡¯s grand entrance of double doors. He was standing by the entrance, waiting and holding a tray of sandwiches and a ss of fruit juice. ¡°Afternoon,¡± Erin greeted back in kind. ¡°What about the others?¡± ¡°Lady Nivia and Lady Lilian are still in the library. The rest have yet to return and the lord is still nowhere to be found, mdy.¡± Erin tutted. ¡°I¡¯m sure nothing¡¯s happening between¡ª¡± Erin discontinued Cassius'' words with a sidelong re. ¡°Pardon me, mdy. I have misspoken.¡± Erin took a slice of sandwich and gulped down half of it in a single bite. ¡°Any news from the Guild?¡± ¡°None, mdy.¡± Erin sighed and finished the sandwich with the second bite. ¡°I¡¯m sure it won¡¯t be long now, mdy.¡± Erin shrugged and took the fruit juice from the tray. ¡°Though not from the Guild, there¡¯s a letter for you, mdy,¡± Cassius said and took out a letter from his vest pocket while holding the tray with a single hand. ¡°Who is it from?¡± Erin asked as she downed the fruit juice in one gulp. cing the ss back on the tray, she took the letter into her hand. ¡°It did not say. Only your name is on the cover of the letter, mdy. It¡¯s safe, mdy. I have personally checked it.¡± ¡°Well, I haven¡¯t.¡± Erin flipped the letter, shook it, and sniffed the edges. ¡°Ah, I see.¡± ¡°Did you find something, mdy?¡± ¡°Scented oil. Who would use scented oil?¡± ¡°Nobles, mdy.¡± ¡°Ah, figures. So it¡¯s her.¡± Erin chuckled inwardly and cut the envelope open with her nails. Her nails were naturally sharp due to her being a Fox-kin. She unfolded the letter and her quick-moving gaze devoured the contents of the letter in no time at all. ¡°House Valdrun?¡± Cassius gasped upon seeing the seal on the corner of the letter. ¡°Is that real, mdy?¡± ¡°As real as it can be,¡± Erin answered dryly and crumpled the paper in her hand. By inducing Mana into the paper, the wrinkles became tears and eventually, the letter became a hundred pieces of trash. ¡°I have been invited for a luncheon tomorrow by the High Lady of House Valdrun.¡± ¡°I-I see, mdy.¡± ¡°Prepared a fitting dress that won¡¯t hinder mybat abilities.¡± ¡°It shall be done, mdy. Would that be all?¡± Erin nodded. ¡°Shall we prepare a bath for you, mdy?¡± Erin raised an eyebrow. Though she wasn¡¯t new to such treatment, she was still unustomed to it. She even felt bad for the servants¡¯ extreme considerations. ¡°That would be lovely, Cassius. Thank you.¡± Cassius bowed in response and took his leave. His shouts could be heard from the hall he disappeared into, ordering the servants to quickly prepare a hot bath for Erin. ¡°Now, where the hell are you, Aedan?¡± Erin muttered to herself as she nced around the reception hall of the manor. It wasn¡¯t asrge as the mansion of the nobles she had been to when she was Argon Raze but the architecture of this manor was superior. ¡°Lady Erin.¡± Erin jumped and spun around with her spell sword already in hand but she stopped her swing when she realised who it was. ¡°Olivia?¡± ¡°I apologise, mdy, but His Grace insisted that I tried to¡­ surprise you.¡± Erin rolled her eyes. ¡°Of course, he would.¡± ¡°His Grace wishes to speak with you.¡± ¡°What a coincidence. Me too,¡± Erin retorted. ¡°Where the hell is he?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll show you the way, mdy.¡± ¡°Not now,¡± Erin stopped her. ¡°Tell him to wait. I¡¯lle after I take my bath.¡± ¡°That would be quite a long wait, mdy.¡± ¡°He. Deserves. It,¡± Erin said with a smile that didn¡¯t reach her eyes. 4-34 The Sunderer 4-34 The Sunderer A fragrant flowery scent that brought along a wave offort and serene was left in her wake as she ambled down the hallway in nothing but her bathrobe. She had just finished taking her bath and was heading straight to Aedan, being led by Olivia. Her hair was still damp and so were her tails. The maids had offered to dry her hair and tails but she had gracefully declined their aid as she liked the feeling when the mellow breeze brushed past her damp hair and fur. There was also another reason that she kept her hair and tails damp. The servants were giving Erin inquisitive gazes as they passed by her. They could not figure out for what purposes theirdy would walk around in such a manner. Erin could hear their spections that were bordering discourtesy but she paid none of them any heed. She chuckled inwardly to their wondrous imaginations as she sauntered behind Olivia¡¯s lead. ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± Olivia said upon arriving outside of a room that didn¡¯t look any different from the rooms in the corridor. ¡°What is this room?¡± Erin asked, looking around with a focused gaze but she still could make any distinction. ¡°His Grace¡¯s workshop,¡± Olivia answered and knocked on the door. ¡°Why do you address him with ¡®Grace¡¯? Don¡¯t you use that for high-ranking clergies?¡± ¡°He¡¯s not just an Apostle or an Arch Priest. He¡¯s the heir. Addressing him as ¡®Grace¡¯ is more than fitting for him.¡± ¡°I suppose so¡­¡± Erin muttered in response with a shrug. ¡°Hmm¡­ His Grace must be busy,¡± Olivia said after receiving no response from the other side of the door. ¡°Unbelievable,¡± Erin scoffed and forced herself into the room before Olivia could stop her. The door creaked loudly as it was swung open with force. The floor nks creaked just as loud when Erin stepped into the room. ¡°Mdy, that was ungracious and crass of you,¡± Olivia chided, entering the room after Erin. ¡°He disappeared on everyone and then he suddenly asked for me hourster. Now he¡¯s trying to make me stand around and wait outside the room? He should be grateful that I did not turn the door into splinters.¡± ¡°In his defence, you did make him wait for half an hour.¡± ¡°I was sweaty. I needed a bath. My reasons were valid.¡± Olivia smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t think His Grace would mind if you came here straight away without taking a bath.¡± Erin frowned. ¡°What kind of man had I fallen for¡­? Hmm, well, I''m in no position to say that considering I would also not mind if Lyra or Siv came up to me all sweaty.¡± The two trod further into the room and found Aedan holed up in a corner. He was parked behind a table that was piled up with various tools and trinkets. The most notable object on the table was a rusty iron sword which seemed to be the subject of Aedan¡¯s focus and study as he scribbled away on pages after pages with his gazes bouncing between the book and the sword. Erin raised an eyebrow at the rusty iron sword. It was the sword that she bought from the town of Green Scar at a whim. She hadter given this peculiar sword to Aedan in return for him giving her a silver-steel sabre when they were in The Singrity. ¡°Your Grace, Erin¡¯s here,¡± Olivia announced after clearing her throat with a fake cough. ¡°Obviously,¡± Aedan retorted dryly without sparing them a nce. Erin clenched her fist to gather her patience. Olivia simply bowed and promptly took her leave, leaving Erin and Aedan the only ones in the room. ¡°What the fuck have you been doing?¡± Erin asked. ¡°I looked for you everywhere but I could not find you the whole morning. You¡¯re here, in such an obvious ce but I couldn''t sense your presence until I walked up to the door.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a Mind Magic spell. Something like hypnosis where you wouldn¡¯t think to look here or register my presence until the caster of the spell allows it.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re the caster?¡± ¡°I cast this spell, aye, but it was a long time ago.¡± ¡°Itsted this long?¡± Aedan stopped scribbling and gave Erin a nce over his shoulder. ¡°I was capable of a lot of things, sweetheart.¡± ¡°Not anymore,¡± Erin said. ¡°Your level is sixty now and most of your Arcane Arts are suppressed, including your precious Spatial Magic.¡± ¡°I know myself well, Erin, which is why I have already given everything I have in the Vault spell over to Olivia¡¯s Infinite Pouch.¡± Erin narrowed her gaze in response. She walked over to Aedan¡¯s side, shoved away some stuff on the table, and sat right on the cleared space. She made sure her tails wouldn¡¯t be in anyone¡¯s way. ¡°How are you doing?¡± she asked with a scoff. ¡°I¡¯m doing well?¡± ¡°Truly?¡± ¡°Why the doubt? Were you hoping that I would be wallowing in self-pity?¡± ¡°Sort of. Seeing you being in a mess does make for a charming sight.¡± Aedan chuckled. ¡°You are terrible, Erin.¡± ¡°And you are any different? I¡¯m sure you would love to see me in a mess or in a dishevelled state too.¡± ¡°I already have. And this appearance¡­ it¡¯s very arousing," he said, eyeing her damp hair, skin, and tails with scrutiny. "Were you hoping that I''ll be down in the dumps and this licentious appearance of yours would cheer me up?¡± Erin turned away and clicked her tongue. Her tails were wagging rigidly and her ears were twitching stiffly. She wanted to lie her way through but her tails and ears were already giving her away. She sighed and answered honestly. ¡°Yes, that was my intention¡­¡± Aedan grinned. He rose from his chair and plunged himself into Erin¡¯s bountiful chest, which Erin reciprocated by embracing him. ¡°Thank you, Erin. You¡¯re making me feel bad for being inconsiderate.¡± ¡°d I¡¯m making you feel something.¡± ¡°You¡¯re always making me feel something, Erin.¡± Aedan crept up from her bosom and began to brush his lips around her neck and cor. Her loose bathrobe made it easier for Aedan to deepen his advances. Erin stopped him before he could shed her robe. ¡°We¡¯re not doing it here,¡± Erin said despite having her face flushed with heat and passion. ¡°I see your control over Lust is getting better.¡± ¡°And the temptations are also getting stronger.¡± Aedan eyed Erin up and down. ¡°It sure is.¡± Erin sighed. ¡°What do you call me here for?¡± ¡°If I said I just wanted to see you, would you believe me?¡± ¡°No,¡± Erin answered without hesitation. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, you would havee to me yourself.¡± ¡°What if I was busy?¡± ¡°You would havee to me regardless.¡± Aedan scoffed. ¡°Aren¡¯t you being a little too presumptuous and a tad vain?¡± ¡°Am I?¡± Erin returned the question, caressing Aedan¡¯s cheek and jaws with her delicate fingers. Her fingers moved down to his neck and shoulder, lightly scraping his skin with her nails. ¡°You really are worthy of being the Apostle of Lust.¡± Aedan threw his hands up. ¡°I confess, you are right on the mark.¡± Erin chuckled and distanced herself slightly away from Aedan. She had to as she wasn¡¯t confident she could resist jumping on Aedan for much longer with him being so close to her. She steeled herself and asked the important question. ¡°You called me here because there¡¯s something you want to show me. I¡¯m guessing it has something to do with that sword?¡± ¡°I made a breakthrough of sorts.¡± ¡°Of sorts? Specify?¡± ¡°The spell used to seal this sword has traces of divinity.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Can¡¯t say I¡¯m surprised considering it even eluded your Appraisal.¡± ¡°And it¡¯s not just any divinity, it has Aeryo¡¯s divinity among many others.¡± Erin¡¯s brows shot up. ¡°The spell is the work of many Divines?¡± ¡°It would seem so.¡± ¡°If these many Divines are involved¡­ does this mean this sword is something that could threaten the Divines?¡± ¡°Very likely.¡± ¡°But why would they leave such a thing unguarded and unwatched?¡± ¡°But it worked, didn¡¯t it? No one would ever think such an item would be in such a ce.¡± ¡°Well, I found it, didn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°You¡¯re different. You¡¯re an unknown variable as how the schr would most likely put it.¡± ¡°If this sword is something this significant, maybe we should not be trying to undo the spell lest we attract unwanted attention.¡± ¡°I agree, which is why I¡¯m nning to bury it in the backyard.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that raise suspicion if someone stumbled upon it by some amazing chance?¡± ¡°Suspicions would be raised regardless since I have been tinkering with it. A mark has been left. Hiding this sword in the Grove is the safest bet.¡± ¡°What do you think this sword actually is?¡± Erin asked. ¡°Curious?¡± Aedan wrapped the sword with a cloth and tied it up with blue strings. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t anyone be? Unless of course¡­ you already had a good inkling of what the sword might be?¡± ¡°There¡¯s only so few items in this world that would make the Divines be this paranoid. Three items, to be precise.¡± ¡°And you know what these three items are?¡± Aedan wrapped the sword in anotheryer of cloth and wrapped it up with the same blue strings. ¡°I know what two of them are. The third is still a mystery.¡± Erin¡¯s eyes began to sparkle. ¡°Tell me,¡± she said. With the sword all bundled up, Aedan let it rest against the table as he plopped onto the chair with a long heave. ¡°There¡¯s the Hollow Essence and the Sunderer.¡± ¡°Before I ask for the details, who named these things?¡± Aedan shrugged. ¡°Haven¡¯t a clue.¡± ¡°Hollow Essence¡­ I can¡¯t even guess what it is from the name itself.¡± ¡°It¡¯s an insentient living essence that exists in a material state between air and water. It responds to the host¡¯s wishes and whims.¡± ¡°Sounds eerie but I don¡¯t see what the fuss is about.¡± ¡°The Hollow Essence is something unrestrained by the System.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°No one knows about its origin, only that the System has no hold over it. It has a lot of benefits but the most significant one is the nullification of the level difference. This means if a level one individual possesses the Hollow Essence, they could potentially use it to kill a level eighty individual. If it¡¯s wielded by a high-level individual, killing the gods would even be a possibility.¡± ¡°And who has this Hollow Essence now?¡± ¡°It¡¯s currently in possession of the Ruvans.¡± ¡°Oh, dear¡­ That¡¯s not good.¡± ¡°Well,st I heard, their goddess forbade them from using it under any circumstances. They are merely safekeeping it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not convinced.¡± ¡°Well, as I have said. Last I heard. Who knows what has changed.¡± ¡°And this Sunderer, what¡¯s the story?¡± Aedan tapped the bundle of cloth beside him. ¡°This sword might be the Sunderer.¡± ¡°Sunderer¡­ sword¡­ Sounds appropriate but what makes it special?¡± ¡°The expression of a double-edged de being taken extremely literal. The user will suffer the same wound, the same cut, as the one they inflicted on their victim.¡± ¡°...That sounds like a deadly joke.¡± ¡°It is. It doesn¡¯t matter who the wielder is, they will receive the wound they inflict on their victim without exception.¡± ¡°Even the Divines?¡± Aedan nodded. ¡°Even the Divines. And that¡¯s not all there is to it.¡± ¡°Of course, it isn¡¯t.¡± ¡°The de is made of the rarest and most powerful metal in existence. It¡¯s forged by Hyphon, the Smith God, using the mes of the Dragon God, Aeryo. The metal is the amalgamation of Obsidian Steel, Aetherite, and White Silver.¡± ¡°Aetherite?¡± ¡°A type of metal found only in the Divine¡¯s Realm or so I have heard from Aeryo. As for White Silver¡ª¡± ¡°I know what that is. Siv had told me. It¡¯s a very poisonous metal that could kill someone just from the smell alone.¡± ¡°And the White Silver within the Sunderer is made more potent with the presence of Aetherite. The Sunderer can¡¯t cut through everything as your Mystic de could. However, it can kill a Divine if you manage to cut them. Cuts made by the Sunderer never fully heal.¡± ¡°Such a nasty sword¡­¡± Erin muttered, staring at the bundle of cloth by Aedan¡¯s side. ¡°Yet, you¡¯re staring at it like it¡¯s the greatest treasure you have ever discovered.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a sword after all. In spite of its history and purpose, I am still curious about how it would feel in my hands.¡± ¡°You have a very dangerous-looking gaze right now, Erin.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t help it, Aedan. The sword has been my life for a long time.¡± ¡°Allow me to change that,¡± Aedan said and stood up, standing in between the sword and Erin. ¡°I¡¯m going to change that thought of yours.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not doing it here, Aedan.¡± Despite saying so, her tails and ears were already wagging in anticipation and glee. Spoiler Hi, Cliff. [copse] 4-35 Interlude 4-35 Interlude ¡°P-please¡­ s-spare me¡­¡± begged a muscr man who was on his knees, at his wits¡¯ end. He had been the undefeated champion of the underground fighting ring, garnering consecutive wins with only his fists and agility. He had been the reigning victor for five years but today marked the end of his reign and also his life. Standing before the kneeling former champion of the ring was a thin and frail-looking man with barely any meat to his bones. Yet, he was exuding an imposing presence and an overwhelming aura. His presence and aura were made ever greater when he defeated the supposed champion of the fighting ring. The thin man sneered at the muscr man¡¯s pleas. ¡°Please, h-have mercy¡­ I have a family¡­¡± The thin man snorted with a sneer. ¡°Why the fuck do you think I care?¡± he said and pivoted his body into a roundhouse kick, bursting the muscr man into a stter of blood, bone, flesh, and matter. There was no audience for this fight as it was held abruptly. One had issued a sudden challenge to the other due to his boredom and the challenged epted the fight, thinking the challenger was just a fool that was in over his head. The challenged soon came to know the truth was quite the contrary and the realisation came toote. ¡°What a disappointment,¡± the victor of this offhand fight muttered exasperatedly and plopped right down on the floor. ¡°Only a level sixty-five and he dares to unt his strength and abilities like he¡¯s the mightiest¡­ Are there only delusional individuals in this city?¡± ¡°You¡¯re simply too strong, Rex,¡± said a man with golden hair and a thick beard that was concealing his weak chin, who emerged from the darkness outside of the fighting ring. ¡°You¡¯re over level eighty, for god¡¯s sake.¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t even put up a good fight. He was just a fare to his level. It doesn¡¯t feel that much different from fighting an Undead. Hell, I bet an Undead of the same level would give me more of a challenge.¡± ¡°An Undead of level sixty-five will be of great concern. Please don¡¯t even joke about that, Rex.¡± Rex tutted. ¡°What do you want, Rn? What brings the Lord Viceroy of this city to personallye and talk to me?¡± ¡°Marduk is ignoring my request for an audience.¡± ¡°I wonder why. So, why are you here?¡± ¡°Your friend, Varus. I¡¯m sure you have already heard about his¡­ circumstances?¡± ¡°How can I not have heard about it? It¡¯s all everyone¡¯s talking about in the Covenant.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re not concerned?¡± ¡°About what?¡± ¡°Varus was incapacitated. What do you think that means?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a high-level individual in the city?¡± ¡°And a witness to one of your operations is in the hands of the Guild. What¡¯s Marduk even doing right now?¡± ¡°Not my problem and neither is it yours.¡± ¡°And what if the individual who defeated Varus finds out the truth about all of these, what if they find out about my arrangement with your¡­ faction?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know and I don¡¯t particrly care. Marduk¡¯s not saying anything. That means he already has a n in motion.¡± ¡°Is that truly so?¡± Rn questioned with a scoff. ¡°You doubt me?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you and Marduk just scared? Isn¡¯t that why he suddenlymands you toy low instead of being out there, looking for the one who did that to your friend?¡± Rex chortled and bounced to his feet. ¡°I may not be as smart as Marduk or Varus, but I¡¯m not as dumb as you so desperately believe, Lord Viceroy. If anyone¡¯s scared right now, it¡¯s you.¡± ¡°Bollocks.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who has the most to lose should things intensify. Not me or the Covenant. I know what you are trying to do.¡± Rn gulped. ¡°But it ain¡¯t going to happen. I love fighting a good fight but this is a fight that I would rather avoid. I don¡¯t doubt my victory but¡­ I¡¯m pretty sure I would be tremendously weakened after that fight. Who knows what people like you would do at that moment?¡± Rn¡¯s face contorted with shame and anger. ¡°How dare¡ª¡± ¡°How dare I insult the Lord Viceroy? Why wouldn¡¯t I dare to? Who¡¯s going to stop me? Your secret guards that aren¡¯t exactly a secret?¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°I may not have hyper cognition abilities like Varus but I know who you are and what you are, Rn. Deep down in your heart, you¡¯re a coward. You won¡¯t go anywhere without your guards.¡± ¡°I¡¯m here alone, am I not?¡± Rex chuckled and flicked his palm. In the next second, a fully armoured individual appeared between Rn and Rex, deflecting an invisible projectile flying toward Rn. ¡°Ah, yes. The infamous Shadow Knights. It¡¯s funny. For a secret knight order, it¡¯s infamous. The irony is just so¡­ huge.¡± ¡°You dare mock me despite knowing about my Shadow Knights. Do you believe you can win against a group of them all at once?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe I can win. I know I can win.¡± ¡°Such arrogance¡­¡± ¡°Such cowardice. Hiding behind your knights.¡± Rn growled furiously and snapped his fingers. Three more Shadow Knights made their appearance and the four of them surrounded Rex from all sides. ¡°Marduk isn¡¯t going to be pleased with this.¡± ¡°What? Don¡¯t tell me you n on crying to Marduk after you lose now, are you?¡± ¡°Are you?¡± Rex retorted with a smirk. Rn waved his hand and the Shadow Knights made their move, drawing their swords out of thin air. ¡°This is all it took to garner your ire? What do you hope to achieve by doing this? Say you win, what happens then? You may not want to admit it but Marduk might have a smaller army but he has a stronger army and that¡¯s not even taking me into ount. Aside from the Shadow Knights, the soldiers in Sephrodia Valley are shams. They are mostly sycophants of no true strength or sons of noble houses that got where they are through their family¡¯s rtions.¡± ¡°All I¡¯m hearing is that you are afraid of losing, Rex. Are you finished?¡± Rex sighed. ¡°Marduk isn¡¯t going to like this but consider yourself warned. I won¡¯t be holding back.¡± ¡°Neither will my Shadow Knights. Attack, but don¡¯t kill him.¡± The Shadow Knights sprang at their lord¡¯smand. The tattoo around Rex¡¯s right forearm glowed and a shockwave pulsed out radially, throwing the four lunging knights back. Rex guffawed and lunged at the Shadow Knight in front of him first. The knight saw Rex¡¯s rapid approach and quickly recovered its bearings. The knight swung its sword at the charging Rex. The knight¡¯s de was inches away from carving into his head but an ethereal shield manifested in-between moments before the steel found flesh as the tattoo around Rex¡¯s right upper arm glowed. The knight¡¯s sword bounced off the shield and the shield disappeared. Disoriented by the rebound, the knight was sent flying across the room by Rex¡¯s punch. The remaining three knights rushed towards Rex urgently after recovering theirposure from the unexpected attack. Rex turned around with a triumphant grin and this time, the tattoos all over his right arm glowed in tandem. The Shadow Knights stopped abruptly in their tracks as if time had ceased to flow for them. ¡°What the¡ª What did you do!?¡± Rn cried. ¡°With such quality and magnificent gears, no doubt your Shadow Knights would stand a chance against me. However, none of them knows what I¡¯m capable of.¡± Rex shifted his scornful gaze to Rn. ¡°Do you, Lord Viceroy?¡± ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be hopeless in Magic Arts. How were you able to¡ª¡± ¡°As I have said, you know nothing about me. You only knew. You do not know. Simple as that.¡± Rn balled his hands into fists and clenched them tightly. ¡°Tell me, what or who¡¯s to stop me from punching your head off your neck right this instance? Your incapacitated Shadow Knights? Your superficial authority as the Lord Viceroy of Sephrodia Valley?¡± ¡°The displeasure of Marduk,¡± Rn said, reluctantly. Rex sighed with a chuckle. ¡°Why are all the ruling nobles so spineless? How do you even be a viceroy?¡± ¡°...You made your point, Rex. Let us end this like civilised men, alright?¡± The glow on Rex¡¯s arm faded and the Shadow Knights regained their freedom of their body movements. ¡°Let this be your lesson. If you can¡¯t get the attention of the better one, don¡¯t settle for less,¡± Rex said and took his leave with none of the Shadow Knights moving to stop him. ¡°Damn you, Marduk¡­ Damn you¡­¡± Rn muttered infuriatingly through his gritted teeth. **** Lucan made his way up the short flight of steps and kneeled on one knee halfway up on the altar. The intricate engraving on the altar¡¯s tform glowed radiantly in dazzling gold. An ethereal figure was gradually forming from the strands of lights emitted from the radiant glow. The light strands morphed into the figure of a woman seemingly in her prime with a lithe yet ample figure, and she was in the middle of donning her garments. However, the woman in question did not seem to mind. ¡°Commander Aza,¡± Lucan lowered his head. ¡°Lucan. There are still three days before the appointed time for your report. What¡¯s the urgency?¡± asked themander of the Venerers in a very chilling voice. ¡°We have faced grave opposition from another faith.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t we always?¡± Aza scoffed. ¡°What¡¯s different about this one?¡± ¡°Saril was utterly defeated by this Apostle. She ims her assant was an Aeryon Apostle.¡± ¡°An Apostle of a dead god managed to win against an Acolyte of a prominent Divine? What are you doing, Lucan?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Commander. I don¡¯t quite get¡ª¡± ¡°An Apostle of a dead god is no different than a faithless individual. Saril was basically defeated by a person of no faith. Do you still not get the meaning behind my words, Lucan?¡± ¡°I understand now, Commander.¡± ¡°Why did this Apostle attack our own in the first ce?¡± ¡°From Saril¡¯s testimony alone, she was trying to apprehend a band of suspicious adventurers. They were a group of two humans, two Fae, and a Beast-kin. All of them were girls. She was stopped by the Aeryon Apostle, who¡¯s a female Augur. The Augur imed the misfit group to be Aeryon Acolytes. To be precise, the Fae were an Elf and a Dryad.¡± ¡°An Elf and a Dryad are Acolytes of a Faith? Do you think that¡¯s possible, Lucan?¡± ¡°It¡¯s rare but not unprecedented. There was a Ruvan Elven priestess in Quinteburgh.¡± ¡°What¡¯s even rarer is that a Beastkin is in the same party with Fae. Last I heard, they were unspoken sworn enemies.¡± ¡°As I have said, misfits.¡± ¡°They do sound like a suspicious bunch. They are deserving of our scrutiny. Are they currently under our scrutiny?¡± ¡°...No, they aren¡¯t,mander.¡± ¡°Why are they not?¡± ¡°We couldn¡¯t find them. We asked around but there had been no Aeryon Temples in the city since the death of Aeryo. We checked all the ces they were sighted by the locals but there was nothing. We don¡¯t know where else to look for now but we are trying our best.¡± ¡°Try better, Lucan. Anything else to report?¡± ¡°It¡¯s regarding the activities of the Covenant. Their experiments with Demons are making frightening progress. They have sessfully created Demons out of humans with their minds and sanity intact. Furthermore, they seemed to be less susceptible to Holy Magic. They are called Demoids.¡± ¡°Demoids¡­ How are they creating them?¡± ¡°We weren¡¯t able to gather any knowledge about that. Every apprehended Demoids died the moment they were forced to talk. Most likely the ones responsible are constantly observing them. The city officials weren¡¯t entirely helpful either.¡± ¡°Exin.¡± ¡°They¡¯re slow and they keep making mistakes.¡± ¡°Do you know what that means, Lucan?¡± ¡°How could I not? They are colluding with the Covenant but we have no solid evidence. If we attack them as it is, they¡¯ll turn the people against us.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for evidence, Lucan. There are other ways to hurt them without the need for evidence. So, listen well.¡± ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± 4-36 Mesmerise 4-36 Mesmerise [Experience gained +20% - Level Progression: 50%] With an unbridled pleasure ripping through her body, Erin achieved her climax as Aedan poured a heavy stream of his seed into her womanly cavern. Her body shuddered uncontrobly in Aedan¡¯s embrace from the feeling of ecstasy spreading across her body. Her face warped with glee and a slight tinge of regret. When the rapture of her carnal endeavour receded enough for her senses to return, she hesitantly pushed Aedan away and crawled off the table she was being humped vigorously on. She took a piece of cloth hanging on a bar by the wall and cleaned up the fluids that were leaking incessantly from her snatch. She was doing so with trembling hands and legs. She could barely hold the cloth properly. Aedan offered to help but Erin waved him away. Aedan took no offence to the rejection and merely smiled at his lover¡¯s stubbornness. He pulled out a chair from under the table and sat on it after he pulled up his pants. His upper body was still bare but he showed no intention of covering himself up. ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s enough for you?¡± Aedan asked, chuckling. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from you,¡± Erin retorted, finishing wiping herself clean of Aedan¡¯s remnants. ¡°You¡¯re as vigorous as ever despite having lost so many levels. I¡¯m still feeling numb on the hips.¡± Aedan shrugged. ¡°My level has nothing to do with my sexual prowess. I don¡¯t like cheating in the arts of the bedroom.¡± ¡°You¡¯re joking¡­¡± Aedan shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not. I¡¯m just that¡­ passionate, shall we say? Especially if I¡¯m doing it with someone I love.¡± Erin rolled her eyes and proceeded tob her hair with her fingers. ¡°You know, Lyra and Siv had repeatedly requested me to ask you if you¡¯refortable with¡­ fucking them, for ack of a better word.¡± Aedan raised an eyebrow. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t they be asking you if you¡¯refortable with it?¡± ¡°I have already given my consent.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care if they go and fornicate with other women, as long as it isn¡¯t a man.¡± Aedan pointed at himself. ¡°But am I not a man?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I don¡¯t know,¡± Erin sneered and mounted herself on hisp. She brought her hands to his cheeks, rubbing her fingers across his face. ¡°I simply don¡¯t feel the revulsion I felt for other men when I¡¯m being this intimate with you. It¡¯s strange¡­ Just what makes you so different.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just that charming?¡± ¡°Maybe. So, are youfortable with bringing those two to bed?¡± ¡°Are you?¡± ¡°I am, as long as it¡¯s you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not afraid that I¡¯ll steal them from you?¡± Erin simpered. ¡°They are my woman as much as I¡¯m theirs. You¡¯re mine as much as I¡¯m yours. There can be no stealing if it¡¯s a mutual possession, to begin with. And lest you forget, I am the Apostle of Lust. What makes you think you can do better?¡± Aedan tittered. ¡°You are going to be the death of me¡­ Maybe that¡¯s why I¡¯m attracted to you¡­¡± Erin¡¯s smile dropped. ¡°And what are you implying with those grave words of yours?¡± ¡°I-it¡¯s nothing.¡± Erin narrowed her gaze. ¡°The hell it is. Tell me.¡± ¡°Erin, I¡ª¡± Erin cut him off with a backhand to his face. ¡°Ow¡­¡± ¡°Tell me.¡± Aedan just smiled wryly. ¡°It¡¯s better that you¡ª¡± Erin¡¯s tails fluttered and flourished behind her as they glowed a faint cyan. ¡°Tell me,¡± she asked once more but with Mesmerise, a spell under Mystic Tail Arts. Aedan grimaced. His mouth opened but then he quickly closed it shut before any damning word could be uttered. ¡°D-damn it¡­¡± he cursed. ¡°This is¡­ not fair, Erin¡­¡± ¡°You forced me to, Aedan. Thank the stars your level is now low, or else this would have never worked. Tell me, Aedan. What are you hiding from me?¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Erin gave a warm smile that did not reach her cold-gazing eyes. ¡°I¡­ I¡­ I wanted to die.¡± Erin frowned. ¡°You wanted to die?¡± ¡°But that¡¯s in the past. I no longer feel that way.¡± ¡°Why would you even¡ª¡± ¡°You have Revenant and you have already experienced death quite a few times. Me? Imagine your experience but at a thousandfold. Won¡¯t you desire the same thing as I had?¡± Erin dispelled Mesmerise and cast her gaze down. ¡°I suppose I would¡­ I didn¡¯t know¡­ To me, you were¡­ perfect. You were invincible. Nothing could overwhelm you. You were a mountain that I could never even hope to pass. That¡¯s what you were to me¡­ I felt guilty for feeling a tad happy when your level was lowered. I¡ª¡± ¡°Are you disillusioned with me now?¡± ¡°Of course, not. But all this time¡­ you have been wanting to die?¡± Erin¡¯s eyes wandered to the neatly wrapped sword leaning against the table. ¡°Is that what you¡¯re intending to do with the Sunderer?¡± ¡°No, Erin.¡± ¡°Truly?¡± ¡°Truly. Ever since I saved you from the Singrity, I have changed my mind.¡± ¡°And what made you change your mind?¡± ¡°I saved you. Well, I helped you. And¡­ it felt good. Knowing that you came out of that pit in one piece and breathing and seeded at your venture because of my aid, it felt good. It felt very good. You smiled at me when you thanked me. At that moment, I told myself this is what I¡¯ll be missing if I¡¯m dead and I¡¯ll be dying with a heart filled with regrets. I know confessions like these are trite but it¡¯s the truth. By helping you, I saved myself from a very foolish and dark thought.¡± Erin broke into an exasperated smile with a relieved sigh. ¡°Does Iris know about this?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe so but I reckon she has some unfounded suspicions. If she did know, she would have people constantly observing my every move.¡± ¡°She loves you.¡± ¡°Do you think she¡¯ll still feel the same if I wasn¡¯t good in bed or if I wasn¡¯t secretly one of the strongest mortals in existence?¡± ¡°I believe she will still feel the same. She truly loves you.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you just confident? Well, if you think that way, who am I to say otherwise?¡± ¡°Is there anyone else who knows about your¡­ suicidal thoughts?¡± ¡°Josh.¡± ¡°Josh? He knew?¡± Aedan nodded. ¡°He¡¯s actually assisting in my efforts too.¡± ¡°He endorses your suicidal thoughts? Instead of talking you out of it, he inmed it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not as bad as it sounds, Erin. I know what you¡¯re thinking but it¡¯s not like that. He¡¯s simply¡­ indifferent to the oue. He¡¯s doing it because I¡¯m paying him to. He¡¯s a businessman, an impartial party.¡± ¡°How sure are you?¡± ¡°Completely sure.¡± Erin sighed and slumped forward, wrapping Aedan in her embrace. ¡°You stupid bastard¡­ You fucking idiot¡­¡± she grumbled as she tightened the embrace more and more. ¡°Erin¡­ you¡¯re going to fracture my bones at this rate¡­¡± ¡°I won¡¯t, not if I discover you are hiding another big secret from me¡­ Are you?¡± ¡°Um¡­ There is one secret¡­¡± Erin tightened her embrace further. Aedan groaned. ¡°It¡¯s about Marduk¡­¡± he struggled to say. Erin loosened her embrace. ¡°He¡¯s a past acquaintance of sorts?¡± Aedan chuckled. ¡°Closer than that actually¡­ He¡¯s more than an acquaintance and friend. Not quite family. It¡¯s a long story.¡± ¡°Make it short.¡± ¡°Well¡­ I had just been reborn, reincarnated. It was after my death at the hands of my former pupil, the second summoned hero. The war with the Demons had just recentlye to an end. I was reincarnated into the body of a human child, well I looked human, not that I''m truly was one. And Marduk¡­ he found me. He took me in and raised me despite knowing full well what I am. Well, he doesn¡¯t know I¡¯m a Dragon but he knows that I¡¯m not what my appearance suggests but he raised me all the same.¡± ¡°The mastermind and the leader of thergest criminal faction in the world, him? Raising you? Why would he do that?¡± ¡°He was a simple farmer with a family but he lost his whole family to the war. His friends were all dead too. When he found me, he didn¡¯t care what I was inside. He just took me in and treated me like a friend and family. I was just a child. It was hard to find money with the body of a child without raising cain." "Raising cain?" "It means to make chaos, trouble." "Oh." "Well, as I was saying... I was grateful for what he did. As gratitude, I told him my tale and shared my past exploits, experiences, and achievements.¡± ¡°Why would you tell a stranger all of that?¡± ¡°I was at my lowest point, Erin. I didn¡¯t even want to be reincarnated. I failed at setting my precious pupil down the right path. I wanted someone to talk to and it was just a coincidence that it was Marduk.¡± ¡°Speaking of Marduk, was that his real name?¡± ¡°His real name¡¯s actually Kudram. I believe his ancestors hailed from the south.¡± ¡°Kudram¡­ Marduk¡­¡± Erin mused. ¡°He merely flipped his name.¡± ¡°It¡¯s quite fitting considering his personality and his perspective of life was flipped. He was just a humble peasant one could find anywhere but he absorbed all of my tales with vehemence and conviction. My tales must have sparked something in him. I thought nothing of it then. My depression clouded my judgement and I justid everything bare to him. Even the great secrets that I¡¯m not supposed to tell anyone.¡± Erin pointed at the Sunderer. ¡°Like that?¡± Aedan nodded meekly. ¡°He wasn¡¯t talented in the arts ofbat or magic but he absorbed all of those knowledge all the same. As long as it was knowledge, he would just grab it indiscriminately.¡± ¡°What happened? Surely something must have happened for a simple farmer to be who he is today. Knowledge corrupted him?¡± ¡°From a certain perspective, it did seem that way. But from another perspective, maybe he never changed. He was always the way he is. He simply didn¡¯t have the means to nurture the ambition within. The knowledge I imparted on him had given him the means.¡± ¡°And you did nothing to stop him?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t even if I wanted to. You see¡­ I didn¡¯t know what he was scheming. I was¡­ wallowing in my failures and regrets. When my new body was old enough to be recognised as an adult, I left without even a farewell to him. I failed to see what he was bing. It was five years after that when I came to learn of his achievements and exploits. I knew it was him because those feats were only possible with my knowledge and he was the only one that I had ever told. I went to great lengths to confront him and two years passed when I was finally able to do so.¡± ¡°The two of you fought?¡± ¡°I had intended to kill him but I knowingly walked into a trap because I knew nothing he knew could hurt me. But his trap caught me off guard. He had opened a small portal, a mere window, to the Dark Continent, where the Demons lurked. But that was enough to let the Demons catch on to my powerful Mana. That¡¯s how I was marked by the remnants of the Demon Lord. I force-closed the portal but it was toote. I was already marked. The only way I can stop the remnants froming after me was to give up on my confrontation with Marduk. That blunder of mine nearly started another great war with the Demons but I was able to seal my powers before that could happen.¡± ¡°That¡¯s an immense amount of history you have with Marduk. When were you nning to tell me that if I hadn¡¯t forced it out of you?¡± Aedan offered a cramped smile. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I¡¯m not exactly proud of those times and I didn¡¯t want to relive that memory.¡± ¡°Unbelievable,¡± Erin scoffed and rose to her feet from Aedan¡¯sp. ¡°Are you angry, Erin?¡± ¡°If I was, I would have already stormed out of this room. Aedan¡¯s smile softened. ¡°Thank you, Erin.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t thank me just yet. I¡¯m not angry but that doesn''t mean I forgave you.¡± Aedan sighed. ¡°...Women.¡± 4-37 Tea Party I 4-37 Tea Party I Erin feasted her eyes wide at the great piece ofnd before her, spreading out beyond the horizon. She had seen thisnd from a long distance away and she had always thought it was the noble district or simply the area where the rich loitered. However, this was, in fact, a single piece ofnd, owned by a single house. Erin blinked her eyes a few times to make sure she wasn¡¯t seeing things wrong. After a few blinks, she knew there was nothing wrong with her eyesight. This vast and amazingnd was none other than the estate of the prominent House Valdrun, which was the ce she was treading into. She could enter without any issue because she was riding the carriage of House Valdrun itself, courtesy of Melissa. The invitation letter Erin received yesterday had informed her that a carriage would be prepared and waiting for her in the town square nearest to the forest. All of Erin¡¯spanions had expressed their intentions in going with her, except for Aera, but she had shot every one of them down. Her reason was that she moved faster on her own should things turn upside down and chaos makes its descent. Besides, it was better for them to stay in the Grove to continue their training and cultivate their skills. Erin had put on a ck and red gown with a high slit and a deep plunge with strings crossing the revealing parts. Dragon and Fae aesthetics were sewn onto the fabric and the lining to give prestige to the wearer and also to define Erin¡¯s alignment. She was also given a pendant of a serpent-like Dragon chasing its own tail in a circle, the Aeryon¡¯s symbol. Erin had found the carriage the moment she stepped into the town square. The carriage wasn¡¯t like the one she had imagined. The shape was different and there was no horse to pull it. She only knew this was the carriage in question due to the Valdrun Insignia engraved onto the back of the said carriage. It looked like a normal carriage from a distance but upon drawing close, there were many differing and uncanny aspects. The person waiting for Erin was the same knight who received her and herpanion on her first day in Sephrodia Valley, Sir use of House Ritus. The seasoned knight looked delighted when Erin recognised him before he was to introduce himself again. ¡°Lady Erynthea, it¡¯s been a while,¡± the knight greeted. ¡°Likewise, sir,¡± Erin returned the gesture with a faint smile. The surrounding onlookers faltered in their steps and routine when they caught a glimpse of Erin¡¯s smile, no matter how small it was. They were already training their sights on her the moment she entered the square. It was not every day they saw a Fae wandering around in this part of the city, let alone a Fox-kin with five tails. The attention was something Erin had gotten ustomed to and it would actually feel odd if no one was staring at her. ¡°Shall we go, mdy?¡± Sir use asked with an extended hand. Erin nodded and hopped onto the carriage without taking the knight¡¯s hand. She acted as if she did not notice the slight disappointment on the knight¡¯s face. The carriage began to shake once Erin had taken her seat. Spider-like legs sprouted from under the carriage and a canopy was formed over the top. At Sir use¡¯s beckon, the carriage-golem started to move. Or rather, it crawled through the streets. Judging by the passers-by''s disinterest and fleeting nces, Erin knew this wasn¡¯t something umon. However, those fleeting nces stuck around for longer when they noticed the passenger, an otherworldly beauty of a Fae. Unlike a horse carriage, the golem-carriage was able to move through the busy and lively streets of the city without being impeded by the slow-moving crowds and the flooding carriages. There were even ramp paths that were built specifically for the golem carriage¡¯s traversal. These special roads could only be used by the golem carriages as any other kind of transport would simply fall off the ramp. People shouldn¡¯t have a problem taking that path but no one did. Erin guessed it was probably prohibited by thew. The golem-carriage was a wonder of an invention, to say the least. Despite the flimsy-looking paths and the uneven roads it took, Erin barely felt any difort throughout the ride. What would have taken half a day¡¯s walk was significantly reduced to a mere one-hour journey. That was just how efficient the golem carriage was. Erin asked Sir use where she could buy one but he exined it was avable to nobles and there was a long waiting line of order. Erin¡¯s minor dismay was overturned when she bore witness to the splendour of an estate before her. Therge circr gates into the estate opened up on their own by rolling to the sides when the golem-carriage was near. The gates closed back up once the carriage was inside. Erin marvelled at the architecture of the estate. It didn¡¯t look overly intricate but one look was clear enough to everyone that the design was carved and made with the finest material by the hands of venerable masters. Erin could even feel Mana oozing off of these formations andpositions. There were many spells woven into the structures and objects, most likely for the purpose of defence against intruders and spies. When Erin nced around, Erin saw only four knights along the path the carriage was travelling on. Two stood near the gates while the other pair stood at the crossroads where a magnificent fountain was. Though only four of them, she could tell these four knights were more than enough to take on any intruders as long as they weren¡¯t Demons or Demoids. These four knights bore dull and unchanging expressions but Erin could hear the quickening of their heartbeats when they took notice of her presence. She was suspicious at first but she became at ease when she saw the Spirits meandering around the knights nonchntly. They weren¡¯t bad people at least, Erin gathered. The main manor was still some distance away, that was how big the estate was, but that wasn¡¯t where the carriage was bringing her to. ¡°We¡¯ll be stopping by the gardens, mdy,¡± Sir use upon noticing Erin¡¯s inquisitive gaze. ¡°That is where the tea party will be held.¡± Erin raised an eyebrow. ¡°A tea party?¡± ¡°Yes, a tea party. Did High Lady Melissa not mention it?¡± ¡°She merely told me she¡¯s inviting me for tea. You¡¯re saying there will be a crowd?¡± ¡°Be at ease, mdy. It¡¯s called a party only in name. It¡¯s only a small gathering of High Lady Melissa¡¯s closest and trusted friends.¡± ¡°And how many people will there be?¡± ¡°Counting the High Lady, three, mdy.¡± ¡°Only three?¡± ¡°Like I said, only in name.¡± The golem carriage stopped in front of the garden entrance was a series of arches tangled with vines and flowers. Trimmed rose bushes doubled as fences circled the entire garden. Erin could easily hop over these bushes but that would simply be boorish. ¡°This way, mdy,¡± Sir use said as he disembarked from the carriage and walked over to the entrance. He didn¡¯t bother to offer his hand this time. Erin stepped off the carriage but to others, it looked like she floated off. That was just how graceful her movement was. The gentle fluttering of her tails as she moved only added to her indisputable elegance. The nearby servants swooned as she smiled at them as some light greeting. ¡°Please refrained from doing that, mdy,¡± Sir use said as he led the way through the arches and Erin followed. ¡°Was that rude?¡± ¡°No, but¡­ your presence is already overwhelming enough. If you show them your acknowledgement, it will be too much for them. Are you perhaps not aware of your beauty, mdy?¡± ¡°I¡¯m well aware, Sir, but I did not think it would be this profound. At most, I have only ever received fervent and yearning gazes. Never have I seen anyone swooning over my beauty.¡± ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s a matter of the environment, mdy. Seeing you as a fleeting presence on a street is a very different experience from basking in your presence in one¡¯s workspace.¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s bothersome,¡± Erin muttered silently. The arches eventually came to an end and the stone pavement spread out into patches from here on. Another magnificent fountain could be seen at the crossroads ahead, which Erin wagered to be the centre of the garden. ¡°Over here, mdy,¡± Sir use called out, turning left instead of heading towards the fountain. Treading along a path of flowers of myriad colours by the sides, they came upon a pavilion where four knights stood around it. Within the pavilion, Erin saw Melissa and two other women of simr age and presumably status, sitting around a table with assortments of pastries on fancy tters. Erin couldn¡¯t use Appraisal, due to it being seen as a rude act. Erin used the Spirits instead. Erin was relieved when she saw the favourable reactions of the Spirits around the two women. One of them even had Spirits mouring around her more than usual for humans. ¡°Lady Erin!¡± eximed Melissa once she caught sight of Erin. She swiftly excused herself from her friends and trotted over to Erin. The knights had their hands on the hilt of their swords, gripping tighter and tighter the closer their mistress got to Erin. ¡°Lady Melissa,¡± Erin bowed her head. ¡°It¡¯s been a while. You look better now.¡± ¡°Thanks to you, Lady Erin,¡± Melissa said with a smile. ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Come, Lady Erin.¡± Melissa offered her hand. ¡°We¡¯ll talk under some shade and with some refreshments.¡± Erin took her hand without hesitation. Melissa let out a small squeal that most probably only Erin could hear and hastily dragged her to the pavilion like a girl who just found a new friend. ¡°Mydies, this very lovelydy here is Lady Erynthea. She and herpanions are the ones who saved me and my daughter, Aeria, from the Rune Drake.¡± The two noble women nodded at Erin with smiles that didn¡¯t seem forced. ¡°Lady Erin, these two here are my best friends, Lady Valerie and Lady Jenna.¡± Going by Melissa¡¯s hand gesture, the one on the left with pale blond hair was Lady Valerie and the one on the right with bright red hair was Lady Jenna. The two were beautiful in their own right but while Valerie had a modest chest, Erin could barely look away from Jenna¡¯s ample bosom which was nearly asrge as Lilian¡¯s. ¡°Pleasure to meet you both, mydies. You two are as gorgeous as Lady Melissa is.¡± The two women tittered at Erin¡¯s praise behind their hands. Melissa simpered. ¡°Oh, my, Lady Erin. I didn¡¯t know you regard me so highly.¡± ¡°It¡¯s simply the truth, Lady Melissa.¡± ¡°So you say, Lady Erin, but I have seen yourpanions. None of them is any less of a beauty. You are such a wicked woman, Lady Erin. Two of them are even your lovers, no?¡± Erin couldn¡¯t deny it even if she wanted to as she was sure everyone heard everything that night. Valerie and Jenna raised their brows when they heard that. They looked surprised but Erin didn¡¯t know what part they were surprised about. ¡°You are correct, Lady Melissa.¡± ¡°Oh, dear me, Lady Erin,¡± Valerie muttered. ¡°That¡¯s truly peculiar of you if you don¡¯t mind me saying so, Lady Erin.¡± ¡°Not at all, Lady Valerie,¡± Erin retorted. ¡°But may I ask what you find so peculiar about it, Lady Valerie?¡± ¡°I hope you don¡¯t find offence in my words but Fae are monogamous and you have two lovers. Won¡¯t your kin be displeased?¡± ¡°I was raised outside of the forest, Lady Valerie. I am different from most Fae.¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± Valerie nodded. ¡°But it is peculiar. You have five tails, Lady Erin. That could only mean you are regarded highly by the Spirits, more so than the average Fae despite being raised outside the forest.¡± ¡°Enough of those talks,dies.¡± Melissa¡¯s expression turned solemn. ¡°We can continue those trivial topicster. For now, there are more important things to discuss.¡± Saying so, Melissa pped her hands and a thin ethereal view formed around the pavilion. Erin could no longer hear the whispers of the winds from outside. Erin wasn¡¯t surprised. She knew the invitation wouldn¡¯t be for leisure purposes. She braced herself for the imminent heavy subject toe. ¡°Erin,¡± Melissa said. ¡°Are you an Aeryon?¡± she asked. 4-38 Tea Party II 4-38 Tea Party II Erin narrowed her gaze at Melissa¡¯s strange question. ¡°Is there a problem if I am one?¡± she asked, remaining vignt of the knights surrounding the pavilion. She saw no sign of them drawing their swords but their heartbeats quickened when the magic veil came down. ¡°You are mistaken, Erin. I meant you no ill will with that question. It¡¯s just¡­ you were seen going in and out of the ce where the Aeryeons presumably gathered.¡± ¡°And what of it?¡± ¡°It seems Lady Erin here is unaware of Aeryeon¡¯s history in Sephrodia Valley,¡± Lady Jenna said. ¡°What history?¡± ¡°Allow me to exin, Erin,¡± Melissa said and poured her a cup of tea. ¡°Before the death of the Dragon God, the Aeryeons kept the peace of this city, unofficially.¡± ¡°Unofficially?¡± ¡°The Aeryeons were righteous but they were not pretentious or arrogant. They were strong and powerful due to their Divine¡¯s blessing. They didn¡¯t go around instilling their beliefs or their justice but they rarely turned a blind eye to evildoers. Their presence alone strike fear unto those who wish to do harm. Many bandits and thugs were discouraged by the Aeryeons from continuing their uwful activities. For a time, the streets became safe and parents would let their children wander around without fear.¡± ¡°I did not know that,¡± Erin muttered. ¡°So you¡¯re not an Aeryeon?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t follow the beliefs if that¡¯s what you¡¯re asking. I am merely closely acquainted with a few followers and they treated me and mypanions as they would to their fellow faith siblings.¡± Erin gave an answer that wasn¡¯t a lie but neither the whole truth. ¡°I see¡­¡± Melissa nodded with a mischievous grin. ¡°Well, I won¡¯t pry further about that.¡± Erin cleared her throat to digress. ¡°So, what happens after?¡± ¡°When the Dragon God died, the Aeryeons became weak and many left the faith. Chaos and disorder return to the streets. The remaining Aeryeons became recluses and the small folks prayed for the day when the next Dragon God would take the Divine throne and restore order and peace to the streets like before.¡± ¡°Are the city guardspletely useless?¡± Erin scoffed. ¡°They are paid by the hour, not by their efforts,¡± Valerie said. ¡°They deem it pointless to do so much but with little to no additionalpensation. And it has only gotten worse recently. Our dear Viceroy is rumoured to be involved with some unsavoury organisations.¡± ¡°Demonic orders, some said,¡± Jenna added. ¡°Nasty dealings. It is why the Ruvan Pdins are in the city. Because of these rumours. It¡¯s terrible. Business has all been slowed due to the Pdins¡¯ constant intervention. Venerers, I believe they were called. Have you heard of them, Lady Erin?¡± ¡°I have. I have even met one of them once before.¡± ¡°Oh, dear. I hope they didn¡¯t harass you, Lady Erin.¡± ¡°They couldn¡¯t if they wanted to.¡± ¡°How valiant of you, Lady Erin.¡± Hearing praises from these seasoneddies was awakening something within Erin but she calmed herself down before the feeling blossomed into something improper. ¡°There¡¯s also the appearance of these¡­ Demoids.¡± ¡°I heard of them too,¡± Melissa gasped. ¡°Demons who act like humans, are they?¡± ¡°They are apparently humans, bandits and thugs, who are able to wield Demonic powers without losing their sanity. They are not as strong as normal Demons but still strong regardless.¡± ¡°I heard about that too,¡± Valerie chimed in. ¡°They say due to them being half-breeds, Holy Magic isn¡¯t as effective as it should be. These Demoids have sacked quite a few chapels around the city already. More chapels would have fallen if the Ruvan Pdins weren¡¯t here. The Ruvans are now using this conundrum as an opportunity to oppress the nobles. How sly of them.¡± ¡°But at least the thugs¡¯ activities have been quelled for the most part. The temple knights¡¯ presence has their merits, at least.¡± ¡°Certainly but I believe the thugs¡¯ recent indolence is mostly thanks to the work of Lady Erin here.¡± ¡°Me?¡± Erin pointed at herself. Melissa chuckled. ¡°It is the current rage around the city. Many believed it because it is the thugs themselves who started the rumour. They don¡¯t usually start rumours that paint them ck. Bad for their so-called business.¡± ¡°What kind of rumours exactly?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be coy now, Erin. Surely you have heard it too, no?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t.¡± ¡°A five-tailed Fox-kin took down Demoids all on her own. You have struck fear into those brutes¡¯ hearts. Some say you might herald to return of the Aeryeon¡¯s old glory.¡± ¡°I¡¯m grateful for these nice rumours but to say I¡¯m a herald of some great return is simply an exaggeration.¡± ¡°Taking on the Demoids amidst the dwelling of ouws and emerging victorious, that¡¯s a very exaggerating feat, Erin. Your ventures then made a great impact on this city.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t just my efforts. Mypanions were there too. They fought the Demoids too.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ I heard a rumour about a group of adventurers fighting against a Venerer. Could they be¡ª¡± ¡°Yes, those adventurers in question are mypanions.¡± The three women gasped. ¡°Goodness, why? I¡¯m not doubting yourpanions but what led to the confrontation? I heard all sorts of spection but none of them good.¡± ¡°What kind of spection?¡± ¡°The most popr one is that these adventurers were in cahoots with the Demoids and they fought a Venerer because they were promised the power of the Demoids.¡± Erin balled her hands into fists. Her blood boiled with rage. She was about to m the table out of anger but after using Lust on herself, her wrath was cated enough for her to maintain herposure. ¡°And who started this spection? The Venerers?¡± ¡°Not the Venerers. They were actually being silent about this. The Venerer lost after all. They wouldn¡¯t want it to be known. The spection started from the thugs but I don¡¯t which thug exactly.¡± ¡°Marduk¡­¡± Erin concluded in her heart. She surmised he must be spinning to story in hopes of turning the public opinion against her and herpanions or pitting the other factions against her. Whichever it was, her blood only boiled when she thought about it. ¡°Are these brutes trying to paint Lady Erin as evil in the eyes of the faiths?¡± Valerie arrived at a simr conclusion. ¡°Despicable,¡± Jenna uttered. Suddenly, one of the knights came into the pavilion. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Melissa asked with a displeased face. ¡°Forgive me, Lady Melissa but Lord Rn Grid is here and without.¡± Erin raised her brows while the seasoneddies exchanged looks of confusion and curiosity. ¡°Lord Vauben is also without.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not here for your Lord Husband, mdy. He had strongly requested an immediate private audience with you, mdy.¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°What should I tell him?¡± ¡°What does he want, sir?¡± ¡°He won¡¯t say, mdy. Only that it¡¯s urgent and meant for your ears only.¡± Melissa sighed and rose from her seat. ¡°My sincere apologies,dies, but duty calls.¡± ¡°We understand, Melissa,¡± said Valerie. ¡°It¡¯s the Viceroy after all.¡± ¡°Thank you so much for your understanding.¡± She then pped her hands, dispelling the magic veil, and turned to Erin. ¡°Lady Erin, if it¡¯s not a bother to you, may you apany me?¡± Erin blinked. ¡°Didn¡¯t he ask for a private audience with you?¡± ¡°He did and he shall get one but I¡¯m sure it won¡¯t be a problem if you simply escort me to the audience chamber.¡± The knight stepped forward. ¡°Mdy, if it¡¯s escort you need, I can¡ª¡± Melissa silenced the knight with a wave of her hand without looking away from Erin. ¡°Sir, you will escort the Lord Viceroy to the audience chamber. Well, Lady Erin, will you give me the honour?¡± she asked and offered her hand. The knight bowed after a brief hesitation and quickly scurried out of the garden. Erin broke into a knowing smile. ¡°Of course, mdy. I¡¯m your friend after all,¡± she said and took the delicate hand of House Valdrun¡¯s High Lady. Together, they left the garden at a leisure pace. They exchanged a few light words andughed at each others¡¯ quips. They made remarks about the pretty flowers they passed through. They talked about the history of some of the architecture in the estate. With such an ambience around them, they arrived before a small house annexed to the main manor with ss windows for doors. This was the guest parlour. It was a foolish design at first nce but when Erin squinted her eyes, she could faintly make out the runes carved onto the ss panels. She could even feel a very faint trace of Mana from the ss. The guest parlour looked like a frail building but as she neared the parlour, she knew the frailty was just a farce. The whole parlour was well reinforced and protected by spells that were capable of preventing eavesdropping. ¡°I¡¯m afraid this is where we¡¯ll part, Lady Erin. But if you don¡¯t mind, could you perhaps wait for me? I hope we can finish our tea together.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind at all, Lady Melissa. I¡¯ll be waiting here.¡± ¡°Thank you, Erin,¡± Melissa said and entered the parlour where the Viceroy was already waiting inside with a face that spelt impatience and restlessness. ¡°So that¡¯s the viceroy,¡± Erin mused in her head as she glimpsed through the ss windows, shortly before the curtains were drawn, covering the parlour from within. The viceroy also seemed to have noticed Erin¡¯s presence just before the blinds separated their sights from one another. Erin tried to listen in but she could hear nothing. ¡°How shrewd,¡± Erin muttered and activated Spatial Sense. Suddenly, her surroundings became clearer and everything turned apparent to her eyes and ears, including the voices from within the parlour. Although faint, she could hear the exchange between Melissa and the viceroy. ¡°She knows I can do this¡­ But how?¡± Erin decided to worry aboutter and focus on the conversation for now. ¡°Lord Rn, I hope you can overlook the minimal gesture I¡¯m offering.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind, Lady Melissa. However, that Fox-kin outside¡­ Is she¡ª¡± ¡°Lord Rn, she is my guest, no more no less. She¡¯s not a factor of whatever you came here to discuss with me urgently, I hope.¡± There was a brief moment of dead air in the room. ¡°...No, she¡¯s not. Lady Melissa, I sincerely apologise for my presumptuousness and abruptness but please understand, I came bearing grave news.¡± ¡°Does it concern my Lord Husband?¡± ¡°Not just him, but all of us nobles.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s just the usual drivel?¡± Melissa scoffed. ¡°Lady Melissa, this is serious.¡± ¡°If it was, you will be seeking my husband as he makes all the decisions for the house.¡± ¡°I already have but he was¡ª¡± ¡°I see how it is now, Lord Rn. You hope that I can change his mind. I can¡¯t say I find your sudden visit pleasant now, Lord Rn.¡± ¡°Pardon my rudeness, mdy, but as I said, this is urgent.¡± ¡°Yet, you have not told me what the urgency is.¡± ¡°It concerns the Ruvans. More specifically, the exploits of the Venerers. Their continuous oppression of the nobles had started to show the dents and cracks of our dealings.¡± ¡°Lord Rn, you know House Valdrun takes a neutral stance in these matters. It is a decision that my husband made along with my blessing. I would appreciate it if you don¡¯t try to shake our stance any further.¡± ¡°But Lady Melissa, if we let these Venerers be, the nobles will lose their prestige and capital in this city. This may not be your city, mdy, but I¡¯m sure your house has some hefty investments here.¡± ¡°Indeed, we do. It will be a great loss but that¡¯s just how businesses are, Lord Rn. I¡¯m not a stranger to failures. We¡¯ll lose a lot, that¡¯s a given, but my house will lose more if we break our neutral stance.¡± ¡°But I can guarantee that will not happen, Lady Melissa. Aid my efforts and you shall rise even higher should I seed.¡± ¡°If you seed, Lord Rn, but if you don¡¯t, my house and I will lose a lot. That¡¯s a risk I¡¯m not willing to take, Lord Rn. We may not rise higher than we are now if we stay neutral but it ensures the continuation of House Valdrun.¡± ¡°Lady Melissa, please reconsider¡ª¡± ¡°Lord Rn, my answer is final,¡± Melissa uttered as she stood up. ¡°The Venerers wille for your house too, Lady Melissa.¡± ¡°Let them. I have nothing to hide, though the same can¡¯t be said for you, Lord Rn, I¡¯m sure.¡± ¡°H-how dare you¡­ Lady Melissa, I am the viceroy of Sephrodia Valley.¡± ¡°I¡¯m well aware of that, Lord Rn, which is why I¡¯m giving you the choice to leave on your own ord instead of having my knights remove you.¡± Rn sprang from his seat and stormed out of the parlour furiously. Erin had already moved out of the way as she heard his heavy steps. Their gazes met for a short second and Erin could see all of his anger with just a single nce. She also perceived the resentment he seemed to harbour towards her. For a viceroy of such arge city, he was probably one of the least intimidating people Erin had ever met and she couldn¡¯t help but sneer at him once he was out of sight. ¡°So that¡¯s Lord Rn Grid¡­¡± Erin mused. ¡°I was expecting someone older.¡± ¡°Word of advice, Lady Erin,¡± Melissa said as she stepped out of the parlour. ¡°Don¡¯t expect anything from our dear viceroy. He¡¯s nothing more than a pawn of his own power. The true lord of Sephrodia Valley is someone else.¡± ¡°Who could that be, Lady Melissa?¡± Melissa tittered. ¡°What a redundant question, Lady Erin,¡± she responded with an astute grinning gaze. 4-39 Trace 4-39 Trace ¡°Lady Erynthea, you¡¯re here,¡± said Rigetta, who was having her breakfast on the balcony of her office. There was a small round table on the balcony and she sat facing the city below. ¡°Breakfast?¡± ¡°Thanks but no,¡± Erin refuted politely with a smile. ¡°I have already eaten. Moreover, I didn¡¯te here for your hospitality, Rigetta.¡± ¡°Of course, you didn¡¯t, but take a seat first at least.¡± Rigetta gestured at the empty chair beside her. Erin sauntered over and took a seat by Rigetta¡¯s side. The backrest of the chair had an opening that perfectly amodated her tails, not that she needed one. ¡°Seems like you made a powerful friend yesterday,¡± Rigetta said, taking a bite of her sandwich and a sip of her coffee. ¡°News travels fast.¡± ¡°Especially this kind of news. What did the High Lady of Valdrun ask of you?¡± ¡°She did not ask anything of me.¡± ¡°Truly?¡± ¡°Is it strange that she didn¡¯t?¡± ¡°Nobles don¡¯t make friends unless they have something they want from this new friend of theirs.¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t ask me for anything. In fact, it felt like she had given me something instead.¡± ¡°What would that be?¡± ¡°Introduction and deration. Whoever¡¯s targeting my life will now think thrice before harming me.¡± ¡°That is true. In addition to being a Fae, you now have a high noble for a friend. Do you know the territory of Valdrun is evenrger than Sephrodia¡¯s Valley?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know, don¡¯t care.¡± ¡°And it¡¯s odd. House Valdrun is neutral but the High Lady practically proimed you as her friend to the whole city. What do you make of that?¡± ¡°I have a few notions but none of which are my concern right now. This subject isn¡¯t my reason for my visit, Guild Master.¡± Rigetta chuckled. ¡°Not fond of small talks, eh?¡± ¡°Not right now. So, what have you found?¡± Erin began. ¡°Plenty,¡± Rigetta answered. ¡°Edmund¡¯s memories are a treasure trove in disguise. Everything that looked like nothing turned out to be something significant after a thorough inspection. He knows the fronts the Covenant and some nobles are using for their illegal dealings. He even knows the secret ces and areas where some of the most unsavoury activities are being held. What¡¯s funny is that he¡¯spletely oblivious about all of these.¡± ¡°You mean he didn¡¯t even realise he has damning information that could expose the underworld?¡± ¡°Simply put, yes.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe Lyra was involved with such a durd,¡± Erin muttered. ¡°Some girls find foolish boys charming, I have heard.¡± Erin cast a sidelong re at Rigetta. ¡°Just joking, mdy.¡± She tittered. ¡°However, I am sincerely baffled by how Edmund lived for so long. He had offended a great deal of rtively powerful individuals but he¡¯s drawing breath to this day. Do you know who he has offended?¡± ¡°If you think it helps with the circumstances, make a list for me. Otherwise, I don¡¯t care about that now, Rigetta.¡± ¡°Alright alright, someone¡¯s in no mood for casual talks. I¡¯ll get to the point,¡± Rigetta said and pulled out a roll of parchment from her long and loose sleeves. ¡°Here, this is your next quest.¡± Erin received the parchment roll and unfolded it. Her eyes gave the document a quick but thorough read. ¡°A supposed cave of a Rune Drake on the outskirts of the valley but it is in actuality their of immoral researchers of the Covenant¡­ You got this from Edmund¡¯s memories?¡± ¡°Sort of. It was a blur from Edmund''s memories as he was nearly always¡­ under the voluntary influence of drugs most times. It¡¯s just one month¡¯s worth of memories but in half of these memories, he was semi-conscious. I don¡¯t think he even remembers most of these memories.¡± Erin grimaced inwardly. The more he knew about Edmund, the less he found him pleasant, the more he pitied Lyra¡¯s past involvement with him. ¡°Nevertheless, I decided to send someone to investigate the few interesting-looking ces I found in his memories, one of which is a cave where a Rune Drake dwells. The scouts found crates of some kind being transported in and out of the cave. There were nobels on these crates. They used well-fed and well-groomed horses and the carts were in-looking but they were all made of the finest materials. The cave was indeed a Rune Drake¡¯s nest but they have the Rune Drake enthralled. The Rune Drake now acts as camouge and security.¡± ¡°Is there a reason why you want me to investigate this cave first?¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s the one with the most security and activities. Most of the other ces of interest were emptied out or nearly emptied out. But this cave is one of the ces that are slow in being emptied. Whatever is in the works in the cave, it must be huge.¡± ¡°There are other ces like this?¡± ¡°Four but they are all in crowded ces in the city and these four are well-respected on the outside. This cave will be a good start.¡± ¡°It certainly will be. Where is this cave?¡± ¡°West of the valley. It¡¯s close to a pass, it¡¯s shrouded in tall trees but with you and yourpanions¡¯ abilities, I don¡¯t believe finding it will be a problem. You can probably smell it from miles away since a Rune Drake¡¯s scent is quite peculiar.¡± ¡°Any word of caution?¡± ¡°The cave is in the depths of the forest. It may still be within the valley but it is in the wild, so expect bandits and monsters. As much as the city soldiers try to cull them, they are like roaches, very tough and tenacious roaches. Don¡¯t underestimate them. There¡¯s a reason these monsters and bandits live longer than their peers.¡± ¡°I know that.¡± ¡°Also, they had probably bribed the forest patrol soldiers. So expect some resistance from the patrol should they see you.¡± ¡°What are they going to do if they see me? Kill me?¡± ¡°They know some handy restraining spells in the form of spell gems or spell scrolls.¡± ¡°What level are they?¡± ¡°Below fifty.¡± ¡°You sound very sure.¡± ¡°It is how it is. All those above a certain level are entitled to receive special treatment. Well, if they¡¯re above fifty, they would be delegated to more¡­ prominent tasks. Their words, not mine. Such as protecting the noble streets.¡± ¡°Seems like it¡¯s too much to expect their definition of prominent to be synonymous with risk and danger. Do they not realise that level doesn¡¯t define a person¡¯s overall capability?¡± ¡°Admitting that will be the same as belittling themselves. Never in a million years will they ever do that.¡± Erin shrugged. ¡°I suppose they wouldn¡¯t. Not unless there¡¯s profit to be made from the self-disparaging acts.¡± ¡°You know them so well, Lady Erynthea.¡± ¡°The greed of people never changes,¡± Erin mused silently. **** Erin promptly ended her meeting with the Guild Master and excused herself after receiving the quest from her. Erin wasn¡¯t sure if her Lust was at work or Rigetta simply shared her sexual orientation as she noticed the Dwarrow was giving her flirty nces that were borderline sciousness. She didn¡¯t want to find out. ¡°That was fast,¡± said Amyra, who was waiting at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the staff-only floors. Amyra was the only one who tagged along with Erin as the rest were training. Now that they were amidst strong individuals, they were hellbent on not bing a liability to Erin and each of them was giving their all in their training. Amyra wasn¡¯t asked to follow but since she also had business with the guild, she came along. Erin raised an eyebrow. ¡°I did say it won¡¯t take long, no?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what everyone says but it usually ends up taking nearly an hour.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a man of my word.¡± ¡°Woman,¡± Amyra corrected with a faint chuckle. ¡°...What about you? You¡¯re finished with your business too?¡± ¡°For today. Say, have you tried the honey-roasted breadstick just three buildings away from here?¡± ¡°No?¡± ¡°They¡¯re tremendous.¡± ¡°Why are we suddenly talking about breadsticks?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m famished.¡± ¡°But you just had breakfast not an hour ago.¡± ¡°I eat a lot.¡± ¡°Alright, then enjoy your meal. I¡¯ll be going back to the manor first.¡± ¡°Oh,e on, mdy. Food tastes better when you havepany.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m not hungry.¡± ¡°Just a bite or two. It will be my treat. Unless the quest you received is an urgent one?¡± Erin frowned out of nowhere. ¡°Not as urgent as what¡¯s toe.¡± ¡°What do you mean¡ª¡± Before Amyra could finish her question, she noticed her surroundings had quieted down and everyone was looking in a certain direction, including Erin. Swept by her curiosity, she turned in that direction too. A blonde man with wellbed hair strutted down the guild¡¯s hall with his nose held high and his gaze trained to the front as if everything else was not worth his attention but the path ahead. He had a rapier by his waist and he was dressed in a lightly armoured attire adorned with the insignias of Ruva all over. ¡°A Venerer?¡± Amyra muttered. ¡°Lucan¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s Lucan? You know him?¡± ¡°We were briefly acquainted.¡± The blonde Venerer was heading straight towards the reception counter when he caught sight of Erin. It was impossible to miss her as she was the tallest woman in the building aside from Amyra, she was only the one with white hair, and her tails were very eye-catching. Lucan¡¯s lips immediately curled with displeasure and he shifted his path to her. ¡°He¡¯s walking here,¡± Amyra said. ¡°It appears so.¡± Erin also walked toward Lucan and they confronted each other halfway. The on-lookers watched over them with bated breaths. ¡°Erynthea, was it? Didn¡¯t expect we would meet here.¡± ¡°I¡¯m an adventurer, Lucan. Why would you not expect to meet me here?¡± ¡°You wronged one of my Venerers. A smart person would have gone into hiding and never show themself ever again.¡± ¡°You seem to be confusing what you would do with what an actual smart person would do.¡± Lucan snorted. ¡°As insolent as the rumours say. So, Erynthea, how would you repent for harming a Venerer?¡± ¡°Lady Erin did not harm yourpanion. I did.¡± Amyra stepped forward. Lucan¡¯s gaze was fixed on the pendant dangling around Amyra¡¯s neck. He grimaced. ¡°An Aeryon.¡± ¡°An Aeryon Apostle, to be precise. Heed it well, Acolyte.¡± ¡°You think you frighten me just because you¡¯re an Apostle?¡± Lucan scoffed. ¡°Your god is dead, Augur.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need my god to beat you in a fight, Acolyte.¡± ¡°Is that a fact?¡± ¡°To me, the grace of my god was an exaltation.¡± Amyra grinned. ¡°But you? Your god¡¯s grace is your crutches.¡± A heap of gasps could be heard from the on-lookers and Lucan stared wide-eyed at Amyra with a nk face. Erin was burying her face in her palm and shaking her head. ¡°Since when did it be your Venerers, Acolyte? Last I heard, Aza is themander.¡± Lucan gripped her rapier¡¯s hilt tightly. ¡°You damn impertinent¡ª¡± ¡°Draw your sword and you will face some heavy consequences, Venerer,¡± Rigetta¡¯s voice resounded from the second floor. She was standing by the rails of the second floor¡¯snding, looking down at the first floor. ¡°You think you can stop me, Umbrun?¡± Lucan shot back and shed with her gaze. ¡°You¡¯re wee to find out, Venerer.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a Ruvan Pdin. I¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure Aza would rather have you cut off from the Ruvans than risk having the rtionship between the Adventurer¡¯s Guild and the Ruvan Faith in tatters over some petty feud. You know yourmander. I¡¯m sure you will agree with me, Venerer.¡± Lucan¡¯s grip loosen on his rapier¡¯s hilt and his grimace softened into his usual conceited expression. ¡°It would seem there¡¯s a great deal of people that need to be reminded of Ruva¡¯s true grace.¡± ¡°Even if that¡¯s the case, it won¡¯t be you who would be reminding anyone.¡± The onlookersughed. Lucan¡¯s face turned red from the indignation. He looked about to draw his rapier but he ultimately decided against it with a loud snort. ¡°What a waste of time. I have seen and heard enough. None of you deserves Ruva¡¯s grace,¡± he said and strode out of the building with his fists clenching all the way. Rigetta sighed once Lucan was out of sight. ¡°Amyra, we need to talk. Lady Erynthea, you may leave.¡± ¡°Is Amyra in trouble?¡± Erin asked. ¡°That would depend on her,¡± Rigetta answered. 4-40 Assault I 4-40 Assault I It was an hour before dusk. The sun was gradually taking its leave on the horizon. With the impressive mountain range that formed the valley, the city met the dark of the night faster than most othernds. It had be dark enough for Erin to sneak out of the city and make her way to the Rune Drake¡¯s cave without being discovered by the patrol guards. ¡°I distinctly remember hearing about the city having Arch Mages that constantly survey the city folks for the Viceroy. Isn¡¯t it sort of pointless to be sneaking?¡± Nivia asked as they pursued through the shallow woods under the cover of the imminent dusk. ¡°There are but they aren¡¯t omniscience,¡± answered Amyra, one of the only two who apanied Erin on the excursion. ¡°They have the irvoyant spell but it only covers one area at a time and the valley is huge. It would be a huge stroke of misfortune if they found us out without any prior knowledge of us being here.¡± The others had expressed their wish to follow but as only Amyra and Nivia had experience in being furtive, they were left behind at the manor. ¡°So you¡¯re saying there¡¯s a very small chance that we will inadvertently and helplessly get exposed?¡± ¡°It¡¯s less than one percent of a chance, Niv.¡± ¡°My name is Nivia.¡± ¡°Niv for short. Why? You don¡¯t like it?¡± Nivia heaved out a small sigh. ¡°Do what you want.¡± ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± Erin whispered and plopped down behind a fallen log that offered them a clear view of the supposed Rune Drake¡¯s cave. It didn¡¯t take long for Erin to find the cave as Rigetta had said the truth, the Rune Drake certainly had a unique scent. It smelled like rotten oranges and Erin kept that thought to herself. Amyra and Nivia crouched down right beside Erin with her in the middle. Nivia was wearing leather armour while Amyra was the same as ever. She was barely wearing any clothes, let alone armour. She was wearing a pair of leather trousers and a sleeveless ck shirt that stuck tightly to her body and since the shirt was one size smaller than her torso, her midriff was bare. Erin was wearing a lightly armoured tunic with a short skirt and with a pair of trousers to match. ¡°The Drake is inside the cave,¡± she said as she stared into the darkness of the cave. ¡°Asleep?¡± Amyra asked, hopefully. ¡°Unfortunately, it¡¯s not,¡± Nivia answered. ¡°But I can make it unconscious.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± Erin shook her head. ¡°Spells are used to keep the Drake awake.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s going toplicate things,¡± Amyra mused. ¡°If we put it to sleep, it will only alert the enemies. I don¡¯t see any way we could be furtive in our approach. We¡¯ll have to be tant and loud.¡± ¡°The Rune Drake is level fifty-six.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Nivia muttered. ¡°That might be hard for me.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll handle the Rune Drake and keep its focus on. You two will press forward.¡± ¡°No,¡± Erin refuted. ¡°We don¡¯t know what¡¯s inside. We could be walking into a trap. I sense people inside.¡± ¡°A trap would imply they knew we wereing. Furtive or not, it will make no difference then.¡± ¡°Whichever the case, the Rune Drake has to be subjugated first and foremost. Its presence will greatly hinder our retreat if it¡¯s not dealt with prior.¡± ¡°And the cave is too narrow¡­ I can take the Rune Drake down but I¡¯m afraid you two will be coteral.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll lure it out,¡± Nivia said. ¡°That is if we are going with this approach.¡± Amyra cracked her neck and knuckles and brandished her massive cleaver-sword. ¡°Loud or quiet, I don¡¯t mind either way.¡± ¡°Lure it out, Nivia. We¡¯ll subjugate the Rune Drake together as quickly as possible and rush in before the enemies know what is happening.¡± ¡°Alright, Erin.¡± Nivia summoned a small drop of light into her cupped palms. The light drop sprouted a pair of wings and flew towards the cave. Not a momentter, a growl could be heard and the ground began to tremble slightly to the pace of the curious Rune Drake that ended up chasing the light drop out of the cave. ¡°Nivia, seal its movements,¡± Erinmanded in a small but firm whisper as she conjured a spear with Bespoke and infused it with Arcane Edge. Nivia spoke the chant swiftly and unleashed a heavy mass of air from above the Rune Drake. Not only did the mass of air seal its movement, but it also could not roar in distress properly due to the erratic airflow. Amyra dashed towards the Rune Drake and brought her cleaver-sword around. The Rune Drake managed to dodge the de for its neck with all of the strength it could muster in its dire state. However, Erin bided his time for this moment and threw the spell spear at the Rune Drake. The spear pierced right into the throat of the Rune Drake. The Wind Magic spell dispersed but it could not even shriek in agony due to its ruptured throat. Before the spell spear faded out of existence, Amyra lunged in and mmed the spearpletely through the Rune Drake¡¯s neck by using the t part of her sword. In its dying rage, the Rune Drake was about to throw its whole body at Amyra but Nivia kept it temporarily to the ground by shooting two arrows at its hind legs. It screeched soundlessly and Amyra ended its misery with a clean decapitation using the zing edge of her sword. A sound was barely made throughout the short battle and the Rune Drake died without a throe of its death. [Experience gained +20% - Level Progression: 70%] ¡°Bloody hell,¡± Amyra eximed. ¡°Never once did I ever expect to kill a monster of this level and size without making so much noise. Seems like being bored around you will be a challenge, mdy.¡± Erin rolled her eyes and trotted towards the cave. ¡°Wait a minute, mdy,¡± Amyra called out. ¡°What?¡± Erin asked as she stopped and turned around. ¡°Do you not harvest a monster¡¯s Mana Core?¡± ¡°Really, Amyra?¡± Nivia scoffed. ¡°You¡¯re thinking about gold during such a time?¡± ¡°The Grove may be self-sufficient but gold is still essential for the livelihood of the Grove.¡± ¡°It will be too inconvenient for us to be carrying around something sorge and heavy,¡± Erin said. ¡°That won¡¯t be a problem.¡± Amyra tapped the pouch dangling by her waist. ¡°This is what Infinite Pouches are for, mdy.¡± ¡°Hmm. Still, won¡¯t the harvest take some time?¡± ¡°You two go on ahead first. I¡¯ll be right behind. I can also act as a lookout for the rear formation while I¡¯m at it.¡± ¡°Just be quick,¡± Erin said and disappeared into the cave along with Nivia, leaving Amyra alone to extract the hardened magic essence of the Rune Drake. ¡°It¡¯s dark,¡± Nivia remarked dryly as they trod into the inner recess of the cave where only shadows lurked. ¡°You¡¯re walking just fine though.¡± ¡°Elves have good hearing but it¡¯s not a perfectpensation for our sight. I¡¯m slower and duller. Should there be a trap ahead, I might be one second too slow to dodge it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m here, Nivia. I won¡¯t let that happen to you.¡± Nivia sighed. ¡°To think that my days as your teacher havee to an end.¡± ¡°How so? A master is an eternal student. I¡¯m sure there are many things that you can still teach me, Nivia.¡± ¡°Irrelevant subjects that I can teach are aplenty.¡± ¡°You¡¯re undervaluing yourself, Nivia.¡± ¡°I appreciate yourpliment, Erin, but I¡¯m only deliberating the truth. I used to think that I¡¯m talented and a prodigy but after meeting you, I realised I was only a frog in a well.¡± ¡°Niva, you¡¯re¡ª¡± Erin¡¯s words of constion quickly turned into a violent act of shoving. Nivia stumbled backwards from the shove as something akin to an arrow streaked across them, barely missing Nivia¡¯s head. Nivia recovered her bearings instantly from the shove and together with Erin, cast Light Drop to illuminate their surroundings. They scoured the brightened tunnel but they saw nothing. ¡°Where did the attacke from?¡± Nivia grumbled. ¡°Erin, do you smell anything?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not smelling anything but the pungent scent of the Rune Drake,¡± Erin said. ¡°I don¡¯t hear anything out of ce either. That attack was silent. Look.¡± Nivia pointed at the projectile that was shot at her and now lodged firmly on the wall. ¡°It¡¯s some kind of stake. It¡¯s not metal or steel. It¡¯s¡­ Mana? Crystalised Mana. Our assant is a monster.¡± ¡°Or a Demoid.¡± ¡°There goes the element of surprise. What now? Do we proceed forward or deal with our assant first?¡± ¡°Both. We keep moving and be wary of our assant.¡± As soon as those words left Erin¡¯s lips, the space rippled behind Nivia and a Demoid with the appearance of a pallid hairless Wulver emerged out of thin air. ¡°Nivia, behind¡ª¡± Nivia was already turning around before Erin could finish warning her. She had been using her Wind Magic spell to read the disturbance in the air and she immediately caught her assant¡¯s presence the moment it broke out of its queer stealth. She closed her eyes, overloaded Light Drop, and let it explode into a blinding radiance. The Demoid shrieked and stumbled backwards from the dazzling burst of light before its ws could reach the Elf. Nivia pushed at the air and sent the Demoid bouncing across the ground. The Demoid flipped to its feet on the third bounce and disappeared into thin air. ¡°Spirits be damned, I lost him!¡± Nivia cursed. ¡°It doesn¡¯t leave any smell or sound. Did you manage to appraise the Demoid?¡± Erin nodded. ¡°It¡¯s level fifty-two. It possesses Spatial Magic but¡­ the Magic Art doesn¡¯t have levels.¡± ¡°Artificially embedded affinities. I heard about them. It ruins a person¡¯s future potential growth in exchange for an instantaneous tremendous growth.¡± ¡°These idiots¡­ Nevermind that. We keep moving. It¡¯s good at hiding but that¡¯s all it¡¯s good at. It won¡¯t stop us. It can never harm us with how sloppy its attacks are.¡± Nivia chuckled with a look of understanding and they resumed their haste further into the cave. Not even ten seconds had passed when the next assault came. Erin was the target this time but she covered herself in Storm Shell and let the spell do its trick. The Demoid wasunched into a wall by Storm Shell¡¯s effect. Nivia kept the Demoid trapped with her Wind Magic spell and Erin swiftly severed its head from its body with a sword of Bespoke. [Experience gained +10% - Level Progression: 80%] ¡°That¡¯s not a lot of experience,¡± Erin grumbled. ¡°Probably because they didn¡¯t achieve their current levels through their own efforts. Everything about their strength is just a loan.¡± ¡°Loan or not, their strength is deadly nheless. Be ready, Nivia. More areing.¡± ¡°I know. I can hear them.¡± Like thunder in a storm, the cave began to rumble as a small horde of Demoids came charging at Erin and Nivia. Since they were inside a cave, Erin wasn¡¯t able to use her Lightning Magic unless she wished to bring the whole cave down on all of them. But small bolts of lightning were still feasible, as long as she didn¡¯t aim them at the ceiling. A Goblin-like Demoid was the first to reach them but Nivia made it trip with the wind and Erin bisected the Demoid in half. Three Wulver-like Demoids rushed at them by running on the walls but Nivia blew sand into their eyes using the wind and they made quick work of the Wulver Demoids while they were iling around in a panic. The next wave of Demoids began attacking them from afar, throwing magic projectiles at them in a barrage. Erin conjured up an Arcane Aegis and the two took cover behind it as they advanced. ¡°Damn those fools!¡± Nivia shouted. ¡°They¡¯ll bring the whole cave down if they keep this up!¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s their intention,¡± Erin said, throwing a spear that impaled a Demoid from behind cover. ¡°Allow me to clear the way,¡± Amyra said, appearing from behind them while dragging her fiery de of a cleaver-sword. 4-41 Assault II 4-41 Assault II Baring her fangs in a grin, Amyra swung her human-sized sword with the great vehemence of a battle cry. A tide of mes rushed towards the onught of the Demoids. ¡°Amyra, don¡¯t!¡± Erin shouted but it was already toote. The mes had been unleashed. The vast inferno swept over the Demoids, engulfing them in a sea of fire. The ze continued to spread even after it had incinerated all of the Demoids. It wasn¡¯t just spreading forward. It was also spreading toward Erin and the other two. ¡°By the fucking Spirits!¡± Erin cried. She pulled Nivia into her arms and dashed towards the exit. Amyra stepped into her path. ¡°Amyra, what fuck are you¡ª¡± ¡°Oh, calm down, will you?¡± Amyra said with a nonchnt tone and waved her free hand around. In an instant, the expanding inferno was extinguished, leaving not a single spark, flicker, or glint. The only remnant of the ze was the smoke and the charred corpses of the enemies. Erin invoked Spirits and unleashed Spirit Mend on the surroundings to clear the tunnel of any lingering fumes that might be toxic. It was a spectacle to her and Nivia but to Amyra, she could barely see any drastic difference visually. After Erin had finished cleansing the area, she shot a re at Amyra. ¡°Don¡¯t ever do that again.¡± ¡°What? No one died. Well, not counting our enemies.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter the oue. The ends don¡¯t always justify the means.¡± ¡°Mdy, you are not hurt and neither is Nivia. I don¡¯t see the issue.¡± ¡°No one got hurt this time but what about the next time? I can tell you¡¯re not used to fighting alongsidepanions, so allow me to enlighten you; The next time you n on using a spell or skill like that, make sure none of yourpanions is in front of you and they are far away from the potential harm of your skill or spell. Understood?¡± ¡°Understood, mdy.¡± ¡°And what if there was an innocent among them? What then?¡± ¡°Was there an innocent?¡± Amyra asked, her expression suddenly turning grave. Erin¡¯s heart was a little bit at ease when she saw the change in Amyra¡¯s expression. ¡°Fortunately, no. Demoids were all that you have reduced to embers.¡± Amyra heaved a huge sigh of relief. ¡°Good riddance, then.¡± She shifted back to her poised look. ¡°You¡¯re lucky this time, Amyra. You could have killed an innocent.¡± ¡°I know¡­ I know. I¡¯ll be careful next time, sincerely speaking here.¡± ¡°Good. Don¡¯t you ever forget that sincerity of yours.¡± Amyra chuckled. ¡°I won¡¯t, especially not after you gave such tantalising scolding, mydy.¡± She licked her lips smugly. ¡°I¡¯m serious, Amyra.¡± ¡°I know. Which is why I''m so aroused right now,¡± she said and moaned. Erin rolled her gaze and sighed exasperatedly. ¡°Erin, can you put me down already?¡± Nivia asked, tapping her arm. ¡°Oh, sorry,¡± Erin muttered and let Nivia down from her arms. Nivia was so light in her arms that it slipped her mind that she was cradling an Elf. Contrary to being annoyed, Nivia hid a smile. She disliked being vulnerable or being made to feel vulnerable. However, being in Erin¡¯s arms was something she didn¡¯t expect to derive so much joy from. Of course, she said nothing of it to Erin. She cleared her throat after she put on a disy of tidying her garments. ¡°Anyway, shall we continue forward?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Erin said and began to walk, and a terrible headache suddenly struck her. She tripped on her own feet and fell. Her tails moved instinctively and acted as her crutches. ¡°Erin!¡± Nivia cried. ¡°Mdy!¡± Amyra did too. ¡°I-I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Nivia asked worriedly. ¡°You don¡¯t look fine,¡± Amyra said. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°I just got a very terrible headache all of a sudden. It feels like a drunken vestige. I don¡¯t even drink. Not since that time¡­¡± Erin trailed off. It was a bittersweet memory of a threesome with Lyra and Iris. It left a bitter aftertaste not because of the fact that sheid with Iris but because of the fact that she would haveid with anyone regardless of who had been at the door then. ¡°Ah, I think I know why. Check your level and your level progression.¡± Erin did as Amyra had suggested. Her eyes turned wide from the increment of two levels. [Erynthea - Level 45] [Level Progression: 60%] ¡°I levelled twice?¡± Erin blurted out in bewilderment. She then snapped her gaze to the path ahead, where more than a dozen charred corpses were strewn across the ground. She didn¡¯t count but she could tell there were more than twenty, each of these Demoids was formidable in their own rights. ¡°What? Twice?¡± Nivia eximed. ¡°My level didn¡¯t even increase by one.¡± ¡°How did I get so many experience points? I didn¡¯t attack them. You were the one who slew them all, Amyra.¡± ¡°Yes but they attacked you and you used your spell to defend against their attacks. The System must have counted that as participation and involvement. Therefore, you received the experience when I incinerated them.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying she¡¯s a brusher?¡± Nivia questioned. ¡°You jest, little Elf. No way will I ever belittle mdy like that.¡± ¡°Brusher?¡± Erin tilted her head in confusion. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a derogatory title given to those who tried to leech off other people¡¯s efforts and kills,¡± Nivia exined. ¡°They would throw a pebble or something small, enough to graze or brush the would-be kills. The System will count that as participation, sometimes, and give that so-called brusher a portion of the experience gained. The act is called brushing. It was frowned upon and extremely hical, though rarely anyone does it since it¡¯s not certain how the System recognises the act of brushing. Still, the uncertainty wasn¡¯t enough to deter everyone.¡± ¡°It¡¯s actually quitemon in Livar,¡± Amyra said. ¡°Livar? Is that a city or something?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the name of the southern passage leading to the capital city of Yorun Kingdom. It¡¯s teeming with monsters but here¡¯s the interesting part. There¡¯s a paved road leading through Livar from the entrance to the exit and no monsters would tread on the paved road. They don¡¯t even get close to it. Because of this, it¡¯s a hunting ground for many who wish to increase their levels and make some money off the monster parts and Mana Core they harvested. I have been there once and I have gained ten levels during my time in Livar. Shall we go there someday?¡± ¡°Someday, sure,¡± Erin answered dryly. ¡°Let¡¯s move already. We wasted enough time.¡± ¡°But you were so absorbed in listening,¡± Amyra pointed out. ¡°Yes, I know, which is I¡¯m not pointing fingers,¡± Erin said and strode in the direction of the ashen corpses. ¡°My, oh, my. I do hope milord allows me to have a taste of you, mdy,¡± Amyra muttered and followed behind. ¡°We can hear you, Amyra,¡± Nivia said. ¡°I know, Niv.¡± Amyra shrugged and walked on whistling mirthfully. Nivia jogged past Amyra and up to Erin. ¡°How are you able to deal with two arses at the same time?¡± ¡°Two arses?¡± Erin raised an eyebrow. ¡°Let me guess, Aedan and Amyra?¡± ¡°Do you not agree?¡± ¡°I do not disagree. They certainly can be a pain but if you can deal with Aedan, Amyra isn''t that difficult.¡± ¡°What do you see in him anyway, Erin?¡± Nivia asked, furrowing her brows with distaste but keeping her vignce on her surroundings. ¡°Love isn¡¯t something that can be logically exined, Nivia. I can list out all the reasons why I fell in love with him but I sincerely doubt you will understand any of them. The same goes for Lyra and Siv. I just love them.¡± ¡°Everyone keeps saying the same thing.¡± ¡°Because that¡¯s how it is. Maybe you¡¯ll understand if you try it.¡± ¡°Try falling in love?¡± Nivia scoffed. ¡°I¡¯m well aware of how much of a whiny bitch I am, as many had continuously whispered that insult behind my back. Who would ever want me as their lover?¡± ¡°Life is full of surprises, Nivia. Who knows, there might be one very close to you.¡± Nivia snuck a feverish glimpse at Erin and quickly turned away before she was caught. ¡°Or two,¡± Erin added. This time, Nivia tantly stared at Erin with a deep frown. Amyra cackled. ¡°Milord certainly isn¡¯t over-particr with his women.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a very tasteless joke,¡± Nivia grumbled. Erin merely smiled warmly over Nivia as she sulked over her only two choices of a romantic interest. Suddenly, a rout of footsteps echoed across the tunnel they were traversing through. ¡°Great gods. Seems like the small talk has toe to an end. Such a shame,¡± Amyra said and brandished her sword, scorching her de with a red glow around the edges. ¡°We must have walked over more than thirty corpses. There¡¯s still more,¡± Nivia mused out loud. ¡°Which means the production here is very important.¡± Erin drew her sword out of thin air through Bespoke. ¡°Let¡¯s do this. No fire this time, Amyra. If there¡¯s a need for it, only use it once all of us are in the clear.¡± ¡°Understood, mdy.¡± ¡°Nivia, get their eyes when they¡¯re close enough for a lunge,¡± Erin instructed. Nivia nodded and began preparing the spell as children-sized humanoid creatures with pale red skin and distorted faces came pouring in from the shadows of the distance. ¡°What in the name¡­ Dregs?¡± Erin muttered as she read the results of Appraisal. ¡°Goblins?¡± Amyra reckoned. ¡°They are certainly as ugly as goblins but¡­ they are giving off the wretched tenor of Demoids.¡± ¡°By the Divines¡­ don¡¯t tell me they¡¯re children¡­¡± ¡°I doubt they are judging by the Mana they possess but we¡¯ll find out once we get to the bottom of this.¡± Nivia unleashed her spell once the Dregs were around thirty feet away from them. A strong gust of wind blew towards them, bringing along the sand and dust permeating the tunnel. The Dregs stopped in their charge and floundered around from the fine minute grains burrowing into their eyes. They shrieked and cried, iling erratically. Erin lunged and spun with deadly grace, bringing her de through a few necks and heads. A Dreg pounced at her despite still being blinded by the dust and sand. Sheced her tails in Arcane Armour and Arcane Edge and swiftly swatted the Dreg away to the wall. She cut down a few more Dregs in front of her while her tails handled her defence. As if having a mind of their own, her tails fended off all that tried to sneak up on her. No Dregs could nk her. Amyra swallowed her doubt and hesitation and went to town with her ughter. She tried not to think about the possibility of the Dregs being children-turned-Demons. She had in plenty ofrval monsters and beasts. She convinced herself this was no different than that. These Dregs weren¡¯t even normal monsters or beasts but variant breeds of Demons. With a single swing, she cleaved through half a dozen of Dregs. The underlyingfort she had was the Dregs¡¯ blood was ck instead of red. Nivia brandished her twin short swords and stayed at the back. She was not as proficient at going up against multiple enemies at once as the two. However, she was more adept at weaving spells than the two. She pushed away the Dregs that was rushing at her with Gale and kept them in ce with Whirlwind. She then cut them down one by one as she let them loose from their imprisonment one at a time. ¡°Nivia, behind you!¡± Erin shouted as she felled thest Dreg. Nivia spun around instantly and saw a limber snake-like creature with four limbs, lunging at her. She didn¡¯t know where it came from but that wasn¡¯t the main concern right now. The monster was already three feet away from her. Nivia clicked her tongue and chanted, ¡°Laser,¡± as she pointed at the abominable creature. A thin strip of light streaked out from the tip of her finger and pierced through the creature¡¯s neck. She then waved her finger to the side and the light streak followed, decapitating the monster. The monster flopped to the ground with smoke steaming off of the cauterised stump where its head had been. Nivia dropped to her knees, panting. ¡°Damn it,¡± she cursed. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Erin asked, rushing to her side and casting Spirit Mend on her. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Just low on Mana at the moment.¡± ¡°That was Light Magic, wasn''t it?¡± Amyra asked. ¡°It is,¡± Nivia answered in between her heavy breaths. ¡°Oh right, you have Light Magic, don¡¯t you? But that might have been the first I have seen you use it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because Light Magic is as strenuous as Spatial Magic,¡± Amyra exined. ¡°With the amount of Mana Niv has, she could probably only use one spell and be exhausted of Mana.¡± ¡°I have a good affinity with Light Magic. I can use about three spells but it is still pretty tasking mentally.¡± ¡°Can you walk?¡± ¡°I can but I¡¯m not sure about fighting.¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s just keep moving and stay close to me, Nivia. Alright?¡± Erin said, pulling Nivia close until their shoulders were touching. Nivia smiled sheepishly. ¡°Alright¡­¡± 4-42 Assault III 4-42 Assault III Erin allowed herself a momentary respite and a fleeting sense of exaltation as she nced at her level. She had gained another level from the Dregs she had culled. The end was nowhere in sight for the quest but she had already gained increments of three levels so far and she was raring to go. If it had been a few weeks ago, she would already be in a state of fatigue but her level was doing wonders. As much as she admonished others for their over-reliance on levels, she herself was guilty to a certain degree of a such misdemeanour. It was the bane of this body of hers. Without the assistance of the System, she doubted she could even run without getting exhausted in just a singlep. Her transient repose came to an end when a thuggish-looking man ran up to her yelling with a rusty sword raised. Shezily dodged the crude sh and sank her foot into the man¡¯s abdomen, sending him tumbling and crashing through tables and chairs. She was sure she broke a few ribs with that single kick. They had finally arrived at the innermost depth of the cave where some kind of intricate andrge-scale production was at work. The vast room wasden with nearly all manners of unfamiliar andplex types of machinery, instruments, and apparatuses. It was aboratory cum production facility, in short. After the encounter with the Dregs, Erin and her small party of two had not chanced upon another Demoid. There were a few low-level bandits that tried to ambush them but they could only try. Aside from the Demoids and the Rune Drake they had encountered, there was no other form of security. They simply waltzed right into the room, shocking all those who were already inside. Erin appraised everyone in the room. Most of them were nonbatants as their levels were not even twenty and they barely had any Combat Arts or Magic Arts. However, this didn¡¯t mean they were innocent and coteral. The Spirits shunned them like the gue, which told Erin enough of their disposition. None of them was even under some envement spell. They were most likely working here of their own ord. Currently, these nonbatants had retreated to the inner recess of the room where there seemed to be another room that functioned as a shelter in case of an assault on the facility, which there was. Erin didn¡¯t chase after them but instead took her time scouring every nook and cranny of the room they were in. She was disheartened to find out half of the facility had already been moved and cleared out as she could see many clear prints on the floor and tables. There were still quite a lot of things remaining but she couldn¡¯t find any important documents that could tell them what exactly was in production here. ¡°They¡¯re creating Demoids here,¡± Amyra said, tapping on a ss tank that wasrger than her physique. ¡°How can you tell?¡± Nivia asked. ¡°This is clearly a very important facility considering the number of workers here and the heavy security. And Demoids are clearly their most important research. Unless of course, there¡¯s something bigger than the Demoids.¡± ¡°I sincerely hope not,¡± Erin muttered, flipping and rummaging through the papers strewn all over the tables and floor. The contents were all gibberish to her and considering how they just leave these papers be, Erin wagered these documents must be of no consequence even if they were seen by outsiders. ¡°We¡¯re toote,¡± Nivia said, ncing at a pile of ashes. She tousled the ashes with her short sword, picking out a few small pieces of unburnt parchments. ¡°They have already burned the evidence. They knew we wereing.¡± ¡°Of course, they did. They have eyes and ears everywhere in the city.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, wouldn¡¯t they have stopped us before we came here?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know their circumstances, Niv. They could have just heard we will being but not when and how.¡± ¡°So much for being sneaky. Should have just charged right in with the whole party.¡± ¡°That would be dumb, Niv. If the opponent was way stronger than we anticipated, bringing the rest along would have burdened mdy.¡± Nivia tutted. ¡°I guess you¡¯re right¡­¡± she admitted begrudgingly. ¡°Erin, what do we do now?¡± ¡°Looks like we¡¯ll be getting our answers from those workers instead.¡± ¡°Interrogation?¡± Amyra asked with a grin. ¡°Well, you look excited,¡± Erin remarked. ¡°Are you fond of interrogation perhaps?¡± She cracked her knuckles. ¡°I enjoy seeing these dastards squirm and squeal in agony for all that they did.¡± ¡°Some priestess you are,¡± Nivia muttered. ¡°Well, mdy, who will be the lucky one?¡± Erin walked in a certain direction, kicked away the debris, and pulled a man to his feet by his arm. It was the same man she had kicked earlier and shattered his ribs. The man was feigning unconscious but Erin could tell he was awake through his breathing. The man groaned and moaned as he was forced to stand with broken ribs. ¡°God! Fucking¡­ damn it!¡± the man cursed, clutching at his ribs. ¡°Easy, woman! You¡¯re hurting me!¡± ¡°I am not,¡± Erin said and twisted the man¡¯s arm to his back. ¡°Now, I am.¡± ¡°Alright! Alright! Let go! Fuck! Let go! I¡¯ll talk!¡± ¡°Wow. That was easy,¡± Erin scoffed and released the man from her grip. He stumbled forward but a wall in front saved him from a fall. ¡°Go break your own ribs and have your arm crushed, see how long you can endure that.¡± Nivia was about to lunge but Erin stopped her. ¡°Another word that isn¡¯t a good response to my question, I will let my dear friend here do what she wants.¡± ¡°I already said I¡¯ll talk, didn¡¯t I? So just ask me already.¡± ¡°What is this ce?¡± ¡°A production facility¡­¡± the man answered without any hesitation. ¡°And what¡¯s the product?¡± ¡°The Red Serum.¡± ¡°What is the Red Serum?¡± ¡°What else can it be other than the potion that turns people into half Demons.¡± Erin narrowed her gaze. ¡°See?¡± Amyra said. ¡°What did I tell ya?¡± Nivia rolled her eyes. ¡°Where are these Red Serums now?¡± The man chuckled weakly. ¡°Long gone from here. We knew you wereing, Vixen. Everything of significant value has already been moved. You¡¯re toote.¡± ¡°Then why the heavy security if there was nothing important here? It¡¯s a waste of resources.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not as smart as they say¡­¡± Nivia raised her brows. ¡°It¡¯s a trap.¡± The man snickered. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Erin mused. ¡°Nivia, can you use your wind spells to see if there were any signs of irregrity or inconsistency within or on the walls or floors?¡± ¡°I can,¡± Nivia said and began chanting the spell. The man swallowed a lump in his throat and Erin noticed it. ¡°What about the ones in that reinforced room?¡± Amyra asked. ¡°Leave them be for now. There¡¯s only one way in and one way out of that room. They¡¯re not going anywhere. If there was a way out, this one right here would have already taken it.¡± ¡°True.¡± ¡°Y-you know you¡¯re just wasting your precious time, r-right?¡± the man said. ¡°You won¡¯t f-find anything. If you don¡¯t leave this ce right now, you¡¯ll regret itter.¡± ¡°You know your lie would have been more convincing if you kept your mouth shut.¡± The man tutted. ¡°B-but I¡¯m not lying. You will regret it if you don¡¯t leave right now.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, I believe you,¡± Erin retorted dryly. ¡°I found it!¡± Nivia eximed and trotted towards an empty bookshelf that was ced far away from the rest of the bookshelves and it was the only bookshelf that didn¡¯t have a single book on it. The man lunged forward all of a sudden. He brandished a small spherical object from his vest pocket and tossed it at the bookshelf just before he was crushed under Amyra¡¯s stomp. The sphere glowed brightly as it travelled across the room. Erin moved in front of Nivia in an instant with Warp. She could easily batter the explosive sphere away but the explosion might still happen and cause a copse. She could tell it would be a huge explosion, enough to destroy this entire facility and cave judging by the amount of vtile Mana within the sphere. ¡°Fuck it,¡± Erin cursed and grabbed the sphere with her bare hands as the sphere was already engulfed in the blinding glow. In the next second, the sphere disappeared from her hands as if swallowed by space. She stood motionlessly in silence for a few seconds before dropping to her knees with a huge sigh of relief. ¡°Thank the Spirits¡­ it worked.¡± ¡°What did you do?¡± Nivia asked. ¡°What happened to the bomb?¡± ¡°I stored it away in Vault.¡± ¡°Vault? The Spatial Magic spell, Vault?¡± ¡°Yes, that Vault.¡± ¡°You can do that?¡± Erin shrugged. ¡°Apparently so.¡± ¡°My dearestdy, what shall we ever do with this filth?¡± Amyra asked, pouring more strength into her feet. The man screamed and iled. ¡°Nivia, he¡¯s all yours.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. Amyra can have the honours,¡± Nivia said and turned her attention back to the bookshelf. ¡°Jolly good,¡± Amyraughed and shattered the man¡¯s spine with her heel. The man shrieked but it didn¡¯tst long as the agony took away his consciousness. ¡°Well, that was no fun.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not here to have fun, Amyra.¡± ¡°I know but there¡¯s no harm in deriving some fun out of it.¡± ¡°Erin, I got it open,¡± Nivia called out as she gently swung the bookshelf open like a door, revealing a wall behind it with a block of stone that looked obviously out of ce. Nivia gave a gentle press of the misced block while keeping vignce of any trap. Fortunately, there was none but there was an overwhelming sense of dread after she pressed the block. The block sprang open, revealing to be a lid of a smallpartment. Within thepartment, there was a vial of red liquid with ck residues meandering in the liquid. ¡°By the Spirits¡­¡± Nivia gasped and immediately moved a few steps away from the vial. ¡°This is the energy essence of Demons, distilled. This might be the main ingredient in making the Red Serums.¡± ¡°The energy essence of Demons?¡± ¡°Demons¡¯ Mana but distilled. It¡¯s very potent. If I didn¡¯t have the protection of the Spirits, my very being would have already been ruined. You best stay far away from this, Amyra.¡± ¡°No need to tell me twice,¡± Amyra said and took a dozen steps away. ¡°Destroy it then?¡± Amyra suggested. ¡°No,¡± Erin said. ¡°Don¡¯t touch it or move it. There has to be a reason as to why they didn¡¯t transport such an important item first. Either there¡¯s some extremely intricate security contraption in ce or¡­ the item itself is fragile and vtile.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that all the more reason we should destroy it?¡± ¡°If we can destroy it properly without any dire after effects, then sure. But we don¡¯t know that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s better to keep the genie in the bottle,¡± Amyra mused. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Nothing. Just something milord had said.¡± ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s finish our business here quickly. I have a feeling that trouble is imminent.¡± ¡°Right you are, Fae,¡± said a voice out of nowhere. The three turned around and saw two Demoids walking out of a portal that promptly closed shut behind them once they stepped out of it. One of the Demoid was like a knight that had its armour melded into one with his body. The other Demoid had the appearance and physique of a reptilian ape with very long and thick arms. They were both above level fifty. ¡°The boss was right, Irvun,¡± chuckled the reptilian ape Demoid. ¡°The Vixen sure is nosy. It¡¯s a shame we have to hold ourselves back.¡± ¡°Be grateful, Fae,¡± the knight Demoid, Irvun, snorted. ¡°We have orders to not kill you. Or else you would already be dead.¡± Erinughed. ¡°Is that so? Do you all have a script prepared or something? Because that¡¯s all that I hear from you Demoids¡­ Honestly, it¡¯s very pathetic. Or is it that you are unable to show it your actions and therefore, you make do what you can with just words?¡± ¡°Irvun, let¡¯s kill this bitch. Fuck orders.¡± ¡°Calm down, Taric. We¡¯ll give the Fae what she deserves but remember what we¡¯re here for.¡± ¡°I know, Irvun. Say, we can kill the Augur, right?¡± ¡°She ain¡¯t a Fae. I say we could.¡± ¡°Have at me then,¡± Amyra sneered, flourishing her cleaver-sword. ¡°If you have the galls for it.¡± 4-43 Assault IV 4-43 Assault IV Taric, the Demoid who resembled a reptilian-ape, lunged at the confidently grinning Amyra at her indirect questioning of the existence of their manhood. Despite being a half-demon, they were still men at heart. Lowly ruffians, they were. Suffice to say, their egos were fragile and easy to provoke. Amyra unleashed her battle cry and met the Demoid¡¯s offence in kind. Fire erupted and engulfed her whole body but she was unhurt and unfazed. Taric threw a straight punch at the Augur but his fist bounced right off and his knuckles were charred. Amyra snorted and countered with a wide sh. Using his unusually long arms, he pushed himself away from harm¡¯s way. ¡°Oh, no, you don¡¯t!¡± Amyra cried excitedly and stayed on the Demoid. The mes weren¡¯t just there to protect her but also enhanced her speed and strength. ¡°Daughter of a b¡ª¡± The Demoid couldn¡¯t even finish cursing and was forced to dodge Amyra¡¯s oversized sword. ¡°ze Armour,¡± Erin mused aloud in wonder over the result of her Appraisal. It was a spell under Fire Magic and could only be obtained if one had Fire Resistance at level six or above. Amyra¡¯s Fire Resistance was level ten and her Fire Magic was level eight. With Amyra¡¯s ze Armour, the Demoid found himself at an impasse. He could not retaliate. His ability as a Demoid was simply super strength and rapid self-healing. He was also hard to kill, going as far as being able to survive decapitation. However, his self-healing and seemingly undying constitution could onlyst as long as his Mana Pool¡¯s capacity. It would end poorly for him if he could never retaliate properly. While Amyra was busy fighting the reptilian-ape Demoid, the knight Demoid silently approached them from their nk. Despite having a knightly appearance, he was capable of stealthy assaults in addition to frontal ones. He had melded into the shadows. ¡°Damn,¡± Irvun uttered when the two Fae suddenly turned in his direction and fired off their attack spells. He flipped backwards, dodging a bolt of lightning and a st of condensed air. Seeing the futility of being covert, he opted for a direct confrontation. Steel-like swords appeared in each of his hands. ¡°Nivia, stay behind me. It¡¯s you, he¡¯s aiming for.¡± Erin moved in front of Nivia. ¡°I can fight too, Erin.¡± ¡°I know. Which is why I¡¯m only telling you to stay behind. We have to fight smart. We don¡¯t know what he¡¯s capable of yet. I will draw out whatever he¡¯s hiding and I trust your judgement in deciding when to assist me.¡± ¡°Very well, Erin. Let¡¯s do this,¡± Nivia said and nodded with a renewed determination. She sharpened her gaze and began weaving a spell. The air around them immediately turned into a thickyer of mist. ¡°What a petty trick,¡± the Demoid, Irvun, scoffed and sped through the mist with his swords thrust forward. ¡°Figures,¡± Erin muttered indifferently as she parried the Demoid¡¯s attack. She countered with a high cut but the Demoid skillfully blocked her sword and riposted with his other sword. ¡°What the shit?!¡± Irvun eximed as his sh was blocked by a bundle of furry tails but they were as hard as steel. Erin smirked and pushed him back by pouring strength and Mana into her arms. Irvun stumbled for a single step but promptly regained his bearings and caught a downward sh from Erin. ¡°Is this all you got?¡± he sneered. ¡°I heard great things about your swordsmanship but is this it?¡± ¡°I suppose?¡± Erin answered dryly and continued trading blows with the Demoid in a dispassionate manner unlike literally every other time. ¡°I should be asking you that. Your swordsmanship is¡­ hollow.¡± ¡°Hollow?¡± ¡°Yes, hollow. You¡¯re fast and strong but I don¡¯t sense any strong intent behind your blows and strikes. You¡¯re just like everyone else I fought. You¡¯re nothing with your level.¡± The Demoidughed. ¡°So it¡¯s true, you sure love to spur your opponents intomitting a blunder with your venomous tongue.¡± ¡°I have only ever heard that truth is bitter. I didn¡¯t know it was also venomous.¡± The Demoid clicked his tongue. ¡°What an impertinent b¡ª¡± An arrow flew out of nowhere, piercing through the thick mist, and streaking towards the Demoid. ¡°Useless,¡± Irvun snarled, swiping his sword at the arrow. However, the arrow veered off its straight trajectory, and circled him, before swooping in on his head after a few rounds. ¡°Too slow!¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± Erin muttered in her heart as crept up to the Demoid and swung her sword. ¡°How dare you¡ª!¡± The Demoid cut down the arrow and spun around to confront Erin. But no one was there. ¡°Wh¡ª¡± Erin was behind him again, having used Warp. A ng of metal against metal resounded around from near his ears. To be precise, his neck. Erin had attempted to cut his neck off but for some reason, her de bounced off her armour despite using Mystic de. Erin couldn¡¯t believe her eyes. Mystic de had never failed her. It had never failed to cut through anything until now. Irvun chuckled. ¡°How naive. Do you think we would not have prepared anything against your abilities and skills?¡± When Erin peered closer, she saw the reason. The Demoid¡¯s armour-like skin was actually covered in denticles. These denticles had sprung to life and caught the de in between the strands like they were biting down on the de. ¡°Impressive,¡± Erin found herself praising her foe on instinct. ¡°It very much is,¡± the Demoid retorted and spun around with a sh. Erin was pulled into the Demoid as her sword was still stuck on the denticles. She dispelled her sword and re-conjured it just in time to block the sh. Another arrow flew through the mist and struck his head but the arrow was only firmly lodged on his head without piercing through the armour. ¡°So it was just a ruse,¡± Erin muttered. ¡°Quite right but toote.¡± The arrow popped off his armour but the arrowhead stayed lodged. The arrowhead then melted into the armour. Erin widened her eyes. She was d she didn¡¯t use a corporeal sword against this Demoid. If Nivia had attacked him with her short swords, it wouldn¡¯t have ended well for her. Since melee proved to be a terrible means, Erin decided to switch tactics. With her free hand, she pointed a finger at the Demoid¡¯s face. The Demoid growled and tossed himself away from Erin just as she shot out a bolt of lightning. Even if it wouldn¡¯t do much damage, it would still hurt quite a lot if he received that attack point nk. ¡°Another ruse? Or a genuine reaction?¡± Erin mused inwardly. ¡°Only one way to find out.¡± Erin coated her Bespoke sword with Lightning d and charged at the Demoid. ¡°Infernal,¡± Irvun spat and also charged at Erin, except that he immediately leapt over her and darted towards Nivia. Panic struck Erin hard but she immediately reined in her rampaging emotions. There was no reason for her to be panicking. It wasn¡¯t as if Nivia was a helpless damsel that couldn¡¯t defend herself. The dense mist faded rapidly and Nivia emerged from the shroud with a sphere of condensed air in her hands. She thrust the air sphere at the approaching Demoid. The orb exploded the moment it made contact with the Demoid and sent the Demoid flying across the room. Nivia was also hit by her own spell but Erin appeared behind Nivia and caught her in her arms. ¡°That was dangerous,¡± Erin remarked. ¡°But nicely done.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t go easy on a Demon.¡± ¡°How¡¯re your hands?¡± ¡°They¡¯re fine. What about you, Erin? You have used two Spatial Magic spells. Even if it¡¯s you, that must have taken a lot out of you.¡± Erin smiled and cast Mana Harvest, instantly recovering more than half of her Mana pool. ¡°How unfair,¡± Nivia pouted flippantly. ¡°Anyway, how fares our Demon friend?¡± ¡°Pissed,¡± Erin answered. The Demoid emerged from the debris of the wall he crashed into and strode leisurely towards the pair. ¡°If only I don¡¯t have to restrain myself from killing you, vixen,¡± he grumbled. ¡°Not that the result would be any different,¡± Erin retorted and unleashed dozens of Lightning Bolts on the Demoid. Irvun tutted and started running and hopping around the room, dodging the bolts of lightning. ¡°You¡¯re only wasting your Mana,¡± the Demoid shouted as he narrowly avoided a bolt that scalded his temple. Erin shrugged. ¡°Am I?¡± and continued her barrage of Lightning Bolts. Though theboratory was vast, they were still in a cave. There was a limit to how far and how long Irvun could run. Soon, he would run out of space to run. The incessant Lightning Bolts had left trails of charred havoc that were still oozing smoke. They were still ces he could run to but he would scald his feet if he did. Nivia also contributed to the barrage and fired four arrows that were imbued with Wind Magic. The four arrows chased Irvun down like Lyra¡¯s Seeker skill but the only difference was that Nivia had to steer the arrows manually. One of her arrows struck the Dermoid¡¯s shoulder but it didn¡¯t prate his armour-like skin. However, the Demoid still let out a wince as he dug the arrow out of him with his sword. Irvun cast a dire re at Nivia. ¡°I¡¯ll see you dead,¡± he snarled and tossed the swords in his hands at Nivia. Erin moved into the swords¡¯ path and cut down one with Mystic de but the other one flew past her. Nivia was more than prepared to receive the sword flying toward her. She had her spells ready for the moment the sword got within range. However, the Demoid blinked at his sword as it flew within only a few feet away from Nivia. The spells she had prepared weren¡¯t as strong as the ones she used to send him flying. ¡°Die!¡± the Demoid cried, swinging down his sword. Nivia raised her hand, catching his sword with her palms that were holding her spells. She bit down a shriek due to the rebound of her spells as a result of using them in such an unconventional way. Irvun re-summoned his other sword into his free hand and thrust at the Elf. ¡°Not on my watch!¡± Erin threw an Aura de that hit the Demoid in the back. It didn¡¯t do much but it made him stagger, giving Nivia that ample amount of assistance she needed to turn the flow. Nivia veered the Demoid¡¯s sword away, freeing her hands, and used Laser on him. Irvun frowned at the cry of his sixth sense. He was barely able to dodge the striking beam of light that grazed his face instead of taking his head. But his left arm had been taken as coteral. The Laser spellsted briefly and Nivia slumped to her knees when the spell faded off. Before Irvun could take his revenge for his arm, Erin drove him away with Lightning Magic. The Demoid was persistent and countered immediately, but his sword was blocked by a shell of lightning. The shell of a barrier returned his assault and sent him tumbling across the ground. ¡°I got him¡­¡± Nivia said weakly. ¡°Stupid. Couldn¡¯t you have used something that is less tasking on your Mana?¡± Nivia chuckled meekly. ¡°I wanted to be the one tond the final blow¡­ I don¡¯t want to¡­ burden you.¡± Erin gave a wry smile that wasn¡¯t mocking but affectionate. ¡°You¡¯re never a burden, Nivia. If it wasn¡¯t for you, I wouldn¡¯t have made it this far.¡± Nivia returned her smile. She blushed too but she did not look away. She had turned the other way for far too long. It was time to face the truth and her fears. She had wanted to change all this time and she knew it could only happen if she took the first step. ¡°How sweet¡­¡± the Demoid muttered, walking in stride despite the attack it just received. ¡°And how disrespectful. Am I not worthy to even garner your full attention?¡± Erin offered the Demoid a snigger. ¡°You want my full attention?¡± The sword in her hand turned into a sabre that was asrge as a greatsword. ¡°You shall have it.¡± ¡°Finish him, Erin. You don¡¯t need to be considerate of me,¡± Nivia said. Erin nodded. It was true. She could easily cut Irvun down but for the sake of giving experience to Nivia, she held back. But now, since Nivia gave her consent, she would end this swiftly. 4-44 Assault V 4-44 Assault V Irvun had thought Erin was bluffing but he was immediately proven wrong. The mediocre swordsmanship from before was now a storm of des encroaching him from all sides. His left arm which had only just regrown was cut off once again in a short amount of time. His pain receptors were inhibited by his constitution as a Demoid but with lightning coiling around Erin¡¯s de, the pain nevertheless coursed sharply through him. His momentary stupor from the pain left him open for a split second but it was more than enough for Erin to take his other arm. His armour skin might have been able to protect him from physical harm but Erin¡¯s lightning attack prevented the denticles from mping down on her de as the edge tore through his flesh. Much like his colleague, Irvun could regenerate any part of his body as long as he had enough Mana, so he wasn¡¯t in despair yet. But his wishful thinkingsted only for a few seconds. It came to an end when the corpse of his partner was dropped right in front of him. It waspletely charred and burnt. ¡°T-Taric?¡± he stammered. ¡°Well, that was harder than I thought,¡± Amyra said in a casual tone as she strolled leisurely towards Irvun with her oversized cleaver-sword hoisted on her shoulders. ¡°Still, real Demons are harder. Absolutely tenacious. Your friend? Not even a quarter of a Demon¡¯s tenacity.¡± ¡°J-just who the fuck are you?¡± ¡°Who, me? I¡¯m Amyra. Your employer did not tell you? Well, I suppose no employer in their right mind would ry everything to a lowly goon like you.¡± ¡°Lowly?¡± ¡°Are you not? You¡¯re only level fifty,¡± Amyra scoffed. ¡°As far as I know, that¡¯s the minimum level of a Demoid. Stop lying to yourself any longer. You don¡¯t matter to your employer. You were probably sent here to plumb us like all the others.¡± ¡°So what if that¡¯s the case?¡± Irvun snorted. ¡°It doesn¡¯t change what I have to do.¡± Erin spared no words for the Demoid as she closed the gap between them with Warp and flourished her sword. Even without arms, Irvun still had other ways to defend himself. He bent his upper body out of the way of Erin¡¯s sh. Amyra also lunged at him right at this moment. ¡°Annoying!¡± Irvun uttered, tossing himself out of harm¡¯s way in a very unsightly manner. He tumbled head over heels as he had no arms to bnce himself. When he bounced back to his feet, Amyra and Erin were already upon him. He clicked his tongue and bit down on the capsule he was hiding beside his gums. ¡°Get back!¡± Erin shouted and leapt a considerable distance away. Amyra was slightly slower in her retreat. As a result, she was hit but the wave of aura erupted from Irvun. The aura did not rampage for long. It calmed down and became a thinyer of a veil on the Demoid¡¯s body. While the aura was mellowing, Irvun himself was undergoing a violent change. His face distorted further into some more than demonic it already was. His body grew in size and denticles on his skin became more obvious. A pair of horns sprouting from his head. Another pair of arms grew out from the back of his shoulders just as it grew a new pair of arms. ¡°He became a Demon¡­¡± Erin muttered. Her Appraisal told her Irvun was no longer a Demoid. His level was now fifty-five. It was a tremendous increment. ¡°Well, doesn¡¯t that just make things easier?¡± Nivia said and produced a small pouch from her pocket. ¡°I doubt it.¡± Erin threw a small sphere of Essence re at the now evolved Demon which instantly sizzled out without leaving so much as a singe on his skin. ¡°Hmm¡­ just like Velkan.¡± ¡°That second skin he has, it¡¯s protecting him from the Spirits,¡± Nivia muttered gravely. ¡°What a crook,¡± Amyra huffed. The Demon guffawed and conjured four swords into each of his hands. ¡°I win,¡± he dered triumphantly. ¡°You are all doomed.¡± ¡°Nivia, we might need the Fairy Dustter, so be prepared to take it out when I gave the signal.¡± ¡°But aren¡¯t Spirits ineffective now?¡± ¡°For now.¡± ¡°Enough talking!¡± Irvun roared and lunged at them. Erin was about to lunge in response but she stopped herself the moment she saw the Demon throwing two of his swords. Having seen the trick before, Erin allocated four skill points into Spatial Magic, hoping to gain something she could use to turn the tide of this battle. Spirit Magic was useless for now and other Arcane Arts were most likely just as useless. Spatial Magic was her best bet. [Spatial Magic: Rend - Acquired] [Mana consumption for Spatial Magic has been reduced.] Erin grinned. Her bet paid off. Though it was still too early to celebrate. She could roughly understand what Rend does from the description but using it in actuality was a different story. The Demon teleported to the two swords he threw,nding between Erin and the other two. Amyra guarded against the weight and force of two swords. The ground underneath her feet cratered. She groaned as a numbing sensation threatened to seize her grip. Erin didn¡¯t block the swordsing for her. Instead, she used Rend, cutting off one arm and parrying the other. She noticed the sharp drop in her Mana but not as immense as the consumption of Warp, though the mental drain was just as strong. The Demon shoved Amyra off their sh and redirected all of his focus to Erin. His missing arm quickly regrew and the sword was back in his grip. Irvun, with a chagrined look, unleashed a flurry of attacks on Erin. Erin switched her weapon of choice into a ive, one that resembled the spell, Storm ive, but only in appearance, not essence. Erin swung and twirled the ive as if she was performing a dance. In a way, it was a dance. A very lethal dance. A single misstep would cost her life. She gracefully, but narrowly, deflected the Demon¡¯s flurry of attacks. Once the tumult of des was over, Erin switched her weapon back into her trusty sabre that was the size of a greatsword. This was Bespoke. She could tailor the weapons to her liking and it barely cost her any Mana. The only downside was that she needed to have a clear image of the weapon she wished to wield or else it would never give form. The other downside to this was not within her control. Showing off her Bespoke ability was basically her giving her enemies information about herself and how to n against her better. These Demoids she had been fighting were just prodding her, preparing for the final advent. The more she revealed her cards, the less assured her victory would beter on. But she couldn¡¯t just conceal her cards until the culmination. Many would die or suffer before the final advent. Although, she was running out of tricks. ¡°No, I still have one final trick left,¡± Erin assured herself. Revenant was her true trump card. They did not know about this skill of hers yet. If she was tost in the final advent, she could never reveal this skill of hers until the timees. ¡°You¡¯re nothing!¡± the Demon spat as he gained more and more ground in his battle against Erin. He had been overwhelmed by her swordsmanship just minutes ago but now the tides had turned. He was the one overwhelming her. He couldn¡¯t be more thrilled at this turn of events. This battle also served to define his worth. If he could incapacitate her, then his employers would rate him higher and give him more privileges. Just thinking about it was making him grin like a fool as he exchanged devastating blows with the Fox-kin. Of course, the blows were only devastating against Erin, or so he presumed. Erin was being pushed back. It was evident to anyone who might be watching. However, Erin was sporting a face that was only lightly frowning, a stark contrast to what one was expecting of her considering her odds. She still had herposure. Her eyes were not of one who was in a dire strait. ¡°Do you not understand your position?!¡± the Demon roared. ¡°You have lost!¡± He shouted straight at Erin as hended blows after blows against her spell sword. ¡°Your Spirit Magic is useless and so are your other Arcane Arts! Surrender now and I¡¯ll spare your friends.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be delusional, Demon!¡± Amyra baulked and barged into the ngour of steel that was not of actual steel. ¡°You think of us as bargaining chips? How belittling.¡± ¡°Piss off!¡± Irvun scorned and spun with the four swords in his hands. Amyra had only slightly touched his des but it was enough to send her staggering. She knew she was out of her bounds when she saw the chip in her de from that single contact. Amyra had exhausted most of her Mana in herst battle. She didn¡¯t have her ze Armour protecting her. She could only rely on her trusty cleaver-sword to defend against the approaching whirling des. That said, her sword was useless against such an attack. Erin intercepted by using every spell she knew under Lightning Magic that wasn¡¯t overly destructive but the whirling des either absorbed her attacks or deflected them. ¡°The ceiling!¡± Nivia shouted as she threw spheres of condensed air at the ceiling. It wasn¡¯t a good idea but it was an idea they had. Erin nodded and sted the ceiling with Lightning Bolts. A good part of the ceiling crumbled right above Irvun and pieces were dropped on him. Irvun was barely slowed at first but as more and more pieces fell, arge piece of the ceiling copsed on him eventually. The three hadn¡¯t even begun to take their breathers but Irvun already burst out of the debris with a rage-filled scream. ¡°You insolent audacious fucks! I¡¯ll kill all of you! I don¡¯t care what the boss said! I¡¯ll fucking kill all of you!¡± ¡°What is this called again?¡± Amyra mused. ¡°Out of the frying pan, into the fire, I believe it was.¡± ¡°Aedan?¡± Erin asked. Amyra nodded with a giggle. Nivia nced at the two oddly. She wanted to reprimand them for their devil-may-care attitudes but when she saw Erin¡¯s unperturbed gaze, she knew Erin had a n and one that guaranteed their victory. Seeing their nonchnt exchange, Irvun¡¯s rage was only inmed. He red at Erin hard. ¡°I¡¯ll start with you!¡± Irvun practically flew at her like an arrow when he lunged. ¡°Be prepared to run, just in case this whole ce came crumbling down,¡± Erin said and charged at Irvun. She made an odd gesture at Nivia as she did so. Nivia understood Erin immediately and produced the pouch of Fairy Dust from her pocket. ¡°You think you can win!?¡± Irvun taunted Erin in a bellow. ¡°I already have.¡± Erin thrust out not her sword but her empty hand. ¡°What are you¡ª¡± Irvun paused and frowned when he saw a ck hole appearing on her palm. He recognised it as the spell, Vault. Before Irvun could utter another question, a vast inferno greeted him from the ck hole. It was no Fire Magic or an Arcane Art at all. It was actually the explosion from the bomb earlier that Erin stored in her Vault just as it exploded. She had learned from Aedan that time moves tremendously slow in Vault and it was one of the main reasons why he kept all of his valuables and treasures in Vault. Irvun tried to run but the fire was incredibly hasty with its growth and this fire was further propelled by an explosion. He recognised the bomb which the explosion came from. It was the same kind of bomb they had used to destroy the other research sites. He was well aware of how great the destructive capability of the bomb was. It was enough to even harm individuals above the level of eighty. The bomb was meant to be thorough in its ¡°cleansing¡±, which was why it had such a sheer destructive force. Though some time had passed, the explosion wasn¡¯t as great as its prime, it was still enough to disintegrate the fine and thin secondyer of skin that protected him from the Spirits. The released explosion caused the whole cave to tremble but it stayed intact, much to everyone¡¯s relief. Nivia seized this opportunity and propelled herself forward with Air Burst. Irvun saw her approaching but he couldn¡¯t evade her. Erin and Amyra were watching him closely, cutting off his retreat. Nivia let out a smirk and scattered the Fairy Dust on him before setting him alight with a ball of cyan me. In no time at all, Irvun was reduced to nothing but charred meat and bones. [Experience gained +10% - Level Progression: 40%] 4-45 End of assault 4-45 End of assault ¡°Any more toe?¡± Amyra asked as she heaved a breath and sat on a wooden crate, which had been holding some empty vials but she turned it over and used it as a chair. ¡°...No,¡± Erin answered after she surveyed the cave with the Spirits and found no traces of Demonic energy. ¡°We¡¯re in the clear,¡± Nivia sighed in relief while leaning against a wall. ¡°For now,¡± Erin added. ¡°Keep a constant vignce. We don¡¯t know when they might appear again.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t how many they send. We¡¯ll crush them all. Unless they send a serious powerhouse but I doubt they will.¡± ¡°What do you mean by a powerhouse?¡± ¡°Individuals who are level seventy or above.¡± ¡°And why do you doubt they will send a powerhouse?¡± ¡°The archmages, remember? The powerhouses will attract their attention and they will alert the capital.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t the viceroy just bribe them?¡± ¡°He can try but as far as anyone knows, the archmages are loyal to the court. They don¡¯t take bribes.¡± ¡°But what if there¡¯s someone like Aedan, a powerhouse suppressing their true level? Or a powerhouse who could hide from the archmages¡¯ detection?¡± ¡°Then, we¡¯re fucked,¡± Amyra said with a shrug, drawing a line across her neck. From her Infinite Pouch, she took out a canteen. She took a few swigs before presenting it to Erin. ¡°Care for some?¡± Erin was about to ept it but she retracted her hand. ¡°It¡¯s not water.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Spriggan Brandy, Spirit-distilled wine. You¡¯ll get drunk but it won¡¯t be as bad as other liquor.¡± ¡°Spriggan Brandy? Where did you get that?¡± Nivia asked with an astonished expression. ¡°Me and a few other residents of the Grove made it. We grow our own food and make our own liquor. Go on, try some.¡± Erin looked to Nivia, asking her for advice with her gaze. ¡°It should be fine,¡± the Elf said. ¡°Should be?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, alright? I never drank liquor before.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Amyra¡¯s eyebrows were raised. ¡°My, my. The little Elf is more innocent than I expected.¡± ¡°So what if I am? What of it?¡± Nivia shot back with a scowl. Erin sighed while pinching her nose. Amyra giggled. ¡°I don¡¯t mean any disrespect, Niv. You¡¯re formidable in a fight but when ites to social aspects, you¡¯re behind on a lot of stuff.¡± ¡°You mean stuff that will dishonour every value I was taught?¡± ¡°Surely this brandy isn¡¯t dishonouring, right? It is made with Fae¡¯s recipe after all. So, how about it? Want a sip?¡± ¡°I wish to keep a clear head during the job.¡± Amyra feigned distraught and turned her gaze back to Erin. ¡°Sure you don¡¯t want some, mdy?¡± After a brief contemtion, Erin syed out her hand. Amyra chuckled and handed Erin the canteen. ¡°Erin, are you sure about this?¡± Nivia asked. ¡°It¡¯s just a sip or two, Nivia. Besides, if it wasn¡¯t for a Fae¡¯s poor constitution towards the usual alcohol, I would actually be indulging in a lot of liquor. Here goes nothing,¡± Erin said and downed a few gulps, more than just one or two sips. She gasped in delight after a few swigs. ¡°By the Spirits¡­ this is fucking good.¡± She handed the canteen back to Amyra. Amyra drank a few more swigs before stowing the canteen back into her Infinite Pouch. ¡°Well, I have rested enough. Shall we continue?¡± Erin nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s.¡± And she drew her sword out of thin air as if the space was her sheathe when in actuality, she had merely conjured the sword using Bespoke. Nivia pushed herself off the wall and stretched her body. ¡°Those researchers could have run off while we¡¯re here dallying,¡± she grumbled. ¡°They didn''t,¡± Erin reassured. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t they have another way out of this ce in case of something like this?¡± Nivia questioned. ¡°Yes, they should but knowing their employer, that¡¯s unlikely. Do you think someone like Marduk would bother with those people¡¯s wellbeing?¡± ¡°No¡­ I suppose he wouldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t think we will be able to get anything out of them.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you worry about that, mdy,¡± Amyra said. ¡°I know how to make them talk.¡± ¡°Did you forget what happened to the Demoid during our first acquaintance, Amyra?¡± ¡°Ah,¡± she blurted. ¡°Something like that did happen.¡± ¡°The Demoid self-destructed before he could spill anything,¡± Erin told Nivia when she saw her curious gaze. ¡°We came all this way here for nothing, then?¡± ¡°We still have that thing.¡± Erin pointed at the vial in the safe. Despite all the destruction that happened, not a single crack or scratch could be found on the vial. Amyra picked up a pebble and threw it at the vial. The space around the vial rippled and the pebble was repelled. ¡°Hah, figures.¡± Erin grabbed a broken leg of a broken chair and poked at the vial. The same thing happened. The space rippled and the leg was repelled. ¡°The warding spell is strong. It¡¯s a Spatial Magic spell and it uses the Demonic energy oozing off the vial as its battery.¡± ¡°Essence re should dispel it,¡± Nivia suggested. ¡°Yes, but it might also destroy the contents of the vial too. We need the contents.¡± ¡°Then what do we do?¡± Erin looked around. It didn¡¯t take her long to find what she was looking for. ¡°Hand me that scalpel on the table, would you kindly?¡± Amyra picked up the scalpel and tossed it to Erin. ¡°What are you trying to do, Erin?¡± Nivia asked. ¡°That¡¯s just a silver scalpel. What can it do?¡± ¡°Silver conducts Mana excellently, don¡¯t you know?¡± ¡°Of course, I do.¡± ¡°Then, watch,¡± Erin said and infused the scalpel with Mystic de. ¡°Here goes nothing.¡± She then lightly shed at the spatial barrier cast on the vial. The barrier gave off a soft glow as the runes around made their appearances. The runes shuddered for a while before disappearing along with the barrier. ¡°Nice, it didn¡¯t explode,¡± Amyra cheered. ¡°What if it had exploded?¡± Nivia asked. ¡°I¡¯m sure none of us would get swallowed up by the explosion if there¡¯s one.¡± ¡°How are you so confident about that?¡± Amyra grinned. ¡°Years of exploration in dungeons. My level isn¡¯t ornamental, ya know? An explosion out of nowhere is something of amon urrence in dungeons along with various other kinds of booby traps.¡± Nivia snorted with her eyes rolled back. Erin ignored the two¡¯s bantering behind her and cautiously reached out for the vial. She poked it with her finger first before grabbing the whole with her hand. She cast Arcane Armour and Arcane Aegis around her before taking the vial out of the safe. The moment she did so, she stored the vial into the Vault immediately and moved away from the safe instantly. She even cast anotheryer of Arcane Aegis just to be on the safe side. When nothing happened after a few seconds had passed, she heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°I guess we¡¯re done here,¡± Erin muttered. ¡°Um¡­ Erin,¡± Nivia called out in a worrying voice. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Erin responded. ¡°I use Life Sense just now and I can¡¯t sense any living soul aside from us.¡± Amyra raised an eyebrow. ¡°Now, that¡¯s eerily strange,¡± she said and scuttled to the front of the room where they saw the researchers retreat into. She perked her ears and ced her head against the door. ¡°You don¡¯t need to do that, Amyra. Erin and I have sensitive hearing,¡± Nivia said, following behind her. ¡°Yes, but do you realise what this room is made of?¡± Hearing her question, Nivia took a closer look at the room. ¡°Steel?¡± ¡°Tempered steel,¡± Amyra answered. ¡°Enchanted with sound-inhibition spells. You won¡¯t hear anything from inside.¡± ¡°Then what are you doing?¡± ¡°Feeling the vibrations.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t sounds also vibrations?¡± ¡°Yes but not the kind our ears could pick up with conventional means.¡± ¡°So, what did you hear?¡± Erin asked. ¡°Nothing. No movements inside. Either they¡¯re really good at staying absolutely still or they are all truly as dead as they can be. What are yourmands, Lady Erin?¡± ¡°Wait,¡± Nivia interrupted. ¡°You said this is tempered steel but how can it be enchanted with spells? Steel is the worst conductor of Mana.¡± ¡°Are there other spell enchantments in ce?¡± Erin inquired. ¡°I can¡¯t tell. That¡¯s out of my capability. Say, what does your Appraisal say, mdy?¡± ¡°Nothing. It just says steel, nothing else.¡± ¡°Figures.¡± Amyra shrugged. ¡°There must be an Appraisal inhibition spell enchantment too if that¡¯s the case. The Covenant is really versatile.¡± ¡°To be able to enchant spells into steel, tempered steel at that,¡± Nivia mused. ¡°They must have a very talented Enchanter. Who knows what other bizarre enchantments they have done on this room?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll find out in a moment. Stay back, you two,¡± Erin said and d her sword with Mystic de. After making sure Amyra and Nivia were at a safe distance, she shed at the room after covering herself withyers of protection spells. Contrary to her premonition, the room simply fell apart and crumbled into pieces without any explosion or rebound, aside from a sudden strong rush of air. ¡°Thank the lord,¡± Amyra eximed in relief. ¡°Imagine if there was some kind of rebound.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± Nivia red. ¡°Spirits be damned¡­¡± Erin cursed when she nced at the exposed interior of the room. Dozens of corpsesy strewn in the room. None of them died peacefully as the corpses all had their eyes and mouths agape and they looked to be in a struggle for air with how they were wing at their necks. ¡°Oh, bloody hell¡­¡± Amyra flinched at the sight. ¡°That¡¯s worse than I anticipated. They suffocated?¡± ¡°It would seem so.¡± Erin scoured the room. ¡°It didn¡¯t look like there''s any passage for air in this room and I suspect there¡¯s an enchantment that sucks away the air too.¡± ¡°Then why would they go into this room?¡± Nivia questioned. Her face was wrought with terror. ¡°They didn¡¯t know. Most likely, they were told this was a safe room they could hide in if thisir was raided. By the time they found out the truth, it would already be toote.¡± ¡°Monstrous¡­¡± Nivia gritted her teeth. ¡°How can he do this? Aren¡¯t these people his? Does he think people¡¯s lives are his to govern and they should die at his say so?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter what he thinks,¡± Erin said, ncing sorrowfully at the corpses. ¡°Action speaks louder than words. He made it very clear of his disposition and tendency with his actions. If it¡¯s any constion, we don¡¯t have to feel bad about killing all those that work for him knowingly and voluntarily.¡± ¡°So, nothing¡¯s changed,¡± Amyra mumbled. Nivia red at the Augur. ¡°What do you mean nothing¡¯s changed?¡± ¡°It means exactly what I said. The Covenant is our enemy and we kill our enemies, same as always.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you feel at least some sympathy for the dead?¡± ¡°How unexpected. I thought you hate humans.¡± ¡°I hate them but all are equal in death. I hate humans but that doesn¡¯t mean I wish to have them cleansed from this world or toy with their lives.¡± Amyra snorted. ¡°Death does not cleanse them of their sins. I refuse to believe they worked here without at least knowing what kind of person their employer is. They made their choice when they decided to work here.¡± ¡°I know that. That¡¯s not what I¡¯m trying to say. I was¡ª ah, forget it. You won¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°I sure won¡¯t.¡± Nivia managed to calm herself down after taking a few deep breaths. ¡°Are we done here? I don¡¯t want to be in this sickening ce any longer.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like there¡¯s any point of interest here but just to be safe, let¡¯s look around first before deciding. You can wait outside if you want, Nivia.¡± ¡°No. I¡¯ll stay. My absence will only hinder the progress of the search. Let¡¯s quickly get everything over with.¡± ¡°Very well, Nivia.¡± Erin nodded at her. They searched their high and low but in the end, the search came up with nothing. There was no secret passage nor a secret storage space except for the one they discovered. Before they left, Amyra took care of the corpses with her Fire Magic, not out of respect for the dead. As their was filled with a thickyer of negative energy due to experiments that were conducted here, the corpses were bound to return as Undeads. 4-46 Maiden鈥檚 confession 4-46 Maiden¡¯s confession ¡°Huh, this is intriguing,¡± Aedan muttered as he peered at the vial of dark reddish liquid. ¡°This is pure¡­ That son of a bitch managed to do it.¡± ¡°Do what?¡± Erin asked. ¡°Extracting just the essence of Demons that gave them their power and ability but leave behind the impurities that corrupt the victim¡¯s mind.¡± ¡°That¡¯s something that can be done?¡± Lilian blurted in disbelief. ¡°It has already been done. This vial right here is the proof.¡± ¡°People have always envied the versatility of a Demon¡¯s strength,¡± Siv mused. ¡°If this is known to the world, people will go to war for this.¡± ¡°Good thing Erin decided to bring this to you first then,¡± Nivia said. After destroying their where the Demoids were supposedly created, the guild wasn¡¯t Erin¡¯s immediate destination. Instead, she returned to the manor. It wasn¡¯t because she distrust Rigetta but because she refused to believe the guild was not without spies for Marduk or the viceroy or just some other party with malefic intentions. Thus, she decided to bring the vial here first and consult with the others before making a decision. Currently, everyone was gathered in a vast room that appeared to be some kind of a meeting room. As vast as the room was, everyone was gathered in one corner. ¡°You don¡¯t trust the guild?¡± Lyra questioned. ¡°Considering the discretion of the adventurers¡¯ information is at stake here, surely the guild will have a strict hiring process and a stern management of their employees, no?¡± ¡°Even if that¡¯s the case, it¡¯s impossible for them to manage every single one of them perfectly. In the end, the management isposed of people and people can be bribed or ckmailed. We can¡¯t be sure that the guild isn¡¯tpromised, not when we stole something so important from the Covenant. If Marduk¡¯s actions so far are anything to go by, he will surely make a huge move this time.¡± Nivia looked to Amyra, who was sitting by the roundtable with both of her legs perched on it. ¡°Amyra, is Guild Master Rigetta trustworthy?¡± Since neither Erin nor Aedan made anyments on the Augur¡¯s crude sitting posture, no one did either. ¡°As far as I¡¯m aware, she is. I remember she beat a nobleman into a pulp for trying to ckmail her after he failed to bribe her.¡± ¡°No hidden malicious motives?¡± ¡°If there is, I¡¯m not aware of it.¡± ¡°What are you thinking, Erin?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°I¡¯m thinking whether we should show this vial to her.¡± ¡°Just do it,¡± Aedan said. ¡°What? Just do it?¡± ¡°The fastest way to see if someone is trustworthy? Tempt them with precious bait. We have the bait.¡± Aedan tapped the vial. ¡°And it¡¯s more than precious.¡± Nivia frowned. ¡°That¡¯s a parlous suggestion, Aedan.¡± ¡°Do you have a better idea?¡± Nivia looked away. ¡°No,¡± she admitted. ¡°But surely you have other ideas, no?¡± ¡°If we¡¯re not against time, then yes. But we don¡¯t know how much time we have left. Once they have finished moving their entire operation, they won¡¯t hesitate to kill Erin. If they have someone like Varus, it¡¯s quite possible that they would have another powerhouse. And it isn¡¯t just the Covenant we need to worry about. The viceroy is nning something too.¡± Nivia sighed. ¡°Fine. So, how do we go about this?¡± Aedan smiled wryly. ¡°You won¡¯t like this part.¡± Nivia furrowed her brows. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Rigetta and Erin certainly can¡¯t meet in the guild. They¡¯ll have to meet somece else and I have just the ce in mind.¡± ¡°Which is?¡± ¡°The House of Lilies.¡± Amyra slumped forward and broke into a chortle. Everyone else aside from Nivia had a knowing expression. Even if they had never heard of the name, they could tell what kind of ce it was just by its name. Nivia frowned at Amyra¡¯s reaction and everyone¡¯s cramped smile. ¡°What kind of ce is that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a brothel for lilies,¡± Aedan answered with a half-suppressed chuckle. **** After the discussion, everyone retired to their rooms as it waste into the night. Aedan was the only one who didn¡¯t return to his room. Instead, he headed to hisb to continue studying the vial of pure Demonic essence. Erin had wanted to join but to her stupefaction, Aedan urged her to get some rest instead. In spite of the battles she had just fought, Erin was only a little bit exhausted. She wasn¡¯t surprised by her steadfast constitution. Her level had increased a lot recently. This much was nothingpared to her prime. She took a quick hot bath to wash away her sweat and the dirt that umted on her body from the battles. The bath was already prepared for her long before she stepped into her bedroom and it was being kept warm with magic. After her bath, she threw herself onto her bed while wearing nothing but a loose silk robe that disyed much of her deep cleavage and her impressive supple thighs and posterior. Though she wasn¡¯t tired, she was still in need of some respite. The kind of respite that required the aid of apanion in bed. It was a shame Lyra and Siv weren¡¯t with her right now. They two were sleeping in their own rooms. As much as they loved sex, they simply couldn¡¯t keep up with Erin. Her stamina and vigour had increased along with her level. Not to mention, there was her Lust skill too. It was impossible for the two to keep up with her zest. To avoid Erin¡¯s lustful grasp, they had requested their own rooms, though Erin was sure they woulde back to her just after a single day. After all, they were addicted to her touch. Just as Erin started groping her own ample bosom and her other hand going down to the trickling hole between her legs, there was a knock on her door. As she was in heat and safe in the manor, she had dropped her guard and failed to notice someone was approaching her room. She instantly pulled herself out of her lustful stupor and straightened her robe. ¡°Come in,¡± she said. She didn¡¯t need to ask who it was as she could tell by their scent. The door swung open gently and a girl wearing a habit with dark brown hair walked into the room. Her gaze was cast down as she entered and she did not raise her gaze even when the door closed shut behind her by itself. ¡°Aera, what brings you here?¡± Erin asked. ¡°I need your help, Erin¡­¡± ¡°With what?¡± Finally, Aera raised her gaze. ¡°Kiss me,¡± she said. ¡°Um¡­ why?¡± ¡°Please¡­ just kiss me,¡± she begged with her eyes turning hazy. Erin obliged with a wry smile. She held Aera¡¯s shoulders firmly and gently nted her lips against Aera¡¯s own. It was just a light touch but enough to feel each other¡¯s warmth. Aera was shivering and her shoulders were tense. But after the kiss, her shivering stopped and her shoulders loosened. When their lips parted, Aera was left panting and her cheeks flushed a deep red. ¡°You were angry?¡± Erin muttered. She could feel her intense rage when she kissed her but it all receded after the kiss. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Aera said nothing but merely slumped forward, entrusting her weight to Erin andying her head on her chest. Her arms crept behind Erin and wrapped her into an embrace. Erin sighed and scooped Aera into her arm and princess-carried her to the bed. She sat on the edge andy Aera on herp. ¡°Are you angry that I didn¡¯t bring you along?¡± ¡°...I was infuriated, Erin. I thought you betrayed me. I know how absurd of a logic that was but I couldn¡¯t help but think that. I came so close to chasing you down.¡± ¡°But you didn¡¯t, Aera.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­ because of Aedan.¡± ¡°Aedan? He did something?¡± ¡°H-he¡­ he kissed me.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Erin blurted in surprise and then, a mischievous grin formed on her lips. ¡°And why did you sound so guilty about it, Aera?¡± ¡°W-we¡­ did more than just kissing¡­ He groped me and¡­ touched me all over.¡± ¡°Did he force himself on you?¡± Aera shook her head. ¡°I let him. I knew he was just trying to help me but¡­ he¡¯s your lover and I¡ª¡± ¡°Shh~¡± Erin shushed her lovingly with a finger on her lips. ¡°Did you hate what he did?¡± Aera cast her gaze back down. ¡°No¡­ I did not hate it.¡± Erin smirked. ¡°Did you like it?¡± she asked, caressing the back of her head. Aera nodded after a brief hesitation. ¡°What about me, Aera? Do you like me?¡± ¡°Of course, I do, Erin. We¡¯re sisters by faith.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not talking about that, Aera. If we were not bound by faith, would you still see me as you do now?¡± ¡°I-I¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± Erin tittered. ¡°You don¡¯t know or you don¡¯t want me to know?¡± she teased. It had been a long day and this kind of recreation was just what Erin needed. It felt good teasing a maiden in love. Aera did not answer. Instead, she continued looking down at the ground but guilt painted her expression. ¡°You like him, don¡¯t you?¡± Aera raised her head with a flustered expression. ¡°I-it¡¯s not like that, Erin. It¡¯s just¡­¡± ¡°Aera, I can feel your lust and it isn¡¯t directed at me.¡± ¡°Y-you¡¯re wrong¡­ Erin.¡± ¡°I am not but I am curious. Why do you feel guilty and ashamed, Aera?¡± ¡°...Because he¡¯s your lover.¡± ¡°Aye, he¡¯s my lover and so are Siv, Lyra, and a few others.¡± ¡°I-if Iid with him¡­ it would feel like I¡¯m stealing him away from you.¡± Erin chuckled. ¡°Foolish Aera. Do you think you can steal him from me just because youid with him once?¡± ¡°No¡­ but I don¡¯t want to hurt you, Erin. I don¡¯t want you to hate me¡­¡± ¡°I won¡¯t hate you if you slept with Aedan, Aera. Hell, I don¡¯t mind if you slept with anyone else in the group. Just¡­ no men, alright? Except for Aedan, of course.¡± Aera stared at Erin with incredulity. She knew Erin was very open with her rtionship but she didn¡¯t think she would be this open. Though she was startled and slightly intimidated, she couldn¡¯t help but feel d about how things turned out. This way, she could embrace her feelings without guilt. ¡°Was this also why you were so angry? You thought I would forbid you from loving Aedan?¡± Aera nodded faintly. ¡°Stupid girl,¡± Erin said and flicked her forehead. ¡°I¡¯m hurt that you think this little of me?¡± ¡°But I saw how you treat your women, Erin¡­ You looked like you would tear someone to pieces if they even looked at your woman the wrong way.¡± ¡°Well¡­ that thought certainly hase to mind but I won¡¯t act on it. Just because I ept my lust, doesn¡¯t mean I would allow it to control me.¡± ¡°So¡­ you don¡¯t see me in that way?¡± ¡°Hmm? In what way, my dear Aera?¡± Erin¡¯s smirk widened. ¡°In¡­ a romantic way¡­¡± Aera¡¯s voice was so soft that Erin wouldn¡¯t have heard it if she didn¡¯t have an enhanced sense of hearing. ¡°Dear me¡­ why would you ever think that way, Aera?¡± ¡°L-Lilian told me so¡­ She said you would devour every woman that you came across.¡± Erin smiled wryly. She certainly would if she didn¡¯t put such a huge responsibility on herself. ¡°I certainly would love to make you into my woman but I¡¯m not going to force anyone. However, I won¡¯t give up that easily. Understand?¡± Aera swallowed a huge lump in her throat and nodded. ¡°Good.¡± She patted Aera¡¯s head. ¡°Now, what do you want to do?¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean¡ª¡± ¡°The truth is¡­ I¡¯m starved for some love, Aera. My lust is brimming. I really want to devour you right here and now but¡­ you don¡¯t want me to be your first, do you?¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t mind¡­ but I do wish Aedan to be my first.¡± Aera was getting redder and redder as she spoke her intention. Erin tittered. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s go to him, shall we?¡± 4-47 Raging maiden I (R18) 4-47 Raging maiden I (R18) In a certain room residing in the corner of the vast manor, Aedan was observing the vial of pure Demonic essence under a variety andyers of scopes while taking down notes after notes as his understanding of the essence in question kept changing with each progress he made. While in such a deep concentration, he was pulled out of his trance by the gentle sway of the door to hisb opening. There was no creak or squeak from the door but it did disce the air and a person with acute senses such as him was bound to notice that minute detail. Aedan stopped his experiment and turned around to meet his guests. He had already known who his guests were the moment they opened the door without knocking. He could tell by their scent. However, their outfit of choice took him by great surprise. Aera and Erin were wearing near-identical nightgowns that were paltry in their coverage and left little to one¡¯s imagination. The colours were ck and the material was a type of translucent fabric, giving a charm more seductive than if the two were naked. Most enticing of all, there were slits that allowed the tips of their shapely bosom to peek through and show their ravishing clefts. Aedan didn¡¯t need to ask for what reasons they were here. To their anticipation, he could only smile wryly. ¡°I don¡¯t believe it¡¯s my birthday or any festivity that requires the presence of you two in service dresses.¡± ¡°No festivity, Aedan. I¡¯m simply¡­ starving,¡± Erin said in a very mesmerising tone with a little teasing disy of brushing her faintly ajar lips with her fingers. Her five tails were waving gracefully and sensually behind her as if to beckon anyone looking to sumb to their desires. ¡°That doesn¡¯t exin Aera¡¯s presence though.¡± Erin tittered. Contrary to Erin¡¯s brazen behaviour, Aera waspletely timorous. She had not stopped looking at the ground and shivering ever since she entered the room. She did her best to cover her body as much as she could with her hands. ¡°Our lovely Aera here has something to say to you, Aedan.¡± In spite of her bubbling anguish, Aera showed no hint of wanting to escape or shy away. Instead, she stepped forward with a trembling gait and raised her head. She mustered her courage and stared Aedan in the eyes. ¡°I love you, Aedan,¡± she confessed. Erin burst intoughter. She stumbled from her sudden hrious eruption, clutching her belly. Aedan ignored Erin and returned Aera¡¯s serious gaze. ¡°Love¡­ huh¡­¡± ¡°Do you not love me, Aedan?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t dislike you but love¡­ unfortunately, my heart already belonged to someone else.¡± ¡°Oh, what¡¯s this?¡± Erin muttered. ¡°Are you hesitating, Aedan?¡± ¡°What do you take me for, Erin? I¡¯m not the Apostle of Lust here.¡± She sneered with a chuckle. ¡°True.¡± And she proceeded to drown the room with her Lust pheromones. ¡°I understand your concern, Aedan. I will allow it. After all, what¡¯s yours is mine.¡± She then pulled Aera into an embrace and began vehemently groping her ample bosom from behind. Erin pressed her own bountiful jugs against Aera¡¯s back as she licked and nibbled on her fellow apostle¡¯s neck and shoulders. Aedan sighed and disrobed himself. If his level and divinity weren¡¯t suppressed at the moment, he could have easily controlled his desires but as he was now, he was helpless in the face of his own lust amplified by Erin¡¯s divine gift. There was a bed in the corner of the room, away from all the other furnishings and apparatuses. The bed was onlyrge enough to amodate a single person. However, for their intent and purposes, it was more than enough. They would need to squeeze their bodies together to fit on that single bed and that was what they would be doing. Aedan was the first to reach the bed but the two weren¡¯t far behind. As soon as he sat down, Erin had thrown herself at him. He received her fervour and used her momentum to throw her onto the bed with him on top. They exchanged only a brief nce before they engaged in an ardour and battle of lips and tongues. Erin snorted in the middle of their fervid sh of passion and shifted their position. She ended up rolling on top of him, straddling him by his crotch while keeping their lips and tongue intertwined. Their bodies entangled with one another. Erin¡¯s honeypot began to drip incessantly with her love juices as she rubbed her slit against Aedan¡¯s hardening breeding rod. Aera was watching all of this transpire from the side, just on the edge of the bed. She hesitated on joining them as they were so engrossed with each other that it seemed rude to interrupt them. Though she didn¡¯t intervene, she was neither idling. Her breathing quickened and her expression turned feverish as her hands began to caress her own body, namely her breasts and her dripping cunt. Initially, she was simply rubbing her fingers against the entrance of her womanly cavern but as the two in her sight intensified in their battle of lust, so did Aera. She stuck another finger into her snatch and proceeded to make a mess of her womanly cavern while she groped her supple mounds harder. Aera¡¯s groans of pleasure were lost in the louder moans of ecstasy from Aedan and Erin. At some point, Erin regained some of her bearings and noticed how lonely Aera was. She put a stop to their bout and separated herself from Aedan. ¡°How cruel of you¡­¡± Aedan sighed breathlessly without a hint of dismay on his expression. ¡°Don¡¯t you worry, Aedan. It will get infinitely better.¡± Erin snickered. ¡°Now, sit up,¡± she ordered. Aedanplied and pushed himself up. Erin got off the bed and knelt beside Aera, snapping the maiden out of her onanism trance. When Aera realised what she had been doing, red filled her face to the brim and she cast her gaze down. However, Erin did not allow her to look away and lifted her gaze back up by her chin. Aera¡¯s shoulders jumped and her whole body recoiled as Aedan¡¯s towering rod was right in front of her face. If Erin hadn¡¯t been by Aera''s side and her tails didn¡¯t cushion her, Aera would have fallen back and hit the ground. s, she didn¡¯t and she was forced to lean closer to Aedan¡¯s morous throbbing rod that seemed eager to enter a woman¡¯s cavern and ravaged her insides. ¡°E-Erin¡­ what¡¯s the meaning of this?¡± Aera asked with her gaze glued to Aedan¡¯s colossal cock. It wasn¡¯t her first time seeing the breeding tool of a man but it was her first witnessing such a cock of this size. Aera remembered seeing the cocks of the men when she was still just a child and was bathing by the river with her family and the other viges. She remembered sneaking a few nces out of curiosity and none of them was as impressive as what she was seeing now. ¡°Is it not obvious enough or do you truly not know?¡± Erin returned the question with a simper. ¡°K-know what?¡± ¡°You are going to make Aedan feel good with your mouth.¡± ¡°With my m-mouth!?¡± Aera eximed. ¡°That¡¯s too¡­. That¡¯s too obscene!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be a prude now, Aera. You love Aedan, don¡¯t you? Then you should have no problem servicing the cock of the man you love with your mouth, right?¡± ¡°T-that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re one to talk, Erin,¡± Aedan said with a sneer. Erin raised an eyebrow and red sideways at Aedan as if asking him to keep silent. However, Aedan did the opposite. ¡°You love me too, don¡¯t you, Erin? Then you should have no problem giving me a blowjob, right?¡± ¡°Blowjob?¡± ¡°The act of pleasuring someone¡¯s cock with one¡¯s mouth. Or fetio, if you¡¯re feeling fancy.¡± ¡°Where did you learn all these words?¡± Erin asked in a vexed tone. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter now, Erin. What matters now is that as the more experienced one here, shouldn¡¯t you be leading your junior?¡± Aedan smirked. Erin chuckled. ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right about that,¡± she said and grabbed Aedan¡¯s stiff and zestful rod without any trace of apprehension. Aedan winced. ¡°Easy there, Erin. You¡¯re going to frighten my little friend.¡± ¡°Like hell, I¡¯ll believe that,¡± she retorted and began stroking his cock up and down. Instantly, Aedan threw his head back and moaned in delight towards the ceiling. ¡°Look closely, Aera. Watch how I bring this conceited lizard down a peg.¡± Aera could only nod in response as she watched each of Erin¡¯s movements earnestly. ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± Aedan asked smugly. ¡°What else can I do?¡± Erin tossed back the question. Her hands did not stop stroking his cock. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do this, you know? I never asked this of you because I know¡ª¡± ¡°Stop right there, Aedan. Don¡¯t be presumptuous. I have already taken your thing into my vestal hole. This much is nothing.¡± Aedan smiled wryly. ¡°You really hate to lose, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not about losing¡­¡± Erin muttered and swallowed the entirety of Aedan¡¯s cock with a single gulp without any forewarning. Most would have started off by licking the tip and nibbling the shaft before taking the whole thing, but Erin skipped all the previous steps and went straight for the final stage. Aedan closed his eyes shut and groaned in gratification. ¡°E-Erin¡­!¡± he moaned. ¡°D-don¡¯t force yourself¡­ Erin. Take it easy¡­¡± Aedan was struggling with his words due to the pleasure surging through his brain from his warmth and wetness snugly clutching his rod. Contrary to Aedan¡¯s advice, Erin sucked on his cock as if drinking from a straw before she started bobbing her head up and down in a sweet rhythm that drew more moans and groans of ecstasy from the Dragon-kin. ¡°Fucking hell, Erin¡­ Have you been practising¡­? How are you so good¡­?¡± Aedan praised in between his rapturous pants. Hearing hispliments, Erin only increased her pace and strength furthermore and elicited louder voices of carnal joy from Aedan. As Aera watched with studious diligence, she couldn¡¯t help but resume her onanism. Before she knew it herself, her hands were once again groping her breasts and caressing her drenched snatch. This time, she did not stop even after being aware of what her hands were doing. Instead, she let her instincts and passion take over and just like that, she guided herself to her release. Gushes of her love juices flooded her thighs and the floor as she cried out the pleasure of her orgasm. Aera¡¯s climax brought Erin out of her heated and fervid rhythmic trance of blowing the hell out of Aedan. She gasped deeply as she took her mouth off of his cock which was now glistening with a lustrous sheen that was her saliva coating. ¡°All the gods be damned, Erin¡­¡± Aedan panted. ¡°You¡¯re fucking amazing¡­ I must thank Nyx for turning you into a girl. I would have never experienced this otherwise.¡± ¡°Not good enough to make you cum,¡± Erin grumbled. Though she felt slightly triumphant at Aedan¡¯s ecstatic expression, her mood soured when she realised she only made him harder and bigger while she herself was soaked through the thin translucent fabric of her sensual nightgown. ¡°Nonsense, Erin. You were absolutely wonderful. Don¡¯t use that as a measurement. Even Iris couldn¡¯t make me cum with her mouth.¡± Erin frowned at his mentioning of the Umbrum¡¯s name but it then contorted into a grimace. Though it was apliment, it didn¡¯t sit right with her for her name to be mentioned with the name of a woman not of her harem. Not yet, at least. ¡°I-I¡¯m ready now¡­ Aedan¡­ Erin¡­ Can I try it now?¡± Aera asked with a flushed face filled with a restless desire that glued her eyes to his rod. ¡°Of course,¡± Erin said and stood up abruptly. Before Aedan could ask anything, she pushed him down onto the bed and straddled him by his head. ¡°Now, it¡¯s your turn to pleasure me, my dear Aedan.¡± She lowered her dripping honeypot down on Aedan¡¯s lips before he could offer any retort. ¡°Will he be alright?¡± Aera asked, ncing worriedly at how Erin was ¡°abusing¡± Aedan. ¡°It¡¯ll take more than this to truly harm this awful man,¡± Erin assured her with a smirk. ¡°Awful?¡± ¡°Is he not? He took your heart before I could. You were supposed to be mine, Aera,¡± Erin confessed. Normally, she wouldn¡¯t have said something so petty but influenced by the mood and her Lust, she was spouting everything that came to her mind. ¡°Now, let us cast away all pretences and restraints and indulge ourselves in the pleasure of the flesh.¡± With that said, Erin cast Lust one more time and drowned the room with zealous, lustful desire. 4-48 Raging maiden II 4-48 Raging maiden II Erin sat on her knees with Aedan¡¯s face buried under her dripping honeypot while facing Aera who was mustering up the courage tomit her first-ever true obscenity. Aedan tapped on Erin¡¯s thighs but his request was woefully ignored by Erin as she trapped his hands under her knees. ¡°Make me cum,¡± Erin ordered. But her demand was met with defiance as all she could feel with her snatch was his m breaths. She grabbed one of his nipples and pinched it lightly. Aedan moaned into her cunt, making her shudder abruptly with glee coursing through her flesh. ¡°T-that¡¯s it¡­ pleasure me¡­¡± Erin breathed, Aedan snorted and that brief exhale of air assaulted Erin¡¯s clit. She squealed in delight and curled into her belly to cope with the unexpected acute pleasure. ¡°Fuck¡­¡± Erin cursed. ¡°M-more¡­!¡± she demanded and squeezed both of his nipples at once. Aedan groaned and the vibration of his voice assailed her womanly cavern. She cried out in ecstasy with her head thrown back as a soft wave of pleasure swept over her. Perhaps having enough of teasing Erin, Aedan began to pleasure her naughty and expectant cunt with his lips, tongue, and teeth, alternating them deftly. As Erin writhed, shuddered, and twisted in the building unbridled pleasure, Aera finally gathered enough of her courage and resolve. She timidly stuck out her tongue and startedpping the tip of Aedan¡¯s stiff throbbing cock as if she was sampling an exotic dish. At first, Aera recoiled from the queer taste and shirked with every attempt. But gradually, her licking became consistent and soon enough, she was licking the entire length of the foot-long rod, from the balls right up to the ns. She spent the most time around the shaft as she found that part particr reactive to her tongue. Beckoned by her lust and encouraged by the positive reaction from the man she loved, Aera took the tip into her mouth and slowly worked her way down. Once inside of her mouth, her eyes widened from the strange feeling that Aedan¡¯s cock felt much bigger than it looked. Nevertheless, she was not deterred and continued in her endeavour. Aera gagged and retched a few times but she never gave up. Whenever she reached a limit, she either shifted her angle or just forced it down. Thetter method was painful but at the same time, a unique kind of pleasure spread throughout her body, making her honeypot overflowing with her maiden fluids. Eventually, she was able to take the entire length of Aedan¡¯s cock into her mouth and she reached her climax at the same time. The dam between her legs burst and jets of fluids sprinkled her thighs wetter than they already were. As this was her second orgasm, she lost strength in her body and slumped forward with her face leaning against Aedan¡¯s still-vigorous breeding rod that showed no sign of reaching its climax. Stirred by the failure of making her loved one cum, she mustered whatever strength remained in her limbs and rose to her feet. Erin was lost in the rapture of Aedan¡¯s adept cunnilingus with experience of over a thousand years. She had cummed again and again under the assault of Aedan¡¯s mouth and tongue to a total of four strong climaxes and nine light orgasms. Before she could reach the fifth, Aera¡¯s sudden rise pulled her out of her orgasm stupor. ¡°A-Aera? What¡¯s w-wrong?¡± Erin was slurring her words due to her continuous orgasms but by no means she was near her limit or anything. In fact, her desire climbed to new heights. ¡°I want it now¡­¡± Aera said in between her feverish breaths. Erin smiled warmly. ¡°Of course. You have waited long enough.¡± She got off of Aedan¡¯s face and crawled over to the side of his crotch to assist Aera. Aedan gasped deeply for breath the moment Erin freed him from her incessant dripping honeypot. ¡°Goddamn, woman¡­ You¡¯re a freak,¡± heined while panting. ¡°And you like it,¡± Erin retorted with a grin. Aedan sighed and smiled wryly. ¡°How can I not? Unless a man¡¯s a dedicated pansy, I don¡¯t see how they could resist you.¡± ¡°Then you better be honoured and grateful for the fact you are the only man I would every with.¡± ¡°I am more than honoured and grateful, mydy,¡± Aedan said and sat up after wiping his face of Erin¡¯s love juices. Aera was climbing onto hisp when he sat up. Erin was guiding her on how to straddle him to avoid straining herself and making her partner ufortable. ¡°You better be gentle with her, Aedan,¡± Erin warned with a sharpened re. ¡°What are you saying? I¡¯m always gentle.¡± Erin glowered. ¡°Like hell you were.¡± ¡°P-please be gentle¡­¡± Aera pleaded as she positioned her throbbing and dripping snatch over Aedan¡¯s equally expectant rod. Aedan gave a gentle smile. ¡°I will,¡± he said and softly held her waist, guiding her snatch to his cock. Aera shivered when she felt the ns touching her entrance. ¡°Will it be painful? I heard a girl¡¯s first time will not be pleasurable.¡± ¡°It will only hurt if the man only cares about his own pleasure,¡± Aedan answered. ¡°It will hurt,¡± was Erin¡¯s answer. Aedan raised an eyebrow. Aera quivered at Erin¡¯s words. Erin knelt by the side of the two and rested a hand on Aera¡¯s shoulder. ¡°It will hurt a lot but at the same time, the joy and contentment will eclipse the reaping of your maidenhood.¡± Erin¡¯s words seemed to have an effect as Aera¡¯s heart rate dropped noticeably and she began easing herself onto Aedan¡¯s rod. She moaned and cried out in pain of her hymen tearing, which she still surprisingly had considering what she had been through. A small drop of blood trickled down Aedan¡¯s cock but his mind was on the tight embrace of Aera¡¯s maidenly cavern. ¡°So tight¡­ God, this feels so good¡­¡± Aedan groaned in delight. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t forget about me here,¡± Erin grunted. She grabbed his hand and plunged her quivering snatch onto his fingers. She moaned into his ears as pleasure tore through her nerves. ¡°Yes¡­ that¡¯s it, Aedan¡­ You know where I like it¡­¡± ¡°You are soscivious, Erin,¡± Aedan moaned. ¡°This is who I am, Aedan¡­¡± Erin was breathless with pleasure running amok within her. ¡°I can¡¯t change it¡­ Now shut up and work your fingers.¡± Aedan marvelled with amusement in silence andplied with his lustful lover¡¯s wishes. He wriggled and thrashed his fingers inside of Erin¡¯s sacrednds, making a thorough mess out of it. While Erin was engulfed in the profound carnal glee of Aedan¡¯s masterly artful fingers, Aera was doing her best in trying to amodate the entire length of Aedan¡¯s cock. Aedan wanted to just m his whole rod into the maiden but as promised, he held back his twisted urges and allowed the maiden to go at her own flow. Perhaps spurred by her ownck of progress in trying to swallow Aedan¡¯s rod with her holy region, Aera resorted to brute force and plunged herself right down, skewering herself on the member of her infatuation. Pain and pleasure erupted from her sudden bullish movement and she underwent a dire orgasm that caused her eyes to roll back and her tongue to loll out while her body trembled violently. Aera¡¯s mouth was open but no voice of ecstasy came out of it as the pleasure had numbed her body. At the same time, her dam broke again and soaked not only her own thighs wet but also Aedan¡¯s legs and the bed, drenching them with her love juices. Aera would have fallen right off of Aedan then had it not been for Erin by her side and also the fact that Aedan was gently supporting her with an arm wrapped around her waist. Though Erin was relishing in her own rapture, she wasn¡¯t remiss. She did not take her attention off of Aera. With Aedan¡¯s fingers still floundering in her pulsating snatch, she slumped forward and embraced the shuddering Aera in a hug. Erin stroked her back and caressed her head to help her brave through her first-ever pration orgasm. Erin tipped Aera¡¯s face towards her and nted her lips on hers. As she stuck her tongue into Aera¡¯s mouth, she also poured some of her Lust into Aera, alleviating the pain from the loss of her maidenhood. ¡°I¡¯m alright¡­¡± Aera said once she came down from the high of her orgasm. ¡°I¡¯m alright¡­ You can move now, Aedan¡­¡± She looked at Aedan with a pleading gaze that was doing its best to hide her nervousness. She ced her hands on his shoulders in preparation. ¡°As you wish, mydy,¡± Aedan nodded and bucked his hips, thrusting his rod upwards. Aera instantly cried out in pleasure with a distorted expression from having her womanly cavern assaulted with such a vigorous weapon. She dug her nails into his shoulders unwittingly. Aedan groaned from having his flesh and skin pierced but he said nothing of it and continued in his gentle pistoning with a warm smile on his face as if he only found it endearing. Erin broke off her kiss with Aera and shifted her attention to Aedan while still keeping vignce on Aera should she exert herself once again. She kissed his lips and then moved down to his neck and shoulders. She kissed the wound caused by Aera and patched them up with Spirit Mend. As they were inside a Grove, Erin could keep using Spirit Mend without being drained. Erin kissed Aedan on the lips once more before turning her focus back on Aera, who was awaiting her lips and tongue with an open mouth and a feverish gaze. Erin gave a wolfish grin and proceeded to devour Aera¡¯s tongue and mouth which weed her yful abuse vehemently. Aera¡¯s hands left Aedan¡¯s shoulders and moved to Erin, entangling the lewd Fox-kin into a passionate embrace. Erin parted from their blissful exchange and moved down to Aera¡¯s bosom which was throbbing for attention. Erin obliged and took a nipple into her mouth while her hands yed with the mounds. Aera wasn¡¯t satisfied yet despite being assailed from two sides. Her mouth was open and aching for attention. Aedan obliged, cupping her cheeks, and plunged his tongue into her awaiting mouth cavity. Now, she was attacked on all three sides. The pleasure built rapidly and in no time at all, she reached her climax and flooded everything in the vicinity of her crotch in her love juices. With that release, Aera slumped like a doll severed from its strings and left her weight to the discretion of her twopanions. She had cummed too much for her first time and she was now drifting in and out of sleep and waking. However, Aedan and Erin showed no sign of stopping there. Erin still hadn''t had enough and Aedan had yet to reach his peak of ecstasy. Seeing Aera in such a state, the two decided to end this as quickly as possible, for her at least. Aedan increased her pace and strength while Erin assisted by rubbing her clit and ying with her teats. Aedan¡¯s fingers left Erin¡¯s greedy cave to hold Aera by her waist. With both hands holding her firmly, Aedan elerated his thrust and rapidly guided himself towards his first climax of this session. Erin saw Aedan¡¯s writhing expression and pounced on his face with her arms hugging his neck tightly. Their lips smacked together and their tongues once again engaged in a ferventscivious bout. At the same time, Aedan finally reached his climax and unleashed thick streams of his seed into Aera¡¯s womb, flooding and overflowing her cave. His strenuous release caused Aera to undergo another climax that sent nearly all of his seed gushing out of her cave along with her love juices. The sounds and thoughts of such tortuous and wanton orgasms brought Erin to her own climax as her womanly cavern overflowed with her flooding love juices, spraying her thighs wet and everything near her snatch. Together, they tumbled onto the bed with Aera lying on top of Aedan with a smiling and content expression while Eriny on his side with a yet unsated hunger dyeing her expression. Aedan grinned at such an Erin and gently rolled Aera off of him before on Erin and began yet another round of coitus and that continued on until the first light of dawn. [Experience gained +40%] 4-49 House of Lilies 4-49 House of Lilies ¡°This is indeed a very nice ce for us to have this conversation,¡± Rigetta remarked as she let her eyes wander the whole room, smirking at every obscene trinket and suggestive ornament that came into sight while satfortably in an armchair with a few extra prurient contrivances. ¡°A fine establishment, I must say.¡± Erin sighed, shaking her head while rubbing her temple as she sat in the soft armchair. ¡°It was not my first choice nor was it my second or third.¡± ¡°But we¡¯re here.¡± ¡°By necessity. There were no other ces as secure as this one or so I¡¯m led to believe.¡± Erin¡¯s scowled trailed over to the Augur, who was lying on the bed as if she was here for leisure purposes. ¡°Cross my heart, Lady Erin,¡± Amyra said with a sparse smile. ¡°If there are better choices out there, I¡¯m not aware of it nor have I seen it. The owner of this brothel is an Aeryon. She¡¯s trustworthy. We have been over this, mdy. Do you still not trust me?¡± ¡°Aedan is your mentor. As long as it¡¯s harmless and overall frivolous, he won¡¯t shy away from japes like these. So there, you have an answer.¡± ¡°Well, that ain¡¯t my fault, mdy. It¡¯s your precious lover¡¯s.¡± Erin rolled her eyes. ¡°Forget that I ask,¡± she groaned. ¡°Well then, Lady Erynthea, what news did you bring from your excursionst night?¡± Rigetta asked. ¡°Considering you didn¡¯t report back to the guild immediately after, I can only assume that you stumbled upon something that made you question your belief in the guild, in me.¡± Erin nodded. ¡°Your assumption would be correct, Guild Master. While we haven¡¯t found anything pertaining to the ns the Covenant have in store for me, we have discovered something¡­ paramount to the operations of this hushed circle of malefactors.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ paramount¡­¡± Rigetta made a solemn pondering face. ¡°I guess it¡¯s something rted to how they produce the Demoids?¡± ¡°Quite right, Rigetta.¡± ¡°By the divines¡­¡± she gasped softly but gravely. ¡°This¡­ thing that you found, did you bring it with you?¡± Erin exchanged a brief nce with Amyra who was still indolently lying on the bed behind her. They nodded at each other before Erin turned her gaze back to Rigetta. ¡°We did,¡± she answered and took out the vial of pure Demonic essence from her subspace storage spell, Vault. Unbeknownst to the Dwarrow, Amyra¡¯s gaze narrowed slightly and her hand crept slowly to the back of her waist, where her Infinite Pouch was hidden. Rigetta frowned as she stared at the vial with incredulity. The Demonic aura oozing off the vial was sending shivers across her skin. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have brought it with you, Lady Erin. If that thing is truly as important as you surmised, having this item on you as you walked around in public would be¡­ dangerous to say the least. What if I turned out to be an agent of the Covenant all along?¡± ¡°Are you?¡± Erin asked with an eyebrow raised. ¡°The Spirits might seem amicable in my presence but as there are spells and magic tools to hide one¡¯s scent from sharp noses like yours and conceal sounds from sensitive ears like yours, there are also means to hide one¡¯s unpleasantness from the Spirits. You shouldn¡¯t be so naive, mdy.¡± ¡°Then you¡¯ll be assured to know that I have deluded your belief, Rigetta.¡± Erin tittered and dropped the vial to the floor. However, the vial did not shatter into millions of pieces and stter its content everywhere. Instead, it disappeared into a puff of bluish smoke and fading cyan sparks as if it had been nothing more than an illusion. And gone was the ominous and dreadful feeling exuding from the supposed vial. The Dwarrow flinched lightly in stupefaction. ¡°W-what¡­ What did you do?¡± ¡°That was just an illusion, as you can already tell.¡± ¡°Illusion? But that Demonic aura¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s a veryplicated spell but we have a very¡­ clever enchanter. He made use of Spirit, Spatial, and Light Magic to make that spell. The baseline for that spell is Spirit Magic. The foundation is a Wisp, a meagre Familiar of mine,yered with Twilight Shroud to give it the vial¡¯s appearance. To make it seem more realistic, the appearance is further enhanced by Light Magic. And Spatial Magic is used to trap some of the dark aurae of the original article. And there you have it.¡± Rigetta was barely able to follow Erin¡¯s exnation but she didn¡¯t get lost. After Erin¡¯s exnation, she finally grasped Erin¡¯s meaning. ¡°Ah, I see. You were testing me.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Well yed, mdy. Well yed.¡± Amyra moved her hand away from her Infinite Pouch and sat upright from her lying position. ¡°Thank the lord, Riggy,¡± Amyra heaved. ¡°I don¡¯t know what I¡¯ll do if you turn out to be an enemy. I would have probably beaten you into a pulp, minced you, and then seared you ck.¡± ¡°Thank the divines that I didn¡¯t turn out to be your enemy,¡± Rigetta retorted with a smile. ¡°So, what will the Guild do with this information?¡± Erin asked. ¡°To be honest, I do not know.¡± ¡°The guild hit an impasse?¡± ¡°Not that¡­ It would be great if that¡¯s all there is to it but I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s much worse than that notion.¡± Erin frowned. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the Ruvans. Well, the Venerers, to be exact. They havee requesting the cooperation of the guild in apprehending the factions and individuals that are involved in the Demonic dealings.¡± ¡°They found out about our arrangement?¡± ¡°Not surprising but neither was it the problem here.¡± ¡°They are being stubbornly and zealously insistent with their so-called request, aren¡¯t they?¡± Amyra said. Rigetta nodded. ¡°I¡¯m afraid so, Amyra. They even have their High Priests¡¯ endorsement since Demons are involved but those aren¡¯t even the crux of the issue.¡± Erin raised an eyebrow. ¡°Then what is?¡± ¡°They have a formally signed requisition from the Pontiff and Aza in writing. If the Guild refused their request, the already strained rtionship between the adventurers and the Ruvans would essentially devolve to the point of silent rivals.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that just cause an immense catastrophe in almost every city and town? Are they willing to shoulder that kind of burden?¡± ¡°The pontiff and the Venerer¡¯smander aren¡¯t individuals who would make such sacrifices.¡± ¡°Then the request is forged?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s very real. I have seen it and felt it¡­ I felt the divinity oozing off of it.¡± ¡°Fuck a duck,¡± Amyra cursed with a scoff. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Erin muttered in realisation. ¡°Ruva¡­ This is Ruva¡¯s decision.¡± ¡°She knows something about the Covenant¡¯s ns that we don¡¯t and that led to this decision. If she¡¯s willing to risk instability amongst the people to get rid of this threat, the Covenant¡¯s scheme must be extremely more severe than we wish to admit.¡± ¡°And so she resorted to such drastic measures.¡± Amyra snorted. ¡°How typical of Ruva. The Apostles and Acolytes certainly do reflect their Divines.¡± ¡°When¡¯s thest time you looked into a mirror?¡± Erin questioned. ¡°Just this morning,¡± Amyra answered unabashedly. Erin sighed and turned her attention back to Rigetta. ¡°What are the consequences if we ept their request?¡± ¡°If the guild epts it, private information of the adventurers will beid bare before the Ruvans under the pretence of rooting out any possible Covenant spy. The quests will then be turned into missions and ventures that would only benefit the growth of Ruvanity. The adventurer¡¯s guild will be essentially assimted by the Ruvans.¡± ¡°So the Covenant had basically given them ample reasons and heaps of excuses to take the power of the adventurer¡¯s guild for themselves. With how things just conveniently fall into the Ruvan¡¯s favour, It almost felt like they schemed this whole thing with the Covenant.¡± ¡°If Demons were involved, I would be inclined to believe that,¡± Rigetta said. ¡°There¡¯s always a first time.¡± ¡°Then please it be any other Divine but Ruva. The world would plunge into chaos if thergest faith in the world is colluding with Demons.¡± ¡°Then let us not dwell on that ominous and soul-shaking thought. Where were we?¡± ¡°Our next course of action,¡± Erin said. ¡°Since it hase to this, we will have to make our own move without the aid of the guild. I have a suggestion, Rigetta.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hear it.¡± ¡°Give me the Memory Stone and every important clue you have dug out of Edmund¡¯s memories so far. Since the guild is now under the vignce of the Ruvans, I¡¯ll have to move independently.¡± ¡°But without the front of aplishing quests for the guild, the Covenant will use their connection in the noble circle to suppress you.¡± ¡°The front can stay but the true essence of our arrangement has to be shifted, discreetly without the Ruvan¡¯s notice.¡± ¡°I can fool them but not for long.¡± ¡°Then fool them as long as you can.¡± ¡°How long do you need?¡± ¡°Around a week or two. Can you do it?¡± ¡°I can handle a week but it would be impossible to be longer.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Erin asked when she noticed Rigetta¡¯s darkening expression. ¡°I forgot to tell you that Aza will being to Sephrodia Valley in a week¡¯s time.¡± ¡°Well, ain¡¯t that just unnerving.¡± Amyra chuckled self-deprecatingly. ¡°Is she as intuitive and astute as the rumours say?¡± ¡°I only met her briefly,¡± Rigetta said. ¡°We didn¡¯t even talk but I have seen how she eyed her surroundings and the people around her. She¡¯s more than what the rumours say. It¡¯s a shame that she was tempted by the grace of Ruva.¡± ¡°I met her once and briefly too,¡± Erin murmured. ¡°Oh, right,¡± Amyra eximed. ¡°You did, didn¡¯t you? So, what¡¯s your impression of her?¡± ¡°Distrustful and prejudicial. She doesn¡¯t seem like a fanatic or a zealot. I don¡¯t believe she has any love for Ruva at all. Her faith seems to stem from some kind of mutual interest with Ruva.¡± ¡°Hmm, what a curious observation you have there, Lady Erin,¡± Rigetta mused. ¡°Have you perhaps engaged her inbat?¡± ¡°Came close too but surprisingly, she backed out.¡± Both Rigetta and Amyra were blinking nkly in surprise at Erin. ¡°I was shocked too when she proposed a suspension of hostility. Apparently, I think Aedan has threatened her in some form or way.¡± ¡°Aedan, the Apostle of Aeryo?¡± ¡°You know of him?¡± ¡°Considering his history and as the Apostle of a deceased Divine, all the seasoned folks have heard of him. Even if they don¡¯t know their name, they recognise his story. Not to mention, he owns arge piece ofnd in Sephrodia Valley by dealing with the Yorun King directly. Do you know what that piece ofnd is called by the locals?¡± Erin shook her head. ¡°The Nevend.¡± ¡°The Nevend?¡± ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s because everyone had heard and some were even sure about its existence but nobody seemed to have seen it aside from the followers of Aeryo and its Acolytes.¡± ¡°You have not seen it either?¡± ¡°I was not allowed to,¡± Rigetta said with a wry nce directed at Amyra. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t look at me like that. It was his lordship¡¯s orders.¡± Rigetta giggled as she turned her sights back to Erin. ¡°How envious, Lady Erin. You managed to seduce the Apostle of Aeryo. I¡¯m aware of his multiple past affairs but you¡¯re the first that I know of to gain his trust and ess to the Nevend. Never took you for a pale lily, Lady Erin.¡± ¡°Pale lily? I reckon that means I swing both ways?¡± ¡°Do you not? Or am I wrong with my conjecture?¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re not, but it¡¯s only limited to him and no other men.¡± ¡°Oh, what makes him so different from the other men that you are willing to spread your legs only for him??¡± ¡°Guild Master, I wasn¡¯t aware that prying into love affairs was to be the purpose of our meeting.¡± Rigetta tittered. ¡°Forgive me, Lady Erin. It has been so long since Ist have the opportunity to taste the thrill of love. Truthfully, I¡¯m starved for some love.¡± ¡°Are you now?¡± Erin asked with a narrowed gaze. ¡°But I have to apologise to you, Lady Erin?¡± ¡°What for?¡± ¡°I¡¯m no lily.¡± Amyra broke into a chortle while clutching her belly. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be sorry, Rigetta,¡± Erin responded amicably. ¡°I¡¯m not particrly fond of you in that way either.¡± ¡°Hmm, I¡¯m not to your liking?¡± ¡°Pardon me for saying this, Rigetta, but with your stature and physique, you are like a little sister to me at best.¡± Amyra¡¯s chortle became louder behind them. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t deny that. I do look young even for Dwarrows¡¯ standards.¡± Just then a knock resounded from the door and the three in the room all assumed a serious expression. They were told not to be interrupted or disturbed unless some dire issue arose. ¡°Leisure time¡¯s over,¡± Amyra said and bounced off the bed. She took out her body-sized cleaver-sword from the Infinite Pouch and hoisted it on her shoulders at the ready. 4-50 Divulged 4-50 Divulged ¡°Who goes there?¡± Amyra asked in a low voice but the individual on the other side had an acute hearing. ¡°The razorfish has entered the pond,¡± came the answer from a woman. ¡°They came for the one hiding amongst the lilies.¡± ¡°What manner of razorfish?¡± ¡°Gold and silver.¡± ¡°Understood. The pond shall be cleared,¡± Amyra responded. The woman then made a hasty retreat from the door, apparent by the noises of her brisk steps. ¡°The razor fish?¡± Erin mused. ¡°A predator of freshwater. They ate other fish who swam near lotuses and water lilies. Apparently, the city guards are looking for us.¡± ¡°The city guards are looking for us?¡± Rigetta blurted. ¡°Corrupt guards?¡± ¡°They won¡¯t have business with us otherwise.¡± ¡°How do they know we¡¯re here?¡± Amyra red at Rigetta, the dwarrow Guild Master. ¡°You suspect me, Amyra?¡± Rigetta asked with a firm face. ¡°Either you betrayed us or you were followed.¡± ¡°I certainly don¡¯t want to be used of the former but for thetter reason, no one should know I¡¯m here. As far as they are concerned, I¡¯m still in my office signing paperwork.¡± ¡°You told no one about this meeting?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Rigetta fell silent. ¡°You told someone?¡± Erin pressed. ¡°I did¡­ My assistant¡­ She was beside me when I got your letter from the swallow. She¡¯s the only one Ipletely trust in the Guild¡­ It can¡¯t be¡­ She couldn¡¯t have¡­¡± ¡°Well, we¡¯ll ascertain her innocence after we get out of here and elude the guards,¡± Amyra said and strode over to the corner of the room where a small vase of flowers was ced on an ornate pedestal. She lifted the vase, revealing a symbol that was carved onto the surface of the pedestal. She tapped on the symbol three times and then it began to glow. The light flowed down the pedestal, following an invisible circuit to the other corner where a shelf of decorative trinkets resided. After the light disappeared into the back of the shelf, conjoined slits appeared on the wall, forming a rectangle that seemed to denote a detachment of a chunk of the wall. The detached chunk then spun with the middle as the pivoting point, revealing a hidden passage. ¡°That was such a gratuitous dragging disy,¡± Erin muttered. ¡°It¡¯s not,¡± Amyra retorted. ¡°The more intricate it is, the harder it is for one to identally stumble on it or intentionally uncover it. Now quit dawdling, mdy. Follow me,¡± she said and disappeared into the passage. ¡°Without any lights?¡± Rigetta asked. Amyra snapped her fingers and a small drop of fire materialised on the tip of her forefinger. ¡°If this is not enough, mdy has Light Drop but I would rmend travelling in the dark as much as we can. Nowe on, no time to lose.¡± Rigetta said no more and followed Amyra into the passage. Erin entered after Rigetta. ¡°See that lever beside you? Pull it down,¡± Amyra said. Erin did as she was told and the wall moved back into its original position after the lever was pulled. Together, they moved in the darkness with only the petite me on Amyra¡¯s fingertip as their only source of light. They were able to create more but as they were moving behind brick walls, any light too intense would inadvertently expose their location. But it wasn¡¯t as if they couldn¡¯t navigate in the dark. Amyra was used to the dark from her time spent training in dungeons andbyrinths. Erin had the innate ability to see in the dark. Rigetta was the only one having troubles with the dark but it wasn¡¯t too severe. With enough time, she soon became ustomed to the passage. ¡°Where does this lead to?¡± Erin asked when the passage turned from bricks and concrete to rocks and soil. ¡°If nothing has changed for the past five years, we shoulde out to a thicket not far from the pleasure district. There used to be a shrine of Aeryo but it long since been abandoned and now it¡¯s nothing more than a pile of ruins.¡± ¡°You¡¯re talking about the Red Grove?¡± Rigetta chimed in. ¡°Not a grove anymore. Not since the death of Aeryo.¡± ¡°You¡¯re familiar with the ce, Rigetta?¡± ¡°Not personally but I have heard it used to be a wonderful ce for pics. It¡¯s a Grove in the truest sense but it was a Grove where the public was allowed to enter, by the good will of Aeryo. But after the Dragon God¡¯s death¡­ it became just anothermon thicket out of the lot in the valley and the people, of course, lost interest in it.¡± ¡°Thanks to that, we don¡¯t have to worry about stumbling onto random people when wee out of this tunnel, hopefully,¡± Amyra muttered thest word. But naturally, it did not escape Erin¡¯s hearing. ¡°Hopefully?¡± she questioned. ¡°Just a random mulling, mdy.¡± ¡°Is there something you neglect to tell me?¡± ¡°Rest assured, mdy. There isn¡¯t¡­ I hoped.¡± ¡°Amyra, what did you do?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing huge, mdy.¡± ¡°Amyra¡­¡± Erin uttered. ¡°Tell me now, or suffer a harsh punishmentter.¡± ¡°Alright, fine. I confessed, mdy. I may have brought one or two whores to that ce to¡ª you get the gist, mdy.¡± ¡°You meant to tell me that you brought whores to a ce where no one is supposed to be? May I know why?¡± ¡°Um¡­ it¡¯s thrilling?¡± Erin sighed. ¡°This discussion is not over.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t tell his lordship.¡± ¡°If the ce isn¡¯tpromised, I won¡¯t.¡± The tunnel they were treading through eventually came to an end. Arge boulder stood in their path but it was no hitch for them. With ease, Amyra moved the boulder out of the way and they emerged into a small patch of pale red trees that looked to be on the verge ofpletely withering. The first thing Erin did upon exiting the tunnel was to scour the area, making sure no one other than them was present in the thicket. Amyra knew she dodged an arrow when she noticed Erin¡¯s shoulders loosened and her tails ckened. ¡°We¡¯re in the clear?¡± ¡°For now. Which way is the Grove?¡± ¡°That way,¡± Amyra pointed to their right. ¡°I guess this is where our paths diverge. I need to head back to the guild.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Erin asked. ¡°You cane with us.¡± ¡°No, she can¡¯t,¡± Amyra interjected immediately. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Lady Erin. I have to go. I need to know how much of the guild ispromised and whether my trust has been misced.¡± ¡°Well, if you insist, Rigetta, I will not stop you. Good luck. Till we meet again.¡± ¡°Till we meet again, Lady Erin,¡± Rigetta returned the bidding and was about to head off when Erin suddenly put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Lady Erin?¡± ¡°Footsteps,¡± Erin said. ¡°Approaching us.¡± She then red at Amyra. ¡°Oops?¡± uttered the Augur in response. ¡°Amyra¡¯sdy friends?¡± Rigetta asked. ¡°Unfortunately, no,¡± Erin answered. ¡°Unless her friends had a peculiar and unison gait.¡± ¡°Then, it¡¯s not my fault, right?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t take you for a durd, Amyra. Why do you think they know where to look? It¡¯s because they questioned your known associates, that¡¯s why.¡± ¡°Damn it¡­ you¡¯re not as dim as his lordship says.¡± Erin glowered. ¡°I¡¯m going to have a nice word with Aedan after this.¡± As soon as those words left her lips, a group of armed guards flooded into the thicket. With the amount of armour they were wearing and the heavy weapons they were carrying, Rigetta could hear them now even when they were still some distance away. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of them,¡± Rigetta muttered. ¡°Dispatching so many guards for uwful reasons, the royal court is bound to catch wind of this. The viceroy would not be able to get off scot-free. And this is very unlikely of him. Rn Grid is never one to be brazen. He would have no excuse for this.¡± ¡°Which means he¡¯s desperate. The Covenant must be pressuring him into cooperating. But we can worry about thatter. Right now, we should figure out how to slip out of here unnoticed. Any ideas, Amyra? Preferably one that hasn¡¯t beenpromised.¡± ¡°Upromised ideas? My sweetdy, you still don¡¯t know me well,¡± Amyra said with a smug grin tinged with imminent dread. Erin sighed and buried her face in her palm. ¡°What were you thinking¡­?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t. I didn¡¯t think that my life would get this exciting.¡± ¡°Alright alright, escape first, meter. Since we don¡¯t have a choice, where should we go, Amyra?¡± ¡°The ruins of the shrine. There are plenty of covers there. It will be the first ce they¡¯ll look but I know where to hide.¡± ¡°Then take us there.¡± Amyra nodded and led the way. The three infused Mana into their bodies and made extreme haste for the shrine. Fortunately, they arrived before the enclosing guards could. The shrine had been a wonder and a sight for sore eyes but now it was nothing more than a dpidated pile of remains of a once marvellous ce of worship. Erin couldn¡¯t help but feel a little saddened by what the shrine once was. However, in spite of its evesting degradation, it was still a gathering spot for Spirits. An idea popped into Erin¡¯s head then. ¡°Ah, bollocks,¡± Amyra swore. ¡°What now?¡± Rigetta inquired with a frown. ¡°See that pile of rubble? That¡¯s where we were supposed to hide. Damn the elements.¡± ¡°Contingency ces or corners?¡± ¡°It won¡¯t be enough to fool the guards. They may be indolent most time but they are still trained and mildly experienced. Those secondary hiding spots won¡¯t elude them. Looks like we have no choice but to fight them.¡± ¡°Nonsense,¡± Erin scoffed frivolously with a smirk. ¡°We still have another option.¡± ¡°You do, mdy? What is it?¡± ¡°Just watch,¡± Erin said and began gathering the Spirits. With the amount of Spirits amassing, even those without Spirit Sight were able to perceive them. A soft yet vibrant glow began to form and grow in between her sped palms. ¡°Ah, clever,¡± Amyra eximed softly in awe. ¡°Twilight Shroud,¡± Erin chanted and spread her arms wide, scattering the Spirits in all directions, dousing the area in drops of cyan glitters. ¡°Let¡¯s hope it works,¡± Erin muttered. ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡± Amyra shrugged. ¡°Illusion spell?¡± Rigetta asked. ¡°Sort of, but at present, it¡¯s more of a camouge.¡± Soon enough, the guards trod into the ruins with brisk and hurried steps as if time was against them. The three held their breaths instinctively as they watched with trepidation at the guards roaming and eyeing the ruined shrine with scrutiny. The officer of the group shouted his orders, promising his men that they would not be able to return until they found them or simply a clue. Their faces told Erin they didn¡¯t want to be here but as they had already taken the bribe, they had no choice. They trained their gazes on each corner and spot they would most likely be able to hide a person or two. They looked high and low, searched every nook and cranny, but they came up with nothing. Erin, Amyra, and Rigetta were in fact just standing in the middle of the shrine, huddling close together. Aside from their breathing, which they made as quietly as possible, they moved not a single inch of their body. ¡°No sign of them here, sir,¡± said a guard after a good ten minutes of searching the ruins and turning over every rock and boulder. ¡°Impossible, they must be here. That pink cotton whore told us the secret passage leads to this ce.¡± Erin and the other two widened their eyes. ¡°Cotton whore?¡± Erin muttered in a whisper. ¡°Pink hair with cotton-like hair, he meant. I think I know who¡¯s the squealer. Pinea, she was once a harlot but left that life to be a follower of Aeryo. But she disappeared one day, leaving us a letter telling us she wanted a life not bound to a dead god.¡± Amyra chuckled. ¡°But it seems she has turned coat.¡± ¡°Thank the Divines¡­¡± Rigetta breathed easily. Meanwhile, the guards¡¯ conversation continued. ¡°She could be lying, sir,¡± ¡°She¡¯s not. She won¡¯t dare to. We already have the ce surrounded. They are not back in the brothel, so they must be here. We will not leave this ce until we find them. Double your efforts.¡± ¡°Yes, sir. Right away, sir,¡± the guard said in attention and resumed his search. ¡°Well, that¡¯s unfortunate. They won¡¯t be leaving any time soon. What now?¡± Amyra asked. Erin sighed. ¡°n B,¡± she muttered with a reluctant expression. 4-51 Opposition I 4-51 Opposition I ¡°n B?¡± Rigetta muttered in repeat with confusion touching her gaze. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m not familiar with this jargon.¡± Amyra snorted with a brief chuckle but not loud enough for them to be heard by the guards roaming around them, searching for their presence with looks of desperation. ¡°His lordship is indeed a bad influence on you, mdy.¡± Erin rolled her eyes. ¡°It means a contingency n, an alternative.¡± Rigetta nodded. ¡°I see. This lord of yours certainly has a way with words, Amyra.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not even half of it.¡± Amyra tittered. ¡°Anyway, what is your contingency n, mdy?¡± ¡°Not something I¡¯m very proud of,¡± Erin said and closed her eyes. A strange scent began emanating from her as a thin purplish glowing veil began to spread from her. The veil grew like a rising tidal wave, gradually sweeping all over the ruins and the guards were none the wiser about it. Only those who were sensitive to Mana could feel it and only the adept could see the veil. ¡°Lady Erynthea¡­ what is this?¡± Rigetta asked. She shook her head to dispel the encroaching muddled feeling. ¡°You¡¯re better off not knowing.¡± Erin retorted without opening her eyes. ¡°Mind magic?¡± ¡°Close but no.¡± ¡°Then I won¡¯t pry further, Lady Erin.¡± Amyra was feeling the effects as she began to wobble while standing upright. ¡°I feel¡­ good. I¡¯m feeling warm and¡­ a tad excited. Mdy, is this¡ª¡± Erin nodded and put a finger on her lips. ¡°I-I understand, m-mdy.¡± Amyra was even slurring her words. ¡°Is it just me or is anyone also starting to feel faint?¡± muttered a guard in passing as he scoured the ruins in earnest as he was ordered. ¡°Shut up and keep searching!¡± shouted the guard who was the only one wearing a maskless helmet, presumably the captain of the group. One by one, all of the guards in the vicinity were tottering in their steps, their visions blurring, and their bodies heating up. ¡°Damn it,¡± a guard cursed under his breath. ¡°I should be in Dancing Dolls fucking Charlene by now¡­¡± ¡°Quiet,¡± rebuked another guard. ¡°Don¡¯t let the captain hear you say that, not while I¡¯m just beside you. And what are youining about? We¡¯re getting paid more for this.¡± ¡°Yes, we¡¯re getting paid more but what¡¯s the good of it if we don¡¯t have the time to spend any of it?¡± ¡°You can spend them all when you retire. Now, shut up.¡± ¡°And when will that be? In twenty years? Or thirty? When we¡¯re infirmed, old men crippled by wounds from our job¡¯s hazard?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not talking to you anymore. If the captain hears you, I don¡¯t know you.¡± The guard tutted. ¡°You know I speak the truth. How many guards do you know we''re able to retire in one piece?¡± ¡°What the hell are you two babbling about there!?¡± roared the captain. ¡°N-nothing, sir!¡± ¡°It better be nothing or I¡¯ll give the two of you something b about in the pitter!¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The captain snorted and went back to his search. ¡°What a bunch of halfwits,¡± the captain groaned. ¡°Why am I stuck with these fools? I should be at home by now¡­ with my wife¡­ and her mouth around my cock¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t just the two guards and the captain but everyone within the thin purplish veil of mist that was having doubts and second guesses about their orders and mission. The increase in their wages was certainly a huge factor in their willingness and obedience but their thoughts couldn¡¯t help but veer to the dark and bleak implications. However, there was no falsehood in these dismal thoughts of theirs. Guards and soldiers who were able to live till their golden age and retire in peace could be counted with two hands and their fortune was returned to the kingdom after their passing. In this world, people die young and that was a fact. It was only natural that the guards started to harbour these thoughts, especially when their minds were being influenced by Erin¡¯s Lust. Their sexual desire continued to grow as they kept bathing in the unseen mist that was the aura of Erin¡¯s Lust. Their urges to let loose their desires swell. Their blooming primal longing addled their minds. To sate their carnal hunger, they even began considering insubordination and desertion. ¡°Mdy, this is a terrible n¡­¡± Amyra said. Her breath was quickening and her breaths were turning warm. ¡°We¡¯ll lose our minds before they lose theirs.¡± ¡°I agree with Amyra, Lady Erin. I don¡¯t know what kind of spell this is but I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll fall before the guards will.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t,¡± Erin assured them and rested her hands on their shoulders. ¡°I don¡¯t have perfect control over it but I can at least make sure the aura will be light on the two of you.¡± As Erin softened the effects of Lust on Amyra and Rigetta, to the best of her abilities, the guards¡¯ state was only worsening and it wasn¡¯t long before one of the guards eventually snapped. ¡°Fuck this shit!¡± cried the guard as he took off his helmet and threw it to the ground. ¡°What is it now?¡± demanded the captain with an exasperated sigh. ¡°You know what it is, captain!¡± the disgruntled guard shouted. ¡°Why are we even here?! We¡¯re supposed to be off-duty for today. We haven''t had a single day of rest for nearly a month and on the eventual day of our rest, we are suddenly called to arms and it¡¯s not even for licit purposes!¡± ¡°Are you defying your captain right now, soldier?¡± ¡°Oh, now we¡¯re soldiers? A few minutes ago when we¡¯re marching here, we¡¯re all maggots and trash.¡± ¡°Have you lost your mind, soldier?¡± the captain asked with a calm voice but his rage was apparent in both his voice and expression. ¡°Well, captain, we haven¡¯t been able to get a good night''s sleeptely and we have not shag any girls for a month now. If I had a mind, I have long lost it.¡± Though none of the guards made any remarks or showed any hint of concord on their faces, they were all silently agreeing with and inwardly nodding at the words of the bold and deranged guard. ¡°You truly have lost your mind, soldier,¡± the captain growled, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. ¡°Of course, we have!¡± another soldier cried out, stepping forward with his helmet taken off and thrown to the ground. ¡°We¡¯re sacrificing our rest day for something that is in all likelihood unwarranted and illicit. We could be hanged for this! Or our heads would roll! And for what? A single piece of gold coin or two?!¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right!¡± ¡°This ain¡¯t worth it!¡± ¡°I rather be fucking whores right now!¡± The surrounding guards gave in to their grievances and they all began to mour about the unjust conditions that beset them. ¡°Stand down, soldiers,¡± the captain said with a soft yet clear and firm voice. The mour and uproar immediately died down. Erin resisted the urge to appraise the captain out of curiosity about the extent of the captain¡¯s prowess. Her Sixth Sense red in her mind the moment she was about to appraise the captain. She was then reminded of the countless warnings from her acquaintances of the dangers in appraising anyone in Sephrodia Valley. ¡°I¡¯m warning you, all of you, right now.¡± The captain unsped his sword from its sheath but he did not draw it out. ¡°If I hear another word of dissent or defiance, your heads would roll.¡± Terror wrought the guards. Their displeasure was reced by the fear for their lives. Each of their gazes spelt the understanding of their captain¡¯s prowess and the credibility of his words. They knew he meant what he said. They all knew, except for one. ¡°I would not stand by this injustice any longer!¡± a guard yawped. He was younger than his peers. ¡°Captain or not, I did not be a guard to be a celibate! I¡¯m resigning right this¡ª¡± Thest word of the brazen soldier was hanging by the tip of his tongue when a sudden streak of lightning shed across his neck. In the next second, the guard¡¯s head went rolling off of his neck and his headless body copsed to the ground along with the head. No one saw the captain draw his sword. When they realised what had transpired, the sword was already drawn, the de crackling with lightning, and their colleague was already decapitated. ¡°Resignation epted, soldier,¡± the captain scoffed as he looked at the headless corpse with utter disdain. ¡°Rick!!¡± cried the guard who seemed to be friends with the one that was just cut down. The guard brandished his sword and charged at the captain with a spirited cry. But he too was swiftly cut down by the captain and all that anyone could see was a brief sh of lightning and the guard¡¯s head was rolling off his neck in the next second. ¡°Anyone else?¡± the captain inquired as he looked each of the guards in the eyes. A few of the guards shook their heads while the rest just stood idly as they waited for the storm to pass. ¡°Truly maggots and trash, the lot of you are. Complete idiots.¡± None of the guards said anything in return. ¡°You have all already taken the gold and this isn¡¯t the first time that you did. Yes, this is unwarranted and illicit. If we¡¯re caught, we will all be hanged at the decree of the court. However, if we back out now, we will suffer a fate so much worse than death that you would rather risk seeing the rope. Do we understand each other now?¡± The guards nodded. After that disy, no one dared to be defiant any longer. Their instincts of self-preservation overshadowed their lust and longing for carnal gratification. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Erin murmured gratingly. ¡°Mdy, I know you are trying to avoid this but I¡¯m afraid it hase to this. We will have to resort to killing,¡± Amyra said. ¡°We can¡¯t just stay here and wait forever.¡± ¡°I know¡­¡± ¡°Are you perhaps averse to taking lives, Lady Erin?¡± Rigetta asked. ¡°It¡¯s not a matter of aversion, not exactly. If they are a threat or an enemy, I won¡¯t hesitate to cut them down and it feels great to do that but¡­ it feels like the line gets blurrier with every life I take. What happens then if the line just disappears after a certain kill, what will I be then?¡± Rigetta smiled. ¡°You¡¯re a good person, Erin, from what I know and have read about you. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be nothing less than what and who you already are.¡± ¡°I concur, mdy.¡± ¡°I hope so,¡± Erin muttered. ¡°Well, in the end, it is as you say, Amyra. It hase to this. Using lethal force is unavoidable, not when the opposing force is so eager to plunge themselves into peril.¡± ¡°Right you are, mdy. No need to feel bad about killing these scums. They have probably done worse things for less. I heard even some of them were willing tomit sodomy to earn a few coins.¡± Erin looked at Amyra with a frown. ¡°Where did you hear these things?¡± ¡°In the taverns? In such arge city, you''ll hear all sorts of bizarre rumours and stories alike. And that story just now is actually on the mild side.¡± ¡°I can attest to that,¡± said Rigetta with a smallugh. ¡°Nothing a little bit of alcohol couldn¡¯t help. Sometimes a few swigs are all it took for someone to b about their darkest secrets, even the illicit ones. You have no idea how many adventurers have outed themselves on their misconducts while they were drunk.¡± ¡°Thank the Spirits that I don¡¯t drink. Anyway, are you all ready?¡± ¡°Always,¡± Amyra answered. Rigetta nodded. ¡°I am, Lady Erynthea.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your ir?¡± ¡°I¡¯m quite efficient with this de here.¡± Rigetta took out a strange-looking de with a deep curve from the back of her waist. At a nce, it resembled the letter ¡°L¡±. ¡°What kind of de is that?¡± Amyra asked. ¡°How do you fight with that?¡± ¡°This is called a Karak and as for its performance, you need not ask, Amyra. You are about to witness it for yourself.¡± 4-52 Opposition II 4-52 Opposition II The thin purplish mist of desire thickened and it became apparent to those that weren¡¯t privy to the natural flow of Mana. Before the guards could even fully register their surprise, they were thrown with another one. An invisible barrier came crumbling down like a dome of ss, revealing the presence of threedies of distinct forms, countenance, and bearings. ¡°What the¡­ Where did theye from!?¡± shouted a guard who fumbled hastily for his sword. Erin brandished her spell sword and d herself in a veil of lightning. Before the guard could even draw his sword, Erin¡¯s de streaked with a silver glint across the air and the guard found his world spinning with his final vision being his own headless body. [Experience gained +10% - Level Progression: 90%] ¡°Damn bitch¡­¡± the captain growled. Though his voice was low, his wrath was evident on his face and even just by being near him, anyone could feel the rising fury emanating from him. ¡°Don¡¯t just stand around, seize her!¡± The guards¡¯posure returned with the booming cry of order from their captain. Most of the guards drew their swords while a few of them took out bses instead of their des. Though they had their weapons drawn and their stances assumed, they barely took a step from where they stood in shock and hesitation. They had all just witnessed Erin¡¯s speed and skill. They knew they were no match for her and she wasn¡¯t alone. They didn¡¯t doubt her friends were just as good as her, or maybe even better. Furthermore, they recognised the Dwarrow behind Erin. Anyone in the city would. She was Rigetta, the Guild Master of the Sephrodia Valley¡¯s branch and one does not simply acquire that title and position without having a huge umtion of merits, deeds, and feats. The guards looked at each other. They were all waiting for the other to make the first move. They ended up waiting for a full minute. ¡°What are you all waiting for!?¡± the captain shouted from behind the lines of his men. ¡°Seize all three of these criminals already, you dimwits! Are all of you just going to stand there while they continue to cut down your fellow guards?!¡± ¡°Let us go and there won¡¯t be any more bloodshed,¡± Erin said with a t tone as she cleaned the blood off her de calmly, not that she needed to clean it since her sword was of magic. She did it anyway as a habit. ¡°Silence, bitch!¡± the captain snarled. ¡°You are under arrest for the crimes of public vandalism and disturbances of a heavy degree and also the recent murder of a city guard on unjustifiable grounds.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all nonsense, captain, and you know it,¡± Rigetta said with a sneer. ¡°Guild Master Rigetta. Surrender yourself now or you will be charged with the same crimes as an essory.¡± ¡°How impertinent and shameless,¡± Rigetta scoffed. ¡°Lady Erin is the victim here in all the crimes you used her of but I suppose it¡¯s useless to convince you considering your pockets are already fatten with the gold of the Covenant.¡± The captain recoiled with fear and stupefaction. He knew the implications should one utter that name out loud in public or simply just utter the name at all. It was foolish and rash but it didn¡¯t take him long for him to realise what she was trying to achieve. The men he was currently leading knew nothing about the Covenant or Marduk. They were simply just greedy men who wanted to make a few more extra coins. Now that they heard the name, their fate was basically sealed. Regardless of the oue today, they would all need to die by the end of this day. ¡°Enough talk already, Rigetta,¡± Amyra said. ¡°You¡¯re wasting your breath on these greedy fucks who never think about the consequences whenever big money is on the table.¡± ¡°As you say, Amyra.¡± ¡°Amyra, this is a forest. No fire,¡± Erin reminded. ¡°I know,¡± the Augur said with a scoff. ¡°Like I need my Magic Art to deal with these cretins.¡± Her scorn formed a grin on her lips. From her Infinite Pouch, she withdrew her cleaver-sword as she lunged at the guards who were hobbling in their steps. The guards at the vanguard couldn¡¯t even raise their swords or assume a defensive stance before Amyra¡¯srge de carved through their flesh and bones. Unlike Erin, her attack was not refined or clean. The guts and spleens of her fallen foes sttered to their surroundings and Amyra herself was not spared of the splotch. Seeing Amyra¡¯s ferocity and brutality, the guards were now even more hesitant in pointing their des at the three. ¡°Onest chance,¡± Erin said as she strutted toward the guards as if she was the ster courtesan of a high-end brothel. ¡°Drop your weapons and leave us be. Or die a dog¡¯s death by my edge.¡± The guards swallowed a lump in their throats. At the same time, irresolution brimmed in their hearts. Their grips on their swords loosened. ¡°Have you gone retarded!?¡± the captain bellowed. ¡°If you don¡¯t do as you¡¯re ordered now, you will all face a fate even worse than a dog''s death! Do I need to keep reminding you idiots repeatedly!?¡± The guards had indeed forgotten about that. Erin¡¯s prowess had turned their mind nk but now that they were reminded of what kind of fate awaited them should they back down now, they regained their courage and resolve. Once again gripping their weapons tightly, they cried out their valour and spirits as they charged at Erin and herpanions. ¡°What has be of this city?¡± Rigetta mused in a dejected sigh but her despondencysted for barely a few seconds before her gaze hardened with renewed vigour and resolve. She met the guards¡¯ howling charge with a straight rush into their formation. The guards were taken aback by Rigetta¡¯s seemingly rash action but when they remembered who she was, the guards did not diminish their caution. With the Karak in hand, Rigetta leapt into the guards¡¯ formation from above. Before shended, she threw the queer-shaped de. The guards tensed up when they saw the way the de flew around the air as if it had a mind of its own. Rigetta sunk her feet into the face of the guard who was dazed by the queer de she threw. Using the guard¡¯s head as a foothold, she leapt into the air once again before another guard could catch her with a swing of his sword. She repeated the same motion of movements a couple of more times before the Karak flew back into her hands and she threw the Karak out again. This time, the Karak swiftly decapitated all of the guards that were left stunned by Rigetta¡¯s vexatious aerial walking. Blood spurted out like fountains from the headless stumps. The guards paled in terror as they witnessed the gruesome death of their colleagues. In their frightened stupor, Amyra cleaved her way through half a dozen of the guards. Throes of their deaths resounded briefly as they didn¡¯t even know what happened to them. Amyra was faster than her stature suggested, the guards came to learn. As for Erin, the guards didn¡¯t even dare to approach her. Had it not been for their captain¡¯s reminder of their fate should they run, they would have already done so. Erin was wielding her sword in a leisurely posture as she strode towards the staggering guards who were taking a step backwards for every step Erin took forward. ¡°What happened to all of your guts and audacity a moment ago?¡± Erin¡¯s belittling gaze seemed to ask. One of the guards¡¯ pride ruled over his fear. Screaming at the top of his lungs, he lunged at Erin with his sword raised and its de d in a warm blue light. ¡°Arcane Edge, not bad,¡± Erin praised but it was just a light passing thought. She didn¡¯t even raise her sword. She raised her hand instead and backhanded the lunging guard in the face. The guard saw Erin raising her hand but he did not see iting from his face. In the next second, his world was upside down and he was gazing at Erin from a few yards away. He tried to move but he couldn¡¯t feel his body from the neck down. It took him a while to realise his spine or some of his major bones were broken. ¡°Next?¡± Erin asked. A guard was smirking expectantly from the trees, out of sight of everyone involved in the conflict. No one knew how or when he got up there but he did. He made not a single sound as he dropped down towards Erin with his sword brandished. However, the guard did not take Erin''s heightened senses or her Spirit Magic, Life Sense into ount. Moreover, the guard also disregarded Erin¡¯s countless experiences in battle. Whether it was her rear, below, or above, she never neglected her attention in any of the directions while inbat. Erin¡¯s hands and sword were static even though the guard¡¯s sword was only inches away from piercing into her flesh. Her sword and hands were not her only asset. Most of her foes, sometimes even herself, tend to forget her tails were not to be underestimated. Many only perceived them as a hindrance or ornament features of a Fox-kin. They were dead wrong and some didn¡¯t even know that even in their death. This guard was one of thetter. His sword missed Erin¡¯s head by a foot as he fell to the ground with its head tumbling away from its neck. The guards shrieked and shirked from Erin. They were even more terrified than before. As if her skill with the swords was already enough to intimidate them, now they had her tails to worry about in addition. They truly could not see how they could go about apprehending the Fox-kin in front of them. Erin nearly pitied them when she saw just how horror-stricken the guards were but the pity she felt never came to fruition. It was just a thought. They were her enemies, They weren¡¯t brainwashed or coerced into doing this. They were tempted by greed. They were all in their right minds when they chose this path. Erin thanked them in her heart for lightening her guilt for what she was about to do. Erin blurred from their sight. They saw only small sparks of lightning in her wake. ¡°May you all find your deserved peace in your deaths,¡± Erin said, from behind them. They didn¡¯t turn around to confirm their astonishment. They couldn¡¯t. Their heads were already rolling just as they heard the sweet, gentle, yet cold voice from behind them. [Experience gained +50% - Level Progression: 140%] [Erynthea: Level 46 increased to Level 47] [Skill Points gained +2 | 4] [Ability Points gained +2 | 8] [Level Progression: 40%] ¡°Useless¡­¡± the captain groaned. ¡°Everyst one of you! Useless fucks! Do I have to do everything myself?¡± All of the guards were dead, leaving only the captain now. Amyra was covered in gore and blood. Her kills were messy and stark. There was no elegance in her swings. In her eyes, she was merely butchering meat. Rigetta was more delicate in her approach. It was still messy but she was spared the blood stters. Erin was the cleanest. She had d her tails in Arcane Armour before she lopped the guard¡¯s head off and the blood did not get on her fur. ¡°Your turn, captain,¡± Erin said as she strutted towards their remaining foe with all the patience and elegance in the world. ¡°You can still surrender. I don¡¯t enjoy doing this but I will kill you if you continue to be stubborn.¡± ¡°Naive bitch. I¡¯ll take my chances with you. You don¡¯t scare me as much as the ones who fill my pockets.¡± ¡°I know¡­¡± Erin sighed. ¡°In the end, it¡¯s not about fear, is it? It¡¯s all about gains. If you retreat now, your pockets won¡¯t be filled. If you confront me regardless, you at least stand a chance to fatten your pockets some more.¡± ¡°No matter. I will do as I am told.¡± ¡°You¡¯re confident.¡± ¡°I am the Lightning Fang, Darius. Of course, I am confident.¡± ¡°The Lightning Fang?¡± Rigetta gasped. ¡°You know him?¡± Erin asked. ¡°Aye, I know him. He used to be an adventurer, though he has long since retired. He¡¯s one of the few who managed to retire in one piece. He made quite a name for himself. He held four stars at the time of his retirement.¡± ¡°The Guild Master is aware of my exploits.¡± Darius chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m so honoured but I won¡¯t go easy on you, or any of you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re that Darius? Impossible.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Erin questioned. ¡°Because the Darius I know of was fourty-six when he retired. It had been more than ten years since. But this man looked¡­ young. Darius is supposed to be nearing his sixties but you¡¯re clearly no more than fourty.¡± ¡°But I am Darius, the Lightning Fang. As for the secret of my youth, allow me to show you.¡± An immense sense of dread poured down on Erin then. She wasted not another second. Coating her sword with Mystic de, she closed the gap between her and Darius with Warp and swung her sword down just as Darius¡¯ appearance began to morph into something demonic. 4-53 Blaze 4-53 ze As Darius¡¯ humane appearance and figure mutated into a dastardly twisted semnce of a demon, Erin¡¯s de was already inches away from cleaving into his head. Thinyers of translucent barriers manifested around Darius, glowing with a dark sheen. Erin frowned at the results of her Appraisal. ¡°Rot Magic?¡± she muttered inwardly. The barriers had the ability to corrode anything they touched. ¡°Your sword will be no more the moment the de touches my barrier!¡± Darius sneered with a chuckle. Horns were sprouting from his head while spikes protruded from his back as he awaited Erin¡¯s miserable fate. However, Darius¡¯ wicked expectations were not met. Instead, Erin¡¯s cyan-glowing de sliced through the barriers like they were nothing but papers. Erin¡¯s de was not showing any signs of corrosion. Darius uttered a muddled curse before leaping out of the de¡¯s way. He tumbled to his feet just as Erin brought her sword around and swung it down towards him. Arge piece of bone extended out from his palm which he then used as a de to parry Erin¡¯s sword. But to his astonishment, even that bone of a de was easily sliced through. Darius hopped back to avoid being sliced along with his bone de. He coated himself in ck lightning and threw bolts of dark thunder at the nimble Fox-kin. Erin d herself in lightning too and dodged all of the ck lightning bolts. Her figure streaked erratically in Darius¡¯ sight, leaving behind faint crackling of thunder. He struggled to follow her movements with his eyes but his instincts as a Demoid assisted him in his plight. Darius spun around and unleashed a flurry of lightning spears at the spot where Erin arrived. ¡°Die!¡± Darius snarled. The lightning spears crashed and exploded one after another in their relentless assault. It was only after the sixth explosion that Darius came to his senses. ¡°Ah¡­ bollocks¡­¡± he stammered with a pale face in spite of his copper skin that was darkened by his Demoid transformation. ¡°I killed¡­ her? N-no¡­ Oh, no¡­. I killed her¡­¡± ¡°You wish,¡± came Erin¡¯s voice from the clouds of dust and smoke. Her voice brought Darius somefort, ironically and unironically. A Fae¡¯s death would mean grave consequences. Before relief could fully set in, slices of Aura des shot towards him in a burst. With a wave of his hand, he deflected the Aura des with his ck lightning. Erin darted out of the smoke and flew at Darius like an arrow, her sword raised. ¡°Foolish fox,¡± he scoffed. ¡°Do you not¡ª uh?¡± His words were cut off as heid eyes on the flourishing tails of Erin that seemed to entrap his attention and mind. He didn¡¯t know why but he found it hard to look away as glitters of cyan light sparkled around those bundles of fluff. Erin offered no final words and shed at Darius. But her de was stopped by the ck lightning covering Darius¡¯ entire body. Erin arched an eyebrow. This method of defending against her Mystic de was extremely familiar. It was the same as the Knight Demoid he fought in the cave where his armour also stopped her de in the same fashion. Erin was annoyed by the Covenant¡¯s ever-increasing arsenal against her but she also felt honoured they tailored her opponents specifically to her. They acknowledged her ability and prowess. As a duelist and someone with a liking for duels, she couldn¡¯t help but take it as amendation. Darius snapped out of her stupor then. ¡°Fucking bitch!¡± he spat and thrust his hand at Erin, which were now ws as big as his own head. Erin flipped backwards and leapt away from Darius. ¡°What kind of Fae are you to be fighting with such deceitful methods?¡± ¡°The kind that¡¯s fighting against a deceitful and unsavoury bunch of individuals.¡± Darius snorted and produced a set of chains out of the ck lightning crackling around him. ¡°I can¡¯t kill you but don¡¯t think the advantage is all yours just because of that.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t presume I have all the advantages but I certainly have most of them.¡± ¡°What are you¡ª¡± Darius did not finish forming his question before he moved out of the way of an oversized sword that cleaved deep into the ground where he had just been standing. ¡°And here I thought you forgot about me,¡± Amyra scoffed as she reined in her cleaver-sword. Rigetta was just beside Amyra with her bloodstained Karak in hand. ¡°To think you would sink to this depth of depravity just to keep your youth. How sad.¡± ¡°As if Dwarrows and the others of your ilks would know the plights of humans. We humans have nothing but numbers to our advantage. We don¡¯t have any innate aptitude for Magic Arts and our lives are short inparison to all the other races out there. This is the only way we could thrive and be better than the likes of you.¡± ¡°You think bing a Demoid makes you better?¡± Rigetta snorted. ¡°Better at being worse, if that¡¯s your intent, then you are absolutely correct.¡± Darius¡¯ face curled with contempt. ¡°Enough talking. I¡¯ll see the two of you dead.¡± The ck lightning around him began to grow, burning rampantly like wildfire. ¡°Even if the surrounding and nearby city guards are being paid off, you will still attract a lot of attention this way,¡± Erin said. ¡°Do you not fear your exposure means the exposure of your¡­ true employer?¡± ¡°Worry about your enemy now, vixen?¡± Dariusughed. ¡°You need not worry. After I¡¯m finished with all of you here, the exposure will not matter.¡± Erin frowned with her gaze narrowed. ¡°I see.¡± The skies were darkening as Darius¡¯ ck lightning continued to grow. Darius waved his hand down and a streak of thunder descended from the clouds. ¡°Whoa!¡± Amyra eximed as she dove away from the lightning strike. Rigetta did not move but the lightning strike did not harm her. The lightning struck her Karak instead and the queer-shaped de absorbed all of the lightning. ¡°Garish and tasteless,¡± she remarked. ¡°You truly don¡¯t care if you¡¯re exposed, huh?¡± ¡°Worry about yourself first, Guild Master!¡± Darius roared and pounced at Rigetta. The ck lightning zed Darius'' ws as he took a swipe. Rigetta dodged low and returned the lightning strike in her Karak back to Darius, but the results were to be expected. The lightning merely melded into one with the ck lightning sputtering around Darius. Rigetta tutted and flipped away from him. ¡°You can¡¯t run!¡± Darius shouted and gave chase but Amyra cut in, literally, with her cleaver-sword. He stopped just a step before the path of Amyra¡¯s swing. He sted the Augur with a bolt of lightning but Amyra battered the magic projectile away with a strong wave of her cleaver-sword. ¡°Amateur,¡± Amyra mocked and unleashed an Aura de towards Darius. He cut the Aura de down with his lightningced ws but another Aura de was alreadying his way. He cut that Aura de down too and before he could catch his breath, two more Aura des were flying towards him. ¡°Impossible,¡± he groaned as he witnessed Amyra swinging her cleaver-sword as if it weighed nothing, throwing a barrage of Aura des. ¡°You deny what¡¯sid bare and true before you,¡± Amyra sneered. ¡°How narrow of a mind you have, fallen human.¡± ¡°Silence, you portly wench!¡± Darius threw himself at Amyra with his ws bared. Amyra swiftly evaded his ws but she did not ount for his headbutt. She blocked his ram with the t side of her sword but the force behind his charge sent her tumbling head over heels. In her tumble, she pushed off the ground and flipped to her feet. She raised her sword in anticipation of his continuous assault but found him being intercepted by Erin. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you have already forgotten about me,¡± Erin jibed while locking her de with Darius¡¯ ws. She was not directly shing with him or else his ws would have been cut through cleanly. The ck lightning was keeping her de at bay without touching the edge. ¡°Don¡¯t be hasty now, Vixen. Your time wille soon enough.¡± Darius smirked. ¡°In fact, it¡¯s nearer than you think.¡± Erin widened her eyes. Darius widened his smirk as he brandished the chains moulded of lightning. Erin swung at the chains but it avoided her de as if it had a mind of its own and coiled around her hand. Before the chains could tighten, Erin used Warp¡ª or she intended to but she found her vision blurring but she stayed where she was. And the chains tightened around her arm. ¡°Your Spatial Magic is known. In the presence of this ck lightning, your precious Magic Art of the space domain is useless.¡± And then, her spell sword disappeared too. ¡°Of course, your Unique Talent is rendered null too.¡± The grasp of the chains continued in its spread. It looped around her arm until it reached her shoulder. Erin tried to focus and conjure her sword but no de formed in her hand. She shot a Lightning Bolt at Darius¡¯ face but he was unfazed. Darius chuckled. ¡°My flesh is lightning. My blood is thunder. You are nothing before me, vixen!¡± ¡°Lady Erin!¡± Rigetta cried as she lunged. She threw her Karak but Darius sted her away with a heavy pulse of lightning that she didn¡¯t even seeing. ¡°Let herdyship go!¡± Amyra screamed and shed down at Darius with Arcane Edge. The ck lightning aura morphed into arge hand which then grabbed Amyra¡¯s de. He swung her around by the de before tossing her to the side along with her cleaver-sword. The ck lightning hand returned to its former state, a fierce aura swirling and dancing rampantly around Darius around. ¡°Do you take me for just another disposable pawn like all the others you met and fought?¡± Erin rolled her eyes. ¡°Do you people have nothing else to say or is it a tradition at this point?¡± she mocked. ¡°Or are all of your egos the same stroke of the same brush?¡± Darius red at Erin and tightened the chains further. ¡°F-fuck¡­!¡± Erin groaned. ¡°Keep yapping, vixen. It only gets better from here.¡± ¡°If it means you would shut up, I would dly wee the pain.¡± ¡°As you wish, vixen,¡± Darius said and summoned more chains with his ck lightning. They coiled around Erin¡¯s body like pythons and vipers. Giving in to the weight of the chains, Erin dropped to her knees. Her hands were preventing her from dropping her face straight to the ground. Darius guffawed. ¡°I have done it¡­ I have apprehended the great Erynthea! I have done what no one else has. I caught you, vixen!¡± ¡°Keep dallying in your dreams¡­¡± ¡°But this is no dream, mdy. This is real. This is the end for you. Lord Grid shall be very happy with this.¡± ¡°Lord Grid¡­? Rn Grid? The viceroy.¡± ¡°Who else?¡± ¡°...You don¡¯t work for the Covenant.¡± ¡°You are under a misconception, Lady Erynthea. I don''t work for anyone. I work for myself. I work with others for my own benefit. I¡¯m no one¡¯s pet or henchman. No one ves me around.¡± ¡°Internal strife¡­ I see,¡± Erin surmised. ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Mumble all you want, vixen. It¡¯s over. Your friends are no match for me.¡± Darius snickered. ¡°You are no match for me.¡± Erin sighed inwardly. ¡°Amyra!¡± she shouted. Darius nced at Erin with a frown. ¡°What are you ying at now?¡± ¡°Yes, mdy?¡± Amyra responded, who was back on her feet and looking for an opportunity to strike ¡°Burn them all.¡± Amyra furrowed her brows. ¡°Burn what, mdy?¡± ¡°Raze this whole ce to the ground. Transform it into a pyre.¡± ¡°Lady Erin, wouldn¡¯t that¡ª¡± ¡°Exactly,¡± Erin answered before the question fully left Rigetta¡¯s lips. ¡°Ah.¡± Amyra curled her lips into a wide grin. ¡°Understood, mdy,¡± she said and arge ze was set alight on her cleaver-sword. Darius snapped his gaze to Amyra. His eyes locked on her zing cleaver-sword. ¡°No¡­¡± he gasped. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare!¡± he roared and shot towards Amyra. ¡°Toote!¡± Amyra swung her cleaver sword around, grazing the ground while leaving sparks of the ze in its wake. The withered woods caught the mes quickly and the mes spread throughout the dead grove rapidly. Screams and shouts erupted from the outside of the burning woods in which the four were trapped in. ¡°What have you done!?¡± Darius bellowed. ¡°Exposing you, Demon,¡± Erin answered with a grin. 4-54 Encaged 4-54 Encaged The old woods were once an open Grove where people from all walks of life trod, then it became an abandoned thicket, now it was a pyre that doubled as a beacon for the city folks. The burning woods beckoned the people, drawn in by their curiosity and inquisitive nature as sentient and intelligent beings. The guards that stood at the fringe of the grove were now stuck in a dilemma. They had strict orders to not let anyone other than those that were part of the scheme to enter or exit the woods. However, given the abrupt development of the circumstances, it became harder and harder to obey those orders. The guards from the other districts and quarters came running here to assess the situation. The paid guards had no retort nor answers for the inquiries thrown incessantly at them by their fellow peers and colleagues. They couldn¡¯t exactly tell them that they were bribed to act none the wiser about whatever was happening inside the grove, which was burning like a massive bonfire. Meanwhile, on the inside, in the centre of the pyre that was the burning grove¡­ ¡°Are you unable to ept defeat gracefully, you damn bitch!?¡± Darius bellowed at the restrained Erin. ¡°You seek to drag us all down along with you into your ruin?¡± ¡°It would seem bing half a Demon had disturbed your head greatly. Why should I ept my defeat gracefully when so much is at stake? And who¡¯s ¡®us¡¯? Surely you¡¯re not referring to mypanions, are you?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t speak for me, Demon,¡± Amyra said. Her de was still glowing in the withered ze that set the whole woods on fire at themand of Erin. ¡°The only ruin here is yours, Demon. You have lost.¡± ¡°Give up, Darius. With this massive fire, you can no longer escape without being seen by everyone in the city, unless you truly wish to expose yourself but I doubt this time, not even the viceroy can turn a blind eye to this. People will surely suspect his involvement then.¡± Darius gritted his teeth in anger as he bounced his fiery gaze between the three. ¡°Don¡¯t be so sure of your idental victory yet,¡± he snarled. ¡°I still have your little Fae in my grasp. As long as she¡¯s in these chains, I have yet to lose.¡± ¡°Where would you go or run, Darius?¡± Erin asked. ¡°No, I think the question should be, how would you run? The fire had caught the attention of the city. In moments, the guards will be obligated to swarm this ce to help douse put out the fire. Unless of course, they wished to admit their coalition with the Covenant.¡± ¡°Damn you¡­ Damn you all!!¡± Darius roared. His voice of fury and indignation shook the burning grounds of the zing woods. The smoke from the fire was starting to affect Rigetta, eliciting a few coughs from her. Amyra wasn¡¯t unperturbed by the growing haze of the ze as fire was her soul. Erin was also unfazed with the help of the crying Spirits that were sobbing for the long-withered grove. Darius had half the constitution of a Demon and hence rendering him impervious to the effects of the brimming smoke. With those said, Rigetta was the sole individual in the predicament. Should she continue staying amidst the fire, she would soon suffocate from the smoke. Had she been a normal person, she would have already died from the smoke but her superior disposition due to her level kept her alive for now. ¡°Amyra, get Rigetta out of here,¡± Erin said. ¡°What?¡± Amyra blurted. ¡°What about you, mdy?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t question me, Amyra. Imand you, as the consort of His Grace, to get Rigetta to safety now.¡± Amyra tutted but she didn¡¯t disobey the order. She scooped Rigetta into her arm and hoisted her over her shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re not going anywhere!¡± Darius shouted as he lunged at the two, but a barrage of lightning bolts assailed him from behind. Needless to say, it was Erin. Though lightning could not harm him, it still bought Amyra enough time to hare off out of Darius'' sight. Darius was about to give chase when he heard the sounds of footsteps approaching, carrying along the ngour of metal. He could also see water spells being cast in the distance. Anyone who knew Water Magic was helping in dousing the fire. ¡°What will you do now, Lightning Fang?¡± Erin asked. ¡°You think this will stop me?¡± ¡°No, it won¡¯t but it¡¯ll sure give you a lot of trouble. You don¡¯t care about being exposed but that¡¯s not entirely true, is it? After all, there¡¯s a difference in how you expect to be exposed. In this way¡­ well, it won¡¯t end well or smoothly for you.¡± ¡°You are sending these innocent guards to their deaths. I won¡¯t hesitate to cut them down, you know?¡± ¡°You may be a Demoid now, you may be disfigured, but I¡¯m sure a lot of people can still recognise your face in spite of your demonification. If you cut your peers down¡ª no, they only need to see you in your current state and you will be ruined. You will be wanted. Or you can let me go and turn back into your human form. Decide now.¡± ¡°I already have you in my grasp, vixen. My decision has already been made. A few dead colleagues and the ruination of my reputation and integrity is nothingpared to what I¡¯m offered for your capture.¡± ¡°I figured as much,¡± Erin sighed and threw a bolt of lightning at Darius. He didn¡¯t dodge the lightning bolt and let it hit him in the face without even making him budge. Erin lunged at him at the same moment with Arcane Edge coating her tails. She was restrained and bound but like many others, Darius did not think much of her tails and treated them as mere embellishments. ¡°You daughter of a bastard!¡± Darius hissed and tugged on the chains, mming the charging Erin to the ground. ¡°You¡¯re bound, idiot bitch! You still think you can fight me!? Are you that sore of a loser?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t your masters tell you that I¡¯m stubborn?¡± Erin retorted. ¡°I have no masters.¡± ¡°Keep lying to yourself. You¡¯re a Demoid. You have a master or two at least. You just don¡¯t know it yet, or you refuse to ept it.¡± ¡°Silence!¡± Darius roared and tightened the chains further. Erin cried out in agony but her smirk remained. ¡°W-what in the divine¡¯s name¡­¡± gasped a guard along with many others who had stumbled upon this scene. ¡°A-a Demon?¡® Darius turned around in a haste and cursed himself inwardly. He was so absorbed in Erin¡¯s taunt that he neglected the guards¡¯ approach. None of the guards before was part of the scheme and he barely knew them. They were from other districts and quarters but they came rushing here after seeing the fire. The fire still persisted but the path they took had been cleared by Mages with Water Magic. The guards drew their weapons and trained them on Darius. ¡°Quick, get reinforcement and inform all of the captains of this,¡± one of the guards ordered and another one immediately obeyed and rushed back to the path they came from. Of course, Darius wasn¡¯t about to just let that guard run back and reveal the situation. He gathered ck lightning into his palm and was about to shoot it at the running guard when Erin hit his hand with her tails, veering his arm and missing the running guard by a few inches. The running guard was spooked but he didn¡¯t stop running. He increased his haste instead and soon disappeared from sight. ¡°Damn it!¡± Darius yelled and tossed Erin through trees before mming her into a boulder. ¡°You fucking bitch¡­ I¡¯ll¡ª¡± ¡°Men, charge!!¡± shouted one of the guards as he charged at Darius. Perhaps spurred by the sight of a beautiful Fae being abused by a Demon, the guards charged at Darius at the shout of the one at the vanguard, intent on saving the damsel in distress. But it went without saying, the guards never stood a chance against Darius. ¡°Get out of here! All of you!¡± Erin shouted at the foolish guards rushing to their deaths. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, mdy! Even if it means our death, we¡¯ll save you from the clutches of this ursed Demon!¡± one of the guards shouted boldly in return. ¡°Say, doesn¡¯t this Demon look a little like the Lightning Fang, Darius, from the Merchant District?¡± ¡°As if this foul creature could be him! It must be an imposter or it¡¯s a trick to make us lower our guards.¡± Various assumptions filled the guards¡¯ heads but none was able to let them see reason. ¡°Annoying fools,¡± Darius scoffed and swiped his lightning-coated ws. In a sh, the guards at the front were cut down in the blink of an eye. ¡°Get out of here already, you fools!¡± Erin continued to shout. ¡°You¡¯re no match for him!¡± ¡°Fear not,dy. We will not abandon you!¡± a guard yelled in spite of his trembling hands and legs. He seemed very determined to see his foolishness through. The guards were average around the level of thirty-five with the lowest being level thirty-one but Darius¡¯ level was in the sixties. They stood absolutely no chance against him. Unlike Erin, their repertoires of Arcane Arts were paltry inparison which was the norm. Even seasonedbatants would normally find themselves with only three to four Combat Arts and zero Magic Arts. Possessing a vast array of Arcane Arts could be said to be a rarity, which none of the guards was. At best, they could only d their weapons in Arcane Edge and threw Aura Shots and Aura des. None of them had Magic Arts and certainly, no one among the guards had Lightning Resistance. The ck Lightning made quick work of them and those that dodged or survived the lightning were torn to shreds by Darius¡¯ ws. The guards screamed and cried for mercy when they realised how out of their depths they were. Darius took no heed of their mercy pleas and ughtered them without restraint. By the time Darius was done with them, nothing but ashes and charred flesh remained. Thest of the guards eventually came to his senses and realised his foolishness. Thest guard nced at Erin with an apologetic gaze before scampering away for his life. Darius snorted. ¡°Do you believe you can run?¡± Bolts of ck lightning chased after thest guard who tripped on his own feet when he sensed the imminent danger behind him. But the ck lightning bolts were intercepted by cyan lightning bolts. The guard scrambled back on his feet and continued in his retreat, without tripping this time around. ¡°He just did,¡± Erin mocked. She allocated her eight ability points evenly between Arcane and Finesse, raising her mastery over her Magic Arts and her tails. She also spent her remaining Skill Points to raise her Lightning Resistance all the way to level five. Though her hands were bound, her tails were not. With her newly augmented prowess, she was able to cast spells with her tails. It wasn¡¯t as efficient or smooth as casting spells the conventional way but it allowed her to have more options in her battles. ¡°You cannot be disregarded for even a second but nothing matters now. Everything¡¯s ruined already, so why keep ying by the rules?¡± ¡°Do you always b louder than your actions?¡± Darius huffed in derision and willed the chains to restrain her tails too. Erin groaned. ¡°Easy there. Do you know how much work it is to make sure my tails stay fluffy and soft?¡± ¡°Not my problem, vixen.¡± ¡°It¡¯s over there! It¡¯s a lightning Demon of some kind. It looks strangely human and it has a Fox-kin as a hostage.¡± Such lines could be heard from a distance, followed by a rush of footsteps. It was a group bigger than thest and at the pace they were marching, it wouldn¡¯t be long before they stumbled onto this scene. Worst of all, the footsteps weren¡¯t just from a single direction but three. The fire around them was still burning strong but not for long. In the distance, one could see the mes were dwindling. ¡°Listen up, men! The Arch Mages have confirmed the presence of a Demoid, which is what we will be facing! Don¡¯t let your guard down ever, no matter what happens. Demoids have the strength of Demons but also the intelligence of humans. They are not to be underestimated.¡± ¡°The Venerers will be here in no time when they catch wind of this. We must not let them have this glory!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t drag or dawdle, men! Keep moving! It¡¯s only one Demoid. It¡¯s time we show the city why they need us guards!¡± The voices of the guards and soldiers were getting louder and louder. ¡°You¡¯re surrounded, Darius.¡± Erin chuckled. ¡°Where would you run and how would you do so?¡± ¡°Surrounded?¡± Darius guffawed. ¡°I¡¯m hurt that you think so little of me, Lady Fae.¡± And a pair of wings flourish behind him from his shoulders, moulded of the same ck lightning that covered his body. ¡°Oh¡­ fuck,¡± Erin muttered. Darius smirked. ¡°The skies are my paths too, foolish vixen.¡± 4-55 Ensnared 4-55 Ensnared More chains moulded of ck lightning manifested around Erin and wrapped themselves around her, binding every part of her body, including her tails. ¡°If you¡¯re afraid of heights, feel free to scream,¡± Darius said with a triumphant grin and took to the skies, bringing Erin along by the chains. The figure of a mass of ck lightning shooting up into the clouds was sure to draw the attention of many. Once Darius reached a certain height, he beat his wings and shot himself towards the east of the city. He was high above the clouds. No one could see him. They only caught a glimpse of him disappearing into the clouds. Therefore, Darius wasn¡¯t too worried about being seen and followed. Erin did not struggle or cry to be let go as they flew through the sky. She was dangling behind Darius by the chains. She was drifting and waving across the air like a piece of cloth but at most, she was showing a face that expressed her mild difort. There was no need to panic. It wouldn¡¯t have helped. Moreover, she knew she still had plenty of time to concoct an escape n. They couldn¡¯t kill her yet. If they could, they would have already done so. She surmised Darius was bringing her to somece where they could keep her contained until the time was ripe. There was also the possibility of them bringing her to a ce far away from Sephrodia Valley before promptly killing her but Aedan had shot down that likelihood as that would be way moreplicated and difficult. Erin was brought out of her cerebration when she felt the air around her be lighter. They were descending and they were heading towards a forested hill on the fringe of the city. Though at a nce, it didn¡¯t seem like a ce of any importance, Erin could feel the dark aura constantly oozing off from the direction they were heading. She could even sense the presence of four Demoids lurking around, probably as lookouts. Darius was not gentle with hisnding. He dispelled his wings long before he was anywhere close to the ground and let gravity do the rest. To avoid ending up with broken bones and pulverised flesh, Erin wrapped herself in Arcane Armour, Arcane Aegis, and Storm Shell. Even with threeyers of protection spells, Erin still felt the might of gravity as they hit the ground. Darius himself wasn¡¯t spared of injuries either but his constitution as a Half-demon took effect and he was without wounds in no time at all. The silver lining was that the ground was damp soil instead of hard rock and the abundance of grass also softened their harshnding. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you never had ady in your life before, have you, Lightning Fang?¡± Erin groaned. ¡°Silence, wench.¡± ¡°Hit the mark, did I?¡± ¡°I said, silence!¡± Darius kicked Erin across the jaws. Thanks to her Arcane Armour, the damage was minimal but she felt the kick nheless. ¡°Another word from you, I¡¯ll snap your jaws off. Do we have an understanding, vixen?¡± Erin snorted but she nodded. She very much liked where her jaws were, so sheplied reluctantly. Without any shred of leniency orpassion, Darius dragged Erin across the hill as if she was just a huge sack of potatoes. The only thing Erin was thankful about was the fact that the chains acted as ayer of protection preventing her skin from directly grating against the rough soil. ¡°Halt!¡± shouted a voice. ¡°Who goes there!?¡± ¡°It¡¯s me, Darius. Is that you, Robbie?¡± A young man dropped down right in front of them from a tree. He wore a simple dress shirt and a dull pair of trousers. He looked no more than a man in histe twenties but Erin could sense he was a Demoid. Unlike Darius, the young man, Robbie, wasn¡¯t too proficient in concealing his Demonic nature. ¡°Darius¡­ why are you here?¡± ¡°Why? Because I did something no one else has,¡± he said and yanked the chains he was holding, tossing Erin right to the young man¡¯s feet. ¡°I got her.¡± Robbie had no reaction initially but when he saw Erin¡¯s fox-like ears, his eyes widened. ¡°Is she¡ª¡± ¡°Yes, she¡¯s Erynthea.¡± ¡°You seeded¡­¡± ¡°Yes, I did. I hope you¡¯re not thinking of backing out on the bet now, are you?¡± Robbie tutted. ¡°Why did you bring her here, Darius?¡± ¡°Lord Grid requested me to.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know it was the ones behind Lord Grid who wanted the Fae, not Lord Grid himself.¡± ¡°Then you clearly you¡¯re not privy to the most recent changes in the dealings.¡± ¡°What changes?¡± ¡°If you do not know, then it¡¯s not my ce to tell you.¡± Robbie narrowed his eyes. ¡°Lord Grid¡­ he can¡¯t be thinking to¡ª¡± ¡°It is neither your ce nor is it mine to question our employer¡¯s decision. You just need to do what you¡¯re paid to do. If you wish to whine, don¡¯t do it in my presence. I don¡¯t want to get implicated with you.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± Robbie sighed discontentedly. ¡°Now, let¡¯s go to the cage.¡± Robbie turned and ran in the direction where the trees grewpactly. Erin thought he would squeeze through in between the gaps but the trees bent and twisted out of his way as he approached, revealing a cave behind. Erin¡¯s admiration was made brief by Darius'' harsh treatment as his prisoner. There was no forewarning given as he tugged at the chains, continuing in dragging Erin across the harsh soil and into the cave. There were two individuals standing guard by the entrance. Or rather, they were sitting guard as they were ying cards with a crate and barrels substituting a table and chairs respectively. The two sprang up from their seat with vignce dyeing their expression the moment they heard the trees moving. Their weapons were already drawn before they even saw Robbie or Darius¡¯ faces. ¡°Who?¡± shouted one of the two guards. ¡°Who else, you idiots?¡± Robbie retorted. The guard clicked his tongue. ¡°It¡¯s just you and¡­ Darius? Why are you here? You¡¯re in your Demon form. But why? Don¡¯t you have your work as a city guard?¡± ¡°Something came up,¡± Darius answered and yanked Erin up, dangling her in the air to show the two his prize. ¡°My word¡­¡± gasped the other guard. ¡°That¡¯s Erynthea¡­ You caught her.¡± ¡°Yes, I did. Now pay up.¡± The guard tutted, much like Robbie did. ¡°Get it from Tim, damn it. All my money¡¯s already in the pool. Anyway, why did you bring her here?¡± ¡°You do not need to know. Just have the cage prepared. Make sure all of the spells are activated. Don¡¯t miss a single one. This vixen is slippery. Don¡¯t be tricked by her charms.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t be serious¡­ What does Lord Grid say of this?¡± ¡°It is by Lord Grid¡¯s order that I brought her here.¡± ¡°I know we¡¯re Lord Grid¡¯s men but what about the Co¡ª¡± ¡°We do not say that name here or the other name,¡± Darius cut him off abruptly. ¡°Just be quiet and do as you¡¯re told.¡± ¡°But Darius, we may be Lord Grid¡¯s men but it was them who provided us¡ª¡± Darius did not let the guard finish his words. He brandished his ws, hovering just a few inches away from the guard¡¯s neck. ¡°Not another word, Ron. You¡¯re not paid to ask any questions. Now go, the two of you, and prepare the cage.¡± The two men nodded and briskly ran to the back of the cave. Robbie said nothing and took his leave, returning back to his post. The trees moved back into position as he left and the entrance was once again concealed under a tangle of leaves, branches, and roots. Darius hoisted Erin over his shoulder and walked down the path where the two guards had disappeared into. Along the way, Erin caught glimpses of the cave¡¯syout and interior. She wasn¡¯t able to get a clear view as her head was upside down and the sway from being carried did nothing to help with her vision. Nevertheless, she saw and discovered a few interesting aspects of the cave. She had thought this cave was a hideout of sorts but that was not all the cave was. It was also home to arge and secretive group of soldiers and also a production facility, much like the one she had uncovered with Amyra and Nivia. There were a lot of doors along the corridor she was being carried through. Many of the doors were left ajar, unintentional or not. ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking, vixen. You¡¯re probably thinking why am I so careless as to let you see all these things you were not supposed to.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m thinking at all, you big buffoon.¡± ¡°Face your loss with some grace, wench. Don¡¯t try to deny it.¡± ¡°I truly don¡¯t care why. You should ask yourself, why would I care about that instead of the more important matters?¡± ¡°Important matters? Such as?¡± ¡°Getting out of here.¡± Darius guffawed. ¡°You deluded bitch. Do you still think you can get away? You can¡¯t even break free of these chains. Your Spirit Magic spell, Essence re is useless against these chains of mine, if that¡¯s your n. Give up and admit your defeat. Your only path now is ruin.¡± Erin fell silent in response. Darius took that as a sign of her reluctant eptance of her defeat. After passing through the corridors with doors, they came down a long flight of stairs. A vast hallway spread out before them. There were rows of pirs except for the centre, where a diagram was etched into the floor with a baseless cage atop. Two Demoids stood beside the cage. One of them had a tall, slim, and crooked figure while the other was short, stout, and round. Their appearances werergely human but their dark skin, horns, and tail were huge detractions. ¡°Tim, Ron, everything¡¯s ready?¡± The two Demoid nodded and lifted the cage. Without any warning, Darius tossed Erin into the diagram and let the cage fall onto her. He then released her from the bindings of his chains. She could breathe easy again but she felt weaker than when she was bound by the chains. ¡°Will it kill you to treat ady a little gently?¡± Erin groaned as she sat upright. The first thing she did was to make sure her tails were still as fluffy as ever. She had grown very attached to them. She had even begun caressing them whenever she was meditating or sleeping. ¡°I see nody here but a dead piece of meat,¡± Darius scoffed. ¡°Don¡¯t think about scratching the diagram or something along that line. It won¡¯t work. You don¡¯t have to believe me. You¡¯re free to test it out yourself. The diagram and cage are made specifically and especially for you.¡± ¡°Courtesy of the Covenant?¡± ¡°Only a fool would ever associate those two words together.¡± Erin sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you have nned but you are obviously at odds with the Covenant and ironically, everything special about you came from the courtesy of the Covenant.¡± ¡°Silence!¡± Darius roared as he banged on the bars of the cage. ¡°You know nothing.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to know anything. It¡¯s always the same story. Your benefit at the expense of others'' misfortune and misery. It¡¯s always the same tune, the same rhythm. You all think the same. Your own prosperity is worth the adversity of others. So, save me the exnation or the sob story. I have heard it all.¡± ¡°And you and your kind are any different than me?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t speak for the Fae as a whole but I can speak for myself. I would certainly feel terrible if I prosper while knowing I have caused the tragedy of others. I would certainly not be able to sleep at night. But I don¡¯t suppose you would understand any of my sentiment.¡± ¡°ther all you want, vixen. Nowhere left to run. Nowhere left to hide. Maybe you¡¯ll feel more at peace if you can just ept your defeat.¡± ¡°I think you meant you would feel more at peace if I just gave up.¡± ¡°Think how you will, it does not change reality,¡± Darius said and turned around. He red at the two Demoids who had reverted back to their human forms. ¡°From now, you are to watch over her until Lord Grid arrives. If she somehow escapes, you¡¯ll be food for Krieg. Understood?¡± The two guards nodded. Before walking out of the hallway, Darius gave Erin a final nce over the shoulder. ¡°Pathetic bitch. Arrogant till the end.¡± And he disappeared out of her sight. 4-56 The blind swordsman 4-56 The blind swordsman Though her treatment as a captive was less than ideal, Erin was thankful for the fact that she was given clean water and untainted food. The food was nothing special, just in rye bread that had gone stale but it wasn¡¯t poisoned, so Erin didn¡¯t make a huge fuss out of it. She needed all the energy she could muster. There was no clock or any device that was able to help her discern the time of the day or night. She wagered at least a few hours had gone by. She was still in the cage, in a vast hall, amidst pirs with intricate carvings. Since she had nothing else to do and she hit a dead-end ating up with an escape n, she became entranced with the carvings on the pir. It became clear to Erin that these thugs did not build this ce. They merely found it and turned it into their base. She could not understand any of the carvings on the pirs but she remembered the patterns and forms. They bore a huge resemnce to the ones she stumbled upon back in the cave she fell into when fighting the Apostles of Mordius, the Skinwalkers¡¯ god. Although she couldn¡¯t remember exactly the encounter, the key parts were vivid in her mind. If this ce was what she presumed it to be, there might be a vault. There was a high likelihood that it had already been found and clear but her hunch told her otherwise. She could tell what kind of person Rn Grid was just from a few glimpses of him. He was definitely not the type to stay quiet about some huge discovery that would foster his fame and reputation. Since she hadn¡¯t heard anything of that sort, the vault must have remained undiscovered. ¡°Well, in any case, I should find a way out of this cage first,¡± Erin grumbled in her mind. She had already tried everything she could think of but to no avail. She even tried scratching the diagram but the scratches patched themselves up immediately after they were made. Erin tutted at the heedful considerations and gave up on that idea. With her level of strength, she had no doubt she could easily break through this cage even with the weakening spell in effect but there were two Demoids standing guard. Even if she got out of the cage, she would still have two Demoids to deal with and the diagram had rendered her too enervated. If they were just in guards, Erin had the utmost confidence they would be a non-issue but s, they were Demoids, exalted with the unscrupulous aspects of Demons. Be that as it may, the Demoids or her escape weren¡¯t Erin¡¯s current biggest concern. Her main plight was that her foes had devised ways to specificallybat each of her strengths and aptitude. Even her Unique Talent, Bespoke, was nullified in the battle against Darius. They did not target her Lightning Magic or her Spirit Magic, most likely because they were much toomon of a Magic Art to be given any regard. In the end, her skill with the sword was her sole sce but she feared they would even contrive a method to counter that ir of hers. But Erin wasn¡¯t too disheartened nor distressed by the bleak future. She wasn¡¯t alone. Unlike her former life, she had people she could depend on. She had friends. She had lovers. She had utter faith that Aedan woulde to her rescue or he would send someone instead given his current circumstance. Nevertheless, she believed she would not be abandoned, but that didn¡¯t mean shepletely gave up on her side. Since Erin hit a dead-end on all of her thoughts, she decided to fall back onto something less conventional and a tad absurd. She dwelled back on her life as Argon Raze, the prime of her life as the Sword Saint. She knew a lot of techniques and tricks with the sword. She still remembered them but with her current physique, it was difficult to reenact those moves with the same efficiency and result. As Erin trod down the memoryne of her former life, she heard a fresh set of footsteps approaching her. It was no Darius nor the one who brought her food and water. The steps belonged to neither of them. It wasn¡¯t the footstep of her Demoid guards either as they were motionless. Their gazes were trained on her with great vehemence. Their lives were on the line after all. Erin became curious about the footsteps as she could tell those were the steps of a seasoned fighter. More specifically, it was the steps of a swordsman. ¡°R-Ruyo?¡± blurted Tim, or so Erin presumed, as a man in in clothing emerged from the shadows of the pirs. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± As Erin had predicted, the man had a sword by his waist and it was nomon sword. It was a sabre with a thin single-edged de much like the one Erin herself used. Most curious of all, Erin, and most likely everyone else, could tell the man was blind with how his eyes were without pupils andrge hideous scars were drawn across those pale eyes. ¡°I heard Darius had snatched himself a fine prize. I¡¯m just here to see it for myself.¡± The blind swordsman¡¯s nose twitched, sniffing the air. ¡°It¡¯s truly her, isn¡¯t it? Lady Erynthea, the Fox of the de Storm.¡± Erin frowned at what she heard. She cursed inwardly at those who gave her that moniker. It was a fitting moniker but it was much too extravagant for anyone with a bit of shame to ept it. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s her. Did you bet against Darius too?¡± ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t bet at all. You know me, Tim. I don¡¯t like gambling. Say, is it true that she has des for tails?¡± Erin raised an eyebrow. ¡°No, she does not,¡± Tim answered. ¡°Shame¡­ it would have been a¡­ thrilling fight had it been true.¡± ¡°I can give you a thrilling fight even if my tails aren¡¯t ded,¡± Erin said. ¡°Shut up, you¡ª¡± Tim raised his voice but he was stopped by Ruyo. ¡°You¡¯re good with the sword, I heard,¡± said Ruyo. ¡°Is it true, Lady Erynthea?¡± ¡°Probably the best in the whole city.¡± Ruyo chuckled. ¡°Is that confidence or arrogance I hear?¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee to find out for yourself.¡± ¡°Tempting but I¡¯m afraid I have to reject the invitation. A lot of people would be unhappy if I epted it. And I¡¯m blind, not stupid.¡± Erin shrugged. ¡°Well, it was worth a try.¡± ¡°Your heartbeat is calm, mdy. Fascinating.¡± ¡°How so?¡± ¡°Given the predicament you¡¯re in, I don¡¯t sense fear emanating from you. Are you not troubled by all of this?¡± ¡°I¡¯m troubled, no question about that. I don¡¯t deny it, but why should I be afraid?¡± ¡°I see¡­ You¡¯re fearless.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not without fears. It¡¯s just¡­ none of you deserves my fear.¡± Ruyoughed. ¡°Your will is strong, so is your heart. Your resolve is truly like a fine de. Sharp, tenacious, and robust. It does exin your provoking words and nature.¡± ¡°Are you studying me?¡± ¡°I am.¡± ¡°I¡¯m that interesting?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just making the right preparations.¡± ¡°For what.¡± ¡°For the off-chance that you managed to escape your quandary.¡± ¡°Oi, Ruyo! What do you mean by that?!¡± Ron shouted. ¡°I¡¯m just contemting the ifs, Ron. She¡¯s a Fae and an excellent sworder. She has Spatial Magic and two Unique Talents. I won¡¯t be surprised if she somehow outwitted all of you here.¡± ¡°Are you saying that everyone here is ipetent?¡± ¡°As I have said, I¡¯m just specting for contingency purposes. You don¡¯t need to take it to heart. Consider my words to be the bbers of a poor blind man.¡± ¡°Poor?¡± Ron snorted. ¡°Yeah, right. If you¡¯re poor, then everyone else must be the most miserable fucks in this city. I have seen you swing your de. You can cut rocks and boulders and that¡¯s before your Demonification.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ttered but you¡¯re exaggerating, Ron. Anyone with a de and the right Combat Art can easily cut down a rock. It is no feat worthy of praise.¡± Tim tutted. ¡°Leave him be, Ron. The ones with talent can never understand the plight of usmon folks.¡± ¡°Common folks?¡± Erin scoffed. ¡°You have the nerves and audacity to call yourselvesmon folks? At least have the galls to ept what you are now instead of trying to rationalise what you¡¯re not.¡± ¡°Shut up, bitch!¡± Tim roared as he partially transformed his arm and mmed against the cage. ¡°Do you not understand the situation you¡¯re in?!¡± ¡°Situation?¡± Erin tittered. ¡°Fancy word for a shabby thug.¡± ¡°Ignore her, Tim. Remember what Darius told us. Don¡¯t fall for her tricks.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not falling for any of her tricks. I just find her annoying. Couldn¡¯t they have made this cage soundproof too?¡± ¡°They would if they could. Just don¡¯t pay her any mind, Tim.¡± ¡°Yeah, Tim. Just don¡¯t mind me. I¡¯m not going anywhere anytime soon. Just sit there like the good dogs you two are and keep watching over me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± Tim exploded. His Demonic appearance slid over his human form, gaining a few feet in height. He tottered towards Erin in a haste but a sudden streak of a silver sheen stopped him in his tracks. ¡°Calm yourself, Tim. You are doing exactly what she wants you to by letting her words get to your head,¡± said Ruyo with his sword drawn and brandished across Tim¡¯s neck. ¡°Compose yourself and return to your post.¡± With a loud huff, Tim reverted to his human form and shuffled back to his post beside Ron. ¡°Your words are truly poisonous, mdy,¡± Ruyo said. ¡°Oh, is it now? I didn¡¯t think Demoids would have any issues with poison. Apologies for overestimating your abilities. How remiss of me.¡± Ruyo sighed. ¡°They should have prioritised sealing your voice instead of your Arcane Arts. Clearly, your words are far more dangerous than your other irs.¡± ¡°It¡¯s only dangerous to the ones with small minds.¡± Ruyo sighed once again and turned his back to Erin. ¡°Tim, Ron. For your mental well-being, I suggest you find something to plug your ears or I fear that eventually, either one of you or both of you will give in to her mockeries and taunts.¡± The two had grim faces but they didn¡¯t deny what Ruyo said. However, where would they find something to plug their ears with? So they looked at Ruyo in wonder and confusion. ¡°Use your clothes. Tore a small piece off and stuff them in your ears.¡± The two¡¯s faces brightened as Ruyo offered them a solution. But before they could do so, a voice resounded from behind them. ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary, you two.¡± The two Demoid jumped at the sound of that voice. They knew full well who it belonged to. A man with neatlybed golden hair appeared from the darkness incurred by the numerous pirs. Darius was trailing behind the blonde man closely. The blonde man was wearing opulent garments as if trying to ry to everyone whoid eyes on him of his immense wealth. ¡°You two are dismissed,¡± Darius said and gestured for them to leave. The two Demoids sighed in relief and hastily made their retreat. ¡°Lord Grid,¡± Ruyo greeted with a slight bow. For reasons unknown to Erin, Rn Grid wasn¡¯t too pleased with Ruyo¡¯s presence. ¡°Ruyo? What are you doing here?¡± ¡°I havee here to appraise the rumours.¡± ¡°So you have. Well, since you have already done that, I¡¯m sure you have no more business being here.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any other business anywhere, so I might as well stay here and enjoy the y.¡± Grid raised an eyebrow. ¡°Do you think this is a farce?¡± ¡°You are trying to defy the Covenant, Lord Grid.¡± Darius immediately stepped in front of Grid and partially transformed his arms. ¡°Did Marduk send you?¡± ¡°Of course, Marduk sent me. Aren¡¯t we all sent here by Marduk in the first ce?¡± ¡°You know that¡¯s not what I¡¯m asking, Ruyo!¡± Darius growled. ¡°No, I suppose you¡¯re not.¡± ¡°What are you ying at, Ruyo?¡± Grid asked. Ruyo chuckled. ¡°Marduk wishes to ask you the same question, Lord Grid.¡± Erin¡¯s ears and brows perked up at those words. 4-57 Tantrum 4-57 Tantrum Darius fully transformed into his Demoid form. ¡°You have decided to be one of Marduk¡¯s dogs!?¡± he roared at the blind swordsman, baring his ws and fangs. ¡°I have merely decided to be sensible,¡± Ruyo retorted calmly with a faint disparaging smile. ¡°Lord Grid, just what could have possessed you?¡± ¡°Me? Possessed?¡± Rn scoffed. ¡°You mock me¡­¡± He gritted his teeth. ¡°Did you perhaps have amnesia or you¡¯re simply willingly ignorant? All of your achievements, every single one of your aplishments, were made possible by the Covenant¡¯s intervention. Your viceroy position is not of your blood, sweat, and tears. Nothing about you is self-made. So, what makes you think you can go against Marduk?¡± ¡°What makes you think I can¡¯t?¡± Rn shot back. ¡°He believes he made me who I am today, that¡¯s his folly. I would have be the viceroy even without his aid. The process would have just been less smooth. The Covenant overestimated itself. Marduk is not as smart as he loves to think.¡± ¡°Spare me the denial, Lord Grid. I¡¯m no mirror. This defiance of yours is nothing more than a bratty tantrum to Marduk, a bratty tantrum he has no time for.¡± ¡°Bratty tantrum?!¡± Rn shouted. ¡°He sent a dog of his just to tell me that?!¡± ¡°Ruyo, I¡¯m disappointed in you,¡± Darius said. ¡°And what of it? I fail to see any relevance unless you are under the delusion that my life is meant to impress you.¡± ¡°Y-you¡­!¡± ¡°In any case, cease this tomfoolery now, Lord Grid, or Marduk¡¯s next response won¡¯t be so¡­ pleasant.¡± ¡°Pleasant? You call this pleasant?¡± ¡°My de is still in the sheath. So yes, this can be considered pleasant. Or would you prefer that I draw my de right here and now?¡± ¡°Try it if you dare,¡± Darius challenged him with a growl. Meanwhile, Erin was just watching the whole exchange from the side with an amused expression. She kept her silence for the entirety. The greater the conflict was between them, the higher the chance she would haveter on should an opportunity for escape present itself. Her current dread was the diagram she was sitting on that was suppressing most of her abilities and strength. ¡°Do you really wish to go down that path, Darius?¡± Ruyo asked, his hand falling on the hilt of his sword. ¡°Do you think I am still the same as before? Do you believe that I would never better myself?¡± Dariusughed. ¡°Your mind is small, Ruyo.¡± ¡°That¡¯s ironic considering you don¡¯t seem to think that I could have been doing the same things as you, bettering myself.¡± Darius¡¯ grin dropped and a hint of consternation wrought his face. Ruyo chuckled. ¡°So, what will it be, you two?¡± ¡°Fuck you and Marduk!¡± Rn spat. ¡°I will never be that pretentious fuck¡¯s tail-wagging dog. Darius, kill this greedy traitor!¡± Though Darius didn¡¯t like Rn''s tone, he obeyed the order nheless. Even if he didn¡¯t want to admit it, Rn was paying him and thus, Rn was his employer. For now, he added in his head. ck lightning draped over him as he lunged at Ruyo. The blind swordsman lowered his stance and gripped his sword tight. The moment Darius swung his ws, Ruyo drew his sword. Their blows met halfway and the sh repelled the two from one another. Ruyo sheathed his sword in his staggering while Darius was focused on recovering his bearings as quickly as possible. It was clear that the loser of this sh was Darius as he was using his Demonic powers and Ruyo wasn¡¯t. With just this sh alone, the gap in their abilities was made apparent. Of course, Darius was not the type to just obediently swallow that fact without a struggle. ¡°I¡¯ll see you dead!¡± Darius snarled and leapt at Ruyo with the ck lightning shrouding him in a sphere. ¡°Hoh?¡± Erin made a sound when she noticed the space around Ruyo blurred and rippled. ¡°A domain?¡± she muttered out loud unconsciously. She appraised the blind swordsman and found the information she was looking for. He was level sixty-seven. Apparently, he had used a skill under his level ten Sword Art called Domain. She distinctively remembered Spatial Art having the same name as a spell and the effects werergely simr. Tendrils of ck lightning darted towards Ruyo as Darius closed the distance between them. But as soon as the tendrils entered a certain range from the blind swordsman, the lightning tendrils were cut down by invisible des. Erin¡¯s watchful gaze brightened in delight over Ruyo¡¯s disy of his skill. ¡°A domain of aura made by his de intent¡­ I see. So there¡¯s such a thing as de Intent in this world.¡± de Intent was one of the few mystical skills Erin had in her past life. It wasn¡¯t magic nor was it a conventional skill of swordsmanship. It was simply something that existed. She did think she would be able to learn that skill again eventually but she didn¡¯t think it already existed in this world. ¡°What in the hell¡¯s name?¡± Darius blurted out in surprise. He ceased his advance and stopped just right before he entered Ruyo¡¯s Domain. ¡°What sort of devilry is this?¡± ¡°Devilry? Oh, Darius, you are very unlearned. This is no art of darkness. This is simply the result of one¡¯s continuous and unrelenting honing of one¡¯s skills.¡± ¡°What are you thering about?¡± ¡°You sought the powers of demons topensate for what youck. I sought the powers of demons to enhance the strength that I already have. But even before that, my prowess had far surpassed yours. I don¡¯t need to use my Demoid powers to fell you, Darius.¡± ¡°We shall see about that!¡± Darius snorted and unleashed a flurry of lightning bolts on Ruyo. The blind swordsman stood his ground and lowered his stance like before. The moment the lightning bolts entered the vicinity of his domain, he drew his sword and flourished his de in a motion of a half moon. The dozens of lightning bolts were all cut down with just that single sh and it didn¡¯t end there. The sh continued on, surging towards Darius. ¡°Impossible,¡± Darius cursed and dove out of the way as the aura of Ruyo¡¯s de devastated the floor, pirs, and walls behind Darius, leaving a vast trail of ruin. ¡°Is this why you betray me for Marduk!?¡± Rn cried. ¡°Be truthful with me, Ruyo! You only got to this level of strength because of Marduk, ain¡¯t it?¡± ¡°I can tell you that it¡¯s not the case but I won¡¯t bother. You won¡¯t ept the truth anyway. Lord Rn Grid, I appreciate your partial treatment towards me all these years but unfortunately, you just can¡¯t grow out of your vanity. I¡¯m sorry, old friend. This is the end of your acquaintance.¡± ¡°Silence, you dog! Darius, stop messing around and finish him!¡± Rn shouted and hurried out of the hall all the while screaming for reinforcement down the corridor he disappeared into. ¡°Some viceroy he truly is¡­¡± Erin remarked in her heart. Darius too scoffed at Rn inwardly. He calmed his nerves with the thought that he would deal with Rn after he was finished with Ruyo. ¡°Why do you follow that pitiful man, Darius?¡± ¡°Why do you care, Ruyo? And don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s because you considered me as a friend. We¡¯re not friends, and never will be.¡± ¡°Well, Ruyo, this shall be our farewell. Can¡¯t say it has been an honour. It never had been but for what it¡¯s worth, I do appreciate the opportunities you two have given me.¡± ¡°Keep your fucking trap shut, Ruyo. I don¡¯t want to hear more of your petty excuses for your betrayal.¡± ¡°Betrayal? Your barefaced audacity is impressive as always.¡± Darius tutted and sent a huge bolt of ck lightning towards Ruyo. Once again, the blind swordsman did not move a single step from where he was standing and merely lowered his stance and prepared to draw his sword. As the ck bolt of thunder was travelling towards Ruyo, Darius nked the blind swordsman from his left. Darius then unleashed another bolt of lightning at Ruyo. ¡°You never learn,¡± Ruyo muttered and brandished his sword from its scabbard. Therge bolts were felled into half and disappeared into nothing before they were even close to Ruyo. Just as he was about to sheathe his sword, Ruyo quickly spun around with his sword swinging. Darius raised an arm and blocked the sword aiming for his neck. ¡°Is this all you got!?¡± he sneered. ¡°Looks like you are unable to keep up your domains if you¡¯re pitted against two colossal attacks. You¡¯re good but no better than Demoids.¡± Ruyo frowned lightly and pulled back but Darius did not allow him to do so. He grabbed Ruyo¡¯s sword firmly with his ws and drew him in. Ruyo was forced to abandon his sword to salvage his head. Darius snapped the sword in his grip and chased Ruyo down. With ck lightning doubling as his flesh and blood, he caught up to the blind swordsman in less than three seconds. ¡°I got you!¡± Darius cheered. ¡°So did I,¡± Ruyo retorted with a smirk and thrust his palm at Darius. Obeying his instincts as a Demoid, Darius hopped back to avoid Ruyo¡¯s palm. Though he dodged it just in time, there was a fresh small cut across his cheek. ¡°The sword is the sworder¡¯s physical embodiment of their intent while a sworder¡¯s aura is the spiritual embodiment. You severely underestimated me, Darius.¡± ¡°You overestimated yourself, Ruyo. Have you forgotten where you are? Do you think you can just walk out of here unharmed even if you defeat me?¡± ¡°Darius, I have not forgotten where we are. And pray tell, don¡¯t you find it odd that no one came to your assistance even after your pathetic employer screamed for help as he ran away with his tail tucked between his legs?¡± Now that Ruyo mentioned it, Darius was beginning to find it odd that none of his peers hade to help him. Some time passed after Rn cried for help but no one came. Just as his suspicions grew, a man ran haggardly into the hall. ¡°It¡¯s terrible, Darius,¡± the haggard man cried. ¡°What is it!?¡± ¡°I-it¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s the Venerers and the Ruvan Pdins! They¡¯re here! They found us!¡± ¡°What!? How!?¡± Before the haggard man could answer, Darius shifted his bloodshot re to Erin. ¡°You¡­ You led them here! Was this your n all along?¡± Erin raised an eyebrow. ¡°Of course, not,¡± Erin answered calmly. ¡°But I certainly wish I had.¡± ¡°Then who¡ª¡± Darius¡¯ eyes widened and cocked his gaze slowly to Ruyo. ¡°Y-you?¡± ¡°Who else can it be?¡± Ruyo responded smugly. ¡°Marduk is working with the Ruvans?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a joke even Marduk won¡¯t make. Sadly, it isn¡¯t what you had imagined. Marduk had merely led them here by sprinkling a few hints and clues here and there.¡± ¡°That fucking coward!¡± ¡°We¡¯re all cowards, Darius. We¡¯re all operating in the shadows and darkness. Cowardice is our friend but unlike you, Marduk had long since epted that fact.¡± ¡°D-Darius, we should¡ª¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Darius roared at the man who came to ry the news to him, not straying his gaze from Ruyo. ¡°You want to continue this fight?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see you dead even if it¡¯s thest thing I¡¯ll do!¡± Darius roared and let loose the ck lightning zing within him. ¡°Then I wish you all the best in that endeavour of yours but unfortunately, I won¡¯t be condoning it,¡± Ruyo said and drew out a card from his pouch. The card began to glow. Erin instantly recognised the card as he remembered Aedan telling her about it. It essentially functioned simrly to a spell scroll or a spell gem but in the form of a card. She knew what spell the card contained through Appraisal. ¡°What are you ying at now?¡± Darius asked. ¡°He¡¯s getting away!¡± Erin shouted. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Farewell,¡± Ruyo bade and disappeared out of everyone''s sight as the card shone brightly for a brief second. ¡°Nooo!!!¡± Darius screamed at the empty spot where Ruyo had been just a second ago. ¡°D-Darius. We should get out of here before the¡ª¡± Dariusshed out his anger at the poor man with a wrathful cry, severing the man¡¯s head from his neck and charring his body with his ck lightning. Just then, a group of fully armoured knights with Ruva¡¯s insignias engraved onto the armour tes poured into the hall. A smaller group of distinctively armoured knights followed behind, the Venerers. At the vanguard of the Venerers was none other than Lucan. ¡°Well, great¡­¡± Erin sighed. 4-58 Unexpected cavalry 4-58 Unexpected cavalry While Erin was thankful that the cavalries had arrived but she was feeling a little bit conflicted as her supposed liberators turned out to also be foes of hers. ¡°What do we have here?¡± Lucan said as he stepped in front of all the other pdins who parted like clouds after a rain. The Venerers followed closely behind him as they were his tail. ¡°Hmm¡­ who¡¯s this? A familiar face? That¡¯s unexpected. Well, it¡¯s a little bit expected, Lady Erynthea.¡± ¡°Lucan¡­¡± Erin responded dryly. Her attention wasn¡¯t solely on Lucan. A female Venerer behind Lucan was ring at Erin with a fiery gaze. With the pair of swords by her side, Erin surmised the female Venerer to be Saril, the one Amyra gave a good thrashing. ¡°It would seem Ruva¡¯s fortune had graced me today.¡± Lucan chuckled in delight. ¡°Stay right there, Lady Erynthea. You have a lot to answer for. Don¡¯t try to run.¡± ¡°What an idiot. If I could, do you think I would still be here? Here¡¯s an epiphany for you; if people had a choice, none of them would want to be in your presence.¡± ¡°Say what you will now, Fae,¡± Lucan scoffed. ¡°You are secondary.¡± His gaze shifted to the ck hulking twisted figure beside her. His expression contorted with disgust at the sight of Darius¡¯ Demoid form. ¡°Sir, that¡¯s a Demoid,¡± said the pdin standing closest to Lucan. ¡°Of course, I know that, you dunce.¡± ¡°Ruvans¡­¡± Darius growled, chewing the ursed word in his mouth. ¡°There¡¯s just no end to you hounds¡­ You just keep pouring out one after another. Different masters but the same breed of dogs!¡± ¡°What are you bbering about, Demon?¡± Lucan sneered. ¡°Well, not that I cared about what you have to say.¡± ¡°What a coincidence. Neither do I, Ruva hound.¡± ¡°So uncouth but what can be expected of a heretic like you? For defying the grace andmandments of Ruva, I hereby sentence you to die, Demon!¡± ¡°You first, Ruva hounds!¡± Darius bellowed and amassed arge amount of ck lightning into his palm. ¡°Sir, he¡¯s attempting something!¡± cried the same pdin who warned Lucan before. Lucan ignored the pdin¡¯s obviousmentary and merelymanded his peers to prepare for an attack. ¡°Give up, Demon! You¡¯re no match against us. You are just one Demon against all of us. What hopes do you have?¡± Darius guffawed. ¡°We shall see.¡± He curled his lips in a contemptuous manner and raised his arm with his palm facing the ceiling. Saril rushed forward without a foreword and lunged at Darius. However, her sudden assault was repelled by a field of ck lightning that appeared around Darius as the lightning in his palm grew bigger and bigger. ¡°Saril, get back in line!¡± Lucan shouted. ¡°What were you thinking!?¡± ¡°But Sir, shouldn¡¯t we¡ª¡± ¡°If we kill him now, the amassed magic would still go rampant. So get your arse back here!¡± Saril tutted and retreated back into the fray of her siblings by faith. ¡°Oh, fuck¡­¡± Erin muttered. She sted the cage with bolts of lightning but the cage shook slightly and showed no sign of crumbling. ¡°What the¡­ Oi, the lot of you! Get me out of this cage!¡± she screamed at the Ruvans. ¡°Silence, Fae!¡± Lucan shot back and cast her presence out of his mind. ¡°Cast a barrier around us with the utmost strength now!¡± The pdins and the Venerers began chanting and casting a barrier around themselves. ¡°Damn it! What a bunch of shams!¡± Erin scoffed loudly at the Ruvans as she kicked and punched at the cage but to no avail. The cage was extremely sturdy and tough. She barely even chipped at the bars. Darius was bellowing inughter seeing Erin and the Ruvans squirming around for their lives. ¡°Empty threats and hollow words. Now prepare to greet Lady Death!¡± Erin kept ramming and bashing the cage but her efforts amounted to nothing. The cage stayed upright. The diagram had drained her of too much strength and Mana. Even her Lightning Magic spells produced no fruitful results. ¡°Curse it all¡­ Do I have to reveal my trump card before I¡¯m even close to the mastermind?¡± There were so many people present at the moment and none of them was someone she wished to have her secrets be known to, especially a secret such as the Revenant skill. Who knew what these zealots would say of her should they find out she was undying? Darius let out another triumphant shout as he finally released the ck lightning he had been amassing. In front of these many people that were no better than strangers, Erin had toe to apromise. She activated Lust and entered Lust Deviant state as the mass bolts of lightning struck the ceiling. The Ruvans had long sincepleted their barrier and were only waiting for Darius to disperse his amassed magic. The ck lightning seeped into the cracks that formed all over the ceiling and amplified the destruction. The ruination spread to the walls and the grounds along with the ck lightning. ¡°Son of a bitch!¡± Erin cried out infuriatingly as she smashed apart the cage with her fists d in Arcane Armour, augmented by her Lust-enhanced stats. She dove out of the diagram and quickly cast all of the defensive spells she knew. She conjured multiple Arcane Aegis on top of her as the ceiling came crashing down. All the while the destruction was happening and spreading, Darius wasughing his heart and mind out. He himself was not spared of the devastation but he didn¡¯t mind. He was a Demoid and death doesn¡¯te easy for a Demoid. He was soon buried in a mountain of debris. After the ceiling had crumbled, the earth followed in the destruction. Pieces of dirt and rocks broke apart from the foundation and copsed onto the already present mountains of debris. Erin was barely holding out from the initial copse and she was only holding out due to her enhanced stats. She was also using Storm Shell to deflect the copse. When the cave-in came to an end, Erin was trapped in darkness, left with only thin streams of light through the gaps. She was relieved to see there was at least some light which meant that the copse had exposed them to the outside, which also meant she wasn¡¯t buried too deep under. However, it was not yet the moment for Erin to feelpletely relieved yet. She was still trapped underyers of rocks, dirt, and concrete. She could easily move the debris with her current stats but that was very likely to make her circumstance worse. At present, theyers of her defensive spells were preventing the debris from crushing her, but they could only dy her demise for so long. Her Mana was finite in spite of her incredible Mana reserve and her Mana Harvest skill. ¡°Now what¡­¡± she muttered grimly. In addition to her rapidly draining Mana, her physical constitution was faring well too. She would have already fainted if it wasn¡¯t for her Lust Deviant state. As Erin was racking her brain for an idea, she felt something had changed. Obviously, it wasn¡¯t the terrain that she was referring to but the tenor of the vicinity. Despite her current plight, it became easier for her to breathe and she felt refreshed. ¡°What the¡­ Could it be¡­?¡± An abrupt tremor that was coursing through the debris around her interrupted her thoughts. ¡°Another copse? An aftershock?¡± Erin wondered but her spection was dispelled when she saw traces of ck lightning crackling around the dirt and rocks. Suddenly the huge pile of debris on top of her was reduced into ashes and dust by a strong st of ck lightning. The light of the sun poured onto her. ¡°This is most splendid. You survived, vixen.¡± Erin looked up and found the figure of Darius in his Demoid form standing over her. Instead of words of gratitude, she threw a re at him. ¡°What? No gratitude?¡± ¡°We both know why you rescued me. My death will be a blight on you and this valley.¡± Darius scowled. ¡°Ungrateful bitch.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be so down. I am still grateful.¡± ¡°You are?¡± ¡°Of course. After all, you gave me an opportunity.¡± ¡°Opportunity for what?¡± Darius questioned but the answer came immediately. His face deformed with rage and terror as his lips halted. He leapt away as Erin conjured a sword moulded of cyan lightning and shed at him. To fuel her defensive spells, she had been using Mana Harvest repeatedly to get everyst drop of Mana she could. Darius¡¯ ck lightning had left a lot of residues behind which she was able to convert into Mana through Mana Harvest. Moreover, the vicinity was suddenly flooded with Exalted Spirits. She surmised the Vault had been opened identally as a result of Darius¡¯ outburst. ¡°Fucking bitch!¡± Darius snarled. He swung his ws at Erin but she twirled around his ws and flourished her sword around as she swirled around him. The next thing Darius knew, his left arm hade off his shoulder. ¡°Impossible! What have you done!? How could you¡ª¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to know,¡± Erin retorted and pressed her assault. She still couldn¡¯t use her Spatial Magic and Unique Talents against Darius but she still had her Lightning Magic and Spirit Magic. In her Lust Deviant state, this was more than enough. Darius tried to create some distance between them but Erin kept the gap short and unleashed a flurry of attacks upon him. ¡°You forgot the futility of facing against me!¡± Darius roared and swung his ws wildly in retaliation. Erin¡¯s speed was akin to turning herself into lightning. She sped behind him and struck. Darius was just as fast but his ws could not save him from her thrust. He forewent blocking Erin¡¯s strike and veered from her thrust. Erin¡¯s movements followed him. Her de was immediately upon him the moment after he dodged. He spun to the side but Erin spun with him. Her tails lunged at him and he deflected her offhanded assault with his ws. He groaned as he repelled the underhanded attack. He saw his ws were lightly charred. ¡°I was hurt by the Spirits¡­ Preposterous! This is impossible!¡± Darius red at Erin intensely. ¡°Just what have you done? Spirit Magic should not be this effective.¡± ¡°Normal Spirits, yes.¡± ¡°Normal Spirits? What are you talking about?¡± Erin shrugged. ¡°Nothing,¡± she replied and lunged, brandishing another lightning sword in her other hand. These lightning swords were actually a variant of Storm ive but with the use of the Exalted Spirits, she changed the form of the spell, much like how she founded her Unique Talent, Bespoke. It was also through the aid of Exalted Spirits. ¡°This is absurd¡­ How can this be happening!?¡± Darius grouched as he struggled to dodge each of Erin¡¯s strikes. He had expended a lot of his Mana to protect himself from the copse. He had suffered considerable injuries but he had mended himself, though at the cost of an immense amount of his Mana. He was a half-Demon but Mana was still the sustenance for his spells and skills, unlike true Demons who drew their sustenance from hell. As the fight dragged on, Darius¡¯ movements becamecking and his Demoid powers faded. With the regress of his prowess, his severed arm was beginning to take its toll. It had been bleeding profusely for the past few minutes. With his Demonic powers diminishing, so was his vigour. Erin was relentless in her assault. She herself was also on borrowed time. The longer she was in Lust Deviant state, the more she would have to indulge in her lustter on. With her augmented stats, Darius couldn¡¯t even put a scratch on her. In fact, she did not take a single step back in this fight. Eventually, she sliced off his other arm and forced him onto his knees with her lightning-moulded de pressing against his neck. ¡°You were hiding your true strength all along?¡± Darius muttered in between his pants. His Demoid form was no more. He was now just a man, an enfeebled man who could barely gather his breaths. ¡°One must be discreet when facing an individual such as Marduk.¡± Darius chuckled. ¡°Would I be correct in assuming you still have more up your sleeves?¡± Erin¡¯s gaze narrowed. ¡°I¡¯m no fool, Marduk.¡± Darius guffawed, or at least the one controlling his body did. ¡°Impressive, Lady Erynthea.¡± ¡°We finally met¡­ in a way.¡± ¡°Since when did you realise?¡± ¡°Darius is no highborn. You spoke like a highborn just now. And he¡¯s not the inquisitive type.¡± ¡°Not bad, Lady Erynthea. I have to thank you. His will is strong but with your help, you weakened him enough for me to take control. Thank you, Lady Erynthea.¡± Erin snorted ¡°...And here I was wondering why you just let the dissent and strife be. They¡¯re just bait, to lure in your other enemies and to gather intelligence about them.¡± ¡°Brilliant, won¡¯t you agree?¡± ¡°Disgustingly so.¡± ¡°Everything¡¯s fair in love and war, Lady Erynthea. You are just one surprise after another. Just what more are you hiding?¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee to keep guessing.¡± ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter now.¡± Erin raised an eyebrow. ¡°Even if you won¡¯t tell me, you will show me.¡± Erin frowned. ¡°It¡¯s toote now, Lady Erynthea.¡± Just then, a series of explosions could be heard in the direction where the city was. 4-59 Sacred Purge 4-59 Sacred Purge It was rare for Erin to feel the grasp of terror and despair truly but the consecutive explosions urring in the distance sent a chilling shiver down her spine. After all, those explosions happened in the city and a few of these explosions were very close to the Grove where the Aeryon Estate was. ¡°No¡­ It can¡¯t be¡­ Has the Covenant already finished its exodus?¡± Erin snapped her gaze back to Darius with a furious re but she was disgruntled to see him lying on the ground, unmoving. There was no rise and fall of his chest. [Experience gained +5% - Level Progression: 45%] The notification she just received ascertained the death of Darius, dispelling all of her doubts about it, though it wouldn¡¯t have been a different story if it was a full-fledged Demon. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Erin muttered with her fists clenched. She was now standing at a crossroad of perplexity. She calmed her quaking nerves with deep breaths, something that she hadn¡¯t done for a long time, not even during the moments when death was inches away from her. She did not fear her own death but the death of the ones she cared about. Erin swept her surroundings with her gaze. She found nothing but ruination. The cave of tunnels was no more but mountains of rubble and debris now. What it had been was all buried under the destruction caused by Darius¡¯ petty desperation. She couldn¡¯t even see the bodies as they were probably more than six feet under. She cast Sense Life and found a group of survivors underneath all the rubble and debris. It didn¡¯t take her long to recognise the group as the Ruvan Pdins and the Venerers. She thought about helping them but remembering Lucan¡¯s character, she decided against it. He would definitely put the me of this oue on her even though she was just a victim like them. Just as Erin was about to take off sprinting for the city, she was stopped by remembrance and also the lingering august sensation brought by the Exalted Spirits. The vault of Lady Sephrodia was most likely open now. Erin recalled the vast array of treasure and trinkets she stumbled upon in the other vault. Knowing Lady Sephrodia¡¯s story, this vault was also either a treasure trove or it could be the prison where she held the men she was obsessed with but couldn¡¯t bear to part with. Erin had no desire for the treasure but she was concerned about the vault falling into the wrong hands. However, the sight of mere debris and rubble that spread on for yards assuaged her worries. Unless one had the ability to sense Spirits, no one would know the existence of the vault. Darius had just inadvertently made the vault even more hidden from the world due to the cave¡¯s copse he caused. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine,¡± Erin said to herself. ¡°There¡¯s probably nothing but ostentatious gems and gaudy garments in the vault anyway. It¡¯ll be fine if I just leave it be.¡± As if mocking her incorrect conjecture, the whole area of debris and rubble was suddenly assailed by a tremor and Erin was assailed by an acute dread. The violent quake raced through the ruin, echoing from a certain spot. With Erin¡¯s heightened senses, she quickly traced the quake to the source. At the same time, the Ruvans finally dug their way out of the debris and rubble. Expressions of relief wrought their faces but only for a fleeting moment. The quake doused their triumph and they all donned a dark and sour look once more. ¡°Oh, what is it now?!¡± Lucan grumbled. He had been so close to seizing a Demoid of an executive rank instead of another rank and file thrall but the ursed Demoid caused a copse and buried everyone, including himself, under more than six feet of dirt and rocks. Lucan survived and so did his subordinates. No one was gravely injured. However, it didn¡¯t change the fact that they were humiliated. Their misfortune did not end there. As soon as they got themselves out of the blunder, they were immediately greeted by another quandary. It was a tremor. Lucan scoured his surroundings as the quake gradually came to a halt. He found only destruction no matter where he looked and saw no trace of Darius, but he did perceive the one individual he was the least happy to see. ¡°Oi, Fox-kin!¡± he shouted. ¡°What¡¯s happening? Where¡¯s the damn Demoid?¡± Erin barely gave Lucan a nce and focused her attention on the source of the fading quake. ¡°This damn fox¡­ Erynthea! I¡¯m asking you here! Answer me! Where¡¯s the Demoid!?¡± ¡°Dead,¡± Erin answered dryly without turning her head. ¡°Dead? You killed him?¡± Erin was silent. Her gaze became focused on a certain spot. ¡°Sir, shall I have her brought here?¡± Saril asked with a scowl directed at Erin who didn¡¯t even seem to acknowledge her presence. ¡°No.¡± Lucan shook his head. ¡°I will do it myself,¡± he said and drew his rapier as he trod towards Erin. In his stride, another quake swept through the ground. It was a short tremor but it was strong, strong enough to make Lucan lose his bearings and trip. Fortunately, he had his rapier to support him from falling. ¡°Sir, something¡¯s happening!¡± shouted a Pdin. At his subordinate¡¯s heed, Lucan noticed the spot where Erin was gazing at. There was a rising mound and it continued to grow and grow as if the debris and rubble were water and something was about to break through it. ¡°What in the name of Ruva¡­¡± The mound exploded and a gigantic ethereal Golem emerged from the ruins. The pdins and the Venerers immediately assumed their battle stances, and so did Lucan. Erin, who was standing the closest to the Golem, had a liberal posture. She stared at the twenty-feet tall Golem with an unperturbed gaze. ¡°This must be the guardian of the vault¡ª¡± She then squinted her eyes and frowned. ¡°¡ªor not,¡± she added. With a closer inspection and the use of Appraisal, Erin realised this thing was not the guardian. Faces of various people were embedded all over the body of the Golem and all of those faces looked to be in anguish or distress. Through Appraisal, she understood this Golem is the amalgamation of all the souls of the men Lady Spehrodia imprisoned out of obsession and greed. ¡°Of course¡­¡± Erin sighed. ¡°Of all possibilities, this one has to be the prison vault. Just my fortune¡­¡± She brandished her spell sword and raised it overhead, a cyan sheen streaked through the de. But before she could swing it down, Erin stooped down abruptly at the beckon of her Sixth Sense. A hideous Wraith with a seemingly mutted appearance sprang out from the ground and lunged at her. Since she was already hunkered down, the Wraith missed her and ended up tossing itself right into her awaiting de. [Experience gained +5% - Level Progression: 50%] ¡°Only five? Well, at least it¡¯s something,¡± Erinined in her heart. ¡°It is an Undead and it was only level forty-two.¡± ¡°By the divines! Where are all these Wraithsing from!?¡± cried a pdin. A Venerer immediately cut at the nearest Wraith with his sword but it passed right through the Wraith. ¡°Impossible! Hallowed Steel has no effect on these wretched abominations!¡± ¡°Be careful!¡± Saril shouted. ¡°These aren¡¯t normal Wraiths.¡± The formation of the Ruvans rapidly descended into a disorder at the sudden emergence of the Wraiths along with the unnerving Golem. They were trained warriors of their Divine but even they could not keep theirposure with the abrupt appearance of these strange and sinister enemies. The Wraith nearest to the Ruvans pounced at the group but a golden glowing de cleaved it into half in its leap. ¡°Do not fear, brothers and sisters! Ruva is with us!¡± yelled a Venerer with a shaved head. ¡°Use Holy Edge!¡± The pdins regained their morale and quickly cast Holy Edge on their weapons. ¡°Casters, prepare for the Sacred Purge now!¡± Lucan yelled. ¡°Yes, sir!¡± the caster-pdins shouted affirmatively in unison and began casting the spell, Sacred Purge. They formed a circle and held the hands of the ones beside them as they began to utter a long chant. ¡°The rest of you, protect the casters!¡± Lucan continued giving out orders. There was no hesitation or objection. They heeded Lucan¡¯s orders without a dy. They assumed a formation of a circle with the casters within their alignment. ¡°Sir, what of the Fae?¡± asked a pdin. ¡°Leave her be,¡± Lucan retorted begrudgingly. ¡°Y-yes, sir¡­¡± the pdin nodded with concealed reluctance. Meanwhile, Erin was engaged in a battle against the incessant onught of the Wraiths while also dodging the Golem¡¯s attacks. Thankfully the Golem was slow but not slow enough for her to slice off its annoying arms that were tormenting her with its opportunistic blows. Coupled with the Wraiths¡¯ volley of assault, Erin came close to taking the Golem¡¯s arms but always resulted in mere shallow cuts. The Wraiths did not shower Erin with an abundance of experience but that was only if she counted the experience individually. The Wraiths emerged in droves. Even if one of them gave only a paltry sum, the amount rapidly ascended into a bountiful volume. Erin didn¡¯t have the luxury or leisure to look at her stats but she was absolutely certain she had gained a level. [Erynthea: Level 47 increased to Level 48] [Skill Points gained +2 | 2] [Ability Points gained +2 | 2] [Level Progression: 20%] She swore she could almost hear a melodious ring in tandem with the increment of her level. Or maybe it was just her wondrous thinking of this golden opportunity hidden under an impediment. She was cursing inwardly when the Golem and the Wraiths appeared but after discovering the Wraiths were easy to y and they were plentiful, Erin¡¯s bitter tenor was overturned with sweet delight. [Experience gained +5%] [Experience gained +5%] [Experience gained +5%] [Experience gained¡­.] The Wraiths just kepting. They were truly relentless and incessant but so were Erin¡¯s de and resolve. She cut down all that came for her. Erin began to wonder if these were all Lady Sephrodia¡¯s lovers that she couldn¡¯t bear to let go. Even if Sephrodia had boundless lust and greed, it was impossible for her to amodate these many lovers at a time unless she was changing lovers every hour or she partook in them a handful at a time. ¡°A handful at a time¡­¡± Erin scoffed in her mind as she decapitated a Wraith. [Experience gained +5% - Level Progression: 100%] ¡°And I¡¯m the Apostle of Lust. Damn you, Nyx. You sure do love your shares of irony.¡± [Erynthea: Level 48 increased to Level 49] [Skill Points gained +2 | 4] [Ability Points gained +2 | 4] [Level Progression: 0%] The Wraith¡¯s head slid off its neck and as its body copsed, it faded into nothing long before it hit the ground. Erin reeled in her de and prepared for another assault but it never came. A few seconds went by but no more Wraiths appeared. However, Erin couldn¡¯t breathe easily just yet. Her attention shifted to the Golem just as its fist was once again thrown at her. ¡°Now¡¯s your turn, you blob,¡± Erin growled under her breath and flipped onto the Golem¡¯s fist just as it struck the ground where she had been standing. Her brows were raised in faint incredulity. ¡°Huh, you looked ethereal but you¡¯re corporeal. How eerie.¡± The Golem looked at Erin strangely but its rage was apparent in those hollow eyes of its. It swung its other fist at Erin. She conjured up another sword with Bespoke and twirled on the back of its hand as the fists were only a few feet away from her. In the next moment, both of its hands fell off its wrists. A queer, long, and hollow screech emanated from the Golem¡¯s mouth. ¡°Rest in peace,¡± Erin muttered and swung her sword, throwing an Aura Shot empowered by Mystic de, but the projectile of her de¡¯s intent never hit its mark. The Golem fell apart. It crumbled like a dpidated building that was finally giving in its age but the difference was that the Golem wasn¡¯t perishing. It was dispersing, disassembling itself into a swarm of Wraiths. Erin widened her eyes at the fifty or so Wraiths in front of her, maybe even double of that amount. ¡°I don¡¯t have time for this¡­¡± At that moment¡­ ¡°Sacred Purge!¡± the three caster-pdins shouted at the sky in unison. Arge golden circle of inscriptions appeared above them. A barrage of golden stakes rained down upon the area from the golden circle, engulfing the vicinity in a flood of dazzling golden radiance. 4-60 Sortie 4-60 Sortie Erin¡¯s Sixth Sense was silent as the golden radiance caused by the Sacred Purge spell but her guts as a seasonedbatant were telling her to run. The Sacred Purge spell was of no threat or harm to her but she wasn¡¯t fully convinced by what her Innate Skill was apprising her of Erin stared into the distance and used Warp. She teleported herself as far as she could, the further the better. When she reappeared around a mile away outside of the Sacred Purge spell¡¯s range, she was assailed by an acute headache and strong fatigue. She dropped to her knees, panting. Even from a mile away, the intensity of the spell¡¯s effect was as clear as day. The radiance from afar was akin to a beacon of shining hope. Godly men and women would no doubt immediately fall to their knees and begin their prayers. Erin was on her knees but not due to reverence. ¡°Deranged fanatics¡­¡± Erin cursed under her breath. She already had a terrible opinion of the Ruvan pdins and the Venerers but her encounter with them had plummeted her opinion of them even further. They were uninterested in the sentiment of others except for the ones that would reinforce their current beliefs. [Experience gained +10% - Level Progression: 10%] The attestation of the Wraiths¡¯ death resounded in her head. Judging by the magnitude of that spell, she doubted any of the Wraiths could have survived. While she was saddened that she had potentially lost avish amount of experience, she was reassured that the threat of the vault was no more, as far as she could tell. Even if there still were, the Ruvans were there. She decided to leave whatever was left up to their discretion. Erin had briefly appraised them back when was still inside the cage. She saw none of them possessed Spirit Magic, so she didn¡¯t need to worry about any of them discovering the vault, not that she was certain there was anything in the vault that would entice them. Now that she was rtively far away from the troublesome factors, Erin allowed herself a respite. She plopped down on the ground and assuaged her fatigue and headache. There were still some Exalted Spirits lingering around her,tching onto her like a strong stench. She cast Spirit Mend using the Exalted Spirits and the effects were immediate and profound. It felt like weights were lifted off his head and his body was released from some heavy chains. She feltpletely refreshed as if she had just woken up from a good night''s sleep. She straightened her robes, tied up her hair into a ponytail, and gave her tails a cursory brushing. She gathered herposure and stared in the direction of the city. She could see ropes of smoke trailing off of each borough. She could see movements even from afar, indicating the astir and hectic state of the streets. Erin wasted not a moment longer in this ruined forsaken ce. She d herself in lighting and dashed towards the city at full speed with Fleet Foot. **** ¡°Demoids are running rampant all over the city,¡± Olivia said the moment she walked into Aedan¡¯s workshop. sks of liquids of varying colours were boiling in front of him on a wire gauze above a burner. His quilt scratched to a halt on the paper he was scribbling away. He looked up from his scattered notes with an indifferent gaze. ¡°In what way?¡± he asked. ¡°What do you mean ¡®in what way¡¯, milord?¡± ¡°Demoids have been running rampant all over the city for a while now.¡± ¡°Yes but this time, they are rampaging in broad daylight. They are not being furtive about it, the absolute opposite in fact. The reports even imed that some of these Demoids were¡­ delirious.¡± ¡°Delirious?¡± ¡°Completely unhinged, milord. They were all incapable of speech and reasoning. They were just attacking whatever or whoever fell into their sight. Aside from the Demoids themselves, nothing and no one was safe from their frenzy.¡± Aedan dropped his quilt and rose from his seat. ¡°It would seem the exodus of the Covenant is finished. They are cutting off their loose ends¡ª no, they are burying the loose ends.¡± He turned off the burners andpiled the notes into a single stack. ¡°What of the Aeryons?¡± ¡°Most of them are in the Grove, milord. The ones that are still out in the city are our sentries. And of course, Lady Erynthea and Amyra are without as you already know, which begs the other grave news¡± Aedan¡¯s gaze narrowed. ¡°Something happened with Erin¡¯s meeting with the Guild Master?¡± ¡°The meeting waspromised.¡± ¡°Compromised? What happened?¡± ¡°The city guards in the Viceroy¡¯s pouch had orders to apprehend Lady Erynthea. They raided the brothel but Lady Erynthea and the others managed to escape. However, they were still cornered by a Demoid at the withered Grove. Rigetta and Amyra escaped but¡­ Lady Erynthea was captured by the Demoid. Rigetta has returned to the guild. Amyra is currently taking refuge in one of our safe houses. The rampage of the Demoids started sometime after this. It¡¯s strange, milord. They already had Lady Erynthea but the Covenant still let the Demoids run rampant. They¡ª milord?¡± Aedan¡¯s face was calm but his heartbeat was picking up and his gaze had none of the usual flippant tenors. ¡°Is she safe?¡± he asked in a low voice. ¡°I don¡¯t know, milord, but I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be fine. She is tenacious and unrelenting. She¡¯s a Divine Apostle.¡± ¡°If the Covenant hadpleted their exodus, they would have no reason to keep Erin alive.¡± ¡°I understand, milord, but this is Lady Erynthea we¡¯re speaking of. Lady Luck favours her. Besides, the Spirits are still calm around here, so it means she is still alive.¡± ¡°For now, Olivia. Lady Luck does favour her but Lady Luck is also known to be whimsical and fickle. I won¡¯t count on her favour tost.¡± ¡°I know, milord¡­ I know. What are your orders¡­, Your Grace? Everyone¡¯s awaiting your guidance.¡± ¡°My orders will be the same as always. We stay out of sight and be oblique with our actions and movements as always.¡± ¡°You wish for us to keep hiding?¡± ¡°What else can these people do? Enlighten me, Olivia. What can they do? How many of them are fighters out there? How many of them have even held a sword before? I can guarantee you that none of them had even seen bloodshed before.¡± ¡°Milord, I was just¡ª¡± ¡°I know you want us Aeryons to return to our former glory but we are decades away from that. We might even never return to that summit. Olivia, I won¡¯t hold it against you if you choose to return to the mountains or your n. But if you¡¯re going to stay, don¡¯t whine if disappointment is all that you got. I¡¯m not the Dragon God, never have been and never will be. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°...I understand, milord. So, we are just going to sit around and wait for the chaos to drown the city.¡± Aedan chuckled. ¡°Of course not. I only ask of you and the rest to be furtive. I didn¡¯t forbid you from taking action.¡± Stupefaction overtook Olivia for a moment but she immediately seized her mind andposure back under her control. ¡°I¡¯m honoured to be in your service, milord¡ª no, Your Grace.¡± Aedan sighed with a wry smile. ¡°You can just call me Aedan, Olivia.¡± ¡°Not without the right title, Your Grace.¡± ¡°Well, whatever. Come on,¡± Aedan said and strode out of the room. Olivia marched right behind him. ¡°Where are we going, Your Grace?¡± ¡°To the herbal breweries. After this conundrum is over, the city will be in dire need of remedial supplies. We best start stockpiling them now. Tell everyone in the Grove to get working at once.¡± ¡°Right away, Your Grace.¡± Olivia nodded and was about to scurry off but Aedan stopped her. ¡°Another thing, Olivia. Inform the smithies of my imminent arrival.¡± Olivia broke into a smile. ¡°With pleasure, Your Grace.¡± She then instantly disappeared from his sight using Fleet Foot, leaving behind a ck scuff mark on the carpeted floor. Just as Aedan arrived at the centre hall of the manor, Nivia, Lyra, Siv, Aera, and Lilian were stalking towards him from the opposite hallway. The fivedies were all bearing solemn gazes and grave expressions, but not one of them had a tinge of despair on their faces and they were all fully geared and equipped. Aera was also fully clothed in protective andbat-ready garments. She was no longer in clergy robes but a tunic and trousers made of fabric infused with magic. Her solemn look crumbled when she met Aedan¡¯s gaze, reminding her of the night she spent with him and Erin. It was her first time and it was a threesome. Ever since then, she found it hard to meet Aedan and Erin¡¯s gaze. ¡°Aedan,¡± Lyra gave a fleeting greeting. ¡°Ladies, I know,¡± Aedan said. ¡°Judging by your faces, I assume you all have most likely heard the news and the circumstances surrounding Erin.¡± ¡°We have,¡± Siv affirmed with a nod. ¡°Good, then this shall smoothen the conversation,¡± Lyra retorted with a smile that didn¡¯t reach her eyes. ¡°We have already made our choice. You are not stopping us. We will be leaving the Grove and go searching for Erin.¡± ¡°Even with all the Demoids running amok?¡± ¡°Precisely the reason that we need to be out there instead of here.¡± Aedan sighed and looked each of the girls in the eyes. He stopped at Lilian¡¯s. ¡°I¡¯m with them, darling,¡± Lilian said with a gentle smile. ¡°Do any of you even know where Erin was taken?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re here talking to you,¡± Nivia said with her arms crossed. ¡°You know where she is, don¡¯t you?¡± Aedan raised an eyebrow. ¡°What makes you think that?¡± ¡°You know this valley. You have to know where they will keep her.¡± ¡°I knew this valley, Nivia. Past tense. A lot has changed. I don¡¯t even recognise most of the mountains and hills anymore.¡± ¡°But you have to know something. Even if a lot has changed, some must have stayed the same. One of these old ces might be used to hold Erin captive.¡± ¡°I know a lot of ces that they could be potentially using to hold Erin captive but there¡¯s¡­ more than twenty of them. Do you think it¡¯s wise to visit all of these possible ces one by one?¡± ¡°Then what can we do to track down Erin?¡± Siv asked. ¡°Simple, we can just ask.¡± ¡°I was just thinking the same thing, Aedan,¡± Lilian said with a titter. ¡°Wait, you said ¡®we¡¯. You¡¯reing with us?¡± ¡°Of course, my dear Nivia. Do you think I would sit around and do nothing when my mistress has gone missing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not your ¡®dear Nivia¡¯, you lizard,¡± Nivia hissed. ¡°You¡¯reing with us, truly?¡± Siv inquired. ¡°Truly.¡± ¡°Will you be fine?¡± Lyra questioned. ¡°I know of your¡­ regression. You¡¯re not even half as strong as you once were.¡± ¡°You are correct but I can assure all of you here that I can give each of you a good beating with my current strength. If you doubt me, I¡¯m more than happy to give a demonstration right here and now.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t doubt you, Master Aedan,¡± said Siv. ¡°Splendid, then. Now, will you all be a dear and wait for me by the portal? I just need to go and grab a few gears and tools from the smithy.¡± ¡°We cane with you,¡± Lyra proposed. ¡°As you wish,¡± Aedan said with a shrug and made his way to the smithy in a haste. The smithy was within thepound of the manor grounds, so the trip took only a short minute. Once there, a set of armour and weapons awaited his presence, fully donned on a disying rack of his bodily proportions. The armour set resembled that of a knight¡¯s but with foreign artistry and a near-otherworldly motif. The armour was ck with a deep red sheen. ¡°Whoa,¡± Lyra gasped in awe as sheid her eyes on the armour. ¡°I have never seen anything like this¡­¡± All the other girls were also in awe of the armour. ¡°Crimson Steel?¡± Lilian surmised as she peered at the armour with great interest. ¡°Yes, it is,¡± Aedan said and he began donning the armour with the help of the three cksmiths who were all Dwarrows and brothers. ¡°That¡¯s the prized metal of an Augur tribe,¡± Siv muttered. Nivia frowned. ¡°Crimson Steel cannot be bought easily even if you offered the Augurs hundreds of gold. Where did you get your hands on such steel? Please don¡¯t tell me you¡ª¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t acquire them through force. In fact, it wasn¡¯t mine. It was Erin¡¯s.¡± ¡°Erin?¡± ¡°Apparently, she got them as a courting gift from an Augur named Cynric.¡± ¡°And you had it forged into your armour. How cruel of you, Aedan.¡± ¡°All is fair in love and war, my dear Nivia.¡± Aedan pulled on a strap and sped it against the shoulder te. ¡°There, done. Now, shall we go rescue our mutual lover?¡± 4-61 Havoc I 4-61 Havoc I A girl ran through the disorderly streets without looking back while chaos erupted all around her. Buildings were being demolished and people were being decimated. There were screams, throes, violence, and blood, nowhere was spared of the mayhem. It was a bloody massacre and the culprits were the Demoids. Still, the girl ran without stopping until she couldn¡¯t anymore. The girl¡¯s legs eventually gave out and she tripped on a disced rock tile of the street. She fell and scraped her knees. She wanted to cry and moan but she held it in and pushed herself to her feet while wincing and sobbing. She tried continuing to run but her exhaustion and her injured legs made it so that she could only limp. She had been fortunate so far. No one paid her any mind or heed all the while she was running. Even those that saw her did not have her in their mind for long. However, the girl¡¯s luck was starting to run dry. A man screamed at the top of his lungs as he was flung off the rooftop by a Demoid. As it just so happened, the man dropped right in front of the girl who had just started limping. The man turned into a stter before the girl¡¯s very eyes and doused her in his flesh, blood, and bits. The girl, startled, flinched and fell back on her rear. Before she could get back up and run the other way, the Demoid jumped down from the roof andnded before the girl. The girl shrieked but fear had taken her voice and only a soundless gasp escaped her mouth. The Demoid was a pale hairless werewolf with bloodshot eyes and blood-red veins protruding through the skin. The girl turned nearly as pale as the Demoid as she slowly mbered away from it. The Demoid broke into a grin upon noticing the girl. It chuckled in sadistic delight and strode towards her, its ws bared. Many people saw this but they were all either too cowardly to act or currently facing their own plight to offer the poor hapless girl any aid. A woman tried to save the girl but she was pulled back by another Demoid and was torn apart and devoured. The girl didn¡¯t register the woman¡¯s attempt to help but she did hear the woman¡¯s scream as the Demoid ravaged her. The girl¡¯s trembling gaze was fixated on the Demoid in front of her. Due to the miasma emitted by the Demoid, the girl soon lost the ability to even lift a finger and sat there motionlessly and helplessly as she awaited her demise. Just then, a bolt of lightning streaked across the sky and darted towards the Demoid. The hairless werewolf rolled out of the lightning bolt¡¯s way but it was fast enough toe out unscathed. The Demoid roared at its unknown assant while clutching its maimed ear. Not far from the hairless werewolf Demoid, a stout Demoid with long ears was tearing the gown off of a courtesan that it had dragged out of a brothel. It was aligning its disfigured phallus over the woman¡¯s cunt but before the Demoid could insert its deform rod, an aura de hurtled across its neck. The Demoid¡¯s head slid off its neck and it fell off the woman as its body crumbled into dust. The hairless werewolf witnessed the fate of its brethren and began looking around more frantically than before, searching desperately for the assant. Taking advantage of the confusion, the girl found her courage and tried to run, but she didn¡¯t get far before the Demoid noticed her and apprehended her. However, the Demoid¡¯s arms were sliced off and it fell to the ground, writhing and moaning in agony. The girl didn¡¯t know what happened but she didn¡¯t care and simply ran off without looking back at the Demoid. ¡°And here I thought you Demoids don¡¯t feel pain,¡± muttered a Fox-kin with waist-long pale silver hair and five tails as she stood before the writhing and moaning Demoid. She was wielding a single-edged sword that was the length of her height. The robe she wore was in slight tatters but the state of her garments did not diminish the elegance and threat she exuded. The Demoid flipped to its feet upon noticing the Fox-kin¡¯s presence and catching her scent. It didn¡¯t know how she managed to creep up on it without attracting its attention or notice but it didn¡¯t question the peculiarity too much and pounced at the Fox-kin. Its agony was overwritten by its desire for vengeance. The Fox-kin flourished her tails and used Mesmerise, dazing the Demoid for but a short while, enough time for the Fox-kin to cut the Demoid up into a dozen or so pieces. ¡°What a paltry gain,¡± the Fox-kin snorted in discontent as the Demoid¡¯s body crumbled into dust. Sensing and witnessing the death of two of their brethren, all of the Demoids in the vicinity turned their attention to the Fox-kin. They were no longer of sound mind or capable of rationality. However, the desire for self-preservation and vengeance was deeply rooted in their minds. They had no love for each other but seeing the deaths of their kin still brought about an indescribable anger in them. Acting on their primal instincts, some of the Demoids fled from the Fox-kin while the rest remained and red at the Fox-kin with hatred. The Fox-kin flicked her ponytail behind her shoulders and returned the re to the Demoids with a triumphant smirk. ¡°My time is borrowed. So have at me or scuttled back to your hidey holes,¡± the Fox-kin uttered with a firm and rumbling voice. The Demoids snarled at the Fox-kin, spurred by her taunt, and charged at her from all sides. The Fox-kin widened her smirk and changed her weapon of choice into a pair of long swords. She d one de with Essence re and another one with lightning but both wereced with Arcane Edge. She spun out of the way of a Demoid¡¯s w and cut the Demoid in half with the de d in Essence re. The cyan mes swallowed the Demoid in seconds and burned it into ashes all the while the Demoid screamed sharply. ¡°Huh¡­ it¡¯s vulnerable to the Spirits¡­¡± the Fox-kin remarked in wonder. She ducked under a swipe of a Demoid¡¯s tail and retaliated with a horizontal sh that cleaved the Demoid in half with her lightning-d de. The Demoid also perished with just this much injury. ¡°It¡¯s as vulnerable to ordinary means as ever¡­ Curious.¡± The Fox-kin continued her assessment in wonder and perplexity but she didn¡¯t leave her mind absent of vignce. With swift movements and deadly precision, she eliminated all of the Demoids in the area with the minimum amount of effort. These Demoids she fought were far easier than the ones she had fought before and it left her with a bitter and unsettling aftertaste. ¡°Just what the hell are you nning, Marduk? Letting loose all of your Demoid thralls to rampage around the city? This couldn¡¯t be all there is to your n.¡± The Fox-kin¡¯s deep thoughts were interrupted when loud cries of despair could be heard from a few buildings down the street. She pulled herself together and dashed towards the pleas for help. But before she could, a Demoid sprang to life in its ash form. Takenpletely by surprise, the Fox-kin was sent flying through the streets by the Ash Demoid. She bounced on the ground for two times before recovering her bearings and flipping herself to her feet. Regaining herposure, she took a good nce at her sudden assant, a Demoid that wasposed of ashes. ¡°Oh, great¡­ There it is once again, the peculiarity of a Demon¡¯s self-preservation¡­ Just great. Is this what you¡¯re aiming for, Marduk?¡± the Fox-kin wondered out loud as she faced the Ash Demoid with a grim expression. ¡°I¡­ know¡­ you¡­¡± the Demoid spoke in a raspy hollow voice. ¡°You do?¡± the Fox-kin asked with an eyebrow raised. ¡°Erynthea¡­ We¡­ were told¡­ about you¡­¡± Erin shrugged. ¡°I see. I would say I¡¯m ttered but not anymore. This has be very annoying and infuriating.¡± ¡°Because¡­ of you¡­ We¡­ have¡­ been abandoned¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s certainly not because of me. You are all nothing but disposable pawns in the first ce.¡± ¡°Lies¡­¡± ¡°Thinking otherwise is just the sheerest folly on your part. What makes you think you are worthy of being retained by your employer?¡± ¡°I am¡­ different¡­ special¡­¡± ¡°Maybe in your own delusions, you are. Or perhaps your employer tempted you with some honeyed words. But out here in the real world, you are far from being special or different. You are the most basic of themonce.¡± ¡°You¡­ you.. You¡­ you!!!¡± the Demoid shrieked furiously at lunged at Erin. She threw an Aura Shot but the Demoid avoided the attack by spreading out its ashen body and continued in its lunge. ¡°Oh, fuck off,¡± Erin scoffed with a tut. The Demoid crashed into Erin but she retreated using Warp. Then, she immediately used Mana Harvest to replenish the Mana expended from using Warp. The Demoid trailed after her incessantly as she kept running from it. The Demoid skillfully avoided her de every time she swung at it by dispersing its ashen body from the path of her de. She threw lightning and cyan mes at the Demoid but its ashen body rendered none of her attacks ineffective. All hope seemed lost for Erin but her face did not show despair. Wielding two swords, she danced with a brutal elegance as the Demoid tried to retaliate but Erin¡¯s precision with her strikes did not give the Demoid any opportunity to do so. It was a stalemate with neither side having much grounds against the other. However, that soon came to change. The Demoid was only a half-Demon in the end. Its Mana was rapidly expended and unlike Erin, it had no way of replenishing it as quickly as the consumption. Gradually, the Demoid¡¯s movement slowed and Erin managed to injure the Demoid with Essence re due to it being unable to shift its body shape as fluidly as before. It wasn¡¯t long before Erin overwhelmed the Demoid with her stronger perseverance and disintegrated the Demoid with Essence re. She came out victorious but she wasn¡¯t thrilled. The desperate pleas for help had stopped. She rushed towards the direction he heard the cries from and found only the mangled corpses of a family on the street with ruin and debris surrounding her. Corpses were scattered and strewn about the streets. Carriages and carts were turned over and some were burning. A strong grasp gripped her heart and an ache assailed her head at such a sight of the city''s destruction. Erin staggered in her steps, reminded of a past experience where a town was devastated by goblins due to the people and the government underestimating the threat. They sessfully repelled the goblins but the town was ruined anyway. ¡°No¡­ it won¡¯t be like that¡­ Not while I¡¯m here¡­¡± Casting aside the nightmarish experience, Erin resumed her haste and dashed through the streets, felling any Demoids she came across. Other than a few Demoids which showed extreme perseverance, the rest perished without much difficulty by her de. The Demoids did not offer her much experience but with the amount that he killed, he garnered enough experience to reach the level of fifty. [Experience gained +5% - Level Progression: 100%] [Erynthea: Level 49 increased to Level 50] [Skill Points gained +2 | 6] [Ability Points gained +2 | 6] [Level Progression: 0%] Without hesitation, she used four skill points to raise her Spatial Magic to level five. A great piece of knowledge flowed into her mind with that increment and she broke into a smile at the spell she just learned. ¡°Lady Fae!¡± cried out an elderly man with scars and bruises who came trotting up to her amidst the ruins of the streets. Erin didn¡¯t recognise the elderly but since she saw only awe and reverence in the elderly¡¯s gaze, she didn¡¯t show him any hostility. ¡°Yes, what is it?¡± ¡°T-thank you, Lady Fae!¡± The man dropped to his knees and took a deep bow. ¡°You saved me and my family¡­ Thank you.¡± It wasn¡¯t just the elderly man who came up to Erin and offered his gratitude. Many others did the same. They came up to her and expressed their undying gratitude for killing the Demoids and saving them. They were all looking at Erin as if she was the sole beacon of hope. Seeing such a reaction from the city folks, Erin frowned. ¡°What of the guards?¡± ¡°All dead, mdy, as far as I know,¡± answered a young man with a heavy bruise on his shoulder. ¡°The guards didn¡¯t stand a chance when these Demons just appeared out of nowhere.¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t appear out of nowhere. I saw them¡­ I saw people turning into these Demons¡­¡± ¡°I saw the guards turning into Demons too!¡± In a clutter, everyone was exining the circumstances and retelling their experience on how the chaos started. Although Erin already figured out what had happened, it did put her mind at ease to know that her spection was right. Just as Erin was prepared to leave, a young girl leapt at her out of nowhere and gripped Erin¡¯s hand tightly. ¡°Wait, mdy! Please don¡¯t leave us!¡± cried the young girl. ¡°But I have to, little one,¡± Erin told the girl. ¡°What if the Demoidse back? What will we do then?¡± ¡°Yeah, the girl¡¯s right. What do we do if the Demoids appear again and you¡¯re not here?¡± Spurred by the girl¡¯s words, the survivors began mouring and pleading for Erin to stay. Erin smiled wryly at the crowd. ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I have to go. There are others out there who might need my help. I can¡¯t just stay here.¡± ¡°Piss on the others!¡± a man shouted. ¡°What makes their lives worth more than mine or the others here!?¡± Erin sighed inwardly. ¡°Great¡­ Herees the most difficult part.¡® 4-62 Havoc II 4-62 Havoc II ¡°Mdy, you absolutely can¡¯t just leave us be!¡± cried an elderly woman who was on her knees with her head lowered all the way until it was touching the ground. ¡°It will be for nought if the Demons appeared when you have left! Stay with us, mdy!¡± Then it was a man with ck soot covering his face and bare torso. ¡°Mdy stay with us! Don¡¯t leave us!¡± Then it was a woman with two children. ¡°Lady Fae, you must stay! There must be more Demons lurking about! They¡¯ll appear the moment you leave!¡± ¡°Mdy, you can¡¯t leave us! You have to stay!¡± ¡°Mdy, please¡­¡± ¡°Mdy¡­¡± ¡°Mdy¡­¡± The various survivors all pleaded desperately for Erin to stay with them. They moured incessantly as if their lives were at stake, which it was. One by one, they dropped to their knees and prayed for Erin to stay. Erin sighed and looked the survivors firmly in the eye. ¡°I can¡¯t stay. I can¡¯t save everyone. I can¡¯t protect everyone. But I will do my best and I can¡¯t do my best if I just stay here. I¡¯m sorry. There are others out there in immediate danger. I can¡¯t stay.¡± Erin finished her speech and turned to leave. ¡°If you leave us, then you¡¯re no different than a murderer!¡± shouted a battered man whose right leg was injured badly in the midst of the chaos. ¡°I¡¯m not a saint,¡± Erin replied coldly to the man. ¡°Not anymore¡­¡± The survivors stared pleadingly at Erin but she turned their gazes away. ¡°You all should better start finding safe ces to hide instead of just wallowing in despair here. And do your best to help others too. Who knows, your charity will be rewarded.¡± And Erin bolted out of their sights after leaving such words. Erin agreed with them that they were good as dead once she left and a Demoid attacked but they at least had a better chance of survival than the others who were in immediate peril. Such as a family who was hiding in a building nearby as Demoids deliriously tore down the walls just to get to the family. Erin immediately struck one down using a Lightning Spear to draw the Demoid¡¯s attention off the hiding family. In doing so, Erin didn¡¯t just attract those Demoids tearing through the building but also the other Demoids in the area. They convened on her as if they sensed a more delicious prey than the ones they were hunting, or eating for some of the Demoids¡¯ cases. Half-eaten corpses dangling off a few of the Demoids¡¯ mouths as they appeared from wherever they lurked before and began slowly approaching Erin with fascination and deep craving. The Demoids closed in on Erin and she gave a quick but thorough nce at her foes, taking note of their levels. She snorted with a grin when she saw their levels. The strongest one was only at level thirty-five amongst the twenty or so Demoids that surrounded her. The current Demoids retained a Demon¡¯s absurd self-perseverance ability but they were just as vulnerable as the next person. Erin cast Mana Harvest to replenish her Mana just as four Demoids lunged at her. Using Thunder Shell, she repelled the Demoids and sent them crashing into their brethren. Taking advantage of the transient disarray, she unleashed Lightning Barrage on the Demoids. Her attack spell caused a series of explosions which resulted in clouds of smoke hazing the area. Under the cover of the smoke, Erin went around to y as much as she could before the smoke cleared. Some Demoids had the good sense and thus avoided Erin¡¯s lethal de but not for long. As the smoke dissipated, only five Demoids remained. They weren¡¯t surprised to see their kin but rage did fill their spirits and they unleashed their wrath upon Erin. But the result was the same in spite of their wrath-filled assault. Erin cut them down without any trouble. Not even those with extreme tenacity preserved for long against the might and prowess of Erin. Her countless encounters with Demonic foes had taught her well. After all of the Demoids in the area were in, Erin stayed in the area for a while to assess her kills. He caught two Demoids hiding among the dead but she rooted them out with Life Sense and thoroughly dispatched the two Demoids. Life Sense wouldn¡¯t have worked if the two had been full-fledged Demons as the Spirits did not perceive Demons as lifeforms. After making sure all of the Demoids were truly dead by burning their carcasses with Essence re, Erin moved on to the next borough, inching closer to small woods where the Grove was hidden with every advance. Her main goal had been to appraise the state of the Grove and affirm the safety of herpanions but aftering across so many poor folks in distress, she couldn¡¯t bear to just turn a blind eye to their plights. In her haste and advance, Erin arrived at one of the many squares in the city. The squares were always lively and bustling, teeming with the zeal of various individuals. However, the square she arrived upon was the utter opposite of what it usually was. The rampage of the Demoids had plunged everyone into mayhem but the Demoids weren¡¯t the only ones contributing to the destruction and chaos. Many low-lives such as thugs, thieves, bandits, and cutthroats, were all taking advantage of the madness in satiating their twisted desires or filling their pockets, or both. Erin felt a shiver surging through her bones and nerves at the depraved sight of these unsavoury and abhorrent individuals. Her dread was instantly taken over by her rage. ¡°Sickening¡­¡± Erin grumbled in silent fury. She mentally marked all of the wicked individuals before throwing herself into turmoil. Using Warp, Erin appeared in front of a group of ruffians who were forcing themselves on a mother-daughter pair. The mother had already been vited in three of her orifices but the daughter came close to having her purity soiled by them just as Erin made her appearance. The ruffians instantly took notice of Erin¡¯s presence and turned their attention to her. The ruffians shuffled their garments back on their bodies, grabbed their weapons, and lunged at Erin with crazed expressions. Erin scowled in disgust when she saw all of them were pitching tents under as they deliriously gazed at her. With only a sharp sh of silver, the heads of the rapists fell off their necks and their bodies copsed to the floor a second after. The mother crawled frantically to her daughter and cradled her into her arms, all the while thanking Erin profusely for her aid. Erin spared them only a brief nce before moving on to the next victims in need of her aid. It wasn¡¯t just the women or young girls being sexually assaulted. Quite a few young boys and soft men were being assaulted too. Fearing the inefficiency of going up to each victim one by one, Erin shot Lightning Bolts from afar to eliminate the assants. The Demoids in the square had their interest piqued by Erin¡¯s disy and they cast aside their current victims in favour of Erin. Though mindless, the Demoids all seemed to be taken in by Erin¡¯s presence. Erin herself didn¡¯t know the exact reason for this but she wasn¡¯t troubled as this made it easier for her to save the victims. Not only her swords, but Erin also ignited her tails with Essence re, d in Arcane Armour, and brandished them against the Demoids. The Demoids fell one after another and with every death, more were attracted to Erin. Soon, Demoids from other boroughs flooded into the square, rushing towards Erin. Thanks to her Arcane Armour and Spatial Sense, she did not incur any injuries in the continuous battle against the Demoids. Every time Erin ughtered an entire wave, she used Mana Harvest to replenish her Mana pool. But that wasn¡¯t exactly a perfect solution. Though she never ran low on Mana, her mental health was taking a toll. She cast Spirit Mend on herself but that was only a temporary remedy as she no longer had the aid of the Exalted Spirits. By the time Erin had eliminated all of the Demoids in the vicinity, she had found herself standing in piles of dust, leftovers of the Demoids¡¯ crumbled carcasses. The carcasses that stayed intact in their apparent deaths, she burned them all with Essence re just to be thorough. She peeked at her stats during the respite after the ordeal and found her level to have increased to fifty-two. [Erynthea: Level 52] Erin chortled breathlessly and triumphantly at her significant yield and plopped herself down on the ground in the middle of the square. She allowed herself a moment of respite to rest her weary mind. She also took this moment to survey her surroundings. The people she saved were in rtively good health. The damages were done but they would live. Plenty of them was scarred but that was out of Erin¡¯s hands. Unlike before, very few of the people came up to thank Erin as they were all mourning over their loss and their vited state. Though the Demoids had all been culled in the vicinity, the same couldn¡¯t be said for the ruffians. Plenty of them was still alive and they had been in hiding after seeing individuals of their ilk mercilessly ughtered by Erin. They decided to wait until Erin moved on or when exhaustion encroached on her such as now. ¡°I saved all that I could¡­¡± Erin told herself after seeing and hearing the people weeping and sobbing. Erin nced around once more and found no guards, not even their corpses. When she looked over to the noble district, she saw multiple ropes of smoke trailing to the sky and she could smell the blood wafting from that direction. She surmised the guards must have all been delegated to protect the noble district. Erin clenched her fists tightly in rage and cursed the nobles for their selfish ambitions. Her fury didn¡¯tst long, however, as her exhaustion dispelled her anger in order for her mind to rest. Seeing Erin¡¯s slumped shoulders, the unruly men, and a few women, emerged from hidey holes. They crept towards Erin under the covers of the destruction and ruins. But just as they left their hiding spots, arrows from the sky descended upon them. The ruffians erupted into screams and cries as the sudden arrow rain spelt their demise. Due to the heavy scent of blood and destruction, Erin failed to pick up the scent of the unknown approaching party until they made their move. She sprang to her feet with her spell weapons at the ready. A group of armoured soldiers streamed into the square on foot with a few on horses. Despite being exhausted, Erin was steadfast in her stance as she faced the unknown part. She knew they were not the city guards as their armour was too fancy. She studied the group of soldiers and she eased up on her stance when she saw the knight riding at the vanguard. She recognised the knight as Sir use of House Ritus, a vassal of House Valdrun. Sir use climbed off his horse and marched towards Erin. ¡°Lady Erynthea, it¡¯s so good to see you here,¡± said the middle-aged knight. ¡°Do you still remember me, Lady Erynthea?¡± ¡°Sir use, I remember you.¡± ¡°I am d that you do, Lady Erynthea.¡± He then nced behind and gestured for his men to act. The soldiers obliged and scattered across the square. Erin was in disbelief at first but her doubts were quelled when she saw the soldiers going around aiding and helping the victims by moving them to safer ces, giving them treatments for their injuries, or offering them water. ¡°The High Lady¡¯s orders, Lady Erynthea,¡± Sir use answered Erin¡¯s unspoken question. ¡°I know we were slow in our actions but I hope we weren¡¯t toote.¡± ¡°No, you weren¡¯t toote, Sir use. Even if you were toote, it¡¯s betterte than never.¡± ¡°I¡¯m honoured by your words, Lady Erynthea.¡± ¡°So am I, Sir use, by your actions and your High Lady¡¯s benevolence. Give her my gratitude, if you would so kindly,¡± Erin said and began to leave. ¡°You¡¯re leaving, mydy?¡± ¡°Yes, I am. Is there a problem, Sir use?¡± ¡°N-no, mydy. It¡¯s just that your presence alone would be of huge assistance. But I understand you must have somece else to be. I won¡¯t hold you back, mydy. Farewell and good fortune, Lady Erynthea.¡± ¡°You too, Sir use,¡± Erin bade and dashed off without looking back, unaware of a figure watching over her from a nearby rooftop. 4-63 Havoc III 4-63 Havoc III As the day gradually shifted into thete noon, the heart of Sephrodia Valley descended deeper into mayhem and pandemonium, especially the districts of themon folks as the city guards were delegated to protect the noble districts. The city became worse than it would be if it came under siege. The city was not under siege. It was worse. The enemies were not outside the walls. They were already within and when they attacked, the guards and soldiers were not able to respond adequately. As such, they were ordered to forsake themon districts and focus on protecting the nobles¡¯ domains. Themon folks also realised this and they all quickly ran for the noble district but as could be expected, they were not allowed entry. At this point,rge crowds had formed outside the gates that lead into the noble districts. Themon folks moured and begged desperately to be let in but their pleas fell on deaf ears. The guarding soldiers only looked on with impassive gazes, some even sneered at the pitifulmon folks as if unting their good fortune of being on the safe side of the gate. When themon folks began to take drastic measures such as using force to get through, the soldiers retaliated in kind, shooting down anyone who dared to raise their weapons. When the soldiers threatened to have the peasants pelted with attack spells, the peasants scattered and retreated from the gates after a mage gave a demonstration. Left with no other choices, themon folks could only run back the way they came, hoping they would stumble upon a spot where they would be safe from the Demoids and the opportunistic ruffians or their assant had already moved on to other areas. However, their hopes were shattered when their path of retreat was cut off by a swarm of lesser Demoids known as Dregs. These Dregs were basically very much like Ghouls but they were of Demonic origins. They were only a quarter of a threat a Demoid was but what made them dangerous were their numbers and the fact they were devoid of fear and the ability to feel pain. With no particr direction, themon folks ran wherever they could, as long as they were running away from the Dregs. Some were unfortunate as they ran into Demoids and ruffians in their attempt of losing the Dreg¡¯s pursuit. Some tripped in their haste and they ended up getting trampled to death by the others who were all frantically running away. It was a total disaster but all hope wasn¡¯t lost. There was the adventurer¡¯s guild. That was the next ce the people thought about running towards. The only reason the adventurer¡¯s guild wasn¡¯t their first choice was because that area was one of the spots where the Demoids began emerging from. There was nowhere else they could go, so they all ran for the ce where the chaos started and spread from. A father and a daughter were running in the direction of the adventurer¡¯s guild but they were two districts away from the guild and the path was beset by the presence of Demoids and thugs. Currently, there was a small group of Dregs chasing the father-daughter pair down with a Demoid leading the pursuit. There was originally arge distance between the father-daughter pair and the Demoids but in no time at all, the gap was now only a quarter of what it had been only a few minutes ago. But before the gap could turn non-existent and spelt the end for the father-daughter pair, an imposing figure with a pair of horns dropped right in between the father-daughter pair and the Dregs and Demoid. Therge figure was a woman with little to no clothing covering her torso except for the armoured brassiere she wore. She wielded arge cleaver-sword that wasced with cinders. ¡°Keep running, don¡¯t stop,¡± Amyra said to the father-daughter pair as she brandished her de against the Dregs and the Demoid. The father thanked Amyra profusely with his daughter in his arms before running off into the distance without looking back. The Dregs and the Demoid came to a stop in their pursuit at their appearance of Amyra. There was no light of rationality and reasoning in the eyes of the Demoid but there was still its sense of self-preservation. It could sense Amyra was strong, enough to be a threat to them. But the same couldn¡¯t be said for the Dregs. They only stopped because the Demoid did. Unlike the Demoid, the Dregs felt no fear towards Amyra and they began to charge at her. Amyra frowned in disgust at the Dregs and swung her sword, unleashing a wave of fire that swept over the Dregs, instantly turning them all into ashes. The fire wave continued in its surge, moving towards the Demoid. With a roar, the Demoid quelled and dispersed the fire wave with ease but as the mes faded, it found Amyra¡¯s de swerving towards its neck. The Demoid dodged low and spun, mming its lizard-like tail into Amyra. The Augur caught the Demoid¡¯s tail with her free hand, bared, and swung the Demoid around before throwing it into a nearby debris pile. Without waiting for it to recover, Amyra threw firebolts at the debris pile but the Demoid sprang away before the mes could engulf it. The Demodi hissed, dropped onto fours, and crawled towards Amyra in rapid haste. She threw Aura Shot at the Demoid but it swiftly avoided the projectiles all the while crawling towards her at an unfathomable speed. Once it was close enough, the Demoid lunged at Amyra but a simple kick from the Augur sent it tumbling and sprawling backwards. The Demoid flipped back to its feet but Amyra was already upon it. It tried to run but its tail was caught by Amyra. The Augur dragged the Demoid close before pinning it down on the ground with her foot on its thigh. Amyra then stabbed her sword into the Demoid¡¯s chest and burned it from the inside out, reducing the Demoid into ashes in just seconds. Just after that, she raised her head from the charred carcass of the Demoid and saw a swarm of Dregs down the streets, terrorising another group of survivors. Seeing this, Amyra couldn¡¯t help but sigh. ¡°There better be a good reward after this.¡± Saying so, Amyra ran towards the Dreg swarm. **** Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, themon folks were running for the woods. Not because the woods were safe or anything but because there was simply nowhere else for them to run to. A family of four was currently treading close to the borders of the small woods in the city with a swarm of Dregs on their tail. They had been running for their lives since the chaos began and they had repeatedly escaped the clutches of evil. However, as fate would have it, they were once again hunted by Demoids, albeit a lesser variant, the Dregs. Since the Dregs were slower than Demoids, the family was able to shake off the Dregs¡¯ pursuit but they were immediately chased by another group of Dregs. The family arrived before the woods which they had blindly run into. Their hopes were ignited when they saw how barren the woods were. Many had run for the woods but only a few had managed to reach it, which was why the woods looked barren. As if dissatisfied by the family¡¯s tenacity and fortune, fate spat on them. A ruffian appeared out of nowhere and took the young girl of the family hostage. Holding a knife to the young girl¡¯s throat, the thug began demanding the family to hand over their provisions and money. The father did not hesitate in surrendering their food supplies and their gold to the thug as the Dregs were gaining on them from afar. Though the father had told the thug of this, the ruffian onlyughed and scoffed at them, stating that he could easily outrun those Dregs as he was not burdened by family. Despite getting what he wanted, the thug still refused to let the young girl or told the family he would be taking the girl with him. Before the father could express his wrath in a shout, an arrow pierced through the thug¡¯s head from behind. The father immediately rushed towards the now-deceased thug, pushing him away, and took his daughter into his protective embrace. ¡°Are you alright?¡± asked an Elf as she trod up to the family. ¡°An E-Elf¡­¡± the father gasped upon noticing the identity of his daughter¡¯s saviour. ¡°T-thank you so much, Lady Fae.¡± ¡°Save your gratitude forter, human. For now, get into the woods and just keep following the blue flowers with red thorns.¡± The father nodded. ¡°Follow the blue flowers with red thorns, understand, but¡­ until when or where?¡± The Elf smiled wryly at them. ¡°You¡¯ll know. Now, move.¡± The father said no more and took his family with him as they rushed into the woods, not before they gathered their food supplies and gold back. ¡°Is there no end to them?¡± the Elf grumbled as she turned her gaze and saw the small group of Dregsing her way. ¡°The criminalsprise around one-fifth of the city¡¯s poption and that¡¯s just the known criminals,¡± exined a ck-haired female Wolf-kin who appeared from an alley and joined the Elf by her side. The Elf raised an eyebrow at the Wolf-kin¡¯s presence. ¡°What of the Demoid you were fighting, Siv?¡± ¡°Dead,¡± answered the Wolf-kin as she flicked the blood-soaked des of her swords clean. ¡°Are you sure? You know, Demons can be very tenacious in the most peculiar ways.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m aware, Nivia. Mistress and Master had taught me enough about it but these are just Demoids, not Demons.¡± ¡°Yes, they¡¯re just Demoids but these Demoids are a tad different than usual.¡± ¡°As I have said, I¡¯m aware, Nivia. The Demoid is dead, truly. Unless ites back as an Undead, then that would be a different story.¡± ¡°Will it?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know. Even if it will, we have more pressing matters at hand.¡± Nivia sighed and stared at the fast-approaching Dregs. ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right.¡± She nocked two arrows to her bow and took aim. She cast a Wind Magic spell on her arrows and released them from the string. The arrows flew true but not straight. The arrows veered around in the air, guided by the winds, as they plunged into the approaching crowd of Dregs, piercing through eight heads of the Dregs before losing the arrows ran dry of magic. The carcasses of the dead Dregs tripped over the others, drastically slowing the Dreg¡¯s approach as they tumbled to the ground one after another. Nivia did not give the Dregs any respite and continued releasing her spell-infused arrows at the Dregs. While Nivia was dealing with the Dregs, Siv was handling a more immediate and ¡°closer¡± matter. With her heightened sense of hearing, she skillfully sniffed out the remaining thugs in hiding who were thepanions of the thug who tried to rob the family from before. SIv dashed toward a crumbled building where only the first storey remained without a roof. ¡°Come out,¡± she said. But there was no response from within the open building. ¡°I can smell your stench from a mile away. The stench of the innocent¡¯s blood dyed on the filthy unwashed skin of scoundrels such as you three.¡± After spitting such an insult, only then did three thugs emerge from the building, each holding a rusty and mangled tool as a weapon. The three thugs walked towards Siv slowly with their res trained on her. ¡°What do you want, beast?¡± asked the thug in the middle with a scowl of disgust. ¡°Retribution,¡± Siv answered and went to work, shocking the three thugs with her speed. The thugs could barely raise their weapons in response as Siv made her move. Two of them immediately had their throats sliced with thest one barely guarding Siv¡¯s lethal sh aimed at his neck. The thug pushed back with a roar but Siv used his momentum against the thug and let him fall to the ground as she spun out of the way. Before the thug could get back up, Siv plunged her sword through the thug¡¯s head without any hesitation. ¡°And that¡¯s thirteenth,¡± Siv muttered as she pulled her sword out and flicked the blood off her de. ¡°You¡¯re finished?¡± Nivia asked as she came over to Siv. The Wolf-kin nodded. ¡°Good. Let¡¯s keep moving. There¡¯s a lot of people that need saving.¡± ¡°And killing,¡± Siv added grimly, staring at the bodies of the fallen thugs she felled. 4-64 Havoc IV 4-64 Havoc IV ¡°Say, Lilian?¡± ¡°Yes, Lyra?¡± Lilian, the Dryad, responded with an amicable smile while having three would-be rapists trapped inside an earthen mould with only their heads sticking out. The three would-be rapists were tearing up and snot was oozing off their noses as they whimpered and begged for their mercy. ¡°Please¡­ have mercy¡­¡± one of the thugs pleaded but was woefully ignored by the two women. ¡°Do you think Aera would be fine?¡± Lyra asked as she went around retrieving her arrows from the corpses of the thugs and ruffians she slew. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t she be? She¡¯s with Aedan after all.¡± ¡°Yes, but Aedan¡¯s¡­ ain¡¯t as strong as he was. Should Aera lose herself, do you think Aedan alone would be enough to contain her?¡± ¡°Erin¡¯s not here, dearie, and if Aedan couldn¡¯t handle her, then no one else can.¡± ¡°Please¡­ we¡¯ll give you anything¡­ just let us go¡­¡± the thug continued to beg. ¡°I know¡­ but I still think we should have stayed together. What if any of us encounter a Demoid far removed from themon expectations? Do you believe any of us can take it down without working together?¡± ¡°I see your point, Lyra, but we have discussed this. We cover more ground if we split up and our priority here isn¡¯t the extermination of the Demoids but the rescuing of the survivors. If we encounter something we can¡¯t beat, we run.¡± ¡°Erin wouldn¡¯t run.¡± ¡°She wouldn¡¯t but we¡¯re not her. We don¡¯t have her luck nor her skills.¡± Lyra sighed as she plucked thest arrow out of a corpse. ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right¡­ But I can¡¯t shake off this bad feeling I have.¡± ¡°Please. We won¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°Oh, be quiet!¡± Lilian hissed at the thugs and snapped the thugs¡¯ heads with her Earth Magic by tightening the holes around their necks. ¡°Ah, oops. I didn¡¯t mean to do that. How embarrassing.¡± Lyra stared at Lilian with a sullen frown. ¡°Embarrassing, really?¡± ¡°I¡¯m truly embarrassed that I lost control of my spells for a moment there. It is very unbing for a seasoned Mage such as I. But anyway, good riddance, I say.¡± ¡°You can be very terrifying at times, has anyone told you that?¡± Lilian tittered. ¡°Erin certainly has and so did Aedan but thetter was quite¡­ frivolous when he told me so. I don¡¯t believe he finds me as terrifying as his words suggest. In fact, I think he was trying to flirt with me. He did say it was sort of charming.¡± ¡°Alright, enough. I don¡¯t need to hear your love affair memoirs.¡± Lilian simpered. ¡°Why the diffidence, Lyra? You¡¯re not a novice to love.¡± ¡°All this talk about love is making me want to fuck instead of fight and I have not fuck yesterday, so I¡¯m a tad muddled right now.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s terrible. Do you need my assistance?¡± Lilian asked, slowly pulling her gown off her shoulders. Lyra rolled her eyes. ¡°Not now, Lilian. There¡¯s a time and ce for everything.¡± ¡°Alright alright, Lyra. As you say.¡± Lilian pulled her gown back up her shoulders. ¡°Were you really intending on copting among these dead bodies?¡± Lyra questioned. ¡°Of course not, Lyra. What do you take me for?¡± ¡°You sounded very serious with your offer?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s because I was serious with my offer but I wouldn¡¯t have done it here. However, I certainly would have minded if you didn''t.¡± ¡°Lilian, you have issues.¡± Saying so, Lyra proceeded to walk out of the alley. Once out of the streets, she was immediately greeted by the sight of chaos and destruction. Buildings were destroyed. Carts were overturned. Stalls were razed. Bodies of the city folks strewn about the roads, mangled, torn, or whole. ¡°Will the city ever recover from this?¡± Lyra muttered, frowning at the sight around her that was gradually getting used to, which she did not take as a good sign. ¡°Of course, the city would. Thends are rich around here. The soils are fertile and the mines are soaked in rare minerals and precious stones. No way the humans would leave this as it is even if the entire city is ruined, even if it became infested with Demoids.¡± ¡°They definitely would¡­¡± Lyra nodded in agreement,menting over the unbridled greed of her own kind, which was one of the reasons this tragedy was happening in the first ce. ¡°But the viceroy wouldn¡¯t be the same. Rn Grid will definitely be reced after this, that is of course if he survives this ordeal.¡± Lyra raised an eyebrow. ¡°You think he will die?¡± ¡°This rampage of the Demoids is certainly the Covenant¡¯s way of tying up loose ends and erasing any trace that could lead back to them. If the viceroy dies without getting the chance to have his day at court, the me of this incident will be on him solely.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t possibly be suggesting that we start thinking of ways to protect the viceroy now, are you?¡± ¡°Of course not, Lyra. I wouldn¡¯t risk my life for that man and he¡¯s probably in a ce safer than everyone here.¡± Just then, Lyra caught a hint of movement in the corner of her sight. She followed the hint and found her gazending on a remnant of a stall. Whoever or what it was, they were hiding behind the ruined stall. Lyra gestured at Lilian with hand signs to tell the Dryad of a possible threat near them. Lilian nodded with her ever-present smile and crept towards the ce where Lyra spotted movement. She did not creep directly over to the spot but just close to it. She then knelt behind a cover and ced her hands on the ground. After a few seconds, she clenched her fists. A possible threat, said Lilian¡¯s hand sign. Lyra drew her bow and nocked an arrow as she approached the stall. As she neared the stall, Lilian suddenly waved Lyra away. Lyra took heed and rushed to the nearest cover she could find, which was an overturned cart. Demoid, Lilian mouthed the word to Lyra without any sound and pointed at the opposite side of where Lyra spotted movement. As Lilian was a Fae, she was naturally sensitive to Spirits and thus, she was able to sense the presence of any Demonic being through the Spirits. Peeking out from her cover, Lyra furtively aimed her arrow at the spot where Lilian was pointing at. She charged the arrow with Mana before releasing it from the bow. The arrow flew through rocks and concrete and streaked towards Lyra¡¯s mark. Shortly after the arrow was released, a deafening screech erupted from a copsed building and beastial Demoid emerged from the ruin. This, in turn, startled the one hiding behind the ruined stall. A man with tattered armour stumbled out of hiding and mbered away from the Demoid who made its appearance known after being shot by Lyra. The man¡¯s armour made his profession apparent, a guard of the city but currently not much of one considering the pitiful state he was in. The Demoid looked around for its assant and found only the guard who was crawling on the ground. The guard¡¯s legs were not in good shape. Chunks of flesh were gone but the wounds were sealed through the searing of extreme heat. The guard looked to be a survivor of the initial moments of the Demoids¡¯ rampage. He had managed to hide from further misfortune due to his luck but now his luck hade to an end. As the guard was the only individual around the Demoid could find, it lunged at him after arbitrarily deeming him as the one who shot the arrow in spite of not seeing a bow in his hands. But the mindless Demoid couldn¡¯t care less about that discrepancy in its skewed assumption. ¡°Damn it,¡± Lyra cursed and leapt out of her cover, instantly shooting two arrows at the lunging Demoid. The quadrupedal Demoid noticed the arrows flying their way as a bulging eye opened wide on the side of its head. A pair of limb-like appendages sprouted from its lower back and caught the arrows before they could pierce into its flesh. The Demoidnded firmly on its feet but its interest was no longer on the guard but on Lyra. ¡°This is unnerving,¡± Lyra muttered. The Demoid growled and snapped the arrows it caught but it made a mistake in doing so. The Mana imbued in the arrows was expunged in a vtile manner. The Demoid shrieked and swung its limbs and appendages wildly. Its tantrum sent the debris, rubble, and scraps scattering and flying, including Lilian¡¯s cover. The Demoid immediately ceased its tantrum and focused its gaze on Lilian as if the pain from the explosion had been forgotten in spite of the injuries it sustained from it. ¡°Spirits be damned,¡± Lilian uttered as her gaze met with the Demoid¡¯s. The Demoid roared and leapt at the exposed Dryad. ¡°Lilian!¡± Lyra shouted and rushed towards herpanion while quickly knocking another arrow into her bow. Lilian raised a wall of earth between her and the Demoid but thetter easily broke through the earthen wall. Even so, Lilian only smirked. The wall was only a means to slow the Demoid down. She produced a small pouch from the valley of her bosom and scattered the contents at the Demoid. She conjured a small me of Essence re and that tiny ze was all it took to set aze the Demoid with the aid of the Faerie Dust. The Demoid seemed to realise its blunder but it was far toote in changing its course of action. And so, it was determined to bring at least Lilian down with it as the cyan mes engulfed it. Its cries of agony and death resonated sharply through the streets. Due to the Demoid¡¯s deafening shrill, Lilian lost the window to make her retreat. The burning Demoid plunged itself at the Dryad in its final breaths. However, Lilian was not alone. Lyra released the string and sent an arrow into the Demoid¡¯s side-eye. It shrieked even louder as the arrow pierced into its eyeball. Lilian sent the Demoid tumbling away from her by raising the ground below the Demoid¡¯s feet. To prevent the Demoid from getting back up, Lilian shackled it to the ground with vines that sprouted from the exposed soil under the ruined pavements. The Demoid broke free of the vines with ease but Lyra barraged the Demoid arrow after arrow until the cyan mes eventually saved the life of the Demoid. Lyra stopped riddling her mark with arrows when the Demoid was no longer moving. ¡°Is it dead?¡± Lyra asked without lowering her bow. Lilian peered at the Demoid that was now nothing but ashes. ¡°It¡¯s as dead as it can be.¡± Heaving a sigh of relief, Lyra turned her attention to the guard, who had mbered his way to another hiding spot while she and Lilian were engaged inbat with the Demoid. ¡°Come out,¡± Lyra said after lowering her bow. Hesitantly and slowly, the guard limped out from behind a rubble pile. ¡°P-please¡­ don¡¯t hurt me¡­¡± Lilian smiled at the guard. ¡°And why would we hurt you?¡± ¡°...No reason¡­ No reason at all. It¡¯s just¡­¡± ¡°Lying is futile against a Fae, do you know?¡± The guard¡¯s face began to pale and he did not limp any close to Lilian and Lyra. ¡°The Spirits are avoiding you like animals would avoid mes. The Spirits don¡¯t usually do this unless the person-in-question hadmitted some heinous crimes.¡± ¡°Y-you¡¯re mistaken, Fae. I am not what you think I am. I-I¡¯m just a guard¡­¡± ¡°Then why were you hiding from us? Do we look like thugs out for blood and gold? In fact, you already knew we meant well since you have been watching our movements for some time even when we were saving people from those alley thugs. You couldn¡¯t have not known we meant well which leads me to believe that our intentions ran contrary to yours.¡± Hearing Lilian¡¯s words, Lyra raised her bow and aimed at the guard. ¡°You¡¯re mistaken, Fae. I¡¯m just a city guard.¡± ¡°Are you truly a city guard? You don¡¯t look like one, if I may say. The armour is too big for you and your wounds don¡¯t match the ruptured parts of your armour. Your legs are in terrible condition and yet, your greaves are whole. There are dents and torn slits on the chest te but there are no bruises or even a shallow cut on your torso as far as I can tell. Now, do you wish to keep lying or do you wish toe clean?¡± Left with no way out of the farce, the presumed guard could only scowl and utter a curse under his breath as his hand crept behind his waist, reaching for his hidden dagger. However, Lyra saw through his skulking hand and released the arrow into the presumed guard¡¯s head. The man¡¯s face was stuck in awe and disbelief as the lifeless body copsed to the ground. ¡°How cold of you, Lyra,¡± Lilian remarked with a titter. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from you,¡± Lyra retorted. 4-65 Unabating 4-65 Unabating As Erin continued on in her relentless advance, she came across unabating waves of foes in the forms of Demoids and also people. She didn¡¯t feel terrible about cutting down the Demoids but the people she slew were beginning to take a toll on her. Some of them were in terrible people in essence but most of them were just victims of the circumstances, driven mad by the unbridled chaos. She was forced to take their lives to save the lives of others. When respite eventually came as she stumbled upon a seemingly quiet part of a borough, Erin understood she had killed more than she ever had in her life before the emergence of this mayhem. Sheforted herself with the fact that in doing so, she also saved more lives than ever before. A person killed was a life or two saved. On the dimmer bright side, she had obtained quite an amount of experience from her crusade, though not as much as she wished as her victims were low levels. [Level: 53] [Skill Points: 12] [Ability Points: 12] [Level Progression: 20%] At least there was much to gain from her killings, Erin told herself. And the killings weren¡¯t senseless. They weremitted as a final means. She had always tried to be civil with her victims before she felled them but they were all either too far gone or their discrimination against other races got the best of them. In the end, Erin was forced to swing her de at these people. Sensing no threat in the vicinity, Erin plopped herself right down on arge piece of rubble that was just at the right height. She dispelled her sword and allowed herself a few breathers. As she had umted a great deal of points, she decided to use them now since she had the inkling her path would only get more strenuous. After making sure there was indeed no other presence in the vicinity, she devoted her focus to her information stats. With the number of points she had, she already knew which Arcane Art she would invest in. It was none other than the versatile and nigh unparallel Magic Art, Spatial Magic. Erin¡¯s Spatial Magic was currently level four. Unlike the other Arcane Arts, Spatial Magic took a total of four points just to raise a single level and after it passed the level five mark, the required points became doubled. As Erin had a total of twelve points in the skill aspect, it was just enough to raise her Spatial Magic by two levels. A surge of knowledge instantly flooded her mind. She could feel the efficiency of her Spatial Magic rising. [Spatial Magic: Level 4 increased to Level 6] Erin stared at the roof of a building that took up a vast space just across from her. It was also one of the few remaining buildings that werergely whole and unharmed by the bem. As she stared intently at the roof, her vision began to warp and when everything snapped back into ce, she was now on the roof and she was assailed with a mild headache. This time, she stared at something much further in the distance. As fate would have it, she saw a man being surrounded on all sides by Demoids on the corner of a street. Her vision once again began to warp as if pulling her sight close to his face. When her vision straightened, she was now standing in between the man and the Demoids. She endured the throbbing headache and brandished her spell sword. The Demoids lunged at her, not caring about her identity or the threatening aura she emitted. Erin stunned the Demoids with an overloaded Light Drop and while the Demoids were dazed by the blinding radiance, she decapitated and dismembered the Demoids before burning them with Essence re. Under just half a minute, Erin had sessfully in the Demoids without incurring any wounds or injuries. [Experience gained +20% - Level Progression: 40%] Erin turned around to face the man but just as she was about to ask about the man¡¯s state, the scent of women and girls drifted into her nose. She could also smell the distress and despairced on the scent. Most curious of all, the same scent was wafting off from the man in front of her. Erin narrowed her gaze. ¡°Do you have a family?¡± she asked. The man seemed stunned by Erin¡¯s question but his stupefactionsted only briefly. He shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°A femalepanion or a lover?¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t¡­, mdy.¡± Erin sighed and suddenly drove her foot into the man¡¯s belly, sending him mming against the wall behind him. The man retched and dropped to his knees, gasping for the air that was knocked out of him. ¡°Stay here. Don¡¯t go anywhere if you wish to live. If I discover I¡¯m wrong, then I apologise and heal your injuries, but if I¡¯m not wrong¡­¡± Erin didn¡¯t finish her sentence and turned around to leave. The man didn¡¯t give a response, not that Erin stuck around and waited for one. She followed the scent to a nearby back alley. She had used Life Sense in the middle of her haste and she muttered a curse when she found out she could only sense a single life instead of two. The scene she arrived upon was of a dead woman¡¯s corpse being feasted on by a beastly-looking Demoid while a little girl hid behind arge crate just beside the Demoid, cupping her mouth shut to avoid any voice leaking out of her. When the little girl saw Erin¡¯s appearance at the corner she appeared from, the little girl inadvertently let out a small shriek of hope that ironically in turn rose a heavy tinge of despair. The Demoid stopped its feast and looked around after catching the faint noise. Its gaze immediately fell on Erin, but its interest in the Fox-kin didn¡¯tst for long. It then turned its head and found the little girl hiding behind the crate. The Demoid flung the crate away and lunged for the little girl. Erin thrust her hand out and cast the most recent spell she obtained from levelling up Spatial Magic, Aport. She felt a huge chunk of her Mana being drained with that single use of the spell but the result turned out well. The little girl was suddenly and instantly in front of her and she scooped the little girl into her arms. The Demoid snarled at Erin for taking its prey but it did not choose to fight Erin. Instead, it immediately ran away after expressing its displeasure. Erin did not give chase as she feared for the little girl¡¯s safety in her absence and there was no one else who could look after her. Erin used Mana Harvest to recover however much Mana she could and promptly walked back to where she left the man with the little girl in her arms. The little girl did not say a single word during the entirety of the short walk. She didn¡¯t even look at Erin but just simply stared absentmindedly at whatever was in front of her. Erin understood the girl was in shock and all the more reason she couldn¡¯t just leave her where she found her. When Erin made it back to where she left the man be, she was mildly surprised to find the man staying put as he was told. She was sure he would have run away. The man was innocent, such a thought crossed Erin¡¯s mind but then again, she did fracture his ribs and what transpired next dispelled her hopes. The moment the little girlid eyes on the man, she began to shudder and squirm around in Erin¡¯s arms. ¡°No no no! Get away from me!¡± the girl screamed, trying to crawl as far away from the man as possible. The man had the same reaction when he saw the girl but instead of screaming or iling his limbs, his face paled. His whole body shook. Erin heard him clicking his tongue under his breath, perhaps to not let his disappointment be too obvious but it was futile to hide his true feelings from Erin. ¡°Another one¡­¡± Erin sighed, shaking her head in dismay. She was hoping she would be wrong as she slew too many for a lifetime¡¯s worth but if she didn¡¯t, they would only continue to cause more misery and anguish to others. She had stopped judging a person¡¯s character with the help of Spirits as the Demonic miasma was skewing the results. Therefore, she had to judge a person with her own unaided abilities. Sometimes, it was easy but other times, it was difficult. This situation was the former. The man turned and ran, wasting not another second longer. However, his fractured ribs didn¡¯t allow him to run far. In fact, he barely took a few steps before tripping on some small piece of debris and falling. He hastily climbed to his feet but something bristly soft yet hard mmed into his face. He hit the wall beside him, bouncing right off, and tumbled to the ground. When the man tried to get back up to his feet despite being in a daze, a tag fell out of his cor, dangling by his neck with an iron chain. Erin saw the tag and instantly recognised the man as an adventurer. Her face contorted with disgust and she brandished her sword. But before she could raise it, she spun around and found a man in a hood and leather armour pointing a crossbow at her. The arbalist wasn¡¯t alone. Another hooded and robed figure stood behind the arbalist along with two lightly armoured sworders. ¡°Adventurers,¡± Erin muttered as she peered at the four individuals warily. ¡°B-brother¡­ save me¡­¡± the man with the fractured ribs pleaded with blood spurting out of his mouth. ¡°Brother? Which one?¡± Erin questioned. ¡°Me,¡± answered the arbalist. ¡°Lady Fae, that man you¡¯re pummelling is my brother.¡± ¡°This man is responsible for the death of the girl¡¯s mother and other anguish that I dare not know in detail.¡± ¡°And do you have any proof for that?¡± asked the arbalist. Erin chuckled in derision and then sneered at the group. ¡°Really? Proof? Look around you. Where do you think I can find proof in these kinds of circumstances?¡± ¡°Then how do you know he¡¯s guilty?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a long story but I can¡¯t prove it to you.¡± ¡°So I just have to take your word for it?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± said Erin. The arbalist tightened his grip on the crossbow. ¡°I think not, Lady Fae. Let my brother go.¡± ¡°No!¡± the little girl suddenly shouted, shocking everyone. ¡°You can¡¯t let her go, Miss Fox!¡± Erin raised an eyebrow at the title she was arbitrarily given. ¡°That bad man attacked me and my mom. He kicked me aside while he pulled down his pants and attacked my mother with his ugly! Miss Fox, you can¡¯t let him go! You can¡¯t! You absolutely can¡¯t! He attacked my mother! When the monsters attacked, he threw my mother to the monster and he ran away! He¡­ he¡­ he¡­.¡± the little girl eventually ran out of breath and she began panting, trying to gather her breath. Erin stared at the group. ¡°There you have it,¡± she said. ¡°That doesn¡¯t prove anything!¡± the man spat. ¡°Children are inherently good liars. Don¡¯t listen to her. She¡¯s probably an evil spawn like every other back alley dweller. Brother, don¡¯t listen to the girl. She¡¯s just a filthy lying bi¡ª¡± Erin did not let the man finish his insults and nder. She brandished her sword through the man¡¯s head, instantly killing him. She made sure to cover the girl¡¯s eyes before doing so but she doubted it would help much since the sound was just as gruesome and children tend to have vivid imaginations. [Experience gained +5% - Level Progression: 45%] The arbalist stared wide-eyed at Erin¡¯s brazen action and he could do nothing to stop it. ¡°Y-you¡­¡± Erin taunted the arbalist with a silent scoff. ¡°You damn bitch!¡± the arbalist cried and pulled on the trigger. With an effortless swing of her sword, Erin deflected the bolt. Before the arbalist could reload his crossbow, Erin appeared in front of him and pressed the edge of her sword against the arbalist¡¯s neck. Hispanions tried to intervene but Erin advised them to stop with her gaze and theyplied. Just then, someone shouted, ¡°Wait! Stop!¡± Erin raised her gaze and found a familiar face running over to them after turning a corner. ¡°Can?¡± Erin muttered after recalling the boy¡¯s name. He was the first person she encountered upon entering the Grove which housed the Nevend, Aedan¡¯s manor and estate. 4-66 Refuge 4-66 Refuge A boy that was no older than fifteen came trotting up in between the adventurers and Erin. He carried a sword by his waist that bore the insignia of Aeryo by the hilt. ¡°Stop this madness. This is no time for us to be fighting against each other,¡± Can admonished the two parties. ¡°You know this band of shams?¡± Erin asked with a narrowed gaze. ¡°Yes, Lady Erynthea. I am acquainted with these people but I can assure you, they¡¯re no shams.¡± ¡°No? The brother of this arbalist assaulted the mother of this girl here and left her to die at the hands of a Demoid. If he¡¯s no sham, then I fear for the future of the adventurers.¡± ¡°And I see you have already killed the one responsible, so there¡¯s that. Let us leave it at that, shall we? Now it¡¯s really no time for us to be fighting amongst ourselves.¡± ¡°...You have changed, Can.¡± The boy chuckled awkwardly. ¡°Mister Cassius had reprimanded me severely for myst blunder¡­¡± Erin¡¯s gaze then went back to the arbalist and hispanions, who were all ring at her. ¡°Mydy, please stay your de,¡± Can entreated. ¡°...How did youe to know them?¡± Erin asked as she dispelled her sword. The Arbalist and hispanions also reluctantly lowered their weapons. ¡°By circumstances. His Grace has dispatched the Aeryons to aid and provide relief to the city in the middle of its ruination. We have formed a haven at the square closest to the guild where the survivors are taking refuge. This gentleman and hispanions were out in search of his brother and I was sent to assist them.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s all your efforts are all for nought,¡± Erin remarked. ¡°So it seems¡­ There you have it, mydy¡­ Now, can we head back? It¡¯s not safe to dawdle in one spot for long. If any Demoids are nearby, they would be able to hone in on our scent.¡± The arbalist¡¯s re did not leave Erin. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving my brother behind.¡± Saying so, the arbalist went to retrieve his brother¡¯s body, intentionally bumping shoulders with Erin as he walked past her. Erin said nothing in return and simply embraced the girl firmer in her arms and whispered words of assurance to the girl. **** The return journey to the haven was short and without any thrilling events. The walk took them only an hour and they arrived before a makeshift gate that was fashioned out of numerous metal objects. It functioned like a drawbridge where a person controls a wheel lever from the inside to open and close the gate. ¡°This was all built just a few hours ago?¡± Erin asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Can answered. ¡°But how?¡± ¡°Mages. It wasn¡¯t easy but His Grace had the patience and the resources to make sure the barricades and gates getpleted before any great misfortune ensues.¡± ¡°Gates? This isn¡¯t the only gate?¡± ¡°There are four gates.¡± Can whistled a tune in front of the gate and secondster, the gate began to open, revealing a scatter of camps and hundreds of survivors within. There was also a small group of individuals waiting for them with their weapons trained. ¡°At ease. It¡¯s just us,¡± Can said to the guards. The guards lowered their weapons and heaved sighs of relief. The dark-skinned guard, who appeared to be the leader of the guards, approached Can. ¡°Thank the divines. You¡¯re finally back, Can. How did it go?¡± The boy smiled mncholically and let the man see the result for himself. Initially, the man was delighted to see everyonee back in one piece but when he saw the body slung over the arbalist¡¯s shoulder, he knew they failed. However, his delight returned when he saw Erin walking at the furthest back, carrying a little girl in her arms. ¡°A-a Fae?¡± he stammered. As it had been an arduous day, the sight of a beauty was most wee. But before he could introduce himself, Can snapped him out of it. ¡°Roth!¡± Can jostled the southern man. ¡°Y-yes?¡± ¡°Go get the healers. The little girl is in shock.¡± The southern man gave Erin onest nce before running into the camps to get the healers. Meanwhile, Erin parted ways from the arbalist and hispanions but not before exchanging strained res. Erin then handed the little girl over to a maid she recognised from the manor, who was now dressed in clergy garments. ¡°Aedan set up all of this in just hours?¡± Erin asked as she wandered through the haven, passing through various camps that were set up with different functions, with Can aspany. ¡°His Grace did, mydy.¡± Can nodded. ¡°About the adventurers from before¡­ it¡¯s best that you settle your feud with them as soon as possible. We don¡¯t want any disorder here more than there already are out there.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not apologising to them, Can, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re asking me to do.¡± ¡°But you killed his brother, mydy.¡± ¡°On reasonable grounds. Even if I didn¡¯t kill his brother, I would never let that man enter such a ce. He raped a woman while her daughter watched and then he fed the mother to a Demoid. You want me to apologise for killing such a man?¡± ¡°I understand, mydy, but for the sake of peace, you should¡ª¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the price of peace, then the peace isn¡¯t worth it. Enough about this, Can. Do not speak to me about them again. Just be thankful that I said nothing of their ignorance of the brother¡¯s crime.¡± Can sighed exasperatedly and nodded his head. ¡°As you wish, mydy¡­¡± ¡°What of mypanions? Do you know where they are? And where¡¯s Aedan?¡± ¡°Yourpanions are out there in the city, searching for you while also rescuing survivors and culling the threats. As for His Grace, he left an hour ago with Lady Aera. He went to look for you, mydy, I believe.¡± ¡°Is there any way for me to establish contact with them?¡± Can nodded and produced a cyan gemstone from his pocket. Erin raised an eyebrow at the gemstone. ¡°This is¡­ a Mana Cell?¡± She mused her Appraisal¡¯s information aloud. ¡°It¡¯s used to store Mana, usually. But in this case, it¡¯s Spirits that are being stored in this Mana Cell. His Grace had foreseen you might stumble upon this refuge while they were out. You can contact them using this.¡± Erin took the Mana Cell and headed for her tent which Can gave her the directions to. Though the haven was quite messy as it was built very hastily, Erin still managed to find her tent as it stood from the others tantly. While the other tents were pitched withmon cloth of pale colours, hers was a white cloth embroidered with cyan fringes and there were the insignias of Aeryo on all sides of the tent. Erin sighed at the ostentatious tent and entered it before she garnered any more attention than she was already doing so. Though she disguised her appearance with Twilight Veil, her beauty couldn¡¯t be concealed and still attracted the attention of many individuals as she walked through the haven. Contrary to what the exterior might suggest, the tent¡¯s interior was not as decorated or florid. The furnishings were basic and the avable everyday tools and utensils consisted of only the essentials. There wasn¡¯t even a proper bed but a mere stack of cloth piled above a bed of hay, though Erin wasn¡¯tining. She didn¡¯t even n to stay here for long. Just as she sat down behind a study desk, a girl¡¯s voice came from outside the tent. ¡°Lady Erynthea, I brought some food and clothes for you.¡± ¡°Come in,¡± Erin replied. The girl came in, ced the tray of food on the table beside the bed and the clothes on the bed itself, and quickly left the tent without making a single instance of eye contact. Erin could hear how hard the girl¡¯s heart was thumping and her skin was flushed. At first, Erin suspected the girl was up to something malicious but when she noticed a mirror in the tent and saw her own reflection, Erin understood why. The state of her garments painted her in a very harlotry light. She was showing quite a lot of skin with how tattered her garments were. Half of her bosom was practically exposed for all to see and her midriff was simply unconcealed. Her thighs were also near-entirely bared. Despite how the heavy density of the filth and dirt she was covered in, it barely diminished her beauty, sensuality, and sultriness. Even Erin herself was aware of that. She was proud of it but also a little afraid of it. Many people had been known to meet an unfortunate end due to a woman¡¯s beauty and she didn¡¯t want to be such a cause one day. Erin quickly changed her garments with the ones the girl had just brought in. Her new garments fit her incredibly well as if they were specifically tailored for her. When she realised her garments were made of Faerie Silk, she was convinced these garments were indeed tailored specifically for her. After she got changed, she went back to the study desk and started writing out a message on a small paper parchment, detailing that she was safe and had found the haven Aedan set up. She made a copy for each of herpanions. She then took out the Mana Cell. Following the instructions from her Appraisal, she poured some of her Mana into the Mana Cell. The stone lit up and began diffusing the essence of the Spirits. Erin then cast Summon Familiar with the aid of the diffused Spirits and had the Familiars deliver her message to herpanions. Though she wanted to leave the haven as soon as possible, she knew over-straining herself would only slow her overall progression in saving the city and finding herpanions. So she decided to get some rest on the simple makeshift bedid out in the tent. **** ¡°What the hell happened!?¡± Rn Grid screamed at a subordinate of his once he heard the report regarding the incident at his secret base and also the current of the city. ¡°Darius is dead, subjugated by the Venerers. As for the city¡­ all of our spies, agents, and associates, everyone who had taken the Demonification potion had all gone mad and mindless. None of them is sound of mind. They had all lost their marbles.¡± ¡°But how can this happen?!¡± ¡°Milord¡­ it¡¯s definitely because of Marduk,¡± answered another subordinate. ¡°That¡¯s impossible. We made sure that he would not have control over the Demoids. The fucking Warlock assured us. We paid him a fortune for that assurance!¡± ¡°The Warlock might have been working for Marduk all along.¡± ¡°Damn it¡­ Damn it! Damn it!¡± Rn cried as he flipped his desk over and repeatedly stomped on the floor to vent his frustration. ¡°...What of the Arch Mages?¡± he asked once his wrath had dissipated to some extent. ¡°The Arch Mages are currently busy with maintaining the barrier that surrounds the noble district. They are also being hounded by the other nobles to triple their efforts to ensure no unforeseen circumstances would happen.¡± Rn snorted. ¡°It¡¯s Marduk we¡¯re dealing with here. Unforeseen circumstances are bound to happen.¡± ¡°M-milord¡­¡± a subordinate called out hesitantly. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°The capital has already been informed of Sephordia Valley¡¯s state.¡± ¡°What!? By who!?¡± ¡°By the High Lady of House Valdrun, milord. We just received a confirmation letter from the capital that they are sending reinforcements our way.¡± ¡°That damn bitch! She¡¯s in cohorts with Marduk, isn¡¯t she!? She wants to take over the valley¡­. That fucking¡ª Traitors¡­ Traitors and betrayers everywhere!! These fucks¡­ I¡¯ll kill them all¡­¡± ¡°T-that¡¯s not all, milord¡­¡± ¡°More bad news?¡± Rn inquired with a furious re. The subordinate nodded meekly. ¡°It¡¯s regarding themander of the Venerers¡­¡± Rn widened his eyes. ¡°No¡­ it can¡¯t be¡­ Tell me my guts are wrong¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re not wrong, milord. She is in the know too and our scouts had informed us that she¡¯s currently rushing here and she would be arriving on the morrow.¡± Rn sighed in resignation and slumped to the floor. ¡°I¡¯m ruined¡­¡± ¡°You definitely are, Lord Grid,¡± said Ruyo who had somehow appeared at the doorway of Rn Grid¡¯s study. 4-67 Raising Cain 4-67 Raising Cain The dream hadn¡¯t been pleasant but neither was it terrible. It was just a dream like any other and just all the dreams she had, memories of it faded into oblivion as Erin woke. It was a warning that pulled her out of her slumber. The feeling was akin to being pressed harshly on all sides by poles as thick as an arm. She jolted up from her bed and immediately conjured up her sword. Erin spun her gaze around her tent, scouring every corner, but she found nothing. However, she didn¡¯t let her guard down yet. After focusing on her senses, she realised the threat came from outside the tent. A tiny glimpse through the narrow gaps of the partition told her dusk was approaching. Lights were abating as they descended beyond the horizon. The noises outside had also died down but she could still hear them faintly. More than those noises, the silent mutterings between two men right outside her tent were what caught her attention. The whispers were about her. More specifically, the individuals were discussing how to deal with her without raising suspicions or garnering attention to them. Erin recognised the scent of everyone right outside. They two were people she had encountered before and quite recently too. One of the whispers belonged to the arbalist, whose brother was a felon and a victim of her de. The other voice took her a few seconds to remember but she recalled the voice¡¯s identity. It was Ronan. The bastard who tried to court her and her women at the guild and even challenged her to a duel which ended in her obvious victory. ¡°Seriously¡­ these idiots¡­¡± Erin grumbled inwardly with a sigh as she climbed off her bed. Even in such dire straits, personal feuds and vendettas still took precedence. They would see their desires sated at the expense of others¡¯ well-being. Just thinking of all the lives they could potentiallypromise in this camp was making Erin¡¯s blood boil. She took a deep breath and walked out of her tent. She made sure her steps were as light as feathers. The moment she made her appearance known, her would-be assants gasped in terror and recoiled from her. Their faces paled when they saw the sword in her hand. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, Lady Fae, but mayhaps we have disturbed your rest? If that¡¯s so, let us be on our way. We are so sorry for¡ª¡± ¡°Neither of you two is going anywhere,¡± Erin said, pinning the two down with just her gaze. Ronan tried to go for his sword but Erin¡¯s sharp gaze prevented him from doing so. ¡°Is there something wrong, Lady Fae?¡± asked the arbalist. ¡°We didn¡¯t mean to offend you, mdy.¡± ¡°Cease the farce. Elves and Fox-kin have an excellent sense of hearing and we are very sensitive to danger and those pose a threat to us, especially from amateurs like you who had no knowledge in hiding their bloodlust.¡± ¡°Y-you jest, mdy. We couldn¡¯t possibly¡ª¡± ¡°Enough,¡± Erin silenced him. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have let you enter this camp. I wanted to believe you¡¯re different from your felon brother but obviously, you two are cut from the same cloth.¡± ¡°Lady Fae, please listen,¡± the arbalist entreated. ¡°You¡¯re terribly mistaken. We were just¡ª¡± ¡°Leave the camp now or I¡¯ll make you.¡± The arbalist clicked his tongue and dropped the crossbow he was carrying on his back. He went down on his knees and began shouting. ¡°Please, Lady Fae! Please, have mercy! Don¡¯t kill me!¡± He made sure to be as loud as possible to gather a gallery, hoping their attention would pacify Erin. As the arbalist had predicted, a crowd soon began to gather and form in order to catch a glimpse or two of themotion. At present, Erin was brandishing a sword against two men who weren¡¯t armed. The arbalist had thrown away his crossbow while Ronan still had his sword sheathed. From the view of the others, Erin looked to be a tyrant oppressing two helpless men with her undue authority as a Fae. The arbalist and Ronan had specifically chosen this hour to make their move since Can and most of the other important figures of the survivor camp were currently busy with other matters. Now that it hade to this, they sought to destroy Erin¡¯s reputation first before taking proper revenge. However, Erin wasn¡¯t perturbed by the gallery that was formed due to her confrontation. This was not the first time she had experienced such a conundrum. A great deal of individuals had tried to execute her in her past life as Argon Raze socially. They couldn¡¯t win against her in a duel, so they sought an alternative, which was a social confrontation. She hadn¡¯t always won but it didn¡¯t matter since her great swordsmanship always acquitted her of her losses. ¡°Gathering a crowd of innocent bystanders is not going to save you two. I¡¯ll say it again and this shall be thest. Leave this camp with yourpanions on your own ord or I shall assist you with force. I have been tolerant enough to not convict you for your brother¡¯s crime but you dare to seek vengeance against me after I executed the rapist you called your brother.¡± The gallery gasped at Erin¡¯s bold deration. They were utterly shocked by what she said. They didn¡¯t know the full context but Erin didn¡¯t care. Lilian and Nivia had taught her plenty about the influence of a Fae and how to take advantage of it. Erin was reserved about this initially but now was not the time to be reserved. Since the people were currently sheltering themselves from Demons, it was only natural they would be extremely partial to Fae who had the ability to control the bane of Demons, the Spirits. The gallery didn¡¯t say it outright but they all began to look at the arbalist and Ronan with eyes of contempt. They were silently asking for them to leave before the Fae¡¯s rage was turned against them. The arbalist swallowed a lump in his throat. He realised he underestimated the influence of a Fae. His desire for vengeance had blinded him and he failed to take such an obvious factor into ount. He shouldn¡¯t have antagonised her and now the one to be socially executed was himself. He hadmitted the biggest blunder of his life. ¡°Enough of this, you bitch! I had enough of your arrogance!¡± Ronan lost his patience and shouted. He drew his greatsword as he produced a pouch from his pocket. Erin¡¯s eyes were immediately glued to the pouch with her instincts ring. The pouch contained something terrible, her instincts warned her as such. But before she could act, Ronan had already untied the pouch and scattered the contents at her. The contents were mere white powder but the truth was more than that. The white powder didn¡¯t even touch Erin but the scent wafting off from it was enough to shake her world. It assaulted her nostrils and the strong scent caused her vision to blur and her bnce to falter. ¡°I got you now, vixen!¡± Ronan cried triumphantly and charged at Erin with his sword raised. In spite of her disconcerted state, she still had enough of her sense to defend herself. Her tails moved in front of her and blocked Ronan¡¯s sh as ayer of ethereal armour coated them. ¡°What the¡ª¡± Erin pushed Ronan away with her tails and riposted with a full-round swing of her sword. Her vision was still a blur and her nose was still drenched with that strong awful scent. However, she knew she hurt Ronan from the scream he let out. Following the scream, she shot a bolt of lightning in that direction. She then heard him tumbling across the ground along with his moans and groans and a few curses. The crowd was deliberating over whether they should get involved but they ended up deciding to just stay back and watch. Erin couldn¡¯t me either for their decision as they might not only wouldn¡¯t be of much help but also make things worse. While Erin was trying to recover her bearings, she heard the sounds of strings being stretched and the creaking of wood. ¡°Look out, mdy!¡± the crowd shouted. Erin immediately cast a Thunder Shell around her just as a bolt was fired at her. The bolt bounced off the lightning barrier and a lightning bolt was shot back at the arbalist in return. The sound of the arbalist¡¯s cry could be heard as sprawled across the ground. Just then, she heard the fumbling of Ronan, getting back up to his feet. Erin closed her eyes and steadied her breathing, directing all of her focus to her ears. She heard Ronan rushing towards her. He did not let out a battle cry this time but his hasty steps were clear to her ears. She also used Spatial Sense to get a better grasp of her surroundings. Perception was a huge factor in one¡¯s victory inbat. She heard the crowd gasping, followed by the singing of the de as it streaked through the air, swinging her way. Erin gracefully sidestepped the sh and plunged her sword through Ronan¡¯s hands. He screamed agonisingly but Erin flipped backwards and shut him up with a kick to his chin. She heard him retching and then the loud thump of him hitting the ground. The arbalist had recovered from the bolt of lightning striking him. He was scrambling to his feet just as Ronan went down. Realising he was no match for even the dazed Erin, he turned tail and ran. ¡°Out of the way!¡± he snarled at the crowd and flourished a dagger at them for them to make way. The crowd reluctantly parted but he didn¡¯t run far. A woman in a habit came out of nowhere and kneed him in the belly, sending him tumbling back when he ran from. Erin smiled upon noticing the new presence but not of an unfamiliar scent. Just then, the effects from the powder subsided and she slowly opened her eyes. ¡°Erin, are you alright?¡± asked Aera, who had run up to her after subduing the arbalist. ¡°I-I¡¯m fine, Aera.¡± ¡°Thank the divines,¡± Aera breathed in relief and pulled Erin into an embrace. ¡°What happened here?¡± asked Can who hade back from his affairs. The people of the crowd began telling him the events that transpired and he could guess the context himself. He sighed after hearing the story. ¡°I should have known¡­ This is my fault¡­¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not. You gave them a second chance and they chose to squander it,¡± said a fully armoured individual who was walking behind Can. Erin couldn¡¯t see the armoured man¡¯s face but she recognised his scent and voice even though the armour obscured the two aspects greatly. ¡°Aedan?¡± ¡°You could tell?¡± Aedan responded, walking over to Erin. Meanwhile, Can and the other Aeryons calmed the crowd down and guided them back to their respective stations and tents. The two troublemakers were also dragged away, presumably out of the camp, or so Erin hoped. She didn¡¯t care as long as they were permanently incapacitated from harming anyone. ¡°You¡¯re in armour¡­¡± Erin remarked as she eyed Aedan from top to bottom. ¡°Yes, I am. Follow me,¡± Aedan said and led Erin and Aera to a tent nearby just opposite Erin''s. The tent was no different than the one Erin had, simple and in but adequate. Aedan took a seat on the edge of his bed while Erin and Aera took a seat on chairs by the bed. As soon as they were all seated, Aera hugged Erin once more. ¡°I¡¯m so d you¡¯re alright, Erin. Everyone was so worried.¡± ¡°Hey, it¡¯s alright now. I¡¯m fine, as you can see.¡± Aedan took off his helmet and set it down by his side. ¡°I¡¯m d that you¡¯re alright too, Erin, but I always knew you would be fine. What happened anyway?¡± Erin proceeded to tell the two of her experiences which took quite a while even though she had excluded a lot of details. ¡°Well, make sure to thank those Ruvans the next time you bump into them,¡± Aedan jested. Erin rolled her eyes. ¡°I see you provided relief to the city. That¡¯s very benevolent of you, Aedan.¡± ¡°This is home to a lot of my¡­ believers. I can¡¯t just let it descend into ruin while I do nothing to stop it. And I got your message, of course.¡± ¡°What about the others?¡± ¡°They¡¯re safe too. They¡¯reing here as we speak. Of course, they are all eager.¡± ¡°I see¡­ I¡¯m d they are all doing fine too. Anyway, what¡¯s our next step? We just keep culling the Demoids?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that simple, Erin.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t? Yeah, of course, it isn¡¯t. Nothing¡¯s ever simple¡­¡± ¡°This chaos might all just be a distraction. I just got wind that the viceroy and some nobles have been attacked in their own homes.¡± ¡°Attacked by who? It can¡¯t be the feral Demoids.¡± ¡°No one knows for sure but they can see the smoke and mesing off from the viceroy¡¯s mansion from afar. The nobles are in a panic.¡± Erin scoffed. ¡°Since when are they not in a panic? Regardless, the viceroy and these certain nobles are Marduk¡¯s true goal?¡± ¡°Primary goal, I say. Maybe just as important as yours.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me we need to save the nobles?¡± ¡°Of course not, Erin.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°But we do need to stop Marduk from achieving his goals. After all, his victory means our loss.¡± Erin sighed. ¡°Great¡­¡± 4-68 Unlikely duo 4-68 Unlikely duo A man was running down the street with all the strength he could muster. His pants weren¡¯t properly put on but he didn¡¯t care. His end was nigh and it would meet him should he slow but little did he know, his efforts were all for nought. Just as he was about to turn a corner, an arrow plunged right through his head from the back of his head. His life and tale ended there. It was a terrible end but he would not be missed. After all, he was only paying the price for what he had done. ¡°And that¡¯s thest of them,¡± Lilian muttered as she watched the rapist getting his head pierced from afar. ¡°For now,¡± Lyra added and lowered her bow. She and Lilian had been going around the city, looking for survivors while also ying the ruffians and Demoids. ¡°There¡¯s just no end to them. And I¡¯m not even getting paid for this.¡± ¡°Nonsense, my dear,¡± Lilian huffed in amusement. ¡°Think of what Erin would say if she knew all you had done. Wouldn¡¯t that suffice as a reward?¡± Lyra sighed. ¡°That does sound enticing but there¡¯s a difference between her love and gold. I can¡¯t exactly pay for my food using her love now, can I?¡± Lilian shrugged. ¡°Point taken. Anyway, what are we¡ª Huh? A Spirit Swallow?¡± ¡°A Swallow?¡± Lyra followed Lilian¡¯s line of sight and found a faintly cyan-glowing swallow flying towards them. ¡°It seems there¡¯s a message for us,¡± Lilian said. ¡°From who?¡± ¡°Who else can it be other than Aedan or¡ª¡± ¡°Erin!¡± Lyra eximed in great joy and relief. Lilian nodded. The swallow flew into Lilian¡¯s open hands and dispersed into nothing, leaving behind a small roll of parchment in her hands. Lilian unrolled the parchment and scoured the written content. A smile immediately adorned her face. ¡°It¡¯s from Erin, isn¡¯t it?!¡± ¡°Yes, it is. She¡¯s doing fine and she¡¯s in the camp.¡± Lyra heaved a heavy sigh of relief and slumped to the ground. ¡°Oh, thank the stars. Thank the divines. Thank you¡­ Just thank you all¡­ She¡¯s alive.¡± ¡°Do you have so little fate in her, Lyra?¡± ¡°I do have fate in her but she can be so¡­ reckless and rash at times.¡± ¡°She has that Divine Gift of hers, don¡¯t you remember?¡± ¡°I do remember but that doesn''t mean she can be heedless. Furthermore, she told me it ain¡¯t a good feeling to keep dying over and over but only to keeping back alive. It¡¯s not a pleasant feeling. She told me how a piece of her is lost every time shees back from death. It¡¯s worse than death.¡± ¡°And they say gods are gracious. I sure would like to know who exactly said those words. Well, I say we have done enough for today. I¡¯m reaching my limit. Anymore, we will be the one that needs rescuing.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. We best not overdo it. It¡¯s no use if we don¡¯t even have the stamina to defend ourselves.¡± Just as they thought about returning, an explosion resounded in the distance and drew their attention. They spun their gazes in the direction of the explosion. ¡°By the Spirits¡­¡± Lilian gasped. ¡°That¡¯s the noble district.¡± ¡°The Demoids broke through?¡± ¡°Or they attack from within. The Covenant¡¯s nts. The chaos and destruction here are most likely just distractions.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t say I feel bad for them considering how they left themon folks to fend for themselves.¡± ¡°I concur but it¡¯s not exactly a good thing for us. The fall of the nobles might mean the growth of the Covenant. And that¡¯s a terrible thing for us.¡± ¡°Still, rest first, strategizeter. I can¡¯t wait to be back in Erin¡¯s embrace.¡± Lilian tittered. ¡°I can¡¯t wait either. In fact, I think I waited long enough. I think it¡¯s also time for me to have a taste of her. Would you allow me to, Lyra?¡± ¡°You should be asking her, not me.¡± ¡°So, you don¡¯t mind?¡± Lyra chuckled. ¡°I don¡¯t. As a matter of fact, I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡± ¡°Oh, my, Lyra. You really know how to entice a woman.¡± ¡°I know more than that, Lilian. I¡¯ll show you once we¡¯re back at the camp. Come one, let us make haste.¡± ¡°Yes, let¡¯s.¡± The moment they started walking down the street taking them back to the camp, another explosion ensued but this time, it was very close to them. So close that they felt the shockwave through the ground and it almost toppled their bnce. ¡°What in the hell¡¯s name was that?!¡± Lyra cried out. ¡°Oh, dear. Nothing good, I gather.¡± Then, a series of footsteps could be heard and felt. They were loud and heavy, enough to make the ground tremble with every step. A strange groan echoed down the street as the thumping steps inched their way closer to Lyra and Lilian. ¡°Definitely nothing good, my dear Lyra. We should run.¡± ¡°Yes, let¡¯s.¡± Saying so, the two began to run. As if hearing their haste, the footsteps picked up their pace and rushed towards the two. ¡°I think it¡¯s chasing us, dearie,¡± Lilian said as they took off sprinting. ¡°I know, damn it! Just keep running!¡± From behind them, they could hear the copse of buildings and structures and also the destruction of the fallen debris and piled-up wreckage. They concluded whatever was chasing them was simply charging its way through all the obstacles and hurdles. Its size was not a hindrance to its advance. ¡°Lilian, we can¡¯t just run back to the camp with that thing on our tail. We can lead that thing back to the camp.¡± ¡°Spirits be damned.¡± Lilian clicked her tongue. ¡°You¡¯re right. Let¡¯s not go this way. Through here.¡± They took a sharp turn and ran into an alley. The storming steps followed closely behind them but they didn¡¯t dare to look back. Even if the heavy trembling steps weren¡¯t enough to convince them of the threat chasing them, the roars emanating from behind were enough to keep them running without turning their heads. ¡°Lilian, do you have any idea what¡¯s chasing us?!¡± Lyra yelled out as they ran with all of their might. ¡°I don¡¯t but I can make a good guess. A Demoid.¡± ¡°Such a profound answer. I could never have guessed that.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee,¡± Lilian retorted as they made another sharp turn that led them back to the street. Something exploded behind them. Smoke and debris flew past them. They heard the sharp tone of the air before the explosion urred, so they could only presume their pursuer threw something at them but missed. ¡°We can¡¯t just keep running, Lilian.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Lilian¡¯s eyes swept her surroundings. Her frantic gaze darted every corner of her vision desperately. Eventually, her gazended on a dark and narrow alley mostly untouched by the lights. ¡°There. That alley there. We can hide there.¡± Without a moment to lose, Lyra and Lilian dashed into the alley in front of them and took cover behind the barrels and crates that were left behind in the ensuing chaos. They crouched down and controlled their erratic breaths. They held their breaths and only expelled them when they could no longer hold on. They watched their pursuer furtively from the alley in trepidation. They saw its colossal and imposing shadow first, looming over all that was in front of it. When their pursuer finally made its appearance known, Lyra nearly let out a gasp but Lilian sped her mouth before a sound could be let out. The two stared with great unease at the gigantic deformed Demoid walking past them. ¡°What the fuck is that¡­?¡± Lyra gasped softly with a quivering voice after the abomination disappeared out of their sight, though they could still feel its heavy gait that echoed and trembled with every step. ¡°Did you see that, Lilian? Those faces all over its body¡­ I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a Demoid at all. That¡¯s just a Demon.¡± ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s a Demoid at the beginning but it grew into the abomination we saw. There¡¯s no telling what Demons are capable of and it doesn¡¯t change anything. They are a threat and they need to be culled.¡± ¡°It does change something, Lilian. Do you think we can take that thing down as easily as how we took down the others?¡± ¡°...No, but I hope we could be wrong.¡± Suddenly, screams and cries erupted from where the Colossal Demoid was heading. It was the screams of children. ¡°Survivors¡­ and they¡¯re in danger. Lilian, we must help them.¡± Lilian sighed. ¡°I know. I¡¯ll distract that thing while you go save the children.¡± ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go.¡± They immediately rushed out of the alley and ran in the direction of the screams. They came upon an open square with the same scene of destruction and ruin as any other ce. The deformed Demoid was standing in front of an overturned carriage, feasting on the horses that were pulling it. A group of children was huddling inside the passenger box. ¡°What are you going to do, Lilian?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°Just be ready to run towards the children after I distract the Demoid.¡± Lilian took out a small chunk of vivid green gemstone and held it tightly in her hand. It then began to glow brightly in her grip. ¡°Now, Lyra. Run!¡± Lyra did not hesitate nor argue with the Dryad and ran towards the overturned carriage. Meanwhile, Lilian ced her palm on the ground and the green glow was transferred into the soil below. From below the Demoid, vines and roots burst forth and tangled themselves around the massive abomination. The Demoid screeched as it was constricted. It fought against the chains of nature but it could notpete with the rampant growth of the vines and roots. Lyra reached the children at the same time. ¡°The monster¡¯s trapped for now. Come quickly, children. Follow me! It will be alright. I can take you to somece safe where these monsters cannot get you.¡± The children were stunned by the abrupt and rapidly-changing development but after some urging and encouragement from Lyra, they began to move. They were slow at first but as the Demoid let out another screech, they hastened their pace. There were two children that were too terrified to run and Lyra had to carry them into her arms. ¡°This way!¡± Lyra shouted loudly, drawing the children¡¯s attention before they could run off erratically and randomly. ¡°Run towards the nicedy over there! Quick!¡± The children were quick to follow her orders and ran towards Lilian. ¡°Lyra, I cannot hold the Demoid down for long!¡± Lilian shouted as she struggled with all her might to restrain the Demoid¡¯s movement but as seconds passed, the strength of the roots and vines receded. The Demoid eventually broke free of the restraints. It bounced its gaze between Lyra and Lilian and decided on chasing down Lyra as there was more prey to be had. With two children in her arms, Lyra could not run as fast as she could and the Demoid was rapidly gaining on her. ¡°Oh, bollocks!¡± Lyra muttered as she felt the heavy gait treading closer and closer to her faster than she could move. The earth shifted under the Demoid¡¯s feet and pirs of rock shot out from the ground. The pirs barred the Demoid¡¯s way but only for a brief moment before its feet easily smashed through every single one of them. A mound was formed around one of the Demoid¡¯s feet but it easily broke itself free of the minor impediment. However, the small hindrances bought enough time for Lyra to rejoin Lilian. Together, they took the children and ran out of the square, all the while Lilian kept using her Magic Arts to stall the Demoid as much as possible. She raised walls of dirt and erupted pirs of rocks in the Demoid¡¯s way but it simply charged right through all of them. The paltry vines and roots did nothing to slow the Demoid down with assistance from a Mana Cell. ¡°Lilian, that thing¡¯s too fast for its size. We can¡¯t outrun it! And the children can¡¯t run for much longer.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not¡­ just¡­ the children¡­ Lyra,¡± Lilian said in between breaths. ¡°I¡¯m also¡­ running¡­ out of breath¡­¡± ¡°Fuck¡­ what do we do¡­¡± Lyra muttered gravely as she nced behind. ¡°Just keep moving,¡± said a voice from in front of them. Lyra and Lilian looked in front of them and relief washed away the despair from their faces. ¡°Olivia!¡± the two shouted joyously in tandem. ¡°Just focus on bringing the children to safety. I¡¯ll handle this abomination,¡± Olivia said and calmly approached the charging Demoid. 4-69 The aloof powerhouse 4-69 The aloof powerhouse A shallow wave of mist began to form in the air as the cool breeze turned into vapours. Standing in the middle of the shallow mist was a girl that appeared to be only two years after her name day. A colossal Demoid with faces stered all over its body was charging at the girl, unperturbed by the forming mist. Against such an abomination, the girl showed no hint of worry or fear. Behind her, a small group of children was sprinting off with all of their might with Lyra and Lilian trailing right behind them to make sure no one was left behind. After the girl was sure they were out of harm¡¯s way, she waved her hands around as if conducting a choir. From the mist, arrows were formed of the vapour. The Demoid was a few yards away from Olivia and it was more than enough for the colossal abomination¡¯s reach. Be that as it may, the Demoid was a step toote and too slow. The arrows formed of the vapour swarmed the Demoid in a flurry. As it was already too close to Olivia, its speed was no match for the arrows that continuously tore through its flesh and eventually, its entire body. Like most Demoids, it possessed a regenerative ability but it was mere regeneration. That was the extent. The Demoid was dead before its regenerative ability was even activated. To be doubly sure the Demoid stayed dead, Olivia doused the Demoid¡¯s carcass parts with Faerie Dust before torching it with Essence re. ¡°Is this thing even still a Demoid?¡± Olivia muttered to herself as she watched the Demoid gradually being reduced into nothing by the cyan mes of the Spirit. She did not move from the spot until the mes faded away along with the existence of the colossal Demoid. After giving another nce at her surroundings, she began to make her way back to the camp after confirming the absence of any threat in the vicinity. However, a heavy premonition assailed her the moment she took a single step. A chill ran down her spine and shivers crawled all over her skin. She spun around to face the source of the ominous feeling. In the middle street, amidst the wreckage and ruins, the space started distorting and whirling. ¡°Spatial Magic? An advanced spell at that. It¡¯s definitely not His Grace. But if it isn¡¯t him, then who could it be?¡± A slit then appeared in the middle of the rippling space and the slit turned into a gap which slowly opened up into arge enough hole for a person to step through. A person did indeed step through and the space returned to normal afterwards. The person was a man, a shirtless man. He was neither short nor tall. He was scrawny but a nce at him would not give anyone the impression of a weakling. Olivia widened her eyes as read the result of her Appraisal. ¡°L-level eighty-three¡­!?¡± The man shuddered on the spot and cracked his neck. ¡°What the¡­. Did someone just¡ª¡± The man looked around and stopped when Olivia entered his sight. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s you,ssie. You appraised me just now, didn¡¯t you?¡± Olivia did not offer a response. Instead, she furtively took a step back. Her gaze remained vignt and so did her stance. ¡°Backing away? Now you¡¯re just hurting my feelings,ssie. Well, since you appraised me, allow me to return the favour.¡± Another chill ran down Olivia¡¯s spine. ¡°He has Appraisal too?¡± Markings appeared around the man¡¯s right eye and they glowed a vibrant blue along with his right pupil. ¡°Whoa¡­ now this is unexpected. A Dragon¡­ disguising herself as a human¡­ You¡¯re the one who Varus fought, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°You¡¯re part of the Covenant?¡± The man shrugged. ¡°I suppose I am. The name¡¯s Rex, but I¡¯m sure you already know that. A pleasure to meet you, Olivia.¡± ¡°A pleasure for you, maybe.¡± Rex chuckled while stretching his arms without a care to the possibility of Olivia attacking him with his guard wide open. ¡°Fortunately for you,ssie, I¡¯m not here for the one who gravely injured my peer. I¡¯m looking for a certain Fox-kin, you see. She has five tails, I¡¯m told. And she¡¯s incredibly beautiful. Do you perhaps know where I can find her? Even just a small clue will do.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t tell you even if I do.¡± ¡°Oh, so you know her. I¡¯m surprised you did not try to lie your way out.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a good liar and I don¡¯t believe you¡¯re the kind that can be so easily fooled.¡± ¡°I¡¯m honoured by your praise, Lady Dragon.¡± ¡°That was no praise.¡± ¡°But I¡¯ll take it as one regardless. Now, tell me, where is Erynthea?¡± Olivia scowled. ¡°You will address Her Grace as Lady Erynthea.¡± ¡°Her Grace? Can a Fae even receive such a title?¡± Rex snorted. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t care. All I want to know is her whereabouts. Tell me now, or I will force it out of you.¡± Olivia responded with an attack. Icicles formed right above Rex out of thin air. ¡°That was some quick conjuration,¡± Rex remarked nkly as the icicles dropped down on him. Before the ensuing smoke cleared away, Olivia sent another barrage of Ice Shards down on Rex. The water vapour in the air amassed around him and transformed into a wall of water, encircling him. ¡°Well, I tried to be nice,¡± Rex muttered. All of a sudden, the icicles and the wall of water, along with the ground and the debris, were all being pushed away by an unseen force with Rex as the epicentre. The shockwave did not stop there. It continued onwards until it reached Olivia. ¡°What in the name¡ª¡± she eximed but her words were cut short by the unrelenting force that carried her off her feet and sent her tumbling across the ground. She caught her bearings before she tumbled too far and she flipped herself back to her feet. With a swing of his arm, Rex cleared the smoke around him. He was tarnished by dirt and dust but not a single scratch could be found on him. ¡°There¡¯s more than twenty levels of difference between you and I. Your attacks would never make me bleed. It will make me feel a prick at best.¡± ¡°You underestimate me, a true Dragon,¡± Olivia retorted and unleashed a torrent of high-pressure water towards Rex. The scrawny man raised his legnguidly and thrust his foot forward as rushing torrent was upon him. With only a minor movement on his part, the torrent of strong water was split apart and the force thrown by his kick continued onwards. Wings sprouted from Olivia¡¯s back and shielded her from the assault of the unseen force. Though she was spared from a direct hit, she was still hurt by the momentum. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do this,ssie. I don¡¯t enjoy hurting girls. Well, at least not in battle. I will be more than happy to hurt you in bed.¡± Rex¡¯s lips curled into a sniggering grin. ¡°You will not have her, foul man!¡± Olivia snarled. Brilliant strands of light began converging in front of her, forming a cerulean sphere of condensed energy. Rex sighed. ¡°Have it your way then, Dragon. I shall not hold my strength back.¡± ¡°Neither shall I,¡± Olivia retorted and let loose the condensed energy at Rex. Contrary to its mass, the energy sphere was faster than the eyes could follow, including Rex¡¯s. The energy sphere struck him square in the torso and a secondter, all of the energy contained within the sphere erupted into a massive explosion. Clouds of smoke were raised. The dust mist smeared the vicinity, drastically obscuring Olivia¡¯s vision but she was not fazed by the smoke. As a Dragon, her other senses were just as astute and reliable as her eyes. ¡°Are you truly in your fifties,ssie?¡± came the question from beyond the smoke. A faint silhouette rose from behind the obscuredyers of dust, sand, and dirt drifting in the air. ¡°That spell just now¡­ Feels like I was hit by a Mage around level seventy.¡± ¡°I told you. Don¡¯t underestimate a true Dragon such as I.¡± The dust and smoke gradually cleared, revealing the unmarred skin of the scrawny man. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,ssie. I care not about your true strength. You are just a hindrance, an obstacle to my goal. Weak or strong, I will crush you.¡± Water vapour began to form once again. The mist gradually returned and thickened. ¡°Not before I crush you,¡± Olivia scoffed. Hedges of ice were erected around her. ¡°We shall see,¡± Rex said and lunged, but not in a straight line. He swerved and veered erratically in his charge. The icicles conjured by Olivia did not manage to strike him due to his unmethodical manoeuvre but it was only unmethodical superficially. In truth, his movements were calcted. ¡°Damn it!¡± Olivia cursed as Rex reached the ice hedges that were formed around her. With a pivot of his entire body and a single kick, Rex shattered all of the ice hedges. Olivia immediately raised a wall of ice with spikes protruding all over. However, the ice wall was also easily shattered by a blow from Rex. He pounced at her the moment the wall came crumbling down. ¡°Since it hase to this¡­¡± Olivia thrust her arm out in response. At the same moment, her Mana surged and exploded from within. Her Mana upsurge resulted in her exuding an aura, which then erupted around her like a rampantly zing veil of energy. The ws of a Dragon manifested ethereally around her outstretched arm, trapping Rex in its massive grasp. ¡°Hmm, intriguing,¡± Rex muttered calmly. ¡°Your level is now sixty-seven. You have been concealing your strength. Why? Is it to escape the notice of the Arch Mages?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll leave the answer up to your own discretion,¡± Olivia answered and tightened her grasp. However, she failed to even clench her fistpletely. ¡°There¡¯s still more than ten levels of difference,ssie. Unless you have more surprise under your sleeves, this victory is as good as mine.¡± Olivia tutted and tossed Rex away as if he was a roadside pebble, forgoing her initial idea of crushing him in her grasp, not that it was usible anymore now that she knew the extent of her opponent¡¯s strength. Rex did not try to regain his bearings as he went bouncing across the street. He patiently waited for his momentum to dissipate before climbing back to his feet. ¡°I am impressed. Usually, high-level individuals are masters of two or three aspects at best with a novice grasp of other skills and magic. But your repertoire seemed to be evenly distributed.¡± ¡°And what of it?¡± ¡°You¡¯re a rare individual. Talented, I must say. How about this? Join us.¡± Olivia snorted. ¡°Never in a million years.¡± Rex chuckled as if he already anticipated a negative answer. ¡°Well, at least I tried and asked.¡± Sprouts of water started spurting out from the ground through the holes made from the countless scuffles and battles that had taken ce here. The water swirled as shapes and figures began forming from the numerous puddles that were spawned from the water sprouts. These watery shapes and figures gradually take the forms of beasts and knights alike. While the army of water soldiers was being produced, Rex had already made his move. He scaled the buildings and ran towards Olivia from the roofs, avoiding the water spreading on the street. In no time at all, he closed the distance without much effort. The water soldiers had finished spawning at this moment. At Olivia¡¯smand, the water conjurations lunged and pounced at Rex. ¡°Annoying fucks!¡± He hissed and easily reduced a water conjuration into mere droplets with a single punch. However, the remnants of the conjuration that sshed onto him instantly froze up. ¡°So that¡¯s your scheme¡­ Clever. Is this all you got, Dragon?¡± Despite gaining the upper hand, there was no trace of confidence in Olivia¡¯s expression. The battle had only just started and she had already shown plenty of her cards while she still knew nothing but her opponent¡¯s prowess and abilities. ¡°This is bad, Your Grace¡­¡± Olivia muttered gravely in her heart. 4-70 Banal Bait 4-70 Banal Bait ¡°So we truly need to save the nobles Marduk¡¯s aiming for?¡± Erin asked as she donned her new garments which were a set of robes made of Fae Silk and dipped in mithril. ¡°Yes, we truly need to,¡± Aedan answered with his back turned since Erin and Aera were changing their garments. Aera had not minded if Aedan was watching but Erin shot her down with the reason that Aedan would be tempted to have them right here and now. Little did Erin know, the sound of their clothes rustling alone was a great temptation. ¡°These nobles are in the same cohort as the Covenant, aren¡¯t they? Why are we saving them?¡± Aera questioned as she finished putting on her new protective garments. It was also a set of robes much like the one Erin wore but of different embroideries and colours. ¡°These nobles know about the individuals outside of Sephrodia Valley coborating with Marduk. No other reason Marduk would want them dead. If we can save these nobles and have them spill out those names, we will have smoother sailing in the future. Who knows, we might even inadvertently run into one of them in the future and we wouldn¡¯t even know.¡± ¡°I understand but¡­ they are allowed to live just because they have some useful information¡­ This is unfair¡­ What about all the lives they ruined?¡± ¡°You misunderstood me, Aera. We will save them from the clutches of Marduk¡¯s thralls. But do you believe there would be no repercussions for them after they have exhausted their uses?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Furthermore, we¡¯re not saving every one of the nobles that are marked by Marduk. Just a few of them. Or just one of them would do.¡± ¡°The viceroy,¡± Erin said as she finished donning her new protective garments. Aedan turned around then. ¡°Both of you look gorgeous and ravishing.¡± Aera¡¯s cheeks turned cherry red. ¡°T-thank you¡­ Aedan¡­¡± Erin narrowed her gaze. ¡°We didn¡¯t tell you we have finished dressing but you turned around regardless.¡± ¡°I can you two were finished by sound.¡± ¡°What if one or either of us was only half-dressed?¡± Aedan shrugged. ¡°Then it is what it is. You¡¯re no maiden, Erin. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re not going to squeal out loud just because some man caught a glimpse of your bare body.¡± Erin sighed and rolled her eyes. ¡°Dealing with you is exhausting.¡± ¡°It¡¯s quite charming¡­¡± Aera muttered under her breath. Aedan chuckled. ¡°In any case, we best be moving. Our enemies are already steps ahead of us.¡± No sooner had the trio stepped out of the camp, chaos erupted all around them. Screams came from all directions as people ran frantically as if escaping from something dreadful. ¡°What the fuck happened? It was quiet just a second ago.¡± ¡°Your Grace!¡± Can eximed as he ran up to Aedan. ¡°It¡¯s terrible, Your Grace.¡± ¡°No shit, Can. Just tell me what happened?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the two troublemakers from before, Ronan and Drisbol.¡± ¡°Drisbol?¡± Erin mused. ¡°That¡¯s the arbalist¡¯s name, I reckon.¡± ¡°Y-yes, it¡¯s the arbalist¡¯s name. We escorted them out through the east side as you have ordered, Your Grace. But they came back and demanded to be let in. When we refused their entry, they drank some kind of potion and they transformed into¡ª¡± ¡°Demoids,¡± Erin finished the boy¡¯s sentences. She could already feel the Demonic presence wafting in the breeze. ¡°Yes, Demoids,¡± Can affirmed with a nod. ¡°Some of the Aeryons and the adventurer are currently locked in battle with the two Demoids.¡± ¡°Oh, these fuckers¡­ Should have just killed them but what¡¯s done is done. Can, remember what we practised?¡± ¡°Yes, of course, Your Grace. I remember the protocol, Your Grace.¡± ¡°Good, then you know what to do. Follow it.¡± ¡°Right away, Your Grace.¡± As soon as he gave his salute, he disappeared into the chaotic crowd. ¡°Erin, may I entrust you to calm the crowd?¡± Erin nodded and began casting a wide-range Lust on her surroundings. A faint pink mist oozed from her and it flowed throughout the area. The panic came to a gradual stop. The people snapped out of their frenzy but their trepidation remained. Seeing the fear lingering in the people¡¯s eyes, Erin increased the intensity of her skill. Spurred by their innate desires, nearly each and every person looked Erin¡¯s way. Erin then flourished her tails and used Mesmerise. The gazes of the people turned feverish, men and women alike, entranced by Erin¡¯s beauty. ¡°All of you, do not panic. The uninvited guest shall be dealt with swiftly. Calmly proceed to the other side of the camp where it is safe.¡± No one argued with her and they did as she bade. Their rush turned into an orderly march. The ones among the crowd that weren¡¯t affected as deeply did not question Erin¡¯smand either. Theyplied with her obediently and followed the entranced crowd. The Aeryons were the only ones that were unfazed by her Lust skill as their faith had protected them for her influence, which worked in everyone¡¯s favour as they helped in maintaining order. ¡°Now, to take care of the problem.¡± Just as Aedan turned on his heels, a familiar maid came running over to Aedan. ¡°Your Grace, the Demoids have run off when we didn¡¯t even give them a scratch. They had the advantage in battle but they just ran off.¡± ¡°Run off? To where?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know, Your Grace. We don¡¯t dare to give chase.¡± ¡°Good. They are most likely trying to get you to follow them. You and others did well.¡± ¡°And follow them, I shall,¡± Erin said. ¡°You¡¯re going alone?¡± Aedan asked. ¡°Someone has to stay and take care of the aftermath here. I don¡¯t fancy myself a leader, Aedan. That¡¯s your role and most of the workers are your followers. So it will be more reasonable for you to be the one to remain while I go after those two.¡± ¡°Touche, but at least take Aera with you.¡± Aera nodded. ¡°I will be useful, Erin.¡± She brought her fists together, resulting in a small shockwave that rippled through the air. ¡°I have no doubts about that, Aera. Come on, let us be off.¡± **** In a certain alley of the ruined merchant district, a man in full ck armour stood menacingly in the shadows. Dusk had arrived and soon, it would be night''s turn. The shadows grewrger as the hours went by. ¡°You¡¯re back but I don¡¯t see the Fox-kin with you two. Exin,¡± asked the man in ck as Ronan and Drisbol scurried into the alley. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Cready. That bitch will be here without a doubt,¡± Ronan answered with utter confidence. ¡°She has quite the paragon heart. She wille for us once she learns of our¡­ transfiguration. Yes, she definitely wille¡­¡± ¡°...I don¡¯t like this,¡± Drisbol said. ¡°What if she came in a group along with the one they called ¡®His Grace¡¯? What will we do then?¡± Ronan snorted. ¡°Let theme then. What can they do against the three of us? We¡¯re no longer mere mortals now, Dris. They¡¯ll pay for what they''ve done¡­ The humiliation¡­ we¡¯ll return it a hundredfold.¡± ¡°His Grace?¡± The one named Cready raised an eyebrow. ¡°Who is this man you spoke so warily of?¡± ¡°The refugee camp was built by the Aeryons and the one leading them was someone they referred to as ¡®His Grace¡¯. I never saw his face myself but they Aeryons spoke highly of him.¡± Ronan tutted. ¡°He¡¯s probably just one of those religious snobs they called a priest. He¡¯s no concern of ours. It¡¯s the vixen we have to be extremely wary of. She knew plenty of tricks. I fell for it once but I won¡¯t fall for it again.¡± ¡°Toote, you poor sod,¡± said Erin who had somehow appeared between Ronan and Drisbol. Before any of the three men could react to her presence. Erin brandished her violet-glowing sword in a full circle. When her sh came to an end, the heads of Ronan and Drisbol went rolling off their necks. ¡°Spatial Magic¡­ Warp.¡± Cready gulped down a lump in his throat. ¡°You used it from a distance outside the reach of my senses¡­ You¡¯re not to be underestimated.¡± ¡°Another goon of Marduk, I presume?¡± Erin inquired calmly with an air of indifference. ¡°I am indeed his goon, no shame in that. A man¡¯s gotta eat and survive. He pays well and the benefits thate with this job¡­ It''s unmatched by any other sort of employment.¡± ¡°In exchange, you¡¯re to lick his boots and arse if he tells you to, for eternity at that.¡± ¡°Nothing¡¯s perfect.¡± Cready chuckled. ¡°Just like. You have eluded the Covenant¡¯s grasp for long enough. But not this time.¡± Erin sighed. ¡°And once again, the same old speech. Do you people have no originality?¡± ¡°Let us find out!¡± Cready cheered as his body began to shake. Tentacle-like tendrils were oozing out of the gaps between his armour pieces as if they were highly viscous fluids and they were very much alive with how much they floundered about. A great sword manifested into his hand, a sword forged of ckness. Erin tossed a small ball of cyan me at Cready and it disappeared into a puff of smoke upon hitting its mark, leaving no traces of burn. ¡°Figures. You¡¯re not like those feral Demoids.¡± Creadyughed. ¡°They¡¯re no longer Demoids. They once were but no longer. They were all unworthy of Marduk¡¯s discretion. Such a shame. They¡ª¡± He cut his words off as Erin¡¯s de wasing for his neck. His response was swift. He raised his sword and deflected Erin¡¯s blow. ¡°And I thought you would never stop talking,¡± Erin jibed and unleashed Lightning Barrage on Cready. Dozens of lightning bolts rain down on the armoured Demoid. ¡°Damn you!¡± Cready snarled and rammed his way through the barrage. At the end of the flurry, Erin¡¯s strike awaited him. He veered his head to the side, narrowly avoiding the de. He brought his sword around and his steel shed against Erin¡¯s own. Sparks flew and the air rippled. Their des pushed them apart but they came again with another round of steel shing. The sh between des did notst forever nor did itst long. In the fifth sh, Erin¡¯s cyan de cleaved right through Cready¡¯s de of ckness. He tutted and pulled himself away using the tendrils that had sprouted from his back to avoid getting bisected. ¡°You possess neither the specific skill nor the ability to negate mine like your peers. Perhaps you¡¯re not as special as you like to believe.¡± ¡°Maybe it is as you say but the pouch I¡¯m getting is still fat and full of nothing but gold. And¡ª¡± Once again, Cready was forced to cut his words short. He dove to the side as something fell from above. Had he not moved, he would have turned into a bloody pulp. ¡°Covenant hounds¡­¡± Aera growled as she slowly rose to her feet. She had dropped straight from the sky after taking a huge leap from a third of a mile away. Violet glow was coursing through her veins and mes of the same hue were enveloping her whole body. ¡°Damn you¡­¡± Cready clicked his tongue. ¡°You brought a friend.¡± ¡°Also your demise,¡± Aera roared and lunged at him with her fists bared. Barbed tendrils sprouted from Cready¡¯s back and darted towards Aera. However, the barbed tendrils were turned into ashes before they even touched her skin, burned away by the violet mes enveloping her. ¡°What in the Divine¡¯s name are you?¡± Cready muttered in surprise and terror. The girl was still charging at him without being hindered by his tendrils. He thought about retreating but Erin was already on his nk, waiting for his guard to shift. ¡°Damn these two bitches!¡± Aera swung her fist once she was in range. Cready dodged low and countered with a sh but Erin swooped in and parried the blow. ¡°Foolish vixen! Now you¡¯re prey for my¡ª¡± His words were once again cut short but not of his own ord. His world began to falter and tilt all of a sudden. And before he knew it, he had somehow hit the ground but he saw his body, standing still. Thest thing he saw before the darkness imed his sight was the absence of a head on his neck. ¡°That was easy,¡± Erin breathed. ¡°But then again, neither is getting this skill.¡± In truth, Cready was not decapitated by her sword but by her skill. More specifically, Spatial Rend. As the name implied, the spell rends the space itself. It was a quick, silent, and deadly attack spell. The only drawbacks were the Mana consumption and the focus required to use it. The notification of her experience increment confirmed the Demoid¡¯s death but as soon as she turned her back to it, the tendrils from the Demoid¡¯s corpse shot towards her. ¡°You have got to be joking!¡± 4-71 Discharge 4-71 Discharge Erin had confirmed the Demoid¡¯s death but she knew she shouldn¡¯t have beencent. Perhaps she was tired. Perhaps something was on her mind. She didn¡¯t know but it was without a doubt that she had a momentarypse of judgement. She shouldn¡¯t have epted the Demoid¡¯s death just like that. Though they were just partially Demons, they were still Demons. The tendrils that had sprouted from the now-deceased Demoid sprang at Erin. She had more than enough time to react but not without sustaining any wounds. ¡°Fuck,¡± she cursed at herself as she swung her sword. She was just a second toote toe out of this unscathed. However, she had another oversight and that was Aera. The Apostle of Wrath reacted faster than Erin did. That was because her wrath had yet to dissipate and her senses were amplified to a tremendous degree. Namely, her sense of danger. She lunged at the same time the tendrils did and she reached Erin before the tendrils did. Her violet me-d fist sank into the flung corpse and sent it flying into the ground. The air rippled twice. Once from when she punched the Demoid corpse and another time from when the Demoid corpse hit the ground. Due to the strength in that single punch of hers, the Demoid corpse was turned into a stter of dark gory matter. Erin let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Thank you, Aera,¡± she muttered. ¡°More areing¡­¡± Aera said in a very low voice but it was clear as crystal to Erin. ¡°Indeed,¡± Erin nodded. ¡°More areing. This is a trap but no surprise there.¡± A figure dropped down in front of them without any forewarning. The figure was humanoid and it was clearly wearing armour that denoted it as a city guard. However, Erin could sense the Demonic oozing from it. ¡°Amateurs,¡± Erin scoffed in a whisper and spun around with a sh, cutting down an arrow that was shot from behind her. At the same time, the Demoid wearing a city guard uniform lunged at Erin but Aera¡¯s punch sent it plunging through the wall beside them. Aera did not stop there and pounced at the Demoid she sent flying into the wall. Erin did not witness the act but she heard it clearly. She heard how Aera rained down punches after punches on the Demoid until she could no longer sense any lifeing from it. Even then, Aera did not stop pummeling the dead Demoid until it was an unrecognisable pulp. Erin did not wait until Aera stopped pummelling the Demoid before moving on. With Aera¡¯s current state, she could easily catch up to her should she move too far away. Just then, the sound of a horn reverberated through the streets. The horn¡¯s sound came from the direction of where the refugee camp was. When Erin strained her ears, she could hear the panicing from the camp. ¡°The camp is under attack,¡± Erin quickly concluded. Just as she poured Mana into her feet, six Demoids appeared in her path. They were all transported right in front of her using some kind of teleportation magic spell. This was either the work of a verypetent mage or the Covenant had amazing magic machinery that allowed mass teleportation. Whichever it was, it didn¡¯t matter. Not that Erin could do anything about it, for now. The six Demoids were still in their human forms. Unlike most others, these Demoid were sporting nervous expressions. They reminded Erin of conscripted soldiers who were forced by their nation. Fear was emanating from them like water overflowing from a container. Neither of them wished to fight her, Erin could tell. They all definitely knew they were not her match but they had no choice. They were all level fifty. They were probably individuals who got tempted by the promise of great power and now, it was do or die. As they were now Demoids, Marduk could easily dispose of them if they declined to kill Erin. ¡°Damn it¡­ damn it¡­ damn it¡­¡± the one with the blue hair kept on muttering those words repeatedly. ¡°Fool¡­ what a fucking fool I was¡­¡± Erin sighed. ¡°You brought this on yourselves, gentlemen. But if you don¡¯t resist, I guarantee all of you a quick death.¡± One of the Demoids snorted. ¡°It ain¡¯t that simple, Fae. Some of us here have a family.¡± ¡°Or a lover.¡± ¡°Or friends.¡± The Demoids all drew their weapons and pointed them at Erin. ¡°For what it¡¯s worth¡­ I don¡¯t enjoy this,¡± Erin said and d her sword with Arcane Edge. ¡°But I do what I must.¡± And she lunged at the six Demoids without a precise target in mind. The one wielding an axe made the first move against Erin. His skin had turned to a very dark shade of ck and small spikes had protruded all over his body. He swung his axe which was infused with Demonic energy. Erin dodged the axe and countered with a swipe. However, her counter was blocked by the spear wielder of the six, who had transformed into a humanoid lizard-like Demoid. With her sword temporarily hindered, the sword wielder seized the chance and went for Erin¡¯s head. Erin escaped her predicament with Warp by shifting her position to the back of the enemy lines where the three remaining Demoid were still at odds with what they should be doing. Erin offered them a quick release of their plight by swiftly decapitating them. They saw her deing for their necks but their bodies could not keep up with their perception and Erin¡¯s speed. Erin then threw an Aura Shot at the axe-wielder while he was shocked over hispanion¡¯s death. He regained hisposure just in time to deflect the Aura Shot but in doing so, he exposed himself to Aera who came up from behind. His two otherpanions were toote in their intervention. Aera had plunged her fist right through the axe wielder¡¯s heart before lifting his lifeless corpse up and tearing it in half. The spear and sword wielders attacked Aera in tandem but their weapons simply bounced right off the fiery aura enveloping her. Aera easily caught the neck of the sword wielder with just a short leap. The spear wielder was much nimbler in his steps and escaped Aera¡¯s grasp. However, he remembered the presence of Erin all toote after his sessful escape from Aera¡¯s grasp. By the time he remembered his original objective foring here, his head was already rolling. The Sword Wielder shrieked in terror as he struggled vainly in Aera¡¯s grasp. He pleaded with Aera for mercy but the Apostle of Wrath did not even register his pleas. In her eyes, he was just another scum that was part of the organisation that killed her mother and destroyed her home. She mmed the Demoid into the ground repeatedly until he was nothing but a huge mangled piece of flesh. Erin did not stay and watch, of course. When she had offed the head of the spear wielder, she had already resumed her haste in returning to the camp. But it was not a smooth return. There were many obstacles in her way in the form of Demoids who had yet to be feral. However, the ones that decided to run instead of fighting Erin turned feral the moment they turned their backs on Erin. Erin did not know what Marduk was truly nning but on the surface of things, he desired her death, that much was certain. As to why they targeted the camp when she wasn¡¯t there, she didn¡¯t know the specifics. It was simply what evil people do, that was the best conclusion she coulde up with as she sliced and cleaved her way through the Demoids. Erin eventually reached the camp that was now surrounded by Demoids and Dregs. They were battering the borders of the camp but as they were made of wooden nks enhanced by magic, the camp was not so easily prated. The people within the camp were desperately fending off the lesser Demon-kin that was encroaching on the camp. The Demoids were few in number but the Dregs were more than plenty. Most of the Demoids were feral but Erin could see some still had their senses and they were hesitating in joining the madness. Erin sighed once again and shook her head in anguish. ¡°Just how many people were swindled into bing Demoids?¡± She could see the regret written over the faces of the still-sane Demoids but there was nothing she could do for them now except to end their misery quickly. Erin did not need to do anything to attract their attention. Once she was certain yards away from the encroaching Demonic beings, they all sensed her presence. Gone was all their focus on the camp. With a loud screech and cries in tandem, the Demoids and Dregs charged at Erin in arge swarm. If they were normal monsters, Erin could easily finish them off with her Lightning Magic but since they were Demoids and Dregs, there was no way it would be that easy. Still, she did throw a Lightning Spear just to gauge the strength of the horde she was up against. The Lightning Spear struck a Dreg but before the spell could explode and take the lives of all those nearby, the Dreg absorbed the Lightning Spear into its small feeble-looking body before dying in a withering fashion. She saw a Fireball, thrown by a mage from the rampart of the camp¡¯s border, striking a Dreg. The same thing happened. The Dreg absorbed the Fireball but it didn¡¯t die, though it looked considerably weaker. The defenders on the rampart barraged the Demoids and Dregs that were now focusing on Erin. The attack spells did little to no damage to the horde. It made them stumble but they werergely unfazed by the attacks. Arrows were also released but it took four arrows to kill a single Dreg. ¡°Magic and physical resistance¡­ Great. Is this your best hand, Marduk? Or do you have an even better one?¡± ¡°Run, mdy! There¡¯s too many of them!¡± Someone shouted from the ramparts. ¡°H-hey¡­ shouldn¡¯t we open the gates for her?¡± ¡°Are you mad? There are Demons lurking just outside and we have no way of properly fending them off. You want to open the gates and risk letting those abominations swarm in?¡± ¡°N-no¡­¡± ¡°But we can¡¯t just leave her out there!¡± ¡°Shut it! It¡¯s hundreds of lives against one!¡± ¡°Mdy, our magic and weapons had little effect on them!¡± ¡°We can¡¯t help you, mdy! You should run!¡± While those on the ramparts were arguing about their dilemma, Erin had already turned tail and ran. She had no doubts she could easily deal with the Dregs but with the Demoids in the mix, the result would beplicated. One of the Demoids had the lower body of a serpent, a Naga-like Demoid. It was the fastest out of the dozen Demoids on Erin¡¯s tail. It quickly caught up to Erin and pounced at her. Erin spun around and shed at the Naga Demoid. It slithered out of harm¡¯s way and immediately threw itself at Erin again. This time, Erin surrounded herself in Thunder Shell. The spell did its job and sent the Naga Demoid fling somewhere far. But since she didn¡¯t receive any experience, the Naga Demoid was still very much alive. ¡°Aera!¡± Erin shouted. Aera was calmly walking towards Erin. Her whole body was dyed in the blood of the Demoids she pulverised. She had a nk look on her face but when saw the horde chasing after Erin, her expression lit up like a rapidly growing ze. Her fiery aura red up in tandem. ¡°Move,¡± Aera said simply. Erin didn¡¯t know what Aera was going to do but she didn¡¯t argue. She moved out of Aera¡¯s way as the Apostle of Wrath wound her arm, preparing to throw a punch. And when she did throw the punch she was winding up, she threw more than just a punch. She threw her aura along with it and it decimated the horde. The whole street shook as Aera¡¯s Aura Shot ploughed through the horde charging towards her. Since the street was rtively narrow, the horde essentially lined themselves up perfectly for Aera¡¯s attack. Of course, that single punch of hers did not kill the entire horde but it did reduce more than half of its original number. ¡°Fucking hell, Aera,¡± Erin gasped, staring at the aftermath of Aera¡¯s punch. Contrary to Erin¡¯s expectation, Aera wasn¡¯t exhausted despite the attack she just unleashed. In fact, her aura had only gotten stronger as if fueled by the deaths of her foes. Erin realised she was witnessing the true might of Aera as the Apostle of Wrath. This was her, releasing all of the rage and anger she had been suppressing and she was just starting. 4-72 Colossal clash 4-72 Colossal sh A st of shockwave razed the streets and in the midst of the destruction was Olivia. She was not the cause of the shockwave but a mere victim of it. She withstood the unrelenting force but at the great expense of her Mana and stamina. She had enveloped herself in a cage made of Arcane Aegises and more than half of them were shattered by the shockwave. The rest that withstood the shockwave didn¡¯t persist for much longer afterwards. ¡°Is this your best, mdy?¡± Rex taunted as he walked towards Olivia in a leisurely manner. It went without saying that he was the cause of the shockwave. More specifically, it was the result of him throwing a punch. Olivia clicked her tongue and conjured up a spear made of ice in her hands. ¡°What¡¯s this? Resorting to a weapon? Ah, I see. Trying to conserve your Mana¡­ but for what? Are you expecting reinforcements?¡± Rex scoffed. ¡°You may have wounded Varus to that degree but I am not him. Don¡¯t think for a second that your petty tricks would work against me.¡± ¡°We shall see,¡± Olivia said and lunged towards Rex. The shirtless manzily raised his hand and caught Olivia¡¯s spear that was aiming for his neck. He easily crushed the ice spear in his grip. Olivia immediately materialised a sword in her free hand and thrust forward. The tip of the de struck the left side of Rex¡¯s chest but the de of the ice sword snapped in half as a result. ¡°This is disappointing, Dragon. I expected more from you.¡± Oliva huffed in silence and summoned an ice axe, which she then swung down on Rex. He didn¡¯t even try to dodge and let the axe strike his head. The result was the same as the sword. The head of the axe snapped off from the handle. ¡°Surely you have other surprises for me, no?¡± ¡°Be careful what you wish for.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not the one that needs to be careful here.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Just then, the shattered spear, the broken de of the sword, and the snapped head of the axe, all shone brightly in blinding radiance. It was an abrupt development and the radiance swallowed both Rex and Olivia whole. ¡°Annoying!¡± Rex hissed and swung his arm around, shattering whatever was fencing him in. It felt like he had touched something extremely cold but it did not feel like ice. It was far too brittle to be ice and it didn¡¯t have the moist feeling. However, that wasn¡¯t his concern right now. ¡°W-what the¡­ Where is this ce?¡± After breaking himself out of the blinding radiance, Rex found himself in apletely foreign ce. It was a field of ice with high walls of cial surrounding him on all sides. The space he was confined in was rtivelyrge but limited nheless. The markings around his right eye glowed as he appraised his surroundings but no information turned up in his Appraisal. In the stead of texts that would exin the walls surrounding him, there were only question marks. ¡°Unable to be appraised¡­ Intriguing.¡± He tried punching one of the walls but he only made a crack and the crack quickly mended itself. ¡°What in hell¡¯s name is this¡­?¡± He threw another punch but the results were the same as thest. He threw yet another punch, with more strength this time around, but the results were no different. ¡°Not possible!¡± Rex roared. He drove both of his fists into the wall. The damages were greater and the cracks wererger but in spite of his efforts, the wall returned to its pristine and unmarred state. ¡°This is preposterous. My strength is unmatched in this country. There should be no barriers or cages that can withstand my strength.¡± He roared louder and unleashed a flurry of punches to the wall but the cracks were mended faster than he could make them. Eventually, he ceased his bullish and foolish efforts. ¡°This ce¡­ could it be¡­ an illusion?¡± He then burst outughing. ¡°Of course. What else can it be? This has to be an illusion. Elsewise, how would it be possible that a caster of your level would be able to construct such a barrier that could hold me back? Your tricks aremendable, Dragon, but they¡¯re just mere tricks in the end!¡± Rex roared upwards with all his might. He had poured Mana into his throat when he shouted. His roar shook the entire ce and cracks formed all over the four walls. However, the ce stood perfectly still after his roar ended and the cracks disappeared without a trace. ¡°Hmm¡­ strange. Illusions usually break when I scream loud enough. It would seem I did notmend your tricks enough, Dragon, but don¡¯t think my defeat is certain. You may be able to confine me in my head but you keep me confined forever.¡± A small crack appeared on the wall beside him. The crack had appeared naturally, not because of Rex¡¯s punch or any of his attacks. And Rex caught it in his sight. ¡°What do we have here? Nearing your limits, Dragon? You might as well just free me while I¡¯m still feeling¡­ merciful.¡± The small crack began to grow and spread. Soon, the other walls also started to be covered in cracks. ¡°So, you don¡¯t wish to free me of your own ord. So be it, then.¡± Rex snickered. ¡°When I¡¯m out of this illusion of a prison, you will sorely regret imprisoning in my own head.¡± The cracks on the walls widened, to the point that the walls began to crumble and crumble they did. Piece by piece, the walls broke down and a blinding radiance spilt into the confines. Once all the walls had crumbled, the radiance died down and Rex found himself back on the street where he had been wreaking havoc. ¡°Neat trick, Dragon, but it won¡¯t work a second time. Now, face m¡ª huh?¡± Rex stared with his eyes widened. He had expected to see a girl who was a head shorter than him once he was freed from the illusion. However, he found himself standing before a beast that was thrice his size. Not just that, a cage of ice had covered a huge area of the vicinity and the ice age had runes carved into it, runes that he knew nothing about. ¡°You force my hand, human,¡± the Dragon in front of Rex spoke and he immediately recognised its voice. ¡°So, this is your true strength?¡± Rex questioned. He appraised her once more and found that she was now level seventy-two. She had been fifty-two when they first crossed paths. Her level shot up to sixty-seven before and now, her level went up again by five levels. ¡°You¡¯re wee to find out,¡± Olivia said and unleashed a stream of high-pressure water at Rex. Normally, he would just stand there and take the attack head-on but this time, he dodged instead. He dove out of the way just as the high-pressure water stream razed the spot where he had been standing. ¡°That would have hurt a lot,¡± he muttered to himself after seeing the destruction the water spell had caused. Olivia beat her wings and took the air. As there was a cage epassing the area, she could not fly far but it didn¡¯t matter. Retreat was never her intention in the first ce. ¡°Now this should be fun.¡± Rex chuckled. ¡°Seems like I won¡¯t be disappointed after all.¡± The tattoos that ran along both of his arms began to glow. He syed his hand at Olivia and tugged at the air. The space rippled in response to his hand motion. To Olivia¡¯s absolute astonishment, she was pulled towards Rex by an unseen grasp and she could barely struggle herself free from the pulling force. She cast Appraisal on Rex once more after getting herself out of the bind. ¡°Those tattoos¡­ they paved the way for your magic aptitude,¡± she inferred. ¡°Such is the way of those who possess no aptitude for any kind of Magic Arts whatsoever. This is the most efficient method. Well, for me at least.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t fear those precious tattoos of yours would get blemished in a fight?¡± ¡°I have yet to meet anyone who could put a scratch on my body. Varus has tried but not even he could make me bleed.¡± ¡°The world is vast. Your confidence in your defence would be your downfall.¡± ¡°Perhaps, but you will never know for sure because you won¡¯t be alive to see it,¡± Rex said and pped his hands. The shockwave produced by that single p struck Olivia¡¯s nerves. Her body spasmed and her wings nearly ceased to flutter. Rex leapt high up into the air while Olivia was still dazed by the shockwave. He wound his fist and that motion alone caused the air to tremble. Olivia snapped out of her daze just as he threw his fist. She rolled to the side and the punch split the air where she had been. Olivia countered with a beat of her wings that sent wind-moulded des at Rex. The wind des struck Rex but none of the des left even a small scratch on his body. Rex kicked off the air and flew towards Olivia but she warded him off with an Ice Breath. The freezing fog turned his body into ice but with just a simple shrug, he broke himself free. However, his movements were still dulled by the cold and Olivia smacked him to the ground with her tail. Before he could recover hisposure, she flooded him with a strong gush of water through her mouth, which she then quickly followed up with her Ice Breath. Rex leapt out of the small puddle of water that had formed before everything turned into ice. He grabbed arge piece of rubble by his foot and tossed it at Olivia. She easily kicked the rubble piece into pieces with her hind limb. ¡°Fool,¡± Rex scoffed and pushed at the air with his palm. The shockwave surged towards the pebble-sized pieces from the shattered rubble and pushed them towards Olivia as if she was bombarded by the Earth Magic spell, Stone Barrage. Stone Barrage was just an intermediate-tier spell but the offhanded variant produced by Rex was significantly stronger than the original counterpart. Olivia could not dodge the tiny projectiles given their sizes and she could only endure the barrage in pain. She winced with her fangs gritting. Rex seized this chance to charge at her once again. He reached her in a single leap and swung his fist. Olivia managed to dodge the first punch but not the second. His fist collided with the side of her jaws and she went tumbling in the air. When she regained her bearings, Rex was already upon her. His fist was only a few feet away from her face. She beat her wings hard and the gust pushed him a short distance away but it was enough to dissipate his momentum and he ended up falling back to the ground. Deep blue particles of light began converging within Olivia¡¯s mouth. Her scales glowed the same vivid shade of blue across her whole body. ¡°The infamous Dragon¡¯s Roar. Never thought I would actually find myself going up against one directly. Well then,e on. Show me the true strength of a Dragon!¡± And Olivia dlyplied with Rex¡¯s request. She unleashed the amassed energy in her mouth in the form of a striking blue beam of energy at Rex. Rex gathered all of his strength and Mana into his fists and thrust them forward to meet Olivia''s Dragon Roar. The two instances of attack crashed into one another. The air rippled in waves. The ground cratered from the force of the sh. The buildings crumbled. The brick tiles of the streets flew off in droves. The destruction echoed far and hit the dome that epassed the vicinity. Had it not been for the ice dome that Olivia had set up, the damage would not stop just there. It would spread further beyond. Still, the dome could not contain the destruction brought upon by the two individuals. It eventually shattered into pieces but it did its work, It reduced the spread of the destruction. However, everything within the dome was in a state of absolute ruin. The area had been turned into a small basin as a result. 4-73 Abducted Augur 4-73 Abducted Augur ¡°By the Spirits¡­¡± Erin gasped in awe as she witnessed a gigantic splendour being erected in the distance. The gigantic splendour was that of a dome, moulded of ice. The ice dome gave a vibrant and striking gleam to all those who nced at it. A drunkard would easily mistake the ice dome for a diamond and Erin came close to making that mistake due to the smoke that permeated the area as a result of Aera¡¯s rampage. ¡°What is that?¡± Aera asked. She was wreaking havoc on her surroundings not a short while ago. The Demoids and Dregs were the only victims of her destructive tantrum. She had regained some semnce of her mind and rationality, enough for her to be dazed by the wonder that was the gigantic ice dome. She was currently sitting on a piece of debris, catching the breaths that she had unleashed feral upon her foes. ¡°Olivia¡¯s magic,¡± Erin answered. Due to the magnitude of the spell, Erin was able to make out the identity of the castor even from this distance. ¡°For her to cast a spell of this scale¡­ She must be facing an opponent at her level. Should we go and help?¡± ¡°You are aware of her true level, Aera, are you not? What can we do even if we go there? We will just be dragging her down.¡± ¡°But¡­ will she be alright? What if she¡ª¡± ¡°Aera, there¡¯s nothing we can do. We will just be liabilities. We just need to believe in her.¡± ¡°...Alright, Erin. I will.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Erin nodded. She cast a long nce at her surroundings. It was the same destruction that riddled the city everywhere she looked. Grey dust was scattered throughout the area. The dust was none other than the ashes of the fallen Demoids and Dregs, reduced to this state by Aera¡¯s me of vengeance and fury, fuelled by her wrath. ¡°Come on, let us head back. The camp might still be under attack.¡± Just as the two were heading back to the camp, the ice dome exploded, followed by a tremendous shockwave that swept through the city. Erin pulled Aera into her arms and cast Arcane Aegises around them. The shockwave battered and pelted the tattered streets and ruined buildings. Even with the protection spell, they were still pushed back slightly by the shockwave. The shockwave only let up after around a minute had passed and their surroundings were now beyond recognition of what it once was. ¡°Do you still think we are needed there?¡± Erin asked. ¡°Such power¡­ Is it Olivia¡¯s victory?¡± ¡°Regardless if it¡¯s her loss or victory, there¡¯s no room for us to intervene. Even from here, the ripple alone was enough to cause this much damage. Imagine if we were just anywhere close, we would have been turned into pieces by the shockwave alone.¡± ¡°The camp¡­ will the camp still be standing?¡± ¡°We best hurry back to find out.¡± The two rose to their feet and sprinted back to the camp. As the shockwave had cleared away a lot of the debris that was piling on the streets, the two were able to run straight in their path, forgoing any obstacles and turns that were once repetitive hindrances. The two heaved a sigh of relief when they returned to the camp. The seemingly frail walls of the camp had withstood the shockwave and the assault from the Demoids and Dregs. The dark horde had been culled by the brave defenders on the ramparts and what remained of the horde was swept away by the shockwave. ¡°Erin!¡± cried Lyra, who was standing amidst the camp along with Lilian. Nivia and Siv were also there but theyzily waved their hands as greetings in spite of their rtively long and worrying separation. Their tired eyes told a profound tale of their endeavours and hardships but their faint smiles revealed their contentment with the lives they had saved. Lyra was the only one filled with vigour as she leapt into Erin¡¯s embrace and they shared a deep and passionate kiss for all to see but only a few dared to linger their gaze for long. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re well,¡± Lyra breathed in relief while fondling Erin¡¯s body all over, checking for any wounds or bruises her lover might be concealing. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Lyra. I truly am.¡± ¡°The hell you are. You were¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªa captive of our enemies. I know. But as you can see, they inflict no tremendous wounds on me.¡± ¡°Thank the divines,¡± Lyra said and nted another kiss on Erin¡¯s lips. ¡°I am relieved by your safe return, mistress,¡± Siv greeted after Lyra had loosened her embrace on Erin. ¡°And I¡¯m also relieved to see that all of you are unhurt,¡± Erin responded. ¡°Miraculously, we were not hurt in our charitable endeavours at rescuing survivors and culling the Demoids and Dregs,¡± Lilian said. ¡°Truly a miracle. Oh, and wee back, Erin.¡± ¡°The real miracle here is that Erin escaped the clutches of our foes, unharmed. How do you manage that?¡± Nivia asked. ¡°There was internal strife amongst our foes,¡± Erin answered. ¡°You took advantage of it and escaped?¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t, but it did leave me unharmed because of their diverted attention. And while that was happening, the Venerers stumbled upon the hideout. Chaos ensued and that was when I took the opportunity to escape and that¡¯s the short of it.¡± ¡°The Venerers? You had a run-in with them?¡± Lilian asked. ¡°They saved you?¡± ¡°Not possible,¡± Siv said. ¡°They didn¡¯t save me. They were even nning to apprehend me even though I was but a captive. Thankfully, we had amon foe and thatmon foe was strong enough to not let them spare the slightest focus on me.¡± ¡°How typical of these zealots,¡± Lilian scoffed. ¡°Can¡¯t say I know the bunch but we met one of them, didn¡¯t we?¡± ¡°We did,¡± Nivia affirmed. ¡°Unpleasant human girl. Obnoxious as one could expect from a zealous Ruvan. Amyra was there to take her off the pedestal she plopped herself on, thank the Spirits for that.¡± ¡°Well, they are an unpleasant bunch.¡± Erin shrugged. ¡°But they worked efficiently in a group. It is theirpetency that allowed me to escape. Hopefully, should wee face to face with them next time, it will not be as enemies. We have enemies as it is.¡± ¡°We have only one enemy,¡± Nivia said. ¡°But this enemy had a great deal of resources. I don¡¯t like the Ruvans but we certainly don¡¯t want them as enemies. Let us not provoke them should our paths cross the next time.¡± Lyra snorted. ¡°That¡¯s easy to say. It¡¯s hard to reason with these fanatics.¡± ¡°But we must,¡± Erin said. ¡°We have to try. The city''s in ruins. We don¡¯t need another conflict. Speaking of which, what was the course of action the temples took?¡± ¡°The nobles have coveted most of the temples¡¯ militia forces,¡± Aedan answered as he strode over to the group. ¡°The ones who remained are only enough to defend the temples. They have no one to spare.¡± ¡°Aedan, is anyone hurt?¡± ¡°Nothing grave, thanks in a huge part to you, Erin. Your provocation of the Demoids and Dregs had lessened the brunt of the horde¡¯s assault on the camp. The walls were sturdy enough to defend against the ones that remained.¡± ¡°d to know.¡± ¡°We¡¯re fine too, you know,¡± Nivia muttered. ¡°Thanks for asking.¡± ¡°I knew you would be.¡± Nivia rolled her eyes. ¡°Aedan, you felt it too just now, didn¡¯t you? Not just the shockwave but Olivia¡¯s magic.¡± ¡°I did,¡± Aedan nodded with a grim expression. ¡°She¡¯s currently engaged with a powerful opponent¡­ As powerful as Varus, I dare say.¡± ¡°Are you joking?¡± Lyra blurted out. ¡°There¡¯s another powerhouse like Varus? Shouldn¡¯t we be helping Olivia then?¡± ¡°I¡¯m nning to,¡± Aedan said. ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡± ¡°What?¡± Erin jumped into his path. ¡°You will go? Alone?¡± Aedan met Erin¡¯s gaze that seemed to question his sanity. ¡°Someone has to,¡± he answered. ¡°You do remember your powers are sealed and your level has been drastically reduced to a paltry amount, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Levels aren¡¯t everything, Erin. You should know that by now.¡± ¡°Only if the difference isn¡¯t vast and the other individual isn¡¯t in the upper realms of levels. You would not fare well against¡­ whoever is out there.¡± ¡°Maybe but¡­ Olivia¡­ She''s family. She believed in me when I doubted myself. Now, I need to be there for her.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not my point, you idiot. My point being, what can you even do to help?¡± Aedan grinned and drew out an item that was wrapped in cloth, outlining the contour of a sword in its scabbard Lilian immediately took two steps backwards. ¡°Spirits be damned,¡± she swore. ¡°Pardon mynguage but this sword you just took out¡­ I can feel a great promise of¡­ dread from it.¡± At the Dryad¡¯s words, everyone stared intensely at the wrapped-up sword. Erin widened her gaze at the item. ¡°That¡¯s the¡­¡± ¡°Yes, the Sunderer.¡± ¡°You intend to use it?¡± ¡°No.¡± Aedan shook his head. He then pushed the sword into Erin¡¯s hands. ¡°Olivia needs my help, probably, and Amyra needs yours.¡± ¡°What? Why? What happened to her?¡± ¡°I can no longer feel her presence in this city. She¡¯s an Apostle. I can¡¯t tell her whereabouts precisely but I can always roughly know whether she¡¯s near or far. But now, I can feel her presence at all. Something has happened to her. You need to find her and save her. Can will tell you where to start.¡± ¡°What about the viceroy?¡± ¡°Let us hope he still draws breath when we¡¯re done saving our own. If not, it won¡¯t exactly be a loss for us.¡± ¡°Are we all going with Erin?¡± Nivia asked. ¡°Of course not,¡± Aedan said. ¡°Some of you would have to stay and watch over the camp. But I¡¯ll leave that decision to youdies.¡± And he departed with haste after leaving those words behind. He had taken to the air and flew in the direction of Olivia. ¡°I thought his Arcane Arts were sealed,¡± Lyra muttered. ¡°They are sealed,¡± Lilian answered. ¡°Most of them anyway, but that ability just now is a skill from the armour he¡¯s wearing. He¡¯s well-equipped and prepared, or so he seemed. Anyway, what¡¯s that parting gift he gave you, dearie?¡± ¡°Something that I hope I would never need to use,¡± Erin said and tossed the sword into her Vault. ¡°A convenient spell that was, mistress,¡± Siv remarked. ¡°Very convenient.¡± ¡°Well, Erin, who will be staying and who will be following you?¡± Lyra asked. All of their eyes were instantly on Erin and all held anticipation. Erin sighed. ¡°Now, this is a headache.¡± **** ¡°Wake up, Augur,¡± said a calming voice but his tone was every bit as threatening, as if promising pain if his words were not taken to heart. Amyra stirred into wake upon hearing such a voiceplemented by the imposing tone. Her first action was to move her arms but chains had bound her limbs. She was forced onto her knees with her arms syed and dangling beside her. Her shuddering eyelids lifted heavily to reveal the fiery pupils underneath. Her gaze immediately fell on her captor, a dark-skinned man with a hood covering half his face. ¡°You¡¯re awake, good. You may now proceed to scream and cry for help.¡± ¡°Who the fuck are you?¡± ¡°Uvir.¡± ¡°Well, fuck you, Uvir. Now, let me out of these chains before I torch you into ashes.¡± ¡°Do it, then. If you can, that is.¡± Amyra tutted. She could feel her Mana within her but she couldn¡¯t let it out. Something was preventing her from casting any spells. The culprit was obvious and it took only a single nce at the chains that were binding her, runes glowing all over. ¡°Afraid?¡± ¡°Of what?¡± The man chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re tough. I¡¯ll give you that.¡± ¡°But how long will youst?¡± ¡°Why am I still alive?¡± ¡°As I said, scream and cry for help. That¡¯s why you¡¯re still alive.¡± ¡°I see¡­ I¡¯m bait for Erin.¡± It was Amyra¡¯s turn to chuckle. ¡°Sorry, but things won¡¯t turn out the way you wanted. She maye for me but she will alsoe for your head, that is of course, if I haven¡¯t already broken myself free from these chains and taken your head myself.¡± ¡°We shall see,¡± the man said and produced a de by tearing out a piece of space itself. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to this so much.¡± ¡°A Spatial Magic user¡­¡± Amyra gasped under her breath. ¡°Oh, this is going to end so badly¡­¡± 4-74 The Rift Blade 4-74 The Rift de ¡°This is the ce,¡± Erin said as she stood before a copsed inn that was located on a small pasture in the middle of the city. Though it was called a pasture, it wasn¡¯t truly one. It was merely made to look like one to tickle the fancy of the rich folks who were in love with the charms of nature but without experiencing the ws. Various other inns were also built on this false grasnd and they were also in ruins. Nivia and Aera stood beside her, staring at the ruined building with foreboding hearts and apprehensive gazes. These two were the ones Erin decided to take with her along the search for Amyra¡¯s whereabouts. It was a quarrel that was on the borderline of a melee scuffle but Erin subdued them with her Lust skill and picked the ones she deemed the most suitable for this mission. Erin picked Nivia and Aera in the end due to the two being very opposed to taking orders from anyone but Erin herself. Nivia was simply prejudicial while Aera was innately distrustful and dubious. Not to mention, Erin was the only one capable of subduing Aera should she go amok with her Wrathmonger skill. ¡°It¡¯s destroyed,¡± Aera stated the obvious but no one retorted to her needless evident remark. ¡°There¡¯s no one inside,¡± Nivia said after casting Life Sense on the copsed inn. ¡°Safe for the corpses within.¡± ¡°There are corpses? You can tell, how?¡± ¡°The Spirits are wailing,¡± Nivia gave a sinct answer. ¡°Amyra isn¡¯t here,¡± Erin said. She trod slowly towards the inn that was missing a roof and half of its walls. It wasn¡¯t known exactly what or who caused such a destruction but Erin had no doubt Amyra had a hand in it from the burnt marks she could perceive amidst the destruction. ¡°Will the city ever recover from this?¡± Aera asked as she followed closely behind Erin. Her gaze was not solely on the inn but also on her surroundings. It was the same scenery of ruination that she had seen in other parts of the city. ¡°I have seen worse,¡± Erin responded. ¡°Whether this city will recover, it will all depend on the nobles. If this valley holds some significant resources, this city will definitely be revived. Even if everything¡¯s razed to the ground, as long as the precious resources remain, you can believe in the nobles¡¯ greed to repair this city.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­?¡± Aera muttered. ¡°Do the nobles¡¯ greed truly know no bounds?¡± ¡°Humans have gone to war for pettier reasons,¡± Nivia said. ¡°Reviving a razed city from the ground up isn¡¯t exactly an unbelievable possibility. Are you not aware of the intensity of your own kind¡¯s greed?¡± ¡°I-I¡­ I heard about it a lot but I thought those were just stories people told to get at people¡¯s good conscience.¡± ¡°People are worse than what you hear in stories, most of the time. This sort of trash is not limited to the Covenant. There are people out there just as terrible or even worse.¡± ¡°...And these people¡­ do they raze viges to the ground and rape mothers in front of their daughters too?¡± ¡°I heard tell someone even rape the mothers and daughters together while the rest of the family watches. It¡¯s a cruel world out there.¡± ¡°Quiet,¡± Erinmanded as they came to a sudden stop right in front of the door. ¡°Are we going in?¡± Nivia asked. Erin shook her head and pointed at a card that was pinned to the door by a small dagger, small enough to be concealed under one¡¯s sleeve. Erin pulled out the dagger and took the card. ¡°What is that?¡± Aera inquired, peeking her head over Erin¡¯s shoulder from behind. She was half a head shorter than Erin after all. Erin held the card close to her eyes. ¡°A spell card,¡± she answered. ¡°A spell card?¡± A look of wonder crossed Nivia¡¯s face. ¡°You mean like a spell scroll or a spell gem but in a card? Is that even possible or efficient?¡± ¡°A spell card is lighter than a spell gem. It is also not as frail as a spell scroll. A creation like this can only be a product of the Covenant.¡± When Erin turned the card around, she discovered a note behind it. ¡°There¡¯s also a note here.¡± ¡°What does it say?¡± Erin frowned with fury dyeing her gaze. ¡°They have Amyra, as we feared.¡± ¡°Spirits be damned¡­¡± ¡°Oh, gods¡­ Is she¡ª¡± ¡°She¡¯s fine,¡± Erin said. ¡°It¡¯s me they want. Amyra is just bait.¡± ¡°Amyra is strong but she got captured¡­ Just who¡ª No¡­ how are we sure, whoever wrote that note, truly has Amyra as they imed?¡± ¡°Aera¡¯s right, Erin. It could be a sham. The lure might very well be fake and Amyra¡¯s still somewhere out there.¡± ¡°I doubt it¡¯s a lie,¡± Erin said and brought up the dagger for the two to see. ¡°The de of this dagger contains traces of a very heavy paralytic poison and a strong hint of Amyra¡¯s blood. She was incapacitated by this dagger and captured afterwards.¡± She then stowed the dagger away into her Vault. ¡°...Damn it,¡± Nivia cursed. ¡°What do we do now? We don¡¯t know where she was taken.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t but this spell card here might bring us to her.¡± ¡°What exactly does this spell card do?¡± ¡°This spell card contains a teleportation spell. Once I use it, I¡¯ll be teleported elsewhere.¡± ¡°But where?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. It doesn¡¯t specify where. I reckon only the caster can know for sure. ¡°And we don¡¯t know if this is Marduk''s doing or the viceroy¡¯s.¡± ¡°Does it matter?¡± ¡°Of course, it does, Erin. Marduk wishes to kill you but the viceroy doesn¡¯t, though thetter intends to use you as some kind of a bargaining chip.¡± ¡°That is just my guess. I don¡¯t actually know what the viceroy wants with me. But it is irrelevant. All the Demoids and Dregs are at Marduk¡¯s whim and disposal, regardless of their alleged allegiance. Truth be told, the viceroy¡¯s dissatisfaction is most likely nothing more than a tantrum in Marduk¡¯s eyes considering he controls all of the Demoids and Dregs.¡± ¡°The important question here is if the teleportation spell is limited to one or all that stand near you?¡± Nivia said. ¡°Only one way to find out. Are you all ready?¡± Nivia and Aera nodded without any hesitation. The two ced their hands each on one side of Erin¡¯s shoulders. Before Erin activated the spell card, she nced at her stats. [Erynthea - Level 55] [Level Progression: 70%] [Skill Points: 4] [Ability Points: 16] She had umted plenty of Ability Points but she held off from spending them as she had yet to know the manner of her uing foe. She would allocate her Ability Points ordingly when she came face to face with her next opponent. As for her Skill Points, her current focus was on Spatial Magic. It was a very handy Magic Art to have and she decided on it being her primary focus in improving her Magic Arts. She nced at Aera, whose level had shot up to the range of thirties due to enemies in in her rampaging rage. Due to Wrathmonger, level differences meant little to her unless her opponent were twenty levels higher than her level. Nivia had also gone through a significant increment in her stats and levels. She was currently level thirty-nine and nearing forty. The proficiency of her Arcane Arts was also increasing steadily. ¡°They¡¯re getting stronger¡­¡± Erin spoke with relief in her heart. It was reassuring to know that herpanions would rise out of her shadow one day and walk independently, though thetter part was influenced by their desire to be by her side. Erin gripped the card tightly with both hands and began pouring her Mana into the card. In a simr fashion to all magic-induced tools, the card shone in a dazzling glow, signifying the activation of the spell. An incantation circle appeared beneath their feet and beams of light erupted from the circle. The usual spectacle unfolded around them and the striking disy of incessant lights swallowed the group. As how the spectacle would go, they were spat out by the light that swallowed them and they were now in a ce they had no knowledge of. They were underground, most likely in a cer of a building but neither Erin nor Nivia could truly tell as a spell was in ce to disrupt the grasp of their surroundings. ¡°Where are we?¡± Aera asked once she got her bearings. Nivia and Erin did not lose their bearings as they were limated to such treatment of spells. ¡°Haven¡¯t a clue,¡± Nivia answered with a grumble. Her gaze scoured the room and all that she could make out was that they were in a dungeon of some kind. ¡°Just keep your wits about you,¡± Erin said. She wasn¡¯t letting her gaze wander. Instead, she was staring intensely in a single direction. ¡°Danger¡¯s afoot.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t sense anything.¡± Nivia cast Life Sense around her but it did not return any result¡ª or so she thought. ¡°Wait, I do sense something. It¡¯s faint. It¡¯sing from another room.¡± ¡°Is it Amyra?¡± Aera asked. ¡°I can¡¯t tell. The walls are strange. It hinders the reach of Spirits. We can only ascertain the identity of the presence by going into that room.¡± ¡°Then we should¡ª¡± ¡°No.¡± Erin stopped her. ¡°Whoever it is in the other room, we need to deal with the voyeur in this room.¡± ¡°Voyeur? What are you¡ª¡± Erin conjured up her sword using Bespoke and shed at the empty air behind her. Instead of splitting the still breeze, her sword bounced off as if something had deflected her de. The space where she had struck rippled and a ck-skinned man stepped out of the ripples. The man was dressed in a in tunic and trousers with a cowl pulled over half of his face. In his hand was a sword that he had used to parry Erin¡¯s sh. The man¡¯s sudden appearance evoked a hasty retreat from Nivia and Aera but not Erin, who stood her ground and stared dubiously at him. ¡°Who are you,¡± Erin asked. ¡°I¡¯m Uvir.¡± ¡°Is that mypanion in the other room?¡± ¡°It is.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s your master?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a ve to no one, except for money. My allegiance is sworn to the highest bidder.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re a mercenary.¡± ¡°That¡¯s one way to put it. I¡­ retrieve things for those who are willing to pay for my service. Just so it happens, Rn Grid and¡­ this other person had both requested me to apprehend you with thetter caring little about your health. Funnily enough, I have already been paid upfront half of my service by the two. So¡ª whoa!¡± Erin had lunged at Uvir with a swipe but he moved out of the way using Warp. ¡°How rude!¡± the man scoffed. ¡°I wasn¡¯t finished. I¡¯m not a Demoid, you know.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care. You¡¯re against me that¡¯s all I need to know and you hurt mypanion.¡± ¡°Fair enough. Let¡¯s not stall the inevitable any longer,¡± Uvir said and swung his sword, sending Aura des her way. Erin flourished her sword and parried all of the Aura de aiming for her. Nivia didn¡¯t dawdle and shot three arrows at Uvir. The hooded man jittered and the arrows missed their mark. Aera pounced at Uvir with her ming fists raised but shuddered out of the way and dodged the punch. ¡°Spatial Magic?¡± Nivia gasped. ¡°Erin, what are the results of your Appraisal?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no result!¡± Uvirughed. ¡°You can¡¯t appraise me. My Spatial Magic is level eight. You best believe me when I say that the three of you are no match for me even if you all work together to fight me.¡± ¡°We shall see,¡± Erin said and unleashed her Lust. A shallow pink mist filled the room. Her tails began glowing in a faint yet radiant violet. ¡°This shall be quick.¡± ¡°You¡¯re confident and yet, there¡¯s little arrogance in you.¡± Uvir chuckled. ¡°Not bad. I always look forward to a good fight against someone with a proper head on their shoulders.¡± ¡°So do I,¡± Erin retorted and shifted her sword into a sabre that was the length of a greatsword. 4-75 Spatial flurry 4-75 Spatial flurry Every single strand of hair on her body stood at attention. Erin knew her opponent would be immensely different from the others she had faced so far. She hadn¡¯t felt this much apprehension since her battle with the Ashen Knight. It wasn¡¯t her opponent¡¯s skill or level that made her apprehensive. Rather, it was the notion of what kind of intricate ability her opponent had that made her fretful. ¡°You can have the next move,¡± Ovir said, a grin adorning his face. ¡°I won¡¯t dodge. I promise.¡± ¡°Erin, don¡¯t fall for it,¡± Nivia warned, who had her bow drawn and an arrow trained on Ovir. ¡°It¡¯s a trick.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Erin responded in a whisper. ¡°Trick or not, being passive won¡¯t do us any favours.¡± Aera was ring at Ovir hard as if she was intending to bore through him with her gaze alone. ¡°Erin, may I¡ª¡± ¡°No, Aera. Wait for my signal,¡± Erin said and finally lunged at her foe once again with Fleet Foot. ¡°Oh, finally,¡± Ovir huffed in mockery andzily raised his sword in response. Erin elerated herself with Lightning Rush when there were only a few feet between her and Ovir. Her sword streaked through the air with a silver sh. The tip darted towards Ovir¡¯s head in a blink of an eye. However, Erin¡¯s sword, along with herself, passed right through Ovir as if he was only a mirage. ¡°What the fuck was that?!¡± Erin was convinced she had struck an illusion of sorts but her conviction was shattered when her Sixth Sense cried out the danger that immediately followed. She spun around just in time to block Ovir¡¯s sh that was aiming for her head. Sparks flew as the metal shed. ¡°It¡¯s no illusion?¡± ¡°Surprised?¡± Ovir smirked. ¡°Of course, you would be. You¡¯re still a greenhorn in the field of magic.¡± An arrow flew harmlessly right through Ovir¡¯s head simr to Erin¡¯s attempt just seconds ago. ¡°Spatial Magic,¡± Nivia said. ¡°There¡¯s no doubt about that. It¡¯s Spatial Magic. It has to be.¡± Ovir chuckled. ¡°The Elf is correct.¡± He shrugged. ¡°But what good will that do? It will not change the oue of this battle. Maybe the journey will be different now, but the end remains the same. Victory shall still be mine.¡± ¡°Be my guest,¡± Erin said and thrust forward with a sh. ¡°Whoa there,¡± Ovir eximed in feigned surprise as he easily parried Erin¡¯s blow. Erin used her deflected momentum to swing herself into another sh. Ovir sidestepped her de with acent smirk but it disappeared as abruptly as he ducked down. The space above him split into half and disced against one another for a few seconds before everything returned to normal. ¡°Rend,¡± Ovir muttered and tutted. ¡°Bollocks. You¡¯re a Spatial Magic practitioner too.¡± Erin shrugged in response to Ovir¡¯s rattled scowl. ¡°I retract what I said. Your arrogance is overflowing. Your confidence is just your arrogance¡¯s ripple.¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± Ovir snorted. ¡°You¡¯re really¡ª¡± He cut his words short and spun to the side just as Aera¡¯s fist darted past him. ¡°You fucking daughter of a¡ª!¡± He once again left his sentence hanging to dodge another attack, an arrow from a certain Elf. ¡°Oh? He¡¯s not using that strange Spatial Magic spell of his,¡± Nivia remarked. ¡°Spatial Magic requires a lot of mental vigour in addition to its tremendous Mana expenditure. He probably only used it early on to discourage us. I don¡¯t believe it¡¯s a spell that he could use consecutively.¡± Ovir grunted. ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± ¡°Allow me to ascertain that,¡± Erin retorted and suddenly appeared in front of him with her sword already swinging. This time, her sword passed through Ovir harmlessly. ¡°Oops, you¡¯re wrong, Fox,¡± Ovir scoffed. Instead of his sword, he moved his fingers as if he was drawing a line in the air. Erin recognised the movement and didn¡¯t hesitate in dodging Ovir¡¯s Rend. Meanwhile, Aera leapt at Ovir from behind. ¡°How uncouth.¡± Ovir spun around and thrust his sword at Aera. Nivia shot an arrow at Ovir¡¯s de, discing his aim and allowing Aera¡¯s fist to reach him. But it didn¡¯t. Ovir evaded her fist at thest second by tilting his head slightly to the side. Erin seized this chance and threw a sh, sandwiching Ovir between two attacks. Before Erin¡¯s de could reach him, he disappeared from Erin¡¯s sight. ¡°Behind you!¡± Nivia shouted and shot an arrow towards Erin¡¯s rear nk. Ovir huffed as he battered Nivia¡¯s arrow out of the air and lunged at Erin. Etherealyers of armour d Erin¡¯s tail and Ovir¡¯s de struck them as they came into his path. ¡°So, they¡¯re not just pure embellishments for your beauty. I have been remiss.¡± Erin shoved Ovir off her tails and retaliated with a flurry of attacks from her swords. Ovir dodged all of her shes without receiving a single graze or scratch. Erin wasn¡¯t surprised by Ovir¡¯s inconceivable disy of evading her de. She also had Spatial Sense. Her Spatial Magic was only at level six. Ovir¡¯s Spatial Magic was definitely higher than hers. It was only logical that his Spatial Sense was capable of this extent. Ovir parried Erin¡¯sst sh and riposted. A small tinge of fear assailed Erin. She countered his riposte and retreated a few steps away from him. Had it not been for her Spatial Sense and Lust-enhanced stats, she would not have been able to see that strikeing and dodge it. This battle was akin to fighting a foe with the power of foresight. Spatial Sense was probably the closest thing to foresight as far as she knew. It allowed the user to predict the trajectory of an attack. Sometimes, even feints could be exposed. Before Aera could lunge at Ovir again, he turned her way and stared straight at her. Aera felt a chill running down her spine and she froze in her steps. ¡°You have such a maiden-like appearance but you¡¯re just a brute in truth. You have no grace. ¡°Your punches are¡­ more tant than a child¡¯s lie.¡± ¡°Erin, he¡¯s stalling,¡± Nivia said. ¡°He¡¯s recovering his Mana as we speak.¡± ¡°So what if I am?¡± Ovir asked. ¡°Be grateful that I¡¯m offering you all respite.¡± ¡°I am grateful,¡± Erin retorted dryly and threw an Aura Shot, but it was swallowed up by the space near Ovir. Erin wasn¡¯t disheartened or daunted. She kept swinging her sword, throwing Aura Shots after Aura Shots. Her projectiles kept being devoured by the rippling space around Ovir. ¡°The result won¡¯t change just because you keep a routine. Have you gone mad from your inability to gain even a single edge in this battle?¡± ¡°Oh, just be quiet, will you?¡± Nivia scoffed and released arrows after arrows at Ovir. Her arrows too were swallowed up by ripples. ¡°What is this? What are you ying at?¡± Aera bounced her gaze between Erin and Nivia. She didn¡¯t understand what those two were doing either but she didn¡¯t want to be left out. And so, she also beganunching her own projectiles at Ovir in the form of firebolts, thrown by swinging her me-d fists. ¡°Is this it? Is this your y here? You¡¯re trying to suppress me with barrages of attacks?¡± Ovirughed with his head thrown back. ¡°I¡¯m unimpressed. This is so disappointing. I expected more from you, Lady Erynthea. But this foolery is all that you can amount to. How utterly pitiful. I suppose I have let this farce go on long enough.¡± The space around him began to distort and whirl. The projectiles bombarding him were devoured at a pace faster than before, to the point that the devouring was outpacing the barrage. ¡°Witness true strength!¡± Ovir bellowed. The whirling space around him was pushed out at his cry. It surged towards the three like a tide. Erin warped to Nivia¡¯s side and pulled her into an embrace. She castyers of Arcane Aegisus in front of them. As for Aera, the violet mes swelled from her fists and enveloped her body. The rippling shockwave crashed into them. Aera was instantly swept off her feet and carried off while Erin and Nivia withstood the force with the help of the Arcane Aegises. When the assault receded, Erin dispelled the Aegisus and brandished her sword at Ovir. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m a little impressed. You withstood a Spatial Magic attack with just the flimsy Arcane Aegis spell. Your aptitude for that magic must be quite high. Still, it is of no threat to me.¡± Erin¡¯s free hand began crackling with lightning. ¡°Are you sure about that, Fae? We are in an enclosed space. Surely you don¡¯t intend to bring this whole ce down on us, are you? You may be able to escape but what about your friends?¡± ¡°Keep bbering,¡± Erin said and tossed the lightning in her hand. ¡°You never learn.¡± Ovir fended off the Lightning Bolt without difficulty. Erin tossed another Lightning Bolt. And Ovir cut it down with an unamused face. ¡°Really? We¡¯re doing this again?¡± Nivia shot an arrow imbued by her Wind Magic. Ovir was ready to cut that arrow down but the arrow veered from its original path and came at him from behind. But the arrow hit an invisible barrier. Nivia quickly nocked another arrow, imbued it with Wind Magic, and released it at Ovir. Shepleted the routine in just two seconds. She could even do it within one second if the situation called for it. ¡°Don¡¯t you ever learn!?¡± Ovir snarled and snatched the arrow right out of the air. ¡°You can¡¯t hit¡ª¡± Suddenly, the arrow in Ovir¡¯s hand exploded with a blinding radiance. Ovir¡¯s eyes shut themselves spontaneously. ¡°You damned bitches!¡± he cried and iled his sword around in a panic. ¡°Now!¡± Erin shouted in her heart but Nivia caught her soundlessmand. Together, they lunged at Ovir while he was temporarily incapacitated by the intense burst of a sh. Nivia and Erin easily avoided Ovir¡¯s desperate and random shes. Nivia sheathed her bow and exchanged her weapon of choice for a pair of short swords. A sh came her way by deliberate chance. She parried the blow and took a swipe at Ovir¡¯s side belly. Her swords cut into his flesh this time and he shouted in agony. ¡°Damn you!!¡± Ovir roared and shed at Nivia, or where he presumed she was by tracing her attack. However, his de found nothing but wind. ¡°Fuck!!¡± Erin aimed for his arm and swung her sabre. To her surprise, not by much, her de passed right through his joint harmlessly. ¡°Die!!¡± Ovir hissed and thrust his sword towards Erin, or where he felt Erin was. Erin tutted. She repelled his sword and countered with a roundhouse cut, but Ovir dodged her sh once again. Erin shed again and he dodged her attack yet again. Erin clicked her tongue and leapt away from him and so did Nivia. Eventually, Ovir¡¯s sight returned to him and he slowly opened his eyes. Unlike his zestful vigour before, he was now panting hard and bearing a haggard expression. ¡°He¡¯s tired,¡± Nivia remarked. ¡°Of course, he is,¡± Erin said. ¡°Spatial Magic is quite costly.¡± ¡°Victory is certain for us then.¡± ¡°Not quite. We still do not know what other tricks he¡¯s hiding. For a prideful and conceited man like him, it¡¯s naive to think he would just ept his loss like a good little boy.¡± ¡°Sneer all you want,¡± Ovir spat in between hisborious breaths. ¡°Your notion of victory just proves how green you are. It¡¯s a costly magic, aye, but it¡¯s no indication of my peril or defeat. You should get your heads out of the clouds. You can¡¯t beat me!¡± ¡°Erin, can we just kill him?¡± Nivia asked in a low voice. ¡°We can but that¡¯s easier said than done. The best we can do is to wear him down.¡± ¡°Enough stalling now!¡± Ovir snarled and appeared right in front of the two. He swung his sword at Nivia and then he swung his empty hand at Erin, or so she thought it was empty. She felt it with her Sixth Sense and Spatial Sense. Instead of blocking the unseen attack, Erin moved away and she felt something cutting through the air where she had been. ¡°A de moulded of space?¡± Now that she realised what it was, she could faintly perceive a shallow blur in the shape of a sword in Ovir¡¯s hand. ¡°Foolish vixen,¡± Ovir scoffed with a sneer and swung his Spatial de at Nivia, who was already locked in a sh with his corporeal sword. ¡°Nivia!¡± Erin shouted and warped in between Nivia. She parried away Ovir¡¯s corporeal de but her sword passed right through his de and also his arm. ¡°Fool,¡± Ovir snorted and swung his Spatial de down. Erin¡¯s sword was in the path of his arms but her de wasn¡¯t able to harm him. And his Spatial de wasing for her. She could easily dodge his swing but Nivia would be the victim. She conjured up Arcane Aegisus but none of her shield spells hindered Ovir¡¯s Spatial de. ¡°Erin!¡± Nivia cried as she watched Ovir¡¯s peculiar sword cleave right through Erin diagonally, from shoulder to waist, like a hot knife against butter. There was no blood stter. There was no gory spill. Erin¡¯s upper body simply slid right off her lower part. 4-76 The undying fox 4-76 The undying fox Nivia could barely hold her scream back. She sucked her grief back and swallowed it. Now was no time for her to be mourning, or there was even a need for it at all. She steeled her nerves, ceased her sobbing, and trained her bow at Ovir. ¡°Well, this is awkward¡­¡± ¡°Shut your trap¡­¡± Nivia growled. ¡°Put down your bow.¡± Instead of lowering her bow, Nivia pulled on the string. ¡°Do you have any idea what you have done?¡± Ovir shrugged. ¡°I killed your dear friend?¡± ¡°Do you not know the consequence of murdering a Fae? Have you not heard about what would transpire?¡± ¡°I know of it and I have heard about those stories multiple times.¡± ¡°Those aren¡¯t stories. They are facts. You have just damned this whole valley and yourself. Do you not realise that?¡± Ovir snorted. ¡°I never bought into those hogwashes. How many Fae do you think have been murdered in cold blood? And what became of their murderers or thends where they breathed theirst? Nothing happened. Your friend here ain¡¯t the first Fae I have killed but she was the first Fox-kin.¡± Nivia¡¯s anger rose and she clenched her fingers on the string tighter. ¡°Besides, even if it was true, I¡¯ll do it over and over again even if I¡¯m given another chance. For the amount of gold on her head, I doubt anyone would care about the superstition.¡± ¡°Despicable,¡± Nivia snarled. ¡°Well, I do want to live a long life. You won¡¯t live long if you¡¯re not despicable.¡± ¡°Because of people like you.¡± Ovir rolled his eyes. ¡°Think what you will. My work here is done. Now, if you will excuse me, I need your friend¡¯s head as proof of¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you dare touch her body!¡± Nivia shouted and released the arrow. Ovir sneered and nted his head to the side, dodging Nivia¡¯s arrow. ¡°Get away from her body!¡± Nivia quickly nocked another arrow and aimed at Ovir¡¯s head. Ovir smirked and ambled towards Nivia, stepping over Erin¡¯s bisected corpse. Nivia backed away a few steps with a re that was treading between fear and rage. ¡°Be at ease, would you?¡± ¡°Why should I?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to hurt you.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m supposed to believe you?¡± ¡°The bounty is only for the Fox-kin. There¡¯s no¡­ reward of any sort for your head. Killing you would be¡­ a waste. Your beauty would be wasted on death. I¡¯ll forgive you for this cut you gave me.¡± Ovir pointed at his waist. ¡°Well, it¡¯s just a shallow cut anyway.¡± ¡°Trivial ttery will get you nowhere, certainly not my clemency.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need your clemency, Elf. It''s you who needs mine but fortunately you, I have a proposal.¡± ¡°Decline.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t even¡ª¡± ¡°Go fuck yourself with a cactus.¡± Ovir feigned a shudder. ¡°How surprisingly uncouth for an Elf.¡± He then chuckled. ¡°I don¡¯t dislike it. Same as how I don¡¯t dislike your incredibly modest bosom. Simply a delight for my eyes.¡± Nivia released the string from her fingers and sent the arrow streaking towards Ovir. As could be expected, Ovir effortlessly cut the arrow down. ¡°Be my woman and I shall share the bounty with you and more.¡± ¡°You¡¯re delusional.¡± ¡°Hell, I¡¯ll even let your Augur friend live.¡± ¡°Do you actually think that I¡¯ll even be slightly tempted?¡± Ovir sighed. ¡°I suppose not. I did kill two of your friends.¡± ¡°Correction. You only killed one.¡± As if right on cue, Ovir spun around and deflected a violet firebolt darting towards his head. Following right behind the firebolt was Aera, her whole body d in violet mes like a veil of armour, charging towards Ovir. ¡°Hoh? You survived? Impressive.¡± ¡°You killed Erin!!¡± Aera roared and threw a haymaker. Ovir easily dodged Aera¡¯s feral punch and retaliated with a simple yet swift sh. However, his sword bounced right off of Aera as if he had hit steel. ¡°What are those peculiar mes on you?¡± Aera responded with a lunge and a battle cry. Ovir sidestepped her assault. ¡°Fine. Sulk in silence. Answer or not, it changes nothing.¡± Aera kept throwing all kinds of attacks she knew but Ovir dodged or parried her attack without any difficulty. However, his breathing gradually turned ragged as Aera¡¯s relentless dragged on. ¡°Damn it! You¡¯re goddamn annoying!¡± The odds of their exchange tipped ever so slightly in Aera¡¯s favour. Ovir had expended a lot of his Mana and mental vigour in his fight against Erin and Nivia. Though he wouldn¡¯t admit it, even he had his limits and he was gradually nearing them. In the midst of his sh with Aera, he noticed the absence of Nivia¡¯s assault. When he nced at where he thought she was, he found no one. Then, he noticed the door to the other room was ajar. ¡°Bloody bastard,¡± Ovir uttered. ¡°If that Augur came into y, then I would¡ª No, that wouldn¡¯t happen. The Elf does not know how to break those chains. But the Augur isn¡¯t the problem here¡­¡± The longer the fight dragged on, the faster and stronger Aera was bing. Ovir realised this particr fight when Aera¡¯s punch nearly grazed his cheek. He was only unharmed due to his Spatial Sense but he couldn¡¯t rely on it for long. It was mentally draining and his body also had its limits. ¡°No¡­ I can¡¯t lose here. It will be all for nothing if I get beaten by this unassuming maiden pretender here.¡± In apse of his concentration, Aera¡¯s fist ended up connecting with his face and it sent him tumbling across the room. He bounced on the ground a few times before he recovered his bearings and flipped to his feet. ¡°You punched me¡­¡± Ovir rubbed the spot where he was punched. ¡°You actually managed to punch me. Not the Elf or the Fox-kin but you¡­ Absurd!¡± He warped in front of Aera, a Spatial de in hand, ready to swing. However, a st of me rammed into him from the side. Thanks to the spatial barrier he conjured just in time, he was spared from being turned into cinders. But the mes still pushed him a good distance away from Aera. ¡°Leave the maiden alone, you snide,¡± Amyra said as she strode into the room with Nivia limping behind her. ¡°You broke the chains¡­ How? No simple magic could¡ª¡± ¡°Aye, no simple magic,¡± Nivia huffed with an exhausted grin. ¡°But fortunately for me, I have an aptitude for Light Magic. Laser cuts through those chains well.¡± ¡°A Light Magic practitioner¡­ How convenient. Just what are the fucking odds?¡± ¡°It¡¯s your loss, thief¡± ¡°Thief? Me? How rich,ing from you.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s my sword, you blighter?¡± ¡°Who knows?¡± Ovir shrugged. ¡°And you took me for a blighter in addition to a thief. I heard tell of your exploits with various taken women and you have the galls to use me of being a thief and a blighter.¡± Amyra scoffed in disbelief. ¡°Better than you who kills for gold, regardless if your mark is just a child or an elderly, or an infant for that matter.¡± Ovir narrowed his gaze. ¡°And I thought you do not know who I am.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t but I had some time to think about things. Now I recall who you are. Further up north, they call you the Rift Strider, don¡¯t they?¡± ¡°My reputation precedes me, it would seem.¡± ¡°He¡¯s the Rift Strider?¡± Nivia eximed. ¡°The same one who was said to have done a number of jobs for numerous High Lords of Yorun?¡± ¡°The very same.¡± Ovir sniggered. ¡°Now do you perhaps truly understand who exactly you are fighting against?¡± Amyra chuckled. ¡°Do you?¡± Ovir nced at Aera, who looked ready to lunge at him at any given moment. ¡°I have some ideas.¡± ¡°I doubt that.¡± ¡°Why would you doubt that? I am many things but being a liar is not one of them.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not calling you a liar. You¡¯re just¡­ unaware.¡± ¡°Unaware? Unaware of wh¡ªgrh!¡± Ovir choked on his own words as he felt a swift movement behind him. He realised it all toote and he knew then there was no way for him to dodge it. He could still use Warp but due to his mental exhaustion, he could use it as immediately as before. A de, wrapped in a thin veil of a violet glow, pierce through his heart from behind. ¡°Unaware of me,¡± Erin answered. Ovir turned his gaze behind with much strain, ncing over his shoulder. ¡°H-how?¡± What he saw was Erin, in one piece, when she should have been in two and dead on the ground. ¡°A gift from a goddess, one can say,¡± she retorted and pulled her de out from his body. Ovir clutched at the hole in his chest that was bleeding profusely. Though he barely had any time left, he spent it all on turning his body around to get at least a good nce at his killer. ¡°Preposterous¡­ A divine apostle¡­ y-you, a Fae?¡± ¡°Your belief matters to me not. Just be d that your suffering isn¡¯t prolonged as I have contrarily wished for you.¡± Ovir gave Erin one final snort of derision before falling lifelessly face-first to the ground. [Experience gained +10% - Level Progression: 70%] ¡°Only ten percent? No, this is to be expected. All four of us here had some contribution in this fight.¡± ¡°E-Erin¡­¡± Aera gasped. ¡°You¡¯re alive!¡± ¡°Revenant, remember? Did I not tell you about that ability?¡± ¡°Y-you have but¡­¡± Aera¡¯s voice trailed off as the violet mes enveloping her gradually receded. ¡°But seeing you die ande back to life with my own eyes is a whole other impression.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m alive. That¡¯s all that counts¡­¡± Erin smiled, her hands rubbing the spot where she was cut apart. ¡°If only that¡¯s truly all that counts¡­¡± ¡°Only in death does he learn to keep his mouth shut,¡± Amyra said. ¡°He never shut up, you know. For the whole time he waited for your arrival, he bbered without stop.¡± ¡°Are you hurt anywhere?¡± Erin asked. ¡°Only my head.¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t hurt you?¡± ¡°He can¡¯t. The chains holding me dulls not just my magic but also those around it. I was essentially impervious to magic, ironically. Without the Spatial Magic he held so much pride in, his flimsy de could not cut through my skin. Augurs¡¯ skins are naturally and incredibly tough. He thought about punching me but fortunately for him, he had a working brain and he managed not to make a fool of himself.¡± Erin sighed with a smile. ¡°You¡¯re fine and woundless. That¡¯s all I need to know.¡± ¡°Well, we best get going¡ª speaking of which, any of us here know how to get out of this ce?¡± Erin looked around and she saw no path leading to an egress. ¡°There must be a concealed pathway, hidden from in sight.¡± ¡°Allow me,¡± Nivia said and cast a Wing Magic spell on the whole room. ¡°There,¡± Nivia pointed to one side of the room not long after she cast the spell. Amyra strode up to where Nivia pointed and thrust her foot into the wall. The air didn¡¯t ripple but the ground did as the wall exploded. A hole was made with that single kick from the Augur. A dark passageway was revealed but the darkness did not span forever. Lights could be seen at the end of the passageway. ¡°Any traps?¡± Amyra asked. ¡°No,¡± Nivia answered. ¡°As far as I can tell, there¡¯s no hidden deadly contraptions, though it will be a different story if it¡¯s a spell trap.¡± Amyra turned her gaze to Erin. ¡°Any spell traps?¡± ¡°Yes, there¡¯s one but¡­ I don¡¯t believe it can be triggered just by simply stepping on it.¡± ¡°What kind of spell?¡± ¡°Sleep.¡± ¡°Sleep? Hmm, curious. I expected a spell like Explosion or Earth Split. Whoever set this ce up had no intention of destroying it even if things went awry. What to make of that?¡± ¡°...We are underneath a ce of significant importance,¡± Erin said. ¡°We may meet strong resistance once we reach the surface.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Amyra cracked her knuckles and stretched her neck. ¡°If I can¡¯t find my sword above, then the resistance awaiting us will do nicely for me to diffuse my anger and frustrations.¡± 4-77 4-77 A/N: I give up on naming the titles. ¡°Is that all you¡¯re capable of?¡± Rex sneered in between his quick breaths that were the result of his intense battle with Olivia. Wounds riddled his body and blood dripped incessantly. However, there was not a single trace of distress or unease in his expression as if his umted injuries were not deserving of his concern. Rex¡¯s indifference towards his wounds was not a product of arrogance. With a shrug of his shoulders, the tattoos all over his body gave off a radiant glow and the illumination dispelled his wounds, as if they had not existed in the first ce. ¡°Spell brands?¡± Olivia widened her eyes, not just because Rex¡¯s wounds suddenly disappeared altogether but also the spell brands that had appeared on his body. ¡°Brands, markings, tattoos, whatever you wish to call them.¡± ¡°How is that possible?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not even sure myself.¡± ¡°The Mana surges should have ripped you inside out.¡± ¡°My body is just that sturdy, I suppose? Myck of aptitude for Magic Arts ispensated by my physical prowess and my affinity with Combat Arts.¡± Olivia clicked her tongue. Despair wrought her face. Despite giving it her all, this battle didn¡¯t evene close to her victory. She was in a state worse than Rex''s before his unforeseen instant recovery. Unlike Rex who was simply mildly breathless, Olivia was barely keeping her breath under control. In fact, she could barely keep her stance. A singlepse of focus would be all it took for her consciousness to leave her. ¡°I¡¯m impressed though, truly. I can¡¯t remember thest time I¡¯m wounded to this degree. You have my respect, mdy.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need your respect,¡± Olivia hissed. ¡°Fair enough. But anyway, it¡¯s time to end this charade,¡± Rex said, He thrust his hand towards her neck, wrapping it around her neck, and lifting her off the ground. ¡°Tell me, where¡¯s Erynthea?¡± ¡°K-kill me¡­¡± ¡°I will but not before you tell me what I want to know.¡± Olivia raised her arm with much strain and weakly hit Rex in the head. ¡°Fuck¡­ you,¡± she spat with barely any vigour in her voice. Rex sighed. He tightened his grip around Olivia¡¯s neck. ¡°Just tell me and I¡¯ll make your suffering short.¡± Olivia groaned as her body twitched due to her being choked even harder. His expression remained defiant and hardy as ever, coupled with a re that seemed to be boring holes through Rex¡¯s gaze. ¡°I can do much worse than this but I preferred not to out of my respect for your¡­ feat.¡± ¡°As I¡­ said, fuck¡­ you. I will tell you¡­ nothing.¡± ¡°Very well, then. I¡¯m not good at torture so I won¡¯t bother making a fool of myself doing it. It has been nice knowing a worthy opponent such as you but all good things muste to an end.¡± Saying that, Rex straightened his palm, preparing to drive it into Olivia¡¯s heart. It was then that a long-forgotten aspect of him made its return, and that aspect was ¡°fear¡±. Rex felt death walking past him, whispering to him his demise into his ears. The chill ran down his spine and shivers crawled through his skin. Fear wasn¡¯t something he had cast away or discarded. It was just that he had be so strong that there was nothing that could instil fear into his heart. He thought nothing or no one could ever do so again, until now. He instantly tossed Olivia aside and spun around to meet the source of his fear. Rex saw a man walking towards him. No, it was more like the man was striding towards him. The man was donned in full body armour that was made of metal that he couldn¡¯t quite recognise. His Appraisal skill was only limited to appraising a person¡¯s status information. It did not allow him to appraise an object. There was not a hint of fear or unease in the armoured man¡¯s steps. His gait remained firm and uniform as he approached Rex closer and closer. ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± Rex asked, cracking his knuckles. He didn''t know who the person was but he knew this would only end in a fight. The man¡¯s face was covered by his armour¡¯s visor, so Rex couldn¡¯t get a look at the man¡¯s appearance. ¡°Aedan. I¡¯m an acquaintance of Marduk.¡± ¡°The boss¡¯ acquaintance?¡± ¡°His teacher, you could also say.¡± Rex snorted. ¡°Truly?¡± ¡°Truly.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I believe you. I can¡¯t read your stats but I can feel that you''re merely in the early sixties at best.¡± Yet, he couldn¡¯t erase the budding dread in his heart. The person in front of him was dangerous, his instincts kept telling him despite all notions to the contrary. ¡°Levels are not everything, my friend.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not your friend.¡± ¡°True. That just makes this easier,¡± Aedan said and assumed his battle stance, which resembled a brawling stance. ¡°You use your fists?¡± Rex questioned dubiously. This was the first time he had seen someone resorting to his fists when they were donning full body armour. ¡°And my feet too.¡± Rex chuckled. ¡°Just who the hell are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Aedan.¡± Rex¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°You¡¯re acquainted with the Dragondy behind me?¡± ¡°She¡¯s more than just an acquaintance. Not lovers but more than friends.¡± ¡°So, it stands to reason that you would know who¡¯s Erynthea and where I can find her, no?¡± ¡°You are absolutely correct.¡± ¡°Good. Then I shall ask you, where¡¯s Erynthea?¡± ¡°You can have your answer if you defeat me inbat.¡± ¡°Fine by me!¡± Rex cried in delight and lunged at Aedan without a second dy. Though he lunged, to the untrained eyes, it would look as if he had teleported. Aedan¡¯s eyes were not untrained. He saw Rex¡¯s movement clearly in spite of his tremendous level of loss. He stepped to the side and dodged a straight punch from Rex. ¡°Not bad,¡± Rexmended and immediately threw another punch. Aedan dodged low and the hook went over his head. In retaliation, he rose with an uppercut to Rex¡¯s chin. However, Rex backed away, narrowly dodging Aedan¡¯s uppercut. Or so he thought. Something unseen hit him straight in the face and he went stumbling backwards. Before he could get back hisposure, Aedan thrust towards him with a kick. Rex spun his body to the side. He clearly saw Aedan¡¯s kick missing his body by a foot or two. However, the unseen force once again struck him, in the belly this time around. He staggered but he held his bearings. ¡°What manner of deception is this?¡± Rex snarled. Aedan shrugged and twisted his whole body into a roundhouse kick. ¡°Fine, keep your secrets.¡± Rex caught Aedan¡¯s foot with ease. ¡°Ain¡¯t my main concern anyway,¡± he said and flung Aedan through themp poles as he weighed nothing. Aedan was quick in getting back to his feet after crashing through more than tenmp poles that were by no means soft or frail. Even a thickyer of steel would be dented but not the metal of Aedan¡¯s armour. ¡°Whatever trick you¡¯re using, it changes nothing. You either tell me where¡¯s Erynthea on your own, or I¡¯ll force it out of you until your veryst breath.¡± ¡°You are most wee to try,¡± Aedan said with a smirk andplemented it with a theatrical bow. Aside from fear, wrath was also something that had started to fade out of relevance for Rex. This was because he had be so strong that the snide remarks and the taunts of all his foes just seemed like the act of children crying solely for attention. Rex couldn¡¯t help but feel that he was being demeaned to the depths by his current foe¡¯s indifference and apathy to the gap of their strength. Rex wasn¡¯t wrong, however. It wasn¡¯t just a feeling. Aedan was demeaning him. ¡°I have half a mind to let you live if you told me where Erynthea is but not anymore. I am going to take my time tearing you to pieces even after I have gotten what I want.¡± ¡°h h h h. Anyone can bark like a dog but not anyone can bite like one.¡± ¡°I am going to enjoy this very much,¡± Rex said with a wide grin. The tattoos on his right hand glowed. He pulled at the air as if he was gripping onto an invisible rope. Suddenly, from afar, Aedan was pulled towards Rex. To others¡¯ eyes, it would look as if Aedan flew at Rex himself. Right before Aedan fell into Rex¡¯s grasp, he flipped his entire body while in the air and sent a kick to Rex¡¯s face. Rex tutted and cancelled his spell to avoid being trampled in the face. It would not hurt him badly but there was just something incredibly humiliating about getting the sole of someone¡¯s foot nted straight on his face. Aedan seized this chance to regain control of his body. Hended on both of his feet and thrust his palm out at Rex, though his palm failed to reach Rex with a gap of a few feet in between. Despite this, Rex felt an invisible force being driven into his torso. His body jerked backwards. His feet left the ground from being hit by the unseen force. He was driven back a few feet but he did not lose his bnce. ¡°Damn it,¡± Aedan cursed. ¡°You¡¯re tougher than I want to admit.¡± ¡°The feelings¡¯ mutual,¡± Rex groaned, rubbing at the spot where he was struck. ¡°Just what sort of trickery is this?¡± ¡°I thought you said you weren¡¯t interested.¡± ¡°I only said that your trickery isn¡¯t my main concern but I¡¯m still curious about it.¡± Rex stretched and wound his shoulders. Those three strikes that he received didn¡¯t appear to have left anysting damage on him. ¡°Care to let me know?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll have to earn that,¡± Aedan retorted and lunged at Rex. ¡°Figures,¡± Rex mumbled and met Aedan¡¯s assault in kind. Rex threw the first punch, which Aedan swiftly dodged. The Dragon-kin retaliated with a hook but he missed, as expected. Rex went for Aedan¡¯s arm but he pulled back before his arm could be grabbed. With his arm being Rex¡¯s focus, Aedan sent a furtive jab into Rex¡¯s belly from below. ¡°Oh, shit,¡± Aedan muttered grimly as his punch barely did anything to Rex. Rex snorted. ¡°And I was worried for nothing.¡± He then grabbed Aedan by his shoulder and legs, raising him up high before mming him down into the ground. ¡°I don¡¯t know what just happened but it works in my favour!¡± Rex cheered and raised his foot, preparing to stomp down on Aedan. ¡°Fucking hell.¡± Aedan moved out of the way by pushing himself away just as Rex¡¯s foot came down. Though he avoided being trampled in the face, the shockwave from Rex¡¯s stomp still hit him and sent him tumbling across the ruined street. ¡°You¡¯re fast, I¡¯ll give you that.¡± ¡°Why, thank you,¡± Aedan responded and rose to his feet unsteadily. He closed and opened his fists as he shrugged to gather his bearings. It had been forever since hest felt this feeble and weak. Though he had spent a long time being weak, he had spent an even longer time amongst the strong. His punch had failed him just now because he had somehow lost track of his strength. His skills and memories were there but his instincts just felt off. It was an honest mistake but one that would prove to be lethal. ¡°You can¡¯t win this. You may be able to wound me but that will be all that you can do. You can¡¯t defeat me. I have not lost a single battle since¡­ a long time that I can¡¯t even remember when was thest time I tasted defeat.¡± ¡°Who knows, maybe today will be the first time in a long long while.¡± ¡°You¡¯re an arrogant sod¡­ it¡¯s what I want to say but for some reason, I can¡¯t see your confidence as arrogance. Why is that?¡± Aedan chuckled. ¡°This means that you have good instincts.¡± ¡°Do you perhaps have some sort of secret ability or weapon that gives you this much confidence?¡± Aedan shrugged. ¡°Perhaps.¡± Rex sighed. ¡°You truly won¡¯t tell me anything, huh¡­¡± ¡°Yes, truly. Now, are we going to keep talking or are we gonna fight?¡± ¡°...You will regret this.¡± Rex cracked his knuckles. ¡°I won¡¯t be holding back any longer.¡± Aedan grinned. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m counting on it.¡± 4-78 Element of surprise? 4-78 Element of surprise? ¡°We¡¯re almost there,¡± Erin whispered to herpanions while climbing a flight of stairs that was leading them upwards. As to where exactly, none of them had a clue. Herpanions; Aera, Nivia, and Amyra, all nodded their heads in response to Erin¡¯s words. Though they were alone, there was no telling when the next threat would strike, so they were all on guard and their faces were stiff with caution. Erin was constantly spreading her Mana around her and probing her surroundings with Life Sense. There was no doubt that they were deep in enemy territory and they could not afford to even let their guards down for a brief moment. However, Erin wasn¡¯tpletely vignt. Not because she wascent, but because she didn¡¯t want to put her mind under too much strain, especially not after she had just used Revenant. As she had already long realised, the experience was not the only thing taken from her whenever Revenant was activated. It felt like a part of her was also taken aspensation. She wondered if this had anything to do with her being able toe to terms with herself being a woman. Also, the memory of her death¡¯s circumstances was ingrained into her body and mind. She could still remember the cold and hollow feeling of being bisected diagonally. Even now, as they walked up the stairs, she had not stopped rubbing her fingers on her torso, tracing the scar where she was cut in half. Revenant only mended her body and not her apparel, so her garments were in tatters. To stave her mind off of these dreadful and foreboding feelings, Erin turned to her stats. She was currently level fifty-five and thirty percent away from her next level. She had sixteen points to spare in Ability Points. As she was most likely treading into a face-off with a considerable number of enemies, now was no time to be thrifty with her points. [Might: 23 increased to 30] [Arcane: 60 increased to 65] [Finesse: 49 increased to 53] Might was a stat she had not touched for a long time, the reason being that she simply had more use in her Arcane and Finesse aspects. However, giving her Might some attention was not a loss and in fact, it had some benefits with the main one being giving her more options in a battle. There were times when brute forcing was the best method she could take. As a good example, she had alreadye across enemies that couldpletely negate the use of her Magic Arts. Having stronger physical strength would surely be of great help in the future. Just then, she received a notification from the System. It read; Conditions met. Body Strengthening - Level 1 acquired. Though it wasn¡¯t exactly a game-changing development, it certainly gave her an edge in theing fights. To put it simply, Body Strengthening raises one¡¯s physical strength and defence by a certain amount and the amount gets higher with its level. It had very low Mana consumption but the description of a minor drawback. One consumes their stamina faster if Body Strengthening was used repeatedly with short intervals and it could potentially lead to drastic healthplications without moderation. There was not the only downside to Body Strengthening. It was also a Combat Art that was only useful and efficient if one had high value in Might. At level one, Body Strengthening increases one¡¯s Might by twenty percent. Since she had thirty points in Might, it would increase her Might value by six. But if someone had a hundred in Might, it would be increased by twenty. Erin tried using it but she barely felt any different. At best, she could probably just lift an object that was a pound heavier but she couldn¡¯t be sure. She could not test it out given her circumstances. At Body Strengthening¡¯s current level, she surmised it was a niche skill that would only see its use in specific situations. Just when she was moving her attention to her Magic Arts, she was brought out of her cerebration by the noisesing from above. More specifically, the noises wereing from behind a door at the top of the stairs. The noises consisted of chattering and singing, tinged with a merry mood. Erin and herpanions came to a stop in their tracks at the sight of the door and the sound of those merry noises. ¡°Are we under a tavern?¡± Nivia guessed. ¡°No,¡± came Erin¡¯s immediate answer. ¡°Not likely. I smell alcohol but the scent isn¡¯t heavy. A tavern carries the scent of alcohol many times heavier than this. Also, I don¡¯t smell any women. It¡¯s just the stench of men. And no songs are being sung or instruments being yed. Moreover, there¡¯s a huge whiff of opium. This is most likely a drug den if anything.¡± ¡°So, we would be going against waves of enemies after we walk through this door,¡± Amyra mused and drew her sword, or so she tried to but her hand caught only the air. ¡°Oh, right. My sword is missing. Damn these ruffians¡­!¡± ¡°Are they all part of the Covenant?¡± Aera asked, her soft gaze slowly shifting into a raging re. ¡°Most definitely but just to be sure, allow me to ask first.¡± ¡°What?¡± Nivia blurted out. ¡°You want to spoil the element of surprise?¡± ¡°The element of surprise is not going to give us a great edge considering that all eyes would be on us the moment that door opens.¡± Nivia calmed down and her shoulders drooped. ¡°I suppose that¡¯s true¡­¡± ¡°So, what¡¯s our n?¡± Amyra asked. ¡°Follow your instincts. I don¡¯t know the extent of our enemy¡¯s strength beyond the door, so prepare for anything. If they are too strong, we run with all our might. Understood?¡± They all nodded. ¡°Good.¡± Erin brandished her spell sword. She also made another sword, a greatsword, which she then gave to Amyra. ¡°Here, take it.¡± ¡°I can?¡± Amyra received the greatsword in spite of her question. ¡°Is there a reason that you can¡¯t?¡± Amyra had a look of surprise when she gripped the greatsword in her hands and gave it a few swings. ¡°A spell weapon usually disappears when it leaves the hands of the caster.¡± ¡°Well, mine¡¯s different. Just¡­ don¡¯t wander too far from me and it¡¯ll stay¡­ probably.¡± ¡°Sounds good to me. I¡¯m ready, mdy.¡± ¡°Me too,¡± Aera said. Nivia nodded. ¡°Alright, then. Let¡¯s do this,¡± Erin said and kicked the door wide open. Her harsh and loud action instantly drew all the attention to her. As she had guessed, it was an opium den and it did not look legitimate. No, it was not an actual opium den. It looked more like some bandit hideout but everyone was smoking opium, hence giving the vast room the likeness of an opium establishment. ¡°Greetings, everyone.¡± No one responded to her. They were all just ring at her, their hands slowly making their way towards their weapons. ¡°Are you all part of the Covenant?¡± It was a simple question that could be answered with a mere yes or no. But that question alone told Erin of the lookers¡¯ affiliations. As soon as she asked that question, Erin nearly lost her bnce due to the brief and unified strong thumping of their hearts. It would seem they were all acquainted with the Covenant, or at least knew of the organisation. Their hands no longer hesitated in reaching for their weapons. The ngour of metal resounded clearly across the room. That was just how many weapons were present in this vast room alone. The room had two additional floors, though they were more of a tform protruding from the walls. The ones on those upper floors also had their attention garnered. All eyes were on Erin and herpanions. ¡°Six crossbows¡­¡± Erin mused in her heart at her quick assessment. ¡°It¡¯s doable.¡± She shrugged. She had more ways than one to protect not only herself but also herpanions from the onught of six crossbows. She also sensed two spell casters in the midst. Those two would be her priority. They were a fire mage and an earth mage and they were at the rear of the ruffians that had left theirfort positions and began approaching Erin. The moment Erin heard the mages at the back begin chanting, she shouted ¡°Get off the ground and target those two at the back!¡± Nivia and Amyra leapt into the air at the same instance. Aera didn¡¯t have such acrobatic abilities, so she resorted to charging straight into the ruffian group. As for Erin, she climbed onto the air using Arcane Aegises as footholds. The ground underneath Erin shook just as she stepped onto the Arcane Aegises. Spikes erupted from the solid dirt. She was only a few feet from the ground and these spikes grew up to six feet. However, since Arcane Aegises were under her soles, she was unharmed. The spikes broke against the ethereal shields. The conjuration of the earth mage¡¯s spell became something of a signal for the ruffians to attack. Aera easily ploughed her way through the ones meeting her straight on. She threw only a single punch. It didn¡¯t connect with anything or anyone but the shockwave was enough to send the ruffians flying. When the ruffians saw Aera¡¯s ferocity, half of them overlooked her and charged at Erin instead. Though they were a bit better than the usual street thugs, they were no match for Erin. She hopped off from the Arcane Aegises and swung her sword at the approaching group. Her sword cleaved through two necks before being stopped by a cuss, wielded by a half-naked ruffian with hair all over his bare torso. Erin winced in disgust and cleaved right through the cuss and the half-naked ruffian¡¯s neck after applying Arcane Edge on her de. The remaining ruffians came at Erin from her nks. At the same moment, the arbalists from the upper floors released their bolts at her. She could easily repel them all with Thunder Shell but she didn¡¯t. There was no telling who she would face after this wave. It was better to conserve her Mana as much as possible for the time being. Besides, it wasn¡¯t as if Thunder Shells was her sole saving grace from the ruffians¡¯ assault. The ruffians attacked all at once. Erin gripped her sword tight and swung. She cut down the bolts first before dealing with the ruffians on her nks. She parried the des on her right and countered with a high cut. As for her left nk, she blocked the des with her tails, d in Arcane Armour. After finishing off the foes on one side, she spun around and dealt with the ones on the other side. Barely ten seconds had transpired and all the ruffians that charged at her were cut down. But she couldn¡¯t let her guard down just yet. There were still the arbalists to be taken care of. She unleashed Lightning Bolts at the arbalists. Two were instantly struck down while the other four were quick on their feet. Or rather, they had more time to react since they were further away from Erin than the two who were struck down. While Erin was eyeing the arbalists as her next targets, Amyra and Nivia reached the rear of the ruffians¡¯ formation, if it could even be called a formation. The pairnded right in front of the mages just as the fire mage finished chanting. Multiple balls of mes flew towards the two. Amyra huffed in derision and stood in front of Nivia. She did nothing and simply let the fireballs strike and engulf her. The ruffians¡¯ gazes were set alight with triumph but their hope was instantly doused when they saw Amyra was unharmed after the smoke had dissipated. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Amyra asked with a sneer. ¡°You are pathetic. Is this all that a back alley mage amounts to?¡± ¡°Silence, you wench!¡± the fire mage snarled and cast a quick fireball spell. Amyra snorted and cut the fireball into half with the greatsword given to her by Erin. The fire mage shrieked at the unbelievable sight. He was no novice by any means but he was neither an adept mage. Still, cutting down a spell with ease was not a minor feat even if the spell in question was of a novice level. ¡°Woo, this sword cuts well,¡± Amyra remarked in delight. ¡°It cuts even better than my cleaver sword. Speaking of which, have any of you here seen a cleaver-sword that¡¯s around my height?¡± she asked with a merry smile. 4-79 Restless 4-79 Restless Suffice to say, the ruffians were no match against Erin and herpanions. Though Erin wasn¡¯t proud of killing, she didn¡¯t hold herself back from eliminating her enemies. When everyst one of the ruffians had been in, Erin seized this moment to take a breather and looked around the room which had been dyed red. She felt a tad nauseating from the sight of her well-done handiwork. However¡­ ¡°Strange¡­ I don¡¯t feel as repulsed as I expected myself to be¡­¡± Such a thought was in Erin¡¯s head as she took a good long look at the scene of carnage. It was basically a ughter. The ruffians¡¯ levels couldn¡¯t be said to be low and they had numbers to their advantage. Still, Erin was triumphant. None of these ruffians had any substance or solid intent behind their movements. Their blows rang hollow. Most of them hit hard and move quickly but that was just because of their stats. Theycked form and dexterity, which one could only obtain from training and discipline. The strangest thing of all, none of them were Demoids. Erin couldn¡¯t help but chuckle with pity as she recalled the many times the ruffians tried attacking her all at once. She recalled how she easily parried their blows and led their attacks to strike their own allies. Her tails helped a lot in that regard, especially with the Mesmerise skill. But the one ability that helped her the most was her Divine Gift, Lust. The flow of the battle waspletely reversed the moment she unleashed Lust on the ruffians. Their movements instantly became haggard and hesitant, as if they were thinking twice about hurting her. Essentially, the ruffians became enamoured with Erin after being struck with Lust. They lusted after her. Some even tried to gain her favour by attacking their friends andpanions. ¡°What a terrifying ability,¡± Erin mused in her heart. Though it was incredibly handy in a battle, especially arge-scale one, she swore that from here on, she would only use it if the situation was bleak and required desperate measures. Else wise, she feared she would get drunk on this power. To put her mind off of the ughter she had justmitted, she directed her focus to her stats. This single ughter alone brought her a copious amount of experience, enough for two-level increments. She was currently level fifty-eight. With this level increment, she now had ten Skill Points, which she immediately allocated eight points into Spatial Magic. [Spatial Magic: Level 6 increased to Level 7] Like always, knowledge flowed into her mind as the level of the Magic Art went up. Shivers went down her spine, brought upon by the excitement she felt when she came to know of the spells she had acquired. She stared at a pebble by her feet. After a few seconds, the space around the pebble whirled and closed in on it, as if swallowing the pebble up. And swallowed the pebble up the space did. Erin was immediately assailed by a headache that nearly caused her to fall but her tails kept her on her feet. This was always the case with Spatial Magic. The Mana expenditure was high and it was quite tasking on the mind but as her level went higher, the drawbacks were also reduced. Still, this sort of drawback would prove fatal in a battle, no matter how minor it was. ¡°Are you alright, Erin?¡± Aera asked upon seeing Erin stumbling. She immediately rushed up to Erin¡¯s side with a look of worry. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Aera,¡± Erin replied with the gentlest smile she could muster. In truth, she wasn¡¯t fine, notpletely at least. She was a tad shaken by how well she was handling the amount of blood she shed. She wagered she must have taken more lives than she ever had in her past life. There were also the after-effects of Revenant that were bothering her. The diagonal scar along her torso was still throbbing even now and the throbbing alone reminded her of how had died. She came back to life in the end but the experience remained. Erin scoffed with a self-deprecating chuckle. It was ironic that her inability to die made her all the more afraid of plunging herself into danger. With that said, that didn¡¯t mean she would let her fears paralyse her. Nivia watched Erin tracing her skin with a fretful gaze. ¡°You always say that, Erin, but are you truly fine?¡± ¡°Do I not look fine?¡± ¡°You have been touching that scar ever since you¡­ came back from the dead.¡± Erin¡¯s smile turned wry. ¡°I suppose I have¡­ It¡¯s just¡­ difficult to get used to it.¡± Nivia plunged forward and hugged Erin¡¯s arm. ¡°You don¡¯t need to get used to it, Erin. You¡¯re not supposed to. You shouldn¡¯t. Death may be a natural thing but it''s not something people should ever take lightly. That includes you too, Erin. Remember that, else you may lose yourself.¡± Erin¡¯s smile returned to its usual warmth. ¡°Thank you, Nivia,¡± she said, caressing Nivia¡¯s cheek. The Elf flinched and released her hold on Erin¡¯s arm. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Erin asked without dropping her smile. ¡°N-nothing,¡± Nivia stammered. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ that was too intimate of you, Erin.¡± ¡°Are we not already intimate?¡± ¡°We are but¡­ not like that¡­¡± Her voice turned small. ¡°Oh, do you not swing that way?¡± ¡°N-no! That¡¯s not it!¡± Erin giggled. ¡°I understand, Nivia. I will be reserved next time.¡± ¡°Ah? I-I¡­ I didn¡¯t mean that. I mean¡­ you can do it again if you w-want, just¡­ tell me beforehand next time¡­¡± Erin chuckled. ¡°I will, Nivia. Then, may I stroke your head?¡± Nivia¡¯s eyes widened but she didn¡¯t shy away and instead nodded her head. But before Erin could stroke the blushing Nivia¡¯s head, a crude voice interrupted the sweetening mood. ¡°Damn these, bastards!¡± Amyra shouted as she kicked one of the headless bodies across the room. ¡°Just where the hell is my sword!? It must be in here somewhere but none of these fucks would tell me!¡± ¡°Maybe they had already sold it?¡± Aera suggested in a small voice. ¡°The only things that these thugs would sell off are women, children, or jewellery. They would not sell off weapons. They would keep it and use it for themselves.¡± ¡°But who would use such arge and crude sword?¡± Nivia chimed in. ¡°Maybe they had already melted it into smaller swords?¡± Amyra clenched her fists tightly. ¡°Then I regret giving these bastards too painless of a death.¡± Erin cast a brief nce at the corpses that Amyra was responsible for. None of these deaths looked even remotely painless or swift. Half of these corpses were charred and the poses of the corpses suggested they died while writhing and squirming in agony. If these deaths were considered painless to Amyra, Erin didn¡¯t want to know what she considered as painful. Amyra sighed and tossed the greatsword she was wielding to Erin. ¡°Regardless, my thanks, mdy. Truth to be told, this sword is a better fit for me than the one I normally wield.¡± ¡°I¡¯m happy to hear that, Amyra,¡± Erin said and dispelled the greatsword. ¡°In any case, let us get out of this shithole first. I think it¡¯s this way,¡± They didn¡¯t know theyout of this ce but there were only two paths avable to them, the stairs where they came from and the only other door in this vast room. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s,¡± Amyra responded with a tone of reluctance. Her gaze was still wandering around the room even as they left. The door led them to a narrow and long hallway that spanned for around a quarter of a mile beforeing to an end with a wooden door that looked worse for wear. Lights were spilling through the holes and cracks on the door. A strong stench and a heavy odour were alsoing from the other side of the door, causing Nivia and Erin to scrunch their faces and pinch their noses in reflex. But the smell didn¡¯t deter them. They knew the smell well. It was the smell of the streets¡¯ filth. This was the egress without a doubt. The door creaked when Erin gave a gentle shove but it did not even budge in the slightest. Erin leaned her shoulder onto the door and shoved it with more strength. Still, the door remained unmoving. As she poured more strength into her shoulder and used Body Strengthening, the door finally moved but it was only slightly ajar. ¡°It¡¯s locked from the other side,¡± Erin muttered after giving it a few more tries. ¡°Can¡¯t we just break it down?¡± Nivia asked. ¡°We can but we will be plunging ourselves into another melee. I¡¯m sensing a lot of presence on the other side of the door.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m still itching for more,¡± Amyra said, winding her neck and cracking her knuckles. ¡°Everyst one of them is gonna pay for the loss of my sword.¡± Erin sighed. ¡°Alright, then. Let¡¯s do this.¡± And Amyra sank her foot into the door, sending it flying off its hinges and tumbling across the street they emerged into. The light of the sinking sun blinded them but only for a brief second. When their vision returned, they saw haggard and shabbily-dressed individuals loitering around. All their gazes were drawn to them, The moment Erin brandished her sword, the people scurried out of her sight like rodents instead of charging at them with battle cries at their throats and with their weapons drawn and raised. ¡°Huh¡­ this wasn¡¯t the type of reception that I¡¯m expecting¡­¡± Erin remarked dryly. The street had be empty with the emergence of her presence. Amyra¡¯s shoulders slumped. ¡°That was disappointing. It appears these people aren¡¯tbatants. They¡¯re most likely just your usual beggars and vagabonds.¡± ¡°What¡¯s so disappointing about this?¡± Nivia scoffed. ¡°Reel in your desires, you battle fiend.¡± ¡°Come on, you three. Don¡¯t dawdle. We need to return¡ª Oh, fuck.¡± Amyra¡¯s droopy gaze turned solemn. ¡°What is it? Enemies?¡± Aera clenched her fists at the mention of ¡°enemies¡±. Her veins were glowing a faint violet. ¡°What else could it be?¡± Nivia retorted and prepared her bow. ¡°Multiple individuals approaching us from the front at high speed. They¡¯re on a carriage.¡± Amyra frowned doubtfully. ¡°A carriage? Coming into this kind of ce? Now that¡¯s just trite. A carriage only everes to this sort of ce to deliver goods and not the legal kind.¡± ¡°Whatever the reason it might be, we¡¯re in for another battle. Stay sharp, you three. I had a feeling our next foes would not be easy.¡± Soon, the carriage came into sight. Though there was no paint to designate the carriage¡¯s affiliation or any ornaments to show off the passenger¡¯s wealth, the size of the carriage alone told Erin the people on board were not insignificant. Furthermore, the carriage was pulled by arge ck horse with two horns, a Bicorn. Its muscles were unlike any horse. Its thews were bulging through its skin. Such a horse was pulled on the reins to a stop and the entire carriage skidded to a halt. The cart and load it was pulling behind shook violently as the carriage stopped abruptly. The coachman immediately hopped off his seat and went to knock on the carriage¡¯s door. After a short moment, the door was opened and a man in robes climbed off the carriage along with three other individuals who werepletely clothed in ck from head to toe. Their eyes were the only parts of their body exposed. Erin widened her eyes when she saw the robed man. She knew him. ¡°You?¡± ¡°What a coincidence, Lady Erynthea. Why, hello to you too,¡± greeted the robed man with a blindfold around his eyes and a sword by his waist. ¡°Ruyo¡­¡± Erin muttered. ¡°I¡¯m honoured that thedy remembers my name. Well, not even a day has passed after all.¡± ¡°Erin, you know this man?¡± Nivia asked in a whisper. ¡°Yeah, I met him when I was held captive.¡± ¡°He¡¯s a Covenant member?¡± Aera asked. Erin nodded. Aera cast a scowl at Ruyo as her eyes turned bloodshot. Erin¡¯s gaze then narrowed at the coffin-like crate that was pulled behind the carriage. She could sense life emanating from within the crate. There was someone locked inside. ¡°Who do you have in that crate?¡± Ruyo chuckled. ¡°The viceroy, of course,¡± he answered and drew his single-edged sword. ¡°If you¡¯re here with the Augur, that must mean Ovir has failed, but it is what it is. It¡¯s not as if Marduk didn¡¯t n for contingencies.¡± Erin tutted silently and immediately activated the stats increment of Lust. 4-80 The long-awaited duel 4-80 The long-awaited duel ¡°What?¡± Nivia blurted out in utter confusion. She was in disbelief at what she had just hearding out of the blindfolded man¡¯s mouth. ¡°Did he just say he had the viceroy kidnapped and confined in that crate in the cart behind the carriage?¡± ¡°You heard that too, huh?¡± Amyra muttered. ¡°And I thought I was hearing things. This son of a bastard actually abducted the viceroy. I¡¯m astounded but at the same time, it¡¯s something to be expected of the Covenant.¡± Aera twitched in response to the word ¡°Covenant¡± but she didn¡¯t make any rash moves. ¡°But why abduct the viceroy? If the Covenant wants the viceroy dead, why kidnap him? Is the viceroy¡¯s death not their objective?¡± Nivia began musing to herself out loud. Ruyo continued staring at Erin and herpanions without saying a single word, all the while smiling at them, though his smile never reached his blinded eyes and his grip on his sword never loosened. The three cloaked figures behind him had their arms tucked in their garments, fiddling for something. ¡°...Marduk intends to frame me,¡± Erin said after a brief silence between the two sides. ¡°Frame you?¡± Nivia blinked dumbfoundedly at Erin¡¯s conjecture. ¡°H-how? And why? Why would you think so?¡± ¡°Why bring the viceroy all the way here, the ce where I was lured to, if not for that reason? ce my dead body beside the dead viceroy and let my corpse hold the murder weapon, and let the people¡¯s imagination assume the rest.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s say that¡¯s true, Erin, what would that achieve?¡± ¡°War, conflict, chaos,¡± Amyra answered. ¡°As far as I know, this Marduk bastard treats crime as a business. The more war, conflict, and chaos there are, the more profit he would rake in. A Fae killed a human who held a high position in a human kingdom, the consequences would be¡­ tremendous, to say the least.¡± ¡°Impossible. How shallow of a mind does one need to have for something like that to¡ª¡± ¡°The truth doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Erin said. ¡°The truth seldom matters. Considering the state of this city, they would want to shift this me onto someone. Who better than the two dead figures? Regardless of what conclusion the people might draw, chaos would ensue in the end. Am I correct, Ruyo?¡± The blind swordsman shrugged. ¡°Good guess but¡­ I don¡¯t know. I honestly don¡¯t. Marduk never tells me anything about his ns and I¡¯m not interested enough to ask.¡± ¡°Then why do you serve him? Is it money? No, you don¡¯t seem like someone who¡¯s obsessed with money.¡± ¡°The money¡¯s good. It¡¯s a reason, without a doubt, just not the main reason.¡± ¡°Then what is the main reason?¡± Ruyo chuckled and raised his sword, pointing the tip at Erin. ¡°Moments like these¡­ Are we gonna keep talking or are we going to fight?¡± As if those words were the signal, the clothed figures behind Ruyo brandished their weapons from under their garments. One was wielding a pair of twin short swords, the other was wielding a sickle with a long chain attached to the handle, and thest one was wearing a pair of studded gauntlets. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose I can ask for the greatsword again?¡± Amyra inquired. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Amyra. The enemy this time requires my full focus,¡± Erin said. A grin was slowly appearing from the corner of her lips. ¡°I understand, mdy. Say¡­ you¡¯re enjoying this, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I would be lying if I said I¡¯m not. It¡¯s been a while since I fought a proper swordsman.¡± ¡°Then, I shall entrust the blind bastard to you, mdy. Nivia and I would take care of those¡­ckeys behind him.¡± ¡°Would those three not meddle while Erin fights with the blind man?¡± Nivia scoffed. ¡°It¡¯s a three-to-one,¡± Aera muttered quietly after holding her silence for the entirety. ¡°It would be a fair fight if the swordsman doesn¡¯t intervene.¡± ¡°Rest assured, you three,¡± Ruyo said. ¡°I am not without honour and fairness. I too, wish to have a proper duel with a swordmaster such as Lady Erynthea here.¡± He then beckoned for the three clothed figures behind him to dismiss. The three individuals nodded and backed away from Ruyo. ¡°Erin, allow me¡ª¡± ¡°No, Nivia. This fight is mine. You and Amyra will handle those three. I know it¡¯s cruel to say this but your aid in my fight with Ruyo would be¡­ detrimental. The condition he gave us is more feasible than if we engaged in an all-out melee.¡± Nivia lowered her gaze as reluctance shed across her face. ¡°I understand, Erin. I shall do as you say.¡± And she, along with Amyra and Nivia, backed away from Erin and Ruyo. ¡°Shall we begin, Lady Erynthea?¡± Ruyo asked. Erin¡¯s grin widened. ¡°It already has.¡± As soon as those words left her lips, she flew towards Ruyo like an arrow released from a bow that had been drawn to its limits. Ruyo raised his sword ever so slightly in response and that was all it took for him to deflect Erin¡¯s thrust. He twisted his grip and swung his sword in retaliation. Erin nted her feet firmly on the ground and twirled, avoiding Ruyo¡¯s sword by a hair¡¯s breadth. When she halted her twirl with impable timing, she came face to face with Ruyo. She lunged with another thrust. Ruyo reeled in his sh and caught Erin¡¯s sword with his de. He redirected her thrust, or at least he tried to. To his astonishment, Erin¡¯s strength had increased by many folds. He suspected the use of Body Strengthening but he didn¡¯t feel any change in her Mana. She had merely deceived him of her physical strength by deliberately softening her swings. Unable to parry the lethal blow, Ruyo tossed himself to the side and tumbled to his feet. When he recovered his bearings, he immediately spun around to parry Erin¡¯s relentless blows. He parried only three blows before his grip began to feel numb. He refrained himself from parrying the fourth blow and switched to dodging her attacks. However, Erin followed his movements precisely, as if reading his thoughts ahead. Ruyo snorted in amazement and sheathed his sword. Erin¡¯s de came for his head. He snickered. Mana surged throughout his body but the surge around his waist and his right arm were the strongest. He then drew his sword with a speed that wasparable to light. In a split second, his sword, which had been below Erin¡¯s waist, was suddenly above her head. ¡°Amazing,¡± Erin muttered. ¡°Hmm?¡± Ruyo hummed in confusion. When he squinted his eyes and peered at his foe and his de, he realised he had failed to cut Erin with that drawing technique of his. Erin had stopped just an inch outside of his de¡¯s reach. ¡°I will admit, this would have been my loss if I didn¡¯t have my Divine Gift.¡± ¡°Are you sure you want to reveal that card of yours?¡± ¡°Oh, please. As if you or Marduk didn¡¯t already know about that trick of mine.¡± Ruyo tittered. ¡°You are indeed correct. I do know. I also know that if you wanted to, you could have easily destroyed my de and guard. But you didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°But I didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because¡­ as much as I hate to admit it, I have also been looking forward to this. The people I have fought thus far didn¡¯t have skills in the sword as good as you. You are not reliant on your levels or your stats.¡± ¡°We are the same then, are we not, Lady Erynthea?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t go that far. We are enamoured with the sword and the thrill in a proper duel but that is as far as our differences went.¡± ¡°I see¡­ I would love to know if that stance of yours still holds true as you take more and more lives.¡± ¡°Perhaps it won¡¯t be but you will never know.¡± ¡°Oh? And why is that, pray tell?¡± ¡°Because you won¡¯t be alive to tell it,¡± Erin said and disappeared from Ruyo¡¯s view in the next second. Ruyo frowned lightly. ¡°Now that¡¯s not fair, mydy.¡± Despite saying so, he turned around and caught Erin¡¯s sh with his sword. ¡°What a trite move, Lady Erynthea.¡± Erin smirked and poured her strength into the de lock. ¡°Trite it may be, it works half the time.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, this is half of the time that it doesn¡¯t work,¡± Ruyo retorted. He pushed back with a sudden burst of strength and twisted his body into a kick. Erin hopped a step back to get out of the reach of Ruyo¡¯s foot. She immediately lunged back in with a high cut. Ruyo sidestepped her swing and countered with a quick thrust. She easily deflected his de and riposted with a quick thrust of her own. The blind swordsman clicked his tongue and slid a few feet backwards without moving his legs. In Erin¡¯s eyes, it looked as if he was pulled backwards by invisible strings attached to his back. ¡°That must be the ability of a level ten Fleet Foot,¡± Erin mused in her heart. Ruyo didn¡¯t have many Arcane Arts but the few that he had, were high in levels. His Sword Art and Fleet Foot were both level ten. His Arcane stat was less than half of hers but his Finesse stat was nearly double hers. Furthermore, there were around ten levels of difference between them. However, Erin was now under the influence of Lust. Her stats were now doubled. Else wise, this battle would have already ended in Ruyo¡¯s victory. But it wasn¡¯t all sunshine and rainbows. It was not easy to keep her mind calm and sensible while under the effects of Lust. Being rash and brute forcing would not guarantee her victory in this fight. Ruyo was different from the other opponents she had fought. He possessed discipline. He had honed his skills instead of over-relying on his stats and level. ¡°Getting tired already, Lady Erynthea?¡± ¡°You jest,¡± Erin scoffed and levelled her sword horizontally with her gaze. ¡°I was just starting. I¡¯m just greasing my bones. Shall we begin in earnest?¡± ¡°dly,¡± Ruyo said and sheathed his sword. He then bent his knees, lowering his posture as he leaned forward. Though it was a foolish action to stow away one¡¯s weapon during the heat of a battle, Erin could only see his action as the opposite of foolishness. After all, she had seen him do it once just a few minutes ago and had it not been for her Sixth Sense and Spatial Sense, she would have been bisected. As Ruyo drew his sword and his entire body thrust forward like a projectileunched from a cannon. The moment he was within range, he drew his swordpletely and shed in a wide arc. Erin used Warp to move herself away instead of exchanging blows with Ruyo. Thebination of Sixth Sense and Spatial Sense told her of the danger should she try to deflect or block that sh. For a moment, she saw the air split apart and the space seemed to whirl. ¡°Good instincts,¡± Ruyo praised as he sheathed his sword once again. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be considerate of me, Lady Erynthea. I would be more honoured if you didn¡¯t limit yourself so much.¡± ¡°This opportunity is quite hard toe by. I¡¯m not going to waste it. Besides, time is on my side for once. The longer this battle goes on, the likelier we will attract attention.¡± ¡°Well then, I shouldn¡¯t waste my idling.¡± He bent his knees and lowered his posture, leaning forward. This time, he did not lunge at Erin. Instead, he twirled where he stood as he drew his sword. ¡°Fuck,¡± Erin muttered and hopped into the air, just as the space below her was momentarily split apart by what appeared to be an overextension of his sh. Though she didn¡¯t take the blow, she could feel the intensity. She knew she made the right choice by dodging it instead of catching it. Ruyo sheathed his sword after that sh. Erin moved in on him with Warp at that moment and swung her sword. But she was a second toote. Her de was still inches away from carving into Ruyo¡¯s head when the guard of his sword had already left the scabbard. ¡°Bollocks.¡± 4-81 Warm up 4-81 Warm up Left with no other choice, Erin used Warp to move out of the reach of Ruyo¡¯s sh. When her feet touched the ground a few yards away from Ruyo, she felt a slight tinge of pain in her neck. She tapped her neck and realised she was wounded. She was barely fast enough to escape death. Though she had Revenant, she would rather not keep dying over and over again. Moreover, Revenant wasn¡¯t instantaneous. A lot could happen while she was resurrecting. Ruyo might turn his de to Amyra, Nivia, and Aera in the meantime. She could not afford to die. ¡°You are no simple adept of the sword.¡± Ruyo chuckled. He looked at Erin with an expectant grin. ¡°I have fought and in dozens of de masters, or so they themselves imed to be. They rarely impress me but you, on the other hand¡­ You¡¯re the real thing, not like those shams.¡± ¡°Save your praises,¡± Erin retorted. ¡°This battle has only just started. Who knows, you might get disappointed.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t. But should you fail to meet my expectations¡ª¡± Ruyo cast a nce at the three women behind Erin. ¡°¡ªI will leave the fate of those three to Marduk. He will devise the most creative of all conclusions for those three.¡± ¡°And I was repeatedly used of being profuse with words. I have met a peer.¡± Ruyo sheathed his sword. ¡°Couldn¡¯t agree more,¡± he said and instantly drew his sword. Erin nted her body to the side just as Ruyo¡¯s sh split the air inches away from her. She d herself in lightning and closed the gap between them once again. She converged her Spatial Sense onto Ruyo¡¯s de. She stayed her de and waited for Ruyo to draw first. Time seemed to slow as Ruyo¡¯s de left the sheathe. But in the next instance, like a streak of lightning, his de whirled across the air. However, Erin dodged his sh by a hair¡¯s breadth and the split second afterwards was when she struck back. The edge of her de wasn¡¯t d in Arcane Edge or Mystic de. Using one of those abilities would end the battle quickly. For once, she wanted to enjoy the fight, especially since it was a duel with a true de master. But of course, she only nned to fight fairly if her opponent did the same. Should the three clothed figures behind him show any hint of taking action, she would cease all fairness. It was inevitable, Erin thought. There was no way three would let Ruyo be defeated. They would definitely intervene if Ruyo was at a great disadvantage. But as it stood, Ruyo was far from being at a disadvantage. His attack missed and Erin immediatelyunched a counterattack. If it was anyone else, this would already decide their fate but Ruyo wasn¡¯t just anyone else. The air around him froze but not due to the cold. The winds condensed and the edges turned sharp. Erin¡¯s de was a foot away from Ruyo¡¯s head when it hit something unseen. Erin¡¯s eyes widened. Whatever her de had hit, it was something tough enough to withstand her strength. When she spread out her Spatial Sense, she immediately understood Ruyo had used Sword Domain. He had infused his aura, along with his intent, with the Mana flowing around him, transforming the breeze into a million scattered des. Ruyo did not sheathe his sword. Instead, he thrust forward in a direct and in manner. Erin was about to just hop out of reach but she changed her mind and sidestepped the thrust instead. The de ended up piercing the empty space but she saw the hem of her garment being chipped. The de had not touched her or her garments but somehow, she was cut. Simr to how her de was stopped, Erin could faintly make out the aura around Ruyo¡¯s de with Spatial Sense. The Sword Domain didn¡¯t just linger around his body but also his weapon. She wouldn¡¯t have been able to perceive it if it wasn¡¯t for Spatial Sense. Erin gulped down her dread, refusing to let it stall her movements. She twirled with her sword swinging and proceeded to unleash a flurry of blows upon Ruyo. The blind swordsman met each of her blows with precision. He parried her blows in spite of her overwhelming strength. She tried feints but Ruyo did not fall for a single one. She tried nking but ironically, he seemed to have eyes on each side of his head. No matter where she struck from and how she struck, he could always tell. Her barrage came to a temporary halt when she was lured in by a high cut and she suffered a sh across her shoulder as a result. ¡°Erin!¡± Nivia shouted after having watched the entire fight with her fists clenched and her teeth gritting. Sweat had soaked her garments wet. The other two¡¯s conditions weren¡¯t much different from Nivia''s. Erin expanded the gap between her and Ruyo to allow herself to assess her wound, which Ruyo graciously let her do. ¡°I am even more intrigued than before, Lady Erynthea.¡± Erin winced as she treated her wound with Spirit Mend. It stopped the bleeding and killed the pain but the wound was still there. ¡°Are you now?¡± Erin retorted. ¡°Your skills are¡­ beyond my grade. I should have been dead within the first few exchanges but yet, I am alive.¡± ¡°Obviously.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not my meaning. Even without using your magic tricks, I should be in pieces right now but I am still whole. It¡¯s¡­ very intriguing.¡± ¡°Is there a point to your ramblings?¡± ¡°Your body is not as fast as your mind. You know what to do, when to do it, and how to do it, but your body isn¡¯t able to keep up with your instincts and knowledge. It¡¯s as if you have¡­ regressed. Were you even physically impaired?¡± Erin shrugged. ¡°What does that have to do with our fight?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just trying to get to know my opponent better.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯smendable, but it would be extremely foolish of me to reveal all of my cards this early on.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± Ruyo sniggered. ¡°Let us continue this thrilling battle.¡± Erin took a deep breath. The breaths that she released were incredibly warm. Her cheeks were heating up. She was then reminded that good things neverst forever. As much as she would love to prolong this battle, she couldn¡¯t, not with Lust looming on the horizon and waiting for her to drop her mind¡¯s guard. Not to mention, she would be consumed by Lust if she went over a certain threshold of usage. ¡°A battle of wits isn¡¯t doable with him,¡± Erin deduced in her head. Ruyo¡¯s swordsmanship was more in tune with his body inparison to herself. By this standard alone, he was superior. ¡°If you¡¯re not going to strike first, then allow me,¡± Ruyo said and charged in with his Sword Domain surrounding him. Erin clicked her tongue and braced herself for the onught. As if a thousand des wereing at her all at once, Erin had no other option but to employ her other abilities than just her swordy. She deployed multiple Arcane Aegisus around her as Ruyo¡¯s Sword Domain crashed into her like a tide along with his sword. The silver lining of Ruyo¡¯s Sword Domain was that each of the blows and strikes was weak enough to be repelled by a single Arcane Aegis, though the Aegisus cracked after receiving five strikes or blows. The storm of des was not as fast as the attacks Ruyo himself dispensed, giving Erin plenty of leeways to dodge. However, the scope of her movements was drastically narrowed by Ruyo¡¯s own initiative. Their des shed and the air rippled from the collision of steel. The resulting shockwave pushed both of them back but Erin reeled herself back in with Lightning Rush. Ruyo found his footing and received Erin¡¯s thrust with a storm of unseen des that was the product of his Sword Domain. With Lightning Rush, Erin was able to move faster and therefore, she could deflect most of the thousand des. Those that she couldn¡¯t, she left to her Arcane Aegisus. At the end of the storm, Ruyo¡¯s real de awaited her and they shed once more. The shockwave pushed them back again but they tossed themselves right back in and their des cut into the edge of one another. The durability of their respective des mutually repelled their blows. As Ruyo swung again, the sharp gale trailed behind him. Erin easily dodged his swing but the tempest of translucent swords rushed at her. She tutted and employed the aid of Thunder Shell. The thousands of unseen des crashed into the lightning barrier. Beckoned by his instincts, Ruyo immediately moved far away from Erin as her Thunder Shell reciprocated the barrage of his Sword Domain. ¡°Damn,¡± Ruyo groaned. ¡°That¡¯s not fair.¡± ¡°That¡¯s funny,¡± Erin scoffed. ¡°That¡¯s usually my line.¡± Ruyo crowed with delight. ¡°Yet, you lived despite the odds being against you. It¡¯s a pity that this battle could notst as long as I wished. I hope you can understand and forgive me for that.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s mutual.¡± ¡°Good. That¡¯s good.¡± Ruyo¡¯s vein began turning ck and so did his eyes. Erin didn¡¯t even have time to take in the change before Ruyo lunged at her at a speed that she could barely follow. She dodged the sh thanks to Spatial Sense and Sixth Sense. She cast Appraisal on Ruyo and she was unnerved to see his stats had increased by around twenty percent, but she wasn¡¯tpletely bewildered. Ruyo was a Demoid after all. ¡°So it hase to do this,¡± Erin muttered with a scowl. ¡°So be it, then.¡± A light and striking bluish sheen d her tails. A thin cyan ethereal fmentced her de. Ruyo hissed and swung his sword with only a single hand as the ckness spread across his veins. The winds flew and the gust roared with that single swing of his. His edge met Erin¡¯s cyan-glowing steel. To anyone¡¯s eyes, it would be Erin¡¯s loss in this sh. But it was Ruyo¡¯s loss. Erin¡¯s de cleaved through his de and it continued in its path until it tore right through his arm in tandem. Erin immediately changed the trajectory of her swing and aimed for Ruyo¡¯s head. However, one of the clothed figures finally made its move. It was the one with a chained sickle. The sickle came in between them and Erin was forced to let Ruyo retreat. As the clothed figure retracted its sickle, Amyra charged forward and trapped the sickle under her foot. ¡°Don¡¯t me me for intervening,¡± she sneered. ¡°You started it first.¡± The clothed figure said nothing. The figure simply cast aside its weapon with an indifferent gaze after giving it a few futile light tugs, judging it to be hopeless in retrieving the sick from under Amyra¡¯s foot. ¡°Are you alright, mdy?¡± Amyra asked. [Experience gained +20% - Level Progression: 40%] Erin managed a smile after seeing that message in her view. ¡°I will be, as long as we finish this soon¡­ Also, I apologise.¡± ¡°Hmm? What for?¡± ¡°For desiring a prolonged battle instead of ending it in a heartbeat.¡± ¡°I understand the sentiment. It¡¯s not too often that we could face an opponent that is tailored to your preference and liking. I would wish to prolong the duel too if I met such an opponent.¡± ¡°Speak for yourself,¡± Nivia grumbled as she stepped forward. Though she said nothing of Erin¡¯s decision, her reproachful gaze ryed her admonishment. Erin could only smile wryly in response. ¡°Is it our turn?¡± Aera asked, cracking her knuckles as her aura gradually turned into mes. ¡°It would appear so,¡± Amyra responded. ¡°Look. The blind swordsman¡¯s finally getting serious.¡± The four stared ahead. Their gazesnded on Ruyo, who was catching his ragged breaths with a pained expression. His stump was bleeding profusely. Dark goo began pouring out of the stump and morphed into an arm of demonic appearance and nature. ¡°The true battle starts now,¡± Ruyo said, clenching the fist of his new dark-shaded hand. His breathing resumed its normal pace. 4-82 Minced 4-82 Minced ¡°Here,¡± Erin said as she handed Amyra a greatsword she had constructed with Bespoke. ¡°Are you sure, mdy?¡± Amyra questioned, though she epted the greatsword regardless. ¡°The ensuing battle will be disorderly. I need no concentration, just conviction and vigour.¡± ¡°Here theye!¡± Nivia shouted. The three clothed figures lunged at Erin and herpanions, their weapons drawn and raised. The one who lost their sickle had recovered the chain, forgoing the sickle-head under Amyra¡¯s foot. It was melted into an unrecognisable state due to Amyra¡¯s Fire Magic. The dual wielder swung its swords and sent out a small wave of Aura Shots. Nivia released an arrow, imbued with Wind Magic, and the arrow struck down the Aura Shots in a single trip. The arrow exploded into thousands of tiny splinters after it was exhausted of its durability. The chain user attacked next. Its titr weapon swerved and weaved around the battlefield, avoiding Nivia¡¯s attempt at stopping it with her arrows. Amyra tried cutting the chain down but it veered around Amyra¡¯s swing and went straight for Erin behind her. As Erin prepared to retaliate, Aera moved in front of her. The chain struck Aera but it only touched the fiery aura around her. The chain bounced right off of Aera¡¯s translucent zing protection. Before Amyra could seize the chance and cut the chain off for god, the entire length of the chain was back in the clothed figure¡¯s hands in the blink of an eye. Amyra tutted. ¡°Shadow Viper Art,¡± she grumbled. ¡°An evolution of thebat art, Chain Mastery.¡± Nivia¡¯s brows were raised. ¡°An evolved ability? Those three must not be mere disposable foot soldiers of the Covenant then.¡± ¡°These ones certainly are different from the ignorant thralls we faced before.¡± ¡°Irrelevant,¡± Erin said and threw herself right at her enemies. ¡°Erin, what are you doing!?¡± Nivia yelled. ¡°How reckless,¡± Ruyo remarked under his breath. His hand gripped his sword¡¯s handle tight. But before he could draw it, hundreds of lightning bolts rained down on him from Erin. The three clothed figures moved in front of Ruyo. They thrust their palms forwards and arge incantation circle appeared before their open palms. Arge torrent of dark energy was unleashed from the magic circle. The beam ploughed right through the Lightning Barrage but Erin split the beam apart and erased it with a single sh. ¡°Now I can see why Marduk contributed so much of his resources into counteracting your abilities.¡± Erin¡¯s sh didn¡¯t end with just obliterating the beam. It destroyed the incantation circle too and it continued travelling towards the clothed figures. The three didn¡¯t hesitate or dither in their decision. They leapt out of the way as Erin¡¯s sh carved deep into the ground where they had stood just seconds ago. When Ruyo saw the destruction from that single sh alone, he felt bitter. He might have won when it came to a sh of swords but if it was a no-holds-barred, it was clear who the victor was and how quickly the fight would have ended. He was never her opponent. He thought it would be a close fight even if she didn¡¯t hold back but he was wrong, terribly so. ¡°This battle is my loss,¡± Ruyo muttered. ¡°But the war is still undecided. All in.¡± The three clothed figures nodded. They then proceeded to cast away the pieces of cloth that were concealing their bodies from others. ¡°Huh, how banal.¡± Amyra scoffed. The figures, no longer clothes, exposed their spell-forged metallic bodies for all to see. At a nce, one would think they were carved out of wood but that was simply a trick of the mind. The rugged and dull surfaces of the three figure¡¯s bodies certainly gave off the impression of wood. ¡°Puppet golems,¡± Nivia muttered with mild astonishment. ¡°But their movements are very¡­ lively.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Aera said and charged straight at the golems without any heed to what her opponents might have schemed. She had held her rage back long enough for the sake of Erin but no longer. She was the Apostle of Wrath and her aspect demanded her to sate her desire. Ruyo unsheathed his sword with a sh that reached up to a radius of a few dozen yards. His broken de was repaired in a simr fashion to his right arm. Half of the de was now as ck as the abyss. The golems had leapt into the air to avoid bing coteral and at the same time, aiming for Erin. Aera became the only one heading towards Ruyo¡¯s far-reaching sh, but it was no concern for her. Her fiery aura deflected Ruyo¡¯s attack and also prevented the storm of unseen des from fencing her in. ¡°What the hell¡­ This is impossible,¡± Ruyo groaned upon realising Erin was not the only wrench in the n. ¡°It is possible,¡± Erin suddenly said from behind him. She had warped behind him before he knew it. She shed but Ruyo swiftly dodged her de but not her spell, Rend. It was a very costly spell but it was nigh unstoppable, unless one had an overwhelming edge in stats value or Magic Art level. Ruyo had neither of those two. However, he did have a trick that Marduk bestowed upon him. As Erins swiped her hand across the air, it was not Ruyo that was decapitated by Rend but the puppet golem that was using studded gauntlets. When she looked at where the puppet golem was supposed to be, she discovered Ruyo had switched ces with it. [Experience gained +30% - Level Progression: 70%] ¡°Slippery bastard,¡± Erin cursed. ¡°Your tongue has turned foul, Lady Erynthea.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s so wrong about that? Everything about this battle is foul. Your employer is foul and so is everything your affiliation stands for. I don¡¯t want to hear that from you.¡± Ruyo tittered. ¡°Fair enough.¡± He flourished his sword around before tossing the de into its scabbard with a loud click. Suddenly, the entirety of his surroundings seemed to close in on him. Erin, Aera, Nivia, and Amyra were all pulled towards him, along with the two puppet golems and a few of the brick tiles on the road. Everything that could be pulled was converging onto him as the epicentre. When he drew his sword, it wasn¡¯t just a single sh that was released. It was as if he was pushing back the fabric of reality itself, sending everything he had pulled towards him throttling away from him, including the puppet golems. The ground beneath him was also pushed away, forming a shallow but vast crater below him. ¡°To think I would have to utilise so much of this¡­ Demonic power,¡± Ruyo mused. ¡°You are truly a worthwhile opponent, Lady Erynthea. It¡¯s truly a pity that this shall be our one and only acquaintance. Fate is cruel and callous.¡± ¡°Oh, shush,¡± Erin¡¯s response came from his right before he even picked up her breathing. Ruyo turned as fast as he could but Erin¡¯s de was faster. His left arm flew off from his shoulder but he bore it with a wince and retaliated with a thrust of his sword. Erin reversed her grip on her sword and swung the way she had initially swung from. Her de shed against the ckened de of Ruyo¡¯s sword and it severed the Demonic-forged de all the same. ¡°Hell be kind to me,¡± Ruyo muttered. Within a heartbeat, his shattered de regrew to its former glory. The ckness consumed the entirety of his sword. In the same instance, Erin¡¯s de was trapped within the formation of the Demonic de. Though her de couldn¡¯t be contained for longer than a few seconds, it dyed her enough for Ruyo to retaliate. Ruyo gained a new left arm, as Demonic as his right. A pair of short horns sprouted from his forehead. Spikes jutted out all over his body. His canine teeth turned into fangs. His ears grew long and pointed. He growled at Erin as if it was his instinct to do so. His nails transformed into ws. These changes all happened in under two seconds. Ruyo thrust his ws towards Erin while her sword was still trapped within his own. Erin grunted and undid the conjuration of her spell sword. She was free but it wasn¡¯t stopping Ruyo¡¯s ws that wereing for her. She cast an intense gaze on Ruyo¡¯s approaching ws and used the most recent spell he acquired under Spatial Magic, Absorb. It was the most mentally tasking spell yet. She used it for only a second but she immediately stopped. Though it was only a second, it was enough to sever Ruyo¡¯s ws from his arm. More precisely, she absorbed his wrist. Ruyo had stopped feeling the pain once he had used his Demoid powers, so he didn¡¯t cry out or shout in agony over the loss of his hand. Still, it was a very unsettling sight to him. Unsettling it was, he didn¡¯t falter. Heshed out his Demonic de at Erin. But Erin obliterated Ruyo¡¯s de once more with a single swing of her sword. Before Ruyo could hop away to retreat, Erin closed the remaining gap between them with Lightning Rush and sliced him apart from the right shoulder to the left waist before he could show her his next Demoid trick. Erin didn¡¯t stop there. She brought her sword around and bisected Ruyo from the head to the balls. She then spun around and cleaved him in half through the waist. She continued carving, slicing, and dicing him up a dozen times before she finally relented. [Experience gained +60% - Level Progression: 130%] [Erynthea: Level 58 increased to Level 59] [Skill Points gained +2 | 4] [Ability Points gained +2| 8] [Level Progression: 30%] Erin heaved a huge sigh of relief but he didn¡¯t let her guard down just yet. Be that as it may, she was nearing her limits. This was the longest she had ever used Lust and Mystic de. After she heard the notification, she deactivated Lust and Mystic de. Her whole body instantly felt like its weight had tripled. Her breath was sparse and ragged. Once the adrenaline of her battle lust subsided, her carnal lust would take over. But before that, she needed to deal with the remnants first. She was sure the remaining two puppet golems wouldn¡¯t be as strong as Ruyo but they would still at least pose some challenge, especially now that she was running on fumes. ¡°Speaking of which¡­ where is everyone?¡± Erin looked around and found that herpanions and the two puppet golems were nowhere to be found. She used Life Sense and immediately found a hint of life from underneath a wreckage nearby. It was the carriage which Ruyo rode here. The bicorn was nowhere to be found and the reins had snapped. She quickly cleared away the wreckage and discovered a coffin-like crate buried underneath. It was slightly dented but not too severe of damage. Erin opened the lid and found the unconscious viceroy inside. There were bruises all over his body but he was not drastically harmed or wounded. She was mildly surprised that the viceroy stayed unconscious throughout themotion. She appraised him and was relieved over the results. He was in a magically-induceda. ¡°Everything worked out well in the end,¡± Erin muttered to herself. She was d. Not because the viceroy was safe but of the fact that she didn¡¯t need to go out of her way to save him. ¡°Thank the gods¡­ Well, I suppose I should be thanking you, Nyx.¡± Erin half-expected Nyx to respond but her Divine Guardian didn¡¯t. ¡°Alright, this son of a bitch is fine,¡± Erin mused and put the lid back on, closing the crate. She lightly kicked at the crate with a sneer. ¡°Now, where are the others?¡± Just as Erin was about to search for them using her skills, a pir of fire was erected from afar, around three hundred yards away, behind a small pile of debris. ¡°Hmm, thanks for the assistance, Amyra.¡± Erin chuckled to herself. 4-83 Beacon 4-83 Beacon ¡°Ah¡­ fuck!¡± Amyra grunted with her hand clutching her waist as she pushed herself to her feet, wincing her pain away at every throb. She was not thrown unconscious after the blind swordsman¡¯s tame but devastating outburst. However, her state was no different than being unconscious for a few seconds. In fact, she would rather be unconscious during that moment. As she was wide awake then, Amyra felt every single instance of pain that coursed through her numbed body. Every part of her body was in pain but the numbness had dulled most of it or else she would have been in absolute agony. The silver lining was that no one attacked her during the period she was unable to move. Once the numbness subsided and the pain returned, it was time for her to move. Disregarding the pain as much as she could, she forced herself to her feet. She surveyed her surroundings and found only ruins. She couldn¡¯t tell where she was given that every discerningndmark was either utterly destroyed or obliterated. ¡°I have to find the others,¡± Amyra told herself and began walking. The first few steps were hellish but she endured the agony until her senses could do nothing but dull themselves in response. As a result, Amyra¡¯s perception became blurry and fuzzy, Still, this was nothing to her. She had been in this sort of situation more times than anyone would like. After dragging her limping body for a seeming eternity, she stumbled upon an unconscious Aera, who was leaning against a pile of debris. Amyra shivered when she saw the state Aera was in. Her left arm was bent in a way that it wasn¡¯t supposed to be. A single piece of bone was jutting out of her right calf. There was a small gaping wound on her head. If it was anyone else, they would surely have died, but Amyra could feel lifeing from Aera. Amyra gritted her teeth and lurched towards Aera in a haste, ignoring the pain that was chewing through her nerves. ¡°Aera, can you hear me?¡± Amyra asked in a shout as she knelt before Aera and cradled her into her arms. She shook Aera and lightly pped her cheeks. ¡°Aera, stay with me!¡± Aera groaned and stirred. Though she was still unconscious, her face contorted with pain and her groans got louder. Amyra heaved a sigh of relief. It was a good sign. If Aera could still feel this much pain, it meant that she was still far from death¡¯s door. ¡°Alright, what to do? I don¡¯t have my first-aid supplies with me¡­¡± Amyra stared deeply at Aera¡¯s wounds. They were severe and if treatment were not given immediately, the consequences would be dire. In the end, Amyra could only resort to drastic measures, one that she wasn¡¯t very proud of. She wrapped her hands around Aera¡¯s calf where the bone was jutting out. With a strong squeeze, she pushed the bone back in ce and quickly seared the wound shut with her Fire Magic. Aera was instantly wide awake with that sharp pang of agony. Her eyes were thrown wide and her mouth agape. She was shuddering violently with a nk look before falling unconscious once again. ¡°Sorry, Aera. There¡¯s more toe,¡± Amyra muttered. Clutching Aera¡¯s bent arm, Amyra twisted her arm back into ce with one swift and strong motion. Amyra¡¯s body floundered and shuddered like a fish out of water but her eyes stayed shut. ¡°Now¡­ for the head.¡± Amyra tore off a part of Aera¡¯s garment and wrapped it around her head. She couldn¡¯t exactly sear the wound shut since it was quite close to the brain. This was the best way she knew of. Just as she was done treating Aera, Amyra felt her hair standing on end. She carried Aera into her arms and immediately leapt to safety. A second after, a chain shot towards the pile of debris where she and Aera had been. Amyraid Aera on the ground gently and set about to confront the assant. A puppet golem, forged of unknown pliable metal, sprang out from a crumbled building. Arge crack ran across its body, from the neck to where the loins were supposed to be, but it had none since it was just a golem. ¡°All the buildings and roads are levelled and ruined but you suffered only a crack,¡± Amyra scoffed. ¡°Just what are you made of?¡± The golem responded with a lunge as it flourished its chain at Amyra. ¡°Moody, I see.¡± Amyra canted her head to avoid being swiped by the chain. Since she didn¡¯t have a sword with her, she could only use her fists and her Magic Arts. She tried grabbing the chain but it was back in the golem¡¯s hands before she could even touch it. The chain spun and wrapped around the golem¡¯s arm as it threw a punch. Amyra dodged the punch and trapped the golem¡¯s arm in a lock hold. She tugged the golem towards her and kneed it in its belly. The golem barely flinched from the assault. Instead of pulling itself away, the golemtched itself onto Amyra. ¡°What the¡ª¡± The golem tossed itself to the ground and released Amyra, tossing the Augur into the air. The golem flipped to its feet and caught Amyra by her leg with its chain. ¡°This fucking¡ª¡± The golem gripped the chain tightly and swung it through the air, before mming Amyra into the ground. Without giving her a moment''s breather, it pulled Amyra towards it and kneed her in the face. The golem pulled on her again and drove its fist into her belly. Before it could strike her for the third consecutive time, mes enveloped her body and she coiled grasp around the chain. The golem tilted its head in astonishment. ¡°What a fucking fool!¡± Amyra sneered. ¡°You¡¯re not much different than the so-called intelligent monsters I have fought and in in dungeons.¡± She then looped and coiled the chain around both of her arms while she was still on fire. The golem had no choice but to let go if it wished to continue functioning. However, Amyra tackled the golem and they both tumbled to the ground. ¡°Thanks for the chain,¡± Amyra smiled disparagingly. With her entire mass weighing down on the golem, she wrapped the chain around its neck and tugged fiercely from both ends. The golem kicked its feet and threw its fists. It iled around desperately but it was no match for Amyra¡¯s weight. ¡°Hah!¡± With a vigorous snarl, Amyra yanked the chain hard and crushed the puppet golem¡¯s neck, severing its head from its body. She got up to her feet and stomped on the golem¡¯s body repeatedly until it was mere chunks of wreckage. For added insurance, she burned the remains until ashes were all that were left. ¡°A-Amyra¡­?¡± Amyra turned around and saw Aera gradually slipping out of her unconscious state. ¡°Aera, you¡¯re awake!¡± She hurriedly trod up to Aera and crouched down in front of her. ¡°Are you feeling any difort or pain anywhere on your body?¡± ¡°I-is Erin alright?¡± Amyra smiled wryly. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be more worried about yourself first?¡± ¡°Erin¡¯s¡­ important to me.¡± ¡°She¡¯s important to everyone.¡± ¡°Without her, I¡­¡± ¡°Oh, please. You¡¯ll be fine without her for a while. What about yourself? Are you in any pain or great difort?¡± Aera nodded her head meekly. ¡°How could anyone be fine when they just have their broken bones snapped back into ce with great force?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ you remember?¡± ¡°I was awake the whole time. I was just¡­ too exhausted to open my eyes or make any sound.¡± ¡°I see. Well, sorry about that.¡± Amyra shrugged. ¡°I didn¡¯t have any other choice.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not ming you, Amyra. In fact¡­ I would like to thank you, if possible.¡± ¡°Of course, it¡¯s possible. Just not here and not now. We gotta find Nivia first. Now, where could she¡ª¡± ¡°Hey, you two!!¡± Nivia¡¯s echoed to them all of a sudden. The two spun their gazes in the direction of the voice and found Nivia running down a wrecked street with a puppet golem on her tail that was wielding a pair of short swords. Nivia herself was covered in cuts and blood but her face had all the zeal and fervour. ¡°I¡¯m in need of your assistance!¡± Nivia shouted. It was unbing for an Elf, or any fighter for that matter, to be running away from a fight while crying out for help. Be that as it may, now wasn¡¯t the time to be caring about things like honour and integrity. The puppet golem shot towards Nivia as it kicked off the ground, its swords drawn and raised. ¡°Get down!¡± Amyra shouted and syed her palm open. Nivia dove low without any retort. mes spewed forth from the incantation circle in front of Amyra¡¯s palm. The puppet golem twirled with one foot on the ground and sliced away the encroaching mes. Amyra tutted with a scowl. She thrust her fist forward, expelling a bolt of fire with a punch. The golem sidestepped the firebolt with ease. ¡°This one¡¯s good,¡± Amyra muttered. Without any more intervention, the golem moved towards Nivia. ¡°Spirits be damned!¡± Nivia cursed and rolled herself out of the way of the golem¡¯s lethal stab. She flipped to her feet and brandished only a single sword. She had lost her other sword in the sh of des just minutes ago. The wounds she incurred as a result of that loss. ¡°Niv, the golem¡¯s too fast. Can you trap its movement for a few seconds?¡± ¡°What kind of question is that?¡± Nivia retorted as she ducked under a sh from the golem. ¡°Of course, I can! It¡¯s only a question of can Ie out unscathed.¡± ¡°Can you?¡± Nivia groaned inwardly. ¡°Just do what you have to do. I will do what I must. Just tell me when.¡± ¡°Very well. Keep it busy for a minute.¡± ¡°By the Spirits, a minute!?¡± Nivia eximed as she avoided a thrust from the golem that was aimed at her head. She ended up being grazed on the cheek. ¡°Just be quick!¡± The puppet golem was relentless in its assault. It was not giving Nivia any room to breathe or rest. It kept pressing Nivia with a continuous flurry of attacks and she could only do her best to dodge. She could parry but she would risk losing her only sword if she did. She learned her lesson thest time. What made the fight difficult was the golem¡¯s ability to discern and deduce the next course of her action before she even began to take it. Wherever she moved to, half of the time, the golem¡¯s swords were there, waiting for her flesh. She only survived this long due to her advantage in speed and agility. The puppet golem was fast but no faster than her. Still, the odds of the battle were not in Nivia¡¯s favour. The scales were not tipped against her. With every few seconds that went on, she was incurring one more cut on her body until one appeared on the back of her palm and made her drop her sword. But it was at this moment¡ª ¡°Now!¡± came Amyra¡¯s shout. The puppet golem lunged like an arrow towards Nivia but smashed into a wall of condensed wind. The golem regained its bearings and tried to circumvent the wall but it was enclosed on all sides. ¡°How¡¯s that?¡± Nivia asked with haggard breaths. ¡°Perfect,¡± Amyra chuckled in delight. ¡°Now, perish.¡± At Amyra¡¯smand, a red incantation circle appeared beneath the puppet golem¡¯s feet. At first, sparks were all that emanated from the incantation circle but gradually, the sparks grew into puny mes and those tiny zes amassed into an inferno. A pir of fire was amassed from those few insignificant sparks, shooting into the sky like a beacon. Trapped in the centre of this fiery pir was the puppet golem. Or rather, it was trapped only for a while before being disintegrated into nothing, not even the ashes or the soot remained afterwards. Nivia sighed heavily and plopped down on the ground. ¡°It¡¯s over¡­¡± ¡°I sure hope it¡¯s over,¡± Amyra responded in an equally breathless tone. ¡°I thought you wouldn¡¯t want this to end?¡± ¡°Even I have my limits.¡± Nivia tittered. ¡°Good to know¡­ or else we are going to have a problem.¡± Amyra chuckled wryly in response. 4-84 4-84 ¡°Come on!¡± Rex jeered as he lunged at Aedan with a punch thrown at a quarter of his full strength. His fist pierced through the air, rippling the space in its wake. It was a testament to the sheer strength packed within that single punch of Rex. Aedan received the punch with his torso and his body arched, whipping backwards. His feet left the ground. Anyone seeing this would expect Aedan to go flying across the battlefield. However, Aedan nted his feet right back on the ground and thrust out both of his fists in return towards Rex. ¡°What in the¡ª¡± Rex couldn¡¯t even utter his surprise fully as Aedan¡¯s assault sent him skidding backwards on his feet. The damage done to him wasn¡¯t tremendous but he felt the pain and the possibility of his loss. ¡°H-how is this possible?!¡± ¡°Anything¡¯s possible. No one and nothing¡¯s perfect. Not even you, Rex.¡± ¡°What trick are you using this time?¡± ¡°Given all the runic inscriptions you have carved onto yourself, I expected you to be able to figure that out in no time at all. Maybe I¡¯m just overestimating you.¡± Aedan shrugged with a look of indifference. ¡°You goddamn son of a bitch!¡± Rex roared and rammed into Aedan as if he was himself at him. Aedan took his weight and the impact with his shoulder. He grunted with a pained scowl. But in the next instance, he twirled, bringing his fist around, and drove a punch into Rex¡¯s face. The big man went staggering backwards in a daze. His world danced in blurry multiples. He wasn¡¯t drunk. He was neither under the influence of drugs. These were the only times that his world would be spinning and whirling. When a sharp pang ran through his body from his cheeks, he knew he had to ept the reality. He was suffering a concussion as a result of Aedan¡¯s punch. Rex groaned while rubbing his cheeks. It was throbbing with pain and it felt odd to him. He couldn¡¯t remember thest time he felt this manner of pain, the kind of pain that told him he would lose if he wasn¡¯t careful and continued to be impetuous. ¡°It hurts¡­¡± Rex muttered. ¡°It really fucking hurts¡­ I didn¡¯t think I would ever feel this again. You¡­ amaze me.¡± ¡°I know how you feel. I truly do. But sadly, you will get no mercy from me.¡± Rex snorted. ¡°Just because you managed to properly wound me, it doesn¡¯t mean your victory is guaranteed.¡± ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t. It merely means that your victory isn¡¯t guaranteed and that¡¯s enough for me.¡± ¡°Snarky bastard.¡± The tattoos on Rex¡¯s leg began glowing vibrantly. ¡°You will rue your tongue for being so derisive.¡± It was at this moment that a pir of fire erupted from a distance away, catching Rex¡¯s attention and interest. ¡°Impressive mes¡­¡± Rex muttered. ¡°Who could it be? Certainly not one of mine. One of yours, I hope?¡± Aedan rolled his eyes. ¡°Stop barking and start biting, will you?¡± Rex spat at Aedan and moved in front of him in the blink of an eye. He didn¡¯t run or walk. He moved his whole body but he did not move a single muscle and he was right in front of Aedan somehow. ¡°As you wish.¡± Rex threw a punch. ¡°Fucking h¡ª¡± Aedan didn¡¯t manage to finish his profanity as Rex¡¯s fist shot towards his face. He dodged the punch but another one immediately followed suit. The second punch was aimed at his belly and he received this punch instead of dodging. Aedan retched from getting the air knocked out of his body. He staggered for a single step but he reimed that step and retaliated with a haymaker. Rex raised his arms in defence and blocked Aedan¡¯s wild hook. Even though Rex was prepared, he was still shaken by that feral assault. ¡°This strength¡­ It feels simr to my own. Is this the secret of your trick?¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee to find out.¡± ¡°Then I shall!¡± Rex cried and shoved Aedan off of him before throwing his next punch. Simr to before, Aedan took the punch and countered with his own. Rex blocked the punch and once again, the strength felt equal to the punch he threw just before. He threw another punch but it was targeted at Aedan¡¯s head. Instead of receiving the punch, Aedan dodged it. Seeing that, a grin crept on Rex¡¯s lips. ¡°It¡¯s not your trick. It¡¯s your armour¡¯s. And there¡¯s a limit to the absurdity of your trick. A blow to the head would be too much or perhaps you need a clear mind to redirect my strength back to me, which is why you always avoid the punches that were aimed at your head. How interesting.¡± ¡°I suppose everything looks like a wonder to people like you.¡± ¡°Say what you want. Now that I know your tricks, you will not be seeing the end of the day.¡± ¡°You know my tricks, you say? How amusing.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be a sore loser,¡± Rex scoffed. ¡°We shall see,¡± Aedan responded with a sneer. Suddenly, a reddish gleam pulsated across his armour. ¡°What¡¯s this now?¡± Then, Aedan disappeared from Rex¡¯s sight. ¡°What the fuck?! Where did you¡ª¡± Rex¡¯s unfinished inquiry was answered with a kick to his head from behind. His world shook violently. Suns and stars exploded in his vision. He went tumbling across the ruined ground andy sprawled. Rex was quick to recover from the unexpected attack. He rose to his feet with renewed vigour and turned behind him. ¡°Another convoluted trick of yours? Can you not fight like a coward?¡± ¡°No,¡± Aedan answered dryly and rushed forward after a red gleam ran across the surface of his armour. ¡°Fast,¡± was all Rex could say as Aedan was right in front of him just after he uttered only a single word. He raised his arms to guard the punching from his head but his belly suffered instead. It was a feint and he fell for it. Not only that, the punch was stronger than the ones he threw with a quarter of his strength. Red sheen over Aedan¡¯s armour. He threw a hook that caught Rex right across his jaw. Rex bit on his lips to endure that punch. He countered with a hook of his own but Aedan let it sink into his abdomen before returning the force to Rex. Another wave of red swept past Aedan¡¯s armour and he threw another punch that sent Rex sprawling across the ground. Aedan had his fist raised, preparing to throw another punch, but he lowered his fist instead. His breaths had turned haggard before anyone knew it. ¡°I see¡­¡± Rex muttered in between his grunts and groans as he staggered to his feet. ¡°Those red sheens¡­ Those are effects of the spell you cast on yourself, isn¡¯t it? No, it will be more precise to say it¡¯s a spell that was already cast on the armour. I wager it¡¯s some kind of a strong attack spell. You coupled it with the armour¡¯s ability to redirect energy. This way, you don¡¯t need to wait for me to attack. Most impressive. Did you make that armour yourself? I reckon you did.¡± Aedan sighed. ¡°Do you ever shut the fuck up?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Did I get it right?¡± ¡°Yes, you did. Now, for the love of all that¡¯s holy, please shut the fuck up.¡± ¡°There¡¯s just no end to your impudence, is there?¡± ¡°There will be if you learn how to keep your mouth shut.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just making your imminent and unavoidable loss all the more agonisingter on.¡± Aedan gave Rex a genuine exasperated look. ¡°This is agonising enough as it is.¡± Rex¡¯s right arm glowed with a shimmer as he tugged at the air. Aedan was then pulled by an invisible strength towards Rex. ¡°Crazy bastard,¡± Aedan cursed under his breath. Rex¡¯s fist came for him. He twisted his body in the air and narrowly dodged Rex¡¯s punch. He grabbed Rex¡¯s outstretched arm and kneed him in his elbow. Rex screamed, his voice of agony shaking his surroundings. Aedan tutted. Though he caused great pain to Rex, he didn¡¯t manage to snap his arm. Hecked just thatst bit of strength. Before Aedan could move away from the enraged Rex, he was grabbed by the left arm. ¡°Feel my pain!¡± Rex bellowed and squeezed Aedan¡¯s arm. In response, Aedan syphoned Rex¡¯s strength away from the grasp and channelled it into his other hand, which he coiled into a fist and drove into Rex¡¯s face. But that punch alone wasn¡¯t enough to loosen Rex¡¯s grasp. In fact, it only made Rex strengthen his grasp further. Aedan syphoned the strength in Rex¡¯s grasp as quickly as possible and returned the strength to him. Aedan rained down punches on Rex but the scrawny man with contrasting might did not let Aedan¡¯s arm off in spite of the bruises that were umting on his body. In the end, it was Aedan who ran out of juice first. As a result, Rex could easily crush his arm, squeezing the armour along. Aedan screamed silently as if he was merely poked by a small needle, despite having his arm mangled. ¡°Curious,¡± Rex said as he wiped away the blood on his cheek. ¡°You¡¯re taking this pain far better than everyone else. They all screamed like a girl when I crushed a part of their body but you¡­ you¡¯re taking it well.¡± ¡°Nothing''s more painful than listening to you,¡± Aedan retorted. A red gleam swept across his armour once and he threw a punch. But Rex caught his fist and twisted that arm of his too. Aedan shouted through his teeth as his arm was twisted until the flesh burst, the veins ripped, and the bones snapped. ¡°I don¡¯t believe it,¡± Rex scoffed. ¡°It¡¯s louder than before but still nowhere near the reaction I¡¯m expecting.¡± Aedan chuckled with a look that was drained of vitality. ¡°d to disappoint you.¡± ¡°Oh, you are wrong about that. I¡¯m not disappointed. If anything, I am d that I fought you. You made me realise I have beencent and there are individuals out there who can still give me a worthwhile fight, a good thrill. For that, you have my gratitude.¡± Aedan wasn¡¯t even struggling. Both of his arms were deformed to a frightening degree. Anyone would have fainted from the pain and shock. It was a feat worthy of mountains of praise that Aedan was still even conscious and speaking. ¡°What was your name again? I forgot. Mind telling me again? For showing me the world isrger than Ie to believe, I will etch your name forever in my memories even though I find you¡­ insufferable.¡± ¡°Then feel free to call me whatever you like¡­¡± ¡°Insolent till the end. Fine, have it your way.¡± Rex released Aedan¡¯s mangled arms from his grasp. ¡°You shall perish as a nameless rogue. Pray that someone will remember your name because your yer won''t.¡± Saying so, he wrapped his hand around Aedan¡¯s neck and lifted him off his feet. Rex then began sinking his fingers into Aedan¡¯s neck. Although Aedan wasn¡¯t showing it on his face, he was indeed in a dire predicament, one that would actually result in his death. He nced towards Olivia, who was still unconscious from her fight with Rex. She had truly gone beyond her limits, fighting a monster like Rex. ¡°Nost words?¡± Rex asked with a mocking smile. ¡°Well, of course, you don¡¯t have any.¡± And Rex poured more strength into his fingers. Just then, a screech resounded loudly from above, turning Rex¡¯s gaze to the skies. ¡°A Wyvern?¡± Rex blurted out. ¡°Why would a surly monster¡ª No, it¡¯s a mount,¡± he surmised when he saw the harness around the Wyvern. Rex¡¯s guess was immediately proven correct as he saw the rider hopping off from the Wyvern while it was still high up in the sky. ¡°Huh, is the rider insane?¡± As if the rider heard Rex¡¯s disbelief before it even left his lips, the rider was falling towards him. ¡°He''sing here!?¡± Right before the rider hit the ground, their descent suddenly slowed drastically and the rapid descent became a gentle and gradual drop. ¡°A woman?¡± As the rider was wearing a light garment, it was easy to determine her gender with how the fabric stuck closely to her slender, shapely, yet ample figure. She was wearing a cloak with a hood over her head. Still, the locks of her red hair could be seen dangling out of the hood. ¡°And who are you supposed to be?¡± Rex inquired with a deep scowl. ¡°Friend of this impudent wretch here?¡± ¡°Friend?¡± the woman scoffed. ¡°Enemies would be more fitting.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not here to save him?¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t my intention.¡± ¡°So you won¡¯t stop me from killing him.¡± The woman chuckled. ¡°I did not say that.¡± ¡°Huh? What the fuck are you spewing now?¡± ¡°Just because I¡¯m not here to save him, doesn¡¯t mean I would let youmit murder right in front of me.¡± ¡°Ah, I see. You¡¯re just one of those self-righteous pricks. I¡¯m familiar with your kind. Are you all so eager to meet your demise at my hands?¡± ¡°In the name of Ruva and all that she represents, you are under arrest,¡± the woman said, pulling off her hood. Aedan snorted weekly when he saw her face. ¡°Aza¡­¡± he muttered. "You''rete..." 4-85 Crimson dance 4-85 Crimson dance ¡°Aza, huh¡­¡± Rex muttered as he eyed themander of the Venerers warily. Though he had not known Aza personally, he was thoroughly briefed of her existence and prowess by his employer and peers. He had also heard about her aplenty from rumours alone. Now that he was facing the infamous Aza herself, he could tell those rumours were no exaggerations and his employer¡¯s word of caution was not to be taken lightly. ¡°You can surrender quietly and face a fair trial, or you can resist and I will end you right here and now. What say you?¡± Aza asked as she unsped the cloak she was donning and let it fall to the ground, revealing her thin and scarce garment underneath. Rex snorted. ¡°Why do you ask a question that you already know the answer to?¡± ¡°No harm in giving a criminal the chance to do the right thing.¡± ¡°The right thing, you say?¡± Rex chuckled. ¡°Pretentious fucks, you zealots always tend to be.¡± ¡°...Very well, then. I shall take that as your answer,¡± Aza said, drawing a longsword from a rippling space. A ck gooey essence with a red sheen enveloped her and it then solidified into a set of ck armour with a faint red shade, covering her from the head to the toes. ¡°Come on,¡± Rex urged. ¡°I shall let you have the first strike.¡± ¡°As you wish,¡± Aza and disappeared from Rex¡¯s sight. ¡°What the¡ª¡± She reappeared right in front of him and swung her sword down. Rex could only stand still and receive the sh. Thankfully, the sh left only a shallow cut on his torso but a cut nheless. Aza tutted and moved a few yards away from Rex. ¡°High physical resistance¡­ just my luck,¡± she mused. She stowed away her sword and took out a battle axe instead. ¡°Arms Inventory, what a neat spell you have there.¡± Aza spared no retort for Rex and simply lunged at him. Rex threw a punch towards Aza in response but she disappeared from his sight the second before his fist collided into her face. She reappeared behind him and swung her axe. Rex groaned and tossed himself out of the way. His instincts were telling him that he would not get out of that swing in one piece if he received it. Aza¡¯s axe split the air and caused a ripple. She let the momentum bring the axe around and she went in for another swing at Rex. The tattoos on Rex¡¯s left arm glowed. An invisible force shed with Aza and sent her flying, or that was how it should have been. Instead, Aza flung herself to the side using the momentum of her swing. She stored her axe and drew out a spear in one fluid motion. Using the leftover momentum, she thrust towards Rex with the spear. ¡°Fuck!¡± Rex grumbled. He had no choice but to raise his arm to defend against Aza¡¯s attack. The spear pierced into his upper arm but it didn¡¯t go beyond the flesh. Before Aza could pull her spear out, Rex grabbed onto the head. ¡°How foolish,¡± he scoffed and tugged at the spear, pulling Aza along. But Aza stowed away the spear and Rex lost his grasp on her. She flipped herself in the air and swung a kick into Rex¡¯s head. Rex nted his head away, just barely avoiding the kick. The moment Aza¡¯s foot touched the ground, she twirled on the spot, brought out a rapier, and thrust towards Rex¡¯s heart. ¡°You annoying pest!¡± Rex roared and tried to grab the rapier, but it disappeared before he could. The rapier reappeared in Aza¡¯s hand and shot forward, piercing into the left side of Rex¡¯s chest but failing to reach his heart or any of his vital organs. Rex groaned with a deep scowl. Aza hopped away before Rex could retaliate, taking her rapier with her as she retreated. ¡°Orichalcum metal.¡± Rex tutted, clutching his bleeding left chest. ¡°You zealots are truly prosperous despite being so pretentious.¡± ¡°Those two traits aren¡¯t mutually exclusive.¡± ¡°Unfortunately so,¡± Rex huffed with a grimace. ¡°Surrender, sir, or your suffering will only continue.¡± ¡°Good luck getting through that thick skull of his,¡± Aedan muttered aloud, who was sitting on the sidelines, leaning against a piece of rubble. Aza raised an eyebrow and turned her gaze to him. ¡°You¡¯re still here.¡± ¡°Should I be somewhere else?¡± ¡°No. But I sincerely hope you won¡¯t hold me responsible for any coteral injuries that you may garner henceforth.¡± ¡°I¡¯m hurt that you would take me for such a petty man.¡± Aza did not continue to spar with Aedan and turned her gaze back to Rex, who had seized this opportunity to attack her. Using one of the many spells he had inscribed onto his very flesh skin, Rex shortened the distance between him and Aza in a split second. He threw both of his fists at Aza with only a foot¡¯s distance between them. ¡°Slow,¡± Aza remarked indifferently with a quiet voice. The dual fists missed her as she simply sidestepped the attack. She brandished her rapier in retaliation. ¡°Daughter of a bas¡ª¡± Rex canted his head just in time to avoid having his head impaled but he suffered a shallow cut across his cheek and temple. Aza reeled in her rapier and switched it out for a longsword, which she swung upwards. The markings on Rex¡¯s left arm shone ringly and an unseen force pushed out. This time, Aza had no leeway to avoid it and was thrown off her feet a good distance away. She managed to recover her bnce by stabbing her longsword into the ground. However, Rex was already onto her. He was only a few feet away from her when she caught her bearings with his fist swinging. She dodged low, the punch going over her head, but his foot awaited her. She spun to the side and his kick struck the empty air. Press on or retreat, those two options immediately weighed in Aza¡¯s mind as she was caught in a predicament. The two of Rex¡¯s failed offences had left him vulnerable. His guard was open and if she attacked now, she would deal a heavy blow to him. But at the same time, that scenario felt too convenient and easy to her liking. A trap, she concluded. Just as she was about to retreat, Rex stomped his foot on the ground hard. A force of over a hundred thousand pounds was packed into that stomp. A dense ripple emanated from that stomp radially. The force hit Aza and threw her off her feet once again. She tried stabbing her sword into the ground to counter the force but her de tore right through the ground and she went tumbling across the ruined street. Aza eventually crashed into a pile of rubble and stopped her tumbling. Her armour absorbed most of the impact but she was not spared of the motion sickness incurred from her tumbling. Her world was spinning as she struggled to rise to her feet. Rex chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re certainly a tough one, I¡¯ll give you that.¡± ¡°Those are spell inscriptions on your body.¡± ¡°Astute observation, pdin.¡± ¡°Yet, you have not been ripped apart by the invocation of the spells.¡± ¡°A testament to the durability of my body. Do you understand now? If this is all you got, you cannot win against me.¡± ¡°Then it is fortunate that this is not all that I got.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Aza took in a deep breath and held it as she lunged at Rex. Her speed doubled and Rex only realised she had moved when her de was only inches away from his neck. He raised his arm in defence in a panic, hoping to stop her sh at the cost of suffering a flesh wound. However, Aza¡¯s de sliced right through his arm and continued travelling towards his neck. Tattoos appeared all over his body and shone in a dazzling radiance. Aza¡¯s de was only an inch away from his neck when the space closed in on him and spat him back out hundreds of yards away from Aza. It was the Spatial Magic spell, Warp. It only activates in response to his mind when he was a hundred percent sure of his demise. The other limit of this insurance was that it could only be activated up to once a day. Aza released the breath she was holding with a gasp. ¡°A neat precaution you had in ce.¡± Rex snorted, clutching his left stump of an arm. Sweat poured down from his head and his breaths quickened rapidly. ¡°Sly bitch!¡± he snarled. Blood dripped incessantly from his arm that was missing a hand. ¡°You think your victory is assured with just this much?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Aza answered and held her breath after drawing in a deep one. Rex saw the cue and prepared himself for it, enduring the pain that was coursing through his body from his throbbing stump. Aza closed in on him in a split second with her sword already swinging. Rex thrust his palm out as the tattoos on his left arm glowed. The unseen force sted towards Aza but she reacted swiftly and dodged the attack without suffering even a simple bruise. However, she released her breath in the process. Rex quickly threw a punch at Aza but a shield appeared between her and Rex. His fist collided with the shield, plunging right through the frail steel with ease. Though the shield was no match for Rex¡¯s strength, it slowed him down just enough for Aza to catch her breath and hold it. Rex grunted and hopped away from Aza just as she twirled with her sword spinning in aplete arc. He was clearly nowhere close to the reach of Aza¡¯s de but somehow, a horizontal cut appeared across his torso and it was no shallow cut. The brief moment Rex used to grunt and pressed down his pain, Aza was regathering her breath. As she held her breath once again, Rex raised his foot for a stomp. But the stomp was disrupted by the broken shield that Aza threw. The shield disced the stomp and ended up dampening the force of the stomp. ¡°Damn you!¡± Rex cried and hastily retrieved his bearings, but Aza was upon him. A golden streak shed across his eyes and the image of his headless body also shed across his mind. ¡°Hmm?¡± Aza hummed in disbelief and confusion when her de failed to cut through Rex¡¯s neck or even draw his blood. She squinted her eyes and saw a faint dark reddish glow enveloping his entire body. Then, a shiver ran down her spine. ¡°Get away from him!¡± Aedan shouted. Aza didn¡¯t need to be told. She immediately moved a considerable amount of distance away from Rex as the red glow intensified. ¡°To think I am forced to draw upon the power of the Demons¡­¡± Rex mumbled with a grimace and a re piercing Aza deeply. ¡°Congrattions, pdin. You have forced me to ept my human limits.¡± ¡°Save your praises, I am not honoured by words from the likes of you,¡± Aza retorted. ¡°And I don¡¯t care.¡± A ck hand of a demonic contour grew from his stump. The red glow seeped into his body, turning his skin into a deep dark crimson. A pair of tusks sprouted out from his mouth as a pair of horns emerged from his head. The wounds he had suffered disappeared into ropes of smoke. ¡°Ruva guide me,¡± Aza muttered. ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t n on using your gift this time either,¡± Aedan said. ¡°You mock me, Dragon. I learned my lesson and I shall not have a repeat of my mistake. That said, better make yourself scarce. I don¡¯t know why and you have gotten so weak and feeble but I don¡¯t wish to see you bing coteral. I don¡¯t want that weighing down on my conscience.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t win against him alone. I can help, believe it or not.¡± ¡°Just don¡¯t make this any more difficult for me.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t¡ª Iing!¡± ¡°Foolish bitch!¡± Rex was suddenly upon Aza. He threw a punch that was much faster than all the punches had thrown before. ¡° You dare turn your eyes away from me!?¡± ¡°Yes, I dare,¡± Aza responded calmly as a faint golden glow enveloped her armour and a scarlet light d her de. She received the punch with her sword as if she was stopping a fist yfully thrown by a sick man. ¡°What the¡ª¡± Aza stared him deeply in the eyes. ¡°You shall know where my moniker originates from.¡± 4-86 Even grounds 4-86 Even grounds Aza flourished her sword, twirling into a dance of death. Her de moved in a rhythm that was swift and precise, leaving behind a trail of scarlet golden shimmer. The red on Rex¡¯s skin deepened as Aza¡¯s de slit across his neck. Sparks flew and a sharp dragging ngour spread across the air. The edge left not a cut but a scratch mark that drew no blood as if the de had cut not flesh or skin. Rex battered the de away and lunged at Aza with a grimace. Aza took a step back and dodged a swipe from Rex. She countered with an upward thrust that bounced off his chin. She neither clicked her tongue nor expressed her annoyance at her failed attempt. She simply reeled in her thrust and pressed on with a sh. Rex, however, tutted loudly as he grabbed the de aiming for his neck. He tugged the de and pulled Aza towards him. Instead of showing urgency or dread, a smirk adorned Aza¡¯s lips. She tightened her grip on her sword and the de¡¯s glow intensified. A faint reddish aura surged through the de in a spiral. Rex groaned and released his grasp on the de. Blood dripped from the numerous fresh scars he incurred on his palm. The whirling and raging aura on Aza¡¯s de waned and abated. ¡°Impossible,¡± Rex grunted. ¡°This is not possible. My defence is supposed to be imprable.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s what you think, then you do not understand your own abilities.¡± ¡°Huh? Are you mocking me?¡± ¡°Considering people are always incensed by the harsh and bitter truth, I will say yes, I am mocking you.¡± ¡°Bitch!¡± Rex roared and threw a punch. A spectral tiger with demonic features ovepped with that punch of his. The apparition that was the shockwave of Rex¡¯s punch charged towards Aza. ¡°How crude¡± Aza muttered. She held her breath and shed her sword. The spectral demonic tiger split in half vertically and dissipated into nothing. Rex growled inwardly, gritting his teeth. He then raised his fists before mming them hard into the ground. The same manner of phenomenon reurred. A spectral monster with demonic features charged towards Aza, the tangible manifestation of the shockwave of Rex¡¯s attacks. In the same fashion, Aza cut down the spectre with ease and without breaking a sweat. Rex roared louder than ever but he wasn¡¯t saying anything coherent. It was just a in roar, expressing his indignation and frustration. He punched at the empty air repeatedly, throwing a horde of his attacks¡¯ shockwave spectres at Aza. ¡°Oh¡­ that¡¯s not good,¡± Aedan muttered from the sidelines. ¡°Be quiet,¡± Aza said and put away her sword. She then took out five spears with heads of a scarlet shade. The spears were floating upright in front of her. At her will, the spears flew towards the charging horde of spectres while spinning in a spiral fashion, forming an impromptu drill that tore through the onught. ¡°What!?¡± Rex eximed in utter disbelief. He didn¡¯t believe that he was invincible but he had time to believe someone could repel his attacks with such ease and without even straining themselves. His opponent did not look even the slightest bit perturbed. Her expression was that of indifference as if she was unimpressed by the prowess of her opponent so far. The spears finished tearing through the onught and continued on towards Rex. Without any more opposition to hinder the spears¡¯ advancement, the spears streaked through the air at a neck-breaking speed. Rex moved out of the way just in time and the spears gouged into the ground behind him, tearing into the foundation of the ruined streets before disappearing into glitters. ¡°Is your god the god of destruction?¡± Rex snarled while painting raggedly after narrowly avoiding his certain death. ¡°She is the god of whatever she needs to be. If it¡¯s to eliminate an abomination such as you, she can even be the god of death, your death.¡± ¡°You have not won!¡± Aza sighed. ¡°I haven¡¯t, true. But it is near.¡± ¡°Just you wait. I¡¯ll tear down that pride of yours.¡± ¡°You will not,¡± Aza said and brandished seven golden metal stakes that were hovering around her. At a wave of her hand, the stakes fenced in her and Rex, connected with fments of light between the stakes. ¡°What is this?¡± The light fments expanded. They grew until they covered the two in a dome. ¡°Illusion?¡± Rex reckoned but his suspicion was proven wrong when he punched the glowing wall behind him. ¡°It¡¯s real¡­ Just what the fuck is this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a domain, my domain. To be precise, it¡¯s the domain of Ruva¡¯s Apostle.¡± Rex snorted. ¡°And what does this domain do?¡± He stomped the ground beneath him, easily creating a small crater. He then moved in front of Aza in a split second. ¡°I don¡¯t feel any weaker nor do I feel any slower. I don¡¯t feel anything restraining me at all. How exactly does this domain of yours fill you with so much confidence?¡± ¡°The effect of this domain is quite simple, actually.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°Anything or anyone in this domain is all now mortal,¡± Aza said and swung her sword that she had taken out after her hand was already moving. Rex tutted and narrowly avoided having his head severed from his neck. ¡°Including Demons and various other beings that are supposed to be immortal outside of this domain.¡± Rex rubbed his neck. ¡°Including gods?¡± Aza shrugged. ¡°I haven¡¯t fought a god before¡ª not in this domain at least.¡± ¡°You could be bluffing for all I know.¡± ¡°I could be,¡± Aza responded dryly and lunged at Rex. Her rapid sh nearly took his head once again but his instinct as a Demoid had saved him. Rex retaliated hastily in a fit of desperation but he only ended up with his arm receiving numerous cuts and scratches. He didn¡¯t know how she was doing it. His defence was supposed to be second to none but here she was, leaving cuts after cuts and scratches after scratches on his supposedly imprable skin. ¡°How are you doing this!?¡± Rex growled, trying his best to hit Aza with his punches but she was too fast for him. She danced around like the wind and struck like a cobra, leaving behind a beautiful trail of scarlet glow. ¡°You have to be more specific than that,¡± Aza said as shended another cut across Rex¡¯s shoulder. ¡°My defence is supposed to be absolute! How are you getting through it with that simple de of yours!?¡± ¡°Absolute?¡± Aza chuckled. ¡°You delude yourself, sir. Your so-called absolute defence is merely a result of your Mana being condensed to an extreme and then infused into your flesh and skin. I only need to lessen the density of the Mana covering your body.¡± ¡°And how could you possibly manage that?¡± ¡°But I am doing it. That''s the reality.¡± ¡°Insolent zealot!¡± Rex exploded and tossed himself at Aza. ¡°I¡¯ll see you dead and ruined!¡± ¡°Fool,¡± Aza muttered and brandished ance into her free hand. She thrust thence forward. The tip of hernce failed to pierce through her flesh but it pierced deeper into his flesh than all of her previous attacks. Rex stopped in his tracks from getting his shoulder pierced. He bit down the pain and pulled thence out. Before he tugged at thence, it disappeared from his grasp. Thence reappeared in Aza¡¯s hand and she wielded it in a throwing stance with her mark being no more than a few feet in front of her. ¡°You¡¯re open!¡± Rex hissed and bared his mouth wide at Aza. As she threw thence point nk, a beam of dark red energy shot out from Rex¡¯s mouth. The energy beam struck her face but her helmet had protected her. Still, she was sent tumbling backwards, resulting in her throw missing its mark. She pushed at the ground in the middle of her tumbling and flipped herself back upright on her feet. Just as Aza regained herposure, another beam of dark reddish energy was headed for her. She cut down the beam and took out a buckler that was only a little bit bigger than her head. With a buckler in one hand and her sword in the other, she deflected and cut down the beams as she charged towards Rex. A bulky reptilian-like tail protruded from Rex¡¯s back and he swung down at the approaching Aza, who put away her sword and shield and brandished a greatsword. The scarlet glow on her weapon intensified and she shed towards the tailing for her. Therge de of hers cleaved through the tail cleanly and sprayed the blood in all directions. Rex smirked. ¡°Fool,¡± he said. Aza raised an eyebrow and stared curiously at the severed part of the tail she had just cleaved off. It floundered on the ground like a fish on drynd before it promptly morphed into a different shape and appearance. It transformed into some kind of a creature, one that she had never seen before. The creature the severed tail transformed into bore great semnce to a quadruped beast. It was asrge as a dog but it looked considerably fiercer than one would ever expect from a dog. Its deep red gaze was fixated on Aza, growling with its fangs bared and its drool dripping off its mouth. ¡°Sic her!¡± Rex cried and the ck beast streaked towards Aza. 4-87 Smite 4-87 Smite The quadruped beast, born of Rex¡¯s severed dark reptilian-like tail, lunged at Aza with a feral expression. Its jaws bared wide open, awaiting the flesh and bones of the pdin before it. Aza reeled in her weapon. She twirled the sword in her hands. The buckler melded into her sword and the sword then lost its shape and form too. The clump of ckish-grey goo morphed into a scythe in the next second, the instance before the jaws of the quadruped beast snapped shut on her. She brought the scythe around, pivoting along with a twirl of her body. The beast split into half, passing Aza by harmlessly and lifelessly, though the lifeless aspectsted only for a brief moment. The two halves of the beast came back together. A tinge of displeasure and a hint of annoyance creased her cheeks. She split the scythe in half and morphed them into a pair of swords that were neither too long nor too short. On one hand, Aza deflected the quadruped beast¡¯s immediate retaliation. On the other hand, she fended off Rex¡¯s sneaky assault. Rex tutted. ¡°You didn¡¯t forget about me,¡± he chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m honoured.¡± Aza hummed with a barely audible tone and her gaze expressed her indifference towards Rex¡¯s taunt. Rex was the opposite of indifference. Aza¡¯sck of change in her expression was getting on his nerves even more. The skin around his right arm ckened as he charged at Aza. He wound his arm with his fist clenched and his veins bulging across the back of his palm. If one looked at it closely, the space around his fist was trembling and shivering. Of course, Aza noticed that subtle effect. She turned most of her attention to Rex, giving the quadruped beast her bare minimum focus. Rex threw his fist. Layers of air were shattered like ss as his fist travelled towards Aza¡¯s face. Aza kicked the beast away and spun away from Rex¡¯s punch. However, that punch of his epassed more than just his fist. The air around his fist carried with it his intent to hurt. The air touched Aza¡¯s visor and the air rippled. She was thrown off her feet and sent bouncing across the ground. ¡°We¡¯ll see how much longer you can keep up with that falseposure of yours!¡± Rex snarled in glee. Aza didn¡¯t bounce far. Her swords turned into a spear, which she then stabbed into the ground to prevent herself from hurtling too far. She recovered her poise and focus swiftly and retaliated by throwing the spear, which turned into a battle axe mid-flight. Rex had severely underestimated his opponent. She regained her advantage and grace faster than he liked to admit. Not only that, she even returned the favour in quick session. His mind froze for a moment at his opponent¡¯s prowess and the axe was not stopping. Beckoned by the danger that his master was facing, the quadruped beast jumped in front of the axe and took the blow. Only when the beast was torn by the axe, Rex recovered from his shock and disbelief. Even then, he wasn¡¯t able to get a solid hold of himself. His opponent, the Scarlet de, had even the field by using her Divine Gift. Rex was currently a mortal like any other human. His Demonic power would not save him from a fatal blow, which his opponent was more than capable of inflicting. With these odds against him, he saw his chances of winning getting slimmer and slimmer as seconds went by. ¡°If you¡¯re thinking about surrendering, that ship has long sailed,¡± Aza said as she strode towards Rex. ¡°Who¡¯s surrendering here!?¡± Rex baulked. Aza¡¯s axe was right in front of him, stuck to the ground after the quadruped beast had taken the blow for him. He reached out his hand to snatch away his opponent¡¯s weapon but it disappeared into ck smoke and reappeared in Aza¡¯s hand. ¡°Get your own,¡± Aza muttered as she turned her axe into a longsword. A slight grin formed across her lips with fingers tracing the sword¡¯s edge without cutting herself on it. Rex was about to spit out his rage but held it in. He knew there was no point in losing hisposure in front of a dangerous opponent such as Aza. There was only one way he coulde out of this victorious: to wholly ept the Demonic power within him. ¡°Let us end this charade. You and I both know there¡¯s only one oue to this.¡± Rex snorted. ¡°I agree. There¡¯s only one oue. There can only be one.¡± A ck mist began oozing out of the pores all over his boy. His appearance became even more distorted than it already was. His muscles grew along with his disfiguration. Spikes protruded from his back, horns sprouted from his head, and a pair of wings manifested behind him. ¡°You fool.¡± Aza sighed. ¡°You just made yourself even more vulnerable by assimting with the Demonic essence within you.¡± Rex snarled incoherently and lunged at Aza. He took a swipe at her¡ª ¡ªbut she dodged low and countered with a sh, taking his left arm. Instead of groaning or shrieking in pain, Rex swung his other arm at Aza while a new one took the ce of the freshly severed arm. Meanwhile, the severed arm grew into a quadruped beast that pounced at Aza. The sword in Aza¡¯s hand morphed into a de in the shape of a ring, a chakram. She wore the chakram around her like a hoop and spun, cutting the quadruped beast and also Rex¡¯s fist. She quickly shaped it into an axe with a long handle and brought it down on the beast. Rex¡¯s fist came again. The wound was still present, bleeding dark reddish blood profusely, but Rex¡¯s current state of mind had made him detached from anything but Aza. Only she existed in his current state of mind. Her weapon then turned into a double-dednce on both ends, which she used to stop Rex¡¯s fist by impaling him by the wrist. She spun thence, cutting off Rex¡¯s arm, and swung the de towards his face. A sphere of dark red energy quickly formed in Rex¡¯s mouth and was unleashed just as rapidly as its conjuration. The beam of dark red energy shattered thence into splinters but it didn¡¯t stay destroyed for long. With a flick of her hand, Aza¡¯s weapon was back in her hand in one piece and it had taken the form of a chain with barbed des running along the body. Rex opened his mouth once more as dark red energy began umting at once. Aza wasn¡¯t so gracious to let the energy umte, however. She whipped her newly-shaped weapon and destroyed the growing energy sphere in Rex¡¯s mouth. Rex let out a groan that was mixed with vexation and rage while stumbling back a few short steps. Aza reeled in the chain before snapping it back at Rex¡¯s face. A roar burst out of Rex¡¯s gaping mouth. He caught the chain with his jaws, biting it down without a care to the barbed des. Blood trickled from his mouth but he bit down harder. If Aza was annoyed by this trick of his, she did not show it. Her aloof expression did not falter. She let go of her weapon and willed it out of existence. Before she could conjure it back in her hand, Rex was already flying towards her, way before she dispelled her weapon. Aza held her breath and straightened her fingers. A thin golden glow covered her hand. She thrust her fingers towards Rex as if her hand was a de. The stunt caught Rex by surprise. He did not think Aza was capable of such a trick. His momentum was carrying him forward hard. There was no way for him to stop in time. The best he could do was canting his head but that was not enough. Though he avoided having his whole head pierced, Aza¡¯s fingers cut deeply across his cheek. Her weapon reappeared in the form of a sword. Letting not a second lose, she swung upwards with all of her might. In her current stance, she wasn¡¯t able to exude much strength despite giving her all in that swing but it inflicted a considerable amount of damage on Rex. His right ear and the horns growing out of the right side of his head were all cut off with that single swing. It nearly took a portion of his head if he had been a second slower in dodging. Aza¡¯s triumphant retaliation was no bearing on her victory. Having swung her sword from an awkward position, she left herself vulnerable to her opponent¡¯s counterattack. No words came out of Rex¡¯s lips. Only a look of triumph was present as he swung his newly-grown arm at Aza with barely any distance between them. A mere single second would be all that was needed for the w to reach Aza. However, Rex¡¯s w only barely grazed Aza¡¯s helmet. She had moved out of harm¡¯s way in less than a second. Her weapon turned into a scythe while she was swinging it as a sword. The sudden shift in weight elerated the momentum of her swing and thereby, increased the speed. It took only half a second for her de to reach Rex¡¯s newly-grown limb. The sudden loss of his limb as he was thrown forward by the weight of his swing, Rex lost all of his bnce and he toppled. Aza dodged low, twirled on her toes, and brought her scythe around a wide arc, nearly a full circle. Red as ck as the night sky of a blood moon sttered everywhere. Tendrils grew from the bleeding gaping stumps. The two halves that were Rex were trying to reattach themselves back into one but Aza did not let it just happen in front of her eyes. She kicked away the lower half of Rex¡¯s severed body and pinned the upper half to the ground with her weapon she had now transformed into a spear with a head that was designed to fix its mark on a surface. She then pointed a finger at Rex. Tendrils and limbs burst out from Rex¡¯s lower half. It crawled towards Aza rapidly. Or rather, it was crawling towards the upper half but Aza was in its way. The finger pointed at Rex was then shifted to the lower half. Her finger glowed radiantly and sharply. Beams shot out from the ceiling of the dome, striking the lower half of Rex¡¯s body like thunder. Nothing was left of it afterwards. Rex knew nothing of the spell or skill Aza had just cast but he knew it was of the Divine. He felt it as the beams disintegrated his severed lower half. It was a direct exposure to a Divine¡¯s power. Aza lowered her finger and heaved a huge breath as if she had just moved a massive load across a long distance in a single round without breaks in between. Her gaze fastened on Rex as she gathered her breaths. An Apostle she might be, but it was still a huge burden on her body to invoke the Divine¡¯s power directly unto a mark. Once her breaths had steadied, she raised her finger and at the end of it was Rex¡¯s despairing face. ¡°Wait! Wait! Wait!!¡± Rex shouted with a distorted voice and his hands thrown above his head. ¡°I yield! I yield!¡± ¡°Unbelievable,¡± Aza scoffed as she stared at Rex with a gaze that belittled his entire existence. ¡°Face your death with some dignity at least.¡± ¡°Please, spare me. I have much to offer. I know things. A lot of things. I possess knowledge that you don¡¯t even know existed. What say you, Scarlet de?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t move,¡± Aza replied. ¡°Y-yes?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to miss. It¡¯s a very tasking spell.¡± ¡°W-what¡­? You¡¯re not going to spare me? B-but you said¡ª¡± ¡°I don¡¯t trust people who only change their mind at the brink of their demise.¡± Rex fell silent and gritted his teeth. Aza said not a single word more and smote Rex with the authority of her Divine Guardian. Solid beams of light descended upon Rex and smothered him in a dazzling radiance, leaving not a single speck of dust of his existence afterwards. 4-88 A new friend 4-88 A new friend ¡°The dome¡­ it¡¯s disappearing,¡± Amyra pointed out, figuratively and literally. ¡°Yes, I noticed,¡± Erin said. ¡°Now please, stop moving. I can treat your wounds like these.¡± She was tending to Amyra¡¯s injuries, which she incurred from her battle against a Demoid and also Ruyo¡¯s undiscriminating assault. ¡°But just what is that dome?¡± Nivia asked while tending to Aera¡¯s injuries. Thetter was still unconscious as her wounds were much heavier than the others. It took a lot out of Nivia to finally get Aera out of her dire state. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Erin answered offhandedly. ¡°But¡­ it feels familiar.¡± ¡°Familiar how?¡± ¡°It feels like when I used my Lust skill.¡± Nivia¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You¡¯re saying that dome could be the doing of a Divine Apostle?¡± Erin nodded. After mending the heavy injuries and stopping the bleeding, she began bandaging Amyra¡¯s wounds. ¡°But who could it be? Aedan?¡± ¡°His Grace¡¯s powers are sealed,¡± Amyra said. ¡°And if it was him, we would have been crushed under the weight of his aura. He is the sessor to the Dragon God throne.¡± Nivia frowned, casting a sidelong nce at Amyra. ¡°Surely you are exaggerating, Amyra. Have you felt that kind of pressure before?¡± Amyra shrugged but she groaned immediately afterwards. ¡°Not in its entirety but I had felt a sliver of it. And that was enough to make me kneel. I still remember it clearly. I wanted to just cry and beg for mercy. Fortunately, His Grace holds grudges but only major grudges. Mine was, thankfully, only a small slight.¡± ¡°And what exactly did you do for him to unleash his wrath upon you?¡± Nivia asked. Amyra chuckled. ¡°It happened during my first encounter with His Grace. He looked like a child, so I treated him like one. He did not like that.¡± ¡°...I can sort of see that happening,¡± Nivia mused and resumed her concentration on treating Aera. ¡°How is she, Nivia?¡± Erin asked after finishing Amyra¡¯s treatment. ¡°She¡¯s doing fine for now,¡± Nivia answered. ¡°She¡¯s no longer in a dire state but she¡¯s still in a terrible form. I did what I could with Spirit Mend but that¡¯s meant to soothe the mind and mend minor injuries. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m in no shape forbat after this.¡± ¡°What about you, Amyra?¡± ¡°Depends on who I¡¯ll be fighting.¡± ¡°Such as the one who made that dome.¡± Amyra tittered but not without spreading the pain all over her body. ¡°You kid, Erin, if you genuinely think I stood a chance against whoever is responsible for that. Even at my best, I doubt I would be much of an opponent.¡± ¡°Then all the more reason that we need to move now before¡ª¡± ¡°Before I arrive?¡± the voice of a stranger finished Erin¡¯s sentence. In an instant, Erin moved in front of herpanions and brandished her sword against their unexpectedpany. She didn¡¯t even smell or hear the stranger approaching. Amyra tried to get up but she too was spent. She fell to her knees as soon as she stood up. As for Nivia, she could only look up from where she was kneeling. ¡°Aza,¡± Erin chewed the name. ¡°Lady Erynthea. We meet again.¡± Aza was no longer donning her armour, not even her cloak. She was simply in her bare-clothed form. Her garment was that of one would wear during practices and exercises. The fabric was thin and stuck closely to her skin, entuating her shapely figure. Erin had to admit, even if now was not the right time, ce, and asion, she was impressed by Aza¡¯s body figure. Only after she gazed directly at Aza, she realised the Venerer Commander had a body hoisted over her shoulder. It was Aedan. Aza casually tossed Aedan in front of Erin without any care for her strength. Aedan groaned upon hitting the ground. He was conscious but he was not in good shape. ¡°Your Grace!¡± Amyra cried out but there was all she could do. She strained herself and all she managed was a slight nudge forward. Her wounds weren¡¯t severe but she had exhausted nearly all of her strength. ¡°Aedan!¡± Erin eximed as she knelt down to check on Aedan¡¯s condition. He was not in a state as dire as Aera was but he was badly battered and bruised, and that was putting it lightly. With only a single nce, Erin could tell there were at least a few broken bones. Although, she became relieved when she saw the light grin dangling on Aedan¡¯s lips. ¡°You¡¯re well¡­ I¡¯m so d¡­¡± ¡°Can¡¯t say the same to you. What happened to you? Did she¡ª¡± ¡°No, Erin. It¡¯s not her.¡± ¡°Then who?¡± Aedan smiled weakly. ¡°Someone you need not worry about any longer.¡± ¡°You¡¯re honestly telling me that? Someone who¡¯s able to put you into this state and you¡¯re telling me to not worry about them?¡± ¡°Yes, because he¡¯s dead.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Good riddance, then, I suppose. Anyway, how did you manage?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t. Our new friend here did.¡± ¡°Friend?¡± Erin furrowed her brows and stared at Aza. ¡°Her?¡± ¡°Yes, her. As unbelievable as it sounds, she saved me, Erin. If it wasn¡¯t her, things would have ended very differently and very badly.¡± Erin narrowed her eyes as her gaze stayed on Aza. ¡°Thank you,¡± Erin said. ¡°You are wee, Lady Erynthea.¡± ¡°Are you truly a friend now?¡± Aza shrugged. ¡°Depends. I meant none of you any harm. Does that qualify me as a friend?¡± Aza asked. ¡°After how ourst encounter ended, I¡¯m sure you can understand how high I have set the standards for you to be qualified as a friend.¡± ¡°I will admit that ourst encounter got off on the wrong foot and I was¡­ under a misguided notion. And I don¡¯t believe ourst encounter ended so terribly that it warrants your caution now.¡± Erin frowned. ¡°Are you being serious?¡± ¡°I am¡­ but I suppose it is difficult to see it that way. I did stay my de then because of your friend.¡± Aza gestured at Aedan with a nudge of her head. ¡°Speaking of, just what is he? He¡¯s no Dwarrow, that much is obvious. What is he?¡± ¡°Why do you presume that I would tell you?¡± ¡°...I suppose you won''t, Lady Erynthea. If you won''t tell me, I won''t pursue it.¡± ¡°What are you ying now?¡± ¡°I know you are wary of me and I can understand why, but please believe me when I say I bear no ill will, not if you harbour any ill will.¡± ¡°What¡¯s with the sudden change of heart?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not with the Demoids; from what I can gather, you were defending this city. My suspicions of you were wrong and my perception was distorted. I realised that now. For that, I sincerely apologise.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s so¡­ then why are you here?¡± ¡°I have been hearing many things about you, Lady Erynthea.¡± ¡°Good things or bad things.¡± ¡°Both and I have doubts about both.¡± ¡°Is this why you¡¯re here? To confirm the rumours?¡± ¡°That and to fulfil my obligations.¡± ¡°And that is?¡± ¡°How may I be of assistance? You seem like you could use some help.¡± Though Erin was still wary of her, she truly didn¡¯t feel any malignant intent from Aza. She loosened her shoulders and stood up. ¡°Your offer is appreciated but unneeded. We can manage on our own. It¡¯s themon folks that need aid.¡± ¡°Ah, yes. I saw arge gathering in the za on my way here. May I assume that¡¯s themon folks gathered?¡± ¡°If you had passed the za, how are you still not sure?¡± Aza smiled faintly. ¡°I flew here, Lady Erynthea, on a flying mount. I witnessed the state of the entire city.¡± ¡°Then you should know that dawdling here would not be of much help if that¡¯s truly your will.¡± ¡°That is true. Then I shall depart immediately,¡± Aza said and bowed. ¡°I hope we will speak again in the near future.¡± And she departed with those words, scaling to the roofs of the ruined buildings. ¡°What the fuck was that?¡± Amyra blurted out. ¡°A Ruvan acting so nice¡­ It¡¯s so off-putting.¡± Erin¡¯s gaze fell on Aedan. ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°Nothing?¡± Aedan blinked. ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°A few things. Enough to clear up any misunderstanding she has, I hope.¡± ¡°And she believed your words.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t say I fully convinced her but I certainly changed her perspective. And I found out an interesting piece of information.¡± ¡°That is?¡± ¡°The Ancient Guardians have put a bounty on your head, to put it simply.¡± ¡°Figures.¡± Erin shrugged. ¡°What!?¡± Nivia eximed and scurried over to Aedan. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°You already know how some of them are distrustful of Otherworlders, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Quite a number of them hade to the consensus that you must be quelled before you grew into the chaos they so feared.¡± ¡°Quell?¡± Nivia questioned. ¡°It means kill,¡± Amyra answered. ¡°I know what it means,¡± Nivia retorted. ¡°That¡¯s absolute bollocks!¡± Contrary to Nivia¡¯s outburst, Erin remained calm. There was no hint of surprise or despair in her eyes or anywhere on her face. ¡°You knew?¡± Nivia asked when she noticed Erin¡¯s passive expression. ¡°Sort of. I was¡­ warned by those few who didn¡¯t want me dead.¡± ¡°Then you should know that once you leave this valley, you will be¡­ hunted down by various Apostles.¡± ¡°Live by the de, die by the de,¡± Erin muttered. ¡°The wrongdoers should be prepared to suffer the same fate as their victims.¡± ¡°Now this is new,¡± Aedan chuckled. ¡°You forewent the talking part.¡± ¡°If they are someone who can be reason with just words, they would not be hunting me down just because some ancient relics told them so.¡± ¡°Point made,¡± Aedan said, followed by a groan. Erin knelt beside Aedan. ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± She hovered her hands above his body and gleaming cyan light drops fell from her open palms. The cyan glitters fell onto Aedan¡¯s body, reducing the severity of every part that was touched. ¡°You have gotten better at this.¡± ¡°Not any better than Nivia. Now, be quiet, With wounds like these, surely it hurts to even make a sound.¡± Aedan tittered. ¡°I¡¯m so fortunate to have such a beautiful woman worrying so much about me.¡± ¡°He¡¯s annoying,¡± Nivia remarked. Erin shrugged. ¡°Nothing new.¡± Though Erin couldn¡¯t do much, she did what she could, enough to rid Aedan of the stinging sensation whenever he moved any parts of his body. It was enough for him to sit up without wincing. ¡°What¡¯s next,¡± Aedan asked as he leaned against the wall. ¡°Return to the camp once we rest enough.¡± ¡°We can move now,¡± Amyra said. She tried to stand up but her legs and instincts failed her. ¡°Rest, for now, Amyra. You¡¯ll only make it worse if you force yourself.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Nivia chimed in. ¡°Just be at ease, will you? I don¡¯t sense any Dregs or Demoids in the vicinity.¡± ¡°They¡¯re not the only ones we should be worried about, Niv. People can be just as terrible as Demons.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s people, we can handle them. They¡¯re frail and mortal.¡± ¡°True, but they tend to strike when we least expect it. I learned that the hard way while raiding Labyrinths.¡± ¡°Then we just have to keep expecting it,¡± Erin said. ¡°Get some rest, all of you. I will stay awake and keep watch.¡± ¡°Nonsense,¡± Amyra baulked but there was not much strength in her voice. ¡°Allow me, mdy. You have healed me and His Grace. The least I could do is to keep watch until we¡¯re all well-rested enough to move.¡± ¡°You can barely sit properly, Amyra. What¡¯s the point of you keeping watch if you can¡¯t even respond properly should someone attack us? Besides, my nose and ears are sufficient even if I have my eyes closed. I won¡¯t need to keep my eyes open to keep vignce of our surroundings. I can keep watch and rest. So, just rest.¡± ¡°...Of course, Lady Erin.¡± Those words left Amyra''s lips with great reluctance. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t strain yourself either, Erin,¡± Aedan said. ¡°Oh, be quiet, you,¡± Erin retorted and sat herself down in front of the group, staring at the entryway of the alley they were resting in. She was quite exhausted herself. She couldn¡¯t fight it any longer and let her eyelidsy shut. 4-89 Dismissed 4-89 Dismissed With the arrival of Aza, themander of the Venerers, the mayhem that beset the city was swiftly dealt with. Her arrival was coincidentally met with the return of the other Venerers who had been led away from the city in pursuit of a lead they stumbled upon. The viceroy of the city was rescued. The presumed leader of the pandemonium and havoc, Rex, was eliminated. Order was gradually being restored. Thanks to the efforts of the Aeryons, a great deal of themon folk survived the ordeal. However, they were not entirely content with the oue. The nobles, to whom they entrusted their livelihood and safety, had abandoned them in their time of need. If it wasn¡¯t for Aedan¡¯s intervention, many of them would surely have perished and only a few of them would remain. Had it not been for the fact that themon folk were in grief and exhaustion, they would have taken up arms with pitchforks and torches, and marched right into the noble district. Moreover, they werecking in numbers even if they nned to revolt. The meagre numbers they were now would be easily overwhelmed by the soldiers even if the said soldiers were wrought with fatigue. Another factor that contributed to easing themon folk¡¯s wrath was the aid of House Valdrun. Their knights and soldiers could be seen aiding themon folk in nearly every corner of the city. Their banners were hung overtly and proudly. Those who saw the banners breathed a sigh of relief. As much as themon folk¡¯s resentment for the nobles was higher than ever before, they didn¡¯t reject the charity of House Valdrun. Unlike the other nobles, House Valdrun did not abandon them from the beginning. They stayed with them until the end of the chaos. Although the epilogue of a cmity was nearing, a new storm was already brewing on the horizon. The ugly oue was rearing its head, heralding a new quandary. Aza heard the reports from her fellow subordinates and she came to that very aforementioned conclusion. The end of one problem was the omen of another, something she hade to learn in her times as a sword for her god, Ruva. It was not only her subordinates¡¯ reports that made her sigh and creased her brows in dismay and exasperation. The reports from the city authorities themselves were enough of a headache. She thought about crushing the bundle of reports in her hands but since they were still needed, she staved off her impulsive thought. Instead, Aza tossed the documents right on the desk she had parked herself behind. She rose from the ornate armchair she was sitting on and wandered around the desk with her head hung low, though her gaze was as firm and sharp as ever. All the other Pdins and Venerers in the room held their breaths as they watched their Commander¡¯s actions with great care and attention. They knew well they were all treading on thin ice given the oue of the havoc. ¡°C-Commander?¡± one of the Venerers called out to Aza after some much hesitation. Aza responded with a re at the Venerer who called out to her. The Venerer shrieked internally and lowered his head without speaking a word. ¡°Commander, your orders?¡± Lucan asked unabashedly. ¡°We can¡¯t keep dawdling here.¡± ¡°Dawdling?¡± Aza¡¯s re shifted to Lucan. ¡°Is this what it is to you? We¡¯re dawdling here?¡± ¡°Are we not, Commander? We¡¯re just standing in this room without doing anything when we should be out there¡ª¡± ¡°You had your chances, Lucan,¡± Aza cut him off. Her re deepened. ¡°All of you did. Yet, here we are. Thousands of casualties, dead or heavily injured. How could you let this happen?¡± ¡°Themon folks are certainly in a dire state but the casualties of the nobles are very¡ª¡± ¡°People died, Lucan. Innocents. Nobles or not. Innocents have died. The nobles suffered significantly less than themon folks. True but that¡¯s not a silver lining. I¡¯m disappointed in you, Lucan.¡± ¡°With all due respect, Commander, the nobles fund our temples and missions. Like it or not, their well-being is a silver lining. Had it been the nobles who have perished the most in this ordeal, it would have been difficult for the Ruvan to continue¡ª¡± ¡°Silence, Lucan,¡± Aza said, almost a whisper. ¡°Many of the lives lost in this ordeal could have been prevented if you weren¡¯t so foolish to be led astray by our enemies. The absence of the Venerers yed a huge part in this huge loss. Because of this, Ruvans ofmon origins are starting to doubt Ruva.¡± ¡°If they doubt Ruva this easily, then it¡¯s just because their belief in our god is weak.¡± Aza scoffed in disbelief as she stared straight into Lucan¡¯s brazen gaze that seemed to put no one but his opinions in his own sight. ¡°Or am I wrong, Commander?¡± ¡°You asked me a question but I get the sense that you don¡¯t need an answer.¡± ¡°Because you already know the answer, Commander. I spoke only the truth with Ruva in my heart.¡± Her gaze turned soft with disappointment. ¡°If that¡¯s truly what you believe¡­ then you are lost, Lucan.¡± ¡°Commander, what are you saying right now?¡± Lucan frowned. ¡°I am not misguided.¡± ¡°But you are. I had hoped that you would grow out of your arrogance but it seems that I have overestimated you.¡± ¡°Commander, this is ab¡ª¡± ¡°Shush,¡± Aza uttered. And shush Lucan did. ¡°We came to this world with the difference of ins and mountains. When we die, we will all be on equal grounds. This is the teaching of Ruva. Yet, I don¡¯t see that belief in your eyes or your heart.¡± Lucan¡¯s unfounded confidence began to tremble, evident from the twitching of his brows and cheeks. ¡°This failure is on me as much as it is on you. I thought you were ready and you certainly sustained that illusion marvellously, for a time.¡± Lucan¡¯s face twisted with astonishment and dread. ¡°I hereby remove you from your role as my deputy. You are dismissed, Sir Lucan.¡± ¡°C-Commander?! You can¡¯t do this. I¡ª¡± Aza pointed to the door. ¡°You can walk out of this room yourself or you can be sent out of this room on a stretcher. Choose wisely now.¡± Grimace wrought Lucan¡¯s expression. Red filled his face but not of bashful nature. There were so many words he wished to say but against Aza¡¯s threat, all those words receded back down his throat. Had it been any other person who talked to him in this manner, he would have quickly resorted to a physical altercation without any hesitation. However, the person who belittled him was Aza, the Scarlet de. He had seen her prowess and strength firsthand. He was not her match, not even in a million years. Without a salute of any kind, he marched out of the room with a dark expression. The awkward silence returned once more to the room. Dread filled the other Pdins and Venerers. They all knew it was their turn to be reprimanded. If they were lucky, it would just end there, unlike how Lucan fared in the face of Aza¡¯s wrath. ¡°Now, Saril,¡± Aza said as she plopped right back down on her armchair. ¡°Yes, Commander?¡± The Venerer named Saril stepped up. Aza flipped through a report she took from the desk. She sighed inwardly as her eyes devoured the contents. ¡°You harassed some adventurers. Is this true?¡± ¡°Commander, with all due respect, I don¡¯t believe I have harassed anyone.¡± ¡°You stopped a group of adventurers while you were on your patrol around the city. You tried to apprehend them which ended in your terrible loss and resulted in a great deal of damage done to the streets. What do you have to say about this debacle?¡± ¡°The adventurers I tried to apprehend were suspicious.¡± ¡°Suspicious?¡± Aza raised an eyebrow. ¡°On what basis are you saying they are suspicious? Do you have any evidence?¡± ¡°They were hanging around in a ce that they should not be, Commander. It is suspicious.¡± ¡°Yes, I can see here in the report that you confronted them in the slum. How is that suspicious?¡± ¡°Is it not suspicious?¡± Aza buried her face in her palm. ¡°Are you joking with me?¡± ¡°N-no, Commander. Of course, not.¡± ¡°I can understand your perspective but you failed to look at the situation from another angle. Ask yourself, why would anyone be roaming in a ce where it is notably infested with criminals, especially an adventurer?¡± ¡°Tomit a crime, Commander?¡± Aza lightly wed at her own face as she groaned. ¡°If there¡¯s a bounty for a criminal, where would be the first ce you look into?¡± Saril couldn¡¯t find her voice. Her face turned pale, and then red. She, too, lowered her head like many of her peers in the room. ¡°I don¡¯t doubt the will, resolve, and prowess of all of you here. But¡­ I never dream that you all wouldck this muchmon sense.¡± No one offered a retort, lest they suffered the same fate as Lucan. ¡°Your belief doesn''t make you superior. We, the Ruvans, are not above thew. Though it¡¯s undeniable that we possess some privileges but we, ultimately, are not free of the consequences of our actions. What you all have done and failed to do, has brought nothing but humiliation to Ruva¡¯s name.¡± Once again reminded of their failure, the expressions of the Pdins and Venerers sunk even further. ¡°At least there¡¯s a silver lining, the Viceroy is safe. However¡­ it appears that he had a hand in this ordeal. Since the Lord of the city itself held some of the me, you lot are pardoned from your failures by the court on the grounds that your misguidance was concocted by the Viceroy himself. But don¡¯t be too pleased about this. It doesn¡¯t change that you still failed in your duty.¡± Aza¡¯s stern gaze was wandering around her subordinate. Then, her gaze rested on two of the Pdins to her right. A hint of rage could be felt as her nce stopped at the two. ¡°Brahms, Miller.¡± ¡°Yes, Commander?¡± The two Pdins responded in unison. Aza retrieved another set of reports from the desk. This time, she didn¡¯t even flip the report open and merely stared at the front cover. She had read all the reports beforehand and thus, knew of the contents. She was hesitant about giving the report in hand another nce lest she lost her patience. ¡°C-Commander?¡± Aza raised her gaze from the report and red at the two. The disappointment and rage in her gaze were even more evident than when she was reprimanding Lucan. ¡°Commander, whatever displeasure you have of us, please do let us ex¡ª¡± Aza narrowed her gaze. ¡°You two were absent from the excursion that Lucan led.¡± ¡°Yes, we were, Commander. We were tasked with¡ª¡± ¡°You mean you took bribes from those nobles.¡± ¡°C-Commander, that¡¯s a lie! We did not¡ª¡± Aza clenched her fists, crushing the report in her hand. That small act alone silenced the two Pdins. ¡°At least Lucan is no liar. He doesn¡¯t lie. That I can respect, more than I can say for the two of you. It¡¯s good that you two stayed behind in the city but what good hade out of it? You didn¡¯t help the ones in dire need of aid. No, you stayed cope-up in the noble districts, sipping wine and fondling whores with these rich cowards while themon folk suffered. Is this what the Ruvans are now?¡± ¡°Commander, please understand. We did this with the best intentions. The gold we received would go into¡ª¡± The desk snapped into half all of a sudden and Aza had not moved a muscle. The desk was crushed by the weight of her wrath alone. The shattering of the desk sucked away the Pdins¡¯ shameless and futile attempt at defending their own actions. They spoke not another word. Even though they weren¡¯t harmed by Aza¡¯s aura, they could feel the threat looming close. Another word and who knows which part of their bodies would snap like the desk. ¡°Saril.¡± ¡°Yes, Commander?¡± Saril responded with her gaze raised and her back straightened. ¡°Take these two to the square. Stripped them down to their bare skin and have them flogged.¡± Colours were instantly drained from the two Pdins. They wanted to beg for mercy but they knew the moment they did, there would be absolutely none. ¡°Understood, Commander.¡± Saril nodded. ¡°And gather all of the Ruvan Militias in this city. It¡¯s time for a long overdue reformation.¡± 4-90 Back turned (R18) 4-90 Back turned (R18) In just a blink of an eye, a day passed since the end of the mayhem that beset the city. Though a day had passed, things were still far from returning to normal. Thousands were dead and only a small meagre percentage of the dead were nobles. The rest of the death toll belonged to themon folk. To cate the peasants¡¯ wrath, the nobles were now frantically looking for a scapegoat. It was the city¡¯s victory but no one was celebrating. The loss was too big to even be considered a victory for some. The nobles had thought about throwing a festival to celebrate their unearned victory but they decided against it to avoid further rousing themon folk¡¯s wrath. They were also busy in finding the right person toy all the me on. In the midst of the frantic nobles'' attempt at forging excuses and avoiding responsibilities, the Aeryons were doing their best in disaster relief with the aid of House Valdrun. The camp that the Aeryons built during the mayhem was still present and was now acting as themand centre of the disaster relief. Everyone was working around the clock. In one of the tents that were no different from the hundred others, on the sole two sickbedsid Aera and Erin. The former was still in an unconscious state while thetter was long awake but herpanions and lovers had advised and begged to stay in bed until shepletely recovered. Erin¡¯s external wounds were all healed and her internal wounds were near recovery. However, there was another factor that she couldn¡¯t bear to overlook. She had used Lust for a long period and she was now bearing the cost. She wanted to just pleasure herself and get it over with but it was not enough. She had furtively yed with her sensitive parts with everyone else running around and working busily just outside the tent. She made herself climax a total of three times but she was nowhere near feeling satisfied. ¡°How pathetic¡­¡± Erin mumbled inwardly to herself while panting to catch her breath. She had just finished a session, making it the fourth climax that she had on the sickbed where she was supposed to be resting. ¡°While everyone¡¯s working their butts off, I¡¯m here¡­ fingering myself till I squirt on my own hand¡­¡± Erin nced over to the bed adjacent to hers, where Aera wasying on. The poor girl had suffered the most dire wounds but for now, her condition was stable and she was out of the woods. Still, she had not woken up since. ording to the healers, Aera had exhausted all of her Mana just to keep herself alive and until she recovered enough, she would remain unconscious. In such a condition, receiving external aid of replenishing Mana was ill-advised as it would disrupt the body¡¯s inner natural flow of recovery. It would result in the body bing dependent on receiving external aid and incapable of recovering Mana with one¡¯s own capability. Therefore, they could only leave Aera to her own fate. Erin¡¯s gaze shifted to the entrance of the tent, seconds before someone came in. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re awake!¡± Lyra eximed, holding a tray filled with food and water. ¡°Quiet, you.¡± Erin put her finger to her lips and pointed at Aera with her other hand. ¡°Ah, sorry,¡± Lyra apologised and tip-toed to the side of Erin¡¯s bed. ¡°I brought you some food in case you¡¯re hungry. And some water too in case you¡¯re thirsty.¡± ¡°I am hungry and thirsty but just not in the usual sense,¡± Erin muttered coyly in heart. ¡°Are you not hungry?¡± Lyra asked when she saw the absence of eagerness on Erin¡¯s face. ¡°Thanks but I¡¯m not really hungry or thirsty. I¡¯m a Fae, remember? Breakfast was enough tost me the whole day.¡± ¡°Yes, but you¡¯re also a patient. You should rest and eat a lot more than usual.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, Lyra.¡± ¡°Are you?¡± Lyra returned the question with a narrowed gaze. She settled the tray down on the bedside table and sat beside Erin¡¯s legs on the fringe of the bed. ¡°I am.¡± Lyra sighed. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re fine, now. But what about then? Why must you always push yourself?¡± Erin smiled wryly. ¡°You know why. If I don¡¯t, we would be burying a body of our own by now.¡± ¡°Keep pushing yourself, and one day, we will be burying your body.¡± ¡°Not likely. I can¡¯t die, remember?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t fully know that. What if there¡¯s a limit?¡± ¡°Then it is what it is. I have enjoyed every second of my life spent here, with you, Siv, Aedan, and also the others.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not funny.¡± ¡°...I agreed. Sorry, that was bad taste. But I meant some of it. I enjoyed this life of mine.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that so easily, Erin.¡± Lyra pouted. ¡°I enjoyed every second I have spent with you too, but your death would overturn all those memories. Please, Erin.¡± She sped Erin¡¯s hands with her own. Erin sped Lyra¡¯s hands back and erased the hint of sadness in her smile. ¡°You never stop worrying, do you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s just the nature of an adventurer who desires to live long and content. I don¡¯t live for the glory, Erin.¡± ¡°Neither do I, Lyra. I don¡¯t know how many promises you want from me but I promised you that I¡¯m not going to just abandon you and die a death that would invalidate all the benefits it would bring.¡± ¡°Your actions certainly say otherwise.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have faith in me?¡± ¡°...I do, but I can¡¯t help it. We¡¯re always plunged into life-threatening situations.¡± ¡°That¡¯s part of the job as adventurers, no?¡± Lyra sighed. ¡°I supposed this is to be expected.¡± Her gaze fell on Aera. ¡°If it was you on that bed, I don¡¯t know how I would have¡­ reacted. Sometimes¡­ I have half a mind to just cast away all that we have now and just live in a quiet and secluded ce, just the two of us.¡± ¡°That sounds boring.¡± Lyra chuckled. ¡°It certainly does sound boring, which is why it¡¯s only half a mind. I guess¡­ I just want to be there when you¡¯re in need. I want to be as reliable as Aedan.¡± ¡°Now that¡¯s just unfair to yourself. You can¡¯tpare yourself to him. He¡¯s¡­ different.¡± ¡°He¡¯s able to help you when you need it. I just don¡¯t want to feel so incapable.¡± Erin brought Lyra¡¯s face close to her own. ¡°You¡¯re not incapable, Lyra,¡± she said and nted her shivering lips onto Lyra¡¯s, savouring her lover¡¯s lips to the fullest. Lyra, to her surprise, showed some resistance, but she reciprocated the kiss and even inserted her tongue into Erin¡¯s mouth. They breathed into one another, their moans shed, and their tongues engaged in a fearsome battle for dominance over the other, all the while their lips stayed intertwined and so did their ferocious tongues. Their hands also crept to each other¡¯s bodies and pulled themselves closed as if wanting to melt into one. Their lips eventually parted in a hurry and jerked away from each other after they heard a few rustling sounds just right outside the tent. Their bodies froze and their gazes stuck to the entrance. Erin had been so engrossed in the kiss that her senses could barely focus. It would be a different story if it was a threat as Sixth Sense would kick in. When no one came in after they waited for a while, they let their shoulders droop. Their eyes met and they shared a giggle. ¡°That was close,¡± Erin said. ¡°And you were the one who started it.¡± ¡°But you like it.¡± ¡°Of course, I do.¡± Lyra leaned forward. ¡°How could I not?¡± She threw her arms around Erin¡¯s shoulders and locked her fingers behind Erin¡¯s head. ¡°There are people outside, Lyra. And Aera¡¯s just sleeping beside us.¡± ¡°If you truly cared about those things, you wouldn¡¯t have kissed me in the first ce.¡± ¡°Ah, I was caught.¡± Erin tittered. ¡°You have tempted me and sessfully so. Now, take responsibility.¡± ¡°I will,¡± Erin said and pulled Lyra closer by wrapping her arms around Lyra¡¯s waist. ¡°Besides, I can scarcely hold myself back. You should know¡­ I have a lot of frustration stored.¡± Lyra¡¯s lips curled into an amorous grin. ¡°Then allow me to help you alleviate some of it.¡± ¡°You are going to help me alleviate all of it.¡± They exchanged not another single word and proceeded to engage in a fervent bout of tongueshing and lips smacking. Lyra tipped her weight onto Erin, leading their kiss further onto the bed. When both of their bodies were entirely on the bed, they began to strip one another. Since Erin was wearing a in robe, befitting of a patient, she was stripped faster than Lyra, who was wearing a sleeveless crop top that gave an emphasising view of her midriff, coupled with a pair of long pants that stuck closely to her thighs. Erin¡¯s ample and bountiful bosom spilt out of their constraints before her article of clothing was even fully stripped. Despite being a seasoned warrior, Erin¡¯s exploits did nothing to mar her great beauty, a shapely hourss figure with assets that were neither too big nor small, just the right sizes for her stature. Even her budding muscles were of no detriment to her feminine charms. A sigh of envy trickled from the enamoured Lyra¡¯s lips. It was no exaggeration to say that Erin was the embodiment of beauty, at least in Lyra¡¯s eyes. Though surely, many would agree with Lyra. ¡°My turn,¡± Erin smirked and returned the favour. With one swift action, Erin took off Lyra¡¯s top and Lyra herself squirmed out of her pants without breaking the fervid kiss with Erin. In seconds, they were all bare of any piece of cloth between their skin. They fully embraced each other. Erin¡¯s five tails wrapped themselves gently around Lyra as if they were trying to cocoon the two together and cut them off from any outside interference. Their kiss eventually transcended from just a bout of tongues and lips. The same idea struck their minds and they moved in unison. They positioned their rear towards the other¡¯s face. Without any shame, they buried their faces with each other¡¯s throbbing and soaked snatch. Erin¡¯s tails stood straight up at first but they then lost their stiffness and draped over the two that were currently feasting on the womanhood of one another which were overflowing with their juices of anticipation. The mutual cunnilingus of the twosted shorter than they liked. They couldn¡¯t hold themselves back any longer. Erin climbed off of Lyra and shifted her position into one that let their eyes meet. Once their gazes found each other, they once again engage in another fervent bout of love, lust, and passion. Erin started the vehement kiss from Lyra¡¯s lips and gradually traced her mouth and tongue down. Her lips brushed past Lyra¡¯s slender neck and when she arrived at the ins, she began nibbling on the humble mounds and the firm yet malleable peaks of her lover. ¡°E-Erin~!¡± Lyra moaned ecstatically from the passionate and yful mauling on her shallow bosom. Though her chest was nothing to write home about, she was just as sensitive as any other girl¡¯s. Or maybe even more so. The electrifying pleasure died down when Erin moved on from her bosom. The absence of rapturested only for a brief moment as bliss once again surged through Lyra¡¯s body when Erin reached her underbelly. Feeling Erin¡¯s breath and lips gliding across her midriff was already tantalising enough. Now that Erin was truly at her anticipated spot, Lyra couldn¡¯t fathom the pleasure that was about to encroach on her despite being no stranger to it. Erin did not pounce on her lover¡¯s awaiting honeypot immediately. Instead, she stopped just an inch away from the throbbing snatch. She blew into it, eliciting a shiver and a gleeful shriek from Lyra. Grinning, she rubbed the pulsating entrance with her lips and nose. ¡°Erin¡­! This is torture~!¡± Lyra mewed. She tried to push Erin¡¯s head onto her needy cunt but she couldn¡¯t match Erin¡¯s strength. The difference in their physical strength was made more apparent when Erin¡¯s Lust took over, drowning the tent with lustful craving and desire. After Erin had enough of teasing Lyra, she buried her face into the throbbing snatch and plunged her tongue into the womanly cavern as deep as she could. Lyra was barely able to cover her mouth as her body arched wondrously sensual with a delighted cry leaking through her shut lips. Erin did not just focus on her lover¡¯s pleasure but also her own as she spared one of her hands and began ying with her drenched cunt that was overflowing with her lustful honey. Meanwhile, Aera started to stir in her sleep and her closed eyelids quivered as if heralding her time of wake, much to the ignorance of the lovebirds who were absorbed into their own world of debauchery, lust, and love. 4-91 Closeted affair (R18) 4-91 Closeted affair (R18) ¡°Erin~ Erin~¡± Lyra mewed sweetly and lovingly as she relished in the rapture bestowed by the masterful hands of her lover. Though Lyra¡¯s bosom was in, Erin still found a way to make Lyra writhe and squirm with agonising pleasure through her bosom and teats alone. Lyra had nothing to be fondled but that was no hurdle for Erin. Her finger worked wonders and miracles. Lyra was climaxing from the stimtion on her chest alone and Erin kept at it until Lyra was begging for her to stop with tears and saliva smearing her face. Lyra¡¯s body was barely twitching from pleasure at that point as she had nearly exhausted all of her stamina from the incessant peaking of bodily pleasure. Her skin was glistened with sweat and various other copious amounts of bodily fluids. The faint light that spilt into the tent through the narrow slits was barely enough to give her glistening body a faint sheen. The shallow shimmer across her skin, coupled with the fact that she was fully nude, was enough to spur Erin¡¯s lust further. Lyra¡¯s waist gave out by the time her orgasms ended and she copsed onto the bed when Erin was no longer holding her up by the back of her neck. Erin¡¯s hands moved to her waist and lifted her hips, preparing her for the next round. The amorous, heated, and furtive exchange between Lyra and Erin had been going on for quite some time now, far longer than it should be. Or rather, it was not supposed to happen in the first ce. If they were caught, they would lose all integrity and honour. However, lust had dominated the minds of the two and carnal ecstasy was all they could think about, that and the pleasure of their bedpanion which was one another. It was simply an astonishing feat that they were able to keep their voices low and it was a mystery that no one entered their tent during their venereal act. While Erin had no qualms about continuing this bold stunt of theirs, Lyra¡¯s thoughts went down a different path. ¡°E-Erin¡­ wait,¡± she called out weakly as she felt Erin¡¯s breath brushing the entrance of her throbbing snatch. ¡°Hmm?¡± Erin murmured, lifting her head up from Lyra¡¯s hips. ¡°W-we need to stop¡­ If someone sees us like this¡­, it will be the end of us.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Erin grinned. ¡°And who¡¯s this someone you¡¯re referring to?¡± A mixture of vexation and temptation stirred in Lyra¡¯s heart at Erin¡¯s question and tone. ¡°You know what I mean!¡± Lyra wanted to shout but she kept her voice low. Had she shouted, it would surely attract the attention of the people outside. Erin tittered. ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a tadte to feel embarrassed and afraid now?¡± ¡°Like hell it¡¯ste,¡± Lyra retorted. ¡°No one walked in on us yet. We should stop before¡ª¡± ¡°Before someone walks in? Or before Aera over there wakes up?¡± ¡°Both.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m afraid, you¡¯re toote for thetter.¡± ¡°Huh? What are you¡ª¡± Lyra left her own line of inquiry unfinished as she caught on before her question did. A wave of goosebumps ran across her skin and she cocked her gaze slowly in the direction where Aera was sleeping. Aera had her back turned to the two, so Lyra could not see if she was awake. However, the fact that Aera had her back turned was enough of a giveaway. During Aera¡¯s entire period of her sleep, she barely stirred. But now, she had turned her body to one side. There could be two exnations for this. Either she was feeling much better now in her sleep, to the point that she could toss and turn, or she was awake. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡ª¡± Lyra gulped. ¡°S-she¡¯s awake?¡± Erin smirked and nodded her head. ¡°F-for how long?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I didn¡¯t exactly pay close attention but I say your first orgasm.¡± Blood rushed to her face and her cheeks flushed as red as tomatoes. Contrary to her embarrassment, Erin could see Lyra¡¯s honeypot began overflowing once more and the throbbing only intensified. Lyra was getting out of this situation. Witnessing such a sight literally inches away from her face, Erin could no longer restrain herself. Erin¡¯s sudden intrusion in Lyra¡¯s pulsating womanhood drew out a lengthy moan from thetter. Lyra¡¯s entire body shuddered violently as pleasure surged through her body, igniting her nerves. She iled up and down on the bed, causing the poor furniture to creak feebly under the force of Lyra¡¯s instantaneous and drawn-out orgasm. Lyra¡¯s climax was as sudden as Erin¡¯s assault and thetter had her face sshed with the holy juices of her lover. Still, that didn¡¯t stop Erin from running her tongue all over Lyra¡¯s cavern and asionally nibbling on the shivering bud at the entrance. Lyra wanted to toss and turn but Erin held her hips down with her already overpowering strength that was further enhanced by Lust Deviant. In short, any of Lyra¡¯s attempts at resisting or struggling was absolutely futile gesture. ¡°E-Erin~! Stooop~!¡± Lyra shrieked through her fingers, which she was biting down on to prevent her voice from being raised too high. Her gaze wasn¡¯t just on Erin but also on Aera, who she could now obviously see squirming. Aera was obviously awake. ¡°To think you actually get this excited from knowing we¡¯re being caught.¡± Erin clicked her tongue repeatedly. ¡°How scious of you, Lyra,¡± Erin teased. ¡°This is all your f-fault¡­¡± Lyra uttered just as another lengthy moan was drawn out of her. Erin dined on the delectable course before her for longer than she had intended. By the time she was satisfied, Lyra¡¯s eyes were rolled all the way to the back of her head. Her tongue was lolling out and her whole body was twitching intermittently. Erin realised her face was drenched in Lyra¡¯s holy juices and the sheets were thoroughly soaked in it. That was just how long she had been giving Lyra¡¯s womanhood a good loving. Now that Lyra waspletely out of it, Erin shifted her attention to her next mark. As much as she wanted to just ravage Aera, she kept herself in check. Aera was still recovering and giving her a profuse amount of pleasure would be harmful to her body. Even so, Erin wanted to have some fun with her sister by faith at least a little. Besides, Erin didn¡¯t think it was necessary for her to be on the giving side. She could be the recipient since she was doing all the work when she was curled up with Lyra. Erin strutted towards Aera in herpletely bare state and sat on the edge of the bed. She then gently flipped Aera on her back. Aera¡¯s eyes were all teary but not of fear or embarrassment. Erin could instantly see the lust in those eyes of her sister-in-faith. She wanted to participate but for various reasons, she kept her silence. Erin smiled gently at Aera and caressed her cheek softly. ¡°It¡¯s alright. If you are afraid of being demeaned, you need not be in my presence or any of ourpanions. We understand.¡± ¡°Even Nivia?¡± Aera asked. Erin¡¯s smile turned wry. ¡°Well, maybe not her. Anyway, what do you want to do?¡± Aera turned her gaze away when she was thrown this question. Erin frowned in confusion. ¡°Do you not want to do it?¡± she asked. ¡°...Aedan¡¯s not here¡­ I-I don¡¯t want to be untrue to him.¡± Erin was initially dumbfounded by Aera¡¯s response but she quickly gathered her thoughts. Aera¡¯s line of thought was actually normal, though only inparison with Erin¡¯s own. The one Aera truly loved was Aedan and Erin was just the passenger during theirst intercourse. Erin could understand Aera¡¯s reason for hesitating but that didn¡¯t mean she would respect it, especially not in her Lust state. Erin leaned in close to Aera¡¯s ears. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t mind,¡± she whispered softly, yet deviously. As devious as her words were, they were not lies. Aedan certainly wouldn¡¯t mind. ¡°B-but¡ª Mmm!¡± Aera protested but she was silenced by Erin with a deep kiss. Erin did not shift her weight onto Aera in consideration of her health but Aera herself did nothing to push Erin away nor did she struggle. She just epted Erin¡¯s kiss with mild reluctance. In her head, she was betraying Aedan¡¯s trust, but there was something euphoric about it. Before she knew it, her hands were already wrapped around Erin¡¯s head, pulling the kiss deeper. If humans didn¡¯t need air to live on, Aera doubted she would have parted the kiss on her own ord. She gasped deeply for all the breaths she had forgone during the kiss. Erin curled her lips with delight and went in for another round, but she was stopped by Aera with a finger on her lips. ¡°W-wait,¡± Aera said, meekly. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t be doing this¡­ here of all ces.¡± Erin sighed. ¡°Why do you lot always grow a conscience at the critical parts?¡± she mused in annoyance. Even though she had instilled bountiful rapture upon Lyra, she herself was still deprived of her own zenith of bodily pleasure. ¡°We will be ruined if anyonees into the tent right at this moment. We should¡ª¡± ¡°Oh, be quiet,¡± Erin silenced Aera by sitting on Aera¡¯s face with her dripping snatch burying Aera¡¯s face. This was only Aera¡¯s second time. The poor girl was still but a novice when it came to the affairs of the bedroom arts. Be that as it may, Erin couldn¡¯t care less. Aera had just recovered from her dire wounds but Erin¡¯s control was nearing its limits. It was already an impressive feat that she did not just ravage Aera directly. Her lust was at its peak and she would break if she did not let it loose now. ¡°Forgive me, Aera¡­¡± Erin apologised amidst her heavy breathing. ¡°Please¡­ make me cum¡­¡± Aera knew about Erin¡¯s Divine Gift and the toll of using it. Seeing Erin¡¯s current pained expression, she didn¡¯t have the heart to reject her sister-in-faith. Recalling the time she had her first coitus, she stuck her tongue into Erin¡¯s awaiting womanly cavern and explored the depths. ¡°By the stars~!¡± Erin moaned through her hands that were cupping her mouth. It felt like lightning just encroached on her body and ignited all of her nerves. She even felt her snatch mping down on Aera¡¯s tongue. She cummed from just feeling Aera¡¯s tongue in her holy ce. ¡°Don¡¯t stop¡­¡± she said in between her pants. Aera obliged and stuck her tongue even deeper into Erin¡¯s holy cavern. She was sticking deep enough that her lips and teeth were touching the entrance. She seized this opportunity to also stimte the fringes of Erin¡¯s honeypot. Though Aera was barely a beginner at pleasuring with her mouth, Erin¡¯s current sensitivity and carnal hungerpensated more than enough for Aera¡¯s inexperience. In just minutes, Erin was cumming all over Aera¡¯s face before copsing onto the side. With whatever was left of her strength, Erin made sure she didn¡¯t at least copse directly on Aera. ¡°That feels so good¡­¡± Erin gasped in utter delight at her thundering orgasm as she was catching her breath. Seeing the usual indomitable Erin in such a state, not even Aera could hold herself back. She sat up and began taking off her clothes, which consisted of only a single piece of gown. She tugged at a few strings and the gown slid off of her on its own. She then crawled towards Erin with a yearning gaze, starving for the pleasures of the flesh. Erin noticed Aera¡¯s approach and spread her legs to wee Aera¡¯s own initiative. ¡°This is wrong¡­¡± Aera muttered as she inched her way closer and closer to Erin¡¯s awaiting hips and snatch. ¡°But why do I feel like this¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because it¡¯s wrong that you are feeling like this,¡± Erin answered with a coy smile. ¡°Besides, just imagine Aedan¡¯s reaction when he found out you and I were having so much fun without him. Will he be angry? Will he be sad? Or will he be jealous? Don¡¯t you want to see his reaction?¡± An image shed across her mind. Aera had imagined Aedan pushing her down and ravaging her without a care after she told him of her affair with Erin. That thought made her own honeypot begin to leak her love juices incessantly. Erin tittered upon seeing Aera¡¯s face, which painted the wild imagination in her head clearly. ¡°What are you waiting for, my dear? Make me scream like the bitch I am, dear sister.¡± Erin¡¯s provocation made Aera lose all sense of reasoning, coupled with the effects of Lust that permeated the room. All notions of her body that were still in recovery were cast out of her mind and submitted herself to the pleasures of the flesh. It was an absolute stroke of luck that it was Lilian of all people that stumbled into the tent first and discovered the secret affair that was happening within. Needless to say, the opportunistic Dryad participated in the affair and it all only came to an end when they were caught by Nivia. 4-92 Repose 4-92 Repose ¡°You came,¡± Aedan muttered as soon as Erin had trod close enough to him, without turning his gaze away from the devastated view of the once glorious and splendorous city of Sephrodia Valley. Two days went by like an arrow but the privations felt like a perpetual minute in these dire times. Things were getting better but the loss and anguish still permeated the city. The high cliff he was sitting upon offered him an overview of nearly the entire city. If heced his eyes with Mana, he could have the entirety of the city in his sight, but there was no probable reason for him to do that. The current view was depressing enough as it was. ¡°Were you expecting me to ignore your invitation?¡± Erin retorted as she made her way up the gentle slope and sat down beside Aedan. Aedan cast a sidelong nce and his eyes were given a treat. ¡°Are you expecting something¡­ scious to happen?¡± Aedan asked, gazing upon Erin¡¯s choice of wardrobe. The Fox-kin was wearing a simple sleeveless halter crop top with a pair of shorts, unlike her usual simple one-piece robe with a high slit. Both of the two were tantalising in their own way but the former was a tad more alluring due to its novelty on Erin. She had her hair tied up in a ponytail, allowing her nape and neck to breathe and also giving her overall appearance an even more sultry feel. ¡°I don¡¯t need to expect something like that to happen. It will happen,¡± Erin answered confidently without a shred of embarrassment. ¡°I wore these because I don¡¯t have anything else to wear. These are Lyra¡¯s.¡± ¡°I can certainly tell,¡± Aedan said as his eyesnded on Erin¡¯s ample bosom that was being entuated by her tight-fitting top. Erin rolled her eyes. ¡°Did you call me here just to ogle at my bosom?¡± Aedan chuckled. ¡°It certainly wasn¡¯t my intention but I wee the unexpected side benefit.¡± ¡°Tell me now, or I¡¯m making myself scarce.¡± Aedan said nothing and simply stared at Erin with a faint grin. His amused gaze spelt out his words for Erin. Erin sighed. ¡°Just tell me, will you?¡± ¡°Alright alright, I had my fun. The High Lord of House Valdrun had invited us to a luncheon in a week¡¯s time, along with his wife, High Lady Melissa.¡± Erin raised an eyebrow. ¡°And who are these ¡®us¡¯ you¡¯re referring to?¡± ¡°Just you and me. He wants to thank the leader of the Aeryons and the Fae who assisted in the Aeryons¡¯ relief efforts.¡± ¡°And what was your reply?¡± Aedan shook his shoulders. ¡°Haven¡¯t given him one yet. I want to know your opinion.¡± ¡°Having a closed-door conversation with the two principals of a prominent house is certainly very beneficial to us. You know that too, obviously. Unless of course, there is some reason that I am not privy to. Is there?¡± ¡°No reason to decline at all. I just wanted you to have a say in this.¡± ¡°How considerate.¡± ¡°You know me so well.¡± Erin rolled her eyes once more. Not a moment went by that Aedan wasn¡¯t being vexing. She sometimes suspected Aedan made it his goal to be as vexing as possible. ¡°But you are aware of the implications should we ept this invitation, aren''t you?¡± ¡°I am,¡± Erin answered firmly. ¡°This is not my first nor my second or third time dealing with nobles. I know what lies underneath this simple luncheon.¡± ¡°Good to know.¡± ¡°Is this all you have to say?¡± ¡°What else are you expecting? My remarks on your recent sexual escapades?¡± Erin frowned and looked away. ¡°Do you have to phrase it in such a manner?¡± ¡°It¡¯s short and straightforward.¡± ¡°...Everyone knows?¡± Erin asked in an unusually timid fashion. ¡°They certainly heard your¡­ voice of ecstasy, but they could never fathom what¡¯s really happening behind those curtains. Aside from the Aeryons, you¡¯re still a dignified Fae with a chaste field.¡± ¡°Why would they think I¡¯m chaste?¡± ¡°Fae are typically sexually frigid, sort of. You and Lilian are exceptions, that goes without saying. Your reputation is intact, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re worried about.¡± ¡°Thank my stars, then.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re that worried, maybe you shouldn¡¯t have done it in the first ce?¡± ¡°I was starved for¡­ sex¡­¡± Erin¡¯s voice trailed off. ¡°I used Mystic de far too many times.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you search for an alternative?¡± ¡°You think I didn¡¯t?¡± ¡°No luck?¡± ¡°Luck has nothing with the zero-sum of my efforts. I¡¯m merely still¡­cking in knowledge and practice. I don¡¯t doubt my sess. It¡¯s just a matter of time. After all, I did seed in creating this.¡± Erin thrust out her arm with her hand syed open. A sword manifested out of thin air in her hand. ¡°If time is the only issue here, mayhaps you can look for a teacher?¡± ¡°And who would teach me?¡± Aedan smiled brightly and spread out his hands. ¡°Is there anything you do not know?¡± ¡°There¡¯s plenty.¡± ¡°Such as?¡± ¡°Being a pleasant and agreeable person?¡± Erin sighed inwardly. ¡°Point taken.¡± Aedan tittered. Then, the light in his eyes changed. His gaze turned solemn. ¡°The nobles aren¡¯t the hassle here.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Erin responded. ¡°The Ruvans.¡± ¡°The Venerers, to be precise. Aza, to be exact. I¡¯m sure you have heard of the Ruvan¡¯s infamy but¡­ do you know Aza is looking for me?¡± ¡°Just you?¡± ¡°As far as I know, her interest is just in me. I believe it¡¯s a matter of faith, rather than some personal grudges. The Aeryons are the luminaries in the oue of the havoc. She may be trying to recover people¡¯s trust in Ruvanity through the words of an Aeryon.¡± ¡°The leader of the Aeryons, to be precise.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s just my guess. She could be seeking me out for an entirely different reason.¡± ¡°Are you going to ept her summon?¡± Aedan guffawed. ¡°My dear, Erin. Aza is the one looking for me. If she wants to have an audience with me, she shoulde to me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m barely her opponent and you are even less so. Your words are bold, stupidly so.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not afraid, Erin. I may not have thebat prowess to match her, my other¡­ aspects are more than enough to ruin her should she dare to get physical. I have the people on my side.¡± Erin felt a shiver crawling down her spine. She felt as if she was offered a glimpse of what Aedan had been and what he could have been. ¡°It¡¯s time you embrace strength in other aspects as well, Erin. You can¡¯t always rely on yourbat prowess.¡± ¡°Easier said than done,¡± Erin muttered. ¡°You are a Fae and you are friends with a High Lady. Your rtionship with the adventurer¡¯s guild is also warm. You need not always raise your sword or your fist to put someone in ce.¡± ¡°Speaking of the adventurer¡¯s guild, have you heard anything about Rigetta?¡± ¡°She¡¯s busy, that¡¯s all I know. A lot of quests andmissions are flooding in. It¡¯s a matter of course. In a way, it¡¯s a good thing. Business is good for the adventurers. Everyone¡¯s so busy.¡± ¡°And we are here, sitting atop a cliff, just talking our hearts out while everyone is working till they sweat blood.¡± ¡°Well¡­ everything that I wished to convey to you has been said. So, you¡¯re free to participate in the hardships and alleviate some of the burdens.¡± Erin looked at Aedan dubiously. ¡°Do you have a timetable?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t?¡± ¡°Then why are you dismissing me in such a hurry?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s feeling guilty over your dawdling.¡± ¡°You know damn well I¡¯m just mulling whimsically. Will it kill you to not be a pain in the arse for a single moment?¡± ¡°Actually¡ª¡± ¡°You know what, be silent. I don¡¯t want to hear another hogwash from you.¡± Aedan shut his lips and sniggered inwardly. Though Erin still had an irked expression, she joined her hand with Aedan¡¯s and rested her head on his shoulder. ¡°Dear me¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t spoil this,¡± she warned. Aedan smiled and kept his lips shut. ¡°How do I fashion a Combat Art that rivals Mystic de?¡± Erin asked after a short silence. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°You said you would be my teacher. Now, teach me.¡± Aedan held up his left arm and straightened his fingers. He coated his hand in Mana and moulded the edges until they were as thin as paper. Then, he concentrated Mana onto the edges, but he did not let the edges be dulled by the surging Mana. He kept the volume under control until the edges were glowing with a soft blue radiance. ¡°Hmm¡­ isn¡¯t this just Arcane Edge?¡± Erin questioned. ¡°Arcane Edge doesn¡¯t increase the sharpness of a de, in spite of its given name, but merely enhances the strength behind a sh. This trick, however, makes the edge sharper. As sharp as obsidian but a million times its durability. Moreover, there¡¯s another trick to this trick.¡± ¡°Which is?¡± With the hand that was coated in his Mana, Aedan touched the ground lightly. It was just a gentle tap of the soil. However, a deep hole was formed on the spot where he touched. ¡°Whoa¡­¡± Erin gasped. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°The moment I touched the soil, I released the Mana imbued in the edges. The key moment here is the release of the imbued Mana at the right moment, maximising the force of a blow or strike.¡± ¡°A point-nk release of Aura Shot, so to say.¡± ¡°Close, but no. An Aura Shot is condensed. It¡¯s duller than this trick, but in exchange, it hits harder. However, this skill that I¡¯m showing, weighs heavily on its ability to tear or cut through your mark. Aura Shot focuses on power and range but this trick focuses on precision. A well-ced and well-timed strike using this trick can be more effective than an Aura Shot.¡± Erin was already intrigued by the alternative Aedan presented but now that she was given a firsthand demonstration, she was beyond enticed by the skill. She hopped up from her seat and immediately started practising the craft. Aedan couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at Erin¡¯s enthusiasm. It was moments like these that Aedan had doubts about Erin¡¯s past incarnation. Or more precisely, Erin¡¯s orientation in her former life. He imagined a grown man skipping gleefully and he almost burst outughing. ¡°Life is certainly full of wonders,¡± Aedan muttered. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t give me that answer. I heard you.¡± ¡°Then take it as it is, sweetheart.¡± Erin groaned inwardly and decided not to pursue it any further. She brandished her sword through the conjuration of Bespoke. Then, she began imitating what Aedan had shown her. She poured Mana into her sword instead of simply using Arcane Edge to circumvent the hassle. There would be no point to this otherwise. Squinting her eyes, Erin saw the glow around her de begin to shudder, a telltale sign of Mana overloading. Recalling the steps she was shown, she redirected the flow of the Mana to the edges of her de. Once converged, the Mana shuddered even more violently. She tried to keep the Mana contained but the shaking glow intensified. ¡°Fuck¡­¡± Erin swore. ¡°Careful now. If you don¡¯t keep it under control, it will blow up right in your face.¡± ¡°Not helping, Aedan.¡± As the glow grew in radiance, so did Erin¡¯s concentration. Just as the glow looked to be on the verge of exploding, it diminished in radiance and shrunk in size. Meanwhile, the shuddering also gradually ceased. Erin breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing such a sight. ¡°I knew you could do it. You¡¯re a natural after all.¡± ¡°Aedan, no one will think you dumb even if you stop talking for a minute.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t likepliments?¡± ¡°Not backhanded ones.¡± ¡°I would never.¡± Erin clicked her tongue and spun towards Aedan, bringing her sword around. Aedan leaned backwards and avoided the de that sliced through the empty space where his head had been. ¡°Holy shit, that was close!¡± ¡°At least, your wits are not just present in your words.¡± Aedan feigned an offended expression. ¡°I¡¯m hurt, my dear Erin. How could you?¡± Erin pointed her sword at him. ¡°Since we both have all the time to ourselves for today, how about a duel?¡± Aedan was taken back but only for a moment. His lips then curled into a grin. ¡°Fine by me, but I have to warn you, given my current level of prowess, I shall not hold back.¡± Erin returned the grin. ¡°The feelings are mutual, sweetheart.¡± Aedan snickered. ¡°Good to know,¡± he said and moulded his Mana into the shape of a sabre. And a fierce battle ensued that shook the entire city, which caused another wave of panic, but that was a story for another day. 5-1 All was not lost 5-1 All was not lost The sun shone brightly while hanging on the zenith of the sky. A beautiful day without a cloud in sight. The perfect weather for a ship to sail a long voyage. A inly ornate ship, yet tremendous in size, was sailing across the ocean under such fine weather. The ship was dull in colours and it flew a g bearing a simple triangle crest. However, the contents and the passengers of the ship were nothing like what the ship¡¯s outward appearance suggested. ¡°All of our important assets have been withdrawn from Sephrodia Valley, Sir,¡± reported a man aboard the ship, who was partially clothed in armour ting over a militaristic robe. ¡°Splendid,¡± Marduk muttered nonchntly in response while sitting on a rxing chair with the backrest inclined and a view of the vast ocean to behold. ¡°I thought it would take longer, so that¡¯s good.¡± ¡°...It¡¯s not entirely a good thing, Sir.¡± ¡°Sometimes, we have to take what we can get.¡± ¡°Not this time. Are you aware of the degree of our losses, Sir?¡± ¡°Do enlighten me, Rackham.¡± ¡°We have millions of gold at the beginning of our operations in Sephrodia Valley. Now, we have only around three hundred thousand and a third of that is only in writing.¡± ¡°I¡¯m no stranger to failures.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you angry, Sir?¡± ¡°I was, but what good would it do me to keep being angry over this?¡± Rackham sighed inwardly. ¡°There is another¡­ loss amidst our already massive losses. This might just be the most significant one.¡± ¡°Pray tell.¡± ¡°...Rex is dead, Sir,¡± Rackham reported with a heavy heart and a heavy voice. ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°That is so, Sir. The reports are not wrong. I have verified the validity of this news myself, thrice. It is without a doubt.¡± ¡°Hmm, pity.¡± Marduk shrugged. ¡°He was very useful and¡­petent, but not aspetent as I wished it would seem.¡± ¡°What do we do, Sir? Should we finish the job?¡± ¡°Let it be, Rackham.¡± ¡°Let it be?¡± Rackham raised his brows in disbelief. ¡°After all the fortune and resources spent on dealing with her, are we to just resign to our failures now? Rex is dead and there isn¡¯t even a silver lining to all of this.¡± Marduk snickered to himself. ¡°I won¡¯t say that.¡± ¡°So what now? The Fae gets to live? And what about the viceroy¡ª formerly, that is¡ª Rn Grid?¡± ¡°If you want to finish the job, feel free to, but do it at your own expense.¡± ¡°Are our resources so scarce now that we can¡¯t even tie up loose ends?¡± ¡°We are on this fabulous ship, dining on the finest dishes for every meal. What do you think?¡± ¡°Then why are we¡ª¡± ¡°Enough of that,¡± came the assertive voice from behind Rackham. ¡°Varus,¡± Rackham scoffed as he nced behind him. ¡°I see you are no longer confined to your sickbed.¡± The Seraphim emerged onto the deck from below. Though he was out of his dire state, his body was still bandaged all over. ¡°Nothing can confine me to anything for long.¡± ¡°Not yet,¡± Rackham retorted. ¡°Perhaps.¡± Varus shrugged and walked over to the chair beside Marduk. Without asking for permission, he sat down beside his employer. ¡°My wounds are healed, Marduk. Just point me in any direction.¡± ¡°No hurry, Varus,¡± Marduk said and took a sip of his iced peach tea with lemon slices. He even let out a gasp of delight after the cold tea washed down his throat. ¡°Are we seriously not going to talk about our fruitless endeavours in Sephrodia Valley anymore?¡± ¡°Our?¡± Varus snorted. ¡°Brother, you weren¡¯t even with us in Sephrodia Valley.¡® ¡°I¡¯m not your brother.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t exactly call you sister now, can I? Last I checked, you have a johnson dangling between your hips.¡± ¡°You know damn well that¡¯s not what my words meant. Don¡¯t twist my meaning to your fancy.¡± Varus chuckled. ¡°Can¡¯t a brother make a joke?¡± ¡°Your jokes are as cold as the northern mountains.¡± ¡°Oh, how I wish that to be a literal reality. This heat is killing me.¡± ¡°Can you take things seriously? Are we going to just cut our losses and pretend that the ursed Fae had never done us any harm?¡± Varus sighed. ¡°Listen closely, brother. We have squeezed ourselves dry in that region. All of the assets that we left behind are¡­ inadequate against someone like that Fox-kin and she¡¯s not the only powerhouse in the valley.¡± ¡°So we are surrendering to the one who ruined so many of our ns and operations?¡± ¡°The banners of House Valdrun flew behind her now. The High Lady and the Fox-kin are already close friends. What¡¯s more, she also has the aid of the Aeryons, whom the leader is the cause of my confinement to my sickbed.¡± Rackham clenched his fists tightly. Hearing Varus¡¯ exnation, he was beginning to see why they had to withdraw. Even if Marduk¡¯s influence and power were extensive and vast, it was not limitless. Marduk woulde out the victor if he was fullymitted but that would be at the expense of a great deal of his fortune and assets. ¡°Like it or not, we blew our chances with the Fae. She¡¯s now out of our reach in the Yorun Kingdom. I reckon it would take plenty of our reserves to have her dealt with using an outside hand and that¡¯s not counting the burial of our trail. I say it¡¯s around thousands.¡± ¡°Hundreds of thousands, actually,¡± Marduk corrected the Seraphim. ¡°The burial of our trail may even be more costly than the hiring fee of outside hands.¡± ¡°We have our dear friend, the Viceroy, to thank for that. He has been exposed and I bet thousands that he¡¯s willing to tell the court everything to save his own skin. If we make any careless moves now, it won¡¯t directly expose us but a lot of our assets will be brought to the light. Do we have an understanding now, Rackham?¡± Rackham clicked his tongue. ¡°We do,¡± he answered, begrudgingly. ¡°Still, this is a huge loss. What would the others think of us now that we have shown them we are not without failures?¡± ¡°Let them think of us however they want,¡± Marduk said and took another sip of his iced tea. ¡°Their opinions are not worth even a copper piece.¡± ¡°And should they decide to get so bold, I¡¯ll be more than happy to remind them that they will never amount to anything to us,¡± Varus said, cracking his knuckles. ¡°What he said,¡± Marduk muttered. ¡°Anything else, Rackham?¡± ¡°...No, Sir.¡± ¡°Good. Now, let me enjoy my leisure time while I can. I suggest you do the same. We will have much to do once we reach our destination.¡± **** ¡°Congrattion is in order, Lady Erynthea,¡±mended the highdy of House Valdrun, Melissa. ¡°So many lives would have been lost had it not been for your intervention.¡± Erin was currently sitting in a pavilion amidst the garden behind the mansion that was the house of Melissa Valdrun. A few days had passed since the terrible conundrum. Order was slowly being rebuilt but it was far frompletion. Still, it allowed Erin and herpanions a few moments of breathers. ¡°Thank you, Lady Melissa,¡± Erin epted the praise gracefully as she took a small sip of the blue tea and a small bite of a multiyered cake which eachyer as thin as a paper. ¡°You are most wee. I am truly honoured that you have decided to ept my invitation, though I am sad to hear that His Grace of Aeryo would not be able to join us.¡± ¡°Likewise, Lady Melissa. I was also looking forward to having a proper acquaintance with your husband.¡± Melissa sighed. ¡°That fool¡­ To think he would announce his absence during thest hour. Well, in any case, let us not talk about foolish men anymore.¡± Erin chuckled awkwardly in silence. ¡°Lady Erynthea, it won¡¯t be an exaggeration for me to say that the city wouldn¡¯t still be standing without you, truly.¡± ¡°I¡¯m well aware of my contributions, Lady Melissa, but I can¡¯t ept all the glory. You are deserving of some of that honour too, Lady Melissa. Your soldiers and knights are a tremendous help in my efforts to keep the city whole. I was only able to concentrate on what was in front of me because House Valdrun had my nks covered. For that, I can¡¯t thank you enough.¡± ¡°My efforts are nothingpared to yours, Lady Erynthea. And I¡¯m merely doing my duty as a noble of this kingdom. Sadly, and evidently, a lot of my peers do not share my sentiment.¡± ¡°The way I see it, Lady Melissa, you¡¯re the outlier here. It¡¯smendable and curious.¡± ¡°Are you doubting my motives in my association with you?¡± Erin chuckled inwardly. She quite liked how Melissa was not oblique with her words. ¡°I am,¡± and Erin returned the candour in kind. Melissa tittered behind her hand. ¡°I won¡¯t deny that my motives are rted to money and fame.¡± Erin wasn¡¯t entirely surprised by the answer but she was a tad amazed by how far Melissa¡¯s bluntness went. ¡°Our wealthes from the hardships of themoners. And it is also through them that our name will spread far and wide, for better or worse. By saving them, I can expand my wealth and fame even more. I obtained my goals without the need to feel guilty about anything.¡± ¡°Trulymendable¡­ It¡¯s baffling and a shame that only you have such a meritorious disposition among your peers.¡± ¡°My way of living is¡­ not without its hurdles. I dare say there are more hurdles than the other paths, which is why barely anyone walks alongside me. They are all in a hurry to obtain wealth and fame. They don¡¯t wish to wait a second longer. In their haste, they were willing tomit different manners of atrocities. I won¡¯t lie by saying I have not been tempted by the simplicity and the swiftness.¡± ¡°And have you ever fallen for it?¡± Erin questioned. Melissa smiled but it was tinged with sorrow and regrets. ¡°Sadly, I have,¡± she admitted. ¡°I was young and naive. Granted, the reason is banal and trite but that¡¯s the truth.¡± ¡°And what changed?¡± ¡°...My brother,¡± the High Lady answered after a brief moment of silence. ¡°To be more precise, it was the death of my brother that caused the change in my ways.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I see,¡± Erin¡¯s response was short as she had not known the grief in experiencing the deaths of a family member. ¡°I was seventeen and I was betrothed to my current husband. My engagement with a Valdrun paved many ways to countless opportunities. Now, they were just opportunities. There was still a long way to go after I acquired them.¡± ¡°Impatience.¡± Melissa nodded. ¡°Impatience. My desire to obtain results in the swiftest and simplest way brought about many misfortunes for those around me. My brother suffered the most and I didn¡¯t care. I thought¡­ I would make things right once I obtained results. The results fell into my grasp, eventually, but my brother was no longer in this world. My haste made enemies and these enemies of mine used my brother against me, but he won¡¯t let it. I¡¯m sure you can guess what happens afterwards.¡± ¡°Obviously, the fault lies not fully with you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware but it doesn¡¯t detract from the fact that I am the reason my brother died. My haste and greed caused the death of a family. But don¡¯t misunderstand me, Lady Erynthea. What I did for you and this city, I didn¡¯t do it for the sake of penance.¡± ¡°Then what are you doing it for?¡± Melissa smiled and looked over to her right, where a view of the garden¡¯s grove could be seen. It was also the ce where her daughter was ying. ¡°For the future¡­ For her. I did my brother wrong and I won¡¯t be repeating that same mistake.¡± ¡°I¡¯m relieved to know that you aren¡¯t ming yourself, Lady Melissa. Though I can¡¯t say anything about losing a family, I can rte to doing my best for the ones I love, even if it means looking past your old mistakes.¡± Melissaughed. ¡°Looks like you and I are not that different after all, Erynthea.¡± ¡°So it is, Melissa.¡± ¡°Say, my daughter would be delighted to have you as her ymate, if it¡¯s not too much trouble, Erin.¡± ¡°Not at all, Lissa. I¡¯ll be very much honoured to be closely acquainted with your daughter.¡± 5-2 Pinea 5-2 Pinea ¡°Your Grace, this is unwise,¡± Olivia said. ¡°Agreed,¡± Aedan replied dryly as the two ventured deep into the slums of the city, or the closest ce to a slum the city had. It was not considered a slum as there were many buildings that were actually owned by various nobles, and used for various unsavoury reasons. In a way, this ce was worse than a slum. This part of the city was not spared of the ruination either. The death toll here was much higher as not even the Aeryons or the Talron soldiers had trod this far out. The rookery bordered the fringes of the valley. It was roughly a day¡¯s journey from here to the centre of the city. ¡°You should have told Lady Erynthea.¡± ¡°If I had, she would have wanted toe with me but s, at least one of us had to attend the luncheon.¡± ¡°She will be mad if she knew the true objective of your sudden business.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure she will and I won¡¯t lie, I look forward to her being angry with me. It makes the coition more exciting.¡± Olivia sighed. ¡°She would not always be so naive.¡± ¡°She¡¯s not. She just can¡¯t help herself. Now, where do we go from here?¡± Aedan asked as they stopped before a junction that split into at least six paths. Olivia looked at the small paper in hand which detailed the directions to a certain ce. To be precise, to a certain someone. ¡°Second path from the right. Go straight until we see a building that¡¯s all boarded up and drenched in red paint.¡± Aedan shrugged. ¡°Simple enough.¡± And he trod down the path the paper instructed. Olivia followed closely behind. ¡°What do you intend to do once we¡­ find her?¡± ¡°What do you think?¡± Aedan tossed the question back without any hint of his usual humour or wonted casual outlook. Olivia stared at her lord, who was carrying a pair of long swords by his side and a few throwing daggers sheathed around his waist. He was even carrying a shield on his back. ¡°Are we expecting heavy resistance?¡± ¡°You read the letters. Our dear friend had gotten herself quite a bit of power and influence. She had her own faction now, albeit just a handful of people. I believe most of her cronies are her former clients.¡± ¡°But is this intelligence trustworthy?¡± ¡°The Guild Master has no reason to lie to us, has she?¡± ¡°I suppose not, Your Grace. But if we¡¯re expecting heavy resistance, would I not be enough as a deterrent?¡± Aedan chuckled. ¡°Olivia, you are not here as a deterrent. In fact, you were the one who asked to follow me. Your presence is of no benefit to me nor your absence is of any detriment to me. I will do this with my own hands. I want to feel it with my own skin as I choke the life out of her. Understand?¡± ¡°...Yes, Your Grace,¡± Olivia answered after a short silence. The rest of the way was not long. The sun had not shifted in its position when Aedan and Olivia arrived before the building. The red paint was still there but most of the boards had been torn down. ¡°I believe it¡¯s this ce, Your Grace.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± Aedan muttered and walked towards the door. He did not bother knocking and simply let himself in. Since the door was locked, he asked Olivia to break down the door after his own unsessful attempt. Olivia gave a gentle shove and the door popped off its hinges. The moment the door hit the ground, every individual in the building was alerted to the two¡¯s intrusion. The guards by the door were jolted awake by the loud noise of the two¡¯s intrusion. There were only two of them. ¡°Afternoon,¡± Aedan greeted with a smile that didn¡¯t reach his eyes. ¡°Who the fuck are¡ª¡± ¡°Is Pinea here?¡± ¡°The boss ain¡¯t here, boy. And you have made a grave mistake in¡ª¡± ¡°Duly noted. Now, die.¡± Aedan tossed one of the many daggers on his waist at the thug who could barely register Aedan¡¯s movements. The dagger struck the thug square in the head. Before the other thug could react, Aedan closed the gap between them and slit his throat with another dagger. The hallway which led to the entrance was soon filled with a thunder of footsteps rushing towards him and Olivia. ¡°Do you need my assistance, Your Grace?¡± ¡°No,¡± Aedan said. ¡°I need to do this myself.¡± ¡°As you wish,¡± Olivia bowed and stepped back just as thugs of varied appearances and figures flooded the foyer. The thugs needed no exnations when they saw two of their own dead. ¡°It was me. I kill them. Now, if you don¡¯t want to meet the same fate as yourpanion, I strongly encourage you to lead me to your whore of a boss who had probably fucked everyone here. Well, except for me and my lovelydypanion here.¡± ¡°Kill these two clowns!¡± one of the thugs shouted and all of them began charging towards Aedan. ¡°Very well.¡± Aedan snickered and took out a small bottle of grey ashe-like powder from a pouch dangling by his waist. He then scattered the contents at the charging thugs. The onught of the thugs quickly descended into chaos as the scattered powder blinded some of their eyes and in the confusion, they hurt their fellow thugs in a panic. Aedan snapped his hands and created a small spark of lightning between his forefinger and his thumb. The small spark of lightning touched the scattered powder that drifted over to him. In the next second, the spark transformed into arge ze and spread to all the ces the powder had touched. Essentially, the entire foyer was set alight. Screams and cries erupted from the band of thugs. ¡°Ouch,¡± Aedan feigned a wince. A small me caught onto his sleeve but being a True Dragon, he was unscathed by the ze. ¡°I¡¯ll be outside,¡± Olivia said and made her out of the building. She was a True Dragon too but the water was more of her domain, so she decided to stay out. Nevertheless, she would be unfazed too should some of the mes catch her. Taking advantage of the absolute disorder among the gathered thugs, Aedan began his massacre. He started off with a wide swing of his twin swords. There was no precision to his prelude. It was just a gesture and a sign for the unfortunate thugs for what was toe. Aedan took more than half a dozen heads in the prelude. Another handful fell along with the ones that got decapitated, consumed by the fire. One of the thugs took out a Spell Gem and he crushed it in his hand. The spell unleashed from the gem was a huge ssh of water. The fire wasn¡¯tpletely doused but it did save a lot of his brethren who would otherwise die to the mes. Aedan chortled and dashed into the fray. He opened up the torso of a thug who was still in a daze while at the same time, he slit the throat of another thug who was licking his wounds. Someone cried out loudly in the crowd and he charged at Aedan with all his might. He was a big man, probably the tallest person in the room. However, Aedan threw the sword at the big man¡¯s foot. The big man¡¯s momentum carried him forward despite having his foot stuck to the floor by a sword. The big man shrieked as he fell forward. The result was incredibly dreadful. The big man fell but since his foot was stuck to the floor by a sword, he ripped his foot through the de and hit the floor hard. The massive thug bawled like a child as he clutched at his mangled foot. Aedan silenced the big man permanently with a thrust into his head. That was not the most grisly and bloody happenstance in this massacre. Many that followed afterwards were more awful than thest. Aedan did not have his wrath fettered. He let it loose. Aedan cut his way through the numerous thugs who came at him one after another. Even though they saw how terribly and ruthlessly their peers were cut down, the majority of them were not discouraged. Nevertheless, Aedan continued to cut them down without any shred of hesitation. He brought with him many des and the edges of all the des were nearly dull when he fell thest thug in the building, excluding the one that leads thesete thugs. There were two only two floors up and the second floor was nothing more than the leisure quarters of the thugs. Aedan spotted a few women huddling in the corner. They were just whores the thugs bought and brought. He paid them no attention and climbed onto the next floor. There were no rooms on the third floor, only a single vast space that epassed the entire floor. There was a grand chair at the end of the vast room and a woman with many scars sat on top of it. ¡°Pinea,¡± Aedan chewed the name as he strode towards the woman. ¡°Your Grace,¡± the woman greeted with a scowl that spelt all of her worries. ¡°You could have just sent me a letter if you wish to meet. You didn¡¯t need to ughter all of my men.¡± ¡°Cease the farce, Pinea. I know what you did.¡± ¡°Your Grace, you have to understand. I didn¡¯t mean¡ª¡± ¡°I am no longer ¡®Your¡¯ Grace and you are no longer an Aeryon, especially not after you bbed our secrets to the enemy.¡± ¡°A-Aedan, you don¡¯t understand.¡± The woman Pinea swallowed a lump in her throat. ¡°I was threatened. He was going to¡ª¡± ¡°So you decide that your life was the lives of those that you once shared your faith with.¡± ¡°Are you expecting to just let myself be killed? That¡¯s absurd.¡± ¡°You could have lied. You are good at that, I remember.¡± ¡°If I lied, he would have known about it eventually.¡± ¡°And you could have sought refuge with us if that¡¯s the case. When you left, our grace remained open to you. And what did you do with it? You spat on it and sold your siblings and family to the enemy. All for what? For a pouch of gold? You betrayed your family for money.¡± ¡°I did no such thing! Sure, I told him what he wanted to hear. But nobody died in the end because of me now, did they?¡± ¡°Except that someone did die because of you and you did take the enemy¡¯s gold. But thankfully, the person you endangered was not favoured by death. And so, she lives.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s good, isn¡¯t it? Nobody died. So, don¡¯t you think your reaction here is a little¡ª¡± Aedan did not let her words formpletely. He discontinued her nonsense by throwing a dull dagger that pierced into her left eye. Since the de was dull, the dagger did not pierce deep. Still, it was agonising. Pinea fell off the chair, clutching her eye, and screamed out in agony as she iled around. Aedan ambled towards the shrieking Pinea and crouched before her. ¡°The person you endangered is a Fae, a Fox-kin. If she had truly died, you would have doomed this whole city, you fucking stupid bitch.¡± ¡°I-I didn¡¯t know¡­ I didn¡¯t know¡­¡± Pinea sobbed. ¡°Forgive me¡­ Please¡­¡± ¡°You know, if she hade along with me, I assume she would have asked for me to spare you. She can be ruthless and merciless at times but she¡¯s a good person at the core of her heart. Unfortunately, the same couldn¡¯t be said about me.¡± ¡°Mercy¡­ Mercy, my Lord¡­.¡± ¡°Do you know, your betrayal dyed her involvement in the sortie? A whole lot more lives could have been saved if she had joined the sortie early but she couldn¡¯t, because of you. You have inadvertently caused the deaths of many innocents.¡± ¡°F-forgive me¡­ I was¡ª¡± ¡°Hush now. I don¡¯t want to hear your reasons. Truth be told, I¡¯m here because you hurt her. Every other reason that I have given was nothing more than to justify my¡­ exaggerated retaliation. I¡¯m a truly terrible person. I am not going to kill you¡­ but you are going to wish that I had.¡± And thus, the torture and maiming of Pinea began. The cries and throes of her suffering spread far and wide. But no one came to her aid no matter how loud she screamed. 5-3 lull moments 5-3 lull moments With a loud but somewhat endearing cry, Aera lunged at Amyra with her fist raised. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s it!¡± the Augur encouraged. Aera had thrown the punch with all her might but when it struck Amyra, it was no different than a yful punch from a toddler against an adult. Not only did it not hurt Amyra, but Aera also hurt herself instead. She retracted her fist and winced while holding her hand close to her bosom. Amyra sighed. ¡°You got spirits,ss. Your enthusiasm ismendable but youck the might to hold it up.¡± Aera tutted. ¡°Again,¡± she said in between her heavy breaths. She was not in her usual clerical maiden garbs but a in martial robe, and she was a maiden no longer. It had been more than a week since her deflowering but her tenor was still of an untouched flower. Amyra, on the other hand, was the opposite of a maiden. She was wearing garments that could barely be called garments for the little amount they covered. She was wearing pants and a brassiere, and that was all she was wearing. As this was just the usual and her body was carved with thews, the male servants passing by did not spare her any nce. There was a small handful of them who fancied Amyra but they feared the repercussions too much to even steal a nce. The unlikely pair were in the courtyard of the Aeryon Manor. After her recovery from her dire state, Aera had requested to train with Amyra to hone herbat prowess. Erin and Aedan refused her request at first but after pleading with them during their intimate session, they relented with some limitations. ¡°Aera, forgive me for being blunt, you are clearly no fighter. If you were meant to be one, you would have shown some progress by now but you can¡¯t even throw a proper punch after so many lessons.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter¡­¡± Aera muttered. ¡°I have to get stronger¡­ one way or another.¡± ¡°You are strong enough already, Aera. I probably can¡¯t even win against you in direct singlebat.¡± ¡°Only when I¡¯m in the state of Wrathmonger. Even then, I¡¯m still not strong enough. If I had been¡­ I wouldn¡¯t have troubled all of you so much.¡± ¡°It was a war, Aera. There¡¯s bound to be coteral damages. You just so happened to be one of them. It had nothing to do with you being weak.¡± ¡°...I don¡¯t like it, Amyra. I don¡¯t like having my anger take over me. I can barely control myself. My consciousness remains throughout my¡­ rampage. I remember them all.¡± ¡°I may be an Apostle but¡­ this is out of myprehension. I¡¯m just a warrior, I will admit. I¡¯m no teacher. Maybe you do have the aptitude for it and I¡¯m just toocking to see it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true, Amyra!¡± Aera quickly denied it. ¡°You have been a wonderful teacher. It¡¯s the student that¡¯s the problem.¡± Amyra snickered. ¡°You belittle yourself, Aera. Strengthes in different forms. Perhaps you just haven¡¯t found yours. I¡¯m sure Lady Erin has needs for you in other¡­ aspects other thanbat prowess.¡± Aera smiled. ¡°I hope so, Amyra. She had given me so much¡­ but I have yet to return any of her favour.¡± ¡°Well¡­ The Covenant is still atrge. Lady Erin had not exactly fully fulfilled your wish. The date of repayment is still far off. You have plenty of time.¡± Aera nodded. ¡°I know¡­ but will I even follow in her steps for so long?¡± ¡°Now that¡¯s a question that only time can answer.¡± Amyra chuckled. She walked over to a bench and sat down on it, wiping away her sweat with the towels that were prepared beforehand. Aera also walked over to the bench, taking the towel to wipe her body of the sweat umted through the sparring without taking a seat. ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a seat?¡± Amyra asked. Aera stared at the little amount of space left on the bench after Amyra had sat down. ¡°I¡¯m fine with standing.¡± Amyra shrugged. ¡°Suit yourself. Say, I¡¯m hungry. I wonder if there are any leftovers from breakfast?¡± ¡°Hungry already?¡± Aera asked with her brows raised. ¡°Breakfast was only three hours ago.¡± ¡°Hey, I¡¯m a big girl. I eat a lot. You can join me if you want. Maybe what youck is muscles and some fat. Eating more will do you some good.¡± Aera frowned. ¡°I-it¡¯s alright¡­ I don¡¯t think I need¡ª¡± Her voice trailed off as her hands rubbed her belly softly and unconsciously. Amyra tittered. ¡°What? You¡¯re afraid of bing fat?¡± Aera¡¯s shoulders jumped as if she couldn¡¯t believe she was seen through and her hands retreated away from her belly. ¡°Really? You¡¯re afraid of something like that?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with ady watching her weight?¡± Aera mewled. ¡°You might not know but ady is undesirable if her belly¡­ sticks out too much.¡± ¡°I¡¯m certain His Grace wouldn¡¯t mind. He doesn¡¯t discriminate.¡± ¡°E-even so¡­ I still don¡¯t think having a meal between lunch and breakfast is a good habit.¡± ¡°Only if you don¡¯t move around much. You want to be strong, don¡¯t you? You can start from your eating habits. What did you have for your breakfast?¡± ¡°Oatmeal porridge¡­¡± ¡°Seriously? That¡¯s all you ate? And you have to make do with that much for the next five hours?¡± ¡°It is what I have always eaten for breakfast. I ate an apple too sometimes.¡± ¡°No wonder you¡¯re not making any progress.¡± Aera froze and cast a sidelong nce at Amyra as if she reached enlightenment. ¡°Is that truly the case?¡± she asked. ¡°Couldn¡¯t hurt to try,¡± Amyra said and flicked Aera¡¯s arm. ¡°Ouch!¡± she cried as she subconsciously withdrew a few steps away from the Augur. ¡°That hurts.¡± ¡°Felt like I hit your bone with just that tiny flick. Are you sure you are eating enough? We¡¯re not short on food, you know?¡± ¡°I am aware we have enough. As I have said, I¡¯m just not fond of overeating.¡± ¡°You need muscles and fat if you want to get stronger. Save for a certain ce, you are pretty much just bones.¡± Aera crossed her arms in front of her bosom, almost as if on instinct. Amyra snickered. ¡°You are certainly adequate in that area. Well, I have my fun and I¡¯m starving,¡± she said and got up from the bench. ¡°Sure you don¡¯t want to join me?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t¡ª¡± Before Aera could finish her words, the groaning from her belly permeated the courtyard. Aera¡¯s cheeks went red in an instant. ¡°Looks like I won¡¯t be dining alone.¡± Aera looked away with a face filled with chagrin. **** While the unlikely pair had taken it upon themselves to refill their bellies, there was another unlikely pair on the other side of the manor, in the small woods that encroached on a small part of the estate. There was a small de in the small woods and the unlikely pair was engaged in a friendly yet fiercepetition of archery. ¡°Ha!¡± Nivia shouted as her arrow struck the small wooden cup that was fixed to a tree with dozens of long thin branches. ¡°How¡¯s that, Lyra? Can you hit a mark that small and far away and with all those twigs in the way?¡± ¡°This is nothing, Nivia,¡± Lyra snorted and took a shot of her own bow and arrow. Her arrow flew straight and true, striking the cup next to the one Nivia had just shot down. Nivia tutted upon seeing theck of strain in Lyra¡¯s effort. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not surprised,¡± Nivia lied. ¡°It¡¯s reasonable that you could hit a target of this distance and scale if you¡¯re always around Erin.¡± Although Nivia knew Lyra was not an average archer, she didn¡¯t expect Lyra would be on her level of mastery, or maybe even better than herself. ¡°I¡¯m sure this is not all you have, right?¡± ¡°Of course, not,¡± Nivia huffed. ¡°See those things flying above that tree over there.¡± Lyra squinted her eyes as she looked above the tree. She saw a few strange-looking things. They were orbs of light with ethereal wings, streaking around the air like flies. ¡°I see them. What are those?¡± ¡°Wisps,¡± Nivia answered. ¡°You made them?¡± ¡°I summoned them.¡± Lyra broke into a chuckle after a quick contemtion. ¡°Are those our next targets?¡± ¡°Why, yes indeed, they are.¡± Lyra shrugged. ¡°Looks easy enough,¡± Lyra said. She nocked an arrow, drew the string, and took aim. ¡°Maybe not?¡± Nivia snickered. ¡°Figures. Wisps may look frail and trivial but don¡¯t underestimate their agility and instincts. Even an expert marksman would have trouble grazing them with their shots. And of course, no Seeker allowed.¡± ¡°Oh, Nivia¡­ You underestimate me,¡± Lyra said and let loose the arrow, but not before easing on her pull of the string. The arrow flew slower than usual and it was already losing altitude before it even came close to the wisps. Nivia frowned dubiously. It was one thing to see Lyra reaching her limits ormitting a blunder, but it was a whole other story to see her deliberately botching her shot. Contrary to what one might expect, Lyra was not disheartened. In fact, she was grinning. She quickly nocked another arrow and pulled on the string harder than just herst attempt. And she let loose the arrow. The second arrow flew faster than the first, quickly catching up to thetter. The second arrow pierced through the first, splitting it into four splinters and giving the four splinters a boost in speed. The four splinters ended up hitting the Wisps flying above the tree. Though the arrows bored through the Wisps, they continued to fly around as if nothing had bothered them and the holes had disappeared. While the Wisps continued frolicking above the tree like nothing, Nivia was staring at Lyra with widened eyes. ¡°What?¡± Lyra asked when she saw Nivia¡¯s stare of disbelief. ¡°How was that even possible?¡± ¡°I will admit. That would have been impossible just a month ago but being around Erin, you have a lot of opportunities to grow. I surprised myself too.¡± Lyra snickered. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s your turn, Nivia.¡± Nivia pried her bewildered gaze away from Lyra and focused her mind on her targets. She nocked the arrow, drew her bow, and took aim. However, she did not release the string even after taking aim for ten seconds. Eventually, Nivia lowered her bow without releasing a single arrow. It was Lyra¡¯s victory and she knew it herself. She wanted to spit her victorious joy on Nivia but seeing the woeful expression on the Elf¡¯s face, Lyra held her tongue. ¡°It¡¯s your win¡­¡± Nivia said bitterly. Devoid of her usual zest, Nivia sheathed her bow behind her back and plopped right down on the ground, hugging her knees close to her chest. ¡°If this is your way of spiting me, then I must say, it¡¯s working.¡± Nivia said nothing and buried her face into her knees. Lyra sighed upon seeing Nivia in such a downhearted state. She gave in to her heart and sat down beside Nivia. ¡°If you want to boast about your victory, then go ahead,¡± Nivia grumbled. ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± Lyra said. ¡°I¡¯m not that terrible of a person. I¡¯m not good at this but¡­ what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Everything,¡± Nivia mumbled. ¡°That¡¯s very specific.¡± ¡°Erin¡¯s strong, isn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a very humble way of putting it.¡± ¡°Yet, I¡¯m not even stronger than those around her, close to her.¡± ¡°Seriously? That¡¯s why you¡¯re so¡­ down in the slums? Look, if you¡¯re feeling inferior, the line is long. You think I don¡¯t feel that way?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not the loser in thispetition now, are you?¡± ¡°I never consider this apetition.¡± Nivia nced sideways at Lyra. ¡°Alright, maybe I did, but my victory in this stupidpetition means nothing. If we fought with all our skills and strength, I¡¯m sure I won¡¯t evene close to beating you.¡± ¡°...You really think so?¡± ¡°Yes, I do.¡± ¡°Still¡­ is there anything I can do for Erin? I want to follow her but I don¡¯t have anything to lend her¡­ I will just be a liability if I follow her around.¡± ¡°I know exactly how you feel, Nivia¡­ but we are her friends, not her¡­ arsenal. Besides, I¡¯m sure there¡¯s something you can offer her besides your strength and she would love it.¡± Nivia tilted her head. ¡°And what would that be?¡± Lyra snickered and leaned in close to Nivia to whisper in her ears. With just a few words, red dyed the Elf¡¯s cheeks deeply, spreading to her ears. 5-4 Truffles 5-4 Truffles Though the restoration of the city¡¯s order and livelihood was still far from finished, that didn¡¯t mean themon folks had stopped living their lives. A week and more had passed since that devastating day. The city was climbing back to its feet, with the abundance of stalls and shops that were back in business as proof of the city¡¯s recovery. Amid the streets that wereden with booths of plenty of varieties, there were two women who caught nearly the attention of everyone they passed by. They were great beauties but that wasn¡¯t the reason for the attention they garnered. The reason was their race. To be precise, they were a Faerie-kin and a Wolf-kin, unlikely pair. To anyone¡¯s knowledge, these two races were never warm with each other and yet, they saw such an unlikely pair walking down the street with a cordial air between them. However, despite the tant amiability between the two in the onlookers¡¯ perception, the two were currently in a disagreement of sorts. ¡°Lady Lilian, I have yet to hear a good reason from you for insisting on mypany,¡± Siv said as she walked side by side with Lilian. ¡°Didn¡¯t I already give you a reason, Sivy?¡± Lilian said with a titter. The gentle breeze that blew past her and lightly stirred her waist-long green hair enhanced the frivolous nature of her bright smile. ¡°You gave me a reason, Lady Lilian. It wasn¡¯t a good one,¡± Siv retorted sharply. Her usual impassive and seemingly detached expression was tinged with annoyance. ¡°And could you please stop calling me Sivy?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that? We are friends, aren¡¯t we? Well, I guess you can say we are more than friends.¡± Siv tutted and continued walking. She didn¡¯t know where they were going. Lilian had asked her to apany them on a stroll through the streets and she had been very insistent about it. Siv had intended to refuse but before Erin left for her appointment, she had hoped Siv would get along with everyone else. And here Siv was, in thepany of a Dryad was a tad too vexing for her to bear. ¡°My dear Siv, have I done something to offend you?¡± Lilian asked with an expression that sway between genuine and superficial. ¡°Your character as a whole vexes me.¡± Lilian snickered. ¡°So I have been told.¡± She sighed. ¡°Just why do people find my optimistic and cheerful attitude so annoying? Do they want to be down in the dumps all the time?¡± Siv raised an eyebrow. ¡°So you do realise how annoying you are.¡± ¡°Do I really look like someone whocks any shred of self-awareness?¡± Siv cast a sidelong nce at herpanion for the day. ¡°I¡¯m sure you know the answer to that question well.¡± ¡°I suppose that was rather the point. People say all sorts of things when they think you are inferior to them. It has been very helpful in my experience.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re before friends now, is that performance still necessary?¡± ¡°Old habits, dear. Besides, my performance will get rusty if I don¡¯t practise it constantly.¡± Siv groaned inwardly. The misfit pair continued their stroll in silence. Lilian was no longer making any flippant remarks but she still had a faint yful smirk on her face. In such a manner, the two eventually arrived at a small forest after they came out of the market and merchant districts. Though it was called a forest, it was more of a huge tree garden as it was regrly taken care of by the city¡¯s management. Folks who lived in a city since birth would naturally develop a primal fear towards the world beyond the walls. The numerous tales about the dangers of the outside world certainly did not help in aying their fears. And so, an artificial forest was nted and grown in certain parts of the city. People had no cause for worry about the wild animals and dangerous monsters one would normally encounter in a forest. ¡°We are here,¡± Lilian said cheerfully as she strode right into the forest path. ¡°What are we doing here?¡± Siv asked. ¡°And why did we walk all the way here instead of taking the horses?¡± Lilian did not give an answer and kept on walking. ¡°Lady Lilian, I swear by the honour of the mistress, if you don¡¯t tell¡ª¡± ¡°Ah, there it is!¡± Lilian eximed suddenly. The sudden surge of the Dryad¡¯s fervour drew Siv¡¯s attention and gaze. She looked towards the direction Lilian was pointing with zeal and glee. What she saw made her even more confused. Lilian was giggling with mirthfulness as she crouched before a fallen log. ¡°Yes, I didn¡¯t think I would find them this easily and without your assistance too, Sivy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± Lilian snapped her fingers and the soil around the fallen log waned like the sea in the morning. ¡°What are those?¡± Siv asked while staring nkly at the strange-looking nts around the fallen log that was hidden by ayer of soil. ¡°These?¡± Lilian plucked one of those strange-looking nts into her hand. ¡°They are truffles, or so I heard they were called.¡± ¡°Truffles? What¡¯s a¡ª¡± At that moment, the smell of the truffle wafted into Siv¡¯s nose and she froze. Lilian tittered. ¡°How is it? Is it good?¡± ¡°...It¡¯s amazing,¡± Siv answered when her senses returned. She couldn¡¯t believe what she had just smelled. She had never been much of an enthusiast for vegetables or fruits but these so-called truffles, made her lose herposure for a moment from their scent alone. Truffles smelled absolutely delectable, Siv came to understand that fact today. Lilian¡¯s grin widened upon seeing Siv¡¯s reaction. ¡°Is this a good reason?¡± Siv nodded. ¡°It is but¡­ I still don¡¯t understand why you need me to apany you.¡± ¡°Truffles are absolute delights. They sell for a lot to the right merchants. But most importantly, they enhance the vour of dishes tremendously. Seeing as how everyone had gone through so much recently, I figured I would spoil everyone with some homemade dishes.¡± ¡°...You know how to cook, Lady Lilian?¡± ¡°My my, where did you get the idea that I don¡¯t?¡± ¡°...Forget that I ask. But my other question still stands, what do you need me for?¡± Lilian fell silent then and she lowered her head. ¡°Lady Lilian?¡± ¡°...Promise me that you won¡¯t get mad if I tell you?¡± Though Siv knew not what Lilian would say, she knew she would definitely get mad knowing the kind of person Lilian was. ¡°I promise that I will get mad.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a relief¡ª huh? What did you say?¡± ¡°I said I will get mad, so you might as well tell me already before you make this any worse.¡± Lilianughed nervously. ¡°Well¡­ I brought you with me because I need your excellent sense of smell¡­¡± Siv narrowed her eyes. ¡°You intend to use me like a tracking hound? Not to track down someone but some¡­ nts?¡± ¡°They¡¯re mushrooms.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care what they are. These mushrooms are the reason for your stubborn insistence on mypany?¡± ¡°They¡¯re not just any mushrooms, Siv. They¡¯re truffles.¡± ¡°And that makes it any better?¡± ¡°What if I tell you, a pound of these can yield a solid gold coin?¡± Siv¡¯s expression turned nk and her eyes widened. ¡°A gold coin? For just a pound?¡± Lilian nodded. ¡°That¡¯s how much they are worth.¡± ¡°...Shouldn¡¯t we be more furtive in our search if that''s the case?¡± ¡°Truffles are not easily found or discovered. Special methods are required. And people certainly won¡¯t expect this here of all ces to have truffles. We take everything we can here and bring them back to the estate before anyone finds out.¡± ¡°But how are we going to take all of these? My pockets can barely fit four of them and your gown doesn¡¯t seem to have any pockets.¡± ¡°No worries, Siv. I came prepared,¡± Lilian said and produced two pouches from her cleavage. Siv resisted retorting to that absurd way of storing things. ¡°Infinite pouches.¡± Lilian tossed one to Siv. ¡°Transportation will no longer be an issue. Shall we get to it then?¡± If it had been given by anyone else, Siv would surely question the origin. But given the circumstances, Siv could guess where Lilian got these extremely convenient pouches from. ¡°Something the matter?¡± ¡°It''s nothing.¡± Siv pocketed the pouch before letting out a sigh. ¡°Our truffle harvesting will have to wait, it seems.¡± ¡°Why so? The earlier we finish, the better¡ª¡± Lilian paused. Her faint smile curled into a frown, before unfolding back into a small grin. ¡°I suppose this is the second reason that I asked for yourpany, Siv.¡± ¡°You were expecting trouble?¡± ¡°We are two very desirable maidens, Siv. It¡¯s only natural that we will have some stalkers.¡± ¡°Can we even be considered maidens?¡± ¡°We are not in any sort of matrimony, no?¡± ¡°...I suppose we¡¯re not.¡± Siv shrugged and drew her twin swords. ¡°Come out, now. Stop hiding.¡± At her words, dozens of sordid and unruly-looking men appeared from the shades and behind the trees. None of these men were in clothes that weren¡¯t ragged or tattered. Their faces were covered in numerous scars and old wounds. One of the menughed. ¡°Looks like we hit the jackpot today, boys.¡± The other men agreed with sneers and vulgar remarks. ¡°The guards and soldiers are all busy with the city¡¯s restoration,¡± said the same man as he drew out a crude-looking dagger. ¡°They have no time to spare for a couple of damsels in distress.¡± ¡°Oh my, do you people not know who we are?¡± Lilian asked with an expression devoid of any amusement. ¡°Oh, we know who you are, alright. Which is why we¡¯re not afraid of you.¡± ¡°Hmm? You know who we are but you are not afraid? How odd.¡± The man snickered. ¡°By the time we¡¯re done with you two, we would be out of this city before your vixen friend would even know what happened.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I see.¡± Lilian sighed. ¡°How foolish.¡± ¡°Looks like we are being underestimated,¡± Siv said as she gripped tightly on her swords. ¡°They think we¡¯re just the mistress¡¯ dull shadows.¡± ¡°Truly, we are being underestimated. I¡¯m getting very irked by this. How unusual of me.¡± The horrid man began to approach the two with a scious grin. ¡°We are going to have so much fun with the two of you. I have never been with a Fae or a Beast before but there¡¯s a first time for everything. Now, kneel. Undress yourselves or we will do it for you.¡± ¡°Do you take us as nothing more than helpless damsels?¡± ¡°Then do you take us as mere simple backstreet thugs? The chaos from a week ago was a very¡­ bountiful harvest.¡± The realisation struck Lilian. ¡°I see¡­ you have raised your levels by a lot since you killed so many people during the chaos.¡± ¡°d that you aren¡¯t just another brainless beauty. This will be more fun. Now, surrender your¡ª¡± A silver sh streaked across the thug, who seemed to be the leader, and in the next moment, his head slid off his neck and his body copsed to the ground afterwards. The rest of the thugs shrieked and flinched in horror. ¡°Weak,¡± Siv muttered, flicking her swords to get rid of the blood on the des. ¡°I don¡¯t know what level he is but he¡¯s nothingpared to a Demoid.¡± ¡°Impossible,¡± shouted the thug that was standing the closest to his now-dead leader. ¡°How are you so¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªStrong?¡± Siv finished his sentence as she appeared right before him in a blink of an eye. The thug yelped and hurriedly swung his weapon, but he was much too slow inparison with Siv¡¯s agility and speed. His arms were the first to go. His head followed soon after. ¡°Don¡¯t make meugh,¡± Siv spat. ¡°It¡¯s just that you all are just weak. Clearly that you only go after the ones you deemed weaker. Unfortunately, you made a grave misjudgement this time, all of you did.¡± The other thugs, spurred by Siv¡¯s taunt, charged at her while letting out their battle cries. However, vines suddenly grew all around them and each of those vines was covered in deadly barbs. Some of them had already been grazed by the thorns during the vines¡¯ emergence. The thugs erupted into cries of terror as the vines inched closer to them as if they had minds of their own. ¡°P-please¡­ spare us¡­¡± Lilian tittered. ¡°Oh, should we?¡± ¡°No,¡± Siv said, bluntly. ¡°Well, there you have it,¡± Lilian said and snapped her fingers. The vines then closed in on them. Needless to say, the growth of the truffles in this forest was no longer a secret after the agonising cries of the thugs attracted the attention of everyone nearby. 5-5 Carnal solace 5-5 Carnal sce After a long week of handling the tedious aftermath of the devastation, Erin finally had some time to herself. Aside from meeting with various nobles that were closely acquainted with Melissa Valdrun, there were also the matters with the adventurer¡¯s guild As Erin was a registered adventurer, it was only natural that her deeds would be attributed to the guild and the Guild Master, Rigetta herself, had approved not just Erin but also herpanions in attaining a star of aplishment to their names. But of course, since only Amyra, Lyra, and Nivia were registered adventurers, the rest received the star of aplishment only in an honorary sense. Should they officially register themselves as adventurers, they would immediately be recognised and acknowledged as single-star adventurers. In ord with Erin and herpanions'' attainment of the star, a festival was to be held in their honour while also serving as a relief and acknowledgement of the city folks and the adventurers¡¯ efforts in rebuilding the city and restoring order. To everyone¡¯s surprise but also their indifference, Edmund survived the ordeal as the prison under the guild¡¯s building was sturdy enough to keep people out in addition to keeping people in. However, Edmund''s well-being had been neglected as no one could be bothered with taking care of a prisoner who had lost their worth in the midst of these trying times. Speaking of prison, Lord Rn Grid had been tried for his crimes, or so Erin heard from Melissa. The charges were many but the most severe one was the collusion with an underworld organisation that aimed to topple the kingdom. But of course, the name of the said organisation was not known or divulged to the public. The now-former viceroy of Sephrodia Valley was facing a death sentence, which would be taking ce in three days¡¯ time. Erin was invited but she promptly rejected the cordial invitation. Erin could smell the scheme just from reading the first line of the invitation letter. No doubt the nobles would use this opportunity to acquaint themselves with the saviour of the city. In two weeks¡¯ time, the inauguration of the new viceroy would take ce even though the position in question was still vacant and the candidates were undecided. The candidates need not be a noble but they do need to have the backing and the influence of a high noble. Melissa had jokingly suggested Erin for the post but Aedan, who caught wind of this, was seriously deliberating over it. ¡°Not a bad suggestion,¡± Aedan began musing after Erin had ryed this piece of news. ¡°You¡¯re not seriously considering Melissa¡¯s joke of a proposal, are you?¡± Erin had asked. ¡°No, but I am considering having one of my people take the office,¡± Aedan had answered. There were only a few people that Aedan fully trusted and waspetent. Erin quickly excused herself from the discussion before she got involved any more profoundly than she wished. At present, it was an hour after dawn and Erin had just finished her routine of tempering and refining herbat prowess so that it would not rust. She had retreated to the bathhouse after her training session. Since everyone had their own timetable, Erin was alone in the pool of a bath and it was just something she needed at the moment. Erynthea - Faerie-kin: Five-Tailed Fox-kin Level: 59 Might: 30 | Arcane: 65 | Finesse: 53 Magic Arts Spirit Magic Lv. 10 | Arcane Edge Lv. 7 | Arcane Armour Lv. 10 | Lightning Magic Lv. 10 | Arcane Aegis Lv. 7 | Mystic Tail Arts Lv. 6 | Spatial Magic Lv. 7 Combat Arts Sword Art Lv. 9 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 5 | Spear Art Lv. 1 | Body Strengthening Lv. 2 Innate Skills Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 7 | Lust Lv. Ex | Mana Harvest Lv. 1 | Lightning Resistance Lv. 5 | Darkness Resistance Lv. 1 | Cold Resistance Lv. 5 Unique Talent Mystic de Lv. Ex | Revenant Lv. Ex | Bespoke Lv. Ex Level Progression: 95% Remaining Skill Points: 4 Remaining Ability Points: 8 It had been quite some time since shest properly reviewed her stats. She clicked her tongue when she realised she was so close to reaching the next level. She had not neglected her womanly desires and had been indulging in them almost every night with either Lyra, Aera, Siv, Lilian, or Aedan. Even so, she was short on a faint amount of experience. With just a nce at her stats, Erin immediately allocated five points of Ability Points into Arcane and the rest into Finesse. [Arcane: 65 - 70 | Finesse: 53 - 56] Though the increment wasn¡¯t as profound as before, the slight upward shift of her power did leave a smile on her face. The higher one¡¯s level was, the harder it would be to ascend to the next. Naturally, no one would be finicky about the kind of gains they acquired, so long it was a gain. When it came to her Skill Points, she did not make any immediate decisions. She considered all of her Arcane Arts as essential and crucial. Without even a single of them, she dared say she might not even have lived till this day. She recounted her past and recent battles as she stroked and brushed her tails gently as if it was second nature to her. While she considered all of her Arcane Arts indispensable, her resources were limited. She didn¡¯t know how long she had been in deep thought but the warm bath had turned cool when she snapped out of her cerebration after she hade to a conclusion. She decided to invest in the most versatile skill first and foremost, aside from Spatial Magic. She poured all of her Skill Points into Mystic Tail Arts, raising it to level eight. An abundance of knowledge flowed into her mind. There was a slight tinge of regret, not over the spending of her points but the decision of taking a bath. [Mystic Tail Arts: Level 6 increased to Level 8] As she had gained new skills under her level eight Mystic Tail Arts, she was eager to put those new skills to the test as soon as possible. Then, an idea came to mind. She rose from her bath but she did not get out of it. She nced around to make sure there was no one else but her in the room. She brandished her tails as she assumed abat stance. She put a foot forward and at the same time, she swung her hips and her tailsshed forward. It was faint but she could see how the air split apart at that move. ¡°Not bad,¡± she mused. She took another step forward and swung her hips around once more, bringing her tails in a wide arc that sent the water surging like a small tidal wave. She took one more step forward and she spun her whole body as she did so. Her tails spun along with her and a wave of unseen projectiles cut across the surface of the bath as if des were rushing through. Erin¡¯s face brightened with glee and thrill. She couldn¡¯t wait to use her new skill in actualbat practice. It was called Tempest Dance. It was the first actualbat skill under Mystic Tail Arts. That was not all she learned with the increment of two levels. There was another. Mystic re, the name was. From what she could gather from the result of Appraisal, Mystic re was essentially Essence re but instead of using Spirits as fuel, it used Mana. Since Spirits were not Mystic re¡¯s fuel, it would not be as effective towards Demons as Essence re was. And from purely her own conjecture, Erin didn¡¯t feel the same intensity from Mystic re as she did from Essence re. Be that as it might, there was another difference, one that tipped in Mystic re¡¯s favour. Mystic re was malleable and flexible in its own right without the aid of any other Arcane Arts. mes of rose pink burned vividly in Erin¡¯s palm upon casting Mystic re. At her will, the pink mes morphed into a sword. She tried striking the water with it and it merely passed through the water without making it boil or sizzle. The pink mes were not at all. In fact, it was only mes in appearance. Wielding the sword of the mystical mes, Erin stepped into a dance. More precisely, she was dancing to the tune of the tempest. Her ming sword left behind a faint pinkish trail in its wake. The sword had no weight. The flow of her movements was swift and fluid. ¡°This would be extremely handy against opponents of ethereal nature.¡± Essence re was not wholly reliable as ces devoid of Spirits would render it unusable. However, Mystic re would have no such problem. It was always good to have alternatives. ¡°Someone¡¯s very excited,¡± came a sudden voice. Erin jumped and immediately spun around. She didn¡¯t hear the individual approaching nor did she catch their scent. For thetter reason, it was probably due to the scented bath salt that the servants had put into the bath, masking nearly every other scent in the room. ¡°Aedan¡­¡± Erin tutted when she saw who it was. Of course, it would be him. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± she asked upon noticing he was dressed. If he had intended to take a bath with her, he would be naked. ¡°I was passing by and I heard water sshing within. I thought that you were¡­ having fun without me¡­ in a certain sense.¡± Erin rolled her eyes. ¡°I may be the agent of lust but I am not without discipline.¡± Aedan smirked. ¡°We fucked right in the middle of the hallway just two days ago.¡± ¡°...That was a different circumstance. It was night and it was just right in front of your room.¡± Aedan¡¯s smirk only widened at her excuse. Erin sighed. ¡°Fine¡­ I¡¯m just a hypocritical horny bitch. Is that what you want to hear?¡± ¡°No, not actually,¡± Aedan said and began undressing. ¡°I want something else.¡± Erin narrowed her gaze. ¡°Don¡¯t you have some business to attend to?¡± ¡°I do but¡­ I suppose I am just as much of a lustful deviant as you are.¡± In no time at all, Aedan had finished disrobing himself and entered the bath. His gaze stayed on Erin¡¯s unclothed and glistening body all the while. ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anyone in this world that could resist your¡­ natural temptation.¡± Erin dispelled her ming sword and walked towards Aedan. ¡°Nivia did. I have invited her a couple of times to join me in my chamber at night, but she refused my invitation, every time.¡± Aedan tittered and pulled Erin to him once she was close enough by wrapping an arm around her slender but toned waist. ¡°Mind if I make an attempt?¡± ¡°Be my guest,¡± Erin sneered as she intertwined her fingers behind Aedan¡¯s head. ¡°What? You don¡¯t think I will seed?¡± ¡°She does hate your guts.¡± ¡°So did you, sweetheart, and look at you now.¡± ¡°What about me now?¡± Erin returned the question and pressed her ample bosom against Aedan¡¯s bare chest which was slightly chiselled. With his other hand, Aedan stroked Erin¡¯s glistening hair with amorous intent. ¡°Now, you turn into a licentious minx and a libidinous vixen whenever you¡¯re in my presence.¡± ¡°You tter yourself, Aedan. My lust is not exclusive towards you.¡± Aedan chuckled. ¡°Only you would admit such a thing so proudly and brazenly.¡± Erin pressed her well-defined belly against Aedan with his standing rod sandwiched in between. ¡°Seems like your thing down there is just as proud and brazen as I am.¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t it be when you¡¯re openly seducing me?¡± ¡°I was not seducing you,¡± Erin corrected him. ¡°But I am seducing you now.¡± She leaned forward and began pecking on his neck and shoulders, leaving her mark all over. ¡°You know¡­ anyone coulde in through that door at any time,¡± Aedan said in between his quickening breaths. Ever since his level was sealed to the minimum, his resistance towards Erin¡¯s lust pheromones had drastically lowered. His hands move from her hair and waist, sliding down to her bountiful pair of mounds behind her. Erin shivered ecstatically when she felt Aedan¡¯s eager grip on her posterior. ¡°Someone¡¯s excited,¡± she riposted. ¡°But so am I.¡± Aedan scoffed and slid two fingers to Erin¡¯s entrance, which was damped with her love juices. ¡°You¡¯re soaked,¡± he said in a breathless whisper. ¡°We are in the bath pool.¡± ¡°No bathwater has this sort of viscosity.¡± Erin tittered. ¡°I suppose not.¡± She then lowered herself onto her knees and Aedan¡¯s vigorous phallus came into her view. ¡°Aren¡¯t you d that you are the only man that I will allow to be in all of my holes?¡± ¡°I am extremely honoured,¡± Aedan said, his hand fell on top of her head and began caressing her ears and hair. Erin quivered from having her ears touched. Instead of swatting his hand away, she embraced his touch. She chuckled and began gently stroking the throbbing cock in front of her face as she slowly swallowed the tip. 5-6 Carnal Solace II (R18) 5-6 Carnal Sce II (R18) Though the estate had many servants, the manor was simply too big and most of the time, there were many hallways and rooms that were devoid of any presence. ¡°I lost again,¡± Nivia grumbled as she ambled down one of the many empty hallways in the manor. ¡°I, an Elf, was beaten by a human for the fifth time in a row¡­ If my family and friends hear about this, I will definitely be aughingstock.¡± This particr hallway was only empty around this time of the day as the servants¡¯ routine did not require them to be around this part of the house. Therefore, Nivia¡¯s ungraceful expression of her grievance was not heard or seen by anyone. It was already humiliating enough for an Elf to be losing in an archery contest to a human. Nivia had repeatedly challenged Lyra to bouts of archery but the former had never tasted victory in all the challenges so far. If Nivia had used her spells or employed the aid of the Spirits, no doubt she would be the winner. However, that would be an unfairpetition, so Nivia relied solely on her skills alone. The results were disheartening and upsetting, to say the least. Nivia had always thought, within the group, that herbat prowess was only second to Erin''s, not taking Aedan into ount. But recently, she came to realise she was simply naive and arrogant to assume such a thing without any basis. Siv, a Beastkin, bested her in a duel of dual des. Now, Lyra was beating her in a field that she considered herself to be an adept. Sadly, the reality was cruel. ¡°Just when did I fall so behind everyone¡­?¡± Nivia mused heedlessly while slowly approaching the bath chamber. She had worked up quite a lot of sweat and she figured a bath would do some good for her body and also her restless mind. As Nivia drew close to the bath chamber, a string of odd and curious noises pulled her out of her thoughts. These intriguing sounds came from the bath chamber. The closer Nivia got to the bath chamber, the clearer the sounds became. There was an incessant amount of sshes echoing from within the bath chamber and with every ssh, it was apanied by the faint sound of slurping. By the whims of fate, the door to the bath chamber was left ajar. Curiosity got the better of Nivia and she decided to peek through the narrow gap instead of simply walking into the room. Nivia gasped loudly once she took in the sight that was the origin of all the strange noises. She immediately cupped her mouth to prevent her gasp from being heard. The person that Nivia admired, respected, and revered, was currently on her knees, taking in the massive breeding rod of the person Nivia found absolutely vexing. The couple currently engaging in coition were none other than Erin and Aedan. Nivia¡¯s eyes widened as far as they could. She had heard Erin having sex numerous times but she had never once seen the act with her own eyes. Now that she was devouring the sight personally, her mind turned nk. Nivia didn¡¯t feel angry or disappointed. She was simply¡­ captivated. She had always seen the act of coption as something vulgar and obscene. But perhaps it was because she had such an opinion, she couldn¡¯t be ready for it once she was witnessing the real thing. To start off, Nivia could not, for the life of her, understand how and why Erin was willing to put that filthy thing of a male into her mouth. Erin was even caressing that vile thing with her tongue and lips as if it was her honour, pleasure, and desire, and Nivia couldn¡¯t make any sense of it. To Nivia¡¯s shock, Erin plunged the vile thing deeper into her mouth by using Aedan¡¯s rear as handles. The Fox-kin then began stroking the vile thing with her throat and the insides of her mouth with so much passion and love. ¡°Is it that delicious? That vile thing?¡± Nivia found herself asking. Nivia knew she shouldn¡¯t be doing this but she couldn¡¯t pry her eyes off of them. She waspletely entranced by the act and by the fact that she was seeing a side of Erin that she never knew. Nivia knew of Erin¡¯s indulgence but she could never imagine Erin in those particr moments. But now she could. Unbeknownst to her good conscience, Nivia¡¯s hand crept down to her honeypot that had already started dripping with longing and craving. She only realised what she was doing when she felt her own finger tracing across the entrance of her holy cavern. Nivia jumped, nearly letting out a shriek, but she managed to hold her voice back. When she looked down at herself, she found out she had unconsciously taken off her leggings and her lower half was now bare to the wind. She wanted to put her leggings back on immediately but the change in the almost rhythmic sounds from within the bath chamber robbed her attention. Her gaze was drawn to the gap once again. The position of the two had changed. Erin no longer had the vile thing in her mouth and savouring it like it was the most delectable thing in the world. Just when Nivia thought the ordeal was over, Erin bent forward and ced her hands on the edges of the pool with her hips thrust out for Aedan to behold. ¡°W-what are they doing now?!¡± Nivia inquired in her heart with a tinge of excitement and anticipation that she knew not it was there. Nivia felt like her eyes would bulge out when she saw Aedan aligning his wicked rod to the female slit down below Erin. ¡°Such a huge thing is going inside of her!?¡± Nivia shouted internally. ¡°You are going to tear her apart! She¡¯s going to die if that thing went inside of her!¡± Contrary to Nivia¡¯s expectation, Aedan¡¯s cock slid inside Erin¡¯s cunt without any difficulties. Instead of the pained expression, Nivia expected Erin would have, thetter showed a face of ecstasy with her eyes rolled up, her lips curling into a gleeful smile, and her tongue lolling out as if she was just a bitch. ¡°S-she¡­ she took it all in?¡± Nivia gasped silently. The insertion was followed instantly by a moan from the two and both wore gleeful faces. ¡°Why¡­ It should hurt¡­ That thing was so huge but¡­ why is Erin enjoying it as if she felt only pleasure and no pain?¡± Nivia¡¯s question was left unanswered as Aedan began moving his hips back and forth at a steady pace. Aedan was neither hurrying nor dragging. He took his time pounding his lover¡¯s cunt. His thrusts were firm and precise, and with every hit on Erin¡¯s womb, the Fox-kin would moan lovingly and vulgarly. ¡°Is sex something so enjoyable¡­ to the point of being skewered by such arge thing will be pleasurable instead of agonising?¡± Nivia¡¯s questions were just increasing as she spent more and more time peeping at the two¡¯s fervent coption. ¡°By the stars!!¡± Erin cried out in delight as rapture smeared her face. ¡°Why the fuck are you so big¡­!¡± ¡°To fuck a nigh insatiable bitch like you, that¡¯s why,¡± Aedan retorted with a grin as he pulled on Erin¡¯s tails, which elicited a scream out of her. He then bent forward and began nibbling from Erin¡¯s shoulder and neck and all the way to her fluffy and furry twitching ears, which drew out an even louder and longer moan of ecstasy. Nivia thought Erin would turn around and give Aedan a good smacking but thetter did no such thing, much to Nivia¡¯s confusion and disappointment. The Elf¡¯s bewilderment deepened when she saw Erin be even more ecstatic from the abuse, physical and verbal. Nivia eventually gave in to her desires and curiosity. She began touching herself in earnest. She had never done something like this before but given the terrible influence Lilian was, she knew what she had to do. Even if Nivia wasn¡¯t told about anything, she knew her instincts would guide her. For the first few strokes against her soaking slit that was leaking her love juice, Nivia was quite reserved and gentle. However, after a few strokes, she knew being mild would bring no satisfaction. And so, she increased her speed and strength. With one hand touching herself, the other was covering her mouth to prevent her moans from being heard, though sheter learned it was simply a futile endeavour. Soon, even these fast and rough strokes became insipid and unstimting. She knew she needed something more. With some reluctance, she inserted a finger into her holy cavern. The initial sensation alone was enough to send bliss thundering across her body. Nivia arched her back as the pleasure ripped through her. She moaned through her hand which was muffling her voice. As she was wrecked by the newfound pleasure, she couldn¡¯t tell how loud her moan was even though she was covering her mouth. Before the pleasure had even receded, she stuck another finger into her cunt and it drew out another lengthy moan from her lips. Now that she had two fingers inside her honey, she began moving them in and out, scrapping the throbbing and drenched walls of her holy cavern. Her love juices were overflowing in abundance. Streams were trickling down her thighs. Instead of slowing down, she thrust her fingers harder and faster. In turn, her moans got louder and more frequent, to the point that her throes of pleasure became her quickening heaves. Another wave of pleasure swept over and she shrieked in ecstasy as her body trembled violently as if she was hit by lightning. The pleasure was undoubtedly shocking and electrifying. The budding pleasure robbed her of her strength and her legs gave out. She fell to her knees but she did not stop pleasuring herself with her fingers. Nivia didn¡¯t know when but she was no longer covering her mouth. That hand was now under her sweat-soaked shirt, fiddling at her nipples. Though her bosom was in, she was no less sensitive than others. When she pinched her perky teats, she let out a yelp that most likely reverberated into the bath chamber. However, Nivia had already lost her mind to carnal pleasure. Gone was all her restraint and she intensified her thrusting and also her pinching when she felt something big was approaching. Nivia was going to orgasm for the first time in her life. She had heard plenty about this, not just from Lilian, but also from her other female acquaintances. She was never a participant in such conversations but due to her sensitive hearing, she would always pick up on them. It was the greatest pleasure a female could ever know, that was the general consensus amongst all her female acquaintances. Not wanting to let this chance slip by, she fucked herself with all her might and speed. She mped down on her teats between her fingers without holding her strength back. She knew it would definitely leave a mark but she didn¡¯t care. She just wanted to cum. In her final thrusts, Nivia found her womanly spot and she pressed down on it with two of her fingers. An unprecedented degree of pleasure descended upon her. Her whole body went rigid for a moment before it went into a violent spasm as she writhed in the unholy amount of ecstasy coursing through her very soul and flesh. Her other hand grasped tightly on her meagre bosom in response to the torrent of rapture tearing through her body. Needless to say, she screamed out her absolute delight while cumming for the first time. She screamed as loud as she could. She had long forgotten her beloved Erin was just beyond the door she was peeping through. Though her orgasmsted only for a quarter of a minute, it felt like an eternity to her. When she had begun her descent from the peak of pleasure, she was lying on the ground, exhausted from her first-ever orgasm. She was panting hard. Her eyes were zed as she stared nkly at the ceiling. Her mind was nk. She could think of nothing but the pleasure of her first orgasm. ¡°If it felt this good doing it by myself¡­ would it be even better if I do it with¡ª¡± In the middle of her afterglow and her reminiscing of her first orgasm, she suddenly remembered where she was and what she was doing prior to her self-pleasuring. With a feeling of hopelessness and trepidation, Nivia cocked her head slowly to the door that was supposed to be only slightly ajar. But now, it was wide open and at the doorway, stood two individuals that she didn¡¯t want to see the most at present. ¡°...I suppose we are partly to me for this,¡± Aedan said as he stared at the pitiful state of Nivia with amusement. ¡°I suppose we are,¡± Erin nodded in agreement as she looked at Nivia with a wry smile. Nivia lowered her head, avoiding the two¡¯s gaze. ¡°...I-it¡¯s not what you think¡­ Erin¡­¡± she muttered under her breath with a shivering voice. 5-7 Carnal Solace III (R18) 5-7 Carnal Sce III (R18) ¡°It¡¯s not what I think?¡± Erin repeated the Elf¡¯s question with an eyebrow raised. Then, a smirk crept up to her lips and she leaned forward. Since she was still naked, her bountiful mounds dangled magnanimously before Nivia¡¯s eyes. Though Nivia never considered herself to be a lily, she found herself veering her gaze away from Erin¡¯s ample bosom. She thought it was merely envy that caused her to turn away but the rising heat in her chest said otherwise. ¡°How would you know my thoughts, Nivia?¡± Erin pressed. ¡°What do you presume I was thinking, hmm?¡± ¡°I-I¡­¡± Nivia stammered on her response. She couldn¡¯t even look Erin straight in the eyes with her gaze swimming around. ¡°Come on, now, Erin. You¡¯re torturing the poordy here,¡± Aedan said as he knelt beside Nivia and draped a tower over her shoulders. Nivia flinched as she was in a daze when she felt something draping over her. Her eyes went agape when she realised it was Aedan. Erin frowned with her eyes narrowed. ¡°What are you doing?¡± she asked. ¡°What? You want your friend to catch a cold?¡± ¡°This is very uncharacteristic of you, Aedan.¡± ¡°What is?¡± ¡°Being so nice to her.¡± ¡°Am I?¡± Aedan said and his lips curled into a grin. Erin was baffled for a second but then, her lips also curled into a grin. Nivia knew something was not right when she saw both of them grinning like evil masterminds. Before she could react to any of this, she was scooped up from the ground and into Aedan¡¯s arms. W-what¡ª what are you doing!?¡° she cried, iling her limbs around. ¡°Someone needs a bath. Don¡¯t you think so, Erin?¡± ¡°Someone certainly does,¡± Erin agreed with a nod. ¡°W-wait wait wait. I can take a bath by myselfter. So please, let me¡ª¡± Nivia¡¯s pleas fell on deaf ears as Aedan tossed her into the pool. ¡°Oh. Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s a little¡­ harsh?¡± Erin asked. ¡°Don¡¯t want her to think we will be gentle with the punishment now, do we?¡± ¡°What punishment?!¡± Nivia shouted as she emerged from the pool. Needless to say, every part of her was drenched and soaked. Since her bosom was in, she didn¡¯t wear any sort of undergarments on her torso, allowing her nipples to peek through the thin and soaked fabric. ¡°Oooh, nice,¡± Aedan whistled appreciatively at the sight he was bestowed. Nivia¡¯s let out a cute shriek when she realised where Aedan was staring at. She quickly crossed her arms over her chest and stared daggers at Aedan. ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re looking at!?¡± she hissed. ¡°Your chest,¡± Aedan answered unabashedly. ¡°You damn rogue¡­¡± Nivia growled. ¡°Take it off already, Nivia,¡± Erin said. Nivia was surprised that Erin had somehow gotten behind her. Before she could turn around, Erin¡¯s hands were already gripping her soaked garments. Nivia offered little resistance as Erin deftly stripped her of her garments. ¡°Oh, Nivia¡­¡± Erin breathed as her hands began their usual routine. ¡°You have no idea how long I have wanted to do this with you¡­¡± Nivia moaned loudly when she felt her nipples being gripped, pinched, and pulled. ¡°What a cute moan, my dear Nivia¡­¡± ¡°Erin¡­¡± Nivia gasped weakly, her body shivering from the budding pleasure coursing through her from her nipples. ¡°Please don¡¯t do this¡­ We¡¯re both girls¡­¡± Erin snickered. ¡°Even better. In fact, if you were a man, I wouldn¡¯t be doing this.¡± She began nting kisses on her shoulders and neck without stopping her hands on Nivia¡¯s bosom. Though Nivia was entangled by the rising ecstasy, something about Erin¡¯s words bothered her. Her wandering gaze, due to the pleasure, stopped at Aedan, who was relishing the whole scene in delight. ¡°But¡­ Aedan¡­¡± ¡°Hmm? What about him?¡± ¡°You said¡­ you won¡¯t do this with a man¡­ But Aedan¡­ you¡ª¡± ¡°Aedan¡¯s special,¡± Erin answered in a whisper close to Nivia¡¯s elven ears. Nivia shuddered from having her ears tickled by Erin¡¯s hot breaths of a whisper. ¡°I can¡¯t really exin it but¡­ he¡¯s the only man I will ever sleep with.¡± ¡°I¡¯m honoured,¡± Aedan said with a chuckle. ¡°What about you, Nivia?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Do you want to¡­y with Aedan too?¡± Red filled Nivia¡¯s face to the brim in an instant before contorting into an expression of disgust. ¡°Why would I ever want toy with a man like him? I would rathery with anyone else than him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not good, Nivia,¡± Erin¡¯s voice turned cold all of a sudden. ¡°I will never allow you toy with a man other than Aedan. You are mine now.¡± ¡°Erin¡­ you¡¯re scaring me¡­ What are you¡ª¡± Nivia suddenly cried out in a lustful tone. The cause was Erin¡¯s fingers, brushing across the entrance of her vestal cavern. ¡°By the divines, Nivia. You¡¯re already so wet down there.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not¡­¡± Nivia denied in between her quickening breaths. ¡°That¡¯s just¡­ the bathwater¡­¡± ¡°Dishonest girls should be punished. Don¡¯t you agree, Aedan?¡± Erin asked, her eyes gesturing for him to approach. Aedan smiled wryly and walked over to the two. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare touch me!¡± Nivia somehow managed to find her voice and warned Aedan sternly. ¡°But I do dare,¡± Aedan retorted and reached out his hands. Nivia closed her eyes and steeled her nerves. She was prepared for him to ravish her bosom with those filthy hands of his but instead of feeling his hands on her chest, she felt them on her face, cupping her cheeks. When she opened her eyes, she found Aedan¡¯s face approaching hers. Before she could do anything, his lips touched hers. It was neither passionate nor intense. It was just a simple kiss where their lips barely brushed against one another and yet, Nivia felt the heat within her rising rapidly. ¡°How audacious,¡± Erin uttered with her eyes widened. ¡°You stole her first kiss.¡± ¡°Oops, sorry,¡± Aedan shrugged. Erin¡¯s eyes glowed a pinkish hue as her tails flourished behind her. The air around her also seemed to change. A faint mist of a purplish pink could be seen permeating the room. She wrapped one arm around Nivia¡¯s waist, pulling the elf into her embrace as if shielding her from the deceitful man in front of them. With her other hand, she shoved Aedan to the ground with ease due to the vast stats difference between them. Since they were in a shallow pool, Aedan¡¯s fall did not hurt much as it was broken by the water. Before he could get back up, Erin knelt on hisp, plunging his long-standing rod into her holy cavern. She stifled a loud moan that resulted from her inserting Aedan¡¯s whole length into her in one motion. Aedan himself was also not prepared for this. In addition to being abrupt, Erin was squeezing his rod intensely. Though he managed to hold himself back from cumming, he still let out a groan that sounded almost too pathetic. ¡°Know your ce, lizard,¡± Erin scoffed as she began moving and swaying her hips round and round. All this while, she still had Nivia wrapped in her arm, hugging her close. Nivia had someints of being handled in such a manner but all those notions were cast out of her mind when she saw how Erin was pleasuring Aedan with sensual, astute, and deft movements of her hips. Her eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets upon seeing another side of Erin that she didn¡¯t know existed. It was unlike how it was before where Erin was being pounded from behind like a lowly beast. Now, she was the one with the reins and Aedan was at her mercy. The way she moved, it was akin to a high-ss whore that knew how to pleasure all types of men. Aedan was groaning in a way that one would easily mistake him for being in pain. In a way, he was in pain. The pleasure was just that intense and since he was not even a tenth of his prime, his resistance paled inparison to the capabilities of Erin. In just minutes, the floodgates were open and Aedan shot his seed deep into the vixen¡¯s womb. At the same time, Erin herself reached the peak of her pleasure. Her Lust skill was a double-edged de. By increasing her partner¡¯s sensitivity, she also increased her own. Not to mention, their senses were also shared during the duration of her skill. Due to this very factor, Nivia also reached her climax and the poor Elf was none the wiser of her sudden and violent orgasm. It came out of nowhere and ripped through her body like a roaring storm. She didn¡¯t know such pleasure existed and she was unprepared for it. Her holy cavern overflowed and her love juices exploded out of the entrance, spraying out like a waterfall. Nivia could only convulse in Erin¡¯s arm as the mind-breaking ecstasy surged through her body. She didn¡¯t know how long she had been cumming but when it ended, she slumped into Erin¡¯s chest with her consciousness drifting between sleep and wake. ¡°Oh dear¡­¡± Erin muttered with a tinge of worry in her voice. ¡°I forgot about you¡­¡± Hearing Erin¡¯s voice, Nivia regained a portion of her senses and consciousness. ¡°Erin¡­¡± ¡°Are you alright?¡± Erin asked. Though she was genuine with her concern, she couldn¡¯t help herself and ran her lips across Nivia¡¯s in bosom, pinching her nipples with her teeth. Nivia threw her head back and let out an ecstatic cry. ¡°More~!¡± she screamed. Erin was slightly taken aback by Nivia¡¯s sudden eptance of the pleasure but when she thought about it, it wasn¡¯t that strange considering Nivia just had a thundering orgasm and of course, anyone would crave more after knowing such pleasure. Erin happily obliged Nivia¡¯s request and bit down harder on the Elf¡¯s teats and fiddled them with her tongue. Wanting more, Nivia hugged Erin¡¯s head tightly to her chest, all the while screaming at the top of her lungs, begging for more. While Erin was nibbling on Nivia¡¯s nipples, Aedan recovered from his rapture. Taking advantage of Erin being engrossed with Nivia¡¯s bosom and also the fact that his cock was still inside of her holy cavern, Aedan buckled his hips, thrusting his rod upwards. Erin moaned into Nivia¡¯s chest as she felt the massive rod prating her cervix, invading her womb once more. In response, the walls of her cavern mped down on the rod and she bit down hard on Nivia¡¯s nipples. The Elf let out another shriek of pleasure upon feeling the pleasurable pain travelling from her bosom to her brain and crotch. Her honeypot burst forth and another wave of her love juices sshed onto Erin¡¯sp and into the pool. ¡°Damn you, Aedan,¡± Erin growled. Aedan snickered. ¡°What? Was that too much for you?¡± Erin scoffed with a sneer. ¡°You cheeky son of a¡ª Hmph!?¡± In the middle of her sentence, her face was turned and her lips were taken by an Elf who was starved for attention and pleasure. Erin never expected Nivia would suddenly be assertive. And it wasn¡¯t just a simple kiss where their lips merely brushed lightly against one another, no, it was a deep and passionate one that involved both of their tongues having a dance of domination. ¡°Erin¡­ Erin¡­ Erin¡­¡± Nivia moaned Erin¡¯s name repeatedly in the brief break between their fervent kisses. Erin responded to Nivia¡¯s desire and boldness by wrapping her arms behind her body and also embracing her with her tails. ¡°Okay¡­ I¡¯m feeling a little left out¡­¡± Aedan muttered with a wry smile. ¡°Fine, then. I suppose I can¡¯t be cking off on my end.¡± To the two¡¯s surprise, Aedan rose to his feet as he scooped the two into his arms, breaking the fervid exchange between the two. Without giving them the chance to resist, Aedan walked over to the edge of the pool and threw them onto the coping. Even as he moved around, he did not let his cock slip out of Erin¡¯s cunt. As if he did not exist, Nivia immediately pounced on Erin and resumed their vehement kiss. Erin happily received the Elf¡¯s enthusiasm and lust, not forgetting to sh Aedan a smirk as her tongue began a bout with Nivia¡¯s own. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll y with you,¡± Aedan remarked and plunged the full length of his rod into Erin¡¯s throbbing cunt. Since Nivia was on top of Erin, he stuck two fingers into the Elven honeypot and ravaged the hell out of the vestal cavern. 5-8 Carnal Solace IV (R18) 5-8 Carnal Sce IV (R18) For the first time in her life, Nivia was met with an absolute quandary and it was not during a battle, but sex of all things. She could not understand what was going on, or at least she wasn¡¯t able to fully grasp everything that was happening. Things were moving fast and before she couldprehend even a single thing, the next one came. She had surrendered herself to her lust and cast aside all of her reservations regarding her chastity and virtue. Her first kiss was taken by the one she considered her very good friend and she even let this good friend of hers y with her vestal cavern. One thing led to another, with the meddling of a third person, Nivia now found herself on top of Erin, her good friend, with not a single piece of fabric impeding the bare touch of both their skin. She couldn¡¯t recall how they came to be in such a scious position. They were facing each other with only a few inches between them. They could feel the warm breaths of the others. The peaks of their mounds were also touching and sometimes brushing against one another. Nivia would moan whenever that happened. Just from this obscenity, Nivia could feel she was nearing another orgasm. She indeed would if her throbbing snatch was to be touched or grazed right now. That was not all to the indelicacy she was facing. In addition to their scious position, Erin was also showing a twisted face of ecstasy and debauchery with her eyes rolled up to her brain and her tongue lolling out of her mouth. It was the face of someone basking in the uninhibited grace of rapture. Moreover, the one causing Erin to be in such a state was Aedan. Nivia had yet to get a good nce at his cock but she didn¡¯t doubt his size since she could see Erin¡¯s belly bulging out. Nivia was absolutely mesmerised and captivated by such a vulgar expression. If lust was not reigning in her head, she would have admonished Erin andshed her tongue at Aedan, but she didn¡¯t. She didn¡¯t feel angry or disappointed. If anything, there was a tinge of anticipation and envy. She wanted to feel this sheer degree of pleasure too, but she didn''t know how to go about asking for it. She knew not the crude words in the bedroom arts. She couldn¡¯t precisely use formalnguage either. If she did, she was afraid of destroying the mood. Fortunately for her, she didn¡¯t need to ask as Aedan had taken the liberty to answer her unvoiced plight. She felt something grazing the entrance of her womanhood before it plunged right into her holy hole. It was not a cock, she was sure of it, but it still brought her immense pleasure. There were two of them and they wriggled intensely inside of her. Within seconds, her cavern overflowed with her love juices and burst forth from the entrance. She came and she came hard. Her whole body shuddered uncontrobly as her down below spurted her love juices. Immediately after her orgasm came to an end, she copsed on top of Erin as her limbs had given out due to her exhaustion. The sensation was simply overwhelming, far more intense than the mental attacks she had received from the various monsters she encountered in her adventures. She could think of nothing but sex at this point. She was still a virgin but her head was filled with notions akin to a veteran whore. Nivia wanted more but she couldn¡¯t even move her lips to beg for more. But once again, Aedan responded to her voiceless plea. She felt the tip of his enormous rod touching and rubbing against the entrance of her vestal cavern. Put it in already, Nivia wanted to say but the vestige of her orgasm had robbed her of the ability to form words and she could only nce behind her with her zed eyes. Erin huffed and turned Nivia¡¯s gaze back to her and pulled her down into a deep and passionate kiss. Nivia did not resist and let Erin¡¯s tongue ravish the inside of her mouth. While the two were engaged in a fervid bout of lust with their lips and tongues, Aedan gripped Nivia¡¯s hips firmly and began inserting his cock into the Elf¡¯s virgin cunt. Upon feeling the invasion of Aedan¡¯s rod, Nivia threw her head back, arching her back, and let out a beastly howl. As of this moment, Nivia was no longer a virgin but due to her mind being scrambled by the ecstasy of sex, the loss of her virtue had yet to hit her. Erin tutted and pulled Nivia back into their kiss. This time, Erin wrapped her arms around the Elf to make sure their hot and passionate exchange would not be interrupted by anything. Snickering at Erin¡¯s jealousy, Aedan continued to push his massive rod into the maiden Elf inch by inch, until he hit the second entrance. ¡°Dear lord, she¡¯s tight!¡± Aedan groaned when he felt the Elf¡¯s approaching climax. Nivia underwent another violent spasm when she felt Aedan¡¯s cock touching her cervix and her fleshy walls copsed unto the rod, signalling the arrival of her orgasm. Since Erin was embracing Nivia tightly, their kiss did not break and Erin kept on ravishing the Elf¡¯s mouth despite thetter enduring the surge of the height of pleasure. Nivia¡¯s orgasmsted for a while but Aedan showed no mercy. Once he had bottomed out the Elf¡¯s cunt, he started thrusting his cock in and out of Nivia, eliciting a moan every time he lightly bumped into her cervix with his tip. Of course, with Erin dominating her mouth, Nivia¡¯s moans were muffled. Whenever Aedan thrust his hip forward, Nivia would moan and it echoed into Erin¡¯s throat since their tongues and lips were shing. At first, it was tantalising but as it went on, Erin became annoyed seeing Nivia¡¯s ecstatic expression and Aedan¡¯s smug face whenever he made Nivia moan. Tired of being the bottom, Erin mustered her strength and flipped their position. Since Erin¡¯s strength far outmatched Nivia and Aedan¡¯s, she became the one on top with ease and Aedan was now the one at the bottom, lying on his back with Nivia sandwiched between them. Still, Aedan did not stop his movements and continued pounding the daylights out of Nivia who was already showing an utterly vulgar face with her eyes rolled back and her tongue hanging out, much like how Erin was just minutes ago. Erin smirked and went down on Nivia, and then began licking and nibbling on the Elf¡¯s clit and also Aedan¡¯s rod that was going in and out of the holy hole. Aedan and Nivia both groaned in tandem as they felt Erin¡¯s assault on their most sensitive spot. Erin did not neglect her own pleasure in the meantime. She was taking good care of her own cunt as she gave the two immense pleasure. Perhaps it was the erotic mood that permeated the room, Erin reached the height of pleasure in no time at all. As Lust was active, her climax spread to the two and the three of them orgasmed together. Needless to say, Aedan spilt all of his seed into Nivia¡¯s womb. The idea of pulling out didn¡¯t even cross his mind as the pleasure left no room for his head to be rational. Screams and cries filled the bathroom as rapture ripped through their minds. The bodies of the three trembled violently for a good solid minute before they all copsed onto the floor together. Being the one with the greatest stamina among the three, Erin was quick to recover from her orgasm. She dragged Nivia away from Aedan and started assaulting all of the Elf¡¯s sensitive parts with just the two of them. Once Aedan had recovered, he did not hesitate to join in, much to Erin¡¯s displeasure, but she did not reject his participation. As much as she hated to admit it, he fucks her better than she could fuck herself. In the end, they did it a few more times until the maids eventually discovered them. It was way past their bath time and it was time for the maids to clean the bathroom. They were too engrossed in the coition to take notice of the maids¡¯ presence until they knocked on the door. It was fortunate that Nivia was unconscious from the repeated climaxes that washed over her. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to bear this embarrassment, not that she would never hear of this in the near future. Aedan and Erin made their hasty retreat to the adjacent room, carrying the unconscious Nivia in tow after they were caught. Thankfully, the maids were well-trained. They said nothing of the three¡¯s highly improper conduct and promptly went about their duties. But as professional as the maids tried to be, a few of them couldn¡¯t help but swoon or feel faint at the sight of Aedan¡¯s and Erin¡¯s bare naked bodies. Erin was the epitome of beauty and grace, that was the general consensus of everyone in the estate and also the Grove. She was also a great fighter and a master at the sword on top of her unparalleled beauty and elegance. Now, the maids were offered an uninhibited view of such ady¡¯s bare naked body. Even if they were no lilies, they were certainly tempted to be one after being treated to such a sight. Furthermore, there was also the lord they served. They had seen his naked body a couple of times due to inevitable circumstances. However, to those few that were never graced with the opportunity, they were being graced with an opportunity now and they were absolutely stupefied at the magnificent splendour dangling under their lord¡¯s belly and between his hips. **** ¡°Whoa¡­¡± Aedan gasped just as he stepped out of the partitions after putting on a fresh set of garments after the bath. His gaze was immediately met with a wonder. Erin had also finished changing and was now dressed in a clean gown with a deep slit on the sides. She looked lovely and ravishing as always to Aedan¡¯s eyes. However, her elegance and beauty were more profound than ever, due to the addition of two tails behind her. There were now seven tails flourishing behind her in all their glory. ¡°Just when I think you can¡¯t get any more absurd¡­¡± Aedan muttered as he continued staring at Erin in a semi-dazed state. ¡°How rude,¡± Erin huffed as she was giving her tails their much-needed grooming while sitting on a bench. ¡°You should be saying ¡®more beautiful¡¯ instead of that.¡± Nivia was sleeping soundly with a content smile just beside her. She was clothed in a simple dress, courtesy of Erin. Erin had finally obtained the much-neededst amount of experience required for her to reach level sixty after the coition. Once she did, two additional tails sprouted behind her. At the same time, she felt her aptitude for Magic Arts and her affinity with the Spirits grew. More Spirits flocked to her the moment she reached level sixty as if they were beckoned to. With the increase of the Spirits loitering around her, the casting efficiency of her Spirit Magic saw a tremendous boost. She could now freely manipte the shape and size of Essence re, the mes of the Spirits. That wasn¡¯t all. With the number of Spirits flocking around her, she had essentially be a walking Grove. Though she couldn¡¯t see the effects now, she had no doubts that a Demon would not be able to tread close to her without burning themselves. Aside from her aptitude and her affinity, she also saw some growth in her stats in addition to the points she usually gained from levelling up. Each of her stats increased by two points, including her Might. Erin had assessed all of these changes while Aedan was getting dressed and she found some downsides to these changes. However, the downsides were superficial and trivial. She now required more time to groom her tails since there were an additional two. Also, it was quite inconvenient to move around with seven tails behind her, especially in an enclosed space. The first problem she had was not exactly a problem. As for the second one, she could easily solve this by applying Twilight Shroud on herself. Since her affinity with the Spirits was greater than ever, changing her appearance had also be significantly easier. With a snap of her finger, the number of tails behind her dwindled to one. Erin shed Aedan a smirk. Aedan rolled his eyes. ¡°Show off,¡± he muttered. 5-9 Feast and thereafter 5-9 Feast and thereafter ¡°I suppose congrattions are in order, Lady Erynthea,¡± said Rigetta, the Guild Master of the Sephrodia Valley¡¯s branch. Erin, who was sitting on a florid armchair across from Rigetta, scoffed wordlessly as she slightly tipped the half-filled ss in her hand to her lips. ¡°Oh? Tired of allpliments already?¡± Rigetta asked with a faint smile as she took a swig from her brimming mug. She let out a loud gasp of delight as she swallowed the mead down her throat. ¡°You have already congratted me at the sacrament yesterday and I have a dozen more people congratting me after that. And there were dozens more just now.¡± ¡°What can I say?¡± Rigetta shrugged as she looked towards the celebratory feast just beside her from the wooden tform she was atop. The open square in front of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild building was usually empty and barren around this hour of the night but not tonight. It was currently filled with the presence of adventurers and all sorts of dishes that would be fitting for a celebratory feast. The cause for this feast was none other than to celebrate the preservation of the city and their apparent victory against the Demons¡¯ sudden assault. If it wasn¡¯t for the dire state of the city after the devastation, the feast would have happened sooner. Just a day before the feast, there was the sacrament, or so that was what the adventurers called it. It was a small off-hand ceremony where the guild would award the adventurers their rightfully earned star of achievements. Erin and herpanions were already conferred their stars. The ceremony yesterday was just purely for the sake of vaunting the guild¡¯s integrity. Erin and herpanions were invited to this feast, naturally. Aedan was invited too but he was busy with something. The ones attending the feast were Erin, Nivia, Lyra, Siv, Aera, Lilian, and Amyra. At present, Erin was having a conversation with Rigetta. Lyra and Siv were participating in a drinkingpetition with other fellow adventurers. Amyra was arm-wrestling with her peers. Lilian was telling stories to young adventurers in a corner of the feast. As for Aera and Nivia, they stood at the sidelines and nibbled on their food and sipped on their drinks little by little. Unlike the others, the two were not very sociable. Erin could see all of herpanions¡¯ state and whereabouts with just a single nce from where she was sitting, making her smile wryly. ¡°You know, the rate of your achievements is unprecedented.¡± Rigetta chuckled at that mention while taking another swig of her mead. ¡°How long has it been since you became an adventurer? A month?¡± ¡°Two months and more,¡± Erin corrected her and took a sip of her own drink. She was not drinking liquor but mere fruit water. She had learned her lesson with Iris. Though she didn¡¯t consider Rigetta within the range of her preference, who knows how quickly that would change once she was drunk. ¡°Still, that¡¯s an impressive speed,¡± Rigetta said. ¡°Is this why you invited me to your table, Guild Master?¡± Erin questioned. ¡°To shower me withpliments, is that it?¡± ¡°Straight to business as always¡­¡± Rigetta sighed. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with some frivolous preface? You¡¯re too stringent, Erin. You should let loose some time.¡± ¡°I¡¯m only stringent when I¡¯m dealing with serious affairs. I know when to let loose.¡± Erin smirked inwardly as she recalled the events a few days before, where she was having rough and passionate sex in the bathroom with Aedan and Nivia until they were caught by the maids. ¡°Hmm¡­ Why do I get the feeling that you are smiling widely under this impassive facade of yours?¡± Rigetta asked, squinting her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s just your imagination,¡± Erin retorted with a dry smile. Rigetta stared dubiously at Erin some more before moving on to the main purpose of her invitation. ¡°Are you aware of the nobles¡¯ movements?¡± ¡°...I am.¡± ¡°Of course you do.¡± It was Rigetta¡¯s turn to smile wryly. ¡°Word of your intimate acquaintance with the High Lady of Valdrun has travelled throughout the whole city.¡± ¡°I¡¯m in no way intimate with her,¡± Erin said with an unamused expression. ¡°I don¡¯t mean it in the way you think, Erin. Intimate doesn¡¯t just mean¡ª Well, you get my meaning. Anyway, where was I?¡± ¡°The movements of the nobles.¡± ¡°Ah, yes. That. Are you aware of the ball that will be held in a week¡¯s time?¡± ¡°I am.¡± ¡°Are you aware of why the nobles held the ball?¡± Erin nced around the feast she was currently participating in before turning her gaze back to Rigetta. ¡°Same as this, I assume.¡± Rigetta snickered. ¡°Surely you¡¯re not that naive, are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m well aware of the nobles¡¯ true intentions since I have received a lot of invitations from them regarding the ball. Of course, I have no intention of ying right into their hands.¡± ¡°As sophisticated and elegant as the nobles loved to pretend, their greed and desperation are second to none. If you attend the ball, they will do whatever means necessary to get you on their side.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t they know better than to solicit a Fae?¡± ¡°Yes, but you are not just any Fae now, are you?¡± Rigetta said with a knowing smile as her eyes fell on the tail waving gently behind Erin. Yes, there was only one tail now. ¡°Is that Twilight Shroud you¡¯re using on your tails?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it toote to be hiding the ever-increasing number of tails you have?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not trying to hide it. It¡¯s just¡­ more convenient for me to have only a single tail to worry about while I¡¯m moving around in public.¡± ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re not just trying to hide the fact that you have grown more tails since thest time we met?¡± Erin narrowed her gaze. ¡°I did not have you followed or stalked if that¡¯s what you¡¯re wondering. It was merely a guess.¡± ¡°A guess?¡± ¡°A spection, if you will, based on how fast you were rising through the ranks so far.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware there were ranks.¡± ¡°There isn¡¯t. It¡¯s proverbial.¡± Erin rolled her eyes. ¡°Anyway, how do you n on dealing with the pesky nobles?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± Rigetta frowned. ¡°That¡¯s unwise, Lady Erin.¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m not nning on attending the ball.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re not?¡± Rigetta put down her mug. ¡°Don¡¯t you think the nobles will treat that as a slight?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care. I¡¯m a Fae, a Fox-kin with¡­ seven tails at that. They can see my decision in whatever way they wish. Moreover, I¡¯m departing in a few days. Three at most.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ so, you¡¯re finally leaving,¡± Rigetta said with a saddened expression. ¡°Pity. Things will get hectic once you¡¯re gone. Your presence is a deterrence for a lot of evil-doers.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not the warden of this city.¡± ¡°I understand and I¡¯m not guilt-tripping you for leaving. I¡¯m just¡­ dreading the day after your departure. There will be a lot of work to do. The nobles will certainly swarm me with questions regarding the destination.¡± ¡°I was thinking¡ª¡± ¡°No, don¡¯t.¡± Rigetta quickly stopped the words from leaving Erin¡¯s lips. ¡°Tell me nothing. Ask no questions, tell no lies. And I won¡¯t be lying either when the noblese asking me.¡± Erin nodded with a knowing smile. ¡°However, if you intend to pursue the Covenant, that will be foolish.¡± Erin leaned forward in her chair. ¡°I know. I was nning to but¡­ not anymore. I will only be throwing myself into an early grave if I keep pursuing them with my current strength. I thought I could¡­ somehow preserve through my will alone but I know how naive I had been after I fought one of them.¡± ¡°So I heard.¡± Rigetta tittered. ¡°And you won. It was a blind swordsman, I believe. Ruyo, was it?¡± Erin nodded. ¡°It¡¯s not just his level. It¡¯s also his very own skills. He doesn¡¯t rely on levels. If there are more people like him in the Covenant, I don¡¯t think I will ever be their opponent.¡± ¡°Ruyo is certainly special.¡± Erin raised an eyebrow. ¡°You know him?¡± ¡°Not personally. Only by reputation. He¡¯s quite well-known among the seasoned few. He¡¯s blind but¡­ he sees better than most people I know. And his swordy was simply¡­ magnificent. The things he could do with just a sword alone¡­ not even I could imagine. And you defeated him.¡± ¡°I only won because he made a blunder which he failed to perceive.¡± ¡°Which is?¡± ¡°...He was losing the battle against me. And so, he began seeking after a power that was different than the one he had,¡± Erin let out her true thoughts. ¡°But this power wasn¡¯t necessarily stronger.¡± Ruyo became stronger and faster after he assimted with his Demoid powers. However, it came at a huge cost to his swordsmanship and wits, which the two were his biggest strength. In other words, he did not be stronger when became a Demoid, nor did he get weaker. The core reason for his defeaty in the delusion that he became stronger after his demonic assimtion and he threw away the precautions he usually had due to his misguided notion. ¡°I reckon he might have won if he kept his sword and wits, the strength he was familiar with and ustomed to, but he discarded those two in favour of a power he knew little about. That is why he lost.¡± ¡°Sounds like you were not happy with your victory.¡± ¡°I am d that I won but¡­ I was admittedly quite disappointed in the final moments before his defeat. It was¡­ ungraceful and rash, unbefitting of a supposed seasoned swordsman.¡± ¡°...Can¡¯t say I understand how you feel, Erin. My apologies. A win is a win for me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Erin sighed. ¡°What¡¯s done is done. Nothing to be done about that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s still a significant feat, you know? I have heard of the many duel challenges you received and you will only be receiving more in the future.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯ll just beat these simple fools up like I have been doing.¡± ¡°Not all of them will be fools. Not all of them will be simple. Especially a certain bunch.¡± Rigetta¡¯s voice turned solemn at herst sentence. The shift in Rigetta¡¯s tone did not go over Erin¡¯s notice. ¡°Pray tell, who is this certain bunch?¡± ¡°There¡¯s been a gatheringtely. Not in the city but in the outskirts and the borders. Zealots, the bunch of them. They await the day a certain Fox-kin leaves the confines of the city. Are you aware of this?¡± Erin nodded after a brief contemtion. Rigetta sighed and took arge gulp of her mead. ¡°Just how did you get yourself involved with these fanatical faith fiends?¡± she asked after swallowing the gulp of refreshing mead. ¡°I didn¡¯t get myself involved with them. It¡¯s the other way around. Is their presence a problem to the city?¡± ¡°For now, no. But I can¡¯t say for the future. My informants have told me a few of these zealots have been getting sort of restless recently. They might even try something foolish soon.¡± ¡°Are you kicking me out now, Guild Master?¡± ¡°I am not, Erin. Rest assured. I¡¯m just letting you know. I have no reason to force you out of the city. You have done no wrong as far as I know. If anything, those zealots are to be med here. They are the threat to the peace here, not you.¡± ¡°Regardless, my presence here does put the city at risk.¡± Rigetta furrowed her brows but she did not stop taking swigs from her mug. ¡°You underestimated this city too much, Erin.¡± ¡°I know what they¡¯re capable of, Rigetta. They are Apostles and Acolytes. If they so wish, they could do more damage to this city than the Demons could.¡± ¡°They wouldn¡¯t dare, not if they wished to make an enemy out of the entire nation or the entire race of the Faerie-kin.¡± Erin leaned back on her chair and perched her right leg on top of her left leg. ¡°I hope you¡¯re right, Rigetta.¡± She tipped her ss to her lips, taking more than just a sip this time. ¡°I really do, because otherwise¡­¡± 5-10 Amends 5-10 Amends The celebratory feast went on for two whole days and on the night of the second day, things were finally calming down and the adventurers started losing their grasp on their zeal and consciousness. With most of them being adventurers who had undergone near-death experiences and various kinds of hardships, it was no surprise that they could stay awake for two days straight. However, even with the might of levels, the adventurers had their limits and each of them met their own. By the hour before midnight, a third of them had either returned to their homes or they were out cold right in the open square. Thetter were more than the former. Erin and herpanions were part of the former category, though they would have been part of thetter if Erin hadn¡¯t forced them to retire from the feast earlier than nned. Somehow, some way, Aera and Nivia were roped into drinking with Amyra. Being a Fae, Nivia¡¯s alcohol tolerance was low. Aera¡¯s fate was simr as she had never touched a single drop of alcohol in her life until now. Nivia was down for the count with just two sses while it took three cups for Aera. Lyra was deep into her dozenth or so cup before she finally fell unconscious, but not before imposing on a great deal of others by challenging them to marksmanpetition, which resulted in her consecutive victory until she was defeated a one-star female adventurer who used throwing knives and stars. Siv was, surprisingly, very tolerant of her alcohol. She had drunk nearly the same amount that Lyra had but she was still of sound mind. She spent her time at the feast in thepany of her fellow Beast-kin. They talked about their homes and dreams. There were two Beast-kin who took the opportunity to court Siv but they were swiftly dealt with by Siv herself. As for Lilian, she drank not a sip of alcohol in spite of the incessant persuasion by the other adventurers. They quit persuading her when Lilian cast aside her ever-present smile. Even Erin felt the chills from where she was seated. She continued telling her tales and adventures to the rooks until the closing of the feast. Amyra was the sole person within Erin¡¯s circle who was enjoying the feast to the fullest. She participated in the drinking games and the variouspetitions that made use of her physical strength and she won them all. She also drank the most out of everyone in the feast. She emptied a whole cask of mead by herself. As tough as she was, not even she could remain conscious after downing that amount of alcohol. Erin herself had also abstained from drinking even a sip of alcohol. The experience she shared with Lyra and Iris was still clear in her mind. Though she didn¡¯t hate the threesome they had, it was a regrettable affair for Erin as it was a decision she made while under the influence. It was only by luck that the consequences ended with only a casual affair of a threesome. It would have fared terribly if her luck was any worse. After the feast finally came to an end, Erin had to drag most of the girls back to the Grove with the help of a few servants from the manor who came to check up on them at the behest of Aedan. Olivia came along too and she single-handedly carried Amyra back to the manor. Erin was about to step into the Grove when the winds shifted and she caught a scent that piqued her intrigue. ¡°Mistress, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Siv asked when she noticed Erin was straggling while everyone else had already entered the Grove. ¡°Nothing,¡± Erin said. ¡°You all head on back first. I got some business to take care of.¡± ¡°Is it¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious, Siv,¡± Erin assured. ¡°I¡¯ll be right behind. Just tell Aedan¡­ it¡¯s nothing more than a swan.¡± ¡°...I understand, Mistress.¡± Siv nodded and disappeared into the translucent portal. Erin turned away from the portal and walked down the adjacent narrow path that led her into a small area epassing a few small dpidated buildings. The streets were narrowed and overgrown with weeds and wild nts. The area had once been a small thrivingmunity but when it was discovered that a few practitioners of the dark arts had been secretly conducting their affairs here, the ce has since been left barren. Erin had heard this story from the manor¡¯s maids and also during the tea with Melissa Valdrun as they talked about various trivial matters and tall tales. Erin didn¡¯t know how much of the story was true but she could feel the remnant traces of the dark arts. Even as she walked through the devastated path of this dpidated ce, she could sense the souls of the damned encroaching on her. However, the moment sheid bare her affinity with the Spirits, all of the dark things were driven away. As she trod deeper into the darkness-infested area, the abundance of Spirits swirling around her grew bigger and bigger until the entire streets were cleansed of the dark arts¡¯ remnants. Amidst the decrepit house, in the middle of the street, a cloaked figure revealed itself. ¡°Impressive,¡± the cloaked figure said. ¡°Most impressive. You have grown so much in such a short span of time.¡± Erin clenched her fists and prepared herself to summon her sword. ¡°I¡¯m not here to seek conflict,¡± said the figure the moment they noticed the trace of hostility in Erin¡¯s firm gaze. ¡°Then what are you here for?¡± Erin questioned. A few sparks of lightning crackled between her fingers as she uncoiled her fists. ¡°I didn¡¯te here with ill intent.¡± ¡°Is that why you¡¯re dressed so inconspicuously?¡± ¡°...Point taken,¡± the figure said and pulled down its hood, revealing the striking red hair underneath. The figure was none other than Aza, the Scarlet de and the leader of the Venerers. ¡°State your business.¡± ¡°I came here to apologise.¡± ¡°For?¡± ¡°For my actions, my approach, and my beliefs. I had been¡­ crass and ungracious to you for unfounded and unjust reasons. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Erin stared at Aza in silence for a while. ¡°What¡¯s with the sudden change of heart?¡± ¡°Your contribution in the defence of this city.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all it takes to convince you?¡± ¡°Among many other factors.¡± ¡°And what are these factors?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°If you tell me that it¡¯splicated or it¡¯s a long story, then this conversation is over. There will be no need for rules andws if a simple apology is all it takes to fix a mistake.¡± Aza lowered her head. ¡°You¡¯re right¡­ That was not very¡­ sincere of me. Very well, I shall tell you.¡± ¡°Go on. I¡¯m listening.¡± ¡°While you, yourpanions, your¡­ retainers, and fellow adventurers were busy risking your lives to save the city and its good people, my very own siblings in arms and faith were so distracted with the benefits and demerits of helping the city to fend off the dark forces.¡± ¡°Yeah. Most of them were deep in the nobles¡¯ pockets.¡± ¡°Aye¡­ they were. And they weren¡¯t supposed to be. Moreover, a fellowpatriot of mine was¡­ extremely and unjustly hostile towards you, leading to dys that caused the lives of many.¡± ¡°Is this person still one of yourpatriots?¡± ¡°No, not anymore. I saw to his expulsion myself. And I have made sure that he¡¯s being held responsible for his ipetence.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ We shall see.¡± Aza sighed upon seeing Erin¡¯s unchanging expression that spelt unfriendly and unsympathetic since the beginning of their conversation. ¡°I know it doesn¡¯t mean anything now but I want you to know that I¡¯m truly sorry for myte arrival. I¡¯m sure I could have saved many more if I¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± Erin cut her off. Aza raised an eyebrow. ¡°I don¡¯t wish to hear your excuses. It¡¯s all in the past now. Prove that you can be better in the future. I don¡¯t want your solemn vows or your sincere apologies. They¡¯re just words and they could only mean so much. I trust that mypanions and I will not be harassed by your peers in the future without any proper justifications.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°You can¡¯t guarantee that?¡± ¡°I cannot,¡± Aza admitted. ¡°The teachings of Ruva, it was meant to teach people the good and the merit of being altruistic and magnanimous. However, the meanings were lost on many believers and followers. They had misunderstood or taken the teachings to an extreme level, giving births to zealots.¡± ¡°Are you not a zealot too?¡± ¡°If Her Grace suddenlymanded me to kill a newborn without any reason, I would turn on her first thing, not that Her Grace would ever give me such amand.¡± ¡°Or so you think,¡± Erin scoffed. ¡°I can¡¯t guarantee you that all of my siblings in faith would cease their¡­ supremacy view. However, I give you my word that I will change Ruvanity for the better.¡± ¡°Is that all that you can promise?¡± ¡°Anymore will be nothing but a mere hollow oath. I don¡¯t intend to make an empty promise.¡± ¡°How reassuring.¡± Erin snorted. ¡°Now, if there¡¯s nothing more that you wish to say, I¡¯ll be taking my leave and you should make yourself scarce too before the big man notices you.¡± ¡°Wait,¡± Aza stopped Erin who was already turning around. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°The ball in a week¡¯s time. Will you be attending it?¡± ¡°Why does my presence matter to the Scarlet de?¡± ¡°I wish for everyone to see that we do not have a belligerent rtion and maybe, it will convince my sibling by faith to leave you alone.¡± Erin chuckled in derision as she snapped her gaze towards Aza. ¡°Your peers'' terrible treatment and unsavoury attitude isn¡¯t something unique to just me and mypanions.¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware but I¡¯m afraid I can only start with small changes. I implore your understanding, Lady Erynthea.¡± Erin said nothing and simply scoffed silently, before turning her back to Aza once again. ¡°Wait, you still haven¡¯t given me your answer.¡± Erin stopped in her tracks. ¡°You already have them,¡± she said and resumed walking away. ¡°Your absence will only stir the ambitions of the nobles even more.¡± ¡°Then that will be a chance for you to prove yourself, Aza. Prove that you¡¯re not just an oppressor of the weak.¡± Aza balled her hands into fists. ¡°I¡¯m not an oppressor.¡± ¡°Tell that to all those that you have apprehended just because you had an inkling of suspicion.¡± Erin did not stop as she only walked further and further away until she was out of Aza¡¯s sight. Once Erin was sure that she waspletely out of Aza¡¯s range of perception, she leaned against amp pole that had its bulb long burnt out. Erin let out a huge breath that seemed to contain all of her strain and stress from her meeting and confrontation with Aza. She had only lookedposed and domineering on the surface but in truth, she was afraid Aza would just toss aside any attempt at being reasonable and simply cut her down with her de. Thankfully, the Scarlet de was more reasonable and sensible than Erin expected. ¡°You¡¯re unharmed,¡± came a soothing and calming voice from in front. ¡°Aedan,¡± Erin muttered as she approached him, who was standing just beside the portal to the Grove. ¡°What did you two talk about?¡± ¡°...Forgiveness.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Aedan raised an eyebrow with a faint smile that spelt his disbelief. ¡°You¡¯re being serious?¡± Erin frowned at him. ¡°What makes you think I was joking?¡± ¡°I just never thought a Ruvan is capable of admitting their blunders and faults.¡± Erin cast a sidelong nce. ¡°Pot, kettle,¡± she mumbled and walked towards the portal. ¡°Are you really not going to attend the ball?¡± Aedan asked as Erin was a step away from the portal. ¡°Do you want me to attend? I didn¡¯t know you were fond of the nobles.¡± ¡°I am looking forward to seeing you give those coots a good thrashing should you choose to attend the ball.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ that does sound tempting.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°But not tempting enough,¡± Erin said and disappeared into the portal. Aedan sighed. ¡°Well, it¡¯s worth a shot.¡± He shrugged. ¡°I had my fun.¡± And Aedan, too, disappeared into the portal. 5-11 Before dawn 5-11 Before dawn ¡°Will that be everything, mdy?¡± asked Cassius, the steward of the manor. ¡°Yes, this is everything,¡± Erin answered with a gentle smile. ¡°Thank you, Cassius.¡± ¡°It is my honour and pleasure, Lady Erynthea.¡± The old head servant took a deep bow as he expressed his genuine gratitude. ¡°Your presence in the Grove has been a wonderful blessing. His Grace has been so gleeful for the fifty years I have been in servitude.¡± ¡°Oh, truly?¡± ¡°Truly, mdy.¡± Erin tittered and nced over to Aedan with a warm gaze. Aedan, along with a few manservants, were busy loading the cart of the wagon with the much-needed supplies as they would be taking this wagon for the continuation of their journey. Their trip this time would be harsher than before as the route they would be taking was littered with danger, so they were stockpiling their supplies. The reason they chose this route was to avoid the zealots that were targeting them and also the nobles that might send people after them for whatever reason of greed. There were some protests but ultimately, a decision was made. However, there was still a window forst-minute changes as they had yet to set out on their journey. Erin then cast her gaze to the other side, where the girls were gathered. They were discussing their trip and the treacherous route they would be taking. Erin smiled wryly when her sight focused on Nivia, who was the one protesting vehemently about the journey. Erin¡¯s gaze warped into a stare of intent without breaking away from Nivia. Just a few days ago, she had done the deed with Nivia along with Aedan. But when the next day came, Nivia acted as if nothing had transpired the day before, although Erin could tell Nivia was feigning ignorance. Erin could hear Nivia¡¯s heartbeat which always began beating fast whenever Erin or Aedan got close to her. ¡°I suppose I can give her a few more days to adjust to her new circumstances. Like it or not, she¡¯s officially part of my harem now.¡± Now that Nivia¡¯s passion and love had been united with Erin¡¯s, she considered Nivia to be her woman now and she would never let her go. While Erin was staring at Nivia with a tender, loving, and somewhat yearning gaze, the Elf herself was oblivious to Erin¡¯s intentful eyes. ¡°This is just a in retarded n,¡± Nivia scoffed with a disbelief expression, her gaze fixed on the map of the area around Sephrodia Valley that was spread out on a round table. ¡°The monsters along this route are not to be underestimated. There was even a confirmed sighting of a level fifty Rock Thrasher there.¡± Olivia, Siv, Lyra, Lilian, Aera, and Amyra were standing around the table and each of them wore solemn expressions as they listened to Nivia¡¯s remarks. ¡°Am I the only one who sees death here? Disregarding the monsters, look at this path here.¡± Nivia tapped a certain area on the map. ¡°It¡¯s narrow and there¡¯s a very steep cliff just beside it. If it rains or there¡¯s a storm while we are crossing here, we are done for.¡± ¡°I certainly wouldn¡¯t want that,¡± Lyra muttered in agreement. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t want a repeat ofst time.¡± ¡°I agree,¡± Siv nodded, recalling the time she fell off a steep cliff with Erin while engaging inbat with the Razor Grizzly. ¡°While the experience had been thrilling, I would rather not experience it again.¡± ¡°The wagon you are provided with will not be so easily broken,¡± said Olivia. Unlike Nivia¡¯s frantic tone, Olivia was calm andposed as if the dangers Nivia mentioned weren¡¯t registered in her mind. ¡°At worst, there will be dents but I can assure you that it can still be ridden and driven like usual.¡± ¡°You forgot the horses,¡± Nivia shot. ¡°What about the horses if the wagon overturned and tumbled down the cliff?¡± ¡°Spirit Summoning. You can use Familiars summoned through Spirit Magic, no?¡± ¡°I can, Lilian can, Erin can too, but do you expect us to use a Familiar for the entire journey?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Olivia answered with a nod as if it was a matter of fact. ¡°Her Ladyship is more than adequate for that kind of endeavour, I believe.¡± Nivia was about to give her harsh retort when she remembered Erin¡¯s evolution. Erin was now a Seven-tailed Fox-kin and her Spirit affinity was greater than ever. Sustaining a Familiar for the entire journey would not be out of the question and the journey was only less than a week¡¯s time. ¡°Other than the harsh terrains and the dangerous beasts, I don¡¯t see any other problems,¡± Lilian gave her thoughts with her usual ever-present smile that exuded warmth and calmness. Nivia stared at Lilian as if she was betrayed. In a way, she was betrayed as she expected Lilian to support her objection. ¡°Why can¡¯t we take the normal roads again?¡± Aera asked in a timid voice that was barely audible. ¡°To avoid being ambushed by people who wished to kill us,¡± Siv exined briefly to the timorous Aera. ¡°And by doing so, we are plunging ourselves into ces that could kill us just as easily,¡± Nivia grumbled. ¡°I rather face the threats of nature than the threats of people,¡± Lyra said. ¡°I am of the same opinion,¡± Lilian nodded, giggling. Nivia sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t believe that makes this choice any better. We will be in danger regardless. And Lilian, shouldn¡¯t you be the one who understands the dangers of nature the best?¡± ¡°You are not wrong, my dear Nivia. However, I also know the dangers to people and at least we can see the dangersing and we can prepare ordingly without expecting any drastic changes. Can you say the same for the dangers from people?¡± ¡°...I suppose you¡¯re right¡­¡± Nivia relented to Lilian¡¯s argument. ¡°But I still don¡¯t like this. What if those¡­ zealots followed us? What happens then?¡± Lilian snickered. ¡°As you said, I know the dangers of nature best but is it the same for our pursuers?¡± Despite her seemingly warm smile, everyone felt a chill at Lilian¡¯s words. ¡°For their sake, they better have done ample research or it will be their miserable and untimely deaths.¡± Lilian looked over the girls, ncing through herpanions until her eyes rested on the tallest one of them all. ¡°Amyra, you have been uncharacteristically silent throughout this discussion. You do remember that you will being with us, no? It is your own request, after all.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Amyra said. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I¡¯m having the same doubts as our Elven friend here.¡± Nivia raised an eyebrow at Amyra. She was thest person Nivia expected to be on her side. ¡°Oh?¡± Lilian muttered in surprise but not by much. ¡°How so?¡± ¡°You clearly underestimated these zealots. They are called zealots for good reasons. In the name of their divine, they would brave through all manners of dangers and threats even if they knew full well that they would just be rushing to their deaths. Taking this route would not deter them. The treacherous terrains and dangerous beasts do not matter to them.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I suppose you have a good point there¡­¡± ¡°But I do agree with a point of yours?¡± ¡°Oh? You do?¡± ¡°If you know the dangers of nature as well as you imed, then we can indeed use it to our advantage should those zealots choose to pursue us. But just so we¡¯re at a mutual understanding, I prefer the normal route, where I can face my enemies on solid, even ground.¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t believe it¡¯s toote to make some changes to our n. We haven¡¯t begun our trip. So, how about a vote?¡± As one would already expect, the vote was in favour of the ¡°scenic¡± route. ¡°If we take the normal route, the zealots mighte in arge drove along with Acolytes,¡± Siv gave her piece. ¡°Also, I rather not face whatever the nobles had prepared for us. If we retaliate in response to their pursuit, they would just use this to their advantage.¡± Siv, amongst the group, was the one who spent the most time in thepanies of nobles due to her past employer. All the girls knew that and it was why they were nodding along to her words. ¡°Shameless fucks¡­¡± Amyra growled under her breath. ¡°That certainly sounds like what those pompous pricks would absolutely do. We best leave this city ASAP.¡± All the girls stared at Amyra in confusion. ¡°Asap?¡± Siv asked in everyone¡¯s stead. ¡°It means as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Aedan?¡± Amyra nodded. ¡°Aedan.¡± ¡°Just where does he get these ideas from?¡± Nivia questioned with her arms crossed. ¡°He¡¯s someone who has probably wandered the entire continent,¡± Amyra said. ¡°Who knows what he has encountered in his adventures?¡± ¡°Very true,¡± Lilian affirmed with a chuckle. ¡°I say he encountered far too much for his own good,¡± Nivia continued with her grumbling. Unbeknownst to herself, her gaze was drawn to Aedan, who was still in the middle of loading the supplies onto the wagon. Heat began rising from her heart and below her belly which then spread to her entire body. When the heat reached her head, she realised she had been staring quite intently at Aedan. Memories of the time she lost her virtue started surfacing in her mind, which was only a few days ago. The sensation was still clear as day to her body. She remembered how she surrendered her entire being to the pleasure of the flesh and simply let herself get ravaged with reckless abandon. Her many fervid kisses with Erin also shed across her mind, bringing the heat in her body to a near-boiling point. Nivia closed her legs instinctively when she felt a shiver crawling down her spine and reached her tainted holy cavern. She was getting wet from recalling her first time. She shook her head and turned her eyes away from Aedan. ¡°Is everything alright, Nivia?¡± Siv, who was just beside her, asked in a tone filled with genuine concern. ¡°O-of course,¡± Nivia responded in a hurry. ¡°W-why wouldn¡¯t I be?¡± While everyone else was baffled by Nivia¡¯s strange reaction, only Lilian was in the know of the reason for Nivia¡¯s frantic reaction. After all, Lilian was closely acquainted with a few of the maids and they often gossiped to one another about the various affairs in the Grove. Naturally, Erin¡¯s scious escapade became one of the topics of the gossip. When Lilian heard first about it, even she was dubious of the gossip¡¯s credibility. It wasn¡¯t until Lilian went around verifying the truth that she was able to ascertain that particr gossip¡¯s veracity. Still, Lilian was shocked that Nivia had lost her virtue and in a threesome no less. Due to the vast array of matters that needed to be taken care of, Lilian didn¡¯t get a chance to question Nivia about her first-time, until now. Lilian¡¯s lip twisted into a yful grin. She was standing on Nivia¡¯s left side. She leaned into the Elf¡¯s ear and whispered, ¡°Already dying for a repeat of the pleasure he could give?¡± Nivia¡¯s face immediately turned as red as a tomato. Steam could be seen rising from atop her head as if her brain was overheating. ¡°W-what are you saying!?¡± she hissed but it came out a squeal. Nivia¡¯s abrupt cry of denial drew all of the girls¡¯ gaze to her. Nivia red at Lilian hard. ¡°Y-you¡­!¡± ¡°What? Good news should be shared amongst friends, no?¡± ¡°There¡¯s time and ce for everything!¡± ¡°Good news? What good news?¡± Lyra inquired. ¡°As of a few days ago, there¡¯s no longer a vestal girl amidst us,¡± Lilian said proudly. At the Dryad¡¯s words, Lyra¡¯s gaze hardened towards Nivia. ¡°When was this?¡± ¡°What does it matter?¡± Nivia huffed. ¡°Why are we moving away from the main topic here?¡± ¡°This is our main topic now,¡± Lyra said. ¡°It was Master Aedan, right?¡± Siv asked. ¡°How was it when you¡­ did it with him?¡± ¡°Come on, tell us. What was it like?¡± Lyra urged. ¡°Was he rough or was he¡ª¡± ¡°His Grace can be quite violent but also tender at the same time,¡± Amyra chimed in. ¡°I¡¯m telling you all nothing!¡± 5-12 Road bickering 5-12 Road bickering There were a few snags and hups but Erin and herpanions managed toplete their preparations right on schedule. It was hours before dawn and the sun was barely out. Even the crofters had to rise for the day and still sound asleep in their beds. In one of the many neglected parts of the city, far out from where the city¡¯s affairs and business congregated, a carriage could be seen strolling. ¡°Won¡¯t we be spotted the moment we leave the shadows of these¡­ decrepit structures?¡± Lyra asked as she slowly and skillfully guided the carriage through the rumpty and weed-grown streets. ¡°Olivia will be sending out some decoys, have you forgotten about that?¡± Erin answered as her gaze wandered intently. ¡°I have not. I¡¯m just questioning this n of ours.¡± ¡°We have gone over this ten times, Lyra. Are you still so uncertain?¡± ¡°Our paths are rarely without hurdles. I don¡¯t doubt our ns would be any different.¡± ¡°As we have already discussed, don¡¯t expect things to be perfect. We will need contingencies upon contingencies.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t remember having discussed contingencies atop contingencies.¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t. We just need to make it up as we go. We barely know anything about our enemies. They are Apostles and Acolytes, that¡¯s all we know. We do not know what they¡¯re capable of. What¡¯s the use of nning things so meticulously when we have inadequate intelligence?¡± ¡°Alright alright, I get it. You can stop. Dear god, you sure sound like an old man sometimes.¡± Erin tittered. ¡°I believed I was an old man at one point but look at me now.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m involved with such a person. Life can really be strange. If you were to tell me that this is my future, I would think you are utterly mad.¡± ¡°Life is certainly full of wonders.¡± ¡°Mistress, I smell blood,¡± Siv said, popping her head out from the passenger coach. ¡°The blood is old and stale. It smelled simr to this area. It¡¯s just a pauper native to this part of the city.¡± ¡°Understood, mistress,¡± Siv nodded and withdrew into the coach where there was only Aera and some of their luggage. There was no trick of the eyes involved. The carriage truly housed only Erin, Lyra, Siv, and Aera. The others were in another carriage, travelling out of the city using another path of egress. As making their way out of the valley in one group was too conspicuous, this was what they decided upon. ¡°Nervous?¡± Siv asked as she sat back down in her seat and noticed Aera quivering while keeping her hands sped together. Aera nodded. ¡°You need not be,¡± Siv said. ¡°Mistress would not let anything happen to you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not where my concernsy.¡± ¡°Then where do your concerns lie?¡± ¡°...I don¡¯t wish to be a burden.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t. If anything, you would be our trump card.¡± ¡°Only when I lose myself to my rage and I¡­ I don¡¯t like that. It¡¯s crushing and deste to have your body and mind being fuelled by rage and everything you do only inmes it.¡± ¡°As long as that rage is not directed at us, I say there¡¯s nothing wrong with that.¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying there¡¯s nothing wrong with uninhibited violence as long as it¡¯s inflicted on one¡¯s enemies? ¡°That¡¯s not my meaning, Miss Aera.¡± ¡°Then I do not understand¡­¡± Aera¡¯s words trailed off near the end. ¡°Violence is never a good thing but it¡¯s necessary. You¡¯re not supposed to feel good about it. If you¡¯re feeling terrible while hurting people, then it simply means that you are a good person at heart. Do you feel bad when you hurt people even if those people are your enemies?¡± Aera nodded after a short moment of hesitation. Siv smiled. ¡°As long as you feel that way, it means that you are still a gentle soul deep down.¡± Aera broke into a faint smile. ¡°You really think so?¡± Siv nodded. Aera¡¯s smile widened. ¡°Thank you, Siv¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee, Miss Aera.¡± ¡°Please, just call me Aera. We¡¯re friends now, aren¡¯t we?¡± There was a pause between her sentences. ¡°We are friends, right?¡± ¡°Of course, Aera.¡± Aera sighed inwardly in relief. Though she knew Siv would not deny that, she still couldn¡¯t help but wonder what if Siv refuted it. She could only imagine how awkward it would be. As the carriage gradually approached the decrepit borders east of the city, the winds began to rush and a sh of lightning streaked across the clouds. ¡°If that¡¯s not an omen, I don¡¯t know what is,¡± Lyra muttered, staring at the gathering clouds that were turning darker and darker as minutes passed. Erin nced into the distance, where a storm was brewing, inching its way closer to where they were. ¡°Either our luck is cursed or there¡¯s someone among the ranks of our enemies who could control the weather.¡± ¡°Control the weather? Isn¡¯t that too preposterous of an ability for a mere mortal being like us to have?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just stating a possibility. Even if they can indeed control the weather, I don¡¯t believe it is without limitations or constraints.¡± ¡°Even if there are limitations, a simple rainfall is enough to make our n go awry. How do you intend to cross the narrow paths in the rain?¡± Erin gave Lyra a strange look. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Were you asleep during ourst discussion before we departed?¡± Lyra was about to retort but then she remembered how she fell into a daydream due to the words used by Olivia being far too fancy for her limited understanding. When she came back to her senses, the briefing was already nearly over. ¡°You were asleep¡­¡± Erin sighed. ¡°I wasn¡¯t,¡± Lyra denied with a firm look but it crumbled in the next second as her gaze dropped. ¡°But I wasn¡¯t exactly paying attention¡­ It¡¯s not my fault. I barely understand half the words spoken by Olivia.¡± Erin smiled wryly. ¡°So, what did Olivia say during the briefing? How will we make it through the pass if it rains?¡± Erin¡¯s smile widened into a grin. ¡°It¡¯s a surprise.¡± Lyra snorted and crossed her arms in front of her in bosom, turning her gaze away. Erin giggled, seeing such a childish reaction from her dear lover. **** ¡°This is going to end so badly,¡± Nivia said as the carriage rolled closer to the edge of the city. Unlike the path Erin took, the path Nivia was on was well-kept. No weeds could be seen growing on the roads. upied buildings stood proudly in parallel rows with a neatly paved street in between. There were even streetmps on the curb to give light when the sun was still hidden beyond the horizon. Nivia and the rest were travelling through such a ce on a carriage that was simr in shape and colour to the one Erin rode. The carriage made not a sound as it meandered across the area that was usually brimming with activity once dawn broke. ¡°This is truly inconspicuous. We will definitely not be spotted at all,¡± Nivia continued with her grumbling. ¡°Just wait. One of these windows will have its curtain parted and guess what¡¯s the first and most apparent thing that they will see?¡± ¡°They will see our carriage and they will think nothing of it. Peoplee and go out of the city all the time, especially adventurers,¡± Aedan responded without sparing the Elf a nce. He kept his gaze at the front as he was the one with the reins and the horses were also his summoned Familiars. ¡°Adventurers don¡¯t travel in carriages, especially a fancy one.¡± ¡°This carriage is only fancy if you know its fancy,¡± Aedan retorted. ¡°In the eyes of themon folks, this carriage looked no different than the ones found in amon market.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not the eyes of themon folks I¡¯m worried about.¡± ¡°Unless one¡¯s a smith or familiar with ironworks, they won¡¯t notice the calibre of our otherwisemon-looking carriage.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t be too sure about that.¡± Aedan sighed. ¡°Just calm down, Nivia, will you? We¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°I have enough of zealots in this city. I don¡¯t wish to meet any more zealots.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll have a better chance finding gold at a random riverbank than not meeting any more zealots.¡± ¡°You¡¯re very calm and insouciant.¡± ¡°Is that so surprising?¡± ¡°If you were still as strong as before, then my answer would be no. But you¡¯re not even half the powerhouse you were right now.¡± ¡°Being weak and inadequate is not something unfamiliar to me. I was a helpless mortal like most people before I was¡­ the heir to the Divine Throne.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a reason to not worry about what we will be facing once we leave the boundaries of the city.¡± ¡°Do you think you will be overwhelmed by whatever¡¯s waiting for us out there?¡± Nivia stared at Aedan. ¡°I just don¡¯t get where your absolute confidencees from. Do you not think that we will¡­ lose if a fight happens to break out?¡± ¡°If you have been in enough wars and battles, you will know how futile it is to worry about a threat that you know you will definitely encounter. You are better off thinking about strategies and tactics than mulling over your uncertain defeat.¡± ¡°I-I know that¡­¡± ¡°We will be fine, Nivia. Just treat this like an escort quest where your employer is constantly being targeted by his enemies.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t make it any better.¡± Aedan shrugged. ¡°Well, I tried.¡± Nivia sighed exasperatedly at Aedan¡¯s nonchnt reaction and turned her attention to the back of the carriage. She peeked into the cart and saw Lilian was fast asleep and so was Amyra. She then turned her attention back to the front. ¡°They¡¯re sleeping so soundly,¡± Nivia said. ¡°How can they be so at ease?¡± ¡°Those two have been through a lot. They know there¡¯s no point in fretting over a future you cannot control. Instead of needless worrying, they are conserving their strength for the eventuality. You can sleep too if you wish.¡± ¡°No thanks,¡± Nivia replied gruffly. ¡°Is it just me or are you more distant from me than before?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just you. We have never been close or distant.¡± Aedan smiled wryly. ¡°Did you hate it that much?¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Nivia huffed. Red could be seen blooming on her cheeks. ¡°Or did you hate the fact that you enjoyed it so much?¡± ¡°I enjoyed nothing!¡± Nivia denied with her voice slightly raised. ¡°Stop with the harassment, mister. Even if it¡¯s from you, I will not tolerate it.¡± ¡°Mister? So I have be a stranger in your eyes¡­ Is this all our time together amounted to?¡± Nivia rolled her eyes. ¡°Stop being so dramatic. You¡¯re such a pain in my neck.¡± ¡°And a pain somewhere else too. A certain ce below the navel in theher regions, I believe.¡± Nivia red. Though her gaze was wrought with fury, the deepening blush on her face was undeniable. ¡°Yet, despite the pain, I remember you crying and begging for more.¡± ¡°Stop talking!¡± Nivia yelped as she lurched forward and covered Aedan¡¯s mouth with her hands. ¡°You ursed lizard¡­ Are you trying to reveal it to the entire street?¡± Aedan only snickered in response. ¡°You¡­! Do you find it enjoyable to make fun of my plight?¡± ¡°Plight? What plight? Was the experience so terrible that you considered it a plight?¡± ¡°I am unwed and I have already lost my virtue. I¡¯m an Elf. What will my people think of me?¡± ¡°If they think less of you just because of this, then you might as well not care about what they think of you at all.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t understand, Aedan. I am not a free spirit like you or Erin. I have responsibilities and duties as the daughter of the queen, one of which is to leave behind a legacy. What am I going to¡ª¡± ¡°Hold on,¡± Aedan stopped Nivia with a hand raised. ¡°Did you just say you¡¯re the daughter of the queen?¡± Nivia stared nkly at Aedan for a while beforeing to her senses. ¡°Ah¡­ I-I¡¯m not supposed to tell anyone that¡­¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Aedan muttered. ¡°Now this has be difficult¡­ Great¡­¡± 5-13 Tranquil trip 5-13 Tranquil trip ¡°Now, this is strange,¡± Erin mused after they had travelled for some distance away from the city borders. ¡°What is?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°I don¡¯t sense anyone.¡± ¡°No one at all?¡± ¡°None.¡± ¡°That is strange,¡± Lyra muttered. Her gaze wandered to her surroundings which were undisturbed by nothing but the winds that heralded a storm. ¡°We¡¯re still in the valley. We should be encountering quite a few adventurers by now.¡± ¡°We should be encountering many by now but we haven¡¯t seen a single soul yet.¡± ¡°What do you think it¡¯s happening? I don¡¯t think the zealots have the power or the sway to convince the adventurers to clear the area.¡± ¡°But the nobles do,¡± said Siv from within the back of the wagon. ¡°As long as they gave a sensible reason, true or not, they have the authority to prevent the adventurers from venturing into the areas in question.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not the nobles.¡± Erin loosened her grip on the reins. ¡°They are not capable of such discretion even if they wouldn¡¯t ever admit it. That leaves us one remaining possibility.¡± ¡°Were there any other groups or factions that are at odds against us?¡± ¡°You forget, Lyra. We have our fair shares of acquaintance with one of the zealous groups.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ The Ruvans.¡± ¡°The Ruvans do seem like the likeliest possibility,¡± Siv agreed. ¡°But what business do they have with us? Are they furious that we stole their glory at saving the city and now they are being a sore loser?¡± ¡°We¡¯re about to find out,¡± Erin said and rose from her seat while the carriage was still moving. ¡°Iing?¡± Erin shook her head and gestured for Lyra to stay in her seat. At the same time, Erin let her tails flourish, showing off their true numbers. ¡°Come on out. You may be able to hide from my senses but not nature. You will still disturb the flow of the air.¡± Suddenly, a figure appeared in the middle of the road the carriage was traversing on. Although the figure wore a cloak and a hood, the brilliance of the armour could not be hidden neither could the locks of red hair dangling through the hood. The figure raised their head and the carriage came to a stop. ¡°What do you want now, Aza?¡± Erin asked. In an instance, Lyra armed herself with her bow. Siv and Aera in the back also assumed theirbat stances. ¡°Paying my dues, Lady Erynthea,¡± answered Aza. ¡°I know of your¡­ plight. I¡¯m here to offer my aid.¡± ¡°Seems like you already have offered your aid considering how deserted the vicinity was.¡± ¡°I have my Venerers and pdins formed a perimeter around the valley. You will have safe passage until you leave the valley. And of course, yourpanions on the other path will also have safe passage.¡± ¡°This very¡­ generous of you, Aza.¡± ¡°You and yourpanions are the saviour of this city. Thousands of lives are in your debt, Lady Erynthea. You seeded where we failed. This is the least I can do, the least the Ruvans can do.¡± ¡°How do you manage to push those zealots back? Surely they wouldn¡¯t have backed away so quietly and obediently, right?¡± ¡°They are not happy but they can¡¯t do anything against us as we have the justifications. However, this is only limited to within the valley as the city has been blessed by Ruva. Any further, the Ruvans will be overextending their authority.¡± ¡°Blessed by Ruva?¡± Lyra muttered with a befuddled look. ¡°Any settlement that recognises Ruvanian as its official faith is considered to be blessed by Ruva,¡± Aza exined. ¡°Huh¡­ so that¡¯s how it is.¡± ¡°That is how it is.¡± Aza nodded at Lyra before turning her gaze back to Erin. ¡°Lady Erynthea, I have stalled you for long enough. You may continue with your journey and rest assured, no harm shalle to you or yourpanions while you are still in the valley.¡± Erin smiled. ¡°Thank you, Lady Aza. This aid of yours is very much appreciated.¡± ¡°You are most wee, Lady Erynthea,¡± the Venerer Commander said and disappeared in the next instance. ¡°Whoa,¡± Lyra eximed lightly. ¡°How did she do that? Is that teleportation?¡± ¡°That was just a projection,¡± Erin said and resumed the carriage¡¯s movements after she had sat back down and folded her tails into a humble number of three. ¡°It¡¯s most likely a magic tool or something of the sort. Anyway, we wouldn¡¯t need to worry about encountering hostiles for a day or two.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Though Erin wasn¡¯t looking Lyra¡¯s way, she could feel her stare. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Just when did you get so¡­ amicable with the Scarlet de?¡± ¡°Since the night we returned from the feast.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s why you suddenly disappeared from us that day. I thought you went off to shake the bushes with Aedan.¡± Erin rolled her eyes. ¡°What do you take me for, Lyra?¡± ¡°The Apostle of Lust.¡± ¡°...Fair enough.¡± ¡°But¡­ did you do it with¡­ her?¡± Erin stared at Lyra with a deep frown. ¡°She¡¯s an acquaintance at best, Lyra. I may be licentious orscivious but I have boundaries. I don¡¯t fornicate with just anyone. Besides, do you think a few minutes is all it takes for me?¡± ¡°Well¡­ you¡¯re certainly not that easily satisfied.¡± Lyra sighed. ¡°If it was that easy, I wouldn¡¯t have so many restless nights.¡± Erin snorted. ¡°As if you didn¡¯t enjoy those restless nights.¡± ¡°In moderation, dear. I always wonder¡­ what would it be like if I¡¯m your only lover?¡± ¡°Dead, or halfway there.¡± ¡°I can certainly see that happening, though I can¡¯t imagine you would be satisfied with just one partner. I certainly don¡¯t wish to be an empty husk.¡± ¡°As selfish as I may sound, I agree, Lyra. I can¡¯t imagine myself being satisfied with just one or two lovers after I have a taste of sex.¡± Lyra smiled wryly. ¡°Just how many do you n on getting, Erin? Dozens?¡± Erin shrugged. ¡°That sounds tempting but even if I can handle dozens, it doesn''t mean I would enjoy it. In moderation, Lyra.¡± ¡°Nothing about you spells moderation, Erin.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not apliment,¡± Lyra huffed andid her head onto Erin¡¯sp. Erin only tittered and caressed her lover¡¯s head as they continued their journey in silence. **** ¡°What in the name of the Spirits is happening?¡± Nivia asked in a whisper but her question was directed at no one in particr. She didn¡¯t think there was anyone within her reach who could answer her baffling inquiry. They were currently traversing on the highway that was connected directly to the east entrance of the city. Along the neatly paved road, at least one pdin of Ruva was stationed at every quarter of a mile. That alone was not the strange part. What made Nivia frown in utter disbelief and unease was the fact that the pdins they came across were giving them a nod and a smile. ¡°I don¡¯t usually question reality but I¡¯m afraid I will need to do so now,¡± Aedan muttered as he too was bearing witness to this bizarre phenomenon. Just around a week ago, they were at odds with the Ruvans but now, these knights of the temple were showing them the kind of respect as if they were sending off dignitaries of the highest degree. ¡°Your Grace, shall I¡ª¡± ¡°No,¡± Aedan shot Amyra¡¯s offer down before she could even finish her words. ¡°We can just ask them, no?¡± Lilian proposed. Nivia groaned. ¡°I don¡¯t feel like it. Just looking at them is making me¡­ ufortable. I don¡¯t need the additional headache of conversing with one of them.¡± ¡°Well, if you won¡¯t, I will,¡± Lilian said and made her way to the coach seat, squeezing herself into the seat beside Nivia and ending up sandwiching the Elf between herself and Aedan. The carriage soon approached the pdin at the next interval of a quarter mile. This pdin was a young man who didn''t look older than thirty. Though his gaze was stern and his posture was firm, his eyes drooped and his shoulders loosened when he saw a beautiful Fae smiling brightly at him as the carriage came to a brief stop in front of him. ¡°Pardon me, good sir,¡± Lilian greeted. ¡°Y-yes, Mdy? W-what can I do for you?¡± the young pdin asked. He tried to keep his tone sharp but he couldn¡¯t help but falter in the face of a beauty that surpassed all the women he had known so far. The fact that he was still a virgin did not help with his poise either. ¡°May I know the meaning of all this? I appreciate that you are doing a fine job at guarding the roads which plenty of travellers frequent but I don¡¯t recall this being a routine of the pdins. What gives?¡± ¡°This is all an order from themander herself, mdy.¡± ¡°The Scarlet de?¡± ¡°Y-yes, mdy.¡± ¡°Did she tell you why she gave out such an order?¡± ¡°She did not specify, m-mdy but¡­ I believe this is her way of showing her gratitude.¡± ¡°Gratitude? For what?¡± ¡°Mdy, you and yourpanions saved the city. Thousands of lives and more would have been lost had it not been for your heroic deeds. Granting you safe passage out of the valley is the least we could, mdy.¡± ¡°Oh? Truly?¡± ¡°Truly, mdy.¡± Lilian tittered. ¡°Why, thank you for telling me, good sir.¡± ¡°Y-you are most wee, mdy.¡± The pdin bowed deeply, probably to avoid his blush being seen. The carriage then resumed moving and Nivia was just staring nkly ahead. ¡°I don¡¯t believe it. There¡¯s just no way¡­¡± Nivia muttered. Disbelief was smeared all over her face as if she was a devout believer who had just been told the god they worship had never existed. ¡°He¡¯s not wrong, your highness,¡± Aedan said. ¡°Don¡¯t call me that,¡± Nivia shot Aedan a look. Aedan smiled wryly. ¡°Probably more than half of the city would have perished if we didn¡¯t intervene.¡± ¡°I know that and I¡¯m not questioning that part.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t believe Aza is trying to make amends with us?¡± ¡°Aza?¡± Nivia raised an eyebrow. ¡°Am I mishearing it or is that intimacy I¡¯m hearing?¡± Lilian giggled. ¡°I did hear some affinity in your tone, Aedan. Did something happen between you and the Scarlet de?¡± Nivia immediately red at Aedan as hard as a wife who suspected her husband was having an affair. ¡°I would be so surprised if something did happen between them,¡± Amyra mused from the back of the carriage. ¡°Is there?¡± Nivia¡¯s re hardened even more. ¡°Even if something did happen between me and Aza, I don¡¯t see why you¡¯re so upset, Nivia?¡± ¡°I am not upset,¡± Nivia growled. ¡°Are you worried about me?¡± ¡°In your dreams,¡± she snorted. ¡°Even if I am worried, it¡¯s not in the way you think.¡± ¡°Then please, enlighten me.¡± ¡°You are fornicating with the enemy.¡± Lilian let loose a chuckle that could have been a bellow if she didn¡¯t hold herself back. ¡°Aza is not the enemy, not anymore. And I certainly did not fuck her. Do you take me for some kind of sexual deviant that has no inhibition with his desires?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Nivia answered firmly but in the next second, herposure crumbled and she quickly looked away just as her cheeks went red from recalling the time she lost her virtue. However, since she was sandwiched between Lilian and Aedan, her blush was seen by Lilian. ¡°Oh, my.¡± Lilian snickered. ¡°Was he that rough with you?¡± Nivia did not retort and simply cast her gaze down. ¡°I hate you two¡­¡± ¡°Forgive me, my dear,¡± Lilian said and patted Nivia on the head. ¡°I¡¯m just curious, that is all. Did you not enjoy it at all?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the point. I just¡­¡± Her voice trailed off as she snuck a nce at Aedan. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Lilian said nothing in return and simply continued patting Nivia on her head. ¡°...Is it toote to say that I will take responsibility?¡± Aedan asked after a brief silence. Nivia pointed at Aedan without ncing. ¡°Don¡¯t start.¡± 5-14 Dogged devouts 5-14 Dogged devouts Aza was not only true to her words. She also enforced them, making sure things turned out the way she assured Erin would. Eventually, Erin regrouped with Aedan and the others safely. No one ambushed them on the way. With such a tranquil mood permeating the group, they left the borders of the valley, but they did not let their guard down. ¡°Unbelievable,¡± Lyra muttered while leaning against Erin as if she was her seat¡¯s backrest. Hours had gone by after they left the fringes of Sephrodia Valley and there was still not a single hint of opposition in sight. At best, only bandits and thugs that had more greed than sense attacked them but these low-lives were swiftly dispatched by Erin and herpanions. ¡°For once, I agree with you, Lyra,¡± Nivia grumbled. ¡°I didn¡¯t think those zealots would actually keep to their word until the end. The world must be ending.¡± ¡°There has to be a catch,¡± Lyra said. ¡°A catch that has yet to distinguish themself.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no catch,¡± Aedan refuted. ¡°So this is just pure penance for their failures?¡± ¡°Not quite.¡± ¡°I knew it!¡± Lyra shouted. ¡°Are you simply contradicting yourself here?¡± Erin asked. ¡°The trust of the city folks towards the Ruvans is as low as it can be. Aiding the saviours of the city in their endeavours is a good way to regain the faith of the people.¡± ¡°Are you saying there¡¯s no goodwill in this gesture?¡± ¡°I¡¯m saying that is not all there is to this gesture.¡± Aedan snickered. ¡°For someone of your¡­ status and position, you can be unbearably naive at times.¡± ¡°Is it so wrong that I simply wanted to believe in the best of people?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a matter of wrong or right. It¡¯s just¡­ dangerous. You¡¯re not alone anymore, Erin.¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware of the stakes but that is no reason to be a cynic.¡± Erin clutched her left chest lightly. ¡°I wish to remain an optimist as long as I can.¡± ¡°Aww~¡± Lyra purred. ¡°You¡¯re making me fall in love with you over and over again, Erin.¡± Aedan smiled wryly and turned his attention back to the road. ¡°We should be far away from the Ruvans¡¯ protection by now, but we haven¡¯t encountered any of those zealots,¡± Nivia said. ¡°Hmm¡­ that¡¯s true,¡± Lyra mused. ¡°I don¡¯t see anyone either. Either they are good at concealing themselves or they have distanced themselves very far away from us. If it¡¯s thetter, then it will be very odd.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like this serenity,¡± Nivia groaned. ¡°Feels like the calm before the storm, a huge storm.¡± ¡°Might just be,¡± Aedan muttered in agreement. ¡°There are monsters out there that wait until their prey let their guard down or exhaust themselves before moving in for the kill.¡± ¡°As if we would let our guard down, not when we know what¡¯s out there. Or rather, who¡¯s out there.¡± ¡°But they are not monsters,¡± Erin said. ¡°They are people. People obey their desires more than they obey their instincts. My death means their glory. If they are holding themselves back, it can only mean they found something more important than their glory.¡± ¡°Maybe they are not as gullible as we believed them to be,¡± Aedan suggested. ¡°You did save the city and the people in it. Maybe they are having second thoughts regarding those ancients¡¯ words about you being a¡­ vtile element.¡± ¡°For their sake, hopefully, that¡¯s the case. I don¡¯t intend to stay my de if they attack me.¡± ¡°I think we are all in agreement with that.¡± Aedan smiled¡ª ¡ªbut his smile disappeared in the next second. Erin¡¯s face also hardened. Lyra noticed the two¡¯s sudden shift in their expression and she sat herself upright, casting aside her flippant attitude. ¡°Are they finally making their move?¡± ¡°They¡¯re certainly moving but¡­¡± ¡°No hostility,¡± Aedan said with a frown. ¡°No hostility.¡± Erin nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t sense any bloodlust. Whoever¡¯s approaching us, they mean us no harm.¡± ¡°Not yet,¡± Nivia added as she readied her weapons. ¡°Regardless, we best prepare ourselves. Be ready.¡± Per Erin¡¯s words, everyone readied themselves for battle. They did not stop their carriage but they slowed down to a walking pace. An old man, dressed in ragged robes, eventually revealed himself, walking out from the trees. Only then did the carriagese to a halt. Nivia did not waste any moment and immediately trained her bow and arrow on the old man. ¡°Be at ease, Lady Fae, I am not here to fight,¡± the old man said with his arms raised. ¡°State your business or prepare to get winged,¡± Amyra demanded as she emerged from the back of the carriage with her giant cleaver-sword hoisted on her shoulders. Erin cast a sidelong nce at Aedan. No doubt the Augur¡¯s yet another strange vocabry was a result of his influence. ¡°Mdy Erynthea,¡± the old man turned to Erin. ¡°May I trouble you to ask yourpanions to discard their hostility?¡± ¡°Why should I?¡± Erin questioned. ¡°They are not in the wrong to be cautious.¡± ¡°I¡¯m asking them to throw away their caution, just their hostility. Please?¡± ¡°They are mypanions, not my underlings. If you want them to discard their hostilities, you should be asking them, not me.¡± The old man smiled and turned to Amyra and Nivia. ¡°Would twodies kindly¡ª¡± ¡°No,¡± Amyra answered. ¡°If you truly don¡¯t intend to do us any harm, there¡¯s no reason you should be afraid. Unless of course, you don¡¯t trust us. If that¡¯s the case, then it would be extremely suspicious that you appeared in front of us unarmed and unprepared.¡± ¡°...Fair point, I suppose,¡± the old man sighed and lowered his arms. ¡°I¡¯ll just get straight to the point. I am here to make peace with you, Lady Erynthea.¡± ¡°Make peace? For what?¡± ¡°I know you are aware of the many Apostles and Acolytes out there that want your head. They believed you to be an agent of chaos and destruction like your predecessors.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not hearing the answer to my question.¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to rify the tortuous state of affairs. Not everyone shares that opinion, Lady Erynthea.¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± The old man nodded. ¡°Those ancients may or may not be wrong but the order of my faith had decided on our stance. Be it the words of the ancients true or false, we will not be punishing those who have yet to do any ill, especially when there is no solid proof to the usation.¡± ¡°Huh, that¡¯s new,¡± Amyra scoffed. ¡°We don¡¯t intend to punish people based on a future that might or might not happen. If we do, we may as well start a crusade and hunt down all those would-be evil-doers. I hope I have made our stance clear so that in the future, should our paths cross, it will not turn out unpleasant.¡± ¡°Is this decision the opinions of all your siblings in faith, or simply a general consensus by a majority vote?¡± Erin asked, her gaze piercing into the old man. ¡°...I am ashamed to say it is thetter.¡± ¡°And what of those who disagree?¡± ¡°We are making sure that they won¡¯t be acting rashly. Please believe us, Lady Erynthea. The Dagon Order does not intend to make you an enemy.¡± ¡°We should keep moving,¡± Aedan said, after staying silent for the entirety. ¡°Yes, you should.¡± The old man nodded. ¡°I have taken enough of your time. If the winds fair, may we meet again in the future under more pleasant circumstances.¡± The old man then disappeared into a puff of smoke as if his body wasposed of nothing but wind. ¡°How do they keep doing that?¡± Lyra grumbled. Aedan pulled on the reins and flicked them against their mount. The horses took off into a sprint and Erin immediately followed suit. Amyra leapt into the back of the moving carriage, taking Nivia along with her. ¡°Whoa!¡± Lyra cried, barely managing to hold on to the rails. ¡°Enemies?¡± Erin nodded. ¡°A lot?¡± ¡°Enough to overwhelm us in a narrow path like this.¡± ¡°That fucking old man¡­ Was he involved?¡± ¡°...I don¡¯t believe so,¡± Erin said after a brief silence. ¡°We can point fingers after we weathered the storm.¡± Aedan took a weapon that resembled a scrawny and miniature cannon. Though miniature, it was as long as the average person¡¯s arm. ¡°Your Grace, you are going to use that?¡± Amyra eximed after climbing on top of the carriage. ¡°What is that?¡± Nivia asked. ¡°A rifle,¡± Aedan answered before turning his gaze behind. ¡°Lilian, can you take the reins?¡± The Dryad giggled, appearing from the back of the carriage. ¡°I thought you would never ask. And I thought I had been forgotten.¡± After leaving the reins to Lilian, Aedan joined Amyra on top of the carriage. ¡°I-I can take the reins¡­ if you would let me¡­¡± Aera said timidly, poking her head out from the back. ¡°You know how to drive a carriage?¡± ¡°Everyone in the vige does, except for the young children.¡± ¡°Then, I would be grateful if you would take the reins, Aera,¡± Erin thanked with a smile and left the reins to Aera. The moment Erin hopped on top of the carriage, an arrow streaked towards her way. She fired a bolt of lightning in swift response but the arrows split into six just before it could be struck down. Three of the arrows struck Erin but they harmlessly bounced off of her due to her Arcane Armour. Three of the remaining arrows struck the carriage. ¡°Get away from those arrows!¡± Aedan shouted just as the arrows began to emit a strange glow. Erin brandished two swords and cut the arrows in half. The glow died down after the arrows were cut. The arrows were enchanted with explosion spells but Erin had destroyed the enchantments when she cut the arrows with Mystic de. ¡°We¡¯re fine,¡± Erin said calmly. Aedan snorted with a wry smile. ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Ahead!¡± Aera yelled. ¡°I see it,¡± Aedan said and aimed his rifle at the front. There was a shirtless man with red hair as brazen as a lion¡¯s mane. In his hands were two sabres, each engulfed in mes. There was a ferocious smile on the man¡¯s face and only madness could be seen in his eyes. Aedan pulled on the trigger of his rifle. The man swung his sword and the bullet was severed in half. ¡°Well, that¡¯s unnerving,¡± Aedan muttered. He pulled and twisted the lever, quickly preparing for another shot. ¡°But how foolish of him.¡± However, the man swung his other sword and a zing wave was unleashed towards the two carriages. Aedan took out a spell card from one of his many satchel pockets by his waist and tossed it at the fiery wave. A torrent of water was expelled from the card as it glowed brightly, dousing the fiery wave. Lyra had readied her bow ever since the man appeared on the road but she only released the arrow when the zing wave was extinguished. As soon as she released that arrow, she nocked and shot another one. The man cut down the first arrow as it travelled through the steam but another arrow was trailing right behind. He barely cut down that arrow but he wasn¡¯t able to react against the bullet that came after the second arrow. The man¡¯s head exploded like a fruit. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Nivia groaned at such a sight. Aera had a simr reaction but she did not turn her gaze away from the road. ¡°Good riddance,¡± Lilian said with her ever-present smile. ¡°That was very stupid of him. What makes him think it wouldn¡¯t end with his death?¡± ¡°Their Divine Gifts. Urvan¡¯s Zeal, offers them rapid self-healing. He probably didn¡¯t expect to be killed with a single attack.¡± ¡°Rapid self-healing?¡± Lyra eximed. ¡°That¡¯s unnerving. I might need better arrows if we are to kill them with a single attack.¡± ¡°Just focus on defending the carriage,¡± Erin said. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with these ignorant cretins.¡± Her tails flourished into their true numbers. Aedan cocked his rifle and an empty casing flew out of the chamber, leaving behind a trail of smoke. ¡°What she said.¡± 5-15 Lindwurm 5-15 Lindwurm The skies turned darker and darker as time passed as if to signify the impending tumult that was about to beset Erin and herpanions. ¡°We are surrounded,¡± said Siv, who had also climbed on top of the carriage¡¯s cart. ¡°I smell the scent of hostiles from all sides.¡± ¡°Let theme,¡± Amyra scoffed with a grin. ¡°We are the followers of the Dragon God. We should not be afraid of them. It is them who should be afraid of us.¡± Nivia rolled her gaze upon hearing the Augur¡¯s bold words but she did not make any remark, having gotten used to Amyra¡¯s arrogance. ¡°The Dragon God is dead,¡± muttered Aedan, ironically, who was the heir to the dead god¡¯s throne. ¡°A god is never truly dead as long as no one loses faith in them,¡± Amyra countered. ¡°Your words, Your Grace, not mine.¡± ¡°...I must have been drunk when I said that.¡± ¡°When was thest time you got drunk, Your Grace?¡± Aedan shrugged. ¡°When I said those words, I suppose.¡± ¡°They¡¯reing!¡± Lyra shouted, bringing everyone¡¯s attention in the direction she was gazing at. To their right, from quite a distance away, a swarm of tiny flying creatures were heading towards them. ¡°What are those things?¡± Nivia asked with a ghastly frown. ¡°Jagged Wings,¡± Siv answered in a mumble that was barely audible. ¡°Nasty creatures. Watch out for their wings. It can cut through wood like cheese.¡± ¡°The Skinwalkers again?¡± ¡°Skinwalkers or not, they will rue the day they turned us into their enemies.¡± While the Elf and the Beastkin were bantering, the Jagged Wings came close enough for all to see their nasty appearances. There were hundreds of them. True to their name, the Jagged Wings had wings with edges resembling that of a saw. While they were only as big as a toddler, they were thousands of times deadlier than one. As proof, their wings grazed the tree trunks and branches as they flew, easily cutting those wood down. ¡°Shall I just burn them all at once?¡± Amyra asked. ¡°No,¡± Nivia immediately rebuked. ¡°You¡¯ll cause a forest fire.¡± ¡°Allow me,¡± Erin said and unleashed bolts of lightning that easily struck down the Jagged Wings with deadly precision. However, Erin could only strike down so many at once. The Jagged Wings still had more than half of their numbers when Erin¡¯s spell barrage came to an end, but the group didn¡¯t despair. Aedan shot down as many as he could with his rifle. Nivia and Lyra brought down as many as they could with their arrows. Meanwhile, Amyra could only just watch as all of her means of ranged attacks would only result in burning down the whole forest. Aera and Lilian had their hands full with the reins, so they couldn¡¯t join in on the assault. It was at that moment Lilian thought of something and spoke up. ¡°Amyra, sweetheart, how about you take the reins and I¡¯ll take your ce in the assault. I can hurt the enemies without destroying the whole forest.¡± ¡°What? You mean to be on a passive duty while we are¡ª¡± ¡°Listen to her,¡± Erin said, cutting the Augur off before she couldin any further. Amyra immediatelyplied and switched with Lilian. Without any help, Lilian climbed on top of the carriage with graceful movements as if the rushing winds did not affect her bnce at all. Once there, she readied a few green stones in her hands, gripping them tightly as they glowed. When the remaining Jagged Wings flew close enough to the two carriages, barbed vines emerged from the ground and impaled all of the remaining Jagged Wings. ¡°Should have let me intervene sooner, won¡¯t you agree, Erin?¡± Lilian asked with a titter. ¡°Betterte than never,¡± Erin responded. ¡°We have more iing.¡± As soon as Erin warned herpanions, a loud screech filled the air. Erin and Nivia winced in pain as the sharp noise resounded. ¡°Oh¡­ shite,¡± Aedan cursed under his breath. ¡°What was that?!¡± Aera asked in a frightened tone. ¡°That, my dear, is the cry of a Wyvern,¡± Lilian answered with her usual ever-present smile but a faint hint of unease was present in her expression. ¡°Ah¡­ that¡¯s not good,¡± Amyra muttered as she looked to the sky and saw a great winged terror splitting the storm clouds. ¡°This is bad,¡± Siv said. ¡°Fucking false dragons,¡± Amyra growled. ¡°They give our god a bad name.¡± ¡°I am still a Fae of Willowde. Aeryo is not my god,¡± Nivia firmly asserted. ¡°Oh,e on. I wasn¡¯t being specific.¡± ¡°It¡¯sing,¡± Erin said with a raised voice to reel everyone¡¯s attention back on track. ¡°Huh? It¡¯s armoured,¡± Lyra mused. ¡°Military grade,¡± Aedan added. ¡°Forged with a proper smith.¡± ¡°Armours for a mount of that size are not something anyone can just make,¡± Siv exined. ¡°Our opponents possess immense resources.¡± As the Wyvern flew closer, the insignia on the headpiece of the Wyvern¡¯s armour became clear to everyone¡¯s eyes. The insignia was simr to the insignia of Aeryo but the serpent looked more ferocious and it was crushing its tail instead of simply gently biting on it. Aedan widened his eyes and so did Amyra. Erin noticed the two¡¯s reactions. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Unbelievable,¡± Amyra scoffed. ¡°It lives on.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that Aeryo¡¯s insignia?¡± Lyra questioned. Aedan sighed. ¡°It¡¯splicated,¡± he said and began firing his rifle at the descending Wyvern. An ethereal spherical barrier appeared around the Wyvern and the bullets bounced right off. ¡°The armour is enchanted,¡± Aedan muttered. The rider of the Wyvern, a fully armoured individual in dark red, rose from their saddle and started walking their way across the Wyvern¡¯s body. The armour of the person was painted with a series of joint tattoos. ¡°For Aerys!¡± the armoured individual shouted before breaking into a dash and jumping right off the Wyvern once he reached its head. They were falling towards the carriages. ¡°A fucking looney!¡± Lyra eximed and aimed her bow at the falling zealot. She released an arrow but the arrow broke against the zealot¡¯s armour. Aedan fired another shot but the bullet only dented against the armour. Erin conjured a Lightning Spear and threw it at the zealot. The lightning projectile exploded once it hit its mark, but the zealot came out unscathed and continued falling towards them. ¡°Slow down the carriage!¡± Aedan shouted. The carriages slowed and the zealot streaked over the carriages. They crashed into the ground and tumbled for some distance before hitting arge tree that stopped its crash. The zealot spared no time writhing in agony over its harsh fall and leapt right back to its feet with light movements as if the armour wasn¡¯t weighing it down in the slightest. As the zealot began charging at the carriages that were picking up speed, Aedan fired shot after shot at the zealot but not a single bullet prated its armour. Erin threw an Aura Shot at the charging zealot but it only slowed him down without even denting its armour. Lyra shot an arrow that was aimed at the visor gap on the zealot¡¯s helmet. The zealot dodged the arrow but the projectile came around and flew towards its mark again. The zealot grabbed the arrow before it could strike him. Then, the arrowhead emitted a blinding sh of light that stunned the zealot. Taking the opportunity, Aedan fired a precise shot that struck the zealot¡¯s head through the visor gap. Just then, the Wyvern that was the zealot¡¯s mount had gotten near to them. It bared the talons of its hind limbs and lunged at the carriages. Vines erupted from the ground as the Wyvern drew near, grasping at its limbs. The Wyvern shrieked in terror and quickly made its ascent to avoid the vines¡¯ grasp. However, Nivia slowed the Wyvern down by restraining it with Wind Magic, Air Hammer. The Wyvern was pulled to the ground and immobilised as more vines coiled themselves around the massive winged terror, allowing the carriages to emerge from danger, albeit only temporarily. Before any of them could catch their breath, cries of monsters could be heard from the forest around them, drawing closer to them. ¡°Drakes,¡± Amyra mused. ¡°No doubt they are Aerysians.¡± ¡°Just who are they?¡± Nivia asked as her gaze darted around, wary of their approaching enemies. ¡°Like the Aeryons, they worship the Dragon God but they worship a different Dragon God.¡± Erin¡¯s interest was piqued. ¡°There¡¯s another Dragon God?¡± ¡°There¡¯s only one Dragon God but many like to believe there¡¯s two. In truth, there¡¯s only one but a coin has two sides.¡± Erin immediately understood Aedan¡¯s implication. ¡°This¡­ Aerys¡­ is the dark side of Aeryo?¡± ¡°That¡¯s one way to look at it. It would be more apt to say Aerys is the physical manifestation of Aeryo¡¯s darkness. The Aerysians are those that believe Aerys is the true Dragon God, the true side of Aeryo.¡± ¡°His Grace had taken the liberty to hunt all those bastards down to avoid Aeryo¡¯s name from being tarnished.¡± Amyra nonchntly said. ¡°But somehow, we are being pursued by Aerysians as we speak,¡± Nivia pointed out. ¡°Ideas are immortal,¡± Aedan retorted. ¡°You can¡¯t kill an idea. You can only rece it.¡± Suddenly, a loud roar swept over the group. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of them,¡± Erin said. ¡°This is getting annoying,¡± Amyra muttered. ¡°We¡¯re nearing the cliffs!¡± Aera shouted as rows of hills came into sight. ¡°Things are about to get more than annoying,¡± Aedan remarked. ¡°What do we do?¡± Aera asked in a rush. ¡°Slow down?¡± A Drake emerged from the forest at that moment, nearly ramming into the carriages. There were three riders on top of the Drake, all wearing a simr kind of armour as the zealots Aedan had just eliminated. The Drake began chasing the carriages down after its appearance and the riders readied themselves to leap onto the carriages at any moment. Erin used Warp and moved herself to the back of the Drake but she nearly missed her timing and positioning. She quickly regained her poise and bearings before flourishing her swords at the armoured zealots. Two of the zealots immediately fell victim to Erin¡¯s graceful and deadly dework but the third parried her sh and countered with his own. Erin performed a counter riposte that ended with the tip of her sword through the zealot¡¯s neck. The notification of her experience¡¯s increment assured her of her enemies¡¯ death but that wasn¡¯t needed as the bodies simply fell off the Drake. ¡°Forgive me,¡± Erin said before stabbing her sword into the Drake¡¯s head and quickly leaping towards the carriage afterwards with Lightning Rush. ¡°That was neat,¡± Lyra praised. ¡°And dangerous,¡± Erin replied. ¡°One wrong step and everything could have ended very differently.¡± ¡°If you are so worried, maybe you should stop doing that sort of thing,¡± Aedan suggested. Erin chuckled. ¡°Not in a million years.¡± Aedan was about to give a witty retort when suddenly ducked down, pulling Amyra and Nivia with him. Erin also ducked low, taking Lyra with her in her sudden deliberate fall. Siv did not duck down but merely took a few steps back. A beam of red energy streaked overhead the carriage, barely missing the group. ¡°What was that!?¡± Aera screamed. Though she was the furthest away from the beam being the one in the coach seat, she did feel the intense deadly energy from the beam. ¡°I have not felt this energy in years but¡­ it¡¯s a Lindwurm, no?¡± Amyra ventured a guess as she picked herself up. ¡°Yes, it is a Lindwrum,¡± Aedan confirmed. Erin stared in the direction where the beam came from. ¡°What¡¯s a Lindwurm?¡± she asked. ¡°A serpent dragon with a pair of front limbs but no hind limbs.¡± ¡°How is its tenacity?¡± ¡°It dies if you sever its head like most living things but its scaly hide is quite tough¡­ I wager only your Mystic de can cut it but even then, it moves very quickly too. You¡¯ll have to be faster if you want to cut its head.¡± ¡°Or strike its heart,¡± Amyra added. ¡°Good luck getting through its steel-like ribs that encaged its heart.¡± In the middle of their discussion, Erin felt the first drop of rain. And then, an idea appeared in her head and she smiled. ¡°Why didn¡¯t I think of this sooner?¡± ¡°Thought of something good, Mistress?¡± Siv inquired after noticing Erin¡¯s sudden smile. ¡°Yes,¡± Erin answered as her smile widened. ¡°The storm would be our ally after all. Well, my ally, at least.¡± 5-16 Aerysians 5-16 Aerysians As the two carriages reached the short alley that led to the treacherous cliff ledges of the hillsides, the rain began to fall in earnest and thunder soon raged across the dark clouds. ¡°Erin, this is getting way too eerily familiar, won¡¯t you say?¡± Lyra asked as the carriages entered the alley. Since the alley was narrow, the carriages could only enter it with one carriage at the front and the other at the back. ¡°As long as I don¡¯t fall off the ledge, all will be fine,¡± Erin retorted frivolously but her expression was stern and upromising. ¡°I don¡¯t hear anything behind us,¡± said Aera, who was taking the reins of the carriage at the back. ¡°Is the Lindwurm noting after us?¡± ¡°Your judgement is immature, Aera,¡± Siv chided. ¡°Most threats and danger are not easily perceived until they are close.¡± ¡°I-I understand,¡± Aera nodded meekly. ¡°Just focus on the front and the horses.¡± The exit of the valley eventually slipped into view after a short while, marking the start of the precarious and truly dangerous part of the journey. ¡°We¡¯re nearing the ledges. Hold on!¡± Amyra shouted from the forefront. The entire group swallowed their fear and braced themselves for the turbulence. However, the turbulence came early as the Lindwurm appeared from above them and dropped right into their path. ¡°Enemy ahead!¡± Nivia screamed. ¡°Torch it!¡± Aedan bellowed. ¡°dly, your grace,¡± Amyra chuckled with glee as she stood on her feet on the coachstand. The Lindwurm slithered towards the group like an arrow shot from a crossbow. At the same time, Amyra conjured an orb of inferno in her hand. When she threw it at the Lindwurm, the fireball grew into a zing vortex. The Lindwurm saw its demise in the mes and instantly changed its trajectory, but the inferno was a few steps faster than the quasi-dragon¡¯s instincts of self-preservation. The ze engulfed the Lindwurm and its agonising cries echoed across the small alley. Its throes of anguish were louder than its size suggested, making the alley tremble and shaking a few rock pieces loose. ¡°The whole ce ising down!¡± Amyra shouted. ¡°Abandon the carriages! Everybody hold hands!¡± Aedan barked his orders and no one questioned him. He exchanged a brief nce with Erin and also a nod. Erin dispelled all four of the horses, which were all her summoned Familiars. Everyone hopped off the now useless carriages and they huddled together, forsaking their pieces of luggage, as the alley continued to crumble. ¡°Everybody joined?¡± Erin asked. Everyone nodded and raised their held hands for all to see and confirm. Right around this moment, more Lindwurms emerged from the top and they streaked towards the group like some crazed and hungry beasts. Just as they were about to sink their ws and teeth into the group, they disappeared and reappeared right outside the alley where they were safe from the alley¡¯s copse. The Lindwurms were not so fortunate, however. They ended up being buried by the copse of the Lindwurms. ¡°We lost our bags¡­¡± Lyra muttered. ¡°Our bags are just decoys, did you forget?¡± Nivia reminded her. ¡°I didn¡¯t but¡­ one of those bags alone is worth more than all of my belongingsbined.¡± ¡°She¡¯s right,¡± Aedan affirmed as he looked at the rubble with a mncholic gaze. ¡°The carriages too, they aren¡¯t cheap. They cost a pretty penny.¡± Nivia rolled her eyes. ¡°We can talk about reimbursement andpensationter. Can we move?¡± Aedan looked towards Erin, who was on the ground, panting. ¡°Can you move?¡± Erin nodded. ¡°I will need a minute,¡± she said in between her rasped breaths. Aedan¡¯s mncholic gaze turned fretful. ¡°Will you be alright?¡± ¡°It was my first time using Warp with a group. I¡¯m a little out of it but I¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Erin smiled. ¡°You¡¯re such a worrywart, Aedan.¡± ¡°Because I know you are rarely honest with the state of your well-being.¡± Everyone nodded at Aedan¡¯s words except for Siv. ¡°Suddenly, I¡¯m surrounded by traitors.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re being dramatic, mdy,¡± Amyra said and hoisted Erin onto her shoulder without asking. ¡°Amyra, what are you¡ª¡± ¡°Apologies, mdy, but we have to move now.¡± Just as the Augur said so, howls and cries of various beasts resounded from afar but the distance didn¡¯t reassure the group in the slightest. ¡°What are you waiting for then? Move your arse!¡± Erin urged. Amyra began running with Erin on her shoulders. Siv followed behind the Augur and she, too, took off sprinting. Nivia and Lilian each summoned a horse using their Spirit Magic and they both shared their horses with Lyra and Aera respectively. As the four got on the horses, Lin turned to Aedan. ¡°Aedan, what of you?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. Just get moving,¡± Aedan said and cocked his rifle. Instead of running away from the copsed alley, he trod closer to it. ¡°Aedan, what the hell are you doing?¡± Nivia asked in disbelief. ¡°What I do best,¡± he retorted dryly. ¡°Getting yourself killed?¡± Lyra scoffed with a dry chuckle. ¡°Well, second best.¡± ¡°You¡¯re barely a tenth of your prime, Aedan! Your sacrifice will mean nothing!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t intend to sacrifice myself, Nivia. I¡¯ll be fine. So, get moving. We¡¯ll meet up again at the next town.¡± The beasts howled and cried again, signifying their imminent appearance, along with some footstepsing from people. ¡°If you don¡¯t go now, you¡¯ll be joining me in this fight.¡± ¡°Damn it, Aedan. What am I going to tell Erin?¡± ¡°Pot, kettle,¡± Aedan said and took aim with his rifle. A monster appeared from atop the rubble mountain and Aedan immediately shot it down with a single bullet to the head. The monster¡¯s head exploded into bits and pieces with just a single shot. Aedan cocked his rifle and nced over his shadow. ¡°You¡¯re wee to join me or you can start moving your arses now.¡± Knowing no other words could convince Aedan to join them, they spurred their horses into a gallop across the narrow and steep cliff ledges. Aedan turned his gaze back to the heaps of rubble and trained his rifle at the few possible ces where the enemies could appear. ¡°Ah, shit,¡± Aedan cursed and instantly swerved his aim to his right, where the cliff was, just as a lightly armoured individual leapt up from the ledges with their swords brandished and swinging. The attacker was dressed in religious garbs, and d in armour ting. Aedan barely dodged the swords that threatened to take his head. Once he had moved out of the reach of the attacker¡¯s swords, Aedan quickly fired a few shots without taking aim. The zealot dodged the bullets by bending his body in a very fluid way as if his bones were rubber. He then quickly moved in and lunged at Aedan with his swords flourishing. Aedan holstered his rifle and met the zealot¡¯s swordy with his own using a dagger kept by his waist. They exchanged a few blows with Aedan gradually being overwhelmed by the zealot¡¯s superior ferocity and prowess. However, the exchange tilted in Aedan¡¯s favour a secondter as he led the zealot into a few ruses and feints that ended up with the zealot¡¯s arms getting sliced off. Aedan holstered his dagger and drew his rifle, which he then stuck the barrel into the zealot¡¯s mouth before pulling the trigger. Before Aedan could wipe his face of the blood, skull bits, and brain matter that he was doused with, a piercing screech resounded once again from the sky. It was another Wyvern but not just one. More piercing screeches filled the air. Aedan counted four in his head and two already flew overhead. He thought about shooting those two down but his attention was drawn to the hills of rubble, where a man climbed onto one of the many crumbled peaks. The man was dressed in a religious garb like the one before him but he donned a full set of heavy armour over his garb. Also like the others before him, his armour was painted in markings and symbols of the faith. ¡°It has been too long, your grace,¡± greeted the man with a tant sneer even though his face was obscured by his helmet. ¡°Kang¡­¡± Aedan muttered in response, lowering his rifle. ¡°You¡¯re alive.¡± The man named Kang chuckled. ¡°Thanks to the true sovereign of all dragons, Aerys.¡± Aedan sighed. ¡°It¡¯s been so many years but you¡¯re still the same.¡± ¡°No, your grace. I have changed a great deal and for the better. You have changed too but for the worse, I see.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s agree to disagree.¡± Aedan cocked his rifle, ejecting an empty casing. ¡°You¡¯re weak. I no longer sense the oppressive presence you used to have.¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s just your sense of self-preservation has be dull.¡± ¡°As sardonic as ever,¡± Kang scoffed and brandished a greatsword out of thin air. ¡°Aerys will be delighted when I offer your head to her.¡± ¡°The Dragon God is long dead.¡± ¡°Your god is dead. Mine is still very much alive.¡± ¡°You conceited sap,¡± Aedan said and pulled the trigger. A shot rang out. Kang stumbled backwards from the shot but he was unhurt. The bullet fell to the floor harmlessly. ¡°For an Apostle, you sure love your secr tools,¡± Kang jeered. ¡°Consecrated means or not, it gets the job done.¡± Aedan fired another shot that ended with the same result. Kang let out a scornful bellow as two more Wyverns flew overhead. ¡°You know, in spite of your infidelity and insolence, Aerys still wants you to seed her throne.¡± ¡°The Dragon God is dead. Whoever you¡¯re talking to, it¡¯s not Aerys.¡± ¡°Yourck of faith does not equate to Aerys'' death.¡± Aedan rolled his eyes. ¡°Enough of your impudence. I¡¯ll see you dead.¡± A red aura surrounded Kang and then it seeped into his greatsword and armour. ¡°See this? This is the blessing of Aerys! The real Dragon God is not dead and I am the absolute proof of her living magnificence!¡± ¡°You¡¯re noisy,¡± Aedan said and proceeded to unload shot after shot until he was down to thest round. None of the bullets prated Kang¡¯s invisible barrier that took the shape of his bodily figure. ¡°Your bullets cannot break the protection of a divine. Submit now and I shall not cripple you.¡± ¡°Sow your own farm with your own seed,¡± Aedan scoffed and unloaded thest round right on the zealot¡¯s face. Though the bullet only fazed Kang a little, the humiliation that came with it was immense. ¡°Be d that Aerys wants you alive.¡± Aedan shrugged and stowed away his rifle. In return, he took out a long sword that looked unremarkable in every visual way but only to the eyes of ayman. ¡°You intend to trade sword blows with me?¡± ¡°Do you prefer to be shot in the face again?¡± Kang roared and pounced towards Aedan with a thrust. Aedan flourished his de work swiftly and precisely, deflecting Kang¡¯s thrust while also retaliating with a quick cut that drew a shallow wound across the zealot¡¯s cheek. ¡°This cannot be!¡± Kang snarled and pressed in for a flurry of blows. ¡°Your swordy certainly didn¡¯t change for the better,¡± Aedan retorted and parried the barrage with deft movements. ¡°I am level fifty-seven. You are currently beneath me. How are you doing this?¡± ¡°The strength and power granted by the System is nothing more than a lucid illusion.¡± ¡°Power is power!¡± Kang charged in with another flurry of attacks. ¡°All these fancy words and pretty philosophies are nothing more than the denial of the weak!¡± ¡°Then you are about to lose to the weak, boy.¡± Aedan received those blows and skillfully parried all those that came at him. ¡°Your thorns are sharp as ever, old man, but I have grown.¡± Saying so, Kang ceased his attacks and drew a few steps back. ¡°If you think I will fall for your tricks repeatedly, then you have be senile¡­ my master.¡± Aedan shuddered with a wince. ¡°Taking you in as my student has got to be one of my biggest regrets.¡± ¡°Keep wallowing in your regrets, old man.¡± Kang raised his sword to the sky. ¡°Only those who looked to the future instead of dwelling in the decrepit past are deserving of true power!¡± 5-17 Pot, kettle 5-17 Pot, kettle ¡°Where¡¯s Aedan?¡± Erin asked when Lyra and the rest caught up to her and Amyra on their horses. ¡°ying the hero,¡± Lyra answered curtly. Erin cursed silently. ¡°Put me down, Amyra.¡± Amyraid Erin gently down on her feet. ¡°What are you intending to do?¡± questioned the Augur. ¡°What I should be doing. That idiot is going to get himself killed.¡± ¡°About that¡­ Aedan had a message for you,¡± Nivia said. ¡°Which is?¡± ¡°Pot, kettle.¡± ¡°Fucking unbelievable,¡± Erin scoffed. ¡°Even if he¡¯s not here, he still managed to be vexing.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not wrong, Mistress,¡± Siv said. ¡°Now you know how we all felt whenever you plunged yourself into danger,¡± Lyra chimed in. ¡°I¡¯m surrounded by traitors¡­¡± Erin grumbled. ¡°Ladies, I don¡¯t believe it¡¯s wise for us to stop and chat,¡± Lilian said. Just then, a loud screech resounded across the sky and the appearance of two huge silhouettes followed. ¡°Wyverns!¡± Nivia shouted, pointing towards the sky. ¡°Do we f-fight or r-run?¡± Aera asked with a stammer. Erin stared at the two approaching Wyverns with a scowl. ¡°We have too little foothold beneath our feet. We have to run.¡± ¡°Then let us be off!¡± Amyra said with her voice raised. The group continued with their pace forward just as the Wyverns dove towards them. ¡°Don¡¯t stop!¡± Amyra yelled and did the opposite of what she just cried out. While everyone else was running ahead of her, Amyra brandished her cleaver-sword and set the de alight with mes. She then swung her sword at the Wyverns, sending waves of fire aura projectiles at the pale imitations of dragons. The Wyvern at the forefront rolled out of the fire auras¡¯ way but the second Wyvern received the full brunt of the zing assault. It shrieked in pain as the fire projectiles seared the parts of its body that weren''t protected by armour. However, it did not stop the Wyvern. It shrugged off its pain and continued in its approach. Amyra was about to throw another attack but Erin, who came back, dragged the Augur away by her left wrist as Erin made a dash along their narrow path. ¡°Mdy? What are you doing? I can¡ª¡± ¡°Shut it,¡± Erin snapped. ¡°We are running. No one gets to be the hero unless I say so.¡± ¡°Lady Erin, that¡¯s just¡ª¡± An attack from the Wyvern, in the form of a green energy projectile, interrupted Amyra¡¯s protest. Fortunately, ¡°Someone has to stay and fight the Wyverns. We can¡¯t possibly outrun them.¡± ¡°One wrong move and one well-ced attack from the Wyverns, and you¡¯re going down the edges.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be careful.¡± ¡°We are being careful by running.¡± Then, the weather began to worsen and the rain began pouring heavier than before. Lightning roared and thunder pped. ¡°Ah¡­ shit. Now the rain has be too heavy for my fire spells.¡± The Wyverns screeched, preparing tounch another attack. Erin smirked. ¡°The rain has be just right for me.¡± After they dodged another attack from the Wyverns, Erin shot a bolt of lightning into the thunderclouds above. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°Just you watch.¡± The lightning began to rage even fiercer after Erin shot a lightning bolt into the clouds. The lightning became so fierce that it started striking the two Wyverns, almost as if it was deliberately unleashing its fury on the two flying creatures. ¡°Are you controlling the lightning?¡± ¡°Not directly or explicitly.¡± ¡°But how? I have never heard of that.¡± ¡°Ibined my Lightning Magic with Spirit Magic.¡± ¡°You sent Spirits into the thunderclouds? That¡¯s brilliant. I didn¡¯t know that could be done.¡± ¡°Neither did I.¡± The lightning eventually struck one of the Wyverns down and it fell into the chasm between the hills. The remaining Wyvern was also hurt badly by the furious thunder but it survived the fury as the lightning strikes receded. ¡°Now what?¡± ¡°The Wyvern¡¯s hurt. That should slow it down, enough for us to outrun it.¡± The Wyvern roared in anger and elerated its haste. ¡°Mdy, you may have only made it faster.¡± ¡°Bollocks!¡± ¡°Look. Straight ahead. The path¡¯s widening.¡± ¡°But it''s a descending slope. A steep one.¡± Erin then frowned and squinted her eyes through the heavily pouring rain. ¡°Wait, where¡¯s Lyra and the others? I don¡¯t see them.¡± The two hurried to the edge of the slope and looked down. There, they found trails and tracks of theirpanions across the slope but it wasn¡¯t at all reassuring. ¡°They¡­ slid down,¡± Amyra muttered grimly. ¡°And it doesn¡¯t look like it went well going by the erratic tracks they left behind.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see them at the bottom¡­¡± Erin sighed in relief. ¡°That means they¡¯re not¡­ dead or badly hurt.¡± The Wyvern screeched, reminding the two of their pursuers. ¡°Mdy, we have arge enough ground here, don¡¯t we?¡± Erin nodded. ¡°We sure do.¡± She sighed once more. ¡°We¡¯ll catch up to Lyra and the others after we get rid of our tail.¡± ¡°Very much agree, mdy.¡± Once the Wyvern was close enough, it closed its wings and dove straight at the two. ¡°There¡¯s someone on the back of the Wyvern, mdy.¡± ¡°Then, it¡¯s his funeral too, along with his mount.¡± Erin brandished her sword out of thin air and assumed a half-crouching and drawing stance. ¡°Amyra, you might have to carry me after this.¡± ¡°It will be my honour, mdy. Just gut that bastard apart.¡± Erin imbued her de with Mystic de and Spatial Magic, Rend. Once the Wyvern dove into her reach, she unleashed a wide upward sh, slicing the Wyvern vertically into half. The two halves of the Wyvern flew past her and crashed into the trees below. The rider hopped off the Wyvern just before he was about to be cut apart along with his mount. He tumbled onto the ground. He hastily climbed to his feet but he fell back onto the ground again after he felt a sharp pain below his knees and above his ankles. Then, he felt nothing below his knees. When he looked down, he realised his legs had been cut and an Augur stood just beside him, looking down at him with a wide grin. ¡°How¡¯s the view?¡± Amyra sneered. ¡°Fucking heretics!¡± the rider hissed and pulled out a small sack pouch from his vest pocket. Amyra frowned. ¡°Let me guess? Grey Spores?¡± ¡°For Aerys!¡± the rider screamed and ignited the pouch with a spell of Fire Magic, Spark. Though the rain was heavy, Grey Spores were much too vtile. A split second of contact with extreme heat was all it needed for it to bloom into a ze. Instead of retreating to safety immediately, Amyra chuckled and reached out her hand towards the pouch just as the contents spilt out. The contents were slightly reddish Grey Spores and the pouch was still burning. An explosion ensued and it consumed the rider and Amyra. Erin witnessed the whole scene transpiring but she was not panicking in the least. When the mes of the explosion died down, the rider had turned into a charred corpse but Amyra was only lightly singed with some faint scalded marks. ¡°Ouch¡­¡± the Augur winced lightly. ¡°Well, that hurts.¡± Erin smiled weakly. ¡°You¡¯re in¡­ one piece,¡± she said with some struggle. Herst attack had taken quite a toll on her. ¡°But it still hurts.¡± Amyra winced once more before peering at the charred remains of the rider. ¡°They blow themselves up while screaming for their god¡¯s name now? I know zealots are¡­ intense but these ones are just¡­ they set a whole new standard.¡± ¡°We can contemte their extreme fanaticismter,¡± Erin said curtly and walked towards the slope with a meek gait. Out of nowhere, a Lindwurm appeared from the slope. It was riddled with arrows and a few cuts. It was bleeding profusely. Shock ran through Erin¡¯s mind but only for a split second before she rposed herself and ended the Lindwurm¡¯s life with a sh of silver streak. She fell to her knees as the Lindwurm¡¯s head rolled down the slope. Damn it. That was close. The heavy downpour is inhibiting my senses. ¡°Are you alright, mdy?¡± Amyra asked. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Erin responded and sluggishly pushed herself to her feet. ¡°Did you see the state of the lizard, mdy? It was already heavily wounded before you ended its miserable life. It was running away.¡± Amyra snickered. ¡°And it ran right into you, its death.¡± Erin took one look at the arrows stuck on the Lindwurm¡¯s carcass. ¡°These are Lyra¡¯s arrows and the cuts¡­ they are made by Nivia¡¯s swords. The wounds are made by steady hands and good aim. Looks like they are doing fine, rtively.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t say the same about us, mdy,¡± Amyra said, her gaze scouring the path they came from. ¡°I¡¯m sensing a lot of presence approaching us and they¡¯re fast.¡± ¡°Well, here goes nothing,¡± Erin muttered and slid down the slope with her sword in hand. Amyra followed suit without much hesitation. The slope wasn¡¯t long but it wasn¡¯t exactly levelled. Her back suffered some soreness but she wasrgely fine thanks to her Arcane Armour. Amyra, on the other hand, was perfectly fine even without the use of any skills or spells as her skin was naturally tough being an Augur. ¡°Mdy, watch out!¡± Amyra screamed just as the lightning shed. Erin didn¡¯t smell or hear anything out of ce due to the heavy rain but her Sixth Sense was still in effect. In addition to Amyra¡¯s warning cry, despite her debilitated state, Erin was at least able to parry the blow that came for her head and managed a thrust in retaliation. However, her thrust was slower than usual and the assant dodged her riposte. Amyra immediately came to her aid in the next second, kicking the assant across the mud with a dash. ¡°Nice riposte, mdy.¡± ¡°I missed.¡± ¡°Still a good move, mdy, given your state.¡± After showering her mistress with praise, Amyra turned her focus to the assant, who turned out to be a knightly individual but only in appearance. The markings and tattoos all over the knight¡¯s armour were enough indication of his affiliation; he was an Aerysian. His eyes were visible through the visor gap and madness could be seen in his gaze. ¡°Aerys be praised!¡± the Aerysian shouted and lunged at the pair. Amyra stepped forward and received the zealot¡¯s blow with her oversized sword that fit her convenience just fine. Although the zealot was a tad smaller than Amyra, in terms of physique, his physical strength was no less than hers. Theck of disparity became evident when their swords shed once more and both deflected each other¡¯s blow. Due to the rain, Amyra couldn''t draw out her full potential in this fight and this ced her at a great disadvantage. Nevertheless, the impediment did not mean her defeat. She was more than just her Fire Magic. Amyra traded blows after blows with the zealot and their swordy came to a stalemate until the zealot began uttering the name of his god. ¡°Aerys! Blessed be the strong! y my foes and blood shall be spilt in your glory!¡± the zealot shouted to the sky. ¡°You¡¯re noisy,¡± Amyra scoffed and swung down her sword at the zealot¡ª ¡ªbut a thinyer of red ethereal film covered his body and repelled her blow right off. ¡°What in the name¡ª¡± ¡°For Aerys!¡± the zealot cried and pounced at Amyra with a gaze that held more madness than before. Amyra tried deflecting the zealot¡¯s attack but she was barely able to block it. ¡°The strong thrives! The weak perish!¡± the zealot continued to shout as he pressed his attacks on Amyra. With every strike the zealot unleashed after the red glowced its body, the stronger he became until Amyra¡¯s sword was knocked out of her grip. ¡°You¡¯re weak!¡± the zealot yelled and thrust with his whole body. ¡°And you¡¯re an idiot,¡± Amyra retorted and snapped her fingers. She created a fireball but it onlysted for one second before the heavy rain instantly doused it. However, a huge puff of steam burst out as a result and the steam flowed the zealot¡¯s way. The zealot closed his eyes instinctively as the steam closed in on his face and suddenly, he felt himself lunging forward more than he had intended. When the steam cleared, he saw a fisting for his face. He swiftly dodged the fist but he ended up moving right into the pointy end of a de, which was Erin¡¯s sword. The de went right through his heart and not even the grace of his Divine was a match for Erin¡¯s Mystic de. It was his end¡­ but he would not allow such a one-sided end. ¡°Aerys be praised!¡± the zealot cried out one more time as his whole body was consumed by an intense red glow. ¡°Are you fucking serious!?¡± Amyra shouted and darted towards Erin. ¡°Mdy!¡± And then the explosion ensued. 5-18 Two fronts 5-18 Two fronts ¡°Why did you do that, Amyra?¡± Erin asked while healing Amyra¡¯s back with Spirit Mend. Though it was a spell that was meant for healing the mind, it could heal physical injuries but only to a limited degree. Given their current circumstances, it was better than nothing. ¡°Are you asking me to just let you die, mdy?¡± Amyra returned the question. ¡°You''re aware that I can¡¯t die, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m also aware that every time you die ande back, you lose a piece of yourself and the wounds linger like an unseen phantom. If you ask me, that¡¯s a fate worse than death. You, mydy, are undeserving of such a fate.¡± Erin tittered. ¡°Suddenly, it feels like I¡¯m the one being healed here.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, mdy. This is only a flesh wound.¡± ¡°I thought fire can¡¯t hurt you.¡± ¡°It can¡¯t but there¡¯s a lot of raw force in that explosion. Even without the mes, the destruction is still huge, enough to tear through my skin. Fuck these people.¡± ¡°There, done.¡± Erin sighed. ¡°I did as much as I could.¡± Amyra stretched her arms and winded her shoulders. ¡°The pain is nearly gone. I feel much better already.¡± ¡°Spirit Mend does that but mind you, the pain wille back once the effect from Spirit Mend fades.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, mdy. This amount of pain is nothing and we have wasted enough time licking our wounds. We need to catch up with the rest.¡± Erin rose to her feet and stretched out her hand. ¡°Can you stand?¡± Amyra stood up without any difficulties. ¡°Of course, mdy. I can even walk and run.¡± ¡°Good. Let us make haste,¡± Erin said and dashed into the woods with Amyra following behind her. **** ¡°Wait,¡± Siv uttered and everyone came to a stop in their tracks. Lyra, Nivia, Lilian, and Aera all turned to look at Siv who was walking at the rear of the group as they trekked through the woods. Siv¡¯s nose twitched as she took a few whiffs of the air. ¡°Enemies?¡± Nivia asked. Siv nodded. ¡°We¡¯re surrounded.¡± ¡°About time,¡± Lyra muttered and nocked an arrow to her bow. ¡°Forgive me,dies, but I will have to entrust my life to all of you,¡± Lilian said, haggardly. She had done her best to sustain her summoned Familiar horse but unlike Erin, she wasn¡¯t a shining beacon for the Spirits and she quickly exhausted herself. ¡°You have done enough, Lady Lilian,¡± Aera said as she helped Lilian to a log that was just the right side for one to sit on. ¡°Rest easy.¡± ¡°Thank you, Aera.¡± Lilian tittered. ¡°Please, Lilian is enough.¡± Aera nodded meekly. ¡°Alright¡­ Lilian.¡± Lilian snickered. Siv looked towards Aera with a sympathetic gaze. ¡°Aera, sorry to ask this of you but we really need your wrath right now.¡± ¡°I-I understand¡­ but¡­ I can¡¯t just draw it out. I need to be angry.¡± ¡°Well, just imagine them to be part of the Covenant,¡± Lyra suggested as her gaze wandered around, looking out for any creeping enemies. ¡°That doesn¡¯t work¡­¡± ¡°Siv, can you tell how many there are?¡± Nivia asked, her bow drawn. ¡°Forgive me, Nivia. I can¡¯t. The scent is muddled. I can only smell their bloodlust but it is intense. We¡¯re either up against a lot of them or just a few who are incredibly¡­ strong.¡± ¡°Well, neither of those two isforting.¡± ¡°We should keep moving,¡± Nivia said. ¡°Lilian is tired.¡± ¡°Then carry her. We¡¯re just sitting ducks here.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee to try.¡± ¡°This is no time to be making jokes, Lyra.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not joking, Nivia. Do you really think I can carry her and run at the same time?¡± ¡°Your arms are thicker than mine.¡± ¡°Not thick enough for her. Do you not see those two lumps on her?¡± Lilian frowned. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s very underhanded of you, Lyra.¡± ¡°Sorry, but it¡¯s the truth. Sure I can carry you and run if I use Mana but we are being chased. It will leave me dry when we need to fight back.¡± ¡°I can carry her,¡± Siv offered. ¡°No, you are our main strength here. We can¡¯t let you be burdened.¡± Nivia scowled. ¡°Are you calling Lilian a burden?¡± ¡°She¡¯s right, Nivia,¡± Lilian said with a wry smile. ¡°I am a burden right now.¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t need to be if you stay our ground and fight.¡± ¡°And let the enemies slowly close in on us from all sides? That¡¯s very stupid.¡± ¡°We just need to hold out until Erin arrives.¡± ¡°Do you intend to depend on Erin again?¡± Lyra had no retort towards Nivia¡¯s question. Lyra surprised herself with her own words. She didn¡¯t even realise it until Nivia pointed it out. She had be reliant on Erin. She cursed inwardly at herself. ¡°I can carry her,¡± Aera said. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Lyra questioned. Aera nodded and walked towards Lilian. She scooped the Dryad into her arms and lifted her up with a huge huff. ¡°Whoa¡­¡± Lyra gasped. Nivia was equally stunned. ¡°Huh¡­ Since when?¡± Siv asked. ¡°My training with Amyra bore fruit,¡± Aera answered with a wry smile and also a strained expression. ¡°I can do this much at least.¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s get moving then,¡± Lyra said and the group resumed their movements. However, a man in clergy robes emerged from the shadows and stood in their path, wielding nothing but a rosary tangled in one hand. Lyra and Nivia immediately trained their bows on the clergyman. Siv brandished her twin swords. ¡°I will make this easy for all of you. Surrender the one known as Erynthea to me and you will all shall live.¡± ¡°Go fuck yourself,¡± Lyra said and loosened the bowstring. The arrow flew straight at the clergyman but it was easily dodged with just a nt of his head. The arrow made a sharp turn and flew right back at the clergyman¡¯s head. Without turning his head, the clergyman grabbed the arrow before it could touch the back of his head. ¡°This is pathetic,¡± the clergyman sneered and flung the arrow to the ground. ¡°If this is all you are capable of, you best surrender now while I¡¯m still being merciful.¡± ¡°Shut your trap,¡± Lyra scoffed and let loose another arrow. The clergyman chuckled and waved his hand, and the arrow was battered away by an unseen force. Nivia released an arrow of her own, propelled by Wind Magic. The clergyman waved his hand but it did not produce the same result. He tutted and snapped his fingers, crushing the spell-enchanted arrow into pieces. Lyra frowned with a scowl. ¡°What manner of sorcery is this?¡± ¡°The kind that is too much for little minds like yours toprehend.¡± The clergyman pointed a finger at Lyra. While the others were confused by the clergyman¡¯s action, Siv leapt in front of Lyra and flourished her swords. A ngour rang clearly in the air and sparks flew. ¡°You can see them?¡± the clergyman questioned. ¡°No, you can¡¯t see them, but you can sense them. Smell them, perhaps? That would be fitting of your kind.¡± ¡°Be careful,¡± Siv said. ¡°The enemy controls some kind of creature. It¡¯s swift.¡± ¡°He caught and snapped my arrows. He also crushed Nivia¡¯s arrow. That¡¯s the work of a Familiar?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s a spell. The attack just now it¡¯s the work of a Familiar¡ª Familiars, to be exact.¡± ¡°Impressive, but as expected of a Beastkin. Your acute senses are not to be underestimated.¡± ¡°Damn it,¡± Lyra cursed. ¡°We¡¯re wasting time with this arrogant fuck while the enemies are closing in behind us.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be reckless now, Lyra,¡± Nivia chided. ¡°We do not know what the enemy can do.¡± ¡°The Fae is wise.¡± The clergyman snickered. ¡°Just shut your trap,¡± Lyra snarled and released a small wave of arrows at the clergyman. All of the arrows either bounced off of an unseen barrier around the clergyman or they were crushed by an unseen force. Siv narrowed her eyes. ¡°The rosary.¡± ¡°What?¡± Lyra blurted. ¡°It¡¯s the rosary. It¡¯s a magic tool. The defensive spells he conjured were all the product of the rosary.¡± ¡°In that case, this will not be much of a hurdle after all.¡± ¡°You jest,¡± the clergyman sneered. ¡°Even if you know about that, what can you do about it?¡± It was Nivia¡¯s turn to point at the clergyman. ¡°This,¡± she said curtly. As if that was the cue, Siv threw a pair of Aura Shots at the clergyman. He clutched tightly on his rosary and the invisible barrier protected him from the Aura Shots but clouds of smoke were raised from the dust and dirt on the ground around the clergyman. The smoke drew out the shape and contour of two invisible serpents floating and flowing around the clergyman. These two serpents were thrice the size of a normal snake. Just as the clergyman was about to send out his Familiars, vines erupted from underneath his feet and coiled around his limbs. Before he could clutch down on the rosary, the vines crushed his limbs and he let out a painful yowl. Siv rushed in and swung her swords. However, the serpents flew into her path and blocked the sh. The pair then began trading blows with Siv, using their bodies like one would use swords. Siv was astounded by such peculiar Familiars but she did not let it degrade her focus. Meanwhile, Nivia seized the window and dove right for the clergyman. The serpents noticed this and immediately dashed back to their master in the midst of trading blows with Siv, but Lyra was already waiting for this. She fired arrows at the serpents, enough to stall them long enough for Nivia¡¯s des to cleave right into the clergyman. ¡°Aerys be praised!¡± the clergyman shouted into the sky as Nivia¡¯s des were inches away from his neck. A ring red glow consumed the clergyman and Nivia was repelled away by the blinding sh. The clergyman¡¯s mangled limbs instantly mended themselves and they were all as good as new in just seconds. However, the clergyman fell to his knees after the red glow dissipated, the colour drained from his face and blood trickled down his nose. ¡°You will pay for this¡­¡± the clergyman growled and retreated into the trees. Siv tried to chase after him but the moment she did, two men with horns and reptilian tails emerged from the bushes nearby. Siv barely avoided their sneak attacks that were aimed at her head but she avoided the attackspletely. One sh grazed her forehead and a thrust grazed her shoulder. Though she survived the ambush, she was wounded. The wounds weren¡¯t heavy but they left her weak and vulnerable for a moment and the two ambushes took advantage of that moment. ¡°Dragonkin?¡± Siv muttered to herself when her ambushers rushed towards her with madness in their bloodshot gazes. ¡°For Aerys!¡± cried the two Dragonkin as they threw themselves at Siv. ¡°Get down!¡± Nivia shouted from behind. Siv immediately did so as a beam of light shed overhead twice. The two Dragonkin rushing towards her were now lying on the ground in two halves, their ring gaping wounds burnt to a crisp and smoking. The devastating and lethal attack came from Nivia¡¯s use of Laser, a spell under Light Magic. It was a simple spell but incredibly deadly and draining. It was only two uses and Nivia had nearly exhausted herself of all her Mana. Siv rushed over to the kneeling Elf who was looking worse for wear. ¡°Thank you, Nivia. I¡¯m so sorry. It was my fault that I¡ª¡± ¡°Save your apology,¡± Nivia cut her off in between her rasped breaths. She forced a smile. ¡°We¡¯re friends,panions. We take care of each other. Besides, I¡¯m just out of breath, not mortally wounded. I¡¯m in better shape than you.¡± Siv tittered. ¡°You certainly are.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll need to carry me now.¡± ¡°Is that wise?¡± ¡°What other choice do we have?¡± ¡°We stand our ground,¡± suggested Lilian, who was being carried on Aera¡¯s back. Lyra snorted. ¡°And wait for our deaths?¡± ¡°No.¡± Lilian weakly shook her head and uncoiled her fist, which had been clutching tightly to herst three Mana Cells. ¡°We can make a fortress of nature around us.¡± 5-19 Reasons 5-19 Reasons In their hasty pursuit towards where theirpanionsy in wait, a violent quake spread the grounds. Amyra braced herself by stabbing her sword into the ground, gripping it tight. ¡°What the hell?¡± As Erin was debilitated from before, her reflexes failed her and she ended up falling on her posterior. ¡°Ow,¡± she winced, lightly. ¡°Are you alright, mdy?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Erin picked herself up without much trouble. As she was patting her backside of the dirt, she noticed a huge shadow had swallowed them. Amyra and Erin turned to look and they saw arge structure made of dirt and vines had been erected out of nowhere. The structure stood as tall as a small castle. Upon closer inspection, Erin could see and feel magic emanating from the structure. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the direction where the girls are?¡± Amyra mused. ¡°It is.¡± ¡°Do you think this¡­ structure is their doing or the enemy¡¯s?¡± ¡°Guess we¡¯ll find out,¡± Erin said and continued with their pursuit. She had taken only a few steps when her world suddenly overturned and she lost her footing. She brandished her sword and kept herself from falling. ¡°Whoa! Mdy, you should get some rest even if it¡¯s just for a minute or two.¡± ¡°They are under attack by forces of the ursed Divines, Amyra. And you want me to just sit here and rest?¡± ¡°You won¡¯t be doing them much favour if you head to them now in your¡­ current state.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± Erin said firmly and tried taking a step. Her world rippled like the surface of water and she lost her bearings. Amyra swooped in like a quick but gentle breeze and received the falling Erin in her arms. ¡°Mdy, are you sure you are truly alright? Maybe you should get some rest first before¡ª¡± ¡°No need,¡± Erin said, stubbornly, and pushed herself off of Amyra. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯m just¡­¡± Amyra grabbed Erin by the hand and pulled the Fox-kin back into her arms. ¡°Mdy, please stop. You¡¯re clearly not fine. You faltered from taking just a few steps.¡± ¡°Let me go, Amyra,¡± Erin demanded while attempting to tug her arm free from Amyra¡¯s hold. ¡°It¡¯s just a mild concussion from¡ª¡± ¡°Mdy, have you already forgotten your promise?¡± Erin froze and ceased her struggle. ¡°...I haven¡¯t.¡± ¡°Then stop trying to overwork yourself. You are not alone in this endeavour and yourpanions are not some helpless damsels. You do not need to do everything yourself. Have some faith in them¡­ in us.¡± ¡°This is different. Our enemies this time are agents of the Divines. They are not¡ª¡± ¡°They have fought Demons and lived.¡± ¡°Demoids, not Demons. That¡¯s a huge difference. Demoids are not fully Demons.¡± ¡°And these Apostles and Acolytes are not actual Divine beings. They are merely proxies.¡± Erin tutted. ¡°Mdy, please calm down. I know you are afraid. His Grace has told me. You have forsaken so much in your old life, taking so many things for granted. Now, you are afraid to lose all those that you couldn¡¯t have had before. Your fear is perfectly understandable but this insecurity of yours would only lead to your and their undoing.¡± Erin stared. ¡°What if something happened to them while I¡¯m here¡­ taking a rest?¡± ¡°Then you shouldn¡¯t have brought them along in the first ce. It¡¯s not wrong to worry about your loved ones but do you intend to keep worrying about them constantly until the end of everything? They¡¯re fighters like you, mdy. Trust in them.¡± ¡°...Fine.¡± Erin sighed. ¡°That¡¯s the spirit, mdy.¡± Erin chuckled weakly. ¡°I don¡¯t believe you understand when you should be using that.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. You get the idea, mdy. Anyway, just rest for now. A good few minutes will do you a lot of good.¡± Erin smiled wryly. ¡°I certainly hope so¡­.¡± Then, her smile dropped. She brandished her sword and her grip around it was as tight as a boa around its prey. ¡°Unfortunately, I won¡¯t be getting that rest.¡± Amyra sighed. ¡°Such is life, mdy.¡± Without giving any prior nce, Amyra immediately spun around with her sword swinging. Sparks flew and a sharp ngour rang out. Amyra¡¯s de bounced off her target, which happened to be a man, or at least it was in appearance but moulded out of metal. Yes, the man was made out of metal instead of flesh. ¡°Are you Erynthea?¡± the man of metal asked, his deep and imposing voice was what one would expect from a being such as him. ¡°Who the fuck are you?¡± ¡°Bora,¡± answered the metal man calmly. ¡°Well, Bora. Fuck off,¡± Amyra snarled and swung her sword again. Bora caught her sword this time and halted the sh. ¡°If you¡¯re not, then move. I have no qualms with others.¡± Amyra grimaced. She gathered mes in her fist and drove it right into Bora¡¯s torso. However, the metal man barely staggered from the punch. ¡°My mercy and patience are finite.¡± Amyra clicked her tongue. ¡°Good.¡± Amyra then let loose the mes gathered in her fist and the ze swallowed Bora. Though his metallic skin was turning red from the heat, Bora¡¯s face showed no indication that he was bothered by the fire that enveloped him. With a flick of his arm, he battered Amyra away with ease. The Augur went tumbling across the ground until she crashed into a log. ¡°Are you Erynthea?¡± Bora asked as he turned his gaze. ¡°I am,¡± Erin answered and rose to her feet, sword at the ready. ¡°I see¡­ Please forgive me for what I¡¯m about to do but you must die.¡± ¡°You¡¯re forgiven,¡± Erin said and flourished her sword from a drawing stance, a faint violet glow enveloping her de. Bora reacted quickly and Erin¡¯s de cut only the air. ¡°Surrender now. I can perceive your actions. I know what you will do before you even think of it.¡± ¡°A irvoyant?¡± Erin smirked. ¡°This should be interesting.¡± ¡°Now that you know, surrender¡ª¡± Bora stopped his words midway and dodged a sh that threatened to cut him vertically in half. Erin reeled in her sh, lightning crackling all over her de. ¡°You have speed, irvoyance, and nigh-imprable defence.¡± ¡°Nigh imprable but notpletely so. I know about your¡­ ability, Erynthea. Nothing is impervious in the face of your de.¡± ¡°Very true.¡± ¡°But even the sharpest de is useless if it can never touch its mark.¡± ¡°We shall see about that, Bora.¡± ¡°Your zeal is admirable but it will not save you.¡± Bora clenched his fists and strode towards Erin. A searing luminance engulfed Bora from behind as he was approaching Erin. When he turned around, a silver sh was streaking towards his head. He had plenty of time to dodge the de but he did not move an inch. Amyra¡¯s sword struck Bora¡¯s head but much like her previous attempts, her sword was ineffective against his metallic skin. ¡°Leave him to me, mdy. Just rest your weary body. You¡¯ll need all your energy for the Aerysians.¡± Erin was hesitant but she reluctantly relented to Amyra¡¯s wishes for both of their sake. ¡°Give him hell, Amyra.¡± Amyra grinned. ¡°Your wish shall be granted, mdy.¡± And she moved in between Erin and Bora. ¡°Move, Augur,¡± said the man of metal. ¡°Who reins your leash?¡± There was a slight frown on Bora¡¯s forehead. ¡°I have no leash.¡± ¡°Then your Divine is making a big mistake.¡± ¡°You dare insult Lord Mordius in his Apostle¡¯s presence?¡± Amyra raised an eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯re a skinwalker? You will get uglier than you already are?¡± ¡°You have none of the grace of an Aeryon. They used to be elegant and refined but look at you. You sully your predecessors¡¯ honour and name.¡± ¡°Oh, shut it. I don¡¯t want to hear this shite from an Apostle of another Divine,¡± Amyra snarled and lunged at Bora, mes enveloping her de. Bora stopped the sword with his bare hand. Amyra tried to pull her sword back but her strength failed her. ¡°I don¡¯t want to kill you. I¡¯m only here for your lover.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not lovers. Not yet, perhaps. And you are notying your filthy hands on Her Grace.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make me destroy you.¡± ¡°Your words are trite,¡± Amyra scoffed and let go of her sword. mes converged on her hands as she coiled them into fists. Bora tossed Amyra¡¯s sword aside and prepared to receive Amyra¡¯s punches. Instead of throwing a punch, Amyra went for a grapple. She threw her arms around Bora¡¯s waist as they both tumbled to the ground. Her arms remained firmly wrapped around Bora and intensified the mes on her hands. ¡°Your mes are nothing to me!¡± Bora bellowed. Amyra did not take his words to heart and continued spreading her mes and strengthening the ze. ¡°Let me go!¡± Bora roared. Amyra tightened her hold further and let the mes swallow them both. Sparks flew and some fell to the ground. The twigs and dead leaves strewn all over the ground caught the sparks but a fire could not sprout due to the pouring rain. The heat turned Bora¡¯s skin red and beyond. The red became a ring crimson and shrieks began escaping Bora¡¯s lips. ¡°Damn you!!!¡± he cried. ¡°You¡¯re not impervious to fire. Just resistance. But not impervious. Now, burn!¡± Bora let out a garbled howl and mustered enough strength to break free of Amyra¡¯s grasp, flinging the Augur away from him. Bora wasted no time and darted for Erin, but the Fox-kin was no longer where hest saw her. He looked around briefly and found footprints leading towards the massive dirt floral structure ahead. Amyra chuckled as she scrambled to her feet. ¡°You deceived me¡­¡± Bora growled, turning his gaze back to Amyra. ¡°I distracted you,¡± Amyra corrected. ¡°It¡¯s a shame¡­ I sincerely wish she could get some rest but with the circumstances more dire than I like to admit, no rest for the weary.¡± Bora tutted and began chasing after Erin. However, a Drake emerged from the tall vegetation and leapt into his path. There was a person mounted atop the Drake. ¡°Stand back, Skinwalker. She¡¯s ours,¡± said the rider, who was a well-dressed man. In fact, he was a little too well-dressed to be on a battlefield, in a three-piece suit with a top hat. There was also a walking cane tucked under his armpit and a pocket watch in the lower pocket of his coat. ¡°Back off, Aeryon,¡± Bora hissed. ¡°How rude,¡± the man scoffed. ¡°I am an Aerysian, not a false idtor you called an Aeryon.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care. Move.¡± ¡°Strange,¡± Amyra mused, sauntering towards the two with her sword in hand. ¡°If Mdy¡¯s death is all that you care about, what difference does it make of who gets to kill her?¡± The two fell silent upon hearing Amyra¡¯s question. ¡°It¡¯s not her death that you all are after, is it? I reckon it is the Guardians¡¯ favour that you lot are trying to attain.¡± Amyra snorted. ¡°How depraved. You¡¯re going for her life not because you truly believe she¡¯s a danger. You want her dead because her death brings the one responsible good benefits.¡± ¡°Aye, you¡¯re not wrong about that, Augur,¡± the man admitted. ¡°No shame in that.¡± Bora slowly turned around and faced Amyra. ¡°Take back your words, Augur. Don¡¯t be presumptuous.¡± ¡°Am I?¡± ¡°You do not know my story,¡± Bora growled. ¡°You have no idea what outworlders are capable of. The destruction they could bring to this world is unimaginable. Clearly, none of your loved ones have ever suffered at the hands of these outworlders. They are a plight. Their uninhibited growth is a threat to the whole world.¡± ¡°You¡¯re doing it for the benefit and you¡­ you¡¯re doing it for revenge, I gather. Either way, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that you two are merely acting on hearsay from those relics.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a waste of breath and time talking to you, Augur.¡± Bora turned back to the Aerysian. ¡°And you. Move or be moved.¡± The man chuckled. ¡°The glory belongs to Aerys and no one shall steal it from her.¡± ¡°Very well. You have made your decision.¡± Then, a pair of horns sprouted from Bora¡¯s head as he began to grow in size and his appearance morphed drastically into something inhumane and beastly. ¡°Holy hell¡­¡± Amyra gasped,ying witness to Bora¡¯s true form as an Apostle of Mordius. 5-20 Oversight of foresight 5-20 Oversight of foresight As Erin ran through the woods towards the massive structure of dirt, rocks, and nts, the sounds of battles erupted all around her. There was the ngour of steel, flesh ripping, throes of the dying, and many more kinds. ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± Erin mused in her heart. She took a deep breath every few steps. The toll was huge on her body. She was still suffering the effects of using one of the strongest spells of Spatial Magic. Therefore, her pace was slow. Her gaze was fixed towards in front of her. She didn¡¯t pay any heed to the sounds around her. She was baffled by them at first but she came to a realisation after some thinking. The Acolytes and Apostles of different faiths were vying for her bounty. Instead of cooperating, they were fighting each other. It was clear then, to Erin, that these people cared not about the reason for the bounty on her head. They wanted the reward, whatever it was they were promised by the Guardians. That was all they cared about. Otherwise, they would have cooperated. There was a clearing ahead that ran for a quarter of a mile before the path was once again swallowed by the dense growth of trees. A foul whiff drifted towards Erin from ahead. It was the smell of blood and a heavy one. Erin brandished her sword as she entered the clearing. The sight bodies scattering all over the ground came into her sight. She was curious but she didn¡¯t let it stop her. She kept on running while ncing at the bodies. None of them were in one piece. Whoever did this, they were ruthless and efficient. Erin was halfway through the clearing when a shadow sped towards her in the corner of her view. All the rms in her head went off at the same time. She covered herself in Arcane Armour and swung her sword around. The assant dodged under her de and followed with a thrust. Erin retreated a step and parried the assant¡¯s sword with her hand. She suffered no wounds as a result of her Arcane Armour. She riposted with a wide cut but the assant flipped out of her range. ¡°As expected of a level fifty-six.¡± ¡°Good. Very good,¡± the assant said with a chuckle. It was a woman, donned in simple leather armour. Her hair was ck, short but it was a mess, with strands stuck on her bloody face, though none of the blood was hers. ¡°Who the fuck are you?¡± Erin questioned. She cast her senses in a wide area around in case the assant had allies lying in wait. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry, Miss Fox. It¡¯s just me.¡± The woman chuckled. ¡°There¡¯s no one else here. I won¡¯t let anyone disturb this eventual meeting of ours.¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°The name¡¯s Eliza but please, call me Liza.¡± ¡°Not a pleasure to meet you,¡± Erin said and lunged at a speed that the average eyes would not see hering. However, Eliza moved just enough to dodge Erin¡¯s de that threatened to take her head. ¡°You are indeed a master of the sword,¡± Eliza cheered. Erin pivoted her sword and brought her sword around. Eliza smirked and once again, moved her body just enough to avoid being cut apart. ¡°Short-flow irvoyance,¡± Erin muttered after using Appraisal. It was one of the Innate Skills the women appeared to have. The man from before had the same skill. ¡°Is this what it is?¡± ¡°How rude of you, Miss Fox. I thought a Fae is supposed to be¡ª¡± Erin came at Eliza again before she could finish her sentences. Erin missed her sh again but she threw an Aura Shot at point nk. Eliza¡¯s eyes widened but her surprise was fleeting. She leaned backwards, showing off her remarkable flexibility. Erin pounced on the opportunity. She brought her sword down before Eliza could recover from her queer posture. Contrary to Erin¡¯s expectation, Eliza twisted her body away. Erin chased after her but Eliza dodged her strikes without even ncing her way. Erin reeled in her sword and cast Lightning Bolts at Eliza. As if reading the future like an open book, Eliza avoided all of the Lightning Bolts without any wasted movements. ¡°You don¡¯t disappoint, Miss Fox. Oh, this fight is going to be so¡­ worth it. You have no idea how long I have waited for this ever since I heard of your exploits.¡± The moment Erin began casting a greater spell, Eliza moved in. ¡°Too slow,¡± she sneered, appearing right in front of Erin in a split second. Erin forwent the spell and fended Eliza off with her sword. Their des shed. Sparks scattered as the two edges grazed against one another. Erin lurched forward with a low cut. Eliza spun gracefully to the side. Erin¡¯s de followed her. Eliza snickered and parried the thrust while wielding her sword in a reverse grip. Erin pressed forward and unleashed a flurry of attacks on Eliza. The bloodied-face woman smiled widely and received the barrage with parries and dodges. None of Erin¡¯s attempts managed to even touch a strand of Eliza¡¯s hair. ¡°This is really exciting. My heart is pounding. Never have I ever crossed swords with such a virtuoso of the sword. Love is in the air. Tell me, my gooddy, do you already have a lover?¡± Erin responded with another flurry of attacks that cut only the air. ¡°Oh, what am I saying? Of course, you have. How can someone as beautiful and strong as you don¡¯t have anyone to warm your bed at night?¡± Erin paused her assault for a while and surveyed her surroundings. ¡°I¡¯m being watched. Her allies? No, their bloodlust is directed at the two of us. They are waiting for an opportunity.¡± ¡°Worry about those peepers?¡± Eliza tittered. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, mydy. They won¡¯t interfere. They¡¯re cowards. They won¡¯t do anything until we show weakness, which we would never do. Am I right, my dear?¡± ¡°You talk a lot.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this a trait of yours? From what I have heard, you talk a lot too. Soe on, talk with me more, my love.¡± Erin grimaced. ¡°No thanks.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not in a hurry. I will take my time with you. Time shall open your heart to me, eventually. I¡¯m in no rush. I do enjoy the process. This shall be a trial for me, set by Her Grace.¡± Erin rolled her eyes and conjured another sword. ¡°Oh, finally getting serious with me?¡± Erin cast Spatial Sense and strode towards Eliza while pivoting her swords. The ever-present smirk on Eliza¡¯s face shrunk. ¡°Oh¡­ this is getting a little unnerving.¡± When Erin got within range of her swords, she began swinging. Eliza dodged the shes. It was easier than before but for some reason, this only made Eliza uneasy. Then, the rhythm of the shes began to increase. Eliza frowned but she still dodged all of the shes. Though she was smirking through all the shes she dodged seemingly with ease, behind her facade of confidence, she felt her posture breaking. A sh came close to grazing her cheek but Eliza dodged it by a hair¡¯s breadth. Her heart thumped hard and loud. In the next moment, the next sh, she raised her sword in defence. She groaned when she received that blow. ¡°You¡¯re not different from everyone else,¡± Erin muttered as she poured strength into her grip and leaned into Eliza. ¡°This is it¡­.¡± Instead of getting flustered with despair, Eliza got flustered for a whole different reason. ¡°This is why I adore you¡­ so much.¡± Erin frowned. She didn¡¯t fail to notice Eliza¡¯s legs were quivering and some kind of fluid was trickling down from the inner region. ¡°Yes¡­ Erynthea¡­ Look at me more¡­ Stare at me as if I¡¯m the most deplorable thing in this world.¡± ¡°Gods be good. You¡¯re insane.¡± ¡°I know!¡± Eliza shrieked gleefully and slithered her way out of the de-lock. Erin recovered her stance and lunged with a powerful thrust. Eliza tried to parry the thrust but she underestimated Erin¡¯s strength. Her sword nearly flew out of her hands. She gripped her sword tighter and riposted. Erin pivoted her swords and sted Eliza with relentless blows that quickly overwhelmed the shorter girl¡¯s stamina. Still, despite her disadvantage, Eliza¡¯s spirit did not falter. She didn¡¯t mind that she was losing in this swordy. After all, Erin had yet tond a cut on her. All was not lost, Eliza firmly believed. As long as she had Short-flow irvoyance, she would eventuallye out the victor. Gradually, Erin cast away all forms and patterns to her swordy and focused on onlynding a strike on Eliza. The unhinged girl was not at all reliant on her skills despite the jibe Eliza hurled her way. Eliza had talent and the realisation brewed doubts in her mind. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, my dear?¡± Eliza asked with a chuckle. ¡°You¡¯re getting sloppy. I can see so many holes in your stance. Your blows are no longer as precise as before. Are you getting tired? Come on, now. Don¡¯t disappoint me, not after we came this far. I truly don¡¯t wish for this to end so¡­ prematurely.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you worry. This won¡¯t end prematurely,¡± Erin retorted. ¡°Then, show me the legend that you are, the legend that I have heard so much about.¡± Erin clicked her tongue. On one hand, she wished to enjoy this fight longer but on the other, the circumstances did not allow her to. Furthermore, being in the presence of Eliza was not good for her mental well-being. Erin felt that she would be dragged along into the abyss that was Eliza¡¯smon sense. The girl had a twisted view of love if it was even love in the first ce. ¡°You¡¯re losing your focus!¡± Erin bent her knees, avoiding a sh that would have else wise taken her head. ¡°This is very unlike the Erynthea I have heard so much about. Are you a sham all along perhaps?¡± Erin sighed. ¡°I have enough of this,¡± she murmured. ¡°If you are a sham, then you shall die a dog¡¯s death!¡± Eliza screamed and flew towards Erin with all her might and ferocity. A glint shed across Erin¡¯s gaze as she prepared to receive Eliza¡¯s torrential attacks. The sword of Eliza came like a storm, carrying a hail of des. ¡°Prove that you are the real one!¡± Erin offered no retort with words but only actions. She received the hail andunched counterattacks after each parry. Lightning covered and surged through her body. In the blink of an eye, Eliza¡¯s advantage was gone. Not that she ever had any from the start. It was only an illusion. The novelty of her ability was her only superiority but novelty was not evesting. As soon as it faded, Ering reigned the flow of the fight. Eliza was still dodging Erin¡¯s attacks but not for long. A sh came. Eliza could see the ruseing with it. She was prepared to dodge ordingly. She saw the future. She saw how the ruse would happen. However¡ª ¡ªthe future changed, all of a sudden. This had never happened before. Though Eliza wasn¡¯t over-reliant on her abilities, that wasn¡¯t to say she wasn¡¯t reliant at all. She saw the future. She saw how the de would have pierced her head but it didn¡¯t. Not only that, the de disappeared altogether as if it had stopped existing. A strange feeling grasped her heart and it pressed tightly down on her. It was fear, an emotion she had long forgotten due to her Short-flow irvoyance. She never stopped seeing the future and she never stopped ustoming herself to it but when it changed so abruptly, her body failed her perception. She did what she could but it was a moment too slow. The de streaked across her eyes and her arms went twirling in the air, scattering blood all around. Before she could realise those arms were hers, something sharp, cold, and solid slithered across her throat. The cold feeling disappeared, reced immediately by a warmth that spread down her body. She looked down and all she saw was red before her sight turned blurry and her world eventually fell intoplete darkness. 5-21 Flurry 5-21 Flurry Erin stared at Eliza, who was lying in a pool of blood, unmoving. Erin did not turn her attention away and stood waiting. Eliza was not dead, evidently from the rise and fall of her chest and also theck of notification of experience increment on Erin¡¯s end. Erin frowned. It was odd, she thought, but only at first. This manner of wound was fatal but only to the average folk. Eliza was above the level of fifty. It would take more than a slit throat to kill her. As Erin prepared to end the girl¡¯s life for good, a chain of explosions snatched her attention. She turned around and stared towards the colossal structure that was no doubt created by Lilian¡¯s Nature Magic. ¡°Damn it,¡± Erin cursed. There was no time to lose. It was no longer about having faith in one¡¯spanions. This was no time to be scrupulous. When Erin returned her gaze to Eliza, the girl was gone. No, she was carried off and Erin could still see the person running off into the distance. Erin rebuked herself for being so careless and letting someone slip under her nose so easily. Erin would have given chase if she could but s, the safety of herpanions took precedence over the death of her assant and assassin. Without wasting more precious time, she sprinted in the direction of the colossal structure. The sounds of battle grew louder and louder as she drew near the structure. The ever-increasing ngour reminded Erin of war. In a way, this was already a war, a war for her head. Like most wars, the participants would justify their atrocious means in the end. Erin was getting a headache from just thinking about it. The cause of all this was the old beings who proimed themselves as the world¡¯s guardian deities. This massive bloodshed was the result of these old-timers¡¯ paranoia. It was truly aggravating the more she thought about it. ¡°Ironic for a bunch of so-called guardians,¡± Erin scoffed in her heart. Suddenly, Erin stopped in her tracks. She turned around and saw Amyra dashing towards her. ¡°Amyra?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t stop now, mdy! Keep running!¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong¡ª¡± Erin¡¯s question was answered immediately in the next second as she nced beyond Amyra. There was a metallic beast chasing after Amyra. Its sheer size and hardness allowed it to plough right through all the trees and various obstacles in its way with ease. The beast in question resembled no creatures Erin had ever seen in her life. The only familiarity she had of the beast was its faint humanoid physique but other than that, it was no exaggeration to call it an abomination. ¡°What the fuck is¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s Bora,¡± Amyra said as she ran past Erin and took her along by grabbing her arm. ¡°That¡¯s Bora?¡± ¡°Yes. That¡¯s him.¡± ¡°What happened to him?¡± ¡°No clue but I think that¡¯s his true form as a Skinwalker.¡± ¡°Did his transformation go wrong somehow?¡± ¡°You want to stop here and ask him?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not funny, Amyra.¡± ¡°Well, I tried.¡± Amyra tittered despite the severity of their situation. ¡°Anyway, I won¡¯t rmend fighting him, mdy. I saw how he tore the other person apart. I don¡¯t believe your des will fare any better.¡± Erin sighed. ¡°My apologies, Amyra.¡± ¡°What are you apologising for, mdy?¡± ¡°I got you involved in this. I got everyone involved.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not wrong but you don¡¯t have to me yourself for it, mdy. I don¡¯t speak for everyone but I do speak for myself. I don¡¯t me you, mdy. You did nothing wrong. Time and time again, you have shown those relics that you are not the instrument of unfettered destruction they denounced you to be.¡± ¡°Thank you, Amyra. That means a lot.¡± ¡°It¡¯s an honour to be serving you, mdy. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s the same for His Grace.¡± Before Erin could return the honour, darkness loomed over them. At the same time, Erin¡¯s Sixth Sense crawled across her skin like thousands of ants. She rolled to the side, taking Amyra with her. A tall and bulky figure crashed into the spot where Amyra would have run had she not changed her direction. The figure caught the sun¡¯s grace and a sheen ran across its body. ¡°Bora,¡± Amyra muttered. The metallic beast named Bora rose to its feet and straightened its back, standing over seven feet tall. ¡°Spirits be damned¡­¡± Erin gulped down her fearful amazement. ¡°He¡¯s dangerous.¡± As if responding to Erin''s words, Bora turned towards her and growled. ¡°I really hoped it would note to this but it seems, in the end, I have to invoke my Lust.¡± Erin conjured a sabre with a de extending nearly as long as her height. ¡°Mdy, allow me¡ª¡± ¡°No, Amyra. I will finish this. There¡¯s no point holding myself back any longer. I¡¯m well aware of how much I¡¯m afraid of my reliance on abilities that are only loaned to me but¡­ this is no time to be finicky.¡± ¡°...Very well, mdy.¡± Amyra loosened her posture. A predatory grin appeared on Erin¡¯s face. ¡°You have been warned, Bora. I never wanted this but you forced my hand.¡± Bora snarled and lunged at Erin. The winds bent and followed him in a spiralling stream. Erin met Bora¡¯s assault head-on and swung her sword. Bora swerved to the side without losing his pace and speed. Coiling its ws into a fist, Bora threw a punch towards Erin. Instead of dodging, Erin caught the punch with her bare hands. There was a strained look but only that. There was no despair or fear. Bora contorted his bestial face with disbelief and shock, which only made him more hideous than he already was. ¡°Gaudy, yet predictably hollow,¡± Erin scoffed. She tightened her grip. Bora tried tugging and pulling but against Erin¡¯s increased stats and strength, he failed to pry his hand off of her grip. Without another word, Erin swung her sword. Even with the power of foresight, there was nowhere and no way for Bora to dodge as his hand was caught, holding him in ce. A vivid silverish cyan sh streaked across his eyes and his world disced into two perfect vertical halves. The experience surged into Erin¡¯s very essence of being as the giant of a metallic beast copsed to the ground in two halves. ¡°Well¡­ that was mawkish,¡± Amyra mused. ¡°What now, mdy?¡± ¡°What else?¡± Erin flicked the blood off her sword and strode down the path that had been paved by all those before. ¡°Lyra and the rest await us.¡± ¡°Will you be fine, mdy? You did just¡ª¡± ¡°Amyra, we have been dawdling long enough. Now isn¡¯t the time to be particr with my health.¡± Erin didn¡¯t wait for Amyra¡¯s response. She kept on walking with a firm gait. ¡°If you say so, mdy. If His Grace starts asking, let it be known that I am not to be faulted for trying to¡ª¡± Erin disappeared into the trees before Amyra could finish making her case. Amyra chuckled. ¡°Fair enough.¡± **** ¡°So, how long are we going to stay trapped in this¡­ deathtrap?¡± Lyra asked as she paced back and forth around within the dirt structure created by Lilian. ¡°Deathtrap?¡±Nivia sneered. ¡°This is a sanctuary. If it weren¡¯t for this, we would have been swarmed by those bloodthirsty hounds knocking on the walls as we speak.¡± ¡°This is not a sanctuary. We are not safe here. We are merely postponing the inevitable.¡± ¡°I agree with Lyra,¡± said Siv. ¡°We have not won the battle. As it stands, we are just dying our imminent defeat.¡± ¡°Then, what do you propose, Siv?¡± Nivia asked. ¡°We are outnumbered and they are not just some simple enemies. They are Apostles of the Divines. I know none of us here want to hear this but we¡¯re helpless without Erin or Aedan.¡± ¡°Staying here won¡¯t help either. We¡¯re sitting ducks.¡± Nivia groaned. ¡°Don¡¯tpare me with ducks.¡± Lyra sighed in frustration. ¡°I¡¯m truly sorry for this, everyone,¡± Lilian said. ¡°Had it not been for me, we would have gotten to safety by now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true,¡± Siv refuted. ¡°You can¡¯t say that for certain. Given the many parties that want Mistress dead and us by proxy, I believe the oue would have been so different even if you¡¯re in good shape, Lilian.¡± Lilian tittered. ¡°Aww~ you say the sweetest things, Siv.¡± Just as those words left Lyra¡¯s lips, a series of explosions shook the entire ce. ¡°W-what was that!?¡± Aera shouted, her eyes darting towards herpanions for answers. But no one could answer as they were just as clueless as her. ¡°Regardless,¡± Lyra said in a voice loud enough to garner all the attention. ¡°We should be thinking of a way out. This¡­ fortress won¡¯tst. A few more explosions of that scale would bring this whole thing on us.¡± ¡°Will we be safe if we go outside?¡± Aera asked, her tone dipped in panic. ¡°What about the explosions? Won¡¯t we just get blown to bits the moment we set¡ª¡± There was another explosion but it was just one. Still, the lone explosion was enough to create arge hole in the wall of the colossal structure. ¡°Fuck!¡± Lyra cursed. ¡°To arms,dies! Iing!¡± Groups of shabbily dressed individuals flooded into the structure, all wielding weapons that were old and rusty. Even their bodies were mucky andced with filth. The only part that was clean and gleaming about these people was the shiny silver badge that was embedded into their flesh. ¡°Are those silver that lodged on their bodies?¡± Nivia muttered out loud her bafflement. ¡°Must be a proof of vow or some sort,¡± Siv answered. ¡°Doesn¡¯t change anything! Fire on them!¡± Lyra yelled. Lyra and Nivia released their arrows on the charging Acolytes. The two released multiple arrows with one shot, wasting not a single arrow. All of the arrows found their mark. They zealots stopped in their tracks and stared in shock. More than half a dozen of their siblings by faith had already been killed when they had only begun their assault. Though the zealots froze, Lyra and the others weren¡¯t. Siv rushed forward and flourished her swords, taking the heads of the zealots that were at the forefront of the charge. The other zealots recovered their bearings and lunged at Siv. Arrows found the heads of the ones who lunged at Siv, arrows from Lyra and Siv. The zealots were once again taken aback by the deaths of theirpanions. It was evident that they didn¡¯t expect the opposition to be so strong and ruthless. They certainly didn¡¯t expect to be losing so many of their peers in such a short amount of time. ¡°Come on, brothers and sisters!¡± Someone shouted at the top of his lungs. ¡°They¡¯re just a fewssies! We are many! We must take revenge for the families they so mercilessly ughtered! Charge!¡± At that person¡¯s spirited cry, the zealots regained their zeal and surged towards Lyra and the others. As Lyra and Siv hurriedly nocked their next volley of arrows, a horn resounded loudly and widely. The sound of the horn made the zealots stop their charge. Fear wrought their faces as they looked at each other in uncertainty. ¡°They are close¡­ We have been discovered¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s them¡­ What do we do?¡± ¡°Curses! We have no choice but to retreat!¡± At the words of the same person who made the cry, the zealots rallied under his words and they all retreated through where they appeared from. It wasn¡¯t just them. Nivia strained her ears and she could hear diminishing noises and sounds around them. Everyone was scattering and clearing the area. In minutes, the entire area became pin-drop silent and the noises there were, were the group¡¯s bated breaths. ¡°What just happened?¡± Lyra eventually let out her question. ¡°Should we run too?¡± Aera asked. Nivia and Lilian were also looking confused and perplexed, but not Siv. ¡°No, we don¡¯t need to run,¡± Siv said. ¡°We are safe, rtively.¡± ¡°You know what that horn was?¡± Lyra questioned. Siv nodded. ¡°It¡¯s the horn of the kingdom¡¯s army. I wager it¡¯s because we are near one of the most important towns of the Yorun Kingdom, it¡¯s only natural that we will stumble upon the kingdom¡¯s army.¡± 5-22 On the grey 5-22 On the grey ¡°Out of my way!¡± Erin roared as she ploughed right through her assants without even giving them the opportunity to heed her warning. Her enemies bellowed in fear and agony as they and their peers were torn to pieces right beside each other. Her de wasn¡¯t the only thing dyed red but also her tails, which she used alongside her sword to cut down her enemies. To one who knew not the preceding story, one would easily mistake the scene as a mindless one-sided ughter. In a certain sense, that notion wouldn¡¯t be wrong but it wouldn¡¯t entirely correct either. It was a one-sided ughter but it was certainly not mindless. Erin was the victim first until she turned the tables on them. She did no wrong towards them but they came for her head because of a bounty that wasn¡¯t even just in the first ce. Erin¡¯s foes and adversaries were more than a dozen but it was not an issue for her. They were only Acolytes, not Apostles. They were no match for her, especially when she was fueling her strength and prowess with her lust. She made quick work of all those who dared to draw their arms against her. When respite, whoever remained was keeping their distance. Some had even given all up and ran away with their tails between their legs. [Erynthea: Level 60 increased to Level 61] [Skill Points +2 | 4] [Ability Points +2 | 4] For all the lives she had taken, it was enough to raise her level by one. A grin involuntarily crept up to her lips but allowed it so. It was quite euphoric after all. However, the dampener was the state of her cleanliness. She was covered in the bits and pieces of her fallen foes and also their blood. Erin considered this one of the greatest drawbacks in her lust-consumed state, the neglect of her hygiene. It was easy to wash away the blood from her skin and sword but her tails were a whole other difficulty level. Extra attention and care were required. Be that as it may, now was not the time to be worrying about her cleanliness. Erin looked around, not just with her eyes but also her other senses. She picked up no approaching threats but there were plenty that were at bay, waiting for the right window to strike. ¡°Come and get me already, you fucking cowards!¡± Erin growled. Her voice was low but her intent was felt by all those in the vicinity. Had it not been for herpanions who needed her attention more, she would have hunted the cravens down. She stayed her lust and shifted her focus back on track. As she did so, there was an explosion. It was of a smaller scale but her worries only grew. ¡°It¡¯sing from the direction of the ugly-looking tower,¡± said Amyra, who had easily caught up to Erin but she stayed a good distance away while Erin was making quick work of the foolish assants. ¡°We better hurry,¡± Erin muttered and rushed down that direction. With Arcane Armour that was conjured of her current stats, she easily plunged right through all the rocks and trees in her way without taking any harm to herself. When Erin got within yards of the dirt structure, a horn red clearly and loudly. Immediately, Erin felt the forest stirring, brought upon by her hiding assants, who all retreated as abruptly as the arrival of the horn. ¡°They¡¯re all retreating,¡± mused Erin. She slowed her pace and continued the rest of the meagre distance with walking. ¡°They certainly are. Which rabble wouldn¡¯t?¡± Amyra said. ¡°You know the horn?¡± Erin asked. ¡°It¡¯s the horn that heralds the approach of the Greymoons.¡± ¡°The Greymoons?¡± ¡°Oh, you are not aware.¡± ¡°I am not, so tell me.¡± ¡°Basically, they are the kingdom¡¯s army. They hail from the capital. They answered only to the Royal Family and their proxy should there be one.¡± ¡°Is it amon urrence for them to be lurking about in an area such as this?¡± ¡°We are approximately only around two days away from an important town, Port Ikon.¡± ¡°Ah, is that so?¡± Erin vaguely remembered Rigetta telling her about Port Ikon but since they would be circumventing that town, she didn¡¯t give it much thought. ¡°Best weid down our arms for now. The Greymoons don¡¯t discriminate.¡± ¡°What about adventurers?¡± ¡°They¡¯ll arrest anyone who doesn¡¯tply with their wishes.¡± ¡°Is that even allowed?¡± Amyra shrugged. ¡°I do not know for certain. If you ignore or defy their so-called requests, they will arrest you. That¡¯s for certain. However¡ª¡± Amyra smirked, eyeing Erin from up to down. ¡°As always, it is a different story when ites to the Faerie-kin.¡± ¡°Good to know,¡± Erin said and proverbially stowed away her swords. She flicked the blood off her tails as much as she could but the results were unsatisfactory for her. She then took a deep breath, expelling her foul demeanour that could have exploded at any moment and plunged her into a frenzy. Thankfully, her will and sanity were stronger than her lust. Erin went around the structure and she stumbled upon a hole that wasrge enough for an individual to fit through. As she marched towards the hole, familiar faces emerged from it and those familiar faces brought her peace of mind. Siv was the first to notice Erin and she gave her Mistress a gentle wave of greeting that contrasted the circumstances of their reunion. ¡°Erin!¡± yelled Lyra upon spotting her lover. She ran towards Erin and leapt into her embrace. ¡°Thank the Divines! You are safe.¡± ¡°Of course, I would be. Have you forgotten about¡ª¡± ¡°And that¡¯s precisely what I¡¯m referring to.¡± Lyra narrowed her gaze. ¡°You don¡¯t have the nk stare, so that means you haven¡¯t gotten yourself killed recently.¡± ¡°How rude. You made it sound as if¡ª¡± Lyra¡¯s narrowed gaze turned into a re. And Erin took it as a sign to be silent. ¡°Ah, see. She¡¯s fine and in one piece,¡± cheered Lilian who limped her way out of the hole with Siv acting as her crutch. ¡°Are you alright, Lilian?¡± Erin asked. ¡°I¡¯m fine, dear. This fortress of ours took quite a lot out of me to conjure.¡± ¡°So it was you.¡± ¡°Of course, sweetheart.¡± Lilian tittered. ¡°Who else but me?¡± ¡°Erin!¡± Nivia eximed as she trod up to Erin. ¡°Were you hurt in any¡ª Oh, what am I saying? Of course, you were. You¡¯re Erynthea. It would be a miracle if you¡¯re not hurt in any way.¡± Erin was about to retort but she couldn¡¯t, not after seeing the approving nods everyone was giving. She could only lower her head in defeat. ¡°We held out on our own, Erin¡­¡± said Aera softly. ¡°Yes, you all certainly did. I¡¯m d and proud.¡± Erin smiled warmly. ¡°Though I must admit¡­, I was sceptical but you have proven me wrong.¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be entirely wrong, Erin,¡± Lyra said. ¡°We were lucky. The horn of the kingdom¡¯s army scared those zealots away. Had it not been for the horn, I don¡¯t think we would have fared as well as we did.¡± ¡°The past is the past now, Lyra. What matters is that you all are safe.¡± ¡°And we should keep moving,¡± Amyra added. ¡°I can¡¯t speak for all of you but I wouldn¡¯t want to be caught by the army. Though we have three Fae amongst us, I still won¡¯t rmend us to loiter around until the army arrives.¡± ¡°W-why?¡± Aera asked. ¡°Have we done something wrong?¡± ¡°Oh, you sweet naive child.¡± Lilian snickered. ¡°It does not matter. They will find a reason to make trouble with us, no matter how petty or small the reason is.¡± ¡°Why would they do such a thing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid I cannot give you an answer to that. The reasons varied between individuals.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I see¡­¡± ¡°Come on, let¡¯s keep moving,¡± Erin said. With the army quickly approaching them, they made themselves scarce of the area. To avoid the army, they had to take a detour, a scenic route that extended their journey by a day. The path they took followed a hollow trail that was hidden by the dead floras. At a nce, one might think some dark magic had been practised within the area but in truth, it was just a simple matter of the soil turning infertile by the whims of time and nature. Still, despite knowing so, it only gave Erin and herpanions littlefort. The other littlefort they found was that it was not a long trek. In just two hours, they made it through the withered trees and they were back on the green paths. However, their relief was brief. The egress of the withered forest took them to a small hill that overlooked the forest spreading before them. They were able to see far off into the distance and what they saw soured the flowery mood amongst them that was just beginning to bud. ¡°What is that?¡± Aera asked. ¡°An outpost,¡± Lyra answered grimly. ¡°Damn it. Looks like we will be crossing paths with the soldiers regardless of our paths.¡± ¡°Siv, Amyra, is there another path we can take?¡± Erin inquired. ¡°I wish there was,¡± Amyra muttered. ¡°Unfortunately, there is not, Mistress,¡± answered Siv. Erin clicked her tongue. ¡°It is inevitable, then. Let us hope these soldiers aren¡¯t so¡­ touchy or¡ª¡± ¡°Death-wishy?¡± Erin frowned. ¡°We will not be killing anyone here, Amyra.¡± Amyra shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s just a suggestion.¡± With heavy hearts, the group continued on with their path. The rain had yet to stop but it was no longer a hindrance. The rain had be just showers of droplets. They had already been through a downpour. A little bit of rain now was nothing to them. Gradually, they approached the outpost that spanned for a few miles. If the walls were taller and made of stones instead of just stakes, it would have been called a fortress. The scouts of the outpost spotted the approach of Erin and the rest. The scouts alerted the other soldiers and in no time at all, riders were dispatched towards them. ¡°Here theye,¡± Lyra muttered. ¡°Everyone, don¡¯t do anything until I say so, understand?¡± Everyone nodded, including Amyra. ¡°Especially you, Amyra. Not a word. And don¡¯t look at them like they were some unworthy prey.¡± ¡°Your words are mymand, mdy.¡± The riders met Erin and herpanions halfway. The riders surrounded the group and their hands were on the hilt of their swords. ¡°Halt!¡± cried the captain of the riders. ¡°State your names and affairs.¡± Erin stepped forward from her group, revealing her beauty that instantly drew gasps of awe from the soldiers staring down at her. They were utterly mesmerised by her. The captain recovered hisposure first and he shouted for his men to do the same. Erin smirked and let loose her tails, flourishing all seven of them. The awes from the soldiers were even louder this time and the captain was no different. Eyes and mouth were wide agape. ¡°My name is Erynthea, an adventurer. These are my lovelypanions. May I know the reason for this confrontation? Last I heard, there were no checkpoints in this area, much less arge outpost.¡± Hearing her question, the captain shook his head to regain hisposure. Thankfully, his helmet hid his flustered expression. ¡°Forgive our discourtesy, Lady Fae.¡± Despite his elevated heartbeat, his tone was firm. ¡°There have been reports and sightings of many unsavoury individuals lurking around. These unsavoury individuals were all part of a cult or a Faith.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Erin nodded. ¡°Well, as you can tell, my friends and I are not one of them. We are merely adventurers, on our way to our next adventuring ground.¡± ¡°Whether you are part of the rabble or not, we shall be the judge of that.¡± ¡°I have my adventurer tag, perhaps that would suffice as¡ª¡± ¡°You will being with us, Lady Fae. And your friends too.¡± ¡°Where to?¡± Erin questioned. ¡°You will know when we get there.¡± ¡°Oh? Is there a reason why you can¡¯t tell us here and now?¡± ¡°Mydy, if you do note with us right here and now, then I will have no choice but to¡ª¡± ¡°Wait! Wait!¡± came a sudden shout, filled with urgency, from behind the captain. 5-23 Friends 5-23 Friends The shout, filled with desperation and urgency, came from a soldier, on horseback, who dashed up to the captain of the group of riders. The captain frowned upon seeing the soldiers. As if the storm clouds had returned, the captain¡¯s face turned dark. ¡°What is it, Diorun?¡± the captain asked. The messenger, with an uneasy expression, spared a brief nce at Erin, before straightening his gaze at the captain. ¡°A message from one of the Blue Cloaks at the camp.¡± ¡°A Valdrun knight? What business do they have now?¡± ¡°These people here are the friends of the High Lady. They are not to be¡­ harassed or vexed, as the Blue Cloaks put it.¡± ¡°What?¡± The captain¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Is this a joke?¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t, Captain. They were very clear with their¡­ demands.¡± The captain narrowed his eyes. ¡°Is that all to their demands?¡± ¡°They have been granted free passage to the capital.¡± The captain tutted. ¡°Unbelievable.¡± He stared at Erin and the messenger back and forth. There was a moment of awkward silence. Everyone¡¯s eyes were on the captain as all awaited the decision. The oue was obvious but it didn¡¯t lessen the blow on the captain¡¯s pride. Regardless, a soldier could not defy an order from the higher-ups. With a face of reluctance, the captain gave themand. The riders backed away from Erin and herpanions and returned to their formation. ¡°Heed my words, Fae. Your exemption from military inspection and tolls does not mean an exemption from thews themselves.¡± The captain left such words with Erin before riding off with his men and also the messenger. ¡°What a sore loser,¡± Amyra huffed. ¡°I didn¡¯t see a stick up his arse but he sure acted like one who did.¡± ¡°Not umon,¡± Siv said. ¡°Lord Hegan himself had encountered a few of such people. There will always be those who can¡¯t help themselves to abuse the power they had.¡± Lyra, who nearly snarled at the captain, sighed in relief. ¡°It really helps to have friends in high ces.¡± ¡°How stupidly bold of them,¡± Nivia scoffed. ¡°Do they not fear the consequences of provoking a Fae¡¯s displeasure and deprecation?¡± Lilian tittered. ¡°Believe it or not, my dear Nivia, there are some out there who still believe that notion is nothing more than make-believe, a ploy by the Fae to reign superior social standing.¡± ¡°These idiots would risk destroying the well-being of their own people just to stroke their ego.¡± ¡°To them, there is no such risk as they didn¡¯t even believe in that story in the first ce.¡± ¡°I pity those who lived close to such a person. They would have to bear the brunt of someone else¡¯s fault.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just keep moving. We don¡¯t want to be out here in the wilderness after sunset,¡± Erin said. Everyone nodded¡ª except for Aera. ¡°Aera, what¡¯s wrong?¡± asked Erin. ¡°W-what about Aedan? Shouldn¡¯t we wait for him?¡± ¡°Ah, that person.¡± Nivia tutted. ¡°I have actually forgotten about him.¡± ¡°He¡¯s capable, Aera,¡± Siv said. ¡°I¡¯m sure Master would¡ª¡± ¡°Hold on, there. Master?¡± Erin questioned. ¡°You¡¯re my Mistress. By right, he should be¡ª¡± ¡°Stop right there, Siv.¡± Erin sighed. ¡°He may be my lover but he¡¯s not my¡­ spouse, alright?¡± Lilian snickered. ¡°Then how should I address him?¡± ¡°His name alone will be fine. In my case too.¡± ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°Can we save this drama forter?¡± Nivia cut in. ¡°You know, after we found a roof over our heads.¡± ¡°Of course, Nivia.¡± Erin smiled wryly. ¡°Let us get moving.¡± The group went down the gentle slope with firm steps and vignt gazes. The threat might have subsided but expect the unexpected, they hade to believe. The path through the forest was a smooth one and they made it through without any problems arising, except for their hunger but that could be easily remedied. They gradually approached one of the many outposts they had seen from afar. The scouts on the watchtowers ced by the paths had long since caught sight of them but due to the orders from the Valdrun Knights, they let them through without making any fuss. They passed through the frontier without being stopped by any of the soldiers. However, from the looks of these soldiers, they all seemed far too eager to exercise their authority on Erin and herpanions as they were a group of gorgeousdies. ¡°I can¡¯t believe there will evere a time where I felt so grateful for a noble, a human noble no less,¡± Nivia said after they made it through the camps of the outpost and went right back on track. ¡°Oh¡­ that¡¯s not good,¡± Lyra muttered. Being the one walking ahead of all the others, her face turned strained at the sight of the path ahead. Erin strode up to Lyra¡¯s side to share her view. ¡°What in the name¡­¡± When the rest saw Erin¡¯s grave expression, they all rushed up to Erin¡¯s side to get a glimpse of the sight that made their pseudo-party leader fretful. ¡°By the Spirits,¡± Nivia gasped. ¡°What happened?¡± There were housesid in their path, a vige but there was no fence defining its space. That was to be expected but what wasn¡¯t anticipated was the havoc and destruction of these viges. Many of the houses were burned down. The crops were destroyed. Corpses were strewn all over thends. There were survivors but it was clear that the dead outnumbered the living. It was nofort to the survivors. Soldiers were already on site, remedying the conundrum and disaster to the best of their abilities. As the survivors were few, every other able hand were sent into the heart of the disaster. ¡°Spirits be good¡­¡± Lilian muttered with a hollow voice. ¡°What could have done this?¡± ¡°People,¡± answered Siv. ¡°I know these marks of destruction. They were left by people.¡± ¡°Bandits?¡± Aera asked. ¡°Bandits wouldn¡¯t have the guts tomit such atrocities with so many soldiers patrolling nearby. Whoever or whatever did this, they are not afraid of the soldiers or they are confident the soldiers wouldn¡¯t be able to track them down.¡± ¡°These destruction¡­ they are not orderly. It¡¯s whimsical and fickle. Just from a simple nce here, more than half of the crops have not been taken. Bandits pige for food, women, and valuables, in that order of priority. They would not leave so much food behind.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ that¡¯s true,¡± Lyra mused. Then, she suddenly frowned and pointed to a certain hut. ¡°Look there. That hut over there. It looks like it had been cleaved in half with a single swing, cleanly at that.¡± Erin narrowed her eyes. ¡°Unafraid of the soldiers. Skilled enough to cut a hut cleanly in half. Leaving all the food behind. I say the perpetrators are not unknown to us.¡± Everyone looked at Erin, baffled. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lyra asked. Siv raised her brows. The realisation had struck. ¡°The ursed zealots. This is their doing.¡± Erin nodded. ¡°They would be the most likely culprits.¡± ¡°But why?¡± Nivia grimaced. ¡°Why would they do such a thing?¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t they?¡± Lilian said. ¡°They would kill our lovely Erin just to gain favour with those ghastly and irrationally fearful deities. Ravaging a vige on a whim doesn¡¯t seem too far-fetch for them.¡± ¡°Hypocrites,¡± Lyra spat. ¡°Every single one of them. Pathetic. They want Erin dead because they fear she would destroy the world or something but look at what their hired thugs have done. They¡¯re doing exactly just that.¡± ¡°Youssies over there, halt!¡± shouted a soldier who sped towards them on a horse. ¡°Not a step further, mind you. The area has been sealed off for investigation.¡± ¡°But we need to go through here,¡± said Lyra. ¡°Not possible, Miss. If you wish to proceed forward in this direction, I¡¯m afraid you have to take a detour.¡± ¡°The detour will take us a week more time.¡± ¡°There¡¯s Port Ikon. If time is of the essence, I would rmend hiring a boat at Port Ikon and making your way through on the stream.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the sea.¡± ¡°The sea at the port leads into the indkes. Granted, the fee to hire a boat to travel upstream would be¡­ quite costly to say the least. In any case, these areas are off-limits. Please, turn back.¡± ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°Thank you, kind sir.¡± Erin intervened. She took Lyra by the hand and dragged her away from the soldier. No one noticed but the soldier had a deep blush when he got a good look at Erin¡¯s face when she chimed in. **** ¡°We will head for Port Ikon,¡± said Erin. As their original n of course had been altered, they retreated into the trees, off the main road, to discuss their next course of n. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious,¡± Lyra retorted. ¡°Is there something wrong with that idea?¡± ¡°Mistress, if I may?¡± ¡°Just speak, Siv.¡± ¡°Port Ikon is famous for a few of its peculiar, rowdy locals. Troublemakers, in short, but that¡¯s putting it lightly. Most important of all, there will be many vers.¡± ¡°vers? Actual vers?¡± Siv nodded. ¡°Yes, Mistress.¡± ¡°And the town¡¯s guards do nothing about them?¡± ¡°Corruption runs amok the kingdom, Mistress.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Erin sighed. ¡°How trite. But what other choice do we have? The other path will add a week¡¯s time to our journey. Port Ikon may not be a good option but it is better than all the other options we have on our hands.¡± ¡°No objections from me,¡± said Amyra with a toothy grin. ¡°If those thugs want a fight, I¡¯ll give them a good one.¡± ¡°I concur with Amyra, Mistress. We are not damsels. We are not without powerful friends. Lord Hegan has plenty of friends at Port Ikon. They can be our shields.¡± ¡°But you no longer work for him.¡± ¡°My rtions with Lord Hegan¡¯s friends are¡­ amicable, to say the least. A couple of them even owe me some personal favours. One of them being the port¡¯s overseer.¡± Lilian tittered. ¡°If that is the case, Port Ikon certainly doesn¡¯t sound like a bad idea.¡± ¡°Port Ikon it is, I guess,¡± Lyra muttered. Erin pped her hands. ¡°Alright then, since everyone is in agreement, let us be on our way.¡± **** It was an hour or two after midday when the group finally reached Port Ikon. The streets were bustling with life and activities much like the city of Sephrodia Valley. It was also quite noisy but unlike Sephrodia, the noises here were brash and morous. It was a town filled with merchants from various corners of the world. It was essentially a trading port. Adventurers were easily spotted from just a simple nce despite theck of game nearby. The heavy presence of adventurers was due to the fact that more than half of the merchants here had weapons and battle gear as their goods for sale. As these goods were sold by the firsthand procurers themselves, the prices were much lower than those in the other cities and towns. Moreover, Port Ikon was conveniently situated along the path that led to many prominent towns and cities. ¡°Where do we go from here?¡± Lyra asked, looking at Siv. Siv, in turn, looked at Erin. ¡°We¡¯ll look for a ce to rest first. We have someone we need to wait for.¡± ¡°That would be difficult, Mistress,¡± said Siv. ¡°Difficult how?¡± ¡°The lodgings here are¡­ reserved only for the richest. Common folks like us would need to make do with camps. Thankfully, the woods around here are rtively safe. The only threat in the woods is other people.¡± ¡°Well then, It¡¯s time to put those favours to use, Siv,¡± said Lyra. ¡°That¡¯s just wasteful, Lyra,¡± Siv retorted. ¡°These favours are not to be taken lightly and I can¡¯t, in goodwill, rmend using those favours just to get some lodgings for even a night.¡± ¡°We could wait at a diner or a tavern and grab ourselves something to eat or drink while we¡¯re there,¡± Amyra proposed. ¡°Or we can just wait at the edge of the town,¡± Nivia suggested. ¡°I wager it¡¯s only a few tens of minutes wait unless that dunce lost track of us.¡± ¡°I¡¯m hurt, my dear Nivia,¡± came the sudden response from behind the girls. ¡°Do you take me for an utter simpleton that can¡¯t find his way?¡± As the port was filled with all sorts of noises and all manners of smell, neither Erin nor Siv sensed Aedan¡¯s approach. ¡°Took you long enough,¡± Erin muttered, crossing her arms. Despite the displeased frown, her heart became a hundred times lighter. 5-24 Ikon 5-24 Ikon As Aedan arrived in the nick of time, the group unanimously decided to venture into a tavern to fill their bellies and sate their thirst, not that any of them were truly hungry or thirsty. The moment they stepped into the port town of Ikon, their presence immediately drew the gazes of many as per usual. However, the gazes drawn were not as many as the time they first stepped into the city of Sephrodia Valley. The reason was, Erin had cast Twilight Shroud, a type of illusion spell, on herself. Instead of her original long white silverish hair, her hair was now neck-length and ck. But as her body¡¯s well-tempered shape remained the same, she still managed to garner the fancy of many, though not as much as she would in her true appearance. Still, they were a very conspicuous group as each of the girls in Erin¡¯s group was a beauty in their own right. Well, of course, save for Aedan, who was the only man in the group, which drew the many ires from the envious ones. The streets of Port Ikon were less than savoury, much to Erin¡¯s mild surprise. She had already expected a busy port to be unclean and littered but the roads were outright unpaved. There were paved roads but no longer could it be considered paved. People and carts were travelling through mud and soil instead of proper roads. However, none seemed to care about the inconvenience and difort they had to wade through. From the looks of their faces, none of them showed any displeasure as if nothing was amiss. The saving grace of this town was the space between buildings. There were barely any narrow streets. There were plenty of spaces between buildings. The port was built this way as the found, whoever they were, envisioned this ce to be extremely busy and lively. They weren¡¯t wrong. As such, Erin and herpanions didn¡¯t chance upon any attempts at molestation from the leering passers-by. Their walk through the town was a pleasant one. To Erin, it was even a brand new experience. Half of the people here were Demis but despite that, Erin couldn¡¯t spot a single Fae. It was not strange. The presence of Spirits in these parts was low, after all. If there was anything amiss, it would be their wariness towards the soldier guards patrolling the town. The adventurers would stare at the guards as if they were mortal enemies. In fact, the adventurers were paying the patrolling guards more attention than Erin¡¯s group as they walked down the busy streets. Eventually, they arrived at a tavern, far from the main streets that were teeming with people. This tavern was considerably smaller than the others in the town but the silence was what drew the group here. No one raised a fuss as the group entered the tavern. The patrons within gave Erin and herpanions a nce and went back to their business. Erin sighed in relief internally. After they found a decently sized table in the corner, the waitress came and took their order as soon as they took their seats. The waitress wasn¡¯t smiling as she took their orders but her tone was gentle and patient. Each of the girls gave their order with Aera and Lyra being the only ones ordering food. The rest simply went with drinks. The only ones who were truly in dire need of some food and water were Lyra and Aera. Erin, Nivia, and Lilian were of the Faerie-kin. Their affinities with the Spirits allowed them to be self-sustaining for the most part. They were only required to eat once every day. Siv was a trained and battle-hardened warrior. Her endurance far surpassed the average individual. She had gone up to a week without eating. Amyra was the same. She spent most of her life as an adventurer in dungeons, making do every day with only a little to eat. As for Aedan, he had many ways to acquire sustenance other than the conventional method. Moreover, his natural constitution and vigorous physique of a True Dragon allowed him to go through months without eating or drinking. As they waited for their food and drinks, Nivia let her gaze wander. They sat by the windows, giving them a good view of the streets outside. ¡°I do not wish to sound fearful but¡­ many of the townsfolk seemed on edge¡± Nivia said. ¡°Evidently, there¡¯s some kind of friction between the adventurers and the soldiers,¡± Lyra responded after giving her surroundings a quick but thorough nce. Amyra chuckled. ¡°This isn¡¯t anything surprising. Adventurers are always at odds with¡­ the authorities.¡± ¡°This is more than just being at odds,¡± Lilian muttered with a serious face. In turn, everyone nced at her. ¡°This ce is a den of vers. That alone is enough of a cause for concern.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see the corrtion here,¡± Lyra retorted. ¡°It¡¯s just a hunch, my dear. Mayhaps there¡¯s a corrtion or maybe not.¡± Lilian managed a light titter and looked Aedan¡¯s way. ¡°What say you, dear?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ask me,¡± Aedan replied curtly. ¡°You¡¯re the expert, are you not? You are older than any of us here, no?¡± Aedan turned his gaze to Erin. ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡± ¡°This is your decision to make, sweetheart.¡± ¡°You already know my answer,¡± Erin said. ¡°All of you do.¡± ¡°We just weathered a storm and now you¡¯re looking to plunge into another one?¡± ¡°...I know it¡¯s improbable. It¡¯s absurd but¡­ I can¡¯t do it. I can¡¯t just¡­ leave them be, knowing that I could have at least tried.¡± ¡°This is not something you can just half-ass.¡± ¡°Half what?¡± ¡°Half-ass. It means to do something without the intention of seeing it through till the end. You may be able to save them but what happens after that? Where will they go? Do you intend to take care of all of them? If so, to what extent? And who¡¯s to say that these ves even deserved to be saved?¡± Erin turned her gaze away from Aedan and looked out the window with a mncholic gaze. ¡°Master¡¯s right, Mistress,¡± Siv said. ¡°This is not your duty, neither is it your obligation, Mistress.¡± There was a boy limping on the street just outside of the tavern. His clothes were ragged and he walked barefooted. There were two men walking alongside that pitiful boy but neither of those two did anything to help him. The boy¡¯s status was clear to anyone who saw this sight and yet, no one lifted a finger to do a damn thing. Erin was no different from the bunch that only watched as the boy suffered. No one helped the boy. Not because they saw nothing wrong with it but because they knew the power behind the vers. Erin saw the conflict in the eyes of the ones who wished to help but tremendously feared the repercussions. ¡°Close your heart to it,¡± said Aedan, who was staring at the ceiling while perching his chin on his fist. ¡°I know you want to help but there¡¯s nothing you can do now. This isn¡¯t Sephrodia Valley.¡± ¡°I know that,¡± Erin responded in a grumble and looked away from the window. ¡°If only I had more power¡­¡± ¡°I believe in you, Erin,¡± Aera said, leaning forward. ¡°If it¡¯s you, Erin, I¡¯m sure you will be able to make a huge difference in the near future.¡± Erin smiled wryly. ¡°Thank you, Aera.¡± Lilian tittered. ¡°Now that is something that I would really love to see. By your hands, I¡¯m sure there will be many great things toe.¡± ¡°Easy now, Lilian. That¡¯s still a distant future. First, we have to find ourselves a ship or a boat. The road to the Royal Capital will not be an easy one. There will be many bumps in the road, that¡¯s for certain.¡± ¡°I can get us a ship,¡± said Siv, confidently. ¡°A big one, enough to amodate all of us and more. The captain of the ship is a trustworthy man and apetent boatman. He will get us upstream.¡± ¡°What about security?¡± Nivia asked. ¡°That will be at our own expense.¡± ¡°Are you serious? Are you unaware of the people out there that are trying to kill us?¡± ¡°Nivia, this is a trading port, not a naval one. You won¡¯t find a boat with security that matches the threat we will be facing.¡± ¡°Traversing on water will limit our battle capabilities by a huge margin. We will be sitting ducks.¡± ¡°We will manage, Nivia,¡± Erin asserted. ¡°Like we always do. We are more than capable.¡± ¡°What if one of those Skinwalkers excels in water? What then?¡± Amyra snorted. ¡°You worry for nothing, Niv. The soldiers are on high alert. The zealots won¡¯t be so rash in their assaults from here on. This is Port Ikon. There will be many patrols around here. I reckon we will be safe from those zealots until wee to shore, far away from the port.¡± Nivia tutted. ¡°Pray that you are right, Amyra. If not, I¡¯m ming you if we are attacked by zealots while traversing the river.¡± Amyra snickered. ¡°It¡¯s not those religious fucks you should be worrying about when traversing across the deep waters.¡± ¡°Everything will be fine as long as we don¡¯t encounter a Water Wyrm,¡± Aedan mused with a hum. Nivia red at Aedan hard. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare curse our journey, you damn lizard.¡± ¡°A Water Wyrm?¡± Aera blurted out. ¡°The wandering priestess told me about them. They are Serpent-like Dragons. They have skin that is said to be immune to most magic.¡± ¡°Most magic, yes. Not all of them.¡± ¡°They are Dragons, right?¡± ¡°A quarter of their blood, maybe even less.¡± ¡°There are Wyrms in the waters here?¡± Aedan shrugged. ¡°Most likely not, but Water Wyrms are nomads. They move around a lot. Who¡¯s to say there won¡¯t be Wyrms in the waters here tomorrow or the day after?¡± ¡°Why are you damning our journey here, Aedan?¡± Erin questioned. ¡°It¡¯s good to be prepared, ready your hearts and guts for what we will or would be facing.¡± Erin narrowed her eyes. ¡°Is there something you¡¯re not sharing with us?¡± ¡°Aerysians.¡± ¡°What about them?¡± ¡°What do you think they have affinities with?¡± ¡°...You can¡¯t be serious,¡± Erin said after a brief pondering. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m not.¡± ¡°Can they even do such a thing?¡± ¡°We don¡¯tbel them as zealots for nothing. Perhaps it wasn¡¯t possible then, but who¡¯s to say it¡¯s not possible now?¡± Nivia was still ring at Aedan. ¡°You are being awfully glum.¡± ¡°As Erin said, our journey will not be an easy one. I¡¯m just contemting the possibilities. It¡¯s better to be over-prepared than underprepared.¡± ¡°Cheers to that,¡± Amyraughed but she frowned in the next second when they realised there was no cup for her to raise. ¡°What¡¯s taking them so long?¡± Erin tilted her head. ¡°There¡¯s a quarrel in the kitchen. It¡¯s bound to be an altercation at some point.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t they at least serve our drinks first before they start killing each other in the backroom?¡± Suddenly, someone flew out of the kitchen. The person crashed through the countertop and tumbled across the floor. Aedan sighed. ¡°There goes our drinks.¡± The person who was thrown out of the kitchen was a bald-headed old man with an unkempt beard that hid most of his lower face. His apron spelt his status as a bartender. Arge man strode out of the kitchen and towards the bartender. Therge man was obviously not part of the tavern¡¯s work crew given the shabby leather armour he was wearing and the crude sword by his waist. The bartender mbered to his feet but he dropped to his knees afterwards and started begging. ¡°Please¡­ just give me a few more days¡­ I¡¯ll have your money by then, I swear.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what you saidst week,¡± therge man sneered. ¡°Time¡¯s up, old man. Whatever excuse you have, save it for Mister Rhys. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll love to hear all of them as he slowly¡ª¡± ¡°Leave him alone,¡± a girl said, not from Erin¡¯s group, but from the few patrons in the tavern. She was an adventurer, going by her offhanded armoured garments. She had a sword and she was pointing it at therge man that stood two heads taller than her. ¡°Oh, dear,¡± Lilian muttered. ¡°This is gettingplicated and strangely interesting.¡± 5-25 Self-righteous 5-25 Self-righteous The female adventurer who stood up for the oppressed kitchen staff could be described as a girl, barely a woman, with her young features and the zestful aura brimming off of her. Therge man of a thug looked down on and at the girl who was pointing a sword at him. He blinked twice, and then thrice. He gave a confused gaze. It took him a few seconds before he eventually came to his senses. He pushed the young adventurer¡¯s de away from him, gently. But that only fueled the girl¡¯s indignation and she stepped forward with a thrust but she stopped before the pointy end touched the thug¡¯s neck. ¡°I said, leave the poor old man alone.¡± ¡°Child, back off,¡± the thug warned with a gaze as stern and firm as his voice. ¡°This does not concern you. I don¡¯t want to hurt a child.¡± ¡°It will be your mistake if you take me for a child,¡± the young adventurer retorted. ¡°I won¡¯t ask again, leave the old man be.¡± ¡°The old man owes me a great deal of money and he is way past his dues.¡± ¡°Even so, this is no way for you to treat a helpless old man.¡± ¡°Helpless?¡± the thug scoffed. ¡°You know nothing, child. Now, stay away if you don¡¯t wish to get hurt.¡± The thug said and turned his attention back to the old man, ignoring the de pointing at him. The girl turned red with humiliation. It was utterly embarrassing to be ignored when the one she threatened saw little in her threat attempt. Moreover, she was an adventurer. This should not stand. Gripping her sword tight, she rushed at the towering man. The thug sighed and spun around with his sword drawn. The two des shed and sparks scattered as the two edges grazed against one another. The two pushed each other back in the sh and they rushed back in for another round of exchange. This time, the young adventurer tilted her de and deflected the thug¡¯s blow that relied mostly on his physical strength. The thug¡¯s blow went off its direction and the girlmitted with a plunge, though she shouldn¡¯t have. She failed to take one dire factor into ount. She was wielding her sword with two hands while the thug was only using one hand, leaving his other hand free and unencumbered. Given the two¡¯s disparity in the sizes of their body figures, the thug reached out and easily grabbed the girl¡¯s arm before her de could touch him. With a strong pull, he lifted the girl off the ground and threw her across the floor, sending her crashing through the tables and chairs, stopping only once she hit a pir. Instead of returning to his business with the old man, the thug strode towards the young adventurer who struggled to pick herself back up. ¡°This is what you get for meddling with things that you are far too green for, child,¡± the thug sneered as he drew close to the young adventurer, dragging his sword across the floor with the tip scratching the surface. The adventurer eventually gathered her bearings and strength. She rose to her feet, albeit unsteadily, and brandished her stance. A faint blue sheen began to envelop her de. The thug guffawed and did the same but the sheen on his de was more of a glow and the blue was vivid. The girl instantly recognised the difference in their prowess and a strong doubt grasped her heart. However, she refused to back down now. Even if she surrendered now, there was no guarantee that the thug would ept her surrender. With no other choice, she charged at the thug, howling. The thug also began to charge but a figure, taller than him, suddenly stood in his path, in between him and the adventurer. The girl stopped her charge immediately and stared at the female Augru who intervened. ¡°That¡¯s enough, you two,¡± Amyra said with a sigh. ¡°This is a ce for respite. Take your fight somewhere else.¡± The thug narrowed his eyes. The Augru was stronger than him, way stronger, his battle-honed instincts told him. He rid himself of the hostility he initially had towards the Augru. It was a fight he wouldn¡¯t be able to win if it ever came down to it. ¡°Whatever or how much the old man owes you, I implore you to wait until we have our drinks and food.¡± Then, Amyra turned towards the young adventurer. ¡°And you, mind your damn business. Your desire to impose your virtue has inadvertently caused the inconvenience of others.¡± The girl was affronted by Amyra¡¯s words but she dared not to retort. Unlike the thug, she knew she stood absolutely no chance against the Augru. ¡°Who are you?¡± asked the thug, sheathing his sword. ¡°Just a thirsty patron of this tavern who has been waiting for her drinks for a long time now.¡± ¡°Augru, do you know who I work for?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± Amyra answered. ¡°Then, it will be in your best interest to¡ª¡± Amyra chuckled and smiled. ¡°Little one, I can crush you with one arm strapped to my back before you can run back and tattle to your boss. Besides, have you seen mypany?¡± The thug frowned and nced towards the table the Augru was from. His frown deepened when he spotted two Fae looking his way, an Elf and a Dryad. However, the one that truly intimidated him the most was the woman with shoulder-length ck hair. He could tell the woman was more than meets the eye. He could tell the woman was the leader of the group and she was stronger than the Augru. ¡°Well, what¡¯s your answer, little guy?¡± The thug stared at Amyra. He clicked his tongue after a brief silence. ¡°Fine,¡± he said. ¡°You can have your drinks and food but know that I¡¯ming back after you and your friends have left and I¡¯ll be back with friends.¡± ¡°Fine by me.¡± The thug quickly made his departure withrge strides in his step. After making sure the thug was truly gone, Amyra returned to her table but she was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Wait,¡± said the young adventurer. ¡°Can I help you?¡± Amyra asked with an annoyed expression. ¡°You¡¯re just going to let that man go?¡± ¡°Is there a reason that I shouldn¡¯t?¡± ¡°You heard what he said. He¡¯s going toe back with friends.¡± ¡°And? What¡¯s it to me?¡± ¡°What¡¯s it to you? Do you not feel sympathy for the poor old man?¡± Amyrazily gazed over to the old man, who was still on the ground and looking out of it. ¡°He had no one to me but himself. He¡¯s not a child. He knew better than to borrow from someone like that man.¡± ¡°How can you say something ignorant and cruel?¡± Amyraughed with a wheeze, staring at the girl in disbelief. ¡°I beg your pardon. Did I say something funny?¡± Amyra shook her head in exasperation and turned her gaze to the old man. The old man stared back. Amyra smiled. ¡°Get to work. We ordered drinks and some food. Get to it,¡± Amyra said. The old man returned to his senses and quickly scrambled back into the kitchen. Amyra herself returned to her table after watching the old man disappear into the kitchen. ¡°Wait!¡± the girl shouted. ¡°I am not done with¡ª¡± Amyra shot a re from over her shoulder and the young adventurer fell into deep silence. She tried to speak but her tongue refused to budge and no sound came out from her throat, as if all her vocal organs had lost all of their functions. The young adventurer fell to her knees following her silence, wide-eyed. Amyra ignored the girl and promptly sat back down in her seat. ¡°That was annoying,¡± she sighed. As she was getting herselffortable, she noticed the stares from herpanions. ¡°What?¡± she asked. ¡°That was very unexpected of you,¡± said Lyra. ¡°Truly so,¡± Siv agreed with a nod. ¡°I never took you for someone who hides her big heart under a hostile guise.¡± Amyra furrowed her brows. ¡°I beg your absolute pardon?¡± ¡°You intervened because you wanted to save the girl, no?¡± Lilian questioned with a titter. ¡°No,¡± Amyra answered sharply. ¡°You couldn¡¯t be more mistaken.¡± ¡°Am I?¡± Lilian snickered and turned to Nivia. ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°Please leave me out of this.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you have an opinion?¡± ¡°I do but I don¡¯t believe I have to give it.¡± Nivia¡¯s tone was cold. Giggling, Lilian turned to the next person, Aera. ¡°What do you think, Aera?¡± ¡°M-me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Um¡­ I¡ª¡± ¡°You do not need to answer,¡± Amyra asserted. Before Lilian could go any further with her teasing, the drinks and food finally came. Amyra sighed in her heart, thanking the waitress for her timely intervention. However, Lilian was not the type to give up so easily. As soon as everyone had taken the first sip of their respective drinks, Lilian continued her mischief. ¡°My dear, Aedan, do you have an opinion?¡± she asked with an anticipating smile. Amyra stared daggers at the Dryad with great intent. ¡°You¡¯re being awfully vexing,¡± Aedan answered. ¡°More so than usual. What gives?¡± ¡°This is usual for me. You¡¯re simply seeing this side of me for the first time. So, back to my question, what do you think of¡ª¡± ¡°Lilian, that¡¯s enough,¡± Erin said as she ced her mug down firmly on the table. Lilian froze and cocked her gaze to Erin like a rusty cogwheel. ¡°If you meant to lighten the mood, then I¡¯m afraid that you are only doing the opposite.¡± Lilian smiled apologetically. ¡°Forgive me. I have overstepped.¡± Amyra huffed. ¡°Next time, do stop before mdy has to¡ª¡± ¡°Enough.¡± Amyra relented. ¡°Fine.¡± An awkward and gloomy silence ensued but thankfully, it didn¡¯tst long. ¡°Siv, what can you tell us about the boatman you have in mind?¡± Erin asked. ¡°The first and most important thing to bear in mind is he prefers to be called Captain or Sir, though he¡¯s neither an officiated naval officer nor a knight. So, mind your words especially when we¡¯re on his ship.¡± ¡°Ship?¡± Siv nodded. ¡°It¡¯srge enough to be considered as a ship but it pales inparison with a naval vessel.¡± ¡°Is hepletely trustworthy?¡± ¡°He¡¯s the best in this port. He deals exclusively with rich clients.¡± ¡°And he¡¯ll ept our request?¡± ¡°If he¡¯s still the same man as thest time we spoke, then he¡¯ll take us onto his ship without a fee.¡± ¡°If he¡¯s a changed man?¡± ¡°Then, we will need to be convincing but I won¡¯t rmend going down that path.¡± ¡°I agree,¡± Lyra chimed in. ¡°If we coerce him, we won¡¯t be able to have a good night''s sleep while on his ship. If he turns us away, we will need to look for another boat.¡± ¡°I do have another person in mind,¡± said Siv. ¡°Oh, jolly. Who is it?¡± ¡°He¡¯s¡­ not entirely reliable when ites to manning a boat but he¡¯s a good kid. He won¡¯t refuse our request. In fact, I think he will even try to amodate any additional requests we may have.¡± ¡°This one sounds so much better,¡± Nivia remarked. ¡°Why aren¡¯t we already going with this one?¡± ¡°As I said, he¡¯s not entirely reliable. There¡¯s no telling how he¡¯ll fare once we are under attack.¡± ¡°I say we go for the boy. Their skills be damned. There¡¯s no point inpetence if we need to constantly look behind our shoulders. Moreover, with Aedan and Erin around, I¡¯m sure we won¡¯t need to worry so much about anything attacking us.¡± ¡°I admire your optimistic sentiment, Nivia,¡± Siv said. ¡°But speaking from experience, one can never truly anticipate the threats that lie in the depth.¡± ¡°I¡¯m merely giving my piece in this discussion. The final say, of course, will be from Erin.¡± Everyone turned their gaze to Erin. ¡°We¡¯ll go with the original n,¡± said Erin. ¡°If the first option is not in favour, we¡¯ll go with the second.¡± ¡°But what if the second also doesn¡¯t pan out the way we hoped?¡± Aedan questioned. ¡°I was hoping you would have the answer for that,¡± Erin responded with a smile that didn¡¯t reach her eyes. 5-26 Replacement 5-26 Recement ¡°Mathias, you say? Well, you can find him six feet deep underground in the town¡¯s cemetery.¡± That was the answer Siv got after asking around for the man who would ferry them upshore. They had gone straight for the docks after they left the tavern. With Siv taking the lead, they first arrived at the supposed hut that was Mathias¡¯ residence, the man that Siv vouched to had impable skills when it came to manning a ship or a boat. Strangely, the hut was empty and it had been this way for a long time. It was then they began to ask around about Mathias¡¯ whereabouts. Things took a strange turn from here on. Everyone they inquired, they would either feign ignorance orpletely ignore the inquiry. To hasten their inquiry, they decided to split into two teams. Siv ended up with Nivia and Amyra. Not long after they split up, Siv stumbled upon an old acquaintance, a fellow sailor whom Siv knew from her past employment. The sailor, much like the others, was apprehensive towards their question but in the end, he told them of the fate that befell the old sailor. ¡°He¡¯s dead¡­¡± Siv mused in deep thought. ¡°Looks like fate had made the choice for us,¡± Nivia said in an offhand manner. ¡°Save us quite a bit of trouble.¡± ¡°Oh, well.¡± Amyra shrugged. ¡°Off to the younger one, I gather?¡± ¡°Not so fast,¡± said Siv and approached the sailor again. ¡°Pardon me but may I know how he died?¡± The sailor cast a sidelong nce at Siv with a hint of annoyance and fear. His gaze faltered and slightly drifted in a certain direction but he didn¡¯t look away. ¡°He drowned,¡± answered the sailor after a brief hesitation. ¡°Drowned? Mathias? He¡¯s an excellent swimmer. How did this happen?¡± ¡°He was drunk.¡± ¡°It takes a full cask of rum to get him drunk and he¡¯s not that fond of drinking. So, just how did he get himself so drunk that he forgot how to swim.¡± ¡°Hell if I know all that. You¡¯re asking a lot of questions, Miss.¡± ¡°I simply wish to know the truth.¡± ¡°I told you the truth. In fact, I have told you enough. Now, please, leave me be.¡± Siv stared at the sailor for a while before deciding to back off. After thanking the sailor for his answers, Siv retreated into an alley with Amyra and Nivia. ¡°He was killed,¡± said Amyra once she made sure no one was eavesdropping on them. ¡°Evidently,¡± Nivia huffed. ¡°Must have provoked the ire of someone powerful and now the whole town is afraid to even talk about his death.¡± Siv shook her head. ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like something Mathias would do. He had his pride but he never put his pride before his life.¡± ¡°Killed over a debt?¡± Amyra suggested. ¡°Unlikely too. It may not look like it but he has quite a fortune, enough for him to need not work for the rest of his life.¡± ¡°I reckon he doesn¡¯t gamble either?¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t,¡± Siv affirmed with a nod. ¡°He loves to sail. He spent his leisure hours on the water aboard his ship.¡± ¡°Now that he¡¯s dead, what will happen to his fortune and his possessions?¡± ¡°That is an excellent question,¡± Siv said. ¡°However, I do not have an answer for that. We checked his residence. It¡¯s empty. His fortune, along with his other possessions, has been taken. By who, I do not know.¡± ¡°Well, whatever happened, it¡¯s not our problem. Our own te is already full enough and we have already garnered quite a bit of attention.¡± Siv nodded solemnly. ¡°Indeed, we have.¡± Nivia picked up the nuance. ¡°We¡¯re being followed?¡± she asked as quietly as possible. Amyra chuckled wryly. ¡°Of course, we are.¡± ¡°This is bing the norm for us.¡± Nivia sighed. ¡°Where? How many?¡± ¡°On the rooftop across from this alley,¡± Amyra answered. ¡°There¡¯s only one of them. He ain¡¯t much.¡± ¡°Amateur,¡± Siv muttered. Nivia had her hands on her gear. ¡°Expose or ignore?¡± ¡°Ignore,¡± Siv said. ¡°If all they do is follow us, let them. We have no quarrel with them and we¡¯re not looking for any.¡± ¡°The bigdy sure would hate it if we took any action without consulting her first.¡± ¡°Just what have we done to even attract a stalker?¡± Nivia pondered out loud. ¡°We asked around for a deceased person whose death has strange circumstances, for one.¡± ¡°Having someone tail us just because we ask some questions, that¡¯s an overreaction. They are only making this all the more suspicious.¡± ¡°As Siv said, we could be dealing with amateurs. Or¡­¡± ¡°Or?¡± ¡°Their business with the dead man isn¡¯t over.¡± ¡°How so?¡± Amyra shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s just a guess. Think nothing of it. Anyway, we got our answer. Let¡¯s regroup with Erin and the rest.¡± It was a unanimous agreement. They got what they set out for and it¡¯s best for them to return as soon as possible. However, before they could step out of the alley, arge figure appeared at the egress. Therge figure was a tall man with dark skin, wearing a sleeveless white shirt that showed off his two muscr arms that were covered in meaningful tattoos. ¡°Like a moth to a me¡­¡± Amyra muttered with a regretful smile. ¡°Who are you?¡± Siv went straight to the point and prepared to draw her swords. ¡°I wish to ask you the same thing,¡± the man said with a thick ent. ¡°You came into the town just this noon. And all of a sudden, you start asking so many questions about a dead man.¡± ¡°The man was an acquaintance and I had business with him.¡± ¡°Is that all there is?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your business with him?¡± ¡°Private and personal,¡± Amyra responded in Siv¡¯s stead. ¡°Heed my words, you three. It will be best to not let your pride get in the way of something so simple.¡± ¡°Clearly, this is anything but simple and you are the one getting in our way. We don¡¯t even intend on being in this town for long.¡± ¡°You are not going anywhere until you tell me why you are looking for Mathias.¡± ¡°And what? You will just let us go after we tell you?¡± Nivia snorted. ¡°Do you take us for children?¡± The man sighed. ¡°It alwayses to this.¡± Amyra chortled. ¡°That we can both agree.¡± She reached for her sword but before she drew it out, she stopped. There was another man. He appeared the same way the dark-skinned man did. He also had dark skin but that was not all to his peculiarity. His ears were long and pointed like an Elf, but he was no Elf. ¡°An Umbrum,¡± Siv blurted. The man didn¡¯t seem surprised by the Umbrum¡¯s appearance. However, he did seem baffled and astonished by what the Umbrum whispered to him. Whatever the Umbrum told him, it appeared to be rted to Siv and the two as his eyes bounced between them and the Umbrum. ¡°Are you being serious?¡± the man asked. ¡°I am,¡± the Umbrum answered. ¡°What are the odds?¡± the man scoffed. ¡°Don¡¯t try it. Mister Rhys will not be happy if you do.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± The man relented. He then nced over to Siv and the others. ¡°Consider yourself lucky this time.¡± And just like that, the man walked off along with the Umbrum. Silence loomed over the three for a while ¡°...What just happened?¡± Nivia asked. Amyra shook her shoulders. ¡°Haven¡¯t a clue.¡± ¡°Rhys¡­¡± Siv mused. ¡°Whoever this person is, they seem to be the one governing this town and they are¡­ wary of us.¡± ¡°Afraid of us, I say. Or maybe afraid of Erin.¡± ¡°Erin¡¯s in disguise.¡± Nivia pointed out. ¡°How would he know?¡± ¡°Perhaps this Rhys person has heard of Erin¡¯s exploit and he could easily put all the obvious clues together. I mean, we are a band of misfits. How many adventurer parties out have the same diversity as ours?¡± ¡°...I suppose you have a point,¡± Nivia groaned. ¡°Or maybe he could be afraid of His Grace.¡± ¡°Why would anyone be afraid of him?¡± Nivia scoffed. ¡°We are aware of his true identity but I don¡¯t think others would, especially those who are not under the grace of Aeryo.¡± ¡°As far as those who are privy to the affairs of faith are concerned, His Grace is still the Grand Apostle of Aeryo, even if they do not know of his true race.¡± Nivia frowned. ¡°The Grand Apostle?¡± ¡°The Apostle who stood above the other Apostles.¡± ¡°This is the first I have heard of such a title.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a title that only exists in certain faiths. Having a Grand Apostle denotes inequality in the order. Apostles are, more often than not, extremely proud of their status. They would not have anyone above them other than their Divine.¡± ¡°But the Aeryons have one.¡± ¡°His Grace is the heir to the Divine Throne. Even if he¡¯s not the Grand Apostle, he is still above all Aeryon. Might as well make him the Grand Apostle.¡± Nivia rolled her eyes. ¡°You mortal beings sure love your titles.¡± Amyra smiled and walked out of the alley without refuting Nivia¡¯s words. Together, they hurriedly returned to the spot where they had agreed to convene after half an hour. They arrived five minutester than the appointed time. Erin and the rest were already there. ¡°You¡¯rete,¡± Lyra said with her arms crossed. ¡°Apologies. We were¡­ tangled up in someplicated matters.¡± ¡°Oh, my.¡± Lilian gasped lightly. ¡°So were we but we untangled ourselves pretty swiftly.¡± ¡°Rhys¡¯ men?¡± Erin asked. Amyra nodded. She then briefly recounted the incident that had just transpired. ¡°This is curious,¡± Aedan said. ¡°We were confronted by Rhys¡¯ men too but they merely warned us to leave this port at our earliest convenience. Although, they do look very¡­ anxious towards us. More specifically, towards our lovely Erin.¡± Erin sighed. ¡°Whatever the reason is, it is not our concern. They are not bothering us. That¡¯s good. So, we don¡¯t bother them any more than we already had at the tavern.¡± Amyra smiled wryly in response. ¡°Anyway, our first option is¡­ unavable. Let us move on to the second. Where do we find the boy?¡± ¡°Around this time of the day, he should be at the harbour.¡± And so, the group headed for the harbour. They waded through the crowd of a variety of people and arrived at a lonely dock that was separated from all the hustle and bustle. This particr dock had a cabin perched right in the middle and it looked like it was in dire need of some fixing. Siv walked up to the door and gave it a gentle knock. Not a momentter, the door creaked open and a pair of eyes peeked through. ¡°Yes? May I help you?¡± asked a feminine voice. ¡°Riki, it has been a long time,¡± Siv greeted. The door swung wide open and a boy with oddly feminine features stepped through. ¡°Siv?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me, Riki.¡± ¡°Gods bless me.¡± The boy sighed and rushed out the doorway. ¡°It''s so good to see you,¡± he said, taking Siv''s hand and shaking it. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you too, Riki.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Wrev?¡± ¡°Wrev¡­ Well, he¡¯s¡­ uh¡­¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m so sorry, Siv.¡± The boy was quick to catch the signs. ¡°May I know what happened?¡± ¡°A monster horde. He died defending a town from a horde.¡± ¡°I see¡­ It¡¯s a noble death for your kind, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°It is but¡­ I don¡¯t think I agree with that.¡± ¡°Huh, r-really?¡± ¡°Enough about that, Riki. It¡¯s the past now. The dead are at rest. The living continue their burden, which is why I¡¯m here, Riki. We would like to hire you.¡± ¡°We?¡± Siv stepped aside and showed the boy herpanions. ¡°These are mypanions.¡± ¡°W-whoa¡­¡± Riki gasped as he feasted his eyes on the beauties that stood before him. He was absolutely dazed. ¡°And thisdy here is my Mistress.¡± ¡°Huh, your Mistress?¡± Riki blinked. ¡°You¡¯re no longer working for Lord Hegan?¡± ¡°I have left his service. I am now pledged to thisdy here, Erynthea.¡± Erin stepped forward and undid her disguise, flourishing her elegant silver hair and her magnificent seven tails. Riki¡¯s eyes turned as wide as they could. 5-27 5-27 It took Siv quite a few attempts to bring Riki back to reality. This was just how dazzling Erin¡¯s beauty was to the boy who probably had yet to have his cherry popped. But after recovering hisposure, he gathered his bearings and gave his greeting and introduction. ¡°Good afternoon, mydy. I am Riki, son of¡ª¡± ¡°Pleasure to meet you, Riki.¡± Erin cut him off before the boy could finish his poor attempt at a regal introduction. ¡°I am Erynthea and I would like to employ your service.¡± ¡°My service? By all means, of course. Please,e inside. We can discuss the details.¡± The boy forced a smile, against his anxiety, and gestured for the group to head into his small hut, which was only capable of amodating four individuals at best before it became cramped. Therefore, only Erin and Siv went into the hut while the rest would wait outside. Much like what the outer appearance suggested, there was not much of anything within the hut. There was barely anything inside the hut beyond the basic necessities. Riki guided the two girls to the round table at the centre of the hut. He was about to pull out a chair for the two but Erin gently waved him away with a grateful smile and pulled out the chair herself and so did Siv. Riki awkwardly sat across from them and tried his best to keep his smile from falling apart. This was not his first time dealing with a real customer. It was not even his first time dealing with a Fae. However, this was the first time he had seen a Fox-kin with more than three tails. He didn¡¯t know much about Fox-kin but he did know the number of their tails signified the height of their status, be it in social or battle prowess. Moreover, Erin was an absolute beauty of the highest degree. It was tremendously difficult for Riki to keep hisposure in front of such an individual, to the point that he had been staring directly at Erin, nkly, for the past few minutes after they had all taken their seats. Erin realised this, of course, and she decided to do away with some of her charms by disguising her current appearance. Immediately after she put on her disguise, Riki snapped back to reality. When he realised what he had done, the embarrassment turned his face as red as a tomato. Erin cleared her throat. ¡°So, about my request.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Riki shouted, inadvertently. ¡°I-I¡¯m listening¡­¡± ¡°I would like for you to ferry mypanions and I upstream.¡± Upon hearing her request, Riki¡¯s expression changed, as if all of his anxiety had dissipated. ¡°Upstream, you say?¡± ¡°Yes, upstream.¡± ¡°How far will that be?¡± ¡°Until the next major port.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I see¡­¡± ¡°Would that be a problem?¡± Riki was about to answer but hesitated. Then, he looked towards Siv with a gaze pleading for aid. ¡°You can be honest with her, Riki. She won¡¯t be mad,¡± Siv said. Riki heaved a small sigh of relief. ¡°Is my request perhaps too absurd?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not that,¡± Riki denied. ¡°Well¡­ maybe it is a tad absurd. But! But¡­ the fault lies not with you, mdy. It lies with me. I¡¯m afraid my boat would not be able to survive the journey should the waters be rough or if any monster attacks. Ah, please don¡¯t be mistaken! I¡¯m not saying my boat is inadequate but the waters here are infamous for being graves to many vessels. And my boat is just¡­ just¡­ not quite¡­ adequate¡­¡± Riki¡¯s voice got smaller and smaller until it was barely audible. Erin crossed her arms and fell into deep thought. While the issue with monster attacks was easy to resolve, the weather was not. No one in her party could control the weather, though she suspected Aedan could do so if he was in his prime. ¡°Are you saying that we would need a better boat in order to sail upstream?¡± Siv asked. ¡°...Yes,¡± Riki admitted reluctantly. Siv frowned. ¡°Was your boat always inadequate to sail upstream? Last I heard, your boat could even sail the seas.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a long time ago, Siv.¡± Riki smiled wryly. ¡°That was a different boat. I made do with a smaller one now.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Nothing¡­ it¡¯s just how it is. People who are better than you appear and naturally, everyone will just flock to them. With fewer and fewer customers, I can¡¯t possibly pay for the maintenance of such a fine boat.¡± ¡°You sold your old boat for a smaller one.¡± ¡°It works well for me so far. Nowadays, I simply ferry people across the river. Even if it¡¯s upstream, it will only be for less than a mile. If the next major port is your destination, I¡¯m afraid you have to look for another boat. Actually, I am surprised that you would seek me out even if I am not your first choice.¡± ¡°Lord Hegan trusts you and I do too. Granted, your skills may not be the best but skills are not all that we are looking for. You are sincere and honest. Above all, your lips are always sealed. We are looking for discretion and you have it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m grateful and honoured that you think so highly of me, Siv, but I have to disappoint you. There¡¯s nothing I can do to help you. My boat just isn¡¯t¡­ well-suited for that kind of journey.¡± ¡°Allow me to be the judge of that,¡± Erin said. ¡°May I see your boat?¡± Riki was taken aback by the sudden request. ¡°Huh, my boat? Why?¡± **** Erin didn¡¯t provide any further details and merely insisted Riki on showing them his boat. Seeing no harm in doing so, he guided the group to his boat which was just docked on the docking area just outside his hut. The boat was slightlyrger than what Erin had in mind but it was truly inadequate to sail upstream. It wasn¡¯t a shabby boat by any means but it didn¡¯t look sturdy enough to brave a storm either. Erin felt that she could easily sink the boat with just a punch, let alone endure the assault of a storm or a monster attack. Naturally, the rest of Erin¡¯spanions also followed after them. All of them gave their honest reactions upon seeing the boat they might be sailing in. ¡°This boat won¡¯tst a single ram from a Lindwurm or a Wyrm,¡± Amyra remarked with brutal honesty. Hearing the Augur¡¯s unbridledment, Riki¡¯s shoulders drooped despondently. Nivia sighed. ¡°She¡¯s being rude but her words are not factually wrong. I reckon a moderate tide would be enough to capsize this boat with all nine of us inside.¡± ¡°Can this boat even amodate all nine of us?¡± Lilian questioned. ¡°It can,¡± Riki answered resolutely but his next words weren¡¯t so resolute. ¡°Should be¡­¡± Aera had also something to say but seeing the already deted boy, she decided to keep her remarks to herself. ¡°Siv, is this what you had in mind?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°It is not,¡± Siv said. ¡°I didn¡¯t think it would be¡­.¡± Siv caught herself before her lips could let loose those words. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Siv.¡± Riki smiled wryly. ¡°You can just say it. I know how pathetic I am and how stupid I was to sell my pride and joy for something lesser.¡± ¡°It is not stupid. You did what you had to at that time. Things could have been worse if you had not let go of your pride.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright now, Siv. Truly. I¡¯m just sorry that I couldn¡¯t give you the aid you require in your time of need.¡± ¡°You can still do so,¡± Aedan said after some deep pondering. Riki reacted to Aedan¡¯s words. ¡°Huh? I can?¡± he asked as if to ascertain he did not hear wrong. Aedan nodded. ¡°B-but how?¡± ¡°This is just all wood, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°The boat? Um¡­ I suppose? But not entirely. There¡¯s some metal¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s good enough.¡± Aedan then turned to Erin. ¡°Sweetheart, would you mind?¡± Erin was quick to catch on to Aedan¡¯s n. So, she nodded and unleashed her affinity light which was only perceptible to those with Spirit Magic. While doing so, she also inadvertently undid her disguise and her true form wasid bare. Her seven tails flourished with all of their grace and the Spirits came flocking over to her like moths to light. After enough Spirits had gathered, Erin turned to Lilian and smiled. The Dryad nodded and returned a smile of her own, understanding Erin¡¯s silent request. Facing the boat, Lilian syed open her hands and began casting a spell under Nature Magic, Rampant Growth. Normally, Lilian would require a Mana Cell topensate for the conjuration of this spell but with the amount of Spirits present currently, she could easily cast this spell without a cell. The wood on the boat began to undergo a change and growth. The size of the boat grewrger. The frame became thicker, though leaves and small barks also sprouted as a result. Overall, the boat became bigger and better. Though the aesthetic left much to be desired, the increase in performance could not be denied. After finishing the spell, Lilian fell backwards but Erin was there to prevent her fall. ¡°Well done, Lilian,¡± Erin said and gave her a small peck on the forehead. Lilian tittered. ¡°I prefer my lips.¡± Erin smiled and gave another peck on her lips. Riki was too engrossed in the sudden magnification of his boat¡¯s calibre and standard to notice the flirting beside him. His mouth and eyes were agape with astonishment and amazement. It wasn¡¯t just the boy who was astonished and amazed. Aera, Lyra, and even Nivia had their mouths and eyes agape. Nivia was the first to snap out of her stupor. She snapped her gaze at Lilian. ¡°You can do something like this?¡± Nivia asked in a tone that wouldn¡¯t be wrong to call it yelling. ¡°I just did, didn¡¯t I?¡± Lilian replied coyly. ¡°Since when?¡± ¡°Since a long time ago.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then what about all those times when the problems could have been solved if you had just¡ª¡± ¡°Make no mistake, Nivia.¡± Lilian cut her off. ¡°I¡¯m only able to do this because of Erin here. If not, I would have to expend a Mana Cell. As you already know, Mana Cells are precious to me and I can¡¯t just expend one without good reason or cause.¡± ¡°I am aware but still¡­ how much easier would it have been if you had just¡ª Ah, whatever. It¡¯s all in the past.¡± The two¡¯s exchange was heard by everyone but no one was boorish to interrogate the two for further details. Amyra was the only exception but she was stopped by a re from Erin. Riki was the only one who didn¡¯t hear the two¡¯s bickering as he was still too entranced by the current state of his boat which was now apt to be called a ship. He only came out of his daze after Siv nudged him by the shoulder. ¡°How about now? Do you think you can ferry us upstream?¡± Siv asked with a knowing smile. ¡°Of course, I can.¡± Riki cheered but his joy faded immediately afterwards. ¡°But¡­ a ship of this scale¡­ I don¡¯t believe I have the funds to maintain it¡­ Ah, I mean no disrespect by the way! I don¡¯t mean to sound ungrateful! It¡¯s just¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, boy,¡± Lilian said giggling. ¡°You won¡¯t need to worry about the maintenance. The ship has everything it needs, water.¡± ¡°W-water?¡± Lilian nodded. ¡°This ship is now essentially a nt of sorts. As long as it has water and sunlight, it will never¡­ degrade or decay. So, you need not worry too much about the upkeep.¡± Riki couldn¡¯t believe what he just heard. ¡°T-truly?¡± ¡°Truly.¡± ¡°Oh my¡­ This is¡­¡± Riki was still in disbelief, utterly awe by the miracle he had just witnessed and was bestowed with. He had always regretted the day he sold his ship that was his pride and joy. He thought he would forever be held down by his great blunder. Today, he was given a second chance and he vowed to make the most out of it. But before he could fully make that resolve a crude and boorish voice interrupted his thoughts. ¡°Well well well. Now, this is a surprise.¡± It was the voice of a woman and Riki instantly knew who it was. 5-28 Friends in dark places 5-28 Friends in dark ces ¡°Naki,¡± Riki muttered, chewing the name. ¡°What do you want now?¡± ¡°You know exactly what I want, boy. It¡¯s time to pay up.¡± Riki frowned and his face contorted with anger. ¡°I paid all my dues!¡± he shouted. ¡°I even sold my ship for that. What more do you want from me?¡± ¡°You are mistaken, dear boy. You have not paid off all your dues. When you borrow money, it¡¯s only right that there would be interest.¡± ¡°I paid those interest, exorbitant as they may have been.¡± ¡°Not entirely.¡± The woman tittered. ¡°You see, you were let off with only a quarter of the original interest because Mister Rhys was being considerate of your, shall we say, unfortunate circumstances. But clearly, you are faring better now.¡± ¡°This is bollocks,¡± Riki snarled. ¡°This was not in the agreement.¡± ¡°By agreement, you are referring to that flimsy paper of a document.¡± Nakiughed. ¡°Boy oh boy, surely you are not that naive, are you? Do you think a mere paper can get you out of the mess you put yourself in?¡± ¡°This is absurd¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s absurd is that you shy away from paying the full interest like everybody else because pity was taken on you. Are you aware of how that would make us look in the eyes of our other customers?¡± ¡°That is your mistake, not mine. I am not giving you any more than I already had.¡± ¡°Boy, this is not a choice or a request. This is a demand. Surely you can afford it now seeing as how you already have somevish clients.¡± Erin wore a passive expression but deep down she wanted nothing more than to sock this woman in the face even if she didn¡¯t know the whole context. This woman was simply that irritating. The woman named Naki''s personality was as brazen as her choice of wardrobe, much more brazen than Amyra''s. She wore a gown that left little to one¡¯s imagination of her bare body. The skirt of the gown had a deep slit that revealed her full hips and the upper fabrics were scant to the point that only a thin strip ran across her ample bosom, covering only her teats and a little bit more. ¡°Pardon me, Riki,¡± Siv spoke up. ¡°Who is this woman that is dressed more scandalous than amon whore?¡± Nakie heard Siv¡¯s words and veins began bulging on her forehead. ¡°Amon whore, you say? Who are you to judge me as such, you damn beast?!¡± ¡°Crude tongue and crude preferences,¡± Amyra scoffed. ¡°May I get rid of this whore?¡± Erin cast a side-eye nce at Amyra, astonished by the Augur¡¯s hypocrisy. ¡°This beast is a friend of ours, wench,¡± Lilian said as she stepped forward. ¡°You do well to show her and the boy the proper respect.¡± Instead of backing off, Naki only pressed on with her verbal assault. ¡°What¡¯s the boy to you, Lady Fae? Have you perhaps already bought his service? If so, I have to inform you that you have made a grave mistake in purchasing his servitude. I have seen the miracle and generosity you have bestowed upon this boy but I can assure you that your goodwill has only gone to waste.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like this woman,¡± Aera said, her fist clenching. Her hatred for this woman went beyond just some mere dislike as this woman reminded her of her father a lot. The way Naki spoke and carried herself was a splitting image of the ursed man. ¡°Look, I don¡¯t wish to get into a quarrel with the Fae but could you please leave me be with this boy? I would be extremely grateful if you would respect the private nature of this¡­ transaction between me and the boy.¡± Nivia stared at the woman with a frown. ¡°Is this woman messing with us or is she truly that oblivious?¡± ¡°I am not oblivious, Lady Fae. I simply don¡¯t see your attachment to the boy. Are you all perhaps intimately acquainted with this boy?¡± ¡°I am,¡± Siv answered. ¡°Riki is a friend and you are clearly his enemy.¡± ¡°An enemy?¡± Naki snorted. ¡°I am not. I¡¯m merely a businesswoman chasing after a debt.¡± ¡°A businesswoman who neglects the importance of an officiated document is merely a woman. You are nothing but a thug who is simply seeking to extort those who are incapable of fighting back.¡± ¡°You know nothing, beastie. Do you know who I am?¡± ¡°No,¡± Erin answered as she finally took a step forward. ¡°But do you know who I am?¡± Erin never thought she would have to resort to such a sentence that one would usually only hear from grunts. ¡°I have no doubt of your impressive standing but you are in Port Ikon where the only one who truly mattered is Mister Rhys.¡± Aedan, who was standing at the back of the group, finally let out a sigh. ¡°Alright, you have my permission, Amyra. Gut this bitch.¡± Amyra smirked. ¡°dly,¡± she said and began walking towards the harlot. ¡°Y-you¡­¡± Naki was stunned by Aedan¡¯s boldmand. Even nobles wouldn¡¯t dare to give out such amand unless they were assured of their standing in a territory. ¡°Do you know who I am?! Do you know what would happen if you¡ª¡± Before Naki couldplete her warning of a threat, she was silenced, permanently, by a sword that slid across her neck. Essentially, she was decapitated and the one responsible for it was a figure donned in a ck cloak over a slim robe. The figure was obviously a woman given how her body shape was entuated by the slim robe. She was wielding a sword with a thin single-edge de that was still dripping with thete Naki¡¯s fresh blood. Behind the cloaked woman was a man, dressed in garments that made him look no different than themoners of this town. However, the way he carried himself was enough to distinguish himself from everyone else. ¡°My apologies, Lady Erynthea, Lady Aera,¡± the man said with a bow. ¡°It would seem that my employee had overstepped her boundaries.¡± Hearing how the man addressed her, Aera stood closer to Erin and hid behind her. Erin narrowed her gaze at the man. ¡°Mister Rhys, I presumed.¡± The man nodded. ¡°I think you owe us an exnation for this,¡± Erin demanded without going through any hoops. ¡°Why have you been helping us?¡± Rhys smiled. ¡°Because I know who you are, dear Apostle of Nyx.¡± That revtion alone caused the entire group to cease their breaths for a split moment, except for Aedan. Not that he wasn¡¯t surprised but he was simply the type that seldom physically reacts to wonders. ¡°Who are you?¡± Erin asked. Mana was gathering at the tips of her fingers. ¡°I am an Acolyte of Nyx, you can say. The one I follow is the Apostle of Greed. It is an honour to finally meet another Apostle of Nyx, two Apostles even.¡± Erin frowned and cast her senses on the entire port but she sensed no one that might indicate they were her kin in faith. ¡°Spare your effort, Lady Erynthea. The Apostle of Greed is not here.¡± ¡°Then where is he?¡± ¡°In the capital city.¡± ¡°What is he doing there?¡± ¡°Personal business, I assume. If it wasn¡¯t personal, I reckon he would have told me. Anyway, you can rest assured, Lady Erynthea. You would have safe passage to your destination. Well, at least safe from my fellow underlings but I can¡¯t make any guarantees on the other threats.¡± ¡°Other threats such as?¡± ¡°The waters have been ferocious and voracious as ofte. It had already imed the lives of many experienced sailors.¡± ¡°Wyrms?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a possibility but among many others. We have no way of confirming the threat. We tried but we never seeded. Just be careful out in the waters and be prepared for anything.¡± ¡°Will do. Thanks for the information.¡± ¡°You are most wee, mydy. If that is all, then my work here is done, Lady Erynthea, Lady Aera. I wish you two a safe journey ahead and good fortune. Until we meet again.¡± Rhys for a response and took his leave along with the cloaked figure, leaving behind the decapitated corpse of Naki. ¡°We should leave as soon as possible,¡± Lyra suggested. And everyone agreed. Since everyone had their luggage stored in Infinite Pouches, they were able to depart immediately as soon as Riki finished his inspection of the ship which was just a shabby boat minutes ago. Before long, they were able to leave Port Ikon and began their voyage up the stream. **** A single hour of peace and tranquillity passed by. They encountered no threats or any form of hostility on the river. The only encounters were the friendly greetings with the passing vessels. At present, Aera, Erin, and Siv were the only ones on the deck, aside from Riki who was manning the ship. The others were below deck, taking their rest or simply avoiding the sun. It was not often that they got to travel while taking a rest or travel without suffering the heat of the sun. Erin and Siv didn¡¯t mind the sun. Erin was not affected by the ring heat and light due to level and her high aptitude with the Spirits. Siv was ustomed to the sun¡¯s scorching heat as she was born and raised in such an environment. As for Aera, she was revelling in the novel experience of being on a ship. This was her first time, after all. Her gaze kept wandering around in glee and excitement as the ship sailed gently along the river. As the ship travelled for another mile, the waters started turning rough and the waves began to rock the ship. Aera nearly fell off the ship but her training with Amyra paid off, preventing her from falling overboard. Still, her nerves were shaken and she distanced herself from the bulwark. ¡°Was that normal?¡± she asked, her shoulders shivering. ¡°Are the waves supposed to be this strong?¡± ¡°No,¡± Siv answered. ¡°Storm¡¯s approaching or we have opposition.¡± ¡°Ripples off the port bow!¡± Riki shouted from the quarter-deck. Erin and Siv immediately towards the left side of the ship, peering into the waters, while Aera was left wondering what Riki meant by ¡°port bow¡±. The ripples Riki spotted were no simple ripples. Each ripple was a third of the ship¡¯s size. Erin didn¡¯t need to use Life Sense or any of her skills to know something big was lurking in the depths of the river, but she did it anyway. Once she did, a frown appeared on her face. ¡°Is it a Wyrm?¡± Siv asked. ¡°No,¡± Erin answered. She used Appraisal on the water but only the river was appraised. The ripples stopped and Erin instantly ran to the other side of the ship, where the ripples continued to form. ¡°Iing!¡± Erin bellowed. A secondter, the water surface burst and a creature shot out of it. Without even getting a good glimpse at the creature, Erin brandished her sword and swung at the creature, who was wielding a three-pronged spear. The creature saw Erin¡¯s swording and raised its weapon in defence. However, Erin¡¯s de sliced right through its weapon and carved right into its flesh with ease. As the mist from the water spout cleared, the face of the creature came into view. ¡°A Naga,¡± Erin muttered. The creature was pale blue and it had a humanoid upper body but a serpent-like lower body. It had a shocked look on its face, perhaps it came from the disbelief of its quick and sudden death. The two halves of the Naga corpse syed across the deck, eliciting a yelp from Aera. ¡°What in the divine¡¯s name is that?¡± Aera gasped. ¡°A Naga,¡± it was Siv who answered. By now, the rest of the group had appeared on the deck in a rush. ¡°So much for a peaceful journey,¡± Lyra grumbled. She was still slightly groggy from her nap. ¡°Never expected one in the first ce,¡± Amyra said as stretched her body along with a string of moans. ¡°But this is just right on cue. I¡¯m itching for a fight after a good nap.¡± 5-29 Assault of the Nagas 5-29 Assault of the Nagas Not a minute went by and the next wave of Nagas made their appearances. This time, there were a few times more and only more wereing. The first three Nagas of this wave that hopped onto the ship were instantaneously cut apart by Amyra with a single swing of her cleaver sword. The guts and blood scattered across the deck. Another three climbed aboard the ship from the other side but they were made quick work off by Nivia and Siv. They were quick in dispatching the Nagas but these river humanoid creatures were just as quick in their entrance. One nearly pulled Nivia off the ship but Aedan chopped the Naga¡¯s arm with a woodcutting axe that was thrice the usual size. ¡°T-thanks,¡± Nivia said as she calmed herself. She thought that was the end of her when the Naga grabbed hold of her. ¡°You can thank meter in bed.¡± ¡°You¡ª¡± Aedan didn¡¯t wait for the Elf¡¯s response and went off to chop down the next Naga. Meanwhile, Aera was doing her best to fend off the Nagas using a mace. It was the best weapon for her as it didn¡¯t require any convoluted techniques on her part for it to be effective. She needed only to swing around and crush her enemies¡¯ skulls, which she was more than capable of doing so. At present, Aera was physically stronger than Lyra, Siv, Nivia, and Lilian. The main w of hers was that she was much too reserved in taking a life except when she entered her Wrathmonger state, which she wished to avoid as much as possible. On Lyra¡¯s side, she climbed up the mast the moment she realised they were under attack. From atop the mast, she fired arrows after arrows on the Nagas that were climbing up the ship. Since the Nagas had no ranged weapons, she held a rtively safe role in this battle. All the while the group was ying the Nagas with an optimistic view, only one person was looking at the scene with a bleak expression, and that was Riki. It wasn¡¯t that he feared they would lose. Rather, he dreaded the state of his ship after the battle. Body matters of dead Nagas had dyed nearly the entire deck in red. ¡°Ah¡­ my ship¡­¡± Riki stammered in despair. Stains on a ship needed to be cleaned off as soon as possible or else the integrity of the ship would deteriorate faster than normal. However, cleaning the stains off the wooden nks was easier said than done. Of course, no one paid the boy any mind as they were all focused on the Nagas who seemed endless in numbers. Taking care of these incessant and relentless Nagas would be as easy as breathing for the group but only if they were on solid ground. They were on a ship and though it wasn¡¯t fragile, it still couldn¡¯t withstand a single blow from any of their skills or spells, especially from Amyra or Erin. The restriction made this battle longer than it needed to. Still, they were not losing. At some point, Erin dispelled her sword and fought the Nagas using her tails. Now was the best opportunity for her to test the skills she had acquired after she obtained her sixth and seventh tail. She needed only a single strike from her tails to fell one Naga. Her strikes were precise and swift. The Nagas didn¡¯t even see iting. They couldn¡¯t believe their eyes even if they saw it. Bundles of fluff shot towards them. It was only normal for one to expect nothing from these furry bundles but the Nagas were dead wrong, literally. After Erin got used to using her tails, she re-manifested her sword and struck the Nagas along with her sword and her tails. At some point, the Nagas¡¯ numbers began to dwindle. Erin spared a nce at the water and saw the multiple ripples on the surface. The Nagas still had plenty to spare, so their dwindling numbers were odd. ¡°Mistress!¡± Siv shouted. At the same time, Erin felt the shivers too. ¡°I¡¯m aware!¡± she shouted back. A threat that wouldy waste to them was imminent. Aedab stowed away his axe and brought out a bomb from his infinite pouch. Everyone instantly realised the severity of the imminent threat.¡¯ Lightning crackled and whirled around in Erin¡¯s palm. Fire swirled in Amyra¡¯s palm. Four tentacles erupted from the depths, bursting through the river''s surface. Each of these tentacles was more than capable of destroying the ship by itself. Aedan lit the short fuse on the bomb and tossed it at one of the tentacles. The target tentacles reacted to the bomb and tried to batter it away. However, the bomb exploded as soon as the tentacle touched it. The immense shockwave from the explosion caused a few cracks on the mast pole of the ship, to the terror of Riki. Amyra unleashed the me she held in her hand at one of the tentacles. The me charred the tentacle ck before it could do anything to repel the fire. For the remaining two tentacles, they were dealt with by Erin using Lightning Barrage. The four tentacles retreated back into the water. Or rather, the beast below retracted its limbs after its failed assault. The group waited for the next wave of tentacles or the appearance of the main body, but neither of those two came to pass. Instead, the Nagas resumed their assault. The battle went on for nearly half an hour beforeing to an end. The Nagas finally stoppeding at them. From what Erin could tell by the water ripples distancing themselves from the ship, the Nagas still had plenty to their numbers. The ship continued in its course, sailing upstream along the river. Siv noticed the despair on Riki¡¯s face and immediately asked the three Fae to help clean the ship. Erin¡¯s presence was a big help in the cleaning. With all the Spirits she drew in, they were able to easily clean the deck using Spirit Magic while also fixing the ship in the process. As much as they tried to be delicate, there was bound to be a few damages. After that, they all sat down and began to discuss the attack of the Nagas just now. ¡°There were no Nagas in these watersst I heard and knew,¡± Siv said. ¡°And there¡¯s certainly no monsters with tentacles in this part of the kingdom.¡± ¡°There weren¡¯t,¡± Riki answered. ¡°There was no sighting of any Nagas in these waters or tentacle creatures¡­ until just now. What the hell is happening around here?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ those Nagas don¡¯t look starved,¡± Amyra pointed out. ¡°They certainly didn¡¯t migrate due to food shortage. And for the tentacles¡­ I don¡¯t believe the waters are deep enough for their liking.¡± ¡°There is something else,¡± Erin said. Everyone turned their eyes to her. ¡°Their scent does not blend in with this river¡¯s scent. Which means, they had only just arrived and they had travelled far.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case¡­ then that means they came all the way here from their home just to attack us?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°That is the most likely possibility.¡± ¡°But why?¡± Aedan chuckled. ¡°Was it not obvious enough?¡± Erin sighed. ¡°Aedan, now¡¯s not the time to be melodramatic. Just state your discovery.¡±¡¯ ¡°Astranis.¡± Erin furrowed her brows. ¡°And who¡¯s that?¡± ¡°The Lady of the Depth,¡± Aera answered. ¡°The divine who governs all those that are unseen in the depths of the waters.¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying those Nagas are her followers?¡± Nivia blurted out. ¡°Familiars, maybe?¡± Aedan shrugged. ¡°But it is without doubt, the faith surrounding her are the ones responsible for the Nagas and the tentacle monster attacking us. The Apostles and Acolytes can¡¯t attack us by themselves, so they send proxies. Clever, won¡¯t you say?¡± ¡°Cowardly,¡± Lyra scoffed. ¡°Better cowardly than getting the royal family¡¯s attention.¡± ¡°Speaking of them, why aren¡¯t the armies doing anything about all of the recent strange urrences happening on this river?¡± Erin asked. Amyra broke intoughter. ¡°Because they do not know how to. They aren¡¯t exactly the naval forces. Some might say the army is not responsible for the waters, at least until the threates ontond.¡± ¡°And do they have any naval forces in this area in case of¡­ unforeseen circumstances.¡± ¡°It will be too costly and difficult for them to ce their naval forces here. Their battleships are not designed to traverse narrow and shallow waters. They will need new ships of new designs.¡± ¡°So the kingdom does nothing?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what adventurers are for, to clean up the mess that the kingdom can¡¯t be bothered with. I reckon there are already quests regarding this river being issued as we speak.¡± ¡°Never mind the kingdom, how do we deal with the next wave?¡± Nivia asked. ¡°I doubt they would just give up.¡± ¡°They¡¯lle at night,¡± Erin said. ¡°They will wait until we put all the lights out. They might evene with a stronger andrger force on the next assault.¡± ¡°Then¡­ should wey the anchor near thend?¡± Riki asked. ¡°No,¡± came Erin¡¯s swift response. ¡°We will be impeached by the patrolling soldiers the moment we do.¡± ¡°Why would we?¡± Nivia asked with a scowl. ¡°We¡¯re not hindering them or anything.¡± ¡°Nivia, dear, there''s no reasoning with soldiers,¡± said Lilian. ¡°They are just following orders even if the orders are unreasonable.¡± ¡°Still, wouldn¡¯t it be better to face those zealots with more people on our side?¡± ¡°If I were them, I would retreat and wait, rather risking conflict with the royal army. Meanwhile, we will be escorted into a holdingpound for intruding.¡± ¡°That is absurd.¡± Lilian could only smile wryly in response. ¡°Regardless,ying the anchor is out of the question,¡± Erin said. ¡°Then what will be our move?¡± Nivia huffed with her arms crossed in front of her paltry bosom. ¡°I will fortify this ship as much as I can and as much as this ship can handle. By nightfall, we will repel anything or anyone that attacks us.¡± ¡°What about the tentacle monster?¡± Riki asked worriedly. ¡°What if there¡¯s more of them?¡± ¡°That thing will not be a problem. Just focus on steering the ship. Everyone else, get as much rest as you can. Worstes to worst, we might not be able to sleep tonight.¡± Aedan let out a short snicker. Erin rolled her eyes. ¡°Are you a child?¡± ¡°A child? No. Immature? Yes.¡± Hearing his answer, Erin shot him a re. ¡°Be serious.¡± ¡°A joke or two does not belittle my sobriety.¡± Aedan smiled. ¡°Besides, when have I let you down?¡± Erin tutted and looked away. ¡°You¡¯re insufferable.¡± Suddenly, Lyra slumped forward and copsed onto Erin¡¯sp. This act of hers came as a surprise to everyone except Aedan and Lilian. ¡°Lyra, what are you doing?¡± Lyra tittered and wrapped her arms around Erin¡¯s neck. ¡°Getting my fill of Erinium.¡± Erin frowned with utter confusion. ¡°And what is this ¡®Erinium¡¯?¡± ¡°Your affection.¡± Erin didn¡¯t need to be told and she looked towards the culprit that corrupted Lyra¡¯s mind. Aedan feigned ignorance and slowly turned away from Erin¡¯s re. ¡°You know, you have been paying attention to Aedan more than any of us recently,¡± Lyra said with a pout that didn¡¯t fit someone of her tenor. Siv nodded. ¡°She speaks truthfully, Mistress.¡± ¡°I agree too,¡± Lilian said. ¡°In fact, you haven¡¯t bedded me since our first time together.¡± At this point, Erin was baffled by the drastic change in the discussion¡¯s topic. ¡°M-me too¡­¡± Aera also chimed in, albeit hesitantly. Nivia was bbergasted, much more than Erin, especially towards Erin. ¡°I-I¡¯ll leave you all to your business!¡± Riki squealed and quickly scampered off into his quarters. Being a cherry boy without ever knowing a woman¡¯s touch, the current topic was too much for him to handle. ¡°What¡¯s got into you,dies?¡± Erin asked. Amyra burst intoughter. ¡°Can¡¯t you tell, mdy? They are starved for your love. You have been neglecting them.¡± 5-30 Dark waters 5-30 Dark waters Erin sighed, rubbing her forehead. ¡°I understand,¡± she said. ¡°But this is hardly the appropriate time to be mentioning or discussing such a topic. Lest everyone here forget, we will be facing a great challenge tonight. Enemies will being in droves. We will be wise to not exhaust ourselves before a great battle.¡± ¡°Pardon me, mdy.¡± Amyra raised her hand even though there was no need for it. ¡°Given your special constitution, wouldn¡¯t you be more¡­ invigorated and stimted to fight after a bout in the arts of the bedroom?¡± Everyone nodded in agreement except for Aera and Aedan. The former was far too green for the subject while thetter was silent but most likely bellowing inughter inwardly. ¡°You would be correct in that regard, Amyra, but not entirely so.¡± Amyra furrowed her brows in confusion. ¡°Not entirely so?¡± Lilian, who was sitting beside the Augur, tittered behind her hand. ¡°Our sweet Erin is not easily satisfied. Once she gets into the act, it would take hours before she could be cated. Her partners might be too spent by then.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Amyra mumbled. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know. A fight impels my drive to satisfy my bodily cravings. Once the craving is sated, the urge to fight returns. And the cravings also return afterwards. It¡¯s a perpetual cycle to me.¡± Erin frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t believe I have seen you indulging in your bodily cravings ever since I became acquainted with you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because I have been exercising restraint regarding that habit of mine. It was proven to be very cumbersome to the progress of refining my battle prowess. I have seen a sharp increase in mybat performance after curbing myself from my debauched routine.¡± Erin didn¡¯t know what to make of that unexpected backstory, so she chose to ignore it since it was of no importance currently. ¡°Regardless, we best take a good rest for the day. Tonight will be a long night and if we¡¯re not careful, we might see some casualties. We don¡¯t want that now, do we?¡± Everyone shook their heads. ¡°Good. We should¡ª¡± ¡°Wait,¡± Lyra said. Erin looked down at herp. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°If we did well, can we expect a reward afterwards? For all of us, or at least for those who wished to participate.¡± ¡°All of us? You mean a¡­ revelry of only the flesh and pleasure with all of us?¡± ¡°Enticing idea, no? I expect that you will be more than capable of handling so many of us, especially how your desire is magnified with every use of your¡­ Divine Gift.¡± Aedan chuckled. ¡°She¡¯s not wrong. I imagine you would be using Mystic de in excess given that our opponent has quite arge and formidable army at their disposal.¡± Erin sighed once more. ¡°Regardless, we shall take our rest now. We can speak about the rewards and celebrations after we make it through the ordeal. Agree?¡± Everyone was in agreement but that was not the end of the discussion as Aera put up her hand hesitantly. ¡°We¡¯re not at court here,¡± Erin said, looking defeated. She wished the girls would just get rid of their aberrant need for formality whenever the mood turns sombre. ¡°Just speak your mind, Aera.¡± ¡°F-from what I can infer¡­ we will likely be facing an army of a hundred strong or double. Is that true?¡± ¡°...Yes,¡± Erin answered truthfully. She had wanted to lie to ease the girl¡¯s worries but she figured it would be better toy the harsh truth on her now rather thanter. She would have time to adjust to it this way. ¡°If that¡¯s so¡­ can¡¯t we take our chances with the army? I mean getting confined is better than facing such a huge number of foes, isn¡¯t it? I¡¯m sure that with your connections, we wouldn¡¯t be confined for long. At best, I reckon it would only be a few days.¡± ¡°That is certainly¡­ true, but only if the soldiers are absolute adherents of thew, which isn¡¯t likely. We are far away from towns and cities. Whatever atrocities theymit, it would not be known if they collectively decided to conceal it. Only the conscience of theirmander is keeping them in check.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I understand¡­¡± ¡°Besides, that¡¯s not the way of adventurers,¡± Amyra added. ¡°The battle ahead of us is a treasure trove of experience. I gather that we will see at least a single level of increment, or maybe even two.¡± Erin nced over to her experience gauge that was hovering in the corner of her vision. It was roughly three-quarters full. It was a slow progress considering all that she had been through. It had be difficult to raise her level ever since she became level sixty. Erin was aware that the rate of her growth was exceptional. What would take others months to achieve, it took only weeks for her. Yet, now that she was level sixty, her growth rate had reduced drastically. She couldn¡¯t fathom how others would fare if her own growth rate was already diminished. The iing battle would benefit herpanions greatly. As Amyra said, they would see at least a single level of increment. There would be risks involved but she was here and so was Aedan. Even if things went awry, she had faith that Aedan would overturn the situation for the better. ¡°Before we go ahead and take our rest, shouldn¡¯t wee up with a n?¡± Nivia asked. ¡°We¡¯re on water,¡± Erin answered. ¡°And our space is limited. Whatever ns there are, it wouldn¡¯t be feasible. We can only hope to fend off our enemies until one side gives up or bes exhausted.¡± ¡°This is foolish,¡± the Elf huffed. ¡°We would definitely see some casualties. Injuries and wounds are fine but what if one of us dies?¡± ¡°I suppose that is a very likely possibility,¡± Erin said and turned towards Aedan. ¡°What?¡± Aedan asked. ¡°I¡¯m sure you have something in mind to address this matter, no?¡± Aedan snickered. ¡°Of course, I do,¡± he said, bringing out his Infinite Pouch. ¡°I have just the right thing in mind. I was beginning to think that I would never get to use it.¡± ¡°And that would be¡ª?¡± ¡°A summoned Familiar.¡± **** Soon, night fell. The rain had stopped, not even a drizzle remained. Still, the aftermath lingered. The waste onnd had been reined in by the river during the rain. Now, the waters were strewn with pieces of refuse, be it manmade or natural. Erin stood at the bow. A tranquil expression wrought her face, concealing the readiness underneath as if reflecting the deceptively calm surface of the waters. Amyra and Siv stood at the deck. Aedan was positioned at the stern along with Aera. Nivia and Lyra were atop the mast as they were the archers. No one was at the helm. Should a need for a helmsman arise, Aedan would take the role. Riki had retreated to his cabin since he was not abatant. Lilian was also below deck. She was here because of her role as the caster of the group. Since the ship was essentially covered in nts as reinforcements, Lilian didn¡¯t need to be on deck to perceive the situation above. ¡°They¡¯reing,¡± Erin said and tapped on the floor with her foot a few times. Hearing the signal, Lilian cast Bloom on the entire ship. The vines began to glow and the flowers that sprouted emitted brighter glows. ¡°Oh, damn,¡± Amyra uttered. ¡°Something bloodthirsty ising. I can already feel it before it even emerges from the river.¡± ¡°Focus, Amyra.¡± ¡°Always, mdy.¡± The waters beside the starboard burst into a pir and a Naga leapt out of it. ¡°A variant!¡± Siv shouted. Erin shot a lightning bolt at the Naga. Obviously, the Naga variant was barely hurt but it reeled its attention for a moment. And a moment was all Amyra needed. She leapt into the air to meet the Naga with her cleaver sword. The creature only realised the ruse when Amyra had already split it vertically in half. ¡°One down!¡± Amyra cheered as shended along with the pieces of the Naga. ¡°Out of two hundred, most likely,¡± Siv muttered. After that, a wave of Nagas appeared from the waters. There were dozens of them. Not only them, there were other creatures of the depth but they were all human-sized, although there were some variants in the midst that grew twice as big as the others. With her mastery of the swords and her newfound skills, Erin dispatched all those who tried to get onboard from the bow. She had not employed Mystic de and yet, the creatures were all easily felled. ¡°Weak,¡± Erin mused. ¡°Are we still just being prodded?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this!?¡± Amyra scoffed as she crushed a Naga¡¯s head with her hand. ¡°They are as weak as the ones during the day. I expected more!¡± ¡°Perhaps it isn¡¯t possible tomand the stronger ones,¡± Siv said as she took the heads of three Nagas and a creature that looked like a humanoid fish. ¡°Either that or the perpetrator takes heed in not disturbing the bnce of nature in the area.¡± ¡°That¡¯s logical.¡± If the bnce of nature in this area was overturned, the consequences would be disastrous as it could threaten the livelihoods of the people living in the area. Even the produce and harvest would be affected, especially those that needed to be sent over to the capital. It would be deemed an indirect attack on the kingdom. The royal army would be dispatched to hunt down those responsible. Unless it was the Ruvans, no other faith couldpete against the might of a nation¡¯s army. However, this didn¡¯t mean Erin and herpanions could let their guards down. The danger was still afoot. What could not be fulfilled by quality would bepensated by quantity. ¡°Well, I will admit. There are a lot more of them than during the day.¡± ¡°We have eyes, you stupid ogre!¡± Nivia shouted from up top as she released arrow after arrow. ¡°What did you say, you long-ears!? Don¡¯t lump me in with those retarded fat fucks that couldn¡¯t tell apart their shit and their food!¡± ¡°Stop this!¡± Erin roared while also unleashing her aura. The enemies caught in it lost their consciousness and fell back into the river. ¡°Focus on the enemy. Not another word of insult between the two of you.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± Nivia muttered and turned her attention back to the new wave of monsters. Amyra remained silent and went back to cleaving the monsters apart. ¡°You had it rough,¡± Aedan whispered as he took down a few Nagas on his own with an axe that was no bigger than his arm. ¡°Feels like I¡¯m leading children sometimes,¡± Erin responded, having heard Aedan¡¯s remark with her acute sense of hearing. ¡°Growing old is mandatory,¡± Aedan said, splitting a Naga apart. ¡°But growing up is optional.¡± Erin rolled her eyes, wondering why she expected some profound words of wisdom from him. She turned her attention to Aera, who was struggling to even push away a Naga, but she was not in any trouble since Aedan was beside her. Also, Aera was stronger than she looked. Her struggle stemmed from her inability to ustom herself to violence. She had only been an ordinary vige girl just a month before. Her struggle was understandable but it could not persist. Eventually, she would need to break out of her shell and Erin had hoped this battle would help Aera do just that. Suddenly, the ship began to tremble and swayed intensely. ¡°They¡¯re attacking the ship!¡± Lyra shouted. ¡°About time,¡± Amyra snorted. ¡°I¡¯m surprised that they didn¡¯t attack the ship from the beginning.¡± ¡°Our opponent is most likely trying to avoid coteral,¡± Siv said. ¡°They are only trying to kill Erin but I guess they ran out of patience or something has forced them to take drastic actions.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Amyraughed. ¡°Nothing¡¯s changed. We just need to keep killing.¡± The ship shook again and it was stronger this time, as if something big rammed into the ship. ¡°The big one¡¯s here,¡± Erin mused. ¡°Aedan, it¡¯s your time to shine.¡± ¡°Roger that,¡± Aedan said and took out a gleaming stone from his pocket. ¡°Wakey wakey,¡± he whispered to the stone. ¡°It¡¯s supper time.¡± 5-31 Dark waters II 5-31 Dark waters II Aedan dropped the gleaming stone into the water after giving it a whisper. The stone was norger than his palm but the moment it hit the waters, arge ripple was formed. The creatures in the waters stopped in their tracks when they felt the ripple. All of their gazes turned towards the gleaming stone that was sinking into the depths. ¡°Aedan, what was that?¡± Aera asked, peeking over the taffrails into the waters. ¡°It¡¯s an egg¡­ of sorts.¡± ¡°What kind of egg?¡± Aedan smirked. ¡°You¡¯ll know soon enough, very soon.¡± The Nagas that were attacking the ship began to flee as the gleaming sank out of their sight. Anotherrge ripple was formed and this time, the creatures shrieked and hurriedly made their retreat without lingering around for even one more second. Then, a radiant glow burst forth from the depths, turning the river into a sea of blinding light. ¡°Aedan, what the hell did you do?¡± Erin asked with her voice raised. ¡°Patience, my dear. All will be revealed in a short while.¡± More and more ripples were formed and finally, arge creature, nearly asrge as the ship, burst to the surface from the waters, instantly devouring a few of the unfortunate smaller creatures. ¡°A serpent?¡± Erin mused. It was the first thing that came to mind. However, Erin soon doubted her guess. The creature only resembled that of a serpent in the aspect of its snake-like body shape, but the rest of its features bore no semnce to any serpents she had seen before. ¡°A Dragon, is it?¡± Amyra made her guess. ¡°A Demi Dragon or a Sub-dragon?¡± ¡°No,¡± said Siv. ¡°That¡¯s a¡­ Leviathan.¡± Erin¡¯s eyes went wide. She turned her gaze to Aedan who was grinning from ear to ear. When their gazes met, his grin widened some more as he nodded. Seeing his smug face, Erin wanted to just m her palm into his face but now wasn¡¯t the time for that. The ordeal wasn¡¯t over yet. ¡°A Leviathan?!¡± Nivia blurted out loudly from atop the mast. As an Elf, her acute hearing allowed her to pick up Siv¡¯s words. ¡°Aedan, how in the name of the Spirits did you obtain a Leviathan?¡± ¡°It was a long time ago.¡± A tinge of sorrow crossed his face at his remembrance. ¡°It was an offering from one of my followers during a time when I was still¡­ frivolous about many worldly matters.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I see.¡± Even Nivia wasn¡¯t so boorish or dimwitted as to pursue this inquiry. ¡°I expected a Leviathan to be bigger than this¡± Amyra said, lowering her sword, as she watched the Leviathan wreaking havoc on the creatures that came to attack them. ¡°It¡¯s still just an infant,¡± Aedan responded. ¡°Not a child, but an infant!?¡± Erin eximed inwardly. She could only imagine howrge it would be if it became an adult. She shuddered at that thought. ¡°U-um¡­ What¡¯s a Leviathan?¡± Aera asked hesitantly. ¡°A creature with half the blood of a Dragon but possesses the same strength as a full-fledged Dragon,¡± Aedan answered. ¡°And it lives in the deep seas. Well, lived. I don¡¯t believe there are any Leviathans left in this world except this one. Not to my knowledge, of course.¡± ¡°W-what happened to them?¡± ¡°Demons.¡± ¡°Demons?¡± ¡°They tried to use the Leviathans in their machinations but¡­ it only caused the Leviathans¡¯ extinction.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ That¡¯s¡­ awful.¡± Aedan smiled wryly. ¡°It certainly is.¡± He gazed at the Leviathan with a distant look. Therval Dragon was rampaging in the waters with reckless abandon but it seemed to take great care in avoiding damaging the ship. ¡°This Leviathan¡­ it¡¯s tamed, isn¡¯t it?¡± Siv asked. ¡°I won¡¯t call it tamed. It¡¯s merely¡­ obedient. An infant it may be, its intelligence is on par with a young human adult.¡± ¡°So, it listens to you¡­ but why?¡± ¡°It knows what¡¯s good for itself.¡± ¡°Was that stone an egg?¡± Erin questioned just as the ship swayed heavily from the Leviathan¡¯s rampage. ¡°A cage. A receptacle, if you will.¡± ¡°You mean a prison.¡± ¡°How rude. It¡¯s not a prisoner in that stone. I did not force it into the stone. It inhabits the stone voluntarily.¡± ¡°And why would it volunteer to let itself be caged?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an infant Leviathan, sweetheart. Probably thest Leviathan in this world. What do you think will happen if peoplee to learn about its existence?¡± Immediately, everyone on the ship understood Aedan¡¯s reason for encaging the Leviathan. It was the same reason as to why Olivia wasn¡¯t just wandering around in her true form. Dragon kinds were considered superpowers in this world. If it was known, people would go to great lengths to obtain them. ¡°How many more¡­ beings do you have in hand that share the same circumstances as this Leviathan?¡± Aedan chuckled. ¡°More than a dozen.¡± Erin raised an eyebrow in amazement and mild disbelief. ¡°It¡¯s the only way they can continue¡­ living. It''s much better than bing a tool of war. And of course, this is just between me and all of you here. Don¡¯t tell anyone else, alright?¡± ¡°Of course, we won¡¯t, Your Grace,¡± Amyra said with a deep bow. ¡°I will see to my death before I let it be known.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a little bit extreme but I¡¯m grateful, Amyra.¡± ¡°Your wishes are my honour, pride, andmand, Your Grace.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t they need any sustenance?¡± Erin asked. ¡°They do,¡± Aedan answered. ¡°They are beings of magic. They sustain themselves by absorbing the Mana flowing in the air. Being in these receptacles, they need only a quarter of their usual sustenance. They won¡¯t die as long as no harmes to the receptacles.¡± Erin sighed. ¡°Just when I thought I had seen it all¡­ Something new just appears before me.¡± ¡°Oh, sweetheart, you ain¡¯t seen half of the wonder this world has to offer, what I have to offer.¡± ¡°I have no doubt about that, Aedan.¡± ¡°Is it over now?¡± Lyra shouted as the Leviathan¡¯s rampage gradually came to a stop. It swam back to the ship and lingered around. ¡°No,¡± answered Erin. ¡°The real threat has yet to show itself.¡± ¡°The tentacle monster, aye?¡± Erin nodded at Amyra¡¯s guess. Perhaps sensing the impending threat that wasrger than itself, the Leviathan turned into a ball of light and flew into Aedan¡¯s open palm. It had transformed back into the gleaming stone. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ so convenient,¡± Erin couldn¡¯t help but remark. ¡°Is it possible for me to learn such things?¡± ¡°If you can live as long as I can, I don¡¯t see why not. These tricks are not tailored specifically to me. It simply requires patience and time.¡± ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t know about patience but we certainly don¡¯t have the time now.¡± Just then, two giant tentacles erupted from the river, the barnacles pulsating violently. The girls shivered at those throbbing suckles, Amyra included. A single tentacle was thrice the size of the infant Leviathan. An attack from one of the tentacles alone was enough to destroy the entire ship and the people onboard. Erin wasted no time to quickly prevent that notion from turning true. She changed her weapon into a single-edged greatsword that was more efficient for shing and leapt towards the tentacles. She d herself in all the defensive spells she knew. A vivid violet glow enshrouded her sword, Mystic de. ¡°Ah¡­ there she goes again,¡± Amyra sighed. ¡°Erin, you idiot!¡± Lyra yelled. ¡°Mistress, that¡¯s careless of you!¡± Erin had no time to care or think about all those. The tentacles could m down on them at any given moment. She might be able to survive due to her Revenant skill but the same couldn¡¯t be said for the others. She increased her speed with Lightning Rush as she streaked through the air. Once she was within her range, she swung her sword in a wide arc, a half moon, bisecting the tentacles with ease. However, that was not all of it. The water surface directly beneath her began to bubble. ¡°Of course,¡± Erin mused in her heart. Instead of retreating back to the ship at once, she went higher into the sky by using Warp. She teleported just outside the range of the tentacle that just broke through the water''s surface and shot towards her. Erin let gravity drag her back down as she also swung her sword down in tandem at the newly emerged tentacle. She split the tentacle vertically in half and the water suffered the shockwave of her immense blow. The waters parted for a brief second before pouring back to fill the gap. Once the third tentacle was dealt with, Erin teleported back on the ship using Warp. ¡°Whoa!¡± Erin gasped as a wave of nausea struck her head. Using three Warps in a row was very tasking to her mind and not to mention, her Mana expenditure cost a third of her total Mana pool. She rapidly recovered all the Mana she expended by using Mana Harvest but the strain on her mind remained. ¡°Erin, haven¡¯t we already talked about your reckless behaviour?!¡± Lyra chided her lover as she jumped down from atop the mast. ¡°Are we going to have another discussion?¡± In response, Erin smiled wryly. ¡°That thing would have copsed upon us at any moment. I only did what was needed in the most efficient way possible.¡± ¡°Damn it, Erin. That¡¯s not what we¡ª¡± ¡°Lyra, stop it. I can¡¯t die. You know that. We all know that. However, the same can¡¯t be said for you and everyone else here.¡± ¡°...E-Erin, I¡ª¡± ¡°Save the quarrel forter,¡± Aedan said, hopping down from the quarterdeck. ¡°We are not out of danger yet.¡± As if eager to prove Aedan¡¯s words right, more tentacles emerged from the waters, surrounding the ship. Lyra sighed and looked at Erin with a resolute gaze. ¡°Do what you have to, Erin. I won¡¯t stop you¡­ I believe you.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Erin said and leapt into the air, reaching the height of the ship¡¯s mast. Once again, she brought her sword around in a wide arc, cutting down all the tentacles in front of her. Amyra leapt towards one of the tentacles and drove her sword into it. She plunged her de deep before unleashing her Fire Magic, burning the tentacle from within. Before the others could make their move, the tentacles mmed down¡ª but they were repelled by a cyan-glowing barrier that covered the entire ship. The barrier shattered immediately after deflecting the tentacles. ¡°Excellent, Lilian!¡± Nivia cheered. ¡°Don¡¯t celebrate just yet!¡± Aedan shouted. ¡°Remember, that spell can¡¯t be used in quick session.¡± More tentacles emerged, recing the ones that were destroyed. Half of the newly emerged tentacles went after the hull of the ship but they let go when giant thorns sprouted from the exteriors of the ship. The tentacles writhed, bleeding blue blood as if they were in agony. Then, the waters began to tremble and the ship trembled along with it. The water level rose and the ship rose with it, tilting to one side. ¡°What¡¯s happening!?¡± Aera screamed as she hastily grabbed onto the nearest thing for support, which was the wheel. ¡°Sorry about this, captain!¡± Amyra said and stabbed her sword into the floor. She held onto her sword when the whole ship nted in an angle that sent every object sliding off the ship. The others also hurriedly grabbed onto whatever support they could. Erin held her ground by stabbing her tails into the floor nks. She caught Nivia who nearly fell off the ship. ¡°Thank you¡­¡± Nivia said with her cheeks flushed due to her being princess-carried. Erin tittered. ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± The ship slipped down the rising waves and eventually, it drifted back to the even waves, but that didn¡¯t mean everything was fine. Quite the contrary, the waves stirred and rough ripples swept past the ship. ¡°This isn¡¯t good,¡± Erin muttered as she stared at the centre of the ripples. The rest of herpanions shared her dreaded reaction. The ripples stemmed from the gigantic creature that had just emerged from the depths, a creature that bore the resemnce of an octopus but only its lower half. The upper half was that of a person, a woman, to be precise, though its pale ck skin and dark eyes detracted its semnce of a human. ¡°What is that¡­?¡± Lyra gasped. ¡°... A Scy,¡± Siv answered. 5-32 Scylla 5-32 Scy ¡°This is not good,¡± Aedan muttered and took out a Spell Card from his infinite pouch. ¡°Lilian, cast your strongest defensive spell on this ship now!¡± he yelled. Layers of green-glowing barriers were instantly erected around the ship. Runes also appeared all over the exterior of the ship. At the same time, Aedan activated the Spell Card in his hand, enveloping the ship in anotheryer of barrier but this one had a dark purplish sheen. Vortexes of water began forming above the Scy. ¡°Oh, this is truly not good,¡± Erin muttered when she saw the result of her Appraisal skill. Her Sixth Sense was also ring in her mind, signalling the imminent immense threat. ¡°Aedan, what can I do to help?¡± ¡°Use all the defensive spells you know on this ship! Nivia, you too!¡± The two Fae did as they were told and cast the strongest defensive spells they knew on the ship. Just then, bolts ofpressed water were shot out of the vortexes formed above the Scy, bombarding the ship in a barrage. The firstyer of defence immediately broke apart and the secondyer followed suit a few secondster. ¡°Holy shit!¡± Amyra eximed as the ship rocked violently from side to side. ¡°Surely this won¡¯t catch the attention of the nearby army. Definitely won¡¯t.¡± ¡°They are done being subtle and furtive,¡± Aedan said. ¡°They are getting desperate. Really desperate.¡± ¡°Just how great is a favour from those relics for them to be risking so much?¡± Lyra asked as she hopped down from atop the mast along with Nivia. ¡°Getting a favour from those Ancient Guardians would expand the faith¡¯s influence. It might even put them on par with the Ruvans. That¡¯s how significant their favours are.¡± ¡°So, it¡¯s all about power in the end?¡± ¡°It rarely isn¡¯t about power. People turned to religion because they felt powerless about themselves.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Amyra scoffed. ¡°I turned to Aeryonian because I was bored.¡± ¡°This is no time to be having a leisurely conversation!¡± Erin baulked at them as the barriers were bombarded by another round of barrage. Slowly but surely, the ship was being pushed back. A shore wasn¡¯t far away. If the barrage kept oning, the ship would eventually be ashore. ¡°What else can we do about this?¡± Nivia asked. ¡°Wait for the Scy¡¯s attack to stop,¡± Aedan answered. ¡°And how much more will this barrage go on for?¡± Aedan shrugged. ¡°Not long now.¡± A few seconds after those words left Aedan¡¯s lips, the Scy¡¯s bombardment ceased. ¡°Now!¡± Erin and Amyra shot towards the Scy as soon as the barriers were dispelled. Nivia and Lyra remained on the ship but they weren¡¯t idle. They nocked their bows with arrows and infused the shots with the strongest attack skill or spell they knew. Seeing the rapid approach of a Fox-kin and an Augur, the Syc sent a shoal of tentacles at the two. Amyra sted them all away with her Fire Magic, making way for Erin to proceed. Once she was within range, Erin unleashed her attack, a sh imbued with Mystic de and Sever. With only a single swing, she cut a huge chunk of the Scy apart. If it hadn¡¯t moved, that sh would have ended its life. The Scy shrieked in agony and smacked Erin away with her remaining tentacles. Amyra caught Erin but the two fell into the river regardless. Meanwhile, the Scy was assaulted by a volley of arrows. All but one arrow was not strong enough to prate its skin. But that single arrow alone, imbued with the power of wind and light, tore right through its other arm. The Scy, instead of turning its attention to the ship, where the arrow came from, turned towards Erin and Amyra who were both in the waters. Erin grabbed onto Amyra firmly and moved to the ship¡¯s deck in an instant with Warp. She copsed to the floor upon arrival. ¡°Erin, are you alright!?¡± Lyra yelled as she rushed to Erin¡¯s side. Erin smiled wryly while catching her breath. ¡°When am I not?¡± Lyra¡¯s concerned gaze turned into a re. ¡°That¡¯s not funny.¡± Erin tittered. ¡°I know.¡± ¡°The Scy! It¡¯s gone!¡± Aera shouted. They all turned to look and saw what Aera described. The Scy had vanished. ¡°It¡¯s underwater,¡± Siv said. Aedan tutted. ¡°We need to get the ship moving right now. It no longer had any qualms about coteral. Nivia, get down there and help Lilian.¡± ¡°With what?¡± Nivia responded. ¡°With moving this ship. She has control of the ship right now and she can make it move, but she can do it by herself.¡± ¡°I can do it,¡± Erin said. ¡°No, you¡¯re needed here. Nivia, get going. We have no time¡ª¡± Aedan couldn¡¯t finish his words. Something hit the ship hard. The ship rocked violently, nearly throwing Aera and Lyra off but the former was saved by Aedan while thetter was saved by Erin. The ship was rammed again and it rocked as violently as ever. Nivia wasted not another second and rushed below deck. Tentacles emerged from the depths. These ones were twice the size of the ones they had been dealing with. They began wrapping themselves around the ship. One of the tentacles went for the mast, crushing the sails before Erin and the others could do anything about it. Then, the ship began to move but the tentacles prevented it from moving more than a few feet. ¡°Amyra, get these things off,¡± Erin shouted hermand. ¡°Don¡¯t hold back!¡± ¡°Understood!¡± Amyra d her sword in a fiery ze and swung at the tentacles. With each tentacle she cut down, there was a howling shriek emanating from beneath the ship. Erin came to the understanding that these tentacles were most likely the Scy¡¯s main limbs, which exined their sizes and the fact that it felt tremendous pain from having them cut down. After Amyra cut down around four of thoserger tentacles, the ship was able to move again. Lilian and Nivia came up to the deck with Riki, the ship¡¯s owner and captain. ¡°The ship would move by itself for a few hundred metres,¡± Lilian exined. ¡°But it can only move in a straight line and I have exhausted all of the Mana Cells.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± Riki asked. ¡°We¡¯ll have to abandon ship, Riki,¡± Siv answered. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s the only way. We can¡¯t outrun our opponent in the waters. We¡¯ll have to get tond even if it means dealing with the kingdom army. Better than dying here.¡± ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Riki sighed. ¡°I understand¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Riki. We will repay you for this.¡± ¡°Threefold,¡± Erin added. ¡°T-threefold, mdy?!¡± Riki couldn¡¯t believe his ears. ¡°That¡¯s a b-bit too much, Lady Erynthea. I must de¡ª¡± Riki was about to voice his rejection when something heavy and huge rammed the ship from underneath, sending the whole vessel flipping over as it bent with cracks formed in the hull. Erin heard Riki screaming. She looked up and saw him being flung off the ship by the momentum. She wanted to help him but she and herpanions were all in the same predicament. The ship was done for. The hull was broken and it was capsizing. ¡°What can I do?¡± Erin asked herself as she fell through the air. She knew little about ships. She could only look to Aedan for assistance but he had his hands full with keeping Aera and Lilian safe. Amyra had Nivia wrapped in her arms. Lyra was clinging onto Siv for safety. ¡°Everyone¡¯s safe,¡± Erin in relief inwardly. Then, she turned her attention to the Scy that appeared from the river. It was bleeding profusely from its head and also its lower body, where half of its main limbs had been severed. It couldn¡¯t grow those back like it could for its smaller tentacles. The ship was still flipping in the air and Erin stumbled upon an idea. She threw a lightning bolt on the ship. As the vessel was drenched in water, the lightning spread all over, and the few sparks set the ship ame. Erin threw another lightning bolt at the burning ship, igniting the ze into an explosion right in front of the Scy¡¯s face. The wooden splinters flew everywhere, including the face of the Scy. A burning shard with a pointy end, in particr, flew right into its left eye. The Scy howled in agony and began thrashing around in the waters. The eye was not the only injury it had. The explosion had plunged not a small number of the ship''s debris pieces into the Scy¡¯s body. The explosion ended up throwing Erin further away than her initial falling point. She bounced across the river''s surface before eventually plunging underwater. Seeing no notification regarding the increment of her experience, Erin knew the Scy was still alive. Determined to finish the job, she quickly swam back up to the surface. However, she was a metre away from reaching the surface when something tangled itself around her foot. Erin looked down and saw a squid-like monster. It was a Horned Squid ording to her Appraisal. Being underwater had reduced herbat prowess drastically. She struggled to get herself free but to no avail. She couldn¡¯t even cry out for help. Before she coulde up with an idea, the Horned Squid dragged her away. It took her into a tunnel at the bottom of the river. The tunnel was dark but the faintly glowing water nts along the path provided Erin some bearings. They exited the tunnel before long, entering a cavern, where the depths were littered with bones. ¡°Is this some kind of a water graveyard?¡± The Horned Squid continued to drag her along but Erin cut the monster down with Sever. Perhaps sensing the danger beforehand, the Horned Squid dodged Erin¡¯s attack but it still suffered a grave wound. A quarter of its body had been severed. The Horned Squid made no sound and simply swam away in retreat, leaving a trail of blue blood. Erin was left floating in the water. Her excessive use of Spatial Magic had left her mind exhausted and her Mana pool running dry. Using her remaining strength, she swam up to the surface. Fortunately, there wasnd nearby and she quickly swam ashore. Once onnd, she replenished her Mana by using Mana Harvest but there was nothing she could do about her mental exhaustion. Shey on her back, staring at the dark and rocky ceiling, filled with dripstones. ¡°Great¡­¡± she sighed. ¡°Where did I get myself thrown into this time?¡± Erin looked around. She was in a cavern but that was all she could gather. There was nothing that stood out in this cavern except for the glowing mosses but she had seen plenty of glowing nts underground. It seemed to be the staple. She looked around some more but she didn¡¯t find anything new. There was no way out of this ce, safe for the tunnel underwater. The silver lining was that she seemed to be the only one here. She didn¡¯t sense any other presence, not taking the fish into ount. ¡°Why did it bring me here?¡± Erin let that question wander in her head as she took off her outer robe and hung it by a spire-shaped stone to let it dry. ¡°Hmm¡­ this ce isn¡¯t cold,¡± Erin realised. She was soaking wet but the breeze in this cavern did not bring any chill. If anything, it brought warmth. An idea appeared in her head. She started inspecting the walls closely. She put her hands on them. The walls were warmer than the breeze. She traced her hands all over the walls until she touched a spot where it was exceptionally warmer than the other parts. She gave it a gentle tap at first but when there was no response, she knocked on that spot. She put more strength in her knocking but nothing happened. She poured Mana into that spot and finally, the walls trembled and opened up like the blinds on a window, revealing a passageway into a small room. In an instant, Erin felt a surge of Mana emanating from within the room. ¡°Well, what do we have here?¡± 5-33 Irmin 5-33 Irmin Erin felt not the tiniest hint of Mana before she opened the secret door. But now, she was overwhelmed by it. The Mana wasn¡¯t just abundant but also pure. The purity of Mana denotes the efficiency in the conjuration of spells and the usage of skills. Pure Mana was the Mana equivalent of Exalted Spirits. The Pure Mana was not the only thing that Erin took notice of. The room, from its insipid appearance, gave off the impression that it had once been something but time and negligence had turned it into nothing worthy of note except its past. Seeing no other way but forward, Erin stepped into the room. Contrary to her expectations, the door did not close up behind her. It stayed open. She scoured the room. She peered at all its corners. She studied the ground closely. Nothing. She found nothing that was of any interest, save for the abnormally wet floor and the throne that was perched atop a tall dais that took a third of the room¡¯s height. ¡°A throne room?¡± Erin muttered her guess. Aside from that grand chair, she couldn¡¯t discern anything else that might suggest the point of this room. As she trod deeper into the room, her Sixth Sense red up but by then, she felt the unseen attack had drawn too close for her to react¡ª but not for her tails. They moved to protect Erin, d in Arcane Armour, deflecting the attack. The hard and loud ngour made it clear the means of the attack. Erin spun around with her sword manifested. ¡°What the hell is he?¡± she wondered out loud as sheid eyes on her assant. A man stood in front of her, naked from the waist up with only a ragged cloth wrapped around everything below his navel. His skin was blue and his hair was white. His ears were long, pointy, and fin-like. There were webs between his fingers. The nails were akin to talons. In his hands was a three-pronged spear, a trident. The material it was made of was something called Azurite but it was clearly not the kind of Azurite Erin knew of in her former world. ¡°True Naga?¡± Erin mused, reading the information Appraisal had given her. ¡°Level fifty-six. It¡¯s doable but his Arcane Arts¡­ Fucking hell.¡± The list was short but just a few were already putting Erin ill at ease. She had never seen or heard half of the skills and spells the True Naga had but the names themselves were self-exnatory. Silence and Scentless, these two were the reason Erin didn¡¯t notice the True Naga¡¯s ambush until thest second or two. But the most worrisome Arcane Art it had was its Unique Talent, Water Exalted. Reading the description given by Appraisal provided nofort to Erin. ¡°Damn¡­ what have I gotten myself into?¡± Erin sighed. The True Naga lunged without a sound. Erin twirled her sword and easily parried the blow. ¡°As expected. His Spear Art is only level five after all and like many others, he¡¯s also System dependent going by his form and the efficiency of his movements.¡± The True Naga was about to lunge again but Erin stopped him with a hand raised. ¡°Irmin, wait!¡± she said. She got his name from Appraisal. And wait, the True Naga did. ¡°Perchance, is there no way for us to resolve this without¡ª¡± Erin hadn¡¯t finished speaking but the True Naga, Irmin, had already resumed his attack. She deflected her attack once again and she went for a riposte. However, Irmin dove past her. It would seem this was the true purpose of his lunge. Once behind her, he began casting a spell. Erin cast a spell in response, Storm Shell. Irmin cast a Water Javelin spell but as expected, the water spear hit the lightning barrier and a lightning bolt was shot out in return. To Erin¡¯s amazement, he destroyed the lightning bolt with his trident. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s a tad unnerving.¡± Drops of water rose from the floor and converged around the True Naga¡¯s trident. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s really unnerving.¡± When the Irmin thrust its trident, a torrent of water shot towards Erin in the form of a trident. Erin d her sword in lightning and swung down on the torrential water-moulded trident. She turned the spell back into thousands of water droplets with that single swing¡ª perhaps she shouldn¡¯t have. She realised her mistake when the water droplets began to glow. The True Naga flicked his hand as if giving amand. And Erin was enveloped in a blinding light, cast by the water droplets. In actuality, the lights were merely thousands of gleams and glitters, given off by the water droplets as they turned into lethal edges. Irmin sighed. His tensed shoulders loosened¡ª but only for a second. His shoulders perked up as he ducked low. A de streaked over his head. ¡°And I thought my instincts were impressive,¡± Erin said. ¡°How?¡± Irmin asked, finally speaking, as he quickly distanced himself away from the elusive Fox-kin. ¡°You¡¯re wee to make a guess,¡± Erin responded in a coquettish tone, which she immediately regretted doing. ¡°I¡¯m so d none of them are here right now.¡± ¡°Irrelevant,¡± Irmin snorted. He twirled and swung his trident. The water soaked in the floor appeared to dance along with his performance. Countless water droplets flew with the tip of the trident, slowly forming into torrents. ¡°What do you gain from this?¡± Erin asked. ¡°The Elevation of Astranis,¡± the True Naga answered and sent the water torrents rushing towards Erin. ¡°Astranis¡­¡± Erin mused as she swiftly dodged all of the water torrents that threatened to turn into minced meat. ¡°The Lady of the Depth, was it?¡± Irmin responded with his actions, sending another wave of water torrents Erin¡¯s way. She cut them all down without breaking a sweat but that was not the end of the onught. ¡°That¡¯s not fair.¡± The more he danced, the more water torrents hemanded and the fiercer the water raged as if they were mirroring the True Naga¡¯s will. ¡°Oh, fuck off,¡± Erin swore inwardly when she noticed the True Naga¡¯s Mana pool was recovering faster than his expenditure. ¡°Is it because of Water Exalted?¡± Despite her restless state, the odds weren¡¯t tipping against her favour. The water torrent assault continued to bombard her in a flurry but not a single attack made it past her defence. Her entrance into the realm of level sixty had cast a wide gap between her and all those below her level, due to the emergence of her sixth and seventh tail. Perhaps seeing the futility in his current method, Irmin changed his tactic but the deviation was huge. The water torrents turned into de-wings and flocked towards Erin. ¡°I do not want to fight you,¡± Erin said and retaliated with Lightning Barrage, striking down all of the water-de wings. ¡°I do not wish to fight you either. Your death at my hand is all that I ask for.¡± ¡°And what would my death aplish?¡± ¡°Everything.¡± Erin rolled her eyes. ¡°Look here, Irmin. I have killed plenty of people. I do not wish to kill if I don¡¯t have to. But I will kill if I have to. This is your chance. Stand down.¡± ¡°The salvation of my people lies in your death.¡± ¡°Says who? Those relics?¡± ¡°Your kind has proven their malice time and time again throughout the course of history. Such is the prophecy and such is always the way things came to be.¡± ¡°Bollocks,¡± Erin scoffed. ¡°This is beginning to feel a lot like one borate scheme. Tell me, do you know what a self-fulfilling prophecy is?¡± Irmin arched an eyebrow but he said nothing. ¡°You do, don¡¯t you?¡± Erin chuckled. ¡°I see now. Maybe those relics weren¡¯t wrong about the malice the otherworlds could bring but tobel all of them as the one and the same? That¡¯s a stretch. Clearly, the truth has been distorted, manipted.¡± ¡°Lies,¡± Irmin hissed. ¡°Use your head, idiot.¡± Irmin flinched, seemingly startled by the crudenguage that came out of a Fae¡¯s lips. ¡°Surely you know of the consequences thate with killing a Fae, especially one that is greatly loved by the Spirits.¡± ¡°Only a cretin wouldn¡¯t know.¡± ¡°What makes you think that your faith will be elevated upon taking my life?¡± ¡°The Ancient Guardians had promised¡ª¡± ¡°Yes, they guaranteed that but that¡¯s only your reward. Had they guaranteed that you would be absolutely free of any consequences that would befall you upon my demise?¡± Irmin opened his mouth but no words came out. ¡°They didn¡¯t, did they? They promised you a reward but they didn¡¯t promise you an absolvement of the consequences. Let¡¯s say before they grant you your reward, something tragic happens as a result of the consequences. And you are to be med for this tragedy. Your actions caused this tragedy. Using this as an excuse, they can just retract their promise with very good justifications, won¡¯t you agree?¡± ¡°The Ancient Guardians cannot lie!¡± ¡°Perhaps, they can¡¯t, but they don¡¯t necessarily need to. They can simply withhold the truth and ry only a part of the whole truth.¡± ¡°Impossible!¡± ¡°Not impossible. Despicable, but possible. From all that I have heard about them, they aren¡¯t exactly paragons of virtue, not even close.¡± ¡°Impossible¡­ Impossible¡­ They are not¡ª This can¡¯t be! You¡¯re lying!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say that this is the truth but it is worth contemting over it, no?¡± ¡°No¡­ no¡­ No! This cannot be the truth! It cannot be!¡± The True Naga¡¯s continuous denial turned into a screech. ¡°Not after all that I have done¡­¡± His voice trailed off. ¡°All that you have done?¡± Erin caught those dubious words. She narrowed her gaze. ¡°What have you done?¡± ¡°What have I not done¡­¡± At that moment, Erin understood. ¡°How many?¡± she asked. ¡°You saw those bones¡­ You have your answer¡­¡± ¡°All of them?¡± Irminughed, deliriously, with tears streaming down his cheeks. ¡°All of them. Children and women too¡­¡± ¡°And you never once stop and think about any of this?¡± ¡°I am thest of my kind. The only True Naga in this world.¡± Irmin had a smile but there was no happiness in that smile. ¡°I have stopped and thought about my actions countless times, but the return of my kind is all that ever was in my mind.¡± ¡°...I¡¯m sorry to hear that.¡± ¡°No!¡± Irmin snarled. ¡°You¡¯re not sorry. Not at all. If you are, then give me your head.¡± ¡°Do you still believe that my death can grant salvation for your kind?¡± ¡°I havee this far¡­ I have¡­ taken so many lives. To stop now¡­ I will not. It¡¯s toote. There¡¯s no way back for me.¡± ¡°Please, don¡¯t do this.¡± ¡°There are already hundreds of them down there¡­ What¡¯s one more?¡± ¡°You cannot defeat me.¡± ¡°Then, you should just kill me,¡± Irmin said and lunged with water swirling around him. ¡°Irmin, please!¡± Erin begged as she deflected a heavy blow and dodged another. ¡°It does not have to be this way. You can still¡ª¡± ¡°Save your breath, Fae. This is my resolve and I shall see it to the end.¡± The water enveloped him, forming an armour that covered his entire body. ¡°Despite knowing how dubious the arrangement is, you seek to continue down this path?¡± ¡°I have almost reached the end. To turn back now is just¡­ folly.¡± ¡°Ah, I see. I am yourst mark.¡± ¡°After you, they will grant what is promised to me.¡± Erin sighed. ¡°I said my piece. I have been merciful. I have been reasonable. So, remember, this is your choice.¡± ¡°Enough. I hate stalling.¡± Erin smiled wryly. ¡°I¡¯m not stalling. I¡¯m giving you one more chance.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need it.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± Before Irmin couldunch another attack, Erin disappeared from his view. When she reappeared, she was already behind him, standing yards away with her back turned to him. ¡°Farewell, you stubborn fool,¡± she bade. Irmin frowned. As he was about to question her words, his neck suddenly felt wet. He looked down and saw blood oozing out from a slit that had formed around his neck. 5-34 The blue happenstance 5-34 The blue happenstance ¡°Farewell, you stubborn fool,¡± Erin bade as she rested her de. The slit around Irmin¡¯s neck turned red as blood trickled down his shoulders and chest in streams. Just as Erin was about to dispel her sword, she stopped. Irmin dropped to his knees, clutching his neck with both of his hands. His trident fell by his side. Erin frowned, struck with perplexity. She didn¡¯t just slit Irmin¡¯s throat. She had swung her de right through his neck and yet, this was the result. His head remained intact on his neck while his bluish blood streamed down from the slit wound. ¡°You underestimated me, Fox-kin,¡± Irmin growled as he grabbed his trident and wiped away the blood that spilt all over his chest. The slit on his neck was no more. Erin snorted in disbelief. ¡°Am I being cursed?¡± she wondered. With every opponent she faced, the weirder and stranger their abilities got. Irmin raised his trident. The moisture on the floor rose with it. He then mmed the hilt of the trident on the floor. Erin widened her eyes when she saw Irmin¡¯s Mana being drained exponentially. She shot towards him before he could finish conjuring whatever spell or trick he was preparing. She brought her sword through his arm. She felt her de slicing through his flesh, tendons, and bones. However, blood was spilt but his arm stayed intact. Erin saw Irmin¡¯s health reducing when she cut his arm but it recovered just a second or two afterwards. ¡°High-speed regeneration!¡± Nevertheless, it was still a painful suffering. Irmin howled in pain and the moisture hemanded dropped back onto the floor. He red hatefully at Erin and thrust his trident at her. Lacing her de with a violet glow, she met the thrust with her own and to her shock, their blows bounced off of one another. ¡°What the¡ª I couldn¡¯t cut it?¡± It was simply unprecedented. The trident resisted her Mystic de that had been able to cut through anything, or she had thought until now. Erin appraised the trident one more time but the result held no indication that the weapon could resist Mystic de. ¡°I know that look,¡± Irmin said and thrust his trident at Erin in a flurry. Erin twirled her sword around, deflecting all of his blows, but her de was eventually trapped in the gap between the prongs. Irmin conjured a wrist de on his left hand using Water Magic and plunged towards Erin¡¯s head. To his incredulity, his water de failed to prate the thinyer of ethereal armour covering her. Erin ceased this moment and grabbed Irmin¡¯s outstretched arm. She pulled him in and twirled on her heel, bringing her Arcane Armour-d tails around, and drove them through his shoulder. Irmin shrieked in agony. His blood gushed forth, sttering all over Erin. With her grip still in her hand, she tossed the torn limb away. She saw how the water moisture on Irmin tried to mend his wounds but since the whole limb was gone, his spell only stopped the bleeding. Irmin¡¯s eyes red with rage and desperation. His right arm turned red and the crimson hue flowed into the trident. Erin¡¯s keen sense of smell told her the red was actually Irmin¡¯s own blood. Her sword disappeared and reappeared into her grasp, freeing it from the gap between the prongs. Irmin swung his red-dyed trident. He was not faster than her and thus, allowing Erin to dodge his attack but she couldn¡¯t breathe easy yet. His attack left a trail of red mist in its wake. Erin would have simply treated the red mist as some ornamental effect of Irmin¡¯s enhanced weapon but her instincts told her otherwise. The red mist turned into crystals with deadly sharp protrusions. ¡°Uh¡­ oh.¡± The crimson crystals looked beautiful and she would have taken her time to appreciate them if they didn¡¯t suddenly hurtle towards her. She easily cut down the crystals but Irmin was upon her again. She dodged an attack from him but the misty trail it left behind turned into those deadly crystal projectiles once again and flew towards her. The same pattern continued for a while and it wasn¡¯t a short while. Eventually, Irmin stopped his attacks. His trident lost the faint reddish glow. Erin raised an eyebrow. His health had been plummeting but when the trident lost the crimson hue, his health shot back up. ¡°Well¡­ this is going to be annoying.¡± ¡°The rumours were not exaggerating. You are better than all of your predecessors.¡± Erin sighed. ¡°For the fuckingst time, I¡¯m not honoured by this sort of praise, if it can even be considered as a praise at all.¡± ¡°I can see why the Ancient Guardians are so wary of you. And I can see the absence of any hesitation when you swing your de.¡± ¡°Because fucks like you are dime a dozen. Even the most horrifying and ghastly appearance will be nothing more than a dull turd if one looks at it for every second of their life. In shorter words, I have run out of fucks to give. I have even given each of you a chance but none of you took it.¡± ¡°Because we can¡¯t. Sparing you brings us now benefit.¡± ¡°Only if you don¡¯t consider your own life as a benefit.¡± ¡°Enough talk, Fox-kin. Come at me.¡± Erin cocked her neck, the sound of her bones popping reverberated clearly in this small room. Lightning erupted from behind her, enveloping all seven of her tails. ¡°You¡¯re in my domain. Your defeat has long been decided.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not the one running dry of tricks and ideas.¡± Irmin snorted. His gaze wandered to his severed arm that was lying in the corner of the room. Erin matched his gaze. She tutted. ¡°Don¡¯t think about it,¡± she said. Irmin snarled at Erin and tossed his trident. She nted her head to the side and the trident shot past her harmlessly. She heard a ssh behind her, presumably the trident hitting the deep body of water outside the room. ¡°The throw was no blunder. It was fully intentional. What is this fishman nning now?¡± While Erin pondered about Irmin¡¯s intention in throwing into the water, the person himself was darting towards his severed arm. But before he could get anywhere close, he was shocked by lightning. Still, the shock did not incapacitate him nor did it slow him down. Erin tutted and rushed up to Irmin with her sword swinging. She tore open his back but the heavy wound was not enough to fell him. She reigned in her momentum and prepared for another strike. However¡ª The blood that poured out of the wound turned into deadly stars that shot towards her. She cut down all but one of the stars. The one she missed grazed her shoulder, tearing through her Arcane Armour. ¡°Arcane Armour is no match for the spells that are fueled by his own blood,¡± Erin made a mental note. ¡°There are too many tricks to his Unique Talent.¡± Irmin managed to recover his severed hand and reattached it to his shoulder. Having both of his arms, Irmin shot Erin a triumphant grin. ¡°As I said, your defeat has long been determined.¡± Before Erin coulde up with a snarky remark in response, there was activity in the water. The surface began to ripple and bubble. Gradually, the water rose, a figure bursting through. The figure reached a height of more than three metres, bearing a nigh-humanoid appearance, moulded of solid water. Its arms were longer than its legs. Its nails were akin to brittle ws. The strange being tottered out of the water and once it came ontond, it billowed towards Erin at a speed that defied one¡¯s expectations given its mass and size. While the strange being was certainly fast, it was not faster than Erin. She spared the undting beast only a nce before dashing towards Irmin. ¡°You damn¡ª¡± Irmin didn¡¯t finish his words and started running towards the Familiar he summoned. ¡°Coward.¡± ¡°I will be whatever I need to be to bring you down!¡± he shouted without turning around. Erin reached Irmin first before he could even get anywhere close to the strange being. She brought her sword down on him with lightning coiling around the de. As her attack struck Irmin, the undting beast came to his aid, ramming her away with its massive weight. It then threw its fist that was thrice the size of Erin¡¯s head but its arm came undone, destroyed by Erin¡¯s lightning-d tails. The undting beast showed no concern for its arm and swung its other arm. Erin destroyed that arm too using Storm ive, a double-ded polearm that was created from pure lightning. The colossal watery creature staggered backwards from having both of its arms destroyed. Erin didn¡¯t relent. She tossed the ive into the being¡¯s torso. The ive melted into the being and the lightning spread all over its body. Contrary to Erin¡¯s expectation, the being did note undone despite the lightning that was eating through it. Steam and vapour could even be seen emanating from the being¡¯s body. ¡°In the end¡­ only this skill allows an ultimatum,¡± Erin grunted and swung her sword, the de d in a mystical vivid violet light. The being was cut horizontally into half. Erin half-expected the strange creature to mend itself back into one piece but it didn¡¯t. It broke down and melted into a puddle of water as if it had lost the very thing that held up its shape and reason to be. ¡°This is too easy,¡± Erin muttered dubiously. But when she looked up from the opponent that had just cut down, she understood why it was easy. Irmin was nowhere to be found. The hulking elemental had been nothing more than a distraction. Erin quickly cast her senses onto her surroundings but then she recalled the Arcane Arts Irmin possessed. With the kind of Innate Abilities he had, Erin couldn¡¯t have known or noticed him slipping away in the midst of the battle and she certainly wouldn¡¯t be able to find his trail. As piqued as she was, Erin had to admit it was a smart move. The scales were tipping against Irmin¡¯s favour despite the opposite he had repeatedly imed. Retreat was the best move he could make if he had nothing else under his sleeves. ¡°An obstinate coward¡­¡± Erin huffed, stowing away her sword. ¡°But no fool.¡± Sighing, Erin dropped to the floor on her rear and leaned her back against one of the six pirs in the room. The future would be wrought with troubles, especially when there was an enemy that had run away in a fight. The enemy would surelye back for her, more prepared than ever before, that was the danger of letting an opponent escape. ¡°Revenant remains my best weapon and also my most dreaded curse.¡± Out of everything in her repertoire of skills and tools, Revenant was the one ability that not even the gods or Marduk knew about. ¡°I best get going. They will be worrying their skins off about me by now.¡± Erin chuckled at the more-than-possible thought and rose to her feet. As she was about to leave the room, the faint sound of something light and solid hitting a solid surface stopped her feet. She frowned and turned around. Everything was the same as before, save for the scratches and damages that were the remnants of her battle with Irmin. She scoured the room with her focused gaze. The peculiar sound came again and Erin decided to follow it. It led her to the throne. The ring resounded once more. It came from behind the empty grandeur chair. Although Erin didn¡¯t sense any threat, she decided to be on the safe side. She brandished her sword and slowly peered behind the throne. As she did so, something flew past her before she could get a good nce at it. Whatever it was, it was something alive. Erin followed the small being with her gaze. It was fast. No faster than her but its miniature size made it difficult for Erin to perceive it properly. The small being bounced around the room like an overly springy ball being thrown into a small enclosure. Suddenly, the small being shot towards Erin. She raised her hand to her face and the tiny being crashed into her palm. ¡°S-soft¡­¡± Not only was it soft, but it was also small, incredibly so. It was barelyrger than Erin¡¯s palm. The being tried to escape from Erin¡¯s palm but it was too slow inparison to Erin¡¯s grip. But of course, she didn¡¯t use much strength in her gasp. Erin gasped and widened her eyes when she saw the small creature in her hand. ¡°What is this adorable little creature?!¡± she screamed in her heart. 5-35 Kirin 5-35 Kirin Erin had to blink twice, and then thrice, before she could eventuallye to terms with reality. ¡°How could such an adorable creature exist?¡± her inner thoughts continued to scream such words. There were simply no other words that could briefly describe the small creature in her palm. The adorable creature was a blue cat, so to speak, but it had traits and features that of an aquatic animal. It had fins, gills, and a fish-like tail. Instead of paws, it had webbed ws, talons, to be exact. The talons were sharp, Erin could tell, but it was of no threat to her. It had been wing and scratching at her hands all the while it was in her grasp. It could not so much as even mar Erin¡¯s skin. The adorable creature didn¡¯t have a name ording to Erin¡¯s appraisal. Its race was called Kirin. Erin frowned in confusion. The Kirin that Erin knew of looked nothing like the Kirin in her grasp. To begin with, Kirin was a creature with half the blood of a True Dragon. A Demi-dragon, in simpler terms. They bore tremendous semnce to a True Dragon. However, this Kirin in her hand resembled a cat more than anything, a cat with fish traits. Not to mention, it had no scales, but fur. There was nothing else in her Appraisal that might suggest anything special about this very Kirin, other than thest sentence. [The forms and appearances of Kirins are determined by their growth environment and circumstances.] Thest line of the description certainly provided much insight into the peculiar appearance of this Kirin¡­ but not all of its mystery was exined. ¡°Huh¡­ it had fins and gills¡­ those I can understand but¡­ why a cat?¡± Erin couldn¡¯t arrive at an answer or even a spection. For a Demi-dragon to look nothing like a Dragon at all was simply¡­ incredulous. Regardless, there was no reason to doubt Appraisal unless it was capable of giving falsehoods. ¡°It can¡¯t, can it?¡± Erin solemnly wondered. In the midst of her pondering, Erin felt a tremor in her hand, the hand that was grasping the cat-looking Kirin. It was using some kind of breath attack but it only tickled Erin at best. After all, the Kirin was only level fifteen. In hindsight, it was weak but only if onepared it to Erin and herpanions. In truth, a little less than half of all the adventurers are below level twenty, or so Rigetta had told Erin. Feeling pity for the Kirin, Erin released her grasp. The Kirin immediatelyunched itself towards Erin¡¯s face. Erin did nothing and simply let the Kirin crash into her face. The result was as anyone could expect. Not only was Erin unhurt, but the Kirin even hurt itself but only slightly. It was akin to a normal person punching a sturdy rock with all his strength. Of course, the ordinary person would only end up hurting his hand without leaving a crack on the rock. The Kirin fell back into Erin¡¯s palm after bouncing off of her face. It was quick to get back on its feet. It snarled and hissed at Erin, ring with its big ck eyes. If it wasn¡¯t for the glint in its eyes, it would have looked terrifying. But s, its re only entuated its endearing aspect. Erin couldn¡¯t help but smile at such a creature in spite of its tant hostility. She even stuck her finger out and poked at its soft and squishy cheeks. The Kirin seized the opportunity to bite down on her finger but to no avail. On the contrary, its assault only elicited a giggle from Erin. Seeing its fruitless attempt at hurting its foe, the Kirin pouted, its cheeks inting. This sight only served to encourage Erin¡¯s teasing further. She ended up squeezing the Kirin¡¯s cheeks between her thumb and index finger, tittering as she did so. Perhaps it finally had enough of Erin¡¯s insolence, the Kirin hopped off her palm and spewed energy bolts at her face. While Erin did wince from getting hit, it was only at the level of being struck by pebbles, tiny pebbles. Then, she let out a genuine wince. She touched her cheek and saw bloodstain on her fingers. Erin raised her brows. The Kirin was now floating in the air. Its whole body was glowing. Multiple convergences of blue light appeared around it. Erin read the Appraisal result once more. The Kirin had only three Arcane Arts. Dragon Mystic Arts and Water Magic were under Magic Arts. Thest one was an Innate Skill, Waterborn. This skill seemed to be an amalgamation of the aforementioned first two. ¡°Shite!¡± Erin muttered and took cover behind the throne as the barrage began. In seconds, the barrage reduced down the throne into nothing but a pile of rocks. ¡°What have you done, Erin?¡± she admonished herself as the Kirin prepared another barrage. Erin closed the distance between them with Fleet Foot and grabbed the Kirin¡ª or at least she tried to. The Kirin moved out of her reach before she could catch it. The energy cores followed the Kirin. Erin sighed. ¡°I really don¡¯t want to hurt this cute thing.¡± She had to admit, she had been too aggressive in her approach but she couldn¡¯t help herself. After such a hectic battle, the embodiment of cuteness was suddenly in her palm. It was no different than picking up a stray by the roadside and giving it plenty of pats and caresses, except that the stray was feral and possessed Arcane Arts. The barrage began once more, streaking towards Erin. ¡°Forgive me,¡± Erin said and shot a lightning bolt at the Kirin. It saw the attacking and moved away, but the barrage persisted from where it wasunched. Erin conjured an Arcane Aegis to block the barrage. After it ended, Erin once again shot a Lightning Bolt at the Kirin. It dashed out of the way but in its new spot, Erin was waiting with her palm open. The Kirin squealed in horror and surprise, but it was toote. It had dashed right into its captivity inadvertently. This trick was only possible due to Erin¡¯s Spatial Sense. It was more useful than she had assumed. Her senses were already acute and sharp themself, coupled with Spatial Sense, she could even predict one¡¯s move and intent before any attempt or effort was made. However, the drawback was the mental toll. The amount of information her brain had to process was immense. ¡°Slippery little fe, aren¡¯t ya?¡± Erin grinned as she gazed triumphantly and warmly at the adorable in her grasp. The Kirin struggled. It iled, kicked, and wed at Erin¡¯s palm, demanding to be let out. ¡°What to do with you?¡± Erin mused. The answer came immediately when her gaze wandered to the body of water outside of the room. It would be best to release it back to its habitat, Erin assumed. However, when she trod close to the water, the Kirin began tosh out frantically. It had been frantic before but Erin could sense this time was severely more intense than all those previous times. She didn¡¯t know why but she had an idea. Erin walked away from the water and the Kirin calmed down. ¡°...Huh?¡± Erin blurted out. She might have been mistaken. It was possible. Therefore, she approached the water once again. The Kirinshed out once more like a rabid beast. It calmed down when Erin turned away from the water. ¡°It¡¯s afraid of water¡­?¡± Erin was at a loss. She appraised the Kirin again and peered at its Innate Skill, Waterborn. It was an inherent skill of all beasts and monsters that was born and nurtured in water, giving them various benefits when being underwater. It appeared to be a lesser variant of Water Exalted but that was only a matter of course. Water Exalted was a Unique Talent. Nevertheless, it was beyond strange that a Waterborn creature would be afraid of water. It was no different than humans being afraid of stepping onnd. ¡°...How did it even get here in the first ce?¡± Erin questioned. There didn¡¯t seem to be any other room in this ce. This Kirin couldn¡¯t have swum here by itself considering its fear of water. It was most likely brought here by someone or something else. But for what reason? Erin groaned. ¡°Damn it¡­ Why do things have to get so convoluted¡­ No, before thinking about that, how do I even leave this ce?¡± Erin thought about swimming but she was not a good swimmer, certainly not good enough to swim back the way she came from without running out of air first. Also, she didn¡¯t feel good about leaving the Kirin here, in a situation where it couldn¡¯t fend for itself. She didn¡¯t want to be presumptuous but that was just how the circumstances looked to her. Even if she could swim, the Kirin feared the water too much for her to take it along. ¡°Damn it¡­ If only that insufferable idiot is here.¡± Right on cue, the space in front of her began to blur and ripple. A hand poked out of the distortion and then the rest of the body followed. ¡°Aedan!¡± Erin eximed in surprise and joy. ¡°Sup,¡± said the Dragon-kin with a nonchnt smile. Erin furrowed her brows. She didn¡¯t know what he just said but at this point, she was used to him spouting out some strange and foreign word or sentences every once in a while. ¡°How did you get here?¡± ¡°With this,¡± Aedan answered as he disyed a small metallic te with a string attached. ¡°And what is that?¡± ¡°A spell te.¡± ¡°Spell te? Like a Spell Crystal or a Spell Scroll?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Is that even possible?¡± ¡°As long as the materials used are mana-conductive, it¡¯s possible. Crystals and scrolls are easier and cheaper to enchant.¡± ¡°And what spell did you enchant?¡± ¡°Gate. Spatial Magic. You can see it as a long-distance teleportation spell but it can be used by many.¡± Erin narrowed her gaze. ¡°How did you find me?¡± ¡°I am your mate now, as you are mine. You can say¡­ we share a bond that transcends time and space. This goes for all the girls that I considered my mate too.¡± ¡°You mean the girls you have bedded?¡± ¡°Bedding them doesn''t make them my mate. Love is required. It¡¯s a¡­ Dragon thing.¡± At this point, Erin was way past being surprised by Aedan¡¯s secrets and capabilities. ¡°So, where the fuck is this ce?¡± ¡°I do not know. Let¡¯s just get out of here first.¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s. But before that¡­ what the hell is that in your hands?¡± Erin paused and looked down. The creature in her hand had be docile before she knew it. Docile to her, at least. It was staring at Aedan warily. ¡°...I think it¡¯s a Kirin,¡± Erin said. ¡°Hmm...It¡¯s definitely a Kirin but¡­ in all the years of my life, I have never seen a Kirin that looked absolutely nothing like a Dragon. This is very curious.¡± The Kirin, seeing Aedan leaning forward, shirked as far away as possible from him, though it shirked barely an inch away since Erin¡¯s palm was only so vast. ¡°Stop that,¡± Erin said, shielding the Kirin from Aedan¡¯s gaze upon sensing its fear. ¡°Definitely a Kirin. It knows what I am.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t it be thrilled instead?¡± ¡°...It should but that¡¯s only if it¡¯s raised in a natural environment. The fact that it looked like an aquatic cat more than a Dragon, speaks plenty about the type of conditions it was raised in. It probably doesn¡¯t even know it itself is a Kirin.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re saying this Kirin is the result of some twisted experiment?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a possibility. Or it simply had a very unfortunate growth journey. Anyway, what do you intend to do with it?¡± ¡°...Can a Kirin be domesticated?¡± Aedan sighed. There was instantly a look of submission on his face. ¡°Of course, you will ask that.¡± ¡°Well, can it?¡± ¡°No¡ª it¡¯s what I would say if this Kirin is normal but since it looks like a cat. We can try.¡± 5-36 Frontier 5-36 Frontier ¡°Is there anything you can¡¯t do?¡± Erin asked as she walked out of the Gate spell after Aedan. ¡°Oh, plenty,¡± Aedan responded dryly. Through the use of the Gate Spell under Spatial Magic, the two managed to return to the surface. The ce they emerged into was the riverbank near the spot where they had fought the Scy. ¡°As if anyone who knew you would believe that,¡± Erin scoffed. ¡°You always have the right tools for the right situation. Are you a Seer perhaps?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just as prepared as I can afford to,¡± Aedan retorted with a smirk. ¡°I¡¯m thousands of years old, Erin. Well, spiritually and mentally at least. I have umted a lot of experience¡­ and mistakes. I also had a lot of time to spare. With only these three¡ª minus one¡ª one can aplish a lot.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°That is so.¡± Erin sighed in exasperation. ¡°Why do I keep bothering¡­¡± she grumbled in silence. ¡°So, what do you intend to do with that¡­ Kirin?¡± Erin looked down at her hand. A Demi-dragon, bearing the semnce of a kitten, was resting on her palm. It had been shuddering and cowering in fear just a few minutes ago but it was now fast asleep. It must have gotten tired from all the frights and shock it had faced, Erin surmised. Regardless of the real reason, the Kirin being fast asleep would make things easier. However, there was one thing Erin realised she failed to take into ount. The moment she turned towards Aedan for assistance, the solution was already provided. ¡°What is this?¡± Erin asked, looking at the transparent cube that was hovering above Aedan¡¯s outstretched hand. The was around twice the size of Aedan¡¯s palm. The cube was made using Spirit Magic, she could sense it. The Spirits were flocking around the cube. ¡°It¡¯s a Pixie Trap.¡± Erin raised her brows. ¡°A what?¡± ¡°A Pixie Trap. You know what Pixies are, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I do but I don¡¯t understand why anyone would create something that is dedicated to ensnaring those poor little buggers?¡± ¡°They are mischievous above all else, sweetheart. They love sweets and all things sweet. This cube is actually invented by the Fae themselves to impede these mischievous buggers from gobbling up all the sugar and sweets. The Pixies can get in but they can¡¯t get out unless someone lets them out.¡± ¡°Alright¡­ I get the history but¡­ why a Pixie Trap?¡± Aedan smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t exactly have anything else that fits this Kirin¡¯s size.¡± Seeing no better way, Erin carefully ced the sleeping Kirin inside the cube. Since the cube was capable of levitating, she didn¡¯t need to worry about the Kirin falling off in its sleep. Furthermore, the cube would follow thest person who injected their Mana into it. ¡°How does it fare against insects?¡± Erin asked. Aedan chuckled. ¡°Wasteful,¡± he answered. ¡°It works fine though.¡± Satisfied with the answer, Erin moved on to the most crucial question. ¡°Anyway, how are the others?¡± Aedan gave a reassuring smile and trod into the forest. Erin followed without a question. ¡°They¡¯re safe,¡± Aedan answered. ¡°They weren¡¯t taken away by the army if that¡¯s your concern?¡± ¡°You avoided crossing paths with the army?¡± ¡°Nope. Our paths crossed but surprisingly and unsurprisingly, they left us alone.¡± Erin couldn¡¯t believe her ears. ¡°That¡¯s definitely surprising, Aedan. How is it not surprising?¡± ¡°You forget, Erin. You have friends in high ces now. You have the endorsement of House Valdrun, the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, and also the Scarlet de herself. It seems they had worked tirelessly behind the scenes. Themanding officers recognised us and we were exempted from being¡­ detained.¡± ¡°Information has travelled far and fast. That¡¯s hard to believe.¡± ¡°It gets better. They even offered to help in searching for you.¡± ¡°Is the sun rising from the west tomorrow?¡± ¡°Inconceivable, I concurred, but it¡¯s the truth. Well, seeing is believing, as they say.¡± As they trod along the forestry path, Aedan started recounting the events that transpired after Erin was dragged into the depths. Everyone was well and no one was gravely wounded. However, Riki was shocked beyond words after the incident. As to what happened once Erin was dragged underwater; At first, everyone was panicking but no one among them could move well underwater. They could swim but they wouldn¡¯t even be able to utilise a quarter of their strength and prowess in water. Aera was the first one toe to her senses. She was the one who convinced everyone that Erin would be just fine. ¡°We should put our faith in her,¡± she had said. ¡°If we wished for her to do the same with us.¡± ¡°That¡¯s unexpected,¡± Erin remarked. Aedan tittered. ¡°I disagree. You two are sisters by faith. I believe she¡¯s the one in the group that has the utmost faith in you and your strength.¡± ¡°And what about you?¡± ¡°I will confess that I¡¯m no match for Aera¡¯s faith in you.¡± ¡°Oh? truly?¡± ¡°Yes, truly. So, wipe that smug off your face.¡± ¡°Nope, don¡¯t wanna,¡± Erin retorted in a manner that she learned from Aedan. The two eventually came to a paved road that stretched on for miles. There was a small outpost in the middle of the road, just right in front of them. Erin had known this ever since they returned to the surface. The scent of steel and sweat was unmistakable. The absence of blood scent brought some reassurance. The soldiers, around a dozen of them, shifted their focus and gazed at the two when they emerged from the forest. Astonishment wrought their faces but relief soon followed. ¡°It¡¯s Lady Erynthea! She¡¯s alright!¡± one of the soldiers shouted. At the shout of that single soldier, every soldier in the outpost turned her way. Before Erin could ask what was going on, they erupted into a cheer. ¡°Aedan, what the hell¡¯s happening?¡± ¡°They are tremendously relieved that they don¡¯t have to deal with a dead Fae on their territory.¡± ¡°Ah. That¡¯s¡­ understandable.¡± The soldiers flocked towards Erin, mouring around her. They were giving well-wishes and praises. Erin thought they were being excessive but she remembered what was told and what she had learned. It was only logical that the soldiers were this delighted. Her death would have meant the downfall of this entire region. As the two walked through the crowd, Erin noticed some of the soldiers¡¯ gazes weren¡¯t just wrought with gratitude and relief. There were traces of infatuation and adoration underneath their grateful expressions. There were some that outright lookedpletely enamoured by her and she wasn¡¯t even using Lust. She didn¡¯t know if this was a passive effect of Lust or if she was just that stunning. Both, she came to the conclusion. Though Erin had gotten used to the lecherous stares she tended to get, the same couldn¡¯t be said about the wary and slightly hostile gazes directed at the cube floating beside her. While the soldiers¡¯ reactions were understandable, it didn¡¯t necessarily mean it was right or tolerable. Erin didn¡¯t know what they were thinking but nothing good, she reckoned. The soldiers only backed away when Erin red at them with her tails flourishing behind. It was a dazzling and wondrous sight but also imposing and daunting. The soldiers realised their mistake and they lowered their heads as Erin and Aedan walked past them. ¡°That was annoying,¡± Erin muttered once they were out of earshot of the outpost soldiers. ¡°At least they weren¡¯t pointing their weapons at us for a change.¡± ¡°Where are we going exactly?¡± Aedan pointed in front of them. The road that was nked by forest opened up to arge in about a mile ahead but Erin only came to realise this fact after she peered into the distance hard. It had not looked like a in at all given therge encampment that enveloped the vast and once-empty patch of greenery. There were even watchtowers erected on interval points of the in. Perhaps the sentry spotted them approaching as riders were soon dispatched in their direction. ¡°What the¡­¡± Erin blurted out when she saw a carriage tagging along the riders. At first, she thought a high official was eager to meet her but that was only half of the truth. ¡°I am Sir Jamon of House Vorin,¡± greeted the official onboard the carriage. ¡°You must be tired from the long walk and battle, Lady Erynthea. Allow us to escort you for the rest of the way.¡± Erin didn¡¯t reject the offer. There was no reason to. She was tired and she was in a bit of a daze to reject any goodwill offer. Naturally, Aedan came along. ¡°I must say, Lady Erynthea, your absence from your party gave us quite a fright,¡± said the high official as the carriage began to move, ambling along the road. ¡°A dead Fae would be bad for the territory,¡± Erin mused absentmindedly in response. ¡°It¡¯s not just the withering of thends that we are concerned about, Lady Erynthea. Our positions and jobs are also at stake here.¡± ¡°Why would you be med for my death?¡± Sir Jamon smiled wryly. ¡°You have some very¡­ caring and powerful acquaintances, Lady Erynthea. Has the gentleman here not exined anything to you?¡± ¡°I have,¡± said Aedan. ¡°But it¡¯s more credible to hear it from the responsible individual himself.¡± ¡°Of course, Lord Aedan. Anyway, you can rest easy, Lady Erynthea. Yourpanions are safe and sound. Avish meal and a hot bath await you at the camp.¡± Erin¡¯s ears perked up when heard the words ¡°hot bath¡±. It was one of the delights that were just irresistible to her. ¡°But before we reach the camp, there is something I need to be sure of.¡± Erin sensed the shift in the mood. She heightened her vignce in tandem. ¡°That thing trapped in that floating cube, what is it?¡± Erin narrowed her eyes. ¡°A harmless fellow, that¡¯s all you need to know, Sir Jamon.¡± ¡°I meant no disrespect or ill will, Lady Erynthea, but I need to be thorough. We have cases before where some idiots brought a harmless monster pub back to the camp, not knowing they had incurred the wrath of the pub¡¯s parents.¡± ¡°This is no pub, Sir Jamon,¡± Aedan said. ¡°Contrary to its appearance, I can assure you that this creature is no pub and it¡¯s harmless. But of course, as long as you or your men don¡¯t try anything funny or stupid. Do we have an understanding?¡± Erin expected the official baulk but instead¡ª ¡°I understand,¡± Sir Jamon relented quite easily. ¡°He¡¯s afraid of Aedan?¡± Erin mused inwardly. She heard the official¡¯s heartbeat. It thumped hard and fast when Aedan threatened him under the guise of rification. It was reasonable to feel intimidated but it went beyond just feeling intimidated. It was the fear of death that she sensed from Sir Jamon. ¡°Just what did you do, Aedan?¡± The ride that had been slightly bumpy turned smooth and gentle. Erin looked out the window and saw that they had entered the encampment. Much like how it was when she approached the outpost, she was drawing gazes from nearly everyone in the camp. Though they couldn¡¯t see her properly, they could imagine and what they imagined only inmed their curiosity and intrigue. The carriage travelled for another few minutes beforeing to a stop. ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± Sir Jamon said. ¡°My thanks,¡± Erin bade and got off the carriage along with Aedan, not before stowing away the cube in the baggy sleeve of her robes. The Kirin was far too intriguing. She didn¡¯t want to risk attracting the wrong kinds of attention. They disembarked onto a sparse part of the encampment. The tent before her was much like a small house made of cloth. The moment she took a step towards the tent, Lyra and Nivia emerged from within. The former rushed at her while thetter had a milder reaction. Lyra didn¡¯t shout Erin¡¯s name like she always had. She simply threw herself into the Foxkin¡¯s embrace and wrapped her arms tightly around her. Erin smiled wryly and returned the gesture. Aedan spread open his arms and motioned for Nivia to do the same but at him. ¡°Kill yourself,¡± Nivia spat with a stern re. ¡°I miss you too, Nivia.¡± Soon, the rest of the party emerged from the camp and they all swarmed Erin while crying out tears of joy and relief. 5-37 Frontier II 5-37 Frontier II Erin and herpanions adjourned into the tent after they had shared their tears and joy enough over their reunion. The tent was asrge as a small house, or evenrger. Nevertheless, it was fancier than what a plebian could ever dream of having. ¡°Where¡¯s Riki?¡± Erin asked. The boy was nowhere to be found in the tent. ¡°He has long taken his leave, Mistress,¡± Siv answered. ¡°We are too much for him, apparently. His words.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I see.¡± Erin smiled wryly. ¡°Understandable.¡± The group gathered around arge table that seemed to have been ced in the middle of the room for the exact purpose of having a discussion. There were even refreshments prepared beforehand and also some confectioneries. Beverages of assorted colours. Cookies and cakes of various shapes and sizes. It was a sumptuous sight, far too sumptuous for the girls to be at ease. Aedan and Amyra were the only ones who didn¡¯t hesitate to ept the opulence provided. Aedan was used to such treatment while Amyra was simply the type that couldn¡¯t care less of the consequences as long as she deemed it not too much was at risk. ¡°Oh, lord! This is amazing!¡± Amyra eximed. ¡°Y¡¯all should try these. I don¡¯t believe opportunities like these are easy toe by.¡± ¡°What if it¡¯s poisoned?¡± Nivia asked. ¡°A slow-acting one and one that isn¡¯t easily detected.¡± ¡°What do you think, Erin?¡± Aedan directed the question to Erin. ¡°It isn¡¯t poisoned,¡± she said as she picked up a single piece of cookie. ¡°They¡¯re no fools. They¡¯re veterans of war and battles. If they wish to poison us, it wouldn¡¯t be so obvious and they sure as hell won¡¯t do it for no good reason.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t be too careful,¡± Nivia mumbled. ¡°I agree with Nivia,¡± said Lyra. ¡°I don¡¯t believe there¡¯s poison but we can¡¯t be too careful. They might even get back at us in other ways, such as admonishing us for eating their food without any rpensation.¡± ¡°That is a good possibility.¡± Siv nodded in agreement. ¡°My time in Lord Hegan¡¯s servitude had taught me and my brother of the wealthy¡¯s tricks and schemes. Most of all, they love to instil guilt into a person and take advantage of it.¡± ¡°Guilt-tripping, that¡¯s the name for it,¡± said Aedan. ¡°It¡¯s also a favourite trick of merchants. Wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡± ¡°...I can¡¯t deny that,¡± Siv answered reluctantly. ¡°Is this the standard or is this just special treatment?¡± Erin mused aloud as she feasted her gaze with all the luxuries within the tent. ¡°Thetter, Mistress,¡± Siv answered. ¡°Have we done something to warrant such treatment?¡± ¡°You have made powerful friends, dearie,¡± said Lilian with an amused smile. ¡°I¡¯m well aware but is that enough of a reason for them to give us this¡­ near-perfect imitation of a pce room?¡± ¡°They want something from you, Erin,¡± Nivia chimed in. ¡°I¡¯m sure of that.¡± ¡°What is it they would want from me?¡± Aedan chuckled as he served himself a slice of cake. ¡°Oh, there¡¯s only so much you can offer but the few things that you could offer are invaluable.¡± ¡°Such as?¡± ¡°Aside from your skills and strength, I say your endorsement, your acknowledgement, your friendship, and so on. You¡¯re a Fox-kin. You have seven tails. You¡¯re loved by the Spirits, more so than other Fae. Your favour would go a long way.¡± ¡°They don¡¯t have my animosity but that doesn''t mean they are getting my favour. Besides, I refuse to believe my favour is all they desire right now. This encampment is huge, almost asrge as those in times of war. I won¡¯t be surprised if they are actually preparing for one.¡± ¡°War? What war?¡± Aera blurted out. ¡°The Yorun Kingdom is going to war?¡± ¡°The apostles,¡± Erin said. She then proceeded to recount her experience and her encounter with Irmin, the True Naga. ¡°Is that true?¡± Nivia was the first to react. ¡°An influence on par with the Ruvans? That¡¯s too tall of a tale. The zealots believe that? Are they fools? I never take them for a gullible bunch except for the words of their own Divine.¡± ¡°Gambling exists because of people like them,¡± said Amyra. ¡°The chances of failure could be big but as long as the reward of the sess is immense, people will take those chances. They won¡¯t all go to war for it but some of them definitely would. The Aerysians, for one.¡± Lyra tutted. ¡°These damn zealots. It has gotten so terrible that the court has decided to set up an encampment for war. A war within the kingdom is worse than a war with other countries.¡± ¡°War is thest resort,¡± Aedan said. ¡°Encampments such as these are more of a deterrent than actual war preparation. To dissuade and discourage the zealots. For the time being, we don¡¯t need to worry about a war breaking out but we will need to worry about the Aerysians and this¡­ Irmin person. He¡¯s desperate, incredibly so.¡± ¡°Is there any chance of two faiths colluding for a cause?¡± Erin asked. ¡°Depends,¡± Aedan responded as he took a swig of a ss of pink juice. ¡°On what?¡± ¡°On how you define ¡®colluding¡¯. Faiths colluding with one another is not unprecedented but it¡¯s less of a collusion with one another but more of a collusion against each other. On the surface, it would appear that they are working together but in truth, they are just looking for the right opportunity to plunge a knife into each other¡¯s back.¡± ¡°There are even worse cases,¡± Amyra added. ¡°Example.¡± ¡°The absorption of a faith by arge one or a stronger one.¡± ¡°How does one faith absorb another?¡± ¡°By giving the promise of greater power. It¡¯s no different than shifting allegiance towards a country. Unless they are zealots in the truest sense, most are easy to¡­ persuade.¡± ¡°Will the Aerysians do that?¡± ¡°They already had,¡± Aedan answered. ¡°Honestly, if they weren¡¯t such an impulsive bunch, they would have already be a faith that rivalled the Ruvans. But s, they are individuals of prompt action. Raw tangible power above all else, not counting loyalty.¡± Silence loomed over the tent briefly. A dark air permeated the room. ¡°But we won¡¯t need to worry about them for the time being,¡± Aedan said with a cheerful expression. ¡°This is what this encampment is for. To deter impulsive people like the Aerysians. Even they are not foolish enough to challenge the kingdom directly. If they do, the Ruvans would get involved too and the Aerysians would be wiped off the face of this world.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t feel very reassuring,¡± Lyra grumbled. ¡°It is as reassuring as one can get.¡± Lilian pped her hands loudly. ¡°Now now, everyone. Let us not venture deeper into his gloomy subject, shall we? It will do us no good to worry about a possible oue of an uncertain future that we have no way of controlling. Instead, let us focus on a much more interesting and merry topic. I¡¯m interested to learn more about this¡­ cat-like Kirin you mentioned, Erin. May we have a look or a glimpse?¡± ¡°I suppose it won¡¯t hurt,¡± Erin said. She didn¡¯t sense any spell or tools in the vicinity that was meant to spy on them. If there was, she wouldn¡¯t have sat still all this while. Since the cube was floating, it did not tumble or roll around in her sleeve. Therefore, the Kirin was still sound asleep when she took out the cube in front of all the others. ¡°Oh my, it¡¯s so adorable,¡± Lilian was the first to express her instant infatuation with the creature but all the other girls had the same sentiments as Lilian. They were all moved by the Kirin¡¯s cutesy appearance. ¡°This creature is utterly endearing,¡± Siv remarked. ¡°It lookspletely harmless and it¡¯s supposed to be a Dragon?¡± ¡°Half Dragon,¡± Erin corrected. ¡°This thing¡¯s a Kirin?¡± Amyra was in disbelief, leaning as forward as she could from her seat. ¡°Are you sure it ain¡¯t just a kitten that had been magically mixed with the blood of a Dragon?¡± ¡°Unless Appraisal is lying or wrong, this kitten is, without a doubt, a Kirin.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ I just don¡¯t believe it. This thing is just¡­ too cute and small. And how old is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s only a few months old,¡± Erin answered. ¡°Yeah, way too small for a Kirin.¡± ¡°Have you seen a Kirin before?¡± ¡°Have I?¡± Amyraughed. ¡°I fought one before, mdy.¡± ¡°Ah, yes. I remember now,¡± Aedan spoke up. ¡°It was less of a fight but more of a one-sided thrashing.¡± ¡°I was weak then, Your Grace,¡± Amyra grumbled. ¡°You were a fool to challenge it, Amyra.¡± ¡°It stole my game, Your Grace.¡± ¡°Game?¡± Lyra raised her brows, looking over to Amyra. ¡°Kirins eat meat?¡± ¡°They do. Do you think they don¡¯t?¡± ¡°The stories I heard about Kirins, they all depicted them to be nt-loving and peaceful creatures. Are those stories a bunch of lies?¡± ¡°Kirins aren¡¯t picky with their food but they are peaceful creatures,¡± Aedan said. ¡°So to say, they won¡¯t attack people and eat them.¡± ¡°But will they eat a sapient¡¯s flesh if they are offered?¡± ¡°Yes, they will.¡± Suddenly, the deep infatuation everyone harboured towards the Kirin fell by half. ¡°It won¡¯t bite the hand that feeds it, will it?¡± Erin asked. ¡°This Kirin is one-of-a-kind, Erin. Therefore, I wouldn¡¯t know.¡± Then, the Kirin began to stir. ¡°Is it waking up?¡± Aera muttered out loud. All eyes turned to the cube where the Kirin started kicking and stretching. It let out a heavy yawn before spanning its eyes wide open. Greeted by the sight of a room full of people, the Kirin squealed and cowered into the corner. ¡°By the Spirits, how can something be so adorable?¡± Nivia sighed. The Kirin darted its gaze around the room. It tried to get out of the cube but no matter how hard it rammed into the invisible wall, it couldn¡¯t. It looked around again, searching for a way to escape. Then, its eyesnded on the face of the person holding the cube. The Kirin¡¯s face contorted into a grimace. It snarled and hissed at Erin. ¡°I think it hates you,¡± Lyra said. ¡°Well, I am its captor. Of course, it will hate me. It would be odd if it doesn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Are you going to keep it, Erin?¡± Aera asked. ¡°I n to tame it. I never had a pet before and I always want to know what it is like to have a pet.¡± ¡°Having a pet can be a tasking ordeal but it can also be a rxing endeavour. The joy is in seeing it grow and seeing it return the love.¡± ¡°Have you had a pet before, Lilian?¡± ¡°We have a farm back in our home forest, where we rear our mounts. It¡¯s no different than keeping pets, except that this Kirin can¡¯t exactly be ridden. But I reckon this adorable creature will be less of a hassle to take care of inparison with horses and actual cats.¡± Erin put the cube onto the table. ¡°It must be hungry. What can we feed it with?¡± ¡°Baby animals usually take milk,¡± Siv answered. ¡°But I don¡¯t think it applies to Kirins.¡± ¡°Just give it anything,¡± Aedan said, snapping a small pinch off a cookie. He then dropped the small crumb into the cube. The Kirin pulled back at first but as it caught the aromatic smell, it inched slowly towards the cookie crumb while being wary of all the gazes directed at it. Once it was close enough, it snatched the crumb into its mouth with its tongue. The Kirin¡¯s face immediately melted in delight. Perhaps the Kirin¡¯s delight also melted away the girls¡¯ reservation. After seeing the Kirin relishing in the cookies, Erin and the rest no longer hesitated in taking a cookie for themselves. They ate, chatted, and enjoyed feeding the Kirin a crumb of cookie at a time with each of them taking a turn, save for Amyra, who was the only one uninterested in spoiling the Kirin. On a side note, the Kirin epted food from everyone except Erin. It huffed and turned its face whenever it was Erin¡¯s turn to feed it. ¡°What did you do?¡± Lyra asked in a whisper. Erin sighed. ¡°We fought and it lost. Clearly, it hadn¡¯t forgiven me for its loss.¡± Surprisingly enough, Amyra was the one the Kirin kept turning to as if it was expecting the Augur to feed it at some point. In the midst of the merry, Erin suddenly swiped the cube off the table and hid it underneath. A few seconds after, a voice called out to them from outside the tent. ¡°Lady Erynthea, your presence has been requested by the General.¡± 5-38 Frontier III 5-38 Frontier III The general the soldier was referring to was a middle-aged man with dark skin and a face covered in beard and hair. ¡°Lion¡¯s mane,¡± Erin muttered that silly joke in her head when she was first introduced to the general, whose name was Osmund. The general¡¯s tent wasrge but norger than the one Erin was given. Still, it wasrger than most other tents in this encampment. The abundance of furnishing in the tent gave off the impression of it being significantly smaller than Erin¡¯s own. General Osmund sat behind arge desk that was embellished with silver steel on the fringes and edges, but never giving off an ostentatious feel. But the most ring aspect that captured Erin¡¯s attention was the general¡¯s two adjutants standing on each side. The one standing on the right was a short old man without any hair on his face. The one on the left, who was Erin¡¯s biggest surprise, was a Fae. To be precise, she was a Fox-kin with three tails and lustre pink hair that cascaded down to her waist in waves. Her name was Elinea and she was level fifty-three with quite an impressive set of Arcane Arts, consisting of all five elemental Magic Arts. Erin and Amyra, taken the liberty to bring herself along when Erin was summoned, were guided to a grand sofa ced just in front of the general¡¯s desk. They were also served fruit juices and cakes. Amyra, as expected, did not hesitate in indulging herself with the luxuries presented to her. While the Augur was stuffing herself with cakes, Erin was exchanging gazes with the general and his adjutants. The short old man had a grumpy look that had all the suspicions in the world while the Fox-kin had an amicable smile that wasced with unknown intentions. The way the two-tailed Fox-kin smiled reminded her a lot of Lilian. Simrity aside, the Fox-kin was uncannily seductive whichever way she looked at Erin despite not having an Arcane Art that invokes one¡¯s lust. ¡°Is sensuality an innate trait of Fox-kin?¡±Erin wondered inwardly. Regardless, she was the first Fae Erin had encountered after Lilian. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to finally meet you, Lady Erynthea,¡± greeted Elinea. ¡°I have heard so much about you. It¡¯s been quite some time since I have met another one of my kind. How about you?¡± Erin stayed silent. She didn¡¯t like how Elinea looked at her and the way she phrased her question. Her underlying intent was much too obvious yet too obscured at the same time. ¡°General Osmund, didn¡¯t think we would meet again under such a circumstance,¡± said Amyra after swallowing her first slice of cake. ¡°Amyra.¡± Osmund nodded solemnly. ¡°The feelings¡¯ mutual. I certainly didn¡¯t expect to see you here of all ces.¡± Erin cast a sidelong nce at the Augur. ¡°You know him?¡± ¡°We met on a joint quest, adventurers working with soldiers. It was to take down a nest of Manticores guing a town if I recall. He was the one leading the expedition.¡± ¡°I certainly was the one leading but I can¡¯t seem to recall you ever following my orders.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re terrible at leading the adventurers.¡± The general looked like he was about to argue further but decided against it at thest moment. He sighed and turned his attention to Erin. ¡°So, you¡¯re the Fae that I have heard so much about.¡± Erin raised an eyebrow at his direct remark that forwent any introductions. If it wasn¡¯t for the soldier who escorted her to this tent, she wouldn¡¯t have known any of the people here. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re not the one to thank for the luxurious treatment that mypanions and I have received?¡± ¡°You guess right, Lady Fae.¡± ¡°The general isn¡¯t the one making the decisions.¡± ¡°Does it surprise you, My Lady?¡± Erin shrugged. ¡°A bit.¡± ¡°Well, you have the second sons to thank for that.¡± ¡°Second sons?¡± ¡°Sons of nobles who are not able to inherit the house, so they went seeking merits and achievements outside of their house. Namely, the battlefield. Just as my luck would have it, the second sons in this encampment are distant rtives of the royal family and House Valdrun.¡± ¡°Will they be a problem?¡± ¡°They are not the ones we¡¯re worried about,¡± said the old man. ¡°You are.¡± Those words instantly drew a re from Amyra. ¡°Old man, you better exin yourself in the next few seconds or else I would not overlook that slight.¡± At the same time, she unleashed some of her aura. The old man was the only one affected as he gasped and retreated a step. The Fox-kin was unperturbed, not even waning her smile. In fact, her smile only widened. ¡°Amyra, stop it.¡± ¡°We can just let it be. They must answer for it. Otherwise, they would think us malleable.¡± ¡°Please, withdraw your spleen, Miss Amyra,¡± Elinea said, stepping forward. ¡°Lyon meant no offence. It was merely a factual statement based on our observation.¡± ¡°What observation?¡± Erin asked. ¡°Trouble follows you, Lady Erynthea. These rowdy zealots we¡¯re facing, you seemed to be the cause. We have captured some of them and they were all vying for your¡­ demise, Lady Erynthea. Are you aware or unaware of this?¡± ¡°I am aware.¡± ¡°Care to exin why they¡¯re trying to kill you?¡± ¡°It''s a misguided notion of their faith¡¯s teaching.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a vague exnation.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the only exnation you will get from me.¡± ¡°Lady Erynthea, please. I have lives at stake here.¡± ¡°And prying any further will not help you in preserving these lives that are at stake. A zealot¡¯s mind does not operate on logic or facts. They operate on their beliefs and the whims of their gods. You¡¯ll drive yourself insane trying to understand your enemies.¡± ¡°Last I checked, Amyra is a person of faith too, no?¡± said the general. ¡°I am,¡± Amyra admitted. ¡°An Aeryon, through and through. No shame in that. But I will be hurt if you think me the same as a zealot. If anything, I¡¯m far from being a zealot.¡± ¡°Zealot or not, Aeryo is the Dragon God, is he not?¡± ¡°He was.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re admitting it!¡± the old man cried all of a sudden but was shot down by Erin with a stern re. Erin shifted her re to Osmund. ¡°What is it that you want, general?¡± Erin decided to get straight to the point. ¡°Among the zealots that had been¡­ raising a rabble, there¡¯s a certain bunch that are treading close to the line that is our tolerance. They call themselves Aerysians. They im to worship the Dragon God too. I didn¡¯t know there were two of them.¡± Amyra chuckled. ¡°As mydy here said, misguided notion of their faith¡¯s teaching. These Aerysians are not different and the Aeryons have nothing to do with them.¡± ¡°So you say¡ª¡± the old man grumbled under his breath but everyone in the room caught his words. ¡°But these two faiths worship the Dragon God. Or are there two of them?¡± ¡°As me and mydy said, misguided. Nothing more, nothing less.¡± ¡°Pardon me, General, but are we under arrest?¡± Erin challenged. ¡°You are not,¡± Osmund reassured. ¡°Then please exin to me why there are soldiers enclosing this tent.¡± ¡°Precautions, Lady Erynthea,¡± said Elinea. ¡°The only ones that think they need precaution against me are the ones who think they had wronged me.¡± ¡°Please be at ease, Lady Erynthea. We meant you no harm. It¡¯s just¡­ you are quite a peculiar Fae. I may have not returned to the forest for years now but I don¡¯t believe our people have changed their teachings. Your demeanour is nothing like a Fae, Lady Erynthea.¡± ¡°Stop this farce. I¡¯m sure you have already found out that I¡¯m not raised in a forest.¡± ¡°Which makes you all the more peculiar, Lady Erynthea.¡± Erin groaned inwardly and turned her gaze away from the Fox-kin. ¡°General, if there¡¯s nothing, I would like to return to my camp.¡± ¡°There¡¯s something I would like to ask you, Lady Fae.¡± ¡°Then spit it out already. I do not like people stalling their true motives.¡± ¡°Then I shall be straightforward with you, Lady Fae. We have reasons to believe that the so-called Aerysians are preparing for a huge battle.¡± ¡°Huge battle? Against who?¡± ¡°We do not know yet but the Aerysians are hoarding weapons and potions. If they are gathering provisions too, I would say they are preparing for war.¡± ¡°And how does this concern me?¡± ¡°Your assistance in our efforts will be much appreciated.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°But you haven¡¯t hear about¡ª¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about the rewards, General. The risk is not worth it. This is no different than war. I¡¯m an adventurer, General, not a soldier. But in Sephrodia Valley, you fought¡ª¡± ¡°That was out of necessity, General. People¡¯s lives were at stake. A whole city was overrun by demons and their adherents. What you are asking now is different. I have no reason to risk my life for you.¡± ¡°Lady Fae. These zealots pose a threat to the people too.¡± ¡°Tell me, have any of these zealots or your soldiers engaged in directbat with either side?¡± ¡°We are currently a deterrent but it won¡¯tst forever. The zealots would get bolder and bolder as time went on. I reckon they will take their chances once their patience runs out.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a bold assumption, General. But what¡¯s their aim? Why would they justunch an assault?¡± ¡°You said it yourself, Lady Fae. Zealots¡¯ minds don¡¯t work on logic. Who knows why they attack? As long as we take the first strike, we will be able to deal with them in one fell swoop. In order to have a clean sweep, I would need as manypetent fighters as I can get. If the rumours aren¡¯t exaggerated, you will be an invaluable unit, Lady Fae.¡± Erin sighed and rose from her seat. ¡°We¡¯re done here, General. I am not a soldier. You can find someone else. Good afternoon.¡± And she disappeared out of the tent before either of the three could say anything more. **** ¡°Why did you decline, Mdy?¡± Amyra asked once they had walked a considerable distance away from the tent. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be good if we nip the problem in the bud? We even have volunteers.¡± ¡°I concur but I doubt the General¡¯s intentions,¡± Erin confessed. ¡°I don¡¯t like him but he¡¯s not the kind to have hidden motives.¡± ¡°Maybe he doesn¡¯t even know it himself,¡± Erin said in a low voice. ¡°His mind is not his own?¡± ¡°Enthralled, that¡¯s his status affliction. It was hidden.¡± ¡°You appraised him, mdy?¡± Amyra widened her eyes. ¡°Thank the stars he didn¡¯t notice.¡± ¡°Regardless. The general of an army is being mind-controlled, or at least influenced by a skill or magic.¡± ¡°We should leave as soon as possible?¡± ¡°Not that would only arouse suspicions on the perpetrator. And we might get caught up in this conspiracy.¡± Amyra sighed exasperatedly. ¡°It¡¯s truly one problem after another. When will we ever get to the capital at this point?¡± ¡°It¡¯s truly¡ª¡± Amyra looked over to her mistress who had suddenly fallen silent. She found Erin staring into the sky and she followed her gaze. High above the clouds. There was a shadow, a huge one. It had a pair of wings that span as long as its body length or perhaps even longer. ¡°How in the fuck¡¯s name¡ª!?¡± Amyra gasped. ¡°Amyra, is that what I think it is?¡± Erin asked after swallowing a lump in her throat. ¡°I¡¯m afraid so, mdy. But¡­ I don¡¯t know how this is possible¡­ Why would a Dragon be here?¡± ¡°It¡¯s dead. I can smell it. Rotten flesh.¡± ¡°Dead? You can¡¯t possibly mean¡ª¡± ¡°An undead dragon.¡± At that moment, a bell resounded throughout the entire encampment. In an instant, the whole ce was in an uproar. Soldiers dropped whatever they were doing and rushed for their gear and made haste towards their stations. Then, a deafening roar followed that shook the earth. The clouds parted as the shadow descended, revealing the appearance of the undead dragon in all of its harrowing splendour. ¡°You have got to be joking¡­¡± Erin muttered in stupefaction as she saw the level of the undead dragon. Level seventy-eight. 5-39 Undead Dragon 5-39 Undead Dragon The appearance of an undead dragon plunged the encampment into a state of turmoil and disorder. The undead dragon¡¯s howl only served to impede the soldiers¡¯ efforts in their preparations. Its appearance already shook the hearts and nerves of many. Along with its cry, some of the soldiers outright lost their wit and consciousness. A good portion of them fainted on the spot. While the encampment was desperately and hastily rallying a sortie, an Augur and a Fox-kin were dashing through the unrest and confusion, hurrying back to theirpanions¡¯ side. ¡°Your orders, mdy? What¡¯s next after we regroup with the rest?¡± Amyra asked. ¡°We make our way out of this ce as soon as we can,¡± Erin answered without missing a beat. Amyra¡¯s brows were raised by her surprise. ¡°That¡¯s unexpected of you. I reckoned you would stay and fight.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a Dragon. From what I have heard about them, I wouldn¡¯t want to face one in an open field. We are at a huge disadvantage. Its aerial mobility is unparalleled, if the stories are anything to go by. It could just attack from the air, out of our reach.¡± ¡°Reasonable but it¡¯s a shame.¡± Amyra shrugged. ¡°I always wanted to fight a full-fledged dragon. I have only ever fought those quasi-kinds.¡± ¡°Iing!¡± Erin suddenly shouted and tackled Amyra to the ground. A beam of dark energy ran through the spot where Amyra and Erin had been. A deep, searing hot, and smoking crevice was now formed. ¡°My thanks, mdy,¡± Amyra panted as she looked at the damage. ¡°Such a destructive attack with such a short conjuration window.¡± ¡°Are you hit?¡± Erin asked, immediately rising to her feet. ¡°I¡¯m fine. What about you, mdy?¡± Erin nced at her shoulder, which was a little bit scalded. ¡°Mdy, you¡¯re hurt!¡± Amyra eximed. ¡°Just a graze, Amyra. It¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°That¡¯s dark magic, mdy. We need to get you treated quickly!¡± ¡°Be at ease, Amyra.¡± Saying so, Erin ced her hand on her wound and reduced the intensity and pain with Spirit Mend. She winced as the grotesque parts of her wound faded. The dark poison in her wound was also dispelled. ¡°Oh, right. You have Spirit Mend. I have been remiss, mdy.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. Let us keep moving. We will be sitting ducks if we stay¡ª¡± A figurended harshly right in front of the two. The slender individual was fully armoured from head to toe. The armour was unlike the typical kind. Erin could tell the armour was forged by a smith that gave a lot of thought to what the armour might represent. Markings of dragons were engraved all over. ¡°An Aerysian,¡± Amyra muttered. ¡°What kind of armour is that?¡± ¡°The ceremonial battle armour of Aerys. Worn only by the Apostles, or so that was the creed.¡± The armoured figure had yet to notice the two as its back was turned to them. However, it slowly turned around. Its gaze was glowing faintly yet strikingly through the narrow visor of the helmet. ¡°Amyra,¡± the figure growled. It was the voice of a woman who had tens of years infused in it. ¡°Sorry. I do not know you.¡± Then, the figure shifted its gaze to Erin. Amyra lunged the moment the figure let her gaze stray from the Augur. Ance appeared in the figure¡¯s hand and she blocked Amyra¡¯s sword. Erin made her move after seeing the figure was engaged with Amyra. She drew her sword and aimed for the figure¡¯s blind spot. However, a shield appeared in the figure¡¯s free hand and guarded against Erin¡¯s sh. ¡°As expected,¡± Erin mused inwardly. The figure was level sixty-five with a small array of Arcane Arts but the few that she had were all above level six. With a shout of a huff, the armoured figure pushed Erin and Amyra away. ¡°My quarrel isn¡¯t with you,¡± the figure said and hopped a long pace away from them with a single leap. The two were left dumbfounded as they exchanged their baffled gazes. ¡°What was that about?¡± Amyra muttered. ¡°An Aerysian that isn¡¯t trying to kill an Aeryon or you, mdy.¡± ¡°Their quarrel is not with us¡­ but they attack the camp.¡± ¡°Their quarrel is with the soldiers then. But why? Aren¡¯t they afraid of the consequences? This is a deration of war with the kingdom itself.¡± ¡°Whatever the reason is, it¡¯s not our problem. We best not get ourselves involved.¡± As Erin said those words, the undead dragon fired another dark beam that razed a huge part of the encampment. ¡°Doesn¡¯t it look like the dragon is simply aiming for the huge tents?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter to us, Amyra. We can worry about that after we get ourselves to safety.¡± ¡°Do you think they could be looking for the Kirin?¡± ¡°I doubt that. Unless they are trying to kill the Kirin, there¡¯s no reason for them to search in such a manner. Unless, of course, they are trying to kill the subject.¡± The pair eventually made it back to their camp without any further incidents. They were greeted by the sight of a carriage. ¡°Good, you¡¯re both here,¡± Aedan said as he inspected the carriage. The other girls were also helping Aedan to get the carriage ready. Lyra was relieved with a huge smile on her face but due to the urgency of the situation, she restrained herself. ¡°Where did you get this carriage?¡± ¡°We stole it,¡± Aedan answered unabashedly. ¡°Someone just abandoned it when the dragon appeared. And before you ask, yes, I know who that undead dragon is but we will talk about thatter.¡± Erin and Amyra nodded at Aedan''s words and helped to get the carriage ready, such as fixing and lubricating the wheels. Though none of them, beside Aedan and Amyra, knew nothing about maintaining a carriage. It wasn¡¯t difficult to learn or do. Lilian¡¯s Nature Magic also made the process a lot easier. In no time at all, they finished preparing therge and luxurious carriage. They all got on board just as the undead dragon unleashed another dark breath. The ground shook to the dragon¡¯s destruction and it also shook some sense into Erin. ¡°Wait, where are the horses?!¡± she asked as she looked at the front of the carriage. There were no horses. ¡°It doesn¡¯t need one,¡± Aedan said and nced over to Lilian. The Dryad extended her hand towards Erin. ¡°The two of us will be driving this carriage with our Spirit Magic.¡± ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s how it is.¡± The carriage was obviously once the property of some officer with a noble background. It wasrge enough to amodate Erin and all of herpanions. It was basically a caravan cramped into a single transportation. The carriage spanned over twenty feet long and there were eight wheels. If it wasn¡¯t for the undead dragon wreaking havoc nearby, they wouldn¡¯t have even fathomed stealing an opulent carriage for themselves. Lilian and Erin sat on the coachman''s seat with their hands held. ¡°Now, dearie, just imagine this carriage moving,¡± Lilian said. The instant those words reached Erin¡¯s mind, the carriage began to move and it practically hurled itself forward. ¡°Whoa there!¡± Erin cried out in surprise. Vines emerged from the seat and wrapped around their waists as the carriage rolled down the slope of therge in. ¡°Oh, clever!¡± Erin praised. Lilian giggled in delight. Even though all the soldiers were either scrambling to safety or to their positions in a panic, they still had the senses to get themselves out of the hurling carriage¡¯s way. The undead dragon unleashed another dark breath. A tremor spread throughout the in. The carriage shook with the tremor. Had it not been for the vines wrapping around their waists, the two Fae would have already been thrown off the carriage. Suddenly, arge piece of burning rubble fell right in their path. Erin thought of making a sharp turn in her mind and the carriage did just that, as impossible as it was to imagine. The carriage veered to the right and looped around the rubble, continuing down the path in a straight line once again. ¡°Dear me. This is so handy. Why isn¡¯t everyone using this?¡± Lilian smiled wryly. ¡°It¡¯s not easy to control it, dear. You¡¯re simply talented and you have a good affinity with the Spirits.¡± Erin activated her Spirit Sight and saw millions of Spirits surrounding the carriage. They were the ones who were actually moving this carriage. Erin was just there to tell them what to do. Her affinity made the Spiritspliant with her wishes andmands. And her affinity with the Spirits wasn¡¯t the only factor. The wood and vines that enveloped the carriage were also a huge factor. They were grown and formed using magic¡ª spells that only a few knew and even fewer who are adept at it. ¡°Do you see now?¡± ¡°Yeah, I do now.¡± The fringe of the in came into sight as they went over a hillock. However, arge tentid just beside the path near the borders. The tent was still untouched by the destruction. ¡°Oh, bollocks.¡± Erin cursed. ¡°Hold on!¡± she shouted as the carriage neared the borders. Her premonition came through. The undead dragon found therge tent that was still untouched by its destruction. It wasted no time inying waste on that tent. This time, it unleashed arge bolt of energy instead of a beam. Therge bolt of dark energy struck the tent. There was a chorus of cries and screams but only for a split second before an ear-splitting explosion drowned out those voices. A wave of shockwaves followed the explosion, hitting the carriage in tandem. ¡°Don¡¯t fall! Don¡¯t fall! Don¡¯t fall! Don¡¯t fall!¡±Erin kept repeating these words in her mind as the shockwave tilted the carriage into a precarious angle and position. Responding to her earnest plea and wish, the carriage miraculously fixed itself upright as if an invisible force had pushed the carriage back into ce. ¡°You¡¯re truly talented, Erin,¡± Lilian praised. ¡°I was just desperate,¡± Erin said, heaving a huge sigh of relief as the carriage continued on into the forest. ¡°We would have been engulfed in the havoc if it wasn¡¯t for you, dear.¡± ¡°We wouldn¡¯t be here if it wasn¡¯t for me.¡± ¡°Nonsense, Erin. You are deserving of the praise. Such is the life of adventurers. Still, I¡¯m surprised. You didn¡¯t stay and help the soldiers.¡± ¡°I spoke with the general. He was not forting with his true intentions, though it was involuntarily.¡± ¡°There was a Fae, wasn¡¯t there?¡± ¡°You knew.¡± ¡°I had my suspicions but I thought I was just being high-strung given our journey so far. So, what¡¯s her name?¡± ¡°Elinea. She was a Fox-kin with three tails.¡± ¡°Three tails? That¡¯s impressive. What¡¯s she doing out of the forest?¡± ¡°She¡¯s the general¡¯s adjutant.¡± ¡°A Fae leaving the forest just to join the army of a human kingdom¡­¡± ¡°Is it unheard of?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not unheard of but it is rare. It¡¯s rare enough for a Fae to leave the forest. It¡¯s even rarer to find one joining the army of a human kingdom. I have heard of Fae joining the army but they never fullymit themselves to the army. If this Fox-kin is the adjutant of the general, her motives will be¡­ suspicious to say the least.¡± Another shockwave ran through the ground. The fading cries and screams of the soldiers could be heard. ¡°Are we in the clear yet?¡± Lyra asked from within the carriage. ¡°Not yet. We can still feel the tremor.¡± ¡°Are we followed?¡± ¡°No,¡± Erin¡¯s response came immediately. Another shockwave echoed into the forest. The cries and screams of the soldiers became louder but the tone was different. They were retaliating. Hundreds of arrows were shot into the air. Erin could hear them clearly. She could also hear their despair clearly when the army realised the futility of their retaliation. The earth shook once more and then, there was silence. ¡°They lost,¡± Lilian muttered. ¡°They¡¯re soldiers. It is part of their purpose. They live by the de, they die by the de.¡± ¡°So it is¡­¡± The triumphant deathly howl of the undead dragon reverberated into the forest. ¡°Let us hope we don¡¯t share the soldiers¡¯ fate,¡± Lilian said with a smile. 5-40 Aerysians 5-40 Aerysians Erin and herpanions decided to make camp on a hill overlooking thends around them as dusk approached. As the carriage¡¯s operation was fuelled by Erin and Lilian¡¯s efforts, it was impossible for them to travel any further even if they wished to do so. Not to mention, Erin barely had any time to rest. It was one problem after another. They had covered plenty of distance but the destruction of the soldiers¡¯ encampment could still be seen clearly from far away. Ropes of smoke trailing into the clouds. Though the undead dragon was no longer in sight nor could its cries be heard, Erin wasn¡¯t at ease. And so, with such a worry in her heart, Erin sat a little bit away from the camp. She positioned herself by the edges of the overlook. Though everyone tried to convince to get some rest, she didn¡¯t budge. She convinced them to let her be as she could rest and also stay vignt at the same time. She sat on her knees near the edges, assuming her meditative position. Her hands ced on herp. Her back straightened. Her eyes closed. Her seven tails fluttered and swayed to the gentle breeze of the descending night. As Erin was gradually plunging into her dormant state, the approaching sweet and lovely scent brought her consciousness back to the waking world. ¡°Lyra.¡± ¡°Erin.¡± It was a brief exchange but no more words were needed. Lyra sat herself down right beside Erin and rested her head on the Fox-kin¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You know, the dragon wouldn¡¯t just appear out of nowhere. I¡¯m sure you and Aedan would sense iting if it¡¯s evening at all. So, just join us at the fire, Erin.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no detriment in being too careful, Lyra.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re being ¡®too careful¡¯ here. I say you¡¯re being paranoid.¡± ¡°The undead dragon wouldn¡¯t just appear out of nowhere but it had slipped my senses until it was upon us. I didn¡¯t sense its presence back at the encampment until it was right above us. And it¡¯s not just the undead dragon I¡¯m worried about.¡± ¡°Aedan¡¯s here, alright? The two of you are pretty much invincible together.¡± Erin looked at Lyra, smiling wryly and warmly. ¡°Since when did you start thinking of him so highly?¡± ¡°He was always the one pulling you out of predicaments. And¡­ before I knew it, I was constantly looking towards him whenever we were in a bind. He¡¯s¡­ reliable.¡± ¡°Do you like him?¡± Erin asked. Lyra was taken aback by the question but only for a second. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t hate him.¡± ¡°If you wish to fuck him, you have my permission, Lyra.¡± ¡°That is not what I¡¯m trying to say here!¡± Lyra responded in a panic. Erin tittered. ¡°I know. I know. I¡¯m just messing with you, Lyra.¡± ¡°How mean,¡± Lyra scoffed, but in a frivolous manner. ¡°But I meant what I said, Lyra.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I considered both of you to be mine,¡± Erin smirked. ¡°So, I don¡¯t mind if you wish to¡­ have a taste of him.¡± Lyra frowned lightly. ¡°Do you perhaps have a penchant for¡ª¡± Erin stopped Lyra frompleting her sentence with a re. ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand here. I will not tolerate it if either of youy with someone outside of my¡­ harem.¡± ¡°I know.¡± It was Lyra''s turn to smirk. ¡°I¡¯m just teasing you.¡± ¡°Tasteless,¡± Erin grumbled. Lyra tittered and then they shared a kiss. It was light at first but they then deepened the embrace of their lips and tongues. ¡°Wait.¡± Erin stopped the kiss and split their wet and passionate embrace. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Not here. Not now.¡± ¡°Then, when?¡± ¡°...After supper, mayhaps.¡± ¡°Supper¡¯s already waiting for us at the fire.¡± Erin raised an eyebrow. ¡°And you¡¯re telling me now?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Lyra chuckled awkwardly. ¡°I kinda forgot about it when I saw you. I was supposed to tell you that but¡­ I lost myself to my desires¡­ Sorry.¡± Erin sighed. ¡°It is whatever now. Betterte than never.¡± She rose to her feet. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get going before any of them start to get any wrong ideas about what we may be doing.¡± ¡°Toote,¡± Lyra said, springing to her feet. ¡°Toote?¡± ¡°They were all making bets as to what you and I would do. The bet fell through since everyone bet on the same thing.¡± ¡°How rude,¡± Erin scoffed. ¡°They weren¡¯t exactly wrong.¡± Erin rolled her eyes and marched back to the fire along with Lyra. ¡°Oh, that was fast,¡± Amyra muttered as the two came back to the fire where everyone was sitting around it. A boar was being roasted on a spit and Siv was rolling the spit. ¡°How far did the two of you go?¡± Lilian inquired with a knowing grin. ¡°We didn¡¯t do anything,¡± Erin retorted and took her seat by the fire. Lyra promptly joined her by her side as if it was the most natural thing to do. ¡°So, are you going to start telling us about the undead dragon that we just encountered?¡± Erin asked. Her gaze was directed at Aedan. ¡°It¡¯s not exactly a long story nor was it an interesting one.¡± ¡°Long or not, interesting or not, just spilled it.¡± Nivia was having none of it. ¡°The undead dragon¡¯s name was Ulrikov. He was¡­ an acquaintance. He was a follower of Aeryo. He''s a dragon, so that¡¯s a given. The only thing notable about him was that he managed to reach the age of¡­ three thousand and more.¡± Everyone had a stupefied reaction. ¡°It sounds impressive but¡­ it really isn¡¯t. He was¡­zy. He was a loafer for most of his life which was why he was able to live for thousands of years.¡± ¡°Your Grace, the undead dragon was not even level ny but he lived for three thousand years and more? Being brought back from the dead might have halved his strength and might but even then, I can¡¯t imagine a beast of the zenith is only level one hundred and sixty or so at his prime.¡± ¡°As I said, he was a loafer. The only good thing that came out of his nature was that he was never once the source of any trouble.¡± ¡°How did he die?¡± Aera asked. ¡°Y-you don¡¯t have to answer if you don¡¯t w-want to!¡± she quickly added. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Aera.¡± Aedan smiled reassuringly at her. ¡°Again, it isn¡¯t anything special. He died of old age.¡± ¡°Dragons only lived up to three thousand years?¡± Lyra questioned. ¡°Minimum,¡± Aedan rified. ¡°Dragons get stronger the older they get. However, if they don¡¯t do anything to hone their strength, they could only live for so long.¡± ¡°Regardless, none of us here are a match against this dead dragon,¡± Erin said. ¡°Even if it¡¯s a loafer while it was still living.¡± ¡°True,¡± Aedan concurred. ¡°How do we defeat it?¡± Siv asked with a solemn expression. ¡°Or is it impossible?¡± ¡°Not impossible, fortunately. Far from it. It has plenty of vulnerabilities.¡± ¡°Such as?¡± ¡°The most obvious one would be a dragon¡¯s innate defence. If it was still living and breathing, we might have a tough time prating its scaly hide. If it¡¯s dead, its scales and skin might have degraded a good deal. But its innate impressive defence isn¡¯t what we have to worry about. A dead dragon may not be as tenacious as it once was, but its destructive capabilities are still more than enough to raze a town.¡± ¡°And what is our strategy?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t fight it if we don¡¯t need to. Thankfully, and evidently, the Aerysians weren¡¯t looking for Erin this time around. Let us hope they keep it that way. If they direct Ulrikov at us, we are done for. We may emerge victorious in a battle but I¡¯m afraid Erin may likely be the only survivor of that fight.¡± Everyone nodded in agreement, except for Erin herself. ¡°Stop with that grim thought,¡± she baulked. ¡°But I agree. We should avoid confronting the undead dragon.¡± ¡°But why aren¡¯t the Aerysians targeting Erin?¡± Nivia asked. ¡°You want them to target Erin?¡± Lyra shot back. ¡°Don¡¯t twist my meaning. I¡¯m just curious as to what could be so significant as to lead them to change their priority.¡± ¡°A vendetta?¡± Amyra muttered her guess. ¡°Aren¡¯t the Aeryons the subject of the Aerysians¡¯ vendetta?¡± Nivia questioned. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s a more recent one with the soldiers.¡± ¡°Hmm, now that I think back to it, the dragon was only targeting the fancy-looking tents,¡± Lilian mused. ¡°Perhaps one of those seconds wronged the Aerysians greatly,¡± Amyra muttered another guess. ¡°Not the first time those noble brats pissed off a particr group.¡± ¡°Whatever the real reason is, we can consider the change a blessing,¡± Erin said. ¡°At the very least, we won¡¯t have to be so vignt of the Aerysians for the time being.¡± ¡°The closer we get to the capital, the less we need to worry about the zealots,¡± Aedan pointed out. ¡°It¡¯s done,¡± said Siv as she stopped rolling the spit. The boar wasrger than a child but smaller than an adult. It was more than enough for the group. Plus, the three Fae needed only little sustenance and Nivia was against eating meat. The three Fae made do with fruits they plucked from nearby trees. It was decided that Amyra would take half of the boar while the other half would be spread evenly between Aedan, Siv, Lyra, and Aera. Amyra was the one who divided the boar into the appropriate portions. She flipped the boar off the firepit and sliced it up in the air. Then she caught all the pieces of meat with herrge de. It was a trivial but magnificent disy of her dexterity. Everyone was in awe except for Nivia. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t y with your food,¡± the Elf said disapprovingly. ¡°I didn¡¯t think there woulde a time when an Elf is envious of an Augur.¡± Nivia red. ¡°I was not envious of you.¡± ¡°How much further before we reach the capital?¡± Erin cut in before the two¡¯s petty squabble could escte into a physical quarrel. ¡°Five days,¡± Siv answered. ¡°If the winds are favourable. If we make haste, we can reach the capital in three days.¡± ¡°Considering our luck so far, I say it would take a week more,¡± Lyra said. ¡°Are there any towns or viges in between?¡± Erin continued her inquiry, ignoring Lyra¡¯s gloomy mutterings. ¡°There¡¯s a small town governed by a lowly lord and quite a few nameless viges along the path. We won¡¯t be alone for the rest of the journey if that is your concern, Mistress.¡± ¡°What¡¯s there to be concerned about?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°Coteral,¡± Erin answered. ¡°We will be mostly crossing paths with other adventurers as there¡¯s abyrinth near the capital. You have nothing to worry about, Mistress.¡± Erin fell silent for a short while before bringing up another question. ¡°What of the Covenant?¡± ¡°They are being indolent for now,¡± answered Aedan. ¡°If there¡¯s any news, Olivia will let us know.¡± ¡°And how long do you think they will be inactive?¡± ¡°A year at least. They have suffered a significant loss and a lot of their spies have been uprooted. If they wish to continue their operations, they would avoid catching attention for the time being.¡± ¡°Make sense,¡± Erin mused in agreement. As she was about to put a slice of fruit into her mouth, the area around her chest shook. The amusing sight caught the attention of everyone around the fire. Before Erin could figure out what was going on, a cube popped out of her breast pocket, the cube which housed the cat-like Kirin. It nearly fell into the fire but Erin caught the cube just in time. ¡°Whoa, easy there, little one.¡± The Kirin ignored Erin¡¯s words and continued ramming into the sides of the cube. ¡°It¡¯s trying to get out,¡± Nivia observed. ¡°It¡¯s hungry,¡± Siv said. ¡°It wants to eat the fruit in your hand, Mistress.¡± Erin looked towards Aedan. ¡°How do you unlock this thing?¡± Aedan frowned. ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°We can¡¯t exactly just starve this adorable creature now, could we?¡± Aedan sighed. ¡°I supposed not,¡± he said and snapped his fingers. The moment the cube came undone, the Kirin shot towards the fruit in Erin¡¯s hand. Though the fruit slice was asrge as the Kirin itself, it swallowed the fruit whole in a single gulp. Everyone stared at the Kirin in awe. ¡°Okay¡­ this is new,¡± Aedan muttered amidst the silent and awed crowd. 5-41 Aerysians II 5-41 Aerysians II Somehow, the Kirin became the main attraction of the supper. Before long, everyone was giving the Kirin a small piece of their food. Surprisingly, the Kirin turned away from meat and epted only fruits or vegetables, though it favoured fruits more than vegetables. The Kirin proceeded to down all the fruit slices it was given. Each slice was as big as the Kirin itself but it swallowed every slice whole and moved on to the next slice before even ten seconds passed. The fruit just magically disappeared into its body. ¡°How is it doing that?¡± Lyra asked, staring at the Kirin in disbelief much like everybody else. ¡°It uses Mana to help digest the thing it eats,¡± answered Erin as she peered at the Kirin¡¯s Mana flow. ¡°Speaking of which, just how much Mana does this little thing have? It can hold more than I can.¡± ¡°It is a Demi-dragon,¡± said Aedan. ¡°It probably has more Mana than all of usbined here. Well, excluding me of course.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be extremely dangerous?¡± Nivia questioned. ¡°To have this much Mana but with such a tiny receptacle, I mean.¡± ¡°It¡¯s half a dragon but it is still a dragon. And dragons are naturally gifted at utilising Mana. This little creature isn¡¯t vtile in terms of its Mana¡¯s performance. But I say it is vtile enough in other aspects.¡± Erin was trying to pat the Kirin while it was feasting on the fruits but it pped her hand away with its tail. The Kirin wasn¡¯t even looking at Erin. The tail moved by itself the moment Erin¡¯s hand went close. After each p, the Kirin would turn around and re at Erin before resuming its meal. ¡°It hates you,¡± said Lilian. ¡°Dear, have you done something terrible to it?¡± ¡°We did try to kill each other when we first met but I didn¡¯t know what it was back then. It just came at me. Evidently, it¡¯s still holding a grudge towards me for that.¡± ¡°Hmm, I wonder¡­¡± Musing, Aedan reached out his hand towards the Kirin. The Kirin stopped eating and spun around. When it saw Aedan¡¯s hand approaching it, the Kirin squealed in terror and dashed up to Erin¡¯s shoulder, cowering behind her. ¡°Whoa¡­ that was such a huge reaction,¡± Lyra remarked. ¡°It¡¯s afraid of you, Master,¡± said Siv. ¡°It has good instincts. It knows what I am or at least it knows that I¡¯m more than meets the eye.¡± ¡°I thought it hated Erin,¡± Nivia said. ¡°It has good instincts like His Grace said,¡± Amyra exined. ¡°It fled to the one it deemed as the strongest in the group when it perceived a threat. It hates you, mdy, but it still acknowledges your strength.¡± Smiling wryly, Erin looked at the Kirin on her shoulder. It was trembling heavily while staring intensely at Aedan, hissing. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t it be revering you instead of fearing you?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be the Dragon God?¡± Aedan sighed, rolling his eyes. ¡°I am merely the candidate. I have yet to officially take the throne. As far as it¡¯s concerned, I am just the same as any beast out there with too much strength and power to spare.¡± ¡°Also, True Dragons are the natural enemies of every false dragon,¡± Amyra added. Erin nced over to Aedan, her curiosity ignited. ¡°Why is that?¡± she asked while gently patting the Kirin who was still shaking in fright at Aedan. Erin was cheering inwardly of finally being able to pat the Kirin. ¡°It¡¯s an old wives tale, sort of.¡± ¡°An outright nder that many have taken for a fact,¡± Aedan grumbled. ¡°True Dragons perceived false dragons as heretics, a sphemy to their god.¡± ¡°I heard about this,¡± Aera eximed. Her tone was excited but her voice was almost a whisper. ¡°Is it not true? This perception came from schrs.¡± ¡°It is true,¡± said Amyra. ¡°But only to a certain extent. Or rather, it¡¯s true for one particr True Dragon. What was his name again?¡± ¡°Dorvus,¡± Aedan answered in a grim tone. ¡°If you have heard anything negative about True Dragons, he is most likely the source of the rumour.¡± ¡°What did he do?¡± ¡°He sees True Dragon as the ultimate lifeform and everything else is beneath them. He especially hates false dragons like Wyverns, Drakes, Wyrms, and the such. Kirins, too.¡± As if it understood Amyra¡¯s words, the Kirin turned its gaze to the Augur. ¡°Coincidentally, he¡¯s one of the founders of the Aerysian Faith. Knowing him, he might be the Arch Priest or something by now.¡± ¡°He¡¯s still alive?¡± ¡°Very much so.¡± ¡°Should we be worried about this¡­ individual?¡± Amyra shrugged. ¡°He''s a dogmatist. A supremacist, if you will. But he is no impulsive fool. He has a temper but he uses his rage well. He values the preservation of the faith above all else.¡± ¡°The Aerysians attacked the kingdom¡¯s army just this afternoon, lest you forget,¡± Lyra reminded. ¡°That¡¯s asking for a premature end.¡± ¡°It could be a different faction or a rogue faction,¡± Aedan ventured a wry guess. ¡°The Aerysians aren¡¯t exactly a coherent bunch. Honestly, I wouldn¡¯t worry so much about them. They might be a threat but in time, they will destroy themselves.¡± ¡°In time, you said.¡± Erin retorted. ¡°Before that happens, who knows what kind of disaster they would bring.¡± ¡°The point is, we can¡¯t predict their next course of action. We can only wait and see.¡± ¡°What about the other faiths?¡± asked Nivia. ¡°Will they truly cease their attempts if we get closer enough to cities andrge towns?¡± ¡°Logically speaking, yes.¡± ¡°But logic doesn¡¯t define most of them.¡± Aedan smiled wryly. ¡°You are absolutely right about that. The path ahead is fraught with unforeseeable problems.¡± ¡°Enough of all this grim and serious talk,¡± Lilian scolded. ¡°Can¡¯t we have just one meal without the need to dwell in all the itineraries of our day and the day after?¡± ¡°Then, please enlighten us on what we should do, Dryad,¡± Amyra scoffed. ¡°We don¡¯t have booze. And the stories we know are either grim or depressing. Which leads us to songs.¡± ¡°I know songs but I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m not a good singer. Besides, I have a better idea. How about wee up with a name for our lovely Kirin here.¡± Amyra was utterly dumbfounded. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a calm and soothing activity, is it not? We won¡¯t need to be loud or anything.¡± Everyone stared at Lilian as if she had just spoken something out of this world. In a way, she had made a baffling statement. ¡°I¡¯m aware that everyone¡¯s high-strung given what we have gone through so far. I¡¯m just proposing something to help us be at ease. Naming this adorable creature can help us take our minds off of the strenuous things.¡± ¡°We are not children, Dryad.¡± ¡°Precisely why we need to do something like this. We have strained our vignce too much. Our nerves need to loosen. Or else, one of us might experience the shudder.¡± ¡°The what?¡± ¡°The shudder. It happens to those who worry excessively. They shudder and then they proceed to lose the ability to move parts of their body or their entire body.¡± ¡°I have heard about such a sickness,¡± said Erin. ¡°It can cripple a person permanently.¡± ¡°I failed to see how your suggestion would help,¡± Nivia doubted. ¡°That little creature isn''t even fond of us.¡± The Kirin had calmed down. It was no longer shaking in fear but it was still staring at Aedan warily. Erin tried to pat it again and this time, it did not p her hand away. The Kirin looked grumpy but it didn¡¯t reject Erin. ¡°Huh¡­ it has turned obedient,¡± Lyra observed. ¡°It¡¯s currying her favour,¡± said Amyra. ¡°Lest His Grace tried to approach it again.¡± ¡°Very clever.¡± ¡°C-can I try holding it?¡± Aera asked with a hand raised. ¡°I¡¯m not the one you need to be asking,¡± Erin said and held the Kirin to Aera¡¯s timidly outstretched hands. The Kirin did not struggle when Erin grabbed it. Its eyes were on Aedan the whole time. ¡°What did you do?¡± Lilian inquired, ncing at Aedan with an amused smile. ¡°It¡¯s overly wary of you.¡± ¡°Wild creatures are inherently cautious beings and some can sense things beyond the present and the surface. I would talk about my past but you don''t want us to dwell on that sort of dark topic, so I won¡¯t.¡± ¡°Alright, fair enough.¡± While Lilian ceased her inquiry of Aedan¡¯s past, Erin had handed the Kirin over to Aera without any fuss. The Kirin didn¡¯t even seem to notice it was being handed off to another person¡¯s hands until it was already in Aera¡¯s hands. However, the Kirin did not protest or raise a tantrum even when it realised. In fact, the Kirin¡¯s vignce fell when it saw Aera. It neither snarled or growled at her. It epted her hands. It eveny down and curled up in Aera¡¯s palms. ¡°It likes me!¡± Aera eximed in glee and wonder. ¡°I don¡¯t believe it,¡± Erin muttered in disbelief. ¡°Perhaps it doesn¡¯t see Aera as a threat in any way at all,¡± Amyra said. The sense ofpetition was set alight in the hearts of Lyra and Nivia after seeing how epting the Kirin was towards Aera. ¡°Let me try,¡± Nivia said and held out her hand. The Kirin sensed Nivia¡¯s hand approaching. It nced at the Elf but only for a brief moment before turning away. ¡°It doesn¡¯t like you,¡± Lyra pointed out. ¡°Shush,¡± Nivia huffed and reached closer to the Kirin. This time, the Kirin pped Nivia¡¯s hand away with its tail, eliciting a chuckle from Lyra. ¡°It doesn¡¯t like you, Nivia. in and obvious,¡± Lyra sneered ¡°And you think you can do any better.¡± ¡°Certainly better than someone who harbours so much dishonesty regarding her own feelings.¡± Nivia snorted. ¡°Then, why don¡¯t you give it a try?¡± Smiling, Lyra inched close to the Kirin in Aera¡¯s palm. She reached her hand out towards the little creature but before she even came as close as Nivia did, the Kirin bounced onto its feet and hissed at Lyra. The person in question froze with her outstretched arm dangling rigidly in the air. Nivia burst into a cackle. ¡°It would seem that it hates you more than it hates me.¡± ¡°N-no. This must be a mistake.¡± Lyra was insistent and stubborn. She inched closer to the Kirin despite its warning. The Kirin did not just p her hand away. Its reaction was worse than that. It tried to bite Lyra¡¯s finger but she was quick enough to pull her hand back. ¡°What the fuck!?¡± Lyra screamed. ¡°It tried to bite me!¡± ¡°Serves you right,¡± Nivia scoffed. Lyra red at the Elf. ¡°For fuck¡¯s sake, can you two stop trying to tear at each other¡¯s throat the first chance you two have?¡± ¡°She started it!¡± said the two in tandem. Erin sighed. ¡°Alright, settle down.¡± Lilian pped, gathering everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°We¡¯re all grown men and women here. Let us not be bothered by such trifles and get back to our main interest at hand. So, do we have any suggestions for this miniature beast¡¯s name?¡± ¡°Ruri!¡± Aera suggested in a tone far louder than usual. When she realised how loud she had shouted, she shrunk with her face flushed. ¡°That¡¯s a very good name,¡± said Lilian. ¡°Do you perhaps have a pet named Ruri?¡± ¡°Um¡­ a long time ago. It was the name of a stray cat that I used to feed every morning when I was a child. One day, it just stoppeding¡­. This little one reminds me so much of that cat¡­¡± ¡°There we have it. Ruri it is,¡± Amyra cheered. ¡°Now, let us move on to something less drab. How about songs?¡± ¡°But none of us sing here.¡± ¡°Bollocks. We don¡¯t need to sing. We can also y.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have instruments and we don¡¯t have anyone who can y.¡± ¡°Dryad, you are wrong. We have instruments and we have someone who can y.¡± Lilian frowned. ¡°Who?¡± Amyra grinned. ¡°Me.¡± 5-42 A friend indeed 5-42 A friend indeed The group resumed their journey towards the capital as soon as dawn broke. Everyone was in high spirits. Or rather, they were reinvigorated by their much-needed rest. Labelling yesterday as hectic was an understatement. Everyone had a good night¡¯s sleep, much to everyone¡¯s surprise and mild chagrin. They didn¡¯t think they would have such a nice sleep, all thanks to Amyra¡¯s mastery over the instruments of melodies. Her talent shocked everyone, save for Aedan who already knew beforehand. A staple ir amongst adventurers who frequently participate inbyrinth-diving. Asbyrinths tend to be located in enclosed spaces underground, the strain on adventurers¡¯ minds was significantly heavier. They needed something to alleviate their strained mind while resting. Songs and melodies became the regr form of entertainment. Gradually,byrinth-diving adventurers became known to be deft at ying the instruments or singing due to their constant practice. It was why a lot of bards or minstrels are former adventurers, though Erin couldn¡¯t recall having met any bards or minstrels as of yet. The melodies Amyra yed had soothed the minds of the group. They didn¡¯t realise how much they needed something to cleanse their weary thoughts. They were all sceptical at first when Amyra boasted her talent but all doubts were gone when she started strumming the strings on the instrument. Before they knew it, they had all fallen asleep to the tune, including Ruri the Kirin. Speaking of which, Ruri had opened up to Erin and herpanionsst night. It wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say they had bonded over the melodies Amyra yed. Ruri was no longer putting its guard up around the group. It no longer saw any of them as a potential threat, except for Aedan. It couldn¡¯t get rid of its primal fear towards a True Dragon. The ornate carriage rolled into a vast in aste morning came about. The in oddly resembled the one before with one huge ring difference. This in wasn¡¯t permeated with the presence of an army. Small buildings were scattered about in this vast in, presumably the residences of lone families that didn¡¯t belong to any viges or towns. There were paths leading through and across the ins. The one Erin took was leading them to a small town in the distance. As they crossed over a stream that stretched on further than her eyes could perceive, Erin began hearing songs being sung from the other travellers on the road. Most of the travellers were peddlers or folks going about their daily routines. A good portion of them were adventurers, going by their mismatchedbat garments. The singing mostly came from the adventurers, which reminded Erin ofst night. ¡°Say, where did you learn all those melodies?¡± Erin asked. ¡°Other adventurers,¡± Amyra answered with a shrug. She was sitting beside Erin in the driver¡¯s seat while the rest were staying in the back of the carriage. The pair was drawing a lot of nces, curious of the two. One was an Augur while the other was a Fae. Like always, they were an odd pair. It didn¡¯t help that Erin was a great beauty and many were caught drooling after her, though they all turned away when Amyra caught them sneaking nces. ¡°You didn¡¯t make any songs yourself?¡± ¡°I¡¯m good, I¡¯m aware of that, but I¡¯m not that good. Besides, ying isn¡¯t a passion. It¡¯s a necessity to soothe a strained mind. Kinda like potions. I know how to make a few basic potions but I have nevere up with any original recipes. Why do you ask, mdy?¡± ¡°Nothing important. It¡¯s just¡­ it¡¯s hard to believe someone so lustful over battles can be so practised with melody instruments.¡± Amyra grinned. ¡°I¡¯m versatile, mdy. Have I mentioned that I can also work the forge?¡± ¡°No, but I did assume that you would know the basics.¡± ¡°Oh, I know more than that. I¡¯m no master but I¡¯m no greenhorn either. If you would allow me, mdy, I would love to forge you a sword when the opportunity presents itself.¡± ¡°I appreciate the sentiment and the offer but corporeal swords are hindrances to me now, and less reliable too.¡± ¡°I can forge you tools of other kinds, mdy. Not necessarily a sword.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what other tools I would need.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure I can think of something,¡± Amyra said with the utmost confidence. ¡°Is there a reason for your persistence?¡± ¡°It is an honour to make an otion for the god I serve and his spouse.¡± ¡°I am not his spouse, Amyra. And he isn¡¯t the Dragon God.¡± ¡°His Grace has all the qualifications to the throne. The only things missing are incentives. Like it or not, every Aeryon is already looking to him as the Dragon God. They believe that it¡¯s only a matter of time before he ascends to the throne.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think this is all too bothersome for him? You revered him but all you did was trouble him.¡± Amyra smiled wryly. ¡°If he¡¯s truly troubled, then he will not be so quiet and vague with his stance. He would have appointed a candidate if he truly had no intentions of taking the throne. Besides, he can¡¯tpletely deny the throne with all of his vehemence. Dorvus had been eyeing the throne.¡± ¡°I thought he doesn¡¯t believe in Aeryo?¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t but that¡¯s the Dragon God¡¯s throne and the Aerysians believed Aerys should be the one on that throne. Dorvus doesn¡¯t want the throne for himself. He wants it for Aerys.¡± ¡°Will he be a problem any time soon?¡± ¡°Only time will tell, mdy.¡± As the carriage passed by a farm of melons, something flew into the coachstand through the blinds from the back of the carriage. ¡°Kyu!¡± Ruri cried as shended on Erin¡¯sp. ¡°Hey, where are you going?!¡± Nivia shouted after the Kirin, popping her head through the blinds. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Erin, but this trog just suddenly rushed at you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, Nivia. It wants something from me.¡± ¡°Kyu!¡± Ruri chirped, pointing at the melon farm with its head. ¡°Those melons?¡± Ruri nodded. ¡°You want to eat them?¡± Ruri nodded again. Erin frowned. ¡°You just ate an hour ago. A whole fruit, at that.¡± Ruri widened its eyes, not in surprise but in an attempt to persuade Erin. ¡°No,¡± Erin responded. ¡°Myu¡­.¡± it pouted. Erin couldn¡¯t understand the Kirin¡¯snguage but she could understand its bodynguage. ¡°Those melons are not ours and they aren¡¯t something grown in the wild. They are the possessions of others. Stealing is bad.¡± ¡°Tsk,¡± the Kirin tutted and hopped onto Amyra¡¯sp. It stared the Augur straight in the eyes with bloated cheeks. ¡°Kyu~¡± it squealed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, little one, but mdy had already given you the answer.¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Ruri huffed and hopped back into the back of the carriage. Nivia sighed. ¡°This thing is no pet. It¡¯s a nuisance.¡± ¡°It¡¯s still very adorable.¡± ¡°Adorable or not, it¡¯s mischievous, very much so. As soon as it realised none of us meant any harm, it began to take a lot of liberties.¡± ¡°At least it ain¡¯t trying to find ways to gut us anymore,¡± Amyra said. ¡°Now it¡¯s finding ways to annoy us or take advantage of us. I don¡¯t know which is worse.¡± ¡°Meep!!¡± A shrill resounded all of a sudden. Ruri came dashing back out. It was practically scampering with all of its might. It found Erin¡¯sp and huddled itself as deep into herp as it could. ¡°What happened?¡± Erin inquired, ncing behind her. Her hands moved themselves. They went tofort Rurir, gently stroking it. This time, it was Aedan who showed himself. ¡°Nothing,¡± he answered. ¡°Meep¡­!¡± Erin narrowed her gaze. ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Ruri was being¡­ a spoiled runt. So, I gave her a hint as to what would happen if she continued with her bratty behaviour.¡± ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°I smiled at her,¡± Aedan said with a smile. ¡°Her?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a female. So yeah, her. Anyway, just keep a good eye on her. Remember, you chose this. She¡¯s your responsibility.¡± ¡°What happened to ¡®us¡¯ or ¡®our¡¯?¡± ¡°Well, we have all our regrets,¡± Aedan said and retreated into the back. Erin could hear their discussions about Ruri. Apparently, it had been giving them a lot of trouble. She looked down at herp, where the Kirin was all curled up, shaking in fright. ¡°Already tired?¡± ¡°Is this what it''s like to care for a pet?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know. Never have a pet before, if you don¡¯t count mounts. However, I do have a piece of advice, if you care to listen, mdy.¡± ¡°Just tell me.¡± ¡°A pet isn¡¯t a friend. It is an animal and you, as its owner, have the obligation to train it. An animal is trained, not educated. Pets are to be well-trained, not well-educated. But it would be a different story if it possessed the rationality of a sapient.¡± ¡°...Thank you, Amyra,¡± Erin said after a short silence. ¡°You¡¯re most wee, mdy.¡± ¡°I have to train it huh¡­¡± Musing, Erin lifted Ruri up to her face. The Kirin looked confused when it was suddenly being lifted. Perhaps it sensed what wasing when it saw Erin¡¯s face as it went still and stared back at her. ¡°....¡± ¡°Kyu?¡± ¡°No more tantrums, understand?¡± ¡°Kyu¡­¡± ¡°Mdy, I don¡¯t think it fully understands words.¡± ¡°Do you understand what I¡¯m saying?¡± ¡°Kyu?¡± ¡°Nod, if you do.¡± Ruri nodded. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Amyra muttered. ¡°That¡¯s unexpected. I know it¡¯s intelligent but to think it understands such specifics.¡± ¡°Stick your tongue out,¡± Erin said. Ruri tilted its head cutely, looking confused. ¡°Stick your tongue out, please?¡± While still looking confused, Ruri stuck its tongue out. ¡°By the stars, it understands!¡± Amyra eximed. ¡°The blood of the dragon within this Kirin is strong.¡± ¡°So, you understand mepletely?¡± Erin asked. Ruri nodded after some hesitation. ¡°Maybe teaching this Kirin would be easier than other pets.¡± ¡°Kyu!¡± ¡°Or harder,¡± Erin added. ¡°Kye!¡± Ruri hissed. ¡°I think you hurt its feelings, mdy.¡± ¡°It hurt our feelings too by being bratty.¡± ¡°Kyu¡­¡± it mewed softly, seemingly ashamed over its behaviour being pointed out. ¡°Feels like I¡¯m talking to a child here¡­¡± ¡°It does seem like it.¡± Then, a faint tremor spread across the ground. It was truly vague. It was barely enough to topple a poorly stacked tower of stones. But Erin felt the tremor nheless. ¡°Kyu!¡± Ruri squealed and ducked into Erin¡¯sp. ¡°You felt it too, mdy?¡± Erin nodded. ¡°Something¡¯sing.¡± ¡°Enemies?¡± Erin shook her head. In the direction they were travelling towards, a muster of soldiers appeared from the hillock in the distance, around hundreds of them. The soldiers appeared to be in a hurry as they didn¡¯t slow down even though there were many other travellers in their paths. ¡°Stay inside and keep quiet.¡± Erin¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t loud but she only needed one of them to pick up on her words and have them ryed them to others. Immediately, the ones in the back quieted down. Amyra took the reins and stirred the carriage onto the side of the road, making way for the soldiers. The stampede rushed past them without sparing a nce. They were truly in a hurry. They stopped for no one. Erin saw a few of the carts were too slow in evading the soldiers and ended up having their carts overturned. The soldiers themselves suffered no detriment when they crashed through the carts. Once things had calmed down, the rest of the group poked their heads out from the carriage. ¡°What was that?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°Soldiers.¡± ¡°It sounded like they were in a rush,¡± Nivia said. ¡°They were. They even took banners with them,¡± Erin observed. ¡°War is certain,¡± Aedan muttered. ¡°Now that I think about it, this could get ugly for us.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°The Aeryons and the Aerysians both serve the Dragon God. Though there¡¯s a clear distinction to be made, outsiders rarely care for the specifics, especially for soldiers. They will most likely indict the Aeryons along with the Aerysians. Unless¡­¡± ¡°Unless?¡± ¡°Unless our new friend would be so kind as to help make the distinction clear to the soldiers and the public.¡± Erin¡¯s face gleamed with realisation. ¡°Ah¡­ Aza.¡± 5-43 Hismorn 5-43 Hismorn Noon beckoned when Erin and herpanions arrived at the town resting on the capital borders, which was around the middle of the in. There was no fortress nor was there a frontier. Only a small town sat between two provinces. The town itself had no walls nor even fences. The presence of soldiers was minimal. The abundance of buildings and structures served as partitions between the twonds. The town belonged to neither side of the administration. The town itself fell under the governance of a local lowly lord who stood on neutral ground. Though, in the end, all was under the reign of the kingdom. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of adventurers,¡± Nivia said as the group walked through the streets of the town, Hismorn. They had left their carriage at arge barn just outside of the town, where all the other transportation was also temporarily kept. ¡°More adventurers than soldiers,¡± Lyra muttered. ¡°There¡¯s one soldier for ten adventurers. How is the order even kept?¡± ¡°By the locals,¡± answered Amyra. As she was the tallest member in the group, and also taller than most men, her figure drew a lot of attention. In turn, the gazes were then drawn towards Erin. ¡°A militia?¡± ¡°Not necessarily a militia.¡± Amyra returned the gaze she drew. They all looked away when they were gazed upon by the Augur. ¡°From the looks of it, most of them are fighters themselves. It¡¯s probably one of those towns where the people take matters into their own hands.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t something like that prohibited byw?¡± Aera asked. Hearing Amyra¡¯s words, her expression turned worried. ¡°Who¡¯s going to stop them? The soldiers here are nothing more than trophies. The royal court wouldn¡¯t bother themselves with trifling matters of such a small town.¡± ¡°Where are we heading first, mistress?¡± Siv asked. ¡°The Guild. It¡¯s been far too long since west took on a proper quest. We can also use the extra gold.¡± ¡°Do I have to follow along?¡± Aera asked. ¡°Hmm¡­ Aedan, how about you and Aera go look for rooms while the rest of us head for the guild?¡± ¡°Not a problem,¡± said Aedan. ¡°We¡¯ll meet at the square in an hour.¡± ¡°No need for that. We canmunicate with our Spirit Familiars.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ right. I do have that.¡± Lilian raised her hand. ¡°Can I go with Aedan?¡± ¡°You may but¡­ may I ask why?¡± Lilian tittered and threw herself at Aedan, hugging his arm. She shed Erin a grin. ¡°Ah¡­ I see.¡± Erin sighed, smiling wryly. ¡°Well, you two have fun.¡± ¡°Thank you, Erin,¡± Lilian said and pulled both Aedan and Aera away by their arms, disappearing into the crowd amidst the street. ¡°Are you fine with that?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll make sure to punish themter.¡± ¡°Mdy is very open-minded,¡± Amyra remarked. ¡°As long as it¡¯s just between us.¡± ¡°Including me?¡± ¡°Including you.¡± ¡°Oh, dear. Mdy, if you weren¡¯t simply being kind, it would be quite the honour¡­ and pleasure.¡± ¡°Honour be damned, Amyra. There will only be pleasure.¡± ¡°Mdy¡­¡± Amyra began to pant. ¡°You are putting me in heat here¡­¡± ¡°For the love of¡ª¡± Nivia groaned. You two, we are in the middle of the street here, out in the open.¡± ¡°Shall we continue this at night?¡± ¡°If you would have me, mdy.¡± Nivia rolled her eyes and stormed past the two. Giggling, Erin and Amyra trailed behind the Elf while Lyra and Siv followed behind them in a strange mood. No one could tell the feelings of thest two but Erin could. She could smell their desires. Her flirting with Amyra had instilled ideas into their heads but those ideas could only be manifested into reality when night fell. **** The Adventurer¡¯s Guild of Hismorn wasn¡¯t far from where they were. It wasn¡¯t the tallest structure in the town but one could easily locate it by the flow of the crowd. ¡°Huh¡­ this is different,¡± Erin muttered as they arrived at the guild. What greeted them wasn¡¯t a building or any structure. Instead, the guild was more akin to a pavilion and a boulevard. Instead of trees and flowers aligned in rows, it was counters and booths. ¡°You haven¡¯t seen a guild like this before, mdy?¡± Amyra asked. ¡°No, I haven¡¯t. Is there a reason for this¡­ peculiarity?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not peculiar,¡± said Lyra. ¡°This is actually moremon than buildings. It¡¯s easier to expand the guild or shrink it if they built in this manner.¡± ¡°What if it rains?¡± ¡°It would be hell for them but how often have you seen it rain here? In this kingdom.¡± Thinking back on it, Erin could understand Lyra¡¯s point. ¡°Only once or twice.¡± ¡°Exactly. Besides, they have partitions if the weather turns for the worse, though it¡¯s not as effective as walls and proper roofs.¡± The space of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild was defined by fences that encircled a za. Due to the nature of the guild, there were many entrances and exits. The presence of counters and booths in arge open space reminded Erin of a flea market. As soon as Erin and herpanions trod into the guild¡¯s grounds, many heads were turned. Half of these turned heads stayed and admired the sight of a band of beauties inbat garbs. Amyra red back at the enamoured gazes. Frightened by the Augur¡¯s re, most of them turned away but some were too entranced by Erin¡¯s beauty to notice Amyra¡¯s re. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me saying, mdy, you attract too much attention.¡± ¡°And you don¡¯t?¡± ¡°I do, but those attentions don¡¯t stay on me for long. Perhaps you should alter your appearance, mdy.¡± ¡°I have tried but it doesn¡¯t diminish my beautypletely. My height alone is enough to stroke their fancy and curiosity. Unless you have a way for me topletely change my appearance.¡± ¡°Changing one¡¯s appearance is an easy task. Maintaining the spell is where the challenge lies.¡± ¡°You need not give any of these people a time of your day, Erin,¡± said Nivia. ¡°They can stare all they wish and that will be all they can do. Just stare. It¡¯s not like any of them have the guts to call upon you.¡± ¡°I have met a few who did have the guts.¡± ¡°Then, they are fools,¡± Nivia scoffed. Perhaps the onlookers noticed the group¡¯s annoyance, fewer and fewer gazes were being directed at them. ¡°So, where to?¡± Erin asked, looking around. ¡°Over there,¡± answered Siv, pointing at arge board that was tacked full of parchments. ¡°Alright, then. Stay here. I will go,¡± Erin said and headed over to the board alone. The board wasn¡¯t swarmed with adventurers, to Erin¡¯s mild surprise. Then, she realised it was midday. All the worthwhile quests must have been taken, leaving only the ones without much yield. She scoured the board, inspecting every request ced on it. True to her expectations, all that was left were the unprofitable ones. Quests that demanded more than the rewards. There were also those that were too simple or lowly for the adventurers, such as the ones that required the adventurers to help clean out some dusty old building or clear the drain. These quests were only taken by those who only just started off as adventurers but had no money or experience to spare. As Erin scoured the board further, she stumbled upon a request with a lucrative reward. Upon reading the details, she came to understand why it was untouched. ¡°A nest of Wyrms, huh¡­ This will be interesting. But who¡¯s the one who made the request?¡± Strangely enough, the requestor wasn¡¯t listed anywhere on the parchment, which made the request even more dubious. However, this only served to fuel Erin¡¯s interest and intrigue. She took the parchment with her and returned to the others. ¡°Nest of Wyrms?¡±Lyra mused aloud. ¡°Who¡¯s the requestor?¡± Erin shrugged. ¡°It was not listed.¡± ¡°Suspicious.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°I doubt they are Wyrms at all,¡± said Amyra. ¡°Not the first time people have mistaken somemon monsters for quasi-dragons.¡± ¡°Mistress, I would suggest we take something¡­ less intense. We are here for respite.¡± ¡°We are not in a rush for once, Siv. And it¡¯s been a while since west did any proper quest.¡± ¡°We can start off small. This one will invite trouble that you will surely regretter on, Mistress.¡± ¡°She¡¯s right, Erin. Put it back now,¡± Nivia chided. Erin sighed. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll pick something dull.¡± Erin retraced her steps and tacked the parchment back on the board. As she looked for another quest, Ruri poked its head out from Erin¡¯s breast pocket. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Erin asked. Ruri had hid itself on its own ord. Erin reckoned this was due to its fear towards therge presence of people. Now, it had shown itself, albeit only furtively. ¡°Kyu??¡± Ruri purred, gesturing at a quest with its gaze. ¡°Something caught your fancy?¡± Erin followed the Kirin¡¯s gaze, leading her to a certain request. ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s why.¡± Erin realised the cause of Ruri¡¯s interest. The request in question had a picture of a certain red fruit, drawn in the corner. ¡°Kyu! Kyu!¡± Ruri squealed excitedly. ¡°¡­ This isn¡¯t much. We are to search for and harvest Red Figs, found in the woods to the east near the foot of the hills.¡± As suddenly as it poked its head out, Ruri shrunk back into the pocket. Erin understood why. Someone was approaching them. ¡°Pardon me, Lady Fae.¡± Erin turned around and saw a man standing before her. His attire told her he was part of the guild staff. ¡°What is it?¡± she asked. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to pry nor peek at you but I saw your interest in the Wyrm quest just now.¡± ¡°And what of it?¡± Erin responded curtly. Something about this manpelled her to shed her courtesy. The Spirits weren¡¯t exactly viewing the man unfavourably but Erin couldn¡¯t help but be wary towards the man. ¡°If you are wondering about the authenticity of that quest, I can assure you that it has the guild¡¯s full approval. In fact, the quest itself is made by the Lord Governor of Hismon himself.¡± Erin narrowed her gaze. In her peripheral view, she noticed nces from other adventurers were thrown her way. ¡°And why are you telling me this?¡± ¡°This is a grave concern for the town as a whole. More so for the Lord Governor himself.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s such a grave concern, then shouldn¡¯t this quest be made overt instead of just being tacked along with the othermon quests?¡± ¡°The Lord Governor does not wish to worry the good folks of the town. The Guild is aware of your¡­ exploits and your status, Lady Erynthea. We are hoping that you would¡ª¡± ¡°Nope. My apologies. I won¡¯t be taking the quest,¡± Erin said and took the quest regarding the fetching of figs, before walking back to herpanions ¡°Lady Erynthea, please wait. I have yet to¡ª¡± Erin didn¡¯t turn around. She simply unleashed her aura and directed it at the guild employee. He immediately halted in his tracks, unable to move even his finger. ¡°What was that about?¡± Lyra asked as Erin returned, having seen the exchange from where they were waiting. ¡°The Wyrm quest,¡± Erin said and ced the parchment of the quest she chose on the table between them. ¡°A guild employee approached you regarding that? What did he say?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a quest made by the Lord Governor himself.¡± ¡°If so, why is such a quest thrown in with themon stuff?¡± ¡°Exactly my suspicions. He imed that the Lord Governor doesn¡¯t wish to make the town panic.¡± ¡°Bollocks,¡± Amyra scoffed. ¡°There¡¯s certainly more to the story.¡± ¡°I agree. Which is why I rejected him.¡± ¡°And you took this quest in return?¡± Nivia asked. ¡°Collecting figs?¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple and straightforward.¡± ¡°Very much so,¡± said Siv. ¡°But it will suffice. We have been through some hectic encounterstely.¡± ¡°Besides, it was the idea of the little one,¡± Erin said, tapping on her chest pocket. Nivia sighed. ¡°That thing¡¯s a glutton.¡± Erin chuckled. ¡°Isn¡¯t it adorable?¡± ¡°It¡¯s concerning. Just how much would it need to eat once it¡¯s fully grown?¡± ¡°Well¡­ we¡¯ll worry about that in the future. For now, let our minds rest. Tonight, we shall have a feast.¡± 5-44 Troubles brewing 5-44 Troubles brewing Since the quest of collecting figs was deemed much too of an easy task, Amyra proposed for them to take on another quest. Amyra volunteered herself for the proposal she made herself. Seeing no harm in this, Erin gave her approval. And so, they split into two teams. One would go collect the figs while the other would track down a thief who had stolen quite a bit of goods from the merchants in town. Thetter quest had quite the attractive reward but the thief had proven themself to be more elusive than anyone would have thought, deterring more and more adventurers by the day. Siv volunteered herself to be part of the second team due to her tracking abilities as a Wolf-kin. Lyra and Nivia stayed with Erin. Though the two didn¡¯t particrly like the quest of collecting figs, they didn¡¯t mind as they got to spend more time with Erin. As the three departed on the following quarter of an hour to the forest, Siv and Amyra wasted no time in beginning their hunt for the elusive thief. Not much was known about the thief save for their immacte skill in thievery. Whether the thief was a he or a she, not even that was known. The only clue the guild had of the thief was theirst known whereabouts. There was a small flea market in the corner of the town. Just a few blocks away from the flea market were the slums, though it didn¡¯t look that much different from the rest of the town. There was where the thief wasst seen. Or rather, it was always where the thief would run too aftermitting a thievery. Searching for a criminal in a slum was like searching for a specific tree in a forest. One could easily walk past the person in question without knowing. Curious enough, Beast-kin and other races with enhanced senses of smell had also tried their hands at this quest but none seeded in finding the thief. Hence, the state of the quest. ¡°Amyra, I hope you have a n in mind,¡± said Siv as the two strode through the flea market. The ce wasn¡¯t as loud and crowded as the pair had expected. One nce at the wares disyed was enough for them to understand why. Most of them were junk or fakes. If there was a genuine and valuable article amongst the false lot, no one cared enough to look for it. ¡°I already have a few ns in mind but the future is uncertain, more so when we¡¯re up against something we barely know anything about. Our opponent is a skilful thief, we know that much. What about you, Siv? Do you have a solid n in mind? How about tracking them down with your nose?¡± ¡°To do that, I would need to know what the thief smells like. Unfortunately, we don¡¯t have such a convenient item. We can try asking the peddlers and merchants here.¡± ¡°Save your breath. That wouldn¡¯t work.¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Look at their faces, Siv. Look at how they¡¯re looking at us. They are not even looking at us. They are looking at our money. If we ask them, they will demand gold in return and they will tell us what we wanted to hear instead of the truth.¡± ¡°Then how do we catch this thief? I hunt monsters for a living, not people, mind you.¡± ¡°Just follow me and stay close,¡± Amyra said and the two marched into the slum after an uneventful trekking through the empty street in between the two areas. The only way for one to distinguish the slum was by the inhabitants. Otherwise, it would look just like any other part of the town. Amyra took a heavy step into the slum¡¯s main street, shaking the ground, drawing the attention of all beggars. Their eyes were immediately glued to therge bulking pouch dangling on her hip. ¡°Is there a meaning to that?¡± Siv asked. Amyra shrugged. ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡± ¡°Alms¡­¡± asked a beggar, who gathered enough courage to approach the two. He had nothing but skin to his bones. Desperation was all too clear on his face. Siv stared at the beggar briefly before looking away without giving him anything. The other beggars became despondent when they saw no hope in begging further from the two. ¡°It¡¯s the same wherever you go,¡± Amyra said. ¡°Hateful.¡± ¡°Whoa there. Do you have some sort of past misgivings with beggars?¡± ¡°Before Erynthea was my Mistress, I served a wealthy merchant as his personal bodyguard along with my brother, Wrev. I have seen and witnessed all manners of beggars. Most of them are just slothful parasites who want all the gains but none of the pain.¡± ¡°Most of them are orphans who are not so fortunate to have been taught the ways of the world.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not an excuse. There will always be a way as long as one has the will. They have no will. I havee across men and women in worse shape than these beggars. Even the cripple ones were willing to do whatever they could to earn some gold. These beggars with healthy bodies have no excuses.¡± ¡°You would rather they be bandits or thieves?¡± ¡°I do,¡± Siv answered resolutely. ¡°At least they are worth something then.¡± Amyra grinned. ¡°We will get along just fine.¡± ¡°You still haven¡¯t told me how we are going to find this thief.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Amyra chuckled. ¡°I have already found him, I think,¡± she said in a whisper. Siv raised an eyebrow. ¡°When?¡± ¡°The moment we walked into the slum.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°Using a method His Grace taught me. Spontaneous reaction. I made a huge ruckus when I entered the slum. My gold pouch is in for all to see. All but one beggar looked my way.¡± ¡°There were plenty of others who didn¡¯t look your way.¡± ¡°Yes, but those people weren¡¯t begging on the street. He adopted the appearance of a beggar but he failed to adopt their nature.¡± Amyra looked towards the one beggar who kept his head down. He looked just like any other beggar on the street. ¡°Now that you pointed him out, that man does smell a tad different than the rest. He had the faint scent of copper and silver on him.¡± The ragged man lifted his head when he noticed the two approaching him. His face became one that of disbelief and stupefaction when he saw the pair¡¯s knowing expression. He had been found out, he realised. He sprang to his feet, ready to make his escape as soon as he threw the smoke bomb in his hand. However¡ª ¡°If you throw that bomb, I can assure you that you will lose the hand that threw that bomb.¡± The man froze at Amyra¡¯s words. He could tell she wasn¡¯t bluffing by the way she twirled herrge sword around as she unsheathed it from her back. ¡°Now, you have two choices. First, hand over all the things you stole and then I hand you over to the guards. Second, I y you and then I hand you over to the guards. You have five seconds to choose.¡± ¡°Wait wait!¡± the man shouted desperately. ¡°That¡¯s not an answer.¡± ¡°I have already sold all the goods I stole!¡± ¡°Lies.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s true!¡± ¡°He¡¯s not lying,¡± said Siv. ¡°Not entirely at least.¡± ¡°Not entirely?¡± ¡°I reckon he had kept some of the stolen wares as mementoes.¡± ¡°I-I have not!?¡± the man denied. ¡°Please, just let me go. I¡¯ll give you all the money I have. Just¡­ let me go, alright? Just tell them that you have killed me in¡ª¡± ¡°Silence,¡± Amyra said. The man immediately did as he was told. ¡°Only speak when spoken to. Understand?¡± The man nodded. ¡°Now, where are the souvenirs? Don¡¯t lie,¡± Amyra said, lightly pressing the edge of her sword against the man¡¯s leg. Seeing no other way, the man pointed at a crate behind him. The crate looked just like any other pieces of junk scattered across the streets. ¡°It¡¯s safe,¡± Siv said and walked over to the crate while Amyra kept a close eye on the thief. Siv easily slid the lid off using her foot. Her eyes were greeted by a few glittering pieces of jewellery, but the one that caught her eye was a dull brooch with a twisted skull in the centre, pierced by des. ¡°Something caught your eye?¡± Amyra asked. ¡°This thing,¡± Siv answered, showing Amyra the brooch. ¡°Fuck off¡­¡± Amyra cursed. She then red at the thief, pressing her foot down on his chest. ¡°Where did you get that brooch?¡± The man groaned at the weight of the Augur. ¡°Where!?¡± she roared. ¡°From a rotting corpse in the woods just outside of the town, I swear!¡± Amyra lifted her foot off the man after getting her answer. ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± ¡°That brooch in your hand, it belongs to the Rust faith.¡± ¡°The Rust faith? I have never heard of such a faith. Is that even a name of a Divine?¡± ¡°The name of a banished Divine cast out of the pantheon, or so it was believed.¡± ¡°For what reasons?¡± ¡°For allowing its followers to collude with Demons. The faith¡¯s most recent exploit was the assault on the town of Maven¡¯s Creek.¡± Siv felt her blood chill upon hearing that piece of information. Amyra noticed the drastic shift in Siv¡¯s expression. It was hard not to, considering Siv had a stoic expression most of the time. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I was part of the defence against that assault in Maven¡¯s Creek.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. His Grace told me about that. Hmm¡­ now I remember. That was where your brother¡ª¡± ¡°The Rust faith is the one responsible for my brother¡¯s death. This brooch here¡­ does this mean the followers of Rust are here?¡± ¡°It is likely. Aside from the Aerysians, I will assume they are the only ones who would dare to wreak havoc so close to the capital. No doubt¡ª¡± Amyra caught herself right before she could spout something sensitive in front of an uninvolved individual. ¡°W-what?¡± the man asked as Amyra stared at him intently. ¡°What do you want¡ª¡± Amyra knocked the lights out of the man before he could finish his question. She then turned back to Siv. ¡°As I was saying, no doubt the apostles of Rust are also trying to gain favour with the relics.¡± ¡°Surely the Ancient Guardians had the sense to not give their blessings to a faith that colluded with Demons, no?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. Those relics are not as forthright as they love to have people believe. They can¡¯t lie but it doesn¡¯t mean they can¡¯t withhold the truth. Regardless, we got our mark. Let¡¯s head back to¡ª Oh, great.¡± Siv¡¯s nose twitched, taking a whiff of the air. She shuddered lightly when the heavy scent of blood wafted across her. ¡°Who are they?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Amyra murmured looking around, her expressions changing as she scoured their surroundings. Her gaze rested on the brooch Siv was holding. ¡°The brooch is resonating with the presence of our stalkers.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t sense anything.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t. You are not of any faith but I am. I can sense the divinity oozing off from the brooch. It began to resonate with something in the vicinity, right when he realised we have stalkers.¡± Siv clenched her fists tightly. Her eyes turned bloodshot. ¡°Easy there, Siv,¡± Amyra said, holding Siv back with a hand on her shoulder. ¡°They¡¯re in hiding. That means they don¡¯t n on picking a fight with us¡­ for now.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care what their current intention is. My brother¡¯s dead because of them. I have waited for this for so long¡ª no, I didn¡¯t even realise there was such an opportunity.¡± ¡°And I don¡¯t care about your past or whatever. We cannot fight them here. Not in this town.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Clear your head, idiot. If we attack them first, we will bebelled as the aggressors here. We will be at fault. As far as anyone else is concerned right now, our stalkers are no more than just stalkers. If you draw your de on them, you will be branded a criminal. So, rein in your rage.¡± Siv took a huge breath and let it out along with her wrath. ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°Excellent, now let us head back to the guild. Who knows what will happen on the way? They might just make the first move on us.¡± 5-45 Dusk approaches 5-45 Dusk approaches Rays of the sun pierced into the woods through the dense growth of leaves. Although the illumination was paltry, Erin¡¯s cognition was not inhibited in the slightest. Her keen and acute senses as a Fox-kin allowed her to navigate her dark environment with ease. However, the same couldn¡¯t be said for her twopanions. ¡°What kind of figs grow in the dark?¡± Lyra grumbled as she did her best not to trip on anything. ¡°And aren¡¯t they supposed to be fruits belonging to warmth?¡± Though her sight was as keen as an eagle¡¯s, this was only true if there was ample illumination. In the dark, her sight was no different than that of the average human. ¡°Use your head, Lyra.¡± Nivia retorted as she, too, was trekking through the woods with much difficulty. Her hearing was excellent but that did little to help her in navigating in the dark. ¡°If it were mere ordinary figs, why would they enlist the help of adventurers?¡± ¡°I have done tasks that are more unbelievably absurd than this one. People are odd.¡± ¡°Well, this quest ain¡¯t a difficult one. If the dark troubles you so much, you may return to the others right this instance.¡± Lyra shot the Elf a re. ¡°As if I would give in over such trivial inconveniences.¡± ¡°Then do us all a favour, be quiet. You¡¯re making us look bad in the eyes of others.¡± By others, Nivia was referring to the other people who were currently in the woods with them. They were adventurers, much like the trio. Evidently, this forest was amon spot for quests. Though none of the other adventurers were close enough to overhear their exchange, they were close enough to get a good nce at them. More than half of these onlookers were immediately enthralled by Erin¡¯s beauty as she walked past their gazes. ¡°With Erin here, I don¡¯t think we will look bad in their eyes,¡± said Lyra. ¡°In fact, I don¡¯t think they will be looking anywhere but at Erin.¡± Nivia clicked her tongue. ¡°I agree,¡± she admitted reluctantly. The adventurers tried their best to hide their gazes but it was all too obvious that they were sneaking nces at Erin. Lyra sighed. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. She¡¯s just that beautiful.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean we should just let it be. You can¡¯t possibly expect Erin to live the rest of her life being the target of these perverts¡¯ fantasies.¡± ¡°What do you expect her to do?¡± Nivia opened her mouth but closed it immediately. Exasperation wrought her face. ¡°The cross of being a great beauty,¡± Lyra mused with a mncholic smile. ¡°As her lover, it is my duty to protect her from all those who had their senses overwhelmed by her allure. To the best of my abilities, of course.¡± Nivia¡¯s exasperation only grew upon hearing Lyra¡¯s proud deration but before she could retort, she noticed something amiss. Or rather, she noticed Erin was missing. ¡°Where did she go?¡± Nivia blurted out upon this realisation. Lyra looked around but found not a trace of Erin¡¯s presence. ¡°Did she walk too far ahead?¡± ¡°I would say we¡¯re the ones who havegged too far behind.¡± ¡°Even so, it¡¯s not like her to just walk out of our sight. In fact, I expected her to stop our bickering.¡± ¡°Whatever the reason is, we best catch up to her first.¡± And so, the two ran ahead,ing to a gentle slope that led into the deeper parts of the woods. ¡°I don¡¯t think she came this way,¡± said Lyra. ¡°Impossible. Where else could she have gone?¡± Lyra looked around them once more but saw nothing that would suggest Erin¡¯s presence. Just as unease began to bubble in her heart, a figure dropped down from the trees between them, shocking the two off their feet. The multiple shes of white immediately lifted the weight off of Lyra¡¯s heart. ¡°You two would be dead if I was an enemy,¡± said Erin with a smirk adorning her face. ¡°What was that for?¡± Nivia asked. Her swords were in her hands the moment Erin dropped down between them. ¡°A test, if you will. The rivalry between the two of you is dangerous. You two have your attention robbed by it.¡± ¡°I¡ª¡± Nivia was about to protest but caught herself. She retracted her indignation and lowered her head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. That was¡­ immature and careless of me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry too,¡± said Lyra as she threw her arms around Erin. ¡°We shall be more careful next time. We won¡¯t disappoint you.¡± ¡°Hopefully, there won¡¯t be a next time.¡± Erin sighed and presented her palm to the two. There was a bundle of small dark red fruits in her palm. ¡°By the way, I found them.¡± ¡°That was easy. Where did you find them?¡± Erin pointed upwards, at the tree she had just dropped down from. ¡°Figs grow on trees now? Are you sure these are the right figs?¡± Erin nodded. ¡°These certainly are the right ones but curiously enough, these aren¡¯t actually figs. They are called Dusk Peaches.¡± ¡°Peaches?¡± ¡°Dusk again,¡± Nivia scoffed. ¡°What a terrible naming sense. It¡¯s always either dawn or dusk.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s what Appraisal says. They are poisonous and it¡¯s mostly used in alchemy.¡± ¡°What kind of effects does it have?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°It didn¡¯t say.¡± Erin shrugged and stowed the requested items away in the Vault. As did so, an eerie noise resounded in the ears of the trio. ¡°Please tell me I¡¯m not the only one who heard that.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not,¡± Erin assured Lyra. ¡°I heard it too,¡± said Nivia. ¡°That¡¯s the sound of flesh and bones being split open and apart.¡± ¡°Strange,¡± Lyra muttered. ¡°This isn¡¯t a hunting ground and the most dangerous beasts lurking around these parts would be rabid squirrels and even then, those vicious rodents are amon encounter.¡± Erin took a good whiff of the air, inadvertently or advertently, and she grimaced lightly. ¡°I smell blood, human.¡± Lyra and Nivia instantly armed themselves with their weapons. Their stance spelt their readiness to act the moment Erin gave her instruction. ¡°Should we interfere?¡± Lyra asked. There was a long yet brief silence before Erin gave her answer. ¡°No,¡± she said. ¡°We can let the guards know. We need to rest. Involving ourselves in every little dispute or injustice would only tire ourselves out, leaving ourselves vulnerable to the enemies that matter.¡± ¡°What if someone needs help?¡± Erin took a good whiff of the air again. ¡°None of them deserves any help. They smelled foul. In all likelihood, it¡¯s a quarrel between thugs over their yield.¡± At that moment, the crushing of dead leaves and the snapping of fallen twigs became all too apparent to their ears. A man emerged from the dark at the bottom of the slope. Riddled with sharp wounds and soaked in blood, the man was. ¡°Hey, you three over there! Help me!¡± the man cried, waving his arms at Erin and herpanions. Before any of them could give their answer to the man, an arrow flew out from behind and pierced the man¡¯s shoulder. The man groaned and fell to the ground. A young man emerged from the trees afterwards, a crossbow in hand and an axe strapped to his waist. The young man was all smiles, seemingly revelling in the pleasure of the older man¡¯s suffering. However, the young man¡¯s smile dissipated when he looked up and found Erin and the two there, getting a good look at him. The young man holstered his crossbow and bowed slightly with his hand on his chest. ¡°Forgive my appearance, Lady Fae. Before you act, please note that things are not what they seem.¡± Erin was initially surprised by the young man¡¯s sudden change in demeanour but she adapted to the young man¡¯s courtesy. ¡°Be at ease, stranger. I have no intention of interfering. I¡¯m seeing only the end of a quarrel. I knew not of the circumstances that led up to this point. I will not be a judge of this sight.¡± ¡°Thank you, Lady Fae, for your utmost thoughtful considera¡ª¡± In the midst of the young man¡¯s fervent words, the older man rose up and tackled the young man to the ground. The older man snatched the crossbow away from the young man¡¯s hands before tossing it aside. Then, he grabbed the young man¡¯s axe and brought it down on the owner himself. The young man resisted and avoided a fatal blow. They then engaged in a struggle for the axe. ¡°This has turnedplicated so quickly,¡± Lyra remarked. ¡°Do we still not interfere?¡± Nivia asked. ¡°I stand by my words from earlier,¡± Erin answered and turned around to leave. Nivia and Lyra¡¯s gaze trailed after Eirn, bbergasted. They spare the two men onest nce before joining Erin. ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± Lyra continued to inquire. ¡°We had enough enemies as it is. It would be unwise to make even more enemies by involving ourselves in affairs that we cannot make out the heads and tails of.¡± ¡°Oh, how clever of you,¡± said a voice, unfamiliar to Erin. In an instant, her blood froze and then boiled with fury. She drew her sword out of thin air and swung at the voice that came from behind her. To her bewilderment, her de stopped right before it carved into the owner of the voice, which was a woman with long ck hair and a pair of eyes akin to blood-drop rubies. ¡°Is this how you always greet a stranger?¡± the woman asked frivolously, giggling. Erin¡¯s de being stopped for an unknown reason was the end of the strange happening. She looked beside her and found that Nivia and Lyra had stopped moving. They weren¡¯t standing still, she realised. They stopped moving in the middle of their movements as if frozen in time. She looked around. Everyone was in the same state¡ª no, the whole world was in the same state. ¡°What is this?¡± Erin asked. ¡°I am Amelia, an Apostle of Chronos, the Divine of Aeon.¡± ¡°Of course, another Apostle,¡± Erin scoffed. ¡°Here to im the bounty too?¡± ¡°That was my original intention but after hearing about you and some¡­ strange rumours about you, I have deviated from my original intent.¡± Erin tried to move but she realised that she, too, was frozen in time, but not entirely as she could still speak. ¡°Save your strength, Lady Erynthea. You¡¯re in my domain now. It would have been a different story if you were using your Divine Gift before I plunged you into my domain. Unfortunately for you, I was faster. But don¡¯t worry, I am not your enemy.¡± Just then, Ruri, the Kirin, popped its head out from Erin¡¯s breast pocket. Its half-opened eyes suggested it had been sleeping but they instantly spread wide-open at the woman named Amelia. ¡°Curious. What is this creature? It¡¯s unaffected by the authority of a Divine.¡± It didn¡¯t take long for Ruri to understand the threat in front of them. Ruri climbed out of the pocket and onto Erin¡¯s shoulder. It got into an aggressive stance and hissed at the woman. ¡°A small cat? What kind of cat is this?¡± Erin didn¡¯t answer the woman. She kept her re up and looked for the right opportunity to strike back. ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking, mdy. I will say it again, I am not your enemy.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s true, then what¡¯s the point of all this?¡± ¡°A warning.¡± Erin snorted. ¡°And you''re telling me that you are not my enemy? Forgive me if I find it hard to believe.¡± ¡°I know you through your exploits but not you as a person. Considering how many bodies you left behind in your wake, I had to be cautious should you turn out to be an uncontroble murderous deviant. Enough about me and you for now. I¡¯m more curious about your pet here. I have not known any beast or creature that could resist divinity other than the Dragons.¡± There was a small twitch in Erin¡¯s brows. Noticing this subtle movement, Amelia smiled. ¡°Yes, as you have figured, this is why you are notpletely affected by my Divine Gift. That is because you have an intimate rtionship with a True Dragon and it has seen you worthy to be its spouse. That is why I¡¯m here, Lady Erynthea.¡± Erin widened her eyes. ¡°I wish to meet the True Dragon you have been bedding.¡± 5-46 No quarter 5-46 No quarter The Apostle¡¯s, Amelia, knowledge took Erin by surprise but the shock effect on her did notst long. It was barely a few seconds, less than five, or even two. Her face smoothened, tossing her look of surprise out as if it were some uninvited guest in her mind abode. Although it was only a short few seconds, it was impossible to escape the Apostle¡¯s notice. She tittered like a parent who caught their childmitting a mild blunder. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t look so surprised now, mydy. Your association with the True Dragon isn¡¯t as discreet as you might think. Eyes and ears are everywhere. The walls have ears and the winds have eyes.¡± ¡°Spare me your condescending speech. What makes you think that I wouldply?¡± Ruri, the Kirin, hissed in agreement. The corner of the Apostle¡¯s lips curled, forming a smirk that slowly took over her expression. Her finger pointed at the two, Lyra and Nivia. ¡°Do you not care about what will happen to these two?¡± ¡°What will happen to them, pray tell?¡± Erin challenged. ¡°Lots of things.¡± ¡°Such as?¡± Amelia tittered once more and strode towards Erin with steps as gentle as the morning dew dropping from a leaf and onto a still body of water. Each step was light but firm. A frail thing she was to the eyes of many but not even a strong gust would sway her posture by the slightest. ¡°My deardy. You do not want to know what I¡¯m liable to do. Don¡¯t try my patience. Don¡¯t spar with me. I¡¯m not as meek as you might think.¡± ¡°What a coincidence,¡± Erin snorted. ¡°I was about to say the same thing.¡± ¡°Lady Erynthea, you¡ª¡± Amelia found herself moving to the side, all of a sudden. It was not by her conscious will but her innate instinct of survival, honed by her training. The air split apart in front of her eyes. The cut was invisible but she felt it as one would perceive a spot of ck in a field of all white. When she turned back to her captive, Erin was no longer bound by the halt of time flow. Ruri stood on Erin¡¯s shoulders. A faint glow draped over its body. A simple nce would make one think of a trick of the light but the glow was being emitted from the Kirin¡¯s own body. ¡°Impossible. Your gift should not be able to outdo mine. You are but an infant in the face of my experience.¡± Erin snorted ¡°You, and your kind¡­ you always choose the path of violence and blood, and yet, always the ones who regret it in the end.¡± Erin ended her speech with a sigh. In her hand was a sword, gleaming with the silver of the spell-forged metal and shimmering with the faint violet glow of her aura. ¡°This is no blessing of a dragon¡­¡± Amelia¡¯s eyes went to Ruri. ¡°No, it is. A blessing of a dragon but not of your paramour but that cat.¡± ¡°Where did you even get that idea?¡± ¡°You have an interesting pet there, Lady Erynthea. This is¡­ precarious.¡± ¡°I concur. The precarious part, that is, and not for me.¡± ¡°Your strange pet possesses the blood of dragons. You have its blessings.¡± Erin raised an eyebrow and nced at Ruri. ¡°I don¡¯t know what this dragon¡¯s blessings are but I don¡¯t care. You threatened me and mypanions with clear intent of harm. You have sealed your fate.¡± The moment herst word left her lips, Erin flew at Amelia faster than an arrow that was let loose from a fine bow. Ruri squealed, probably due to the sudden force from the eleration that threatened to throw her away. Sparks flew from Amelia¡¯s palm and these sparks grew into mes in seconds. The mes took on the shapes of spheres before flinging themselves towards Erin. Another squeal punctured Erin¡¯s ears. ¡°I know, damn it!¡± Erin shouted. ¡°Stop squealing into my air.¡± ¡°Kyu!¡± Ruri baulked as if to admonish Erin for dismissing her concern. Silver and violet shed across the air. The balls of me crumbled apart like solid objects and faded into nothing when the shes were all but over. At the end of the brief dashing performance, the tip of the de was at the throat of the Apostle. A mild noxious scent trailed after the sudden development. ¡°You¡¯re absurd,¡± Amelia muttered. Beads of sweat rolled down her temples. The beads were cold to the touch but her concerny not with her cool sweat but the cool sensation of the metallic tip slowly pressing onto her skin. ¡°I confess. I underestimated you but divine bless me, I am not in over my head.¡± The de stopped short of plunging into the Apostle¡¯s neck, which was not a show of mercy on Erin¡¯s part. She had fully intended for her sword to tear through the Apostle¡¯s throat¡ª but she couldn¡¯t. Something stopped her and she couldn¡¯t figure out the cause. Ruri snarled at Amelia, uninhibited by the pause of time. ¡°Most curious,¡± Amelia mused. ¡°How are you unaffected by my gift?¡± she observed. Ruri¡¯s body began to glow again¡ª but a bolt of fire made her hop away from Erin¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Not this time, you little one.¡± Rurinded on Lyra¡¯s shoulder and she immediately emitted a glow, brighter than thest. The effect was instant. The unseen bondage came undone. Lyra and Nivia were able to move again. Their eyesnded on Erin the first thing, her de inches away from the Apostle¡¯s neck. ¡°What have you done to her?!¡± Lyra shouted. Her hands moved fast, fuelled by her anger towards Erin being in a delicate situation. The arrow she released shot through the air. It would have pierced into the Apostle¡¯s brain if she hadn¡¯t snatched the projectile out of its flight. Amelia clicked her tongue. When the arrow failed, Nivia moved in. She swung her swords, flinging rays of wind that could cut as well, or better, than normal steel des. Still, the sharpness of the winds meant nothing as the Apostle moved out of the winds¡¯ paths. The winds were not slow but something about the way the Apostle moved suggested the winds were slow enough for her to think thrice and more before she decided on a move. It was two against one, though Amelia disyed no hint of the odds being against her favour. Fire burst forth from the air around her. They danced to her hands that were waving about like a prayer for a ritual. The mes began to change shape but arrows and winds intruded upon the process. The messhed out like raging ropes with minds of their own, defending the Apostle from any harm. ¡°Irritating,¡± Nivia muttered and sheathed her swords before raising a finger at the Apostle, pointing. A faint glow brimmed at the tip of her finger. In seconds, the small glow grew into a radiance, a straight beam of light that streaked towards the Apostle. The dancing mes converged onto the beam of light but dispersed into the air upon contact. Amelia moved, or at least she tried to. The light grazed the side of her neck. Blood sputtered with a fleshy noise that made Lyra wince even though she wasn¡¯t the victim. The mes recouped their loss and charged at Nivia. ¡°Spirits be damned,¡± Nivia uttered. Light Magic took a lot out of her. A momentary weakness struck her and her limbs turned heavy for a brief but critical moment. The mes would swallow her but she was in no state of moving even a single step. Lyra broke into a sprint and tackled the Elf. Together, they both tumbled into the dirt, rolling across the mud. The mes crashed harmlessly into an empty space and exploded into a ze that made the bushes and trees their coteral. ¡°My thanks¡­¡± Nivia said, as low as she could. Lyra grinned. ¡°What was that? I can¡¯t quite hear¡ª¡± ¡°Shush,¡± Nivia scoffed and together, they scrambled to their feet, preparing for the next assault from the emissary of a divine. ¡°That hurts,¡± said Amelia, clutching at her neck. The amount of blood on her hand and neck was not small but her face had not the slightest hint of urgency. When she removed her hand, there was no wound to be found. ¡°You were hurt,¡± Nivia muttered, incredulously. ¡°I was,¡± Amelia responded. ¡°But time was on my side and at mymand.¡± ¡°Fucking hell¡­¡± Lyra gasped. ¡°She controls time.¡± ¡°This exins how she immobilised Erin.¡± ¡°What if she does the same thing to us?¡± ¡°She most likely already had but¡­ seeing as how Erin is trapped but we are not, I can only assume that there¡¯s a limit to her power.¡± ¡°Good to know,¡± Lyra said and nocked an arrow to her bow. ¡°Ladies, please. Can¡¯t we just have a civilised discussion?¡± ¡°Release Erin, then we can have the civilised discussion you wanted.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t or won¡¯t?¡± ¡°She¡¯ll have my head the moment I let her free of the bondage.¡± ¡°Hmm, I wonder why.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because we have a misunderstanding.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Lyra narrowed her gaze. ¡°Can she hear us?¡± she asked, nodding at Erin. ¡°Normally, one will be unaware of them being trapped in time, such as you two. However, I doubt she falls into the normal category.¡± ¡°Release her and we will stay our hands,¡± said Nivia. ¡°I trust Erin will do the same. She¡¯s quick to grasp her surroundings.¡± ¡°If I had been a second slower, I would have had my throat torn apart by Lady Erynthea.¡± ¡°You know her.¡± ¡°Aye, and so do a lot of other people. She is making waves, strong ones. Strong enough to be felt by thends across the seas.¡± ¡°Still doesn¡¯t exin the supposed misunderstanding that led to this sh.¡± ¡°Although she struck first, I will confess that I made the first move. And I also made a threat or two which led to this¡­ sh. Yourpanion is most protective of her friends.¡± ¡°We¡¯re all one and the same,¡± said Lyra. ¡°And that means if you don¡¯t let her go, this could get bloodier than it already is. Last chance, let her go.¡± Amelia sighed. ¡°Fine,¡± she said, giving Erin a meaningful nce. ¡°Please understand that I never meant any actual harm to any of you but I was desperate.¡± ¡°Desperate?¡± Erin shot Amelia a look. She was able to move again, unperturbed by the momentary paralysis. She cracked her neck and twirled her arms. True to everyone¡¯s expectations, she remained aware throughout her bondage. ¡°It is of utmost importance that I speak to the True Dragon. I¡¯m well aware his identity is to remain a secret. I¡¯m also well aware that my meeting with him wouldpromise his facade. With all things considered and said, I must insist on this meeting.¡± Erin tilted her head. Her response came bted. Her hand gripped her spell-moulded sword as tightly as ever. ¡°You can have this meeting but it will not be immediate.¡± ¡°Time may be on my side but it waits for no one, not even the Divines.¡± ¡°This is the best offer you will get. You will take this offer or risk a sh once more in which you will note out the victor, I can assure you that.¡± ¡°These are dire times for me. The longest I can wait is until tomorrow. Or I will resort to a sh if need be.¡± ¡°Tomorrow dawn.¡± ¡°So it shall be,¡± the Apostle said and made her leave through the trees. But before shepletely left their sight, she turned around and waved her hand. The remaining ze that consumed the forest was doused with that single gesture. She smiled and disappeared down a gentle slope of a small clearing ahead. ¡°No rest for the wicked, as they say. I used to think the saying denotes the eternal damnation sinners will face. But now, I think it simply denotes the persistence of sinners in pursuing their wicked goals.¡± ¡°No quarter for the wicked, they also say,¡± Nivia added. ¡°No rest for the wicked, no rest for the good either,¡± Erin said. ¡°So much for a respite.¡± ¡°Kyu,¡± Ruri chirped as if to remind them that she was here. ¡°And of course, we have this little one to thank for.¡± Only now did Lyra be aware of the Kirin on her shoulder. Her sudden jump of fright earned the Kirin¡¯s ire as she was flung off. Thankfully, Erin¡¯s quick reflexes caught her before any real harm came about. 5-47 Drivel 5-47 Drivel Erin forewent any thoughts of exploring and headed straight back to the guild to turn in the quest. After her encounter with the supposed Apostle of Chronos, Erin had be high-strung, wary of anyone. She had be infamous, she realised. News and information travelled far too quickly in this world. If Amelia¡¯s words held any truth, the whole continent most probably knew of her by now. Erin¡¯s mood soured at that notion. Fame was often seen as a boon but only to people of a green mind. Fame only made one a target to those who sought to reave others of their wealth, and those people were just the least dangerous of the ones who gathered around fame-ridden individuals. The most dangerous ones were those who hid their intentions under the guise of amity or a guise that invokes one¡¯s sympathy. As Erin paid more attention to her surroundings than before, the nuance and subtleties she picked on were concerning and disturbing. Though she had long since ustomed herself to the gazes of lechers, their desires and pheromones were a different experience. It made her stomach churn when she took notice of the small tents pitched under them. Even some women and girls were no different. Fluids trickle down their legs in streams as thin as the finest reeds. The cloud moved. The shadows shifted. A drunken man passed out in an alley, stirred from the small change of illumination. That faint movement alone pricked at Erin¡¯s senses like a needle stuck into one¡¯s buttocks. She flinched but only a slight twitch in the eyes of the untrained. ¡°What is it?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°Kyu?¡± Ruri tilted, seeming to be asking the same question given the eyes wrought with worry. ¡°Nothing,¡± Erin said. ¡°A mistake on my end. Just the day moving closer to night but I took it for a heralding of an ambush.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not nothing, Erin.¡± Nivia, who had been walking behind the two, strode up beside Erin. ¡°Wary of shadows during the day is not a sign of a sound mind. You need to temper your vignce.¡± ¡°My vignce is tempered enough. We do not know who or where the enemies are but they do. We are at a huge disadvantage.¡± Lyra nced around. Her eyes could see further and clearer than everyone else in her party. However, she was unable to see past the surface. When she looked at the half-naked brawny man with scars all over his body, she saw only his lustful gaze but whatever was hidden beneath that simple desire, she couldn¡¯t say. ¡°We can just treat anyone as enemies until they prove otherwise.¡± Ruri nodded at Lyra¡¯s words. ¡°That¡¯s a foolish idea,¡± Nivia rebuked. ¡°We will make ourselves utterly mad with that kind of extreme prudence on anyone that wee across.¡± ¡°The divines were merciful with our encounter with that apostle. If she meant us harm, we would have and Erin would have been sickened with grief.¡± ¡°Be that as it may, casting suspicions on everyone is not the way. The Spirits will guide us.¡± Lyra snorted and rolled her eyes. ¡°They sure are helpful with the Apostle.¡± ¡°That¡¯s different. They were in the presence of divinity. They are unable to judge presence tinged with divinity unless the individual is absolutely hostile with every intention in their bones to harm you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure the Spirits will be very helpful in sensing out enemies in the days toe.¡± ¡°You need not be sardonic with me, Lyra. The Spirits are not perfect but they are better than casting suspicions on anyone we cross paths with.¡± Erin ignored the bickering between the two that had be all toomon and continued in casting her vignce all over her surroundings. She didn¡¯t notice it before but there were people stalking her. It wasn¡¯t new to her, to be stalked. However, these stalkers were unlike any other. They blended well with the other onlookers. Their gazes appeared to be offhanded but upon scrutiny, a few of these gazes had a rhythm to them. No passing gazes would ever have a rhythm unless they were to look unpremeditated. There were lots of drunkards in the streets. Some stumbled their way around and some copsed in ces that were most ill-suited to be sleeping in. The former were the ones Erin was most wary of, or so she thought. There was a drunkard on the ground, leaning against amp pole. He was in rags. His face flushed with the alcohol he drowned himself in. His gaze was wandering but every once in a while, his gaze would, without fail, glide past Erin. Along a certain part of the stretched-out street, there was a small gathering. Gamblers, making do with their games on overturned boxes or barrels. A young man was amongst them. He was dressed in garbs that weren¡¯t too fancy but certainly fancier than thepany he surrounded himself with. Just across from him, a middle-aged man was ying against him. The old man would cast cursory nces around him as if to stave off his frustration of the losing game but Erin knew better. ¡°Say, Erin, where are we going anyways?¡± Lyra asked. The bickering seemed to have stopped and Nivia trailed behind her with a scowl. The winner of the pitiful quarrel was apparent. ¡°We need to find Aedan and regroup with the rest.¡± ¡°How are we going to find him? Do we even know where he went with Lilian?¡± ¡°I do.¡± ¡°He told you?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Scent?¡± ¡°Spirits.¡± Like her, Aedan was a beacon for Spirits. And in such a crowded ce, where many people ipatible with Spirits gathered, the Spirits would naturally flock over to the closest haven. A single nce told her all she needed of Aedan¡¯s whereabouts. A tower of light could be seen a few buildings down the street. ¡°That tall beam of Spirit light, that must be Aedan,¡± said Nivia. ¡°What about Amyra and Siv? How would they find us or Aedan?¡± ¡°Amyra is an Apostle of Aeryon. I¡¯m sure if she prays hard enough, she can know Aedan¡¯s whereabouts easily.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°No. Just some foolish drivel.¡± **** It was no drivel, Erin was surprised to learn. After they turned in their quest, they headed towards the direction where Aedan was. As Erin closed in on Aedan¡¯s whereabouts, her paths crossed with Amyra and Siv. As it turned out, Amyra learned of Aedan¡¯s whereabouts by simply praying. Together, they entered an inn and shared their experiences for the day while climbing the stairs leading them to the rooms. The innkeeper, who was an elderly woman, tried to stop them at first but a smile from Erin was all it took to cate the innkeeper¡¯s advance. She was not intimidated by the smile. Rather, she looked infatuated. Her face was flushed deep red as her gaze trailed after Erin up the stairs. Neither of the two parties was surprised by the others¡¯ encounters. They were much too infamous in the midst of their opposing peers. Their deeds in Sephrodia Valley had surely caused a huge stir in the world¡¯s power bnce. They had forced the Covenant into a retreat and out of the Yorun Kingdom. ¡°If we are to have an extended moment of respite to ourselves, we would need to disguise ourselves,¡± Amyra suggested. ¡°It would need to be a disguise that even gods couldn¡¯t see through,¡± Siv said. ¡°Ourposition is much too notorious to be disguised without extreme prudence.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s so, maybe it would be best for us to take different paths in our journey. We can converge at certain milestones.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not splitting from Erin,¡± Lyra immediately gave a firm answer. ¡°I don¡¯t wish to be apart from Erin either.¡± Amyra shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s just a suggestion. Not necessarily a good one.¡± Suddenly, as they were walking through the corridor of the second floor, Siv and Erin shook and flinched. Ruri also made a face of difort and buried herself in Erin¡¯s breast pocket. In an instant, Amyra, Lyra, and Nivia had their weapons ready. ¡°Enemies?¡± Nivia asked. Siv immediately shook her head. Her face grew redder and redder by the second. ¡°Ah.¡± Amyra withdrew her sword. Siv¡¯s face told Amyra all she needed to know. ¡°So that¡¯s what it was.¡± Lyra and Nivia were baffled at first but when Siv covered her nose with an abashed expression, they could roughly guess what the two might have sensed or smelled. Instead of abashed or even allowing some hesitation, Erin strode right to the end of the corridor. Before she could knock on it, the door creaked open and Aedan¡¯s head peaked out from between the gap. To say the least, Aedan was a mess. His hair was in disarray as if a strong gust had blown past him. Not to mention, his face was glistening with fluids that gave off a tantalising stench. Erin grimaced. ¡°At least you had fun,¡± she said and pushed past Aedan, inviting herself into the room. It was the biggest room the inn had, taking up a quarter of the whole floor. There were tworge beds on one side of the room and on one of the two beds, Lilian was lying unconscious. The Dryad waspletely in the nude with only a thin sheet of nket covering half of her body. She looked utterly exhausted but content was all too apparent on her face. That wasn¡¯t all there was on her face, or on her body. Nearly all manners of bodily fluids covered her body and all of these fluids served to incite Erin¡¯s lust. Erin sighed and sat down beside Lilian. She pulled the sheets up until it covered the Dryad¡¯s shoulder. Meanwhile, the rest of the girls shuffled into the room awkwardly. ¡°Ugh, by the Spirits!¡± Nivia uttered upon entering the room, pinching her nose. ¡°Can¡¯t you at least open the windows?¡± Aedan titered and took a seat by the window that he promptly opened to let the fresh air in. ¡°Then the spell would break and the whole town would hear Lilian¡¯s cries.¡± ¡°Great. Now I¡¯m aroused,¡± said Lyra, eyeing Erin lustfully. ¡°Where¡¯s Aera?¡± Erin asked when she finally took her mind off of the utterly satisfied Lilian. ¡°She went out to fetch us some water,¡± Aedan answered. Erin raised an eyebrow. ¡°You did nothing to Aera?¡± ¡°I gave her as much love as I gave Lilian.¡± ¡°Lilian¡¯s sleeping like a log and Aera is still fine to be walking around?¡± ¡°She¡¯s a surprise for sure. She¡¯s got quite the stamina. If she wasn¡¯t so mortified by her own lust, I say we would still be going at it now.¡± Erin rolled her eyes. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Aedan tilted his head. ¡°I took you for the envious type but not the jealous type.¡± Amyra sat down beside Aedan, on the floor. ¡°We are famous, that¡¯s what¡¯s wrong.¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± That was all Aedan needed to hear. ¡°Who are the annoying shits this time?¡± ¡°I bumped into the Rust faith,¡± answered Amyra. ¡°That can¡¯t be good,¡± Aedan muttered. ¡°And also Chronos,¡± said Erin. ¡°An Apostle of Chronos is who we met, or so she imed.¡± ¡°Chronos? That¡¯s unexpected.¡± The name seemed to prick at Aedan¡¯s mind. ¡°I¡¯m sensing a history there.¡± ¡°The Divine of Aeon, or in simpler terms, the god of time.¡± ¡°We figured,¡± Lyra grumbled. ¡°Aeryo and Chronos were¡ª are siblings, in a sense.¡± ¡°In a sense?¡± ¡°Their concept of family is different from us mortals. They don¡¯t exactly fuck and then birth out their legacy. It¡¯s something different but that¡¯s beside the point.¡± ¡°Does this mean Aeryo has the power to control time too?¡± Nivia inquired. ¡°No. Neither Aeryo nor Chronos were born with the powers they have now. It is something they acquired or inherited. Aeryo and Chronos were once a single faith under the guidance of two Divines.¡± ¡°What happened? Sibling quarrels?¡± Aedan nodded. ¡°To put it lightly, yes. And that quarrel led to a fight between two Divines. No one won or lost. It was a draw. However, Aeryo suffered the most wounds and those wounds are the reason that the throne of the Dragon God is now vacant.¡± 5-48 Havoc looming 5-48 Havoc looming The day came and went. Darkness fell, bringing along a chill that sent most people scrambling into the warmth of structures and buildings. The day wasn¡¯t much better but it still had some heat to offset the chill. Now, there was none. There was no sun to give warmth to the people. Only the moon, which was half-drowned in darkness. Rain was slowly bing more and more frequent. The nights were getting colder and colder. The howls of wolves and monsters were louder. The growls could sometimes be heard from ces far from the edge of the woods. Blood and entrails could be found on the fringes of the town during the morning. An omen, most would see it as such. They weren¡¯t wrong. The season was about to change. The cold darkness beckons the advent of winter. Beings of shadows thrive in the extreme chill. It wasn¡¯tmonly known but evil beings were naturally attributed to darkness. One had no need to be a learned person to know the approaching dark tides. The streets were empty for such a reason and more. But of course, only the streets here were hollow. The other parts of the town were drowned in merry. The emptiness of the streets here was due to its history. It was once ruled over by a gang of thugs that dealt secretly in demonic arts. Nothing good ever came about dabbling in such nefarious principles. The thugs were reminded of this lesson in a terrible way. Hundreds died in this tragedy. Though this happened a few decades ago, the streets remained abandoned till this day, or at least that was what the official impression was. At present, the area had be a breeding ground for organised crimes. Even more recently, a certain faith had taken up roots in these parts. The faith was not shy in its workings. They had even painted their insignias all over. Amidst themon folk, there was no one who knew their insignias. Thus, no concern was raised over their seizure. Amelia knew better, however. She knew more than themon folk of this town, even more than the guards and soldiers. She had her cloak on, wrapping tightly around her, covering nearly every inch of her body. Although her face wasmon enough to be forgotten easily, she was not taking any chances. She trod through the dark streets with firm and wary steps. She was more than capable of protecting herself from ruffians butmon thugs were not what frightened her. She came upon an alley with deep shadows permeating in the depths. A small shack with missing tiles and nks was cramped into the end of the alley. Her body shook and her eyes shivered when she entered the narrow path. She felt her courage fading but she steeled her nerves and proceeded into the alley. With every step she took, uncertainty crept deeper into her heart. However, for the sake of love, she forced herself into the darkness. The air was teeming with foulness. This alone assured her that she was on the right path, not that she was lost to begin with or if it wasn¡¯t even possible for her to be lost. When she reached the shack, the door creaked open before she even knocked on it. She sensed no magic in the vicinity. She saw no hidden contraption around the door. It was just a coincidence that the door creaked open when she neared. A grim and unsettling coincidence. Amelia stepped into the shack. There was nothing within the shack, save for a hatch on the floor that could be opened by a secret set of gestures. Amelia tapped on the hatch lightly a few times with her heels before stomping on it hard. The hatch then proceeded to pop open, revealing a long flight of stairs. There was no more room for doubt. Amelia resolved herself and descended into the room below the shack through the hatch. A short walk through a damp corridor brought her to a vast room of more amicable condition. Care was given to the room¡¯s maintenance. The light was ample but not enough to lit the whole room. The floor nks did not creak with every step. The walls were neither damp nor darkened with dirt or nts. However, the mood remained as bleak as ever. A man sat in a chair in the middle of the room. A small table set before him, beset with papers. Amelia had not made her steps light but the man gave no attention to her. There were others in the room, a woman and another man. The woman was a stranger to Amelia and so was thetter man. Thetter man was tied to a chair, positioned in front of the woman who was standing over him. The bound man struggled and cried for help, or at least he tried. His mouth was bound, too, by chains. The woman giggled and pped happily as the man wriggled desperately in his bondage. When the captive stopped moving, the woman¡¯s face twisted with anger and kicked the man in the sheen. The man screamed and iled, and the woman resumed her merry expression. She brought up a small knife and began ying the man. The man¡¯s agonising scream pierced the chains. The enclosed room only served to amplify the man¡¯s cries of pain. Amelia hid a grimace at the horrible sight and turned away. She then looked around the room. When she didn¡¯t find what she was looking for, she showed her scowl. ¡°You¡¯rete,¡± said the man in front of the papers, without turning around. His eyes scoured the papers as if they were fastened to them. The captive¡¯s screams did not bother him in the slightest. ¡°I had to make sure I wasn¡¯t followed,¡± Amelia replied bitterly. The captive screamed loudly once more. Amelia tried not to let it affect her but it was proving to be more difficult than the man in front of her suggested. ¡°And were you followed?¡± ¡°Would I be here if I was?¡± The man chuckled. ¡°I would if I was in your shoes. Who knows? You might even be leading them to me in hopes that some misfortune will befall on me.¡± ¡°And why would I do that?¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°So you are aware of how distasteful your actions are?¡± ¡°I am not without a conscience,ssie.¡± Amelia tutted. ¡°Liam¡¯s not here. Where is he?¡± ¡°Somewhere you won¡¯t find him.¡± ¡°I want to see him.¡± ¡°And I want millions of gold,¡± the man snickered. ¡°We all want something but we don¡¯t always get what we want.¡± ¡°If you hurt him, I will¡ª¡± ¡°You will do nothing,¡± the man cut her off, swinging his gaze to her. ¡°You need not worry about your lover as long as you do as you are told.¡± ¡°And I did what I was told.¡± ¡°Not all of it. Not yet. That¡¯s not the end of your job.¡± ¡°So I have been told.¡± ¡°Did they believe you?¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t,¡± Amelia answered begrudgingly. ¡°But they don¡¯t need to. It¡¯s just a brief meeting. There¡¯s no need for trust.¡± The man sighed. ¡°What would you do if they didn¡¯t adhere to the time of the meeting? Or if they didn¡¯te at all?¡± ¡°They won¡¯t do that. They wille. He wille.¡± ¡°Maybe the Fox-kin woulde, but the dragon is a different story.¡± Saying that, the man rose from his chair, revealing his right arm¡ª what was left of it. ¡°This is what you will get if you underestimate him, Amelia.¡± Amelia knew the man before him was one of the few rare individuals that were in the upper echelons of levels. Seeing him in such a state brought her some sense offort. She even felt that it was a pity that the dragon didn¡¯t go for the head. ¡°Your advice is appreciated, Uriver, but I don¡¯t intend to fight him or the Fox-kin.¡± He snorted and tossed an item to Amelia. She caught it and brought it close to her eyes. ¡°What is this?¡± she asked. It looked to be a sphere and it was no bigger than her palm. ¡°If the Covenant¡¯s information can be believed, the dragon is weak now. This sphere would be more than enough to contain him.¡± ¡°Contain him? What are you nning?¡± Uriver smiled. ¡°You don¡¯t need to know. Just get him to where we want him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all?¡± ¡°That¡¯s all. Do that and you will get your Liam back.¡± Amelia pocketed the sphere, letting her gaze linger on Uriver for a while before she promptly departed from the room in haste. She didn¡¯t even spare the woman and her captive a gaze as she departed. ¡°Well, this is no fun,¡± said the woman as she stared at her unmoving captive. She kicked him but there was no response. She plunged the knife into her captive¡¯s shoulder but there was still no movement. ¡°He¡¯s dead, Giri. So stop with the ruckus already.¡± ¡°I¡¯m bored, Uri,¡± the woman, Giri, whined as she plopped herself down on thep of her now-dead captive. ¡°How long do we have to wait?¡± ¡°Until tomorrow, if everything goes ording to n.¡± ¡°Ooh! Splendid.¡± Giri shook with joy. ¡°I always wanted to fight the Faerie-kin and the Dragons.¡± ¡°There will be no fighting, Giri, until we are sure that the Dragon is in our captivity.¡± ¡°Whatever. As long as I can see red, I¡¯m happy.¡± Then, a boy stepped out of the shadows. ¡°Have you thought about the contingency?¡± ¡°Ah, Billy! You¡¯re here!¡± Giri cheered. ¡°You just miss our dear friend, Amy.¡± ¡°I was always here, Giri. And she is not our friend. And her name is Amelia.¡± Giri shrugged. ¡°Whatever.¡± ¡°Well, Uriver, do we have any contingency?¡± ¡°If this doesn¡¯t work, then nothing will,¡± Uriver answered. ¡°Can¡¯t we just kill him?¡± ¡°The seal is different this time around. The Spirits are involved. There¡¯s no telling that it won¡¯t carry over to his next incarnation.¡± ¡°What a hassle,¡± the boy sighed. ¡°Patience, Billy. We are so close to greatness. All this time, it was just right there. If I had known sooner, the ignominious failure with Quinteburgh could have been avoided.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like this. How would we know if any of this would work or if any of this info is credible?¡± ¡°The Covenant would not lie to us. They can¡¯t afford to.¡± ¡°You jest, Uriver. Are we seriously putting all of our trust on them? The Covenant is a business, first and foremost. An all-out war with Demons would not be good for business. There¡¯s no business to be had if everyone¡¯s dead.¡± ¡°The Fox-kin and the Dragon are thorns in their side. To continue their operations, they need them gone. We can do that for them.¡± ¡°At what cost? Uriver, they have no reason to help us.¡± ¡°We are both practitioners of the dark arts.¡± The boy narrowed his eyes. ¡°Ours are for a noble and holy cause. His grace demanded it. The Covenant is a bunch of heathens and infidels. They have no love and respect for the Divines.¡± ¡°I am aware and we don¡¯t need their devotion. Just their gold and knowledge. Patience, Billy. This is the closest that we have been. We must proceed with the utmost caution.¡± ¡°If you say so, Uriver, but let it be known that I¡¯m against this. I went with this because it is the decree of His Grace.¡± The boy, Billy, then melted back into the shadows, leaving Uriver to his lonesome self. ¡°Would he be a problem?¡± asked Giri. ¡°He won¡¯t.¡± ¡°He smells and talks like the heathens.¡± ¡°Careful now, Giri. He has been one of us longer than you have. He has my confidence and also His Grace¡¯s. You, on the other hand, have yet to gain any of our confidence.¡± Giri chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Auri. I shall have your confidence soon, and more. I can¡¯t wait for tomorrow. It will be glorious.¡± ¡°Indeed it will. I am going to enjoy this very much,¡± Uriver muttered in glee at the sheer thought of finally getting revenge on the one who took his arm. 5-49 Apprehended, apprehensive 5-49 Apprehended, apprehensive ¡°Is it toote to confess that I did not n where we would meet?¡± Erin said. Aedan chuckled, sitting just beside Erin on a bench that could amodate more than a dozen people. In his was a wooden mug, filled to the brim with mead. ¡°If she¡¯s as desperate as you say she is, then she would have no problem finding us.¡± ¡°Let us hope so. Otherwise, all the nning would go to waste,¡± Erin muttered. Although she and Aedan were the only ones in sight, the two were not alone. The rest of the party was here, in the tavern with them, hiding in in sight. Amyra and Nivia were on the second floor. The rest was in the bar, blending in with the other patrons. Aera was the only one standing out as she wasn¡¯t good with a crowd. She was at a loss whenever some individual came up to her but her natural fearsome aura managed to dissuade many of her would-be suitors. Her role as the Apostle of Wrath did wonders. Even bulky men shied away from her. Erin was in disguise, though that did little to help conceal her identity. Prettydies were neither rare normon. Talldies weren¡¯tmon but they couldn¡¯t exactly bebelled as a rare sight. However, tall and beautiful was certainly an interesting and atypicalbination. Erin wasn¡¯t stereotyping. It was simply her observation. Therefore, even if her face was changed, her beauty and height remained, making it easier for anyone to discern her true identity. At least the transformation made sure her tails wouldn¡¯t be a hassle for anyone. There were also many individuals trying to court Erin but a re from her was enough to deter them. If that didn¡¯t work, she would use her charm to tell them off. ¡°It¡¯s been an hour,¡± Erin said. ¡°She¡¯s near,¡± Aedan replied, taking a sip of his ale. Erin raised an eyebrow. ¡°Has she been near long?¡± ¡°For around half an hour.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re telling me this now?¡± ¡°I thought you knew?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t sense her and I certainly can¡¯t catch her scent.¡± The air was permeated with the stench of booze. That was all she could pick up from the array of scents in the air. Nothing that could help her discern Amelia¡¯s whereabouts. She tried using Appraisal on every person she could find but there was none that says, ¡®Amelia¡¯. Erin then relied on her eyes alone but no one in sight was familiar. Giving up, she turned to Aedan. ¡°Is she in the tavern?¡± Aedan shook his head. ¡°A building away from the tavern.¡± ¡°How do you know this?¡± ¡°The small hint of divine presence in her. It¡¯s unmistakable. It belongs to Chronos.¡± ¡°So why is she stalling?¡± ¡°To prepare herself?¡± ¡°Or preparing a trap.¡± ¡°Then it had better be an amazing trap.¡± After a few more minutes, Amelia finally entered the tavern. She was wearing a cloak likest time. Her hood was pulled over her face but Erin recognised her all the same. ¡°That¡¯s her,¡± Erin pointed out. Aedan¡¯s expression turned solemn. He took arge swig of his ale before setting it down and aside. ¡°Interesting,¡± he mused. ¡°What is?¡± ¡°She¡¯s no maiden.¡± ¡°And? What¡¯s the problem with that? Does her faith only take in virgins?¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t seem like someone with a frolic nature, so it only stands to reason that she has a lover.¡± ¡°I fail to see your point,¡± Erin retorted. Amelia looked around, her gaze wandered around the entire tavern. In the end, she shrunk into a corner. She appeared to be having a hard time finding Erin and Aedan. ¡°Desperate woman with a lover, what do you make of it?¡± Once it was put into words, the point became clear to Erin. ¡°Whatever she needs you for, it has to do with her lover?¡± ¡°The thing people do for love. Cruel things. Terrible things. Whatever she needs me for, I doubt it would be something pretty or in.¡± ¡°Just another day.¡± ¡°So it is.¡± Aedan smiled wryly. Then, his gaze shifted as if something had rubbed him the wrong way. ¡°Say, did you notice anything about her?¡± In response to his words, Erin scoured Amelia¡¯s entire figure but there was nothing worthy of note about her. ¡°What is it that I didn¡¯t notice?¡± ¡°She¡¯s too¡­ simple, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡± ¡°I noticed but there¡¯s nothing on her that would suggest she¡¯s concealing her stats or appearance.¡± ¡°Brilliant item.¡± ¡°Are you saying she has an item that is concealing her appearance or stats?¡± ¡°The cloak.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing special about the cloak.¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably the most special thing about the woman. That cloak is a divine artefact, woven by an Apostle.¡± ¡°Chronos¡¯ Apostle?¡± ¡°No¡­ An Apostle of Rust.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°The one who backed Ba¡¯al, the necromancer who tried to destroy Quinteburgh. The only faith in the world that dares to dabble in the dark arts. The First Apostle of that damned faith wove the cloak for their acolytes to roam the world without being exposed as an Acolyte of a dark faith.¡± Erin felt a sudden sense of anger surged within her but she held it down. ¡°Is Siv aware?¡± ¡°If she does, then she¡¯s doing a heck of a job in restraining herself. This is definitely going to turn ugly.¡± Erin sighed. ¡°We¡¯re already here, are we not?¡± ¡°I suppose we are.¡± Aedan shrugged. ¡°Let us get on with this.¡± Erin nodded and waved her hand gently. In an instant, more eyes were immediately drawn to her. It was no result of a spell. Or rather, a spell had been put in ce around her to inhibit people¡¯s cognition towards her. It wasn¡¯t perfect but it had helped tremendously. Now that the spell was gone, her beauty began to rein in the attention of the entire tavern. Naturally, Amelia also took notice. The Apostle of Aeon strode towards Erin at once. Her eyes were fixed on Aedan as she approached the two. Her hand went into the pocket of the cloak, fumbling for something within. Erin¡¯s nose twitched. The peculiar scent that oozed off from Amelia¡¯s pocket was familiar but she couldn¡¯t quite put a finger on it. However, all the nerves in her body were screaming at her to not let Amelia take whatever was in her pocket out. Erin brandished her sword and rushed at Amelia. She even let Lust took over, driving her stats up so she could move faster. ¡°Forgive me,¡± Amelia seemed to whisper as she took the sphere out with one hand and cast a spell with the other. She saw Erin¡¯s reaction and she knew she had been found out. And so, she poured all of her concentration on Erin, slowing the Fox-kin¡¯s movement as much as she could with her Divine Gift. Aedan was a step toote. He only realised the severepse in his judgement when he saw the sphere that Amelia had just taken out of her pocket. He tried to think of something but he could find no solution in preventing the disaster that was about to transpire. He had no item in his possession that could help in containing the imminent disaster¡ª except himself. Aedan sprang off his seat and dove after Amelia. Thetter was surprised by his speed and reaction but her face showed no hint of despair, yet. She threw the sphere at Aedan, which he caught it and he took out a card from his infinite pouch. The card gave out a radiant glow at the same time as the sphere did, except the former was a brilliant blue while thetter was an ominous red. And then, both Aedan and the sphere disappeared from view. **** In the forest just outside the town, where nothing seemed to be amiss, an explosion greeted the calm and quiet scenery all of a sudden in a vast and devastating manner. The explosion wasrge enough to take out two buildings and more but in this sea of trees, only the floras and faunas were harmed. Aedan knelt in the centre of the aftermath. His garments were incinerated by the zing explosion. Wounds riddled his body. Had it not been for his special constitution as a dragon, the explosion would have taken his life and left him in bits. Biting down the pain, he reached into his Infinite Pouch for a potion but there was nothing inside, except for arge hole at the bottom. ¡°Fuck!¡± Aedan cursed and pocketed his Infinite pouch, but he remembered his garments were destroyed in the st. ¡°Insane fucks.¡± Despite the pain, he had to keep moving. Whoever wanted him was daring enough to incur not a small amount of coteral. The explosion would definitely have alerted them to his location. He had to head back into town. He had to quickly regroup with Erin. ¡°Well, fuck me all sides,¡± a voice sang. It was melodious but the words were coarse enough to grate Aedan¡¯s ears. He turned around and saw a girl with madness written all over her face. ¡°Can¡¯t believe he predicted your exact actions. Well, one of your actions, I suppose. But anyway, lucky me.¡± Aedan didn¡¯t know the girl but her stench told him enough of her affiliation. ¡°I have to say, you got quite the package,¡± The girl marvelled at what was below Aedan¡¯s belly. ¡°Sadly, I won¡¯t have time to enjoy you. Now, you have two choices. Come with me quietly, or don¡¯t. Choose.¡± Aedan had nothing on him. Not even a small knife. The explosion had taken everything. Aedan sighed. ¡°Good ol¡¯ fisticuffs it is,¡± he muttered and raised his fists. The girl giggled. ¡°Oh, I appreciate you resisting. It makes everything all the more interesting.¡± Aedan scoffed and brandished a sword in his hand, moulded of magic, Spellde. ¡°Come on! Have at me!¡± The girl cheered. ¡°The name¡¯s Giri, by the way.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± Aedan retorted and lunged at the girl. Giriughed and responded in kind. She brandished her barbed whip and repelled Aedan¡¯s strike. His Spellde was shattered with just that one single attack. ¡°Well, that was disappointing. Is that all you got?¡± Aedan manifested a magic shield, Arcane Aegis. ¡°If you¡¯re not going to attack, then allow me!¡± Giri lunged, her whip flourishing towards Aedan. He dodged the first strike and blocked the second with his shield. Arge crack formed on the shield. The third strike made the crackrger and the fourth let the crack consume the shield and the entire thing crumbled into nothing. ¡°Is that all you have? Come on! Show me more!¡± Aedan syed his open palm at Giri. Blue energy converged around his hand before it turned into a flurry of bolts that swarmed Giri. ¡°Alright, keep on giving!¡± she shouted in glee as her whip destroyed everyst bolt that came at her. When he ran dry of bolts to fire, he conjured up another weapon. However, a whip coiled around his hand and yanked him to the ground. Before he could find his bearings, the whip moved and he was dragged along. He was sent mming into the ground. ¡°You know, I love to have my fun with you but I was told that there would be more fun if I keep you alive.¡± Aedan widened his eyes as realisation struck. He immediately grabbed a hold of the whip and wrapped it around his neck tightly. Even Giri was baffled by his sudden suicidal action and could only watch. Aedan was just about to pull on the whip before something struck him from behind and his entire body ceased to move. ¡°You almost fucked it all up, you stupid bitch,¡± said a boy who had appeared out of nowhere.¡¯ Giri scowled ¡°What did I do, Billy? I didn¡¯t kill him. I was just having some fun.¡± ¡°He was about to kill himself, you idiot.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Oh, I see. Now, that would have been bad, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Very.¡± Billy sighed and walked up to Aedan. ¡°What did you do to him?¡± ¡°I paralysed him.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°With a venom.¡± ¡°What kind of venom?¡± ¡°The kind that you do not need to know about.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the hostility for, Billy?¡± ¡°Just shut your trap and watch my back,¡± the boy said and slung Aedan over his shoulder after untying the whip from his neck. ¡°We best be off. His woman ising for him and she¡¯s very pissed.¡± 5-50 Duress 5-50 Duress There was amotion but not big enough to invoke the presence of the town¡¯s watch. Many witnessed the disaster that would have happened but since everything ended in an awkward silence, it was overlooked as a silly deed of a drunkard. However, the truth was a dire one and a pressing matter. Behind the tavern, in an alley where even the brightest of the day had trouble reaching, Amelia was tossed into such a ce. She went skidding across the wall before tumbling into the ground. Before she could recover her bearings and pick herself up, someone helped her to her feet but not out ofpassion nor in a gentle manner. She was lifted like a random piece of object, without any regard for herfort, and thrown into the wall. She was kept from falling back to the ground with a hand gripping around her neck, pinning her against the wall. ¡°You lied to me,¡± Erin said as she stared deep into Amelia¡¯s eyes. Not a trace of warmth nor her usualposure could be found in her current gaze. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t,¡± Amelia replied. Despite the grip around her neck, she wasn¡¯t panicking or struggling. Ruri, the Kirin, had climbed out of Erin¡¯s pocket and onto her shoulder, hissing and ring at Amelia. She appeared to be as enraged as Erin was. ¡°Why?!¡± Erin raised her voice but not too loud as to attract unwanted attention. ¡°The things we will do for love. I¡¯m sure you can understand that.¡± Erin gritted her teeth, looking for a retort, but she found none. A storm of footsteps rushed into the alley. Erin paid no mind to those approaching presences as she already knew who they were and who they could only be. ¡°What happened?¡± Lyra was the first to ask, though Amyra was the first to reach. Aera was thest, trailing behind them as she struggled to keep up and catch her breath. ¡°That was an explosive tool, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Amyra said. ¡°I saw it with Appraisal before His Grace teleported away with it.¡± ¡°That tremor we felt just a few minutes ago must be Aedan with the explosives,¡± Nivia pointed out. ¡°W-will he be alright?¡± Aera asked worriedly in between her huffs and puffs. ¡°He¡¯ll be fine,¡± Amyra assured. ¡°It¡¯ll take more than that to kill His Grace.¡± ¡°His powers and strength may be greatly inhibited at the moment but he is tough,¡± said Lilian. ¡°However, what troubles me is the real intention of our friend here.¡± All eyes turned to Amelia. ¡°For your sake, you better talk,¡± Nivia said. ¡°Don¡¯t expect a light punishment just because there are two Fae here.¡± ¡°They had my lover,¡± Amelia confessed. ¡°I had no choice.¡± Erin tightened her grip. ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± the words came out as cold as the winter¡¯s breeze. ¡°It doesn¡¯t justify what you did, risking the ughter of hundreds.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care either. I would do anything for him. s, my lover is saved, but the same couldn¡¯t be said about yours.¡± Erin frowned. ¡°What are you saying?¡± ¡°Whatever they want from him, it is nothing¡­ savoury.¡± ¡°Tell me.¡± With a regrettable expression, Amelia shook her head, as best as she could with the grip on her neck. ¡°I can¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°I can save your lover too if you just tell me everything.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t. None of you can. They are an unrelenting force. You are only¡­ three Apostles. They are¡­ many.¡± ¡°How many?¡± ¡°More than you can handle.¡± ¡°But I can. I have ovee worse odds.¡± ¡°No¡­ not this time. You can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Erin, ignore this bitch,¡± Lyra spat. ¡°Let us just go find Aedan ourselves. You and Amyra have a connection with him, no? Surely we can use that to find him, right?¡± ¡°The connection is gone,¡± Erin said grimly. ¡°I can¡¯t sense Aedan¡¯s presence.¡± ¡°Neither can I,¡± Amyra added. ¡°Whoever this chatan here is working with, they are certainly well-prepared.¡± ¡°Then all the more reason that we need to go find him instead of just keep staying here and threatening this bitch.¡± If they had been in a forest, Erin would be confident that they could track him down without using their connection. However, they were in a town and teleportation left little to no clues to follow suit. A brief moment of despair and sorrow crossed Erin¡¯s face but only briefly. What transpired next went against everyone¡¯s expectations. No one could anticipate such a response and action from Erin, not even Lyra or Nivia. The Fox-kin let her seven tails free from their illusory bonds and sent two of them piercing right into Amelia¡¯s palms. Thetter let out a yelp but she managed to suppress the burst of pain. Violet mist began to ooze from Erin. ¡°Quit all this gibberish of yours and tell me the truth!¡± she roared. Lyra stepped forward. ¡°Erin, I know you¡¯re angry but this is not¡ª¡± ¡°Tell me!¡± Erin ignored Lyra¡¯s words and snarled at Amelia. ¡°Forgive me,¡± Amelia said, her lips quivering but not her tone. ¡°I will not. I cannot. One word and my lover¡¯s dead.¡± ¡°No words and you will be dead.¡± Amelia smiled wryly. ¡°I am prepared to die.¡± ¡°Erin, stop this,¡± Lyra entreated. ¡°This is getting out of hand. This is not how we¡ª¡± A hand on her shoulder made her pause. It was Amyra, shaking her head at Lyra¡¯s attempt. ¡°She¡¯s going to regret thister,¡± Lyra said. ¡°There¡¯s no stopping her now. She sees all of you as equally precious to her. It¡¯s only¡­ reasonable to a certain extent, that she would react the way she did.¡± Erin was deaf to whatever herpanions were saying about her. She was focused on ripping the answer out of Amelia. ¡°What will it be?¡± Amelia swallowed a lump in her throat. ¡°Just kill me.¡± ¡°No,¡± came a decisive and resolute response. It was from Aera of all people. A faint purple glow engulfed her in the same manner as Erin. She strode towards Amelia with everyone making way for her. ¡°We will not kill you. It will be a blessing and mercy. You don¡¯t deserve either of those, you lying sack of shit,¡± she growled. Nivia was about to say something but Lilian stopped her. Amyra took Lyra and retreated a few steps away from Amelia who was now surrounded by two Apostles of Nyx, one of Lust and one of Wrath. Even Ruri read the room and quickly leapt onto Amyra¡¯s head. Without a word, Erin released Amelia and let her fall to the ground. Aera picked her back up by her right arm. ¡°Last chance. Talk.¡± ¡°...Do your worst,¡± Amelia forced those words out of her lips. ¡°I won¡¯t but we will get there eventually,¡± Aera said and mmed Amelia to the ground. She then brandished her dagger, which Erin had given her as a contingency, and chopped off the tip of Amelia¡¯s thumb. Amelia burst out screaming at the top of her lungs. She began to il but Erin was there to keep her as still as possible. Her tails alone was enough to keep Amelia from thrashing too hard and struggling free. Nivia, albeit dazed by the scene, had the sense to use her Wind Magic to prevent any noise or sound from escaping the alley. She prayed in her heart that this would be over as fast as possible. Without giving Amelia a moment to breath and think, Aera chopped what was left of her thumb. Another scream shot out of Amelia¡¯s mouth but Aera didn¡¯t care. Using the mes of her raging aura, Aera cauterised Amelia¡¯s wound, not fully but just enough to stop the profuse bleeding. ¡°This isn¡¯t my worst. Far from it.¡± ¡°Kill me!¡± Amelia shouted, pleadingly. ¡°You don¡¯t deserve such mercy.¡± Aera¡¯s tone froze Amelia¡¯s nerves. She could tell the girl in clerical cloth had no intention of being lenient. It was no bluff. Aera moved on from the thumb to the forefinger. ¡°You know¡­¡± Aera brushed Amelia¡¯s finger with the edges of the dagger. ¡°Your forefinger is longer than your thumb. Which means, I can spread this torment into more parts. In turn, you will suffer more.¡± Amelia kept her lips sealed and met Aera¡¯s eyes with a hardened gaze. The quivering of her lips spread to her cheeks and shoulders. Fear was evident in her but she refused to budge, all for the sake of love. Aera scoffed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You will talk eventually, as my father had repeatedly taught me so when he and his friends tormented my mother and the other mothers and daughters in the vige.¡± Amelia¡¯s eyes widened. She saw the madness writhing and squirming in the inner recess of Aera''s soul through her eyes. It wasn¡¯t just Amelia. Even Amyra and the others were unnerved by Aera¡¯s history. They knew about her circumstances but not in detail, and they were now more afraid than ever to know more about Aera¡¯s story. Aera brought her dagger down, chopping half the tip of Amelia¡¯s forefinger. Thetter squealed agonisingly. ¡°Oops,¡± Aera muttered. ¡°A shallow cut. I nned to make it three cuts but now, there will be four. So, four times the pain. Four times the agony.¡± Tears overflowed and trickled down Amelia¡¯s cheek as the redness of her suffering encroached on her eyes. Aera brought down her dagger again, chopping off the rest of the fingertip. Without giving Amelia a rest or cauterising her wound, Aera continued the torture and began cleaving her forefinger without stop, all the while Amelia screamed and screamed, and floundered like a fish out of water. Eventually, Amyra was at her limit. She saw plenty of atrocity and insanity in her adventures but it didn¡¯t make it any easier for her to witness them, especially if these vicious deeds weremitted by her very ownpanions. She stepped forward and grabbed Aera by her shoulder. ¡°Stop this, now,¡± shemanded. Ruri leapt off of Amyra¡¯s head andnded on Lyra¡¯s shoulder next, and quickly burrowed herself into the chest pocket. Aera snapped around, battering the Augur¡¯s hand away. She then lunged at Amyra with her fist raised. Amyra easily caught the punch but the force behind it was enough to drive her a few steps back. ¡°Damn it, Aera! Come to your senses! This is not you!¡± ¡°She hurt Aedan!¡± Aera yelled and threw another punch. Amyra parried the punch with a backhand and went for a tackle. Aera received the Augur¡¯s weight but they did not tumble to the ground. Instead, Aera lifted Amyra off her feet, swung her around, and threw her into a wall. ¡°Stay out of this!¡± Amyra was immediately back on her feet. ¡°Aedan would be disappointed if he knew what the two of you had done.¡± ¡°He will,¡± said Erin. ¡°But it doesn¡¯t matter. As long as we can find him, I¡¯m prepared to do even worse.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t be serious, mdy.¡± ¡°I am,¡± Erin answered and moved her cold gaze to Amelia. ¡°This will truly be yourst chance. Tell me everything or when I find your lover, which I will, he shall¡ª¡± ¡°I''ll tell you! I''ll tell you!¡± Amelia immediately surrendered and shouted. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you everything! Just leave him alone!¡± Hearing her words, Aera stood down and the mes on her dimmed but yet to die down. Erin grinned. ¡°There. That wasn¡¯t so hard, was it? Now, who did you work for?¡± ¡°The Rust Faith.¡± Everyone felt a chill upon hearing that. Siv¡¯s reaction was even more profound. She rushed forward and stood menacingly before Amelia. ¡°You¡­ worked with the murderers of my brother!?¡± ¡°Oh dear, this is getting worse,¡± Lilian mused. ¡°The Rust Faith, huh¡­¡± Erin pondered. ¡°I don¡¯t know why they want him but they seem very desperate,¡± Amelia said. ¡°Their reason is obvious but it¡¯s not the reason that I want. It¡¯s their whereabouts and how I can find them and Aedan.¡± ¡°There¡¯s an abandoned cathedral, east from here, a day away from the town. Built by a river. You can¡¯t miss it. There is where they will bring the dragon to. But be warned, there are a lot of them and all of them are infused with a least some degree of demonic essence. My lover is there too, in their hands. Please¡­ just make sure he¡¯s¡­ safe.¡± ¡°As long as Aedan¡¯s safe, your lover will be safe too. So, pray that nothing grave befalls onto Aedan.¡± 5-51 Grudge 5-51 Grudge ¡°How far off are we?¡± asked Giri. The carriage rolled slowly down the dested path of a withered forest. Uriver sat before the reins while Billy and Giri sat in the back with their captive in tow. Only a single horse was dragging the carriage and the horse wasn¡¯t even whole. It was missing flesh and skin with bones exposed to the elements. It was an undead horse. ¡°This is the fourth time you have asked in thest hour,¡± Billy retorted. With her chin hoisted on her fist, staring out into the wilderness with a bored expression, she groaned and poked repeatedly at her captive. ¡°I was promised a fun time but what do I get? A dull ride with nothing to do and nothing to spectate. Only this¡­ thing here that I can¡¯t even tease.¡± Billy rolled his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re teasing him enough as it is.¡± ¡°Oh, this?¡± Giri scoffed. ¡°This isn¡¯t teasing.¡± She brought out her knife and gently traced the sharp edge across the captive¡¯s cheek, gentle enough to not draw any blood. ¡°This is teasing, but you don¡¯t let me.¡± ¡°Careful now, Giri. One wrong move and this will be all for nothing.¡± ¡°He¡¯s paralysed, no? Or do you have so little faith in your concoction?¡± ¡°I have the utmost faith in my concoction but this person here is a True Dragon. An Apostle but not just any apostle. He is the heir to the Dragon God''s throne.¡± Giri snorted, staring at Aedan inughable contempt. ¡°What kind of god would he be if he¡¯s so easily put in this position?¡± Giri leaned closer to his face, looking for any hint of expression, but there was none. The venom had taken full effect. He waspletely paralysed. He could only breathe and move his eyes. ¡°Have you not been listening? His true powers are sealed.¡± ¡°Is it the same seal that we have to undo in order to beckon the dark tide?¡± Billy groaned and sighed. ¡°Yes. the very same seal. The same thing.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ Isn¡¯t that¡­bad for us? The moment we undo the seal, we are dead.¡± A chortle came from the front. ¡°Speak for yourself. I am not so easy to be in.¡± Giri tutted. Truth to be told, she was the lowest level among her peers. Uriver was the highest and she had never seen anyone with a level higher than him. She was well aware of her own blood thirsty nature but even Uriver frightened her. Of course, she didn¡¯t let it show. ¡°Should we be going so slow?¡± Billy asked, looking into the distance behind them. The town was now but only a dot in his view. ¡°His lover, the Fae, is not one to dawdle and n.¡± ¡°If she and her partye, we can deal with them easily. Hell, I alone am enough for them.¡± ¡°They have three Apostles on their side.¡± ¡°We have much more.¡± ¡°Two of them are Nyx¡¯s Apostles.¡± ¡°We also have an Apostle of Nyx on our side, don¡¯t we?¡± ¡°And that should be reassuring? If anything, that should be rming. In fact, why did we even let hime with us?¡± ¡°Billy, you don¡¯t know this, so I will tell you this now. The Apostles of Nyx don¡¯t get along like other faiths do. Even the most dysfunctional faith had their followers, acolytes and apostles band together when their very own faith is under threat. And do you know, they only have seven Apostles, never more, never less.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± Giri asked. Her interest was piqued. Uriver shrugged. ¡°That I do not know, but it is how it has always been.¡± ¡°Do I have to worry about a knife in the back when his fellow Apostlese?¡± ¡°No. Not at all.¡± ¡°If you say so,¡± Billy epted begrudgingly. ¡°Still, we shouldn¡¯t be stalling. The Greymoons are on high alert because of the other Faiths. If we get seen, things would getplicated.¡± ¡°The kingdom¡¯s dogs are nothing to us,¡± Giri scoffed. ¡°There are the Children of Aerys too. Don¡¯t forget about them. Last I have heard, they sent an Undead Dragon to assault a Greymoon camp.¡± Giri tittered. ¡°If they send that Undead Dragon unto us, we will have another ally. Death is our specialty.¡± ¡°You need to calm down, Billy,¡± said Uriver. ¡°We are almost there and nothing can stop us now.¡± ¡°Not even the Ruvans?¡± ¡°Unless the Scarlet de makes an appearance, they will give us no trouble.¡± ¡°You better hope you¡¯re right,¡± Billy grunted. ¡°I have waited for this long enough.¡± ¡°And we will wait no longer from today onwards.¡± The dead trees became more and more sparse until it was only a patch of wastnd with ashes and withered floral in sight. A lonely and ruined cathedral stood ominously and brazenly atop a hill that was only a few miles away. Once they reached the foot of the hill, a inly dressed man descended to meet them. Nothing about the man was interesting of note, except for the fact that he was all too in. He would fit right in amongst a group of peasants. The carriage came to a halt. Uriver disembarked first, followed by Billy and Giri, who carried Aedan down with her. ¡°Marc, what brings you down here?¡± Uriver greeted with a smile but theck of warmth in his tone and smile was evident. ¡°You arete,¡± said the in man. ¡°We agreed at dawn but it¡¯s noon now. I was about to go look for you all.¡± ¡°We¡¯re here now, that¡¯s all that matters.¡± If the in man was annoyed, he did not show it. He gazed over Uriver¡¯s shoulder at the carriage. ¡°Is he unharmed?¡± ¡°The seal has not been tampered with, if that¡¯s your concern.¡± ¡°It should be yours too. And I trust that you have used the blocker?¡± ¡°Dull name but very effective,¡± Uriver said, bringing out a wooden cylinder with intricate runes carved on it. ¡°I can barely sense our own presence. Although, I doubt this would prevent us from being found. We did have a loose end back in the town.¡± ¡°No matter. We would be found eventually but this will hinder them long enough.¡± ¡°Is everything prepared?¡± ¡°Long before dawn came. Again, you arete. Everyone has been waiting.¡± ¡°Even you, Marc?¡± ¡°Even I. If I wasn¡¯t, why would I even join you lot?¡± ¡°Who knows? Perhaps you seek to destroy us from the inside?¡± ¡°You people will destroy yourselves soon enough. I am not needed for that,¡± Marc said and walked back up the hill. Uriver chuckled. ¡°So you say¡­ but time will tell.¡± ¡°Time surely will,¡± said an unfamiliar voice. Uriver, Billy, and Giri turned around in an instant at the voice and saw a bunch of unfamiliar faces, emerging from seemingly nowhere. ¡°Well, this is unexpected,¡± Uriver muttered. Billy gritted his teeth. ¡°Mordius¡¯ hounds¡­ just what we need.¡± ¡°Just what I¡¯m looking for,¡± Giri chimed in, looking all too excited about the unexpected situation. ¡°A good fight, finally.¡± **** ¡°Are you sure they went this way?¡± Amyra asked as she sped through the air. She was not flying but leaping. A single kick of the ground sent her flying for half a mile. It was faster than a horse or anynd mount since time was of the essence. ¡°These woods are dead but there are Spirits present, which can only mean one thing. Someone with high Spirit affinity had just passed through here quite recently,¡± Nivia exined as she too was speeding through the air using her Wind Magic. These two were not the only ones travelling in an unconventional hasty manner. The others were following suit too, spurred by Aera. She was ahead of all of them. Fueled by her rage, she manifested an ability that allowed her to travel as fast as an arrow while mes zing all around her body. Erin was just behind Aera. She was using her lightning spells to boost her speed, further enhanced by her Lust. Siv, Lyra, and Lilian stayed behind. They had no means to travel in such a manner, so they had to resort to the most sensible and natural way, on horseback. ¡°We better pick up our pace,¡± Nivia said. ¡°We¡¯re going to lose them at this rate.¡± ¡°Any faster and we will exhaust ourselves by the time we reach Aedan. We must conserve our strength.¡± ¡°What we¡¯re doing is anything but conserving our strength.¡± ¡°You can stay and wait for the rest to catch up if you don¡¯t think you¡¯re up for this.¡± ¡°As if I would let you three go on by yourselves. We are heading into a den of manics.¡± Amyra chuckled dryly. ¡°That, we are. This is stupid.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re not stopping.¡± ¡°His Grace is in danger and mdy isn¡¯t sound of mind at present. I can¡¯t just leave them be.¡± Nivia was about to retort when the sudden dispersal of the remaining Spirits caught her attention. She gave Amyra a signal and the two came to a halt at once. Amyra tutted. ¡°Looks like we won¡¯t be able to help them after all.¡± Erin and Aera continued in their pursuit without stopping or even ncing behind them. ¡°To make sure no one gets the drop on them from the back. That¡¯s the least we can do,¡± Nivia said. ¡°Come out,¡± Amyra bellowed. It was no shout but her words rang louder than one. Donned in leather amour. ck of hair that reached only around the neck. The woman showed herself, brandishing a polearm with the de epassing a third of the weapon¡¯s length. ¡°Looks like I missed your leader,¡± the woman said, smirking. ¡°More like you intentionally let her pass because you knew you¡¯re not her match,¡± Nivia retorted. The woman chuckled. ¡°You got me. I was going to ambush her but¡­ she¡¯s different from thest time we met. Way different.¡± ¡°You confronted her once and you lived?¡± Nivia questioned. ¡°You must be good or you¡¯re just a very cautious coward.¡± ¡°I¡¯m no coward,¡± the woman said and stepped to the side. A ming de crashed down into the ground where she had been standing. ¡°Good instincts,¡± Amyra said, reeling in her fiery sword. ¡°It¡¯s not instinct,¡± the woman replied with a smile. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Eliza, but you can call me Liza. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Amyra.¡± ¡°Oh, you know me?¡± ¡°I am an adventurer too, you see.¡± ¡°An Apostle too, apparently. What do you want?¡± ¡°Same as a lot of people out there. The bounty on yourdy¡¯s head.¡± Eliza dodged low immediately after finishing her sentence and Nivia¡¯s sword swooped harmlessly over past her. ¡°Do you two have a habit of interrupting people?¡± ¡°Only if they are an enemy,¡± Nivia retorted and unleashed a flurry of attacks. Eliza twirled her polearm and parried each and single one of Nivia¡¯s strikes. She even had the opportunity to counterattack. Nivia barely deflected the blow that would have otherwise taken her head. She quickly regained her stance and struck back. Eliza easily dodged the Elf¡¯s stab and moved into her blindside. But before she could strike, Amyra came and fended her off with a swing of her gigantic sword. ¡°Two against one. This won¡¯t be easy,¡± Eliza muttered. ¡°Nivia, let me handle this witch,¡± said Amyra. ¡°No. We will fight her together.¡± ¡°You¡¯re tired. That is in to see. You can¡¯t even use your spells in your current state.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just conserving my strength as you said.¡± ¡°This opponent is not one where we can fight without giving our all.¡± Eliza chortled. ¡°The Augur is right¡­ and wrong too. Even if you twoe at me with everything you got, your victory is still not certain.¡± Amyra grinned. ¡°Aye, it ain¡¯t certain with only the two of us.¡± Eliza frowned. ¡°And you¡¯re somehow happy about that odds of yours?¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s not just the two of us.¡± Eliza¡¯s eyes widened. She spun around right that instant, just in time to see an arrow flying towards her. At the same time, Amyra lunged at her wide-open back. ¡°How about the odds now?¡± Amyra said and brought her infernal sword down on Eliza. 5-52 Devoured 5-52 Devoured ¡°Good attempt.¡± A voice soft as silk but every bit as lethal as a viper¡¯s venom. The threatening chill in the tone was palpable but the danger was every bit real. ¡°What is this?¡± Amyra gasped. She was sure her ming de would split the wretched woman apart but somehow, it didn¡¯t happen the way she expected. She missed, or so the situation would suggest. Her gigantic sword crashed into the ground beside Eliza instead of the person herself. ¡°You¡¯re confused but it¡¯s understandable. After all, even your deardy had difficulties figuring out my ability.¡± ¡°You talk too much,¡± Amyra said and swung her sword at Eliza, the mes roaring as the de flew. Elizaughed and flowed out of the de¡¯s path. From behind, Nivia sprang at Eliza. The raven-haired chortled and spun around with a kick, parrying the Elf¡¯s blow without making contact with the des. Amyra lurched forward but Eliza reacted immediately and countered the Augur¡¯s attack with a wide cut. Amyra caught the blow and led the sharp point away from her neck. While Eliza was engaged with Amyra, Nivia came at her once more but she responded to the Elf¡¯s furtive attempt with a high cut that forced Nivia to roll out of the way. Then, an arrow streaked towards her head but she twirled gracefully and cut the arrow down, before immediately positioning herself between Amyra and Nivia, leaving no part of her vulnerable to an attack. ¡°Short-flow irvoyance,¡± Amyra surmised. Eliza chuckled. ¡°Took you long enough.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s not all, is it? I fought plenty of people with this Arcane Art but none moved with as much grace and precision as you do.¡± ¡°Oh, now you want to chatter?¡± Eliza scoffed. ¡°You don¡¯t get to stall,¡± she said and lunged with her polearm spinning. Siv sprang out of nowhere,nded in between Amyra and Eliza, and deflected thetter¡¯s blow with her double-ded sword. ¡°A Wolf Beast-kin? Certainly a band of misfits.¡± Siv did not retort to Eliza¡¯s remark and simply pressed on with her attack. Eliza epted Siv¡¯s attacks with grace and neutralised them all with a mocking grin. ¡°You¡¯re not enough. None of you are. I see every move you make before you make them. I know your thoughts before you yourself even do.¡± Siv remainedposed and pushed forth with her assault. ¡°The silent type, are ya?¡± Eliza snorted. ¡°How boring.¡± ¡°Allow me to entertain you!¡± Nivia cried and joined the assault. Eliza received Nivia¡¯s attacks without leaving herself open to Siv or Amyra, who seized the opportunity to join the fray. Eliza bellowed with a battle cry andughter as she juggled between the attacks from Nivia, Amyra, and Siv, and also the arrows from Lyra once in a short while. ¡°Disappointing!¡± Eliza mocked, without losing her grounds in the exchange of blows. ¡°Very disappointing. I sympathise with your deardy. It must be such a burden to carry the deadweight of you four.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wrong!¡± Nivia snapped back and tossed herself at Eliza with winds swirling around her. ¡°Am I?¡± Eliza retorted calmly and prepared for whatever move Nivia was going to make. ¡°There¡¯s five of us,¡± Nivia said. Dashed with momentary confusion, the vines protruding from the ground managed to wrap themselves around Eliza¡¯s feet. She looked down the moment she felt her movements rooted. Nivia sted Eliza with arge volume of condensed air and Amyra threw a fireball in tandem. Aura covered Eliza¡¯s polearm as she wound her swing. However, she was forced to fend off against a flurry of arrows. Furthermore, Siv¡¯s daring assault kept her engaged, leaving her no window to deal with the firestorm approaching her. The fire and wind melded together and crashed into Eliza. An explosion ensued. It nearly swallowed Siv along but she moved fast and leapt away to safety. The explosion consumed only Eliza and the radiating shockwaveunched her yards across the withered forest, through long-charred trees, stopping only when she hit the foot of a steep slope. ¡°There¡¯s six of us, actually,¡± said Lilian as she appeared from behind a tree that was justrge enough to conceal her figure. ¡°Isn¡¯t that right, little one?¡± ¡°Kyu!¡± Ruri squealed in agreement. She was resting in the deep and impressive valley of the Dryad¡¯s bosom with only her head poking out. ¡°Fucking hell,¡± Lyra sighed, walking out from behind a boulder. ¡°Just who is this bitch?¡± ¡°Just one of the many idiots that are chasing after the bounty on Erin¡¯s head,¡± said Nivia. Amyra grunted as lowered her sword. ¡°Idiot or not, the bitch¡¯s tough. Whatever her Divine Gift is, it is amplifying her Short-flow irvoyant.¡± ¡°Careful now, everyone,¡± Siv cautioned. ¡°This battle is not over.¡± ¡°Can she survive something like that?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°Very possible,¡± said Amyra. ¡°She¡¯s an Apostle after all.¡± ¡°Well, we just need to do our best and do better, right?¡± Lilian asked¡ª ¡ªbut no one answered. Noticing the odd silence, Lilian turned to look at them. To her surprising horror, everyone had stopped moving. They were frozen stiff but not of ice or any sort of cold. They were just¡­ still and unmoving as if time had ceased to flow. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± ¡°Kyu¡­¡± Ruri growled warily. ¡°Do you know what¡¯s happening, little one?¡± Ruri nodded and pointed with her head. Lilian followed the Kirin¡¯s direction and her gaze stumbled on Eliza, who was walking towards them in a tattered state. Most of her garments were torn and destroyed by the explosion and she herself wasn¡¯t spared of damages. Half of her body was seared and cooked, red with steam oozing off. Blood trickled from the pores of her body that had been severely erged by the extreme heat. ¡°I¡¯ll see you all dead,¡± Eliza snarled. Gone was all her snark and flippant attitude. She was clutching her arm with the other. She was barely hanging on to her polearm. ¡°You¡¯re an Apostle of Chronos.¡± Lilian realised. ¡°Huh¡­ What are the odds? Or did the two of you n this together?¡± ¡°Two of us?¡± Eliza spat. ¡°Ah, I see. You met Amelia.¡± ¡°We have. Well, not me. Mypanions did. They say she can stop time. I didn¡¯t doubt them but it is hard to believe. Though, not anymore. You stopped the flow of time.¡± ¡°And I will stop all of your hearts too, but not before I make you all suffer.¡± Lilian feigned a hurt look. ¡°Don¡¯t take it so personally. This is war. This is a battle. There are bound to be casualties. How did the saying go? If you are prepared to hurt, then be prepared to be hurt. Or was it kill?¡± ¡°Cease your prattling, Fae,¡± Eliza scoffed. ¡°It¡¯s fortunate that you have that strange creature with you. Or else you would be frozen in time like yourpanions.¡± ¡°Lucky me, I guess.¡± Lilian giggled and stroked Ruri¡¯s head. ¡°Thank you, little one.¡± ¡°Kyu,¡± Ruri squeaked in delight. ¡°But it¡¯s also fortunate for me as you are the one who remained moving. I might be in trouble if it was the Augur or anyone else but you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m hurt. Do you presume I¡¯m nothing more than a helpless damsel who¡¯s only capable of tricks and schemes from a distance?¡± ¡°Are you not?¡± Eliza challenged. ¡°Regardless, I shall make a quick but painful death of you.¡± Lilian tittered. ¡°You are most wee to try.¡± Eliza let out a battle cry that sounded more like a bug screeching as she lunged with her polearm brandished. Lilian sighed with not an ounce of urgency. She uttered a short chant and flourished her hands as if she were conducting a symphony. Barbed roots burst out of the ground and threatened to crush Eliza in the midst of their rampant growth. Each strand was half as thick as her body and the barbs looked sharper than the de of her polearm. Left with no other choice, she stopped her charge and leapt upwards. As the roots were gigantic, there was plenty of room between the barbs. She safelynded on the roots but before she could take a breather, the roots glowed and saplings began to sprout from them. ¡°I¡¯m not one to toot my own horn, not that I have one, but I¡¯m confident that my experience inbat is only second to Amyra or even equal to hers.¡± The saplings grew as fast as the roots and just as rampant. They grew into fine nts but the flowery heads were akin to the heads of vicious beasts. ¡°Feed, my children,¡± ¡°Damn you!¡± Eliza snarled and began hacking away at the carnivorous and beastly nts. The nts proved to be more fragile than their gnarly appearance would suggest. A single swing from Eliza was able to fell three nts. However, six more rushed at her in retaliation. The blooming nts weren¡¯t the only threats. The barbs of the roots grew, turning intorge spikes that could easily skewer a person. ¡°Nature is dangerous and above all, vtile. Have you seen how even weeds could swallow a house if left untouched for a long time? The weakest of nts could manage such a feat. Now, imagine what a Mana-infused nt would be capable of.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Eliza bellowed, slicing through eight more nts that surrounded her on all sides. She was relentless in cutting down the nts. Her wounds were serious and grave but she did not sumb to the pain. However, there were far too many for her and they became more ferocious the more she killed. ¡°Scheming bitch!¡± she roared and cut her way through the onught of nts. She dashed towards Lilian, ignoring the nts that chipped away at her flesh, cutting down only the ones in her path. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a poor move.¡± ¡°Silence, you fucking forest-dweller!¡± Eventually, Eliza cut her way through all the nasty nts and came before Lilian. With an anger-wrought grimace, she cut the Dryad into half¡ª or so she thought. Lilian blurred and disappeared into thin air. ¡°W-what!? What in hell¡¯s name is this!?¡± ¡°An illusion. Do you assume that my nts are all just¡­. beastly diators?¡± ¡°Where are you!? Show yourself!¡± ¡°In front of you,¡± Lilian said. Eliza looked to the front. There was no one there but as she looked at it longer, Lilian slowly blurred into view. ¡°Can you see me now?¡± Lilian smiled, mockingly. ¡°Daughter of a bastard!¡± Eliza yelled and charged at her. But before she could swing at the Dryad, her body quivered and her grip lost its strength. Not only that, she could no longer move her body except for her eyes, which went wide in shock and realisation. She red at Lilian. Her lips parted. Her face spelled her intention to say something but nothing was said. Her re intensified. ¡°Some nts are poisonous, are you aware? In my case, all my nts are poisonous to a certain degree. If your level had been higher, you would have been saved from the effects.¡± Eliza shook. The realisation struck a nerve. ¡°Well, you are aware of that now, but it¡¯s toote.¡± ¡°Y-you¡­ will¡­ pay¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. You tried your best. If it¡¯s any constion, I would not have been the victor if you weren¡¯t so wounded. And thankfully, you didn¡¯t know any fire spells. Now, that would be a disaster for me.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°Shhh¡­ Everything¡¯s fine now. You just rest¡­ forever, alright?¡± Lilian said and approached the paralysed Eliza with a dagger drawn from her hip. ¡°You don¡¯t need to see this, little one.¡± Lilian covered Ruri''s eyes and slit Eliza¡¯s throat deeply before plunging the dagger into her heart. She pulled it out and plunged it back in. ¡°I apologise if this is agonising but I like being thorough,¡± she said and retracted her dagger, before kicking her to her nts, which quickly tore her apart. Then, time resumed. ¡°Be careful, everyone! She¡¯s an Apostle of Chronos!¡± Lyra shouted. ¡°We must¡ª uh?¡± She was stumped, looking at the nts devouring what was left of Eliza. ¡°What the fuck happened?¡± Lilian shrugged. ¡°Nature being nature, I suppose.¡± The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! 5-53 True path 5-53 True path Everything happened so fast. It was peaceful, rtively speaking. The imminent rampage was still far away, or so Aedan presumed. He had no doubt that Erin woulde to his rescue. It was only a matter of when. He bade his time and prepared himself for Erin¡¯s eventual arrival. However, others beat her in the race. Followers of Mordius ambushed them. Skinwalkers, they were known as. Aedan wasn¡¯t aware of any history between the Rust Faith and the Skinwalkers but this was the reality. Once the Rust Faith became aware of the Skinwalkers¡¯ assault, the situation escted into an all-out battle. If Aedan wasn¡¯t paralysed by the Wyvern¡¯s venom, he would have long given his captors the slip. ¡°Watch him! Don¡¯t let him get away¡± was the instruction given by the strongest Apostle among the Rust Faith before he went off to join the sortie. Uriver was his name, Aedan recalled. He also recalled how he took Uriver¡¯s arm and the Apostle had failed to get back his arm. This brought Aedan somefort but not by much. Aedan tried to move or struggle but the venom was potent enough to overwhelm his natural resistance to harmful substances as a True Dragon. However, the potency wasn¡¯t enough tost for a whole day. He had not been cking. He had consistently kept himself in abat-ready state. The venom would wear off before long. The only problem was to keep this fact a secret from his captors. Fortunately, his two watchers were notpetent to see through his ruse. The youthful-looking Billy was knowledgeable and cautious but even he was none the wiser. ¡°Great, we¡¯re officially allocated to guard duty,¡± Giri grumbled. Despite herints, she had done the least to move Aedan into the dpidated cathedral. It was missing a roof but the walls were still standing strong and there were plenty of rooms underground. ¡°Save your breath and strength, Giri,¡± Billy chided. ¡°We may be the only ones in this ruin but we are not safe. We do not know why the Skinwalkers attacked us with such a huge force. We best be on our toes.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t the reason obvious? We dabbled in arts that they deemed heresy. People always fear what they cannot understand.¡± ¡°Do you think it¡¯s a coincidence that they chose to attack now of all times?¡± ¡°What does it matter? We only need to destroy this cowardly rabble. We can gauge their reason afterwards. I reckon this battle will be over much quicker if I join in.¡± Billy stared Giri down. ¡°You will do no such thing. Uriver wants us here.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not our king. We do not have to listen to him. He is the Grand Apostle. He outranks us all. He may not be our king but we are still beneath him. If you will not abide by this, then you shall not be one of us.¡± ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Giri relented. ¡°I will stay put.¡± Shey down on a bench just beside the paralysed Aedan. ¡°Now isn¡¯t the time to be resting, Giri. We are here to guard our prize.¡± ¡°Oh,e on. They may have the numbers but we have the strength. I doubt they can even make it up the hill. Weren¡¯t there arrays being set up around the cathedral?¡± Billy narrowed his eyes. ¡°How do you even manage to live this long?¡± ¡°I always make the most sensible choices. And I don¡¯t have a ir for convoluted schemes. Such as what we¡¯re doing here.¡± ¡°This is all necessary.¡± Giri snorted. ¡°Like hell, it is.¡± ¡°How will you go about this then?¡± ¡°I will find some way to dispel the seal on our first confrontation instead of bringing him all the way here for some stupid ritual.¡± ¡°Pray tell, what is this supposed streamlined way you speak of, specifically?¡± Giri shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ll find out.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t. There¡¯s no such spell that can lift the seal without an borate and thorough preparation.¡± Giriughed. ¡°There¡¯s a spell for everything. The Rust Faith is the exemr of that idea. No one thought it would be possible for divinity to be moulded with demonic essence but here we are.¡± Billy tutted. ¡°Just keep your eyes peeled and your wits about you. We never know who will surprise us.¡± Giri was about to return some snarky words but she didn¡¯t. Instead, she shot up from the bench and rushed for Billy, her daggers in hand. Steel met steel. Sparks flew. And a deafening silence followed. Edge against edge, each threatened to cut into the other but both were equal in strength and toughness. ¡°You¡¯re so right, Billy,¡± Giri said. ¡°Indeed, you are.¡± Billy nodded. ¡°You are sharp,¡± praised Aedan who had broken free of his paralysis earlier than he himself anticipated. He immediately brandished a sword against Billy, who was closest to him, but Giri had intercepted him all too quickly. ¡°Didn¡¯t you strip him of all his possessions and trinkets?¡± Billy asked as he produced his own sword. ¡°I did.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t me her. Even I forget about it sometimes but it alwayses back to me at the right moment.¡± Giri tittered. ¡°I¡¯m d that you are free of your ailment. I crave a good fight.¡± ¡°Giri, don¡¯t forget.¡± ¡°We just need him alive, no? Besides, if he wished to die, he would have killed himself instead of attacking you. Could it be¡ª¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know but we best not take any chances.¡± ¡°Poor choice,¡± Aedan said and took out another sword from thin air. Billy rushed in and shed his sword with Aedan¡¯s. ¡°Absurd.¡± Billy raised an eyebrow. ¡°I felt it. The storage spell came from an enchantment inside of your body.¡± Aedan didn¡¯t respond and pressed on with his attack. Billy received a few blows but none got past his guard. ¡°You carved the runes onto your bones, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Is that even possible?¡± Giri questioned as she deflected a few strikes. ¡°It is but the process is excruciating.¡± Billy stared straight at Aedan. ¡°How did you do it?¡± ¡°There are a lot of things significantly more painful than self-muttion,¡± was all the exnation Aedan offered before unleashing a flurry of energy bolts on the two. Giri tossed herself out of harm¡¯s way while Billy defended himself with a barrier made of multiple Arcane Aegises. ¡°How in the hell did he cast such a spell?¡± Giri yelled. ¡°You¡¯re hiding a lot of tricks.¡± ¡°Thanks, I suppose?¡± Aedan said and summoned a vast ball of fire. ¡°You crazy bastard!¡± Billy blurted out. He countered the fireball with a st of water. Immediately, pirs of dirt rose in between them. ¡°Careful, Giri! This lunatic has most likely carved a bunch of enchantments on his entire skeleton!¡± Pirs continued to rise until they were no longer visible to each other. The interior of the cathedral became a maze. Giri chortled. ¡°Well, he¡¯s certainly well-prepared. Can¡¯t fault him. In fact, it¡¯s admirable. He found a way to circumvent the seal.¡± ¡°Focus, Giri! He¡¯s not to be underestimated!¡± The dirt pir in front of him exploded and a sword flew out of the dust and smoke. Instead of shing steel with steel, he grabbed the sword. His hand had turned as ck as the night sky when he curled his grip around the de. The same darkness enveloped his other hand. With a forceful tug, he pulled the sword out of Aedan¡¯s hand but the person himself was nowhere to be found when the smoke cleared. Elsewhere, there was another explosion. ¡°Son of a bitch!¡± Giri yelled. Followed by a ngour of steel. Billy darted towards the sound, plunging through the dirt pirs. The darkness enveloped his entire body and his body began to shift. When he reached Giri¡¯s side, he had morphed into a dark beast, standing over three feet, that was unrecognisable from his human self. ¡°He scuttled off into the shadows,¡± Giri said calmly. ¡°Are you sure you should be using this form when we¡¯re this close to a town?¡± ¡°If we lose him, we won¡¯t be able to face the consequences.¡± ¡°Well, then. Allow me to let loose too,¡± Giri said and brandished a scythe that was longer than her. The de alone was a third of her height. With a single swing, she took out most of the pirs. ¡°Behind,¡± Billy said. He spun around with his huge ws swinging. His ws crashed into an ethereal barrier but it failed to shatter it despite his strength. Aedan countered with a thrust but he, too, failed to prate his enemy¡¯s defence. ¡°Silver Steel,¡± Billy huffed. ¡°Do you think so little of me?¡± Before Aedan could answer, if he even intended to, Giri came swinging. He dodged low and flipped away from the two. When his two feet were nted on the ground, Billy was upon him. He twirled out of harm¡¯s way and retaliated with a sh. Billy growled and caught the de, snapping it into half with just his strength alone. The right tool was already in his hand. A smoke bomb. The pin has been pulled. However, before he could set it off, ws came and tore apart his hand. He saw the wsing but he was too slow to respond. Still, he didn¡¯t surrender just yet. He still had his other hand. He still had plenty of enchantments engraved on his skeleton that he had yet to reveal. ¡°Oh no, you don¡¯t!¡± Giri hissed. She swooped in and sliced off his other arm. Aedan grunted and that was all the sound he let out. This degree of pain was no stranger to him. He endured it without a shrill. He had lost both of his arms but he still had his legs. Even if he couldn¡¯t fight now, he could still run. The runes also ran along his legs, a matter of course. It wouldn¡¯t get him far. Using spells this way was very draining, spiritually and physically. If anyone else tried this method, they would have fainted due to the agony. He only used this as ast resort. ¡°Not so fast!¡± Giri giggled. She moved directly in front of Aedan and shoved him harshly to the ground with her heel. She raised her scythe and swung down. ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± Billy shouted. Giri stopped, just inches away from cutting off Aedan¡¯s legs. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Unless you wish to be the one to take care of him until the ritual, I suggest you refrain yourself from cutting his legs off.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± Both Giri and Billy immediately turned around. The words came from neither of them. It came from behind. A voice of aplete stranger. A girl stood amidst the rubble. The shadows were just behind her. A single step back would have herpletely in the darkness. Instead of retreating, the girl strode forward. She was an Apostle, that fact was evident to everyone present. ¡°And who are you?¡± Billy asked. ¡°Shauna¡­¡± Aedan muttered. Billy frowned. At first, he presumed the girl was Aedan¡¯spanion or ally but he knew no one named Shauna among the information he had of Aedan. ¡°Lass, I don¡¯t know who you are or how you get so close to us without us knowing, but you¡¯re at the wrong ce and the wrong time.¡± ¡°I disagree,¡± the girl replied calmly. ¡°I¡¯m right where I want to be, where I need to be.¡± Then, there was a distant roar of a dragon. It sounded far away but knowing their capability, it would be here in no time at all. The puzzle pieces fell naturally into ce for Billy. ¡°You¡¯re an Aeryon.¡± ¡°Aerysian. I follow the true Dragon God.¡± Shauna smiled. ¡°Now, please hand him over.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not possible,¡± Billy said. Unlike Giri, he was more cautious of the girl in front of them. To be able to sneak up on them was no small feat, especially when they had arrays in ce. ¡°You¡¯re insane,¡± Giri snickered. ¡°But I don¡¯t dislike that. Since you¡¯re here, maybe you can be my opponent!!¡± Shauna returned the snicker. ¡°So be it.¡± And she stomped the ground hard. Cracks radiated from her foot and a bright vermilion glow shone through these cracks before arge pir of mes engulfed the entire cathedral. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! 5-54 Infernal Rage 5-54 Infernal Rage A stream of mes shot into the sky, erecting a zing pir that illuminated the entire withered and barren area. The explosion brought along a tremor. The battle at the foot of the hill ceased for a moment. All the fighters turned towards the fire pir that towered them all. Instead of a shadow, a blinding radiance was cast over the battlefield. Uriver had just ripped apart a follower of Mordius with his bare hands when the eruption happened. He, too, was ensnared by the sight. A chill washed over him. A series of doubts gued his mind. Was this confrontation merely a misdirection? Not a few seconds ago, there was an eerie roar that shook the earth even though it had travelled far. No doubt the roar was from a dragon. First, they were ambushed by the Skinwalkers. And now, there was an explosion that could only be caused by someone or something with the might of a dragon. As far as Uriver was aware, Dragons were a race that kept to themselves and rarely meddled in the affairs of other races. Were they here for their abducted sovereign? Uriver wondered. No, he came to such a conclusion. Dragons had no sovereign, at least no one they all unanimously recognised. The Dragon God was the closest thing they had to a king but even then, the Dragon God was treated as an advisor at best. They would not band together tounch a rescue mission. It couldn¡¯t be the Aeryons either. They were already sparse enough as they were. Even if they caught wind of their grace¡¯s abduction, it was impossible for them to make a move so fast. ¡°An unfamiliar party with dragons at their disposal,¡± Uriver concluded. ¡°But who?¡± The imposing inferno pir eventually died down and the battle resumed. Uriver turned his back to the battlefield and rushed up the hill. However, the Skinwalkers were not going to just let him slip away. With a swing of his fist, Uriver turned three Mordius followers into a flesh pulp. Two tried to get the drop on him. They seeded but their attempts bore no fruit as their levels were far too low to be of any threat to Uriver. ¡°Annoying pests,¡± Uriver scoffed and turned the two into stters of blood and bits with a kick. Strange, Uriver thought. For an ambush, it was poorly nned. None of the Skinwalkers were strong enough to oppose him. In fact, they were shocked when they saw him when they realised his level. The flow of the battle shifted in the Rust Faith¡¯s favour immediately. This made Uriver all the more convinced this ambush was a diversion. Halfway up the hill, Uriver stopped. He turned around with his arm raised in front of his face. A fist, enveloped with violet mes, crashed into his guard. His eyes turned wide. He was amazed by the strength behind that single punch. He would suffer a serious wound if he didn¡¯t defend against that punch. What amazed him even more was that the punch was thrown by a girl that was around Giri¡¯s age. The girl was a person of the cloth, or at least she was dressed like one. ¡°An Apostle,¡± he grunted. He could tell the girl was just like him. Once he had a clearer look, he understood who the girl was. ¡°Aera, was it? The dragon¡¯spanion.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Aedan?¡± Aera asked. Her voice was shivering but not out of fear. There was only wrath in her eyes and her voice. ¡°You have to try better than that if you want an answer,¡± Uriver taunted. In truth, he didn¡¯t know how to answer her. It was very unlikely that Giri and Billy would still have Aedan in their captivity considering the explosion just now. Aera howled in rage. She threw another haymaker. The winds around her arm whirled and rippled as she swung. Uriver felt the shivers. Aera¡¯s level was only in the twenties but this haymaker would be more than enough to fatally wound him. He pushed himself off away from her, dodging the haymaker that gouged a few feet deep worth of dirt from the hillside. Aera chased after him. The mes enveloping her were also propelling her movements. She closed the distance between her and Uriver in seconds. Gripping her fists together, she mmed both of her fists down on him. He rolled out of the way. The ground shook and sunk where he had stood. Before the dust and smoke settled, he lunged and retaliated with a kick. Aera took the kick to her face but all it did was stagger her. Uriver was the one who winced instead. He looked down at his feet and saw a singe on his boot. This girl is dangerous. As someone who excelled in close-quarterbat, Aera was a terrible match-up against him. Moreover, he had only a single arm. It was more difficult to fight with one arm than he would care to admit. Every stance he took, every move he made, the bnce would always be off. It was rarely an issue as he would always overwhelm his opponent with the tremendous difference in their levels. However, his current opponent was someone who was engulfed in divinity. Aera continued her onught. There was no rhythm or form to her assault. It was just a series of erratic violence, guided by her enraged instincts and fuelled by her wrath. With every attack that she received, it only served to increase her strength. ¡°Fuck this bitch!¡± Uriver screamed as he retracted his fist. His punch had connected with Aera¡¯s jaws, dislocating it. However, he suffered more damage than she did. His knuckles cracked against the fire protecting her. It was as if he had punched through some kind of searing-hot malleable steel. Not only was his knuckles cracked, his hand was scalded. ¡°Last chance. Where is Aedan?¡± Aera asked as her jaws snapped back into ce by themselves. Uriverughed but meekly. ¡°Where else can he be other than the one ce you have yet to reach?¡± At the top of the hill, the obvious answer finally became clear to Aera. ¡°Well, what are you waiting for? Go save your friend.¡± ¡°No¡­ not yet.¡± Aera shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m still not done with you. You will suffer for taking him.¡± ¡°Oh shite¡­ You¡¯re in love¡­¡± Aera snarled and pounced. Instead of evading, Uriver stood his ground and received Aera¡¯s punch, which he sessfully did so with his bare hand and without being thrown back. Aera widened her eyes. It was iprehensible. She had been dominating him in the fight but the tide turned so suddenly. ¡°You have underestimated me long enough.¡± Uriver grinned. ¡°Your impudence ends here.¡± Aera pulled her hand back but Uriver¡¯s grip was strong. Darkness began to leak from his stump. It was neither liquid nor gas. It was somewhere in between and this strange matter took the form of a limb but not of a human kind. ¡°Be honoured,ssie. You¡¯re the first one in a long while who is able to force me to draw out my demonic powers. Unfortunately, you won¡¯t get to live to tell the tale of this honour.¡± The intimidation fell on deaf ears as Aera mmed her head into Uriver¡¯s. When he went stumbling, Aera pulled her hand back and rammed her shoulder into him. He tumbled to the ground. Before he could find his bearings, he was grabbed by the scruff of his neck and hurled down the hill. The demonic arm shook and morphed into something grotesque but fitting for his predicament. It allowed him to hang on to the side of the hill and also swing himself back up. Hended in front of Aera. ¡°I will make you pay for this humiliation.¡± Aera paid his words no heed and lunged with both of her fists thrust forward. Uriver blocked the thrust with his demonic arm. The air rippled and bones cracked. To his shock, it was his bones. ¡°How?!¡± Aera thrust her fists once more. The demonic arm quivered and ck blood burst from the ruptured veins. Uriver howled in pain and surprise. His demon augmentation was, somehow, bested by a greenhorn girl who only had divinity to her might. ¡°This cannot be!¡± Aera grabbed on tightly to the demonic arm. ¡°Damn you! Let go!¡± Instead of letting go, Aera yanked it and she yanked it hard, tearing the demonic arm in half. Uriver screeched in agony. A pain that he had never thought he would experience again in such a short amount of time. Hatred surged within him. His other arm was ckened, overtaken by the same dark essence. It turned into a gigantic w d in spikes. He swung the w at Aera, screaming. Aera took the full brunt of the w¡¯s ferocity. She could have dodged it but her state of mind did not allow her to do so. Her fiery armour lessened the blow but it proved to be more than she could withstand. Her feet left the ground, thrown across the walls of the cliff. She was quick to recover her bearings but Uriver was faster. He was upon her. His w thrust towards her, twice as big as the one she tore apart. The bleeding of the torn arm stopped. The wound sealed itself up and a new limb was quick to grow and take form. ¡°Do you see this, foolish girl? This is the power of the divine and darkness moulded together. The divines may be a being of a higher existence but even they shared the same fears as mortals. The fear of the unknown. The fear of what meddling with darkness could yield. Behold!¡± Aera wasn¡¯t listening. She was simply iling and struggling, pushing back against the ws that had her pinned. ¡°Your struggle is futile. I have so much more than you. I know a whole more than you. Your defeat is inevitable. Your death is certain the moment you decide to confront me. But don¡¯t despair. I will make sure you are reunited with your lover.¡± ¡°You will not!¡± Aera bellowed. The mes raged with her. They grew and spread. They swallowed all that they touched and reduced everything into ashes. Uriver yowled. The mes did not turn him into ashes but they were slowly charring him into cinders. Forced to let go of Aera, he leapt away to safety. Aera charged at him. Her fist raised and her arm wound. ¡°Impossible! How am I losing to a greenhorn like you?!¡± He clutched his ws together. Much of the flesh had been melted off. Blood trickled incessantly from his burns. His wounds were healing but the heat was slowing the healing process. Aera didn¡¯t wait for his wounds to heal. Her fist was inches away from Uriver. The Augur roared indignantly and further invoked the darkness. A dark tendril burst from his chest. It rammed into Aera and knocked her off her path. The tendril turned into a w. It scooped Aera into its grasp and flung her down the hill. A moment to breathe, Uriver thought, but that was naive thinking. The violet mes propelled her upwards and plopped her back on where she was flung off from. ¡°What a joke,¡± Auriver huffed. ¡°Your abilities are even more absurd than a demon¡¯s.¡± The violet mes continued to burn and rage. Aera wasted no breath and charged at Uriver. The chest tendril w split into multiple tentacles and darted for Aera. However, they all wilted from the extreme heat the moment they neared Aera. Even the ground she stood on was being charred into cinders. ¡°Are you trying to burn this whole hill down?!¡± Aera was past the point of words. She rushed at Uriver without any thoughts of anything else. All that stood in her path was burned to ashes. Uriver invoked more of the darkness. A pair of wings sprouted from his back. And just as he was about to take flight, the wings disappeared and so did the ws. In the blink of an eye, he was back to being a human. He was back to being a helpless mortal. Although it was sudden, Auriver knew what happened. ¡°Your Grace¡­ why have you abandoned me¡­?¡± were hisst words before a fist of violet mes reduced him into nothing but ashes. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!