《Slightly Contradictory》


 Prologue

    They used to call me Contradiction. They would ask me how I put fires out instead of making them worse, what with that fiery temper of mine. Or why I''m so hot-headed, even though the equipment should protect me from the heat. It''s funny how your mind works. It always used to annoy me when they teased me over and over again every chance they got, Contradiction this, Contradiction that, I really hated it. But now as I lie here, I feel that those moments are some of my fondest memories.


    "Contradiction! After this shift is over, we should celebrate your birthday! How does barbecue at the park sound? Or we could go to that barbecue joint that opened recently. There''s also barbecue at the bar and grill a couple blocks from the station..."


    My name is Calandra, though I usually go by my nickname Cal. And this is Rob, one of the older firefighters at the station, at 38 years old. He''s like an older brother to me; in fact, everyone here is like my family.


    Ever since I could remember, my family consisted of me, my dad and my older brother. Dad said that mom died in a car crash when I was 3, which is why I don''t remember her. But when I was 12, a fire broke out in our house, killing my dad and brother as well. I was the only one that survived. That event seriously traumatized me. I was afraid of fire for years after that, and became extremely introverted.


    Anyway, the person that adopted me after the fire was my father''s good friend Eric, who was also the firefighter that saved me. After my house caught on fire, he recklessly rushed into the burning building by himself, which is the only reason that I''m still alive. After he adopted me, he would often take me to the station with him. Going there really helped me open up to people, slowly bringing me out of my shell. And after hearing all of the fire fighters'' stories, I eventually decided I wanted to be a firefighter as well when I grew up.


    Now Eric is the fire chief, and I finally became a full-fledged firefighter a couple years back, at the age of 21!


    "I already told you to call me Cal! And why are all of the options barbecue?"


    He grinned, "Because I really like it!"


    ''Haa, at least he''s honest.''


    "I guess I haven''t been to the park for a long time, we could-" before I could finish, our pagers went off.


    Apparently there was a fire in the park, a pretty big one at that. I was a little relieved. Calls like this are usually simple, and hardly ever have any casualties.


    As we were heading out, Rob just couldn''t stop laughing.


    "What''s so funny?" Richard, one of the other firefighters, asked.


    Rob, who could barely articulate by this point, managed to stammer out, "Well I was just now telling Cal we should all celebrate her birthday today, and asked her where we should go. Guess where she chose?"


    After he finished talking, he burst out laughing again.


    Everyone looked at me funny.


    "That''s Contradiction. With her temper she just needs to talk about it and it''ll burn!" joked Kenny, one of the other firefighters, prompting everyone to laugh.


    "That''s not even funny! If you''re going to tease someone, at least make sense! You guys and your stupid jokes, I swear."


    "Alright everybody, settle down. Let''s not tease her too much." chuckled Eric.


    "You say that, but you''re probably laughing the hardest inside..." I grumbled, causing everyone to start laughing again.


    Once we got to the park, I immediately felt something was wrong. Ever since I can remember I''ve had really good intuition, a sort of 6th sense if you will. I can usually tell when people are lying, or if someone nearby is in danger, stuff like that. And I had a really bad feeling this time.


    I started looking around immediately once I got out of the fire truck. There were a couple groves of pine trees near a playground, with a couple grills scattered around, possibly the source of the fire. One of the groves of trees was on fire, one of the flaming trees having fallen on a large wooden playset. I immediately grabbed an ax and started sprinting towards the playground, leaving everyone else behind.


    As I got closer to the playground, the feeling was getting stronger. The part of the playset that the tree fell on had already collapsed, the fire slowly spreading through the rest of the playset. I quickly started searching, shouting to see if anybody could hear me.


    "Help, I''m over here!" I heard someone yell from close to where the tree fell. I hurried over to where I heard the voice, and as I got closer I saw a little boy trapped underneath a partially collapsed section.


    "Don''t worry, I''m here to help you. What''s your name? How old are you?"


    "I''m Berry, I''m 6 years old." he said as he held seven fingers up.


    Just barely holding back my laughter, I asked, "What were you doing under here?"


    "I was hiding from the fire. Can you save me?"


    "Saving people is what firefighters do best! Now can you tell me where your parents are?" I kept talking to him as I worked, asking him questions, trying to keep him from panicking.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    I tried to find a way for him to get out without having to use the ax, but it was no use. All of the exits were either blocked by debris or collapsed. If I were to try to clear an exit by hand, it would have taken far too long.


    "Ok Berry, I''m going to use this ax to get you out of there, but it may make the playset fall down. When I tell you to, I need you to get out as fast as you can!"


    Seeing Berry nod, I took the ax and started chopping. But just as I was nearly finished making a hole, I got a bad feeling. Sure enough, the playset started tipping, seemingly about to collapse. Sensing there was no time, I started kicking the wood, breaking it, and immediately grabbed the stunned Berry. But as soon as I pulled Berry from the playset, the whole thing started falling towards us. Too late to escape the collapsing structure, I pushed Berry onto the ground and shielded him with my body in a desperate attempt to save him.


    I felt the wooden boards and beams fall on me, causing me to collapse, pressing me on Berry. Luckily, or maybe not, nothing hit my head very hard, leaving me mostly conscious. I don''t think the rest of me was so lucky though, considering I could hardly feel anything, and everything I COULD feel hurt. Then I suddenly remembered Berry.


    "Berry? Berry, are you ok? Answer me Berry!" I barely forced the words out, hoping he was alright.


    No response.


    ''Calm down Cal, he''s probably just unconscious.'' My intuition told me that he was safe, and my intuition was almost never wrong.


    ''I don''t feel like he''s in danger, but I''ll crush him if they don''t find us soon. Hurry up guys!''


    As if responding to my silent plea, I heard people shouting nearby. "Cal?" "Cal where are you?!" "Cal!"


    "Here... I''m here..."


    "Guys she''s over here! Hurry up!"


    I was surprised by the weak voice that came out of my mouth, but it seemed like someone heard me. Luckily most of the debris that fell on us was not on fire, allowing the other firefighters to start removing it immediately. I thought there was a lot more on us than there was, but it seemed we were lucky. After no more than a couple minutes, they were removing the last pieces of debris.


    "Cal, what were you thinking?! We were still getting ready when I saw the structure collapsing with you lying underneath it! You always-"


    In the middle of Eric''s lecture, he suddenly stopped speaking mid-sentence.


    "Wha-... Nobody move her! Why is there no stretcher?! Somebody get a stretcher! Hurry up, QUICK!"


    "No, there''s-" *cough* *cough* *cough*


    "Shhh Cal, stay still, there''s help coming."


    "No!" *cough* "Child, there''s a child, under me, hurry, hurry..." I trailed off.


    When he heard me, after a moment of shock, Eric decisively had several other people help him move me. I thought I was completely numb by that point, but apparently not. Even though they were being careful, it felt like my body was being ripped apart. After they put me back down, I felt a wave of exhaustion sweep over me as I just lie there, on the brink of unconsciousness.


    I was suddenly woken from my stupor as I felt myself being lifted up again, winding up on a gurney. Unexpectedly, I felt great. I was unprecedentedly clear-headed, feeling almost no pain.


    ''Maybe I''m not really hurt that bad!'' I thought.


    As I was transported to an ambulance, I saw Berry in another ambulance, covered in blood. I was almost scared to death!


    Right after I was lifted into the ambulance, I saw Eric step in and nod to the EMTs; they nodded back and stepped out of the ambulance.


    ''What''s with that weird exchange?''


    Ignoring the strange behavior, I asked nervously, "How''s Berry? The kid in the other ambulance..."


    "He''s fine. He has a couple broken ribs, but he''s stable. It''s a miracle really." said Eric as he sat beside me.


    "But all of that blood..."


    "Most of that blood is yours. What were you thinking anyway, going off on your own like an idiot?" Eric scolded.


    "Idiot? I saved his life!" I defended.


    "That''s not my point; you should have brought other people with you!"


    "There was no time! And besides, what am I supposed to say? I guess something like ''Hey guys, I feel the presence of a human over there! Let''s go save them!''" I said sarcastically.


    Eric seemed unusually distressed, saying, "Yes! Say that! I would believe you, I''ve always believed in your intuition. Why couldn''t you have just asked for help?"


    "What about the time you saved me? You said you rushed in all by yourself! How was that any different?" I countered.


    "Because I didn''t die!" he shouted, burying his face in his hands.


    Shocked, my eyes widened.


    "What...? I''m not dead, I feel great!"


    "The paramedics said they can''t do anything to save you. They said technically, there''s no way you should even be conscious! They told me I should stay here with you for your last moments; do you even know how it feels to hear something like that? Do you Cal?!" he said with his face still in his hands, trying to hold back his tears.


    I was shocked. I knew I had some bruises and lacerations, and maybe a couple broken bones, but I never thought I was dying. After what felt like an eternity of silence, I finally spoke up.


    "....I''m sorry. I really don''t feel any pain though, so please don''t worry about me. I actually feel great... I say as I sit here dying. I guess I really am a contradiction, huh?"


    "Haha, why are you apologizing? You''re the one in such a horrible state." said Eric as he wiped his tears away.


    Suddenly I heard some voices outside the ambulance.


    "Hey!" "Contradiction!" "Heya Cal." "Cal, are you ok?"


    It was Kenny, Rob, Richard, and Charles, my best friends.


    "Hey guys, I''m doing good. How are you doing?"


    "Good?! What ''good''? You look horrible!" said Rob, and while he was grinning and joking like usual, he didn''t seem like his usual happy self.


    Kenny silently sat down beside Eric after entering the ambulance.


    As for Richard and Charles, who were brothers, they started scolding me about going off by myself, just like Eric did. Unable to hold back any longer, I burst out laughing.


    "You guys are acting like my mom! You two and Eric, haha, always scolding me for everything..."


    Before I could finish, my eyes started tearing up. Five grown men sitting there scrunched together, it should be comical. But all I could think of was, soon, I would never see them again. Seeing me start to cry, all of the guys decided to stay quiet and let me sort out my feelings.


    After crying for a while, I finally calmed down, suddenly feeling sentimental. Seeing the group of guys beside me, I decided to vent it all on them.


    "You know, I always thought of you guys as family, sniff."


    Seeing some shocked expressions, I giggled, "If it weren''t for you guys telling me stories and playing with me when I was younger, let alone my fear of fire, I think I''d still be afraid of people. I don''t know if you know how much you helped me. After the accident, I couldn''t even go to school I was so traumatized. When Eric decided to bring me to the station, I didn''t want to go at first, but when he told me that the people there hate fire as much I did, I decided it was worth a try."


    After I said that they all started laughing.


    I felt myself getting more and more lightheaded. Feeling I didn''t have much time left, I decided to get something off my chest.


    "Eric, can I ask you something?"


    Eric nodded.


    "Can I call you dad?" I asked as I stretched my hand out.


    "Of course you can!" said Eric, teary eyed, as he smiled gently and clasped my hand in his.


    "I love you Dad. And Rob, and Richard, and Charles, and Kenny..."


    Soon my eyelids get too heavy to keep open any longer. Seeing me close my eyes, everyone else grasps my hand as well.


    As I lie here, consciousness fading, fond memories flickering through my mind, I ask myself one thing;


    ''Is dying supposed to feel this comfortable?''

 Chapter 1: An Interesting Day

    "You must die!"


    I suddenly wake up to someone shouting.


    ''Wha, what was that?! What''s going on?''


    Everywhere I look, it''s black. Well that or I''m blind. Do I even have eyes? For that matter...


    I try moving around.


    ''It seems I do have a body. What the heck is going on? Why is it so hard to move? Why can''t I see anything!''


    Suddenly I start feeling sleepy. Reminded of the moments before my death, as well as the shout I just heard, I get scared and start panicking. After a futile struggle to keep awake, I finally drift off to sleep.


    "You must die!"


    ''Ah! What the- what was that?!''


    As I calm down, I start recalling yesterday. I remember I heard that same shout. Is this going to happen every time I wake up?


    I start feeling around again. Is it just me, or is it easier to move? I get excited and start moving around. It feels almost like I''m in water or something...


    ''WHAT?!''


    At this realization I start panicking, until I realize... I don''t need to breathe? Now that I think about it, other than breathing, I also don''t feel hungry or thirsty. Somehow, the liquid I''m in won''t even enter my mouth?


    ''Maybe I actually am dead...?'' I wonder.


    As I start feeling tired again, I''m not as anxious this time. I let sleep gently take hold of me, drifting off into a peaceful slumber.


    --


    How long has it been. Months? Years? It''s hard to tell when everything is so dark.


    Other than the disorientation caused by the constant lack of light, It''s actually quite comfortable in here. Sure it''s boring and lonely, but at least it''s exciting waking up stronger and stronger every day! I can also stay awake longer now. It''s because of that that I was eventually able to explore my surroundings. I seem to be in some sort of huge spherical container filled with water.


    I was originally going to try and break the container once I got strong enough, but then I thought, what if I''m some sort of water creature? Without water, would I suffocate?


    About that, I also noticed my body is shaped different than that of a human''s. I''m not sure exactly what I look like as there''s no light, but I do know that I have hair covering my whole body, a tail, four legs, no hands, and no opposable thumbs.


    ''Man, how inconvenient.''


    And on the subject of the disturbing shouts I heard every time I woke up, originally it was happening every morning, but it started getting less and less frequent. It''s been a long time now since I''ve heard the last shout. Don''t get me wrong, I''m glad it''s gone, but I''m really curious as to what that was. Was it in my head, or was the voice coming from outside?


    Since there''s no point worrying about it, I guess I''ll just wait and see what happens.


    --


    I can stay awake constantly now. I can''t sleep even if I want to. No need to sleep, eat, drink, what sort of creature am I?


    I don''t know how long I''ve been here, probably several years at least. Unable to wait any longer, I have finally decided to try to break out. I tried waiting to see if anything would happen, but I''m still trapped here. And if I can''t breathe without water? I prepared an ingenious plan for that, which should have been obvious in the first place! Water flows down right? Since that''s the case, I''ll just break the top of the container open! At least I think it''s the top...


    ''Haa, whatever.''


    I let myself settle to the bottom. Once I reach the bottom, I start swimming straight up. Since I''ve practiced this maneuver many times already, I know about where the top is. As I near it, I punch out as hard as I can!


    Boom!


    ''...''


    There wasn''t the hole that I was expecting. Rather than calling it a ''hole'' it was more like... the entire top exploded? After it broke, large amounts of liquid splashed towards the ground, but I found myself still going up! As I quickly lose my upward momentum, I eventually start tumbling down toward to the ground.


    Thwack!


    I hit the ground like a pancake. Surprisingly, even though I impacted pretty hard, I barely even felt it. Reorienting myself, I suddenly notice that I''m not in the liquid any longer! I instinctively hold my breath, then I remember that I can''t even breathe. Starting to relax, I release my breath, and quickly find that I can indeed breathe.


    ''What''s going on? I don''t seem to need to breathe, but I still can?''


    Since I still don''t feel like I''m going to pass out, I start to observe my surroundings. Underneath me is a large gray brick platform, built from circle shaped bricks with four-pointed star bricks between them. In the process of admiring the bricks, I suddenly realize that I can actually see now. And everything is so bright! Seeing sunlight for the first time in so long, it almost makes me cry.


    As I look around, I see mossy rocks, green grass, and beautiful flowers all around me. There is a pretty creek not far from where I am, making relaxing splashing sounds. I seem to be in a large clearing in the middle of a forest. Most of the trees in the forest are about the same height, but there are some trees that are gigantic, jutting far above the rest of the forest! Above me, the sun shines... brightly...The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    ''Wait, that''s the moon? Two... four moons?! Is this not Earth? And why can I see so well at night? Is it because there are so many moons in the sky? Why do I keep asking myself questions I can''t answer?''


    Temporarily putting aside the subject of moons, I start analyzing the container that I just broke out of. Though rather than a container, it might be more accurate to call it an egg. The egg is completely black, and the liquid that was inside is definitely not water. It is dark purple in color and much more opaque than water, like grape juice. The egg looks like it used to be a sphere when it was whole, just like I had speculated from inside, but what surprises me is how thick the shell is. How did I even break it? It''s at least as thick as I am long, including my tail!


    And that brings me to my new body. Being stuck in pitch blackness for so long, somehow I always pictured myself having black hair. But far from black, my hair is completely white! Not just my hair, my claws, skin, every part of me I can see is white. There''s not even any residue from the purple liquid I was in. Even the bottom of my feet- er, I guess I should call them paws now? This feels so weird...


    In order to get a better look at myself, I decide to take a look at my reflection in the creek. The purple liquid from the egg won''t work, as it''s not very reflective.


    Having made up my mind, I try standing up.


    "Uohh?"


    It''s surprisingly easy. I thought I would have trouble keeping my balance at first, but other than the occasional stumble, I can walk pretty normally. Seeing as I have little trouble standing or walking, I start heading towards the creek.


    On the way, I notice some strange symbols on the ground. They seem to stretch all the way around the platform that the broken egg is on.


    ''These are written on dirt, how are they still here? Were they made recently?'' I wonder as I try to touch one. Nothing.


    They look like they''re carved into the ground, but I don''t think they are. I can''t even feel the symbols at all. What''s going on?


    Continuing on, I scan the creek for a still area. Discovering a particularly large and tranquil body of water, I head towards it. As I reach the small pond, I''m shocked.


    ''I''m adorable!''


    The first thing I notice as I look at my reflection is that I''m not completely white, though my eyes and the inside of my mouth seem to be the only things that have color to them. My tongue is a normal pink color, the rest of my mouth looking normal as well.


    ''Why do I have a mouth and nose even though I don''t need to eat, drink or breathe?'' I ask myself.


    As for my eyes, they are completely black. It makes for a sharp contrast with my otherwise white self.


    And my appearance? I look almost exactly like an arctic fox! My nose is white instead of black, and there may be a couple other minor differences, but for the most part I look the same. The arctic fox was my favorite animal in my previous life!


    "Maybe it''s fate?" I ask myself.


    Hearing my voice, I gasp. Though I''m shocked that I can even talk, what surprises me even more is what my voice sounds like. How should I say...? I don''t really sound like a girl. For that matter, my voice doesn''t even sound human. It sounds very high pitched, almost like I breathed in helium, while also sounding quite rough. Suddenly realizing something, I hurriedly investigate myself.


    "Whew, still a girl."


    Relieved, I look back at my reflection, and notice something shining just below my neck, mostly obscured by fur. Pushing some fur to the side, I examine my chest. The object lodged in my chest is white, with about the same size and shape of a marble. I try poking it.


    "Haha, I can feel it!"


    I can feel it when I poke it, almost as if it''s part of my body! How strange. I try using my claw to poke and prod it to see how it''s attached to me. But while I can keep my balance on four legs pretty easily, it seems I''m not ready to stand on three yet. As I stand there examining the object, I suddenly lose my balance, instinctively putting my raised paw on the ground in order to balance myself. Unfortunately, in the process of lowering my paw, I scratch the marble.


    "AHHH!"


    Pain! Extreme pain! As I collapse and curl up, I''m one hundred percent certain that this is the most painful thing I''ve ever felt. I can''t explain the feeling properly, as it isn''t something I''ve ever experienced before. It feels like something more than just my body hurts.


    "Haa, haa, haa..."


    It''s been a couple hours, and the pain has still not subsided much. I''m lying down, trying to relax and wait for the pain to go away, when suddenly a shiver runs down my spine. It feels like my so-called intuition, but somehow different. Much stronger. Almost as if I can vaguely see my surroundings, all at the same time. I start trying to grasp this new feeling, when I hear a rustling sound in the distance.


    ''That far away? I could never feel anything from that distance before...''


    I see a creature slowly prowl out of the vegetation. It looks like a massive cat, easily the size of a large elephant. Its appearance is similar to that of a leopard save for its blood-red coat, littered with even darker red spots. It also has four elongated teeth protruding from its upper jaw, with eyes as pitch black as mine. And considering the way those eyes are looking at me, I don''t think it''s here to chat.


    Suppressing the intense pain wracking my body, I start crawling towards the broken egg. I don''t know exactly why I decided to go towards the egg. I guess it just feels like a safe place to me now.


    When the monster sees me crawling away in the direction of the egg, it suddenly starts running towards me. Seeing the monster sprint at me causes me to panic, as I start trying to run as well.


    "Ouch! Ah, hah."


    I slipped and fell. Looking back, I see the monster slow down not far from where I am and start to circle me. I curl up as much as I can and turn to face it.


    "Grrr."


    After circling me for a while, the big cat makes a low growl and pounces at me. I try to defend, but I can''t react quickly enough. With a single swing, it slaps me away with a paw that''s bigger than I am. Not prepared for the strike, I tumble farther away from the egg, now with a bloody slash mark across my left shoulder.


    When the monster sees me shakily sit back up, it looks at me playfully and starts circling me again.


    Regaining a defensive posture, I start looking for any terrain that might give me an advantage. Desperate by this point, I spot a tree not far from me. If I''m able to climb that tree, I may be able to escape this situation! Waiting until I''m between the monster and the tree, I make my move.


    "Stupid cat! Is that all you got?!"


    After it hears my taunt, the monster freezes for a second. It then rushes at me and swats at me again. Ready for it this time, I''m just barely able to defend myself. Holding up my paws, I take the blow head on and get sent flying directly towards the tree.


    ''Hahaha! It actually worked! Dumb cat!''


    Standing up, I make my way towards the tree as fast as my pain stricken body can take me, not daring to look back. Since it''s not that far away, I arrive at the tree rather quickly. As I start scaling the tree, I realize that I''m a rather good climber.


    Feeling that I''m a safe distance up the tree, I look back to see where the monster is. All that awaits my eyes is the view of its massive frame hurtling towards me, with its jaws wide open. I react quickly, jumping off the tree as fast as I can, but I''m too late. It grabs hold of both of my back legs, clamping them between its jaws.


    "Gah!"


    Seeing it grab my legs, something inside me snaps. I feel rage boil up inside of me, as I bend sideways and slash at one of its eyes.


    "ROARRR!"


    It lets go of my legs, and we both tumble to the ground. I hit the ground with a thud, feeling foggy headed and achy all over, but I know I can''t lose consciousness yet. Barely standing up with my wounded back legs, I leap with one last burst of strength towards its neck. Since the monster is preoccupied with its wound, it doesn''t seem to even notice me coming.


    ''Think you can play with me and kill me at your leisure?! See if I don''t kill you first!'' biting down as hard as I can onto its neck, I taste blood seeping into my mouth.


    As soon as I bite it, the monster starts flailing and roaring wildly. Unable to properly reach me with its paws, the beast starts rolling on the ground. Not daring to let go of its neck, I further tighten my grip, latching on with my claws as well.


    After holding onto its neck for what feels like hours, occasionally getting grazed by its claws, the monster finally falls. Battered and bruised, I release my hold, sliding off onto the ground. Just before I close my eyes, as I drift off, I see a stream of red fog float out of the monster and head towards my chest.

 Chapter 2: More Than Intuition

    "Uahhh..."


    I open my eyes, still drowsy and very achy. Situated not far from me is an enormous dead monster.


    "Did I do that? I mean of course I did, but wow."


    Maybe it''s because that was the first major mental stimulation I''ve experienced in years, or maybe it''s an innate attribute of my species, but I don''t feel any fear when I recall the fight I had. All I feel is exhilaration!


    Playing back the memories of the battle through my head, I''m suddenly reminded of the stories the old firefighters used to tell. They would tell tales of huge life and death struggles with fires, almost as if the fire was alive. When I was a kid, I always imagined myself having an epic battle with a fire, but even as an adult I had yet to experience such a thing. Now I feel I''ve finally experienced something that can relate to those stories!


    "Hahahaha! Try and kill me would you! Haa, what a great fight!"


    Getting a little too excited, I try standing up.


    "Ouch! Oh man, I don''t feel so good."


    Observing my current state, I realize I''m wounded all over. There are cuts and bruises covering my body, and my back legs both have large holes in them from the monster''s protruding teeth. As I turn my attention to the bead on my chest, I''m pleasantly surprised. There is still a small scratch on it, but it no longer hurts as much. Prodding it with my paw, I feel an immediate and intense jolt of pain.


    "Tss, yep, still hurts."


    Feeling unsafe out in the open like this, I decide to limp back to the egg. Looking at the broken egg, there''s one large bowl shaped piece, considerably bigger even than that monster, still filled with purple liquid. Using my injured back legs, I jump onto the side of that piece.


    "Good to be home." I mumble as I jump in.


    Almost immediately after I jump in, the wounds all over my body start feeling tingly. Taken aback, I hurriedly grasp the edge and pull myself up. As I observe the wounds on my body for several minutes, I realize that they actually seem to be healing!


    "WOAH! That''s so cool!" I shout.


    Jumping back into the pool, I quickly sink to the bottom of the liquid.


    ''Ahhh, I''ve really become accustomed to the dark. So comfortable.''


    Suddenly remembering the moment when I first sensed the monster, I start trying to reproduce the feeling. It was more than intuition; I could explicitly feel its presence. Waving my paw in front of me, I try sensing it.


    ''Not working. I can''t sense anything.''


    After several minutes of waving various limbs around, I finally give up.


    After soaking for quite some time, I swim back to the surface of the liquid. Pulling myself out and onto the side of the egg, I start inspecting my wounds. The large scratch on my shoulder has completely recovered; it didn''t even leave a scar! There are still small bloody spots on my back legs, but otherwise I seem to have made a complete recovery. Next, as I turn my attention to the marble on my chest, I''m shocked!


    "Purple?!"


    The scratch mark has actually turned purple! I try touching it.


    "Nothing?"


    I can''t feel any indentations, it''s completely smooth. And better yet, it doesn''t hurt anymore! The only sign that it was ever scratched is a purple streak running across it.


    "Haa."


    Sighing, I look up and notice that the sun has risen. The sun looks a lot like Earth''s sun, except it has a slight blue tint to it, and I could swear it''s a bit smaller. Elsewhere in the sky, I notice something obscured behind a tree.


    I try moving my back legs. Not feeling any pain, I decide to climb one of the tall trees in order to take a look at the whole sky! Jumping down from the side of the egg, I start sprinting towards a nearby tree.


    "I feel stronger now! Or maybe it''s just my imagination? Actually, it''s probably adrenal-gah?!"


    Preoccupied with talking to myself, I suddenly lose my balance and tumble forward.


    "Guess I still need to practice my coordination..."


    Blaming the fall on my coordination, I resume my journey to the tree. Once I reach the tree, I jump as high as I can, grasp the tree bark, and start climbing.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ''Defeating monsters, running super fast, effortlessly climbing trees; I feel like I have super powers!''


    Overcome with excitement, I start laughing loudly.


    Reaching the top of the tree after about ten minutes of climbing, I realize these trees are even taller than I thought. Glancing sideways, not far off, there is a massive tree half again the size of the rest. It occurs to me that I could use it to find my way home in the future should I ever get lost.


    These trees are amazing though! All of their branches and leaves grow almost straight out, overlapping each other and making an almost completely flat surface. I even had trouble getting onto the top, through the dense branches and leaves. Assuming you had a method to transport enough materials, you could probably build a house up here.


    Pushing my treehouse fantasies to the back of my mind, I lie down and appreciate my surroundings. The sky is just as blue and beautiful as Earth''s sky. In the entirety of the sky, I can''t see a single cloud. All I can see is two more moons, one of which was the object covered by the trees. But unlike the moons at night which looked white, these moons are very dark, almost black. It may sound a bit ominous when I say it that way, but they''re actually very pretty.


    I''m awoken from my trance by distant bird calls. As I direct my gaze toward the sounds, I''m greeted by the sight of a small flock of pink birds. They seem to be heading this direction, but just before reaching the clearing, they actually change direction and make a detour around it.


    ''Were they intentionally avoiding the clearing?''


    After admiring the scenery for a couple hours, I decide to head back to the Eggshell. The Eggshell is what I decided to call my home base. I also decided to call the purple liquid tonic, since it makes me feel better.


    As I near the bottom of the tree, I happen to spot some creatures crowded around the corpse of the red cat monster. Scrutinizing the creatures, their appearance is fairly reminiscent of monkeys, though they do differ significantly in some areas. For instance, they have four arms instead of the normal two, mossy green hair, which I have never seen on a monkey, considerably longer tails, and those same black eyes.


    ''I shall name them grass monkeys! And I guess I''ll call that leopard monster a bloodcat. Wow, I''m on a roll here!''


    Sneaking closer to them, I find that they''re eating the bloodcat.


    ''So creatures here do indeed need to eat! Or maybe they don''t need to eat, but still do? I''ll have to try eating something sometime...''


    "Kreee!"


    I''m suddenly roused from my thoughts by a high-pitched screech. It seems one of the grass monkeys noticed me. Hearing the noise, six other grass monkeys scurry behind the one that just screeched, which is significantly bigger than the other monkeys. They start making aggressive gestures, screeching and shouting at me, but I can''t help but notice something else. I''m getting a similar feeling from them as I did from the bloodcat!


    "This is the same feeling I got when the bloodcat found me!"


    I slowly back away, paying close attention to their presence. As I back off, the grass monkeys start to gradually calm down. The farther away I get, the weaker the feeling becomes. Closing my eyes, I concentrate on trying to feel their presence.


    After more than an hour, all but one of the grass monkeys, the biggest one, have lowered their guards and gone back to eating the bloodcat. The biggest grass monkey continues to stand watch, still giving off a weak intent. I can now sense its presence almost as well as all of them combined earlier, but I can still only sense the boss monkey.


    Suddenly I get a feeling, like something is right at the tip of my fingers. Desperately trying to grasp that feeling, I focus intently on it. Just as the feeling is about to fade, my mind starts feeling a bit fuzzy.


    Whoosh!


    Like a barrier just broke, I feel a whole new sensation sweep over me. I can sense everything around me! The grass, the leaves, the monkeys, the trees, it''s like I can see it all in my head!


    "Hahaha! This is it! This is what I was looking for!"


    Concentrating as hard as I can, I try and reach as far away as possible. Past the grass monkeys, past the trees, the feeling starts getting weaker the farther I go, but I can still sense it! It''s like I can travel places with just my mind! Is this what they call clairvoyance?


    Looking at the grass monkeys that are angry at me again because of my sudden shout, I laugh.


    "For helping me unlock this new ability, I hereby bestow upon you this bloodcat corpse!"


    Feeling quite proud of my generosity, I head back to the Eggshell to soak longer in order to completely heal my wounds.


    --


    It''s been about a month. In that time, I''ve completely gotten accustomed to my new body, and I''m now able to run freely without tripping over myself.


    Aside from that, I also discovered two new interesting species! I called one of the species wingets. Wingets are the first creature I''ve seen that aren''t afraid of coming into the clearing. They are a type of bird, and if I were to compare them to a bird on earth, I would say they look most like a crane. Assuming I''m three and a half feet long, including my tail, they would be about four feet tall. That is when they hold their heads straight up, instead of curving their long necks as they usually do. They have a round patch of white feathers on their belly and back, while the rest of their feathers are gray, save the tips of the feathers on their wings which are black. They have an absolutely massive wingspan, about three times their height for each wing. Their beaks and feet are both orange, similar in color to many birds on Earth, and while their feet look pretty normal, their beaks most certainly do not! They have long, extremely thin and round beaks. Since I have never seen one open its beak, I suspect they may be tubes, possibly for sucking blood like a mosquito! Something else that surprised me was they don''t have black eyes like the other creatures I have seen. They have normal white eyes, with brown pupils.


    The other species looks somewhat like a rat. I call them sitchles. They''re relatively small, about a foot long including their tail. They have black eyes like the bloodcat, grass monkeys and myself, and their fur color varies wildly. Orange, green, yellow, brown, I''ve seen all kinds of them. I''ve only ever seen them eat plants, so I assume they''re herbivorous.


    Something else I have noticed is that almost all of the creatures seem to be scared of the clearing. The only creatures I have seen that will come anywhere near, other than wingets, was that group of grass monkeys and the bloodcat. I''m not sure why everything avoids it, but it is very convenient having a safe place to rest at.


    Other than that bloodcat, none of the other animals have outright attacked me. The grass monkeys seemed aggressive when they saw me, but once I started backing off they calmed down a bit.


    "Maybe they would have attacked me if they didn''t have the bloodcat to eat?"


    I think back to when the bloodcat attacked me. I don''t know what I am. I don''t seem to need any of the necessities of life that any living being should need. All I know is that ever since coming to this world, that fight was the first time I''ve really felt alive.


    "I think I''ll go hunting today."

 Chapter 3: Leaving The Nest

    As I''ve already decided to explore, I don''t tarry around my home any longer. Since coming here, I still have yet to go out of sight of the Eggshell, always keeping relatively close to it; but since I have a way to get home In case I get lost, there''s nothing to worry about.


    "Alright! Off I go."


    Setting off, I pick a direction and start running! The feeling of the wind in my face, the grass under my feet, this sense of freedom... I could really get used to this!


    The farther I travel from home, the denser the trees and foliage seems to get. The wildlife seems to get denser as well, as I have already seen many species that I''ve never seen before. Different types of bugs, reptiles, birds, all types of creatures... I notice a commonality in all of them though. None of them that I have seen have black eyes, save for some of the bugs, and I don''t think that counts.


    Running farther into the forest, I suddenly detect a powerful entity. Concentrating on it with my clairvoyance, I realize what it is.


    "I found a bloodcat already, lucky!"


    Slowing down, I creep closer. Observing it intently, I notice some differences compared to the bloodcat I fought. It''s about half the size of the one I killed, but its ruby coat is a much more vibrant red. It also feels much stronger!


    Though it seems more powerful, it''s actually missing a back leg, and its body is covered in scars as well as fresh wounds.


    I''m slightly disappointed that it''s in such a weakened state, but I nevertheless sneak ever closer to my pray, ready to pounce. But suddenly I notice something. There''s a faint presence coming from behind the cat. No wait, several of them! As if confirming my suspicions, the bloodcat stands up, revealing four baby bloodcats!


    "Man, I can''t kill it now!"


    Neglecting my habit of talking to myself, I alert the bloodcat to my presence.


    The mother bloodcat turns towards me and starts walking back and forth in front of her children, growling and hissing threateningly. It seems to be very nervous. I think this is the only black-eyed creature, besides the sitchles, that has been frightened of me! It somehow makes me a little proud of myself.


    ''Haha, you should be afraid! You should- wait no! You shouldn''t be afraid! Don''t worry; I won''t hurt you or your babies!''


    "Sorry Mama Bloodcat, I''ll back off!"


    Lying as low as I can, I slowly retreat, careful to make as few movements as possible. Seemingly appeased by my actions, Mama Bloodcat retreats to her cubs, lying down beside them.


    "She looks exhausted. I wonder what did that to her?" I whisper to myself.


    Since I have nothing better to do, I decide to wait a distance away to see what''s been injuring her. I also silently hope that the bloodcat I killed wasn''t her husband.


    The sun is starting to set. I can hardly tell the difference though, since I can see just as well at night as I can during the day. I have a feeling that whatever gave her all of those wounds might have attacked at night; therefore as the sun goes down, I redouble my vigilance.


    No more than two hours later, I see something. It''s actually a group of three elk-like creatures! They are each roughly as big as Mama Bloodcat. They have black eyes, as expected, and extremely dark blue, nearly black hair. All three of them have a set of sharp, almost blade-like antlers adorning their head.


    I was skeptical at first, but as I observe them proceeding directly towards the bloodcat and her cubs, I''m all but certain that they are the perpetrators. One of the creatures splits off from the group, circling behind Mama Bloodcat. As for the other two, she seems to notice them and stands up, snarling. They take a few more steps forward and then stop, still quite a distance away from her.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    I turn my attention to the elk creature skulking around her. It barely reaches her flank before the other two charge her. Faced with the charging creatures, Mama Bloodcat chooses to stand motionless over her babies. Preoccupied with the two charging elk, she seems unaware of the elk prowling behind her, preparing its own charge.


    "I don''t think so!" I shout as I dash towards the elk creature, which just so happens to have walked right in front of me.


    As it hears my shout, the elk swings its antlers towards me. Unfortunately for it, it wasn''t fast enough. Using as much strength as I can muster, I tackle its flank, grounding it. Not giving it time to recover, I get up and rush at its neck.


    As if sensing my intentions, it rotates its neck, waving its antlers at me. Ducking under the antlers, I succeed in grabbing its throat between my teeth, crushing it. Unfortunately I was unable to completely avoid its attack. During the exchange I received a long slash down my back. Luckily it was not very deep, so it shouldn''t affect my movements. As it dies, I notice a stream of blue fog leave its body, heading towards the marble on my chest.


    In no mind to pay too much attention to such things, I anxiously turn my gaze towards Mama Bloodcat. To my shock, as soon as I turn my head, my gaze is met with a blinding red light emanating from her mouth. One elk receives the brunt of the attack as it gets pushed back and falls to the ground, body covered in burns, nearly dead. The other fares relatively better, receiving only minor burns.


    I stare in shock for a split second before quickly regaining my composure. This is a prime opportunity to quickly finish off the other elk! Running as fast as I can, I close in on the elk that''s still standing. It doesn''t seem to notice me as I leap towards its neck, though I doubt it could defend itself even if it did.


    Hearing the sickening crunch, the other elk flails on the ground, attempting to stand up. Unfortunately for it, Mama Bloodcat shows it no mercy. With a ''roar'' she pounces on the elk, clamping her jaws around its neck, breaking it instantly.


    After they die, the second and third elk also release blue fog, which funnels into the bead on my chest. Now that the fighting is over, my mind starts wandering, thinking about what the fog might possibly be.


    Suddenly remembering the situation I''m in, I lift my head only to see Mama Bloodcat panting lightly, looking wearily at me. It makes me sad somehow, that she still seems so suspicious of me. I crouch down to appear less threatening and start backing off.


    Contrary to my expectations though, she starts walking toward me. I stop and sit down again, looking at her curiously. As she reaches me, she bends down and gently grabs the scruff of my neck with her mouth, carrying me to her cubs and placing me among them. Seeing them up close, they seem to be about the same size as I am.


    "..."


    After putting me down, Mama Bloodcat walks to one of the elk carcasses and starts eating it. After eating for a while, she heads to a nearby creek to drink some water. After she finishes eating and drinking, she heads back over and curls up around me and her cubs. Detecting her presence, her cubs wake up one after another in order to get some food.


    Seeing my reluctance to eat, Mama Bloodcat nudges me.


    "Do I have to?"


    As if she can understand me, she nudges me again.


    "Haa, I guess I have no choice..."


    Latching on, I start sucking. It actually tastes pretty good. Never having a mother figure in my life, I guess this is kind of touching... in a really weird way.


    ''Ahh man, why am I crying? She''s not even human... though I guess I''m not either.''


    Letting out my pent up emotions from the last several lonely years, I start to silently cry.


    ''What am I, a baby?'' I mock myself.


    Mama Bloodcat starts licking the wound on my back, and soon after, I peacefully fall asleep.


    As I open my eyes, I''m met with a blurry world. I quickly adapt to the brightness, as I release a yawn so deep it causes me to squint.


    "Ahh, that was a nice nap. I slept like a baby..."


    My words trail off as the current situation slowly dawns on me. I''m lying amongst a group of baby bloodcats, with a huge bloodcat right beside us. I start to recall what happened last night.


    ''First I was... and then I... wait a second... did I actually fall asleep last night? I can still sleep?!''


    And now the urge to use the bathroom hits. I guess that answers the question of digestion. Though it occurs to me that I could have just taken a drink out of a creek all along...


    ''I wonder why I can digest properly when I don''t even need food or water to survive?''


    Still. Eating, drinking, sleeping, I feel more like a real, living being than I have for years. It makes me kind of happy...


    Heading back to Mama Bloodcat after finishing my business, I see the cubs playing with each other. Realizing we never had a formal introduction, I walk over to greet them. But when they see me walk over, they suddenly stop playing and, as if by design, all pounce on me at the same time!


    "Stop, that tickles!" I laugh, covered in bloodcat cubs.


    Mama Bloodcat, who''s sitting by the side, seems to be smiling.


    And so I seem to have been adopted by a family of bloodcats.

 Chapter 4: Mama Bloodcat

    It''s been several days since I met Mama Bloodcat and her cubs, and she finally seems to be in good enough condition to travel. But the number of scars covering her body is insane; she even has one that stretches across her face, slicing her nose in two. Aside from the scars, her entire back right leg is also missing, and one of her ears is gone. Both are long healed over by now, but it makes me wonder what she has gone through until now.


    "It''s decided. I''m going to take Mama Bloodcat to the Eggshell and let her soak in tonic!"


    As soon as I finish talking, the bloodcat cubs tackle me again.


    I scan the area from the top of a tree, searching for the tree that marks home.


    "Wow, I ran a bit farther than I thought!"


    Climbing back down the tree, Mama Bloodcat looks on worriedly.


    "Don''t worry, I''ll be fine!" I yell.


    Reaching the ground, Mama Bloodcat starts licking me.


    "Hehehe, haha! Stop, that tickles! Hahaha..."


    After giving me a bath, Mama Bloodcat seems satisfied, and proceeds to give each of her cubs a bath. After she finishes, I walk up to her.


    "Hey Mama Bloodcat, can we go that way?" I point the direction of the big tree.


    Mama Bloodcat looks at where I''m pointing. Not sure if she understands or not, I start walking that direction, looking back at her once in a while. As I glance backwards again, I notice her walking towards one of her cubs. Stopping in place, I watch as she picks one of the cubs up and places it on her back! Shocked, I stare wordlessly as she does the same to the rest of the cubs, and then tries to do the same to me. Though I would love a piggyback ride, I temporarily reject the idea and start heading toward the giant tree.


    "This way!" I shout as she trails behind me.


    After a couple hours of travel, we finally run into trouble. Looking straight ahead of me, I see another bloodcat, comparable in size to the first one I saw after coming to this world. I start wondering if it and Mama Bloodcat are acquainted, until I see her start to snarl. The other bloodcat flinches, then steadies itself and snarls back, leering at the cubs on Mama Bloodcat''s back!


    Infuriated by its actions, I jump in front of Mama Bloodcat and the cubs and start growling. The bloodcat glances at me dismissively and then turns its attention back to Mama Bloodcat.


    ''Underestimating me? Bad Idea!''


    As the bloodcat starts to advance, Mama Bloodcat shakes her cubs off of her back and walks in front of all of us, still snarling. The bloodcat halts its steps, still vigilant towards Mama Bloodcat. Since the bloodcat is focused on Mama Bloodcat, I decide to take this chance to strike. I sneak a few steps forward, and leap at the huge bloodcat.


    "Roar!"


    I was aiming for its neck, but the bloodcat dodges its head out of the way before I can reach it. Though I missed my target, I''m still able to bite its shoulder, prompting a pained howl from the bloodcat. But due to my failed attack, I''m forced to release my hold and drop towards the ground in fear of retaliation. Landing on the ground safely, I dart in the opposite direction of Mama Bloodcat and the cubs in an attempt to lead the bloodcat away.


    Right after I start running, I hear an angry roar behind me and, turning my head back, I witness a shocking sight. The bloodcat that I just bit is howling in rage, preparing to chase me, but right beside it is Mama Bloodcat. Time seems to slow down as Mama Bloodcat, who is less than half the size of the other bloodcat, closes in and slaps the bloodcat''s head with her paw. After receiving the slap, the bloodcat is lifted off the ground, flying head over heels dozens of feet straight into a tree!


    Thwack!


    The bloodcat slams into the tree hard enough to knock it down.


    "..."


    After making sure that the bloodcat is dead, Mama Bloodcat walks over to her crying cubs and starts licking them as if nothing just happened.


    On the way to the Eggshell, the creatures that confront us the most are surprisingly other bloodcats. Some of them are relatively small, and decide to back off, but the majority are much bigger than Mama Bloodcat, and very aggressive.


    Most of the bloodcats we have run into are easily handled by Mama Bloodcat, but in front of us right now is a bloodcat that''s nearly as small as she is. As soon as she saw it, she started acting really worried. She is currently pacing back and forth in front of me and her cubs, growling and snarling, while the opposing bloodcat is merely standing there, seemingly looking down on her. I slowly walk towards Mama Bloodcat and try to comfort herIf you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    "Don''t worry, we can take-"


    Before I''m able to finish my sentence, I''m forcefully batted away by Mama Bloodcat and sent tumbling backwards! Shocked and confused, I stand up and glare at her, but she doesn''t notice. Her full attention is still on her opponent.


    Without warning, she suddenly dashes towards the bloodcat. Nearly unfazed by her missing leg, she clashes with the bloodcat, leading to an intense brawl. Seeing wounds quickly appear on Mama Bloodcat and her opponent, I start to understand how she might have gotten all of those scars.


    Not long after the brawl started, it''s already finished. Mama Bloodcat takes a few steps backwards, covered in wounds. But even though her body is covered in wounds, they''re all shallow and she seems nearly unfazed, still pacing back and forth and growling. Her opponent, however, seems considerably worse off. It has blood dripping from numerous wounds, each much deeper that the wounds on Mama Bloodcat. The bloodcat looks shocked and terrified. It likely never expected to lose out in the first exchange, let alone so badly.


    But the shock and terror lasts only a few short seconds, soon replaced with rage. The bloodcat releases a mighty roar, and with it comes a bright light. A split second later, I see a pillar of flames emerge from the bloodcat''s mouth!


    I look worriedly at Mama Bloodcat, but she actually seems calmer that she was moments ago. As the flame pillar nears her, she opens her own mouth, which releases a bright light of its own. Shortly after the light, flames erupt from her mouth.


    As the flames near each other, I expect to see them clash in midair, but such a thing doesn''t happen. When the flame pillars finally meet each other, Mama Bloodcat''s much brighter fire continues forward, consuming the opponent''s fire as it actually seems to grow stronger! With its mouth still open, the bloodcat receives Mama Bloodcat''s attack and is immediately knocked backwards, engulfed in flames. It frantically rolls on the ground for a few seconds before going limp, still burning.


    My mouth hangs wide open as I attempt to process what just happened. If Mama Bloodcat hadn''t pushed me away, if I had joined the fight, I might have wound up just like that bloodcat.


    My attention is suddenly attracted by a cloud of red fog being released by the bloodcat corpse. I''m used to this by now, fog is released by dead creatures, but I have never seen this much before, nor any this dense! This is much more than those elk creatures released, by several times! As the fog enters the bead on my chest, it feels like energy is coursing through my body, making me stronger!


    Lick lick lick!


    My thoughts are interrupted by a slobber attack.


    "Ah, ahaha, stop! Stop! It''s okay, I''m alright! Hahaha!"


    But Mama Bloodcat is relentless. By the time she stops licking me, I''m covered in saliva. She then picks me up and puts me with her cubs. Now that things have calmed down, I notice that she''s panting pretty heavily. That fight must have taken a lot out of her.


    I''m rather excited as I climb down the tree. We''re almost there! Looking at Mama Bloodcat though, she seems pretty nervous.


    "What''s wrong, Mama Bloodcat?" I ask.


    She doesn''t respond, merely looking in the direction of the Eggshell.


    "Come on, let''s go." I urge.


    Still alert, she continues to follow me.


    We finally reach the Eggshell after about half a day, but for some reason, Mama Bloodcat is acting extremely nervous right now. Why does everything seem so afraid of this place? As I walk towards the Eggshell, I suddenly find myself hovering several feet above the ground.


    Struggling until Mama Bloodcat puts me down, I ask her, "What''s wrong? What are you so worried about?"


    "Stop."


    "Huh?" did she just talk?


    She turns around and walks off. Confused, I sit down and wait. After less than a minute, she walks back into the clearing with a sitchle in her mouth. She then proceeds to spit the sitchle at the Eggshell! Expecting the projectile to hit my precious home, I almost freak out when suddenly the sitchle disappears.


    I try to walk forward in order to see what happened, but Mama Bloodcat stops me again.


    "Stop." she says as she walks off again, coming back with another sitchle in her mouth.


    "..."


    Sorry sitchles.


    As she spits out another sitchle, I watch it more carefully this time. I notice that as it passes over the symbols surrounding the stone platform, it actually turns to dust.


    "..." I sit there speechless.


    So many things suddenly make sense. Why are there so few creatures in this clearing? Why is it so safe in the Eggshell? Why did the first bloodcat I met panic when it saw me head towards the stone platform? It must all have something to do with this.


    Stepping forward again, Mama Bloodcat tries to grab my scruff.


    "It''s okay Mama, I know what I''m doing." I comfort her.


    I don''t know if she is able to understand me or not, but she stops trying to pick me up. Walking towards the Eggshell, I quickly step over the symbols, to show Mama Bloodcat that I''ll be safe. Seemingly appeased, she walks back over to her cubs, who are currently wrestling with each other.


    Observing the symbols, I once again try touching them. Nothing. I look back at Mama Bloodcat. After looking at her for a few seconds, I turn my attention back to the symbols and immediately use my claws to scratch at them. Nothing!


    "Stupid thing! Why won''t you break!"


    I continue to desperately claw at the symbols. After several seconds, I look at them again. Not a single scratch.


    "RAH! She''s so close! I bring her all the way here, and nothing!"


    Suddenly, I have an idea. If I can''t bring her in, I''ll bring the tonic out! Stepping inside, I grab a piece of eggshell. Hollowing it out with my claws to make it into a bowl, I proceed to dip it into the tonic. Retrieving the bowl of tonic with my mouth, I carefully bring it to the edge of the symbols. Mentally crossing my fingers, I try stepping through.


    Thud!


    As I try to bring it past, the eggshell bowl will not go past the symbols.


    "Haa, haa, haa, haa..."


    Taking deep breaths, I try to calm down. I pick up a rock and attempt to bring it through the shield. Success! Quickly crafting a bowl out of the rock, I fill it with tonic and attempt to step outside.


    "Pleasepleasepleaseplease..."


    Slosh!


    The rock bowl can go through the shield, but the tonic is stopped at the shield and splashes to the ground.


    "No..."


    I sit down.


    "It can''t be... I was so close..."


    Fueled by desperation, I suddenly have a crazy Idea. Peering down at the symbols, I concentrate on them as hard as I can with my clairvoyance.


    WHOOSH!


    Massive amounts of information flood my head. And just as soon as it starts, the flow of information ceases. I hold my head in anguish. My head feels like it just got run over by a freight train, but there''s not even a hint of a frown on my face. No, I''m smiling from ear to ear.


    There''s still hope!

 Chapter 5: Cracking The Code

    "Ah, then that must be... wait no, then that means... aha, of course, of course..."


    At first whenever I interacted with the symbols, I was unable to handle all of the information, and was forced to withdraw my consciousness almost immediately. The ensuing headaches would nearly incapacitate me for the better part of a day. But over time I must have gotten used to it, and I was able to handle the information better and better. Now I can study the symbols for hours at a time, and although I still get headaches a lot, they aren''t nearly as bad as the ones I got initially.


    Every time I study these symbols though, I lose track of time. At first I was only trying to find a way to turn off this barrier. That''s still my goal, but I''ve come to enjoy the time I spend examining the symbols, learning more about them.


    The more I study them, the more I feel these jumbles of interconnected symbols often act similar to math. I always loved math in my past life, and I was pretty good at it too if I do say so myself, but the difference is on Earth I had teachers and reference books to help me learn. But here, though I do have these symbols to study, I have to learn their properties by myself. The hardest part is learning how each symbol interacts with the others. I do feel my proficiency in math has helped me with this though!


    "You should not work on that all day, you will make yourself sick again! Come eat."


    "Just a minute Mama, I''ll be done soon!"


    "Okay dear, but please do finish quickly."


    After the first time I heard Mama Bloodcat speak, I started trying to teach her words. At first I thought that she might have just been mimicking me without knowing what she was saying, but that wasn''t the case. She has human level intelligence at least, though she''s much smarter than anyone I''ve ever known. I only had to explain a word to her once, and she would remember what it meant. She was able to hold a basic conversation within a week, and was almost completely fluent within a month!


    The cubs were much slower picking it up, but they eventually wound up learning how to talk as well.


    After appeasing Mama Bloodcat, I turn my attention back to the symbols. It''s been several years since she and the cubs settled down near the Eggshell, and since then I haven''t had much success with the barrier. But a couple months ago I happened upon a section that seems important. My current theory is that it''s some sort of on-off switch, but I have yet to find out how to flip it on or off.


    Why don''t I just change a random part in order to make the entire equation invalid, you may ask? Well, I can''t. I''m able to send power through the symbols and observe their reactions, but it''s like a circuit board, I can''t seem to move anything. That is, until a couple months ago. That''s why I think it''s an on-off switch. Out of the thousands of symbols I''ve examined, this is the only group of symbols I''ve found that I can actually move around.


    And so I continue rearranging the symbols in different positions as I have been doing for months, when suddenly, as I connect two symbols, I''m hit with a sudden burst of inspiration.


    "That''s it!"


    I start madly connecting the symbols, building off of the first two I connected.


    Shua!


    A beam of light pierces the sky, originating from the symbols surrounding the Eggshell. Lingering for a few seconds, the beam of light is then swallowed back up into the symbols.


    "I did it! Mama, I did it!" I shout as I run into the forest.


    Coming back with a sitchle in my mouth, I drop it in my paw and throw it over the symbols.


    Bonk!


    The sitchle hits the side of the stone platform, after which it quickly scurries away in a daze.


    The cubs look wide-eyed at me.


    "You did it sis!" "Good job!" "My sister is so cool!" "Hooray!"


    They all get excited, though I''m not sure if they know what they''re excited about. Feeling proud of myself nonetheless, I suddenly recall the original purpose of this endeavor. Running to Mama Bloodcat, I start trying to drag her to the pool of tonic.


    "Mama, hurry!" I shout excitedly.


    "I will dear, but I would like to celebrate this special occasion first."


    "Hmm?" my siblings and I tilt our heads.


    "I would like to give you all names."


    "A name?" one of my brothers asks.


    "Yes, a name. Your sister tells me that a name is something a parent gives to their child to call them by. Therefore I will grant each of you a name, so you may address each other by more than just sister and brother."


    With sparkling eyes, my siblings line up one by one, with me at the end.


    Mama slowly walks up to my brother.


    "You are kind and patient. You are good at talking, and better at listening. To you my son, I shall give the name Casus."


    "You are brave and persistent. Even if you fail and take a loss, you still try again. To you my son, I shall give the name Regis."


    "You are intelligent and generous. You solve problems, and ask for nothing in return. To you my daughter, I shall give the name Eile."


    "You are steadfast and resourceful. Pressure means nothing to you, you always find a way. To you my daughter, I shall give the name Tisa."


    Arriving in front of me, Mama continues.


    "You are passionate and decisive. You do not shy away from danger, instead rushing straight at it. To you my daughter, I shall give the name Lyna."The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    After Mama Bloodcat finishes, everyone is silent for a while, until...


    "Mom says I''m brave, so you should all follow me!" states Regis.


    Eile adds, "The leader is supposed to be smart, idiot! I should be the boss."


    I start feeling a little bit guilty for teaching them such words.


    "If you nominate me as leader, I will be a stable and resourceful boss!" Tisa persuades.


    "Patience is a virtue. A good leader should always be patient!" proclaims Casus.


    Having no idea how they even learned some of these words, I sit beside Mama Bloodcat.


    "Mama, I think you just triggered a death flag."


    "What is a ''death flag''?"


    Figuring the death flag would probably dissipate if I point it out, I just shrug at her question.


    "Children, Mama is going to follow Lyna, behave while I am gone."


    """"Yes Mom!""""


    Leading the way, I walk Mama Bloodcat to the pool of tonic. But instead of directly jumping into the liquid, she puts a paw in it. Not long after putting her paw in, she suddenly recoils. Worried, I ask her what''s wrong.


    She answers my question while looking at her paw incredulously, "I am merely shocked by the properties that this liquid possesses. Already I can feel the scars on my paw healing."


    Now that it''s confirmed that it can heal her scars, I get impatient.


    "Hurry Mama, get in!" I shout as I jump into the pool of tonic.


    "Alright, I am coming." she laughs.


    Even with her huge body, Mama Bloodcat easily fits inside the pool of tonic. To my surprise, once she fully enters the pool, she actually starts floating in the liquid! I always sink like a rock. I guess my body is denser or something.


    Getting out and standing on the edge of the pool, I ask, "How does it feel?"


    "How should I explain... scratchy? No, there is a word..."


    "Tingly?" I ask.


    "Yes, tingly." she replies, smiling.


    After several hours of soaking, she exits the pool to eat and drink. It seems that in the short time she was in there, some of her smaller scars have already healed! Looking excitedly at her missing leg, I don''t notice any immediate change. I guess I can''t really expect it to heal that quickly, but I still feel a bit disappointed.


    --


    It''s been about a month since Mama Bloodcat has started taking baths in the tonic. All of her scars have healed by this point, even the one across her face. But more exciting than that is, her missing leg is healing! It''s pretty slow, even now she has only grown about a quarter of her leg back, but I''m still super excited. But she seems even more excited than I am.


    "Look children, look at how much it has grown! Soon I will be completely recovered, and we can roam anywhere we would like! We can finally hunt as a family!" exclaims Mama Bloodcat, clearly excited.


    With one of her legs missing, not only does it slow her down, it also makes being quiet much harder. But even worse, it makes her look like an easy target. Many creatures seem to view her as weak, and attack her on sight.


    Casus is the first to speak up, "I''m so happy for you Mom!"


    "Congratulations Mom." says Regis, with his usual straight face.


    "Too bad it won''t grow any faster..."


    "It will be grown soon enough, don''t worry Eile."


    ''Aren''t you comforting the wrong person?''


    Hesitating for a moment, I ask, "Mama, how did you lose your leg?"


    As I ask that, everybody looks towards Mama Bloodcat.


    "My leg... It was when I even younger than you cubs." She lies down, and we all sit down beside her. "I was hunting with my sister, when we ran into a creature that walked on four legs, and had two sharp legs that it swung around."


    I interrupt, "Arms?"


    "What are ''arms''?"


    "Arms are like legs that you don''t walk on."


    "Yes, then they must have been arms. When I saw the creature, I was afraid to go near, but my sister ran straight at it. Before I could even stop her, she had already been split in two by the monster. The creature moved so fast, I could not even see it. It then looked at me. Paralyzed by fear, I could not even move. The creature walked right in front of me and proceeded to cut my leg off. I collapsed, closing my eyes, fully expecting it to kill me. But when I opened my eyes, the creature was dragging the two halves of my sister, as well as my leg, away. To this day I do not know why the creature did not kill me. After I returned to my mother, she abandoned me because of my missing leg. Ever since then, I have traveled alone, until I got you cubs." she smiles at us.


    "What about our father?" asks Eile.


    "He parted from me long ago. Our species does not usually pair for life." says Mama.


    --


    I observe Mama''s leg, now missing only the tips of its toes.


    "Mama, your leg is going to be good as new soon!" I exclaim.


    "Then we can all go out hunting!" adds Regis.


    "Children, I will take longer this time. I feel something coming."


    "Something?"


    "I am not sure what it is. I feel I am about to break through something, to become stronger."


    "Ahh, so like a level up?" I ask.


    "Yes." Mama laughs.


    "Please take as long as you need! I''ll take care of things while you''re gone." says Casus.


    Surprisingly, he''s the one that became the leader in the end. I guess with enough patience, you can just wait until everyone else gives up and you become the boss by default. Looking satisfied, Mama climbs into the pool.


    It''s been three days, and I''m honestly a bit worried about Mama. She hasn''t been out once this whole time, neither eating nor drinking. I''ve checked on her many times, and she''s still alive, but her eyes have been closed ever since she entered the tonic. She doesn''t react to anything, almost as if she''s asleep.


    I''m currently in the process of checking on her again. As I near the Eggshell, I notice a glow emanating from it. Jumping up onto the side of the pool, I realize it''s actually Mama Bloodcat that''s glowing!


    I observe her condition for a while to confirm that she''s not in danger, and then head back to where my siblings are. But on my way back, I suddenly I hear a faint buzzing sound coming from behind me. Turning my head, I see the light from the pool has gotten much brighter. When my siblings see it, some of them start rushing towards the pool.


    "Stop!" shouts Casus, "We need to leave her be. This is probably an important time for her."


    Everyone agrees and stops. Deciding to wait it out, we restlessly wait for Mama to finish.


    We wait impatiently for about an hour before we notice a change. The bright light starts slowly dying down, eventually disappearing. When the glow finally disappears, I cautiously approach the Eggshell. When I finally get there and peer inside, I''m speechless.


    In the pool where Mama was, there is now a beautiful woman floating on the surface. She looks to be about 30 years old, with red hair and sharp, chiseled facial features. Feeling something is off, I suddenly realize. She doesn''t have any cloths on...


    "Shoo shoo, all of you, go!" I start shooing my siblings away.


    Now that I think about it, they''re not humans so they probably don''t even care, but still...


    After I chase my siblings away, I jump back onto the side of the pool.


    "Mama...?" I call hesitantly.


    The beautiful woman in the pool suddenly opens her eyes. Rather than the black eyes I expected to see, what greets me is a set of eyes that look surprisingly human, save the bright red irises. She slowly holds her hands up in front of her face, wiggling her fingers back and forth. Afterwards she swims to the side of the pool and grabs onto the edge, pulling herself out.


    "I may look different, but it is still me, dear." she comforts as she walks closer and tries to hug me.


    Dodging the hug, I release an awkward cough.


    "Um, Mama, you should get some clothes..." I say.


    Suddenly, with a speed much faster than any I have ever seen her achieve, Mama scoops me up and gives me a hug. Seeing my shocked expression, she laughs.


    "What are ''clothes''?" she asks, smiling.


    "Uhh, clothes are for uhh, it''s something to cover your uh, body when you don''t have... fur..." I stutter out, trying to look away.


    "Are you afraid of this appearance? I am sorry..."


    "No! I think you look beautiful Mama, it''s just, you uhm... you need some clothes. It''s embarrassing when you don''t have any..."


    She makes an ''ah'' sound and puts me down. Suddenly with a flash she has a red robe draped over her body.


    "How is this?" she grins.


    Stupefied, I look at her robe. It looks very simple, but... she just materialized clothes out of nowhere! I start excitedly instructing her. Shorten this, lengthen that, add this, tighten that. Though it''s a bit crude, we eventually craft it into a relatively pretty dress, if I do say so myself!

 Chapter 6: This Seems Backwards

    Since her breakthrough, Mama Bloodcat has spent most of her time in human form. She is able to freely transform between human and bloodcat form within seconds, but she says that her human body is more convenient. As for the reason it''s more convenient...


    "Ahaha, Mama, stop, it tickles! Haha!"


    "Hehehe." Mama giggles.


    I''m a bit vexed. Ever since Mama transformed into a human, she got a lot more mischievous! The way she pets and tickles me all the time, I can''t tell whether she considers me her daughter or her pet! Though I can''t say that I hate it, since I do enjoy all of the attention...


    "Mom, are you bullying Lyna again?" asks Casus.


    "Motherly love, it is just motherly love." laughs Mama.


    "Okay, we''re going to go hunt steeg alone then." huffs Regis.


    ''Steeg'' are what Mama decided to call the blue elk-like creatures.


    "Stay safe." warns Mama.


    Sitting on Mama''s lap, a question suddenly pops up in my mind, one that I have been wondering for a long time. I can''t help but ask, "Mama, why did you adopt me?"


    Looking confused, she replies, "What is ''adopt''?"


    "Uhm, it means to make someone part of your family, even though they aren''t related to you."


    "Adopt, I will remember that word. Do you remember when we first met?" she asks.


    I nod my head.


    "When I first saw you, I felt you were very strong. Not long before we met, I had fought a very strong steeg. I wound up killing it, but I was injured and exhausted during the fight. The rest of its group ran away after that, so I thought the matter through, but that night they came back to attack me. No matter how many of them I killed, the rest would always run away and come back the next night. So when I noticed such a strong creature that seemed hostile towards us, I was afraid for mine and my cubs'' lives. But suddenly you retreated, no longer seeming hostile. I was confused. But when I noticed you hide in the bushes, I thought the reason was that you were waiting to ambush us."


    "...You saw me?"


    "Yes, I saw you." she smiles. "And when the steeg finally came that night, I found you were still waiting. I decided to use my strongest attack immediately in order to kill the two steeg in front of me so that I could deal with the danger behind me, but due to my exhaustion, my attack was not able to fully kill even one. I thought I was done for. I already had little confidence in dealing with the situation, but when my attack failed, I lost all hope. But when I happened to look behind me, all I saw was a dead steeg. Soon after, I heard a sound and turned back around to see yet another dead steeg!" she makes exaggerated hand motions to show how shocked she was.


    I nod my head vigorously, "And then what?"


    "Well, after I killed the last steeg, I finally noticed you. You were covered in blood and had a wound on your back, but you just sat there as if nothing happened. I was unsure of your intentions, so I was still wary of you, but then I saw you start to retreat again. At that moment, I suddenly realized. You were waiting in the bushes not to ambush us, but to protect us, were you not?"


    I give an embarrassed nod.


    Mama smiles, "So when I saw you with such a lonely look on your face, what else could I do?"


    "Hehe." I snuggle up to Mama, as she pets my head.


    Mama seems to hesitate for a minute, but finally speaks.


    "May I ask what you were doing out there alone? What happened to your family?"


    "..."


    Mama smiles, "You do not have to tell me if you are not ready."


    "No, it''s just... a bit of a long story, haha..."


    "I will listen for as long as it takes."


    "Well, uhm, I think I was reincarnated into this world. Reincarnated is like, I died, but then I was born again as a new creature. But I still had my memories from my other life. I know it''s hard to believe, but it really did happen." I look at Mama to see how she''ll react.


    She looks like she''s pondering. Noticing that I stopped talking, she smiles and says, "Go on."


    "Ah, well, even in my other life, I didn''t have a mother, but when I came here I didn''t have any parents. I think I was born in that." I point at the Eggshell. "Except that''s just half of it, I broke the other half off of the top to get out. I spent a long time in there before I was strong enough to get out though. And it was completely dark inside, so I was bored and lonely, and a little bit scared. Anyway, once I broke out, I was really happy. I was finally able to see and hear things! But not long after I got out, I accidently injured myself, and then got attacked by a bloodcat."Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    In the middle of my story, Mama suddenly starts glaring and emanates a murderous aura.


    A little startled, I hurriedly add, "Ah, but I killed it after that, and healed all of my injuries in the tonic."


    Mama relaxes again and smiles at me.


    ''That was a bit scary.''


    "So after I fought the bloodcat, I was actually pretty excited. With nothing to do for so long other than think, I guess fighting allowed me to finally alleviate my pent up boredom and frustration. After staying here for a while, I finally decided to travel into the forest in order to experience that feeling again. And when I saw you, I..."


    Mama giggles, "You were planning on fighting me?"


    A little embarrassed, I continue on, "Well, uh, when I saw that you had children, I decided not to, and... sorry. I was just really touched that you were still protecting your children, even though you were in such bad shape. And when you carried... haa, carried me over and treated me like... you know, treated me like your- hic... I''m sorry, I just..."


    Mama picks me up and hugs me. I really wish I would stop crying so easily.


    "I guess I just didn''t even notice how lonely I was." I laugh.


    "Do not worry Lyna, you will not have to be lonely anymore." says Mama seriously.


    ''Not lonely? Is she planning on staying with me forever?''


    Remembering Mama''s aspirations of traveling the world as a family, hunting wherever, whatever and whenever we want, I get an idea.


    I suddenly jump off of Mama''s lap and proclaim, "We should take a trip!"


    Mama Bloodcat is at first taken aback, and then asks, "Are you ok with that? Is this place not your home?"


    "It''s fine, watch this!"


    I run over to the symbols, channeling my conciseness into them. Suddenly, everything within the circle of symbols, including several feet of dirt, disappears.


    "... What just happened?" asks Mama.


    I show her a gold chain hanging around my neck, "I found out how to do this a few days ago, it''s right here!"


    My brothers and sisters come back, each dragging a steeg with them. These kids sure have gotten stronger recently. Not only that, it seems they''re already considerably bigger than Mama Bloodcat in her bloodcat form.


    "Mama, why are you so small?"


    "Small? Am I that small?" she asks a little dejectedly.


    Looking at Mama''s well built form, I quickly amend, "No, I mean as a bloodcat!"


    "Oh, that. When I was younger I was much bigger. But as I grew stronger and older, I started getting smaller again. I am not sure why."


    "I see." I nod.


    Suddenly, "Mom!" shouts Tisa.


    "Look at what we got!" says Eile.


    "We were lucky this time, we ran into two groups of two steeg." smiles Casus.


    Regis just drops his and doesn''t say anything, but he looks very proud of himself.


    Mama praises them, and continues, "Children, I have something to say after we finish eating."


    They nod, and we all start eating. Honestly I found raw meat gross at first, especially the texture, but over time I gradually developed a taste for it. The black eyed creatures taste the best in my opinion. But unfortunately, although there are many types of creatures around here, only a few types have black eyes. Out of those, steeg are by far my favorite! We don''t eat bloodcats by the way, that would be disgusting.


    Everyone is sitting around Mama Bloodcat, like we usually do when she has something to talk about.


    "Children, I will get to the point. I wish to explore the world. Where I go, there may be no other bloodcats, no steeg, and there will undoubtedly be dangers along the way. You are all old enough to live by yourselves, so I will not force you to come with me. But if you do wish to come with me, I will gladly bring you along."


    They stare silently at Mama for a while, until Eile speaks up.


    "Mom, I was planning to tell you this sometime, but I found someone. I know you said bloodcats don''t usually pair for life, but he already said that he..." If bloodcats could blush, her whole face would probably be beet red by now. I mean, I know it''s already red, but you know.


    Mama smiles and hugs her. The contrast between a human and a bloodcat, it reminds me of some videos I have seen on earth of humans and big cats. Except this big cat is much bigger than any I have seen on earth.


    "I am very happy for you. You must introduce me to him before I leave."


    Regis speaks up next, "I also found someone. And like Eile, I plan to spend my entire life with them. I''m sorry mother, I cannot come with you."


    ''Regis? That straight-face? He paired up?''


    Mama congratulates Regis as well, also expressing her desire to meet his partner. Afterwards Casus and Tisa, although they haven''t found anyone, also want to stay behind.


    After the family meeting is over and everyone goes their separate ways, I still have a question I want to ask.


    "You didn''t seem surprised by their answers, did you expect them to...?"


    Hearing my inquiry, Mama looks toward the sky and sighs.


    "When I was their age, I enjoyed being away from my mother. It may in part be because she abandoned me, causing me to possess resentment toward her, but I had long guessed that part of that feeling exists in them as well."


    On her face is an expression I have never seen on her before. She looks so sad and lonely.


    Unsure of what to say, I simply lay down in her lap. Mama gently pets my head, and I gradually drift off to sleep.


    The next morning, Mama makes good on her intentions and asks Eile to take her to her boyfriend. I decide to go with them, and as soon as Mama returns to her bloodcat form, we head out.


    Said bloodcat is about the same size as Eile, and although I can''t tell for sure, he seems pretty nice. The three of them talk for about an hour, during which I think everything went well. I couldn''t understand what they were saying, as they were talking in the bloodcat''s language, but Mama seems quite happy with him.


    As for the female bloodcat that Regis is pursuing, I tagged along that time as well. When I saw the bloodcat that was half again as big as Regis, I was a little surprised. Shortly after she and Mama met, they actually started fighting! Mama easily subdued her of course. After the fight, Mama said something to Regis and left. Catching up with her, I asked Mama why they suddenly started fighting.


    "A battle maniac. As soon as she saw me, she said she wanted to fight me. She reminds me of a certain someone." laughs Mama.


    "Eh, I wonder who that would be..."


    Over the next few days, the cubs start showing up less and less often. Though, I guess they aren''t really ''cubs'' anymore. It''s nearly night now, and none of them have shown up since yesterday.


    Ever since we had the meeting, Mama has not been smiling as often. She''s constantly furrowing her brows, as if she''s trying to make a tough decision.


    "We will leave tomorrow."


    While I lie in the grass playing with a sitchle, I suddenly hear Mama speak. As I look at her face, I see a relaxed expression, one I have not seen for several days.


    "Are you sure?"


    "Yes. They have made their decisions. I am reluctant to part with them so soon, but some things must happen." She breathes in deeply, probably in an attempt to hold back her tears.


    "It''s ok, they''ll be safe, I''m sure of it. And who knows, maybe when we come back you''ll have grandkids!"


    "What are ''grandkids''?"


    "Grandkids are like, your children''s children."


    "Oh, I would like that!" Mama gives an energetic smile.


    The next morning, we set off.

 Chapter 7: What Doesnt Kill Me

    In my past life I heard something about lions pushing their cubs off cliffs in order to make them stronger, but I never really believed it. I still don''t believe that lions do it, but after today, I think that bloodcats might.


    "How could you Mama! Betrayal! You bully!!"


    About an hour earlier


    Not long after leaving the clearing, we run into a huge yellow beetle that''s easily as big as a bloodcat. As I watch the battle between the beetle and Mama Bloodcat from the side, I notice something interesting. Mama is using the same fire attacks that she has always used, but differently. Instead of releasing the attacks from her mouth, the attacks are coming from her hands, and she seems to be able to change the attack''s direction in midair. It doesn''t take long for the battle to end, and I walk towards her full of questions.


    "How did you attack with your hands? Oh, and how did you manipulate the attack in midair?"


    "What is ''manipulate''?"


    "Oh, to manipulate something is like to control it."


    Mama nods her head and changes the subject, "Have you still not awoken your ability?"


    I answer a little awkwardly, "Well, I remember you said you awoke your ability while you were fighting, so I guess I just haven''t had a good enough battle yet!"


    "I see, I see." Mama reveals a suspicious looking grin.


    "Uh, Mama? What, um, what are you thinking about?"


    She quickly reverts to her normal self, "Oh, I was just thinking we should head that way!" she points in a direction.


    A bit nervous, I use my clairvoyance to explore the direction she pointed at. Not far off, I detect a group of entities, and they don''t seem weak!


    "Uhh, you know, I was hoping we could head this direction." I say as I start walking in the opposite direction.


    Swish!


    I suddenly find myself leaving the ground.


    "Children must listen to their Mamas." Mama smiles as she lifts me up by the scruff.


    "Ahh! Mama! I''m sorry! What did I do? I won''t do it again! I promise!"


    "Oh honey, you have done nothing wrong. I am doing this because I love you. This is for your own good!"


    The next thing I know, I find myself in a pit, being chased by a group of black-eyed brown boars that are each easily over five feet long.


    "Stupid pigs! Stupid Mama! Just wait until I get out of here!"


    Considering how low the sides are, I should be able to escape easily, but when I tried earlier, I got blocked by Mama.


    "This is for your own good!" she repeated.


    Glancing at the boars behind me, I start getting worried. Before, I could run away easily, but they seem to be getting smarter. Now whenever I get near the edges of the pit, the boars start spreading out to prevent me from escaping! As I near the edge again, I grit my teeth and jump.


    I land on the side of the pit and prepare jump over the top of the boars. But mid jump, I notice a boar rapidly approaching me from below.


    With a thud, the boar''s nose hits my stomach. I don''t feel any pain from the impact, but there''s another problem. The attack pushed me farther into the air, giving the boars ample time to surround me. As I land on the ground, I realize that there''s now nowhere to escape to. Fighting seems to be the only option, so I single out a boar and go towards it!This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Before it can react, I jump on the boar''s head, grabbing onto it with my claws.


    "Skree!"


    Quickly crawling up the boar''s head until I reach its neck, I bite it as hard as I can!


    Crack!


    "Ouch!"


    I break its neck causing it to fall limply to the ground, but the bite broke one of my teeth as well.


    "Skreee!"


    Seemingly enraged, the rest of the boars charge me with renewed vigor. Jumping off of the fallen boar''s body, I start fleeing the boars again. As I reach the edge of the pit, I jump on the wall again, but this time I use it as leverage to jump at another boar!


    I ram into the side of the boar, sending us both tumbling. Taking the opportunity, I bite as close to its throat as I can.


    "Skree!"


    Unable to inflict a fatal wound, I try to jump off and flee, but am intercepted by a boar ramming me. Regaining my bearings, I find myself surrounded by boars again, except this time they seem much more wary of me.


    "Scared huh? Hahaha!"


    Seeing them afraid of me somehow makes me excited! Taking advantage of their fear, I charge one of them again. As soon as they see me move, all of the boars behind me immediately charge, while the ones in the direction of my charge flee.


    With my speed, I quickly catch up to my target, tackling it. But this time, instead of trying to bite it, I jump off of it as soon as I can. As I resume running, I look back and see the boars that were chasing me trample the boar that I just tackled, slowing them down and even tripping some of them.


    "You guys are idiots!"


    Scouring the area, I spot the boar that I had injured earlier. Since it was in the direction of my earlier charge and ran away by itself, it''s now all alone. Licking my lips, I start chasing it. As I near it, it starts crying for help. Looking back, I see all of the boars that were chasing me are now quite a ways away.


    "Haha, looks like-"


    As I turn my head forward again, I notice that the boar has stopped and turned around. Unable to slow down in time, I instead decide to pounce at the boar. As I tackle it to the ground, I bite the side of its neck, but in the process it also bites my front left leg.


    "Mfff." I release a muffled cry.


    Biting its neck harder, I try to quickly kill it, but suddenly I hear a crunch.


    "AHHH!" I''m unable to hold on any longer, as I release a shout of pain.


    As soon as I let go of the boar''s neck, it also releases my leg and scurries away.


    Holding my broken leg, my mind goes blank for a moment, and I quickly find myself surrounded by boars again. There are seven of them left, the rest dead or too injured to fight. Slowly standing up again, I see one of the boars charge. Balancing on my back legs, I try to jump on the charging boar''s head. I successfully grab its head, but before I can get a good hold, the boar bucks its head.


    Flying through the air, it feels like everything is going in slow motion. As I look sideways, I see that there''s already another boar charging at me. I feel a sense of fear, a fear that these things could kill me, but more so I feel angry. The fear and anger seem to combine into a single emotion, as a new sense of confidence starts to well up inside of me.


    ''You guys are just like that bloodcat! Do you really think I''ll just give up without a fight?!''


    I start feeling a strange power build up within me. The power seems to naturally move throughout my body, as if it has a mind of its own. Revealing a spiteful grin, I focus my attention on the boar that''s running toward me. The only thought going through my mind right now is to kill these cowardly pigs that are ganging up on me.


    "You want to take advantage of the situation huh?! You wish!"


    As I shout, I feel the strange power flow through my body up towards my head. With my blurring vision, I witness a white beam exit my mouth, piercing directly through the charging boar''s forehead.


    As I hit the ground, I see the charging boar collapse, no longer moving. My consciousness fading, I am barely able to utter a few more words before passing out.


    "Serves you right..."


    "-m sorry..."


    ''What?''


    "I am so sorry..."


    Hearing Mama''s voice, I squirm a little bit.


    "Lyna?! Lyna, are you awake?"


    "...Mama?"


    "Oh Lyna, I am so sorry. Do you feel okay?"


    Feeling her squeeze me, I release a muffled grunt of pain, after which she apologizes and loosens her grip. Opening my eyes, I see Mama''s face hovering directly above mine.


    Looking around, I realize Mama is cradling me in her arms. On the ground, I see numerous charred boars.


    "Hehe, Mama, did you do that?" I glance at the scorched boars surrounding us.


    "Of course I did, they were trying to kill my child!"


    "You''re so much stronger than me, Mama."


    She is silent for a while. After a few seconds, she slowly speaks.


    "That is why I did that. I would love to be able to protect you your entire life, but if ever there is a situation where I cannot, you must be able to protect yourself."


    With those few words, I feel all of my previous resentment fade, replaced by a warm feeling in my heart. I lean my head on her arm, "I love you Mama."


    She smiles, "Now hurry up and bring out the Eggshell, you must quickly treat your wounds!"


    Reminded of my broken tooth and leg, the pain suddenly hits me.


    "Owowow, hurry and put me down Mama, so I can bring it out!"


    Mama giggles and puts me on the ground.


    Fwoosh!


    On an empty spot not far away, a large stone platform with half an egg on it that''s surrounded by grass suddenly appears. I start limping towards it, but before I can get far, Mama scoops me up and jumps onto the side of the pool. She then gently places me in the pool. As usual, I sink like a rock to the bottom of the tonic.


    "Make sure to recover quickly!" I hear Mama say from above me.

 Chapter 8: A Change of Scenery

    As soon as I settle to the bottom of the tonic, I feel a tingling sensation all over my body. As the tonic mends my wounds, I simply lie down, taking this time to wind down and relax after that battle.


    After a few minutes, I start getting bored, so I focus my attention on the ability that I just awakened. I try to replicate what happened when I was fighting, and to my surprise, I''m able to control it immediately. It''s almost as if I have always been able to do it, it feels perfectly natural.


    The feeling is reminiscent of the one I get when I absorb the colored fog that comes out when monsters die. It feels like a current of energy is flowing through my body, but it can''t go everywhere. It seems to flow through a specific pattern, all the way to my mouth where it somehow turns into an attack. As for where the current originates, it''s actually the marble on my chest. To my knowledge, Mama Bloodcat doesn''t even have a marble. I''ve never seen anything similar on any black eyed creature I''ve encountered, either. I''ll have to ask Mama Bloodcat about it when I recover.


    My tooth and leg have finally healed after a couple days. Though I guess normally a broken bone should take a lot longer than that to heal, and I''m not sure a tooth should be healing at all. I guess I''ve started to take tonic for granted, it really is amazing!


    As I reach the surface of the Eggshell, I climb onto the side. After a quick survey of the area, I see Mama lying on the grass beside the stone platform, sleeping. I quietly make my way over to where she is and lie down next to her.


    "Good morning Lyna, I have breakfast."


    Opening my eyes, I see Mama with a dead boar beside her. I squeeze out a ''thank you'' while yawning and standing up. After we finish eating, I once again ask Mama how she can shoot fire out of her hands.


    "I could do that only after I was able to transform into this form. Why do you ask, are you having trouble using your ability?"


    "No, I can use it, I was just wondering if there are any tricks to controlling it."


    Mama looks surprised, "You are able to use it already? Can you show me?"


    Nodding my head, I channel the energy through my body, releasing a white beam out of my mouth. But as the white beam exits my mouth, I notice something. The beam that I had previously thought to be solid white actually has a sliver of purple on it! Shocked, I stop my attack and hurriedly claw the fur away from the marble on my chest. Noticing my odd behavior, Mama looks as well. I stare silently at the white marble with a purple streak through it, which looks suspiciously like the beam I just shot out of my mouth.


    "What is that?" asks Mama, pointing to the marble.


    "I think I was born with it, I don''t know what it is exactly." I reply.


    Curious whether Mama might know anything, I narrate the events that led up to me getting the purple streak. Then, using my ability again, I show her the nearly identical purple streak and ask her if she knows what might be going on.


    "I do not know what it could be." Mama shakes her head.


    Since there''s no use thinking too much about it, I decide to move on. After talking with Mama Bloodcat about abilities for a while, I learn that it took her quite some time to learn how to use hers after its awakening, thus her initial shock. I also learn that Mama channels her energy from her stomach area.


    "You store it in your stomach?" I ask, a little surprised.


    "Do you not?"


    "Mine comes from this marble in my chest." I say as I look at it.


    Mama makes a small frown and thinks for a while.


    "It may be a trait of your species, I am sure everything will be fine. Instead of thinking about such things, we should keep moving." smiles Mama.


    Retrieving the Eggshell, I second her opinion. Mama chooses a direction, and we start moving.


    On our journey, Mama has me fight everything that attacks us, as long as she doesn''t deem it too strong, in order to gain more experience. Not that I need much convincing to fight!


    "Ha!"


    Swinging my paw in midair at a red bear with horns, it meets my paw with its own. Compared to the bear, I''m actually stronger, but my small size is rather disadvantageous in a head-on fight. I''m sent flying by the attack but am left otherwise unscathed. The bear, on the other hand, has blood dripping from its paw. Jumping at it again as soon as I hit the ground, the bear fends off my second attack with its other paw. I land on the ground again and start circling the bear.


    "You''re the one that tried to ambush me, aren''t you embarrassed getting beaten to this point?"


    The bear starts getting more agitated as it hears me. I learned from Mama that even before she could understand what I was saying, she could often grasp the general meaning behind my words. It seems the same is probably true for other black eyed beasts.


    Proceeding my taunt, the bear starts to build up energy, causing its claws to glow red. I prepare to dodge an attack, but the bear suddenly stands up on two legs and starts running towards me! The sight is rather humorous, and I nearly burst out laughing as the bear frantically pursues me. After a while, the bear''s claws stop glowing, and it sits down panting. I almost don''t have the heart to kill it, but if I was weaker than it, it would have surely killed me.


    "Sorry, I''ll make it quick." Opening up my mouth, I shoot a beam of energy through its head, killing it instantly.


    Mama walks over from the side.


    "Killing it was the right thing to do. Often when creatures suffer defeat in a battle, they will hunt down the creature that defeated them, sometimes for years, looking for an opportunity to kill them."If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    "Yeah, it''s just it was so weak, I feel a little bad killing it."


    "Just because it is weak does not mean it cannot harm you. It may ambush you when you are weak, or convince others to attack you with it. There is even a chance that it may get lucky, and later become stronger than you. You must never spare something that wishes to kill you.


    "Are you speaking from experience?"


    Following my question, Mama just smiles and changes the subject.


    "I have never seen an ability such as yours. How much of your energy did that attack use?" Mama asks.


    "I''m not sure, but I could probably use it several times."


    Mama looks amazed.


    "Truly worthy of being called my daughter!" she laughs.


    "But Mama, don''t you have two other daughters as well?"


    "Of course! Two sons as well, and they will all grow up to be strong, just like their mother!"


    Praising Mama''s confidence in my mind, I search the area with my clairvoyance. I sometimes search the area when I get bored, but I have yet to find anything interesting. But this time, I actually find something!


    "Mama, Mama! I found something over there!" I shout as I point in a direction and start running.


    "Whoa!"


    We quickly approach the structure. It looks almost exactly like an Inca pyramid. It''s surrounded by vegetation, with green vines growing all over its surface. At the end of a huge flight of steps, standing on top of the pyramid, is a structure with a doorway leading inside!


    "Mama, let''s go!"


    Mama nods her head and takes the lead. As we head up the stairs and near the doorway, Mama holds her hand out and stops.


    "There is something there." she points at the doorway.


    "I think it''s some sort of barrier, like the one around the Eggshell, though I don''t think it''s as strong. Let me see if I can remove it."


    I look around for symbols, finally locating some on the ground just outside the doorway. Sending my consciousness towards them, I am immediately met with resistance. Grunting in discomfort, I force my way past their defenses.


    "Are you okay Lyna?" asks Mama.


    "I''m alright."


    This sensation is completely different from the symbols around the Eggshell. The symbols surrounding the Eggshell are much more complex, so much so that it gives me a headache, but I''ve never met any resistance when trying to interact with them.


    After I break through their defenses, I try to directly sever the symbols'' connections. They try to resist, but the connections between the symbols are much weaker than the ones around the Eggshell. With a minimal amount of effort, I sever a few important looking symbols from the rest, isolating them. Soon after, the barrier deactivates.


    I retract my consciousness and exhale a breath of air.


    "Have you ever seen something like this?" I ask Mama Bloodcat, gesturing to the pyramid.


    She nods her head, "I have seen places similar to this, nothing exactly like this though. But I have never thought to go inside one."


    I secretly wonder if humans might have built these.


    As we walk through the doorway, I see what I assume is rotted furniture lying around. There are four walls, each with a doorway leading outside. In the middle of the room is a stairway leading down.


    "Eck, it smells really musty in here."


    "What is ''musty''?" asks Mama.


    "Oh right, musty is like it smells old and damp, or maybe moldy. It''s a bad smell."


    Mama nods her head, "It smells very bad. What is ''moldy''?"


    After doing my best to explain what mold is, we walk towards the stairs in the middle of the room and prepare to descend them.


    Mama walks in front of me, "I will go first."


    We are both able to see in the dark, but as we head deeper down it becomes almost impossible to see even for us. Of course, I could always use my clairvoyance, but that wouldn''t help Mama Bloodcat see. Eventually Mama just creates a ball of fire which hovers above her hand. After walking down many flights of stairs, we reach a room.


    "I sense something." I say as I point towards the floor in front of us.


    Examining the floor, I don''t see any symbols. Confused, I observe the area closer. I eventually locate two groups of symbols on the walls, directly opposite to each other.


    "It seems almost like a tripwire..."


    "What is a ''tripwire''?"


    "It''s like a string that''s attached to a trap, which sets off the trap if you step on it."


    Mama nods her head.


    I use my clairvoyance and attempt to deactivate the ''tripwire''. I''m able to access the symbols easily, as they have almost no defense. I sever the connection between two symbols, and just as I''m about to continue, I get jerked backwards violently. I''m given little time to react before everything goes pitch black and I find myself on the ground, covered by something heavy.


    Fwish fwish fwish!


    I start hearing sounds above me. Suddenly, I start getting flashbacks from when I got crushed by debris in the park.


    "AHH!! NO!"


    In a moment of confusion and panic, I scream and frantically kick at the thing on top of me.


    "Lyna?! Lyna, are you ok? Are you hurt?!"


    I feel a pair of arms wrap around me, and finally realize what it is that''s on top of me.


    "Ah, ha, ha, ha..."


    For some reason, even though I shouldn''t even need to breathe, I start hyperventilating as Mama Bloodcat continues to lie on top of me. Soon the noises stop, and Mama stands up, lifting me up with her. She once again makes a ball of fire and hovers it above her hand, illuminating the dark room. After examining me all over, she sighs in relief.


    "Thank goodness, I thought you had been injured." she says as she sighs again and embraces me.


    I continue to breathe rapidly as Mama hugs me tightly, whispering "it is ok now" over and over.


    It takes several minutes before I calm down enough that Mama is willing to put me down, but I still find myself trembling uncontrollably. Now I finally see what the noises were. There are hundreds of arrows littering the floor and walls, covering almost the entirety of the large room.


    Suddenly I hear a small gasp behind me, and turn around just in time to see Mama Bloodcat pull an arrow out of her side.


    "Mama? Are you ok?! What..."


    My words are cut short as I see the rest of her body. No less than a dozen arrows cover her back. There are also two arrows in each of her legs, and one in her right arm. She notices my gaze and smiles.


    "I am alright Lyna, look."


    She points at an arrow on her arm. Not even half of the arrow head had pierced her arm. I realize I''m too worked up right now, so I close my eyes and breathe in and out a few times, in an attempt to calm down. By the time I open my eyes again, Mama has already pulled the arrows out of her arm and legs, and she''s now sitting down reaching for an arrow on her back.


    "I''ll get them."


    I walk over and start clumsily removing arrows. By the time I finish removing the arrows, though it''s a bit difficult to see with her red clothing, the bloodstains covering my paws tell me that her back is definitely covered in blood. The sight makes me sad. It makes me want to cry and apologize, but I know she wouldn''t want that.


    "Thanks Mama, I love you."


    She smiles, "I love you too Lyna."


    As all of the arrows are removed now, I summon the Eggshell and Mama Bloodcat climbs in. While she soaks, I lie down and try to calm down. I didn''t even realize that event traumatized me so much until I re-experienced it. By the time I stop trembling, I find that Mama is already sitting beside me.


    "Do you want to leave?" she asks.


    I shake my head, "No way!"


    "Good answer!" laughs Mama.


    After we joke back and forth for a while in an attempt to lighten the mood, we decide to move forward. We continue traveling through rooms, each with a stronger barrier covering the doorway. There are traps in almost every room that we travel through, but we both agree we should just avoid them instead of attempting to diffuse them.


    The farther we go, the less decayed the furniture seems to be. In the room we''re in now, there are actually still remnants of some scrolls and books, though they''re no longer readable.


    As I reach the barrier in this room, I realize it''s considerably stronger than any the ones before it. Even so, I''m able to deactivate it with a bit of effort. As the barrier disappears and I look up, I notice a light at the other side of the room.


    "Mama, that must be something important!" I shout as I start heading in the direction of the light.


    "Lyna, I walk in front, remember?"


    "Ah, right."


    We cautiously make our way towards the glow, careful to avoid any traps we come across.

 Chapter 9: Treasure!

    I''m unable to penetrate the barrier with my clairvoyance, but I can see through it just fine with my eyes. Unlike everywhere else we''ve been in this pyramid, the room in front of us seems completely untouched by time. It''s the smallest room I''ve seen thus far, but its contents seem to more than make up for that.


    There are several pieces of furniture, including a few chairs and tables, as well as bookshelves and a desk. But more important than furniture, there are books and weapons; there''s even a small wooden chest in the corner! Illuminating everything is something that looks like a glass ball floating in the middle of the room, which is releasing golden light.


    "Whoa, look at all of that stuff! I wonder what''s in that chest?!"


    Mama laughs, "I rarely see you this excited."


    "In my previous life, this was the kind of stuff we had. Well, most people didn''t own those types of weapons, but almost everybody that I knew had books and furniture."


    "What are ''books and furniture''?" asks Mama.


    "Those are books," I say as I point at some books, "they are made out of something called ''paper'', people use them to transfer information. And furniture is what those things that the books are on are called. Those are furniture as well." I point at the chairs and the chest.


    Mama nods, "Did you live in places like this?" she gestures to the room in front of us.


    "Close, but not exactly. It''s kind of hard to explain..."


    "Do not worry about it."


    "Ok, I''m going to try and disable the barrier."


    "Be careful, do not hurt yourself."


    As I send my consciousness toward the symbols on the floor, I ready myself for what''s coming next. I feel the impact from their defenses, and it''s much stronger this time! After a few minutes of wrestling with the defenses, I start feeling fatigued and realize I''m going to need a rest. At the same time, I feel like the symbols'' defenses have also gotten weaker. After a few more minutes, I sit down, panting.


    "Are you okay? You did not hurt yourself, did you?" asks Mama.


    "I''m alright, I just need to rest for a while. I weakened the barrier just now, so I should be able to break it eventually."


    Mama seems relieved. Without warning, she sits down, picks me up, and places me on her lap. It seems I''m stuck here, so I curl up and close my eyes.


    After an hour or so of rest, I feel good as new. Like that, I make another attempt to break the defenses every hour. Between each attempt, the defenses seem to repair themselves a bit. It''s not enough to be worried about, but it is an interesting property. The symbols act a lot like math, as they seem to be able to add, subtract, multiply, etc. each other, but there also seems to be symbols that tell other symbols what to do, like little supervisors. I''ve never really gotten into coding before, but the symbols act similar to how I would imagine computer code would. The more I study these symbols, the more they intrigue me...


    Whoosh!


    "Haha, I got it!"


    After several days of effort, I have finally broken the barrier!


    As I''m about to enter the room, Mama steps in front of me and sternly states, "I walk in front, Lyna."


    "Ah, sorry, I forgot."


    After stepping around the room and nudging a few things, she finally seems satisfied and gestures me in. Walking in, I immediately jump on the desk, which has some books lying on it. I flip through the pages of one of the books as best I can with no hands.


    "Of course..."


    I mean, I already expected it, but the books are most certainly not written in English. I raise my head to look around the room again.


    "Whoa!"Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    Over beside the weapons, I see Mama with a huge halberd that''s about a foot taller than she is!


    "Mama, you look so awesome!"


    "What is ''awesome''?"


    "It means you look super cool!"


    "Do I? Haha, I chose this weapon then! Do you know what it is called?"


    "It''s called a halberd."


    "Halberd... I like this weapon!"


    Given my current form, I can''t really handle a weapon effectively, so I walk over to the chest in the corner instead. As I reach the chest, I thoroughly scan it with my clairvoyance. Confident that there are no traps, I finally try to open it. It doesn''t have a lock on it, so I''m able to flip the lid open easily.


    Peering inside, I see lots of miscellaneous objects. Most of it is either jewelry or other accessories, such as gloves or hats. I grab a simple looking wire necklace with a silver star on it, and try sending my consciousness into it. Nothing. I hand it to Mama.


    "Mama, can you try sending some energy into this?" Mama accepts the necklace and tries channeling energy through it.


    Mama shakes her head, "Nothing."


    Mama hands it back to me and continues swinging her halberd around. As I''m examining the necklace, I remember something I''ve read in books before.


    "Well, can''t hurt to try."


    I bite my paw.


    ''Ouch! What am I saying, of course it would hurt to try!''


    Under Mama''s slightly distressed gaze, I drip some blood on the necklace. Almost as soon as the blood makes contact with it, the necklace actually absorbs the blood! Soon after, I hear a voice in my head. It doesn''t sound particularly human; more like a robot talking to me. But what shocks me is, it''s speaking in English!


    "A translator?!"


    It says it''s a device that can translate anything it hears to a language that the user can understand, and it will translate your words back as well.


    ''So basically a universal translator?''


    My foolish grin must have worried Mama, as she asks me what is wrong.


    I put the necklace on and say, "Mama, could you try talking to me in bloodcat language?"


    "Like this?" she asks.


    "Did you really speak bloodcat just now?"


    Mama looks shocked, "You can speak bloodcat as well?"


    Laughing, I show her the necklace, "It''s this, it translates words!"


    "What is ''translate''?"


    "Translate is like, turn something you can''t understand into something that you can."


    Mama nods her head, "That sounds like it could be useful."


    "Here Mama, drip a drop of blood on this." I hand her a star necklace as well.


    Mama slashes her finger with the tip of her halberd and drips some blood on the necklace.


    ''Mama, should you really be doing that with a weapon you just found in an abandoned pyramid?''


    I grab another item out of the chest. It''s a simple silver ring this time. I drip some blood on it, and it narrates its use in the same robotic voice.


    "WHAT?! Storage item? Like an inventory?!"


    Startled, Mama looks at me, "Lyna, what are you shouting about so suddenly? You surprised me."


    "Watch!" I grab a chair and, willing it with my mind, it disappears!


    "Ahahaha! This is awesome!" I shout.


    "Where did that furniture go?" asks Mama, confused.


    "Ah, it''s called a chair. The chair went inside of this ring!" I show her the ring.


    "You can store items in that ring?"


    I nod my head and give her a nearly identical silver ring. She drips some blood on it and then proceeds to excitedly gather up all of the weapons in the room. I can barely hold back my laughter. She then proceeds to drip blood onto her halberd.


    "Lyna, I can channel energy through this weapon!"


    Suddenly the head of the halberd start glowing bright red. I try to give her a thumbs up, but then I remember I don''t have thumbs. I dejectedly give her a ''cool, Mama'' and then we continue dripping blood on things.


    Out of the rest of the items, Mama found a pair of gloves that make her grip stronger. She seemed pretty happy with those. She also found a couple silver necklaces with flat blue pendants hanging from them that allow you to use your energy to generate a shield around yourself. She tried to giving them both to me, but I asked her what I would do with two of them. Finally convincing her to keep one, we continued searching.


    Though most of the rest of the items were trinkets with limited use such as fire starters, glowing orbs and some sort of obnoxious noise-making device, there was one other item that was more valuable. It was a wooden bracelet that actually converts your energy into water! Mama tried to make me take it, but I insisted she take it, since I don''t even need water.


    I look at my reflection in the creek. Around my neck are three necklaces; a golden chain, and two simple wire necklaces with pendants adorning them. The golden chain is, of course, the Eggshell, and the two wire necklaces are the translator necklace and the shield necklace.


    We found eight storage rings total, so me and Mama each took four. But since I don''t really have appropriate fingers for the rings, I asked Mama to put mine on the shield necklace, leaving the blue pendant with two silver rings on either side of it.


    Mama similarly chose to hang her storage rings on her shield necklace, "Now we''re matching." she said.


    As for the storage rings, after taking all of the furniture from the room, I deduced that they could hold a normal sized house easily. Each of them!


    "All of this jewelry, I feel so rich!"


    "What is ''jewelry'' and ''rich''?" asks Mama.


    "Well, jewelry is things like these rings and necklaces that we have, and rich means we have lots of valuable things!"


    Mama nods her head, "Then I was already rich." she says with a smile.

 Chapter 10: Cultivation?

    "Lyna... Lyna dear..."


    I''m awakened by Mama Bloodcat calling me.


    "Mama? What''s wrong?" I sit up drowsily.


    "Lyna, what is this word?" Mama points to a word on a book.


    "Word?" I get up and look at the word. "That''s circulate. It means to move around in a certain area, I think."


    Mama smiles, "Thank you."


    I lie back down and close my eyes.


    ''Wait, book?!''


    I hurriedly sit back up and look at the book in Mama''s hands. I then look at the words. Although they''re in another language, somehow I can understand what they mean!


    ''Is it the translator necklace? It must be!''


    Excited, I take a book out from one of my rings and start reading. After reading for a few hours, I realize that most of these books are probably useless to me. I have learned a lot from them though.


    The energy in our bodies, which our abilities use, seems to be called ''qi'', and people who cultivate qi are called ''cultivators''. The majority of the books are manuals on how to cultivate qi, or manuals teaching ''martial arts'' and ''magical techniques'', both of which use qi to activate.


    But again, these are all useless to me, as only humans can use them. Mama is able to use them though, since she can transform into a human. She''s been reading books all day, occasionally asking me what a word means.


    Even though I can''t utilize the techniques in the books, I decide to keep reading them anyway, since it''s fun.


    "Mama, I found a fire attribute cultivation manual!"


    Sadly, out of all of the manuals and books, we couldn''t find any information about those symbols, or about the marble on my chest. There were several mentions of ''soul'' though, which seems to be what my clairvoyance is. Your soul is your mental power, which some of the manuals imply can be trained as well, but none of them say how. I haven''t seen any mention of someone''s soul being able to leave their body, though.


    We also found out how cultivation works for humans. The main way they cultivate qi is through meditation, where they absorb and circulate qi through their ''meridians'', which are qi passageways that cover their entire bodies, in very specific patterns.


    Unlike beasts though, most humans are born with weak bodies. In order to cultivate qi, they must first temper their bodies. There are four stages of Body Tempering. The first is called Skin like Leather, which is achieved when the skin is able to withstand a certain amount of force. Most of the training manuals for Skin like Leather involve whipping or beating your skin, then slathering it with medicine or taking a medical bath.


    The second, Iron Flesh, is reached when they train their muscles to the point where they can lift a certain amount of weight. Most of the methods for reaching this point simply involve exercises such as running and weight lifting, often recommending medical baths after the training, but the amount of exercise they require is insane!


    The third stage of Body Tempering, Tendons like Bowstrings, is when the cultivator has tendons that are extremely flexible, yet also strong enough to lash out with extreme force. Many manuals just teach sets of basic stretches, which can be supplemented with medicine, but one of the manuals I read taught a method where you continuously dislocate your joints, over and over again!


    The fourth stage, called Golden Bones, is a little bit vague. Humans seem to be able to cultivate qi after reaching the third stage, making this stage unnecessary, but many manuals have theories on how to achieve it anyway. That''s right, theories. According to what I have read, there have been very few recorded cases of Golden Bones, and many people who had it were thought to have been born with it. One theory on how to achieve Golden Bones is to take a certain medicine constantly from birth, but supposedly it''s nearly impossible, as the ingredients for the medicine are far too rare. Another theory requires you to break your bones, take a specific medicine, wait for the bones to mend, and then repeat the process many times.


    ''What''s with all of these masochistic training methods?!''


    Anyway, the books usually just refer to them as the first, second, third, and fourth stages of Body Tempering respectively.


    After a person achieves at least the first three stages of Body Tempering, they can undergo Qi Awakening. Apparently qi exists almost everywhere, and undergoing Qi Awakening allows humans to start absorbing the qi from their surroundings, storing it in something called the ''dantian'' which is located in the stomach below the navel.


    There seem to be four stages in each cultivation level, but other than Body Tempering, all of the other ones just call them the early, middle, late, and peak stages.


    After Qi Awakening is Qi Manipulation. When you reach the Qi Manipulation level, you are able to better manipulate the qi inside of your body, allowing you to use magical techniques and martial arts. Many manuals and books heavily stress the importance of raising a level in cultivation, warning not to cross this point until you can no longer progress in your cultivation, or else risk having trouble cultivating later. Even so, without the aid of medicines, the success rate of Qi Manipulation is apparently relatively low.


    The next level, considered to be a peak existence and the last to be mentioned in any of the manuals, is called Qi Expulsion. According to everything I have read, extremely few people reach this level, as few as one every hundred years.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    One characteristic of a Qi Expulsion level cultivator is their lifespan. They are able to live for over a thousand years, and there are even records of some extending their lives past two thousand through unknown means!


    Another characteristic is their ability to fly. Some people are able to fly at the Qi Manipulation level through the use of certain techniques, but all Qi Expulsion cultivators are able to fly.


    And lastly, the third characteristic of a Qi Expulsion cultivator is their ability to release qi from any part of their body, and then manipulate it while it''s outside of their body.


    I look at Mama Bloodcat expectantly, "Mama, can you fly?"


    She nods, "I have been trying some time now, and I believe I can."


    "Haha! I knew you were super strong!"


    Mama gives me a wide grin, and suddenly lifts about a foot off the ground!


    I''m rendered speechless by the sight. I have seen so many crazy, impossible things since coming to this world, but even so I never thought I would see someone fly. I mean, it''s one thing to read about it, but to see it firsthand...


    After about an hour of floating and slowly moving through the air, Mama finally lands on the ground.


    She flies over to me and asks, "Do you want a ride?"


    I nod my head vigorously.


    Mama picks me up and soars straight up into the air. The pyramid gets smaller and smaller in my vision, as we fly higher into the sky. Around us is forest stretching for miles in every direction, backdropped by distant mountains.


    Past the mountain range nearest to us, far off in the distance, I see a thin, barely visible silhouette stretching up into the sky.


    "Mama, what is that?" I ask, pointing to the shadow.


    She shakes her head, "I do not know."


    "Should we head towards it?" I ask.


    "It might be dangerous." she warns.


    "But if we don''t explore it, I might die of curiosity!"


    "But curiosity kills the cat." she says slightly sarcastically.


    "..."


    She can''t fly indefinitely, since flying actually takes a lot of qi, so we eventually have to return to the ground.


    After a slightly more serious discussion, we both decide to should travel towards the shadow in the sky. We''re about to continue our journey, when suddenly I hear someone start talking.


    "What are you doing in my territory?"


    As I look in the direction of the deep voice, my eyes are greeted with the sight of a huge turtle!


    "Sorry Mister Turtle, we''re just traveling through."


    "You can understand me?" asks the turtle, clearly confused.


    "Mhm, these help us." I show him the star necklace.


    "Oh... well, make sure to hurry."


    And so I talked to a turtle!


    After getting the translation necklaces, we have been able to talk to most of the animals we meet instead of fighting, just like Mister Turtle. But even being able to talk to them doesn''t solve all of our problems.


    Standing upright in front of me is another red horned-bear. It''s a bit smaller than the last one that I fought, and seems much stronger. It''s covered with scars, and a murderous intent is leaking through every pore of its body.


    "Uh, I don''t suppose you would be willing to let us pass?" I ask.


    Not even gracing me with words, it merely roars at me and assumes an attack posture.


    "Careful Lyna, this beast is very strong." warns Mama from the side.


    "I''ll be careful!"


    A grin materializes on my face as my heart starts beating faster.


    ''Finally, a strong opponent!''


    I don''t let the bear make the first move as I dash to its left side and lunge at it. Roaring again, the bear swings its right paw at me while shielding itself with its left. Twisting my body in mid air, I avoid its attack, directly biting its left arm.


    "Raaaa!"


    I kick the bear''s arm to propel myself away, taking a chunk of the bear''s flesh with me, and just barely dodging its second swing. After I land on the ground, I immediately run towards the bear''s legs. The bear takes a few steps back and lowers its posture. As I near the bear, it swings its right paw at me again. Quickly slowing my advance, I jump at the bear''s shoulder after it finishes its wide swing. But before I can grab its shoulder, the bear twists its body, dodging me.


    After it dodges my attack, I sense the bear start to build up qi, so I go in for another attack before it can finish. The bear clumsily raises its paws in defense, but it''s not fast enough. I slip past the bear''s paws and headbutt its abdomen.


    With a grunt, the bear tumbles to the ground, and I roll forward past it. Steadying myself, I turn around to see the bear standing up again, with its back facing me. As quickly as I can, I run towards the bear, jump up, and bite the back of its neck. The bear swings at me, but I dodge it by twisting my body as I stay latched onto the nape of its neck.


    "ROARRR!"


    I sense a massive release of qi. Putting strength into my back legs, I jump away again, lacerating its neck in the process. The bear turns towards me, appearing haggard, but its eyes tell me that that it''s not over yet.


    Its right paw starts glowing bright red as it takes a large stride towards me, after which it swings its arm at me as if it''s throwing a baseball. A red ball of qi shoots out of its paw and flies straight at me. I easily dodge the attack, and look at the bear suspiciously. There''s no way the attack should be that easy to dodge. Eyes still glued on the bear, I suddenly sense something dangerous behind me.


    Boom!


    I hear an explosion, the blast wave of which quickly lifts me up and pushes me away from the source. Still in midair, I hurriedly activate my shield necklace, causing a large circular shield to appear in the direction of the explosion, which hovers about a foot away from me. Immediately after I activate it, I hear the sounds of shrapnel battering the translucent blue shield. Activating the shield, as well as defending against the attack, winds up draining about a quarter of my qi. As I land heavily on the ground, I still have my eyes on the bear.


    Glaring at me, the bear once again lifts its right paw up, which is still glowing red, albeit dimmer than before. I stand up and prepare for the attack. With some effort, the bear swings its paw at me a second time. As the ball of qi hurtles towards me, I duck below it and proceed to jump at the bear. As soon as I hear the bear''s attack explode, I erect a shield behind me. Soon the blast wave catches up to me and propels me forward faster, straight at the bear. By the time I near the bear, it already has its paw raised again, staring wide eyed at me. Just before I reach the bear, it starts to duck out of the way, but I''m able to swipe my paw at it as I fly past, delivering a strong blow to its head.


    Boom!


    The qi that it was storing up in its paw explodes and propels me forward even faster, straight at a massive tree. With a painful smack, I hit the tree and then slide down to the ground.


    Thump.


    I hear the sound of an impact behind me, and turn my head. There, the red horned-bear is lying on the ground, missing part of its right arm, and riddled with small puncture wounds. A billow of red fog rises from its corpse and heads towards me, indicating that it''s most certainly dead.


    "Haa, haa, haa..."


    I find myself breathing heavily after the fight. I used to think that I didn''t need to breathe, but sometimes I get an overwhelming urge to, such as right now. I''m not really sure if it''s because I need to breathe though, or if it''s just a habit born from when I was human.


    "How do you feel?" asks Mama Bloodcat sounding a little worried, as she walks over to where I am.


    "Great! Haa, I haven''t had a battle that good in, haa, in forever!"


    "I realize that you have gotten much stronger recently, but why did you not use your ability to fight it? The battle would have been finished much sooner."


    "It would have been over too quickly, haa, it''s more fun if it''s a challenge!


    Mama sighs and shakes her head, "Okay, hurry and bring out the Eggshell so you can heal."


    "Nah, all I have are a few, haa, a few welts and bruises, those will heal in no time."


    "Do what you will, but I had better not hear any complaining while we travel."


    I reconsider my decision, and decide to summon the Eggshell after all.

 Chapter 11: Black Rocks

    These mountains... they look a lot bigger up close.


    When I saw them from a distance, I didn''t think anything of them. I''ve been to a few mountains in my past life, so I thought, with our strength and stamina, it shouldn''t be a problem to cross a mountain within a week.


    But as we got closer, I started realizing that these aren''t ordinary mountains. Compared to the mountains I''ve seen on earth, these are many, many times bigger! And not only are they massive, the mountains are extremely steep as well. They''re really quite intimidating.


    "So, should we just start climbing here?"


    "It will likely be the same no matter where we start."


    "Kay, let''s go!"


    Mama nods her head, and we begin our climb. Though the mountain is very steep, there are also many flat areas that we can rest on jutting out, like miniature plateaus. This is the strangest mountain I have ever seen.


    "Haa, haa..."


    Reaching a flat spot, I nearly collapse from exhaustion.


    Waiting until I catch my breath, Mama asks, "Are you alright Lyna?"


    "Yep, this is great exercise, I feel awesome!"


    "What is ''exercise''?"


    "Oh, exercise is when you move your body a lot or lift heavy stuff to make it stronger. Fighting is also kind of like exercise."


    Mama nods her head, and I sigh and look up at the sky.


    "In my past life, I loved to work out. I was never very good at interacting with people, so most of my free time was spent exercising. Running, lifting weights, swimming, sometimes I would even climb mountains like we''re doing now. Somehow I just love the feeling I get after a long day of exercise. But ever since coming here, the closest feeling to that is after I fight, and even so it''s not quite the same. I guess I''m just really happy that I''m still able to feel this way, as weird as that may sound."


    Turning my head, I see Mama lying down, propping her head up with her hands and smiling.


    "Could you tell me more about your past, Lyna?" she asks.


    "My past..."


    I start digging up happy memories, narrating them to Mama Bloodcat. I mostly tell her about my time at the fire station, about what I did there and about Eric and my firefighter friends. I skip over all of the sad stuff, since I don''t want to make Mama Bloodcat sad, and I don''t want to bum myself out either.


    "It seems your old world was much different than this one." sighs Mama.


    "It was much different, and I do miss some of the people from there, but I like it here too. I like being able to go wherever I want, I like fighting, I like Regis, Tisa, Ellie, Casus..."


    ''Man, I''m starting to miss everyone now, even those silly siblings of mine.''


    Mama laughs and puts me in her lap, "If you had not been here, I fear that your siblings may have lost their lives long ago. I am not sure I would even be alive today were it not for you, and even if I were, I would be in a far worse condition. For being there for me and my family, I thank you."


    "You sound so cheesy, you''re making me blush." I laugh.


    "What is ''cheesy''?" asks Mama.


    After a full night''s sleep, we continue climbing. As we climb higher, I start noticing some of those mosquito-like wingets flying around. Whenever I look at them, I imagine them sucking out all of my blood and get the chills.


    "Mama, do you know what those eat?" I point at a winget.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    "I do not," replies Mama, "but they do taste rather good."


    "Are they as good as steeg?"


    "They have a different taste; it is hard to compare them. I think they both taste good."


    "Should I catch a couple?" I ask.


    "I would like that, thank you Lyna." replies Mama, smiling.


    And so I prepare to catch some wingets. Most of them that I can see are in the air, but there are a few perched on rocks. Singling out a target, I start approaching it. As there are no trees to hide behind, I am forced to weave between rocks in order to get closer.


    I''m nearly close enough to pounce, when I see the winget suddenly stick its beak into a rock.


    "Wha..."


    As soon as I utter a sound, the winget pulls its beak out of the rock and quickly flies away.


    "Ah, no! Stop!"


    After getting over the shock of what I just saw, I finally realize that it''s trying to escape. I try to pounce at it, but I''m too late.


    "Stupid winget, I''ll get you next time!"


    After shouting, scaring away all of the wingets around me in the process, I direct my gaze back to the rock. I''ve seen similar holes in rocks littering the mountainside on the way here, but never knew how they got there, nor did I much care. But what I just saw piques my interest. I try to peer inside the hole, but it''s too small to see anything, so I just pick the rock up and bash it on another rock.


    Crack!


    As the rock crumbles, I see a black rock about the size of my paw tumble across the ground. This must be what the winget was after.


    ''Is this what they eat?''


    I pick it up and try licking it.


    "Woah, this tastes really good! Mama, you should try this!" I shout.


    Mama starts walking towards me, but on her face hangs a rather odd expression.


    "Lyna, do you usually taste strange objects that you find on the ground?"


    "Don''t worry, it was in a rock, not on the ground! Besides, the winget was probably eating it, so I figured it would be safe to eat."


    Mama looks at me like I''m an idiot, "Lyna, you... haa. Fine, let me see it." Mama holds out her hand.


    I give the black rock to her, and she gives it a lick.


    "What is this taste? It tastes rather pleasant."


    "It tastes kind of like something called salt from my previous world, except it has a much more uhh... mild flavor?"


    After catching two more wingets, we sit down and start eating. While eating a winget, I try sprinkling some of that black rock on it.


    "Mama, you have to try this, it''s delicious!"


    She hesitates a little, but I insist, so she takes a bite.


    "This... tastes good. How did you find that black rock?"


    "Well, a winget stuck its beak into a rock, so I got curious and broke the rock and the black rock was inside."


    "Mmm." Mama nods her head.


    After we finish eating I decide to start bird watching, waiting for wingets to try and eat more black rocks, so I can steal them! That was the Idea at least. I have yet to see another winget do it again.


    Deciding this method is inefficient, I start breaking random rocks, and after breaking the fourth rock I finally find two black rocks, each almost as big as the first one I found!


    Reinvigorated by my success, I start breaking rocks even more enthusiastically.


    When it finally turns night, I walk back to our camp and see Mama Bloodcat sitting there. I''m rather proud of my haul, which I spent the entire afternoon gathering. Inside one of my storage rings is a pile of over two hundred black rocks, all of which I proceed to empty onto the ground near the campsite.


    "Haha, look at all of the black rocks I found!"


    Mama looks at the pile of black rocks and smiles dismissively, then proceeds to wave her hand.


    Whoosh!


    A huge pile of black rocks materialize in front of me, dwarfing my pile.


    "How... How did you get so many?"


    Mama smiles proudly, "You said the wingets were eating them, so I merely looked for rocks with holes in them. Most had black rocks inside.


    "Ahh... yeah... that''s a uh, a good idea..."


    ''Why didn''t I think of doing that?! It''s so obvious!''


    And thus our traveling speed slows considerably. For the next couple weeks, we spend much of our time breaking rocks in search of black rocks. By the time we get bored of searching, we both have about half of a storage ring full of block rocks. We eventually get bored of searching for them and decide to continue up the mountain at full speed.


    The mountain has started getting even steeper the higher we go. It''s gotten to the point where much of the terrain we cross goes almost straight up.


    After climbing a particularly tough cliff, me and Mama slump on the ground, both breathing heavily. Back when I told Mama about my love for exercise, she decided to stop reinforcing her body with qi when climbing, which is apparently possible, and use her muscles normally. Thus, by the end of the day, both of us are usually quite exhausted.


    "And you enjoy this feeling?" asks Mama, still catching her breath.


    "Yeah, I enjoy it. I guess it just makes me feel fulfilled."


    "What is ''fulfilled''?" asks Mama.


    "Fulfilled is like when you feel full, but emotionally. It''s when you feel like what you did was a good thing, and you did it the best you could."


    Mama nods her head, replying with "I like that word."


    Though Mama doesn''t need to eat much to survive, and I don''t need to eat at all, somehow it''s become a habit to eat at least a couple times a day. As it''s about dinner time, I decide to hunt a couple wingets for me and Mama.


    After catching two wingets without much difficulty, I return to where Mama is and give her one. Since I''m not very good at crushing the black rocks, what with my paws and all, I ask Mama if she can do it.


    As Mama crushes one of the black rocks in her hand, I ask, "What do you think we should call this stuff?"


    After pondering for a while she says, "You said it tastes like something from your past life called salt? Since they come from rocks and look like rocks, why not call it rock salt?"


    I start mentally comparing rock salt from Earth to this much more literal ''rock salt''. Telling Mama I think it''s a great name, I try to give her a thumbs up, but forget that I still don''t have opposable thumbs...

 Chapter 12: Mister Winget

    From what I know, humans and black eyed creatures seem to have similar cultivation levels. Especially at the Qi Expulsion level, Mama seems almost exactly like a human, and she''s even able to use human techniques. If I were to guess what human equivalent I''m at, I would say probably Qi Manipulation somewhere, which should mean that I don''t have too far to go before I''m able to transform into a human as well! With this thought in mind, I ask Mama how she got so strong.


    "Well, fighting helped hone my skills, but if you are talking about improving your qi, other than waiting and letting it improve naturally, I have only ever increased it two other ways. The first way was eating. I have twice found objects that increased my strength immediately after I ate them. The first one I found was after I got seriously injured, and took shelter in a cave. Afraid I would attract attention if I stayed at the entrance, I went farther into the cave. As I traveled deeper, I started smelling something almost irresistible. I followed the scent until I finally happened upon an object that looked like a rock." pausing, Mama looks like she suddenly remembers something.


    "So Mama also tastes strange objects she finds on the ground?" I ask sarcastically, grinning.


    Coughing awkwardly, she continues, "Rather than a rock, it was some sort of fruit that looked like a rock. Not only did it improve my strength greatly, it also healed many of the wounds I had. The second one I found was beside a large crack in the earth filled with red liquid."


    "It might have been lava, was it hot?"


    "It must have been lava then. Beside that crack filled with lava, there was a plant with an orange fruit growing on it. It smelled very good to me, so I ate it as well. But that time, other than making me stronger, eating the fruit caused my fur color to change as well."


    "Is that so. So finding them is up to luck huh?" I lament.


    "The second way was when I soaked in tonic. It only increased my qi at first though, and since then it has not had that effect on me."


    I think back to the fog that comes from dead creatures, which seems to make me stronger every time I absorb it.


    "Mama, have you ever seen anything come out of creatures after you kill them?"


    "Blood." she says seriously.


    We''re nearly at the summit of the mountain!


    As we get closer to the top, I start seeing more and more wingets. I even start seeing black eyed wingets. This is the first time I have ever seen any black eyed creature that''s covered with more than one color.


    "Mama, have you ever seen a black eyed creature with multiple colors before, like those wingets?"


    Mama nods her head, "I have seen many. Sometimes, I will see normal forest creatures that have black eyes."


    As Mama finishes talking, we finally reach the top of the mountain. The top of the mountain is huge, relatively flat, and practically covered in wingets.


    Suddenly Mama steps in front of me and looks up. Following her line of sight, all I can see is a massive shadow swooping towards the mountain. As it lands, I''m able to make out its features. I assume it''s a winget, as it has the customary mosquito-like beak, but that''s about where the similarities end. Its feathers are all black, but they emit a golden sheen when light touches them. It stands around ten feet tall, and surprisingly, rather than the two legs of a normal winget, this one stands on three!


    After landing, it starts slowly walking towards us.


    "What are you doing on my mountain?" the golden winget asks in a deep voice.


    "We only wish to pass through. We are not looking for trouble." replies Mama.


    The golden winget squints its eyes and starts scrutinizing Mama. Seeing it hesitate, Mama frowns and releases her aura. Almost immediately, the golden winget backs off and kneels down.


    "I have offended you! I offer you my life, but please, spare my people!" the golden winget begs, proceeding to bow down.


    "I do not want your life, nor do I want the lives of your people. Rather, who are your people?"


    "All atop this mountain are my people."


    Mama looks at the massive winget plastered to the ground, "Stand up. It is not my intention to attack you or your people, so you have no need to worry."


    "Thank you, I will never forget this kindness you have shown!"This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    Mama sighs, "There was no kindness. You have done nothing to offend me, so there is no reason to apologize. Hurry and stand up, you are making me uncomfortable."


    The huge winget stands up slowly, "Would you allow me to accommodate you and your pet for the day as you rest?"


    "Pffft hehe, ahahaha!" I can''t help bursting out in laughter.


    The golden winget looks at me quizzically, and Mama sighs and tells him, "That is my daughter."


    Bang!


    "I have offended you!" shouts the golden winget, bowing down again.


    "You have not offended me! Quickly accommodate us or whatever it is you want to do, and stop bowing."


    The golden winget stands up again and looks at Mama like she''s a saint.


    "You are the kindest, most forgiving being I have ever encountered! One day I will repay your kindness for sure!"


    I see veins bulging on Mama''s forehead, "There was no kindness! I am neither kind nor forgiving, and there is nothing to repay! Just take us to wherever and stop apologizing!"


    "Yes! Miss and her daughter, please follow me!" says the golden winget happily.


    I''m barely able to hold back my laughter.


    ''I''ve never seen Mama this angry before!''


    Reaching the golden winget''s abode, it turns out to be a cave. The top of the cave is low enough that he has to bend his neck to get in. As we walk in, I realize there is basically no furnishing to speak of. There are a couple rocks that look like you could sit on surrounding a large rock that''s probably used as a table, but nothing fancy.


    "Sit here please." the golden winget gestures to a couple rocks and proceeds to head deeper into the cave.


    Sitting down on a rock, I ask Mama, "So, what do you think about him?"


    "He is annoying." Mama gives a simple answer, scowling a little.


    "I like him, I think he''s funny and he seems nice!"


    Mama frowns and folds her arms. After a few minutes of waiting, I can hear the golden winget coming back. As he comes into view, I see him holding rock salt in two of his feet, hopping towards us on the third.


    I nearly burst out laughing at the sight.


    "He is an idiot..." mumbles Mama.


    When he reaches the table, he drops the rock salt on the table and sits down opposite to us.


    "It''s not much, but this is the only food I have. I''m sorry."


    "You do not need to apologize so much." grumbles Mama.


    The rock salt is pretty bland by itself, but it''s barely palatable. Looking sideways, I see that Mama seems like she wants to say something. Finally she opens her mouth.


    "On the way up the mountain, I killed some of your kind. I apologize if any of them were your people."


    The golden winget replies, "Oh it''s okay, I just protect the species, I don''t have any attachment to any individuals. They grow up and die so quickly, I seem to grow more detached with each successive generation..." he shakes his head sadly.


    "Do you not have any family? Any children?" asks Mama.


    The golden winget sighs, "My family died long ago, and I have never had children."


    I poke Mama in the side and whisper, "He''s single!"


    Mama whispers, "What do you mean single? Of course he is only one."


    I smile, "Yep, only one, he doesn''t have anybody with him. How sad! If only he could meet someone special! They could be a family, live together, and raise cute little-"


    Mama covers my mouth and blushes a little, "I do not feel anything for him, and besides, we are different species!"


    Looking over at the golden winget, I see him turn his head away.


    ''Hehe, so he heard. I''ve never tried matchmaking before, but I seem to be doing good so far!''


    "Um, Mister Winget, what''s your name?" I ask in my most innocent voice.


    "What is a ''name''?" he responds, tilting his head.


    "Gnnkfff-!!"


    I turn around and desperately try to cover my mouth, but laughter still comes out in the form of muffled grunts.


    ''They''re perfect for each other!''


    "Is your daughter okay?" asks the worried golden winget.


    "She is fine, do not mind her."


    After I settle down, I say, "A name is what you are called. Mama named me Lyna."


    He nods his head. After thinking for a while, he smiles at me and says, "Then I will be called Mister Winget, as you have already called me that."


    Mama stares at him blankly.


    "Ah, no, when I said Mifdebff-"


    Suddenly, Mama covers my mouth and glowers at me, whispering, "Leave it at that. I know what you are trying to do, and it is not working."


    And so I decide to stop matchmaking.


    The next morning, Mama says it''s time to leave. Mister Winget insists on sending us off, so he walks with us to the other side of the mountaintop. Arriving near the edge, I walk over to Mister Winget.


    "This is for you. Thank you for letting us rest in your house!" I hold out a silver wire necklace with a silver ring on it. Previously I transferred everything over to the shield necklace, so that I could give him this.


    "I cannot accept that." he shakes his head.


    "I insist. Here, drop some blood on it."


    The golden winget looks at Mama, and she nods her head. He proceeds to scratch one of his toes with his beak, drawing blood. Touching the ring with his toe, a blank expression appears on his face.


    "Here!" I hurriedly hold up the necklace, gesturing him to hold his head down.


    As he holds bends down, the necklace easily slips over his head, resting around his neck.


    Taking the opportunity as his head is near mine, I whisper in his ear as quietly as I can, as to not alert Mama, "Soak your body in the liquid."


    Mama said it would be dangerous to descend the mountain on foot, so she decided to fly us down. Apparently it mostly takes effort to fly when ascending. If she just glides us down, it''s much easier.


    And so, as we glide down, I think of what I did last night. I remembered how soaking in tonic had helped Mama get stronger, so I decided to give some to Mister Winget. But since Mama might disagree if she knew, when they were both sleeping, I secretly went outside and put some in a handmade stone bowl. I then put the bowl in the storage ring and pretended to give him the storage ring as a gift, but the gift was actually the tonic!


    "Did you give him some tonic?"


    "What, huh?!"


    "Haha, did you think I would not notice you sneaking outside in the middle of the night?" she ruffles the hair on my head. "Do not worry, you are not in trouble. The tonic belongs to you, so of course you can give some to someone else. I also feel that Mister Winget was a good person, so I will not object if you wish to give him some. It is just..."


    Getting a little nervous, I ask, "Just...?"


    Mama puts me on her shoulder, detaches her shield necklace, takes one of the storage rings off, and puts it on one of her fingers. She then takes the translating star off of its necklace and puts it on the shield necklace, putting the now empty necklace in a storage ring.


    "There, we are matching again." she smiles.

 Chapter 13: All Downhill From Here

    Less than halfway down the mountain, Mama starts slowing down. It turns out that, even though gliding down takes less qi than flying up, it still takes a considerable amount. After landing on a flat area, Mama Bloodcat sits down cross-legged with her palms held together and starts meditating in order to restore her lost qi.


    I start getting bored, so I decide to start exploring the area. So far, compared to the other side of the mountain, this side of the mountain is quite boring. After breaking several dozen rocks, I haven''t found a single piece of rock salt, and there aren''t even any wingets. Not that I''m planning to eat wingets or anything. After meeting Mister Winget, Mama decided not to kill wingets anymore, and I did too.


    But the only interesting things on this mountain were wingets and rock salt, so without those, I quickly get bored. Making my way back to Mama Bloodcat after about an hour, I find her still meditating.


    ''How is she able to sit still for so long? And humans train this way for years? Isn''t it boring?''


    My thoughts are interrupted by Mama Bloodcat as she stands up.


    "Shall we go?" she asks.


    "Yep!"


    After one more pit stop, we finally reach the bottom of the mountain. After looking around for a bit, I make a conclusion.


    "This side of the mountain is like the other side, but more boring!"


    I haven''t found a single strong creature since coming here, and the forest is boring too! There aren''t any huge trees to climb or anything!


    I look at Mama, "Have you ever been here before?"


    She shakes her head, "I have been within those mountains my entire life, this is the first time I have been on this side."


    "Ah, so where do you think we should go?"


    She points towards the thin silhouette that stretches up into the sky, "We should head there."


    I''m about to reply, when I hear some rustling a distance away. I start getting excited, hoping I might finally get to fight a strong creature, but Mama lifts me up and stares towards the direction of the sound, removing her halberd from her storage ring.


    "Friend or foe!" she shouts, pointing the tip of her halberd forward.


    After a couple seconds, "Friend! Friends, friends, we''re friends!"


    A group of five middle-aged men emerge from the dense undergrowth, and the man in front is holding his arms up and smiling.


    "The name''s Gieto, what''s yours?"


    The man named Gieto looks middle-aged, just like the rest of the men, but he''s built almost like a bodybuilder! Just like the rest of the men...


    "You may call me Mama Bloodcat." she replies.


    Stunned, I pat her on the shoulder with my paw.


    "Yes?"


    "Um, Mama is just what I call you, it''s not really, you know, your name..."


    She nods her head in understanding, "Then I will make it my name." she smiles.


    I suddenly think back to Mister Winget, whom Mama looked at weirdly for choosing ''Mister Winget'' as a name. I wonder if she realizes she just basically did the same thing?


    "Excuse me Miss, were you talking to your pet? Is it one of those talking beasts?" asks Gieto, scratching his head.


    Mama glares at him, "Of course she can talk, and this is my daughter, not my pet."


    I see the men''s eyes go wide, and one of them starts whispering to Gieto.


    "Uh, you see, we''re done with what we were doing here, so we''re going to go back..." he says, as the group of men turn to leave.


    "Wait. Where do you wish to go back to?" asks Mama


    "You know, back to town." says Gieto, as he points behind him.


    "What is a ''town''?" asks Mama as she looks at me.


    "A town is-"


    "I was not speaking to you." before Gieto could finish talking, Mama interrupts him.


    She looks back at me, so I explain, "A town is a big group of people that all live together, at least that''s what it was in my world."Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    Mama nods her head, "So there are gatherings of beings such as that. Each one would be a match for me, yet there are so many living together."


    Fearing she misunderstood the situation, I explain, "Mama, I think those are regular humans. They were probably born human, so I don''t think they''re that strong."


    "So they are weak?" Mama glances at the group of men, who look genuinely scared by this point.


    "Yeah, you could say that." I nod my head.


    Mama nods her head, "Would you bring us with you to this town?"


    Gieto flinches and backs up a step, "Yeah, I mean yes, I mean, of course! Please follow us, Mama Bloodcat."


    He immediately turns around and starts walking, though it might be closer to running, forward. Mama, still holding me, keeps up with the men easily.


    Along the way, the men continually glance back, then turn their heads back just as quickly as if they had seen a monster. Eventually the men start slowing down, then they stop completely, panting heavily.


    "Can... can we rest for a while?" asks Gieto meekly.


    Mama frowns, "Of course you can."


    "Ah, sorry."


    "You did nothing to apologize for. Why does everybody keep apologizing to me?" Mama sighs exaggeratedly.


    "I... I don''t know..." replies Gieto.


    "I was not talking to you."


    After an hour or so, everyone''s fully rested, and we move on. I feel kinda sorry for these poor guys, but my excitement far outweighs my pity. A town! We''re actually going to a town of people!


    "Hey, how many people live there?" I ask.


    No response.


    "Hello? Guys?"


    Still no response.


    "Hello?" Mama calls out.


    Gieto answers almost immediately, "Yeah?"


    "My daughter asked you a question."


    "Ah, sorry, what did she say?"


    "Do not apologize." adds Mama.


    With their attention now focused on me, I repeat my question.


    "How many people live in your town?"


    Yet again, no response.


    Mama looks annoyed, "Did you not hear her? She asked how many people live in your town!"


    The men jump, and Gieto replies, "I-I''m sorry, we couldn''t hear anything! Please spare us!"


    Mama sighs exasperatedly as she looks up and starts mumbling, "If you did nothing to apologize for, then do not apologize! And even if you do have something to apologize for, why do you think I would harm you for such a petty reason?! Why does everyone think that I mean them harm? Do they take me for a villain?"


    As Mama starts pacing in circles, her voice getting louder and louder, I look back at the group of men. Or at least, I look at where the group of men used to be.


    "Mama... Mama... Mama!"


    Finally getting her attention, I point in the direction of where the men where.


    She sighs again, and shakes her head.


    "We will continue that way, it will be quicker with just us anyway." she says as she points in the direction that the group of men were leading us.


    Mama starts running, still holding me. She keeps sighing and shaking her head on the way, occasionally mumbling to herself.


    ''I wonder if they really couldn''t understand me. Is my universal translator broken?''


    After a whole day of searching, we have yet to find any sort of town. Mama has set up a campfire, and we''re currently eating some sort of deer we found in the forest. It''s not a black eyed creature though, as they seem extremely scarce in this forest. The only black eyed creatures I''ve seen so far have been a couple sitchles.


    Crack!


    I hear a branch break deeper in the forest. Almost instinctively, I send my soul in the direction of the sound to investigate. I weave through trees until I finally happen upon the perpetrators.


    "Mama!"


    Mama Bloodcat, who already has her halberd out, is surveying the forest.


    "Yes Lyna?"


    "There''re a couple kids out there, they are the ones that made the sound. I think they might be lost."


    Mama smiles, "If that is the case, we must invite them over."


    She puts her halberd back in her storage ring, picks me up, and starts heading towards the source of the sound. Very quickly, we approach a light, and I start hearing hushed whispering.


    "Who''s there?!" a boy calls suspiciously in our direction.


    "Do not worry, I mean you no harm."


    Mama slowly walks into view, still holding me. As we near the children, I see a young boy and a young girl, both of which look around 14 years old. They both have blond hair, and very similar facial features. Each possesses what looks like a set of leather armor, with thin metal plates covering their vital areas. There are small cuts and holes in their armor, and the boy''s armor even has a dent in the metal plate covering his heart.


    The boy is standing his ground while pointing a sword at us, and the girl is standing behind him. The look in their eyes tells me they would fight to the death if need be.


    "Go away, or I''ll cut you!" the boy glares at us.


    "No, this place is dangerous for you. Come with me." Mama says in a slightly authoritative tone, then smiles.


    The children continue to stare suspiciously at us for a while, until the girl starts walking towards us.


    "Sarah!"


    "It''s ok Neil, I trust her. Besides, if we don''t get help soon, we''re going to die anyway!"


    Now that I look at them closer, they do seem a bit emaciated.


    Mama gasps, "Oh yeah!"


    The wooden bracelet on her wrist starts glowing, and then starts releasing a stream of water, which gathers into a ball that floats above her hand.


    They stare blankly at the water for a while, until Neil pushes Sarah forward, "Please give her some."


    "Of course, you may both have some." Mama smiles.


    She asks them both to cup their hands, and then pours water into their hands, refilling them several times. Soon after, they docilely follow us back to camp. At camp, Mama winds up cooking some meat from that deer-like creature, since the children don''t want to eat it raw.


    As we sit around the campfire, I see Sarah nudge Neil with her elbow.


    "What?"


    She whispers, "You should say sorry. She just wanted to help us, but you threatened to attack her."


    "Why should I say sorry? I would''ve pointed my sword at anything I didn''t trust, it wasn''t personal."


    As he talks, Mama''s eyes start brightening up.


    Mama points at Neil and looks at me, "Hahaha! That is right, if you are not sorry, do not apologize! More people should be like that!"


    Sarah looks disbelievingly at Mama Bloodcat, while Neil looks at her with sparkling eyes.


    "I won''t apologize, but I will say thanks. Thank you for helping us." he says as he stands up.


    With an ''ah'', Sarah gets up and thanks Mama as well, as they both give her a little bow.


    She smiles, "You are welcome. Now please, lie down and get some rest. I will return you to your home tomorrow."


    Sarah starts fidgeting, "Um, that, your pet, can I..."


    She keeps glancing at me.


    Mama smiles, "She is not my pet, she is my daughter, her name is Lyna. If you want something, you may ask her."


    "Oh, Lyna... could I um, pet you?"


    The poor children must have gone through a lot out here. If I''m able to comfort them just by letting them pet me, then I''m happy to oblige. Standing up, I walk over between Sarah and Neil and lie down again.


    Sarah releases a little squeal, and practically jumps on me, hugging me and petting me. He acts uninterested at first, but Neil soon joins in as well. Soon after, I have two sleeping children on me, and find myself drifting off to sleep as well.

 Chapter 14: Orion City

    I wake up the same way I fell asleep, squished. There is a child on either side of me, both snoring loudly.


    "Mama! Mama, help!"


    On the other side of the campfire, which has long since gone out, Mama is sitting cross-legged, meditating. After hearing my plea, she cracks one eyelid open, smiles, and then closes it again.


    It takes about another hour before they finally wake up.


    "Good morning Sarah, Neil."


    They both yawn, and Sarah says good morning back.


    "Are you two hungry?"


    "Not really, I just wanna go home." replies Neil drowsily, and Sarah nods her head in agreement.


    "Do you know where your home is?"


    Sarah nods her head, "I think so."


    Mama smiles, "Shall we head there then?"


    After hearing that, they both perk up immediately.


    "Let''s go, I''ll lead the way!" shouts Neil.


    Mama nods her head, and we start walking, when suddenly I find myself leaving the ground again. I''m about to tell Mama that I can walk by myself, when I notice that she''s walking a few feet away from me. Swiveling my head around, I see Sarah grinning happily while toting me along with her. I''m about to ask Mama for help, but the teasing smile on her face tells me she won''t do anything even if I do.


    ''At this rate, I won''t get to walk anymore.''


    I decide to make myself as comfortable as possible in Sarah''s arms as we head towards our destination.


    We run into quite a few creatures along the way, several of which try to attack us. But any of them that act hostile receive a single swipe from Mama''s halberd and fall immediately. Neil and Sarah seem amazed every time it happens. I''m not sure why though; none of the creatures even have black eyes.


    We''ve been traveling for nearly three days now, and we are finally starting to see signs of civilization. The moment we come across a farm, Sarah and Neil start getting excited, exclaiming that they recognize it. The children change direction slightly and start running, and soon after, we come across a dirt road.


    "This is the trade route, we just need to head that way and we''ll get home!" says Sarah, nearly tearing up.


    "That is good, but it is getting late. We will continue our journey tomorrow."


    Almost as soon as Mama finishes talking, I start hearing noises a distance down the dirt road. As the noises get louder, a group of wagons and carriages come into view. The creatures pulling them seem similar to steeg, except they don''t have black eyes. It seems to be some sort of caravan.


    Mama stands in front of us and stairs at them vigilantly as they near us. As they pass in front of us, the caravan starts slowing down, eventually coming to a complete stop. The door of the carriage second to the front opens as an elderly woman exits and walks toward us, followed by a heavily armored, straight-faced man.


    "What''re ya doin'' out here?" asks the kind looking old woman with a smile.


    "We are going to the town." says Mama Bloodcat.


    "Which town are ya goin'' to?"


    Mama looks at Sarah and Neil.


    Neil speaks up, "We''re going to Orion City, that way." he points in the direction the caravan was headed.


    The elderly woman smiles, "We''re headed there too. Why don''t you guys hitch a ride with us?"


    Mama looks at the quickly darkening sky, and nods her head, "We would appreciate that, thank you."


    The woman, still smiling, bends down in front of Sarah, Neil and I, "What''re your names?"


    Sarah and Neil reply with their names, and I instinctively reply with mine as well.


    "Sarah and Neil huh, those''re nice names."


    Mama quickly adds in, "And she is Lyna." she says as she points at me.


    "She''s yer pet, huh?"


    Sarah shakes her head and holds me up, "No, she is her daughter."


    The woman follows Sarah''s finger over to Mama, and then looks at her oddly for a second.


    She then shrugs, "Welp, it''s none of my business. Come on in, it''s startin'' ta get dark." she gestures to the carriage that she came out of.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    The carriage is large enough for all four of us to fit on one seat side by side, but I instead find myself on Sarah''s lap. The elderly woman sits across from us, as does the armored man.


    "So what''s yer name? Mine''s Miina."


    "My name is Mama."


    I tap Mama Bloodcat, "Mama, you should call yourself Bloodcat instead, it sounds cooler!"


    Mama lets out an ''ah'' and nods her head, "I am called Bloodcat." she amends.


    Miina looks like she suddenly understands something, "You must be a cultivator! They all seem ta have weird names, like Quick Fang or Sturdy Mantle."


    Mama nods her head, "Yes, I am a cultivator."


    ''You do realize that she basically called your name weird, right?''


    I decide not to voice my thoughts though.


    "You''ve heard of Quick Fang?!" the two children voice out almost simultaneously.


    "I''ve only heard of him, never seen him before. D''you know him?"


    "Yeah, he''s our dad! He''s super strong!" Neil practically shouts, and Sarah nods while smiling brightly.


    "Wow, you guys have such strong parents!" marvels Miina as she glances at Mama Bloodcat.


    Mama shakes her head, "I am not their parent. I simply found them lost in the forest and am escorting them back to their home."


    "S''that so. It''s a good thing you found ''em first, there''s lots of creeps out there that would gladly kidnap the poor things."


    Mama tilts her head sideways, "Is it not natural to help children? Why would someone not?"


    Miina sighs and shakes her head, "Slave trading mostly, someone could make a mint selling a couple kids like these. Slave trading is officially banned, but underground slave trading is at an all time high right now."


    "What is a ''slave''?"


    "If you''re a slave, it means somebody owns you like an object, and can do whatever they want to you." I reply, happy to finally be relevant to the conversation.


    Just as Miina is about to answer Mama''s question, Mama suddenly bursts out, "That sounds horrible!"


    Miina flinches, "Uh, yeah, it''s pretty terrible."


    "Where are these underground slave traders? I will dig them up immediately!"


    "Calm down, it''s not as bad as you think. Say these kids wound up on the market, they''d probably get ''adopted''. They''d likely get bought by people with no kids of their own, who''d raise them as their successors. ''Sides, destroying the black market singlehandedly would be impossible, even for a Qi Manipulation cultivator. It''s a huge interconnected network that''s in almost every big city that I know of, and trust me, I''ve been around. But the worst part''s their leader, it''s rumored that he recently broke through to the late Qi Manipulation Stage."


    After Miina finishes talking, the carriage goes silent. Neil and Sarah seem to have been scared by Miina''s monologue. Neil keeps gripping the sword at his waist and then letting go, and Sarah is squeezing me rather tightly. Miina seems to have made herself upset, as she keeps shaking her head and sighing, seemingly lost in her thoughts. Mama has her pondering face on, and keeps furrowing her eyebrows. And Mister Straight-Face is still straight-faced.


    Soon Neil and Sarah fall asleep, and the gentle rocking of the carriage puts me to sleep not long after.


    I wake up to the sound of people talking. Outside the carriage, Miina is talking to a man in armor, probably some sort of guard. The caravan has stopped just in front of a huge wall, and in front of us is an almost equally tall gateway. On the other side of the gateway are fields upon fields of farmland, and farther in the distance is a large city.


    Clank!


    I hear the sound of the carriage door opening, as Miina walks in with a smile.


    "Kay, we''ll be in the city in no time!"


    The sound seems to have woken up the kids, as they''re now groggily, yet excitedly looking out of the windows and pointing at things as we move past them.


    "Thank you Miina for your help, we appreciate it." Mama gives Miina a small bow, copying what Sarah and Neil did when we first met.


    "No, no, like you said, isn''t it natural to help children? Don''t worry about it!"


    We soon enter the outskirts of the city and decide to let ourselves out of the carriage, bearing Miina farewell.


    "You said you can find your way home from here?" asks Mama.


    "Yeah, it''s this way!" says Sarah, as she and Neil skillfully weave through crowds of bustling people. Mama picks me up and starts following them.


    "Mama, I can walk by myself, you know?"


    "Yes, I know." she nods.


    I sigh and look around us. We seem to be in some sort of market district, and a very lively one at that. I can hear the constant murmur of the crowd; bartering, haggling, some people are even shouting at each other. I''ve never been so happy to be in such an obnoxious crowd of people before. I''m so happy, I can''t even stop smiling.


    ''Finally back to civilization!''


    We soon exit the market district, and the crowds start thinning out, to the point where there''s only a few people walking on the streets now. We seem to have entered a middle-class residential district, which is full of old European-style houses.


    The kids keep running until we reach a high-class looking area, with mansions lying on large plots of land on either side of the street. They finally stop in front of a particularly large mansion, and head towards its gate.


    Neil waves and shouts, "Marcus, we''re home!"


    There are two people guarding the gate, but after Neil''s shout, one of the guards takes one look in our direction, speaks to the other guard for a second, and then sprints to the house.


    The other guard opens the gate and runs over to Neil and Sarah, "Young masters, I am so glad you''re both safe! Your parents have been worried sick, and have personally entered the forest in search of you. We will notify them of your return as soon as possible."


    "Thanks Marcus." both children reply in unison.


    The guard, Marcus, leads us down a long path to the mansion. As we near the mansion, the double doors open and over a dozen servants come running out, saying things like ''welcome home'' and ''please don''t scare us like that''. Some have even broken down in tears, thanking some deity for their safe return.


    As we''re about to enter the mansion, the gate guard, Marcus, seems to have finally noticed us as he suddenly asks, "Who''s that?" and points at Mama.


    Sarah retorts, "They saved our lives, let them in and serve them food and drink, we want to introduce them to Mom and Dad."


    The servants hurriedly accommodate the children''s wishes, and we soon find ourselves on a couch with a table in front of it, which is quickly covered with food and beverages.


    "This is ebonberry juice, and that''s ryuble jerky, and that''s..." "Try some of this, it''s called soulfruit tart cake, it''s one of Alice''s original recipes..."


    Neil and Sarah start showing us their favorite foods, having us sample all of them. My personal favorites are the soulfruit tart cake and something called kubada bread. Mama, on the other hand, seems to like everything equally, as she just scarfs it all down indiscriminately.


    After a plate or two of food and a couple drinks, I find myself feeling full, but Mama is amazing! She''s already cleared half the food off of the table, and she''s still eating!


    Slam!


    The front doors suddenly fly open, as a blond woman comes running into the living room.


    "Sarah! Neil!" she cries as she rushes towards the children.


    "Mom!" the two shout as they embrace their mother.


    It''s the perfect example of a happy reunion; they''re all trying to talk to each other at the same time, the waterworks are turned up to a maximum, everybody''s happy... until their Mom sees me. As soon as we make eye contact, she immediately puts on a serious face and gathers her children behind herself.


    "Who are you?!" she demands, pointing at Mama and I.

 Chapter 15: Bookstore

    We continue the standoff for a while, until the shocked Neil and Sarah finally speak up.


    "They saved our lives!" "Yeah, they found us!"


    Their mom doesn''t seem convinced.


    "What of that magical beast? Magical beasts are unpredictable, especially ones as strong as that! I don''t want it anywhere near my children!" she shouts at Mama Bloodcat while pointing at me.


    Mama frowns and stands up, "I understand that you only worry for the safety of your children, but I can assure you that my daughter will do nothing to harm them."


    "Daughter?! Just wait until your ''daughter'' kills you in your sleep, then maybe you''ll realize how dangerous magical beasts are! Please leave, and take your ''daughter'' with you!" she says as she points at the doorway.


    ''Ah, it kinda hurts being told that to my face.''


    I get the distinct feeling that I''m no longer wanted here, so I stand up and jump off of the couch on my own volition. Before I leave, I turn back and wave at the kids. Seeing them wave back brightens my mood a bit as I smile and head outside.


    "I am sorry."


    At some point on the path leading back to the street, I hear Mama''s voice.


    "Haha, don''t apologize if there''s nothing to apologize for, right?"


    Mama laughs, "Yes, I hate when people do that, I just suddenly felt the urge to say sorry."


    "It''s ok Mama, she probably just acted that way because she had a traumatic experience or something."


    "What is ''traumatic''?"


    "Traumatic is like when you have a really bad experience with something, then whenever you see that thing again, you usually get really upset."


    Mama nods her head, "Was that experience traumatic?" she asks as she points back at the mansion.


    "No, not really, it just makes me sad."


    "I see... then, is there anything that will make you happy again?"


    "Hmm... this place, didn''t Neil call it Orion City? We should explore it!"


    Mama picks me up and perches me on her shoulders, "That sounds like a great idea, let us do that!"


    As we continue through the high-class residential district, I start noticing something odd. All of the grass is perfectly green. And it''s not just the grass, now that I think about it, I can''t remember ever seeing a shriveled up, dry plant since coming to this world. Paradoxically, I''ve also never seen a single cloud in the sky; I''ve never once seen rain.


    "Mama, where does water come from?"


    "Water comes from the sky and from the ground."


    "But I''ve never seen it rain."


    "What is ''rain''?"


    "It''s water that falls from clouds."


    "What are ''clouds''?"


    "A cloud is... wait, have you never seen a cloud? It''s a big puffy white thing in the sky that drops water."


    Mama thinks for a minute.


    "Are you sure you are not thinking of birds? That may not have been water..."


    "No! I mean, I''ve never seen water come from the sky or the ground?"


    "I have only seen it happen in certain areas, mostly near mountains or hills."


    "Then why are all of the plants green? How are they getting water?"


    She looks at me confusedly, "Not all plants are green, some are yellow or red or-"


    I interrupt, "No, I mean-"


    Mama counter-interrupts, "Lyna, we should look for books on this subject, as I do not know how to answer your questions."


    And so we turn our ''city-exploration'' trip into a ''library-finding'' trip, but we don''t find anything even after two hours of looking. Mama finally decides to start asking people where any books are, and after several people refer to a bookstore as the only source of books in the city, we decide to go there.


    We stare at the building in front of us.


    "I gotta say, I was expecting something... bigger?"Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    "It is rather small."


    Mama makes her way into the small building with me still perched on her shoulder. As we enter, I see many shelves stacked with books lining the edges of the room. This place is pretty small, but it does have quite a few books. Sitting at a table in the middle of the room is a muscular middle aged man in a robe, reading a book. The man has a huge graying beard that covers half of his face and reaches nearly down to his belly. As he''s the only person here, I would assume that he''s the owner.


    The man stands up and smiles at us... at least I think he''s smiling? I can''t tell for sure since his facial hair is covering his mouth.


    "What can I do for the miss and her friend?"


    Mama looks the man up and down then nods her head, "You are very strong."


    The man squints his eyes, "And I can''t tell how strong you are."


    They stare at each other for a while longer, until suddenly he bursts out laughing.


    "The name''s Psar Aklin, but people usually call me Hairy."


    "My name is Bloodcat, and this is Lyna."


    "Bloodcat? Like the high-tier magical beast bloodcat?"


    Mama shrugs her shoulders, "Probably?"


    Hairy holds his belly and starts laughing heartily. After laughing for some time, he finally calms down.


    Wiping a tear from the corner of his eye, he asks, "So what can I do for Lyna and Miss Bloodcat?"


    "We would like to know about water."


    "Water? Like cultivation manuals? I don''t have any of those, but I do know-"


    "No, we wish to read a book on where water comes from."


    "Oh, what you''re looking for is a book on qi origins! I''m sorry to say that I don''t have any of those at the moment. I do however know where you might find one."


    "Where might that be?"


    "You see, far away, on the other side of the Elemist Continent, there''s a country called Estervont. Estervont is run by the Soul Surge Sect, which is devoted to the pursuit of knowledge, and is rumored to have the most extensive collection of books in the entire continent! That''s the most likely place to find anything on qi origins."


    "What is ''Qi Origins''?"


    "qi origins is the study of qi; where it comes from, where it goes to, and how it affects its surroundings."


    "I see, thank you for the information."


    I suddenly remember something, "Mama, you should ask him if he has a map! A map is like directions to other places in the world."


    With an ''ah'' Mama asks, "Do you have a map to Estervont?"


    After hearing Mama''s inquiry, Hairy smiles so wide that his eyes squint... well, he''s probably smiling. I can''t help but feel that he was waiting for us to ask that question.


    "In fact," he reaches into a pocket on the back of his robe, "I have a map of the whole Elemist Continent."


    What he pulls out is a small object, about the size of a thumb. It looks almost like a green microchip encased in glass.


    "This is called a storage chip. It can store almost any type of visual information, and some storage chips can even store sounds. Do you know how to use them?"


    Mama shakes her head, so he explains, "Try holding it in your hand, and then channel your soul into it."


    Mama shakes her head, "I have yet to awaken my soul."


    "Oh, I''m sorry, how presumptuous of me."


    Or so he says, but his eyes are squinting again. This guy is really suspicious...


    "You see, to awaken the use of their souls, people usually have to train their minds until they awaken naturally. But there is another way. If somebody has cultivated their soul to a certain level, they can actually awaken other people''s souls with their own!"


    ''And I suppose you just so happen to...''


    "And I happen to have a soul strong enough to do just that! If you''ll just give me your hand..."


    "Mama, could you ask him how exactly he awakens souls?"


    "Mister Hairy, how exactly would you go about awakening my soul?"


    "Oh, you see, soul levels are much like cultivation levels. First you have to train your mind for years, and eventually you will be able to feel your soul''s existence. Of course, your mind will naturally grow as you become smarter and wiser, so older people don''t usually have to train their mind. Afterwards, some people will experience Soul Awakening, which is much like Qi Awakening. But most people will never experience Soul Awakening in their entire life. After reaching Qi Awakening, people that cultivate their souls diligently for years might reach the Mental Imbuement level. People at this level can use their soul to imprint abilities on certain types of materials, such as this storage chip." he holds out the storage chip.


    His eyes start squinting again, "They can also send their soul into somebody else''s body, which can stimulate their soul and help it wake up. And as you might have already guessed, I''m at the Mental Imbuement level!" he states as he gives a proud grin. Probably a grin.


    I''m about to ask Mama a question, but as if she''s reading my mind, she asks him the very same question.


    "Is there anything after Mental Imbuement?"


    Hairy strokes his beard, "There are stories of people reaching Physical Imbuement. It is said that they can send their soul out of their body without touching anything, to send it freely through the air! I don''t know of any living experts of that level, but I hope to one day achieve Physical Imbuement!" I can almost see his eyes sparkle as he talks.


    Mama smiles and puts her hand in front of me, "Lyna, would you please?"


    I close my eyes and put my paw on her hand, then carefully channel my soul through it. I''ve never sent my soul through anything living, except myself of course, so I''m a bit unsure of what to do, but everything goes surprisingly smoothly. My soul eventually encompasses her entire body except her head. I cautiously inch my soul up and, seeing that Mama doesn''t seem to be feeling any discomfort, finally cover her entire body.


    It takes a bit of effort to maintain my soul this way, but it''s not that much harder than examining the symbols around the Eggshell. We stay this way for a few minutes, until I finally feel something. It starts in her head and then travels through her body, displacing my soul as it goes. Eventually it covers her entire body, completely expelling my soul.


    We both exhale a long breath of air, and I open my eyes.


    "Did it work?"


    I look at Mama Bloodcat, and she nods her head while smiling.


    "In... incredible... your little friend has reached Mental Imbuement and you... you''re already at Mental Imbuement?! Just how..." Hairy finally seems to notice that he''s mumbling and closes his mouth. He lifts his head up and looks at us wide-eyed. I only wish I could see his expression, now that his plan failed. But contrary to my expectations, he suddenly bursts out laughing.


    "Hahaha! Yes, very good! Take this map, it''s on the house! And here''s an emblem that will help you get into the Soul Surge Sect! Wait, no, I just happened upon it, it''s not mine. No, that was supposed to come before..." he stuffs two storage chips in Mama''s hand.


    "Anyway, hurry to the Soul Surge Sect! I''ll be- no, they''ll be waiting! No, wait, nobody knows you''re coming, of course... anyway, hurry up, I can''t- no, they can''t wai- no, right, hahaha, nobody''s..." he practically shoves us out the door and then closes it behind us, still mumbling and laughing to himself.


    "..."


    "What a strange person. But he seems nice enough."


    "Really? I thought he was super suspicious."


    "Maybe a little bit, but I looked at the map, and the Soul Surge Sect seems to be in the same direction as the silhouette in the sky."


    "Ugh... I guess we''ll just see what happens."


    Mama smiles, "I guess we will."

 Chapter 16: We Meet Again

    After leaving Orion City, we take our time and simply walk along the road leading to the next city, Mealdrou. I''ve always liked going slow and appreciating the world around me, and Mama seems to enjoy it as well. And the scenery around here is really just so beautiful!


    Surrounding us now are green hills as far as the eye can see. As wind blows through the grass, sending ripples through it, I''m reminded of one time when Eric took me to a similar place. We brought a picnic basket and everything, spending the entire afternoon there, but the most unforgettable part was just before we went home. Eric suddenly laid out straight at the top of the hill and started rolling down it!


    Once he got to the bottom of the hill, he convinced me to roll down as well. We of course forgot the basket, so we went back up to retrieve it, but only wound up rolling back down the hill several more times. By the time we finally got back in the car, we were both covered in grass stains and bruises, but we were laughing like idiots anyway.


    Wiping a tear from the corner of my eye, I turn back, "Mama, watch this!"


    With that, I leave the road and start running up a hill. As soon as I reach the top, I lay myself flat and start rolling.


    It turns out that these hills are a lot steeper than the ones I remember rolling down. Halfway down the hill I''m already going so fast that I can hardly differentiate between the sky and the ground, then with a sudden jolt, I''m sent flying through the air by a small bump on the hill. I find myself flying right over the top of Mama, then a couple seconds and a dozen rotations later, I''m on the ground again.


    "Lyna...?"


    "Ahahaha! That was awesome! I''m going to do it again!"


    I stand up and start trying to scale the hill again, but I''m so dizzy that I''m nearly walking in circles. I eventually reach the top of the hill, but as I lie down again, I see Mama Bloodcat lying in front of me.


    "That looked fun, I want to try it as well."


    And so we both start rolling down the hill. This time I don''t hit a bump, and wind up rolling all the way to the other side of the road before I stop. Lying on my belly, I start looking around for Mama, but I can''t seem to locate her.


    "Oopff?!"


    I''m suddenly slammed into by something. To the side, I see Mama roll off of me, and then she keeps rolling a few more times due to her momentum. After she stops rolling, we look at each other, eyes still spinning, and start laughing. After waiting a few seconds, we both stand up and walk up the hill again in a zigzag pattern.


    Eventually, it somehow turns into a game where we roll down opposing hills and try to ram each other. We lose track of time, and before long, the sun starts setting.


    We decide it''s time to set up camp, but just as we''re about to look for a place, we start hearing clanking noises in the distance. Coming towards us is a familiar looking caravan, with steeg-like creatures pulling carts and carriages. It seems a bit smaller than the last time I saw it, but it''s definitely the same caravan.


    As the caravan nears us, it slows down again, and out steps Miina, along with her ever straight-faced guard.


    "Hey! You guys ever get those kids home?" she shouts.


    "Yes, we have returned them to their home safely!" Mama shouts back.


    "C''mere, let''s talk!"


    We walk over to where Miina is, and she invites us into the carriage again.


    "So, ya headed to Mealdrou?"


    "Yes, that is our destination." Mama nods her head.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    "Would you care to travel with us again and keep this old woman company?"


    "Of course, we would love to." Mama smiles.


    While Mama and Miina talk, I find myself staring at Mister Straight-Face. I didn''t really intend to stare, but as I glanced at him earlier, he happened to be looking my direction as well. We wound up staring at each other, and somehow, it feels like I would lose if I look away first. As we continue our staring contest, I start losing track of time, and Mama and Miina''s voices eventually fade out.


    "Kale, why''re ya staring at Lyna?"


    "Because she''s staring at me."


    I''m awoken from my trance as Miina scolds Mister Straight-Face. Or should I call him Kale? Anyway, whatever his name is, it occurs to me that this is the first time I''ve heard him talk.


    Miina seems to notice something as well, as she nudges him and tells him to introduce himself.


    "My name is Kale, I''m Miina''s husband."


    Our shock must have shown on our faces, as Miina laughs, "Don''t judge him based on his young looks, he''s actually older than I am!"


    I look at Kale, who looks about 40 years old and doesn''t have a single white hair on him. Then I look at Miina, who looks easily 70, and has a head of gray hair. It''s really hard to believe that he''s older than she is.


    "You see, he''s a cultivator, been one since he was young. He used ta go to one of those cultivator schools, where they''d call him a genius and a prodigy. But then he met me." she sighs as she droops her head a little.


    Kale pats her on the back, "I would marry you all over again if I was given the chance. It''s not your fault."


    "I know you would, but if I could go back, I''d try ta never meet you. You wasted so much of your life..."


    Kale hugs her and gives her a kiss on the forehead, "I did waste it, but only because I was away for so long. I''m just sorry that I was never there for you."


    Miina smiles and pushes him away, "What''re you doin''? Ya always act all shy around strangers, and now you''re huggin'' and kissin'' on me right in front of them?"


    Kale finally seems to notice us, as he sits up and resumes his straight-faced behavior. I can see a blush spreading across his cheeks, though.


    "Sorry, I''m sure you guys don''t wanna hear some downer story ''bout stupid kids."


    Mama nods her head, "I wanna hear."


    I start nodding my head as well.


    Miina laughs and shakes her head, "Guess I''ll make it quick. We were pretty young back then, an we really hit it off, so we decided to get married. Simple, right?"


    We nod our heads.


    "Well, after we got married, Kale started realizin'' that he''d far outlive me, since cultivators have longer lifespans. So to remedy the problem, he started tryin'' to teach me cultivation. I got the Body Tempering thing down," she flexes her arms, revealing some impressive biceps, "but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn''t absorb any qi."


    "Why not?" asks Mama.


    She shrugs her shoulders, "Seems I was born with junk blocking my meridians. Means I can''t absorb qi unless they get un-blocked. It''s not a completely unheard of condition, but supposedly there''s still no cure. Even so, Kale started searchin'' the continent for ways ta cure me. He''d sometimes leave for years at a time, and eventually the same people who used to call him things like ''genius'' and ''prodigy'' started callin'' him things like ''trash'' and ''waste''."


    Mama furrows her brows, "Fickle people."


    "I didn''t care what they thought about me, and I still don''t. All I cared about was being able to spend more time with her. But it took so long, over half of her life, for me to realize just how much of her life I had missed. The thing I regret most is leaving her for so long."


    Miina jabs him in the side with her elbow, "So you know how long ya made me wait?"


    I feel tears welling up in my eyes and, as I look at Mama Bloodcat, I see that tears are already streaming down her cheeks. Suddenly her face seems to brighten up as she wipes her tears away and looks at me, smiling.


    She leans over and whispers, "Lyna, maybe tonic could help her?"


    "Ah! That''s a good idea!"


    "But what if they do not trust us..."


    "I guess we could always kidnap her."


    Mama replies very seriously, "Yes, that is true."


    I''m about to reply that I was joking, when an idea pops into my head. I immediately start channeling my soul out of my body, and send it towards Miina.


    Picturing the charts showing the location of the dantian, which I''ve seen in those cultivation manuals, in my mind, I quickly find Miina''s dantian, but it doesn''t look at all like what it''s supposed to. All of the qi passageways leading to it are clogged by some crusty black substance, while the dantian itself is shriveled and unhealthy looking.


    I approach one of the qi passageways and try touching the crusty black substance, but my soul just goes right through it.


    ''Ah, right.''


    I''ve found that, depending on my intentions, my soul has different effects. For instance, if I want it to go through something, it will, but otherwise it tends to collide with things.


    I concentrate on trying to remove the black crusty substance, and touch it again. All of the black substance I touch turns to dust and falls down.


    ''Hahaha! I''m a genius!''


    First I split up my soul and start mapping her qi passageways, then I destroy all of the black stuff clogging them. The whole process is extremely tiring, and I feel a huge headache start creeping up on me. But my exhaustion only makes me work faster, as I want to get it done quickly so that I can rest. Soon I clean the last of her qi passageways, and then slump on Mama Bloodcat''s lap.


    "Hehe, Mama, ask Miina to try absorbing qi."

 Chapter 17: Not Again

    Responding to my inquiry, Mama gives me a questioning gaze, to which I reply with a smug grin.


    "Miina, can you try absorbing qi right now?"


    "Yeah? Oh, yeah, I can, but it won''t do anything."


    "Would you please try?"


    Miina shrugs her shoulders and closes her eyes. Very quickly though, her relaxed expression turns into a confused one, which then turns into a serious one as she crosses her legs on the seat and starts meditating.


    Kale stands up, "What''s happening? What did-"


    Mama interrupts him, "Be quiet, she needs to concentrate."


    Kale purses his lips together and presses both of his hands against Miina''s back. His face flickers through several emotions, and then he crosses his legs and closes his eyes as well.


    Mama leans down and whispers, "What did you do?"


    "Hehe, I used my soul to clear out her meridians! I gotta find out what other cool things my soul can do! Maybe I could levitate objects with it? Oh, maybe I could even levitate myself!"


    "What is ''levitate''?"


    "Ah, levitating is like flying! Wouldn''t that be so cool? Oh right, you can already fly. Hahaha, maybe we''ll both be able to fly!"


    Suddenly, I feel a small wave of qi pass over me, which came from the direction of Kale and Miina. As I look towards them, I see Miina open her eyes, smile, and start laughing. Kale''s arms drop down to his sides and, as Miina embraces him, still laughing, he slowly wraps his arms around her and starts crying.


    Mama laughs, "We will go the rest of the way on foot."


    Kale wipes his tears and immediately stands up, "No, we have to thank you for what you''ve done! Please, ride the rest of the way with us."


    "No, we have somewhere to be, we must be on our way. Besides, you do not have me to thank, my daughter is the one that helped you."


    With that, Mama Bloodcat smiles, grabs me, and jumps out of an open window. She starts running along the road, and we quickly pass the caravan, which soon disappears in the distance.


    The sun has already set, and the sky should be dark by now, but I can''t really tell. The exhaustion of my soul from earlier starts catching up to me as I gaze at the stars in the sky.


    As the scenery rushes by around me, the stars above seem completely still, as if frozen in time.


    ''One day, I''ll travel through the stars. They''ll move past me as fast as these trees...''


    As soon as the crazy thought appears in my head, I feel myself start to pick up speed. Everything seems to move faster and faster, and as I look around, I find that Mama Bloodcat is nowhere in sight.


    Soon everything is moving by so quickly that it''s hard to see clearly. Eventually the moons start moving as well, and the stars become the only stationary things in my vision.


    Before I notice, the moons in the sky are already gone. I look down, but the planet has disappeared from underneath me, replaced with space, with stars. One moment everything around me seems to be moving, and the next, everything seems so still.


    I watch the ever un-moving stars with a calmness I would never expect from myself. No, that''s wrong; the stars have already started shifting. I fix my gaze ahead of me as a star starts expanding, soon growing large enough to fill my entire vision, and then passes by and disappears behind me just as quickly.


    The stars, which were so still, start flying past me like a swarm of fireflies. It feels like I could simply reach out and touch one, like I could grab one and pluck it from space.


    The stars eventually become blurs. They all seem to meld together, forming a blanket of light that surrounds me. Even the space around me seems to warp and distort, causing a nauseous feeling to well up inside of me.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    I look down at my body, now the only thing in my vision that''s not moving. But instead of my own body, I see the body of a human man in black robes.


    "You must die!"


    I suddenly wake up.


    The first thing I notice is, it seems I can''t scream. Rather, it seems I can''t really move at all. My entire body feels sore, I feel a bit sick, and I can''t move, but I don''t feel like I''m dying at least. Not that that''s reassuring.


    ''What the heck was that?!''


    That was the weirdest dream I''ve ever had, it felt so real. And where did the idea of flying through the stars even come from? I''ve never particularly wanted to go to space. Then there were the robes I saw just before waking up, they somehow seem... familiar. I don''t remember ever seeing them, though.


    Anyway, that whole thing was weird, but there was that same voice telling me to die again! Why is that thing so rude, telling me to die? It''s not like I''m going to die just because it tells me to...


    ''Wait, that part was a dream, right...?''


    I focus all of my effort on trying to open my eyes. As my eyelids slowly part, the first thing I see is, well, nothing. Everything is just one big blur. I try looking around, but moving my eyes is hard, and the splitting pain wracking my head doesn''t help either. Eventually my eyes start to focus, and I''m able to make out some trees and big rocks around me. It seems we''re in a forest again.


    My vision eventually clears further, and after a few scans of the area, I don''t see anything dangerous looking. Of course, since I''m lying on my side, it could be behind me.


    I try moving my body again, and find that I can move surprisingly well now. With considerable effort, I prop myself into a sitting position and survey my surroundings. After looking all around me, the only living creature I can see is Mama Bloodcat, who''s snoring a couple feet away from me.


    I only manage one look around me before I start getting lightheaded and fall down, after which everything starts getting dark.


    "Wake up Lyna, I have breakfast."


    I wake up to the sound of Mama Bloodcat.


    "Ah, yes Mama. Man, I have such a headache..."


    "Did you stay up all night studying symbols again?"


    "No, I think it''s from helping Miina. I probably overexerted myself."


    Mama gives an ''ah'' as she brings a... well, basically a dead jackalope, over and drops it in front of me. It''s about as big as a deer, and it has black eyes, but it''s undoubtedly a jackalope.


    "I searched all over, and finally found a black eyed creature. I wanted to give you something special, because I am very proud of what you did yesterday."


    I smile at her, "Thanks Mama!"


    The jackalope tastes exactly like I would expect it to; mythical. I''m not sure I''ve ever tasted something so delicious in my life! We quickly finish off almost the whole jackalope.


    "Ahhh, that was delicious. Where did you find that jackalope?"


    "What is a ''jackalope''?"


    "Oh, that''s what I called that thing. Sorry, did you want to name it? Since you found it and all."


    She laughs, "I think jackalope is a perfect name, we shall name it that."


    "So did you see any more of them?"


    Mama Bloodcat shakes her head.


    "Anyway, that thing was delicious! Thanks for the food Mama."


    Mama just smiles and mentions that we should probably start traveling again. And so we start following the road again.


    We wound up quickening our pace a bit, and after two more days of traveling, we finally arrive at Mealdrou. This place seems even more impressive than Orion city. There''s a drawbridge and some sort of tollbooth at the gate, and there''s a line of traffic practically a mile long trying to get in. Carriages, carts, there are even many people on foot just like us trying to get in.


    Luckily the line moves pretty fast, so in a few hours we find ourselves nearly at the tollbooth. Suddenly, a realization dawns on me.


    "Mama, we don''t happen to have any money, do we?"


    "Ah."


    There''s a shout of ''next'' in front of us, and Mama and I walk up to the tollbooth.


    "Five quotes per person, ten per vehicle."


    "We do not have any money with us, is there anything else that we can pay with?"


    The man looks at Mama lazily from his chair, "Look lady, you''re holding up the line. If you don''t have any quotes, please move aside and let the next group through."


    Mama waves her hand, after which a red gem appears on the man''s desk. The red gem is an item that starts fires, which we found at the pyramid.


    "Is this enough?"


    The man stands up and looks between the red gem and Mama Bloodcat a few times.


    After a moment of silence, the man calmly replies, "Yes, that''s enough; you and your group can pass."


    "Thank you." replies Mama, and with that, we walk through the gateway.


    On the other side of the gateway is a huge plaza, tiled with something that looks like marble. The buildings at the edge of the plaza, too, seem to be made out of either marble or different types of fancy stone. There''s even a translucent yellow building, which seems to be made out of a huge gem!


    "Is there anywhere you want to go?"


    "Nah, not really. We should just explore first!"


    Mama laughs, and we chose a street and start following it. Almost immediately, I start noticing a definite difference here compared to Orion City. In Orion City, practically everyone had at least the third level of body tempering, while most people were in the Qi Awakening stage or higher. Even the merchants there were pretty strong.


    Here though, there seems to be lots of normal people who don''t practice cultivation at all. There are people wearing fancy clothes rushing through the streets, possibly heading to work. There are couples holding hands, sitting on benches. There are people leisurely walking through the streets, seemingly just enjoying the sights.


    There are lots of cultivators too of course, and many of them seem to be pretty strong.


    "Halt!"


    Proceeding the shout, I stop and turn my head, as do the rest of the people on the street. A group of ten guards walk towards me and Mama until they''re a few feet away, and then surround us.


    A man wearing slightly fancier armor walks up to Mama, "The city lord would like to see you. Please follow us."

 Chapter 18: Greed

    "So, I hear you''ve got a storage device."


    We''ve been brought into the city lord''s office. The first impression the city lord gave me was a very obese, but kind looking middle aged man. But after looking at Mama for a few seconds, his expression almost immediately shifted to an unpleasant, greedy expression.


    The guards usher Mama to a chair, and she picks me up and sits down.


    "I want to buy your storage device, please show it to me."


    Even Mama Bloodcat, who doesn''t understand many social cues, seems to realize how rude the man is being, as she furrows her brows and frowns a little.


    "Come on, I just want to look at it, there''s nothing wrong with that right?"


    "Who are you, and why do you wish to speak with us?"


    The man gives an ''ah'', "I''m City Lord Marcus, and I called you here because I want your storage device. I''m willing to pay one thousand quotes for it."


    Mama sighs, "I do not know how much money that is, but I do not wish to sell to you. I do not like you."


    I can''t help laughing at Mama''s response. The city lord''s face quickly darkens, but he actually starts laughing as well.


    He stands up and sneers at us, "Good, good! The only reason a Qi Awakening cultivator such as yourself would be so impudent is because of your magical beast! Well let me tell you, your holy fox is only at the early Qi Manipulation stage. What if I told you I''m half a step from mid Qi Manipulation? And I''m not the only strong person here. You should think it over again, will you sell your storage device to me or not?"


    "I will not, we are leaving."


    As soon as Mama Bloodcat stands up, two guards seem to appear out of nowhere, blocking our path.


    Mama glares at the city lord, "Do you intend to attack us?"


    "That depends, will you sell me the storage device?" asks the city lord derisively.


    "No."


    "Then yes, we''ll kill you both."


    Mama turns to the guards behind us, "Do you wish to kill us as well?"


    The two men grin and shake their heads no mockingly.


    Mama sighs and puts me down on the chair, "Most humans seem less violent than beasts, capable of living together peacefully."


    The men surrounding us look confused for a second when suddenly, out of nowhere, one of the guards collapses in a pool of blood.


    Mama stares harshly at the city lord, "But it seems there are some humans that are equally as vicious as us beasts."


    As Mama starts walking towards the city lord, the other guard collapses as well, and the city lord finally seems to come to his senses.


    With a wave of his arm, he sends a vine out of his sleeve. The vine quickly nears Mama Bloodcat, but she merely touches the tip of the vine, catching it on fire. The fire quickly spreads to the rest of the vine, incinerating it as it goes, all the way up to the city lord''s arm.


    Following a scream of pain, the city lord''s arm goes limp, after which he holds up his other arm, which starts emanating a green glow. He crouches down and then jumps, propelling himself towards Mama Bloodcat.


    With a quick movement, Mama smacks the city lord''s glowing arm long before it reaches her, breaking it, then grasps his throat and lifts him off the ground.


    "I have always thought myself to be less vicious than other beasts, but I will not tolerate others trying to kill me or my family!"


    Crack!


    "We are leaving."


    Everything happened too quickly. I can only stare on in shock as billows of colored fog, one blue and two green, rise from the three bodies and head toward me.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    As the fog enters the marble on my chest, I feel some sort of barrier inside of me break, and then a wave of qi rushes through my body.


    As Mama picks me up, she freezes for a second, and then smiles.


    "You have leveled up."


    I finally wake from my stupor, "Ah, yeah, I guess I did."


    Mama walks out of the city lord''s mansion as if nothing happened, and continues walking through the streets with me in her arms.


    I can''t seem to shake off what just happened though. Those men attacked us for no reason other than to steal something we had, and the instigator was the leader of a city no less! Those guys were no better than the black eyed beasts back in the forest that attacked us for no reason.


    Suddenly Mama lifts me to eye level and stares at me seriously, "Lyna, I do not want you to judge all humans based on the actions of those few back there. They were blinded by their greed, which led them to their deaths. Remember to treat everyone kindly, be they beast or human, unless they mean you harm. Or maybe if they are food. And remember to never covet others'' belongings to the point that you are willing to kill them."


    She then brings me closer and hugs me. I find the current situation to be a bit funny. A magical beast that turned into a human is lecturing a human that turned into a magical beast on humanity.


    I look up at Mama Bloodcat, who still has a serious look on her face, and can''t help but start giggling.


    "Yes Mama."


    Suddenly a loud voice seems to encompass the entire city.


    "City Lord Marcus has been found dead, along with two elite guards. The perpetrator is believed to be a woman clothed in red and her small white magical beast. If you see anyone who fits this description, we advise that you avoid them at all costs."


    Almost immediately after the broadcast, a man across the street spots us.


    "That''s them!" he blurts out, and then quickly covers his mouth as if he had said something wrong.


    A few seconds and a few screams later, we''re the only ones left on the street.


    "It seems we are no longer welcome here."


    "We did kill their leader after all, guess it can''t be helped. Even though he was a total jerk..."


    We start making our way to the city gate. Everywhere we go, the people clear the street in front of us. I even see people staring at us through windows, but every time I make eye contact with them, they recoil with fearful expressions on their faces.


    I used to be a firefighter, so I''m used to looks of gratitude, praise, even looks of adoration from kids. I''ve experienced dissatisfied, even resentful looks for not getting fires put out in time. But I don''t remember ever getting looks of fear before, at least not from humans. On second thought, I guess Neil and Sarah''s mom was pretty scared of me.


    ''Ugh, I hate this feeling''


    Mama keeps walking until we eventually reach the gate. Standing underneath the gate, blocking the way, are hundreds of people in armor. They have yet to close the gate, so I assume they aren''t intending to keep us in the city. So why are they blocking our path then?


    As we near the group, a tall female guard, nearly as tall as Mama Bloodcat, approaches us. She keeps walking until she''s only a few feet from us, and then stops. Straightening her posture, she holds up a scroll and unrolls it in a practiced manner, and starts reading from it.


    "You have been accused of killing City Lord Marcus and two Qi Manipulation Guards. Do you accept these charges?"


    Mama puts me on the ground, "I killed them."


    "In accordance with international law, you will have your appearance imprinted. This crime will be recorded and any country or individual, if they so desire, may post bounties for your capture or death. Should you refuse, you will become the mutual enemy of all countries in the Elemist Coalition."


    The woman lowers the scroll and gestures at the people behind her, after which a man leaves the group and walks towards us. He''s one of the few people here not wearing armor, and is holding a device that I can only assume is some sort of camera.


    "This man will take an imprint of each of you, please stand still."


    Mama frowns, "It is I who killed all three men. She has nothing to do with this."


    "You cannot prove that. The law states that you must both be imprinted, please comply."


    "Then I-"


    "Mama! Don''t worry, it''s just a picture. Besides, if they spread my picture around the continent, won''t I be a celebrity?"


    "What is a ''celebrity''?"


    "Ah, being a celebrity means you''re famous."


    "What is ''famous''?"


    "Oh right, famous means a lot of people know about you."


    "So if one is old, they are a celebrity?"


    "Why would they be a celebrity just because they''re old?"


    "As you grow older, you will meet more people. Thus, more people will naturally know about you."


    "No, I mean like, if you''re a celebrity, everyone knows about you."


    "How can one guarantee that everyone knows about them?"


    "It''s just a figure of speech. It just means that a ton of people know about you."


    "Yes, so an old person may be a celebrity."


    "Well yeah, an old person can be a celebrity, but a celebrity is not necessarily old. A lot of people know about celebrities, but a celebrity doesn''t have to know a lot of people."


    "So how does..."


    Suddenly Mama looks around, and I follow her lead and look around as well. Somehow, all of the people around us have disappeared.


    "They must''ve taken our picture while we were talking and then left."


    Mama Bloodcat squints her eyes, "Sneaky people."


    "So I guess we can just leave the city now?"


    "It would seem so. But you must explain what a celebrity is, I still do not fully understand."


    "Oh yeah, so I was saying a celebrity is basically being famous, right? Well remember when all of the people were running from us? They were running from us because we were famous, and we were famous because of the announcement."


    "I see, so people are afraid of celebrities."


    "Nonono, we just so happened..."


    And so we continue our journey to the silhouette in the sky, as I try to explain what the word celebrity means.

 Chapter 19: Sheen Wrap

    Mama Bloodcat seems to be obsessed with carrying me. Except for when we sleep or hunt, she has pretty much been carrying me more often than not. While traveling, she''ll just pick me up whenever she feels like, and she won''t put me back down unless I ask her to.


    And so after a few days like that, we arrive at the next city. It''s smaller than the last two cities we''ve been to, and doesn''t even have a wall, but it still seems pretty lively. I''m honestly surprised though. I thought that everyone would be afraid of us, that we would be banned from entering cities, but nobody seems to even recognize us.


    ''Maybe word hasn''t spread yet?''


    Almost as soon as we enter the city, my nose is assaulted with delicious smells. The smells get stronger and stronger as we travel through the streets, and eventually we happen upon the source. There''s a wide-open area, seems to be some sort of town center, that''s packed with stalls selling all kinds of street food. A lot of them are selling different kinds of wraps, while most of the rest are selling soups, breads, and one is even selling entire roasted animals!


    I prepare to ask if we can get some food, but I notice that Mama''s already staring intently at a certain stall. The stall that she''s staring at is run by a bald man, and is one of the only ones that actually has a line of people in front of it. He''s selling some sort of wrap, like a lot of the other stalls, but his wraps are rather... unique?


    He takes entire hand-sized steaks, which he cooks on a grill built into the stall, pours sauce on them, and then wraps them in some sort of leafy vegetable. Then he wraps them in flatbread, submerges them in some sort of liquid, and puts them back on the grill. After he takes them back off of the grill, he covers them in thin sheets of transparent yellow... something. The sheets stick to the wraps, making them look shiny, and then he gives them to people just like that.


    I was so transfixed by the process that I didn''t even notice when we got in line, and suddenly we''re directly in front of the stand.


    "Never seen you before, how''s it goin? Did you just happened upon my stall, or did you hear about my food from somebody?"


    He leans in and whispers, "My food''s pretty famous, you know." and gives a proud grin.


    Mama smiles, "I smelled your food while walking down the street."


    He looks slightly disappointed, but then perks up almost immediately, "That so. Anyway, one sheen wrap is 8 quotes, two for 15 quotes!"


    Mama gives an ''ah'', "We do not have money. Do you know where to get some?"


    The man rubs his chin, "Hmm... you look like a strong lass, do you have any experience hunting?"


    Mama nods her head vigorously, "Yes, I am very good at hunting."


    "Well it''s like this; I used to have somebody who hunted round bears for me, which is what this is," he holds up a steak, "but they moved to another city with their family not long ago. So now I have to buy them at the market, which is a pretty unreliable source."


    "So you need someone to replace your missing hunter?"


    The man nods his head, "Yep, that''s the situation. If you decide to work for me, I''ll pay 100 quotes per adult round bear you bring me."


    "I accept your proposal. Do you have...?"


    "Right, just a sec." he bends down and reaches under his stall, then stands back up holding a piece of paper.


    "Here you go, you can have it."


    He hands Mama the piece of paper, which has a picture of a round bear on it as well as several lines of text. The round bear looks like a fat brown bear, except it has horns on it, just like those red horned-bears.


    As Mama turns around and prepares to walk away, the bald man calls out, "Hey, I''m sure you know this already, since you said you''re good at hunting, but the forest can be pretty dangerous. Just the other day a couple people came back from the forest injured, and one of them almost didn''t make it. Just be careful, kay?"This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    After he finishes talking, he hands Mama the sheen wrap that he just finished making, "Here you go, on the house."


    "Thank you, Mister..."


    "Oh, my name''s Bark."


    "Mister Bark, how many round bears would be too many?"


    Bark doesn''t seem to understand, so Mama explains, "How many round bears can you use a day?"


    "Ah, I can use four bears worth of meet on a good day, but I usually don''t have that much. Four a day would be more than enough if you got that many."


    Mama nods her head, and as we walk away, I hear Bark greeting his next customer.


    "Shall we hunt for round bears right now?"


    While she''s talking, Mama rips the sheen wrap in two and hands half of it to me. Since I''m being carried, I''m able to grab the sheen wrap with my front paws.


    "Yeah, let''s go! When we get some money, what do you think we should buy?"


    "More of these." blurts out Mama with a full mouth.


    "Are they really that great?" I ask as I take a bite.


    As soon as the sheen wrap enters my mouth, I''m assaulted with a myriad of delicious flavors, but it''s not just the taste. The outside of the sheen wrap is super crunchy, and somehow the leafy vegetable it''s wrapped in is still crunchy as well, while the steak inside is so tender that it almost melts in my mouth.


    After scarfing down the rest of my half, I don''t feel satisfied at all.


    "We definitely need to buy more of those!"


    "Yes, I agree."


    "Wanna split up and hunt?"


    Mama thinks for a second, "Yes, that would be good, but we should not hunt more than two round bears each. After catching two, we will wait for each other at the city entrance."


    After agreeing to Mama''s demands, I take a good look at the paper, which lists the habitats and behavior of round bears, and then we split up to scour the forest.


    While traveling through the forest, swerving between trees, I happen upon a pack of dogs. They almost fit into Earth''s standard for a dog; I could even see people owning them as pets, if not for the fact that they''re about five feet tall when on all fours. Coupled with the fact that they''re built much sturdier than most dogs, they''d probably get the label of ''dangerous predator'' rather than ''dog''.


    I continue through the forest, enjoying the scenery. Somehow the strange, bizarre creatures throughout the forests have started feeling normal to me, it almost seems like I''m traveling through a forest on Earth.


    "Ahh, this is so nice."


    After a few more minutes of running, I happen upon a grove of trees which are so close together that they create a canopy above the forest. According to the paper that Bark gave us, these should be the areas that round bears usually hang out at.


    "Lucky! Now let''s see what we have here..."


    I quickly climb one of the trees and start traveling by jumping from branch to branch. I decide not to use my soul to search, as that would be unsportsmanlike.


    "Now where are you. The paper said you like living in a certain type of bushes... ah! That''s one right there!"


    I climb down the tree and approach the bush, poking my head in as soon as I get close enough. The way the branches grow causes the inside of the bush to be rather spacey, and the leaves provide surprisingly good shelter.


    ''No wonder they live here, it actually looks pretty comfortable.''


    After a couple more glances, I confirm that there are no round bears here, so I move on. After looking through several more bushes, I finally happen upon a round bear. Or should I say, I happen upon two round bears.


    They''re smaller than I thought they would be, at merely four or five feet tall upright, but they seem vicious enough to make up for their size. The two round bears are current locked in combat right outside a bush, growling and slapping at each other.


    One bear is obviously losing the fight and, after receiving a particularly nasty slap, drops to the ground and rolls up into a ball. The other bear seems to lose interest as it turns around and walks into the bush, leaving the battered bear on the ground.


    ''What are they even fighting over, the bush? But there are so many uninhabited bushes, why not just live in one of those?''


    With a couple silent leaps, I''m on the other side of the bush. I then stealthily make my way through the leaves and branches, until I find myself face to face with the round bear.


    "Oh hello there, sorry if I scared you. I meant to ambush you."


    The bear recoils and swings at me, but I easily dodge the attack. With a hearty thump on the head, the bear falls over, though I''m not sure if it died or if it''s just unconscious. After putting it in my storage ring, I walk outside and approach the bear that''s rolled into a ball.


    "Sorry dude, nothing personal."


    After collecting the other bear into my storage ring as well, I head to the entrance to the city. From when we met Bark to now, it''s only been about two hours. I wonder if he''ll be surprised?


    The entrance to the city soon comes into view, and I see Mama Bloodcat there meditating.


    "Mama, I got two!" I shout.


    She opens her eyes and stands up, "That is good. Before we enter the city though, we must first remove the bears from our storage rings where nobody can see. I do not wish for a repeat of the last incident."


    "Ah, I didn''t even think of that, that''s a good idea."


    We walk back into the forest and put the round bears on the ground. Mama then grabs two in each hand as we make our way back to the city. As one might expect in such a situation, the looks we get from passersby are rather strange. We return to Bark''s stall, but while the stall remains, Bark is nowhere to be found.


    Mama approaches a woman walking down the street, "Do you know where Bark is? He was selling sheen wraps right there."


    The woman is stunned at first, but after a few seconds she starts laughing, "Looks like Bark got a new hunter! His house is right this way, follow me. He''s almost always sold out by the time I get off work, maybe now..."


    Her last sentence trails off into mumbling as she leads us to Bark''s place.

 Chapter 20: Settling Down

    Knock!


    Knock!


    Knock!


    After a few seconds, Bark opens the door.


    "Hey, what''s..."


    "We have your round bears. That would be 400 quotes, yes?"


    He looks at the bears in Mama''s hands, "Yeah, of course! Wow, got a good haul today, huh? Just a second, I have a few notes..."


    He turns around and rushes through his house, practically tearing the place apart. He quickly comes back with five pieces of paper scrunched in his hand.


    "Here you go, three hundreds and two fifties. Mind if I take those?" he points at the bears.


    Mama drops the round bears and takes the money, "Yes, of course."


    "Gotta bring these back and get them cleaned up for tomorrow."


    As he hoists two and brings them behind his house, he waves at us and gives a courteous ''thank you''.


    The woman that led us here, who introduced herself as Tana, walks over to us.


    "Do you think you could get that many every day?"


    Mama nods her head, "That much is easy."


    Tana starts laughing, "Every time I get off of work, I go to his stall to see if there are any sheen wraps left, but there almost never are. But now I can have a sheen wrap every day! You''re awesome!"


    Mama grins, and then she suddenly picks me up.


    "She helped as well, her name is Lyna."


    Tana pats me on the head, "Aww, Lyna, what a good girl."


    I resist the urge to bite her hand, but still pout at her condescending attitude. She doesn''t seem to notice though as she just smiles, waves at us, and then walks away.


    Mama continues holding me, petting me incessantly. She can''t seem to wipe away her proud grin, wearing it as we head back to the forest, and keeping it even as we build a campfire. Suddenly, as if she can''t hold back anymore, she picks me up and hugs me as she lies down on the ground.


    "Lyna, they said we are awesome! They appreciate us so much, for doing something so simple."


    It seems Mama is really susceptible to positive reinforcement.


    "Yeah, they must really like those sheen wraps here. I guess I can understand though, they are delicious."


    "Yes, those were very delicious. And we have money now, so tomorrow we can buy some!"


    "Right! If we get 400 quotes a day, that means we can buy like ten sheen wraps each, and still have lots of money left over."


    "Only ten?"


    "Well, I''m not sure if he''d even let us buy ten each. We''ll have to ask him tomorrow."


    Mama gives an ''ah'', "Right, because he sells food to many people, it would be selfish of us to eat too much."


    "Yeah, haha, it would be pretty selfish."


    After a night of sleep, we return to Bark''s stall. But for some reason, on the way there, many people keep staring at us.


    ''Did they find out?''


    Most of the gazes are that of curiosity, but they still make me nervous. I do my best to ignore their looks, until we finally reach our destination. Bark is busy as usual, maybe even busier than he was yesterday, but he seems equally more energetic. He lifts his head up and, as he notices our approach, starts waving.


    "Hey everyone, they''re the ones I was talking about! It''s thanks to them that there are so many sheen wraps today!" shouts Bark, pointing at us.


    Almost everyone turns their heads towards us. After a few seconds, I hear someone shout ''thank you'', while several other people actually start clapping and shouting!Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    ''Is that why people were staring at us? These people sure are passionate about their food.''


    Wiping the non-existent sweat off of my forehead, I look up at Mama. Her proud smile has returned, but she doesn''t seem to know what to do with herself as she looks between each of the applauding people.


    Shaking her head as if to wake herself up, she starts laughing, "Thank you all, and you all are welcome."


    The clapping quickly dies down after that, and we approach bark.


    "So, are you able to hunt every day?"


    Bark starts talking as soon as we get close to his stall, though he continues to work just as fast while doing so.


    Mama nods her head, "Yes, we can hunt every day. I have a question to ask you."


    "Yeah?" asks Bark, as he finishes making a sheen wrap and hands it to someone.


    "Would I be able to buy 20 of your sheen wraps every day?"


    Bark looks at us blankly, and several people around us release hushed laughter.


    He quickly regains his composure, "Do you have a family to feed or something?"


    Mama shakes her head, "No, ten for her and ten for me."


    I hear people burst out laughing, while bark rubs his chin, seemingly pondering something.


    "Tell ya what, as long as you can get four round bears a day, I''ll make you each ten sheen wraps for free."


    Mama shakes her head, "No, we will pay for them. And we will get four round bears every day."


    Bark grins, "Then we have a deal! Your food will be waiting for you when you return."


    With a nod of her head, Mama Bloodcat turns around and walks toward the forest. I nod my head at Bark as well, then turn around and follow her.


    As I catch up to her, Mama looks over at me.


    "What else can we buy with money?" she asks, still smiling proudly.


    "Well, anything people sell, really. You can buy houses, tools, weapons-"


    Mama gasps, "Like a halberd?"


    "Well, yeah, but there are other types of weapons."


    Mama shakes her head, "Halberds are my favorite."


    With that, our conversation ends, and we split up to hunt again. I don''t remember exactly where I went last time, so I decide to just pick a direction and go. Very quickly, I wind up at another canopied area.


    After passing up a couple mama round bears with kids, I happen upon two more that are fighting over a bush.


    ''Are those bushes really so rare, that you would fight over them?''


    After knocking them both over the head and storing them in a ring, I head back to the city, where it turns out Mama''s waiting for me again.


    "How are you so fast?" I ask her, as soon as I get close.


    She just smiles, "We must take them out of our rings in the forest, remember?"


    And so we do. As we head into the city with the round bears, I decide that one day, I''ll beat Mama Bloodcat to the city entrance.


    --


    In the blink of an eye, several months pass. After a while, Bark found out that we were sleeping in the forest every night, so he pestered Mama to live in the city until she finally relented. He tried to convince her to rent a higher class house, but...


    "Why spend extra for luxury, when all we will do is sleep there?"


    So we''re now staying at an inn that costs ten quotes a night, which was the cheapest place we could find. It''s really a nice place. A bit small, but not at all what I think of when I hear the word ''cheap''.


    Anyway, we seem to have fit in pretty well here. A lot of people know us, and they sometimes wave at us or even stop to talk whenever we go out. Lots of nice people, good food, a well paying job, I''m really starting to like this place...


    "Lyna, we are heading out."


    "Okay!"


    I''m about to jump off of the bed, when Mama Bloodcat grabs me and picks me up. I glare at her, but she just flashes a mischievous grin before opening the door and exiting the room.


    "How are you guys doing today?"


    A young man, the innkeeper''s son, greets us as we reach the bottom of the stairs. He and his dad take turns looking after the inn; he works the mornings and his father takes over later in the day.


    "We are well, I hope you are too."


    "Been better, but I''m doing just fine. Have a good day!"


    He waves as we leave the inn and start our daily routine.


    "Bloodcat! Got your sheen wraps here, you headed out to hunt?"


    Bark holds up ten sheen wraps, while several people in the ever-present line in front of his stall wave at us.


    "Yes, thank you for the food."


    "Hey, so are the cultivating lessons still on for tonight?"


    Recently Mama has been teaching Bark, as well as a couple other people that were willing, how to cultivate. They''re all still in the Body Tempering stage, but they''re making definite progress.


    "Yes, we will start as soon as you close your stall."


    With that, Mama picks up the food, and we once more leave the city. We set up a picnic of sorts, which has become the ritual, and start eating. I usually only eat a couple sheen wraps, while Mama Bloodcat wind up eating the rest of them. At first I thought she might get fat, and even warned her of such, but she still looks exactly the same as she always has.


    I have to admit though, it''s amusing to see her so passionate about something like food. She always acts so calm and cool, but when she''s in front of good food, she becomes a glutton.


    ''She also acts funny when people praise her.''


    In the middle of laughing to myself, Mama stands up.


    "I am finished, I am-"


    "Ah, me first! I''ll beat you this time!" I scurry into the forest, in a direction where I know round bears are.


    I''ve made it my goal to beat Mama back to the city after hunting, but no matter how fast I go, she always gets there first. But I have confidence this time. I looked around when we went out hunting yesterday, and located two round bears ahead of time!


    ''I bet she''ll be surprised if I get there first!''


    I reach my destination in moments, and find the round bear still there. With a single thump on its head, I proceed to the next spot.


    "Still there! Perfect, hahaha!"


    With two round bears occupying my storage ring, I make my way back to the city as fast as my legs will take me. Quickly approaching our meet up point, to my shock, I see...


    "Nothing? I finally... I finally beat her! Hahaha! I can''t-"


    Boom!


    My gloating is interrupted by the sound of an explosion coming from inside the city.

 Chapter 21: Getting Up

    Boom!


    Shortly after the first, I hear a second explosion reverberate through the city. At this point, I start getting worried. As quickly as I can, I make my way towards the source of the explosion.


    ''Hopefully no one''s hurt...!''


    Some people are running away from the sound, but even more people seem curious as they cautiously make their way towards it.


    "Why have you done this!"


    Just ahead of me, I see Mama Bloodcat holding up a man by his shirt, as she furiously shouts at him


    "He- he was colluding with a criminal, he deserved it! We weren''t doing anything wrong! It''s your fault he-"


    Not waiting for him to finish, Mama Bloodcat throws him at a nearby building, causing a third explosion to ring out. Beside the crater caused by the impact are two more craters, occupied by a man and a woman respectively. They are all in pretty bad shape, but they''re still alive.


    Mama seems appeased for now, as she bends down and picks up a limp body.


    ''Wait, that''s Bark!''


    I make my way through the crowd that''s starting to form to Mama Bloodcat''s side. As I look around at the destroyed stalls, I start piecing together the information, which is painting a rather nasty picture. I feel anger well up inside of me as I glare at the three people stuck in the wall, before turning my attention back to Bark.


    "How is he?"


    "He will not die. It will take him some time to heal, though."


    "Oh, right! We could use tonic to-"


    Mama shakes her head, "No, we must quickly leave this place before others get hurt because of me."


    I glare at the perpetrators, "And them? Should we just kill them?"


    "No. If we kill them, this town may be blamed for it. I do not wish to take that chance. Besides, they will not be able to harm anyone for quite some time."


    I smack myself in the face a few times. Why was killing them the first thing that popped into my mind? Since when did I become so bloodthirsty?


    Under Mama''s confused gaze, I sigh, "Yeah, you''re right."


    Under the mixed gazes of the people surrounding us, Mama Bloodcat carries Bark to the local doctor''s building. After stuffing an ample amount of quotes in the doctor''s hands, she puts a handful of quotes in Bark''s pockets, and then gives quotes to everyone whose property got damaged. She then picks me up and starts petting me while walking silently towards the edge of town.


    Usually she doesn''t pet me like this unless she''s really happy or upset, and I''m pretty sure I know which one she''s feeling. I''m not feeling great myself either honestly; not only did a friend get hurt because of us, I also feel like I''m slowly losing my humanity.


    ''Though I guess I''m not really human anymore.'' I chuckle derisively at myself.


    We make our way out of the city with an entourage of people following us. Some people have conflicted expressions on their faces, but everybody is so silent that it almost hurts.


    The silence continues until we''ve already started down the road leading to the next city.


    "Hey, outta my way! Move! Come on!"


    Behind us, Bark starts pushing his way through the crowd, which has stopped in a line at the edge of the city. As soon as he gets to the front, he limps a few steps farther, then stops and just glares at us. After a few seconds, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out the money Mama gave to him, and then tares it in half.


    "Do you really think I want your money?! Those punks were going on about how you were a criminal and a murderer, and maybe you are, who cares?! Whatever you did, you had a reason to do it, didn''t you?"


    He huffs and puffs for a few seconds, before continuing, more calmly this time.


    "We''re friends, right? Can''t you at least say goodbye before you leave? And I want you to remember that you can always return here, okay? Right everyone?!"


    A woman who runs a stall right beside Bark''s, which also got destroyed earlier, buries her hand in her pocket and removes some notes, proceeding to violently tear them up into several pieces, "Sorry for not saying anything earlier, of course you can come back whenever you want! None of us blame you for what happened!"This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    The next person to speak up is Tana, the woman who lead us to Bark''s house when we first came here, "Hey guys, thanks for all you did here! Wherever you go, make sure to stay safe, okay?"


    A couple more stall owners take the money Mama gave them and start ripping it up, as more and more people start shouting goodbye, agreeing that we can come back whenever we want.


    Mama wipes a tear from the corner of her eye, "Goodbye everyone, and I am sorr... no, I am happy! I wish you all the best."


    I watch the waving crowd of people slowly disappear in the distance. It''s a heartwarming display, but somehow, it feels like it would have been easier to leave if they had hated us. I just feel so many emotions flowing through me. I''m happy because they treat us so well, I''m sad because we have to leave... but the thing I feel most right now is anger. I''m angry at those three that attacked the town, I''m angry at this stupid country, and most of all I''m angry at myself.


    "How come even now that I''m this strong, I still let people get hurt? What''s the use..." I mumble to myself.


    Mama Bloodcat lifts me up in front of her and looks at me seriously, "You are very strong, but I am stronger. And I have no doubt that there are many beings much stronger than I; for If there is one thing that I have learned throughout my life, it is that there is always somebody more powerful than yourself. To protect others, the best way is to help them get stronger. And to protect yourself, you must constantly get stronger! Please, Lyna, never be satisfied with your strength. Never become complacent. Always strive to better yourself, and if you care for someone, strive to better them as well, if they are willing."


    She grins at me, "And sometimes, even if they are not."


    Her words hit me like a ton of bricks. It makes sense, I mean it''s not like I can protect someone constantly. Helping them get stronger seems like a much better long-term solution. And protecting myself... I think I''m starting to understand the way this world works. When I was in the forest, I wasn''t that surprised by creatures attacking me; rather, with my knowledge of animals on earth, I expected it. But humans seem to be practically the same. The strong prey on the weak, and if they''re strong enough, they get away with it. I mean, I guess earth was similar in some ways, but most people had to be more subtle about it at least.


    I look up at Mama Bloodcat, whose knowledge of this world, as well as her wisdom, both far surpass my own, I feel.


    "Okay, I promise. If I really care about someone, I''ll help them get stronger, and I''ll try not to get too complacent."


    "Ha!"


    I try a feint, but the attack is repelled just as easily as every other. Twisting my body in midair, I land smoothly on the ground and go in for another attack.


    Once again, I''m repelled with a wave of a hand, but this time I don''t wait until I hit the ground. I directly kick the air, sending myself speeding back at Mama Bloodcat. She seems shocked by my sudden move, and quickly pushes her hand forward. She uses more force this time, sending me toppling painfully to the ground.


    "Lyna, are you alright?!" she asks, as she runs over and picks me up.


    I look at her smugly, "Haha, almost gotcha that time!"


    "Yes, you did. How did you do that? I thought that you cannot fly."


    "Yeah, my soul''s not strong enough to help me fly, but I''ve found that if I concentrate it in a small area, I can jump off of it in midair! It''s kinda hard to do, though."


    "That is a very interesting idea."


    "Yeah, I think so too, hehe. Just wait, sometime I''m going to get you!"


    Mama smiles, "I sincerely hope so."


    After Mama''s speech the other day, I asked her if we could spar sometimes. She didn''t understand what it meant at first, but once I explained it to her, she seemed very approving of the idea. Since then, we have been sparring every day.


    Sometimes she lets me attack her while she defends, occasionally giving me tips, and sometimes she attacks me and lets me defend. She holds back of course, as to not hurt me too badly, but I still wind up with a lot of bruises.


    She says that sparring is good for her as well, because it helps her control her qi better. Apparently, she hasn''t had enough experience fighting since entering Qi Expulsion.


    And so with our daily sparring done with, we continue on to the next city, Strodens. Well, Mama continues on her way to the next city while holding me.


    It seems like this Strodens might be a big city. The original dirt road that we were traveling on linked up with this huge road that we''re on now, which looks almost as nice as modern roads back on Earth. Along the way, more dirt and cobblestone roads started connecting to this one, which led to more travelers and merchants.


    Most of them I''ve seen seem pretty unfriendly, though. Almost all of the groups have a significant amount of guards, who tend to look menacingly at passersby, and especially so at me it seems.


    "Mama, what are you doing?"


    Currently, we''re at the bottom of a grassy hill at the edge of a forest. We''re supposed to be going to sleep for the night, but Mama Bloodcat is just sitting there, staring at the forest.


    "There are people." she says, pointing at the forest.


    I look suspiciously at the forest, and am about to scan it with my soul, when I hear someone start clapping.


    "You have good senses! Sadly, you have no common sense. What are you doing way out here all by yourself?"


    A roguish looking man walks out of the forest while slow clapping, followed by several brutish looking men and women. It honestly looks like a scene straight out of a movie.


    "I am not alone." replies Mama, pointing at me.


    The man is momentarily stunned, and then amends, "I meant you are the only human."


    Mama shakes her head, "I am not actually human. She used to be human, though." she says, pointing at me again.


    I see all of the people''s brows furrow almost simultaneously.


    "Mama, you have the best ways of phrasing things." I laugh.


    A muscular woman steps forward impatiently, "Come on boss, just give the demands."


    The roguish man shakes his head, "Right. So you can give us all of your valuables and be on your way, or we can beat you up and then steal your valuables. Or, you can join us and keep everything you have."


    I hear several people shout ''boss'' at the same time, as a man shouts over the top of everyone, "That last one''s not supposed to be part of it!"


    "Shut up! She could be useful to-"


    The man is interrupted as Mama interjects, "So you want to beat us up? Not kill us?"


    The roguish man, the apparent leader of their group, responds, "Of course we don''t want to kill you. If people started showing up dead, the local authorities would clamp down on security, and nobody wants that."


    Mama smiles, "Then I will not kill you."


    We wind up having to move camp, since sleeping around a bunch of beat up, unconscious people is surprisingly hard.

 Chapter 22: Mission Board

    "And there it is. Strodens, capital of Rebe. Isn''t it beautiful?"


    I look down at the valley in front of me, within which is a city. There are no walls around it, but that''s understandable, really; after all, the amount of materials and manpower it would take to wall off a city that big would be hard to imagine. The massive city stretches on into the distance, nearly as far as the eye can see. It easily dwarfs all of the cities we''ve been to so far, combined.


    "Well then, shall we?" Poisonclaw, the roguish bandit, gestures to the road ahead.


    "Of course." replies Mama.


    For some reason, after Mama beat him up, Poisonclaw caught up to us and asked if he could be our guide so that we might "forgive his transgressions". Before we could even reply, he insisted that entering the city should be fine for him, since they usually don''t issue bounties for petty criminals. Eventually Mama gave in, agreeing that we could use a guide, and I can''t say I really have any objections.


    I continue to admire the view as we descend the gentle slope towards the city.


    Even at a decent pace, it still takes the rest of the day to reach the city. Though, that can be partially attributed to Poisonclaw, who had to take several brakes along the way. Apparently he''s only barely in Qi Awakening, so he gets tired out pretty easily. By the time we finally enter the city, all of the inns are closed.


    "Don''t worry," states Poisonclaw with a hint of pride, "we''re cultivators. I''m sure the inns will make an exception for us."


    Mama Bloodcat shakes her head, "No, I do not wish to inconvenience them. We will sleep outside of the city tonight."


    He looks at her like she''s crazy, "We''re cultivators, it''s fine. They won''t mind."


    Mama looks at him like he''s the one that''s crazy, "What difference does us being cultivators make?"


    "Well, because we''re strong."


    "And how would our strength help us? Are we to threaten them?"


    "No, it''s because people respect strength! They''ll want to accommodate us."


    "That is to say we will inconvenience them. We will sleep outside."


    Poisonclaw looks disbelievingly at Mama Bloodcat.


    "Are all cultivators that arrogant?" I ask.


    "I do not know. I hope that is not the case."


    Poisonclaw perks his head up, "Huh? What did you say?"


    Mama shakes her head, "I was not talking to you."


    "I''m telling you, it wasn''t my idea!"


    A voice abruptly wakes me from my sleep.


    "Then whose was it?"


    "Who... you say. Well, it''s a funny story, really. You see..."


    A guard is confronting Poisonclaw, questioning him. I look beside me at where Mama is lying, and although her eyes are open, she''s staying perfectly still. It''s almost like she feels guilty about something, her eyebrows inching closer and closer together as the conversation goes on.


    Finally, she stands up, "It was I who had the idea. I did not know that sleeping outside of the city was not allowed."


    The guard looks over at Mama and opens his mouth, but no words come out. He stares silently at her for several seconds, and then jerkily turns his head towards me.


    Finally, he snaps out of his stupor, "You... are free to go."


    He then turns around and starts walking towards the city, soon increasing his pace to a sprint.


    "Ah, do you think he recognized us? He probably recognized us."


    Mama nods her head, "Probably. We must be cautious."


    "What?"


    "I was not talking to you."


    "Oh, sorry."


    "Do not apologize."


    I snicker to myself as Poisonclaw stares blankly at Mama. He soon after regains his composure, but still doesn''t seem to know what to do with himself.


    "Shall we enter the city?" offers Mama, a suggestion that he gladly accepts.


    And so begins our city tour. He first takes us to several different inns, his criteria of which seems to be their food. He then leads to a market area and shows us weapon shops, armor shops, even clothing shops. He tactfully implies that Mama should buy a few sets of ''normal'' clothes, but she doesn''t seem to understand and simply states that her clothes work perfectly fine.


    After that, we visit a few tourist attractions, one of which is a restaurant staffed only by Qi Awakening cultivators or higher. Apparently it''s pretty expensive, but you get to be ''served by cultivators''. I''m not sure I understand the appeal; are cultivators like celebrities or something? Or maybe being waited on by strong people appeals to their egos, I don''t really know.


    "And here is the mission board. It''s run and regulated by the Life Sect, which practically owns this city. The mission board pretty much has the dirty work that they don''t want their disciples doing, though some missions are personally posted by members of the sect. Even dirty work pays pretty well, though, if you''re strong." he glances at Mama Bloodcat.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Mama starts looking through the papers posted on the board. After a couple seconds of looking, she suddenly grabs one of the papers and stuffs it inside her pocket in a single quick motion.


    ''Did she already find an interesting one?''


    "Mama! Could you lift me up? I wanna see!"


    She giggles and lifts me up. As I read through them, a single mission in the top left corner of the board stands out from the rest. It seems someone named Trista Riddith is coordinating a ''dungeon clear''. The only requirement is being in the Qi Manipulation realm, and the reward is 800 ''spirit stones''.


    "Mama, do you know what spirit stones are?"


    Mama shakes her head, "Poisonclaw, do you know what spirit stones are?"


    "Of course I do." he states, but after seeing our questioning gazes, he asks hesitantly, "Wait, do you not?"


    We both shake our heads.


    "Well, let me see... they contain qi, so they can be used to help cultivate, but that''s mostly useful for Qi Awakening cultivators like us." he smirks. "Their main use is that of a currency. Most cultivators prefer to buy and sell in spirit stones, to the point that some even detest using mortal currencies."


    "What are ''mortal currencies''?"


    "You know, like quotes."


    "Are 800 spirit stones a lot?" I ask, after which Mama repeats the question to Poisonclaw.


    "800 is a lot! I might be able to reach Qi Manipulation with that many."


    "Then, should we do that one?" I ask, pointing at the dungeon clear mission.


    Mama starts reading, but not long after asks me what ''dungeon'' means. Before I can explain my theories, though, Poisonclaw starts passionately describing them in a rather practiced manner.


    "Dungeons are the lifeblood of cultivators. Nobody knows who made them, but from what I know, there are dungeons scattered all across the world. And while no two dungeons are the same, they all have something in common; treasure! Without dungeons, we would be ages behind where we are right now. They provide us with cultivation manuals, magical techniques, martial arts; even most of the magical items you see are from dungeons!"


    I nod my head, "Right, so that pyramid was almost definitely a dungeon."


    "That seems to be the case. Yes, let us do that one, but we must be cautious of the dungeon, and more so of the people. It seems many cultivators are not trustworthy."


    I nod my head and look at Poisonclaw, who has a funny look on his face.


    "Were you not talking to me again?" he asks.


    "I was not. Would you please lead us to the location on that paper?" she points at the dungeon clear mission.


    As Poisonclaw begins reading, his eyes start to get wider.


    "But this is for Qi Manipulation cultivators, aren''t you in Qi Awakening?"


    Mama thinks for a few seconds, and then nods her head.


    He frowns, as a confused look creeps over his face. Suddenly, as if a light bulb just flipped on in his head, he drags his slowly widening eyes towards me.


    "Then, it''s...?" he points at me.


    Mama nods her head, "Yes, she is in mid Qi Manipulation."


    ''Ah, did she just sell me out? Somehow, I feel sold out...''


    His already wide eyes get wider, as he backs up a few steps. After a few awkward seconds of silence, he straightens himself back up and coughs lightly.


    "Wow, I uh... didn''t know. Just... follow me, I''ll lead you to your destination." he says, as he starts walking away mechanically.


    As he walks ahead of us, even though I know he can''t hear me, I subconsciously whisper, "Mama, I''ve been wondering this for a while, but why does everyone think that you''re a Qi Awakening cultivator?"


    She shakes her head, "I do not know."


    "Kinda weird if you ask me. Maybe they''re all just idiots."


    "Lyna, be nice."


    "Ah, sorry."


    Poisonclaw leads us to a large, nice looking building in an otherwise rundown and mostly uninhabited area.


    "I''ll wait outside for you." or so he says, but from the looks of it, he''s probably going to ditch us as soon as he''s alone.


    "You may leave, thank you for guiding us."


    He looks instantly relieved as he sighs, "Thank you very much. Er, I mean, you know... goodbye."


    I wave to the retreating Poisonclaw, though I don''t think he notices me. I really can''t get used to this feeling of people being afraid of me. It just feels so wrong. I hope I can get stronger quickly, so that I''ll be able to turn human.


    I briskly shake my head in order to wake myself from my pity party, as I think out loud, "Does he know who we are, too?"


    "I do not think so, he seemed afraid of only you. He must have been traumatized."


    "Haha, that''s possible I guess."


    Soon he turns a corner and walks behind a building, leaving our sight. After waiting a couple more seconds, Mama picks me up and walks into the building.


    As we pass through the double doors, I start wondering who exactly this Trista Riddith is. The outside of the building looks nice, but the inside looks a thousand times nicer. I feel like I just walked into a billionaire''s mansion!


    "You must be here because of the dungeon clearing notice. The Miss should be discussing the mission with the rest of the applicants right now; I will inform her of your arrival, if you wish."


    Mama smiles, "Yes, please."


    The butler nods his head and walks up some stairs to the second floor. Although his words sound pleasing to the ears, he has a certain arrogance that seems to permeate his entire being; it''s like even while speaking politely, he was looking down on us.


    "Man, these people really must be rich. Even their butler acts rich."


    Mama shakes her head, "You must be mistaken. After we got these," she points to the loop around her neck, "you said you felt rich, yet you did not act that way."


    "No, what I mean is-" before I can finish my sentence, I''m interrupted.


    "The Miss will see you now."


    Mama follows the butler up the stairs, through a hallway, and finally through another set of double doors.


    "Is this going to keep happening?"


    Through the doors is a room with a single circular table in it, surrounded by ten chairs. Currently eight of them are occupied, and one of the occupants, a young looking man in fancy clothes, releases a snide remark as soon as we walk in.


    "Shut up Mucky, more help is always appreciated." the woman sitting in the chair farthest from us immediately reprimands him, causing a hushed laugh to break out.


    "I said to stop calling me that! My name is Stephan Riddith, can''t you at least call me that in public, sis?"


    I feel an immediate connection to this poor Mucky sap. I can understand the feeling of having a silly nickname.


    "I can, if you act in a manner befitting a Riddith." The woman then looks at Mama, "My name is Trista Riddith, the person hiring you. You are...?"


    The woman named Trista Riddith looks pretty average, but one thing in particular stands out about her. That is, she has green hair. Her brother has similarly green hair, as well.


    "I am Bloodcat." Mama replies seriously.


    Trista nods her head, and as she turns her attention to me, her eyes go wide; but she doesn''t look afraid. Instead, she releases a bright smile and points at me.


    "Is that a holy fox? I''ve never seen one in person before!"


    Mama shakes her head, "I do not know what species she is."


    Trista quickly composes herself, "So she is a girl? What is her name?"


    "Her name is Lyna."


    "Where did you find her? Were there more? Oh, and when-"


    Mama interrupts, "She was in the forest, and she was alone. Why do you ask?"


    Trista sighs, "I have always wanted a holy fox. All of the books I have read tell of how kind and gentle they are. Apparently they try to avoid any form of confrontation, and would rather run away from a fight if possible. But when they do decide to fight, they are said to be very strong! Their main downside is that they can''t talk, which is a shame, but supposedly they make extremely good pets nonetheless."


    Mama looks at her funny, "Hate fighting? I do not think she is a holy fox."


    "No, I am pretty sure she is. I do not know of any other magical beast that looks like that."


    Mama redirects her funny look towards me.


    I shrug, "I can''t help it if I like fighting."


    Suddenly a middle aged woman stands up and points at Mama, "Are we just going to ignore the fact that she''s only in Qi Awakening?"

 Chapter 23: Contraptionation

    "She may only be in Qi Awakening, but her beast seems to be in mid Qi Manipulation." a short old man replies to the woman''s question.


    His words cause several people who were acting dismissive earlier to look in our direction.


    A woman wearing tight-fitting clothes laughs, "Using a magical beast to do all of the work, I''ve always detested beast tamers."


    "Taming a beast takes lots of work, it''s a valid profession." a man with long hair counters her.


    The woman just laughs again, "Didn''t you hear what species it is? How hard can it be to tame a holy fox?"


    "Enough. I will decide who I will hire." Trista looks at Mama Bloodcat, "I will not pay for you and your beast, you will be paid 800 spirit stones just like everyone else. Do you accept?"


    Mama nods her head, "I accept."


    "Good, then I will now explain the mission. There is a dungeon not far from here called Contraptionation, I am sure some of you have heard of it. Do not let the harmless sounding name fool you; it is extremely dangerous! There are thousands of deaths accounted to that single dungeon, many of which were Qi Manipulation experts such as us. Some of you may also know that the last room of Contraptionation has gone un-cleared for several years now, preventing it from resetting. My goal is to clear that last room. I will also be keeping any treasure acquired from the dungeon. If any of you have questions, please ask them now."


    ""What if the treasure is worth significantly more than what you are paying us?"" a man and woman, who have been silent until now, ask in complete unison.


    ''Creepy.''


    "I am paying you to help me clear the dungeon, how much the treasure is worth is my problem. If you do not agree to my conditions, you can leave now."


    The room is silent for about a minute, during which nobody leaves.


    Trista nods her head, "Good. Are there any other questions?"


    After nobody says anything for a while, she stands up, "That is all then. We will meet here again tomorrow morning, and then travel directly to the dungeon."


    After she finishes talking, everyone starts dispersing. Mama stands up as well, and walks out of the room. After we''re out of hearing distance of everyone else, I poke Mama on her cheek.


    "Why didn''t you tell them how strong you are? Couldn''t we have gotten paid twice as much?"


    "The fact that they think I am weak may prove advantageous to us. If they attempt to attack us, they will be unprepared for my strength, and will likely fail. If they know I am strong, they will be able to plan accordingly."


    "I guess that makes sense. It kinda sucks that we get paid less, though."


    "Better safe than sorry. That is how you use that term, yes?"


    I laugh, "Yeah, that was a correct usage."


    "Hey!"


    Suddenly I hear a shout from behind us. As Mama turns around, I see Trista quickly approaching us. After catching up to us, she stops.


    "Sorry, I wanted to talk to you more earlier, but I didn''t want them to think I was playing favorites. They can''t complain if I talk to you in my personal time, though! Oh right, do you mind if we hang out? Guess I should''ve asked that first."


    "I assume to hang out is to spend time together? If so, I do not mind."


    "Sweet! So I noticed your red hair earlier. If you don''t mind my asking, are you part of the Byorand clan?"


    "What is a ''clan''?"


    "A clan is basically a huge family." "It''s like a normal family, but bigger." Trista and I answer at almost the same time.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    Mama giggles, "No, I am not part of any clan. Why do you ask?"


    "Well, because they all have a fire affinity. Wait, you do have a fire affinity, don''t you?"


    Mama thinks for a second, then nods her head, "Yes, I believe I do. May I ask why you have green hair? Do you have an affinity?"


    "Yep!" she beams proudly, "The Riddith clan has an affinity to nature."


    "I see, and nature is... plants?"


    "Mostly, yep. They say that nature qi is green, which is why my hair is green. I''m not sure why some people have attributes and some don''t, though."


    "So fire qi must be red. It makes sense. Are there other attributes?"


    "For sure! Holy foxes, for instance, have the light attribute. Most high tier magical beasts are born with attributes, really; which attribute they posses can usually be judged by their fur or skin color. They''re pretty rare in humans, though, which is why people with the same attribute will often group up in clans."


    Mama and Trista continue talking, while I silently listen in. Nothing really mind blowing is said, but several things are cleared up for me. Apparently, all known qi has an elemental attribute, which must be why all of the fog that comes from dead creatures is colored. I always figured something similar was going on, but now I know for sure.


    Also, black eyes are apparently a sign of a magical beast reaching Qi Awakening or higher, though some types of beasts such as sitchles are born with black eyes. Bloodcats are also probably born with black eyes, since the cubs'' eyes were black ever since I can remember.


    After walking and talking until the sun sets, Trista finally bids us farewell. Mama, still holding me, walks to one of the inns that Poisonclaw introduced us to and rents a room, after which she directly enters it. I start thinking that she''s acting a bit more solemn than usual, when...


    "We were being followed."


    "Really? I didn''t even notice... do you know who was following us?"


    Mama shakes her head, "No, but they should have been an early Qi Manipulation cultivator."


    "Was it one of the people we met earlier?"


    "No. We must be cautious, somebody may have plans for us."


    "We could just leave and go to the next city."


    "I doubt that would help." she scowls, "Besides, I will not be intimidated by them. If they feel we are scared, it will not be good for us. Should it turn out they have the intent to harm us, I will simply harm them first."


    "Sounds like a good plan to me, I guess. I mean, I really have no idea what you''re supposed to do in this sort of situation."


    And so, with a plan set up, we go to bed. Well, I go to bed; Mama just meditates like she usually does at night.


    The next morning, we go down and eat some of the inn''s ''delicious food'' that Poisonclaw was going on about. It''s pretty tasty, honestly. After we finish eating, we head to the meeting point.


    It turns out that the two Riddith siblings, the long haired man, and the creepy couple are already there. The creepy couple completely ignores us, and the Riddith siblings seem to be preoccupied with arguing. The only person that greets us as we near is the long haired man.


    He smiles, "I already got your name, let me introduce myself in turn. You can call me Green Horn, nice to meet you."


    After hearing his name, I''m barely able to hold back my snickering, in fear of being scolded.


    Mama smiles and nods, "Nice to meet you."


    Green Horn seems somehow offended by her response, as he frowns and turns his head away.


    Mama shakes her head, "Cultivators confuse me."


    "You and me both, what''s he even mad about?"


    Within an hour, everyone but the tight-fit clothes lady has arrived.


    For some reason, the middle aged woman who commented on Mama only being in Qi Awakening keeps glancing this way. Eventually, she awkwardly walks over and stands stiffly in front of us.


    "I''m... sorry. I didn''t realize your magical beast was so strong. I don''t want my... rude words to get in the way of us working together."


    Mama smiles, "Please do not say sorry, there is nothing to apologize for."


    The woman clearly relaxes and smiles a bit awkwardly, as if smiling is something new to her.


    "My name is Ruth. A piece of advice, be careful about those two over there," she points at the creepy couple, "they have a bad reputation. Both of them are named Lei, and supposedly they practice a sinister dual cultivation method. I don''t know much more about them, except that they''re very strong."


    Mama gives a small bow, "Thank you for the advice."


    Ruth nods and walks away. Soon tight-fit clothes lady arrives, and we all follow Trista to Contraptionation.


    Shortly after our journey starts, Mama whispers to me in her arms, "We were being followed again, but they seem to have stopped as soon as we left the city."


    I nod my head, "They''re still following us, just farther back."


    Mama furrows her brows at my words.


    Just before the sun sets, Trista slows down and stops, an action that prompts everyone else to do the same.


    "You''re pretty fast for a Qi Awakening kid."


    Once we catch up, the short old man makes an offhand comment directed at Mama Bloodcat.


    Mama chuckles, "Thank you."


    She then leans down and whispers to me, still chuckling, "He called me a kid. What would he think if he knew how old I am?"


    I laugh, "I think he''d be more worried about how strong you are."


    "Why would he be worried? I will not attack him unless-"


    "No, it''s a figure of speech. I mean that he would care more about how strong you are."


    Mama gives an ''ah'' as she nods her head.


    "Alright everybody, here we are. Please follow me, the entrance is over there."


    Trista points, but all I see in that direction is a huge rock.


    ''Wait a minute...''


    At first glance it didn''t look like much, but after observing it for a couple seconds, I realize that its shape is far too deliberate to be a mere rock. The object looks like a giant gray dome with an extremely smooth, even slightly shiny, surface.

 Chapter 24: Metal Golems

    We all make our way towards the dome-shaped dungeon, following Trista. She brings everyone to the other side of the dungeon, all the way to a circular hole leading inside. Through the entrance I see a room lit by glowing orbs, which float freely through the air. Illuminated by the lights are human sized statues made up of gears, chains, pistons, you name it. Some of them have metal plates covering parts of their bodies, but the majority of them have their inner workings completely exposed.


    ''Steampunk robots?''


    Trista points at the robots, "For any of you who do not know already, those are metal golems. What you should worry about most when fighting them is their core. Their cores are located somewhere in their bodies, usually in their chests, and must be destroyed in order to defeat them. Should the core remain whole, the golem will reform itself around it, no matter how damaged it is. Their cores are metallic spheres, about this big." she points at her fist.


    Suddenly, I feel something poke my head. I turn around to see Mama gazing at me.


    "What is a sphere?" she whispers.


    I find myself whispering back, even though nobody else can hear me, "Oh, a sphere is like... it''s like that," I point at the giant dome, "except it goes allll the way around."


    She thinks for a second, and then nods her head in understanding, "Thank you."


    After a few seconds, Trista continues, "So is everybody ready? Does anybody need to rest?"


    Nobody says anything, though a couple people do release disdainful snorts.


    Trista smiles, "Good."


    She then pulls a sword out of her sleeve, which starts glowing green, and walks confidently towards the entrance to the dungeon. Her brother releases an ''ah'' as he, too, pulls a sword out of his sleeve, and proceeds to follow close behind her. The creepy couple is next to follow, and soon, everybody but Mama and I are heading towards the entrance.


    Mama puts me on the ground and whispers to me, "I will not participate in the battle, as to hide my strength. Please be careful Lyna."


    "Of course! Hehe, I can''t wait. I haven''t had a good fight in forever!"


    Mama shakes her head, "It is that attitude that worries me. Just, look out for traps, yes?"


    "Yes Mama."


    "And do not get injured, this is not a situation where you can use tonic safely."


    I nod my head rapidly, "Yes Mama."


    "And be wary of the cultivators, in case they-"


    "Yeees Mama!"


    Mama smiles and shakes her head, "Alright, you may go."


    I turn around and prepare to rush in and join the fight, but before I can even step inside the dungeon, the last golem falls under Trista''s blade.


    "What''s the use of a magical beast if it doesn''t even fight? Looks like when they say holy foxes are ''gentle'', they really just mean that they''re cowards!" tight-fit clothes lady mocks from inside the dungeon.


    Nobody else says anything, but I do see a few disapproving gazes directed at us. Trista, on the other hand, has an apologetic look on her face.


    ''Coward she says, hah! I''ll never run from a fight! I mean, unless things get too dangerous. I''ll run away if that happens...''


    Laughing to myself, I walk confidently towards the dungeon, but before I can even get in, tight-fit clothes lady starts talking again.


    "I say since the fox didn''t help with this room, we let it clear the next room alone."


    ''Does she have something against me or something? Ehh, no matter.''


    Before anyone can say anything more, I quickly make my way to the second room, which is still full of metal golems. As soon as I enter the room, all of the golems spring to life. One golem, located in the middle of the room, is considerably larger than the rest and is wielding a weapon, some sort of polearm. The rest, however, are practically the same as the ones from the first room, though there seem to be comparatively more that are partially covered by metal plating.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    I make a beeline for the golem nearest to me and, following a forceful kick of my back legs, headbutt it. The golem has no chance to dodge as its chest is caved in and one of its arms breaks off, flying across the room. After landing, I glance at the motionless golem and confirm that the spherical core was smashed during our collision. No colored fog rises from its body, though, which is a bit disappointing.


    The next golem is already running towards me. I run and jump again, but this time I try a jump kick, like those I''ve seen on TV. And miss completely.


    ''Whoops, I guess I got a little too excited.''


    As soon as I land, three golems start trying to surround me. I wait until they get closer to me and, with speed and precision gained through practicing with Mama Bloodcat, propel myself straight at a golem''s chest. Using the first golem as leverage, I kick off towards the second, smashing its head. I once again jump off of the golem, sending myself towards the next. But as I near the third golem, it''s able to react in time, ducking and reaching its arm up to grab me. It would be annoying to dodge the move, so I decide to just let it get me. Almost as soon as it grabs my back legs, halting my momentum, I bend down and bash its wrist.


    ''For being so weak, these guys sure have quick arms.''


    It takes little more than a second to pry myself from the golem''s grasp, but even as I do, I see the hand start to move. As I look behind me, I see the hand fly back to the golem and quickly reattach itself. I look back at the other two golems, and while the one I kicked in the chest is not moving, the one I kicked in the head is already back up and approaching me again, even though its head is mangled. There are two more golems coming this way as well, along with the golem wielding the polearm.


    "Haha! Come get me!"


    As a golem approaches me and punches out, I dodge forward and jump, proceeding to kick it in the chest. The kick propels me backwards, away from the group of golems that are approaching me.


    I take my time, focusing on one golem at a time, until the only one left is the boss. I somehow expected it to become enraged, but even after destroying the rest of the golems, it''s still as calm as it was when I first entered the room.


    As it nears me, it lifts its polearm above its head and, with surprising speed, swings it down in a simple arc. But while it IS pretty fast, I''m faster! I dodge to the side with relative ease and wait for its attack to meet the ground, and then jump at its arm, which is now wide open. But before I can make contact, the golem lets go of its weapon and reaches towards me.


    ''Man, these guys'' arms really are quick!''


    I flip in midair and kick at the golem''s huge palm, but its other hand is already coming at me from behind. With a loud bang I collide headfirst with its other hand, which gives way, but the process is rather taxing on my poor noggin. I land on the ground just in time to see the golem pick its polearm back up with its hands, neither of which look even vaguely damaged.


    "Hahaha! This is awesome! I can fight this thing for as long as I want!"


    Breaking through mid Qi Manipulation has made me quite a bit stronger. But aside from the obvious power boost, I have significantly more stamina now as well, allowing me to fight longer without getting fatigued! But even though I feel like I could continue fighting for hours if I wanted to, I quickly start getting bored of this fight.


    "Too weak!"


    As the golem tries to stab me with its polearm, I hop backwards in order to dodge it. It continues stabbing at me as I continue jumping back, until I see an opening and, instead of retreating, I leap forward, avoiding the polearm. It once more drops its weapon and moves to attack me with its hands, but just before making contact with its hand, I solidify my soul at a point just behind me.


    It was my intention to kick off of the soul platform with both of my back legs, but I accidently mess up the placement, which results in only one of my legs reaching. It''s still enough to alter my trajectory, though, as I just barely scrape past one of its hands. After clearing its defenses, I proceed to headbutt it in the chest.


    This golem is much sturdier than the smaller ones, and I feel my neck ache as I collide with it. But it still winds up losing its balance and falling down, making a loud crashing sound as it makes contact with the ground. As I stand on the golem''s hulking form, prying open its chest with my paws, I feel thankful that it doesn''t have any metal plates protecting it, as they would make this task much more difficult. I quickly discover the core which, even given the golem''s larger size, is still the size of a fist.


    With a quick movement, I grab the core with my mouth and rip it out, just in time to dodge an incoming attack. I watch as the golem slams its fist into its own body, and then goes completely limp.


    I turn my head around and look at the group of people in the other room. Seeing their shocked expressions somehow fills me with a sense of pride. I decide that the only thing that could possibly make me look cooler at this moment is if I crush the core in my mouth while staring arrogantly at them.


    ''Ouch! Curse these weak teeth!''


    I decide that the second coolest thing I could do in this situation is to throw the core over while staring arrogantly at them. And so I throw the core at the stunned onlookers. Feeling smug, I suddenly see movement in the corner of my eye. As I follow the movement, I see the golem''s body quickly sliding towards the core. As I try to outrun its body, it occurs to me that you have to destroy their core first in order to kill golems.


    Everyone else seems to come to the same realization, as several of them madly rush at the core as well. Mucky, Green Horn, tight-fit clothes lady and I all get there at almost the same time, and with a minimal amount of friendly fire, we successfully destroy the core.


    I feel like I heard a few mentions of ''stupid animal'', among other variations of the phrase, but decide to ignore them as I innocently sit beside the smiling Mama Bloodcat.

 Chapter 25: A Small Break

    "Ha!" with a blow to its leg, I knock a preoccupied golem off its feet, after which Mucky pierces it through the core with his sword.


    Mucky gives me a thumbs up, "Good job, little fella!"


    "I''m not really a ''fella'', though..."


    Now that the room is cleared, I walk over to where Mama Bloodcat is and sit down. The dungeon has been getting progressively harder, as is expected, but due to our current lineup it''s still no problem. Out of our group of people, although everyone has some skill, the creepy couple and the short old man are especially strong.


    Neither of the creepy people use weapons. Instead, they use some strange technique which causes the left and right sides of their bodies to move very differently from each other. But even though both sides of their bodies seem to move independently, they show levels of coordination I have never seen before. The sight is strange to the point of being disturbing, but it seems to work for them, as they have yet to suffer a single blow.


    As for the short old man, he likewise fights without a weapon, but that''s about where the similarities end. Instead of effortlessly slipping through attacks and defenses alike, he simply brawls with the golems at close range. Whenever he starts fighting, his body glows silver, which seems to allow him to take stronger blows, as well as dish them out.


    "This should be the halfway point of the dungeon. We will rest here for the time being. Please recover your qi, everyone." after she finishes talking, Trista sits down and starts meditating. Everyone else soon starts meditating as well, except Mama Bloodcat and the short old man, who just sits down and folds his arms.


    ''Wait, maybe he''s meditating as well?''


    My qi recovers pretty quickly on its own, so I don''t really feel the need to meditate. Not that I could meditate even if I wanted to.


    Mama sits down beside me, and then leans over and whispers, "Is the person still following us?"


    I shake my head, "They''re still waiting outside of the dungeon."


    "They must be following us because of the bounty." Mama sighs.


    "Wait, did you see a bounty of us? How much are we worth?"


    Reaching into her clothes, Mama pulls out a crumpled piece of paper and stealthily presents it to me.


    "Ten thousand spirit stones for both of us! That''s probably a lot, huh? So they suspect that I''m mid Qi Manipulation, and that you''re... haha, mid Qi Awakening..."


    I try to lighten the mood, but Mama just stuffs the bounty paper back into her clothes and lowers her head, sighing again.


    "What''s wrong, Mama?"


    She shakes her head, "I was happy when I met humans. There are so many kind individuals among them, something I am unused to. However, their rules confuse me. I feel I have done nothing wrong, yet this soon after meeting them, they want me dead. Should I have not killed those people? That would go against everything I have ever known; yet killing them seems to have had the opposite effect of what I intended, instead likely causing more people to pursue us."


    Mama always seems so sure of herself, so confident in her decisions, no matter how extreme they may be. I never knew she worried so much about these things.


    "Honestly, they outright said that they were going to kill us, which is a good enough reason to kill them in my book. I mean, with that attitude, the idiots were practically begging to be killed. Haa, I don''t know. Maybe they thought we were begging to be killed as well. Maybe it''s normal here to basically get robbed from, and not put up any resistance. But if they think they can do anything they want just because they''re strong, they shouldn''t complain when someone stronger than them does the same. Speaking of, they wouldn''t even want to attack you if they knew how strong you were, right?"


    Mama sighs, "When I was in Qi Manipulation, any beast that was near my level in strength could tell how strong I was. Of course, I did have an advantage in a fight. Do you remember the orange fruit that I talked about, the one that changed my fur color after eating it?"If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    I nod my head.


    "It also affected my ability, making it much stronger. The qi needed to use it likewise increased, but it provided a significant advantage when fighting beasts with strength similar to my own, and even more so against beasts stronger than myself. This was very useful, as beasts that wanted to kill me for any reason would often form groups, and the ability to kill a being as strong as myself in a single attack has saved my life on multiple occasions. But now that they cannot accurately judge my strength, even if they were to form a group to attack me, it would likely be ineffective. Because of this, I would prefer to keep my true strength a secret for as long as possible."


    I think for a second, "Then, couldn''t you just pretend to be strong, just not as strong as you actually are?"


    She opens her mouth, and then closes it again. She then furrows her eyebrows and closes her eyes, like she often does while thinking.


    "Mama? Hey, Mama?"


    I try poking her leg, but she seems to be lost in thought. Even after several seconds of prodding, she doesn''t react to me at all. Just as I''m about to lie down and mope, I happen to see Mucky stand up.


    "Mucky! What''s up?" happy to find another outlet to relieve my boredom, I shout while walking towards him.


    He notices me coming and starts laughing, "Is your master ignoring you?"


    "She''s not my master, though."


    I kinda like Mucky. I feel like I can relate to him. I can especially sympathize with that silly nickname of his. And although he acts a bit childish, at least he seems honest.


    It''s a refreshing trait really, in this world full of cultivators, people who could be thinking anything, and seem to be capable of anything. They might be acting friendly now, but who knows, maybe they''re just biding their time, waiting to pounce. Or the other way around, like Poisonclaw, who tried to rob us, and then acted like he was our friend the very next day.


    "So, are you bored? Wanna play a game?" Mucky bends down and picks up a cracked golem core.


    "Catch!" he shouts, as he tosses the core in my direction.


    ''What does he think I am, a dog? I mean, I guess I''m a fox, so... still not a dog, though!''


    Despite my inner grumblings, I still jump up to catch the core.


    "Haha, good catch! Now pass it back!"


    ''You want me to pass it back? Ok, catch!''


    I swing my head sideways, and then jerk it forward again, releasing the core and sending it hurtling towards Mucky.


    "Whoa!"


    He backs up a couple steps and reaches his right hand out, catching the core. He then tosses the core to his left hand, flicking his right in the air a few times.


    "Nice throw. Now, try this!" he winds up and throws the core again, but this time, instead of tossing it over my head, he aims at me.


    "Sure!"


    As the core nears me, I stand up on my back legs and reach out with my front. Standing like this feels a bit awkward, but the discomfort doesn''t prevent me from catching the core.


    Mucky looks genuinely shocked, and then turns around and shouts while pointing at me, "Hey sis, look! I think it''s trying to be a person!"


    The meditating Trista keeps her eyes closed and merely ignores him. Mucky looks slightly disappointed by her reaction, but quickly recovers and looks back in my direction, gesturing for me to throw the core back.


    "Heh, you asked for it!"


    While still standing, I balance the core on my right paw. I then reach back in preparation to throw it. Yet, before I can successfully throw it, the core rolls off of my paw.


    ''Gah! Having no opposable thumbs, or hands at all for that matter, is so frustrating.''


    After snickering at my failure, Mucky lightly coughs and looks at me encouragingly. Or is that pity? Maybe both?


    I bend down and pick the core back up, once more preparing to throw it. But the core yet again starts rolling off of my paw.


    "Not this time!"


    Before the core can hit the ground, I bend down and swing at it in an attempt to send it over to Mucky. Well, that was the plan. Instead of the situation I imagined, where the core flies in a straight line over to Mucky, it shatters. Shrapnel flies across the room, as Mucky ducks to try avoiding it. The shrapnel proceeds to disrupt several people from their meditation, as they open their eyes and glare at us.


    Trista stands up angrily, "Mucky, what did you do this time?!"


    Mucky holds his hands up innocently, "It wasn''t me! The fox did it!"


    "Ah! Traitor!" I sit down and try to look as innocent as possible.


    Tight-fit clothes lady also stands up, "The vile beast must be trying to kill us! Why else would it do something like this?"


    "Hah! If I was trying to kill you, you''d already be dead! Why, do you really wanna fight?"


    Trista glares at Mucky once more, and tight-fit clothes lady huffs, as they both sit back down. Soon, everyone is meditating again, except for Mama Bloodcat and Mucky of course.


    Mucky walks over to me, "It''s okay little fella, you didn''t mean to."


    "But I''m not a ''fella''."


    He then sits down and starts meditating as well. I start getting bored again, so I decide to just wander around the room. After a few seconds of walking, I come across a piece of the golem core I shattered. I feel somehow resentful towards it, so I kick it.


    "Stupid core..."


    Slightly amused by my action, I decide to start kicking every piece of golem core that I see, treating it as some sort of petty revenge against an inanimate object that got me in trouble.


    "Oh?"


    Suddenly, as I''m about to kick a larger piece of a core, I notice something. There, on the hollow inside of the metal core, are numerous tiny, densely packed symbols.

 Chapter 26: Manipulation

    The sight of the symbols immediately piques my interest, as I lie down in front of the core fragment and start investigating it with my soul. I almost immediately notice several symbols that I''ve never seen before.


    ''Wow, nice! This''ll sure help with my boredom!''


    The structure of these symbols, the way they''re arranged, is completely different compared to anything I''ve seen so far. Though, I guess that''s not too surprising, as I''ve only ever seen barriers and traps until now.


    I can''t tell exactly what everything does, since this is just a fragment of a core, and especially because there''s no qi running through it. But just by looking at them, I can tell that most of the symbols are the types that control and interact with other symbols.


    ''Then that means...''


    I turn my attention to a destroyed golem near me. Sure enough, upon closer inspection, I see tiny symbols on the miscellaneous parts. Some only have a couple, while others have dozens, but every single piece has symbols.


    ''Heh, couldn''t I just destroy them with my soul, then? No, wait, that would be way too suspicious...''


    I continue studying the symbols, lost in my own world, until I feel something tap my back. Awoken from my trance, I stand up and look behind me.


    "Ah, Mama, what''s up?"


    "Everyone has finished recovering."


    She gestures around the room, where everyone is already standing up.


    "I tried calling you, but you did not answer."


    "Sorry. Oh right, look! I found symbols on the golems!" I point at the inside of my golem core fragment.


    She looks at me quizzically, "Is it not boring, staring at those symbols for hours?"


    "Nah, I actually really enjoy it. Don''t you get bored of meditating all the time, though?"


    She shakes her head, "I do not. I like the feeling I get while meditating; to be able to actively make myself stronger, instead of being forced to wait as I my cultivation grows naturally."


    "Yeah, I guess I can understand that. It still seems kinda boring to me, though."


    Mama just smiles in response.


    "Is everybody ready?"


    Soon, Trista asks what seems to be rhetorical question, since everyone starts heading towards the next room without answering it. As we travel, I notice that Mucky is walking near me and Mama, instead of his sister like he usually does.


    Mama seems to notice as well, as she calls out while smiling, "Hello, Stephan."


    He starts, and then looks at her, "Oh, hi Bloodcat, ma''am."


    Mama nods and bends down, whispering, "What is ''ma''am''?"


    "Oh, it''s like a respectful way of addressing a lady."


    Mama nods her head and stands up again, grinning, "Do you wish to battle alongside my daughter again?"


    He looks confused, "Daughter?"


    She nods her head and points at me, "Yes, my daughter, Lyna."


    "Oh, uh, yeah, if you don''t mind."


    "Of course I do not mind. Rather, it makes me happy to see her making friends."


    I bump her on the leg, "Come on, you''re going to embarrass him, Mama."


    ''Embarrass both of us, more like.''


    Mama just smiles and continues walking forward silently. We soon reach the next room, where Mama stays behind while everyone else enters.


    As the golems start charging, and everyone else rushes forward to meet them, Mucky bends down next to me and whispers, "Sorry Lyna, I didn''t know you were a girl."


    ''But Mama already said I was the other day...''Stolen novel; please report.


    I smile at him, "It''s alright."


    He suddenly looks a little frightened, "Sorry, I won''t do it again!"


    ''Why is he so scared? All I did was smile...''


    We join in the fight as well. As I back Mucky up, disabling and destroying golems when possible, I suddenly think of something. I look sideways, where tight-fit clothes lady is wielding a whip, fighting three smaller golems by herself.


    ''What if I could control them?''


    As soon as the thought enters my mind, I can''t get it back out. I know I shouldn''t be so petty, but... it''s just so tempting! Making sure to at least keep up a facade of fighting, I split my attention, sending my soul over to one of the golems fighting tight-fit clothes lady.


    Unlike the destroyed golems, these golems actually have qi pulsing through them, giving me a much better idea of how they work. As soon as I''m confident enough, I single out a golem and envelop one of its arms with my soul, cutting off its communication with the core. As the arm lifelessly droops down, to my delight, I find that it''s still being supplied with qi by the core.


    With the arm now under my control, I start experimenting with the symbols, trying to figure out how to move it. I''m finally able to wiggle one of its fingers, when suddenly, the arm gets twisted off by a whip! Somehow, even though it''s detached from its body, the arm is still being supplied with qi. That is, until tight-fit clothes lady destroys the golem''s core.


    ''Curses!''


    I once more turn my attention to one of the golems fighting tight-fit clothes lady, and it''s once more destroyed before I can make any significant progress.


    "Gah! Can''t you just- woah!"


    I''m brought back to reality by a golem''s foot making contact with my side. The kick sends me tumbling several feet, and although I''m able to take blows like that without much trouble, it still stings. As I glance around me, I realize that I split away from Mucky at some point, and now I''m all alone with a single smaller golem. As I look back over at tight-fit clothes lady, I find that she''s already destroyed the core of the last golem she was fighting.


    "Stupid golem, you ruined my plan!"


    I''m about to vent my anger, when I realize; I could just practice controlling this golem, while pretending to fight it! Putting my plan into action, I decide to start smaller this time. I first take control of a single finger.


    I continue dodging the golem, lightly attacking it once in a while for aesthetic value, while grasping how the symbols work. Eventually, I move from one to two fingers. Once I feel comfortable controlling two, I move onto three, four... soon, I''m controlling its entire forearm.


    ''Hand, opposable thumb, oh how I''ve missed you guys!''


    After grasping control of both arms, I move onto simpler things, such as the neck and body. That is, I thought they would be simple; while the neck is fairly easy to manipulate, the body is actually very complex. It turns out the body is very important when it comes to balance.


    The golem winds up falling down on multiple occasions. Luckily, I''m in control of its arms, so the golem always "blocks" me whenever I try to "take advantage" of its situation. The farce continues for some time, with me basically fighting myself, until I finally gain rudimentary control over most of the golem''s body.


    ''Haha, only the legs to go!''


    I''m about to move on to the legs when, suddenly, I see a sword covered with a green glow pierce through the golem''s core from its back.


    As the golem collapses, I see Mucky grinning proudly, "Don''t worry little fella, I got your back! Oh right, you''re a girl... uhhh... Lyna! I got your back."


    I laugh and shake my head, "Thanks Mucky."


    As I look around the room, I notice that all but one of the golems have been destroyed. The single golem still standing is an exceptionally large one, wielding a massive sword. But even though it''s the only golem left, the creepy couple are fighting it all by themselves.


    Their bizarre movements make me feel almost sick, but I press the feeling down and keep watching. Their strategy quickly becomes apparent to me. One of them draws the golem''s attention, while the other attempts to slip through its defenses and strike it in the chest. They keep up this tactic, switching places every once in a while. So far, though they''ve failed every time, they keep getting closer to the golem''s core area.


    Finally, as the golem slashes at the man, the woman rushes in for the kill. The golem has no other choice but to drop the sword and swing an arm at her, but she switches from attacking to defending, and forcefully blocks it by grabbing its arm.


    ''That''s the first time I''ve seen either of them receive an attack head-on.''


    The man had already started moving before the woman even came in contact with the golem''s arm; by the time she grabbed it, he already slipped past the golem''s other arm. With a single precise attack, he stabs his open hand through the golem''s chest like a sword, as effortlessly as Mucky did with a real sword.


    He seems to have hit its core, as the golem soon falls lifelessly to the floor. They don''t seem to take a single shred of pride in their victory, as they walk away from the golem and then sit down to meditate, still looking as emotionless as ever.


    Looking at the huge golem, I nearly start drooling.


    ''That''s the biggest golem I''ve seen yet. I wonder if it has any new symbols on it?''


    Suddenly, as I''m about to send my soul over to investigate, I hear tight-fit clothes lady start talking to nobody in particular.


    "I just destroyed three golems effortlessly. I must have had a breakthrough and didn''t even notice it! I can''t believe I''m still getting paid as much as that thing, which needed help defeating a single golem."


    My good mood spoiled, I turn to tight-fit clothes lady, "You must really want to fight me, huh?! Alright, come on! Let''s fight!"


    I start walking towards toward her, when I hear Mama shout, "Lyna!"


    "Yes Mama?"


    She points at the ground in front of her, "Come here. Do not attack her."


    I sigh and glare at tight-fit clothes lady, "Okay."


    "I would appreciate it if you would stop trying to cause trouble. You have already agreed to the amount I am paying. If you want any more or less, you would have more luck talking to me about it. Alright everyone, from here on out, we will rest after every room. Please recover your qi."


    Surprisingly, Trista actually says something this time. Tight-fit clothes lady just humphs and sits down cross-legged.


    I make my way over to Mama Bloodcat and lie down beside her. I''m honestly still pretty annoyed at tight-fit clothes lady, but that annoyance quickly fades as my attention is attracted once more to the huge golem on the floor.


    ''Now then, let''s see what you have in there.''

 Chapter 27: More Than Imagination

    It turns out this huge golem actually has less symbols on it compared to the smaller ones. Most of the symbols, however, are much more advanced. It''s honestly hard to say for sure what they might do without observing an active golem.


    ''I really should have thought about that before the creepy couple destroyed it. If only I could manipulate qi as well as Mama can, I wouldn''t even need to rely on these cores to supply it.''


    Time seems to slip away as I continue scanning the golem, memorizing any new symbol I see. After further investigation, I start noticing strong similarities between them and the symbols on the smaller golems. Based on their similarities, I start running simulations in my mind, trying to figure out how these symbols might work.


    I eventually start visualizing multiple symbols, linking them together with lines, like little qi passageways. Of course, the next logical step after symbols would be the metal parts of the golems, so I start to visualize those as well. Gears, bars, each piece connected to something else, and each with its own set of symbols. I continue constructing one part after another, copying the huge body on the ground, until I''m left with a nearly perfect replica of the golem in my mind.


    ''Wow. I didn''t even know I could do that.''


    I still have trouble figuring some things out, so I decide to try something. I stop everything I''m doing and send my soul towards the entrance to the next room. As my soul reaches the doorway, I start sensing some sort of barrier covering it. Sure enough, after carefully trying to pass through, I find that I''m unable to.


    ''Strange, I was sending my soul all the way outside before...''


    I try sending my soul to the previous room, and sure enough, there''s no barrier. I spend a couple minutes searching both entrances for symbols, with absolutely no success.


    ''Seems I can go backward, but not forward. Maybe the golems need to be destroyed first before the barriers will go down? Eh, there''s no use thinking about it too much, I guess. I just hope that everyone finishes meditating soon, I''m bored.''


    As if responding to my impatience, everybody starts standing up one after another. After another rhetorical ''everyone ready'' from Trista, we once more head to the next room. As I scan through all of the cultivators, I notice that Mucky is once more walking near Mama and I, which is quit far from his sister at the front of the group.


    He eventually notices my staring and, rotating his upper body, flashes me a thumbs up. I try to return the sentiment, but it pretty much fails to resemble anything even close to a thumbs up. He seems to get the idea though, as he smiles and laughs.


    As soon as we enter the next room, the short old man makes a beeline towards the biggest golem, which is similar in size to the huge golem that the creepy couple defeated.


    I take this chance to observe it with my soul, absorbing any information I can as it begins fighting with the short old man. I quickly deduce that the more complicated symbols work almost exactly the same way as the simpler ones, except in a much more efficient fashion. Not only do they process and send information much quicker, producing faster movements, they also seem to utilize qi more efficiently. In fact, I don''t think that these golems use much more than two or three times as much qi as the small golems, which is surprising considering they are far more than two or three times stronger.


    After a while, I feel I have a good grasp on how its body works and, while still fighting weak golems as to not appear suspicious, turn my attention to its core. It takes quite a bit of effort to pierce the outside layer with my soul, but after finally breaking through to the inside, I''m struck with a huge amount of information. The shock disrupts my mental state, to the extent that I nearly get hit by the golem that I''m fighting. As I reorganize my thoughts, I start trying to digest everything that I''m seeing.


    It''s similar to the feeling I get when I observe the symbols that surround the Eggshell, except rather than the overwhelming, powerful sensation I get from them, the inside of the core just has so much going on at the same time that it''s hard to decipher everything.


    The most obvious symbols are those that seem to be repairing the golem; long chains of symbols, all working together to return the golem to its original state. There are symbols that seem to be absorbing qi from somewhere, possibly from their surroundings, or maybe they''re somehow linked to the dungeon itself. The entire process is tiring, but I''m so entranced with learning everything I can that I hardly notice.


    After several more minutes pass, a tremor runs through the core, after which cracks travel along its interior like lightning. The event immediately sobers me up, as I turn my full attention to the state of the battlefield.


    Standing in the middle of the room, on top of the giant golem, is the short old man. He has his fist buried halfway in the golem''s chest, his whole body glowing bright silver.


    Elsewhere in the room, the last few golems fall one by one, until there is only one left. Not long after the last golem''s core is destroyed, Mama walks into the room and starts heading towards where Mucky and I are.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    I''m just about to greet Mama Bloodcat, when I hear tight-fit lady''s irritating voice pierce my ears, "It seems like your beast is getting weaker. Maybe it''s running out of qi? I would recommend leaving the dungeon and waiting outside, before it winds up dead."


    I glare at tight-fit clothes lady, who''s obviously feigning her concern. I open my mouth, and just as I''m about to give her what for, I find myself leaving the ground. Looking up, I''m met with Mama''s smiling face. She breaks into a laugh, which doesn''t really seem like a laugh.


    "I do not know what you have against me or my daughter, nor do I care. I am not good with words, so I will not even try to argue with you. I merely wish to remind you of one thing."


    Mama takes a large step forward, provoking a step backward from tight-fit clothes lady. Seeing her reaction, Mama pauses her advance and smiles even wider than before.


    "You are a mere early Qi Manipulation cultivator."


    Mama doesn''t release a shred of her aura throughout the entirety of the encounter, yet tight-fit clothes lady''s face looks several shades paler compared to before. Everyone else has different reactions, and I even hear someone snicker, though the creepy couple don''t seem to react at all.


    After the snicker broke out, tight-fit clothes lady seems to come to her senses, as she takes a step forward, "Well you''re-"


    Mama interrupts her, "Quiet. Be thankful I have been patient with you until now. Do not push me further."


    As she walks away, I look over Mama''s shoulder at the stunned people. Tight-fit clothes lady''s face seems to have gotten even paler, and even the creepy couple are looking over here now.


    "Well, that was refreshing!"


    Mama sits down cross-legged and sets me on her lap, smiling, "I think so as well."


    "Hey guys!" without warning, Mucky practically shouts in our ears and sits down beside us.


    "Yo, Mucky."


    Mama nods her head, "Hello, Stephan."


    "Um, sorry that my sister didn''t defend you more earlier, she gets like that around other cultivators. She always says she wants to look ''strong and impartial'', but I don''t really know what that''s supposed to mean."


    "Do not worry, I do not blame your sister. If anything, I appreciate that she defended us once already."


    "Yeah, don''t worry about it, Mucky!"


    Mucky sighs, "That''s good. I''m sorry for not saying anything myself, either. I was too scared..."


    I''ve been thinking about this for a while now, but Mucky looks easily twenty to thirty years old, and that''s not even accounting for the extra lifespan cultivators get. Yet, although he has considerable intelligence, he acts almost like a child. Does he have some sort of mental condition? And if so, why is his sister bringing him to such a dangerous place?


    I make a mental note to pay closer attention to him, as I wordlessly get off of Mama''s lap and lie between her and Mucky. Mucky releases a giggle, as he starts petting me. As I lie here comfortably, I close my eyes and start organizing all of the information I learned from the core, slowly incorporating it into the image of the golem in my mind.


    Though I call it an image, it''s more like a 3D model, a miniature replica of the much larger golems. It doesn''t take long before the replica has a core of dubious functionality in its chest, in much the same area that a human''s heart would be.


    I call upon all of my knowledge relating to symbols, as I try simulating the golem in my mind. It doesn''t do anything. Suddenly, I remember that the golems don''t seem to respond unless there''s someone in the room. To test my theory, I decide to form a second golem. The process is relatively quick and simple, since I''ve already been through it once. The copy is soon complete, save for the core, which I leave out intentionally.


    ''So, little core of mine, let''s see what you can do...''


    I take control of the golem without a core, and start familiarizing myself with its movements. It actually feels pretty similar to the small golem I was controlling, but I start noticing some problems. Particularly, there are several symbols that aren''t yet connected with qi passageways, as well as some that don''t even work, or at least don''t work like they''re supposed to.


    After correcting all of the problems that I notice, I turn my attention back to controlling the golem. I soon get used to moving the legs, something I never got to do in the real world, which means I''m now controlling an entire golem simultaneously for the first time. I mean, I know it''s a fake golem, but it still counts, right?


    After several minutes of moving around, something strange starts happening. The golem, which before felt like an amalgamation of many parts, starts feeling more like a single, whole entity. I start attempting movements I thought would take much longer to accomplish, such as jumping, handstands, and even some silly dances.


    ''It feels almost like I''m a human again!''


    I tear up a little, but quickly, my excitement starts overwhelming my sentiment.


    ''Right! Gotta test the core!''


    Still controlling my replica golem, I take a step towards its doppelganger. As I approach it, the golem starts twitching and trembling, the intensity of which increases the closer I get.


    The entire time, I find myself constantly calibrating and modifying the golem''s core, in an attempt to make it work properly. But It''s not entirely deliberate; instead, I''m doing it nearly subconsciously, like when you repeat something so many times that you start doing it on autopilot.


    With one final step, I stand directly in front of the other golem. It''s now shaking and shivering so much that it almost looks possessed. I reach my arm out and, as I bring it closer to its chest, the golem starts shakily raising its own arm. With a solid push to its chest, I knock the golem down onto its back, its arm still reaching towards me.


    After a few seconds of lying there, the golem starts shivering noticeably less, and within a minute, it has stopped moving completely. I start to wonder if it''s broken, when suddenly it reaches one arm out and supports its weight on it, slowly raising itself up. Soon, after several clumsy movements, the golem once more stands before me.


    ''Good job little core, you made it!''


    I take a step forward and raise my arm again, in an attempt repeat my previous action of shoving the golem. This time, though, it reaches its arm out to block me, noticeably more coordinated compared to even a few seconds ago, when it was standing up.


    ''Nice! Now, can you do more?''


    I slap its hand away, and reach my other arm forward. The golem takes a step backwards, receiving little more than a light bump from me, but it''s still enough to knock it over again.


    Taking another step forward, I barely reach the golem before it''s standing again. Before I even attack, it initiates its own maneuver, shoving both of its arms towards my chest.


    ''Haha, now we''re talking!''

 Chapter 28: In Disguise

    I continue simulating golems for what seems like hours. My opponent, the golem with the core, quickly went from barely being able to stand up, to a battle machine nearly as strong as the one it was modeled after. After a while, though, I ran out of ways to improve it. It''s now stuck at the same level, unable to quite compare to the huge golems in the real world.


    ''I still need to study active golems more...''


    Now that I''ve improved the core to the best of my abilities, I open my eyes, fully expecting everyone to have left without me. Yet, to my surprise, not one person has even finished meditating.


    ''Shouldn''t they have finished quite a while ago?''


    I decide to further study the huge golem''s destroyed core while I wait for everyone to finish. After just a couple minutes, Green Horn opens his eyes, and then Ruth. It takes about half an hour before everyone is standing up, ready for the next room.


    I tap Mama on her foot in order to get her attention, "Hey, why did everyone take so long to recover this time?"


    She looks at me with a clearly confused gaze, furrowing her brows, "They took as long as they usually do."


    "Are... are you sure? I could have sworn that it''s been longer..." Mama nods her head, and I sink into thought.


    ''Whenever I lose track of time, it always seems to pass super fast, not super slow.''


    I know I''m probably over thinking this, but it just feels so... weird. I''m positive that I spent longer immersed in my conciseness than that.


    ''Well, I guess it''s not that important right now. I can look into it further later.''


    Before Trista can even say anything, everyone starts heading to the next room as a group, so I decide to set my suspicions aside for now and follow them.


    Usually, everybody just continues through to the next room without stopping, but that doesn''t happen this time. Instead, they stop barely a step away from the entrance.


    Ruth points into the room, "What are we going to do about them?"


    I make my way to the front, where I see what she''s pointing at. Inside the room, aside from over a dozen smaller and medium golems, there are two of those huge golems.


    The short old man slaps his chest, "Hah, I could take both of them by myself!"


    Trista shakes her head, "You will fight that one, Lei will fight the other. Everyone else will take care of the other golems. Any objections?"


    The short old man snorts, but doesn''t say anything. Nobody else says anything either, giving their silent consent.


    "Good. Everyone, keep the golems as far away from Iron Keep and Lei as possible."


    With that, Trista walks confidently into the next room, followed by the other cultivators.


    ''So the old man''s name is Iron Keep, huh.''


    I can hardly contain my excitement as I make my way through the doorway. Studying all of those symbols, practicing my control over the golems, it''s all about to pay off! I mean, it''s not like Mama would get me in trouble if some random golem decides to attack tight-fit clothes lady, right?


    As everyone starts splitting up, I go with Mucky towards a group of one medium and three smaller golems. The creepy couple and Iron Keep each start fighting one of the huge golems, undisturbed by the surrounding golems, which are being preoccupied by the other cultivators. In particular, Green Horn and tight-fit clothes lady seem to have teamed up, and are currently fighting five golems; one medium and four small.


    Unlike other golems I''ve seen, which wield things such as swords, axes and spears, the medium golem those two are fighting is gripping a single small round shield, which doesn''t even reach halfway to its elbow. Well, small relatively speaking; it would actually be pretty big for a human.


    While fighting the golems in front of me, I creep my soul towards the shield-wielding golem near tight-fit clothes lady, laughing to myself the whole way. I first take over a single arm, moving on to the rest of the golem as I get more comfortable.


    ''Haha, that simulation really did help, I can control it much better now! Well then, let''s try those legs...''If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    I decide to take over both legs simultaneously, so that the golem doesn''t wind up tripping.


    ''Success!''


    Now that I have full control over the golem, I stand behind the four smaller ones as they distract tight-fit clothes lady and Green Horn. Suddenly, they both attack a single golem simultaneously, destroying its core and sending it flying towards me. I reflexively reach out to stop the golem, dropping my shield and catching it with both hands.


    ''You know, this gives me an idea...''


    I grab the inactive golem by its ankle, wielding it with my right hand, and pick my shield back up with my left. With my armaments in hand, I make my way towards Green Horn and tight-fit clothes lady. As I near them, Green Horn notices me and looks up, blinking his eyes a couple times.


    "Hey, have you ever seen them do that?" he points at me.


    Tight-fit clothes lady follows his finger, resting her eyes on me as well.


    "Nope, I''ve never seen that. Does it really matter though?"


    Green Horn shrugs and slashes at another golem with his sword, destroying its core. He then starts walking toward me, while tight-fit clothes lady continues fighting the two remaining small ones.


    ''Well, I''ve never fought with a shield before, not to mention a... golem? What would you call this, like a corpse weapon or something?''


    As soon as he''s close enough, I swing my golem at him. He merely dodges backwards, avoiding my attack while simultaneously slashing at it, removing my golem''s entire torso.


    ''Man, now I just have legs!''


    Green Horn''s smug face instantly irritates me, so I change my plan. I''ll beat up both him and tight-fit clothes lady! I look down at the small smug man and lift my shield. I then charge at him, ready to block anything he might dish out.


    He tries once more to dodge backward, but I''m faster than him, so he winds up having to change his tactic. He almost instantly goes from rushing backwards, to leaping towards me. I follow his movements with my shield and, as soon as his sword is about to make contact, I bash out as hard as I can. As he slides backwards, clearly shaken by my blow, I throw my golem legs at him, which surprisingly strike him on the head.


    ''Haha, idiot!''


    I proceed to turn my attention towards tight-fit clothes lady. She has already destroyed one of the small golems, and is currently doing a number on the second. She doesn''t seem to notice me, though, as I silently walk towards her.


    As soon as I get within striking distance, I raise my empty hand as quietly as possible, ready to bash her with it. But before even get the chance to swing, she spins around, sending her whip straight at my arm. I recoil, but she still succeeds in wrapping her whip around my right wrist.


    "Did you think you could sneak up on me when you''re that noisy? Do you think I''m an idiot? Green Horn!"


    I detect Green horn standing up behind me, after which he proceeds to head this direction at a quick pace. In order to free myself, I decide to attack the whip with the sharp edge of my shield, and to my surprise, the whip actually splits in two. But instead of uncoiling and falling off, the piece of whip grips tighter, causing creaking noises to ring out as it starts crushing my wrist. I look back at tight-fit clothes lady''s whip, and see it growing back at a rate noticeable to the naked eye.


    ''How is that fair?!'' I ask myself as I cut my hand of at the wrist, causing the piece of whip to fall off, and wait for it to reattach itself.


    Turns out these golems aren''t exactly like the ones in my simulation. To regrow anything, it seems I''m going to need to let the core access it. I mean, I might be able to repair it with just my soul at some point, but I''m not quite there yet.


    And so I cut off my control from the right wrist area, which proceeds to straighten itself out while pulling the severed hand back. In the mean time I''m forced to dodge Green Horn''s attacks, while also paying attention to tight-fit clothes lady who is now behind him, whose whip is almost fully repaired by now.


    Almost as soon as her whip is whole again, I hear her shout ''now'', after which Green Horn jumps at me with an overhead swing. I hold my shield up to block his attack, just in time to see tight-fit clothes lady swing her whip at my legs. Gritting my imaginary golem teeth, I crouch and prepare for Green Horn''s strike, while reaching my right arm down to intercept the whip.


    With considerable effort, I block Green Horn''s attack, pushing him back in the process. But tight-fit clothes lady''s whip curves right past my hand like a snake, wrapping around my left leg at the knee. As soon as her whip sticks, I feel her jerk it back, and while she can''t seem to exert enough strength to topple me, I can sense my leg buckling under the pressure.


    I reach down to grab the whip, but am interrupted by another attack from Green Horn. I barely react in time, slamming the edge of my shield into his weapon, averting its trajectory from my core to my neck. That may not seem any better, but apparently these golems only have one vital spot, while some spots, including the neck and head, seem to have practically no use at all.


    The first idea that pops into my head is to slash at his arm with the edge my shield, but I reconsider, since I don''t really want to cut it off or anything. Instead I use my shield to bash him once more, sending him tumbling backward, but this time without his sword.


    ''Man! I really like this shield!''


    With Green Horn out of the way, I proceed to grab tight-fit clothes lady''s whip and give it a tug. But unlike when she was pulling on it, when I try, it detaches itself not far from where I''m gripping. I ignore the whip segment that''s constricting around my knee, and hobble towards tight-fit clothes lady.


    "Hey Green Horn, do something! This golem is strange!"


    I continue towards tight-fit clothes lady, trying to look as menacing as possible, when suddenly I hear Green Horn start talking.


    "Do you know why I''m called Green Horn?"


    ''Well, I have a few guesses.''


    "This is why."


    He pulls something that looks like an animal horn out of his clothes, though unlike what you would expect from an animal horn, its color and texture are closer to that of wood. He then starts lifting the horn to his mouth, curling his lips into a mocking smile.


    ''Stop gloating to a golem, little smug man. Get on with it.''


    It seems this fight is finally starting to get interesting!

 Chapter 29: Constrictor

    I raise my shield as he finally places the horn between his lips. He then proceeds to puff his cheeks up, and point his finger at me. But even after a couple seconds, he still has yet to make a single sound with the horn. Rather, considering his red face and bulging blood vessels, I''m not sure he''s even able to blow it.


    Figuring it might just be a bluff, I turn back to tight-fit clothes lady.


    As she notices my action, she starts backing up while screeching, "Green Horn! My whip''s not ready yet, hurry up and do something!"


    Suddenly, I start hearing sounds that I can only compare to flatulence. It seems that Green Horn has finally succeeded in blowing his horn. Other than the obnoxious, if not slightly amusing, sound it makes, it doesn''t seem to do anything else. I''m about to inwardly mock him, when I start having trouble moving my left arm.


    After examining it, I find that tiny green vines are starting to grow all over my shield arm. Not only are the vines starting to impede my arm''s movements, they also seem to be sapping qi. I try violently shaking my arm a few times, but it''s only a temporary fix. Within seconds the vines are back, grown from their roots which have dug into my qi channels.


    Green Horn removes his horn from his mouth, gasping for air, "This is bad, I only got one arm."


    Tight-fit clothes lady laughs, "Well, at least it was the arm carrying the shield."


    ''I''m completely convinced now that she''s an idiot.''


    I reach my arms together and transfer the shield from my left to my right hand. After chopping my left arm off to see if it might help remove the vines, I continue on my way towards tight-fit clothes lady. My left arm soon reattaches itself, with as many vines as it had before.


    ''Eh, it was worth a try.''


    "Constrictor, hurry up and get me my sword!"


    "I can''t, my whip''s not long enough yet! Besides, this golem is strange. They''re not supposed to be this strong!"


    ''Shucks, I''m blushing.''


    The aptly named Constrictor is backing up faster the faster I walk towards her, so without warning, I break into a sprint. She turns around and starts running away, but even with my limp, I''m quickly gaining on her.


    "Green Horn! Someone! Help!"


    Suddenly, before I can get close enough to attack, something flies close enough to me that I can sense it with my soul. It moves so fast that I barely even have enough time to reach my arm behind me.


    Clang!


    The object ricochets off my shield and then returns back the way it came from. I extend my soul in the direction of the object, and quickly find the perpetrator.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ''Ruth, huh? She seems almost as strong as Iron Keep and that Lei couple. She might even be stronger...''


    Surrounding her, floating through the air, are three tiny floating daggers, one of which was the object that I blocked a second ago. Before this, I''ve only ever seen her use one dagger. I don''t think I could defend against it if she were to use all three simultaneously. That, along with Green Horn''s horn, makes me wonder if the other cultivators might have trump cards as well.


    The three daggers continue orbiting around her as makes her way this direction. I stop moving and turn toward her, now surrounded by three cultivators. Though, Ruth and Green Horn are the only two that I''m that worried about.


    Green Horn smiles awkwardly and looks at Ruth, "Do you think you could get my sword? It''s right there, in the golem."


    Ruth looks at him with a completely straight face, "You only have one sword, or something? That''s going to get you killed."


    Green Horn snorts and then glares at the golem I''m controlling, like not having two swords is its fault.


    While they have been talking with each other, I''ve been removing these vines one by one. The process further strains my already taxed soul, but even with just the few seconds they''ve given me, I''ve already removed about ten percent of the vines. I wind up removing a third of the vines before anyone even attacks. Without warning, all three of Ruth''s flying daggers come at me at once, shooting through the air at crazy speeds.


    I jump backwards while swinging my shield out, intercepting one. I wind up blocking a second one as well, but even without trying, I know that I won''t be able to block the third. So I twist my body, allowing the third dagger to pierce my nearly useless left arm.


    As soon as it pierces the outside, the dagger stops and switches directions, proceeding to travel up my arm toward my body. I''m about to chop my arm off, when I notice Constrictor swinging her whip, sending it straight at the sword still lodged in my neck.


    ''Fine, you can have it!''


    At almost the same time as I chop my arm off, Constrictor grabs the sword with her whip. She then quickly wrenches it out of my neck, directly tossing it to Green Horn. I look down at my severed left arm. Even now, Ruth''s dagger still remains lodged inside, so there''s no way I''m going to reattach it.


    ''Well, that was fun while it lasted.''


    There''s no way I''m going to beat these three with a measly medium golem. But I can at least make things interesting. Breaking the short standoff, I initiate a mad dash towards Constrictor. To my side, I notice Green Horn brandishing his sword in an attempt to stop me, but he''s too far away to do anything.


    Ruth, however, is not. One of her flying daggers started heading towards my left knee, which has already been weakened by Constrictor''s whip, almost as soon as I started moving. Before I can even reach her, the dagger pierces my leg, removing it from the knee down. The loss greatly affects my balance, as I nearly fall on my face, barely bracing myself with my right hand and my knees. Well, one and a half knees, at least.


    Constrictor is still standing, now no more than a few feet from me, as if she already knew that all of this was going to happen. She takes a couple steps forward and looks down at me, smiling arrogantly as she lifts her whip up.


    Using slow movements, I let go of the shield and sit up, reaching a height roughly equal to Constrictor''s. Under her confused gaze, I reach my right arm towards my chest and pry it open. I then grab the core and hold it out in front of me, presenting it to her. She doesn''t seem to know what to do at first, but after a few seconds, she lowers her whip and steps forward, reaching her hand towards it.


    ''Haha, I can''t believe she fell for it!''


    Under the mixed gazes of the three present, I suddenly flick the core in my hand at her. She''s unable to react in time due to her close proximity to me, allowing the core to smack her in the middle of her forehead. Shortly after hitting Constrictor''s head, the core is pierced through by one of Ruth''s flying daggers.


    I watch from beside Mucky as Constrictor falls to her knees, holding her forehead. I''m unable to hold back, laughing loudly as Mucky and I finish off the last golem in front of us.

 Chapter 30: Silver and Gold

    "I''m telling you, that golem was strange! It must have been at least as strong as those big golems."


    "Hah! How could that be? You must just be weak."


    Everyone is currently sitting in a circle, discussing my little... uh... escapade. As soon as they started discussing it, Mama happened to hear, and almost immediately her gaze locked onto me. Now she has me in her lap, and is petting me rather forcefully.


    ''So unfair. Why does she even think that I did it? There''s not even any proof!''


    Ruth interjects, "I don''t think it was as strong as one of them, but it wasn''t too far off."


    Green Horn and Constrictor both look satisfied by her statement, and look at Trista. Iron Keep, along with everyone else, looks at Trista as well.


    Trista shakes her head, "I had no information on this. I have read all of the records my sect has of this dungeon, and not a single one mentioned a golem such as that. Unless..."


    Green Horn tilts his head, "Unless?"


    "No... no, it is nothing."


    "She must be thinking about a dungeon evolution." suddenly, Iron Keep starts talking.


    Everyone''s eyes drift towards him as he continues, "I read it in a book once. A dungeon has a lifespan, just like a living creature does, it''s just much longer. And just like any creature, they don''t stay the same their whole life. They go through different phases, each stronger and more dangerous than the last."


    Trista nods her head, "But it should not be that. Every recorded instance of a dungeon evolving that I have read about happened all at the same time."


    Ruth strokes her chin, "What if the evolution is happening right now, as we''re clearing the dungeon?"


    Everyone goes silent.


    After a moment, Trista starts talking again, "If that is the case, we have to make a decision. Do we continue and risk getting wiped out, or do we leave now?"


    Iron Keep immediately smacks his chest, "Do you think I''m a coward? So what if they become stronger, it''s all the same to me!"


    Ruth nods her head, "I am confident that I won''t die."


    The Lei couple don''t say anything, as per usual, while Mucky edges closer to me and Mama. Constrictor, on the other hand, is pretty vocal about her oppositions.


    "This isn''t worth it. Even that golem could have killed us. If one of the bigger ones gets stronger, there''s no way we''re going to be able to kill it!"


    Green Horn chimes in, "I agree, we should leave while we still have a chance to."


    Trista thinks for a moment, then sweeps her gaze over everyone present, "We will continue to the next room, and see what state the golems are in. Anyone who comes along will be paid in full, even if we fail." Her gaze hardens, "If anyone does not want to follow, then they can just leave now. I will still pay a quarter of the original price, so you will not have to worry about leaving empty handed."


    Constrictor shakes her head, "Eight hundred spirit stones aren''t worth risking my life! Just give me the two hundred and I''ll leave."


    Trista nods her head, "Do you have a storage device?"


    Constrictor shakes her head. Suddenly, a small black rock appears on Trista''s hand.


    "This has two hundred spirit stones in it. Be careful, its space is not very stable. It will likely start destabilizing within a month."


    Constrictor grabs the small symbol-covered stone and bites her finger, dripping some blood on it. She then nods her head, turns around, and starts heading out of the dungeon without another word.


    I turn around, "Hey Mama, that thing looked..."


    The rest of the words get stuck in my throat as soon as I see her face. She''s flat out glaring at me now.


    ''Come on, what if what they''re saying is true? What if the dungeon really is evolving? How do you know I did it?!''


    "Does anyone else want to leave?"


    Green horn seems to hesitate, but in the end, nobody else decides to go.


    "Alright, if-"


    Before Trista can say much, Iron Keep interjects, "If it''s more dangerous, shouldn''t we get paid more?"


    Trista glares at him, "I would appreciate it if you would let me finish my sentences. If this dungeon is evolving, there is no way we will clear it. We will leave as soon as a golem we cannot defeat appears, and that will be that. If the dungeon is not evolving, then we should have little trouble clearing it. Either way, I do not see a reason to pay you any more than the agreed upon amount."


    Iron Keep crosses his arms and huffs.


    Trista looks around, "Does anybody else have something to add? No? Good."


    She then walks off, sits down, and starts meditating. Mucky smiles awkwardly at Mama and I, then walks over to Trista and starts meditating beside her. Everyone else splits up as well, including Mama, who picks me up and walks to an empty area.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    As she sits down and places me in her lap, she asks, "Did you do it?"


    Almost instinctively, I answer, "Yes."


    She looks at me sternly, "In my experience, allies are very hard to come by. You should not attack them."


    "Yes Mama."


    "Good."


    ''That''s all? The way she was glaring at me, I thought I was in a lot of trouble...''


    "Lyna."


    Her sudden addition makes me jump, "Yes Mama?"


    She smiles, "You are getting stronger, I am proud of you. I may not agree with what you did, but being able to control those golems is pretty awesome."


    Before I can respond, she laughs and closes her eyes, entering meditation and effectively ending the conversation. I can''t prevent a proud smile from creeping up my face, stretching nearly to my ears.


    "Hehehe..."


    It takes me a couple minutes to collect myself after that emotional rollercoaster, but soon, I start noticing something. Everyone is split up, which isn''t in itself odd, but they seem to be sitting farther away from each other than normal. Even though they''re all meditating, it feels like the tension in the room has increased by several fold.


    I decide to try and ignore them as I enter my consciousness. Controlling that golem has given me several new insights, which I plan on incorporating into my little golems. I also want to experiment around with other symbols, to see how much I really know about them.


    "Everyone ready?"


    I''m woken from my experimenting as Trista voices her question, which once again goes unanswered.


    "Mama, how long did they take to meditate this time?"


    Mama looks down at me, "Not much longer than usual. Why do you ask?"


    "Oh, it''s nothing."


    This time as well, it feels like much more time has passed. Something must be happening. Maybe my mind is processing information faster, making time seem slower? I continue imagining more possibilities as we head to the next room, but that stops as soon as I see what''s inside. I feel like everyone else is as surprised as I am as we gaze through the doorway.


    In every room thus far, excluding the first, there have been at least two types of golem. But in front of us are just three golems, all of the large variety. Now, I wouldn''t be so shocked if that was all, but it''s not.


    Unlike the bronze colored golems I''ve become used to, these three are all silver. Not only that, they are also completely covered in metal plates, unlike all of the golems I''ve seen so far, which were maybe half covered at best. They look much more clean and symmetrical, almost like giant suits of armor.


    "They look a lot different. Are they any stronger than the normal golems?" asks Ruth.


    Trista nods her head, "The silver color is normal. Assuming the dungeon is not evolving, they should be slightly stronger than the others, but not by much."


    Iron Keep snorts, "It doesn''t matter if they''re stronger, I''ll take one of them."


    The Lei couple speak up as well, both talking simultaneously as usual, "I will fight one."


    Trista nods, "Everyone else will fight the third."


    Everybody nods, and we walk through to the next room in three groups. The golems almost seem to sense our intentions, as each one moves in to attack Iron Keep, the Lei couple, and the rest of us respectively. The one moving towards us is wielding a massive cleaver, which still seems tiny when compared to the well over ten foot tall golem.


    "Come on, Mucky!" shouts Trista, as she lifts her sword and approaches the golem.


    Mucky nods his head and follows behind her in a practiced manner. As the golem swings its cleaver down, Trista takes the brunt of the blow, after which Mucky attacks, pushing it back a couple inches. Trista then follows up with an attack of her own.


    I release my soul and start studying these new golems, while also retaining enough of my consciousness to fight. All around, they aren''t all that much stronger than the bronze golems. The symbols aren''t much different either, though there are a few new things I can learn from them.


    The battle goes pretty smoothly; our group winds up defeating the first golem. Neither Iron Keep nor the Lei couple look like they want any help, so I decide to sit down and put all of my effort into examining the remaining golems. Eventually Iron Keep destroys his golem, the Lei couple downing theirs not long after.


    As soon as the last golem falls, Mama walks into the room, picking me up and sitting down in the middle of the room. Everyone else starts sitting down beside us, a few casting somewhat unfriendly gazes at each other. Eventually everyone is sitting in a circle, and Trista starts talking.


    "From what I can tell, the dungeon is not evolving."


    Her statement is met with unanimous agreement. After a few more empty words are said, the subject of dungeon evolution passes, and Green Horn brings up a new one.


    "How much further until the last room? I''m not sure how long we can keep going if things continue to progress like this."


    To answer his question, Trista simply points toward the next room.


    "That is...?"


    "The last room. Look inside."


    It''s hard to see inside from our current vantage point, so I, along with everyone else, walk over to the doorway. All of the rooms we''ve been through so far have been long and rectangular in shape, though they constantly curve in one direction. I can only assume they were spiraling towards this room, which seems to be the center of this dungeon.


    Its ceiling reaches a bit higher than the normal rooms'', curving up into a dome. Interestingly, the ceiling actually has numerous symbols on it, most of which seem to be concentrated at the top. The room itself is very circular, with no apparent corners or edges save for those created by the doorway and the floor. Saving the best for last, I finally allow my gaze to drift toward the golem standing in the middle of the room.


    Unlike the pattern the golems have been following up to this point, this one isn''t any bigger than the large golems. Rather, it''s about the size of one of the small golems, similar in size to a normal human. Its body is covered in shimmering golden plating, which is honestly a bit harsh on the eyes. And not just the plating; its entire body seems to be golden. From its joints, through which I can see golden gears, to its excessively gaudy sword, covered in fancy patterns, all the way to its surprisingly human looking face.


    Trista starts narrating, "Its strength is similar to a peak mid Qi Manipulation cultivator. Its body is very strong, but its attacking strength should not be anything special. I have never read any records of one wielding a sword, but I doubt that will be a worry. As long as we coordinate with each other, there should be no problems."


    "Where is the treasure?" asks Iron Keep.


    Trista furrows her brows, "I will worry about that. It has nothing to do with you."


    Everything is quiet for a few seconds, until Ruth starts talking, "Everyone should recover their qi. If that thing is as strong as you say, then this is going to be a tough battle."


    And so everyone splits up, sitting down in different parts of the room. Mucky is meditating beside his sister again, leaving me and Mama by ourselves.


    "Lyna?"


    As soon as we both sit down, Mama calls me.


    "Yeah?"


    "Is that person still waiting outside the dungeon?"


    "Oh, let me check real quick."


    It occurs to me that I haven''t checked on him for quite some time now. It also occurs to me that Constrictor just left the dungeon not long ago.


    ''I wonder if they noticed each other?''


    I send my soul through each consecutive room, all the way to the entrance of the dungeon.


    "Mama."


    "Yes?"


    "There are a lot more people out there now."


    Outside the dungeon, there are about half a dozen people that are at least in early Qi Manipulation. I say at least, because I''m not sure if they''re able to hide their strength or not. Aside from them, there''s also a group of a couple dozen others, who all seem to be in different stages of Qi Awakening.


    And finally, standing beside the man who was originally following us, is Constrictor. They appear to be talking, and while they''re standing a fair distance from each other, they don''t seem to be acting at all hostile. I might even say that they''re acting friendly.

 Chapter 31: Extra Spaces

    Mama looks at the doorway heading back, "Are they strong?"


    I shake my head, "None of them seem that strong, but I''m not entirely sure."


    She nods her head, "I see. Please let me know if any truly strong individuals show up."


    "Sure thing, I''ll keep an eye out."


    I didn''t really notice it at first, but now that I look at them closer, I start noticing that a lot of the people out there have green hair. No one has hair nearly as bright and vibrant as Trista''s or Mucky''s, and some even look nearly brown, but at least half of them have noticeably green tinted hair.


    ''I wonder if they''re related. Same clan, maybe?''


    The group of people don''t seem to be doing anything in particular, so I decide to stop spying on them for now. I''m about to enter my consciousness in order to pass the time, when suddenly, I remember something. Trying to be as stealthy as possible, I take a couple pieces of rock salt out of one of my storage rings.


    ''I''m pretty sure the storage device that Trista gave to Constrictor was one of these...''


    I start trying to remember what symbols were covering the device, when I remember that Constrictor is still nearby. I once more send my soul outside the dungeon, and proceed to search for Constrictor. As soon as I find her, I search her clothes until I find the storage device.


    Considering what it does, creating its own space to store things, I''m prepared for the symbols to be extremely complicated. I even hope for complicated symbols that might give me more of a challenge, but...


    ''So simple?''


    On its entire surface, I can only make out a few symbols. Something interesting though, is that each symbol is connected to every other symbol on the device. And even though there''s qi running through them, none of the symbols seem even similar to the ones in the golems, which absorb qi.


    ''Where do they get their qi from, then? Wait...''


    I look down at the rock salt in front of me and use my soul to start investigating it. Sure enough, just below the surface, there are veins of qi stretching throughout each piece of rock salt. The qi inside seems to be in some sort of stable, crystallized state, which might explain why I never sensed it until now.


    After scrutinizing it further, I find that the rock salt in Constrictor''s possession, which is now some sort of storage device, has a couple parts that have been chipped away. Each spot exposes one of the qi veins, on top of which symbols are carved.


    ''I see, so those symbols must extract qi somehow.''


    Retracting my soul, I single out one of the rock salts in front of me and locate the qi veins that are closest to the surface. After finding them, I start scratching away the surface of the rock salt. Before long, the qi veins are fully exposed, but I feel a headache coming on as another problem presents itself.


    ''How do I get it flat enough to carve symbols on?''


    There''s no way I''m going to be able to carve symbols on the jagged surface I just created. For that matter, I''m not sure I''ll be able to carve symbols on the bumpy surface elsewhere on the rock salt. Thinking back to the storage device, it did seem to have a fairly smooth surface compared to a normal rock salt.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    And so I start brainstorming, trying to think of a way to smooth out its surface. I try using my claws more, but that only seems to make it worse. I try grinding it against another piece of rock salt, but not only is it really loud, it''s also very hard to do with my current dexterity. Running out of ideas, I even try using my soul to smooth it out, but the rock salt is too strong. It would probably take several days just to make it smooth.


    "Is that it? I get this far, only to be stopped by a technical difficulty?"


    I try simulating the symbols in my mind, but of course it doesn''t work. I don''t know nearly enough about them. For that matter, I''m not even sure how I would simulate them. I mean, how do I even go about creating an extra space?


    ''Man, I really wanna learn more about these. I wish there was some sort of book that I could read...''


    Eventually, I decide to just use my soul to slowly erode the surface of the rock salt. As I work, super fine dust floats down through the still dungeon air, slowly building up and making a ring around it. By the time people start standing up, I''ve already smoothed off nearly a quarter of the rock salt.


    ''Huh, this is going faster than I thought it would.''


    Pleasantly surprised, I stick the pieces of rock salt back into the storage ring that they came from and stand up as soon as Mama does, after which we head to the center of the room along with the rest of the group.


    "Is everyone prepared for the next room?" Trista, who seems to have calmed down considerably, asks.


    Sitting beside Trista is Mucky, who has been sticking close to her ever since a while ago. I wave at him, and as soon as he notices me, he waves back while grinning.


    Trista looks at everyone individually, including myself, "I am being serious this time, I would like everyone to answer me. We need to be in peak condition."


    Ruth is the first to nod her head, "I''m fully recovered."


    I also nod my head, and everyone else confirms in their own ways as well. Everyone, that is, except for Iron Keep, who merely grunts. Trista is clearly perturbed by his response, or lack thereof, and only calms down a bit after breathing deeply several times.


    After a few seconds, she stands up, "Well then, let''s go."


    Mucky stands up as well, tugging on her sleeve, "Sis, what''s wrong?"


    She flicks her arm, removing her sleeve from his grasp, "Shut up Mucky, nothing''s wrong!"


    I''m about to try and comfort Mucky when, contrary to my expectations, he actually smiles and starts laughing, "Now you''re acting like sis! Why do you always act so weird around other people? You were starting to make me worried."


    Trista seems to be at a loss for words, as several emotions flicker across her face. Eventually, a barely perceptible smile seems to creep up, before she hardens her expression and turns around, sweeping her gaze across everyone again.


    "Iron Keep, you''ll be the vanguard, try to keep the golem''s attention. Lei, you can back Iron Keep up and distract it if he gets overwhelmed. Ruth, Green Horn, you two can support them. I only ask that you try to limit the golem''s movements."


    Trista then crouches and looks at me, "Lyna, can you understand me?"


    I nod my head, after which Trista''s eyes widen and she mumbles something about holy foxes being different than she expected.


    ''Why are you so surprised? If you''re going to ask, shouldn''t you be prepared for me to say yes?''


    After her moment of shock, she quickly composes herself, "I hear holy foxes have a pretty powerful ability. Have you awoken yours yet?"


    I nod my head again.


    "Good. I''d like you to stand back and look for any opportunities to attack."


    ''Right, like I''m just going to stand back in a battle this interesting...''


    Trista stands back up and looks towards the golden golem, which stands just past the doorway in front of us, "Stephan and I will also be attacking the golem with Iron Keep and Lei. If anyone has a chance to destroy the golem, take it at your own discretion. If we succeed in defeating it, I''ll raise everyone''s pay to one thousand spirit stones. Fight hard, and don''t die!"


    I can almost feel my blood boiling, though I''m not quite sure if it''s because of the imminent fight or Trista''s little speech.


    ''Maybe both?''


    I start anticipating the fight even more as the seconds pass, but I''m suddenly sobered up by a tap on my back. Turning back, I see Mama looking at me.


    "Yes Mama?"


    She leans down and whispers, "What is ''discretion''?"


    "Ah, when you use your discretion, it''s like deciding for yourself whether something is a good idea or not."


    She releases an ''ah'' as she straightens back up while nodding her head. I turn my attention back to everyone else just in time to see Trista take a step through into the next room. Before her foot even touches the ground, the golden golem''s head turns in our direction.


    ''Here we go!''

 Chapter 32: Two Close Calls

    Much like the rest of the golems until now, the golden golem starts charging us almost as soon as we enter the room.


    Suddenly, Iron Keep starts laughing as he makes his way to the front of the group, "Let''s see what this thing can do!"


    Iron Keep starts rushing at the golem with a speed comparable to its own. Trista and Mucky, as well as the Lei couple, also run towards the golden golem, yet their speed doesn''t even come close to Iron Keep''s.


    It only takes a split second before Iron Keep is glowing bright silver, and in the next split second he''s clashing with the golem. Their collision sends a shockwave through the room, picking up dust and pushing it away from the center of the blast.


    The scene honestly shocks me. Iron Keep is strong, I already knew that, but I had no idea he was this strong. He should have around the same cultivation level as me, probably lower if anything, yet there''s no way I could do something like that.


    ''Was he hiding his strength as well? Man, I really wish I could use magical techniques! Or is that some kind of martial art?''


    Iron Keep is currently grasping the golem''s sword with both of his hands, and while at first glance they seem to be in a stalemate, it quickly becomes apparent that the golem is stronger, as Iron Keep starts gradually getting pushed back.


    But even though it''s winning in this contest of strength, it''s facing off against more than just one person. As the other four near it, I wonder what the golem is going to do, when suddenly I notice that its sword is falling apart.


    The sword turns into numerous small cubes that float into the air, and as Iron Keep loses his balance due to the sudden change, the golden golem delivers a kick to his chest, pushing him back several feet. As the other four near it, the cubes quickly reform into a sword, which is immediately swung at Mucky and Trista.


    Their swords clash, and Mucky and Trista are both pushed backwards. The Lei couple manage to hit the golem, but any damage they do is merely superficial and starts repairing itself immediately. The golem then turns its attention towards the Lei couple, who manage to successfully retreat thanks to Ruth''s flying daggers.


    ''Ah! What am I doing?! I need to fight as well!''


    The first thing I do as I rush towards the golem is to send my soul towards it, but I''m quickly met with some sort of barrier. I feel like the barrier is really strong, but it doesn''t seem nearly as strong as the ones between the rooms, which seem more or less unbreakable.


    I decide to use the most basic method of attack, which is to simply bash the barrier with my soul. As soon as my soul contacts the barrier, it quivers slightly.


    ''Haha, seems breaking it is possible! Still, I''m not sure I''ll be able to...''


    My thoughts are interrupted as I notice the golden golem barreling towards me, brandishing its sword. Its reckless charge earns the golem several wounds, but it seems to ignore them as it stares straight at me with its all too lifelike eyes.


    I come to my senses and jump to the side just before it reaches me, but I can instinctively tell that I won''t be able to dodge its sword. With little other choice, I activate the shield necklace. Although I''m stronger now than I was before, the shield necklace still saps a good amount of my qi reserves.


    As soon as the sword makes contact, cracks spread throughout the shield, but it doesn''t shatter. Without a second thought, I retract my soul. Immediately after my feet touch the ground, I start running towards Iron Keep and the rest.


    Through my frantic running, I barely notice a figure rushing past me. I turn my head only to see Mucky making a beeline for the golem, which is itself still following me.


    "Mucky!" "Stephan!"


    Trista and I both shout at the same time. I immediately make a hundred and eighty degree turn, but there''s no way I''m going to reach them in time. As I see the golem divert its attention to Mucky, I try activating the shield necklace again, but for some reason it doesn''t work. Everything seems to slow down as I see the golem raise its sword.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    With a single thought, I force as much qi as I can out of the marble on my chest, channeling it through my meridians. I can feel the qi pulsing through my body, straining my meridians due to the sheer amount. I ignore the discomfort and steady myself, staring straight at the golem as qi rushes towards my head.


    As the beam of qi exits my mouth, my tunnel vision is widened, and I start seeing my surroundings. Ruth has sent all four of her flying daggers at the golem, all but one focused on its joints, the last heading toward the golem''s sword. Green Horn has his horn out, and is blowing on it. The Lei couple and Iron Keep are both rushing at the golem, and even Trista overtakes me before my attack can reach its target.


    ''Haha, was that even necessary?'' The thought crosses my mind, but I in no way regret my actions.


    I feel like I can see every detail as the beam of qi reaches the golem. First piercing the golem''s metal plating as easily as a knife cutting through butter, then coming out of its back almost as quickly. I watch as the golem''s body goes limp, its momentum still carrying it forward. Ruth''s daggers, as well as Mucky''s sword, both hit the golem nearly simultaneously, after which I hear the amusing sound of Green Horn''s horn.


    Everyone else is able to stop in time, allowing the golem''s body to fall lifelessly to the ground. Trista slows down for a second, but quickly returns to her earlier pace and proceeds to embrace her brother. Aside from those two, everyone else stops in place, silently staring at the golem.


    A wave of weakness suddenly rushes through me, as the urge to breathe takes hold, forcing me to start panting. Almost every inch of my body starts aching, especially the areas where qi passed, my head being the worst.


    Soon it gets to the point where it''s hard to stand, and I find myself subconsciously looking towards Mama, who''s already walking this way at a brisk pace. As soon as she gets to me, she picks me up and hugs me.


    "You scared me."


    "Heh, I wasn''t in that much danger. Even if the golem had hit me, I would have been fine. Probably."


    Not only did I channel too much qi through my meridians, damaging them slightly, I used way too much qi, to the point where now I have hardly any left. It''s pretty exhausting, really. I didn''t even know that my body relied on qi this much.


    "Thank you for saving my stupid brother."


    Suddenly I hear Trista''s voice, so I turn my head to look at her. She''s currently standing beside Mucky, who seems to be pouting while looking at the ground.


    ''Haha. Trista must have scolded him, and rightfully so.''


    Mama shakes her head, "I saw what happened from over there. He was in danger because he was trying to protect Lyna, and for that I am grateful."


    Mucky lifts his head up and glares at Trista, "See!"


    Trista whips around and glares back, "Shut up, Mucky! I know you were trying to save your friend, but what am I supposed to tell dad if you die?"


    Mucky lowers his head again, looking even more indignant than before.


    I tap Mama on her shoulder, "Can you tell Mucky thanks for me?"


    Mama smiles and looks at Mucky, "Stephan, Lyna says thank you."


    Mucky lifts his head back up and beams, "You''re welcome!"


    As everything settles down, I start nestling into Mama''s arms, trying to make myself comfortable. At some point, I look up, only to see Mama intently staring at something. I follow her gaze to the golden golem, which seems to be glowing.


    It glows brighter and brighter, to the point where it''s hard to look at, before finally disappearing with a flash. In its place are several items; three books, a fancy golden sword, two bracelets, and a large wooden puppet.


    ''Wow, that''s not much compared to the stuff we got at the pyramid dungeon.''


    I notice Iron Keep taking a step forward before Trista rushes over to the pile, waving her hand over it and causing it to disappear.


    "Thank you all for your help. As agreed upon, here is your reward of one thousand spirit stones."


    She holds her hand out, on top of which appear several of those temporary storage devices. She then tosses one toward each person present, including Mama.


    She then grabs hold of Mucky''s arm, "Let''s go."


    Iron Keep, who was already closer than anyone else to the doorway leading out, starts walking towards it, "Wait just a minute. I have something to tell you."


    Trista stops in place, "I do not want to hear."


    "What if I told you we were all fighting alongside criminals this entire time?" asks Iron Keep, pointing his finger at Mama and I.


    Trista turns her head and looks at us, followed by Mucky.


    Trista looks back at Iron Keep, "Then I would ask why you hadn''t let me know before now."


    Iron Keep chuckles, "There''s a bounty out for their death, you see. I had considered killing them and turning the bounty in, yet I imagine I would get a bonus if I were to kill the murderer of the famed Trista Riddith. And although I''ve never heard of him before, I''ll bet your brother there is pretty important as well. I bet they''d pitch in a couple thousand extra spirit stones for avenging his murder."


    Ruth interjects, "That wasn''t the plan."


    "Plans change."


    Throughout Iron Keep''s monologue, Mucky keeps looking between him and us.


    His eyes eventually rest on us, "Is he talking about you? You guys didn''t kill us."


    He then turns and looks at Trista, "What''s he talking about?"


    She only sighs, "Shut up, Mucky."


    Suddenly I find myself nearing the ground, as Mama lays me down.


    "Trista, Stephan, stand behind me." Mama says, using a stern voice.


    Iron Keep laughs, "What are you going to do? Your beast is weakened, and you''re just weak."


    Mama smiles, "You underestimate me."

 Chapter 33: Mistake

    Iron Keep looks as if he just heard a bad joke, "Underestimate? What is there to underestimate?"


    Meanwhile, Mucky starts pulling on Trista''s hand, "Come on sis, didn''t you hear her?"


    Trista allows herself to be dragged over, but she stays vigilant the whole time, staring wearily at us. Iron Keep lifts one side of his mouth, smiling derisively at us while Ruth and the Lei couple walk over to join him.


    ''So even Ruth wants to kill us, huh? She seemed so nice... guess it was all just an act.''


    "Hey, I don''t want anything to do with this. I won''t say anything, so can''t you just let me go?"


    Green Horn''s question wins him everyone''s attention. Trista stops in place, glaring at him, though her gaze seems much weaker than it was before. Meanwhile, Iron Keep puts his hand on his chin, seemingly in thought.


    After a few seconds, he nods his head, "Yeah, we can do that."


    Green Horn''s face relaxes, "Thank you. Don''t worry, I won''t-"


    Iron Keep interrupts, "But you know, given the risks involved for us, I''m sure you would agree that we deserve some sort of compensation. That treasure... the horn, you wouldn''t mind parting with that, would you?"


    Green Horn''s eyes widen, "You shameless... what about this?" he holds out his storage device, which is presumably filled with the one thousand spirit stones given by Trista.


    Iron Keep grins, "Is that horn worth your life?"


    Glaring, Green Horn talks through his teeth, "How can you prove you won''t kill me after I give you the horn?"


    Iron Keep shrugs, "We can''t, can we?"


    After several seconds of silence, Green Horn relents, "Fine! Let me through and then I''ll give you the horn. I refuse to until then!"


    Iron keep smiles and backs away, followed by the Lei couple and Ruth. Green Horn stares wearily at them while slowly walking towards the doorway.


    Trista, still watching Green Horn, starts shaking her head. She then grabs Mucky and resumes walking toward us, but this time she''s the one pulling him.


    Green Horn continues to the next room, still maintaining eye contact with Iron Keep and the rest.


    After a couple more steps, Iron Keep stops him, "That''s far enough. Toss me the horn and you can go."


    I see Green Horn grab his horn, after which he reaches his arm back in order to throw it, but he freezes as a voice rings out behind him.


    "Green Horn? And Iron Keep, and... what''s going on?"


    ''Constrictor? What''s she doing back here?''


    Constrictor looks past Green Horn and Iron Keep, her eyes finally focusing on Trista and Mucky.


    "I just... needed to talk to Trista alone for a minute..."


    Iron Keep sighs loudly, "It never goes smoothly, does it? Ruth, Lei."


    Suddenly Green Horn turns around and starts running, but before he can get far, a flying dagger pierces his back, followed by another in his neck. He trips and falls to the ground, but still tries to get back up while holding his neck. Soon, though, he''s back on the ground, now with a third dagger lodged in his head.


    "No need, I''ll be enough." says Ruth, already following the frightened Constrictor through to the next room.


    Iron Keep shouts, "Make sure to get her! If any of them get away, we''re going to have the entire Riddith clan chasing us!"


    I watch as Ruth chases Constrictor out of sight. Sure I don''t really like Constrictor, but somehow this whole situation leaves a bad taste in my mouth. And that''s not even considering Green Horn, who I don''t even really dislike.


    I manage to talk through all pain wracking my body, "Mama, couldn''t you have saved him?"This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Mama looks at Green Horn''s body, then back at me, "He is the one that decided to cut ties with us, leaving us for dead. Should I save someone who has betrayed us?"


    "I... I don''t know. I guess not. What about Constrictor?"


    "Her survival will depend on her own abilities. She should be safe if she can get outside the dungeon where those people are."


    "Probably, yeah."


    ''Are my personal feelings just clouding my judgment? I guess I''m still not comfortable seeing humans die. Well, humans that I know at least.''


    "Are you so scared now that you''re talking to yourself? Don''t worry, you won''t need to be afraid for much longer." laughs Iron Keep.


    Mama laughs as well, "Now that I have your attention, I would like to ask you a question. How strong do you think I am?"


    Iron Keep almost immediately answers, "You''re in mid Qi Awakening."


    Mama nods her head, "And now?"


    As she asks, I sense the amount of qi emanating from her body increase slightly. Iron Keep looks surprised at first, then smiles.


    "I''m not sure how you got your hands on a qi concealing ability, but that amount of strength still isn''t going to help you."


    Mama smiles, "How about now?"


    The amount of qi emanating from her body continues to rise, until it''s at about the same level as Mucky''s.


    "You were in Qi Manipulation this whole time? Why didn''t you tell anyone?"


    I look back at Trista, and although she asked that, she doesn''t seem upset. Instead, her eyes seem to be getting brighter by the second, all of the life that was previously gone returning to them.


    "We might just have a chance! Lyna, how do you feel? Can you fight?"


    I shake my head, "Terrible and no."


    Mama giggles, "Do not worry, you just protect Lyna and your brother. I will deal with them."


    "I''ll admit that I had no idea you were this strong, but there''s no way an early Qi Manipulation brat is going to beat me."


    Mama looks at Iron Keep, "Did I say I was done?"


    As soon as she finishes talking, her qi starts rising again, but this time even faster. Soon her qi is on the same level as Ruth, but it doesn''t stop there. As her qi exceeds that of Iron Keep''s, I see him take a step backward, eyes widening.


    "Late Qi Manipulation... no, she''s got to be half a step to Qi Expulsion! No wait, this must be a trick! I''ve heard of this before!"


    I hear Mama whisper, "That will do."


    Iron Keep points at Mama, "Lei, attack her!"


    "The Riddith siblings are there. Even if it is a trick, they would still be a danger to me."


    Iron Keep grits his teeth and takes a step forward, "Fine! Let''s both go."


    Mama smiles, "I am not lying."


    She lifts her hand up, causing a wall of fire to rise up which blocks the only way out of the room. As soon as he sees what she did, Iron Keep''s face changes and his body starts glowing bright silver, but instead of continuing forward, he turns around and dashes toward the wall of flame.


    As she sees his reaction, Mama smiles, "Your ability will not help you."


    Sure enough, Iron Keep slams into the wall of flames and bounces backward, as if what he just hit was a real wall. Iron Keep turns around and looks at Mama, the fear in his eyes obvious.


    "You... what do you want? I''ll do anything, I-"


    His plea is cut short by a ball of fire, which is practically on him as soon as it leaves Mama''s hand. He hurriedly reaches his hands, which start glowing even brighter than the rest of his body, out in front of himself.


    Boom!


    The fireball explodes on impact, lifting him off the ground and slamming him against the wall. The silver aura around his hands all but disappears, but the attack definitely didn''t kill him. Rather, he seems like he might even still be conscious.


    ''Seems like Mama''s holding back quite a bit.''


    Suddenly, I hear a swishing sound close by. I look sideways just in time to see Mama piercing her hand straight through the male Lei''s chest. But even though her hand went through where his heart should be, he reaches his left hand towards her. The hand doesn''t get far though, as smoke starts rising up from where Mama stabbed him, causing the left arm to go limp.


    At almost the same time, I hear a thud behind me. Craning my neck, I look at the source of the sound to see the female Lei lying on the ground. It looks like she was headed towards Trista and Mucky, but they must have fended her off.


    ''No, wait...''


    At second glance, she doesn''t seem to have a single wound on her. She''s even crawling away, though she''s only using her right arm and leg. For some reason, the entire left side of her body seems to be paralyzed.


    Mama looks over at her as well, and proceeds to walk toward her while materializing her halberd in her hand. I can''t bring myself to look, and turn my head away as the blade is swung at her neck.


    After she''s finished with the Lei couple, Mama starts walking toward Iron Keep. He''s currently sitting propped up against the wall, but as soon as he sees Mama, he starts trying to stand up. He goes to use his hands to prop himself up, but immediately recoils and winces in pain. As I look at his arms, I find that both of his hands are nearly unrecognizable, and one of his forearms seems to be broken.


    Iron Keep starts inching toward the doorway, "Wait, don''t kill me. I... I have a family!"


    After hearing his words, Mama jerks to a stop. Seeing her reaction, Iron Keep takes the chance to bolt for the other room, which is no longer covered by a wall of fire.


    I see Mama clenching her hand that''s not holding the halberd as Iron Keep runs out of the room, as if she''s hesitating on what to do. Finally, she holds her halberd up like a spear and throws it, all in one swift movement.


    My eyes instinctively follow its trajectory as it flies through air, all the way until it pierces Iron Keep''s back. It doesn''t stop there though, ripping through his body until it comes out of the other side. I watch as he topples forward, silver fog rising out of his body.


    I stare in a daze for a couple seconds, then shake my head violently, the corresponding pain waking me up.


    ''Ouch ouch ouch, still hurts...''


    I try not to think too much about what just happened, and instead turn my attention to my body. All of the fog flowing into me, I can''t tell if I feel reinvigorated or even more exhausted. Sure it''s refilling my qi reserves, but it''s also forcibly circulating through my meridians, which are super sore right now!

 Chapter 34: Unfortunate

    "Woah! Bloodcat, you''re so strong!" shouts Mucky.


    Mama gives a light smile and walks into the next room, all the way past Iron Keep''s body, and picks up her halberd. She then puts it back into storage, causing it to disappear from her hands.


    I look over at Trista and Mucky. Mucky is smiling from ear to ear, his eyes shining brightly. If I didn''t see it for myself, I''d never guess that he just witnessed several people getting killed. Even Trista seems confused more so than shocked.


    As soon as Mama comes back, she looks between everyone, "Is anybody hurt?"


    I nod my head and look at her with the most pitiful eyes I can muster, "Yeah, I hurt all over."


    Mama laughs, then walks over to me and picks me up.


    Trista and Mucky both confirm that they feel fine, after which Mucky starts going on about how strong Mama is, making exaggerated hand motions while describing the fight. Mama seems like she''s thoroughly enjoying the attention, smiling and laughing as Mucky continues his antics.


    Eventually, Trista taps him on his shoulder, "Hey Stephan, think you could test out this sword?"


    In her hand appears a fancy golden sword, which she holds up to Mucky.


    He looks at the shining sword with equally shiny eyes, "Me? I can really try it out first?"


    Trista puts the sword in his hand, "Yep, really! Just play with it over there, ok? You don''t want to accidently hurt someone."


    Mucky takes the sword and starts hopping up and down, "Thanks sis! I love you!" he laughs as he hugs her.


    Trista blushes a little, "Ah! Stupid Mucky, hurry up and test the sword!"


    Mucky starts giggling as he casually slits his finger with the sword, proceeding to drop blood on it. He then runs excitedly toward the other side of the room while swinging the sword, which now occasionally gives off light.


    Mama smiles, "You and your brother seem to get along very well."


    Trista sighs deeply and sits down, "He''s not actually my real brother. He''s from one of the clan''s branch families, one with a pretty weak bloodline. But as you can tell by his hair, he happened to inherit extremely pure elemental power, something that happens occasionally. When he was born, the entire branch family was celebrating. If he had grown up and risen to prominence, the entire branch family''s position would have likely risen in the clan."


    She shakes her head, "But his parents had different plans. They were practically trying to sell him, telling the main members of the clan that they could adopt him if they gave them compensation. So my father did just that, fearing that they might sell Stephan to someone outside of the clan. They left the clan after that, and nobody''s heard from them since."


    After a brief pause, she continues, "But we eventually found out that something was wrong with him. He didn''t really grow up like everyone else; he''s always acted like a child, which has been a real handful, especially now that he''s so strong. I mean don''t get me wrong, I love the little guy more than anything, but sometimes I get fed up with him. That is, sometimes I wind up lashing out at him. But he''s always so positive, and forgives me, which only makes me hate myself more..." she wipes a tear away from her eye before it can fall.


    Mama pats her on the shoulder, "That means that he still trusts you, and that is very important. You may hurt his feelings, but with trust that can heal. Without trust, you will eventually drift away from each other. Be happy that you have not yet destroyed his trust in you, and make sure you never damage it in the future. That is the best advice I can give to you."


    Trista nods her head, "Thanks mom."


    She almost immediately notices what she said, her eyes widening as she stands up, "Ah, sorry! It''s just you remind me a lot of my mom. You even look a lot like she used to, except she had green hair instead of red. That''s why even when I first saw you, I... ah! Here I am just telling you all of my problems! This isn''t what I wanted to talk about!"Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    Mama starts laughing, causing an embarrassed blush to spread across Trista''s cheeks.


    Trista coughs awkwardly, "Anyway, I wanted to say two things. First of all, thanks for saving me and my brother. Um, second of all, that wall of fire move that you used-"


    "Static Flame Wall." Mama interjects.


    "Right, Static Flame Wall. I''ve just never seen anybody use a move like that. All magical techniques that I know of are released from your body, or else from a magical treasure infused with qi. I don''t know whether that ability is special or if you are, but um... anyway, I would be careful using it in front of people."


    Mama smiles, "Thank you for telling me."


    As their conversation turns to idle chatter, I suddenly remember something.


    ''Ruth and Constrictor!''


    I immediately release my soul and send it back through the rooms. I only get a few rooms back before I find a large group of people, all headed toward us at a brisk pace. I see all of the people that I saw outside the dungeon earlier, though I see neither Runt nor Constrictor.


    There are also people that weren''t there last time I checked, the most obvious being a skinny old man with a long white beard, who''s at least in mid Qi Manipulation.


    "Mama! Those people from outside the dungeon are almost here! There''s a bearded old guy with them now that''s pretty strong!"


    As soon as she hears me, Mama puts me down and retrieves her halberd, turning toward the doorway. Trista looks as well, and even Mucky seems to notice the change in atmosphere as he stops swinging his sword. Within a few seconds, a middle aged, green haired man makes his way into the room. His eyes sweep the room, and his previously panicked expression starts to subside, until his gaze stops on Mama and I.


    Mama looks at Mucky, "Stephan, come here."


    The green haired man''s expression suddenly twists into an angry one, "What are you trying to do with my children?!"


    Mucky''s gaze moves from Mama to the green haired man, "Dad! Wait until I tell you what happened! It was so cool!"


    Trista looks at Mama apologetically, "I''ll try to explain everything."


    With that, Mucky and Trista both walk over to the green haired man, who''s apparently their father. The man embraces both of his children lovingly, but still stares at Mama with equal parts confusion and hostility.


    By now the rest of the group is here, and the strong old man walks up and stands behind the green haired man. I see him open his mouth, and then it closes just as quickly.


    Trista lets go of her father, "Dad, Grandpa, this is Bloodcat. She saved our lives."


    The green haired man''s face contorts, then he looks at Mama, "What is this to you, some sort of sick game?! First you kill my brother, then you brainwash my kids! What did I ever do to you?!"


    Trista''s eyes widen as she looks at her father, "Uncle... Uncle Marcus is dead? When? Why did nobody tell me?"


    Her eyes drift over to Mama and I, her complexion growing paler. She grabs Mucky''s hand, who just looks dazed and confused, and grips it tightly.


    ''Ahhh... figures.''


    The green haired man points at Mama, "Well, there''s no way you''re getting away today! We-"


    Suddenly, the bearded old man smacks the top of his head with enough force to knock him down. He then sighs, slowly walking in front of the shocked Mucky and Trista.


    "I know my son; he must have done something that deserved his death. You have saved my grandchildren, and for that I am grateful. I will have all bounty posters in Strodens, as well as the rest of Rebe, removed. I will also do everything in my power to have your crimes pardoned."


    He bows his head, "I only ask that you spare us."


    The green haired man goes to stand up, "But father-"


    "Shut up!" the old man kicks him, sending him tumbling back to the ground a few feet away.


    Mama puts the halberd back in storage, "I do not wish to kill any of you." she then looks at Mucky and Trista, "I am..."


    She stops midsentence, opening and closing her mouth several times before slowly shaking her head, "You may all go, please leave."


    The old man clasps his hands and bows, proceeding to grab his unwilling son and practically drag him out of the room. Trista seems to be avoiding eye contact, as she grabs both of Mucky''s shoulders and leads him out as well. Nobody says anything, but I can clearly see hatred in the eyes of many people, which are locked onto me and Mama even as they walk out of sight.


    Mama stands motionless for several seconds before turning around, taking a short step toward me, and sitting down cross-legged. She then picks me up, sets me in her lap, and starts petting me.


    I secretly follow them with my soul as they head back out of the dungeon. After a while, Mucky seems to snap out of his daze and tugs his hand away from Trista''s, after which he starts running deeper into the dungeon again. Eventually the grandpa has to get involved to calm him down, though he still looks pretty upset.


    I look up, "Hey, Mama."


    I hear her sniff as she looks down at me, her eyelids slightly puffy. Her appearance catches me off guard, causing me to involuntarily gasp.


    "Mama, what''s wrong?"


    She shakes her head, "I am confused and uncertain. I am not sure I want to be among humans any longer."


    I think back to all of the recent events involving humans. Honestly, there were lots of fun times, but I''d be lying if I said it hasn''t been stressful. Living in the wilderness with magical beasts was much simpler.


    "Yeah, I agree. I think I liked living in the forest better."


    Mama lifts me up and hugs me, "Shall we travel away from humans for now?"


    ''Ack, stop squeezing so hard, it hurts!''


    I nod my head, "That sounds good to me."


    Mama nods her head as well, "Then we will avoid humans for a time."


    Mama puts me back down on her lap, and I flop on my side. I''m about to close my eyes and rest, when I happen to notice something. The symbols that I saw on the ceiling earlier, although it''s dim, there''s a slight glow emanating from them now!

 Chapter 35: A Puzzle with Consequences

    I settle into Mama''s lap and close my eyes, preparing to release my soul, yet as soon as my eyes shut I find myself drifting off. Mind fuzzy, I''m suddenly woken by Mama''s hand as she strokes my head.


    ''Ah! Wake up, me. You can sleep later!''


    I shake my head violently, surprising Mama, and proceed to release my soul. I''m not able to sense any sort of barrier covering the symbols as I near them, so I decide to try and make contact with them directly.


    ''Success! Now let''s see what you guys do...''


    I almost immediately realize that these symbols can be moved. The placement of the symbols seems very deliberate, almost like they''re giving me a hint of what to do. It''s like there are just enough pieces in the right places to give me an idea of what''s going on.


    ''Is this some kind of puzzle? Cool!''


    I start trying to move symbols around, but quickly find that it''s not as simple as it first seemed. Apparently there are rules to moving the symbols, because as soon as I move one the wrong way, it sends a pulse through my soul, causing a sharp pain to assault my mind.


    The shock makes me jump, "Ouch! Stupid puzzle!"


    Mama looks at me worriedly, "Lyna? What is going on?"


    "Oh, it''s nothing. I just messed up on the puzzle."


    She looks at me strangely, "What puzzle?"


    "Right! You don''t... uh, it''s up there on the ceiling. See those?" I point at the symbols.


    She looks up and then nods her head, "I see. What do they do?"


    "I dunno, hopefully something good! Just a minute, I''m going to try solving it again..."


    And so I continue moving the symbols around, making mistakes once in a while. Every time I mess up, I receive a jolt, and every jolt seems stronger than the last. It gets to the point where it makes my body spasm, even though I know what''s coming.


    I mess up once again, receiving the backlash immediately, "Ouch! Man, that one really hurt!"


    My outburst causes Mama to jump, after which she holds me up in front of her, "Lyna, you need to take a break. You will harm yourself at this rate."


    "No, it''s alright. I think I''ve got it this time!"


    Mama sighs and shakes her head, "Fine. But if you make one more mistake, you must take a rest."


    "Only one? But-"


    Mama lays me back down, "One more. No arguing."


    "Haa, fine..."


    ''I guess I really am starting to get pretty tired, but I can''t just stop now! I''m so close!''


    I resume moving symbols, more careful than ever now not to mess up.


    ''Ah! No, not there... yeah, that''s... but...''


    I move each symbol with care, planning several steps ahead just for good measure. The stress of getting everything correct strains my soul even further, as the exhaustion from my earlier failures starts setting in.


    ''That''s it! I can see the end!''


    Suddenly I figure out how to solve the puzzle, my excitement overtaking me as I start rapidly placing symbols. I''m only a couple symbols away from completing it, when...


    "Ah!"


    An immense pain surges through my mind, followed by a dull aching feeling. I try to ignore it as I move the last symbols, after which I immediately retract my soul.


    I nearly bend in half as I hold my head with my paws, "Ahhh that hurts! That really hurts!"


    Mama quickly lifts me up and looks me over, "What is wrong? No more puzzle! Hurry, get the Eggshell and heal yourself!"The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    I force out a chuckle, "No, it''s fine. Besides, I''m not sure it can even heal soul stuff..."


    She puts me down, "Even if it does not, your body is injured as well. Quickly."


    I glance at the ceiling, which still looks the same as before. Slightly disappointed, I''m about to take out the Eggshell, when I hear a rumbling sound. As I look back up, I see the symbols glowing brightly, after which they go back to normal. The dome above us then starts deforming, turning into something like a liquid that reforms into stairs leading down to us, exposing an entirely new space above.


    Mama looks up, then back down at me and glares, "Did I not say to stop?"


    I attempt to look wronged, "But I did!"


    She looks at me intensely for several seconds, and just as I''m about to admit to my wrongs, she sighs.


    "Bring out the Eggshell and get in. While you are resting, I will explore the new area."


    I release a sigh of my own, "Yes Mama. Make sure to be careful up there."


    Mama smiles, "Of course."


    I will the Eggshell to appear, causing the golden chain around my neck to disappear, transforming into a giant pool of tonic atop a stone surface, surrounded by grass.


    ''I can''t believe the grass is still green. Is it even real?''


    I jump onto the side of the Eggshell and watch as Mama walks up the stairs, all the way to the top where another doorway leads seemingly deeper into the dungeon. She then looks back and smiles at me, waving as she walks into the room.


    I wave back, then decide it''s about time I get into the tonic. As I submerge myself in the liquid, I can immediately feel it fixing my body; I think I can even feel it mending my meridians.


    ''Not doing anything for my soul, though. Curses...''


    I settle down to the bottom of the tonic, the familiar feeling causing me to relax. After finding a comfy position, I simply close my eyes and wait for sleep to envelop me.


    As my eyelids part, I''m greeted with the sight of millions of twinkling stars, all backdropped by an infinite darkness. I twist my head and look around only to find nothing, yet as I return my gaze to its original position, I see a small dark circle, something that wasn''t there before.


    I watch calmly as the thing gets closer and closer, blinking toward me as if teleporting. It soon becomes apparent that the object I''m staring at is a planet, one with a barren, desolate surface.


    Eventually, the planet is so close that I can see individual craters dotting its surface, like thousands of tiny scars. At this point, I start sensing something, something that seems to be calling out to me. I move my eyes to the source of the call and see a structure, which is clearly visible even from my position far above the planet.


    With but a thought, my body starts drifting toward it at a seemingly slow speed, yet the very next moment I find myself floating in front of the massive building, its walls seeming to stretch on forever into the sky. Without hesitation, I fly between giant pillars leading to the building, and then into the building itself as the call continues to get stronger.


    I float through halls as if possessed, an invisible force beckoning me, guiding my way. I eventually come across a door blocking my path, standing imposingly between me and my destination.


    As I push the massive door open and fly through, something to my side catches my attention, distracting me from the calls that have nearly consumed my mind. There, in front of me, stands a huge mirror, one that matches the scale of the building it resides in.


    As I look at the reflection in front of me, a young man with black hair, black robes, and a piercing gaze stares straight back. Suddenly, the man''s mouth opens.


    "You must die!"


    My eyes snap open again, and I find myself surrounded by darkness, not even a star in sight. It takes me several seconds before I remember that I''m in tonic, which is why everything is so dark.


    ''What... what was that?''


    I try swimming to the surface of the tonic, but I''m unable to coordinate my body sufficiently, leaving me flopping my limbs around uselessly. After realizing that it''s not working, I forcefully calm myself down.


    ''This is just like that one time... except the pain isn''t as bad, and I can at least move now. Anyway, what are those? They''re way too realistic to be dreams, are they visions? Why am I having them? Is someone trying to talk to me? Is it that black haired man? Is he the one that keeps telling me to die...?''


    I have so many questions, yet I''m not sure if they can be answered. My only option right now seems to be waiting; maybe I''ll get visions in the future that will clear things up.


    After lying motionlessly for some time, my headache starts clearing up, and my body returns to its fully controllable state. I eventually decide that I''ve rested enough, and make my way to the surface of the Eggshell. From there, I climb up onto the side and sit down, surveying the area.


    ''Seems Mama''s not back yet.''


    I lie down and look up at the stairway leading up, and then at the doorway that Mama went through.


    ''They were talking about dungeons evolving, but it seems this one may have already evolved without them knowing. I wonder if that area would have ever been found if I hadn''t discovered it?''


    I start examining the stairs, admiring my handiwork, when a thought comes to me.


    ''Are these dungeons meant to be done with both your soul and cultivation? There was the temple, where most of it could be done with your soul, but the traps were still dangerous without a strong cultivation base. Then there are those golems, which can be manipulated with your soul. That golden golem even responded to my soul attack. Plus there''s the secret entrance that I just opened, though I wouldn''t be surprised if someone with a strong cultivation could open it as well.''


    The more I think about it, the more I feel like these dungeons somehow encourage a strong soul as well as a strong cultivation. It''s not really a groundbreaking theory or anything, but I find the thought quite intriguing. It really makes me wonder who or what designed these things...


    Suddenly, I hear footsteps, waking me from my thoughts.


    I look up excitedly at the stairs, "Mama?"


    I immediately confirm that the person walking down the stairs is, indeed, Mama, but her appearance nearly gives me a heart attack. She has dried blood smeared all across her body, so much that it''s scary to look at. But even given the state she''s in, I can''t help but notice the wide grin stretching across her face.

 Chapter 36: Something for Each of Us

    Mama''s smile calms me down, and as I look at her body once more, I''m unable to see any fresh blood. It seems any wounds she may have gotten have already closed.


    I force my worries back in and smile awkwardly, "Hey Mama, what''re you so happy about?"


    She starts walking down the stairs, still smiling, "Do I seem any different to you?"


    "Uh..."


    I try examining her with my soul, but don''t really find anything that could be considered ''different''. I then try sensing the qi fluctuations emanating from her, and do find something odd.


    "You... seem weaker than before?"


    Mama''s smile disappears as she stares at me in shock, then she gives an ''ah'' and nods her head, "It must be an effect of reaching mid Qi Expulsion."


    I nod my head, then immediately realize what she just said.


    "Mid... how?! Er, I mean, congratulations Mama, but how? Isn''t it supposed to be really hard to progress once you get to Qi Expulsion? Like, you only just reached Qi Expulsion not too long ago."


    Mama smiles proudly, "Not long ago, I had reached a bottleneck, one that left me a single step from mid Qi Expulsion. I have been able to progress very little since then. But among the items I received for completing the dungeon, there was a small... sphere? Yes, it was a sphere. And after consuming it, the-"


    I interrupt her, "Wait, you just ate it? What if it had been poisonous?"


    She shrugs her shoulders, "I felt it was safe to eat, and I trust my instincts."


    Her words strike a funny bone, causing me to burst out laughing, "Man, we''re going to wind up getting sick if we keep eating random things that we find! Um, anyway, what happened next?"


    She laughs, "After that, the sphere started releasing a constant stream of very pure qi that helped me break through my bottleneck. I believe the sphere was one of the spirit medicines that the cultivation manuals spoke of."


    "That''s awesome. Did you, uh... did there happen to be two of them? Or several?! I think that I''m pretty close to late Qi Manipulation, and one of those would probably help me get there! I''ll be one step closer to..."


    I see Mama''s brows furrow as she looks at the floor, indicating that there''s most likely no more spirit medicine.


    "You know what, never mind. I''ll be fine without any of that stuff. I''m already a lot stronger than I used to be, I''ll reach late Qi Manipulation in no time!"


    Mama starts walking toward me, "I am sorry. I know how much you wish to be human."


    I shake my head, "Come on, don''t apologize for that. I could barely even beat the golden golem that was in this room, I doubt I''d be able to defeat anything up there. You totally deserve everything that you got! Um, besides, you..."


    Mama keeps getting closer to the Eggshell, finally jumping up near where I am. She then takes a step toward me and bends down to pick me up.


    I try backing up, "Seriously Mama, I''m alright!"


    She grasps me and lifts up, transferring numerous specks of dried blood to my fur.


    She looks me straight in the eyes, "I did not think of you when consuming that spirit medicine, I am sorry. I truly wish for you to be stronger, so that you might better defend yourself, yet I completely disregarded that."The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Her sincere gaze and words catch me off guard, leaving me at a loss for words. She then brings me in for a hug, waking me from my daze.


    I start struggling, "Ah! Mama, you''re getting blood all over me! Hurry and put me down!"


    Mama eventually relents and puts me back onto the side of the Eggshell, still looking slightly dejected. Seeing her state, something that might make her feel better pops into my mind.


    ''She''d probably be less upset if she knew about... should I tell her? I mean, I wasn''t really trying to hide it or anything, but now that it''s been this long, it''s kinda hard to bring it up...''


    I decide to put all of the uncertain feelings I have on hold and call out to her, to which Mama just lifts her head and looks at me wordlessly.


    "Um, you''ve probably already noticed that I''ve been getting stronger really fast."


    She nods her head.


    ''Tough crowd...''


    I sigh, "Well, the reason is because I have some sort of ability. Whenever anything dies, I''m able to see stuff coming out of their corpses. I''m pretty sure that the stuff is qi, and every time it appears, the marble on my chest absorbs it. That''s why you don''t need to worry about the spirit medicine. I mean, we run into so many things that want to kill us, I''m sure I''ll be as strong as you in no time!"


    Mama smiles and sits down cross-legged, patting her lap. I walk over and climb on top of her, then lie down.


    "So that is why you broke through at that time." I hear her mumble.


    I nod my head, "Yeah, and now because of all of them," I gesture to the dead people scattered around, "I''m close to breaking through again."


    Mama laughs and starts petting me, "You do not mind the blood now?"


    I gasp, "Oh, right! What happened up there? Why are you so bloody?"


    "The blood was caused largely by a single troublesome golem. There were three in the last room, each with unique weapons. One in particular had short, thin... wires? But they were stiff."


    "Sounds like needles. It was attacking you with needles?"


    "Yes. Not only were they hard to see, it was difficult to defend against them even if I did see them. They were similar to the weapons Ruth used, in that they could be moved in midair, but only enough to avoid my blocks. Any that wound up piercing me would cause my blood to flow nonstop, and by the time the battle was finished, I looked like this."


    I nod my head, "So what weapons did the other two have?"


    She thinks for a second, "Well, one had a metal stick with a long chain attached, at the end of which was a metal sphere. The other had a shield, much like the one belonging to the golem you took control of." she pauses, and as I look up to see what''s wrong, I see her smirking at me.


    As I lay my head back down and huff, she laughs, "But this shield was as tall as the golem wielding it, and the golem wielding it was as tall as the largest ones you have seen."


    I look back up at her, "So how did you beat them? Was it hard?"


    "It was." she replies seriously, "It was the hardest battle I have fought to this point. You see, to get to the other golems, I had to first destroy the one with the shield, as the others would always hide behind it. Yet its shield would block everything I could dish out, and every time I tried getting behind it, the other two would prevent me. So first, I..."


    Mama''s story goes on for hours, and she only gets more passionate as it progresses. But it''s not boring, and I wind up listening intently the whole time. By the time she finishes though, I find that I''m pretty sick of the scent of blood. After looting the bodies of everyone in the dungeon, we decide to leave.


    After exiting the dungeon, the first thing we do is look until we find a creek. After washing off, we gather some wood and pile it up, then Mama lights it, creating a fire that reaches several feet into the air. While sitting beside the fire, Mama suddenly releases an ''oh'' sound and holds her hand out, on top of which appears a thin book.


    She hands the book to me, "This was from the dungeon. I have not yet read it, but judging by its title, I believe it contains information about the soul."


    I look at the cover of the book, where the words "Dual Soul Method" are written. I use my soul to flip open the cover of the book, and find that the first couple pages seem to outline the basic functions of the soul, pretty much all of which I already knew. It seems to be leading up to something bigger, though, so I start getting excited nonetheless.


    I''m just about to get to the interesting stuff, when I remember that I haven''t thanked Mama yet. I turn my head toward her, and just as I''m about to express my gratitude, I notice that she''s staring at me while smiling.


    "Haha, what is it, Mama?"


    Mama releases an ''ah'' and averts her eyes, "I am simply happy that you enjoy it."


    I nod my head, "Yeah, it''s awesome! I haven''t even gotten to the interesting stuff yet, and I''ve already learned several things that I didn''t know before! Thank you, Mama."


    Mama smiles broadly, "You are welcome."

 Chapter 37: Dual Soul Method

    The manual continues expanding my knowledge as it goes in depth about the soul and what it can do. It even skims over magical items, and how the soul can be used in unison with materials, many of which are apparently rare, to engrave abilities onto normal objects.


    ''Just like those storage devices Trista handed out... does that mean I''ll need special materials in order to experiment around? That sucks.''


    It contains so much information, yet everything seems half hearted, leaving me wanting more as it cuts off just before getting to the application side of things. I keep reading about things that just barely whet my appetite for knowledge, just to cut off abruptly and move on to another subject.


    ''Is this author just trying to torture me?!''


    I continue getting more and more frustrated with each turn, and eventually just start skimming over the words, until I realize that I''ve nearly reached the end.


    ''This can''t just be some overview about the soul, can it? Where''s the "Dual Soul" part?''


    As I nervously turn to the next page, I find myself looking at something I never expected to see in here. There, covering an entire page, is some sort of giant symbol. At first glance, it looks like it just cuts off halfway, but I soon realize that the other page folds out. I start unfolding it until I''m left with a jumble of huge symbols spanning nine pages.


    ''What a mess... who made those sloppy symbols? Do they even work?''


    I decide to check them out with my soul, but as soon my soul nears the symbols, I''m assaulted with a massive amount of information, a feeling much more overwhelming than the one I got while studying the symbols around the Eggshell. My surroundings start getting dark, my mind growing fuzzy as the overwhelming amount of information invades my mind.


    "Wha... what?"


    I open my eyes and look around, my eyes finally stopping on Mama, who is sitting cross-legged meditating.


    She opens her eyes and smiles, "You fell asleep while reading. The book must have been very interesting." she laughs, "That, or it was very boring."


    "I... yeah, it was interesting. I mean, I think it was..."


    I start trying to recollect last night, but after a certain point, I just draw a blank.


    ''Did I really fall asleep...? No... no, wait! I remember, there were those symbols!''


    I look down in front of me at the manual that is now folded up and closed neatly. I start flipping through the manual until I reach the back where I remember seeing the symbols, and sure enough, there are symbols strewn across several pages.


    I start to approach the symbols with my soul, but then I realize that''s the last thing I remember from last night before passing out. So instead of making direct contact, I try examining the symbols from a distance.


    ''That''s strange... I can''t sense anything.''


    The symbols, which should be giving off weak fluctuations, seem completely inert. Finally, I grit my teeth and try touching the symbols.


    ''Nothing? But I remember... yes, I remember now. It was... transferring something?''


    Once I remember what happened, I immediately link it with the title of the book, Dual Soul Method. As soon as I make the connection, a flood of information enters my consciousness, but it''s not overwhelming this time. It''s less like an invasive force trying to imprint itself, and more like something that exists within my own mind.


    ''This feels so weird. And yet, somehow familiar... that''s it! It feels a lot like those two visions I had. Huh...''


    The information manifests itself into something that''s not quite pictures and not quite words, but is just as if not more informative. It starts teaching me about the Dual Soul Method in such a way that it feels almost like I''m experiencing it firsthand.


    I start sensing a soul more powerful than my own, moving and behaving in ways I never thought possible. Finally, after what seems like an hour, I sense something like a blade start to form above the soul. Suddenly, without warning, the blade chops down, severing the soul in half. It ends after that, leaving me inwardly horrified.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ''That seems like it would really, really hurt...''


    I stand up and open my eyes, shaking myself awake from whatever it was that I just experienced. As I sit back down and breathe out a sigh, I notice that Mama has moved to the other side of what is now a heap of charcoal, and is sitting down reading a book.


    I walk over and peek at the book, and several words catch my attention immediately, words such as ''burn'' and ''heat'', as well as many other temperature related words and phrases.


    Mama smiles as she notices me, "Lyna, I have been waiting for you to finish what you were doing. Can you please tell me what this word is?"


    She closes the book and points at the gray cover, the title of which I start reading off.


    "Intermediate Forging, the Three Styles... um, intermediate is-"


    Mama cuts me off, "Yes, I know intermediate. What is ''forging''?"


    "Right. Forging is... It''s when people heat up metal so that they can use tools to shape it into different things, things like your halberd for instance. I mean, I''m sure there''s a lot more to it, that''s just all I really know."


    Mama nods her head, "I see, thank you. There is also this word..."


    I look at the word and read it out loud, explaining its meaning as best I can, after which she thanks me again and continues reading. I walk back over to the Dual Soul Method manual and start contemplating whether I should use it or not, but almost as soon as I sit down, Mama calls me back over wondering about another word. Eventually, after the same scenario repeats itself several more times, I decide to just stay by Mama until she finishes the book.


    There wind up being several words that I don''t even know, as with the cultivation manuals and such, so we just have to read around them as best we can. By the time we make it through the entire book, the sun has already set again.


    "Thank you for the help, Lyna. I am sorry to have kept you here all day."


    "Haha, don''t apologize if there''s nothing to be sorry about. But, uh, speaking of the book, do you think you''d be interested in forging?"


    Mama nods her head, "I would very much like to try it. If I were able to forge, I could create as many halberds as I would like."


    I barely hold back a snicker that tries to escape my mouth.


    Since it''s already night, we decide to just camp here again. Mama starts gathering some more wood, while I hunt a couple creatures to eat. Really, with our physiques, there''s no need for us to rest, let alone camp, as long as we travel at a reasonable pace, but it''s kinda become a habit. It also gives Mama time to meditate, something she seems to enjoy doing.


    After eating, I walk back over to the Dual Soul Method manual and lie down.


    ''I guess I don''t really need this out anymore.''


    Since I already read the whole thing, and the symbols in the back don''t seem to work anymore, I decide to put it into storage. After that, I start thinking about the Dual Soul Method. The manual didn''t really teach anything except how to do it. It didn''t say what it was useful for, or whether it had negative side effects or not, or if it''s reversible.


    I start playing the tutorial that the thing planted in my brain over and over again, hoping that I missed something, to no avail. I even try thinking about different keywords in an attempt to make more information pop up, but it seems it only transferred the knowledge on how to accomplish the Dual Soul Method.


    "Ahhh! I want to try it, but..."


    ''It''s kind of scary...''


    Mama opens her eyes, distracted from her meditation, and looks over, "Lyna? What is wrong?"


    "Oh, no, it''s nothing. Just talking to myself."


    Mama nods her head and smiles, "I see. Do not worry about inconveniencing me; you can talk to me if you need to."


    "I know, thanks Mama."


    With that, Mama goes back to meditating, and I finally decide what I''m going to do.


    ''I guess I''ll try cutting off a little piece.''


    I figure that even if I can''t merge the piece back into my soul, a small enough piece should regrow pretty quickly.


    ''At least, I hope it''ll regrow...''


    With my mind made up, I start trying to form a blade according to the instructions. I start off by utilizing soul force, something I didn''t even know existed before reading the Dual Soul Method manual, though it seems I''ve been using it inadvertently for a while now. Those golem simulations I made, for instance, or pretty much every time I''ve interacted with symbols. I also used it when I cleared Miina''s meridians, and even those soul platforms I use require soul force.


    ''Now that I think of it, I rely on soul force a lot, don''t I?''


    It takes much longer than I thought it would, but finally, after several hours, there''s an almost completely translucent blade hovering above my soul.


    ''Here goes nothing...''


    I extend a tiny piece of my soul outward in preparation for the procedure. After several seconds of hesitation, I harden my will and chop down with the blade.


    ''Ah... stings a little. Doesn''t hurt nearly as much as I thought it would, though.''


    Breathing a sigh of relief, I start examining the piece of soul I just amputated. I try moving it, and although at first it seems to move just like my main soul, I quickly find something odd. Whatever I make it do, whether that''s move in a straight line, turn in circles, or even more advanced things such as forming shapes, it seems to want to continue doing it automatically.


    ''Well that''s something. Is it because it''s too small?''


    I continue experimenting with the soul fragment, and in doing so, realize that it''s nearly useless save for its mimicking ability.


    ''It''s probably due to its size, but I''m still not sure how useful it would be even if I split my soul into two equal halves.''


    After a while, I decide to try merging them back together. As soon as I bring the two pieces of soul together with the intent to combine them, the smaller piece starts dissolving at a slow rate, reuniting with my larger soul.


    ''What''s even the use? Sure, I can split my soul up, but I don''t know what to do afterward. Is there more? Is this just part one or something?''


    With more questions now than before, I decide to just push everything to the back of my mind and get some rest before the sun rises, as I walk over to Mama and lie down beside her.

 Chapter 38: Onward and Forward

    The next morning, we decide to continue our travels toward the silhouette in the sky, except this time, instead of mapping out a path through towns and cities, we''re going to use the map to avoid humans.


    After about half a day of travel, we''ve completely left the area around the dungeon. The forest we''re traveling through right now is pretty sparse, with the closest trees being several body lengths apart. It doesn''t take away from the beauty though, the clear view of the sky making the forest seem much more cheerful.


    I look up, "Haa, this is so much better than that dreary, claustrophobic dungeon."


    "What is ''claustrophobic''?"


    I look at Mama, who''s looking at me as well.


    I think for a few seconds, "Well, somewhere being claustrophobic means that it''s like, small and enclosed."


    Mama furrows her eyebrows, "But the dungeon was neither small, nor was it enclosed."


    "I mean, not really, I guess. I''m actually not sure if it would be considered claustrophobic or not. Man, It''s times like these that I really wish I could just look things up on the internet. Anyway, a person can also be claustrophobic if they have claustrophobia, which is the fear of small enclosed areas."


    Mama closes her eyes for a bit, then opens them and nods, "I see. What is an ''internet''?"


    "The internet is something from my previous world. It''s something that a lot of people can use to share infor... wait, what''s that?"


    I happen to notice something in the distance that stands out from the surrounding trees. It looks tall, dark, and spindly. Other than that, I''m not able to discern much about it.


    As we approach it, I''m finally able to tell what it is.


    "A dead tree? I''ve never seen one in this world before."


    Mama looks at the dead tree, "I have seen them before. They are not common, though."


    I point at another tree in the distance, "Look, there''s one over there, too."


    We keep walking forward, but the farther we get, the more dear trees start popping up, and even the ones that aren''t dead start looking sickly, with droopy, discolored leaves.


    I start poking Mama''s foot until she looks at me, "So you''ve never seen anything like this?"


    She shakes her head, "Never."


    "Huh. Wonder what''s causing it."


    We try taking a detour by walking around the area with dead trees, but they seem to stretch on forever, so eventually we decide to give up and just walk straight through them.


    Within an hour of travel, we''re completely surrounded by dead trees, and I start getting some creepy vibes. I look over at Mama, who seems unperturbed by her surroundings.


    "Mama, do you feel anything? Like someone''s watching you or something?"


    Mama shakes her head, "I do not feel any gazes."


    "Oh, okay."


    Although I trust Mama''s judgment more than my own, the creepy feeling only gets stronger as we continue through the forest. It''s like something''s watching us, following us. I try scouring the area with my soul several times, but every time I do, I turn up with nothing.


    ''I haven''t felt this way in quite a while. I mean, my intuition usually isn''t wrong, but there just doesn''t seem to be anything there.''


    Inevitably, the sun, along with the two daytime moons, creeps closer and closer to the edge of the sky, soon to be replaced by the four nighttime moons. As the sky darkens, something I can barely perceive due to my night vision, the bad feeling only gets worse. As Mama starts slowing down, presumably to stop for the night, I can''t help but say something.


    "Mama, should we worry about making camp tonight? I mean, there aren''t even any creatures here, so we can''t really eat anything."


    Mama shakes her head, "Do not worry."


    She then waves her hand, causing the giant corpse of some sort of snake covered in black scales to appear on the ground.


    She smiles proudly, "I have many creatures in my storage rings in preparation for a situation such as this. And they do not spoil quickly in there, so I do not even need to prepare them before putting them in."


    I stare at her proud face, and force a smile onto my own, "Right, that''s uh... a good idea, Mama."


    Mama laughs and walks over to a nearby tree, breaking off several branches and bringing them back. She then arranges the wood and tries to start a fire, but even after several attempts, the wood won''t stay lit. It''s almost like the dry wood is flame retardant, as strange as that sounds.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    Mama smiles, "No matter, I was prepared for this as well!"


    She waves her hand, causing several appropriately sized logs to materialize on the ground. She then looks at me expectantly.


    I sit down and clap my front paws together, "Wow, good job Mama. I never would have thought this far ahead!"


    Her smile widens, and she begins laughing again as she starts a fire.


    ''Still, why didn''t that wood catch on fire? I mean, on earth, this entire area would be a fire hazard. This whole place just seems really... off.''


    Mama proceeds to prepare the snake, and then places it above the fire after sprinkling rock salt, along with several seasonings that we got from Bark''s village, on it. The delicious smell that wafts through the air almost makes me forget about the feeling I''ve been getting.


    "Wow Mama, you''ve gotten really good at cooking."


    Mama grins and hands me a bowl, which she also got from one of her storage rings, full of cooked snake meat. I forego all pleasantries and dig in, eating the entire bowl of food within seconds. Mama just laughs and refills my bowl before I can even ask her to.


    ''I''ve never tried snake meat on earth. I wonder if the snakes over there taste this good?''


    Within minutes, the entire snake is gone, and I feel stuffed.


    "Wow, that was delicious."


    Mama smiles and pats her lap, "I think so as well."


    I walk over and lie down on top of her, after which she pets my head a couple times before she begins meditating.


    I''ve been camping on earth before, so the campfire gives me a subconscious sense of comfort, its bright flames supposedly able to ward off wild animals. But honestly, I get the feeling that if something really is following us, it''s not any normal wild animal.


    I suddenly wake up with a horrible feeling in my stomach, like my organs want to escape my body. As I look at the campfire, I realize that it''s still burning, indicating that I must not have been asleep for too long.


    ''Ugh, that snake really didn''t settle well...''


    I quickly realize that''s not the problem though, as the feeling starts spreading, eventually covering my entire stomach. I start moving around, changing positions to see if I can get more comfortable, but nothing works.


    ''Am I sick? I mean, I''ve never gotten sick in this world before, but you never know.''


    The feeling starts traveling up my body, continuing until eventually, it nears the marble on my chest. Almost immediately, the feeling in my stomach disappears, as I feel something rush up through my body toward the marble.


    Shocked and disturbed, I do pretty much the only thing that I can in this situation, and try to intercept it with my soul. I just barely cover the marble in my chest before I feel something bash against my soul with a fair bit of force.


    Enraged by the sudden attack, I push back violently, expelling the entity from my body. I look around for whatever that thing is, but all I''m able to see are dead trees, the fire, and...


    ''Right, Mama!''


    I start scanning her body with my soul, focusing mostly on her stomach area, but even after several seconds, I''m unable to find anything. As I exhale a sigh of relief, I feel Mama stir.


    "Lyna? I felt something, did you do that?"


    I stand up, "Mama, we need to leave, now! There''s a ghost thing out there, and it just tried to attack me!"


    My intuition starts acting up again, only much worse this time. I start feeling several presences, all originating from the same general direction.


    I start shouting, "Seriously, Mama! We need to go!"


    A solemn expression appears on her face as she nods her head and picks me up.


    I point past the campfire into the woods, "The thing that attacked me went that way, and I can feel more of them! They''re invisible, and they use some sort of soul attack."


    Mama looks in the direction I''m pointing, "I believe I can feel them now as well, but barely. The feeling is getting stronger, though."


    I nod my head, "Yeah, they''re getting closer. We should really get out of here."


    Mama starts running in the opposite direction with me in her arms, but no matter how fast she runs, the things don''t seem to be getting any farther away, stalking us from a distance. Although I can''t tell their exact number, it''s certainly growing, their conglomerated energy becoming easier and easier to detect.


    I try dissuading them with my soul, but it''s easier said than done. When something''s in my body, it''s an easy target, but these things weave through the air like spider silk. Forget landing a killing blow, I''m lucky if I can even graze one.


    Suddenly, a shiver runs down my spine as I sense something terrible pass over me, the feeling similar to getting doused in cold water. It only lasts a split second before disappearing, but it makes those ghost things seem like ants in comparison. At almost the same time, the ghosts start speeding up, drawing even closer to us.


    My eyes widen as I look straight in front of us, the direction that the dangerous pulse came from.


    I point beside us, "Mama, try going that way!"


    Mama nods her head and starts running in the direction that I pointed, but the ghosts following us immediately cut her off, forcing her to revert to her original course. I feel another pulse flow over us, stronger this time, causing the ghosts to further quicken their pace. Mama speeds up as well, but I can tell by her strained expression that it''s taxing on her.


    An even stronger pulse flashes by, and another, each one causing the ghosts speed up, forcing Mama closer to her limits. Some of the ghosts start splitting from the group, charging us by themselves, forcing me to create a barrier with my soul.


    Finally, as another pulse passes by, making my skin crawl, I grit my teeth and shout, "Mama, stop!"


    She doesn''t ask any questions, slowing down and coming to a complete stop almost immediately. The ghosts also seem to lose their vigor, stopping not far from us. Now that they''re all in one place, I feel like I can see distortions in the air where they are, almost like a mirage.


    As I feel another pulse, some of the ghosts break the silence and move in to attack us, slamming into my barrier. I slowly turn my head in the direction we were running. There, in front of us, is a massive crater, completely devoid of even dead trees.


    Mama looks as well and mutters, "How did I not see that before?"


    I shake my head, "I didn''t see it either. I just felt like there was something really bad in front of us..."


    My eyes quickly drift to the center of the crater, where I can just barely make something out.


    ''A sword... no, two swords, one of them is just smaller.''


    The larger sword is black and purple, giving off an intimidating, even overbearing impression. The smaller sword on the other hand, although I can''t see it very well, I can tell that it''s mostly white. It gives off a pleasant, soothing feeling. It makes me just want to stare at it...


    ''Ah, wake up, me. This isn''t the time to get distracted.''


    Another pulse rushes by, seemingly originating from the crater, causing the ghosts to get even more anxious.


    ''I won''t be able to hold these guys off forever. What to do...''

 Chapter 39: The Two Swords

    More and more of the ghosts start slamming themselves into my soul, that number increasing even further as another pulse sweeps over them.


    ''What to do, what to do...''


    I start brainstorming, trying to find a way out of this precarious situation, when I suddenly remember that time I fought the group of boars. They didn''t have any reservations about attacking me at first, but as soon as I showed them that I was dangerous, they got much more cautious.


    "Lyna, what should we do?" I hear Mama ask worriedly.


    "Just a minute, I have a plan."


    I close my eyes in order to focus my full attention on my soul, which is spread fairly thin in order to cover us. I start waiting for an opportunity, one that presents itself as a stronger ghost rushes in to attack by itself. I manipulate the part of my soul that it''s about to run into, causing the ghost to sink in.


    As I trap it within my soul, the other ghosts seem to get frightened, many of them halting or even retreating. Quite a few of the ghosts continue attacking though, but as soon as I capture a second one, even they stop.


    ''You guys are real loyal, aren''t ya?''


    I start applying pressure to the ghosts from all sides, but it seems relatively hard to hurt them. They start wriggling frantically as soon as they realize what I''m doing, but my soul is far stronger than they are, rendering them, for the most part, immobile.


    "What, did you all think that I wouldn''t attack back?"


    The ghosts seem to have some sort of membrane covering them, granting them a certain level of protection. I can feel it weakening though, as I squish them into unnatural, oblong shapes. Finally, after a final twist, the weaker ghost bursts like a grape, its incorporeal body dissolving into the air.


    The stronger ghost seems to notice what happened, as it redoubles its efforts to escape, but it''s no use. Soon, its body, if you can even call it that, is evaporating into nothingness.


    I turn my attention back to the ghosts, who are starting to group together again. I sense that they''re now staying at a safe distance, and even after another pulse passes by, they barely budge.


    "Hahaha, do you understand, now? You guys might be able to overwhelm me all together, but I''ll get a bunch of you in the process! Well? Do you want to fight or not? Come on!"


    Suddenly, I feel pressure on my shoulder, and as I look at the source of it, I see mama wearing a smile that doesn''t really look like a smile.


    "Do not encourage them, dear."


    I shrug my shoulders, "I''m not sure if they can even hear me."


    Suddenly, I feel another pulse sweep over me, one that''s much, much stronger than any of the previous ones.


    Mama turns her head and stares at the crater, "What was that?"


    "You felt that? It''s been going on for a while, but that one was a lot stronger than the others."


    Another equally strong pulse emanates from the crater, causing the group of ghosts to start moving chaotically.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    "Mama, I think we should leave."


    She nods her head, "I think so as well."


    As Mama turns around, I feel another, even stronger pulse.


    ''There were barely even a couple seconds between those.''


    I take another glance at the crater over Mama''s shoulder, but as soon as my eyes land on the swords, I notice something. The white sword has something sticking out of it, something even bigger than the sword itself is.


    ''Is that... an arm?''


    Scree!


    An otherworldly screeching sound rings out, causing both my body and my soul to shudder. Mama seems to notice it as well, as she turns around and looks at the crater.


    I watch as the translucent white hand jets out of the white sword, heading straight for us. I''m given little time to react as I move my soul between us and the hand, after which I use the shield necklace, causing a blue shield to appear in front of me. Mama also activates her shield necklace, then she uses her Static Flame Wall ability, causing several flame walls to appear.


    Boom!


    One of Mama''s flame walls shatters as soon as the hand impacts it, followed by another, and another. Soon, all five flame walls are gone, allowing me to see the hand''s silhouette through the shields. It''s huge, probably bigger than Mama in her bloodcat form.


    As soon as the hand slams into the shields, they both shatter. I brace for impact as the hand nears my soul, but I suddenly feel a certain weightlessness, brought on by my body hurdling through the air. My eyes are still glued to the hand though, which continues to move toward Mama, who''s now gripping her halberd with both hands.


    When they clash, it doesn''t generate as much noise as I thought it might, but it certainly creates a spectacle. There''s a hissing sound as Mama''s halberd slices straight through the now much less opaque hand, followed by a huge burst of flames that incinerates the rest of it.


    Thud!


    Too preoccupied with watching the clash, I wind up slamming straight into the ground, rolling a couple times before catching myself. As soon as I get up, I look at Mama and find that she''s still standing in the same spot, facing the crater.


    "Mama, let''s go! Hurry, before it attacks again!"


    She doesn''t even answer me, and merely sits down cross-legged. I look nervously back at the white sword, and I''m able to see several large fingers poking out of it, when suddenly, something above the black sword catches my attention. An arm starts rising from it as well, but much faster than the white one. Eventually, the black arm is fully formed and starts stretching this direction, growing as it goes.


    "Oh, come on!"


    I start running toward Mama, who seems to be meditating, when I notice that the black hand''s trajectory is a little off. I also notice that the ghosts, which were conglomerated together before, start scattering in every direction away from the crater. As soon as I reach Mama, I grab onto her clothes with my mouth and start dragging her away from the crater.


    Whoosh!


    The black hand passes by not far from where we are and grasps at something. The fright causes me to pull harder, dragging Mama, who''s sitting cross-legged even now, away faster.


    I already had trouble comprehending what exactly was happening, but as I watch the white hand finally emerge only to grasp the black arm, which is still attached to the black sword, and pull, I decide to stop trying to make sense of things. I turn around and start using soul platforms to get away even faster, not even vaguely interested in how this lovers'' quarrel might pan out.


    "Haa, haa, haa..."


    After a while, my soul started getting too fatigued to continue making platforms, so I started just dragging Mama normally again. Now, even my body is starting to get fatigued, slowing my speed to little more than a crawl.


    ''Well, I guess this is as good a place as any to stop.''


    Somehow, even though I''ve been dragging her sideways on the ground pretty much the whole way, Mama''s still cross-legged. I go ahead and push her back upright before sitting down to catch my breath.


    "Dang it, haa, why is it only times like, haa, like these that my, haa, that my body acts normal..."


    I lie down and rest for a while, though I can''t help but stay a bit vigilant, since we''re not out of the woods yet. Even though I haven''t sensed any ghosts ever since we left the crater, I can''t just assume that we won''t run into them anymore. Besides, it''s super hard to find them when they''re alone, so there might even be a couple following us right now, for all I know.


    My eyes drift back to Mama, who''s still sitting cross-legged with her eyes closed.


    "What''s wrong, Mama? Why won''t you wake up?"


    I stand up and walk over to Mama, then climb up onto her lap, where I lie back down. There, I close my eyes and continue resting, scanning the area with my soul once in a while for any particularly brave ghosts that might show up.

 Chapter 40: Unpleasant Company

    "Haha! Got you!"


    With one swift movement, I finally catch one of the ghosts that have been slinking around for the last couple hours. It tries struggling like all the rest, but just like the rest, it does no good. After I crush the ghost, I stop feeling that creepy sensation, indicating that the rest of the ghosts probably fled.


    "Well then, that''s that, I guess."


    So far, there haven''t been any ghost attacks like the one before, but a few of them do show up every once in a while. I figure if I don''t scare them away, they''ll probably gang up like they did yesterday, so I wait until they get too comfortable so that I can get one or two, after which the rest always disperse.


    I look sideways, "Hey Mama, how are you feeling?"


    Still no response. She''s undoubtedly alive, I can see her breathing and everything, but she still seems to be meditating for some reason.


    ''I hope nothing really bad wrong...''


    I would really rather not move her if possible, but this place is just too dangerous. After scanning the area once more, I grab onto her clothes and continue dragging her through the dead forest.


    "Gah, Mama, why are you so fast?!"


    Even after a full day of travel, I have yet to see a single living tree. Finally, I decide it''s about time to settle down for a while. After all, I''m sure Mama would appreciate a rest.


    I tip her back upright and start rubbing as much of the dirt and debris as I can off of her. I don''t wind up doing a very good job, though, as she still looks like a mess.


    "Mamaaa... why won''t you wake uuup..."


    After sitting down beside her, I start scanning the area with my soul. Honestly, I didn''t really expect to see anything, but I very quickly notice a human wearing white armor not too far from us. I immediately stand back up and stare at them. It takes several more seconds, but they eventually notice us as well, and our eyes meet.


    ''Early Qi Manipulation, looks like. This guy''s not weak.''


    After a while, the man starts slowly walking toward us. I start scanning him and his surroundings with my soul, but can''t find anything out of the ordinary. Still, there''s no way I''d trust some random cultivator, so I walk between him and Mama and glare at him.


    The man holds his hands up, "Whoa, easy there. Is that your owner? Wait, can you even understand me?" a vigilant look suddenly appears on his face.


    I nod my head.


    He sighs and lowers his hands, "Is something wrong with your owner? If you''ll let me take her back to the outpost, maybe we could do something to help her."


    I shake my head.


    He squints his eyes, "Cautious little thing, aren''t you? There''s no need to worry, really. I just want to help."


    Suddenly, I notice a silhouette out of the corner of my eye. I turn my head right, just in time to see a man releasing a bolt from a crossbow. I take a step backward, but immediately after, I feel a sharp pain in my side. I look left, and find a woman with a now empty crossbow, grinning at me.


    I open my jaws, releasing a small beam from my mouth, which pierces her shoulder. At the same time, I scan the area with my soul and notice a bolt coming toward me from another direction. I immediately realize that if I were to dodge it, the bolt would hit Mama, who''s behind me.


    I will for the shield necklace to activate, causing qi to flow out from the marble in my chest. But nothing happens. As a last resort, I try making a small soul barrier, but I just don''t have enough time.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Thk!


    I can hear the bolt hitting bone as it pierces my shoulder. I notice another bolt flying at me, coming from the man to the right. I try moving out of the way, but wind up stumbling to the ground. I feel the bolt whiz over my back, disturbing my hair but missing anything underneath.


    "Hey, that''s enough. If you hit it too many times, it''ll die."


    I look up and see the Early Qi Manipulation man who, somewhat contrary to his words, is pointing a loaded crossbow directly at me. The first thing I do is try to use my beam attack, but I find that I''m unable to channel qi properly.


    The man laughs, "Are you feeling it now?"


    I wrack my brain, trying to think of a way out, but I come up with nothing. Finally, I back up until I''m beside Mama and start glaring at the three people.


    I notice the woman start to walk toward me with a scary expression, when the Early Qi Manipulation man interrupts her, "Be careful. The beast may still have some fight left in it."


    She continues walking, "Doesn''t matter."


    As she nears, I try jumping at her, but find that most of the strength has been sapped from my body. I''m barely even able to reach her feet, one of which she kicks forward as soon as I land, sending me tumbling painfully backward. As I land, I decide to close my eyes and stay still, pretending to be unconscious, but still keeping track of her with my soul. She continues walking closer, and just as I''m about to jump up and attack her, I feel an impact on my side, knocking me even farther away from Mama.


    I decide to keep up the act, though, allowing her to punt me over and over again. In the end, she winds up kicking me nearly a dozen times before she seems to be satisfied. As she walks over to me and bends down, reaching her hand toward my neck, I open my eyes.


    ''Now!''


    I jerk my head sideways, grasping her wrist between my teeth.


    "Ah!"


    She recoils, lifting me off the ground. After her initial reaction, though, she calms down, holding her arm out in front of her with me dangling off of it. She then reaches her arm down to her side, grasping a dagger and pulling it from its sheath.


    The Early Qi Manipulation man takes a step forward, "Hey, don''t kill it! The more-"


    The woman interrupts him, "I know! It just needs to be alive, right?"


    Right after she finishes talking, the woman raises her dagger and starts waving it around in front of my face while smiling wickedly. All I can do in response is glare at her and try to bite down harder.


    The woman releases a light laugh, one completely unbefitting of her facial expression, "Won''t you please let go?"


    She then slashes the dagger across my face. The pain causes me to release my hold, as I fall back down to the ground.


    "Thank you." she mutters.


    I resist shouting out with all my might, since I don''t want to give her the satisfaction of a response, even if she can''t hear it.


    There''s an immense pain running across my face, especially around my eyes. I try opening my eyelids, but that only winds up amplifying the pain, so I give up.


    ''Stupid... why did I have to antagonize her? All just to satisfy my pride, why am I always so stupid...''


    I start berating myself, though after thinking about it, I have no doubt that I''d do the same thing over again if given the chance.


    ''Heh, guess I really am stupid.''


    I sense the woman bending down again, once more reaching toward my neck. I don''t resist this time as she grabs my necklaces and pulls them up over my head.


    "Tch, this one''s broken. Should have taken these first before kicking it around."


    She takes the shield necklace, which has a crack running through the pendant, something that I''m only just now noticing.


    ''Well then, that would explain why it didn''t work earlier...''


    I sigh and sit upright, completely at the mercy of these thugs. The Early Qi Manipulation man picks up the shield necklace off of the ground before walking over to where I am. He then reaches toward me, putting something around my neck that starts tightening itself, though not quite enough to choke me. After that, he attaches the end of a chain to it. I''m not sure if it''s just my imagination or not, but as soon as he puts the thing around my neck, I start feeling even weaker than I already did.


    I hear an unfamiliar voice, "Come on, did you have to go that far? What if the thing dies before we can get it back?"


    The woman laughs, "I couldn''t help it, the vicious beast attacked me. Didn''t you see?"


    I hear a huff, before the Early Qi Manipulation man cuts in, "Alright you two, break it up. We got a pretty good haul this time. If I''m not mistaken, that beast should have the light attribute. I''m sure we''ll get quite the reward for it. Let''s get them back to the outpost before another squad happens upon us and wants a cut of that reward, yeah?"


    He walks over to Mama, placing a similar collar around her neck as the one around my own, after first removing her necklaces. He then attaches a chain to it and begins dragging her across the ground.


    The woman snickers as she grabs my chain, "Wow, she not even flinching. She must be really messed up inside."


    The woman gives the chain a tug, causing me to topple forward. I try standing up, but as soon as I do, she tugs the chain again, causing me to lose my balance once more. The situation continues as she pulls me along, knocking me over once in a while by jerking the chain.

 Hey everyone!

    Just wanted to say that I''m still working on editing/rewriting the previous chapter and finishing the next, but neither are coming out today. I''m just not quite happy with them yet, and I already learned my lesson about rushing things from last chapter, haha.


    As for a date, I''m still not quite sure when I''ll be done with them. I''m hoping they''ll be finished within a few days, but it may wind up taking longer. Just know that I''m not planning on dropping the story, and even if I do, I''ll say it outright and not leave you all hanging. I mean, unless something unforeseen happens, like a zombie apocalypse, or if I transmigrate to another world, or...Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Um, anyway, until then, I hope you all have a nice week!